TO BECOME

 

When Moses was issued his calling as the deliverer of Israel his feeling of inadequacy reared its head. This was no calling to serve on the Bishopric or to be an Elders Quorum President. This calling was beyond huge. Some historians have estimated that the population of the Hebrews in Egypt could have numbered in the excess of 2 million people. Moses tried three times to convince God that calling him to do it was not a good idea.

When an Egyptian prince Moses had “few equals as a general of the armies” (Josephus, “The Complete Works of Josephus”, p 119). Since that time he had been a Hebrew slave and a shepherd of Midian for 40 years. Somehow one can understand his reply to God: “Who am I, that I should go unto Pharaoh, and that I should bring forth the children of Israel out of Egypt?” (Exodus 3:11). This was the first attempt.

Jehovah assured Moses that He will be with him and then proceeded to prove it. He foretold the success of this task and that because of it  Moses would serve Him on Mt Sinai after the exodus; he told him how to convince the Hebrews that He, Jehovah, indeed sent him by revealing His name; that Pharaoh will not let the people go and that He will smite Egypt with His wonders and that when they finally leave, they will take the spoils of Egypt with them (Exodus 3:11-22)

Then came the second attempt. All of the Saviour’s foreknowledge still was not enough for Moses and he tried to ‘assure’ God that Egyptians will not believe him that God sent him (Exodus 4:1). Next came the visual proofs as the way of evidence: the leprous hand, the rod that turns into a snake and the water of the river that turns into blood (vs 2-9)

Finally the third…..”I am not eloquent but am slow of speech” (4:10). Whether Moses had lost confidence in himself over the years or not, the fact remained that he was once “an extremely well-educated prince and a mighty warrior in the cause of the Egyptians (Josephus, “Antiquities” book 2, 9:7, 10:1-2). Stephen affirmed that Moses was ‘learned in all the wisdom of the Egyptians and was mighty in words and in deeds (Acts 7:22).

The Lord assured Moses again that He will be with him and with ‘his mouth and will teach him what he should say’ but even this was not good enough and Moses asked for a spokesman and angered the Lord who relented and gave him Aaron as his spokesman (Exodus 4:10-14). Looking for help in ‘arm of the flesh’  was not a good idea, it was a gross offence.

This is the reality of the matter. Jehovah didn’t try to build-up Moses by recounting all his successes. He didn’t pamper to his inadequacies with sympathy and pity. He got angry….and He got angry not because Moses didn’t believe in himself but because he didn’t believe in HIM!

I think He was so astounded by Moses’ lack of faith that he chided him with the reminder of who He was: “Who hath made man’s mouth? Or who maketh the dumb, or deaf, or the seeing, or the blind? Have not I the Lord?” (v 11). I hope Moses was shaking in his boots by then.

Another reality…..the Saviour doesn’t really need any of us. He can do His own work and accomplish things through His mighty miracles and the power of His priesthood…..but where would that leave us mere mortals? Dumb, blind, and inexperienced…..

We are in training here and as Joseph said, “on the pathway to eternal fame, and immortal glory”….and there is only one person who can help us rise to such a lofty ideal. He can make of us what we came here to become…..we should never forget that. In other words, ‘I know you cannot do this on your own but with me you can do anything!’

- CATHRYNE ALLEN 

(Art: The Rock of Our Salvation by Jay Bryant Ward)

LIFE

 

“’Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect’ (Matt 5:48). Now, that is an attainable goal. We will not be exalted, we shall not reach our destination, unless we are perfect, and now is the best time in the world to start toward that perfection. I have little patience with people who say, ‘Oh, nobody is perfect’, the implication being: ‘so why try? Of course no one is wholly perfect, but we find some who are a long way up the ladder.”

-          President Spencer W. Kimball, “Teachings of Spencer W. Kimball” p 165

I have been very introspective on this the last leg of my earthly journey. I think illness has a great way of forcing us to confront our mortality. Recognizing that life is a sum of one’s choices, I have been re-hashing my life to discover if there is something I should have done better: did I follow all the teachings of the Gospel as I should, did I rely on God enough to follow my life’s plan, did I allow my fears to control me, did  my decisions make my life better or worse, did I suffer more than I should have, did I try hard enough to be Christ-like?

So much of what comes upon us is self-inflicted. Even Job admitted that what he feared had come upon him (Job 3:25).  I discovered a person can easily run the risk of spending their entire old age beating themselves up over the past. Seeing clearly you are not perfect can be a terrible blow to the ego….

I have looked back on the lessons I have learnt during my life and have reasoned they are wasted if they are not acted upon but some things cannot be re-visited. Somehow I think nothing gained here was ever meant to be wasted. There is another life to be lived….a better life….the real life….the never ending life…..because the spirit of man lives on and ‘becoming’ is a process.

