THE HEIGHTS OF MERCY

 

I Would Gather Thee by Liz Lemon Swindle

O Jerusalem, Jerusalem...how often would I have gathered thy

children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens

under her wings, and ye would not!

(Matthew 23:37)

No other book of scripture highlights the mercy of Christ as does the Old Testament. Most people will challenge this thought saying that honour belongs to the New Testament due to the account of the Saviour’s Atonement.

The Old Testament is my book. It is the root of the covenant of God with His people. A covenant He has sworn He will never break (see Deuteronomy 4:31; Leviticus 26:44,46; Isaiah 49:15,16; 2 Kings 13:23). Over and over Jehovah worked with His prophets to preserve His people, to declare His undying love, and to make promises of restitution no matter how far they stray.

And stray they did and earned themselves the name of ‘backsliding Israel’ (Jeremiah 3:6,8,11,12,14,22; 31:22; 49:4; Hosea 4:16; 11:7; 14:4). Using the imagery of marriage, Israel became a ‘harlot’ who had betrayed her love for her husband, ‘upon every high mountain and under every green tree’….. (Jeremiah 3:6). For this unfaithfulness Israel paid a high price of bondage but even then only the promised mercy of her God will bring her back to His fold:

“For I am with thee, saith the Lord, to save thee: though I make a full end of all nations whither I have scattered thee, yet will I not make a full end of thee: but I will correct thee in measure, and will not leave thee altogether unpunished.” ( Jeremiah 30:11).

And herein lies the lesson of futile idolatry for which Israel rejected the Holy One: “All thy lovers have forgotten thee; they seek thee not; for I have [caused thee to be wounded] with the wound of an enemy, with the chastisement of a cruel one, for the multitude of thine iniquity…..” (Jeremiah 30:14b)

And then the sting of payment for their sin with a hope of healing : “…thy bruise is not incurable, although thy wounds are grievous. Is there none to plead thy cause, that thou mayest be bound up? Hast thou no healing medicine?.... Is thy sorrow incurable?” (JST Jeremiah 30:12,13,15)

 “….because thy sins were increased, I have done these things unto thee….but all they that devour thee shall be devoured; and all thine adversaries, every one of them, shall go into captivity…For I WILL restore health unto thee, and I WILL heal thee of thy wounds…the whirlwind of the Lord shall fall with pain upon the head of the wicked…..And ye shall be my people, and I will be your God” (Jeremiah 30:16,17,22,23)

When will this healing and restoration happen? Over two millennia after the promise….when the lessons have been learnt, the price for disobedience paid and a willingness to repent born…’when He has performed the intents of his heart….in the latter days when they shall fully understand this’ (v 23,24; see also 2 Nephi 25:8-11).

And this is the lesson that they need to understand….every disobedience carries with it consequences. Yes the mercy and deliverance will come but after many wars, captivity and sorrow…..the experience of consequences crucial towards repentance, a broken heart and a contrite spirit for the restorative power of mercy is only offered to the penitent (Alma 42:24,25). It’s something all of us need to remember.

There is a prevalent belief in Christendom today that Christ is all about love and mercy and that is true but this love and mercy is not freely given because no man can be saved in his sins. He can only be saved from them. If he was saved prematurely in them, without repentance, he would continue to sin and the mercy would be of no benefit.

The Kingdom of Judah proved that they were not ready for the Saviour’s mercy to deliver them from the dominance of their enemies. When he manifested himself to them in the flesh, they rejected him “because of their iniquities, and the hardness of their hearts, and the stiffness of their necks” and they crucified Him instead (2 Nephi 25:12,13). The  salvation was offered but the repentance was still in embryo, unborn…the lesson of bondage and the loss of freedom not yet fully learnt and so it continues to this day with the price of hatred, killing and wars.

Because they despised the Holy One of Israel they have wandered in the flesh and perished, and become a hiss and a byword and been hated among all nations…but He will remember His covenants which he made to their fathers when they no more turn their hearts against him (1 Nephi 19:14,15)

As Israel, we have trodden worldly paths

That have left us battered, scarred,

And parched in search of love.

Our lovers were many but

Our hearts were empty.

At long last

We embrace the love that lasts,

We prepare for the wedding feast

And abandon our treacherous past.

