"Stretch forth thine hand" -- Part 3 (Book of Mormon)

This post will take us back to continue a series of posts from a few weeks ago on the phrase "stretch forth thy hand."

Part 1: Introduction

Part 2: Old Testament

In today's post, we'll look at how this phrase is used in the Book of Mormon. 

So far, we've seen (in part one) that Nephi subtly compares himself to Moses using this phrase in 1 Nephi 17. In part two, we noted that the underlying Hebrew term 'shalach' is used in Genesis 3 both to describe God send Adam and Eve out of the Garden and to describe why He expelled them -- to prevent them from stretching forth their hand and partaking of the tree of life. 

As is often the case, the Book of Mormon sheds a lot of light on how this phrase relates to the gospel of Jesus Christ. We find this phrase many time in the Book of Mormon, often in the context of calling a people to repentance.  

I've already cited two examples from the Book of Mormon back in part 1.  See Helaman 13:4 and 1 Nephi 17:53.)

Here are a few more examples:

In Jacob 5, the Lord of the vineyard weeps and laments the corruption of his fruit (see verse 41):

47 But what could I have done more in my vineyard? Have I slackened mine hand, that I have not nourished it? Nay, I have nourished it, and I have digged about it, and I have pruned it, and I have dunged it; and I have stretched forth mine hand almost all the day long, and the end draweth nigh. And it grieveth me that I should hew down all the trees of my vineyard, and cast them into the fire that they should be burned. Who is it that has corrupted my vineyard?

As he calls King Noah and his wicked priests to repentance, Abinadi says this:

2 Yea, wo be unto this generation! And the Lord said unto me: Stretch forth thy hand and prophesy, saying: Thus saith the Lord, it shall come to pass that this generation, because of their iniquities, shall be brought into bondage, and shall be smitten on the cheek; yea, and shall be driven by men, and shall be slain; and the vultures of the air, and the dogs, yea, and the wild beasts, shall devour their flesh. (Mosiah 12)

And again:

1 And now, it came to pass that after Abinadi had spoken these words he stretched forth his hand and said: The time shall come when all shall see the salvation of the Lord; when every nation, kindred, tongue, and people shall see eye to eye and shall confess before God that his judgments are just. (Mosiah 16)

Alma-2 and Amulek stretch forth their hands on multiple occasions as they preach repentance:

25 But Amulek stretched forth his hand, and cried the mightier unto them, saying: O ye wicked and perverse generation, why hath Satan got such great hold upon your hearts? Why will ye yield yourselves unto him that he may have power over you, to blind your eyes, that ye will not understand the words which are spoken, according to their truth? (Alma 10)

21 And now it came to pass that when Alma had said these words unto them, he stretched forth his hand unto them and cried with a mighty voice, saying: Now is the time to repent, for the day of salvation draweth nigh; (Alma 13)

7 Therefore he did say no more to the other multitude; but he stretched forth his hand, and cried unto those whom he beheld, who were truly penitent, and said unto them: (Alma 32)

The soldier who smote off the scalp of Nephite dissenter Zerahemnah uses this gesture as he invites the enemy soldiers to lay down their weapons and enter into a covenant (I discussed covenant imagery contained in this chapter in this post):

13 And it came to pass that the soldier who stood by, who smote off the scalp of Zerahemnah, took up the scalp from off the ground by the hair, and laid it upon the point of his sword, and stretched it forth unto them, saying unto them with a loud voice: (Alma 44)

Finally, we see Christ stretching forth His hand twice before "crying" unto the people:

9 And it came to pass that he stretched forth his hand and spake unto the people, saying:

10 Behold, I am Jesus Christ, whom the prophets testified shall come into the world. (3 Nephi 11)

1 And it came to pass that when Jesus had spoken these words unto Nephi, and to those who had been called, (now the number of them who had been called, and received power and authority to baptize, was twelve) and behold, he stretched forth his hand unto the multitude, and cried unto them, saying: Blessed are ye if ye shall give heed unto the words of these twelve whom I have chosen from among you to minister unto you, and to be your servants; and unto them I have given power that they may baptize you with water; and after that ye are baptized with water, behold, I will baptize you with fire and with the Holy Ghost; therefore blessed are ye if ye shall believe in me and be baptized, after that ye have seen me and know that I am. (3 Nephi 12)

