"Carried away" -- Part 3

 

This is a continuation of a series about the scriptural significance of the term "carried away."

In my previous post, we looked at the connections between the coat of skins with which the Lord covers Adam and Eve and the divine protection they are promised as a result of their obedience to God's commandments. This obedience leads to sacred knowledge offered by divine messengers. (See Moses 5:5-8.) This fundamental temple pattern explains the intimate connection between the concept of knowledge, divine protection, and a literal covering to be worn at all times as a reminder of a sacred commitment.

Below I'll lay out two examples from the Book of Mormon which illustrate how deeply embedded these concepts were in Nephite culture.

Example #1: Alma 46  

Notice how this connection between a literal covering and divine protection is displayed in the actions and words of a group of Nephites who lived 500 years after Lehi. When "Captain Moroni" became aware of a serious threat to the covenant people, he rallied an army willing to fight for the freedom promised to them centuries earlier as a blessing connected with their covenants.  The symbol of that freedom was the garment (covering) they each wore! "Rending" that garment was a powerful physical act that reminded them of the threat of "uncovering" they faced if they abandoned their covenants: 

21 And it came to pass that when Moroni had proclaimed these words, behold, the people came running together with their armor girded about their loins, rending their garments in token, or as a covenant, that they would not forsake the Lord their God; or, in other words, if they should transgress the commandments of God, or fall into transgression, and be ashamed to take upon them the name of Christ, the Lord should rend them even as they had rent their garments.

22 Now this was the covenant which they made, and they cast their garments at the feet of Moroni, saying: We covenant with our God, that we shall be destroyed, even as our brethren in the land northward, if we shall fall into transgression; yea, he may cast us at the feet of our enemies, even as we have cast our garments at thy feet to be trodden under foot, if we shall fall into transgression.

23 Moroni said unto them: Behold, we are a remnant of the seed of Jacob; yea, we are a remnant of the seed of Joseph, whose coat was rent by his brethren into many pieces; yea, and now behold, let us remember to keep the commandments of God, or our garments shall be rent by our brethren, and we be cast into prison, or be sold, or be slain.

24 Yea, let us preserve our liberty as a remnant of Joseph; yea, let us remember the words of Jacob, before his death, for behold, he saw that a part of the remnant of the coat of Joseph was preserved and had not decayed. And he said—Even as this remnant of garment of my son hath been preserved, so shall a remnant of the seed of my son be preserved by the hand of God, and be taken unto himself, while the remainder of the seed of Joseph shall perish, even as the remnant of his garment. (Alma 46)

A few notes:

• Verse 21 directly connects the wearing of the garments with taking the name of Christ.
• Captivity (or worse) is the consequence of covenant rebellion.
• Verse 24: "preserved by the hand of God" and "taken unto himself" catches my attention. This is the purpose of the way of life -- to offer us everlasting and eternal life with God.

Example #2: Alma 9

Alma-2 preaches mightily against rebellious Nephites in Ammonihah in Alma 9.  It's a masterful sermon, with multi-layered poetic elements. (See here, here, and here for more details.) Understanding how the Nephites understood their covenants also helps us tap into some of the layers of symbolic meaning.  "Galah" is part of that understanding (see below).  Notice how Alma associates knowledge and divine protection (or its opposite):

19 For he will not suffer you that ye shall live in your iniquities, to destroy his people. I say unto you, Nay; he would rather suffer that the Lamanites might destroy all his people who are called the people of Nephi, if it were possible that they could fall into sins and transgressions, after having had so much light and so much knowledge given unto them of the Lord their God;

20 Yea, after having been such a highly favored people of the Lord; yea, after having been favored above every other nation, kindred, tongue, or people; after having had all things made known unto them, according to their desires, and their faith, and prayers, of that which has been, and which is, and which is to come;

...

22 Yea, and after having been delivered of God out of the land of Jerusalem, by the hand of the Lord; having been saved from famine, and from sickness, and all manner of diseases of every kind; and they having waxed strong in battle, that they might not be destroyed; having been brought out of bondage time after time, and having been kept and preserved until now; and they have been prospered until they are rich in all manner of things

23 And now behold I say unto you, that if this people, who have received so many blessings from the hand of the Lord, should transgress contrary to the light and knowledge which they do have, I say unto you that if this be the case, that if they should fall into transgression, it would be far more tolerable for the Lamanites than for them.

24 For behold, the promises of the Lord are extended to the Lamanites, but they are not unto you if ye transgress; for has not the Lord expressly promised and firmly decreed, that if ye will rebel against him that ye shall utterly be destroyed from off the face of the earth? (Alma 9)

Knowledge comes from angels/divine messengers

Here's one additional point that is vital.  This knowledge is special.  It is not any knowledge. Rather, this knowledge that creates a covenant people comes from heaven by angels.  Alma makes this point directly:

21 Having been visited by the Spirit of God; having conversed with angels, and having been spoken unto by the voice of the Lord; and having the spirit of prophecy, and the spirit of revelation, and also many gifts, the gift of speaking with tongues, and the gift of preaching, and the gift of the Holy Ghost, and the gift of translation;

...

25 And now for this cause, that ye may not be destroyed, the Lord has sent his angel to visit many of his people, declaring unto them that they must go forth and cry mightily unto this people, saying: Repent ye, for the kingdom of heaven is nigh at hand;

...

29 Now behold, this is the voice of the angel, crying unto the people.

The knowledge that brings us back to the presence of God comes from divine messengers. See this post for a discussion of the office of the ministry of angels, and how this pattern is on display in Alma 9. It is also worth noting that Amulek follows Alma's words with a poignant testimony of how the words of an angel changed his life. See Alma 10:2-11.

Conclusion

We've covered a lot in this three part series. It's useful to review the key concepts in order to allow them to sink in deeply and enrich our future study:

Part 1:

• "Carried away" is a covenant term used in positive and negative contexts in the Book of Mormon.
• Positive: "carried away in a vision"
• Negative: "carried away captive"
• We must each reconcile ourselves to the fact that we will be "carried away" -- one way or the other -- depending on how we use our agency and how we respond to the work of the Lord.

Part 2:

• The connection between divine protection and sacred covering is built right into the Hebrew language.
• 'galah' as a root has a double meaning -- to have knowledge uncovered or to be carried away captive.
• This double meaning is found in the Old Testament.
• At the time Adam and Eve were expelled from the Garden of Eden, the Lord covered them and the Tree of Life.  
• The work of angels is all about reuniting the children of Adam and Eve with the presence of God.

Part 3 (this post):

• The Nephites had a deep understanding of the connection between 
• their covenants
• the coats/garments they wore
• the divine protection they enjoyed
• the knowledge with which they had been blessed
• the consequences of rebellion
• The knowledge that brings us back to the presence of God comes from divine messengers.

In researching "carried away" over the past week, I came across a related term: "caught up." In my next post, I'll show how "caught up" is used very similarly as "carried away" and has a similar double usage pattern with covenant ramifications.