OUR BROTHER'S KEEPER

When I study the scriptures I am often amazed at the zeal with which the prophets of old preached repentance and how tirelessly they laboured for the House of Israel. Equally impressive, in a devastating way, is the stubbornness of people to repent and heed warnings of impending destruction. Very often the picture we get through scriptures of missionary labours is bleak and converts seem very few and far between, so the admiration for the prophets grows even more as their labours seem futile. Elijah was so depressed about his seemingly lack of success that he fled from the murderous intentions of wicked Jezebel and sat under the juniper tree "requesting for himself that he might die" (1 kings 18:4). Imagine the very government of your country seeking your head. This was the fate of Elijah who fled before the most evil queen history has ever known. So Elijah went to Horeb (Mount Sinai) and fasted 40 days and 40 nights (1 Kings 19:8) when his request for death was not granted. The  Lord enquired of him what he was doing there and Elijah said he had laboured zealously for the Lord because the children of Israel had forsaken the covenant, thrown down the Lord's altars and slain his prophets and that he alone was left while they sought his life (1 Kings 19:14). It makes you want to weep, doesn't it? Now here comes the interesting part. The Lord gave Elijah a most unexpected path to hope. He informed him that He had yet 7,000 Israelites who have not bowed down to Baal in heathen worship and whose lips had not kissed this abhorrent idol (1 kings 19:18). Seven thousand people who have remained true to the God of Israel. That's a lot of people!

Now consider the missionary labours of Abinadi in the court of the wicked king Noah. He was persecuted, bound, scourged and burnt to death.  Nobody believed anything he said, "but there was one among them whose name was Alma" (Mosiah 17:2) and we might say, the rest is history.....from one convert came thousands, the most significant of which was Alma the Younger; high priest, chief judge, military leader. Alma the Younger, who once went about with the intent to destroy the Church became Alma who led the Nephite armies in battle, who sat naked with Amulek in dungeons, who was spat upon by the unrepentant, who dumbfounded an anti-christ,  and who baptised thousands of souls unto repentance (Alma 4:4,5).

It seems that in our day and age wickedness and disobedience to God reigns supreme in and out of the Church yet we need not feel discouraged. The House of Israel will endure forever. The Lord will make sure of that. We of modern Israel have been promised that the spirit of the Lord will be poured down upon us and "sons and daughters will prophesy - preach, exhort, pray, and instruct so as to benefit the Church. Direction and revelation will be given. Young men and women who are representatives of the Lord will be inspired. The gifts of teaching and inspiration will be given to all classes and levels of people......the Lord will pour out His Spirit upon them, and they will be endowed with the gifts necessary to convert sinners and to build up the Church". (Old Testament Student Manual 1 Kings-Malachi, pp 85-86). This prophecy was given by Joel (Joel 2:28).

Our purpose is clear, the strong are to succor the weak. For we are our brother's keeper. We are the powerful ones. We are Israel. We are Ephraim. We are the Church of the Firstborn. We will be gathered from the four corners of the earth. We will endure calamities. We will conquor the enemy of all righteousness. We will usher in the Millenium. We will be caught up to meet Him. Well might we say:

Hurrah, Hurrah for Israel!

"And ye shall know that I am 

in the midst of Israel,

and that I am the Lord your God,

and none else;

and my people shall never be ashamed."

(Joel 2:27)

DWELLER OF A TENT

In the first book of his record, Nephi mentions four different times that his father lived in a tent (1 Nephi 2:15, 1 Nephi 9:1, 1 Nephi 10:16, 1 Nephi 16:6). Considering how laborious engraving of the golden plates was, one cannot help but ask why would Nephi want to bother to impress upon us this minor and seemingly insignificant detail. Obviously, it wasn't insignificant to Nephi. Besides being a God fearing man, in 600 BC, his father Lehi was a rich and resourceful merchant successfully building a nest egg for his old age. By all accounts his future promised a life of ease and luxury but God had other plans. He revealed to Lehi what was coming to Jerusalem, a city whose wickedness was so great that God did not only send one prophet to call its' inhabitants to repentance but as many as seven. Lehi was one of those prophets. When he came perilously close to losing his life, he gathered his family, fled his home and found himself in the desert, living in a tent. So why Nephi's focus on the tent? Obviously it was to highlight the contrast of his father's cushy life (1 Nephi 2:4) on the outskirts of Jerusalem with his life after he had chosen to sacrifice everything to live according to God's will. As a result of this sacrifice,  he swapped his riches for a tent but he saved his family.