There is a definite theme here.  Prophets are an extension of God, sent to fallen man to proclaim repentance. It is also interesting to note that Alma-2 explains the reason why God sent Adam and Eve out of the Garden before they had a chance to partake of the fruit of the tree of life. It was to grant them time and space to repent prior to partaking of the fruit of the tree of life:

2 Now behold, my son, I will explain this thing unto thee. For behold, after the Lord God sent our first parents forth from the garden of Eden, to till the ground, from whence they were taken—yea, he drew out the man, and he placed at the east end of the garden of Eden, cherubim, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to keep the tree of life—

3 Now, we see that the man had become as God, knowing good and evil; and lest he should put forth his hand, and take also of the tree of life, and eat and live forever, the Lord God placed cherubim and the flaming sword, that he should not partake of the fruit—

4 And thus we see, that there was a time granted unto man to repent, yea, a probationary time, a time to repent and serve God.

5 For behold, if Adam had put forth his hand immediately, and partaken of the tree of life, he would have lived forever, according to the word of God, having no space for repentance; yea, and also the word of God would have been void, and the great plan of salvation would have been frustrated. (Alma 42; see also Alma 12:23-24)

What I've learn from these verses is that God always warns His children of the danger of turning away from Him. This is accomplished by messengers, descending from Mount Zion, stretching forth their hand, and calling the covenant people to repentance. 

I believe Jacob summarizes it best when he says:

4 And how merciful is our God unto us, for he remembereth the house of Israel, both roots and branches; and he stretches forth his hands unto them all the day long; and they are a stiffnecked and a gainsaying people; but as many as will not harden their hearts shall be saved in the kingdom of God. (Jacob 6)

We read several times in Isaiah chapters quoted in 2 Nephi the the hand of the Lord is "stretched out still" (see 2 Nephi 19:12, 17, 21; 20:4). I typically see this referenced in a positive sense -- and it surely is a positive thing that we have time and space granted to us to repent and prepare to meet God.  Scholars note that the imagery referred to by Isaiah is actually harsh and threatening. (See this paper by Ann Madsen for a more detailed discussion.) I enjoy the dual nature of this phrase: at the same time a loving invitation to the penitent and a stern reminder to the rebellious. This is yet another manifestation of "the two ways."


In the final installment in this series, we'll look at the Book of Moses. We find there are remarkable and unique example of "stretching forth" of hands during a visionary experience Enoch had with God.

"...that they might be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, that he might be glorified."

 3 To appoint unto them that mourn in Zion, to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they might be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, that he might be glorified. (Isaiah 61)

In my last post, I hinted that the words "glory" and "glorify" were on my mind and would be the subject of additional posts.  This post will introduce an important Hebrew word often translated to "glory" or glorify":

paar: to beautify, glorify (פָאַר)

The terms in yellow above are both derived from 'paar.' In other translations, "beauty" is translated as "crown" -- referring to the headdress of temple priests. In other words, God offers Zion glory "that he might be glorified."

Although He is already perfect, each time one of His children fully embraces the gift He offers them, God is glorified.

Christ is the gift offered by the Father to His children, to prepare the way and show the way:

5 ¶ In that day shall the Lord of hosts be for a crown of glory, and for a diadem of beauty, unto the residue of his people (Isaiah 28)

Examples from scripture

Here is a sampling of scriptures which use the term "glorify" in this context.

