MERCIFUL REDEMPTION

 

“I once heard a child tell the parable of the lost sheep in a way that stirred fresh thoughts about who the lost sheep is. A little girl so tiny that we could barely see the top of her ponytails over the pulpit told the story in a sacrament meeting….She said:

“There was once a shepherd who had a hundred sheep. He loved his sheep, so he counted them every day. One day he counted: ‘……ninety-seven, ninety-eight, ninety-nine.’ A little sheep was lost. The shepherd went to find him. The little sheep was far off in the rocks and bushes. He was frightened and lonely. The shepherd went to find him. The little sheep heard him and was glad. He said: ‘Baa-aa’. The shepherd came and found the little sheep. He picked him up and carried him on his shoulder back to his mommy. Then he counted again: ‘…..ninety-eight, ninety-nine, one hundred.’ All the sheep were safely home.” (Bruce C.  Hafen, “The Broken Heart”, p 37-8)

Elder Hafen said that it dawned on him as he listened, that he was the lost sheep, that those he knew and loved were the lost sheep, that the people in the Church were the lost sheep, indeed he said we are all lost sheep…..because of our first parents, Adam and Eve who “were cast out of their garden of innocence into the lone and dreary world, and ‘out in the desert they wandered, hungry and helpless and cold’ (p 38).

The Atonement has so many facets that it is difficult at times to grasp it all. Perhaps the most important  would have to be Christ’s power to redeem us from The Fall. Having been removed from the Father’s presence, we are born strangers and pilgrims on this earth (D&C 45:13) but the Saviour’s Redemption means we can one day be restored to our former home.

The greatest scriptural symbol of Redemption is Ruth, a lowly woman of Moab who married an Israelite. She was a convert to the Lord, God of Israel ‘under whose wings she had come to trust’ (Ruth 2:12). When her Israelite husband died and left her with no children, Ruth became one of the lowliest of the earth, devoid of security or livelihood. When she returned to Bethlehem with her mother Naomi, she consented to a ‘levirate’ marriage with Naomi’s next of kin, as was the custom in Israel.

Through a levirate marriage, the woman was provided with children and restored to security and society and brought back to the family home. Here is where things become interesting. The Hebrew word for a man who would step up to this responsibility was GO’EL. The King James Version of the Bible translates it as simply ‘kinsman’ but the proper and literal meaning of GO’EL is ‘redeemer’ (Rasmussen, “Introduction to the Old Testament”, 1:157)

Ruth’s GO’EL was Boaz. Boaz became Ruth’s redeemer and restorer of all she had lost. Boaz and Ruth had a son whose name was Obed, who became the father of Jesse, who was the father of King David, who was the progenitor of Mary, who was the mother of Christ.

Consider for a moment how Christ redeems us from our fallen state and restores us to the presence of the Father and our eternal home. The Saviour himself affirms His role as the GO’EL when He refers to himself as the bridegroom and us, Israel, as the bride (Matthew 25:1-13; D&C 33:17; 65:3; 88:92; 133:10). He is the greatest GO’EL of all….. the Redeemer, the Restorer, the Hope of Israel, the Shepherd who leads home all that are lost.

Elder Hafen tried to imagine how he would feel if he was found unworthy on Judgment Day to return to Father’s presence. He said he didn’t think he could stand a longing for eternity that could not be fulfilled (p 88). I am of certainty that I would feel like Cain of old who said when he was banished from God’s presence to be a vagabond on this earth: “My punishment is greater than I can bear.”  (Genesis 4:13)

- CATHRYNE ALLEN 

(Art: Guiding Them Home by Yongsung Kim)

RUTH, A SYMBOL OF REDEMPTION

 

This is a story of the beautiful life of a simple woman from Moab called Ruth.