- CATHRYNE ALLEN 

BELIEVING BLOOD OF ISRAEL

 

I Will Go Before Your Face by Kenneth R. Turner

“To the missionaries of the latter-days the Lord has said: “Ye are called to bring to pass the gathering of mine elect, for the Lord explained, ‘mine elect hear my voice and harden not their hearts’ (D&C 29:7). For theirs was a ‘believing blood’. What then is believing blood? It is the blood that flows in the veins of those who are the literal seed of Abraham – not that the blood itself believes, but that those born in that lineage have both the right and a special spiritual capacity to recognise, receive, and believe the truth.

“The term is simply a beautiful, a poetic, and a symbolic way of referring to the seed of Abraham to whom the promises were made. It identifies those who developed in pre-mortality the talent to recognise the truth and to desire righteousness.” (New Witness, 38-39)

-          (McConkie and Millet, Doctrinal Commentary On The Book of Mormon, Vol 2, 61)

 

I remember coming to You

Long ago through the water’s gate,

So wide open for my soul to embrace.

 

You flowed through my heart since that day

Showing me the wonder of You;

I have seen Your agonizing sacrifice,

And Your spilt blood too.

 

I hear You, I am Your sheep,

I know You and Your sacrificial pains

For the believing blood of Israel

Runs through my veins.

 

-          Cathryne Allen 

A MILLENIAL NATION

 

The Bridegroom by LDS Bookstore 

By Isaiah’s time, Israel, a chosen nation of God had sunk into such spiritually depraved condition that Isaiah referred to them as Sodom and Gomorrah (Isaiah 1:10). Their hypocritical performances of the Mosaic offerings and feasts was a clear indication of their superficial form of worship devoid of repentance (1:11).

As per Jehovah’s inexhaustible mercy, the following hope was issued to Israel that they can still remain chosen:

“Come now, and let us reason together, saith the Lord: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.” (Isaiah 1:18)

Even though this beautiful promise can be applied to individual members of Israel, it was originally issued to Israel as a nation: “No matter how many prophets the Lord sent to Israel and Judah, the how many times he pleaded with them, all through their history they were rebellious. Here we find a promise that if they would return to the Lord, their past sins would be forgotten, and he would again receive them as his people and bless them abundantly, and they should continue to be his covenant people.” (President Joseph Fielding Smith, Answers to Gospel Questions, 2:180)

The House of Israel has had a treacherous past but its destiny remains. This destiny is centred on the Millenial Day when “out of Zion shall go forth the law and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem” (2:3).

“Jerusalem shall be the gathering place of Judah and his fellow of the house of Israel, and Zion shall be the gathering place of Ephraim and his fellows, upon whose heads shall be conferred ‘the richer blessings’. These two cities, one in the land of Zion [America] and one in Palestine, are to become capitals for the kingdom of God during the Millennium (Old Testament Student Manual 1 Kings – Malachi p 139). In other words, the House of Israel will be the theocratic governing body of the world with Christ as its head during the Millenium age.

In chapter 2 of his book, Isaiah summarized the basic spiritual problems that troubled Israel in his day and made this a dualistic prophecy applicable to the last days before the Second Coming:

·         Verse 6: Ancient Israel looked to the religious philosophies and the gods of the Assyrians and other heathen countries for power and for sustenance. Today people look to may other religions and philosophies of men for wisdom and guidance instead of the gospel of Jesus Christ;

·         Verse 6: Ancient Israel was joining the heathen nations in all their wickedness, and modern society is joining with the influences of the world rather than looking to the Lord;

·         Verse 7: The people were wealthy and materialistic. Their hearts were set on the things of the world. In the last days, materialism runs rampant.

·         Verse 7: The land was “full of horses, neither is there any end of their chariots”. The horse was a symbol of warfare as was the chariot. Today is an age characterized by wars and military power.

·         Verse 8: The land was filled with idolatry then, and people still turn to false gods today, though not necessarily to idols made of wood or stone.

·         Verse 9: Nephi’s quotation of Isaiah in the Book of Mormon says that the “mean man boweth NOT down, and the great man humbleth himself NOT (2 Nephi 12:9). Here Isaiah was referring to the fact that men would not worship the true God. In the preface to the Doctrine and Covenants, the Lord indicated this failure would be a major concern of the last days (D&C 1:16).

