"A scourge on your sides"

As noted before, for instance in my recent posts on inheritance (Hebr. yeresh), there are several parallels between the Old Testament exodus and entry into the promised land and the Book of Mormon. Here is another one:

Know assuredly that the LORD your God will not continue to drive out these nations before you; but they shall be a snare and a trap for you, a scourge on your sides, and thorns in your eyes, until you perish from this good land that the LORD your God has given you. (Joshua 23:13, NRSV)

The context of this verse is a warning of what will happen if Israel stray from the covenant and worship the idols of other nations. The other nations around the promised land would be scourges for Israel. Nephi uses the same metaphor when prophesying about the Jews

15 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.

16 And after they have been scattered, and the Lord God hath scourged them by other nations for the space of many generations, yea, even down from generation to generation until they shall be persuaded to believe in Christ, the Son of God, and the atonement, which is infinite for all mankind (2 Nephi 25)

The scourging of Israel by other nations in Palestine is paralleled by the scourging of a branch of Israel in the Americas. Compare with these Book of Mormon verses:

And if it so be that they rebel against me, they shall be a scourge unto thy seed, to stir them up in the ways of remembrance. (1 Nephi 2:24)

And the Lord God said unto me: They shall be a scourge unto thy seed, to stir them up in remembrance of me; and inasmuch as they will not remember me, and hearken unto my words, they shall scourge them even unto destruction. (2 Nephi 5:25)

But, wo, wo, unto you that are not pure in heart, that are filthy this day before God; for except ye repent the land is cursed for your sakes; and the Lamanites, which are not filthy like unto you, nevertheless they are cursed with a sore cursing, shall scourge you even unto destruction. (Jacob 3:3)

Although not seen directly in the first two verses, we know from the context that "they" refer to the Lamanites. Just like the nations around Israel were a scourge to them, the Lamanites act in a similar role as a scourge to the Nephites. The interesting part is that God seems to deliberately set it up that way. To Joshua he clearly states that he will not drive out the other nations before Israel. They shall remain there as a scourge. Granted, this is the consequence of their sins, but Nephi expands on what seems like a divine plan. When "the Lord God hath scourged them by other nations" they will eventually be persuaded to believe in Christ. 

Similarly, God deliberately sets up the Lamanites as a scourge to the Nephites. This has at least two purposes, according to 2 Nephi 5:25: To stir them up to remembrance or to destroy if they are stirred up and still don't hearken. This is something we recognize from the Old Testament as well and the conditions for the land of inheritance. Either you must remember and hearken unto God or be destroyed. Living in the promised land in sin is not an option, at least not in the long term.

This shows how God creates a branch of Israel in a new promised land with the same conditions as their forefathers. The pattern also repeats later as prophesied by the Savior himself

27 And after that ye were blessed then fulfilleth the Father the covenant which he made with Abraham, saying: In thy seed shall all the kindreds of the earth be blessed—unto the pouring out of the Holy Ghost through me upon the Gentiles, which blessing upon the Gentiles shall make them mighty above all, unto the scattering of my people, O house of Israel.

28 And they shall be a scourge unto the people of this land. Nevertheless, when they shall have received the fulness of my gospel, then if they shall harden their hearts against me I will return their iniquities upon their own heads, saith the Father.

29 And I will remember the covenant which I have made with my people; and I have covenanted with them that I would gather them together in mine own due time, that I would give unto them again the land of their fathers for their inheritance, which is the land of Jerusalem, which is the promised land unto them forever, saith the Father. (3 Nephi 20)

The Gentile nations around Israel being a scourge to them, repeats in the latter days. History repeats itself. Scribes after ancient Israelite tradition held a worldview where time ran in cycles and God's dealings with his children followed established recurring patterns. The ancient rabbis highlighted the repeating elements in biblical narrative, noting that “what happens to the fathers, happens to the sons.” The Book of Mormon seems to follow this pattern. 

We also see from the last quote how the scourge links to the Abrahamic covenant and lands of inheritance. Promised lands are a blessing of the Abrahamic covenant, granted as an inheritance (Hebr. yeresh) to God's covenant people. But it needs to be kept undefiled, either by stirring the covenant people to repentance or destroying the unrepentant people. The scourge serves both functions.

Domesticated and wild animals

I am breaking up the gospel dispensation series with some further thoughts on Lord Wilmore's post discussing one of the temple pattern elements: flocks and herds. Reading that, it struck me that the Book of Mormon connects the Nephites with domesticated animals and Lamanites with wild animals. I may be wrong, but at least I could only think of one example where the Lamanites are described having flocks and herds. This is when Ammon is set to watch King Lamoni's flocks. So it is actually a Nephite doing what Nephites are often described doing in the Book of Mormon: Watching flocks of domesticated animals.

