Old Testament Lesson #36 "The Glory of Zion Will Be a Defense"

Isaiah 1-6

APPRECIATING ISAIAH

Sergei Rachmaninoff's Third Piano Concerto is commonly considered one of the most challenging piano pieces ever written.  It is not often performed because it is so difficult to play (although it is often used in international competitions for the very same reason), and it requires skill on the part of the listener to understand it and enjoy it. 

You can hear the great Russian pianist, Vladimir Horowitz, play this piece with the New York Philharmonic if you click here. (By the way, Rachmaninoff, when he heard Horowitz perform it, said he would never play it himself again.)

1) Listen to the first 24 seconds of music, and notice the beautiful melody that is played on the piano. This is the main theme of the piece, the part you will find yourself singing the rest of the day, if you listen to the entire movement. This phrase is an antecedant, or a question.  You can hear how it is open-ended; it goes upwards; it sounds incomplete.  Later on, of course, there is a similar phrase that "answers" it, and provides a feeling of closure.

2) Listen to those 24 seconds again, and this time, notice that it is not a single note that is being played, but two notes in different registers.  The pianist's skill deceives us into thinking it is one note at a time, but having the two sets of strings ringing at once gives a richer, more beautiful ringing sound.

3) Listen to it again and hear how the bassoon brings in its voice in the background to provide a complementary melody.  It adds a melancholy feel.

4) Listen again, and notice the first thing you actually hear, before the piano or the bassoon, is the bass violin providing a backbeat, lending a sense of urgency.  (The Beatles were not the first to use a backbeat.)  Although you don't really notice it, it draws you in, and carries you away throughout the piece.  It keeps you from relaxing.  It provides an anxious heartbeat.

5) If you continue to listen beyond the first 24 seconds, you hear this main theme repeated in the string section, with the pianist accompanying.  You hear it come up again and again, with different feelings, sometimes with great dissonance and chords that crash together with great pathos.  (Unfortunately, YouTube only allows 10-minute segments, so you don't get to hear the entire movement played by Horowitz.  You can find it in other places on the internet, however, played by other pianists.)

I love this piece more every time I listen to it, because I pick up something new each time.  I also love it because I was able to hear it for the first time at the International Tchaikovsky Competition at the Moscow Conservatory during the one evening my husband and I had available on my first reluctant trip to Russia--an amazing coincidence.  I had never heard the complete concerto live, and, being a pianist and a piano teacher myself, I had long wanted to, so this blessing was tailored to my desire.  So, in addition to enjoying the depth and meaning of the piece itself, there is a depth and feeling of love that accompanies it for me, as I remember my Heavenly Father's gift to me that day.  Hearing this performance was a high point of my "musical life."  I don't think I will ever tire of listening to Rachmaninoff's Third Piano Concerto, and having learned something about the composer since, I have a great desire to meet him myself in the next life.

There are all kinds of music to enjoy.  Some of it is just fun, and very easy to understand, like, "She loves you, yeah, yeah, yeah.  She loves you, yeah, yeah, yeah."  The message is: She loves him.  A three-year-old could figure it out.  But this concerto isn't lightweight, wallpaper-type music that you can listen to in the background while you are doing something else.  It requires rapt attention.  You have to sit down in front of the speakers.  You have to close your eyes.  You have to be uninterrupted.

Isaiah is to gospel literature as Rachmaninoff's Third Concerto is to music. Isaiah requires commitment.  You don't just breathe it in; you have to sit down at the table with your knife and fork.  But, like the concerto, you can also enjoy it and gain something from it in your very first reading, and each time you come back to it, you can pick up a little more.  As significant events happen in your spiritual life, the Lord may speak to you through the scriptures, and then you add the depth of feeling that accompanied that experience.  You are moved as you hear Isaiah performed musically, such as in Handel's Messiah (40:1-5, 11; 53:3-6), in the hymn, "How Firm a Foundation" (41:10; 43:2), and in other sacred songs (40:31; 52:7).  You gain a desire to one day meet the Author of those passages, Jesus Christ.  Additional feelings may be evoked when you see Isaiah in unexpected places, such as in front of the United Nations Building in New York City, below (2:4). 

Each time you read it, you love it more, and you understand it better. There are so many levels, you will never reach the bottom of Isaiah. In fact, Isaiah was commanded to make his writings hard to understand (6:9-10) that those who were not sincere would not be quickly converted, fall away, and then be held responsible for knowing better than they were willing to behave. You have to pay a price to understand Isaiah, therefore you receive more joy with each bit of understanding you gain. Christ commanded the Nephites to "search these things diligently; for great are the words of Isaiah" (3 Ne. 23:1) "Note the word diligently. Casually doesn't work; we've already tried that" (Gary Poll).

STUDYING ISAIAH

You can study Isaiah so many ways:

1) You can simply read it, enjoying the rhythm and beauty of the words.

2) You can pick it apart into tiny pieces, word by word, noting minute details, and researching them in depth.  (See ideas for storing your information in a previous entry.)

3) You can watch for repetitions of the main themes.  (See ideas in the next section.)