 

It is said by oral tradition that women in ancient Israel lived with a hope that the Messiah would come through their line. Ruth from Moab had no blood of Israel running through her veins.  She was a convert to the Lord, God of Israel ‘under whose wings she had come to trust’ (Ruth 2:12). When her Israelite husband died and left her with no children, Ruth became one of the lowliest of the earth, devoid of security or livelihood. When she returned to Bethlehem with her mother Naomi, she consented to a ‘levirate’  marriage with Naomi’s next of kin, as was the custom in Israel. Through a levirate marriage, the woman was provided with children and restored to security and society. Here is where things become interesting. The Hebrew word for a man who would step up to this responsibility was GO’EL. The King James Version of the Bible translates it as simply ‘kinsman’ but the proper and literal meaning of GO’EL is ‘redeemer’ (Rasmussen, “Introduction to the Old Testament”, 1:157)

 

This is how Ruth, a lowly woman of Moab became the symbol of Christ’s redemption: Her GO’EL was Boaz, an Israelite kinsman of Naomi. Boaz became Ruth’s redeemer and restorer of all she had lost. Boaz and Ruth had a son whose name was Obed, who became the father of Jesse, who was the father of King David, who was a progenitor of Mary, who was the mother of Christ…… Consider for a moment how Christ redeems us from our fallen state and restores us to the presence of the Father, AND grants us eternal posterity through His power of exaltation. The Saviour himself affirms His role as the GO’EL when He refers to himself as the bridegroom and us, Israel, as the bride (Matthew 25:1-13; D&C 33:17; 65:3; 88:92; 133:10). He is the greatest GO’EL of all….. the Redeemer, the Restorer, the Hope of Israel, the Rock of our Salvation. 

 

I will follow Thee my God and My All

When I can see no more;

I will trust in Thee

When all hope flees;

I will praise Thy name

When I am left without ease.

I will nurture the seeds of my faith

With tears of my affliction,

Yet will I look up to heaven

And believe in Thy throne;

I will trust in the strength of Thine arms

To lift me and carry me home.

 

 

 - CATHRYNE ALLEN

(Artist Unknown)

ABRAHAM, THE FATHER OF THE FAITHFUL

 

What shall we remember Abraham for the most? His obedience, his faith, his trust, his goodness or his righteousness? Abraham is known by more than one name, the most known being ‘the friend of God’ (James 2:23). I personally love ‘the gatherer of souls’ because he preached the gospel wherever he lived and collected converted souls (Genesis 12:5) but my favourite is ‘the father of the faithful’ (D&C 138:41). This title  connects us to this amazing patriarch because we are ‘the faithful’, and if we’re not, we should be. Whether we have been born in the covenant or adopted into it, he is the father of us all, therefore when God said to him: “Thou shalt walk uprightly before me, and be perfect” (JST Gen 17:1), He issued that statement to all of us that belong to the family of Abraham.

 

Abraham was exceptional even before the beginning of his mortal life. When he was shown the great spirits that resided in pre-existence, he was told that he was one of them and that he was ‘chosen before he was born’ (Abraham 3:23). There is something interesting about that. When the Lord appeared to Abraham, He introduced him as Jehovah and showed him all His creations and explained who exactly He is: “I am the Lord thy God, I am more intelligent than they all….my wisdom excelleth them all, for I rule in the heavens above and in the earth beneath, over all the intelligences thine eyes have seen….my name is Jehovah and I know the end from the beginning….I am thy God” (Abraham 3:19,21; 2:7,8; 1:19). We read the interaction between Enoch and God along the same lines. After showing him all the workmanship of His hands, He declares Himself to Enoch in the most powerful manner: “I am Messiah the King of Zion, the Rock of Heaven…” (Moses 7:53).

 

My point is this. The Saviour of this world was the firstborn of the Father. He was the perfect Son and therefore the perfect Brother. The Exampler who paved the way to obedience, who lifted us to heights we could not reach on our own even back then. He was the Shepherd long before we became mortal sheep, the Shepherd we followed and believed and chose to be our God.  We, alongside the greats like Abraham, became great in our pre-existent state because of the perfect example we followed. This is evident in Section 138 of Doctrine and Covenants.  The influence He has over us now would have been double-fold back then when we were in His presence. I testify of this because I was told once during a prayer: “My Atonement is my gift to you because you were so valiant in your testimony of Me long before you were born.”

 

How can I contain the magnitude of You

In the meagre chamber of my heart?

