ABRAHAM, GATHERER OF SOULS

 

 

The moment young Abraham faced death on the sacrificial table of the priest of Elkenah is the moment he learnt that it pays to worship the one true and living God. It is the moment he heard his voice saying: “Abraham, Abraham, I am Jehovah and I have come to deliver you….” (Abraham 1:16)

After his rescue, Abraham became a relentless missionary and a Zionist at heart. His study of the Book of Remembrance gave him a glimpse of Enoch and Melchizedek and the Zion communities they established and he longed to do the same (Abraham 1:31). As he was led by the Lord on his way to Canaan, he wasted no time in this endeavour. He comments in the Book of Abraham that he left Haran where they temporarily resided enroute with all their substance that they gathered ‘and the souls that they had won in Haran’ (Abraham 2:15).  

Abraham’s humane spirit and his piety attracted people to him so he could teach them in a large-scale missionary effort wherever he went. He extended hospitality to all and considered  his temporal blessings from God were opportunities to bless the lives of others.

According to the Qur’an, Abraham was an elegant speaker blessed with a gift of teaching and power to convey the truth unto others, and according to the Jewish tradition, “he called out in a mighty voice to all the world and he led them to righteousness” by speaking persuasively as their hearts were changed and they felt to declare the “the Lord, He is God in the heavens above the earth below, and you are Abraham, His prophet”. “Thus was Abraham fulfilling his baptismal covenant to stand as a witness of God “at all times and in all things, and in all places” (Mosiah 18:9). (E. Douglas Clark, “The Blessings of Abraham, Becoming a Zion People” 86)

“The Jewish tradition claims that Abraham’s converts came to be numbered into the thousands and tens of thousands. If this seems exaggerated, one need only remember the remarkably rapid growth of the Church restored by Joseph Smith, who, like his forefather Abraham, was also a missionary par excellence…..According to Hugh Nibley, “Abraham founded his Zion, and those who wished to follow became the followers of Abraham. By special rites and ordinances they were adopted into the family….

“Such were the fervent efforts to build the kingdom of God by the man who, as he himself said, had left Ur seeking “peace, happiness and rest” – not by looking forward to retirement, or by building his dream house away from humanity, but by living among them and serving them tirelessly. The “rest that Abraham sought was not a life of affluent ease. He was striving to “enter into the rest of the Lord”, obtainable only by serving Him with all of one’s heart, might, mind, and strength.” (E. Douglas Clark, “The Blessings of Abraham, p 87)

Abraham was exceptional even before the beginning of his mortal life. When he was shown the great spirits that resided in pre-existence, he was told that he was one of them and that he was ‘chosen before he was born’ (Abraham 3:23). When Jehovah came to rescue Abraham from imminent death, He came not just to prolong his life but to ensure Abraham would be able to embrace his divine destiny.

Abraham is known by more than one name, the most known being ‘the father of the faithful’ (D&C 138:41) and ‘the friend of God’ (James 2:23). I personally love ‘the gatherer of souls’ because he gathered them unto God wherever he went. This in my mind made him the prototype of Christ who gathered souls unto Him through His infinite sacrifice and who commanded Abraham: “walk before me,and be thou perfect” (Genesis 17:1). And walk he did…..following Him all the way to his exaltation (D&C 132:37)

- CATHRYNE ALLEN 

(ART: Follow Me by Liz Lemon Swindle)

THE VINEYARD

 

I had occasion yesterday to reflect on the sad history of the House of Israel and for the first time, instead of the suffering of the people, I saw the anguish and the sorrow of their King. He who had chosen them to be a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a peculiar people witnessed with heaviness of heart their Egyptian slavery, the Assyrian conquest of The Ten Tribes, the Babylonian captivity of the House of Judah, Rome’s sacking of Jerusalem, the diaspora of the Jews, the holocaust, the wars of the nation of Israel…… it all testified of their suffering, the loss of lives and most especially their disobedience that brought upon them their demise from greatness.

One of my favourite ancient prophets is Jeremiah. The theme of his entire book in the Old Testament is ‘backsliding Israel’. The Lord himself gave this name to His covenant people that He once called a holy nation (Jeremiah 2:19; 3:6,8,11,12,14,22; 31:22; 49:4) because they were ‘bent on backsliding from Him’ (Hosea 11:7). Think of the tragedy of that. When Jeremiah importuned the Lord for their forgiveness, he admitted their ‘backslidings were perpetual’ (Jeremiah 5:6; 8:5; 14:7).