4) You can follow different aspects, like the different voices of the orchestra, such as the geography, the poetic style of the day (see a previous blog entry for help with that), the symbolism, references to mountains and temples, the historical time periods, etc.

5) You can take advantage of the many references and commentaries available in the LDS scriptures, starting with the footnotes about alternate translations and the Joseph Smith Translation, and the commentary provided in the Book of Mormon.  The best references for interpreting scriptures are always other scriptures.  Elder Bruce R. McConkie said you cannot really understand Isaiah without the Book of Mormon.  It is "the world's greatest commentary on Isaiah."  Not only does the Book of Mormon quote 446 verses of Isaiah, and comment on many of them, it also brings the Spirit of the Holy Ghost, which will heighten understanding.  So read the Book of Mormon as you read the Old Testament.

6) Each time the Old Testament comes around in Sunday School study, you could purchase another book of commentary by an LDS gospel scholar. Unlike the Ethiopian in Acts 8:27-31, we have no need to ask, "How can I understand except some man should guide me?" when so many books are available to us.

7) You can create an "emergency spiritual food storage" for times of trial to come, by highlighting in a different color all the verses you find about the mercy and love of the Lord.   

SOME MAIN THEMES FOUND IN ISAIAH

The Lord is Ever Merciful

"A correct knowledge of God's character traits and attributes, his personality and disposition, is of vital import in mankind's quest for exaltation...We must know a Being who asks our all before we can place trust, faith, and ultimately, our complete submission on the altar. Isaiah addresses this theme at the very onset of his writing and weaves it as a cord throughout." (Mark Eastmond)

Pattern of the Old Testament:
1)Statement of the problem; 2)Consequences, 3)Statement of the Cure, 4)Reason for Hope

1) The Problem:  The children of Israel don't know they belong to God. (1:2-4)
2) The Consequences:  Wounds, bruises, sickness, desolation. (1:5-7)
3) The Cure: Wash you, put away evil, relieve the oppressed, seek justice for the fatherless. (1:16-17)
4) The Hope: Sins as scarlet will be white as snow, the good of land will be a reward. (1:18-19) (Michael Wilcox)

God's Plan to Fulfill His Covenant

"Isaiah blends the imagery of the tabernacle from his day, the mortal and postmortal mission of Christ, and the restoration of the gospel and construction of temples in the latter-days to reveal the Lord's plan for restoring the children of Israel to the covenant.  Isaiah blends these ideas over and over, going back and forth in both time and event, leaving readers to engage themselves more in the finished tapestry than to look for each individual thread."

1) Many of the house of Israel will die before receiving the covenant.

2) Christ must come and open the way for all people to be taught the gospel and enter into the presence of God.

3) "Mountains" (temples) will provide a way whereby all, including the dead, may receive the covenant.

4) The Gentiles of the latter days will be instrumental in helping ancient Israel receive the covenant.  (Michael King)

Isaiah is written in "3-D," or is multi-dimensional.  There is more than one meaning, more than one angle to take.  We can look at it from the front and see one thing, and walk around it to the back side and see another.  Rather than reading it literally, we need to put on our "3-D glasses" to see the meaning of the symbols.  In addition, Isaiah is full of dualism in that most of the prophecies were to be fulfilled in two different time periods. 

Keeping these things in mind, here are some ideas on chapters one and six.

CHAPTER ONE: THE INTRODUCTION

1:1 is the title.

1:2 states the main problem.
1:3 People are dumber than animals.  At least animals are aware of where their food comes from.  People turn away from the Source.  Wickedness does not promote rational thought ("doth not consider").
1:5 "Head" denotes the leaders of the people; "heart" denotes the core of the people.
1:6 "Putrifying sores" tells how spiritually diseased they are.  They have not even used simple first aid to clean the wound.
1:7  The Assyrians, Babylonians, and Romans all conquered the children of Israel.  This also has connotations in the 20th-21st Centuries.
1:8  A "lodge" is a little shade hut for a gardener; not a secure place.  About the shoddiest construction the Jews would have known.
1:9  If God hadn't intervened, there would have been nothing left.  Although it is assumed to be at the bottom of the Dead Sea, there is no remnant of Sodom and Gommorah that has ever been found by archeologists.  It has completely vanished from the earth without a trace.
1:10 "Rulers of Sodom"--a slap in the face to the Israelites.  An equivalent insult in our day might be to compare someone to Hitler.
1:11  Why pretend to worship?  Like people who are schemers and cheaters or viewers of pornography during the week, but are still taking the sacrament every Sunday in their suits and ties.
1:13  For "new moons," see Bible Dictionary, p. 738.  The people are simply "following the dots," but the worship is empty.
1:16  "Wash you" means to be baptized or, if already baptized, to renew the covenant.  "Cease to do evil--learn to do well" are linked: When you leave behind your sins, you need to fill that void with good works.
1:18  Scarlet and crimson were some of the very few colorfast dyes of ancient days.  Wool takes a lot of work to be made nice and white: the shearing, washing with fuller's soap, scrubbing, carding.
1:21  A harlot takes something sacred and holy and sells it for money: it's not just wicked, it's profane.
1:22  Dross is the waste from the metal processing.  (David J. Ridges)

 CHAPTER SIX: ISAIAH'S CALL

6:1  "Train" refers to the hem of his garment, signifying his great power, the great robe of his righteousness, filling the temple of Heaven.