One day we will see the beauty in all our earthly experiences and all our learning as we kneel before the King of Kings and acknowledge His priceless part in our eternal journey. One day I know, when I am sanctified, He will consecrate ‘the sum of me’.

The lessons of my life flowed like a river

Winding through days, months and years;

I rescued a few but missed so many

From the currents as I saw them passing;

They drowned in a daze of my ignorance,

Unwanted and ignored but yet abiding.

I fish them now from the pool of my memory

And give them life everlasting.

- CATHRYNE ALLEN

(Art: Jesus Prince of Peace by Danny Hahlbohm)

UNDERSTANDING HISTORY

 

At the beginning of the year I wrote a post in which I mentioned my history professor tell us that we should be careful how we judge history because it is written by men from men’s perspective. That was a few years ago but I have never forgotten it. I try to think of that even when I am reading the scriptures.

The perspective of the author is not the only thing that matters but also cultural differences of the time, manner of speaking, changes in language and what Joseph Smith claimed were ‘certain errors that had crept into the Bible through arrogant translators, careless transcribers, or designing and corrupt priests’ (Joseph Smith Teachings, p 327)

The Old Testament is particularly susceptible to incorrect text because it has been translated many times. We are fortunate to have modern day revelation that makes a lot of doctrines simpler to understand through corrections that are needed for further clarification. I am particularly grateful for the JST and I always refer to it. Sometimes it’s just a missing word that makes a whole verse make more sense.

Already this year I have come across three important examples of what I am trying to say here:

1.      Exodus 6:3: “And I appeared unto Abraham, unto Isaac, and unto Jacob, by the name of God Almighty, but by my name JEHOVAH was I not known to them.”  I ask, why would the forefathers not know His name??? Well they did….JST says: “….and unto Jacob, I am the Lord God Almighty; the Lord JEHOVAH. And was not my name known unto them?”

2.      Exodus 2:11-15: these verses say that Moses saw an Egyptian smiting a Hebrew and he ‘slew’ him. In King James English, the words ‘smote’ and ‘slew’ are both translated from Hebrew word NAKHAH, meaning to ‘beat down’. Different ancient writings and commentaries claim different things regarding this incident but the Church OT student manual quotes Elder Mark E. Petersen as saying that there must have been a good reason for Moses’ act as “most assuredly the Lord would not have called a murderer to the high office of prophet and liberator for his people Israel.” (Petersen, “Moses” p 42, Student Manual 1 p 105).  

3.      Exodus 4, 7, 9, 11: In His instructions to Moses regarding the plagues of Egypt, the Old Testament records the Lord saying He will harden the Pharaoh’s heart so he will not let the Israelites go. The JST says in every instance that Pharaoh will harden his heart which makes so much more sense. Why would the Lord try to stop His own work to the point where He had to do something so dire as extinguishing the lives of Egypt’s first born?

With the amount of study material available to us in the Church today, there really is no excuse for not understanding anything. But most important of all, make an important friend…..him who administers to all sincere seekers of truth……”and by the power of the Holy Ghost ye may know the truth of all things” (Moroni 10:5)

And now this promise: “I the Lord am merciful and gracious unto those who fear me and delight to honour those who serve me in righteousness and in truth unto the end….and to them will I reveal all mysteries of my kingdom…for by my Spirit will I enlighten them…..(D&C 76:5-10)

- CATHRYNE ALLEN 

(Art: Receiving the Spirit by Danny Hahlbohm)

THE GREAT I AM

 

When Moses was 40 years old he refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter and he left the Egyptian court. He joined his people Israel preferring God to the riches of Egypt and believing God would by his hand deliver his people but they ‘understood not’ (Hebrews 11:24-27; Acts 7:25).

In short, Moses went from the privilege of his Egyptian upbringing to slavery, to being a shepherd in the land of Midian where he married and received the priesthood from Jethro, his father-in-law (D&C 84:6). After another forty years of pastoral life, Moses finally had confirmation that he would lead the Israelites out of Egypt. He was by then 80 years old.

When God spoke to Moses on Mt Sinai out of the burning bush, He identified himself as “the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob” and commanded him to deliver the children of Israel out of the Egyptian bondage (Exodus 3:6-10).

But Moses was not content to go to Israel telling them ‘the God of your fathers sent me’ so he asked God to identify himself by His name which he would take to the Israelites (v 13). God answered: “I am that I Am. Tell them I AM sent me” (v 14).

I AM is the name that identifies Jehovah. It is the equivalent of “Yahveh” or “Jahveh” now rendered “Jehovah” and signifies “The Self-existent One”, “The Eternal”, “The First and the Last”. So sacred was the name regarded by the Jews that their traditionalism forbade the utterance of it. (see James Talmage, “Jesus the Christ”, p 412)

Hence the Lord was not saying “I AM THAT I AM” but rather, “I am ‘that’ I AM”. I am Jehovah.