How can I absorb the brightness

Of Your light that outshines the rays

Of the brightest sun?

How can I explain the lightness of my being

When You lift me up on wings of faith

Making real the wonder of You?

My love knows no limits

My honour of You, no bounds;

My needy reach to heaven’s door,

To concede, in spirit I am forever poor.

 

- CATHRYNE ALLEN

(Art: Uplift the World by Eva Koleva Timothy)

SEEKING THE KINGDOM

"Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven: but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto the, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity." (Matthew 7:21-23)

When Jesus atoned for the sins of the world, he had an amazing insight into each person who will ever grace this earth; into their problems, capabilities, mental and emotional states and into their very heart. Because of this He knows what makes us tick, what makes us do what we do, He knows our desires, our thoughts and our motives. It is correct to say that He knows us better than we know ourselves because even we sometimes don't know things that are hidden in our subconscious that drive us to certain behaviours. When Joseph Smith was translating the Bible he made the most significant correction to the above verse of scripture which now reads "you never knew me" instead of "I never knew you". This gives us a much clearer understanding of our relationship to the Saviour of the world. Because of the Atonement, He knows us and He will always know us but we on the other hand can very easily misunderstand what it means to know Him and to eventually enter His kingdom. Clearly from the above scripture, only doing as Christ did will not get us there.

By telling us what will not get us into the kingdom of heaven, He also told us what will: instead of laying up for ourselves treasures on this earth, He admonished us to lay up treasures in heaven (Matt 6:19-21). What are these treasures we can lay up in heaven whilst we are here in mortality? If it is not what we do, then it must be what we are: "Treasures in heaven are the character, perfections, and attributes which men acquire by obedience to law. Thus, those who gain such attributes of godliness as knowledge, faith, justice, judgment, mercy and truth, will find these same attributes restored to them again in immortality (Alma 41:13-15)" (McConkie, DNTC, 1:239-40, The Life and Teachings of Jesus and His Apostles, Student Manual, p. 58). Jesus confirmed this truth by giving us a further admonition to be 'perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect' (Matt 5:48). It has been our destiny from the beginning of time to become exalted to godhood, in other words, to become perfect and complete even as our Father is. Without this perfection we cannot enter His kingdom. In the words of Joseph Smith: "God himself was once as we are now, and is an exalted man, and sits enthroned in yonder heavens and men have got to learn how to be Gods.....the same as all Gods have done before...." (Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, pp 345-46).  No man, however, can achieve this lofty ideal on his own merits. 

Because it is not in our power to attain perfection on our own, God in his mercy has provided a way for us to do so. During the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus invited his disciples to enter in at the 'strait gate' and thereby follow the course to eternal life (Matt 7:13,14). The gate is 'strait' because it is narrow and restricted but the path is both 'strait' and 'straight'. Where 'straitness' has reference to width, 'straightness' has reference to direction, this direction being invariable and always the same for 'there are no crooked paths or tangents leading to the kingdom of God' (McConkie, Mormon Doctrine, p. 769). It is at this gate that perfection has to have its beginning. It is here that it must begin and it is now, whilst in mortality. The supreme standard of the Lord's expectation for us to become perfect as our Father is, is rather daunting considering the reality of our imperfections and our mortal weaknesses. However, as the Saviour used our Father in Heaven who is perfect, complete and finished in his glorified state, as the example of perfection, He has by this suggested a broader perspective of this commandment. Joseph Smith taught that we will work out our salvation and exaltation beyond the grave. This gives us a clear indication that perfection in this life is not attainable. Elder Bruce R. McConkie taught: "We have to become perfect to be saved in the celestial kingdom. But nobody becomes perfect in this life. Only the Lord Jesus attained that state, and He had an advantage that none of us has. He was the Son of God, and He came into this life with a spiritual capacity and a talent and an inheritance that exceeded beyond all comprehension what any of the rest of us was born with.....We enter in at a gate, and the name of the gate is repentance and baptism. We thereby get on a path, and the name of the path is the straight and narrow path. And then if we endure to the end, meaning if we keep the commandments of God after baptism, we go up that straight and narrow path, and at its end is a reward that is named eternal life. All of this is available because of the atoning sacrifice of Christ" (Bruce R. McConkie as quoted in Bruce Satterfield, The Sermon On the Mount: A More Excellent Way, Meridian Magazine).

