FOR SUCH A TIME 3

 

Hear Me O Lord by Greg Collins

When God gave a commandment in the beginning that a man should leave his mother and father and 'cleave unto his wife' (Genesis 2:24) I believe that somehow this became a very literal mandate for men, with women being given the advantage and privilege of influence.....as was proven by Esther who saved her entire nation from annihilation (Esther 8). What she did and how she did it defines the nature of this influence.

 

Esther did not rely on her beauty and her womanly wiles to convince King Xerxes not to kill her people. She could have done that. The King was clearly smitten by her to the point that he would have granted her every wish and given her even half of his kingdom (Esther 5:3,6; 7:2). Instead of relying on her womanhood, Esther employed God's assistance in her influence over the king. This is the privilege of influence that God meant women to have, to influence men using their spiritual sensitivities and make God the third party in their union.  

 

Esther designated a three day fast for all the Jews in the kingdom and offered two banquets to the King and his right hand man Haman who was intent on Jewish annihilation. The 24 hours in between those two banquets was crucial because during that time the King had a sudden desire to read the records which threw a light on the situation at hand. This desire was obviously inspired from above (Esther 6). The fasting of Esther and her people brought the Lord into the situation. It's a rather lengthy story but a highly entertaining one. The whole event is celebrated even today among the Jews through the Feast of Purim all because of the power of a righteous woman.

 

We are enjoying freedoms today never before known to women. With this comes a great responsibility.  Our influence knows no bounds. We can tear down or build up. We can inspire or degrade. We can soften men's hearts or lead them to destruction. We can lead them away from the truth or bring them to God. Such is the power of women.

 

Mordecai, a relative who raised Esther, suggested to her that she was probably raised up at that time to save her people, that she was foreordained for such 'a time as this' (Esther 4:14). Esther in Persian tongue means 'a star'.   She honoured her name well for she was no doubt in the realms of heaven when 'the morning stars sang together and all the sons of God shouted for joy' (Job 38:7).

 

We, noble women of the covenant were there too, foreordained for such a time as this, to lift humanity to higher ground, to prepare for the great day of the Lord when He shall come in His glory to save His people Israel. We were the morning stars sent to support, love and influence our husbands, our sons and our brothers to be the sons of God now and forever.

 

May we fulfil our sacred responsibility given us of God at all cost and have the courage to be such women like Esther who went to the King endangering her own life for the cause and said the most memorable words ever spoken by a woman of courage: “If I perish, I perish” (Esther 4:16)

- CATHRYNE ALLEN 

COURAGEOUS ABINADI

 

 

Herein is Christ’s mercy to the descendants of Zeniff who had become idolatrous people under the reign of his son Noah (Mosiah 11:7). Whenever God needs to call people to repentance He sends a prophet. Noah got one of the most valiant ones that ever lived: Abinadi.

This is what will forever be recorded in the annals of history about this man:  His unwavering testimony of Christ. When questioned by the priests of Noah, Abinadi recited Isaiah 53 in its perfection and entirety. I am sure he didn’t carry scriptures around and most certainly didn’t have them handy when handcuffed standing in front of his accusers. How many of us could memorise Isaiah, recite it word for word and then explain it? This is chapter 53: “….surely he hath borne our griefs and carried our sorrows….he was wounded for our transgressions…he was oppressed and afflicted….”. the prophecy of Messiah and the foundation of Abinadi’s testimony. There is something else very interesting about Chapter 53. Abinadi quoted that Christ would, because of His death, divide His eternal reward ‘with the strong’ (Mosiah 14:12).  Well, you can’t get stronger than Abinadi who knew he was going to meet his death but who wouldn’t abstain from finishing his message. Take note why: “I finish my message; and then it matters not whither I go, if it so be that I am saved.” (Mosiah 13:9). Never a more poignant statement has been made…..in the end, all that mattered was that he fulfilled his purpose.

Abinadi's call to repentance was not well received to say the least. In fact, King Noah sought to put him to death (Mosiah 11:28). Abinadi escaped only to resurface two years later. The interesting thing about his return is that he did not reappear at just any time.  Abinadi's discourse with Noah's priests on the law of Moses, and his jail confinement of three days suggests that Abinadi came back during the Israelite festival of Pentecost (John W Welch, "Abinadi and Pentecost", ScripturePlus). Pentecost was a three-day festival which celebrated Israel's deliverance from Egypt and the receipt of the Mosaic Law.  So Abinadi reappeared during a busy time hoping to find a larger audience, not caring that there is a warrant out for his arrest. In fact, he ensured that he would be arrested because the first thing he did was speak against King Noah pronouncing a death sentence on his life, which he said would be 'valued even as a garment in a hot furnace' (Mosiah 12:3). This, he was sure, would bring him to King Noah himself because one thing he knew for sure, he had to deliver the words which God had commanded him to deliver (Mosiah 13:4), even at the peril of his life.

Abinadi did get to see King Noah and as a result he became one of the great Christian martyrs.  The scriptures say Abinadi 'suffered death by fire' (Mosiah 17:20). Our modern day supposition of this would be being burned at the stake, however, the description of his death never mentions that this was the case. Instead, it states that Abinadi was 'scourged with faggots'...'until the flames began to scorch him' (Mosiah 17:13,14). Such a death is almost too much for our modern-day sensibilities to contemplate, however, history speaks of the ancient method of burning bundles of sticks (faggots) with which they poked and burnt the victim's skin until he died. Sometimes this process was dragged out for days or weeks to maximise the extent of the agony (see Ethnohistorical Sources and the Death of Abinadi, BYU Religious Studies Center). This is most likely the death that Abinadi suffered. The amazing thing is that he anticipated he would meet such a death when he proclaimed without fear that King Noah would also meet a death by fire, which he did (Mosiah 19:20). Have you ever heard of such courage?

