Jonah 1-4; Micah 2; 4-7
The book of Jonah is another beautiful piece of Hebrew poetry, that delivers multiple lessons through its langauge and symbolism. If you were to ask a class, "What is the major message of the book of Jonah?" you could get many answers that could all be right. Of course, the title of the lesson involves missionary work. This blog entry, however, will focus on two different but related themes of the book of Jonah: being temple-oriented, and receiving peace by forgiving our enemies.
GOING DOWN
The story of Jonah is a katabasis: a journey down. Jonah went down, down, down: down from Joppa, down into the ship (1:3), down into the bottom of the ship (1:5). We consider the bottom of the earth to be the ground, but you can get even deeper if you go to the bottom of the sea, which is what Jonah did (2:3-6). But what's interesting is that Jonah chose to say he went "down to the bottoms of the mountains" (2:6), when clearly he was describing the bottom of the sea ("the waters compassed me about...the depth closed me round about, the weeds were wrapped about my head") (2:5). Of course, the ocean floor has mountains, but there is a particular reason that Jonah chose to refer to it this way. Jonah's story is about a journey down from "the presence of the Lord" (1:3, 10) (David Bokovoy).
In the stories of Moses receiving the Law, or Abraham sacrificing Isaac, everything is "up." They go up to the mountain, which is where they can visit the Lord in a temple-like environment. The word "mountain" in the scriptures often indicates an outdoor holy place or temple.
The word for "temple" in Hebrew means literally "the presence of the Lord" (David Bokovoy). Which, of course, makes perfect sense. So you can substitute "temple" for "the presence of the Lord" or for "mountain" in this story and in most of the Old Testament.
Also, the Lord comes to his children "from the east" in scripture (Matt. 24:27; Zech. 14:4-5; Ezek. 43:1). Moses' tabernacle and Soloman's temple both faced the east (Bible Dictionary "Tabernacle") for that reason. The garden of the Lord was "eastward in Eden." Which direction was Jonah running? West, of course. The temple and Jerusalem were on the east end of the Mediterranean Sea. Tarshish, where Jonah was going, is presumed to be in present-day Spain (see Bible Dictionary), on the very far west side of the Mediterranean, as far west as you could go in Jonah's world. Tarshish was also a worldly place, the center of commerce on the sea, materialistic--once again, the opposite of the temple.
So Jonah was not only running away from his mission, he was running away from the temple and his covenants.
Of course, you can't run away from the Lord, since he controls the elements, and there was a tempest on the sea, which threatened the lives of the sailors. Jonah confessed to be the fault and the sailors threw him overboard (1:12). The Lord had prepared a whale to swallow Jonah. It is no coincidence that Jonah was inside the whale for three days and three nights: the space between the Atonement and the Resurrection (1:17). Jonah's story is an obvious type of the resurrection of Christ and the power of the Atonement (Matt. 12:39-41), and also a type of baptism. Jonah was completely immersed in the water, and after the whale spit him out, he had the chance to start over, to become a new man, and to join the Lord's purpose, to preach repentance to Ninevah.
THE PSALM OF JONAH
Jonah's psalm is representative of anyone who has left their covenants, suffered because of their sins, and had the opportunity to return, through the Atonement, to the presence of the Lord. (Jonah uses the Hebrew poetic form, enallage [en-ALL-uh-gee] in which he begins by referring to the Lord in third person, and ends by referring to the Lord in second person, indicating that their relationship changed during the story, and he drew closer to the Lord.)
"Then Jonah prayed unto the Lord his God out of the fish's belly, and said, I cried by reason of mine affliction unto the Lord, and he heard me; out of the belly of hell cried I, and thou heardest my voice. For thou hadst cast me into the deep, in the midst of the seas; and the floods compassed me about: all thy billows and thy waves passed over me. Then I said, I am cast out of thy sight; yet I will look again toward thy holy temple.
"The waters compassed me about, even to the soul [to the death]: the depth closed me round about, the weeds were wrapped about my head. I went down to the bottoms of the mountains; the earth with her bars was about me for ever: yet hast thou brought up my life from corruption, O Lord my God. When my soul fainted within me I remembered the Lord: and my prayer came in unto thee, into thine holy temple" (2:1-7).
Perfection is a process, though, and Jonah didn't allow God's perfect love to cast out his fear (1 John 4:18).
FORGIVING OUR ENEMIES
Why did Jonah go to such great lengths to purposely run away from the presence of the Lord, from his calling as a prophet, and from his covenants? Why was he so unhappy about sharing the gospel in Ninevah?
Well, Ninevah was the capitol of Assyria. The story of Jonah is unique in the Old Testament in that Jonah was called to preach the gospel to enemies of the House of Israel. Israelites had always been counseled to stay away from the heathen nations, definitely not to marry them, and even, in the time of Joshua, to kill them all before entering the Land of Canaan so that their idolatry would not seep into the culture of the Israelites. Prophets previous to Jonah had all been charged with calling only Israel to repentance; this was a different thing altogether. And not only was Jonah called to idolatrous non-Israelites, but to THE great enemy, Assyria! They were powerful, and they were ruthless and they had caused a great deal of sorrow in Israel over a long period of time.
Jonah's calling to carry the gospel to the enemy has parallels in the New Testament and the Book of Mormon. In Acts 10, the prophet Peter had a dream about a great tablecloth that came down from heaven with non-kosher foods on it, and he was commanded to eat them. Then messengers arrived from Cornelius, a Roman who was seeking the truth of the gospel. The Romans, of course, were ruling over the Jews and oppressing them: enemies! Peter realized that the Lord was telling him that Cornelius, a Roman and a non-Jew, could be baptized, and a wonderful harvest of Roman souls was reaped that Cornelius had gathered and prepared.
In the Book of Mormon, the sons of Mosiah went on a 14-year mission to the Lamanites, at great peril of their lives (Mosiah 28; Alma 17-26). They were not the first to try a mission to the Lamanites (see Jacob 7:24), but they were the first to succeed. A great number of Lamanites joined the Church and became among its most stalwart members. All of the "sons of Helaman" were a product of this harvest.
Jonah, likewise, had tremendous success, once he decided to go. 120,000 Assyrians repented (if the number is literal and correct) and accepted the gospel (Jonah 4:11). But Jonah was different than Paul and Ammon: He did not rejoice in his harvest.
THE SAVING OF NINEVAH
Jonah's message was that destruction would be coming after the symbolic 40 days, the Biblical trial period. Ninevah was such a huge city that it took three days to walk across it (3:4). Yet even though Jonah only walked a third of the way into the city delivering his message (he was a little half-hearted), word quickly reached the King of Ninevah (3:7-9; note the JST footnotes). Jonah, undoubtedly, was shocked when the King of Ninevah believed him! The king took off his royal robe, and repented in sackcloth and ashes, in the Hebrew manner (3:6)! He required everyone in the land, even the animals!, to do likewise, to pray to the Lord, to fast, and to beg forgiveness. Where else in the Bible do you find anyone, even the Israelites, going so far as to have the animals fast and sit in sackcloth and ashes? Remarkable! This man was sincere! "Who can tell," he said to his people, "if we will repent, and turn unto God, but he will turn away from us his fierce anger, that we perish not?" (3:9 JST)
God saw their sincere repentance, and forgave them (3:10 JST).
Jonah, however, did not. Disappointed and angry, he went and made himself a little shelter outside the city, where he could sit in the shadow [away from The Light], with the hope that he would still get to view the destruction of Ninevah (4:1-5). Perhaps he didn't trust the Assyrians to remain sincere, and was afraid they would change back to their old ways and threaten the Israelites. If they were all destroyed, the threat would be completely gone.
How long he sat there we don't know, but it was apparently long enough for the little shanty to fall apart so that he was unsheltered. The Lord, always reaching out, even when we create our own misery, grew a castor bean plant (see footnote for "gourd") over Jonah's head, to shelter him, "to deliver him from his grief." Castor bean plants can reach 40 feet in height, growing up to 10 feet in one season. The leaves alone can be 3 feet long. A caster bean plant would make a quick and excellent shade from the sun. It had come as a free gift of God's love to him, which he did not have to qualify for on his own merits (4:10). Perhaps it was even a type of the Atonement, which will comfort us and free us of the bitter abuses others have brought upon us, if we will let it.
But Jonah refused be delivered of his grief, prefering to sulk and stew about Ninevah and hope for vengeance. So the Lord sent a worm to destroy the plant. With his shelter removed, Jonah was subject to the "vehement east wind" and the hot sun (both symbols of God), and ironically Jonah, who had been saved from death while running from the Lord's errand, now having completed it with huge success, wished for death to return. He could not relent and love his enemies as God did. He could not recognize that the Assyrians could not "discern between their right hand and their left hand" (4:11), or to say it another way, were "only kept from the truth because they [knew] not where to find it" (D&C 123:12).
SHOULD I NOT SPARE NINEVAH?
Jonah seems so hardhearted, refusing the offer of the Lord for freedom from grief through forgiveness. But maybe if we look a little closer, we will see that Jonah was just exactly like us.
James Ferrell has interpreted the book of Jonah to be a rather broad chiasmus (pronounced "ky-AS-mus"), the Hebrew literary tool in which all the lines of the poem lead to the main point, after which they all repeat in reverse order with slight variation. The central point of the chiasmus, according to Brother Ferrell, is found in Jonah 2:8: "They that observe lying vanities forsake their own mercy." What does this mean?
Jonah, being of the House of Israel, as we also are, had a feeling of superiority over the wicked, wicked Assyrians. Of course! He was more righteous, right? He had kept the commandments, he had observed the covenants, he was a prophet or missionary of God. Jonah and the entire Hebrew nation had been greatly wronged by Assyria. It was a huge part of their history for many, many years. Likewise, we have each been wronged by some person, or even by some nation. We all have, or we all will; it is a part of the test of life. Sometimes it is a major part of our life's history.
Jonah's story, and often ours, is a little bit like two parables of Jesus's: the prodigal son (Luke 15:11-32), and the laborers in the vineyard (Matt. 20:1-16). In both of these parables, one person or group of people feels that they are more righteous, more deserving than another, because they have been in the household of the Lord longer. They resent the Lord offering his Atonement to those who did less or who came later. This is the "lying vanity" central to the book of Jonah. If Jonah despises Ninevah and considers it to be unworthy of salvation, Jonah makes himself unworthy, and "forsakes his own mercy." The greater sin is always the sin of being unforgiving (D&C 64:9).
The truth is, we all have fallen short of grace. "What then? Are we better than they? No, in no wise: for we have before proved both Jews and Gentiles, that they are all under sin; as it is written, There is none righteous, no not one" (Rom. 3:9-10). Even one sin casts us out of the presence of God, and we are completely dependant upon the grace of God to sanctify us so that we may return. Relative righteousness is irrelevant! "Love and salvation are gifts offered to us, not because we deserve them, but even though we do not...[We] have no cause to feel entitled; [we] only have cause to feel grateful" (James Ferrell).
So Brother Ferrell's chiasmus of the book of Jonah is as follows:
1. The Lord issues a command to Jonah: Preach in
Ninevah (1:1-2)
2. Jonah sins by not wanting Ninevah to be saved (1:3-17)
3. Jonah repents; the Lord saves Jonah (2:1-7; 9-10)
4. "They that observe lying vanities forsake their
own mercy" (2:8)
3. Ninevah repents; the Lord saves Ninevah (3:1-10)
2. Jonah sins by not wanting Ninevah to be saved (4:1-3)
1. The Lord asks Jonah a question, "Should I not spare
Ninevah?" (4:11)
COME TO THE MOUNTAIN OF THE HOUSE OF THE LORD
Immediately following the book of Jonah, in which the evil Assyrians repent, the book of Micah begins abruptly with a call to repentance--to the Jews, and their mixed-race relatives, the Samaritans! (Micah 1:1-2) The book of Micah also makes the call to us, the members of the latter-day church, the House of Israel. Here is the beautiful promise if we repent and turn back to "the presence of the Lord:"
"But in the last days it shall come to pass, that the mountain of the house of the Lord shall be established in the top of the mountains, and it shall be exalted above the hills [now we are really going up!] and people shall flow unto it.
"And many nations shall come, and say, Come, and let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, and to the house of the God of Jacob, and he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths: for the law shall go forth of Zion, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.
"And he shall judge among many people [maybe our personal enemies], and rebuke strong nations afar off [maybe our national enemies]; and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruninghooks: nation shall not lift up a sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more.
"But they shall sit every man under his vine and under his fig tree; and none shall make them afraid: for the mouth of the Lord of hosts [armies] hath spoken it.
"For all people will walk every one in the name of his god, and we will walk in the name of the Lord our God for ever and ever" (Micah 4:1-5).
Today we go up to the mountain of the house of the Lord to participate in the temple ceremonies. It doesn't matter if we are brand new to the church, life-timers, or returning after repentance, we are all alike there. It doesn't matter if we are old or young, fat or thin, dark or pale. It doesn't even matter what language we speak. Only one thing matters: if we have "unkind feelings" we are "invited to withdraw."
The question at the end of the book of Jonah is not answered by Jonah, in order that we may answer for ourselves. Our answer determines our salvation, as well as our peace and happiness in this life. Will we join with the Lord and rejoice in the sparing of Ninevah (our relative, our ex, our neighbor, our national enemy: that person or people who has caused affliction in our lives)? Will we free ourselves from the grief and abuse of the past and enjoy the comfort and peace the Atonement brings and sit under the castor bean plant? Or will we be found with Jonah, on the hill, overlooking the city, suffering in the heat and the wind, refusing to be comforted by the Lord, as we watch hopefully for vengeance to fall?
ADD-ON, JUST FOR FUN
Check out the cutest telling of the story of Jonah that I have ever seen, done by a tiny little girl at the Corinth Baptist Church, at this link. It's eight minutes long, but absolutely wonderful.
Sources:
David Bokovoy, Know Your Religion Lecture, Logan, Utah, February 15, 2002, and BYU Education Week Lecture, August 2001.
James Ferrell, The Peacegiver, p. 91-114.
Saturday, August 21, 2010
Thursday, August 12, 2010
Old Testament Lesson #32 "I Know That My Redeemer Liveth"
Job 1-2; 13; 19; 27; 42
SPIRITUAL HARDINESS
Imagine that you are a poor farmer who lives in northwestern Mexico where the soil consists of rock and sand, where the rain falls only once a year, and where the temperature rises to 115 degrees in the middle of the summer. Is there anything fruitful that you could grow under such harsh conditions? Most garden plants would never survive this kind of adversity, but one plant that will is the tepary bean.