6:2  The word seraphim comes from the Hebrew root sarap, which means "to burn."  Therefore, in this context it means "the burning ones," or "the bright, shining ones," which describes the glorious condition of the angels who are in the Celestial Kingdom near God's throne.  (See D&C 109:79)  That they have two wings covering their eyes may refer to being veiled, as in temple clothing, from the glory of God.  The two wings covering their feet may also denote temple clothing and the holiness of the ground upon which they walk.  The wings with which to fly symbolize the ability to act quickly and unimpeded.
6:3  Repeating something three times, such as "Holy, holy, holy," signifies the ultimate, the maximum.  This is the Hebrew superlative.  This particular cry points to the Godhead.  "Lord of hosts" refers to the Captain of the Heavenly army.  "Lord of Hosts" is used 62 times in Isaiah.
6:4  "Posts of the door moved."  The passageway trembles when the Lord speaks.  The presence of smoke indicates the presence of the Lord (Rev. 15:8).
6:5  "I am undone" means "I am destroyed," or "I am lost," for (or because) he has found himself unworthy in the presence of the Lord.  Isaiah realizes his nothingness and unworthiness next to God, much as did Moses (Moses 1:9-11).
6:6-7  But one of the seraphims flies to him with a live coal (remember, the "burning" is because of holiness, as in verse 2), which he has taken from the altar that symbolizes Christ's Atonement.  When he touches Isaiah's lips (the entrance to the inward parts of the body), Isaiah is cleansed and purified. It is similar to our sacrament, in which taking a token into our mouths allows us to be forgiven through the Atonement, and purifies us once again with the Holy Ghost.
6:8  "Here I am" in Hebrew signifies more than mere presence, but readiness to do what is asked.  In fact, it shows a willingness to give one's life for the person asking.  This is the same phrase Christ used.  Isaiah is a type of Christ.
6:9  Check all the footnotes at the bottom of the page for Christ's references to this commandment given to Isaiah to make the scriptures hard for the casual reader to understand.  Also see John 12:37-41.
6:10  "Heart" in ancient Hebrew refers to the center of thought and motivation, therefore the New Revised Standard Version reads, "Make the mind of this people dull."
6:11-12  "How long" will men choose spiritual blindness?  The answer: Until they are desolate--to the end.
6:13  A small remnant of the people will be preserved, and as a tree that is dormant or felled, that stump will regenerate because its substance is the holy seed:  Christ and his gospel.  (Parry, Parry and Peterson, plus my own interpretation)

Sources: 

Gary Poll, "Keys to Understanding Isaiah," BYU Education Week Lecture, August 2002.

Mark Eastmond, "Images of Mercy in the Writings of Isaiah," Covenants, Prophecies, and Hymns of the Old Testament: The 30th Annual Sidney B. Sperry Symposium, p. 196-197.

Michael Wilcox, "Finding Themes and Patterns in the Scriptures," BYU Education Week Lecture, August 2008.

Michael L. King, "Isaiah's Vision of God's Plan to Fulfill His Covenant," Covenants, Prophecies, and Hymns of the Old Testament: The 30th Annual Sidney B. Sperry Symposium, p. 162-179

David J. Ridges, "Isaiah Made Easier," BYU Education Week Lecture, August 2002

Donald W. Parry, Jay A. Parry, Tina M. Peterson, Understanding Isaiah, p. 62-67.

Point of Discussion on Isaiah 4:1

I have never found an interpretation of Isaiah 4:1 that has satisfied me.  I'm inviting your comments on this scripture.

--Update to this post: Reader "Tabi" has offered a really insightful interpretation! Read it in the comments below this post. It makes more sense to me than anything I've heard before. Thank you, Tabi!--

Here is the verse:

"And in that day seven women shall take hold of one man, saying, We will eat our own bread, and wear our own apparel: only let us be called by thy name, to take away our reproach."

The footnote to "seven" reads: "because of scarcity of men due to wars."  The footnote to "reproach" reads: "the stigma of being unmarried and childless."

It would make more sense to me if it were the last verse of Chapter 3, which tells of the great devastation that will strike the daughters of Zion for their unfaithfulness.  And this is a possibility, because, of course, the chapters and verses were decided by editors, not by the original authors.  Parry, Parry and Peterson, in their book, Understanding Isaiah, agree with this placement. 

In the Book of Mormon, these chapters and verses are arranged the same way that they are in Isaiah. If verse 1 should really be a part of Chapter 3, might not Joseph Smith have rearranged it, even though E.B. Grandin, the publisher, originally divided the book into chapter and verse?


Still, I can't see where this prophecy fits with our society today.  Many women desire to keep their own names, and being unmarried and childless has a somewhat elevated status among the worldly, moreso in our day than in any other time on the earth.