1 These words spake Jesus, and lifted up his eyes to heaven, and said, Father, the hour is come; glorify thy Son, that thy Son also may glorify thee:

2 As thou hast given him power over all flesh, that he should give eternal life to as many as thou hast given him.

3 And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent.

4 I have glorified thee on the earth: I have finished the work which thou gavest me to do.

5 And now, O Father, glorify thou me with thine own self with the glory which I had with thee before the world was.

6 I have manifested thy name unto the men which thou gavest me out of the world: thine they were, and thou gavest them me; and they have kept thy word.

7 Now they have known that all things whatsoever thou hast given me are of thee.

8 For I have given unto them the words which thou gavest me; and they have received them, and have known surely that I came out from thee, and they have believed that thou didst send me.

9 I pray for them: I pray not for the world, but for them which thou hast given me; for they are thine.

10 And all mine are thine, and thine are mine; and I am glorified in them. (John 17)

7 Behold my Beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased, in whom I have glorified my name—hear ye him. ...

10 Behold, I am Jesus Christ, whom the prophets testified shall come into the world.

11 And behold, I am the light and the life of the world; and I have drunk out of that bitter cup which the Father hath given me, and have glorified the Father in taking upon me the sins of the world, in the which I have suffered the will of the Father in all things from the beginning. (3 Nephi 11)

8 But because of the faith of men he has shown himself unto the world, and glorified the name of the Father, and prepared a way that thereby others might be partakers of the heavenly gift, that they might hope for those things which they have not seen. (Ether 12)

3 Listen to him who is the advocate with the Father, who is pleading your cause before him—

4 Saying: Father, behold the sufferings and death of him who did no sin, in whom thou wast well pleased; behold the blood of thy Son which was shed, the blood of him whom thou gavest that thyself might be glorified;

5 Wherefore, Father, spare these my brethren that believe on my name, that they may come unto me and have everlasting life. (Doctrine & Covenants 45)

"Trees of Righteousness"

This is a very unique phrase ("ele hassedeq") that reminds me of a speculative post written by Stisa in which he discussed the linguistic similarity between the word for tree ("elah") and the name of God the Father ("El"). In this verse we find the same symbolism with profound doctrinal implications.

"The planting of the Lord"

The title of this post quotes the end of Isaiah 61:3, which I find very interesting. I'm reminded of Alma-2's famous sermon in Alma 32, in which he teaches the people the process of growing a tree of life within their hearts. Notice that the culmination of the process includes partaking of the fruit of the tree of life and being "filled":

42 And because of your diligence and your faith and your patience with the word in nourishing it, that it may take root in you, behold, by and by ye shall pluck the fruit thereof, which is most precious, which is sweet above all that is sweet, and which is white above all that is white, yea, and pure above all that is pure; and ye shall feast upon this fruit even until ye are filled, that ye hunger not, neither shall ye thirst. (Alma 32)

In the midst -- Part 1

This has been mentioned several times on the blog before, but for the benefit of new readers and because many do not know about this ancient Israelite tradition (I didn't until quite recently), I will repeat some things about covenant making. At a time and in a culture where literacy was rare, covenants were not signed at the bottom of a piece of paper. In the Hebrew language, you literally cut a covenant. That does not make sense in English and is therefore translated differently. But it is found frequently in the Old Testament. This reflects the (somewhat grotesque to the modern Westeners) practice of cutting animals in half and walking through the carcasses. This act is the signature and a declaration that the covenant is taken very seriously. ("Let me be cut in half like these animals if I break the covenant").

This happens in Genesis 15:10 when God makes a covenant with Abraham. But in this case, Abraham falls asleep after he has cut the animals and God himself, in the form of a burning lamp, walks through the carcasses (see Genesis 15:17-18). God is the active part in the Abrahamic covenant giving all the promises. Back to verse 10, we read

And he took unto him all these, and divided them in the midst, and laid each piece one against another: but the birds divided he not.