-          (Old Testament Student Manual 1 Kings – Malachi, p 139)

To fulfil our destiny as the Millenial Nation we need to heed this call:

“O house of Jacob, come ye, and let us walk in the light of the Lord”  (Isaiah 2:5)

Like Israel of old

I foolishly sought man’s protection

Until you showed me the strength

Of Your invincible arm

And how much easier You can make

My journey’s difficult path.

How foolish I was to trust in man’s might,

How foolish to seek mortal comfort

And settle for feeble sentries of the heart.

- CATHRYNE ALLEN 

THE WORLD OF ISAIAH 2

 

Feast Upon the Word by Liz Lemon Swindle

I have had the “Ten Keys to Understanding Isaiah” by Elder Bruce R. McConkie in my possession for many years. Even though it is an excellent guide to understanding Isaiah, it is rather comprehensive and daunting for most people who find reading Isaiah a struggle.

One of Elder McConkie’s simple suggestions is to study Isaiah’s works employing the Book of Mormon which he claims is the world’s greatest commentary on the book of Isaiah. Besides being the greatest commentary, it offers three important keys for understanding Isaiah which is a more manageable guideline for such intense study, especially for a beginner.  These three guidelines come from Nephi who recognized the complexities of Isaiah’s writing. Nephi acknowledged that Isaiah was hard for many of his own people to understand (2 Nephi 25:1). Nephi loved the teachings of Isaiah and quoted him frequently. His formula for comprehending Isaiah's writings is found in 2 Nephi 25:1,4,7:

1.      Understand 'the manner of prophesying among the Jews’. This manner of prophecy can best be learnt through scriptures and their commentaries: "The Book of Mormon, the Doctrine and Covenants, and the New Testament - provide quotations and commentaries from 42 of the 66 chapters in the current text of Isaiah. There are also allusions and paragraphs from eight of the other 24 chapters. Thus Isaiah is broadly commented upon by these three sources. No more reliable or enlightening sources are available, and Latter-Day Saints would do well to search these scriptural commentaries along with the book of Isaiah itself to obtain a deeper and fuller understanding of the great words of Isaiah."(Monte S. Nyman, Great Are The Words of Isaiah, Gospel Link 2001). Historical background of the place and time is crucial to understanding Isaiah as he wrote to people of his day using metaphors relative to their way of life and referring to places they were familiar with not explaining in detail what he meant by each word or phrase.

2.      Have the “Spirit of Prophecy”: “Nephi taught that the words of Isaiah “are plain unto all those that are filled with the spirit of prophecy” (2 Nephi 25:4). The testimony of Jesus [which comes by the power of the Holy Ghost] is the spirit of prophecy (Revelation 19:10). The spirit of prophecy, however, is far more than just a belief that Jesus lives. It includes an understanding that Jesus is the literal Son of God. It includes a correct knowledge of His purpose in coming into mortality and of the significance and nature of His mission. It includes an understanding of the gospel plan for His children, particularly those who spiritually become His sons and daughters through the covenant of baptism. All of this comes through the power of the Holy Ghost. The prophet Isaiah wrote under the influence of the spirit of prophecy. His writings must be interpreted under the influence of that same spirit. Those who desire to understand Isaiah should learn of Christ and seek the companionship of the Holy Ghost.” (Understanding Isaiah, Enrichment E, Old Testament Student Manual). It is true that knowing the historical background and the manner of prophesying amongst the Jews is most helpful but in the end, the depth of our understanding of Isaiah comes from the depth of our own testimony.

3.     Recognise when the prophecies of Isaiah are fulfilled. This is probably the most important one but yet the most overlooked. This is our advantage because we live in the times that have been prophesied of. It is of great importance that we recognise fulfillment of these prophecies to gain proper appreciation and testimony of them. Nephi declared that "in the days that the prophecies of Isaiah shall be fulfilled men shall know of a surety, at the times when they shall come to pass" (2 Nephi 25:7). One evidence of this is the fulfillment of a prophecy in chapter 29 of Isaiah concerning a sealed book being taken to a learned man. As Latter-day Saints we know that this fulfillment came through Joseph Smith. Non-LDS scholars, however, are still pondering the meaning of this chapter. Personally, it astounds me to read of events of our day that have been written about so long ago and this particular one about the Book of Mormon is a classic.