Lamanites as wild animals

We know there is powerful symbolism in the shepherd, the person who watches and protects domesticated animals, like Ammon does in the story. This is only one of many deeper symbols of that story by the way. But realizing the connection between Nephites and domesticated animals and Lamanites and wild animals, indicates that this symbolism extends beyond "the good shepherd" and his flocks. It would be reasonable to assume that Lamanites also had domesticated animals, but I think it is telling that the Book of Mormon authors avoid mentioning that and focus on the wild animals instead. Here are some examples of how the Lamanites are described:

And because of their cursing which was upon them they did become an idle people, full of mischief and subtlety, and did seek in the wilderness for beasts of prey. (2 Nephi 5:24)

And I bear record that the people of Nephi did seek diligently to restore the Lamanites unto the true faith in God. But our labors were vain; their hatred was fixed, and they were led by their evil nature that they became wild, and ferocious, and a blood-thirsty people, full of idolatry and filthiness; feeding upon beasts of prey (Enos 1:20)

And they were scattered upon much of the face of the land, and the Lamanites also. And they were exceedingly more numerous than were they of the Nephites; and they loved murder and would drink the blood of beasts. (Jarom 1:6)

Notice that the Lamanites are described as "wild and ferocious", similar to how you would typically describe wild animals. Nephites, on the other hand, have flocks and herds, a detail that is especially brought up when the establishment of a covenant people is described. They listen to the voice of the good shepherd and become shepherds themselves. This ties back to the post I linked in the beginning where the domesticated animals, symbolizing the covenant people, hear the shepherd's words [Hebr. dabar] in the wilderness [Hebr. midbar].

Covenant breakers as flock without shepherd

It also adds context to another previous post on shepherd symbolism. The quoted passage from Helaman 7 in particular:

17 O repent ye, repent ye! Why will ye die? Turn ye, turn ye unto the Lord your God. Why has he forsaken you?

18 It is because you have hardened your hearts; yea, ye will not hearken unto the voice of the good shepherd; yea, ye have provoked him to anger against you.

19 And behold, instead of gathering you, except ye will repent, behold, he shall scatter you forth that ye shall become meat for dogs and wild beasts.

Normally, a prophetic warning like this to the Nephites would threaten with destruction by the hand of the Lamanites, but wild beasts is used instead, perhaps both literally and metaphorically. It is also interesting to note that whereas those who had never entered into the covenant are linked to wild beasts, those who have broken their covenants are like sheep without a shepherd. This is also evident in Alma 25:12

And he said unto the priests of Noah that their seed should cause many to be put to death, in the like manner as he was, and that they should be scattered abroad and slain, even as a sheep having no shepherd is driven and slain by wild beasts; and now behold, these words were verified, for they were driven by the Lamanites, and they were hunted, and they were smitten.

When the Nephites break the covenant, they are no longer protected by their covenant and by their shepherd, leaving them vulnerable and an easy prey for the "wild beasts".

The inversion - lion symbolism

In light of all this, comparisons between the righteous and lions may be confusing (see Alma 14:29; 3 Nephi 20:16; 3 Nephi 21:12; Mormon 5:24). But it is not uncommon in Hebrew symbolism with these dual and opposite meanings. Take water as symbol, for instance. It can be positive (living waters, fountain of all righteousness) or negative (a chaos motif like the flood, the filthy water in Lehi's dream). Similarly, the role of wild animal is sometimes taken by the wicked and sometimes by the righteous. But for the righteous, it is always the lion that is used as symbol. It represents power and is connected to the atonement in the Hebrew language. (see this post). 

Remember the Lord's words to Nephi

And if it so be that they (Nephites) rebel against me, they (Lamanites) shall be a scourge unto thy seed, to stir them up in the ways of remembrance. (1 Nephi 2:24, parenthesis added for context/clarification)

If there is no wild beast lurking, the sheep worry less about protection and are in less need of a shepherd. So in a way, the wild beast is there to fulfill God's purposes and stir the sheep up to remembrance or execute judgment. Sometimes, the wicked assume that role ("it is by the wicked that the wicked are punished", according to Mormon 4:5), and sometimes the righteous. The story of Ammonihah is a great example of that. In Alma 14:29, Alma and Amulek are the lions

Now the people having heard a great noise came running together by multitudes to know the cause of it; and when they saw Alma and Amulek coming forth out of the prison, and the walls thereof had fallen to the earth, they were struck with great fear, and fled from the presence of Alma and Amulek even as a goat fleeth with her young from two lions; and thus they did flee from the presence of Alma and Amulek.