But if it is really the first verse of Chapter 4, it is linked with the marvelous prophecy that "In that day shall the branch of the Lord be beautiful and glorious..." and those who are left in Zion will be the holy temple-goers, etc.  How does it fit there?

Gary Bennett, CES instructor, interprets the "one man" to be Jesus Christ, who is the only one whose name can take away reproach.  The number seven is symbolic of Christ's church or perfection, completion.  It fits with the rest of the chapter, and it makes sense to me, except for the "eat our own bread and wear our own apparel" part.  That doesn't seem to fit the imagery of Christ, or a temple-goer, or someone who has been covered by the Atonement.  Also, Elder McConkie's footnote commentary, noted above, does not seem to lead to that idea.

You readers all have great ideas, and if you have any on this topic, I would love to hear them.  Please leave your comments and theories below.  I'm looking forward to reading them!


(If you're not techno-savvy, and don't know how to leave a comment, you just click on the words "0 Comments" [or however many comments it says] or "Post a Comment" [depending on whether you are viewing the single post or the entire blog].  A box will pop up, you type your comment in, choose below it whether to be anonymous or to leave your name, and click "Publish Comment."  A box with squiggly letters may appear, sometime during the process, with a request for you to type out those letters.  This is just to prove that you are a real human and not a computer sending spam.  Type the letters, and you should be able to post your comment.)

Old Testament Lesson #35 "God Reveals His Secrets to His Prophets"

Amos 3; 7-9; Joel 2-3

THE IMPORTANCE OF PROPHETS

"Prophecy is not designed just so we can build our time lines and figure out what is going to happen. Prophecy is designed to show us the character of God (His justice, mercy, sovereignty, etc.) and cause us to turn to Him." --Hampton Keathley IV, Bible.org


THE BOOK OF AMOS
There is a fabulous treatis on the book of Amos at Bible.org.  Rather than just quote it or paraphrase it, I'm sharing the link so you can read it word-for-word and not miss anything.  The only changes for Latter-day Saints would be that when the author asks, "How does this relate to us since we are not under the covenant blessings and curses?" we can answer, "It completely relates to us because we are of the House of Israel and under the covenant blessings and curses."

And, for those who may not know, Yahweh (referred to in the article) is Jehovah, the premortal Jesus Christ (Bible Dictionary).

THE BOOK OF JOEL
Bible.org also has a helpful article on the book of Joel.  It is interesting to note, however, that the author is not entirely sure of the meaning and fulfillment of the prophecy in chapter 2.  That's because he is not a Latter-day Saint.

"And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions:  And also upon the servants and upon the handmaids in those days will I pour out my spirit.

"And I will shew wonders in the heavens and in the earth, blood, and fire, and pillars of smoke.  The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and the terrible day of the Lord come.

"And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be delivered: for in mount Zion and in Jerusalem shall be deliverance, as the Lord hath said, and in the remnant whom the Lord shall call" (Joel 2:28-32).

What is mount Zion referred to here? It is the New Jerusalem (D&C 84:2), to be built upon the American continent (Article of Faith 10).


Interestingly, although Peter quoted this scripture at Pentecost (Acts 2:17), and many scholars feel it was fulfilled at that time, the author of the Bible.org article does not.  Pentecost was missing several of the elements, he says:  signs, wonders, dreams, and visions.  In fact, the only element he thinks happened at Pentecost was the pouring out of the Spirit of the Lord upon the people.


Of course, he is right.  The full prophecy was to occur in the dispensation of the fullness of times.  The signs and wonders in heaven have not yet come, but the dreams and the visions and the outpouring of the Spirit are abundant.  This very scripture was quoted to Joseph Smith by the Angel Moroni in a vision.  The fulfillment of verses 28 and 29 began when Joseph Smith had his first vision, was shared among many of the Saints in the dedication of the Kirtland Temple, and continues to spread over the earth to this day.  Dreams and visions were not infrequent occurences in the lives of the early saints, and although sacred and therefore safeguarded, they are not highly unusual among the Church members today.  Elder Scott has said, "One of the most memorable and powerful patterns of communication by the Spirit is through dreams" ("To Learn and to Teach More Effectively", BYU Education Week, 2007, paragraph 50).  The outpouring of the Spirit blesses the lives of Latter-day Saints daily.  Every month miracles are chronicled in The Ensign.  

Note that the scripture does not discriminate between the sexes:  both sons and daughters shall prophecy.  This occurs daily in our missionary force, in our Priesthood and Relief Society, in our family home evenings, and in our General Conference sessions, since "the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy" (Rev. 19:10). 

The prophecy does not discriminate against the youth or the aged:  "old men shall dream dreams, and young men shall see visions."  Not only do those of all physical ages receive such manifestations, but also those of all spiritual "ages:" investigators to the Church as well as fourth-generation members have full access to the Spirit of the Lord as they exercise righteousness. 

And it does not discriminate by hierarchy of the Church:  even the "servants" and the "handmaids" will receiving an outpouring of the spirit.  That sentence could also refer to the fact that anyone who is a servant or handmaid of the Lord is qualified for this blessing.