The House of Israel has had its share of suffering for their backsliding but this is what affects me the most….the betrayed and rejected Christ watching in the shadows their unfaithfulness to Him who devised their glorious destiny.

If you want to understand the Saviour’s mercy and love for the House of Israel, study the Allegory of the Olive Tree as found in Jacob 5 of the Book of Mormon.  It attests to His suffering caused by the very people He calls His own. I am not talking about the Atonement but His care despite the dejection He must have felt throughout the history of this world.

In the Allegory of the Olive Tree, the Saviour is represented as the Lord of the vineyard who grieves, preserves, labours, watches and tends to His vineyard constantly. His frantic efforts to ensure the divine destiny of the House of Israel, as represented by the olive trees in His vineyard, can be seen through repetitious declarations of His love and long-suffering:

His desire to preserve the vineyard is mentioned in the parable 11 times; at least 15 times the Lord expresses His desire to bring the vineyard and its' harvest 'unto my own self'; 8 times He says 'it grieveth me to lose the trees of my vineyard'; and 3 times He asks with anguish, weeping, 'what could I have done more for my vineyard?' All this despite the backsliding.

This is the promise of the Holy One of Israel that He will never recant: He will be merciful to the House of Israel and He will ‘heal their backsliding’ (Hosea 14:4). Jacob who engraved the Allegory on the golden plates put it well:  "....how merciful is our God unto us, for he remembereth the house of Israel, both roots and branches; and he stretches forth his hands unto them all the day long….. (Jacob 6:4)

We live in the best period of time of this earth. Ancient Israel are the roots and we, the modern Israel, are the branches. We are the ones through whom the promise is being fulfilled. The scattered are being gathered.  We are the posterity of the backsliders but the backsliding stops with us.

We are the strong of the House of Israel and we will spread the truth that will heal. We are the children of the promise. We are the manifestation of His love and His mercy. We are the chosen, we have the royal priesthood upon us. We will ensure our divine destiny so freely given by the Shepherd of Israel who would not see us lost, who rescued our souls never counting the cost……

- CATHRYNE ALLEN 

(Artist Unknown)

AN UNDERSTANDING GOD

 

I often joke that we are operating here in this telestial life on an intelligence level called ‘stupidity’. I am often amazed at the blunders and messes we make even amongst the most intelligent of us, hence the world’s terrible shape. When I study the scriptures, I am marvel at the simplicity with which the Lord speaks to us, how He relates to us on our level of understanding. I would imagine His method of communication would be far superior to our own yet He, a god,  speaks to us as if He is one of us. I stand in awe of His understanding of our capacities and His ensuing compassion. No doubt this is evident in our personal revelation as well. I have had answers to prayer that have been rather unusual yet very suitable to the way my brain works and the way I process information. I am certain nobody else would understand them. This to me is an assurance of how well the Saviour knows us personally; what we are capable and ready to receive; our capacity to act and our limitations as we live by faith. 

 

The Godhead under whose supervision we exist is our greatest saving grace:  

- The Father because He has created us and nurtured us in the beginning and knows the nature of our spirits to the utmost, He knows the outcome of our lives because He knows our inclinations and the level of our obedience the most. I am convinced He knows me better than I know myself;

- The Saviour who has experiential knowledge of my life and my soul which enables His mercy to be extended to me and therefore knows how to aid me and most importantly, to mediate and intercede with the Father on my behalf; 

- The Holy Ghost who touches my heart and whispers to my soul. I feel bonded to him in immense gratitude for His administration to my spirit. His presence in my life often reduces me to tears. 

 The path of faith is rich, exquisite and priceless….far above any treasures of this earth. There are so many of us yet in Godhead’s eyes, we are only one. We matter. We are of immense worth because we are of royal birth; kings, queens, priests and priestesses of royal courts above, we are far more than this world can ever see in us: the glorious, the eternal, the supernal.

You see me Father, despite heaven’s vast expanse,

You hear the burning beat of my heart

Amidst the numberless host of heaven.

You cherish me 

More than the stars that encircle thy throne;

Thy greatness is endless,

Thy power sublime.

In my appointed hour,

Carry me home

In the strength of Thy loving arms.

 

- CATHRYNE ALLEN

(Art: Godhood by Danny Hahlbohm)