Lehi, Nephi and the shekinah -- Part 2 (Lehi's tent as tabernacle)

I introduced the concept of "shekinah" in my previous post with a promise to connect Lehi's tent and the tabernacle of Israel. In 1 Nephi, Nephi repeatedly stresses the fact that his father lived in a tent. For example:

And it came to pass that I, Nephi, returned from speaking with the Lord, to the tent of my father. (1 Nephi 3:1)

A Jewish rabbi comments on this verse:

Nephi had been speaking with the Lord. There's nothing in the narrative that indicates that Nephi had a vision so this conversation must have happened with a direct manifestation of G-d to Nephi. So Nephi was in G-d's presence - ie. the Shechinah (שכינה). One of the words used for tent in Hebrew is the word mishkan (משכן) which comes from the very same root. This word-play cannot be coincidental.

Nephi is not only informing us what kind of accomodation they had in the wilderness. In that case, informing us once would do and even that would be unneccesary really. It is not like any reader would wonder what hotels they were staying at along the way. But Nephi is stressing the fact that this journey was undertaken because of God's commandments and He was with them, leading them to a promised land like Israel of old.

Another textual clue in the Book of Mormon linking Lehi's tent to the tabernacle of Israel are the accounts of sacrifices.

7 And when we had returned to the tent of my father, behold their joy was full, and my mother was comforted.

8 And she spake, saying: Now I know of a surety that the Lord hath commanded my husband to flee into the wilderness; yea, and I also know of a surety that the Lord hath protected my sons, and delivered them out of the hands of Laban, and given them power whereby they could accomplish the thing which the Lord hath commanded them. And after this manner of language did she speak.

9 And it came to pass that they did rejoice exceedingly, and did offer sacrifice and burnt offerings unto the Lord; and they gave thanks unto the God of Israel. (1 Nephi 5)

And it came to pass that we did come down unto the tent of our father. And after I and my brethren and all the house of Ishmael had come down unto the tent of my father, they did give thanks unto the Lord their God; and they did offer sacrifice and burnt offerings unto him. (1 Nephi 7:22)

Both accounts of offering sacrifice and burnt offerings in the wilderness occur when it is explicitly mentioned that they get to Lehi's tent. It is interesting to note Nephi's emphasis on his father's tent when the group obviously had many tents. For instance, in 1 Nephi 17:6, they pitched their tents (plural) by the seashore. Still, on special occasions like the ones quoted above, Nephi goes to his father's tent. Does this mean that Lehi's tent actually functioned as a tabernacle and that the offerings happened inside it? We don't know, but there is an unexpected source confirming what is only hinted at in the Book of Mormon text itself. 

A Palmyra resident named Fayette Lapham interviewed Joseph Smith Sr. after the translation of the lost pages. His account is unique since Joseph Smith Sr. who had read the manuscript before it was lost told Lapham about some of the contents. When Lapham later recounts it, he may not remember everything perfectly, but there are still some interesting elements in his account. In his book, "The lost 116 pages", Don Bradley includes and discusses this account. According to Lapham, after Nephi obtained Laban's record and returned to his father,

The family then moved on, for several days, when they were directed to stop and get materials to make brass plates upon which to keep a record of their journey; also to erect a tabernacle, wherein they could go and inquire whenever they became bewildered or at a loss what to do. After all things were ready, they started on their journey, in earnest; a gold ball went before them, having to pointers, one pointing steadily the way they should go, the other the way to where they could get provision and other necessaries.

On this account, Don Bradley comments

Comparing this with Nephi's small plates account, it becomes clear that Lapham garbled some of what he heard. Yet even where Lapham has misinterpreted, the details he gives are, with one exception, known elements of the Lehi narrative. Elements or retrieving the brass plates, acquiring gold for Nephi's own record, and discovering the Liahona are swapped around, but the construction of "a tabernacle, wherein they could go and inquire" is a unique detail and not merely a combination or facile misreading of elements of that narrative.

I agree with Bradley's comments here. This account from Fayette Lapham further strengthens the connection between Lehi's tent and Israel's tabernacle in the desert. This explains the heavy focus on Lehi's tent in 1 Nephi. It was a sanctuary, a place for the shekinah glory. Lehi dwelt [shakan] in a tent [mishkan] and God dwelt with them and guided them along. The journey to the promised land was commanded by God and he was with them every step being a light to them in the wilderness and preparing the way (see 1 Nephi 17:13).

