THE COMFORT OF BONDAGE

 

 

It always amazes me how the Saviour never washes His hands of Israel no matter how unfaithful they have been. Even when they fall into captivity, He plans and puts into place the process of rescue well before it is supposed to take place. He is a God of order and success.  The return of the Jews from Babylon to Jerusalem 70 years after their captivity began, as predicted by Jeremiah in his book (25:11,12; 29:10) is the prime example of this.

Behind the fulfilment of this prophecy was a Persian king that Jehovah prepared who conquered Babylonians by the name of Cyrus. It is suggested by historians that when Cyrus conquered Babylon that he found Daniel there in his governmental capacity, and that Daniel pointed out to him the prophecy of Isaiah that was given 140 years before the fall of Jerusalem (Isaiah 44:28, 45). Adding seventy years after the fall, makes 210 years of prophecy before Cyrus even appeared in Babylon. Astonishing, isn’t it?

The prophecy states that the Lord would raise up a mighty king who would free the Jewish captives in Babylon and allow them to return to Jerusalem to rebuild the temple and the holy city. Cyrus was so impressed with this prophecy about himself that he sent out the proclamation amongst the Jews in Babylon that ‘the Lord God of heaven had charged [him] to build him a house at Jerusalem’ (Ezra 1:2) and asked who among all of God’s people wanted to return. He actually offered freedom to anyone who wanted it.

Now this is the most astonishing bit. Approximately 50,000 people chose to return to Jerusalem while MOST chose not to return having been absorbed into the Babylonian way of life and the comfort of bondage. And this is why. In 605 BC King Nebuchadnezzar of the Neo-Babylonian Empire (now Iraq) was the beginning of Babylon’s greatness and glory. Using slaves from various areas of the empire, he inaugurated a massive building program to make Babylon the greatest city in the world. Opulence, greatness and glory was the object.

The grandeur of Babylon was incredibly impressive but with such opulence and wealth also came moral decay, wickedness and iniquity. Will Durant, a secular historian wrote that “even Alexander [the Great], who was not above dying of drinking was shocked by the morals of Babylon (Our Oriental Heritage, p 244).

Babylon became the antithesis of godliness. The very name of this city stood as the symbol for worldliness, spiritual wickedness and Satan’s kingdom. Scripturally it is known as: “the great whore” and “the mother of harlots and abominations (Rev 17:1; 5; D& C 133:14; 1:16; 1 Nephi 13:5-9; Babylonia and the Conquest of Judah, Old Testament Student Manual p 244).

There is one thing that stands out to me regarding Israel who fell into bondage with Babylon. God himself was in charge of this catastrophe promising Israel that He would bring a nation against them  because of their sins and rejection of Him as their God (Jeremiah 25:7-9). So this is what stands out…..He did not give them into bondage to just any nation but the worst there was, Babylon, a nation so spiritually corroded that it stands out as an obvious product of Israel’s idol worship.

In other words, if they wanted to worship false idols and gods, this is what they got…..spiritual decay and spiritual bondage. This is a classical example of cause and effect. You want other gods? You get what other gods can give you!

The name “Babylon” is today synonymous with ‘the world’. In Section 133 of the Doctrine and Covenants, the saints are commanded to ‘come out of Babylon’ in preparation for the Second Coming (v 5,7). So powerful is its grip that ancient Israelites did not want to leave it.  I wonder how many of us will heed the call this time…..

- CATHRYNE ALLEN 

OUR PROMISED LAND

 

 We are about to study the book of Joshua this week. Joshua is one of those Old Testament figures we don’t talk about much yet there is so much to admire about the man. I feel he is overlooked to our detriment because he too, like Moses, was a prototype of Christ:

“Joshua, the son of Nun, of the tribe of Ephraim, was first called Oshea or Hoshea,….[Numbers 13:16], which signifies saved, a saviour, or salvation; but afterwards Moses, guided no doubt by a prophetic spirit, changed his name into….Yehoshua or Joshua, which signifies he shall save or salvation of Jehovah; referring, no doubt, to his being God’s instrument in saving the people from the hands of their enemies, and leading them from victory to victory over the different Canaanitish nations, till he put them in possession of the promised land…in the New Testament he is expressly called….Jesus [see Acts 7:45; Hebrews 4:8].” (Clarke, Bible Commentary, 2:3). In other words, in the original Hebrew both Joshua and Jesus were the same name.” (see Old Testament Student Manual Book 1 p 236)