"In the midst" in the Old Testament

I happened to look up the word, "midst", and how it is being used in the scriptures. This is the Hebrew word, תָּוֶךְ (tavek). It comes from an unused root meaning "to sever", which makes it hard for me not to see the covenant relations of this word. It is sometimes used in a literal sense in the scriptures, but quite frequently, it seems to be used in a more spiritual sense. For instance, 1 Kings 6:19 describes King Solomon preparing the "inner sanctuary inside the temple". But the "inside" in this case is translated from the Hebrew tavek, even though we know that the holy of holies was not physically in the middle of the temple. Rather, it was the focal point, the most holy place, the center of attention, the heart of the covenant, so to speak.

Similarly, we find this word constantly popping up in the Old Testament in relation to important covenant themes.

• In the creation account, God made a firmament in the midst (tavek) of the waters to separate the waters of heaven and earth (Genesis 1:6)
• In the Garden of Eden, God planted the two trees in the midst (tevek) of the garden (Genesis 2:9 and 3:3).
• God talked to Moses out of the midst (tavek) of the burning bush (Exodus 3:2, 4) and again from the midst of the cloud on Mount Sinai (Exodus 24:16). The covenant theme is especially evident when the events are recounted in Deuteronomy 4:12-13

12 And the Lord spake unto you out of the midst [Hebr. tavek] of the fire: ye heard the voice of the words, but saw no similitude; only ye heard a voice.

13 And he declared unto you his covenant, which he commanded you to perform, even ten commandments; and he wrote them upon two tables of stone.

• In an act similar to the creation in Genesis 1:6, Moses parts the Red Sea and the Israelites walk in the midst (tavek) of the sea followed by the Egyptians (repeated over and over in Exodus 14:16, 22, 23, 27, 29, 15:19)
• In Exodus 25:8, the Lord instructs Israel to build a tabernacle

And let them make me a sanctuary; that I may dwell among (Hebr. tavek) them. (A more literal translation would be "dwell in their midst")

• According to Psalm 116:19, Solomon's temple was also in the midst of Jerusalem. Again, whether it was physically in the middle of Jerusalem is probably not the main point here.

Ancient Israel had the tabernacle and temple in their midst. It was God's dwelling place and represented his presence. In other words, God, the author of the covenant, was in the midst of Israel, just like he walked in the midst of the carcasses that Abraham had prepared. This is also expressed repeatedly in the Old Testament. Here is one example:

Defile not therefore the land which ye shall inhabit, wherein I dwell: for I the Lord dwell among (Hebr. tavek) the children of Israel. (Numbers 35:34)

"In the midst" in the Book of Mormon

Not surprisingly, we see a similar pattern in the Book of Mormon. I noticed in particular how Jesus is repeatedly described as being in the midst of the people in 3 Nephi. 3 Nephi is the heart of the covenant, the new covenant that Jesus brought to the Nephites. Consider these examples:

And it came to pass, as they understood they cast their eyes up again towards heaven; and behold, they saw a Man descending out of heaven; and he was clothed in a white robe; and he came down and stood in the midst of them; and the eyes of the whole multitude were turned upon him, and they durst not open their mouths, even one to another, and wist not what it meant, for they thought it was an angel that had appeared unto them. (3 Nephi 11:8)

12 So they brought their little children and set them down upon the ground round about him, and Jesus stood in the midst; and the multitude gave way till they had all been brought unto him.
13 And it came to pass that when they had all been brought, and Jesus stood in the midst, he commanded the multitude that they should kneel down upon the ground. (3 Nephi 17)

And it came to pass that while the angels were ministering unto the disciples, behold, Jesus came and stood in the midst and ministered unto them. (3 Nephi 19:15)

And Jesus again showed himself unto them, for they were praying unto the Father in his name; and Jesus came and stood in the midst of them, and said unto them: What will ye that I shall give unto you? (3 Nephi 27:2)

Just like ancient Israel had God in their midst, a branch of Israel in the Americas now had the resurrected Jesus in their midst.