In the next post, I will go deeper into the roles of Lehi and Nephi regarding the tent/tabernacle and temple, respectively.

Collectivism in the Book of Mormon

I am currently reading a book called "Misreading scripture with western eyes". It shows how we often misunderstand scripture because we read it through the lens of our culture which is very different from the culture of those who wrote it. The authors are Christian but not LDS so I am interested to see how this also might apply to the Book of Mormon. One chapter discusses the modern western individualist culture versus the eastern collectivist culture.

Here are a few examples from the Bible that I have never considered: The Christmas story has been Westernized. We imagine (and illustrate in paintings and school plays) Joseph and Mary and possibly a donkey trudging alone up to Jerusalem in the quiet of the night. This is very unlikely. A passage from the book explains:

Since we know from prophecy that Jesus needed to be born in Bethlehem, we don’t ask the obvious question: why in the world would a guy drag his pregnant wife across the country? We assume the Romans must have required it (within the will of God, of course). Sure, the Romans required a census, but they allowed a large window of time for people to register. It wasn’t in Rome’s best interest to suddenly require everyone in the empire to travel to their ancestral homeland during one weekend. It seems clear in the text that Mary and Joseph were traveling during festival time—that’s why all the inns were full. Bethlehem was what we might call a bedroom community, or suburb, for Jerusalem. Joseph, unlike many Galileans, was apparently a regular attender of Judean festivals. This might explain why Joseph wanted to visit Jerusalem when he did. But why take Mary when she was “great with child”? It wasn’t ignorance; ancients knew how to count to nine. The reason is simple: if Joseph was of the lineage of David, then so were all his relatives. So were all of Mary’s relatives. Moreover, in antiquity one’s relatives were the birthing crew. Mary and Joseph went to Bethlehem when they did because everybody else was going.

This goes without saying for the gospel writers. In the modern West, we emphasize each individual being of equal importance. It is not obvious to us that a lot of people who are not mentioned in the story are also there. Another example is Paul's letter-writing. A passage from the book states:

Ancient letter-writing was different in just about every way. Ancients had no writing desks. Authors commonly stood and dictated while a scribe sat with a sheet of parchment balanced on his knee or in his lap. Paul would not have locked himself away in some private room to write. (It would have been too dark anyway.) He more likely would have sat in a public place: the breezy, well-lit atrium of a prosperous home like Lydia’s, or in an upstairs balconied apartment. Family and friends walking by would have stopped to listen (ancients read out loud) and to offer advice (it shows you care).

These are interesting perspectives that make sense only when I better understand the cultural differences. I have been thinking of similar examples in the Book of Mormon where people are not as alone as we think they are when we (mis)read it through modern western eyes. Take the sons of Mosiah who went to preach to the Lamanites. Were there four people making the journey to the Lamanites, preaching the gospel there for 14 years? We know it wasn't. It is not emphasized much in the text but there were definitely more:

And thus they departed into the wilderness with their numbers which they had selected, to go up to the land of Nephi, to preach the word of God unto the Lamanites. (Alma 17:8)

We even get two of their names in Alma 20:2, Ammah and Muloki. So this is not a very obscure fact, on a close reading we understand that there probably was a sizeable group going up to the Lamanites. But it is mentioned only in passing, focusing on certain characters, just like the Christmas story for obvious reasons focuses on Mary and Joseph and not all their relatives. So we should not be surprised if people who are not central to the story sometimes are not mentioned at all. I think this might be the case with the Lehite exodus. Once Nephi mentions in passing that he has sisters (See 2 Nephi 5:6). It is not obvious that he made a conscious effort to inform the reader about that detail, probably because he did not really think it was too important. Informing about family matters was not the point of his writings unless it served the purpose of teaching the reader about God's ways, which is illustrated in the conflicts with his brothers.

Learning about a typical Jewish household in Lehi's time, it is reasonable to assume that there were many more people journeying to the promised land than the ones we know by name from the Book of Mormon. These households would usually consist of three generations. We know from 1 Nephi 7 when they get Ishmael and his houshold that he had two sons who also had families. They were all part of the same household. (See 1 Nephi 7:5-6). In addition, an ancient Jewish household would include debt servants, slaves, concubines, resident aliens, sojourners, day laborers and orphans. Even though I think we may safely assume that Lehi had no concubines, I find it likely that he had servants and maids. This was not frowned upon in ancient Israel like it is in the modern West, as even the Bible clearly shows. Besides, Lehi was definitely rich, something that would increase the size of his household.

