THE LIVING WORD

"While I was on a trip to Brazil with two colleagues from Brigham Young University-Idaho, we had the opportunity to spend several days in the Amazon Jungle on the Rio Negro. The river is enormous beyond imagination, and the vegetation in the jungle is thick. One could easily lose his way if he were to venture into it without a guide. Our guide, Moreno, was a native of Italy. He knew the jungle and the river well. Now in his late 30's, he had realized his childhood dream of living in the Amazon Jungle.

Our small group boarded a canoe docked at our floating hotel and departed for the starting point of our hike. We were fascinated by what we saw and impressed by Moreno's deep knowledge and his ability to lead us through the thick and imposing jungle. As we walked he would explain the various plants, animals, insects, and vegetation that surrounded us. He taught us about plants and insects that could be harmful if we were not careful. He also pointed out various plants that Amazon Indians had used for medicinal or other useful purposes. Deeper into the jungle we went. We truly had no idea where we were going. We merely followed Moreno and trusted that he would get us safely back to our canoe and eventually our hotel.

At one point, Moreno stopped the group, and we all gathered around him. "This jungle is hot and humid", he said. "We are at least a mile from the river, and a person cannot live here without water. You would die quickly. There is water right here, right now, where we are. Can any of you see it?" We could not. All we saw were trees, vines and shrubs. The mosquitoes seemed to be everywhere. None of us had any idea where there might be water nearby. With a smile on his face, Moreno said, "Let me show you." He grabbed his machete and walked to a vine, lightly covered with green velvet moss. After two quick swings, he was holding a piece of the vine in his hand. We still didn't understand. "Water is right here", he said, "right in my hand". Just then he lifted the vine vertically and clear, cool water came dripping out! We were all amazed. As we looked around, we could now see similar vines everywhere. Some were large, others small but once we were taught by one who knew, we saw that in this jungle there was an abundance of water. We each took turns drinking from the vine. As we hiked back to our canoe we continued to see that water was everywhere now we knew where to look.

I have since thought about this experience in relationship to the true vine, living water, and following one who knows. In John 15:1, Jesus teaches us that He is the true vine and His Father is the husbandman. In 1 Nephi 15:15, we read Nephi's prophetic teachings to his unbelieving brethren regarding the remnant of Lehi's seed: "Yea, at that day, will they not receive the strength and nourishment from the true vine?"  In John 4:14, the Saviour teaches a woman of Samaria that He is the one who gives living water: "But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life". As we read about what Nephi saw in vision in 1 Nephi 11:25, we also learn of the 'fountain of living waters.....which waters are a representation of the love of God'.

Just as Moreno guided our group through the jungles of the Amazon, modern-day prophets can lead us through the jungles of life. If we trust them, they will point us to the true vine and living water."
(Bruce C. Kusch, "Living Water in the Rain Forest", Ensign Feb 2006)

"Surely the Lord God will do nothing, but he revealeth his secret unto his servants the prophets"
Amos 3:7

When Amos was called to preach repentance to the House of Israel around 750 B.C., the Israelites were so far gone in iniquity that they were no longer considered a 'peculiar people'. In fact the Northern Kingdom of Israel and Judah were included in the list of evil nations upon which Amos pronounced curses and calamities which which the Lord would punish them. Israel, who was once favoured was condemned all the more because of the privileges they had enjoyed by virtue of being a covenant people. They had been given the law of God and, therefore, more was expected of them. Instead of living up to that expectation, they squandered their right to be the favoured people by going in the opposite direction. So gross were their sins of idolatry and oppression of the poor that the Lord rejected the whole nation's present and future sacrifices and offerings. So addicted were the Israelites to idolatry that they carried everywhere they went miniature replicas of heathen gods Moloch and Chiun that the Israelite women had adopted (Amos 5:26). And so evil had the women of Samaria become (Amos 4:1-3) that they 'urged their husbands to bring them food bought with money squeezed from the poor' (Old Testament Student Manual, 1 Kings-Malachi, p. 92).  The oppression of the poor was rife amongst the whole nation which showed no mercy or justice to the point where the people 'longed to see the poor in such a state of misery that they threw dust on their heads (a sign of mourning)' (Old Testament Student Manual, p. 91).

We can learn several lessons from the ministry of Amos:

• The Lord always gives us a lot of opportunities and ample time to repent. In the course of Amos' ministry, Israelites were afflicted with famine, drought, earthquake, floods, heat waves, dust and sand storms, wildfire, excessive rain, mildew and crop blight, insect infestations (grasshoppers, palmerworm etc.), siege, battle losses, and even captivity of various cities or areas for periods of time. When recounting these afflictions, Amos repeatedly points out: 'yet have ye not returned unto me, saith the Lord'. Then he issues a most chilling edict: 'prepare to meet thy God, O Israel' (Amos 4:6-12).