The tepary bean plant is a small plant, with beautiful dark green foliage. It can blossom and fruit at temperatures of well over 100 degrees.
The tepary bean is a highly nutritious legume which you can find in health food stores. For hundreds of years, the Hopi Indians have grown this bean as a staple of their diet. Tepary beans can be boiled and made into soups, stews, burritos, or tacos. Historically, dry tepary beans were also roasted, ground and rehydrated into a sort of "instant bean" trail food. They are a good source of protein, iron, calcium, and other minerals. They are even being presently researched for possible cancer-fighting abilities.
What is the secret to this little plant? How does it survive its brutile environment, while also producing a highly nutritious food? (Have a six-foot-tall person stand.) This little tepary bean plant will set down roots that are six feet deep. Imagine! Because it has prepared itself to draw water from a constant source far underground before the summer heat comes, it is not vulnerable to the harshness and whims of the weather above.
Job was a man who was likewise durable. He could survive any kind of tragedy, any kind of sudden shock, any kind of long-lasting frustration, and yet be fruitful in his faith. Like the tepary bean plant, this man's roots went deep, to the source of Living Water.
THE BOOK OF JOB
Victor Hugo said, "The book of Job is perhaps the greatest masterpiece of the human mind." (Institute Manual, p. 23) Maybe that's why he wrote a masterpiece on a similar theme, Les Miserables.
The great historian Thomas Carlyle said, "I call [the book of Job]...one of the grandest things ever written. Our first, oldest statement of the never-ending problem--Man's Destiny, and God's ways with him on the earth. There is nothing written, I think, of equal literary merit." (ibid.)
The book of Job is written in poetic style and is laid out as a parable or as a fairy tale, since it begins, "There was a man in the land of Uz, whose name Job"--the Hebrew equivalent of "Once upon a time"--and it ends, "So Job died, being old and full of days"--a literary ending similary to "and they lived happily ever after." The beautiful style is one of the things that contributes to its greatness. Some scholars believe, due to the way the story is written in other historical documents, that the book of Job was written as a play, and that Job was fictitious. Job is mentioned in D&C 121:10 by the Lord as if he were a real person. Of course, there could have been a play or a parable or a stylized teaching story written about a real person, with the debate between God and Satan being only theoretical. Whether Job was actual or fictional, parable or biographical, his story teaches an everlasting truth. That beautiful truth is what really makes the book of Job great literature.
"There was a man in the land of Uz, whose name was Job; and that man was perfect and upright, and one that feared God, and eschewed evil. And there were born unto him seven sons and three daughters" (Job 1:1-2). The numbers seven and three in Hebrew both point to perfection; Job had the perfect family. Job was very wealthy and respected, full of integrity and faith (1:3). But the Lord allowed Satan to buffet him (1:6-12), as He does for everyone in this mortal existence. It is a part of the plan. To a greater or lesser degree, Job's story is the story of all of us.
Everything was going great for Job, and then in a single day, tragedy hit him on all sides. His oxen and asses with all their herdsmen were killed by enemies (1:14-15). His sheep and shepherds were destroyed by lightning or lava flow (1:16). His camels were stolen and their drivers were slain (1:18). All his children were killed by a tornado (1:19). The horrific tragedies are mentioned in the very first chapter of Job. The entire remainder of the book, the real story, deals with Job's reaction.
What was Job's response to this terrible blow? Great sorrow, of course, but something else as well. "Then Job arose, and rent his mantle, and shaved his head, and fell down upon the ground [all signs of extreme anguish for a Hebrew], and worshipped, and said, Naked came I out of my mother's womb, and naked shall I return thither: the Lord gave, and the Lord hath taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord. In all this Job sinned not, nor charged God foolishly" (1:20-22). While in the very expression of his sorry, Job worshipped God. His testimony did not waver.
This was Job's first great loss--the loss of prosperity and the loss of posterity--and he survived it with his testimony intact. Would you?
The devil did not give up. He thought that if Job had to suffer personally in physical pain he would curse God. "So went Satan forth from the presence of the Lord, and smote Job with sore boils from the sole of his foot unto his crown. And [Job] took him a potsherd [piece of broken pottery] to scrape himself withal; and he sat down among the ashes. Then said his wife unto him, Dost thou still retain thine integrity? curse God, and die" (2:7-10).
Job's second great loss was the ruin of his health, including physical pain, as well as the lack of faithful support from his wife, and he survived it with his testimony intact. Would you?
"Now when Job's three friends heard of all this evil that was come upon him, they came every one from his own place...to mourn with him and to comfort him. And when they lifted up their eyes afar off, and knew him not, they lifted up their voice, and wept; and they rent every one his mantle, and sprinkled dust upon their heads toward heaven. So they sat down with him upon the ground seven days and seven nights [symbolically the complete time needed], and none spake a word unto him: for they saw that his grief was very great" (2:11-13). The name Eliphaz means "He is my God," and the name Bildad means, "old friendship." The meaning of the name Zophar is "rising early" or "crown." The names signify that these were excellent, religious friends, who mourned with their friend in his tribulation.
BUT, they could not endure their friend's pain without coming up with an explanation for it. Our own fear pushes us to judgment--we must find a reason why someone has suffered, in order that we can be sure that suffering will not fall upon us. "He must have been a poor financial manager," we say when a business fails, in order to feel safe about our own business. "They must have been too lenient, or too strict," we say when someone's kids leave the gospel path, as we look for an explanation that will make us think that we know how avoid that fate. And Job's friends' fear demanded that they find a reason that Job deserved his suffering.
They also could not just "mourn with those that mourned, and comfort those that stood in need of comfort," but they had to try to "fix" the problem. As Job cried out in his agony, they began to reason. Like many people today, "the God they believed in" would not allow good people to suffer; therefore, Job must be in the wrong someway. In order to "help" him, they began to call him to repentance. The more he expressed his pure testimony, the more they demanded his confession. One even claimed that God probably didn't even punish Job as much as he deserved! (11:6) He instructed Job to prepare his heart and stretch out his hands toward God to beg for forgiveness, referring to the priestly prayer, in which the stretching of the hands overhead symbolically exposes the heart to God. (11:13)
This, then, was Job's third great loss--the loss of understanding from his friends, and, even worse, condemnation from them. Job survived it with his testimony intact. Would you?
But the last and greatest trial was yet to come, in a similitude of what Christ suffered on the cross, and what Joseph Smith endured in Liberty Jail (D&C 121): the feeling that God was withdrawn from him, that there was no response to his fervent prayers. "Oh that I knew where I might find him! that I might come even to his seat! I would order my cause before him, and fill my mouth with arguments. I would know the words which he would answer me, and understand what he would say unto me. Will he plead against me with his great power? No; but he would put strength in me. There the righteous might dispute with him; so should I be delivered for ever from my judge. Behold, I go forward, but he is not there; and backward, but I cannot perceive him: on the left hand, where he doth work, but I cannot behold him: he hideth himself on the right hand, that I cannot see him..." (23:3-9)
How did Job answer his own query? With faith: "But he knoweth the way that I take: when he hath tried me, I shall come forth as gold" (23:10)
Job's testimony survived the fourth great loss--feeling abandoned by God. Would yours?
FAITH REWARDED
Finally, after this period of great trial on many different levels, the Lord answered Job out of the wirlwind and reminded him of the plan of salvation and of His great power over all creation (38-41). Chapter 41 is probably the only place in all of scripture where the Lord compares himself to a crocodile (leviathan), in order to describe his power.
Job acknowledged the Lord's answer, and in great humility repented (42:1-4). But of what did he have need to repent? Possibly just of the whining, the wishing that things were different, the wanting of his own way, the feelings that would have been natural to any man (40:6-9).
Then the Lord commanded the three friends who had condemned Job to offer sacrifice and ask Job to pray for their forgiveness, which they did (42:7-9). But it is very interesting to note who was blessed by his forgiveness: Job himself! "And the Lord turned the captivity of Job, when he prayed for his friends" (42:10). Forgiveness freed Job. All of his blessings in the end were double what he had before (42:12), even the number of children, because all the children who died were still his and were waiting for him in the afterlife (42:13).
Interestingly, for a change, the daughters' names are mentioned and the sons' ignored. The first daughter was named Jemima, which means "dove," a symbol of the peace and joy that Job received. The second daughter was Kezia, named for the tree that produces the precious spice cinnamon. The third was named Keren-happuch, which means literally "horn of the cosmetics" or "eyeshadow" or "makeup," but which infers, "child of beauty." Job's life in the end was peaceful, precious, beautiful.
JOB: AN EXAMPLE FOR THE LECTURES ON FAITH
"I'm impressed that the book of Job vividly illustrates a teaching from The Lectures on Faith, that if anyone is to endure in faithfulness in his life, he must know three things: 1) that God exists, 2) that He is perfect in His character and in His attributes, and 3) that the course of life which one pursues is pleasing to the Lord" (Keith Meservy, Insitute Manual, p. 23).
Job knew that there was a God (19:25). He knew that God was perfect and there must be some reason why he was, as Job thought, inflicting all of these troubles upon him (12:7-10). And he knew that he himself had done his best in life to be righteous and obedient (27:5-6).
CHOOSING FAITH
Victor Frankl was the author of Man's Search for Meaning, a book that tells the true story of his existence in a concentration camp and his discovery there that, no matter what can be taken away from you, you always still have one freedom, and that is the freedom to choose your own thoughts and responses.
Parley P. Pratt said, "Faith...is a state of the mind itself." We are free to choose to cultivate faith in our minds, and once we do, no person or circumstance can take that away from us (2 Ne. 2:27).
President David O. McKay, speaking at the dedication of the Salt Lake Temple Annex in 1963 said, "[I always] thought that the purpose of the book of Job was to emphasize the fact that the testimony of the...Gospel is beyond the power of Satan's temptation or any physical influence" (Institute Manual, p. 27). It may not be easy, but the truth of the matter is, nothing can shake our faith, unless we choose to let it!
WHY DO BAD THINGS HAPPEN TO GOOD PEOPLE?
The question the book of Job raises in everyone's minds is, Does God cause bad things to happen as a part of His plan, or does He just allow them happen as a part of life in a fallen existence? Job seemed to think that the Lord was causing all the evil, but the narrator of the story blames the devil for it all, and only credits the Lord with allowing it to continue for a time.
When asking whether God causes bad things to happen, President Kimball said, "Answer, if you can. I cannot, for though I know God has a major role in our lives, I do not know how much he causes to happen and how much he merely permits. Whatever the answer to this question, there is another I feel sure about.
"Could the Lord have prevented these tragedies? The answer is, Yes. The Lord is omnipotent, with all power to control our lives, save us pain, prevent all accidents, drive all planes and cars, feed us, protect us, save us from labor, effort, sickness, even from death, if he will. But he will not...If all the sick for whom we pray were healed, if all the righteous were protected and the wicked destroyed, the whole program of the Father would be annulled and the basic principle of the gospel, free agency, would be ended. No man would have to live by faith" (Spencer W. Kimball, Faith Precedes the Miracle, p. 96-97).
Job's faith was strong from the beginning of the story, but his trials perfected it, as they did for all the great believers listed in Hebrews, "And these all, having obtained a good report through faith, received not the promise: God having provided some better things for them through their sufferings, for without sufferings they could not be made perfect" (JST Heb. 11:39-40).
ALL WORKS FOR GOOD TO THE RIGHTEOUS
Woody Allen said, "What I'd like is a blessing that's not in disguise." But perhaps one of the most comforting messages of the book of Job is that even bad things will have a good end for those who continue in faith. Everything that happens to the faithful turns out to be a blessing.
"If we looked at mortality as the whole of existence, then pain, sorrow, failure, and short life would be calamity. But if we look upon life as an eternal thing stretching far into the premortal past and on into the eternal post-death future, then all happenings may be put in proper perspective" (Kimball, ibid.).
"My son, peace be unto thy soul; thine adversity and thine afflictions shall be but a small moment; and then, if thou endure it well, God shall exalt thee on high; thou shalt triumph over all thy foes" (D&C 1221:7-8).
Every story of every faithful person has a happy ending, if we take it into the final chapter: the next life. Our family will be perfected, our blessings will be multiplied, our faith will be gratified, our honor will be restored. God is faithful and will fulfill all his promises.
Eventually.
SPIRITUAL HARDINESS
Imagine that you are a poor farmer who lives in northwestern Mexico where the soil consists of rock and sand, where the rain falls only once a year, and where the temperature rises to 115 degrees in the middle of the summer. Is there anything fruitful that you could grow under such harsh conditions? Most garden plants would never survive this kind of adversity, but one plant that will is the tepary bean.
The tepary bean plant is a small plant, with beautiful dark green foliage. It can blossom and fruit at temperatures of well over 100 degrees.
The tepary bean is a highly nutritious legume which you can find in health food stores. For hundreds of years, the Hopi Indians have grown this bean as a staple of their diet. Tepary beans can be boiled and made into soups, stews, burritos, or tacos. Historically, dry tepary beans were also roasted, ground and rehydrated into a sort of "instant bean" trail food. They are a good source of protein, iron, calcium, and other minerals. They are even being presently researched for possible cancer-fighting abilities.
What is the secret to this little plant? How does it survive its brutile environment, while also producing a highly nutritious food? (Have a six-foot-tall person stand.) This little tepary bean plant will set down roots that are six feet deep. Imagine! Because it has prepared itself to draw water from a constant source far underground before the summer heat comes, it is not vulnerable to the harshness and whims of the weather above.
Job was a man who was likewise durable. He could survive any kind of tragedy, any kind of sudden shock, any kind of long-lasting frustration, and yet be fruitful in his faith. Like the tepary bean plant, this man's roots went deep, to the source of Living Water.
THE BOOK OF JOB
Victor Hugo said, "The book of Job is perhaps the greatest masterpiece of the human mind." (Institute Manual, p. 23) Maybe that's why he wrote a masterpiece on a similar theme, Les Miserables.
The great historian Thomas Carlyle said, "I call [the book of Job]...one of the grandest things ever written. Our first, oldest statement of the never-ending problem--Man's Destiny, and God's ways with him on the earth. There is nothing written, I think, of equal literary merit." (ibid.)