In Alma 16:10, the city of Ammonihah has just been destroyed by the Lamanites and Mormon makes another connection to wild beasts.

But behold, in one day it was left desolate; and the carcasses were mangled by dogs and wild beasts of the wilderness.

Returning to the paradisaical state

As we have discussed numerous times on this blog, a lot of the covenant symbolism in the scriptures refers back to the creation. Isaiah talks about a time when

6 The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid, and the calf and the young lion and fatling together; and a little child shall lead them.

7 And the cow and the bear shall feed; their young ones shall lie down together; and the lion shall eat straw like the ox.

Notice how the domesticated and wild animals are described living together in harmony. This will happen in the millennium and describes a return to the paradisaical state of the Garden of Eden. A similar state is described in 4 Nephi

There were no robbers, nor murderers, neither were there Lamanites, nor any manner of -ites; but they were in one, the children of Christ, and heirs to the kingdom of God. (1 Nephi 1:17)

"Neither were there Lamanites" surely does not mean there were no descendants of Laman among the people, but there was no reason to distinguish between groups because they were all "in one". Similarly, there are wolves, bears and lions in the millennium, but they behave like domesticated animals.

 

Endowment Narratives in the Book of Mormon, Part 4 -- More symbols and their meaning

This has turned into a pretty long series so far, but we aren't done yet.  I hope you've enjoyed the ride.

This post will cover a few additional symbols which appear frequently in the 'endowment pattern' I've outlined in this series.  

Before I get to that, it's probably useful for us to recap what we've covered already:

In part 1, I outlined the basic story structure:

1) There is a call to leave the fallen world behind.
2) Those who heed this call find themselves cast out into the wilderness.
3) Through obedience they gradually regain the presence of the Lord and they are led to a state of rest and abundance.

I included a list of twelve symbols commonly included in the story.

In part 2a and part 2b, I detailed eight different examples of this story pattern in the Book of Mormon.

Part 3 focused on the meaning of each of these twelve symbols and how they relate to the symbolism of the endowment. (Part 3a, part 3b, and part 3c.)

Two Additional Symbols

In the process of reading and rereading these example, I noticed a few additional elements which seem to belong on the list: 'Seeds' and 'crying for mercy.'

Seeds/Grain

The symbolism of the seed is found in many of the examples I've listed. The symbolism here is pretty easy to see.  Partly, the seed "of every kind" language evokes creation imagery. Also, the seed is often likened to the word of God. In another sense, seed/grain represent domesticated plants which are useful for man, and so the same symbolism related to flocks and herds applies to seeds/grain. This helps explain why these two elements are often mentioned together.

A related symbol ("tilling the ground") is a reference to Adam and Eve and is also found immediately after Lehi and his family reach the promise land (1 Nephi 18:24) and right after Jared and his group reach the promise land (Ether 6:13). See also Mosiah 9:9.

Lehi: 

1 Nephi 8:1; 1 Nephi 18:6

Nephi:  

2 Nephi 5:11

Mosiah - Benjamin - Mosiah: 

Not found.

Limhi: 

Mosiah 23:1

Alma-1: 

• (First Pattern) Mosiah 23:1
• (Second Pattern) Mosiah 24:18

(This is very interesting. In consecutive chapters this pattern is repeated in describing two different escapes by the same group of people, and both times it describes them bringing their grain with them. That indicates to me that the grain is an important symbol.)

Anti-Nephi-Lehi: (Not found)

Jared: 

Ether 1:41

Omer: 

Ether 9:17

'Crying' or praying with 'all their heart'

I've posted on this topic in the past (here, here, and here). A person finds mercy through Christ after they cry out to God. In the covenant/endowment context, this is extremely powerful symbolism.

Lehi: 

1 Nephi 1:5 - "my father, Lehi, as he went forth prayed unto the Lord, yea, even with all his heart, in behalf of his people."

Nephi:  

2 Nephi 5:1 "I, Nephi, did cry much unto the Lord my God"

Mosiah - Benjamin - Mosiah: 

Mosiah 4:2 - "they all cried aloud with one voice, saying: O have mercy, and apply the atoning blood of Christ that we may receive forgiveness of our sins, and our hearts may be purified; for we believe in Jesus Christ, the Son of God, who created heaven and earth, and all things; who shall come down among the children of men."

Limhi: 

Mosiah 21:14 "they did cry mightily to God; yea, even all the day long did they cry unto their God that he would deliver them out of their afflictions."

Alma-1: 

(First Pattern) Mosiah 23:28 

...they hushed their fears, and began to cry unto the Lord that he would soften the hearts of the Lamanites, that they would spare them, and their wives, and their children.

