"Why do ye adorn yourselves with that which hath no life?"

In my last post, I pointed out an example of wordplay centered on Mormon 8:39.

Moroni's piercing question in that verse serves as the title of this post.  

"Why do ye adorn yourselves with that which hath no life?"

By asking why one chooses to be clothed in "that which hath no life," he implies the opposite is possible -- we can be clothed with something which has life. In this question, I see a deep connection to the temple. 

More wordplay 

I'd like to build on some themes I first presented in this post.  Please take the time to review it before proceeding if you'd like more detail. Here's a summary:

• God's glory is intimately connected with the robes of His righteousness. (In fact, "glory" and "robe" come from the same Hebrew root.) 
• To stand before Him naked is synonymous with being unprepared and filthy. 
• We are told that those who experience this will have "a flame of unquenchable fire" kindled upon them, a symbol of damnation of their eternal progress. (See Mormon 9:5.) 
• To stand before Him clothed and worthy has everything to do with Jesus Christ. 
• When Moroni contrasts the nakedness of the unworthy with God's "glory" and Christ's "holiness," he is connecting Christ's power with the garment with which we should adorn ourselves.

Glory as a garment

Many scriptures make reference to this clothing.

10 I will greatly rejoice in the Lord, my soul shall be joyful in my God; for he hath clothed me with the garments of salvation, he hath covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decketh himself with ornaments, and as a bride adorneth herself with her jewels. (Isaiah 61)

33 O Lord, wilt thou encircle me around in the robe of thy righteousness! (2 Nephi 4)

 

31 And awake, and arise from the dust, O Jerusalem; yea, and put on thy beautiful garments, O daughter of Zion; and strengthen thy stakes and enlarge thy borders forever, that thou mayest no more be confounded, that the covenants of the Eternal Father which he hath made unto thee, O house of Israel, may be fulfilled. (Moroni 10)

More about that final example in the next post. Moroni's exhortation in Mormon 9:1-6 indicates that a key component of our preparation for the judgment day involves being clothed in a garment that represents our commitment to Jesus Christ and His sacrifice for us.

Connections between the garment and Joseph in Egypt

I've pointed out many times on this blog that I believe the temple covenant was central to the Nephites and part of the covenant involved wearing a long garment. Just as Joseph of Egypt wore an ornate robe symbolizing the favor he found with his father, the Nephites -- descendants of that same Joseph -- wore a similar garment. Captain Moroni wore a coat that symbolized his covenant with God, and the men he recruited to fight for their freedom also wore garments they rent in token of their covenant. This garment was directly connected to their covenants and "tak[ing] upon [them] the name of Christ."  See Alma 46:11, 18-21.

The concept of sacred clothing dates all the way back to Adam and Eve and has intimate connections to the atoning sacrifice of Jesus Christ. See Moses 4:27 and Moses 5:5-8.

The importance of wearing this garment is hinted at repeatedly in the Book of Mormon.  As I've pointed out many times before, wearing such a garment would be rather conspicuous in the tropical climate of Mesoamerica. Likewise, removing the garment would not only violate the covenant but would also allow a person to fit in among non-Nephite neighbors. (As an aside, this would also explain why "nakedness" and "filthiness" would be connected to each other in Nephite culture, and why those two terms might also be connected to a skin of darkness, which would surely come upon anyone living in that climate who did not cover themselves.) 

I can imagine tremendous pressure to fit in by removing the garment, especially as Nephite culture came under attack and other cultures rose to political dominance.

Might this explain why Moroni, the last surviving Nephite, had to flee instead of finding a way to live among the people who overthrew his people?

2 For behold, their wars are exceedingly fierce among themselves; and because of their hatred they put to death every Nephite that will not deny the Christ.
3 And I, Moroni, will not deny the Christ; wherefore, I wander whithersoever I can for the safety of mine own life. (Moroni 1)

Is it possible the Lamanites demanded any Nephite they found to remove their garment or die? If true, it adds a new layer of meaning to adorning one's self with that which hath life!

Conclusion

I'll make one final point to end this post, which I will explore in the next post:

In addition to everything else going on in in Mormon 8, Moroni subtly and repeatedly quotes the prophecy of Joseph in Egypt found in 2 Nephi 3.  I find this detail incredibly compelling, connecting two big concepts (the latter-day work through a modern-day Joseph and the fulfillment of God's ancient promise to gather Israel) directly to the biblical figure who is best known for his ornate robe. This connection underscores the significance of latter-day temples and the covenants associated with temple worship. To quote Moroni, these covenants prepare us to: 

...cry mightily unto the Father in the name of Jesus, that perhaps [we] may be found spotless, pure, fair, and white, having been cleansed by the blood of the Lamb, at that great and last day. (Mormon 9:6)