Repetitive resumption is an ancient scribal technique explained in this post. The idea is to use a repeated phrase to bracket a side note, when brackets don't exist in your written language. An example of this is found in 2 Nephi 25:20
And now, my brethren, I have spoken plainly that ye cannot err. And as the Lord God liveth that brought Israel up out of the land of Egypt, and gave unto Moses power that he should heal the nations after they had been bitten by the poisonous serpents, if they would cast their eyes unto the serpent which he did raise up before them, and also gave him power that he should smite the rock and the water should come forth; yea, behold I say unto you, that as these things are true, and as the Lord God liveth, there is none other name given under heaven save it be this Jesus Christ, of which I have spoken, whereby man can be saved.
Such verses often look grammatically clumsy in English and may be hard to get. I believe that they read better in the original language. In any case, I find such verses easier to get when I break them down and structure them. The point that Nephi is getting to in the end of the verse is simple enough:
As the Lord God liveth, there is none other name under heaven save it be Jesus Christ, [...] whereby man can be saved.
But there is a long side note about the Lord God. This can be split into three parts. The Lord God...
- "Brought Israel up out of the land of Egypt"
- "Healed the nations"
- Provided water from out of the rock
I don't think this is a side note where Nephi just throws in some random stuff about the Lord God. This blog is full of examples to show that the Book of Mormon was carefully written. The "Lord God" (Adonai Yahweh) is the God of the Old Testament. This is the God of Israel (see 1 Kings 8:23) that Nephi grew up learning about. But Nephi had also learned from his father and his own revelations that he would come down as Jesus Christ to save mankind. In the verse before, we read
For according to the words of the prophets, the Messiah cometh in six hundred years from the time that my father left Jerusalem; and according to the words of the prophets, and also the word of the angel of God, his name shall be Jesus Christ, the Son of God. (2 Nephi 25:19)
So this sacred name has been revealed by an angel and is the only name "under heaven [...] whereby man can be saved". Nephi's side note in verse 20 gives three examples of the Lord God's power to save, thereby showing that the very God of Israel who had power to save them temporarily has the power to save all mankind spiritually. A few verses later, Nephi states in no unclear terms
Christ is the Holy One of Israel (2 Nephi 25:29)
Let's have a closer look at the examples of the Lord God's power to save. These are all taken from the Exodus of Nephi's forefathers, something that he has referenced directly and indirectly several times already in his account.
Brought Israel up out of the land of Egypt
Leaving Egypt is symbolic of leaving sin.
This post discusses some of the symbolism. The children of Israel came from the promised land that Abraham had obtained. They dwelt in Egypt for a while in slavery but they returned to the promised land led by Moses. In Hebrew, repent literally means to turn. We turn away from the bondage of sin and back to the path that leads to our promised land. We cannot do that on our own. The Lord God brought Israel up out of Egypt just as Christ brings us up out of sin through his redemptive power. Notice the "up" in Nephi's statement.
Healed the nations
The story of the poisonous serpents and subsequent healing by looking at the brass serpent is repeated several times in the Book of Mormon (See also 1 Nephi 17:41, Alma 33:19-20 and Helaman 8:14). Nephi seems to get ahead of himself a bit here. Why does he say healed the nations with plural 's' when it was only the children of Israel involved in this event? Again, Nephi is eager to make a connection to Christ, the savior of mankind (including all nations).
Notice how Nephi is referring to "the nations" elsewhere in chapter 25. In verse 3, he comments on Isaiah and his prophesies that he has just read.
Wherefore, I write unto my people, unto all those that shall receive hereafter these things which I write, that they may know the judgments of God, that they come upon all nations, according to the word which he [Isaiah] hath spoken. (v.3)
Then about the fate of the Jews
Wherefore, the Jews shall be scattered among all nations; yea, and also Babylon shall be destroyed; wherefore, the Jews shall be scattered by other nations. (v.15)
Eventually the Jews will be gathered and believe in Christ, who has power to heal the nations (v.20). Then Nephi explains that what he writes about Christ must be kept and preserved so that "the nations" (who have now been offered healing and are left with no excuse) can be judged.
Wherefore, these things shall go from generation to generation as long as the earth shall stand; and they shall go according to the will and pleasure of God; and the nations who shall possess them shall be judged of them according to the words which are written. (v.22)
Provided water from out of the rock
Another story from the Exodus is when the people were thirsty, Moses smote the rock with his rod and water flowed out. In 1 Corinthians 10:4, Paul identifies that rock as Christ. He is the rock that we can build a solid foundation on and he can give us living waters. This is surely Nephi's point too. In all these examples, Nephi is demonstrating that the Lord God has power to save and that these miracles point towards Christ and
the greatest miracle of all; salvation from sin and death.
Like physical water for our bodies, the living water is life-saving and life-sustaining for our spirits. Christ is the source, the fountain of all righteousness.
Christ, the only name under heaven whereby man can be saved, would
- Bring us up out of sin
- Heal us through the atonement
- Provide us living water
What the Lord God of the Old Testament did to his people of old was a type and a shadow of what he would do to all people who would take upon them the name of Christ.