(Second Pattern) Mosiah 24:10-12

10 And it came to pass that so great were their afflictions that they began to cry mightily to God.

11 And Amulon commanded them that they should stop their cries; and he put guards over them to watch them, that whosoever should be found calling upon God should be put to death.

12 And Alma and his people did not raise their voices to the Lord their God, but did pour out their hearts to him; and he did know the thoughts of their hearts.

Anti-Nephi-Lehi: 

I couldn't find a perfect fit, but Alma 22:17 describes the King of all the land crying to God.

Jared: 

38 And it came to pass that Jared spake again unto his brother, saying: Go and inquire of the Lord whether he will drive us out of the land, and if he will drive us out of the land, cry unto him whither we shall go. And who knoweth but the Lord will carry us forth into a land which is choice above all the earth? And if it so be, let us be faithful unto the Lord, that we may receive it for our inheritance.

39 And it came to pass that the brother of Jared did cry unto the Lord according to that which had been spoken by the mouth of Jared. (Ether 1)

Omer: 

Ether 9:34 "...Now when the people saw that they must perish they began to repent of their iniquities and cry unto the Lord."

Conclusion

Now that we've added in these two details, I think our list is pretty strong.  So many common elements between these eight stories cannot be a coincidence. The creation of a new covenant people is recorded with these Adam and Eve symbols in order to tell the reader they were striving to fulfill the first commandment God gave to Adam and Eve.

In the next part, we'll look at a few additional scripture stories and see how the archetypal Adam and Eve endowment narrative follows in the stories of Christ, Moses, Abraham, Enos, Lehi's dream, and a few others. Recognizing the pattern helps us unlock additional meaning from these important stories.

Endowment Narratives in the Book of Mormon, Part 2a -- The (first half of the) Big Picture

This post is a continuation of my previous post on the endowment narrative in the Book of Mormon. This is part 2a. In this part (and part 2b to follow), I'll lay out the evidence I've found so far about the general pattern described in part 1. Before I get to that, I will make a few general comments on the importance of stepping back from our "hyper-factual historical" approach when we study scriptural symbols.  In part 3, I will begin to discuss possible meanings of each element of the pattern and why I believe it belongs in this endowment narrative.

A note about the modern "Hyper-factual historical" mindset 

Our modern worldview is practically obsessed with historical accuracy. There isn't anything inherently wrong with this, and in many ways it is a blessing to be able to discern between things that actually happened and things that didn't.  But in other ways, our laser focus on historical accuracy limits us, in that it causes us to ascribe value to stories only to the extent that we can prove they faithfully recount what actually happened. In this mindset, "myth" takes on a very negative connotation, because it suggests a thing didn't happen precisely as it is told.

The stories of Adam and Eve and Noah are three perfect examples of this.  These accounts are so important they occupy a prime position in the Bible, and yet modern discussions rapidly descend into debates about belly buttons and the plausibility of global floods. 

To be clear, I personally believe in a literal Garden of Eden, a literal Adam and Eve, and a literal Noah who protected his family from a massive flood by obeying God's command to build a ship. But I also believe that the reason we are given these stories has little to do with their historical accuracy.  Rather, we are given these stories as archetypes. These stories embody grand themes relating to the arc of mortality: humanity's fall into carnal sin and their efforts to reclaim God's presence through obedience to His word.

In other words, the ancients were far more concerned with archetypal patterns than historical fact, and if we read an archetypal story with a modern "hyper-factual historical" worldview, we are likely to miss the point entirely. To the ancients, archetypal myth held a higher place of importance in their minds than factual accuracy, because myth conveyed more important information than simply factual recounting of historical events. 

How this relates to the Book of Mormon

I believe the authors of each of the following accounts in the Book of Mormon were following a specific literary tradition of embedding deeper messages within their accounts by conforming their descriptions of these groups of people to specific archetypal patterns. I'll discuss what I believe the meaning of the pattern is in much more detail in part 3 of this series, but it can be summarized as: "this new group of covenant-keeping people accepted God's gift to them and became like Adam and Eve in their efforts to regain God's presence." That is the message that is transmitted without being overtly stated. (It also happens to be one of the central messages of the endowment narrative found in the Book of Moses and in modern temple worship.)

One other note: Please do not just take my word for it as I lay out this pattern. I strongly encourage you to take your time and look up each of these stories on your own and find each of the details listed. As I've been studying these accounts repeatedly, I've gained a deep respect for the deeper message, and I've found more examples and details each time I've taken the time to look. 