• The Lord never does anything regarding his children without telling them so first through his prophets. In Amos' words: "Surely the Lord God will do nothing, but he revealeth his secret unto his servants the prophets" (Amos 3:7). What is a prophet and what are the secrets he reveals? In a broad sense, a prophet is someone who bears special witness of Jesus Christ, meaning we all could be prophets. Anciently, there were periods where several prophets were called at the same time. It is supposed that Amos was a contemporary of Isaiah and Hosea and that they administered to the House of Israel concurrently. The Office of a Prophet, however, is held by one man at a time who is also the President of the Church. In that capacity, he is also a seer and a revelator. In simplistic terms, a prophet is a teacher of known truth; a seer is a perceiver of hidden truth and a revelator is a bearer of new truth. Many of the 'secrets' Amos talks about deal with the future,, often the latter days - our days. God would have no secrets between us. He wants us to know most and eventually all of what He knows. For this purpose He calls prophets to impart knowledge to us. Once God reveals his mind to humanity, there are no secrets, only revelations.

• God is fair and extremely patient and long-suffering but He is also just. His repeated many warnings during Amos ministry did nothing to bring the people to repentance. In all fairness then, they were warned. All God's judgments that Amos pronounced upon Israel and their enemies were fulfilled within 30 years of his ministry. In 721 B.C. Assyria swept out of the north, captured the Northern Kingdom of Israel and took the ten tribes into captivity.  Amos' prophecies for our day are also being fulfilled.  With war and pestilence and famine, with poverty and desolation in the world today, it behooves us to pay attention to the prophets, seers and revelators  to lead us to 'through the jungles of life to the vine and living water' that ancient Israel so blatantly rejected. 

Because Israel rejected the word of God, Amos predicted a famine of His word, which served as a dual prophecy: "The hardness of their hearts reached such a state that from 400 B.C. until the ministry of John the Baptist, which began in 30 A.D., as far as we know there were no prophets in Israel. But Amos' prophecy was also fulfilled at a later time. After Christ re-established His Church on earth, it too eventually fell into apostasy. Again revelation ceased, and there was a great famine of the word of God, this famine lasting for well over a thousand years." (Old Testament Student Manual, 1 Kings-Malachi, p. 94). That's a long time to go without a prophet who is the embodiment of 'the living word' which flows through revelation from God to His children. This period of time embedded in people the belief that revelation was dead and that the scriptures are the only directive we have to rely on. God, however, in his mercy and never-ending kindness does not wish for the destruction of his children. His plan is secure and all his purposes will be fulfilled.   

"After centuries of spiritual darkness....we solemnly announce to all the world that the spiritual famine is ended. the spiritual drought is spent, the word of the Lord in its purity and totalness is available to all men. One needs not wander from sea to sea nor from north to the east, seeking the true gospel as Amos predicted, for the everlasting truth is available" (Spencer W. Kimball, Conference Report, April 1964, pp 93-93).

"A young lad..... Joseph Smith, of incomparable faith, broke the spell, shattered the 'heavens of iron' and re-established communication. Heaven kissed the earth, light dissipated the darkness, and God again spoke to man, revealing anew 'his secret unto his servants the prophets' (Amos 3:7). A new prophet was in the land and through him God set up his kingdom, never to be destroyed nor left to another people - a kingdom that will stand forever. The foreverness of this kingdom and the revelations which it brought into existence are absolute realities. Never again will the sun go down; never again will all men prove totally unworthy of communication with their Maker. Never again will God be hidden from his children on the earth. Revelation is here to remain." (Spencer W. Kimball, "Revelation: The Word of the Lord to His Prophets", Ensign, May 1977, p. 76)

"For, lo, he that formeth the mountains, that createth the wind, and declareth unto man what is his thought, that maketh the morning darkness, and treadeth upon high places of the earth, The Lord, The God of hosts, is his name." (Amos 4:13)

THE MANTLE OF A PROPHET

When Elisha's call came to follow Elijah and dedicate himself to the prophetic calling, he was knee deep in plowing with 12 yoke of oxen. He clearly came from a wealthy family. He had work to do, crops to plant, a family to support, yet his willingness to give up everything so he can serve God was perfect. Before he set off he ensured the Lord knew his commitment was complete by making a break with his past life. He slaughtered the oxen and destroyed the farming implements. He then built a fire with the plowing equipment and cooked the oxen and gave it to people to eat (2 Kings 19:21). How symbolic this gesture, showing that he was willing to serve others and give to them his all. Contrast this with the rich young ruler in Matthew 19 who also was rich. When the Saviour told him to sell all that he had and give it away to the poor and follow him, the rich man, unlike Elisha, walked away.

