Entering into His rest, Part 4 - Alma 12 and 13 as temple text

Lord Wilmore has previously noted that Alma 12 and 13 contains a lot of temple related themes. During my study of the concept, "enter into His rest", I have found further evidence of this. The Garden of Eden symbolism is an important part of that. Adam and Eve were in God's presence, but they provoked him by disobeying the commandment about the tree of knowledge. This is "the first provocation" in Alma 12:36 as explained in this post. But these verses in the end of Alma 12 also talk about a second provocation, using language referring to the children of Israel in the wilderness (see this and this post).

Perhaps it's a bit messy with all these references to other posts but one post on this topic would be very large. The point is that there is a clear link between the concept of entering into His rest, the Garden of Eden, Israel in the wilderness and the temple.

To explain this relation further, let us consider the Hebrew word for repentance, "shuv". In the words of a Jewish rabbi:

The word in Hebrew for this is the word שוב (shuv) which quite literally means to return.[...] Repenting in Judaism is more than a feeling. It is seeking the original way. Two schools of thought within Judaism defined such repentance: Some say repentance is to seek the state of the Sinai. Others define it as seeking the state of our primary existence as it was in the Garden of Eden. 

Both Sinai and the Garden of Eden represent God's presence. In Alma 12, a leader in the city of Ammonihah, asks why the way to the tree of life was blocked. Wasn't the whole point that we should live forever in God's presence? Alma explains that God did not want to expel man forever. But this mortal journey, (which can be symbolized by the journey of the Israelites in the wilderness), was a necessary part of the "plan of redemption" (Alma 12:25-26). As Alma explains in this chapter, God wanted us to return and he prepared a way. He then uses the language used in JST of Exodus 34 and Psalm 95, referring to the Israelites, as a warning: Man had already provoked God once in the Garden of Eden. Let us not do it a second time like the Children of Israel by mount Sinai.

We are taught in D&C 84:23-24 that Moses' objective was to return the Israelites to God, consistent with the Jewish idea of "shuv".

23 Now this Moses plainly taught to the children of Israel in the wilderness, and sought diligently to sanctify his people that they might behold the face of God;

24 But they hardened their hearts and could not endure his presence; therefore, the Lord in his wrath, for his anger was kindled against them, swore that they should not enter into his rest while in the wilderness, which rest is the fulness of his glory.

Moses trying to "sanctify his people" was done by mount Sinai (see Exodus 19). The mountain worked in many ways as a temple, something that is often the case in the scriptures. The temple is the House of the Lord, where we symbolically return to his presence or enter into His rest as well as prepare ourselves for an actual return some day. Psalm 95, which contains the same references to the Children of Israel who did not manage to get up on Mount Sinai nor enter into His rest, is a psalm believed to have been composed and sung by the dedication of the second temple.

Alma 12 discusses the Garden of Eden, the fall, the atonement, the "plan of redemption" and a return to God's presence, all temple related themes. But in addition, it makes specific reference to language related to Mount Sinai and Psalm 95 composed for temple worship. Then, in Alma 13 it goes on to explain how the priesthood is essential for helping God's children to enter into His presence.

6 And thus being called by this holy calling, and ordained unto the high priesthood of the holy order of God, to teach his commandments unto the children of men, that they also might enter into his rest

The plan of salvation can be summarized quite simply: We start in God's presence, take a necessary journey away from Him to learn and progress but always with the aim of returning; through the atonement and through the covenants and ordinances of the priesthood. This is what the temple is all about, this is apparently what God through Moses tried to offer to the Israelites and this is what Alma is explaining to the people in Ammonihah. When we look closely, the temple is a prevalent theme in the Book of Mormon, although not referenced explicitly very often.