As a preface to the Ten Commandments which Jehovah gave to Moses he made it clear why they were given: “I am the Lord thy God, which have brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of BONDAGE.” (Exodus 20:2). The operative word here is ‘bondage’. It has reference to the Ten Commandments which are meant to give Israel freedom. If Israel cleaved to obedience of the Law, they would never again be in bondage, physical or most importantly, spiritual. 

Thereafter, Moses made it a point to define the deliverance from Egypt as deliverance from ‘bondage’ (Det 6:12; 8:14; 13:5). After Jehovah confirmed to Joshua that he is to take charge of the Tribes and lead them to the promised land, He charged him to make the law the basis of all he did. He was not to vary from it or depart from it, all that he spoke was to conform to it, and he was to meditate upon it constantly (Joshua 1:5-8). Joshua followed these rules to the letter and like Moses, reminded Israel that they had been delivered from ‘the house of bondage’ in the land of Egypt (Joshua 24:17). He understood clearly what the God of Israel had done which made him a spiritual leader of God’s people as well as the physical one.

At the onset of conquest of the promised land, the mighty Jehovah spoke to Joshua and told him he is to conquer all the land from Lebanon to the river Euphrates (Joshua 1:4). In actuality, this meant the region south and southwest of the Lebanon mountains, north and east of Egypt, east of the Mediterranean coastal plain and west of the Arabian desert (OT Student Manual 1, p 236). In other words, the land that lay before Joshua was massive. Overwhelming, isn’t it? But Jehovah issued an admonition to Joshua to ‘be strong and of good courage’ three times (Joshua 1:6,7,9) assuring him: ‘I will not fail thee, nor forsake thee….be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the Lord thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest’ (vs 5,9).

And then the promise: Joshua was told that he must adhere strictly to the law of Moses and he shall have success (v 8) but not just any success, he was promised that his success would be so great that there shall not any man be able to stand before him all the days of his life (v 5). This Joshua did, obeying all of the Lord’s instructions with exactness (fascinating examples of this to look out for in his story). The result of his meticulous obedience?  A success unsurpassed:  the Lord was with Joshua; and his fame was noised throughout all the country’ (Joshua 6:27).

We, of the House of Israel, are standing on the earth which is our ultimate promised land. This earth will one day be redeemed and sanctified from all unrighteousness that it may be prepared for the celestial glory, that the bodies who are of the celestial kingdom may possess it forever and ever (D&C 88:17-20). This is our promised land. This is our ultimate forever home. 

Before each of us is the vastness of our mortal probation fraught with challenges and trials to conquer and overcome. It is also the ‘house of bondage’ from which the Saviour has delivered us through His atoning sacrifice if we will but obey the commandments, the path to unsurpassed freedom.....

- CATHRYNE ALLEN 

(Artist Unknown)

TO BE FREE

 

For years I admired and at times envied someone in my close circle who was doing all the wrong things but seemed to have it all. I felt under-privileged and even victimised by my persistent and arduous journey on the strait and narrow. At times I even wondered if doing the right things was worth it. I arrived at my 60s with pretty much nothing; no husband, no home, no financial security, no material possessions. Now that I am here, however, I realise I have something far more superior to any of these things.  And that someone who seemed to have it all? Well, she has bondage. Over the years as I have watched this person be led 'by the neck with a flaxen cord'  (2 Nephi 26:22) my feelings of admiration and envy have turned to pity and compassion. Recently I spent some time on the phone with this person as she related through tears her entrapment in an emotionally abusive and spiritually degrading situation. After years of bad choices, her faith in God has all but been destroyed and belief in the basics of the Gospel been severely diminished. How does a flaxen cord become so strong around a person's neck that the adversary has the power to bind a person with it forever? (2 Nephi 26:22). The answer is, with one bad choice at a time and with each choice, a lack of repentance. And lack of repentance means only one thing, suffering. What once seemed like freedom to choose turns out not to be freedom at all.