During His earthly ministry, the Saviour identified himself as seven main I AM’s as contained in the Gospel of John:

-          I am the bread of life (6:31,51)

-          I am the light of the world (8:12)

-          I am the door of the sheep (10:7,9)

-          I am the good shepherd (10:11,14)

-          I am the resurrection and life (11:25)

-          I am the way, the truth and the life (14:6)

-          I am the true vine (15:1,5)

As I look at these seven proclamations I could summarise them in this one scripture: “I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly” (John 10:10).

As we approach this Easter season and yet again acknowledge the Saviour’s Atonement, may we reflect on who He really is and more importantly, who He is to each of us individually. We should know that.

My favourite name for the Saviour is “The Great I Am” (D&C 39:1) and surely He is. There is no greater. Hallowed be His name…..forever and ever.

- CATHRYNE ALLEN 

(Art by Chris Brazelton)

 

 

 

AN ENSIGN TO THE WORLD

 

“Every man and every person who lives in this world wields an influence, whether for good or for evil. It is not what he says alone; it is not alone what he does. It is what he is. Every man, every person radiates what he or she really is….

“It is what we are and what we radiate that affects the people around us. As individuals, we must think nobler thoughts. We must not encourage vile thoughts or low aspirations. We shall radiate them if we do. If we think noble thoughts; if we encourage and cherish noble aspirations, there will be that radiation when we meet people, especially when we associate with them.”

-          President David O. McKay, “Man May Know For Himself” p 108

I believe we are the greatest missionary tool the Church has. I know we are told it is the Book of Mormon but I see it in a deeper context. We should be living examples of what that book is.

I had a friend some years ago who was very intent on giving out the Book of Mormon to all and sundry. She carried copies of it everywhere she went, even to the movies. She would give the book out to the ushers. I knew those books would end up in trash because a lot of people are not interested in religious books.

The greatest and the most successful way to share the Book of Mormon is when people know us and who we are. When those who know us become so impressed with the value of our character, they want to know how we got to be so. That’s when we can hand out the Book of Mormon. We will get the people of the world to read it when we become the product of its’ teachings.

Now consider the responsibility we have been charged with:  “You are one of those angelic messengers called from before the foundation of the world to wave the ensign of the gospel of Jesus Christ to all the world.” (Elder Jeffrey R. Holland, “An Ensign to the Nations” April 2011 GC)

Our calling as the disciples of Jesus Christ is more important in the world today than it has ever been. Never before have we been as divided as we are today. There is a major religion today that seeks to extinguish Christianity. This can never happen and it will NOT happen.

Who we are needs to stand out in stark contrast to who THEY are. Whereas they seek the destruction of the believers, we have the duty to teach life everlasting through Him who has told us not to destroy but to love our enemies, bless them that curse us, do good to them that hate us and pray for them which despitefully use us and persecute us (Matthew 5:44).

We cannot just call ourselves Christians. We need to BE Christians. It’s a state of being rather than a religion. We need to know ourselves and most importantly, we need to know HIM…….

Who is the Lord and there is none else,

Who is God and there is no God beside Him,

Who has made the earth, and created man upon it,

 He is the Lord, and there is none else.

A just God and a Saviour, there is none beside Him.

Look unto Him, and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth: 

for He is God, and there is none else.

Unto Him every knee shall bow, and every tongue confess,

He is the Lord and there is none beside Him.

-         Isaiah 45

- CATHRYNE ALLEN 

(Art: Hallowed Be Thy Name by Jay Bryant Ward)

FAITH

 

“There are two kinds of faith. One of them functions ordinarily in the life of every soul. It is the kind of faith born by experience; it gives us certainty that a new day will dawn, that spring will come, that growth will take place. It is the kind of faith that relates us with confidence to that which is scheduled to happen.

“There is another kind of faith, rare indeed. This is the kind of faith that causes things to happen. It is the kind of faith that is worthy and prepared and unyielding, and it calls forth things that otherwise would not be. It is the kind of faith that moves people.

“It is the kind of faith that sometimes moves things….It comes by gradual growth. It is a marvelous, even a transcendent power, a power as real and as invisible as electricity. Direct and channeled, it has great effect….”

-          Boyd K. Packer, “What is Faith” in FAITH [1983] p 42-3

 

For now I walk unsteady steps

On this earthly soil beneath my feet

But one day I will run to You

With perfect faith in waves of deep.

 

And when in distance Your glory beckons,

When You come to take me home,

I will run into Your arms

And forever be Your own. 