The book of Job is written in poetic style and is laid out as a parable or as a fairy tale, since it begins, "There was a man in the land of Uz, whose name Job"--the Hebrew equivalent of "Once upon a time"--and it ends, "So Job died, being old and full of days"--a literary ending similary to "and they lived happily ever after." The beautiful style is one of the things that contributes to its greatness. Some scholars believe, due to the way the story is written in other historical documents, that the book of Job was written as a play, and that Job was fictitious. Job is mentioned in D&C 121:10 by the Lord as if he were a real person. Of course, there could have been a play or a parable or a stylized teaching story written about a real person, with the debate between God and Satan being only theoretical. Whether Job was actual or fictional, parable or biographical, his story teaches an everlasting truth. That beautiful truth is what really makes the book of Job great literature.
"There was a man in the land of Uz, whose name was Job; and that man was perfect and upright, and one that feared God, and eschewed evil. And there were born unto him seven sons and three daughters" (Job 1:1-2). The numbers seven and three in Hebrew both point to perfection; Job had the perfect family. Job was very wealthy and respected, full of integrity and faith (1:3). But the Lord allowed Satan to buffet him (1:6-12), as He does for everyone in this mortal existence. It is a part of the plan. To a greater or lesser degree, Job's story is the story of all of us.
Everything was going great for Job, and then in a single day, tragedy hit him on all sides. His oxen and asses with all their herdsmen were killed by enemies (1:14-15). His sheep and shepherds were destroyed by lightning or lava flow (1:16). His camels were stolen and their drivers were slain (1:18). All his children were killed by a tornado (1:19). The horrific tragedies are mentioned in the very first chapter of Job. The entire remainder of the book, the real story, deals with Job's reaction.
What was Job's response to this terrible blow? Great sorrow, of course, but something else as well. "Then Job arose, and rent his mantle, and shaved his head, and fell down upon the ground [all signs of extreme anguish for a Hebrew], and worshipped, and said, Naked came I out of my mother's womb, and naked shall I return thither: the Lord gave, and the Lord hath taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord. In all this Job sinned not, nor charged God foolishly" (1:20-22). While in the very expression of his sorry, Job worshipped God. His testimony did not waver.
This was Job's first great loss--the loss of prosperity and the loss of posterity--and he survived it with his testimony intact. Would you?
The devil did not give up. He thought that if Job had to suffer personally in physical pain he would curse God. "So went Satan forth from the presence of the Lord, and smote Job with sore boils from the sole of his foot unto his crown. And [Job] took him a potsherd [piece of broken pottery] to scrape himself withal; and he sat down among the ashes. Then said his wife unto him, Dost thou still retain thine integrity? curse God, and die" (2:7-10).
Job's second great loss was the ruin of his health, including physical pain, as well as the lack of faithful support from his wife, and he survived it with his testimony intact. Would you?
"Now when Job's three friends heard of all this evil that was come upon him, they came every one from his own place...to mourn with him and to comfort him. And when they lifted up their eyes afar off, and knew him not, they lifted up their voice, and wept; and they rent every one his mantle, and sprinkled dust upon their heads toward heaven. So they sat down with him upon the ground seven days and seven nights [symbolically the complete time needed], and none spake a word unto him: for they saw that his grief was very great" (2:11-13). The name Eliphaz means "He is my God," and the name Bildad means, "old friendship." The meaning of the name Zophar is "rising early" or "crown." The names signify that these were excellent, religious friends, who mourned with their friend in his tribulation.
BUT, they could not endure their friend's pain without coming up with an explanation for it. Our own fear pushes us to judgment--we must find a reason why someone has suffered, in order that we can be sure that suffering will not fall upon us. "He must have been a poor financial manager," we say when a business fails, in order to feel safe about our own business. "They must have been too lenient, or too strict," we say when someone's kids leave the gospel path, as we look for an explanation that will make us think that we know how avoid that fate. And Job's friends' fear demanded that they find a reason that Job deserved his suffering.
They also could not just "mourn with those that mourned, and comfort those that stood in need of comfort," but they had to try to "fix" the problem. As Job cried out in his agony, they began to reason. Like many people today, "the God they believed in" would not allow good people to suffer; therefore, Job must be in the wrong someway. In order to "help" him, they began to call him to repentance. The more he expressed his pure testimony, the more they demanded his confession. One even claimed that God probably didn't even punish Job as much as he deserved! (11:6) He instructed Job to prepare his heart and stretch out his hands toward God to beg for forgiveness, referring to the priestly prayer, in which the stretching of the hands overhead symbolically exposes the heart to God. (11:13)
This, then, was Job's third great loss--the loss of understanding from his friends, and, even worse, condemnation from them. Job survived it with his testimony intact. Would you?
But the last and greatest trial was yet to come, in a similitude of what Christ suffered on the cross, and what Joseph Smith endured in Liberty Jail (D&C 121): the feeling that God was withdrawn from him, that there was no response to his fervent prayers. "Oh that I knew where I might find him! that I might come even to his seat! I would order my cause before him, and fill my mouth with arguments. I would know the words which he would answer me, and understand what he would say unto me. Will he plead against me with his great power? No; but he would put strength in me. There the righteous might dispute with him; so should I be delivered for ever from my judge. Behold, I go forward, but he is not there; and backward, but I cannot perceive him: on the left hand, where he doth work, but I cannot behold him: he hideth himself on the right hand, that I cannot see him..." (23:3-9)
How did Job answer his own query? With faith: "But he knoweth the way that I take: when he hath tried me, I shall come forth as gold" (23:10)
Job's testimony survived the fourth great loss--feeling abandoned by God. Would yours?
FAITH REWARDED
Finally, after this period of great trial on many different levels, the Lord answered Job out of the wirlwind and reminded him of the plan of salvation and of His great power over all creation (38-41). Chapter 41 is probably the only place in all of scripture where the Lord compares himself to a crocodile (leviathan), in order to describe his power.
Job acknowledged the Lord's answer, and in great humility repented (42:1-4). But of what did he have need to repent? Possibly just of the whining, the wishing that things were different, the wanting of his own way, the feelings that would have been natural to any man (40:6-9).
Then the Lord commanded the three friends who had condemned Job to offer sacrifice and ask Job to pray for their forgiveness, which they did (42:7-9). But it is very interesting to note who was blessed by his forgiveness: Job himself! "And the Lord turned the captivity of Job, when he prayed for his friends" (42:10). Forgiveness freed Job. All of his blessings in the end were double what he had before (42:12), even the number of children, because all the children who died were still his and were waiting for him in the afterlife (42:13).
Interestingly, for a change, the daughters' names are mentioned and the sons' ignored. The first daughter was named Jemima, which means "dove," a symbol of the peace and joy that Job received. The second daughter was Kezia, named for the tree that produces the precious spice cinnamon. The third was named Keren-happuch, which means literally "horn of the cosmetics" or "eyeshadow" or "makeup," but which infers, "child of beauty." Job's life in the end was peaceful, precious, beautiful.
JOB: AN EXAMPLE FOR THE LECTURES ON FAITH
"I'm impressed that the book of Job vividly illustrates a teaching from The Lectures on Faith, that if anyone is to endure in faithfulness in his life, he must know three things: 1) that God exists, 2) that He is perfect in His character and in His attributes, and 3) that the course of life which one pursues is pleasing to the Lord" (Keith Meservy, Insitute Manual, p. 23).
Job knew that there was a God (19:25). He knew that God was perfect and there must be some reason why he was, as Job thought, inflicting all of these troubles upon him (12:7-10). And he knew that he himself had done his best in life to be righteous and obedient (27:5-6).
CHOOSING FAITH
Victor Frankl was the author of Man's Search for Meaning, a book that tells the true story of his existence in a concentration camp and his discovery there that, no matter what can be taken away from you, you always still have one freedom, and that is the freedom to choose your own thoughts and responses.
Parley P. Pratt said, "Faith...is a state of the mind itself." We are free to choose to cultivate faith in our minds, and once we do, no person or circumstance can take that away from us (2 Ne. 2:27).
President David O. McKay, speaking at the dedication of the Salt Lake Temple Annex in 1963 said, "[I always] thought that the purpose of the book of Job was to emphasize the fact that the testimony of the...Gospel is beyond the power of Satan's temptation or any physical influence" (Institute Manual, p. 27). It may not be easy, but the truth of the matter is, nothing can shake our faith, unless we choose to let it!
WHY DO BAD THINGS HAPPEN TO GOOD PEOPLE?
The question the book of Job raises in everyone's minds is, Does God cause bad things to happen as a part of His plan, or does He just allow them happen as a part of life in a fallen existence? Job seemed to think that the Lord was causing all the evil, but the narrator of the story blames the devil for it all, and only credits the Lord with allowing it to continue for a time.
When asking whether God causes bad things to happen, President Kimball said, "Answer, if you can. I cannot, for though I know God has a major role in our lives, I do not know how much he causes to happen and how much he merely permits. Whatever the answer to this question, there is another I feel sure about.
"Could the Lord have prevented these tragedies? The answer is, Yes. The Lord is omnipotent, with all power to control our lives, save us pain, prevent all accidents, drive all planes and cars, feed us, protect us, save us from labor, effort, sickness, even from death, if he will. But he will not...If all the sick for whom we pray were healed, if all the righteous were protected and the wicked destroyed, the whole program of the Father would be annulled and the basic principle of the gospel, free agency, would be ended. No man would have to live by faith" (Spencer W. Kimball, Faith Precedes the Miracle, p. 96-97).
Job's faith was strong from the beginning of the story, but his trials perfected it, as they did for all the great believers listed in Hebrews, "And these all, having obtained a good report through faith, received not the promise: God having provided some better things for them through their sufferings, for without sufferings they could not be made perfect" (JST Heb. 11:39-40).
ALL WORKS FOR GOOD TO THE RIGHTEOUS
Woody Allen said, "What I'd like is a blessing that's not in disguise." But perhaps one of the most comforting messages of the book of Job is that even bad things will have a good end for those who continue in faith. Everything that happens to the faithful turns out to be a blessing.
"If we looked at mortality as the whole of existence, then pain, sorrow, failure, and short life would be calamity. But if we look upon life as an eternal thing stretching far into the premortal past and on into the eternal post-death future, then all happenings may be put in proper perspective" (Kimball, ibid.).
"My son, peace be unto thy soul; thine adversity and thine afflictions shall be but a small moment; and then, if thou endure it well, God shall exalt thee on high; thou shalt triumph over all thy foes" (D&C 1221:7-8).
Every story of every faithful person has a happy ending, if we take it into the final chapter: the next life. Our family will be perfected, our blessings will be multiplied, our faith will be gratified, our honor will be restored. God is faithful and will fulfill all his promises.
Eventually.
Sunday, August 8, 2010
Old Testament Lesson #31 "Happy is the Man That Findeth Wisdom"
Proverbs, Ecclesiastes
"The books of Proverbs and Ecclesiastes are sometimes called the 'wisdom literature.' The sages of the ancient Near East realized the superiority of wisdom over knowledge, for wisdom encompasses knowledge and includes understanding and moral conduct. One was not wise, regardless of his vast learning, if his actions did not comply with his righteous beliefs." (Institute Manual 2, p. 13)
PROVERBS
Proverbs are short sayings that teach wisdom. The book of Proverbs is a compilation of wise sayings from several difference sources. Some of them may have come originally from Soloman. Many of them use the Hebrew poetic forms which teach by the use of paired couplets. Understanding the form of the couplets aids in understanding the truths the proverbs are teaching.
PROVERBS MATCH GAME
Review with the class the following three Hebrew poetic parallelism forms. (Click here for the blog entry on Psalms if you would like a more detailed treatment on the forms.)
Concentration (for small classes): Copy each couplet (partial sentence) below onto an index card. On the reverse side of the cards, and upside-down from the sentences, number the cards with large numbers from 1-20. Tape the cards with a strip of clear tape across the top of the card onto a posterboard so that they are arranged in order in a grid, 5 across and 4 down. On the blackboard, whiteboard, or bulletin board in your classroom, post the types of poetry listed above. To play, call upon a class member to choose two numbers. Lift the cards up and see whether they are a matched set--two parts of a sentence that go together. If they are, have the class member tape them together and post under the appropriate poetic form. If the cards are not a match, play resumes with the next class member.
(Note: if you are teaching teenage boys and you want to really get their attention, substitute Proverbs 30:17 for one of the synthetic parallelism examples!)
Simplified Concentration (for really small classes): Copy the couplets onto index cards, but don't put numbers on the backs of the cards. Sit in a circle on the floor. Spread the cards, face down, in the center of the circle. To play, a class member turns over two cards. If they match, he reads them, the class determines the form, and the cards are laid out as a match. If they don't match, he turns the cards back over, and the next class member tries.
Read and Match (for large classes): Print up the couplets and pass them out to various class members before class begins. List the poetic forms on the board. Have a class member who has the beginning of a sentence stand up and read it. Have the other class members determine if their phrases might be the matching one; the one who has the matching phrase should stand up and read his, and the class can determine which poetic form was used.
(Answers as to the poetic forms follow the list.)
1)The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge...
...but fools despise wisdom and instruction. (Proverbs 1:7)
2)A friend loveth at all times...
...and a brother is born for adversity. (Proverbs 17:17)
3)Treasures of wickedness profit nothing...
...but righteousness delivereth from death. (Proverbs 10:2)
4)The merciful man doeth good to his own soul...
...but he that is cruel troubleth his own flesh. (Proverbs 11:17)
5) Train up a child in the way he should go...
...and when he is old, he will not depart from it. (Proverbs 22:6)
6)The father of the righteous shall greatly rejoice...
...and he that begetteth a wise child shall have joy of him. (Proverbs 23:24)
7)Honor the Lord with thy substance, and with the firstfruits of all thine increase...
...So shall thy barns be filled with plenty, and thy presses shall burst out with new wine. (Proverbs 3:10)
8)He that is slow to wrath is of great understanding...
...but he that is hasty of spirit exalteth folly. (Proverbs 14:29)
9)Where no wood is, there the fire goeth out...
...so where there is no talebearer, the strife ceaseth. (Proverbs 26:20)
10)A merry heart doeth good like a medicine...
...but a broken spirit drieth the bones. (Proverbs 17:22)
Answers:
Synonymous: 2, 6, 9
Antithetic: 1, 3, 4, 8, 10
Synthetic: 5, 7
ECCLESIASTES
The word "Ecclesiastes" comes from the Greek translation of the Hebrew title for "Teacher" or "Preacher." Although the book's author writes from the perspective of King Solomon (see 1:1), most scholars agree that the author was actually from a later time, and was just using that persona. The key word in Ecclesiastes is "vanity." Its literal translation is "breath" or "breeze" (Harper-Collins, p. 987). The word is used to show the transcience of mortal life.