   

Indeed, because of the atoning sacrifice of Jesus Christ and by virtue of our faith in Him, we can travel this road that leads to the Kingdom of God. The enabling power that makes this possible is called 'grace'. Once the strait gate is entered and sacred covenants made between God and man, we are then endowed with the saving grace which enables us to reach perfection as the Saviour and our Father did. President Harold B. Lee taught: "The 'saving grace' of the Lord's atoning power is extended to those who would receive the saving ordinances of the gospel". "Through the ordinance of baptism, we receive the divine grace of forgiveness that qualifies us to receive spiritual rebirth through the gift of the Holy Ghost. Now spiritually reborn, we must then grow up to godhood. This will require further enabling power through divine grace or mercy. This grace comes through the higher ordinances of the temple. Each ordinance and covenant made in the temple helps us to receive more grace that enables us to become like God ( (Bruce Satterfield, The Sermon On the Mount: A More Excellent Way, Meridian Magazine).

The steps to perfection come with the enabling power of Christ so none of us can claim that we cannot possibly achieve the lofty ideal of godhood and perfection. The way has been prepared and put in place for those of us who choose to follow the Redeemer of the world. When we make that choice we build our tabernacle of clay on 'the rock' of his teachings. Jesus said that anyone who hears his teachings and does not abide by them is like a foolish man who builds his house on the sand (Matt 7:26,27). He has no hope of surviving the spiritual battle of this life, let alone attaining perfection. And why would we want perfection? Because 'eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which god hath prepared for them that love him' (1 Cor 2:9). One day we will receive this reward because of our faithfulness and His undeniable grace. We will enter into His rest and His kingdom and then and there we will finally come to understand that 'Adam fell that men might be and men are that they might have joy' (2 Nephi 2:25). We will joy in our perfections and in our exalted glory, having overcome the world and having gained eternal life with our posterity and all the riches of eternity. It is our promise, it is our right, it is our sacred destiny.

IN HIS HOLY HOUSE

"When I was doing missionary work with some of our brethren, laboring among the Indians, seeking the Lord for light to decide certain matters pertaining to our work there, and receiving a witness from Him that we were doing things according to His will, I found myself one evening in the dreams of the night, in that sacred building, the Temple. After a season of prayer and rejoicing, I was informed that I should have the privilege of entering into one of those rooms, to meet a glorious Personage, and as I entered the door, I saw, seated on a raised platform, the most glorious Being my eyes have ever beheld, or that I even conceived existed in all the eternal worlds. As I approached to be introduced, He arose and stepped towards me with extended arms, and He smiled as He softly spoke my name. If I shall live to be a million years old, I shall never forget that smile. He took me into His arms and kissed me, pressed me to His bosom, and blessed me, until the marrow of my bones seemed to melt! When He had finished, I fell at His feet, and as I bathed them with my tears and kisses, I saw the prints of the nails in the feet of the Redeemer of the world. The feeling that I had in the presence of Him who hath all things in His hands, to have His love, His affection, and His blessings was such that if I ever can receive that of which I had but a foretaste, I would give all that I am, all that I hope to be, to feel what I then felt!"  
-  Apostle Melvin J. Ballard (Joseph Heinerman, Temple Manifestations, p. 152)

