I noticed this year as I have begun to study the Book
of Mormon, how important it was to Nephi to teach his people that they are
still a part of the House of Israel, even though they had been removed geographically
from the main body of it at Jerusalem. He points out how his father compared the
House of Israel to an olive tree, ‘whose branches should be broken off and
should be scattered upon all the face of the earth’ (1 Nephi 10:12). And so
Nephi referred often to his group of people as a ‘broken branch’ in an effort
that they would never forget who they are (1 Nephi 15:12; 19:24).
This reminds me of a similar instance that goes way
back to the children of Israel who arrived from Egypt to inhabit the land of
Canaan. Because the inhabitants of Canaan were ripe in iniquity and idol
worship (1 Nephi 17:32-35) they presented a very real threat to the covenant
people. As the Israelites conquered cities before them, lands were appropriated
to them for their settlement. Among the first to receive land were the tribes
of Reuben, Gad and half of Mannesah. They settled in the land of Gilead which
divided them from the rest of Israel by the river Jordan (Numbers 34:14,15;
Deuteronomy 3:12,13; Joshua 22:9). After they had assisted in further conquest
of the land, Joshua sent them back to Gilead to live peacefully in their newly
appointed inheritance. Upon their return home, these tribes built an altar by
river Jordan. When the rest of Israel heard of it they were outraged presuming
the altar was built for idol worship. They sent Phineas, the son of Eleazor the
priest, with the heads of the remaining tribes, to call these two and a half
tribes to repentance. In their defense, these tribes explained that the altar
was not made for any worship but was meant to stand as a witness to the rest of
Israel, for generations to come, that the tribe of Reuben, Gad and Mannesah
were united with the rest of Israel in the worship of one true and living God. These
three tribes recognised that even though they were geographically divided from
the rest, they were still and always will be of the House of Israel.
Why was it important
for the people of Nephi to remember that they were ‘the broken off branch’? The
answer lies in Lehi’s explanation that the branches ‘should’ be broken off,
rather than ‘would’ be. It was imperative for Lehi’s family to know and pass
onto their children that they were led away from the iniquity of Jerusalem, to
the promised land, to become a ‘righteous branch’ upon whose shoulders rested
the latter-day destiny of the House of Israel (2 Nephi 3:5).
Another reason for
the branches to be broken off and the House of Israel to be scattered is to
bring the truth to the nations of the earth and to spread righteousness among
the unbelieving. Today the Church of Jesus Christ spreads across the globe
adopting the Gentiles into the fold. We are God’s covenant people called the
House of Israel. We are not only privileged but also important. The Plan of
Salvation does not rest on one set of shoulders only. The Saviour has begun His
work. He has atoned and established His Church. Until He returns to govern
through the Millenium, we, as the House of Israel, have the responsibility of bringing
the truth to the world to prepare for such a time. Ephraim in particular has
been assigned this work. We are not just member of His Church, we are the House
of Israel, God’s chosen people. Let’s never forget who we are…..
- CATHRYNE ALLEN
(Art: All The World Is Mine by Greg Collins)
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