ODE TO ABINADI: 

How beautiful were your feet

As you published peace

And brought Christ as an offering

To the proud and the unbelieving.

You stood without flinching

As the flames licked your body

And defiant spirit without yielding.

With courage you proclaimed His Sonship

And His godly might;

With righteous devotion

You earned entrance to His holy heart.

- CATHRYNE ALLEN 

(Art: Abinadi by Briana Shawcroft)

PERSONAL REVELATION

 

My closest and dearest friend is a woman of great faith. She receives personal revelation on ongoing basis and obeys with exactness allowing nothing to compromise her convictions. She doesn’t always know why she is given particular instructions but she follows them anyway. She is like Nephi of old who followed the path to obtain the brass plates without knowing where he was going and what he was going to do (1 Nephi 4:6). That journey to Jerusalem  might just have been the catalyst of young Nephi’s conviction that the Lord doesn’t ask us to do anything that He hasn’t prepared the way for (1 Nephi 3:7). It might have sealed his path of following Lord’s instructions for the rest of his life. Imagine if Nephi didn’t trust the Lord’s instructions that led him obtain the plates. Would he have ever believed the Lord that he was capable of building a ship when the time came for such a mammoth undertaking (1 Nephi 17:49,50)? And would he have dared to even step onto that ship and sail dangerous seas? 

 

Sometimes it is hard to understand some instructions that might be given to us but ‘God’s thoughts are not our thoughts, and neither are our ways His ways’ (Isaiah 55:8). It is our part to trust rather than understand the how and why.  The ability to trust God has to come from ‘knowing’ God because it is impossible to trust someone you don’t know. One great way is to remember past experiences we have had  where God has revealed His wisdom in our lives. Another way is to take particular notice of the way He deals with people in scriptural accounts. The scriptures are replete with stories of miraculous ways God has come to aid people throughout history or the way He has prepared the way for something extraordinary to happen as in the case of Nephi who was instructed in 569 B.C. to make a second set of plates (2 Nephi 5:28-31) and Mormon who was instructed to include them in his record nearly 1,000 years later (Words of Mormon 1:8). Neither of these men knew about the loss of 116 pages of translated Book of Lehi that would happen in 1828. 

 

Living by personal revelation is not for the faint hearted. It takes courage and absence of fear. I learnt that from my friend. Just remember the vantage point from which God sees you and your life. He is way up high and has a marvellous view. 

 

I stumble and I fall on this road of life;

Your words

Like a lamp unto my feet

Dispel the darkness and bear me up.

I dare to climb the highest mountains

I dare to sail dangerous seas,

Ever trusting what you speak to me

Will lead me back to Thee.

- CATHRYNE ALLEN

(Art by Liz Lemon Swindle)

CAPTAIN MORONI, A MAN OF PASSION

I can't say enough good things about Captain Moroni. And it seems neither can the historians. Moroni took command of the entire Nephite army at the tender age of 25 (Alma 43:16-17).  His warfare acumen and military strategies are astounding. His achievements as protector of his people and defender of liberty,  legendary. His devotion to God and the covenants he had made to keep the commandments of God, more than admirable. Equal to all these qualities, was his passionate nature which was the genesis of the success he achieved. Who can forget the title of liberty which he raised at the onset of his military career to defend the liberty of his people as the insurrection fueled by the rise of the king-men sought to overthrow the government of the judges (Alma 46:4-6,12)?

Besides being a man of war, Moroni was well versed in scripture and a fervent upholder of covenants (Alma 60:34,36); he had an incredible talent to inspire people (Alma 62:4,5); a man of un-daunting faith in his actions (Alma 60:25); a man who feared only God (Alma 60:28); a man of fearless courage who dared to address his enemy as 'a child of hell' (Alma 54:11). 

Moroni spent most of his adult life shouldering immense responsibility for the peace of a whole nation. What is even more impressive is that his faith never wavered despite incredible hardships of warfare as recounted by Mormon in the war chapters of the book of Alma. Mormon, himself being a military man, obviously admired Moroni greatly. Besides being impressed by his military maneuvers, Mormon was most impressed with his spiritual stature as he wrote this this worthy epitaph of the man: "...if all men had been, and were, and ever would be, like unto Moroni, behold the very powers of hell would have been shaken forever...." (Alma 48:17). 

Historians have thought it odd that Mormon would include in his record Moroni's epistle to the chief governor Pahoran (Alma 60) which seems to suggest Moroni was a bit of a hot head. To me, however, Mormon was only highlighting what a good man Moroni was. Pahoran never got offended by the accusatory tone of Moroni's letter, whom he called 'my beloved brother' (Alma 61:20). Pahoran knew only too well what truly motivated Moroni's passionate outburst: his concern for the welfare of others and the freedom of the country. It was Helaman's letter to Moroni outlining the dire circumstances of his army that motivated him to write to Pahoran in the first place asking for assistance (Alma 59:3). When the reply was not forthcoming and circumstances became even more dire, Moroni's concern escalated to one of indignation. How could you possibly be offended by the goodness of someone's heart?

I saw Captain Moroni in a new light this year. I saw him and Helaman as spiritual giants of Nephite warfare. I was mesmerised by their acts of courage but more than that, I saw the men behind the scenes of battle. I cried when I read of Moroni's death. He was a warrior of unequaled passion. A warrior for the right cause. A warrior who valiantly said: ".....I seek not for honor of the world, but for the glory of my God...." (Alma 60:36). Makes you want to weep, doesn't it?

- Cathryne Allen, Did Not Our Hearts Burn When He Opened To Us The Scriptures?

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