- CATHRYNE ALLEN 

(Art: Focus On Me, Not the Storm by Brent Borup)

A BABY OF PROMISE

 

“Now there arose up a new king over Egypt, which knew not Joseph. And he said unto his people, Behold, the people of the children of Israel are more and mightier than we: Come on, let us deal wisely with them: lest they multiply, and it come to pass that, when there falleth out any war, they join also unto our enemies, and fight against us, and get them out of the land. 

Therefore, they did set over them taskmasters to afflict them with their burdens…..But the more they afflicted them, the more they multiplied and grew. And they were grieved because of the children of Israel…… and they made their lives bitter with hard bondage….. (Exodus 1:8-14)

“We fancy that God can only manage His world by big battalions….when all the while He is doing it by beautiful babies….When a wrong needs righting, or a truth wants preaching, or a continent wants opening, God sends a baby into the world to do it.”  (F.W. Boreham)

And it was a doomed baby, a beautiful baby, that was meant to be saved when a great wrong needed righting, a truth needed preaching, and people needed saving….and his name was Moses (Acts 7:20)

You mothers who have experienced the euphoria after giving birth, imagine the government of your land had decreed that the baby you were holding in your arms had to die. It doesn’t bear thinking does it? Think of Mary, Elizabeth and the mother of Moses…..

Imagine having to place that baby in a basket and set it on a river hoping someone would find it and look after it because you cannot bear to see its life extinguished. Then imagine a woman in pre-mortal life saying: send me to the Egyptian royal court and I will save that Hebrew baby that would one day float down the river…… this was the beginning of a man who was to become the greatest prototype of the Messiah.

And here is the full story. A Levite by the name of Amram, who was afraid for his whole nation and the baby his wife, Jochebed  was carrying, prayed to God one night begging Him for deliverance from the miseries his people were enduring at the hands of the Egyptian masters  who had proclaimed a death penalty on all the newborn.

God of Israel heard that prayer and ‘stood by him in his sleep’ and exhorted him not to despair for the child his wife was carrying for that very child shall deliver the Hebrew nation from the distress they were under. What’s more, “he shall be concealed from those who watch to destroy him….that his memory shall be famous while the world lasts; and this not only among the Hebrews, but foreigners also….”  (Josephus, “Jewish Antiquities” p 97)

And this answers how Moses’ preservation came about through the involvement of Him who makes all things possible and who fulfils all His promises. Amram and his wife concealed the baby boy in their home for three months after which Amram decided to trust the baby’s safety and care to God rather than to depend on his own uncertain ways of protection: “He believed that God would in some way procure the safety of the child in order to secure the truth of His own predictions”. (ibid p 98)

Hence the cradle made out of bulrushes and the infant left to God’s preservation floating down the river. Imagine the faith of that father and the longing of that mother to hold that baby against her breast….imagine the lesson learnt that when you put your trust in God, He comes up with a perfect plan because He did send that willing woman to the Egyptian court to save that baby of promise….. whom the Egyptians themselves raised to break the bands of their inflicted bondage of God’s favoured people.  

Oh the irony of the perfect plan of the perfect God whose work for the salvation of men cannot be frustrated!

- CATHRYNE ALLEN

(Artist Unknown)

 

GENERAL CONFERENCE

 

“A message given to a General Authority at a general conference – a message prepared under the influence of the Spirit to further the work of the Lord – is not given to be enjoyed. It is given to inspire, to edify, to challenge, or to correct. It is given to be heard under the influence of the Spirit of the Lord, with the intended result that the listener learns from the talk and from the Spirit what he or she should do about it.”

-          Dallin H. Oaks, “The Dedication of A Lifetime”, CES Fireside for Young Adults, 1 May 2005

I will add just one thing. We should not look to General Conference to teach us how to be better mothers, fathers, neighbours, citizens….or how to be successful in any of our endeavours, overcome our weaknesses, addictions and sins and ‘to further the work of the Lord’. We should look to General Conference to tell us what we need to know here and now how to develop the Christ-like attribute that we need here and now. This is all that matters…because in the process of becoming like the Saviour, one attribute at a time, we become good mothers, fathers, neighbours….we overcome our weaknesses, addictions and sins, we become a success overall and we further the work of the Lord.

This is His Church…a shelter from the storm that is seeking to swallow us, a place that seeks to embrace us and keep us under the shadow of His wings. A place that is preparing us for the day “when He shall appear and we shall be like Him” (Moroni 7:48). This is all that matters……

Thou art our everlasting God

Jehovah, our King,

Hide us under the shadow of Thy wings

That we might not cause Thee sorrow;

And help us wait for Thee

In the dawning of tomorrow. 