A careful study of the Old Testament's reign of the kings reveals to us a continual battle between those who sought to worship Jehovah and those who sought to worship false gods which competed for the time, resources and affection of the Israelites. "This ongoing battle produced a cycle of wickedness, decline, repentance, prosperity and then a return to wickedness again" (Taylor D. Halverson, Come to the House of the Lord, Lesson 30, Meridian Magazine, Aug 2006). Because they chose kings to rule over them, the children of Israel were left at the mercy of these kings and their choice of the god they would follow. Some of these kings laboured fervently to rid the land of idol worship of their fathers and return the people to the true god. There is only so much a king can do though, despite the cleansing of the land through tearing down of the altars and groves. With only one temple located in Jerusalem, it had become more convenient to visit the local grove and there engage in lustful fertility worship to ensure your crops would grow, rather than travel for days to Jerusalem and there give your best animals for slaughter. With such corrupted mentality, Israelites lost the understanding of sacrifice and the spirit of temple worship which pointed them towards the Saviour. King Ahaz did the greatest disservice to the Kingdom of Judah, not only because he placed his trust in the gods of Syria to help him (2 Chronicles 28:23) but he 'shut up the doors of the house of the Lord' (2 Chronicles 28:24). These two things, the scriptures record were 'the ruin of him and of all Israel' (2 Chronicles 28:23).

King Ahaz' son, Hezekiah, who reigned in righteousness after him, 'opened the doors of the house of the Lord' (2 Chronicles 29:3), re-instituted animal sacrifice and called the people to repentance. He made Isaiah his private council and trusted in the advice the prophet gave him. With this trust the Lord defeated the Assyrian army that had ravaged the Northern Kingdom of Israel and spared Judah. Hezekiah was blessed with honour and riches for his righteous reign but his pride got the better of him and he showed all the royal treasures and armaments to the son of the king of Babylon which was a great mistake for it initiated a Babylonian lust for Judah's possessions. Isaiah condemned Hezekiah's action and prophesied that all the treasures of the kingdom would be taken and 'carried to Babylon: nothing shall be left' and that Judah's royal family would be forced into exile in Babylon (Isaiah 39:6-8). Thus the Kingdom of Judah would be dispersed by the Babylonians as the Kingdom of Israel was dispersed by the hand of Assyrians. Despite Hezekiah's good works during his reign he showed a lack of closeness and love for the Lord when he contracted a fatal disease and became 'sick unto death' (Isaiah 38:1). The Lord told him through Isaiah to set his house in order and prepare to die but Hezekiah could not reconcile himself to death and wept bitterly and prayed incessantly for the Lord to extend his life. He reasoned he was a good person and therefore didn't deserve to die, that he was in the prime of his life and that he would miss his family. He took to counseling the Lord and became so obsessed with his desire to live that he lost an eternal perspective. He even asked for a sign to believe the Lord was speaking the truth when He promised him an additional 15 years of life (Isaiah 38).

Hezekiah got what he wanted but it did not prove beneficial to others: "During Hezekiah's extra 15 years, his wife bore him a son, Manasseh, the heir to the throne. Manasseh began to reign at age 12 and ruled for 55 horrible years. He had the prophet Isaiah murdered and reversed all of the religious reforms of his father. He erected altars to Baal, installed idols in the temple, and burned his sons to death on these altars. He appealed to wizards for spiritual direction and hid the scriptures. His evil influence was a principal cause of the eventual destruction of Jerusalem by the Babylonians (2 Kings 24:3-4). We do not know what would have happened to Judah had Hezekiah died as prophesied by Isaiah. But Bishop John H. Vandenberg (1904-92) has said: "There have been some noble men who unwittingly sought to counsel the Lord. One such man was Hezekiah...As one reviews his life, one wonders, would it not have been better for Hezekiah to have submissively accepted the Lord's first decree...'Set thine house in order; for thou shalt die'." (Charles A. Muldowney, "Hezekiah's Tunnel Vision", Ensign, Sept. 2002, p 30)

The worst aspect of Israel's idolatry was not the fact that they put their trust in wrong gods and did not worship the right one but that their idolatry led to neglect of temple worship. As the consistent practice of animal sacrifices ceased so did their understanding of the atonement. Animal sacrifice served the purpose of pointing God's children to the ultimate sacrifice of the Saviour who would with his blood atone for their sins. Had the proper temple worship endured throughout Israel's history, the messianic hope would not have been lost in the political overtones.  As they chose to worship other gods, the Lord no longer protected them from the control of foreign nations. By the time the Saviour was born they no longer looked for a Messiah who would atone for their sins but for a Messiah who would rescue them from the Roman rule. In other words, they wanted a Moses to deliver them from yet another Egypt. Instead of a warrior, they got a carpenter who claimed his kingdom was not of this world (John 18:36). Because of their blindness, 'which blindness came by looking beyond the mark' (Jacob 4:14) they missed the Saviour of the world for "the 'mark' beyond which they looked was Christ. When he did not come in the manner they anticipated, they looked beyond Him for another who should come. Thus, 'they still wait for the coming of the Messiah' (2 Nephi 6:13)" (Old Testament Manual, 1 Kings - Malachi, p 67). No doubt the Jewish nation today are expecting a Messiah who will deliver them from the affliction of the Palestinians.