One cannot read and study Isaiah without feeling his passionate plea to the House of Israel to come unto their God. Isaiah wrote to Israel about the God of Israel. We cannot help but see the admonition to repent and turn to Him who longs to forgive us and to encircle us in the arms of His love. How can we not know Him when we read: "He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised and we esteemed him not. Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows; yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed" (Isaiah 53:3-5).

And how can we not trust Him when we hear Him say: "For the mountains shall depart, and the hills be removed; but my kindness shall not depart from thee, neither shall the covenant of my peace be removed, saith the Lord that hath mercy on thee" (Isaiah 54:10). When scriptures such as these help us find the Saviour of the world, we will come to proclaim with Him, "Great are the words of Isaiah" (3 Nephi 23:1)

- CATHRYNE ALLEN 

 

THE ESSENTIAL WISDOM

 

Sending Forth the Bride by Danny Hahlbohm

Proverbs 2:6: For the Lord giveth wisdom: out of his mouth cometh knowledge and understanding.

Proverbs 4:7: Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore, get wisdom: and with all the getting get understanding.

I must admit reading Proverbs sometimes makes me feel like I am just reading nice words…because of Solomon and his humanity which rejected the most important component of wisdom, that of moral conduct. Wisdom is a conglomeration of pretty, useless words if there is no moral conduct to support them. The conduct is the fruits of wisdom.

Because the word ‘wisdom’ is feminine in gender, it is allegorized as a woman in the book of Proverbs. The adulterous woman in Proverbs is a metaphor for foolishness as foolishness is opposite of wisdom. It is fascinating to me that Solomon’s moral conduct was consumed by the ‘strange’ women he married out of the covenant who turned his heart to idolatry (1 Kings 11:1-8)

The scriptures use the metaphor of marriage to describe the Lord’s covenant with His people. They portray the House of Israel as the bride and the Saviour as the bridegroom. Among many references are these:

Isaiah 54:5-6: “Thy Maker is thine husband…the Lord hath called thee as a wife of youth…”; Hosea 2:19-20: “I will betroth thee unto me for ever; Matthew 25:1,10: the parable of the ten virgins going to meet the bridegroom; Revelation 19:7,9, 21:2,9: the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath made herself ready…..prepared as a bride adorned for her husband…the bride, the Lamb’s wife; D&C 109:73-74: that thy Church shine forth…and be adorned as a bride for the day of the Lord’s coming.

In Proverbs Chapter 7, Solomon admonishes his son to keep the commandments and cling to wisdom as his ‘sister’ (v 4) that he may be protected against ‘the strange woman’ (v 5) which would lead him into ‘whoredom’ or ‘adultery’ . The mind boggles that he could not apply this to himself.

The idolatry born out of foolishness as opposed to the moral conduct of wisdom, is considered as adultery in the case of the marriage covenant between the Lamb and Israel, His bride:

Exodus 34:14-15: the Lord warns Israel not to worship other gods, “lest they go a whoring after their gods”; Jeremiah 3:8-9: Israel ‘committed adultery with stones and with stocks’ meaning idols made of stone and wood; Hosea 2:2,5: Israel is portrayed as an unfaithful spouse – “put away her whoredoms…and her adulteries” as she says “I will go after my lovers” referring to false gods; Ezekiel 16:32: compares covenant unfaithfulness to a wife committing adultery ‘taking strangers instead of her husband’.

My hair stood on end when I read this about immorality in heathen worship:

“Among the ancient nations of the East, with the exception of the Jews, prostitution appears to have been connected with religious worship, and to have been not merely tolerated but encouraged…in Egypt, Phoenicia, Assyria, Chaldea, Canaan and Persia, the worship of Isis, Moloch, Baal, Astarte, Mylitta and other deities consisted of the most extravagant sensual orgies and the temples were merely centers of vice. In Babylon some degree of prostitution appeared to have been even compulsory and imposed upon all women in honour of the goddess Mylitta. In India the ancient connection between religion and prostitution still survives.” (Encyclopedia Britannica, (1952 Edition) Volume 18, p 596)

Maybe the God of Israel knew what He was doing when He gave Solomon all that wisdom he desired…..because he knew that one day he would become a symbol of foolishness…..oh the irony!