- CATHRYNE ALLEN 

(Art: Clouds of Glory by Greg Sargent)

MOSES, THE VOICE OF GOD

 

“The Lord’s concern for His chosen people can be seen in the call of Moses. So great was Moses that forever after the Lord and His people have used him as a standard, or model, of a prophet. Even Jesus Christ was called a prophet like unto Moses (see Acts 3:22; 7:37; Deuteronomy 18:15, 18-19; 1 Nephi 22:20-21; 3 Nephi 20:23-24). Indeed, Moses was a similitude or living symbol of Jesus Christ (see Moses 1:6).”

-          The Old Testament Student Manual Genesis 2 – Samuel p 103

“The true Moses was one of the mightiest men of God in all time….. He walked and talked with God, received of divine glory while yet in mortality, was called a son of God, and was in the similitude of the Only Begotten. He saw the mysteries of the heavens and much of creation, and received laws from God beyond any other ancient man of whom we have record.”

-          Elder Mark E. Petersen, “Moses”, p 49)

“He had few equals as a general and none as a prophet, to the extend that in all his pronouncements, one seemed to hear the voice of God himself.”

-          Flavius Josephus, “The New Complete Works of Josephus” p 119

As mighty and exemplary as Moses was, he was not perfect. It seems he made a crucial mistake which cost him entrance into the promised land (Numbers 20:12; Deuteronomy 32:51-52). Some sources say, however, that other factors might have contributed also (see the Old Testament Student Manual 1 p 208).

The children of Israel certainly were a whining lot and one can see how easy it was for Moses to be led to the mistake he made being driven by the frustration of their complaints. The story unfolds when they arrived to the desert of Zin and found there was no water there. They immediately accused Moses and Aaron of taking them out of Egypt and bringing them to ‘this evil place’ that they might die (Numbers 20:1-5).

The Lord told Moses to “speak” to a rock at Meribah and to strike it with a rod to bring forth water for the children of Israel. The instructions were, however, not adhered to properly. Gathering the people to witness the miracle, Moses never spoke to the rock and instead struck it in anger and suggested to the congregation that he and Aaron were responsible for the saving water that issued in response to their accusations (v 8-11).

Think for a moment what this could have meant to a people who were exposed to the idolatry and sorcery of Egypt for 430 years. Now think about it in the context of Jehovah being the living water and how this incident could have impressed this on their minds. Every miracle, every answered prayer, every conquest had to be attributed to the God who would make them “a peculiar people” that would carry the banner of the one true and living God into the land of Canaan to conquer the unbelievers and claim their inheritance.

And Moses? The merciful Jehovah took him to Mount Nebo in the land of Moab and showed him the promised land before He took him unto himself (Deuteronomy 32:49) and that in itself was a far greater land of promise (Alma 45:19).

- CATHRYNE ALLEN 

(Art: Be Still My Soul by Mark Missman)

A PERSPECTIVE

 

Many years ago when I was going through the darkest time of my life, I had a priesthood blessing from my Bishop during which he told me that my life was planned for me before I was born and that I agreed to that plan. Still, part of me did not fully accept that painful period or my life until a year ago when I gained a deeper perspective regarding the matter. It was revealed to me that because of the goal I had for myself in pre-earth life, an opportunity of self-sacrifice was offered to me as a means of becoming who I wanted to be and I took that choice. I agreed to a painful path for myself so that another can benefit from it.

I reflected on this yesterday because of the children of Israel who fell into Egyptian bondage  for 430 years. Before I expound on the relevance, here is how that servitude came about:

“And Joseph died, and all his brethren, and all that generation. And the children of Israel were fruitful, and increased abundantly, and multiplied, and waxed exceeding mighty; and the land was filled with them. Now there arose up a new king over Egypt, which knew not Joseph.” (Exodus 1:6-8)

This new king was no doubt Egyptian and not of the Hyksos dynasty of Semitic people that Joseph governed Egypt  under (Old Testament Student Manual 1 p 103). The Egyptians hated Semitic people in their land and erased all mention of Joseph from their history, but one piece of evidence remains. Apparently, “they exaggerated their ‘successes’ and immortalized them on a stone slab of Merneptah, which in listing conquered peoples claims proudly: “Israel is laid waste and his seed is not.” (Jewish Antiquities, “The New Complete Works of Josephus” p 95)

Josephus tells us when the children of Israel came into Egypt they numbered no more than seventy souls (see also Genesis 46:27). By the time Jacob and Joseph died and the Egyptian king came to power, they numbered above 600,000. This frightened the Egyptians to the point of severe affliction of the Hebrews in an attempt to eradicate them (see Exodus 1:9-14).