It is in temples and temple worship that we find the Saviour of the world, his purpose and his work and his glory, to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man (Moses 1:39). Will we recognise and know the Saviour when He comes if we do not engage in temple worship and regularly renew our covenants with Him? It is not required of us to travel on foot for days to reach a temple, nor is it required of us to slaughter our best animals or pay for our visit there in any form. We are merely invited to 'come buy milk and honey, without money and without price' (2 Nephi 26:25) for the temple ordinances are the stay of eternal life.

"Without God we are nothing. We have no meaningful, purposeful identity when God does not exist in our lives. Temples are essential, for there we learn more fully of God's true nature, of his plan for our lives and the covenants that He lovingly offers to us that we might bind ourselves to Him in an unbreakable relationship that defies death and time. May we return to the House of the Lord. May we find ourselves there as we find Him" (Taylor D. Halverson, Come to the House of the Lord, Lesson 30, Meridian Magazine, August 2006)

THE MERCIFUL MESSIAH

The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.
He maketh me to lie down in green pastures; he leadeth me beside the still waters.
He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake.
Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.
Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.
(Psalm 23)


The book of Psalms is the longest book of the Bible and is filled with testimony and doctrine. It is also a collection of 150 songs of  Israelite hymns praising the God of Israel. Seventy three of these psalms are attributed to David with the central theme of mercy. His psalms are a guide for any penitent sinner who repents with sincerity of heart and seeks forgiveness. David's psalms are a clear indications that David knew the nature of the God of Israel and His infinite mercy. He appeals to this mercy which he knows is central to the Saviour's character because of his loving kindness. David repeatedly uses these two attributes hand in hand helping us see the Saviour in a much softer light than as the vengeful God of the Old Testament. In the hymnal sense, his appeals to the Saviour's merciful nature, become a voice of praise, such as: "Remember, O Lord, thy tender mercies and thy loving kindness..." (Psalm 25:6) and "Hear me, O Lord; for thy loving kindness is good: turn unto me according to the multitude of thy tender mercies" (Psalm 69:16). If we did not know that the Lord was a possessor of loving kindess, we could never believe that He was merciful and could as such, grant us forgiveness of our sins.

David knew that the only place for his forgiveness was in the Messiah of the world, who had through his righteousness achieved perfection. He knew that his reward for his imperfect mortality, like ours, should be less than perfect, if it is based solely on our earthly performance. David therefore shows us through his bold request, "Deliver me in thy righteousness....." (Psalm 71:2) a doctrinally appropriate and essential way to importune the Saviour of all mankind if we are to inherit "more than we deserve" (Philip Allred, Lesson 25, "Let Every Thing That Hath Breath Praise the Lord, Meridian Magazine).  This is exactly how Elder Dallin H. Oaks defines mercy: "To achieve my eternal goals, I need more than I deserve...If justice is exactly (the punishment) one deserves, then mercy is more benefit than one deserves....The Atonement is the means by which justice is served and mercy is extended" (Sins, Crimes and Atonement, address given to CES, 7 Feb. 1992, Philip Allred, Lesson 25, Meridian Magazine).

Like David, we should all desire the righteousness of the only sinless person who died that we might be saved, weighing in on our side of the scales of justice. He should be the person we would want standing by our side at the judgment bar when we account for our sins. It is only in this way that we will be able to receive all our inheritance as children of God for our merits alone will not guarantee this reward. It is imperative therefore that we are convinced of His loving kindness and His infallible and infinite mercy. Without it we will blindly wander through this mortality without hope for this life is but a drop in a bucket before we face the vastness of eternity. To deserve this miraculous mercy, it is required of us to give the Lord the only thing we can truly give, "a broken spirit: a broke and a contrite heart" (Psalm 51:17). In return the Lord will "blot out our transgressions" and "wash us thoroughly from our iniquity, and cleanse us from our sin" (Psalm 51:1-2).