There are many other examples of God/Jesus being in the midst. So many, in fact, that I will save them for my next post. But I want to end with a different example related to Lord Wilmore's recent posts about Nephi-II, Moses and Elijah. He made a point of the division "hither and thither" in this verse, echoing the parting of the sea by Moses and Elijah.

And it came to pass that there arose a division among the people, insomuch that they divided hither and thither and went their ways, leaving Nephi alone, as he was standing in the midst of them. (3 Nephi 10:1)

See his comments here under the subheading, "creation by division". "The midst" shows up again, echoing the creation and Moses parting the Red Sea, among other things. When the two-edged sword divides, that sword, often symbolizing the word of God, is in the middle of whatever it divides. In this case, Nephi as the conveyor of the word, played that role. God/the Word/the covenant in the midst can have this divisive effect. But hopefully, like the Nephites in 3 Nephi, we can all let Jesus take the center stage of our lives without causing division.

In part 2 we will see how this symbol is used in the uniting of heaven and earth.

Hearing His voice

Recently, the Prophet has invited us to hear Him like the boy Joseph Smith did. I want to contextualize this by looking at how the scriptures invite us to hear God and how He has spoken to people in the past. I have picked up several learning points that I have divided into sections of this post.

A still small voice

It is likely that the account of the prophet Elijah was found on the brass plates. One of the most well-know stories about Elijah is found in 1 Kings 19:11-13

11 And he said, Go forth, and stand upon the mount before the Lord. And, behold, the Lord passed by, and a great and strong wind rent the mountains, and brake in pieces the rocks before the Lord; but the Lord was not in the wind: and after the wind an earthquake; but the Lord was not in the earthquake:
12 And after the earthquake a fire; but the Lord was not in the fire: and after the fire a still small voice.
13 And it was so, when Elijah heard it, that he wrapped his face in his mantle

The last part, where Elijah wrapped his face, signifies God's presence. It was the still, small voice that came from the Lord. The Book of Mormon also talks about this still small voice. 

And it came to pass when they heard this voice, and beheld that it was not a voice of thunder, neither was it a voice of a great tumultuous noise, but behold, it was a still voice of perfect mildness, as if it had been a whisper, and it did pierce even to the very soul (Helaman 5:30)

And it came to pass that while they were thus conversing one with another, they heard a voice as if it came out of heaven; and they cast their eyes round about, for they understood not the voice which they heard; and it was not a harsh voice, neither was it a loud voice; nevertheless, and notwithstanding it being a small voice it did pierce them that did hear to the center, insomuch that there was no part of their frame that it did not cause to quake; yea, it did pierce them to the very soul, and did cause their hearts to burn. (3 Nephi 11:3)

The last one is from the Savior's visit to the Nephites. It is interesting to notice that there is quaking and burning, just like the Elijah account, but they are internal instead of external. The still, small voice causes the frame to quake and the heart to burn. Another possible allusion to Elijah is found in 1 Nephi 17:45.

ye have heard his voice from time to time; and he hath spoken unto you in a still small voice, but ye were past feeling, that ye could not feel his words; wherefore, he has spoken unto you like unto the voice of thunder, which did cause the earth to shake as if it were to divide asunder.

Compared to Elijah the events are reversed. God first tries with his still, small voice. But since they are "past feeling", he must resort to the thunder and earthquakes instead. The prophet Zenos, who Nephi quotes in 1 Nephi 19, seems to indicate that this marks the difference between the righteous and wicked. 

For thus spake the prophet: The Lord God surely shall visit all the house of Israel at that day, some with his voice, because of their righteousness, unto their great joy and salvation, and others with the thunderings and the lightnings of his power, by tempest, by fire, and by smoke, and vapor of darkness, and by the opening of the earth, and by mountains which shall be carried up.

The thunder and tempest also comes from God, but only those who hear his voice are able to withstand those things. The next section describes a people who didn't. 