Imagine 430 years of bondage. Imagine being born into it and dying in it. Imagine all you know of life is slavery, for yourself, your family, your ancestors….and you cannot see the end. One would wonder why would God allow this to go on for so long. This is where my theory of sacrifice comes in…..because there is an explanation. It would seem their servitude was a sacrifice that helped tremendously in developing and preserving their identity for the future generations:

Palestine was a battleground for warring nations…and Israel needed stable conditions to become a ‘peculiar people’ and this is how:  Firstly, the hatred that existed between the Hebrews and the Egyptians and the length of their trying servitude fused Jacob’s children into a united people; and secondly, Israel had to remain a pure race and the hatred between these two nations prevented intermarriage (otherwise the validity of the priesthood would have been compromised as the Egyptians were descendants of Cain and did not have the right to the  priesthood…see Abraham 1:21-27) (Mark Petersen, “Moses” pp 27-30, “Old Testament Student Manual” 1 p 103)

Both James Talmage and Bruce R. McConkie claimed that valiant spirits earned the privilege of being chosen before they were born to come to earth as members of the House of Israel (see “Articles of Faith” pp 193-94; “The Mortal Messiah: From Bethlehem to Calvary”, 1:23)

I wondered if those valiant early members of the House of Israel chose to be born in Egypt for the purpose of building a strong House of Israel and its destiny. I rather think they understood the principle of self-sacrifice for the greater good of others and accepted this responsibility. I imagine the resilience and the survival of Israel over the course of history had its beginning in Egypt where the task masters of bondage built the strength of the tribe that could not be broken……the tribe that gave birth to the Lion of Judah…..and we know what HIS destiny was.

- CATHRYNE ALLEN 

(Art: Saviour and King by Greg Collins)

 

 

 

THE LION

 

I used to be sad that Christ came through the lineage of Judah. After all, Judah didn’t seem exemplary enough as a man, not like Joseph. He forfeited the birthright through immorality (see Genesis 38).

I understood Nephi’s explanation of the Saviour’s lineage in saying that ‘there is none other nation on earth that would crucify their God’ (2 Nephi 10:3) but this too left me with a negative impression of Judah. Whereas the Jews had indeed become a stiff-necked people by the time that Jesus came on the scene, it is important to see His death in a proper perspective.

Jesus gave up His life willingly. He attested to this when He said: “….I lay down my life that I might take it again. No man taketh it from me but I lay it down myself” (John 10:17,18). The Jews of His day might have pointed the finger and facilitated His death but in actuality, we are the ones that sent Him to the cross. He died to atone for our sins and not for any drummed- up charge that Jews could put Him to death for. No one else had the power to put Him on that cross, not the Jews and not the Romans (see Matthew 26:51-53).

Yesterday I read something about Judah that redeemed him in my eyes. I was reading the “Jewish Antiquities” by Josephus, a Jewish historian, which offers a more comprehensive outline of Joseph’s forgiveness of his brothers and I saw in him the foreshadowing of the Lion of Judah.

When Benjamin was brought before Joseph for the punishment of stealing the golden cup which was concealed in his sack, all the brothers were beside themselves but none more so than Judah. The Bible records that he offered himself to stay in Egypt as a slave to Joseph (Genesis 44:32-34) but his lengthy plea for Benjamin’s life recorded by Josephus brought me to tears. Judah ended his pleading with offer of his life for Benjamin’s:

“If, therefore, you resolve to slay him, I desire you will slay me in his stead, and send him back to his father…..”  (“Jewish Antiquities”, The New Complete Works of Josephus, p 91).

I saw in Judah the protection he offered for his brother to the point of death. I saw: “I will die instead of him, I will die so Benjamin can live”. Does this remind you of someone? I saw the foreshadowing of the redemptive power of Christ in the ancestor the Saviour came from.

There is something else I saw. Judah was determined to prevent his father’s sorrow and pain (see vs 22 and 34). This too reminded me of Christ’s biggest motivation for His sacrifice….to save us for the sake of the Father He loved and would spare the agony of His loss. The Saviour was groomed to save His siblings from the beginning.

When Jacob gave Judah his blessing, he promised him a kingly posterity until “Shiloh” come (Genesis 49:10). Shiloh is Christ ‘unto whom shall the gathering of the people be’ (v10).

Why a lion to represent the Saviour as the head of the House of Israel? Because a lion symbolizes His role as a powerful, royal, and victorious Messiah. A lion is the king of the jungle…..The Lion of Judah connects Jesus to the lineage of King David, representing his authority and protection of his people.

The Lion of Judah…..the King of Kings and Lord of Lords.

 

He, in whose hand is the scepter of kings

Who spanned the heavens above

And laid the foundations of the earth below

Upon whose surface He once achingly trod

Before whom we now bow and call,

The Holy One of God.