Elder Scott gives us counsel on how to receive the outpouring of the Spirit to guide us in our lives.  "Spiritual guidance," he says, "is direction, enlightenment, knowledge, and motivation you receive from Jesus Christ through the Holy Spirit.  It is personalized instruction adapted to your individual needs by One who understands them perfectly.  Spiritual guidance is a gift of incomparable worth bestowed upon those who seek it, live worthy of it, and express gratitude for it...

"To acquire spiritual guidance and to obey it with wisdom, one must:

• Seek divine light in humility
• Exercise faith, especially in Jesus Christ
• Strive diligently to keep his commandments
• Repent constantly
• Pray continually
• Hearken to spiritual guidance
• Express gratitude for guidance received."

(ibid., paragraphs 14, 17)

CONCLUSION
We in the latter days are blessed beyond measure with the gift of prophecy, both through the individual revelation available to guide us in our personal lives, and through the revelations our prophet, President Thomas S. Monson, receives for the Church and for the world.

Quick quiz:  What was the last counsel President Monson personally gave to the Church members? 

Here is the answer.

Great Isaiah Study Ideas

Make Your Own Book
There is not nearly enough space in the margins of the LDS scriptures for all the notes, cross-references and markings that a serious student of Isaiah will need.  If you're just becoming familiar with Isaiah, you may not think so (I didn't), but in a lifetime, as you pick up something new here and there, it will really add up. 

So, in preparation for our lessons on Isaiah, here is great idea from CES instructor, Gary Poll:  Photocopy Isaiah out of your regular-size Bible with a white paper frame taped on the glass around it, so that you have 8-1/2 by 11" size pages, with the Isaiah text in the center, slightly larger, and large white margins around it.  Punch holes and keep the pages in a 3-ring binder, or take it to a copy shop and have them spiral bind it with a vinyl cover.  (Add in a couple of blank pages at the front, and more at the back.)  Now you have plenty of space for the notes and markings you will add in your lifetime, all in one place, for your ongoing Isaiah study!  Plus, if you later get a new set of scriptures, you won't lose all your work!  (Please look at the comments below this entry to see instructions from a reader, CarlH, on how to download and print your own copy of the book without having to wrangle with photocopying.)

• Benefits of spiral-binding:  It's narrower, lighter, easier to carry with you to Church.
• Benefits of a 3-ring binder:  You can add photocopies of relevant articles, talks, charts or maps to it at any point in the text.

If you're in doubt as to which to do, I recommend the 3-ring binder method, because you can always take the pages out and have them spiral-bound later if you change your mind.

Why not just buy the large-print Bible?  Because although the print is larger, the margins are actually narrower.  This copy idea gives you lots more space, plus if you copy it single-sided, you will have a blank page beside each copied page for even more notes.

I wish I had done this back when I first heard the idea, but it will be a fun project to start on now.

Use the Amazing Online Scripture Study Program
Okay, I did not know about this, until I posted this blog entry and "Teresa From Colorado" made a comment informing me.  (You can read her comment below.)  I can't believe how cool it is!  I was still using the old scriptures I had loaded onto my computer a decade ago, which is fine for just reading or looking things up, but you can do all kinds of things with your scripture study if you use the Church's online program. 

You just go to new.lds.org and create your own account.  You need your church membership record number, which is on your "Individual Ordinance Summary," or you can get it from your ward clerk.  You follow the steps to create your account.  They send you an e-mail, you verify and complete your registration, and then you're good to go.  You sign in to the website, click on "menu," and you'll see all the amazing options. 

You can click on "scriptures," go to the exact chapter and verse you want, highlight in four different colors, underline, add tags, or type in notes and cross-references.  Teresa said that you are allowed 4,000 characters of notes per verse!  You can also create your own on-line "study notebook," and you can organize by topic.  Read Teresa's comment below to see what she does.  (And, Teresa, if you read this and want to add more detail about what you do, please feel free!)  I haven't figured out how to do it yet, but I'm sure you can print out your notes, as well as printing out the scriptures.

This is a great option for those who always have access to a computer and the internet, and I'm assuming it would be especially handy if you had a "smart phone" that would allow you to "carry" your internet scriptures and notes with you.

(Okay, now I feel like I was living in the Dark Ages...Thanks for bringing me into the 21st Century, Teresa.)

Read Chapter Headings
The chapter headings of Isaiah give a great overview and a great commentary from one of the best LDS scriptorians who ever lived.