As Israel, we have trodden worldly paths

That have left us battered, scarred,

And parched in search of love.

Our lovers were many but

Our hearts were empty.

At long last

We embrace the love that lasts,

We prepare for the wedding feast

And abandon our treacherous past.

- CATHRYNE ALLEN 

OIL OF GLADNESS

 

The Lord Is My Shepherd by LDS Bookstore

King David of the Old Testament is one of my favourite heroes. His love for the God of Israel inspired in me such admiration for him that his fall from grace has been one of my biggest disappointments. At the same time, we are all sinful in this most imperfect life called mortality so my heart aches for him.

His Psalms are sublime and his testimony of the merciful heart of the Saviour shines through like the rising sun from the east in the most popular Psalm of them all. Psalm 23 titled The Lord Is My Shepherd is honoured by all of Christianity throughout the world. We don’t know when this Psalm was written exactly but the common consensus is that it was most likely written by ‘earlier David’ because of the shepherd imagery which feels personal and natural for someone who literally watched sheep.

When Samuel anointed David as the King of Israel, he did so with oil and “the Spirit of the Lord came upon David” (1 Samuel 16:13). David used this anointing in Psalm 23 as a symbol of protection from his enemies, mercy and comfort. There is an ancient and traditional practice that is an interesting parallel  of this concept. It has to do with sheep and shepherds who anoint their heads with oil and this is why:

1. Repelling Insects: Pests like nose flies try to lay eggs in the damp mucous membranes of a sheep’s nose and ears. The resulting larvae torment the animal and can burrow into its head, sometimes driving the sheep to bash its brains out against rocks.
2. Healing Wounds: The oil acts as a soothing balm for cuts, scrapes, and bruises that sheep frequently get while navigating rocky terrain or thorny briars.
3. Preventing Flock Conflict: Rams and territorial sheep often butt heads. Shepherds sometimes apply heavy oil or grease to the head and horns so that when rams clashed, their heads would harmlessly glance and slide off one another instead of causing severe fractures.

We are like sheep; tormented, wounded, conflicted. Indeed we are sheep, of the greatest Shepherd of all time who anoints us with oil of gladness, out of His great mercy.  

Today in the Church the Melchizedek Priesthood holders consecrate olive oil before it is used to anoint the sick or afflicted in need of healing, comfort, and protection. The Church stipulates strongly that no other oil can be used for this purpose (General Handbook 18.12). It has to do with the symbolic olive tree which is the emblem of the House of Israel. The emblem includes two olive branches flanking a temple menorah which the prophet Zechariah saw in a vision (Zechariah 4:11-14). The olive branch is a long-standing symbol of peace, reconciliation and hope, with roots in ancient Greek and Roman cultures. This symbol has been carried throughout history and is still recognized today.

Have you ever wondered why the olive tree? The research on this subject is extensive but here is a summary: the olive tree is a symbol of longevity, prosperity, indestructibility and generosity (relative to the fact that it produces abundant fruit even when it is over a thousand years old. It is a living testament to resilience, generosity and ancient wisdom. I once saw a picture of an olive tree which was over 2,000 years old and I understood its significance that is relative to the House of Israel.

In the Book of Mormon, Zenos used the olive tree as a powerful symbol of God's love and relationship with the house of Israel (Jacob 5). The olive tree is an evergreen, meaning its' leaves do not seasonally fade or fall. They are continually rejuvenated through scorching heat or winter cold. It is however a sturdy tree which produces new shoots from apparently dead roots. Its' gnarled trunk gives an impression of travail, endurance and ancient life. Because of the unique quality of this tree Elder Jeffrey R. Holland affirmed that "no symbol could serve more powerfully and profoundly of God's expansive, constant, redeeming love - including especially the love represented in the gift of his Only Begotten Son- than does the olive tree." (Elder Jeffrey R. Holland, Christ and the New Covenant, p 163-64)