Before Elijah was translated he asked Elisha what request he had of him and Elisha said: "I pray thee, let a double portion of thy spirit be upon me" (2 Kings 2:9). Having witnessed Elijah's mighty miracles and his acts of service, he no doubt felt inadequate to fill Elijah's shoes. Elijah replied that if Elisha gets to witness his departure, that will be a sign to him that it will be as he desired. This indeed did happen for Elisha came to witness Elijah's ascension and the desire of his heart was fulfilled. His ministry lasted more than 50 years and was very similar in nature to that of his master teacher. Among his many prophecies as Israel's prophet, he achieved the following:

• He parted river Jordan (2 Kings 2:8)
• He healed and provided continual water (2 Kings 2:19-22, 2 Kings 3:9, 16-20)
• He changed water's appearance to blood (2 Kings 3:22)
• He multiplied the widow's oil (2 Kings 4:2-7)
• He raised the widow's son from the dead (2 Kings 4:32-35)
• He healed food that was poisonous (2 Kings 4:40-41)
• He healed Namaan of leprosy (2 Kings 5:14)
• He caused the sunken ax head to float (2 Kings 6:5-7)
• He caused blindness to come upon the Syrian army (2 Kings 6:18-24)
• He fed 100 men with only twenty loaves and some grain and had food left over (2 Kings 4:42-44)
• He prophesied the future

Of all his mighty works, my favourite is Elisha's ability to blind the whole of Syrian army and lead them into Samaria as hostages. Syria attacked Israel several times but was always defeated. When it finally came to the attention of the king of Syria that his soldiers were losing because of the prophetic power of Elisha, he sent a large army to destroy him. The Syrian army located Elisha in Dotham (2 Kings 6:13) where they surrounded the city so that he could not escape. The next morning Elisha's servant panicked when he saw the vastness of the army that had come to destroy his master. Elisha, unperturbed, comforted his servant by saying: "Fear not: for they that be with us are more than they that be with them" (2 Kings 6:16). He then called upon the Lord to open the servant's eyes so that he could see the heavenly hosts that were there to protect them for "behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire round about Elisha" (2 Kings 6:17). Elisha then prayed that the army would be smitten with blindness and the Lord complied following which Elisha led the whole army into Samaria and into the hands of the king of Israel and instructed him to feed them and send them back to their master. Syrians never came into the land of Israel again (2 Kings 6:23).

Another mesmerizing story involving Elisha was recited by Elder Orson Hyde. So afflicted was the northern kingdom of Israel with a famine that people were selling and eating mules' heads and dove's dung. The famine became so severe that some resorted to cannibalism. In 2 Kings 6:28-29 we read of an account of two women who one of their sons. Elisha's prophecy regarding the famine is as follows:

"Once there was a great famine in Samaria and so sore was that famine that a mule's head sold for four score pieces of silver in the market and a cab of dove's dung sold for food in the market, I cannot recollect for how much. We should consider it pretty much of a task or penalty to be compelled to use an article like that for food, but the people of Samaria were sorely distressed with famine, and which way to turn to save themselves they knew not. About this time, the King of Syria, with a large army, came to besiege the city and there was a mighty host of them, and they brought everything in the shape of food that was necessary for the comfort and happiness of man; and although the famine was so sore among the Samaritans, the old Prophet, Elisha..., told them that on the next day meal should be sold in the gate of their city at very low figures, lower than it had ever been known to be sold before. A certain nobleman, who heard the prophecy of Elisha expressed his doubt of its truth, and he said that if the windows of heaven were opened and meal poured down from above, it could not fall to such low figures. Now see what he got by doubting the words of the Prophet - said Elisha to him - 'Your eyes shall see it, but you shall not taste it'. That night the Lord sent forth the angels of his presence and they made a rustling in the trees, and sounds like horses' hoofs and chariots, as if the whole country had combined to go out to battle against the Syrians, and they did not know what to make of it, and they were frightened and fled, leaving almost everything they had brought with them in the borders of the town; and as they went, the rustling of the trees and the noise of the horses and chariots seemed to pursue them, and in order to make their burdens as light as possible, they threw away everything they had with them, and their track was strewed with everything good and desirable. The next morning the people of Samaria went out and brought the spoils into the market, and it was overstocked with provisions and the word of the Lord through the Prophet was fulfilled. Now you see, the Lord knew they had eaten mules' heads long enough and that they had need of something more palatable; he had had the matter under advisement, no doubt, when the crusade was inaugurated against the people of Samaria, and he, in all probability, inspired them to take abundant supplies, that they might feel all the more confident on account of their great numbers being so well provided for. They no doubt calculated that they had the sure thing, little thinking that God was making them pack animals to take to his people what they needed. Their Father in heaven knew that they had need of them, and he sent them, and the people of Samaria brought them into market, and behold and lo the multitude rushed together just as hungry people will, and this nobleman came out also, and he was trodden down under foot and stamped to death - he saw it but he never tasted it. That is the reward of those who disbelieve the Prophets of God; it was so then, and if the same thing does not occur in every instance something of a similar character is sure to take place. There was no living faith in that man, he could not believe the testimony of the Prophets, and in this he was like some of our - what shall I say, great men, whose faith is weak and sickly, and they think they know it all, and can chalk out right and left that which would be best for building up the kingdom of God." (Journal of Discourses, 17:6-7)