The fate of those who refuse to hear his voice

Another well-known account combining God's voice with thunder and lightning is Moses on Mount Sinai. There is a clear connection to Elijah. 1 Kings 19 and Exodus 20 both take place on Mount Horeb. Horeb is just another word for Sinai, or there may be two adjacent summits with two different names, as some scholars believe. In any case, 1 Kings 8:9 states that Moses got the commandments at Horeb and 1 Kings 19:8 states that Elijah was at Horeb when God manifested himself with a still, small voice. According to that verse, Horeb is the Mount of God. There are several other parallels. For instance, both Moses and Elijah fasted there for 40 days. Elijah cause the Jordan River to part in 1 Kings 2, like Moses the Red Sea. Moses' succcessor was Joshua, which means Yahweh saves, whereas Elijah's successor was Elisha meaning El (God) saves.

The Mount of God is easily associated with the temple and from a Latter-Day Saint perspective there is further connection in the fact that both Moses and Elijah appeared in the Kirtland temple in 1836 to restore Priesthood keys, just as they had appeared together on the Mount of Transfiguration.

When God speaks to Moses, it doesn't say that he does so in a still, small voice. To the contrary, we get the impression that it is the thundering and lightening signifying his presence. So in that context, it is surprising that God was not found in the storm, earthquake or fire when appearing to Elijah. I don't know the reason for this difference, when there are so many parallels. But in the story of Moses, it is not just about him, but also the whole people of Israel.

18 And all the people saw the thunderings, and the lightnings, and the noise of the trumpet, and the mountain smoking: and when the people saw it, they removed, and stood afar off.
19 And they said unto Moses, Speak thou with us, and we will hear: but let not God speak with us, lest we die. (Exodus 20)

The children of Israel were afraid and did not want to listen. This is why the psalmist refers to them when he writes

7 For he is our God; and we are the people of his pasture, and the sheep of his hand. To day if ye will hear his voice,

8 Harden not your heart, as in the provocation, and as in the day of temptation in the wilderness (Psalm 95)

I will get back to the part marked with green. "The provocation" and "day of temptation" are references to the children of Israel. The psalmist goes on to remind us that they wandered in the wilderness for 40 years instead of "entering into His rest" in the promised land. All because they did not hear his voice. As we just saw in Exodus 20, they did not want to hear his voice. They wanted Moses to take care of that part, he could just tell them later what God said. Similarly, if we do not seek to hear God's voice, hearing what the Prophet says will not help. The words of the Prophet are the words of God and to recognize them as such we must learn to hear Him. Then we can hear God's word and will through the prophet as well as directly and personally to us. This is why the prophet does not say "hear me", but rather "hear Him".

This quote from Psalm 95 has been discussed several times on this blog and is also referred to several times in all the other standard works, especially the bold part. Here are some examples from the Doctrine and Covenants.

And ye are called to bring to pass the gathering of mine elect; for mine elect hear my voice and harden not their hearts (D&C 29:7)

Hearken, O ye people of my church, and ye elders listen together, and hear my voice while it is called today, and harden not your hearts (D&C 45:6)

And even so will I cause the wicked to be kept, that will not hear my voice but harden their hearts, and wo, wo, wo, is their doom. (D&C 38:6) 

We need to hear his voice while it is called today. Tomorrow he may call us and invite us to his rest, but if we have not familiarized with his voice we don't recognize it and respond, and will not "enter in". Not because the gates have closed right in front of us, but because we are still wandering mindlessly around in the wilderness. 

Jacob also alludes to Psalm 95.

5 Wherefore, my beloved brethren, I beseech of you in words of soberness that ye would repent, and come with full purpose of heart, and cleave unto God as he cleaveth unto you. And while his arm of mercy is extended towards you in the light of the day, harden not your hearts.
6 Yea, today, if ye will hear his voice, harden not your hearts; for why will ye die? (Jacob 6)

"why will ye die" is further reference to the children of Israel. Jacob urges his people not to be like their forefathers, who refused to hear his voice and died in the wilderness as a consequence, instead of entering into his rest.