Can you see the relevance of olive oil as the oil of gladness, that is expressed from timeless olive trees, and the connection to the timeless House of Israel who we are? Next time you read this Psalm, remember who your God is:

“The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me….to appoint unto them that mourn in Zion, to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they might be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, that he might be glorified. (Isaiah 61:3)

- CATHRYNE ALLEN 

THE GATHERING

 

Redeemer of Israel by LDS Bookstore

God intends to consummate the great latter-day work in five steps: 1. The literal gathering of Israel; 2. The restoration of the Ten Lost Tribes; 3. The building of Zion (the New Jerusalem) upon the American continent; 4. Christ’s personal reign upon the earth known as the Millenium; and 5. The renewal of the earth in its paradisical glory. (see Hugh Nibley, Approaching Zion, p 1-2)

We are currently engaged in the first step. The gathering began in 1836 when Moses, the great lawgiver of Israel, appeared in the Kirtland Temple to give Joseph Smith “the keys of the gathering of Israel from the four parts of the earth” (D&C 110:11).

What exactly is ‘the gathering’. It is proclaiming the Gospel of Jesus Christ to the nations of the earth for one reason: there is none else beside Him through whom salvation can come. There is none else in heaven above, or earth beneath or waters beneath the earth, nothing, nobody, nowhere, beside Him there is no saviour, there is none other name given under heaven save it be this Jesus Christ whereby man can be saved (Isaiah 43:10-11; 45,5,6,14,18,22; 46:9; Deut 4:35,39; 5:8; 1 kings 8:60, 2 Nephi 2:8; 25:20; 31:21; Moses 6:52; D&C 76:1)

To be gathered means to come into the fold of Christ and be baptized in His name. It means that all who will receive their salvation have to belong to the House of Israel, through Him who is the God of Israel. The tribes of Israel are being gathered from every nation where the Lord’s servants, under the direction of the Prophet of the Church, are able to go. This gathering is happening in fulfillment of Jeremiah’s prophecy:

“Therefore, behold, the days come, saith the Lord, that it shall no more be said, The Lord liveth, that brought up the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt; But, the Lord liveth, that brought up the children of Israel from the land of the north, and from all the lands whither he had driven them….Behold, I will send for many fishers, saith the Lord, and they shall fish them; and after will I send for many hunters, and they shall hunt them from every mountain, and from every hill, and out of the holes of the rocks….Hear the word of the Lord, O ye nations, and declare it in the isles afar off, and say, He that scattered Israel will gather him, and keep him, as a shepherd doth his flock.”  (Jeremiah 31:7,8,10-12)

As complete as was the scattering , so shall be the gathering of ‘treacherous Judah’  and  ‘backsliding Israel’ (Jeremiah 3:11): “Though smitten of men, a large part of them gone from a knowledge of the world, Israel are not lost unto their God. He knows whither they have been led or driven; toward them His heart still yearns with paternal love…” (James Talmage, Articles of Faith, p 328-9)

I know something of paternal love of Christ. After I was baptized into the Church at the tender age of 18, I had a very significant dream. In the dream, I was in a high rise building with my parents who opposed my baptism. As we conversed, there arose some commotion on the street below us. We hurried down to see the cause and as we reached our destination a white matter akin to snow fell on top of us. We had to burrow our way to the top. My parents never made it but I did. As I emerged I surveyed the street and saw it covered everywhere with exquisite whiteness. When I turned to my right I saw the Saviour coming towards me with His outstretched arms saying: “Where are my children?” I knew from that moment that my baptism was my re-birth and that through it, I belonged to Him.

When we are baptized we take upon ourselves the name of Christ and become His spiritually begotten children (Mosiah 5:7-12). The baptismal covenant instituted by Jesus himself during his ministry fulfilled the law of Moses and opened the way of spiritual re-birth and salvation for all by joining the House of Israel through baptism.  

When the scattering of the Ten Tribes happened, some members of these tribes were scattered throughout what we now know to be Europe. My patriarchal blessing tells me I am a true Israelite by birth being of ‘the seed of Abraham’. This is one of my most prized blessings of this life. It makes me grateful for my Croatian roots because I am one of the sheep of the House of Israel and I have come home to the Shepherd….