If you are having trouble understanding Ecclesiastes, you are definitely not alone! Here is a quote from the Harper-Collins Study Bible, p. 987: "Attempts to find a clear structure in the book have not succeeded, and its tension-filled expression of life's contradictions gives the book a puzzlelike character....Ecclesiastes is not difficult to read, but its meaning as a whole is difficult. Scholars offer strongly conflicting accounts of its message."
The spiraling main concern of the book is that life on earth is temporary, it is a "vanity," a breeze passing by and leaving little trace that it was ever there. Much of what we focus our time and efforts on in mortal life ("under the sun") disappears like a vapor. It's a constant "vexation of spirit" to the author. What is the point? he continually wonders.
He observes that life cycles and renews. The sun goes down, just to come up again. One person comes up with a great idea, but someone else has thought of that great idea before. The experiences of mankind, as individuals, do not build upon each other, but each man learns again what others have learned. Life is ever unfinished: Even though the generations pass, "the earth abideth forever" (1:4). "All the rivers run into the sea; yet the sea is not full" (1:7).
He accomplishes great works, he learns the full gamit of knowledge from wisdom to madness, he builds an empire, he gains great wealth, he even devises irrigation (a great feat in his arid land). In the end, he observes, there is no profit "under the sun;" everything on the earth eventually decays and returns back into the cycle of life. Earthlife is fraught with trials and troubles, despite the best preparations.
In all his musings and observations about this transitory life, he sprinkles in the truths he discovers:
"The contrary pairs" in this poem "are a literary device using opposites to represent life's totality and variety" (Harper-Collins). This is emphasized even more by the fact that there are 14 of them. Seven is the number of completeness, perfection. Twice seven (14) is the impossible state of perfection doubled. Despite the transitory nature of life, the way that God has set up the cycles and seasons is absolutely, indesputably perfect.
(For more information on Proverbs and Ecclesiastes, click here for the Institute Manual.)
"The books of Proverbs and Ecclesiastes are sometimes called the 'wisdom literature.' The sages of the ancient Near East realized the superiority of wisdom over knowledge, for wisdom encompasses knowledge and includes understanding and moral conduct. One was not wise, regardless of his vast learning, if his actions did not comply with his righteous beliefs." (Institute Manual 2, p. 13)
PROVERBS
Proverbs are short sayings that teach wisdom. The book of Proverbs is a compilation of wise sayings from several difference sources. Some of them may have come originally from Soloman. Many of them use the Hebrew poetic forms which teach by the use of paired couplets. Understanding the form of the couplets aids in understanding the truths the proverbs are teaching.
PROVERBS MATCH GAME
Review with the class the following three Hebrew poetic parallelism forms. (Click here for the blog entry on Psalms if you would like a more detailed treatment on the forms.)
- Synonymous Parallelism: The poet says the same thing twice, but with different words, to emphasis the point, or to clarify the meaning.
- Antithetic Parallelism: The second line states the opposite of the first line, usually connected by the word "but."
- Synthetic Parallelism: The two lines are related to each other as a cause and effect. The word "synthetic" refers to the thought being a compound.
Concentration (for small classes): Copy each couplet (partial sentence) below onto an index card. On the reverse side of the cards, and upside-down from the sentences, number the cards with large numbers from 1-20. Tape the cards with a strip of clear tape across the top of the card onto a posterboard so that they are arranged in order in a grid, 5 across and 4 down. On the blackboard, whiteboard, or bulletin board in your classroom, post the types of poetry listed above. To play, call upon a class member to choose two numbers. Lift the cards up and see whether they are a matched set--two parts of a sentence that go together. If they are, have the class member tape them together and post under the appropriate poetic form. If the cards are not a match, play resumes with the next class member.
(Note: if you are teaching teenage boys and you want to really get their attention, substitute Proverbs 30:17 for one of the synthetic parallelism examples!)
Simplified Concentration (for really small classes): Copy the couplets onto index cards, but don't put numbers on the backs of the cards. Sit in a circle on the floor. Spread the cards, face down, in the center of the circle. To play, a class member turns over two cards. If they match, he reads them, the class determines the form, and the cards are laid out as a match. If they don't match, he turns the cards back over, and the next class member tries.
Read and Match (for large classes): Print up the couplets and pass them out to various class members before class begins. List the poetic forms on the board. Have a class member who has the beginning of a sentence stand up and read it. Have the other class members determine if their phrases might be the matching one; the one who has the matching phrase should stand up and read his, and the class can determine which poetic form was used.
(Answers as to the poetic forms follow the list.)
1)The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge...
...but fools despise wisdom and instruction. (Proverbs 1:7)
2)A friend loveth at all times...
...and a brother is born for adversity. (Proverbs 17:17)
3)Treasures of wickedness profit nothing...
...but righteousness delivereth from death. (Proverbs 10:2)
4)The merciful man doeth good to his own soul...
...but he that is cruel troubleth his own flesh. (Proverbs 11:17)
5) Train up a child in the way he should go...
...and when he is old, he will not depart from it. (Proverbs 22:6)
6)The father of the righteous shall greatly rejoice...
...and he that begetteth a wise child shall have joy of him. (Proverbs 23:24)
7)Honor the Lord with thy substance, and with the firstfruits of all thine increase...
...So shall thy barns be filled with plenty, and thy presses shall burst out with new wine. (Proverbs 3:10)
8)He that is slow to wrath is of great understanding...
...but he that is hasty of spirit exalteth folly. (Proverbs 14:29)
9)Where no wood is, there the fire goeth out...
...so where there is no talebearer, the strife ceaseth. (Proverbs 26:20)
10)A merry heart doeth good like a medicine...
...but a broken spirit drieth the bones. (Proverbs 17:22)
Answers:
Synonymous: 2, 6, 9
Antithetic: 1, 3, 4, 8, 10
Synthetic: 5, 7
ECCLESIASTES
The word "Ecclesiastes" comes from the Greek translation of the Hebrew title for "Teacher" or "Preacher." Although the book's author writes from the perspective of King Solomon (see 1:1), most scholars agree that the author was actually from a later time, and was just using that persona. The key word in Ecclesiastes is "vanity." Its literal translation is "breath" or "breeze" (Harper-Collins, p. 987). The word is used to show the transcience of mortal life.
If you are having trouble understanding Ecclesiastes, you are definitely not alone! Here is a quote from the Harper-Collins Study Bible, p. 987: "Attempts to find a clear structure in the book have not succeeded, and its tension-filled expression of life's contradictions gives the book a puzzlelike character....Ecclesiastes is not difficult to read, but its meaning as a whole is difficult. Scholars offer strongly conflicting accounts of its message."
The spiraling main concern of the book is that life on earth is temporary, it is a "vanity," a breeze passing by and leaving little trace that it was ever there. Much of what we focus our time and efforts on in mortal life ("under the sun") disappears like a vapor. It's a constant "vexation of spirit" to the author. What is the point? he continually wonders.
He observes that life cycles and renews. The sun goes down, just to come up again. One person comes up with a great idea, but someone else has thought of that great idea before. The experiences of mankind, as individuals, do not build upon each other, but each man learns again what others have learned. Life is ever unfinished: Even though the generations pass, "the earth abideth forever" (1:4). "All the rivers run into the sea; yet the sea is not full" (1:7).
He accomplishes great works, he learns the full gamit of knowledge from wisdom to madness, he builds an empire, he gains great wealth, he even devises irrigation (a great feat in his arid land). In the end, he observes, there is no profit "under the sun;" everything on the earth eventually decays and returns back into the cycle of life. Earthlife is fraught with trials and troubles, despite the best preparations.
In all his musings and observations about this transitory life, he sprinkles in the truths he discovers:
- Time goes by and does not return for men; therefore we must enjoy the experiences of the present, both work and recreation (2:24; 3:11-13, 22; 5:18-20; 8:15; 9:10). To be a workaholic is a "vanity" (4:8). Besides, those who seek after earthly treasures are never satisified with them (5:10-13), and nothing we gain or create is permanent (2:11). It is the journey itself we must enjoy, the process of the work and the play, and the relationships with others (9:9).
- It is impossible to comprehend the works of God (8:16-17; 11:6). In contrast to the "vanity" of man's life and efforts, God is timeless, and His works endure forever (3:14-15).
- Wisdom is the one thing worth getting (2:13; 7:11-12), and the key piece of wisdom, repeated throughout the book, is that we must fear (meaning to worship, respect and follow) God. This is the one thing that is not "vanity" (5:7; 12:13-14)
"The contrary pairs" in this poem "are a literary device using opposites to represent life's totality and variety" (Harper-Collins). This is emphasized even more by the fact that there are 14 of them. Seven is the number of completeness, perfection. Twice seven (14) is the impossible state of perfection doubled. Despite the transitory nature of life, the way that God has set up the cycles and seasons is absolutely, indesputably perfect.
(For more information on Proverbs and Ecclesiastes, click here for the Institute Manual.)
Sunday, August 1, 2010
Old Testament Lesson #30 "Come to the House of the Lord"
2 Chronicles 29-30; 32; 34
KING HEZEKIAH
The story of King Hezekiah is found in three places in the Old Testament (beginning in 2 Chron. 29, 2 Kings 18, and Isaiah 36). His name is mentioned 128 times. Clearly his story is very important.
We have skipped ahead about 130 years and several kings from Jehoshaphat to find Hezekiah, another chain-breaking king who restored the true worship of Jehovah to Jerusalem. King Hezekiah's father, Ahaz, had been very wicked. He had defiled the temple and led the people in idolatry, even offering his own son as a heathen sacrifice (2 Chron. 28). So how did he manage to produce such a righteous heir? Hezekiah's mother's name was Abijah, and her father was Zechariah (2 Chron. 29:1). Among the several Zechariahs mentioned, the one who fits in this time frame was the son of a priest (2 Chron. 24:20), and "had understanding in the visions of God" (2 Chron. 26:5). Very likely, Hezekiah's mother was a faithful follower of Jehovah, and was the one who turned the tide for Israel, by raising her son to worship the true and living God.
OPENING THE DOORS OF THE TEMPLE
Hezekiah was only 25 years old when he began his reign. Immediately, in the first month of the first year of his reign, he opened the doors of the House of the Lord. He called together the priests and Levites and advised them to sanctify themselves first, so that they could then sanctify the House of the Lord. They repaired and cleansed the temple. Then they offered sacrifice and restored the musical worship set forth in 1 Chron. 25 (2 Chron 29).
Hezekiah invited the northern kingdom to come and freely worship at the temple also. He decided to keep the Passover again the following month so that the northerners could participate, according to the rule stated in Numbers 9:10-11, this being acceptable for those who had to travel too far to get there in time. The Levites put great effort into helping all of these travelers get ready, but Hezekiah realized that not all the details had worked out. Maybe some were ignorant of what they were to do, or just didn't have time to get it done, so he asked the Lord to forgive them of these little technical infractions. He held a Priesthood leadership meeting. He extended the Passover to the second week, because no one wanted it to end. The result of the quick restoration of the temple and the speedy return to proper worship was joy (2 Chron. 30).
All of those who had been at the temple returned to their lands and overthrew the idolatrous worship there. Hezekiah issued a command that the people bring offerings (tithing), and the people responded with so much abundance that Hezekiah commanded that storerooms be prepared in the temple in which to hold this large supply of food for storage (see footnote to 2 Chron. 31:11). "And thus did Hezekiah throughout all Judah, and wrought that which was good and right and truth before the Lord his God. And in every work that he began in the service of the house of God, and in the law, and in the commandments, to seek his God, he did it with all his heart, and prospered" (2 Chron. 31:20-21).
FORTIFYING THE TEMPLE
The Jews were paying tribute to the Assyrians, and King Hezekiah decided to defy this tyranny and refuse to pay so that his people could be financially free. This, of course, brought the wrath of the Assyrians upon them, and Sennacherib, the Assyrian king, commenced to invade Israel. He advanced, bit by bit, through the land, conquering easily all the way. He taunted the people, and blasphemed the Lord, trying to convince the people to abandon their belief and surrender to him. As it became apparent that he would soon reach Jerusalem, Hezekiah made a very clever move, the result of which is still found at Jerusalem today, and that was the building of a tunnel.
The water for Jerusalem came from a spring near the city and Hezekiah had a tunnel dug into the walled city, through 1,749 feet of solid rock, creating an underground canal for this spring. Then he covered over the water outside the city. The Assyrians surrounding the city would have no water source, but the Jews inside the city would. Remember also that they had a great store of food in the temple, as a result of their faithful tithe-paying. In this manner, the Jews were prepared to be able to sit out a long siege.
Hezekiah's Tunnel is one of the great tourist attractions of Jerusalem. The original inscription was found in the tunnel in 1880 and is held in a museum in Istanbul, but a replica is still found on the tunnel. (You can see photographs of the tunnel here.)
Hezekiah prepared for war and encouraged his people in a great speech, saying, "Be strong and courageous, be not afraid nor dismayed [regarding] the king of Assyria, nor for all the multitude that is with him: for there be more with us than with him. With him is an arm of flesh; but with us is the Lord our God to help us and to fight our battles. And the people rested themselves upon the words of Hezekiah king of Judah" (2 Chron. 32:7-8).
THE SIEGE OF JERUSALEM
The Assyrians did advance until they had surrounded the city of Jerusalem. Inside the city, Hezekiah and his great prophet/advisor Isaiah prayed to the Lord in the temple (2 Kings 19:14-19; Isaiah 37:15-20). The Lord answered the prayer through Isaiah, promising that He would defend the city, and that not only would the King of Assyria never step inside the city walls, he would not even be able to cast an arrow against it, but he would just go back home (2 Kings 19:20-34; Isaiah 37:21-35). That very night, the angel of the Lord (death) slaughtered a vast number of the Assyrian army, and the remainder packed up and went home (2 Kings 19:35-36; 2 Chron. 32: 21; Isaiah 37:36). (Could it have been something like the black plague or dyssentery that killed the Assyrians, caused by the lack of a source of clean water?) 20 years later (Harper-Collins Study Bible, p. 690), the Assyrian king was killed by his own sons (2 Kings 19:37).
FORTIFYING OUR TEMPLES
There is beautiful symbolism in the story of Hezekiah's Tunnel: The Jews could withstand the siege of Jerusalem quite comfortable because they had a conduit of life-giving water, something the Assyrians on the outside lacked. We too have access to Living Water in our walled cities, our temples, which our Enemy cannot penetrate. And although we can see the campfires of the Opposition surrounding us, yet we know that "there be more with us than with them...for with us is the Lord our God to help us, and to fight our battles."