"In a similar prophecy, Heber C. Kimball prophesied that the Saints in the Salt Lake Valley would be able to purchase goods more cheaply than they could back East. The prophecy was fulfilled when thousands came through the valley during the California gold rush". (See B.H. Roberts, A Comprehensive History of the Church, 3:349-53, Old Testament Student Manual, 1 Kings to Malachi, p 77)

At times it seems easier to believe in the prophets who have passed on than to believe in the living oracles and follow the counsel and direction they give for our day and time: "Sometimes modern Saints fall into the same traps as did ancient Israel. Have you heard people extol the teachings of Joseph Smith but murmur and criticize current Church leaders for a statement or a stand they take that contradicts the individual's personal ideas or preference? Do we say we honour the prophets and yet not follow their instructions from the last general conference? Some who read the Old Testament have a tendency to shake their heads sorrowfully over those proud and rebellious people. But the great value of our studying this work is that it provides a clear standard for measuring our own behaviour." (Old Testament Student Manual, 1 Kings - Malachi, p 65)

"She couldn't stand still. The mention of a living prophet had aroused in her a great enthusiasm. As I continued the lesson, the woman was up again and again, her hands flying as she asked for clarification and elaboration. She wanted to know everything she could about David O. McKay and his calling.
'He's a prophet', I repeated. 'Like Jeremiah or Moses or Peter'. The concept was powerful and she wanted desperately to understand.
'How does a man get to be a prophet?' she asked.
I spoke then of years of preparation, and talked to her of obedience and faithfulness and study and prayer and service - those qualities that enabled a man to fulfill such a calling.
'But the most important requirement is that he be called of God' I explained, 'because he receives revelation from the Lord and delivers it to the people. He speaks to us the words and the will of God.'
'How?'
'Pardon me?'
'How does he speak to you?' she asked. 'I mean, how does he let you know what the Lord says and what he expects? When he has a message, how does he deliver it?'
This was a missionary's dream. In nineteen months of proselyting and teaching I had never seen anyone so excited about the restoration of the gospel and the idea of a living prophet. She seemed aflame with a need to know the present word of God.
'Every six months, the Church holds a General Conference' I said. 'People attend from all over the world, and President McKay speaks, usually three or four times, during the three days of the conference'.
I could see in her eyes a great desire to sit and listen to the living words of a living prophet.
'But does everyone attend?' she asked. Then thinking of herself, she added, 'What about those who can't come to conference?'
I smiled. This woman was a joy to teach.
'The Church publishes a magazine called the Improvement Era' I responded. 'A month or two after conference, the entire proceedings of the conference are published in one of the issues. Everyone who wants to can get a copy and read the talks'.
But there was more, and speaking of the magazine had reminded me.
'That isn't all'. I was nearly as excited as she was now.
'Every month President McKay writes the editorial in the Improvement Era. Every month we get a written message from the Prophet of God'.
'That's wonderful!' she exclaimed, and I agreed. In my mind the faucets were running, the baptismal font already filling. She said she had one more question. I didn't mind. After nineteen months as a missionary, I could answer any question about living prophets that an investigator could ask. Any question, that is except this one. As she spoke, I saw the plug being pulled, the water draining from the font.
Her eyes shining with delight and anticipation, she said:
'What did he say last month?'

I could not answer her question. I knew that President McKay had been writing the editorials for the Improvement Era during most of the years of my life. But I had never read a single one of them."

- Ted Gibbons

"If we listened to the prophets of this day, poverty would be replaced with loving care for the poor and needy. Many serious and deadly health problems would be avoided through compliance with the Word of Wisdom and the laws of sexual purity. Payment of tithing would bless us and we would have sufficient for our needs. If we follow the counsel given by the prophets, we can have a life in mortality where we do not bring upon ourselves unnecessary pain and self-destruction. This does not mean we will not have any challenges. We will. This does not mean we will not be tested. We will, for this is part of our purpose on earth. But if we will listen to the counsel of our prophet, we will become stronger and be able to withstand the tests of mortality. We will have hope and joy. All the words of counsel from the prophets of all generations have been given so that we may be strengthened and then be able to lift and strengthen others."

(Robert D. Hales, Hear The Prophet's Voice and Obey, Ensign, May 1995, p 17)