When the Lord spoke to Lehi in a dream and told him to flee Jerusalem and travel into the wilderness to a promised land, I find it likely that he brought everyone along. This was probably something that went without saying for Nephi, but it is not obvious to us before we learn more about ancient Israelite culture.

There is no spiritual lesson or gospel principles hidden in this, just an interesting tidbit. But it might be part of the explanation for how the Nephites seem to have become so many so fast (like having wars with the Lamanites while Nephi was still alive).

 

"Striving" in the Book of Mormon, part 1

"Striving" is an interesting, somewhat antiquated word. A family member brought it to my attention in the scriptures, wondering what it meant, and now, a few weeks later, I'm prepared to offer a review of how it is used in the scriptures and what I believe the word means.

This post will be the first of several posts about the word "striving" in the scriptures, particularly in the Book of Mormon.

To start, I'll share two examples from Mormon in context:

27 Behold, my son, I will write unto you again if I go not out soon against the Lamanites. Behold, the pride of this nation, or the people of the Nephites, hath proven their destruction except they should repent.

28 Pray for them, my son, that repentance may come unto them. But behold, I fear lest the Spirit hath ceased striving with them; and in this part of the land they are also seeking to put down all power and authority which cometh from God; and they are denying the Holy Ghost.

29 And after rejecting so great a knowledge, my son, they must perish soon, unto the fulfilling of the prophecies which were spoken by the prophets, as well as the words of our Savior himself. (Moroni 8)

3 And now behold, my son, I fear lest the Lamanites shall destroy this people; for they do not repent, and Satan stirreth them up continually to anger one with another.

4 Behold, I am laboring with them continually; and when I speak the word of God with sharpness they tremble and anger against me; and when I use no sharpness they harden their hearts against it; wherefore, I fear lest the Spirit of the Lord hath ceased striving with them.

5 For so exceedingly do they anger that it seemeth me that they have no fear of death; and they have lost their love, one towards another; and they thirst after blood and revenge continually.

6 And now, my beloved son, notwithstanding their hardness, let us labor diligently; for if we should cease to labor, we should be brought under condemnation; for we have a labor to perform whilst in this tabernacle of clay, that we may conquer the enemy of all righteousness, and rest our souls in the kingdom of God. (Moroni 9)

Both passages are bleak.  Mormon has lost hope in the Nephites entirely and believes it is only a matter of time before they are completely destroyed.

From these two passages, we see the following additional attributes ascribed to the Nephites:

• pride
• seeking to put down all power and authority which cometh from God
• denying the Holy Ghost
• rejecting so great a knowledge
• they do not repent
• Satan stirreth them up continually to anger one with another
• when I speak the word of God with sharpness they tremble and anger against me
• when I use no sharpness they harden their hearts against it
• so exceedingly do they anger 
• they have no fear of death
• they have lost their love, one towards another
• they thirst after blood and revenge continually

This is a pretty awful scene, and it is only the tip of the iceberg.  In the rest of chapter 9, an absolutely horrid scene of depravity is described.

Other examples of "Striving" in the Book of Mormon

We find four additional examples in the Book of Mormon which use this specific context -- the Spirit ceasing to strive with a group of people as they become "fully ripe for destruction:

• 1 Nephi 7:14 (speaking of the people at Jerusalem)
• 2 Nephi 26:11 (speaking of the Nephites)
• Mormon 5:16 (speaking of the Lamanites)
• Ether 2:15 (speaking of the Jaredites)
• Ether 15:19 (speaking of the Jaredites).

That's seven references in the Book of Mormon which connect the Spirit ceasing to strive with a group of people and that group's final destruction.

Aside from that, we have a few other contexts where we find the word "strive/striving":

• Missionary/faithfulness context:
• Mosiah 27:35 - "zealously striving to repair all the injuries which they had done to the church"
• Helaman 15:6: - "they are striving with unwearied diligence that they may bring the remainder of their brethren to the knowledge of the truth"
• 1 Nephi 17:15 - "I, Nephi, did strive to keep the commandments of the Lord, and I did exhort my brethren to faithfulness and diligence"
• Military context (with covenant subtext):
• Alma 60:25 - "strive to strengthen and fortify our armies"
• Repentant context (five verses after 1 Nephi 7:14 in the list above)
• 1 Nephi 7:19 - "they did soften their hearts; and they did cease striving to take away my life"

What does "striving" mean?