(An artist's depiction of the Brigham City Utah Temple, for which ground was broken this past week. Click here for a news report on the ground-breaking.)
KING HEZEKIAH
The story of King Hezekiah is found in three places in the Old Testament (beginning in 2 Chron. 29, 2 Kings 18, and Isaiah 36). His name is mentioned 128 times. Clearly his story is very important.
We have skipped ahead about 130 years and several kings from Jehoshaphat to find Hezekiah, another chain-breaking king who restored the true worship of Jehovah to Jerusalem. King Hezekiah's father, Ahaz, had been very wicked. He had defiled the temple and led the people in idolatry, even offering his own son as a heathen sacrifice (2 Chron. 28). So how did he manage to produce such a righteous heir? Hezekiah's mother's name was Abijah, and her father was Zechariah (2 Chron. 29:1). Among the several Zechariahs mentioned, the one who fits in this time frame was the son of a priest (2 Chron. 24:20), and "had understanding in the visions of God" (2 Chron. 26:5). Very likely, Hezekiah's mother was a faithful follower of Jehovah, and was the one who turned the tide for Israel, by raising her son to worship the true and living God.
OPENING THE DOORS OF THE TEMPLE
Hezekiah was only 25 years old when he began his reign. Immediately, in the first month of the first year of his reign, he opened the doors of the House of the Lord. He called together the priests and Levites and advised them to sanctify themselves first, so that they could then sanctify the House of the Lord. They repaired and cleansed the temple. Then they offered sacrifice and restored the musical worship set forth in 1 Chron. 25 (2 Chron 29).
Hezekiah invited the northern kingdom to come and freely worship at the temple also. He decided to keep the Passover again the following month so that the northerners could participate, according to the rule stated in Numbers 9:10-11, this being acceptable for those who had to travel too far to get there in time. The Levites put great effort into helping all of these travelers get ready, but Hezekiah realized that not all the details had worked out. Maybe some were ignorant of what they were to do, or just didn't have time to get it done, so he asked the Lord to forgive them of these little technical infractions. He held a Priesthood leadership meeting. He extended the Passover to the second week, because no one wanted it to end. The result of the quick restoration of the temple and the speedy return to proper worship was joy (2 Chron. 30).
All of those who had been at the temple returned to their lands and overthrew the idolatrous worship there. Hezekiah issued a command that the people bring offerings (tithing), and the people responded with so much abundance that Hezekiah commanded that storerooms be prepared in the temple in which to hold this large supply of food for storage (see footnote to 2 Chron. 31:11). "And thus did Hezekiah throughout all Judah, and wrought that which was good and right and truth before the Lord his God. And in every work that he began in the service of the house of God, and in the law, and in the commandments, to seek his God, he did it with all his heart, and prospered" (2 Chron. 31:20-21).
FORTIFYING THE TEMPLE
The Jews were paying tribute to the Assyrians, and King Hezekiah decided to defy this tyranny and refuse to pay so that his people could be financially free. This, of course, brought the wrath of the Assyrians upon them, and Sennacherib, the Assyrian king, commenced to invade Israel. He advanced, bit by bit, through the land, conquering easily all the way. He taunted the people, and blasphemed the Lord, trying to convince the people to abandon their belief and surrender to him. As it became apparent that he would soon reach Jerusalem, Hezekiah made a very clever move, the result of which is still found at Jerusalem today, and that was the building of a tunnel.
The water for Jerusalem came from a spring near the city and Hezekiah had a tunnel dug into the walled city, through 1,749 feet of solid rock, creating an underground canal for this spring. Then he covered over the water outside the city. The Assyrians surrounding the city would have no water source, but the Jews inside the city would. Remember also that they had a great store of food in the temple, as a result of their faithful tithe-paying. In this manner, the Jews were prepared to be able to sit out a long siege.
Hezekiah's Tunnel is one of the great tourist attractions of Jerusalem. The original inscription was found in the tunnel in 1880 and is held in a museum in Istanbul, but a replica is still found on the tunnel. (You can see photographs of the tunnel here.)
Hezekiah prepared for war and encouraged his people in a great speech, saying, "Be strong and courageous, be not afraid nor dismayed [regarding] the king of Assyria, nor for all the multitude that is with him: for there be more with us than with him. With him is an arm of flesh; but with us is the Lord our God to help us and to fight our battles. And the people rested themselves upon the words of Hezekiah king of Judah" (2 Chron. 32:7-8).
THE SIEGE OF JERUSALEM
The Assyrians did advance until they had surrounded the city of Jerusalem. Inside the city, Hezekiah and his great prophet/advisor Isaiah prayed to the Lord in the temple (2 Kings 19:14-19; Isaiah 37:15-20). The Lord answered the prayer through Isaiah, promising that He would defend the city, and that not only would the King of Assyria never step inside the city walls, he would not even be able to cast an arrow against it, but he would just go back home (2 Kings 19:20-34; Isaiah 37:21-35). That very night, the angel of the Lord (death) slaughtered a vast number of the Assyrian army, and the remainder packed up and went home (2 Kings 19:35-36; 2 Chron. 32: 21; Isaiah 37:36). (Could it have been something like the black plague or dyssentery that killed the Assyrians, caused by the lack of a source of clean water?) 20 years later (Harper-Collins Study Bible, p. 690), the Assyrian king was killed by his own sons (2 Kings 19:37).
FORTIFYING OUR TEMPLES
There is beautiful symbolism in the story of Hezekiah's Tunnel: The Jews could withstand the siege of Jerusalem quite comfortable because they had a conduit of life-giving water, something the Assyrians on the outside lacked. We too have access to Living Water in our walled cities, our temples, which our Enemy cannot penetrate. And although we can see the campfires of the Opposition surrounding us, yet we know that "there be more with us than with them...for with us is the Lord our God to help us, and to fight our battles."
(An artist's depiction of the Brigham City Utah Temple, for which ground was broken this past week. Click here for a news report on the ground-breaking.)
Sunday, July 25, 2010
Old Testament Lesson #29 "He Took Up the Mantle of Elijah"
2 Kings 2; 5-6
BIBLE BALDERDASH GAME
Teaching Tip: Take three class members out of the room and give two of them a piece of paper with the following terms on it:
Return to the classroom together and pass out blank pieces of paper and pencils to the class members, asking them to number them 1-8. Call out each word and have each of the three give their definition, then have the class members write on their papers which person they think gave the true definition. Don't tell the class members which definitions were right until all the definitions have been given. Then go through the list and have the person who read the correct definition raise his hand. Of course, it will be the same person every time. Hopefully, this will be a surprise to the class members, that the same person had the right answer every time. Point out how easy it would have been to win the game if you had told them which person would have all the correct answers. Also point out that the appearances or the intelligence or charisma of the person giving the accurate definitions was irrelevant, because you had given the person the correct answers.
There is a humorous quote that applies here: "This life is a test. It is only a test. Had it been an actual life, you would have received more information on where to go and what to do." This is the way life is for many people on the earth. Lucky for us, we know the single person who has all the right answers, who has been given "more information on where to go and what to do." That person is, of course, the Prophet.
THE PASSING OF THE MANTLE OF THE PROPHET
1 Kings 17:1 tells us Elijah was from Gilead, the wild country in the east. 2 Kings 1:8 tells us he was a "hairy" man, or a person who wore skins or furs, and leather; he was good at wilderness survival. (Nobody knows what "Tishbite" means.)
The prophet who took his place was Elisha. Ask class members to find all that they can about Elisha from 1 Kings 19:19-21. Some answers follow:
THE IMPORTANCE OF OBEYING THE PROPHET
Teaching Tip: Ask five class members ahead of time to read the following stories about Elijah and then share them with the class in their own words:
THE VISION OF THE PROPHET
The prophet always has a vision that we do not have; that's what makes him a prophet, seer and revelator. When Elisha's town was surrounded by an army, ready to take Elisha as a spy, his servant was terrified, and cried, "Alas, my master! how shall we do? And [Elisha] answered, Fear not: for they that be with us are more than they that be with them. And Elisha prayed, and said, Lord, I pray thee, open his eyes, that he may see. And the Lord opened the eyes of the young man; and he saw: and, behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire round about Elisha" (2 Kings 6:15-17).
Then Elisha temporarily blinded the enemies, offered to take them to the person they were seeking (himself), and instead led them to Samaria, where he restored their vision and let them go. It may have been a real physical condition of sightlessness, or it may have been an inability to recognize Elisha as who he was. But the point of the story is that the odds are always in the favor of the Lord God of Israel, and although we can seldom see or even imagine what His winning plan might be, it always exists and it always succeeds, and the prophet knows how to execute it. Once we know this, we can give up our fear and trust the prophet fully.
INDIVIDUALITY, COMMANDS, AND VISIONS OF LATTER-DAY PROPHETS
When the Prophet Joseph Smith died and the saints were trying to determine the order of the Kingdom, and who should lead the Church, there was a famous incident in which Sidney Rigdon and Brigham Young each spoke and it was readily apparent to those listening that Brigham Young was to take Joseph Smith's place as head of the Church. In later years, those present referred to this feeling of certainty as if they had seen Brigham Young's face replaced by Joseph Smith's as he spoke. Joseph Smith had been the Prophet of the Restoration and was perfectly fitted for that role. Brigham Young became the Prophet of the Exodus, and his abilities, personality, and spiritual gifts helped him to move the Saints west. And so it has been with each prophet: his particular gifts and visions have been ideal for the time and situation in which he serves.
President Hunter was our prophet for such a brief time. He told us to become a temple-oriented people. At that time, going to the temple more than once in a lifetime was nearly out of the question for many of the members of the Church. Prior to that time there were not many Primary lessons about the temple, and there was always a caution in the lesson about being sensitive to those children whose parents had not been married in the temple. And what point was there in telling humble saints in Africa or Asia or the South Seas to be focused on the temple? For them to go was an impossibility. But now the emphasis became entirely different: not to simply avoid hurting people's feelings who hadn't been to the temple, but to tell them to get going, and if they couldn't go, to get ready for the impossible!
President Hunter's counsel would have been even more pointless if the previous prophet, Spencer W. Kimball, had not begged for and received the revelation that all people could receive blessings in the temple. If he hadn't been so focused on racial equality in all temple blessings, how could President Hunter have told us that we should all be a temple people? Because President Kimball felt driven to ask for the priesthood for all men, and temple blessings for all members, President Hunter could plead with everyone to be focused on the temple.
And because President Hunter did that--and it only took him a short time to deliver his message--saints everywhere became more focused on the temple, more encouraged, more willing to be full tithe-payers and to be qualified as recommend-holders. President Hinckley could then spearhead the enormous world-wide temple-building project of one hundred temples by the year 2000. Those who heeded President Hunter's counsel were rewarded for their faith in the impossible during President Hinckley's tenure.
President Hinckley also had personality traits and spiritual gifts (talents) that were perfect for his time. He was a fearless expert when dealing with the press. He was inventive in solving the problem of bringing temples to more people. He had a terrific sense of humor and counseled us continually to look on the bright side of life during fearful times. When he advised us repeatedly to get out of debt, the American economy was strong. Those who heeded his words were in a much better position to face the recession.
President Monson has continued to give counsel to be positive and hopeful despite troubled times and a negative press, saying, "The future is as bright as your faith." He has continually stressed expressing love within our families; he has counseled us to enjoy the present day and the changes and challenges of our journey through life. He has emphasized giving to others and blessing those in need, even in a time when many members themselves are struggling financially. We need to examine his words carefully, and then examine our actions: do they match? If the prophet's counsel seems illogical, unimportant, or even impossible, we had better take even greater care to follow it, because this indicates that he sees a vision we do not.
We can look all around and study opinions and recommendations to determine our personal course of action, but we would be wise to remember, as in the Bible Balderdash game, that if there is ever a question or a conflict between sources of information, the prophet is the one we listen to. We may see others as being smarter, more experienced, better-looking, more financially successful, or as having access to more research, but none of that matters, because President Monson is the one who has been given all the right answers.
BIBLE BALDERDASH GAME
Teaching Tip: Take three class members out of the room and give two of them a piece of paper with the following terms on it:
- Abarim
- Cab
- Dothan
- Ehud
- Jebus
- Scrip
- Stacte
- Ziv
- Abarim: the mountain range Moses was standing on when he viewed the Promised Land
- Cab: a measure that equals a little more than a quart
- Dothan: a town ten miles north of Samaria, known for its good pastures
- Ehud: a certain left-handed Israelite
- Jebus: the ancient name for the city that is now called Jerusalem
- Scrip: a traveling bag made of leather and used for carrying food
- Stacte: a sweet spice used in the incense for the temple, probably made of tree gum.
- Ziv: the second month in the Hebrew year
Return to the classroom together and pass out blank pieces of paper and pencils to the class members, asking them to number them 1-8. Call out each word and have each of the three give their definition, then have the class members write on their papers which person they think gave the true definition. Don't tell the class members which definitions were right until all the definitions have been given. Then go through the list and have the person who read the correct definition raise his hand. Of course, it will be the same person every time. Hopefully, this will be a surprise to the class members, that the same person had the right answer every time. Point out how easy it would have been to win the game if you had told them which person would have all the correct answers. Also point out that the appearances or the intelligence or charisma of the person giving the accurate definitions was irrelevant, because you had given the person the correct answers.
There is a humorous quote that applies here: "This life is a test. It is only a test. Had it been an actual life, you would have received more information on where to go and what to do." This is the way life is for many people on the earth. Lucky for us, we know the single person who has all the right answers, who has been given "more information on where to go and what to do." That person is, of course, the Prophet.
THE PASSING OF THE MANTLE OF THE PROPHET
1 Kings 17:1 tells us Elijah was from Gilead, the wild country in the east. 2 Kings 1:8 tells us he was a "hairy" man, or a person who wore skins or furs, and leather; he was good at wilderness survival. (Nobody knows what "Tishbite" means.)
The prophet who took his place was Elisha. Ask class members to find all that they can about Elisha from 1 Kings 19:19-21. Some answers follow:
- He was a very wealthy man to have had twelve men plowing with twelve yoke of oxen at once.
- He had a family he loved and respected; he was a good son who wanted to honor his parents before leaving.
- When the call came, he was willing to give up his worldly possessions, as symbolized in his giving a feast of two oxen, valuable work animals. Killing the animals showed that his course was final, irrevocable.
- Despite having been a powerful man, he was willing to become Elijah's servant.