In his latest conference talk, President Oaks said that 'we can be cleansed by the process of repentance' (Oaks, 'Cleansed by Repentance', CR April 2019). As I contemplated this I realised that this cleansing is not only beneficial in regards to final judgment and eternal life but that it is also meant to be advantageous to us here and now. True and sincere repentance leads to forgiveness and forgiveness leads to freedom. Freedom from the effects of sin such as: shame, guilt, lack of self-respect, low self-esteem, depression, emotional pain, sorrow, anxiety, weakened personal and spiritual power and all negative emotions generated by sin. As I contemplated further about the freeing power of forgiveness I also came to understand how much more freedom we can gain as we willingly forgive others. Setting aside the fact that forgiving others is a commandment (D&C 64:9,10), I am certain this commandment was put into place for the benefit of the victim and not the oppressor or perpetrator. Some people erroneously believe that forgiving someone their offences means that our forgiveness absolves them from their actions and that means that they are forgiven. In reality, we do not possess the power to forgive anyone's sins. That power rests with God. Forgiving another their trespass against us means acknowledging their human frailties and freeing ourselves from the effects of their actions such as: resentment, hatred, bitterness, judgment, pain and all inflicted suffering. This can be a tall order however, where a very serious offence has taken place. How do you forgive physical and mental abuse by a spouse, sexual abuse by a family member, betrayal of a loved one, even murder of someone close to you?

I can testify to you that there is no pain bigger than the Atonement. When it is beyond our mortal capability to forgive another there is still hope. I have been through an experience in my life too personal to recount where forgiveness was beyond me. It was in that moment of suffering that I was given to know that through my faith in Jesus Christ and the power of His Atonement I could be gifted a forgiving heart. As I petitioned the Lord over and over, this gift was granted. I cannot adequately describe all the positive consequences that ensued as a result of this gift in my life and the lives of those around me, especially my children. The freedom it afforded me decades ago lives with me still. That gift of a forgiving heart has enabled me to forgive over and over the foibles of others;  from my friends to Church leaders to my children to strangers. It has taught me to let go and do so with compassion. This in turn has increased my capacity to love. 

As I listened to my friend agonise over her situation I wondered why we choose pain in our lives when we can have so much better through obedience to God's commandments. Sin is never as good as it appears to be. To those not vigilant enough, appearances are easily misunderstood. But gloss can dim overnight and reveal its ugliness and the devil calls for collection of debt all too soon. Compare his clutches of deceit and hatred to the loving arms of the Saviour who vigilantly watches over us waiting for the slightest act of obedience so that He might bless us. I am certain our pain is His pain and with everlasting mercy and kindness He stands with open arms to receive us and give us freedom from the wounds inflicted by our thoughtlessness, ignorance and waywardness. For has He not said, '....though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow....be faithful and diligent in keeping the commandments of God, and I will encircle thee in the arms of my love." (Isaiah 1:18; D&C 6:20)

THE GUARDIANS OF HAPPINESS

"And ye shall dispossess the inhabitants of the land, and dwell therein: for I have given you the land to possess it....but if ye will not drive out the inhabitants of the land from before you; then it shall come to pass, that those which ye let remain of them shall be pricks in your eyes, and thorns in your sides, and shall vex you in the land wherein ye dwell." (Numbers 33:53, 55)

Israel's conquest of the promised land was gradual and involved the takeover of specific cities rather than a broad swath of land. As their power to control and their ambitions shifted over the next generation, the territory of the tribes was in constant flux through the time period called "The Judges" (Lesson 19, "The Reign of the Judges", Meridian Magazine). In conquering the promised land, the Israelites made a grave mistake of not adhering to the Lord's directive 100%. Not only did they not follow the Lord's instructions with exactness to subdue the land thus ridding it of idol worshipers, they failed to conquer more than twenty cities that were on Joshua's itinerary. This failure to properly take possession of the land of their fathers cost the children of Israel dearly.  Because of this disobedience they failed to provide a spiritually conducive environment for their children who were not yet strong enough to resist the lure of false gods. Because of the bad choices of their fathers, the next generation of Israelites not only fell into bondage several times but continuously turned to idol worshiping: 

"And there arose another generation after them, which knew not the Lord, nor yet the works which he had done for Israel.