In answer to the question of who wrote the chapter headings of the LDS scriptures, Robert J. Matthews, who was a member of the scripture committee, said, "I would be glad to tell you who did that, but first let me say one other thing. The Scriptures Publications Committee used many people for many things. It was somewhat agreed that it was a group project and that although individuals worked on certain things, it would not be noised abroad that this person did this thing and that person did another thing. So that is why you cannot find in any published works who did what. I think it would be no breach of etiquette or of confidentiality if I were to say with pleasure that Elder Bruce R. McConkie produced those headings. Now I don’t know anybody else who could do it so well. All of the headings are definitive and interpretive; they are a valuable part of the new edition of the scriptures. Occasionally people say to me, 'We have a marvelous topical guide...there are a lot of other good things in this new edition of the scriptures, but there is no commentary.' It struck me one day that the commentary is in the chapter headings. In fact, try this exercise sometime. Start with Genesis and just read the headings–Genesis 1, then Genesis 2, Genesis 3, and do this for about fifteen chapters. You’ll see that those headings are not only good for the chapter in which they are placed, but they are consecutive and relate well to one another." (Monte S. Nyman and Robert L. Millet, The Joseph Smith Translation, p.300-301)

I was considering typing up the chapter headings of Isaiah, when I got the comment from Teresa, that I mentioned above, and I can see that on that scripture website, if you pull up Isaiah, you will first get just the chapter headings.  Excellent!  Reading straight through all the chapter headings will give you a great overview of the repeating themes creating the tapestry that is Isaiah.

Old Testament Lesson #34 "I Will Betroth Thee unto Me in Righteousness"

Hosea 1-3; 11; 13-14

A TALE OF TWO TESTIMONIES

A basic fast and testimony meeting phrase we often hear is, "I love my Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ."  Compare that factual statement to the testimony of Nauvoo pioneer Sarah Leavitt: 

"To write my love of God above, it would drain the ocean, though the sea was ink, and the earth paper and every stick a pen and every man a scribe."

Although the simple sentence in fast and testimony meeting may be as sincere as Sarah's poetic statement, the symbolism in Sarah's testimony carries her deep and poignant feelings for the Lord straight into our hearts.  It has been so moving to so many people that it is engraved on a statue of her likeness in Santa Clara, Utah.

THE IMPORTANCE OF SYMBOLISM

In most countries, a host of emotions, feelings, memories, and convictions run very deeply connected with the national flag and its colors.  In the United States, any serious contender for a national public office will always use the colors red, white, and blue on his or her campaign signs and flyers.  When we see those colors, we automatically link the candidate with the values the American people cherish: honor, patriotism, integrity, even intelligence.  Often wavy lines, stripes, or stars will be included in the design, to give us the impression of an American flag.  Imagine seeing a campaign sign in pink and yellow.  We would think, "Is this person for real?"  We would not take him or her seriously because of the lack of meaningful symbolism.

Similarly, symbols in scriptures carry messages of their own, which are deeper than mere words.  In ancient times, they put across a point very efficiently and effectively, with a wealth of emotion and meaning.  If we know how to view them in the way the ancients did, they can help us to love the Lord and understand His ways more clearly than straightforward text would do.

HISTORICAL SETTING

During the time of the prophet Hosea, Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz and Hezekiah were the kings of Judah in the south, and Jeroboam was ruling the Northern Kingdom (Hosea 1:1). (The footnotes in Hosea which link the prophecies and testimony of Hosea with these kings and their actions are found in 1:7a; 8:5a; and 11:12a.) The prophets of the southern kingdom (Judah) were Isaiah and Micah. The prophets of the northern kingdom (Israel) were Jonah, Hosea, and Amos (Institute Manual).

THE MESSAGE OF HOSEA

The book of Hosea is a story, a metaphor.  It's highly unlikely that Hosea actually married a harlot.  As a respected prophet and teacher of the Law, Hosea would have been known to be a just and righteous man, and his family would have to have been circumspect.  (Sidney Sperry, Institute Manual, p. 104; however, some scholars disagree and claim the marriage was literal.)  The idea of a prophet marrying a prostitute in the metaphor was so preposterous as to hit the Israelites right between the eyes with a 2x4; it was shocking symbolism that brought with it a powerful message.

The first three chapters of Hosea each state the problem of Israel's unfaithfulness shown in the symbol of the harlot-wife, and the solution of the Lord's mercy. Chapters 4-12 elaborate extensively upon the wickedness of the children of Israel, despite all the Lord does for them. Chapter 13 describes the harshness to which the Lord will resort for the saving of His people. In Chapter 14 finally comes the relief of the repentance of Israel in the latter days.


THE "FAMILY" OF HOSEA

Names always carry meaning in the Bible, and most especially in this story in which all of the people except Hosea (in my opinion) were not real, but names only. 

The name Hosea means "Jehovah saves" (Harper-Collins Study Bible, p. 1331). Hosea's name carries the hope and meaning of the entire story of the book, as well as the plan of salvation.  Hosea is a type of Jesus Christ.

The name of the figurative wife of Hosea is Gomer, which means "to complete, to end, vanishing."  She is a woman who brings the possibility of ending the entire civilization.  She is the wayward Israel.

Her adulterous relationships with idols bring about the births of three illegitimate children.  These children represent the consequences of the sin of idolatry, especially for those who knew better and turned their backs on the Lord.  The first was named Jezreel (1:4-5), referring to the lush valley that was the scene of many bloody battles, including the prophecied battle of Armageddan.  The meaning of the name Jezreel is "God shall sow," referring to the scattering of Israel, the loss of their land inheritance. 