The scriptures are replete with examples and declarations of Saviour's mercy that he extends to us through his loving kindness. To know Him is to know that He is The Merciful Messiah. He who has numbered all his sheep and has layed down his life for them, extends mercy when mercy is sought, "...for all this his anger is not turned away, but his hand is stretched out still" (Isaiah 10:4). To know the God of Israel is to know that He will one day gather us and because of our willingness to have Him be our God, 'lead us unto living fountains of waters: and He shall wipe away all tears from our eyes' (Rev 7:17). Is this not a God who deserves our utmost devotion? Is this not a God who inspires in us a longing to 'sing redeeming love' in praise of Him who has delivered us from the bands of death? (Alma 5:9, Alma 26:13, D&C 138:12).  What happens when we sing the words of praise to God whom we love, is as real as what happens when we are on bended knee, "For my soul delighteth in the song of the heart; yea, the song of the righteous is a prayer unto me, and it shall be answered with a blessing upon their heads" (D&C 25:12).  The scriptures repeatedly admonish true disciples of Christ to sing praises to Him and other members of the Godhead for one day we will join that heavenly choir to sing eternal praises to Him who has bought us with a price (1 Cor 6:20), 'a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief' (Isa 53:3), yet a God who is 'merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abundant in goodness and truth' (Exodus 34:6). Mormon attests to this truth when he says: "And he hath brought to pass the redemption of the world, whereby he that is found guiltless before him at the judgment day hath it given unto him to dwell in the presence of God in his kingdom, to sing ceaseless praises with the choirs above, unto the Father, and unto the Son, and unto the Holy Ghost, which are one God, in a state of happiness which hath no end" (Mormon 7:7).

The Saviour desires to 'encircle us in the arms of His love' (D&C 6:20). It is because of His love that He is merciful. Even though He is a God of majesty who 'has all power, all wisdom, and all understanding' (Alma 26:35), 'Alpha and Omega, Christ the Lord....the beginning and the end, the Redeemer of the world' (D&C 19:1), yet 'He is a merciful Being' (Alma 26:35) worthy of praise for his loving kindness and infinite sacrifice for the sins of the world. May we worship Him with the voice of praise and in Him find the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords that we might be one day worthy to be in his presence for ever and ever.


Praise ye the Lord. 
Praise God in his sanctuary; praise him in the firmament of his power. 
Praise him for his mighty acts; praise him according to his excellent greatness. 
Praise him with the timbrel and dance; praise him with stringed instruments and organs. 
Praise him upon the loud cymbals; praise him upon the high sounding cymbals. Let every thing that hath breath praise the Lord. 
Praise ye the LORD. 
(Psalms 150:1-6)

HE IS RISEN

Next month we commemorate the restoration of the Aaronic Priesthood which took place on 15 May 1829. The Aaronic Priesthood when originally given to the Israelites was the single most important act of mercy performed by the Saviour prior to his mortal ministry. Israelites having rejected the higher law after having declared on a number of occasions, "all the words which the Lord hath said will we do", placed themselves in a precarious position and possibility of never coming into God's presence. By bringing them to Mount Sinai God sought to bring them into his presence and there endow them through covenant to be his people. They instead fashioned for themselves a golden calf.  What an insult and injury to the Saviour's loving heart after he had done so much to make them free.  How easily He could have rejected them too and left them in the wilderness to perish.  Instead the Saviour acted out of his merciful nature and gave the Israelites the lesser law administered through the preparatory priesthood to give them another chance. Just prior to this act of love, He declared Himself to be a god of mercy: "The Lord, the Lord God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abundant in goodness and truth" (Exodus 34:6). To the children of Israel that priesthood kept them looking forward to the atonement of Christ through the ceremony of animal sacrifice. When the Aaronic priesthood was restored through Joseph Smith, it became the gateway to modern day Israel to prepare them for the higher covenants administered through the Melchizedek Priesthood which would bring them to exaltation.  Just as the ancient Israel looked forward to the Atonement of Jesus Christ through animal sacrifice, we look back on this event through the ordinance of the sacrament which is administered by the Aaronic Priesthood.