In Lecture Sixth of the Lectures On Faith, Joseph Smith points out that the ancient saints were able to endure any fate and any loss and even suffer most horrid deaths because they had the assurance that they were pursuing a course which was agreeable to the will of God. He stresses several times that those who have this knowledge have "the power sufficient to produce the faith necessary unto life and salvation" (Lecture Sixth, para 7). What did this kind of faith do for Lehi? It enabled him to boldly complete one of the most demanding and difficult journeys, across waters he had never before travelled to a land he had never before seen. When we come to the point of such faith, we do not mind living in a tent because we then believe God when He says: "if you give up 'this little', I will give you 'this much'." In simple terms, if you sacrifice your all here and now, I will later give you something much better, even life eternal.

Once again, 'a religion that does not require the sacrifice of all things, never has power sufficient to produce the faith necessary unto life and salvation' (Lecture Sixth, para 7). In the category of 'all things' required of us as a sacrifice would fall not only temporal goods but our self will, desires, appetites, intentions and agendas for personal gain in the form of power, honour and worldly praise and self advancement. Joseph Smith calls those who sacrifice all in pursuit of a life that is in accordance with God's will 'the favourites of heaven'. Imagine being one of God's favourites......

Perhaps when we have sacrificed all, joyfully, to pursue a life conducive to the will of God,  the power of faith will be so great within us that we will be like that faithful, bold and resourceful merchant from the outskirts of Jerusalem who stood on the banks of the Red Sea, with no ship in sight, proclaiming: 

"I have obtained a land of promise" (1 Nephi 5:5).

- CATHRYNE ALLEN 

(Art: Lehi Examines Plates by Joseph Franklin Brickey)

THE CASE OF THE SPECKLED COWS

There is an interesting story in the Bible that is never spoken of. It is the story of speckled cows. You will recall that patriarch Jacob, committed himself to serve his uncle Laban for 14 years for his wives Leah and Rachael. After twenty long years of service Jacob expressed to Laban his desire to return to his own country. Laban was reluctant to let him go admitting that the Lord had prospered him because of Jacob, nevertheless, he asked him what wages can he give him for his service (Genesis 30:27,28). Anticipating this question, Jacob devised a marvelous plan, one that would recompense him for years of Laban's treachery (Genesis 31:6,7). He told Laban that all he wanted were the speckled and spotted cows out of the flocks of cattle that he tended for Laban. And here unfolds Jacob's clever and miraculous plan. The plan was to make rods out of the green branches of hazel and chestnut trees and carve them randomly so that they appeared speckled. Jacob then placed the rods in the watering troughs so when the flocks come to drink, the speckles would be constantly before their eyes. He did this especially with stronger cows. When the cows conceived, they conceived and gave birth to speckled calves. When Jacob's time came to leave he was far richer than Laban had ever been. I don't know anyone who would think of such a clever plan or have the foresight and faith that this would work but this was Jacob, the believer. Obviously Jacob understood that what we consistently see and focus on, we become. There is a lesson in this story for us.

When the Saviour spoke of Himself, He referred to Himself, among other names, as "the bread of life (John 6:35), "the true vine" (John 15:1), "the light of the world" (John 8:12) and "the stone of Israel" (D&C 50:44).  Consider the fact that we eat bread on daily basis and disperse darkness in our homes with the flick of a light switch. How easily can that action remind us of  "the light which shineth in darkness and the darkness comprehendeth it not" (D&C 6:21)? These are very visually compelling  objects but none more so than the bread and water that is set before our eyes each Sunday. Mirrored in the sacramental emblems is "the bread of life" (John 6:35) and "the fountain of living waters" (Jeremiah 17:13), which is Christ.  I feel that these emblems are not only meant to represent the renewal of our baptismal covenants but have a higher purpose - to make us like Him. Like the cows who came to drink of the "speckled" water, we come to the sacramental table to figuratively eat Christ's body and drink his blood. In His own words, the Saviour confirmed this when He said: "I am the living bread which came down from heaven: if any man eat of this bread, he shall live forever: and the bread that I will give is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world....verily, verily, I say unto you, except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink his blood, ye have no life in you. Whose eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, hath eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day." And then this promise: "He that eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, dwelleth in me and I in him...he that eateth me, even he shall live by me...he that eateth of this bread shall live forever." (John 6:51-58). What an amazing promise.