- CATHRYNE ALLEN 

THE ONE TRUE KING

Perhaps one of the saddest events in the history of Israel was the time they requested the cessation of judges and asked Samuel to appoint a king over them (1 Samuel 8:5). Samuel warned them that kings will among other things, evoke heavy tax burdens on them; conscript their children into his service and seize private lands (vs 11-17). Ancient Israel would not listen because they had become weak and sinful and were envious of surrounding kingdoms, even though their governments were wicked and oppressive.

And here is another example, like the sons of Eli, of how we can cause people to sin. Samuel had two sons who he appointed as judges in Beersheba. They too did not walk in their father’s footsteps but exploited their position with bribes and perverted judgment (1 Samuel 8:3). This is all the elders needed to use as a reason why Israel should be ruled by a king like the other nations (v 4).

Samuel was not pleased to say the least since all the evils and misfortunes which Israel suffered always resulted from their apostasy from their God. Their request for a king therefore was an outright rejection of the sovereignty of Jehovah, who had always proclaimed himself as their God and King and the House of Israel as His special people, above all people upon the face of the earth (Det 7:6; Exodus 6:7; 19:5; 33:16; Leviticus 20:26; Jeremiah 10:4).

Perhaps the most heart breaking words that came out of the Saviour’s mouth was His response to Samuel who had prayed about the matter: “Hearken unto the voice of the people…for they have not rejected thee but they have rejected me, that I should not reign over them” (1 Samuel 8:7). Imagine the heaviness of heart with which the Saviour would have uttered these words.

But as ancient Israel tragically sought to follow other nations, they became like other nations. We all know the ending to that. The downfall began with the very first king….Saul. Be careful what you want, for you will surely get it.

There was not among all Israel a goodlier person than Saul. He was honest, reliable, considerate of his parents and physically a potential hero and man of valour all Israel sought yet he too, like Samson became another tragedy. He was the lesson that Jehovan wanted to teach Israel about kings:

“Though Saul, had at first, a great regard for the law of Moses, and for God, yet ‘ the consciousness of his own power, coupled with the energy of his character, led him astray into an incautious disregard of the commands of God; his zeal in the prosecution of his plans hurried him on to reckless and violent measures; and success in his undertakings heightened his ambition into a haughty rebellion against the Lord, the God-king of Israel.” (Keil and Delitzsch, Commentary, 2:2:79; see also The Old Testament Student Manual Book 1, p 272)

Samuel anointed Saul to be ‘captain’ and not a king, even though he was later called such (1 Samuel 10:1). This should have served as a reminder that the Lord was still king…..only it didn’t.

The Lord knows us intensely and intimately. He has known us from the beginning and He knows who will fail him and who will serve Him to the end. Make no mistake about that. It should motivate us to follow closely our life’s plan so that in the end we won’t hear Him say: “You chose your own importance over Me, your God and your King”

- CATHRYNE ALLEN 

(Art: King of Kings by Danny Hahlbohm)

 

A GODLY PRIVILEGE

 

“I know of a great man who held his dead son in his arms, and said, “In the name of Jesus Christ and by the power and authority of the Holy Melchizedek Priesthood, I command you to live.” And the dead boy opened his eyes.

“This great brother could not have possibly done that had he been looking at a pornographic piece of material a few nights before or if he had been involved in any other transgression of that kind. The priesthood has to have a pure conduit to operate.” (Elder Vaugh Featherstone, in CR April 1975, 100; or Ensign May 1975, 66)

Such is the power of the priesthood which demands utmost obedience from the men whose privilege it is to have it.

When Moses ascended Mt Sainai for the second time to intercede for Israel’s sin of breaking the covenant they entered into, he was given another set of plates which contained the same thing, with one exception.  The Lord told him: “And I will write on the tables the words that were on the first tables, save the words of the everlasting covenant of the holy priesthood…..” (JST Deut 10:2)

Israel was forgiven and given another chance to live the law but the everlasting covenant of the priesthood was denied to the congregation because of their wickedness. But there was mercy, always mercy from the merciful Jehovah, and the Levitical law and priesthood was given to Aaron for the benefit of the House of Israel (“Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith”, p 60)  

Consider these powers of the priesthood to better understand the relative worthiness that is required:

“We have power to govern all things, both temporal and spiritual, both the kingdoms of the world, and the elements and storms and powers of the earth: “For God having sworn unto Enoch and unto his seed with an oath by himself; that everyone being ordained after this order and calling should have power, by faith, to break mountains, to divide the seas, to dry up waters, to turn them out of their course;

“To put at defiance the armies of nations, to divide the earth, to break every band, to stand in the presence of God; to do all things according to his will, according to his command, subdue principalities and powers; and this by the will of the Son of God which was from before the foundation of the world.” (JST Gen 14:30-31; Bruce R. McConkie, “The Ten Blessings of the Priesthood” GC October 1977)

And here is the origin of the everlasting covenant of the priesthood which “was made between three personages before the organisation of the earth, and relates to the dispensation of things to men on the earth; these personages, according to Abraham’s record, are called God the first, the Creator; God the second, the Redeemer, and God the third, the witness or Testator”. (“Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith”, p 190)

I am in no way an expert on this subject but I am in awe of the priesthood, the backbone of the Plan of Salvation: its origin and its power of creation, eternal life and resurrection. Such power in the hands of man…..

- CATHRYNE ALLEN 

(Art: My Father's Work by Chris Brazelton)

THE FAVOURED HOUSE

 

The plagues of Egypt were brutal. I have never before considered the devastating effects they had on its citizens. The Old Testament doesn’t take this aspect of the plagues into consideration. It only highlights that the Egyptians were eager by the end of the ordeal to send the Hebrews ‘out of the land in haste’ lest they all die (Exodus 12:33)

Josephus, the ancient Jewish historian, took liberty to elaborate on the more realistic picture of the disaster of the time during which many people died. It horrified me reading it. Consider that they had no spring water and they were forced to drink of the bloody river, the land was full of  ‘pestilential creatures’ such as never had been seen before, the boils and blains and the three days of intense darkness killed many due to lack of air, and of course the worst was the death of all the first born, including the cattle so their food supply was greatly diminished for those who survived (Josephus, “Jewish Antiquities Book 2, Chapter 14). Egypt was just about destroyed.

I know some people don’t like the Old Testament because God comes across as a vengeful God. When you consider the Flood and all the wars God’s people have waged with His help, it can seem so. God somehow seems almost biased towards one group of people at the expense of all others.  Consider His expressions of love and devotion: He considers Israel to be ‘the apple of His eye’ (Deut 32:9,10; Zechariah 2:8; Psalm 17:18)….and His treasure and jewels (Exodus 19:5; 28:17-21; Malachi 3:17; D&C 60:4; 101:3).

This is what I see in the Old Testament. I have always seen in it the merciful Jehovah because of  His perpetual forgiveness and support of the backsliding Israel but I believe it had to be so because It was a time when the establishment of the House of Israel was taking place. It was a time when the Abrahamic covenant had to be grounded for the peculiar and favoured people of God to be built and stabilized because this group of people is where the salvation of the human family resides. Whether you are born into it or adopted into it, you have to belong to it to be saved.

God’s favouritism of the House of Israel is extensive in the scriptures and most people of the world don’t understand it or see it. Consider just a few: “Ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people…and this is why: that ye should show forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darknesss into His marvellous light (1 Peter 2:9).

Most people prefer the New Testament to the Old because it portrays a loving God. I get it, Jesus was all about love, a love that took Him to the cross. The interesting thing is that Jesus didn’t come to earth to minister to the world. He came to minister to the favoured but apostate House, to bring back in His words, ‘the lost sheep of Israel’ (Matthew 15:24; 3 Nephi 15:19-23). The Gospel was not taken to the rest of the world until after his death.

He came to the Israelites because to them pertains “the adoption, and the glory, and the covenants, and the giving of the law, and the service of God, and the promises (Romans 9:4). The House needed the establishment of His Church to receive the covenants and to engage in the service to bless the human family of the earth….to fulfil the Abrahamic covenant.  He came as the Shepherd to teach the under-shepherds how to rescue the sheep…..We are favoured because we are the believers and because we are the workers.

- CATHRYNE ALLEN 

(Art: Return to the Fold By Greg Sargent)

  

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)

 

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)