THE IMPORTANCE OF OBEYING THE PROPHET
Teaching Tip: Ask five class members ahead of time to read the following stories about Elijah and then share them with the class in their own words:
- Elisha and salt in the water (2 Kings 2:19-22)
- Elisha and the ditches (2 Kings 3:12-20)
- Elisha and the borrowed oil vessels (2 Kings 4:1-7)
- Elisha and Naaman's leprosy (2 Kings 5:1-14)
- Elisha and his servant (2 Kings 5:20-27)
THE VISION OF THE PROPHET
The prophet always has a vision that we do not have; that's what makes him a prophet, seer and revelator. When Elisha's town was surrounded by an army, ready to take Elisha as a spy, his servant was terrified, and cried, "Alas, my master! how shall we do? And [Elisha] answered, Fear not: for they that be with us are more than they that be with them. And Elisha prayed, and said, Lord, I pray thee, open his eyes, that he may see. And the Lord opened the eyes of the young man; and he saw: and, behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire round about Elisha" (2 Kings 6:15-17).
Then Elisha temporarily blinded the enemies, offered to take them to the person they were seeking (himself), and instead led them to Samaria, where he restored their vision and let them go. It may have been a real physical condition of sightlessness, or it may have been an inability to recognize Elisha as who he was. But the point of the story is that the odds are always in the favor of the Lord God of Israel, and although we can seldom see or even imagine what His winning plan might be, it always exists and it always succeeds, and the prophet knows how to execute it. Once we know this, we can give up our fear and trust the prophet fully.
INDIVIDUALITY, COMMANDS, AND VISIONS OF LATTER-DAY PROPHETS
When the Prophet Joseph Smith died and the saints were trying to determine the order of the Kingdom, and who should lead the Church, there was a famous incident in which Sidney Rigdon and Brigham Young each spoke and it was readily apparent to those listening that Brigham Young was to take Joseph Smith's place as head of the Church. In later years, those present referred to this feeling of certainty as if they had seen Brigham Young's face replaced by Joseph Smith's as he spoke. Joseph Smith had been the Prophet of the Restoration and was perfectly fitted for that role. Brigham Young became the Prophet of the Exodus, and his abilities, personality, and spiritual gifts helped him to move the Saints west. And so it has been with each prophet: his particular gifts and visions have been ideal for the time and situation in which he serves.
President Hunter was our prophet for such a brief time. He told us to become a temple-oriented people. At that time, going to the temple more than once in a lifetime was nearly out of the question for many of the members of the Church. Prior to that time there were not many Primary lessons about the temple, and there was always a caution in the lesson about being sensitive to those children whose parents had not been married in the temple. And what point was there in telling humble saints in Africa or Asia or the South Seas to be focused on the temple? For them to go was an impossibility. But now the emphasis became entirely different: not to simply avoid hurting people's feelings who hadn't been to the temple, but to tell them to get going, and if they couldn't go, to get ready for the impossible!
President Hunter's counsel would have been even more pointless if the previous prophet, Spencer W. Kimball, had not begged for and received the revelation that all people could receive blessings in the temple. If he hadn't been so focused on racial equality in all temple blessings, how could President Hunter have told us that we should all be a temple people? Because President Kimball felt driven to ask for the priesthood for all men, and temple blessings for all members, President Hunter could plead with everyone to be focused on the temple.
And because President Hunter did that--and it only took him a short time to deliver his message--saints everywhere became more focused on the temple, more encouraged, more willing to be full tithe-payers and to be qualified as recommend-holders. President Hinckley could then spearhead the enormous world-wide temple-building project of one hundred temples by the year 2000. Those who heeded President Hunter's counsel were rewarded for their faith in the impossible during President Hinckley's tenure.
President Hinckley also had personality traits and spiritual gifts (talents) that were perfect for his time. He was a fearless expert when dealing with the press. He was inventive in solving the problem of bringing temples to more people. He had a terrific sense of humor and counseled us continually to look on the bright side of life during fearful times. When he advised us repeatedly to get out of debt, the American economy was strong. Those who heeded his words were in a much better position to face the recession.
President Monson has continued to give counsel to be positive and hopeful despite troubled times and a negative press, saying, "The future is as bright as your faith." He has continually stressed expressing love within our families; he has counseled us to enjoy the present day and the changes and challenges of our journey through life. He has emphasized giving to others and blessing those in need, even in a time when many members themselves are struggling financially. We need to examine his words carefully, and then examine our actions: do they match? If the prophet's counsel seems illogical, unimportant, or even impossible, we had better take even greater care to follow it, because this indicates that he sees a vision we do not.
We can look all around and study opinions and recommendations to determine our personal course of action, but we would be wise to remember, as in the Bible Balderdash game, that if there is ever a question or a conflict between sources of information, the prophet is the one we listen to. We may see others as being smarter, more experienced, better-looking, more financially successful, or as having access to more research, but none of that matters, because President Monson is the one who has been given all the right answers.
Sunday, July 18, 2010
Old Testament Lesson #28 "After the Fire a Still Small Voice"
1 Kings 17-19
Elijah's prayer in the cave at "Horeb the mount of God" (1 Kings 19:9-18) has been used as an example of listening to the Holy Ghost, and it is very likely that the King James' Translators were the first to use the term "still, small voice," which has become another name for the Holy Ghost. It is used only three times in scripture, the other two being in 1 Nephi 17:45 and D&C 85:6, each time clearly refering to the Holy Ghost.
As with some other great spiritual experiences in the scriptures (for example, Lehi's dream, Joseph Smith's First Vision, the Liberty Jail revelation in D&C 121, the vision of the Spirit World in D&C 138), this great, simple revelation came after a period of great trial, and a feeling of near failure. Elijah was so discouraged, he wanted to die. He had performed amazing feets of Priesthood power, the people had proclaimed that Jehovah must be Lord, and yet he was still stuck hiding in a cave because of one powerful woman. What was the use?
He was at a temple mountain, however, the right place for a discouraged person to go. He heard the Lord ask, "What doest thou here, Elijah?" His cry of despair was, "I have been very jealous [zealous] for the Lord, the God of hosts; for the children of Israel have forsaken thy covenant, thrown down thine altars, and slain thy prophets with the sword; and I, even I only, am left; and they seek my life, to take it away." Although the prayer was sincere and desperate, the answer did not come immediately. The Lord told him he would get his answer on the mountain.
Before Elijah left the cave, a wind came, strong enough to break rocks, then an earthquake, and then a fire. Although Elijah had exercised the power of God himself in mighty ways such as these, he knew they were not always expressions of the Spirit of the Lord. He knew how to recognize the voice of the Lord. When they passed, there followed a calmness, a peacefulness, "a still small voice." Elijah knew this was what he was waiting for. "He wrapped his face in his mantle, and went out, and stood in the entering of the cave." Once again he heard the question, "What doest thou here, Elijah?"
Elijah repeated his heart-rending prayer. As most of us will do when depressed and discouraged, Elijah "awful-ized" his situation, saying he was the only prophet left, a complete failure, a hunted man. The Lord answered with the positive side of the situation, as He will often do for us. He gave Elijah instructions on anointing two kings. He also told Elijah that He had prepared a companion prophet to take over when Elijah's wish to leave the earth was granted. Between the two kings and Elisha, the wicked idolators would meet their deaths. And last but definitely not least, he informed Elijah that there were actually 7,000 in Israel who still worshipped the Lord. Elijah had not been a failure.
ELIJAH'S LATTER-DAY MISSION
Sources for temple data: lds.org temple page and ldschurchtemples.com. You can find current data to replace mine there as well.
There is also an excellent article on Elijah in the July 1990 Ensign.
The previous lesson focused mainly on the kings of Judah: Rehoboam, Abijah(m), Asa, and especially Jehoshaphat. During this same time period, a succession of kings each ruled Israel very briefly: Nadab, Baasha, Elah, Zimri, Tibni and Omri (1 Kings 15:26, 34; 16:13, 19, 21, 25), each one an idolator. When Ahab, the son of Omri, began to rule, the time was ripe for the Lord's vengeance, as "Ahab did more to provoke the Lord God of Israel to anger than all the kings of Israel that were before him" (1 Kings 16:33). What was the issue? It is stated previously in verse 31: "As if it had been a light thing [as if it weren't enough] for him to walk in the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat [which was to worship Jehovah inappropriately and not as the only God], [he also] took to wife Jezebel the daughter of Ethbaal king of the Zidonians, and went and served Baal, and worshipped him." The false god Baal hadn't been found in Israel since Gideon threw him out in Judges 6, many generations before, but now Ahab allowed Jezebel to bring him back.
Abruptly, it seems, the next chapter begins with the prophet Elijah (whose name means "Jehovah is my God") sealing up the heavens, but it is actually logical and chronological.
THE STORY OF ELIJAH'S LIFE
Teaching Tip: Post wordstrips of the miracles performed by Elijah in random order on the board (just the first sentence of each on the list below). Have the class arrange them into chronological order. As each wordstrip is posted chronologically by a class member, share the details of the event (the part after the first sentence).
- Withheld the rain and the dew. (1 Kings 17:1) The miracles that Elijah performed were in direct defiance of the worship of Baal, who was considered to be the storm god, "responsible for bringing life-giving rains at certain times of the year and thus restoring fertility to the land. After the yearly rainy season, the ground got progressively drier, and eventually all vegetation died. During this period, Baal was thought to be in the power of the god of death and sterility. In this verse Elijah announces that...Baal has nothing to do with bringing rain and fertility. In reality the Lord controls both rain and drought, fertility and sterility, and life and death." (Harper-Collins Study Bible, p. 547)
- Survived famine in hiding by being fed by ravens. (1 Kings 17:3-4) An alternate translation for the word "brook" in this account is "wadi" (Harper-Collins). A wadi is a stream bed that contains water only in the rainy season. Obviously, this was not the rainy season, so even though it dried up eventually, finding water there was a miracle. Obadiah is a sub-hero in this story, as he rescued and sheltered 100 prophets from Queen Jezebel's wrath (1 Kings 18:3-4). The severity of the famine was extreme, causing King Ahab and his governor Obadiah to personally go out in search of pasture for their animals, although they probably each had a searching party with them (1 Kings 18:3-6).
- Perpetuated flour and oil for a widow's household. (1 Kings 17:10-16) Widows had no means of financial support, so if they had no extended family to care for them, they could quickly become destitute.
- Raised the dead. (1 Kings 17:17-23) This is another dramatic show of Jehovah's power vs. the idol's power, a powerful reminder to the children of Israel throughout generations as the story would be re-told: The Lord God could actually overrule death (Harper-Collins).
- Drew fire from heaven. (1 Kings 18:21-39) According to the people's belief, as the storm god, Baal should have easily been able to draw fire from heaven (Harper-Collins). Indeed Andrew Clarke's Bible Commentary claims the priests of Baal rigged their altars with fires beneath them, working through a system of tunnels, so that the sacrifices would appear to ignite spontaneously (quoted in Institute Manual, p. 61). The duel with Elijah's God would have looked like an easy win to the priests of Baal. It must have astonished them when their elaborate system failed. (You can see pictures of Mt. Carmel here.) (For more detail on Mt. Carmel itself, which is actually not a mountain peak but a ridge, click here.)
- Killed 950 idolatrous priests. (18:40) (BiblePlaces.com also has a picture of the statue of Elijah killing the priests, which is found on Mt. Carmel. Just scroll down.) Who knows how Elijah actually killed the priests--likely he led the people in killing them--but he was following the Law of Moses: the penalty for advocating worship of idols was death (Deut. 13:1-5).
- Called a rainstorm. (1 Kings 18:41-45) Elijah placed himself in a position of ultimate worship and prayer, low to the ground, facedown. Elijah's servant was probably sitting where the Baha'i Shrine of the Bab is today on Mt. Carmel, looking out toward the sea. To see the present-day view, click here and check out the top right photo. If after watching that cloud swell up until the sky was roiling and black, Elijah did actually run ahead of Ahab to Jezreel, it was better than a half-marathon: 17 miles.
- Was visited and fed by an angel twice during his time of greatest despair. (1 Kings 19:1-7) Unfortunately, Jezebel (who seemed to wear the pants in the royal family), was not humbled and converted by the fantastic display of divine power at Mt. Carmel, but enraged. Elijah's astonishment and disappointment must have been overwhelming: After controlling the elements for three years, after raising the dead, after all the mighty priesthood power he displayed in the duel with the priests of Baal, after condeming them all to death, after calling a storm from heaven himself, he was back in hiding again. Even a mighty prophet of God who can control the elements, cannot control a human soul who refuses to repent. Elijah felt such a sense of despair and uselessness that he requested of the Lord death.
- One meal carried him for 40 days and 40 nights on a journey to Mt. Horeb. (1 Kings 19:8-21) Remember that the term "40 days and 40 nights" is symbolic. (See a previous post.) By going from Mt. Carmel to Mt. Horeb (which is Mt. Sinai) Elijah was retracing the steps of the Children of Israel and Moses backwards. It was a journey of 150 miles to an outdoor temple, a journey to seek the comfort of God. (More on this event in the next section.)
- Called fire from heaven to destroy 100 soldiers. (2 Kings 1:10, 12) The king who succeeded Ahab, Ahaziah, had suffered a fall. He asked his fate of the idol Baal-zebub (a local version of Baal), rather than the prophet of the Lord. Because of this, the Lord told Elijah to prophecy his death. This, of course, did not please the king and three times he sent 50 soldiers to bring Elijah to him for punishment, but the first two times, Elijah destroyed them with fire from heaven, something that Baal was purported to be able to control. Finally, with the third company, whose leader acted respectfully, acknowledging Elijah as a prophet, he went peaceably, but his prophecy did not change.
- Brought a plague upon the kingdom of Judah. (2 Chron. 21) Jehoram, the son and successor of the great and righteous king Jehoshaphat of Judah, had allied himself with the kingdom of Israel by marrying the daughter of Ahab, thus uniting the kingdom briefly. Because of his idolatry, Elijah sent him a letter, prophecying a plague of dissentery among his people, which actually killed the king himself.
- Parted the River Jordan and walked through on dry land. (2 Kings 2:8) This miracle was performed by Elijah on the day he left the earth, and is the basis of the Negro spirituals about the crossing of Jordan equaling death and entrance to Heaven.
- Was taken into heaven in a chariot of fire. (2 Kings 2:11) The source of another beautiful Negro spiritual, "Swing low, sweet chariot." It would be a great way to go.
Elijah's prayer in the cave at "Horeb the mount of God" (1 Kings 19:9-18) has been used as an example of listening to the Holy Ghost, and it is very likely that the King James' Translators were the first to use the term "still, small voice," which has become another name for the Holy Ghost. It is used only three times in scripture, the other two being in 1 Nephi 17:45 and D&C 85:6, each time clearly refering to the Holy Ghost.