Why would the Saviour want us to dwell in Him and He in us? Obviously, so we can become like Him. Like speckled calves that were the product of speckled water, we are products of the living water that we consistently partake as His disciples. But not only His disciples, but His spiritually begotten children. Unlike speckled cows, however, we are born blemish and spot free.

THE WEAKNESS IN US

I have always considered my weaknesses to be my curse. I imagine this is the case for most people who seek after perfection. After all, who likes to feel 'weak' instead of strong? I have never dreamed that my weaknesses are in fact the key to not only my strength but the key to my eternal destiny.

I come from generations and generations of poor, struggling and oppressed peasants whose core belief was that life is extremely hard. Because of this background I grew up believing the same and hate to say that I have not yet arrived at the point of total appreciation for my mortality. Because of the inter-generational beliefs and weaknesses that have been passed onto me, I have made choices in life which have made my life rather difficult. And because of my upbringing, I have the tendency to gravitate towards the insidious habit of complaining. I am aware of it, I sometimes try to justify it and most of the time I try to correct it but I invariably fail to eradicate it. I have concluded this is one of my thorns in the flesh. One of these days I will give it a badge. Of course not all weaknesses are as subtle as this one. 

Some people consider weaknesses to be personality traits whilst others believe  they were given to us that we might learn through them and grow. Whereas it is true that through them we learn the exercise of free will and accountability, their primary purpose is far greater than all that. The true purpose of our weaknesses is so that we will develop humility. The Lord Himself said "I give unto men weakness that they may be humble" (Ether 12:27). Then he proceeds to say that if we humble ourselves before Him, meaning if we come to Him, He will grant us strength through His grace to overcome our weaknesses. So why humility? Why didn't He ask something else of us so we would quality for His help? The obvious reason would be because humility means absence of pride. The proud do not accept that they even have a problem let alone that they can't lick it themselves. So humility brings us to Christ, the well of all perfection, for our improvement and refinement.

There is however, one other greater reason. Humility is a giant step towards godhood. Without it, it is impossible to get there. Think about it. Consider a god without humility. It means He would be full of pride instead. The downfall of pride is that pride seeks to elevate you above others whereas godhood seeks to elevate others to the station that you yourself are at. If God the Father was full of pride and devoid of humility He would not seek to elevate His children through the sacrifice of His Son to His station so that they could possess all the riches of eternity that He Himself has. When you and I become gods, we will not be blinded by the infinite power and riches and want to keep them for ourselves, we will instead desire the same for our children. This is where Satan misunderstood what it means to be a god. The status and power of godhood cannot endure if they are contained by one person, they can only endure if they are added upon by other gods. The Saviour Himself has said, "This is my work and my glory, to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man" (Moses 1:39). So you see, our glory adds to God's glory. Without exalting his children to the status of godhood, God could not be a god.

So what are we to do with our weaknesses? Do we shrug our shoulders and embrace the way we are, not assuming responsibility? Do we cave under their heavy burden and give up, thinking it is beyond us to change? For those of us who want to excel, there is a way. When the Saviour said, "I would that ye should be perfect even as I" (3 Nephi 12:48)' He was giving us a very big clue as to how we can reach that perfection. All who believe in Him and follow Him inherit the right of access to His own perfection. We can become perfect by virtue of His perfection through the power of the Atonement. We can call upon this power to make us even as He is, so that we will know that it is by His grace that we are saved, after all we can do.....(2 Nephi 25:23)

"By the grace of God I am what I am"

1 Cor 15:10

THIS IS MY WORK AND MY GLORY

When I read the scriptures I choke up when I come across sentences such as "I am Helaman, the son of Alma" (Alma 58:41) or "I am Mormon, and I am a disciple of Jesus Christ" (3 Nephi 5:12,13). I lap up the war chapters of The Book of Mormon where Moroni, Helaman, Teancum and Antipus distinguish themselves in war strategies and moments of battle, and I want to bow to Lehi, at the mention of whose name the Lamanites trembled because "they feared Lehi exceedingly" (Alma 49:17). I long to have the penmanship skills of Isaiah and unnerving passion of Jeremiah who could not refrain from preaching because "the word of God was as a burning fire shut up in his bones" (Jeremiah 20:9). I see people all through the scriptures and I see people everywhere in this rich tapestry of life we call mortality. I imagine if there were no mortal days of probation I might never have heard of a man called Abraham Lincoln in the vastness of the Universe or been moved by music written by Mozart or heard Renee Fleming sing Casta Diva. What an amazing gift it is to be a witness of someone's unique expression of self and of the mark they leave on this world. What an amazing assortment of humanity we are. I marvel at our uniqueness, our creativity, our intelligence, our very essence and all that we are and are yet to become.