The second child was named Lo-ruhamah, which means "no mercy" (1:6).  The Lord's Atonement cannot apply for those who do not call upon Him: in this case, the kingdom of Israel.  Yet immediately He states that He will save the house of Judah, without battle or horsemen (1:7).  This refers to the stand-off between King Hezekiah and King Sennecherib of Assyria in 2 Kings 19.  Why was the kingdom of Judah saved?  Because they repented and returned to the Lord, cleansing His temple and restoring His covenants.  The options of being saved are presented to us (neither of which is perfect righteousness on our part): either 1) sin and receive no mercy (1:6), or 2) sin and repent and be saved by the Lord (1:7).

The third child was named Lo-ammi, the logical younger brother of "no mercy" (1:8-9).  It means, "These are not my children."  These three children demonstrate that the self-destructive behavior of the Israelites will scatter them out of the promised land and into the path of destruction (Jezreel), shut them out of the power of the Atonement (Lo-ruhamah), and remove them from the household of God (Lo-ammi).  But, once again, the next sentence begins with yet.  "Yet..in that place where it was said unto them, Ye are not my people, there it shall be said unto them, Ye are the sons of the living God."  They will eventually be gathered and reunited with the Lord (1:10-11).

Thus this first brief chapter of the book of Hosea summarizes the whole story, and that story symbolizes the plan of salvation.  What is our place in the story?  Well, unfortunately, we are the House of Israel; we are the adulterous wife.

(Meanings of the names of the children are found in the footnotes of the Bible, and in the Institute Manual, p. 105.  The meaning of Gomer's name is found here and here.) (Hosea 1:3-9)

THE UNFAITHFUL WIFE

Not only did Gomer wander before Hosea married her, but she continued to wander (or "go a-whoring") after the marriage.  The husband did wonderful things for her, but she was mistaken and believed that her adulterous lovers provided all of these riches (2:5).  The lovers are the foreign nations from whom Israel frantically sought politcal aid, and the idols of those nations, from which Israel desperately sought fertility for themselves, for their crops, and for their animals.  Looking at those around them who were mighty, who were wealthy, they yielded to the temptation to try what seemed to be working for the others, with no long-range faith in the Lord.  Similarly, we today seek safety in riches, happiness in leisure, and joy in seeking after idols of our own making--whatever is superceding God in our lives.

Gomer's husband offered her abundant lovingkindness and mercies (2:19), but she did not reciprocate (5:1).  In these verses, "lovingkindness" and "mercy" are both translated from the same Hebrew word, chesed or hesed.  There is no English equivalent for this word; therefore, translators go back and forth between several English words, trying to find the best one to fit the context, when an entire paragraph is actually necessary to convey the meaning.  Chesed has to do with a covenant relationship between two parties--in this case, God and Israel.  It includes a love that is unconditional in both attitude and action.  Chesed has high overtones of loyalty and steadfastness.  There is an incomprehensible paradox in the word, in that the Lord requires the utmost loyalty and righteousness, and yet his mercy is even greater, and is always available for the repentant.  Another term might be "rescuing kindness": love with an aiding action.  The New Testament equivalent is "grace."  (Norman Snaith, A Theological Word Book of the Bible; Harper-Collins Study Bible; and Amy Hardison, Covenants, Prophecies, and Hymns of the Old Testament: The 30th Annual Sidney B. Sperry Symposium, p. 25)  On a daily basis the Lord extends to us His "tender mercies" and yet we fail to acknowledge His hand.

Other places in which we find the word chesed are 6:4 (goodness), 6:6 (mercy), 10:12 (mercy), and 12:6 (mercy).  The unfaithful wife lacks chesed.  Her "goodness is as a morning cloud, and as the early dew it goeth away" (6:4).  In the harsh, dry land of Israel, with rare rain and fleeting dew only available in the spring, this symbol was strong.  She seems to make a change, but her sincerity quickly evaporates.

Another key quality the wife lacks is translated as "knowledge of God."  More than just knowing about God, it is worshiping Him in a way that acknowledges that He is in charge, that He can be trusted, and that we depend upon Him.  Like chesed, it also has to do with both attitude and action.  It is deep faith fed by strong testimony.  This phrase is found in 2:8, 2:20, 4:6, and 6:6.

THE PLAN OF REDEMPTION

The husband has a plan to redeem his wife from the terrible consequences of her actions.  He was a most wonderful, loving husband from the beginning.  He married this woman, despite her history of running around, and he treated her well.  She cast aside that faith and trust.  This caused her to suffer terrible consequences, and her husband also suffered, but her actions did not change his character.  He continued to love, he continued to want their union, he continued being concerned with her well-being.

A human husband might not be able to solve this relationship problem, but the husband here is Hosea, symbolic of Jehovah, and Jehovah does have the power to do that.    He will not take away His wife's agency, even though as Her husband-master He could, but He will manipulate Her situation to make her more likely to want to reunite with Him, and to want to do the things that would truly make them both happy: While things appear to be going well, and the idols appear to the wife to be doing all their good works, the Lord will send an east wind (13:15).  This term, "east wind," occurs frequently in the scriptures, and almost always in a similar situation.  It is a symbol of the Lord's instrument of judgment (Alonzo Glaskill, "Making Sense of Gospel Symbols," talk on CD). 