"And they forsook the Lord God of their fathers, which brought them out of the land of Egypt, and followed other gods, of the gods of the people that were round about them, and bowed themselves unto them, and provoked the Lord to anger" (Judges 2:10,12)

This story stands as a classic example of bad parenting. Parents being entrusted with the spiritual welfare of their children have the responsibility of being guardians of their happiness, the only true happiness that comes from being obedient to one true and living God. Israelites of old failed to provide a safe environment for their children whereby they could continue to worship the God of Israel who would have granted them peace and plenty in the land he had promised them. 

When Joshua and the leaders of Israel who served under him died, the national spirit of Israel died with them. Tribal loyalty replaced national unity and each tribe began to look to its own resources integrating themselves into the Canaanite culture and lifestyle (Old Testament Student Manual p. 251,252). Thus Israelites' story comes to be one of continuous cycle of apostasy and repentance. In times of peace and plenty they would turn to worshiping Canaanite gods and turn only to the God of Israel as the last resort when deliverance from oppression could not be obtained any other way. Suffering under oppression and war, the people would cry to God and He in his unfailing mercy would raise a leader to deliver them (Judges 4:1-3, 6:1,6, 10:6,10, 13:1). His mercy in dealing with the House of Israel is extraordinary to say the least, His eagerness to bring them back to Him by doing for them what no dumb idol could do is spectacular. This can be seen in the story of Gideon who trusted in the Lord fully when called upon to rescue Israel from yet another bondage. His is one of the most intriguing and faith promoting stories of the Old Testament. Gideon started off with 32,000 soldiers in his army which was required to defeat a Midianite army of 130,000 (Judges 8:10). This suggests odds of 4-1. This alone would have sent fear through Gideon but things got worse. By a process of elimination the Lord reduced this army to 300, which made it odds of 450 to 1 (Ted Gibbons, OT Lesson 19, "The Reign of the Judges). What did the Lord intent to do with an army of 300 against 130,000? He showed the Israelites that with God all things are possible, that He is the only god that can be trusted and that possesses power and might but Israel was hard of heart and did not stay on the right track. This mistake led them into bondage to the Philistines for forty years (Judges 13:1). The Book of Judges is one of the most fascinating books in the Old Testament. The story of Gideon is found in chapters 7 and 8 and is similar to the taking of Jericho.

Turning to the false gods of Canaan, the Israelites  destroyed the spiritual and moral fibre of their nation. "Based on the fertility cults led by the god Baal, the Canaanite religion was an extraordinarily immoral form of paganism, including....prostitution, homosexuality, and other orgiastic rites" (Old Testament Student Manual, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, p.252). Salvation comes only in one way, through Jesus Christ, the Jehovah of the Old Testament. Worshiping other gods replaces that belief and suggests that salvation can come through other means: "A person's god is the thing or being in which he trusts and which he believes has the greatest power.  It is the thing to which he looks for whatever salvation he believes is available. The Lord has made it clear in all ages that whenever men place their full trust in such things as other men, nations, treaties, treasuries, precious minerals, armies or armaments, their actions are a form of idolatry because such actions reveal a lack of trust in Jehovah. To be totally free of idolatry one must put complete trust in the true God" (Old Testament Student Manual, p.247,245). 

