A LIGHT IN THE WILDERNESS

 

This was Abraham wherever he went. He was 62 when he arrived into the land of Canaan that the Lord promised him as an inheritance, but also ‘to make of him a minister to bear His name in a strange land’ (Abraham 2:6;14). And bear His name he did for the famine in Canaan necessitated Abraham and all who came with him to end up in Egypt on a prolonged mission, possibly as long as 13 years.  

The land of Canaan was overrun by the idol worshipping descendants of Cain. Going to Egypt would have been like going from a frying pain into a fire. It was by the hand of an Egyptian priest that Abraham nearly lost his life in the land of Ur. Egypt was the hotbed of human sacrifice to false gods.

The famine of Canaan proved to be a blessing in disguise because at the end Abraham returned to Canaan richer than he was before he left on account of Sarah whom the Pharoah desired to take for his wife. Abraham’s sojourn in Egypt reads like Arabian nights. It’s a fascinating story.

What is of most importance of this part of Abraham’s life is the light that he was in this evil infested land where idolatry was blinding the children of men and the truth was obscured from their understanding.

Before Abraham left for Egypt, he had an encounter with the Lord who told him: “Abraham, I show these things unto thee before ye go into Egypt, that ye may declare all these words” (Abraham 3:15). Thus proceeded a revelation which enriched Abraham’s personal knowledge of the field of science: astronomy, the plan of salvation and organization of the world for human habitation.

“The great truths shown to Abraham were not for him alone. He was to declare “all these words” to the Egyptians. The Lord knew that some of the learning of the Egyptians would be passed on to the Greeks and that the Greeks in turn would teach the Romans. He also knew that through Rome this knowledge would spread to other parts of the world as a blessing to humanity. During these transitions many precious truths were lost but some of them survived and became the foundation for modern science.”  (W. Cleon Skousen, The First 2,000 Years, p 285)

“In the Egyptian Alphabet compiled by Joseph Smith at the time he translated the Book of Abraham, we are given the added information that Abraham was called as a missionary of Christ to go into Egypt and preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ to the Egyptians.” (Clark, James R., “Before Ye Go Into Egypt”, Vol 2, p 2)

I think of the recent mandate of the leaders to the membership of the Church to flood the earth with the gospel. We need to be well informed of the doctrine, convinced of its efficacy, bold and unafraid of the opposition. The light needs to shine from us as bright as the sun.  

I stand in awe of Abraham and his fortitude in spreading the light in a darkened world. He is the prototype of Christ who came to enlighten our understanding of the truth. Without His light we would be lost in this world of darkness which seeks to engulf us in its misery and woe. He is the light that shines, the light we must follow. He is the light of the world, the only light…..

- CATHRYNE ALLEN 

(Art: A Light in the Wilderness by Rose Datoc Dall)