 

- CATHRYNE ALLEN 

(Art: In God's Care by Greg Collins)

WITH JOY

 

I was reading the prophecies of Joseph in the Joseph Smith Translation yesterday and was overcome with emotion. I understood for the first time exactly why Joseph was blessed with the double portion of Jacob’s inheritance. This man was exceptional.

Chapter 50 of the JST begins with Joseph approaching death and saying to his brethren "... I go down to my grave with joy" (JST Genesis 50:24). Ever the optimist, he saw his life in balance. In “The Testament of the Patriarchs” he says this in his own words:  "My brethren hated me...they wanted to kill me.....into a cistern they lowered me....they sold me into slavery.....I was taken into captivity....I was overtaken by hunger....I was alone....I was in weakness...I was in prison.....I was in bonds....assaulted by bitter words of the Egyptians...a slave" (The Old Testament Pseudepigraha, p 819).

But then this: "....the Lord loved me....the God of my fathers preserved me...the Most High raised me up....the Lord of all set me free....the strength of His hand came to my aid....the Lord himself fed me generously....God came to help me.....the Lord showed His concern for me...the Saviour acted graciously in my behalf......He rescued me and He exalted me." (The OT Pseudepigraha, p 819)

I cried at the end of chapter 50 when I read he requested that his bones be carried out of Egypt: “So Joseph died when he was an hundred and ten years old and they embalmed him and they put him in a coffin in Egypt; and he was kept from burial by the children of Israel, that he might be carried up and laid in the sepulchre with his father….” (JST 50:37,38)

Joseph’s greatest joy before he died centered on the promises he received from the Lord regarding his posterity through his sons Ephraim and Manasseh….namely, a deliverance from bondage and ‘a righteous branch that shall be carried off into a far country’ (JST 50:24,25):

“I suppose Jacob saw this land as well as Moses, and he designated it a….. very distant land. He said this land was over and above, what his progenitors gave to him and he would give it to Joseph…..The precious things of heaven were to be given to Joseph on this land. Blessed of the Lord be his land for the precious things of heaven, more precious than the fullness of earth…..more precious than the gold and silver of the earth. The precious things of heaven revealed to the people of Joseph on the great land given to them unto the utmost bounds of the everlasting hills.” (Orson Pratt, in “Journal of Discourses”, 18:167-68; see also Genesis 49:26)

And so Lehi of the tribe of Manasseh (Alma 10:3) and Ishmael of the tribe of Ephraim (see Erastus Snow, in “Journal of Discourses”, 23:184-85), arrived in the most precious land ‘unto the utmost bounds of the everlasting hills’ in 600 B.C. to fulfil the promise made to Joseph about his posterity.

You who stand on the hallowed ground of America and claim it as your home….know what a privilege it is to be born and bred there. Your land belongs to Joseph, your patriarch and the prototype of Him who ultimately owns everything…..our God of Israel, who so freely gives, who guards the land of everlasting hills and all His promises faithfully fulfills…..

- CATHRYNE ALLEN 

(Art: Focus on Joy by Michael Malm)

A GOD OF ORDER

 

Did you know that there is no extra-biblical evidence that Joseph of Egypt existed? Here is why:

“Many scholars speculate that Joseph came to power in Egypt while the nation was under the domination of the Hyksos people. The ancient historian Manetho called the Hyksos the shepherd-kings and told how their conquest and dominion were bitterly hated by the Egyptians.

“The Hyksos were Semitic peoples from the lands north and east of Egypt. Since Jacob and his family were also Semitic, it is easy to understand how Joseph would be viewed with favour by the Hyksos and also how, when the Hyksos were finally overthrown and driven out of Egypt, the Israelites would suddenly fall from favour with the native Egyptians.

“Many people have wondered how Joseph could be vice-regent for so many years without having his name in any of the records or monuments of Egypt. If the theory of Hyksos domination is correct, then Joseph’s name would have been purged from records and monuments along with those of the other Hyksos rulers.” (Old Testament Student Manual Genesis – 2 Samual, p 103)

This historical theory offers two explanations. The first is how the Tribes of Israel fell into bondage in Egypt: “But when the time of the promise drew nigh, which God had sworn to Abraham, the people grew and multiplied in Egypt. Till another king arose, which knew not Joseph” (Acts 7:17-19; Exodus 1:8). This new Egyptian king enslaved all of Israel for 430 years, which the Lord told Abraham would happen (Genesis 15:13; Exodus 12:40)

The second question it answers has to do with Joseph’s wife Asenath. The Old Testament tells us that Pharaoh gave Joseph to wife ‘Asenath the daughter of Potipherah, priest of On’ (Genesis 41:45). On was the popular name for Heliopolis with large houses which were the habitation of priests, philosophers, and those that studied astronomy. The history of this place is fascinating but too lengthy to engage in here.