All of Israel's downfall could have been avoided had the parents walked up to their responsibility of being true guardians of their children's happiness. What can we take from this? We can ask ourselves if the spiritual fiber of our family is intact. Are our homes spiritual havens for our children? Are they places where the spirit can dwell and strengthen those who are in our care? Are we worshiping false gods and inadvertently passing on this false worship to our children? Are we showing our children that the one true, living God is the only one to be trusted? When we truly grasp the idea of trusting God we can understand why the Lord would issue an edict to ancient Israel to destroy all the people and their possessions in an idolatrous city. God did not want them to believe that this land of plenty cultivated by idol worshippers was their source of sustenance: "Not to destroy their goods would be to demonstrate a lack of faith that the Lord would provide. Similarly, if a Latter-day Saint will not tithe, is it not because he centers his trust in worldly things and the system that produces them instead of the providence of the Lord? In that sense, then, the things of the world become a god to him, for he trusts more in them than in God's power. Those who do not pay tithing would likely be shocked to think they were guilty of idolatry just as the ancient Israelites were guilty of idolatry. The form differs, but the sin is the same." (Old Testament Student Manual p. 247). Money is a system of the world. When you lack faith to pay tithing, you are inadvertently having faith in your money instead. Having faith in money therefore, means having faith in the world to provide for you instead of God, the true source of all abundance.

The other side of the coin of being guardians of happiness are children who, despite their righteous parents, squander their free agency. The perfect example of this is Samson, one of the judges in the time period under discussion. A judge during this generally apostate period of Israelite's history was more of a military hero who gave advice and rendered decisions rather than an officer of the judiciary. Samson, born of a barren woman in the tribe of Dan, had the potential to be one of the greatest leaders in Israel since Joshua. Foreordained and chosen by the Lord to be a Nazarite who would conquer Philistines and end Israel's 40 year bondage, his birth announced by an angel (Judges 13:4,5), Samson fell into the chosen category with Isaac, John the Baptist and Jesus himself. In Numbers 6 we learn that a Nazarite was someone who was separate (vss. 2,3,4,5), consecrated (vs 7) and holy (vss. 5,8). It was a covenant entered into with the Lord. A Nazarite could also never cut his hair for the length of his hair was indicative of the length of the vow (Ted Gibbons, OT Lesson #19). Samson was born with tremendous gifts, one of them being a gift of incredible strength. His courageous feats include slaying a young lion with his bare hands (Judges 14), killing 1,000 Philistines with jawbone of an ass (Judges 15), ripping away the doors and posts of Gaza's gate and carrying them 40 miles to Hebron and bringing down the temple of Philistines' god Dagon killing himself and 3000 Philistines (Judges 16). Samson had massive potential but his is a story of self-indulgence, immorality, selfish seeking for revenge and violation of the covenant. Instead of conquering Philistines, he repeatedly joined them and even married one of them. In twenty years of adulthood, Samson never attempted to organize the forces of Israel for their liberation thus failing miserably in fulfilling his life's calling (Judges 13:5).  His life ended up being one of the great tragedies of history. 

Short of physical death, there is no greater pain for a faithful parent than that of a spiritually wayward child. A parent who is on the path to eternal life feels keenly the responsibility of being the guardian of their child's happiness. Someone who is convinced that the ultimate happiness means salvation in God's kingdom wants the same for their offspring. Usually when that offspring rebels, the root of that pain is twofold: 1. the parents personalize the child's bad choices and blame themselves for their parenting skills or lack thereof; and 2. the fear that this child will be eternally lost becomes excruciating. It would not be hard to imagine what Samson's parents went through watching him trade his divine destiny for a 'mass of pottage'. No doubt they wondered where they had gone wrong. Letting go of control and respecting your children's agency to choose for themselves can be the hardest thing asked of parents. It is however, the greatest lesson one can learn and grow to accept, for the plan of salvation itself is based on this principle. Without it there is no growth into godhood. God the Father would give us everything He has, but He cannot give us who He is, that we have to earn for ourselves. Let go we must in our parenting, believing we have done what we could do and entrusting our children's salvation into their care, for the Father has done the same. Having made our salvation our responsibility He watches with great interest as the seeds of godhood take root and we grow into gods we are destined to be. And like a perfect parent, He has not left us alone. Always watchful, always caring and always forgiving and all this made possible because of His Son who died to save us all. May we never find the mass of pottage more enticing than the vow we had made to inherit all the Father has and may we be brought together at the last day to receive that inheritance.