Since language changes over time, I typically like to check the Webster's 1828 dictionary to get a sense of what a word meant around the time the Book of Mormon was written. I found these two definition's at the top of the list:

1. To make efforts; to use exertions; to endeavor with earnestness; to labor hard; applicable to exertions of body or mind. A workman strives to perform his task before another; a student strives to excel his fellows in improvement.

2. To contend; to contest; to struggle in opposition to another; to be in contention or dispute; followed by against or with before the person or thing opposed; as, strive against temptation; strive for the truth.

Interestingly, it seems every instance of "strive/striving" in the Book of Mormon falls under the first definition. Not so with the Bible, but we'll get to that in a later post.

What does it mean when the Spirit ceases striving with a people?

It seems that in the Book of Mormon, the most common use of the word "striving" is a reference to a passage from the brass plates, which we have in our Old Testament in Genesis 6:3. I'll discuss this and the possible connection to Enoch and Noah in the next post.  Suffice it to say, it seems that when the Spirit ceases to strive with a rebellious covenant people, very bad things come.

The tribe of Ephraim

We know from the scriptures that Gentiles who enter into covenants are numbered among the house of Israel. What I hadn't really noticed before is what we read in 1 Nephi 14:1-2

1 And it shall come to pass, that if the Gentiles shall hearken unto the Lamb of God in that day that he shall manifest himself unto them in word, and also in power, in very deed, unto the taking away of their stumbling blocks—

2 And harden not their hearts against the Lamb of God, they shall be numbered among the seed of thy father; yea, they shall be numbered among the house of Israel; and they shall be a blessed people upon the promised land forever; they shall be no more brought down into captivity; and the house of Israel shall no more be confounded.

Here it is specified that the Gentiles shall not only be numbered among the house of Israel, but among the seed of Lehi (who was of the house of Israel). We learn from Alma 10:3 that Lehi was from the tribe of Manasseh. So what is all this talk about Ephraim? In a discourse delivered in Logan, Utah 6 May 1882, Apostle Erastus Snow said

The Prophet Joseph Smith informed us that the record of Lehi was contained on the 116 pages that were first translated and subsequently stolen, and of which an abridgment is given us in the First Book of Nephi, which is the record of Nephi individually; he himself being of the lineage of Manasseh; but that Ishmael was of the lineage of Ephraim

There is some uncertainty about it, but matrilinearity (the practice of tracing Israelite descent through the maternal line) may have been practiced at Lehi's time. In that case, Lehi's seed became Ephraim when his sons married Ishmael's daughters. We also know that Nephi had sisters, who may have married grandchildren of Ishmael. (1 Nephi 7:6 shows that Ishmael already had married sons when they left Jerusalem)

the two sons of Ishmael and their families

In any case, there is a mix of Ephraim and Manasseh in the Nephite and Lamanite peoples, which explains the heavy emphasis on Joseph in the Book of Mormon, who was the father of both. People from Gentile nations living today to witness the "fulness of the Gentiles" unfold, who enter into the covenants offered by the restored church, are often told in their patriarchical blessings that they are numbered among Ephraim, which is Lehi's seed. Just as we know Ephraim was told in his patriarchical blessing that the fulness of the Gentiles in these latter days would come through his seed.

Hearts and Minds

In Alma 13, Alma-2 discusses the calling of certain individuals to a "holy calling":

4 ...on account of their faith, while others would reject the Spirit of God on account of the hardness of their hearts and blindness of their minds, while, if it had not been for this they might have had as great privilege as their brethren.

He's channeling Nephi-1 with this description.  See  1 Nephi 7:

8 And now I, Nephi, being grieved for the hardness of their hearts, therefore I spake unto them, saying, yea, even unto Laman and unto Lemuel: Behold ye are mine elder brethren, and how is it that ye are so hard in your hearts, and so blind in your minds, that ye have need that I, your younger brother, should speak unto you, yea, and set an example for you?

Internal Consistency between 1 Nephi 3:29 and 1 Nephi 7:10

An angel chastises Laman and Lemuel in verse 29:

29 And it came to pass as they smote us with a rod, behold, an angel of the Lord came and stood before them, and he spake unto them, saying: Why do ye smite your younger brother with a rod? Know ye not that the Lord hath chosen him to be a ruler over you, and this because of your iniquities? Behold ye shall go up to Jerusalem again, and the Lord will deliver Laban into your hands.

This incident is referenced by Nephi in 1 Nephi 7:10:

10 How is it that ye have forgotten that ye have seen an angel of the Lord?