The faithful husband will use "the Valley of Achor for a door of hope" (2:14-15).  What a beautiful promise!  The Valley of Achor is a rich valley north of the Jezreel Valley.  It is the route out of the wilderness into the heart of the land.  The word Achor means "trouble."  So the husband will use the route of trouble to bring Israel back to him, as the Lord often uses trials as a means of encouraging us to return to or to strengthen our relationship with him.

And it will work!  After the trouble which will reunite them by causing the woman to rely upon her husband, she will no longer look upon him as an owner to be resisted, but as a dear lover to be cherished.  Baali refers to a husband in the sense of a master; it is from the same root as the idol Baal.  Israel had been seeing Jehovah as a master like their idols, and worshipping him in the same way.  Ishi is the term for a husband who is close and loving, one who is filled with chesed (2:16).

HOPE FROM HOSEA

The metaphor of Hosea and the prostitute-wife should bring great hope to any sinner, no matter how vile, who would like to return to the Lord.  The marriage relationship is common to every culture, and makes a powerful symbol.  Hosea wanted the wife back who had done the worst things imaginable to their marriage relationship.  She had treated him like dirt, and brought him nothing but grief.  She was ungrateful, unfaithful, and wicked.  But he loved her in spite of all that. 

Christ, also, loves every person, no matter what abominable idol that person has replaced Him with, no matter how that person has trampled on His love and trust.  As the most perfect, loving, and forgiving marriage partner that ever was, He is willing to go to any lengths to reopen the door to that relationship, despite the fact that the sinner does not deserve it.

If He could succeed with Gomer (Israel), He can succeed with anyone.  In the end, Israel will realize, "Asshur [Assyria] will not save us; we will not ride upon horses [rely upon battle as a means of being saved]: neither will we say any more to the work of our hands [idols], Ye are our gods: for in thee [Jehovah] the fatherless findeth mercy" (14:3). 

And when Israel recognizes this, the Lord will answer, "I will heal their backsliding, I will love them freely: for mine anger is turned away from him.  I will be as the dew unto Israel [water that appears without man's labor]: he shall grow as the lily [effortlessly, as a wildflower], and cast forth his roots as Lebanon" (14:4-6).  The cedars of Lebanon were famous as the great, tall trees whose wood was strong enough for all manner of building projects.  They were used in the building of Solomon's temple.  The roots of the cedar tree will grow three times as deep as the height of the branches, making the tree extremely stable, and very unlikely to be felled by any storm.  In addition, the root of the word Lebanon is "white," which adds the symbol of purity, of having been cleansed from sin.

THE LATTER-DAY CALL TO A KNOWLEDGE OF THE LORD

We in the last days, surrounded by the creations of our own hands, are always one step away from making them into idols, and becoming as Gomer.  To avoid falling into this sorry state, we would be wise to follow the counsel of President Eyring  from the October 2007 General Conference, "O Remember, Remember", and keep a written record of the Lord's chesed or "tender mercies" in our lives, so that, unlike Gomer, we have a knowledge of the Lord: we recognize the source of our blessings, and the extent of God's involvement in our daily lives.

In the words of Elder Bednar, "We should not underestimate or overlook the power of the Lord's tender mercies. The simpleness, the sweetness, and the constancy of the tender mercies of the Lord will do much to fortify and protect us in the troubled times in which we do now and will yet live" (April 2005 General Conference). Even when, as in the case of Gomer, the trouble is of our own making, the Lord is ever filled with chesed, and ready to make the way for our return to the safety of the covenant relationship.

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For more detail on the specific symbols used in Hosea, refer to the Institute Manual.

Bible Study Hint

It is immensely helpful in a study of the Bible to clearly see all of the Joseph Smith Translation footnotes.  Jerry Wilson, an excellent CES teacher, suggests undertaking the project of marking all of those footnotes by looking page by page through the Bible footnotes, coloring the letters that say JST, and then finding the corresponding letters in the verses and coloring them to match.  It's especially helpful to use a different color just for JST marking, so it really stands out.  Brother Wilson says it is a 5-hour project to do the entire Bible.  That means, if you work on it for 15 minutes a day, you'll be done in 3 weeks.

Drawing a line through large passages which have been entirely changed by the JST (such as Romans 7:5-25 in which the original intent of the passage is completely reversed by the JST) makes it easy to see the change, where simply highlighting the footnote that occurs at the beginning of the passage would not.

For more on the JST, see The Joseph Smith Translation in a previous post.

When you finish this project, the next great suggestion he has is to mark all of the alternate translations in the footnotes which begin with "HEB," "OR," "IE," or "GR."

HEB = an alternate translation from the Hebrew Old Testament
OR = an English explanation of the word or phrase
IE = an example to give increased understanding
GR = an alternate translation from the Greek New Testament

In my scriptures, I have marked the JST footnotes in blue, and the alternate translation footnotes in red.

This one easy (albeit time-consuming) project will give you a lot of information.

Old Testament Lesson #33: Sharing the Gospel With the World

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.