As with some other great spiritual experiences in the scriptures (for example, Lehi's dream, Joseph Smith's First Vision, the Liberty Jail revelation in D&C 121, the vision of the Spirit World in D&C 138), this great, simple revelation came after a period of great trial, and a feeling of near failure. Elijah was so discouraged, he wanted to die. He had performed amazing feets of Priesthood power, the people had proclaimed that Jehovah must be Lord, and yet he was still stuck hiding in a cave because of one powerful woman. What was the use?
He was at a temple mountain, however, the right place for a discouraged person to go. He heard the Lord ask, "What doest thou here, Elijah?" His cry of despair was, "I have been very jealous [zealous] for the Lord, the God of hosts; for the children of Israel have forsaken thy covenant, thrown down thine altars, and slain thy prophets with the sword; and I, even I only, am left; and they seek my life, to take it away." Although the prayer was sincere and desperate, the answer did not come immediately. The Lord told him he would get his answer on the mountain.
Before Elijah left the cave, a wind came, strong enough to break rocks, then an earthquake, and then a fire. Although Elijah had exercised the power of God himself in mighty ways such as these, he knew they were not always expressions of the Spirit of the Lord. He knew how to recognize the voice of the Lord. When they passed, there followed a calmness, a peacefulness, "a still small voice." Elijah knew this was what he was waiting for. "He wrapped his face in his mantle, and went out, and stood in the entering of the cave." Once again he heard the question, "What doest thou here, Elijah?"
Elijah repeated his heart-rending prayer. As most of us will do when depressed and discouraged, Elijah "awful-ized" his situation, saying he was the only prophet left, a complete failure, a hunted man. The Lord answered with the positive side of the situation, as He will often do for us. He gave Elijah instructions on anointing two kings. He also told Elijah that He had prepared a companion prophet to take over when Elijah's wish to leave the earth was granted. Between the two kings and Elisha, the wicked idolators would meet their deaths. And last but definitely not least, he informed Elijah that there were actually 7,000 in Israel who still worshipped the Lord. Elijah had not been a failure.
ELIJAH'S LATTER-DAY MISSION
There are two verses of scripture that are found in four of the Standard Works; what are they? The verses proclaiming Elijah's great latter-day mission. In the Bible and the Book of Mormon, they are exactly the same. In the Doctrine & Covenants and the Pearl of Great Price, they are exactly the same. But the verses in the scriptures that were written in ages past are different than those that were written in the latter days, and that tells us something about our relationship with Elijah:
Malachi 4:5-6 and 3 Nephi 25:5-6: "Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord. And he shall turn the heart of the fathers to the children, and the heart of the children to their fathers, lest I come and smite the earth with a curse (Joseph Smith's note: "Now the word turn here should be translated bind, or seal." Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, p. 330)
D&C 2 and Joseph Smith--History 1:38: "Behold, I will reveal unto you the Priesthood, by the hand of Elijah the prophet, before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord. And he shall plant in the hearts of the children the promises made to the fathers, and the hearts of the children shall turn to their fathers. If it were not so, the whole earth would be utterly wasted at his coming."
Here are the differences:
- The latter-day verses clarify what the Prophet Elijah was to do: Bring the Priesthood back to the earth.
- The word "heart" is made plural in the latter-day scriptures. Perhaps that is just a change in syntax, or perhaps it is a change in meaning through the ages. In Bible times, the heart was the seat of thoughts, intentions, and actions. Today we think of the heart as the sensitive, feeling part of our soul. Perhaps the real meaning is a combination of both. If anyone has any thoughts to share on this, please leave a comment below.
- A very significant change: the latter-day scriptures do not say Elijah will "turn the heart of the fathers to the children." Apparently, that part of the promise has already occurred. Now his job is to "plant in the hearts of the children the promises made to the fathers." He will make us aware of the righteousness of our ancestors and the promises they have secured for us. This awareness then, leads us to turn our hearts, our desires, to our ancestors.
- The final statement of warning is more severe and far-reaching in the latter-day scriptures. Rather than the earth being smitten with a curse, "the whole earth would be utterly wasted at his coming." This gives us some sense of the urgency and importance of our part in this plan, separate from the role of other generations.
THE EXPLOSION OF THE SPIRIT OF ELIJAH
Of course, to carry out the promise, three things are needed:
- The Priesthood power
- The people with the desire planted in their hearts
- The places (temples) to bind the families together
We have many people, LDS and otherwise, who are crazy about genealogy. We even had a very popular TV series here in America all about celebrities researching their genealogy ("Who Do You Think You Are?"). Access to records has become widespread: The Ellis Island records, the Freeman Bank Records, and now the New FamilySearch computer program combines loads of records which can be searched from home. Number two is doing well collectively, but we must each ask ourselves individually whether we are on board, because we each must tie ourselves and our ancestors into this eternal family.
The grandeur, the majesty, and the magnitude of the spirit of Elijah can clearly be seen and easily measured in item Number Three: the spreading of temples throughout the earth. By paying our tithing, holding current temple recommends, and participating in temple ordinances for the dead, we can further the work of Elijah in the temples.
(Teaching Tip: You can use the following quiz of Temple Trivia [as if anything related to temples were trivial...] just for fun to illustrate the huge temple-building effort that is going on presently in the world.)
(Teaching Tip: You can use the following quiz of Temple Trivia [as if anything related to temples were trivial...] just for fun to illustrate the huge temple-building effort that is going on presently in the world.)
- After the first 50 years of temple building in this dispensation, how many temples did the Church own and operate? (Two. The first two had been abandoned.)
- After the next 50 years, how many temples were operating? (Seven.)
- In the third 50 years, how many more were built? (Nine, for a total of 16. Washington D.C. was the ninth, completed in 1977. The Ensign magazine ran an article entitled, "The 16 Temples of This Dispensation.")
- It took 161 years to have 50 operating temples on the earth. How many years did it take to build the next 50? (Three. Boston, Masachusetts was the 100th, built in the year 2000.)
- What is the oldest operating temple in the world? (St. George Utah)
- What is the oldest operating temple outside of Utah? (Laie Hawaii)
- What is the oldest operating temple outside of the United States? (Cardston Alberta Canada)
- What is the oldest operating temple outside of North America? (Bern Switzerland)
- For which temple was the movie created in order to allow people of multiple languages to attend the same session? (Bern, Switzerland)
- Which temple was the first built in a Communist country? (Freiberg Germany)
- For which temple did the city leaders rename its street "Temple Drive," and the three blocks surrounding the temple, "Temple," "Genealogist," and "Chapel"? (Stockholm, Sweden, built in 1985)
- During which year were a record 34 temples dedicated? (The year 2000)
- How many temples are there in Utah (July 2010)? (13, with two more announced)
- The 133rd temple was just dedicated in June 2010. Where is it? (Philippines Cebu City)
- How many temples have been announced and are not yet completed? (19)
- There is another temple scheduled to be dedicated in August 2010, which was announced 12 years ago. Where is it being built? (Ukraine Kyiv)
- What percentage of the temples are outside of the United States (in 2010)? (Just over 50%)
- Which country outside the United States has the most temples (in 2010)? (Mexico with 12)
- How many temples are there on the earth today, including those announced or under construction (July 2010)? (152)
Sources for temple data: lds.org temple page and ldschurchtemples.com. You can find current data to replace mine there as well.
There is also an excellent article on Elijah in the July 1990 Ensign.
Friday, July 9, 2010
Old Testament Lesson #27 The Influence of Wicked and Righteous Leaders
1 Kings 12-14; 2 Chronicles 17; 20
THE DIVISION OF THE KINGDOM
Unfortunately, Solomon set up the division of the Kingdom of Israel, which his father David had unified, by doing exactly what the Lord had warned the Israelites that a king would do (1 Sam. 8:5-18): He forced such heavy taxation, particularly on the northern rural areas outside of Jerusalem, that when he died, the people were ready for revolt.
REHOBOAM
The northern ten tribes invited Solomon's son, Rehoboam, the rightful heir to the kingdom, to Shechem to be crowned king (1 Kings 12:1). This was out of order--he should have been crowned king in Jerusalem--so right away it was clear that something was afoot and Rehoboam knew he was on shaky ground. The northern tribes also invited Jeroboam, an Israelite who had been a leader in Solomon's army, to the festivities. Jeroboam had previously fled to Egypt for safety after the prophet Ahijah predicted that he would become the ruler of those ten tribes (1 Kings 11:28-39). Although the prophecy was pronounced in the presence of only Ahijah and Jeroboam, one of them leaked it, and it made its way to Solomon (1 Kings 11:40), and undoubtedly many others. Jeroboam was of the tribe of Ephraim, and Shechem was in Ephraim. Very suspicious! It would appear that the ten tribes decided to help fulfill the prophecy of Ahijah.
Jeroboam set up the rebellion, encouraging the people to ask Rehoboam whether he planned to reduce their burden (1 Kings 12:3-4). It's clear that Rehoboam, who was completely inexperienced (2 Chron. 13:7 says he was "young and tenderhearted; 1 Kings 14:21 says he was 41 years old), didn't know what to do. He asked advice of his father's old wise men, who recommended he be kind to the people, and serve them, and thus earn their devotion. But, like teenagers will do, he also checked with his peers, and they insisted that he flex his royal muscle and show the people how tough he was, so they would be terrified of him. Also like some teenagers, he figured that his buddies knew better what was happening and the geezers were out of touch. Thus he made the foolish mistake of threatening the people with an iron glove (1 Kings 12:11) which gave the northern tribes exactly what they wanted: a reason to secede. "What portion have we in David?" they cried. "To your tents, O Israel!" Which is to say, "We will no longer be ruled by the descendant of David; let's pack up and go home." When Rehoboam tried to enforce his threat by sending Adoram to either collect monetary taxes (Institute Manual) or servants for forced labor (Harper-Collins Study Bible) from the north tribes, they simply stoned him to death, and Rehoboam fled for his life back to the safety of Jerusalem (1 Kings 12:16-18).
Lessons to Learn:
1) Older people usually give better advice.
2) People are loyal to those who serve them,
not to those who oppress them (see D&C 121:41)
JEROBOAM
Although Jeroboam had been prophecied to become the king, he did not remain true to the God of Israel. He feared to have his people go to Jerusalem to worship appropriately, so he set up worship sites with idols intended to represent Jehovah, much as Aaron did in the wilderness (1 Kings 12:26-29). He chose locations that had significance to the worship of Jehovah (Jacob saw his vision of the ladder to heaven at Beth-el, and a grandson of Moses had officiated at worship in Dan), hoping that would convince the people it was valid. But the Lord didn't like it any better this time than He did in Aaron's time. As if that weren't enough, Jeroboam set up his own festivals, and his own "priesthood" to officiate at the sacrifices, since the Levites were in Jerusalem. For these reasons, he was condemned by the prophet to suffer the ignominy of rotting unburied after his death, a curse which his entire family would share, save one son because "in [that son] there is found some good thing toward the Lord God of Israel in the house of Jeroboam" (1 Kings 14:11-13). Unfortunately, the son escaped that fate by dying prematurely.
Lesson to Learn:
We don't set the terms on worship;
we follow the ones the Lord sets.
ABIJAH
In the end, Jeroboam and his people were conquered by Rehoboam's son and successor, called Abijam. Abijah was not himself a righteous man, but because he was of the promised House of David, his right to reign was honored by the Lord (1 Kings 15:3-5). One thing David got right, which was a very, very important thing: He always worshipped the Lord Jehovah. Even though he made the grave error of following his lust until it led him to murder, he never turned to the worship of idols, as the other kings seem to have continually done.
Abijah, likewise, knew to rely upon the Lord at the critical time. He had the strength of character to stand upon a mount in his enemies' land, the land of Ephraim, and declare to all the ten tribes in detail the wickedness of the false worship Jeroboam had led them into, and invite them to join forces with the God of Israel (2 Chron. 13:4-9). "As for us," he said, referring to the southern kingdom, "the Lord is our God, and we have not forsaken him...behold, God himself is with us for our captain...O children of Israel, fight ye not against the Lord God of your fathers; for ye shall not prosper" (2 Chron. 13:10-12).
And he was right: Despite Jeroboam's clever ambush, the men of Judah routed them out. "Thus the children of Israel were brought under at that time, and the children of Judah prevailed, because they relied upon the Lord God of their fathers" (2 Chron. 13:18). Jeroboam died of his battle wounds, after Abijah had driven him from his lands (2 Chron. 13:19-20). Presumably, his body remained there, unclaimed, in fulfillment of the prophecy, but there is no detail in the surviving records.
Lesson to Learn:
Even foxhole prayers are heard,
if they're offered sincerely,
and to the real God.
JEHOSHAPHAT
And now we reach one of those rare stories in the Old Testament (or in life, for that matter): The story of a righteous king! Jehoshaphat, the grandson of Abijah, and great-great-grandson of King David. His father, Asa, set the stage for him, commanding his people to worship God, listening to the prophet, casting out the idols, rebuilding the altars, and leading the people in a covenant to follow the Lord, even removing his grandmother (footnote to 2 Chron. 15:16) from royalty because she wouldn't give up her idols (2 Chron. 14-15).
Jehoshaphat built upon the excellent example of his father (2 Chron. 17:3-6; also 2 Chron. 20:32). As often happened in the Book of Mormon (see, for example, Alma 31:5), Jehoshaphat set up a system to teach the people the true gospel. He sent five princes (officials), nine Levites, and two priests out as missionaries among the people. Their call was important enough that they were each named individually in the account. They carried the scriptures with them to be sure of the accuracy of their teaching. "And they...had the book of the law of the Lord with them, and went about through all the cities of Judah, and taught the people" (1 Chron. 17:9). The fear of the Lord fell upon all the surrounding kingdoms, so that they didn't dare to attack Judah.
Jehoshaphat angered the Lord a couple of times, though. (Nobody's perfect.) He made a marriage alliance with Ahab, the wicked king of Israel, and later went to war as his ally, rather than trusting in the Lord to protect his nation, for which he was rebuked by Jehu the prophet (2 Chron. 19:2). But the rebuke was immediately tempered by an acknowledgement of Jehoshaphat's general righteousness: "Nevertheless there are good things found in thee, in that thou hast taken away the groves [idolatrous worship sites] out of the land, and hast prepared thine heart to seek God" (2 Chron. 19:3). After this rebuke, Jehoshaphat continued to send out his "general authorities" to preach the gospel (see footnote to 2 Chron. 19:4) and bring the people back to their God. He also set up a system of judges, counseling them to judge for the Lord and not for man (2 Chron. 19:6-11). (Later in life, he again formed some alliances of which the Lord did not approve. They are briefly mentioned in 2 Chron. 20:35-37.)