Jewish tradition and legends claim that Potiphera and his daughter Asenath were in fact Semitic, and either Hebrew or of a similar Asiatic-Semitic people known as the Shepherd Kings. Knowing that the Pharaoh of the time was himself Semitic would make sense that he would not give an Egyptian wife to Joseph.

It is also important to note that the children of Joseph and Asenath were given Semitic names of Manasseh and Ephraim, rather than Egyptian names (Genesis 41:51,52). One text from Hellenistic Egypt (10 B.C.E.) tells a fascinating story of Joseph and Asenath (Joseph and Asenath – TheTorah.com)

Joseph’s two sons are the greatest proof that their mother was not Egyptian. If she was, it would mean that her offspring could not hold the priesthood as Egyptians were descendants of Cain through Ham and his wife Egyptus, herself a descendant of Cain (see Guide to Scriptures). Ephraim and Manasseh became the inheritors of the Covenant and the leading tribes of the House of Israel. More on that later.

This is what the stories of the Old Testament reveal to me….a perfect God, a God of order. Because of Him the Plan of Salvation runs like clock-work. The God of Israel has prepared every needful thing to ensure its success. His work and His glory to bring about the immortality and eternal life of man is flawless. There are no stumbling blocks he has not foreseen. There is no ‘ooops, I didn’t see that coming’ in His Plan. All eventualities were before His eyes when He put into place all the key people that will uphold it. And there is no contingency plan because it is not needed. The perfection of our God astounds me. He has us in the palm of His hand.

- CATHRYNE ALLEN 

(Art: Creator by Greg Olsen)

A FAMILY RE-UNITED

 

One of the most emotional stories of the Old Testament would have to be the reunion of Joseph of Egypt and his brothers. The story usually evokes the injustice perpetrated on Joseph and his ensuing benevolent forgiveness. Very seldom do we, however, recognize the remorse and recompense of his brothers in this scenario.

This heart rendering story begins with the brothers coming to Egypt and being recognized by Joseph who is unwilling to offer forgiveness so quickly. At Joseph’s accusation of spying, the brothers immediately recognized it was pay-back time for what they did to their brother. As the thread of reconciliation began to unravel, Joseph heard their guilt and wept unseen (Genesis 42:21-24).

In his clever plot to deepen his brothers’ guilt into remorse, Joseph imprisoned Simeon and requested the brothers bring back Benjamin. This request was too much for Jacob who lamented he was bereaved of his children (Genesis 42:36-38).

So affected was Reuben by his father’s grief that he offered him to ‘slay’ two of his sons if he doesn’t bring Simeon and Benjamin back to him (42:36,37). This is the point of the story that seared my heart. I could feel Reuben’s genuine love for his father and the remorse for what his sons had put him through. What is even more heart rendering is that Reuben, the oldest of the brothers, was the one who averted the brothers’ murderous plot by persuading them to lower Joseph into a pit so he could rescue him later (37;21,22). He was the least guilty yet he offered the lives of two of his sons in recompense.

The second least guilty was Judah who suggested the brothers sell Joseph to the Ishmaelites rather than kill him (37:26,27). He too stepped forward to pay the price. He promised his father that he will remain in Egypt as collateral for Benjamin and he will ‘bear the blame for ever’ (43:9)

When Joseph saw his brothers back in Egypt and Benjamin with them, the self-restraint could only be placated with his weeping (43:30)

The straw that broke the camel’s back came through Joseph’s attempt to keep Benjamin in Egypt through deception. Judah begged to be kept behind instead so that he didn’t have to see the sorrowful demise of his father (44:32-34).

Seeing the lengths his brothers would go to in payment for what they had done, Joseph knew the time for forgiveness had come. As he revealed himself to his brothers ‘he wept so loud, the Egyptians and the house of Pharaoh heard…..and he kissed all his brethren and wept upon them….’  (45:2,15)

The absolution came as Joseph openly gave credit to God claiming that it was He who sent him to Egypt to preserve his brothers ‘posterity in the earth and ‘to save their lives by great deliverance’’ (45:5-8).

Sometimes the path to repentance and absolution is like that....rough and unforeseen. 

Joseph paid a high price so he can physically save the House of Israel….a prototype of Christ who paid an even greater price to save the entire human family for eternity. When He comes again, the repentant shall weep at His feet in gratitude for the price He paid at Calvary’s hill while the wicked will weep for their rejection of their Saviour and their King.

Will the sinner for whom You suffered,

Who rejected and reviled Thee

Weep in the end for Thy pain and Thy sorrow?

Will his heart understand

When he kneels before Thee

The debt he owes for the existence

Of his tomorrow?

- CATHRYNE ALLEN 

(Art: Home by David Bowman)