When Moses encountered God on Mount Sinai, God revealed Himself to him and Moses saw the glory of God and every particle of this earth and all the children of men (Moses 1:8,27) that have ever been created. The vision of God's power was overwhelming to a man who grew up in an Egyptian court believing that Pharoah was god and there was no one greater than him so he exclaimed that now he could see that man is nothing (Moses :10). God, however, didn't want Moses to miss the point so He showed him the same vision again and concluded it with the most important message in the scriptures: "For behold this is my work and my glory - to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man" (Moses 1:39). The point that God didn't want Moses to miss is this: amongst all of God's creations, none are greater than man. Why? Because man constitutes Gods glory. All that we are and all that we become matters because it leads to our glory and adds to His.

Most of us will not earn a page in the annals of history. Most of us will never become another Abraham Lincoln or Mozart or Helaman or Isaiah. We can, however, fight a good fight, do much good, accomplish our purpose, become the best we can possibly be. In the words of Abraham Lincoln: "Whatever you are, be a good one". And in the process, share your uniqueness with the world because according to Dr. Seuss: "Today you are you, that is truer than true. There is no one alive who is Youer than You". How true and how magnificant are you!

THE GOD OF THE OLD TESTAMENT

My favourite book of scripture is The Old Testament. It is a book that highlights God's infinite patience, mercy and love like no other. This might sound strange as on the surface, the God of the Old Testament appears severe, harsh and vengeful. This book of scripture mainly deals with the history of the House of Israel who repeatedly sinned, failed to carry out instructions and became misguided regarding their devotion to the one true and living God. Despite it all we see Jehovah forever standing in the shadows of their mortal stumblings waiting for them to accept Him as their God. His constant pleas for them to return to Him and the extended never ending second chances pervade this book of scripture.

As we study the Old Testament it is imperative that we remember that Jehovah of the Old Testament is Jesus of the New Testament, who comes across as nothing but loving, merciful and kind. The name Jehovah means "Unchangeable One".  He is unchangeable in His character, purpose and in His dealings with us, His spiritually begotten children. If we see Him different in the Old Testament to the New Testament, it is because we are not looking at the whole picture of the events presented and are not looking at finer details. For example, many people consider Miriam's punishment of leprosy for challenging her brother Moses' leadership in Numbers 12 as extremely dramatic and severe. What tends to be overlooked however, is the fact that Miriam repented quickly and God forgave quickly. Her leprosy lasted only one week. This story should give us an insight into God's willingness to forgive as quickly as we repent. It tells us He does not hold grudges and takes no delight in punishing us.

A story of greater proportion proves this point even more so. That story belongs to Noah and the flood which destroyed everyone on the face of the earth but 8 people ( Peter 3:20). The destruction was of enormous proportions but the mercy and long-suffering even greater. God gave the wicked in Noah's time 120 years to repent. During that time all the righteous were taken up 'by the powers of heaven into Zion' (Moses 7:27). When God showed Enoch the days of Noah He wept and Enoch marveled that a God of such power could weep. And so because of the love that caused the weeping, the story did not end with the flood. When the Saviour died upon the cross, He visited the spirit world and there organised forces to preach repentance to those in the spirit prison, starting with the people who died in the days of Noah (1 Peter 3:18-20, D&C 138:9,28). A second chance? Considering that Noah preached for 120 years, it is more like an infinite number of chances. This alone tells us how long-suffering the Saviour is towards us sinners.

As we consider these two stories, what kind of a God do we see, merciless or merciful? In The Lectures on Faith, Joseph Smith maintains that a person cannot exercise 'faith in God unto life and salvation' if he does not have a correct idea of his character, perfections and attributes (Lecture 3). The scriptures provide this knowledge, and none better than The Old Testament: the beginning of time, the root of our history, the manifestation of our God.

Credit: "Keys to Making the Old Testament a Powerful Force in Your Life" by Kerry Muhlestein