As a reminder, here is the list of details:

1. Commanded/warned (often in a dream or vision) to depart
2. The group they leave are involved in secret combinations or intend to kill them.
3. They seek to bring all who will hearken/listen
4. The new covenant people passes through a wilderness on their journey
5. "Many days"
6. Tents (a symbol of the presence of the Lord)
7. A list of animals (sometimes "of every kind")
8. They inherit a land
9. New names are given (see Genesis 2:20)
10. They obey the commandments of the Lord
11. Abundance/Prosper
12. They are usually led by a righteous patriarch/king/royal family member

Examples

I'll begin with a quick recap of the story contained in 1 Nephi of Lehi's family leaving Jerusalem and becoming a new branch of the covenant people as they passed through the wilderness to a land of promise. This was discussed in more detail in part 1, but there is a recap:

	Detail	Lehi
1	Warned to depart	1 Nephi 2:2
2	Escaping from secret combinations/plan to murder	1 Nephi 1:20; 2:13;16:37-38
3	Bring all who would "hearken"/listen	Family, Zoram, Ishmael and Family
4	Pass through a wilderness	1 Nephi 2:2, 4-6
5	"Many days"	1 Nephi 16:15, 17, 33
6	Tents	1 Nephi 2:4, 6, 15; 7:5, 21-22
7	Animals "of every kind"	1 Nephi 18:25
8	Inherit a new land	1 Nephi 2:20
9	New names	1 Nephi 2:8 (Lehi names a river and a valley)
10	Obedience to the commandments of God	1 Nephi 2:3 (many other examples)
11	Abundance/Prosper	1 Nephi 18:24
12	Led by a righteous patriarch/king/royal family member (occasionally specifically the non-eldest son)	Lehi/Nephi (patriarch and non-oldest son)

The second Lehite example

Just after Lehi dies, the separation narrative repeats itself in 2 Nephi 5. This pattern is perhaps the most complete and concise, with all twelve items showing up in verses 2-18, essentially in the order I list them (with the exception of items 1 & 2).

	Detail	Nephi
1	Warned to depart	2 Nephi 5:5
2	Escaping from secret combinations/plan to murder	2 Nephi 5:2-4
3	Bring all who would "hearken"/listen	2 Nephi 5:5-6
4	Pass through a wilderness	2 Nephi 5:6
5	"Many days"	2 Nephi 5:7
6	Tents	2 Nephi 5:7
7	Animals "of every kind"	2 Nephi 5:11 ("of every kind")
8	Inherit a new land	2 Nephi 5:8
9	New names	2 Nephi 5:9
10	Obedience to the commandments of God	2 Nephi 5:10
11	Abundance/Prosper	2 Nephi 5:11
12	Led by a righteous patriarch/king/royal family member	2 Nephi 5:18

Additional notes about this example: This example is also positioned right after the account of Lehi's death/Nephi's psalm and just before Jacob (the anointed priest) gives an important sermon at the temple about "learn[ing]" and "glorify[ing]" the name of God, which echoes the language used to describe Adam and Eve (see Moses 5:8-12).

Mosiah - Benjamin - Mosiah

This example comes next in the text of the Book of Mormon, but it is quite fragmented because of the missing portions of Mormon's abridgement. This one also plays out over three generations of righteous kings. There are some elements not clearly mentioned, yet many parts of the pattern fit pretty cleanly:

	Detail	Mosiah - Benjamin - Mosiah
1	Warned to depart	Omni 1:12
2	Escaping from secret combinations/plan to murder	Implied in Mosiah 1:14
3	Bring all who would "hearken"/listen	Omni 1:12-13
4	Pass through a wilderness	Omni 1:12-13
5	"Many days"	Not specifically found, but we are told in Mosiah 7:4 that it took "many days" to travel back to the land of Nephi from Zarahemla
6	Tents	Mosiah 2:5-6 (In the context of King Benjamin's sermon at the temple)
7	Animals	Mosiah 2:3 ("flocks" are mentioned in the context of sacrifice)
8	Inherit a new land	Omni 1:19 (united with people of Zarahemla)
9	New names	Mosiah 1:10
10	Obedience to the commandments of God	Mosiah 1:11
11	Abundance/Prosper	Mosiah 2: 22, 31
12	Led by a righteous patriarch/king/royal family member	Omni 1:10; Mosiah 1:10

Additional notes about this example: The connection between obedience and prospering is made abundantly clear in this example.  These two elements are mentioned both in the positive context and the negative context in multiple places.

Conclusion (to be continued)

Those were the first three examples of the pattern.  We have five more (generally shorter) examples to go in part 2b. I hope you can see the pattern and how it seems that the authors are following a specific archetypal pattern as the recount the events surrounding the formation of a new covenant group.