I have often heard in the Church people expressing their belief in Saviour's love for them. They also believe that it is this love that motivated the Atonement. The love is undeniable, the Atonement, however, was borne out of mercy. When studying the scriptures, it is impossible not to come to the conclusion that the Saviour's most prominent characteristic is one of mercy. Joseph Smith said that without proper knowledge of the character of God it is impossible for us to gain sufficient faith unto salvation.  In other words, we cannot hope to turn to the Saviour for the remission of sins we continue to make on our life journey if we do not know and understand his merciful nature that allows him to forgive.  Some years ago I started to be watchful of His characteristics and His numerous names in the scriptures, most particularly the Book of Mormon.  Whatever I learnt about Him I recorded in the margins.  Today as I flip through my Book of Mormon I notice that just about every page tells me that the Saviour is merciful.

I believe it was mercy that enabled Him to drink the bitter cup and suffer unimaginable pain knowing that He would do so for many who would reject Him, deny Him and even not deserve such a sacrifice.  It is mercy that enables the Saviour of the world to forgive us over and over again when we sin repeatedly and repent as often. I stand in awe of a God that is so powerful yet so tender hearted that He would allow himself to be nailed to a cross.  A god who has created worlds without number by the power of his word and has all his creations in the palm of his hand, yet willed himself to enter a garden that would be his crucible.  This is the god we worship, a god of love and infinite mercy, a god of unrivalled power.  Consider his power through the numerous names that have been attributed to Him in the scriptures:

Jehovah
Jesus Christ
The Lord
The Son of God
The Son of the Eternal Father
The Lamb
Shepherd
Redeemer
Almighty God
The God of Israel
The God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob
The Lord of Hosts
The Holy One of Israel
The Redeemer of Israel
King Immanuel
The Eternal God
Holy One
The Saviour
The Mighty One of Jacob
The Mighty One of Israel
Messiah
The Lord God
The Prince of Life
The Lord of Glory
Eternal King
Lord God Almighty
The Son of Righteousness
The Lord of Hosts
Alpha and Omega
The Great I Am
The Stone of Israel
Holy Messiah
The Great Mediator
Son Ahman
Firstborn
The Lord God of Hosts
The Father of Heaven and Earth
The Creator of All Things
Wonderful
Counselor
The Mighty God
The Everlasting Father
The Prince of Peace

"And go quickly, and tell his disciples that he is risen from the dead......
"And they departed quickly from the sepulchre with fear and great joy; and did run to bring his disciples word". (Matthew 8:7,8)

The Saviour descended below all things, including your sins.  Because of this He knows you and has compassion and mercy toward you.  Most importantly, He knows you from the beginning and He wants to see you to the end.  It is also because of your sins, that He ascended up on high (D&C 88:6) having finished his preparations unto the children of men (D&C 19:19).  Because of you and me he willingly entered the Garden of Gethsemane and carried his cross to Golgotha, his triumph,  leaving an empty tomb.  What excitement and fear would have come upon his disciples at this discovery.  Here again the Saviour's mercy came into play.  He wanted them to know they have not been forgotten and would not be left comfortless, His desire to have them know that He will be with them always.  And so He lingered teaching them that on the road to Emmaus expounding the scriptures 'beginning with Moses and all the prophets, he expounded unto them in all the scriptures the things concerning himself' (Luke 24:27).  No new doctrine, no new laws, just what the scriptures had said about Him, the message being loud and clear, not me in person, but my spirit you will have always through the testimony of my prophets.

"And they said one to another, Did not our heart burn within us, while he talked with us by the way, and while he opened to us the scriptures?"  (Luke 24:32)  May his mercy burn within our hearts this Easter and may we rejoice that He is risen.