Jehoshaphat's efforts to bring himself and his people closer to God paid off when an alliance of three other nations came against Judah to war. Because of his scripture study, he knew exactly where to seek and claim help. "And Jehoshaphat feared, and set himself to seek the Lord, and proclaimed a fast throughout all Judah. And Judah gathered themselves together, to ask help of the Lord: even out of all the cities of Judah they came to seek the Lord" (2 Chron. 20:3-4). They assembled at the temple, which Jehoshaphat had refurbished, and united themselves in prayer to God, with Jehoshaphat himself as voice. Jehoshaphat quoted the words his great-grandfather King Solomon offered in the temple dedication, which was recorded in the scriptures, and called upon the promise asked for at that time: "If, when evil cometh upon us, as the sword, judgment, or pestilence, or famine, we stand before this house, and in thy presence...and cry unto thee in our affliction, then thou wilt hear and help" (2 Chron. 20:9). (The dedicatory prayer quoted is found in 1 Kings 8, and repeats, after each of the above stated contingencies, something like, "then hear thou in heaven their prayer and their supplication, and maintain their cause" [verse 45]. (See also "The Announcement of the Temple" in a previous post.)
After the prayer, one of the Levites, acting as prophet, came forth and said, "Be not afraid nor dismayed by reason of this great [army]; for the battle is not yours, but God's...Ye shall not need to fight in this battle." And then came the famous words which Joseph Smith quoted at the conflict at Fishing River: "Stand ye still, and see the salvation of the Lord" (2 Chron. 20:15-17). (See "A Latter-day Battle Fought from Heaven" in a previous posting.)
As is true of deeply faithful saints throughout time, the people of Judah immediately expressed gratitude for the blessing they had not yet received, bowing themselves to the earth, and then raising their voices in praise.
In the morning, they began the day at the battlefield with a hymn. Something about this singing triggered an "ambushment," or some kind of surprise attack in the battlefield below among the Ammonite alliance. Perhaps it created a confusion, perhaps the Lord caused some freak scuffle, but however it started, the battle ensued with the three allied nations leaving Jehoshaphat's army entirely alone as they destroyed each other! According to the scriptural account, it was complete devastation--none escaped alive. The people of Judah were able to calmly walk among the dead and take their riches and jewels. (Why did they bring them to battle? One possible reason: Living in a wicked nation, they did not dare to leave them at home, for thievery.) There was so much, it took three days to haul it all off (2 Chron. 20:22-25).
What did they do on the fourth day? What any faithful people would do: They gathered together to express their gratitude to the Lord. They named the valley "Blessed" (footnote to 2 Chron. 20:26). When they got back to Jerusalem, they continued their rejoicing in the temple. The countries round about heard of the battle, and Judah remained completely peaceful and free of attack during all the rest of Jehoshaphat's reign.
Lessons to Learn:
1) Scripture study always pays off.
2) We can be forgiven of our mistakes if we
keep "preparing our hearts to seek God."
3) Preaching the gospel offers more safety
than mustering soldiers.
4) Fasting works.
5) We must go to our battlefield, even
if the Lord intends to fight the battle for us.
6) Songs of the righteous act as powerful prayers
and mighty catalysts (see also D&C 25:12).
7) We should always maintain access to the temple
(a recommend) so we can seek the Lord
instantly for any emergency.
8) The Lord keeps His promises, even those
pronounced generations before, and
being aware of them helps us to claim them.
9) It is a show of faith to offer thanks to the Lord
for blessings promised but not yet received.
Sources: LDS Institute Manual, Harper-Collins Study Bible, Unger's Bible Dictionary
THE DIVISION OF THE KINGDOM
Unfortunately, Solomon set up the division of the Kingdom of Israel, which his father David had unified, by doing exactly what the Lord had warned the Israelites that a king would do (1 Sam. 8:5-18): He forced such heavy taxation, particularly on the northern rural areas outside of Jerusalem, that when he died, the people were ready for revolt.
REHOBOAM
The northern ten tribes invited Solomon's son, Rehoboam, the rightful heir to the kingdom, to Shechem to be crowned king (1 Kings 12:1). This was out of order--he should have been crowned king in Jerusalem--so right away it was clear that something was afoot and Rehoboam knew he was on shaky ground. The northern tribes also invited Jeroboam, an Israelite who had been a leader in Solomon's army, to the festivities. Jeroboam had previously fled to Egypt for safety after the prophet Ahijah predicted that he would become the ruler of those ten tribes (1 Kings 11:28-39). Although the prophecy was pronounced in the presence of only Ahijah and Jeroboam, one of them leaked it, and it made its way to Solomon (1 Kings 11:40), and undoubtedly many others. Jeroboam was of the tribe of Ephraim, and Shechem was in Ephraim. Very suspicious! It would appear that the ten tribes decided to help fulfill the prophecy of Ahijah.
Jeroboam set up the rebellion, encouraging the people to ask Rehoboam whether he planned to reduce their burden (1 Kings 12:3-4). It's clear that Rehoboam, who was completely inexperienced (2 Chron. 13:7 says he was "young and tenderhearted; 1 Kings 14:21 says he was 41 years old), didn't know what to do. He asked advice of his father's old wise men, who recommended he be kind to the people, and serve them, and thus earn their devotion. But, like teenagers will do, he also checked with his peers, and they insisted that he flex his royal muscle and show the people how tough he was, so they would be terrified of him. Also like some teenagers, he figured that his buddies knew better what was happening and the geezers were out of touch. Thus he made the foolish mistake of threatening the people with an iron glove (1 Kings 12:11) which gave the northern tribes exactly what they wanted: a reason to secede. "What portion have we in David?" they cried. "To your tents, O Israel!" Which is to say, "We will no longer be ruled by the descendant of David; let's pack up and go home." When Rehoboam tried to enforce his threat by sending Adoram to either collect monetary taxes (Institute Manual) or servants for forced labor (Harper-Collins Study Bible) from the north tribes, they simply stoned him to death, and Rehoboam fled for his life back to the safety of Jerusalem (1 Kings 12:16-18).
Lessons to Learn:
1) Older people usually give better advice.
2) People are loyal to those who serve them,
not to those who oppress them (see D&C 121:41)
JEROBOAM
Although Jeroboam had been prophecied to become the king, he did not remain true to the God of Israel. He feared to have his people go to Jerusalem to worship appropriately, so he set up worship sites with idols intended to represent Jehovah, much as Aaron did in the wilderness (1 Kings 12:26-29). He chose locations that had significance to the worship of Jehovah (Jacob saw his vision of the ladder to heaven at Beth-el, and a grandson of Moses had officiated at worship in Dan), hoping that would convince the people it was valid. But the Lord didn't like it any better this time than He did in Aaron's time. As if that weren't enough, Jeroboam set up his own festivals, and his own "priesthood" to officiate at the sacrifices, since the Levites were in Jerusalem. For these reasons, he was condemned by the prophet to suffer the ignominy of rotting unburied after his death, a curse which his entire family would share, save one son because "in [that son] there is found some good thing toward the Lord God of Israel in the house of Jeroboam" (1 Kings 14:11-13). Unfortunately, the son escaped that fate by dying prematurely.
Lesson to Learn:
We don't set the terms on worship;
we follow the ones the Lord sets.
ABIJAH
In the end, Jeroboam and his people were conquered by Rehoboam's son and successor, called Abijam. Abijah was not himself a righteous man, but because he was of the promised House of David, his right to reign was honored by the Lord (1 Kings 15:3-5). One thing David got right, which was a very, very important thing: He always worshipped the Lord Jehovah. Even though he made the grave error of following his lust until it led him to murder, he never turned to the worship of idols, as the other kings seem to have continually done.
Abijah, likewise, knew to rely upon the Lord at the critical time. He had the strength of character to stand upon a mount in his enemies' land, the land of Ephraim, and declare to all the ten tribes in detail the wickedness of the false worship Jeroboam had led them into, and invite them to join forces with the God of Israel (2 Chron. 13:4-9). "As for us," he said, referring to the southern kingdom, "the Lord is our God, and we have not forsaken him...behold, God himself is with us for our captain...O children of Israel, fight ye not against the Lord God of your fathers; for ye shall not prosper" (2 Chron. 13:10-12).
And he was right: Despite Jeroboam's clever ambush, the men of Judah routed them out. "Thus the children of Israel were brought under at that time, and the children of Judah prevailed, because they relied upon the Lord God of their fathers" (2 Chron. 13:18). Jeroboam died of his battle wounds, after Abijah had driven him from his lands (2 Chron. 13:19-20). Presumably, his body remained there, unclaimed, in fulfillment of the prophecy, but there is no detail in the surviving records.
Lesson to Learn:
Even foxhole prayers are heard,
if they're offered sincerely,
and to the real God.
JEHOSHAPHAT
And now we reach one of those rare stories in the Old Testament (or in life, for that matter): The story of a righteous king! Jehoshaphat, the grandson of Abijah, and great-great-grandson of King David. His father, Asa, set the stage for him, commanding his people to worship God, listening to the prophet, casting out the idols, rebuilding the altars, and leading the people in a covenant to follow the Lord, even removing his grandmother (footnote to 2 Chron. 15:16) from royalty because she wouldn't give up her idols (2 Chron. 14-15).
Jehoshaphat built upon the excellent example of his father (2 Chron. 17:3-6; also 2 Chron. 20:32). As often happened in the Book of Mormon (see, for example, Alma 31:5), Jehoshaphat set up a system to teach the people the true gospel. He sent five princes (officials), nine Levites, and two priests out as missionaries among the people. Their call was important enough that they were each named individually in the account. They carried the scriptures with them to be sure of the accuracy of their teaching. "And they...had the book of the law of the Lord with them, and went about through all the cities of Judah, and taught the people" (1 Chron. 17:9). The fear of the Lord fell upon all the surrounding kingdoms, so that they didn't dare to attack Judah.
Jehoshaphat angered the Lord a couple of times, though. (Nobody's perfect.) He made a marriage alliance with Ahab, the wicked king of Israel, and later went to war as his ally, rather than trusting in the Lord to protect his nation, for which he was rebuked by Jehu the prophet (2 Chron. 19:2). But the rebuke was immediately tempered by an acknowledgement of Jehoshaphat's general righteousness: "Nevertheless there are good things found in thee, in that thou hast taken away the groves [idolatrous worship sites] out of the land, and hast prepared thine heart to seek God" (2 Chron. 19:3). After this rebuke, Jehoshaphat continued to send out his "general authorities" to preach the gospel (see footnote to 2 Chron. 19:4) and bring the people back to their God. He also set up a system of judges, counseling them to judge for the Lord and not for man (2 Chron. 19:6-11). (Later in life, he again formed some alliances of which the Lord did not approve. They are briefly mentioned in 2 Chron. 20:35-37.)
Jehoshaphat's efforts to bring himself and his people closer to God paid off when an alliance of three other nations came against Judah to war. Because of his scripture study, he knew exactly where to seek and claim help. "And Jehoshaphat feared, and set himself to seek the Lord, and proclaimed a fast throughout all Judah. And Judah gathered themselves together, to ask help of the Lord: even out of all the cities of Judah they came to seek the Lord" (2 Chron. 20:3-4). They assembled at the temple, which Jehoshaphat had refurbished, and united themselves in prayer to God, with Jehoshaphat himself as voice. Jehoshaphat quoted the words his great-grandfather King Solomon offered in the temple dedication, which was recorded in the scriptures, and called upon the promise asked for at that time: "If, when evil cometh upon us, as the sword, judgment, or pestilence, or famine, we stand before this house, and in thy presence...and cry unto thee in our affliction, then thou wilt hear and help" (2 Chron. 20:9). (The dedicatory prayer quoted is found in 1 Kings 8, and repeats, after each of the above stated contingencies, something like, "then hear thou in heaven their prayer and their supplication, and maintain their cause" [verse 45]. (See also "The Announcement of the Temple" in a previous post.)
After the prayer, one of the Levites, acting as prophet, came forth and said, "Be not afraid nor dismayed by reason of this great [army]; for the battle is not yours, but God's...Ye shall not need to fight in this battle." And then came the famous words which Joseph Smith quoted at the conflict at Fishing River: "Stand ye still, and see the salvation of the Lord" (2 Chron. 20:15-17). (See "A Latter-day Battle Fought from Heaven" in a previous posting.)
As is true of deeply faithful saints throughout time, the people of Judah immediately expressed gratitude for the blessing they had not yet received, bowing themselves to the earth, and then raising their voices in praise.
In the morning, they began the day at the battlefield with a hymn. Something about this singing triggered an "ambushment," or some kind of surprise attack in the battlefield below among the Ammonite alliance. Perhaps it created a confusion, perhaps the Lord caused some freak scuffle, but however it started, the battle ensued with the three allied nations leaving Jehoshaphat's army entirely alone as they destroyed each other! According to the scriptural account, it was complete devastation--none escaped alive. The people of Judah were able to calmly walk among the dead and take their riches and jewels. (Why did they bring them to battle? One possible reason: Living in a wicked nation, they did not dare to leave them at home, for thievery.) There was so much, it took three days to haul it all off (2 Chron. 20:22-25).
What did they do on the fourth day? What any faithful people would do: They gathered together to express their gratitude to the Lord. They named the valley "Blessed" (footnote to 2 Chron. 20:26). When they got back to Jerusalem, they continued their rejoicing in the temple. The countries round about heard of the battle, and Judah remained completely peaceful and free of attack during all the rest of Jehoshaphat's reign.
Lessons to Learn:
1) Scripture study always pays off.
2) We can be forgiven of our mistakes if we
keep "preparing our hearts to seek God."
3) Preaching the gospel offers more safety
than mustering soldiers.
4) Fasting works.
5) We must go to our battlefield, even
if the Lord intends to fight the battle for us.
6) Songs of the righteous act as powerful prayers
and mighty catalysts (see also D&C 25:12).
7) We should always maintain access to the temple
(a recommend) so we can seek the Lord
instantly for any emergency.
8) The Lord keeps His promises, even those
pronounced generations before, and
being aware of them helps us to claim them.
9) It is a show of faith to offer thanks to the Lord
for blessings promised but not yet received.
Sources: LDS Institute Manual, Harper-Collins Study Bible, Unger's Bible Dictionary
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