"My sheep hear my voice"

Back to the green marking in Psalm 95. There is a shepherd/sheep analogy often linked to hearing his voice. 

And other sheep I have, which are not of this fold: them also I must bring, and they shall hear my voice; and there shall be one fold, and one shepherd. (John 10:16)

This is referenced and expanded on in 3 Nephi 15 and 16. One fold and one shepherd is a result of the gathering of Israel. Hearing his voice is a prerequisite. When the shepherd calls and we don't respond, there can be no gathering. 

21 And he that will hear my voice shall be my sheep; and him shall ye receive into the church, and him will I also receive. (Mosiah 26:21)

Alma teaches this very clearly

37 O ye workers of iniquity; ye that are puffed up in the vain things of the world, ye that have professed to have known the ways of righteousness nevertheless have gone astray, as sheep having no shepherd, notwithstanding a shepherd hath called after you and is still calling after you, but ye will not hearken unto his voice!...
57 And now I say unto you, all you that are desirous to follow the voice of the good shepherd, come ye out from the wicked, and be ye separate, and touch not their unclean things; and behold, their names shall be blotted out, that the names of the wicked shall not be numbered among the names of the righteous, that the word of God may be fulfilled, which saith: The names of the wicked shall not be mingled with the names of my people...
60 And now I say unto you that the good shepherd doth call after you; and if you will hearken unto his voice he will bring you into his fold (Alma 5)

We are called upon by the good shepherd who wants to gather us into his fold. The gathering consists of each sheep coming "out from the wicked" and being "separate". He has called and is still calling, so it is up to us to listen, hearken and follow his voice. It is for our own good. He will lead us to safety and good pasture. If we have not learned to recognize his voice, there can be no gathering. On the other hand, when we hearken to his voice and gather, we are ready for the next step: Seeing his face.

Hearing his voice leads to seeing his face

In this section we will see how the scriptures teach that hearing his voice enables us to eventually see his face. We return again to the Exodus to draw a lesson from the ancient Israelites. We learned in chapter 20 that they were afraid and did not want to hear God's voice. This is what happened in chapter 19

5 Now therefore, if ye will obey my voice indeed, and keep my covenant, then ye shall be a peculiar treasure unto me above all people: for all the earth is mine:

6 And ye shall be unto me a kingdom of priests, and an holy nation. These are the words which thou shalt speak unto the children of Israel.

7 And Moses came and called for the elders of the people, and laid before their faces all these words which the Lord commanded him.

8 And all the people answered together, and said, All that the Lord hath spoken we will do. And Moses returned the words of the people unto the Lord.

9 And the Lord said unto Moses, Lo, I come unto thee in a thick cloud, that the people may hear when I speak with thee, and believe thee for ever. And Moses told the words of the people unto the Lord.

10 And the Lord said unto Moses, Go unto the people, and sanctify them to day and to morrow, and let them wash their clothes,

11 And be ready against the third day: for the third day the Lord will come down in the sight of all the people upon mount Sinai.

I have marked some with purple also to highlight another point: When the good shepherd calls and invites us into his fold, we respond to this invitation by entering into a covenant with him. The gathering of Israel is the gathering of a covenant people. At Horeb/Sinai, Israel promised to obey his voice ("all that the Lord hath spoken we will do"), but as we saw in chapter 20, at the end of the day, they did not even want to hear it. Too bad because this would have enabled them not only to hear him but also seeing him. The Lord comments on this in D&C 84

19 And this greater priesthood administereth the gospel and holdeth the key of the mysteries of the kingdom, even the key of the knowledge of God.
20 Therefore, in the ordinances thereof, the power of godliness is manifest.
21 And without the ordinances thereof, and the authority of the priesthood, the power of godliness is not manifest unto men in the flesh;
22 For without this no man can see the face of God, even the Father, and live.
23 Now this Moses plainly taught to the children of Israel in the wilderness, and sought diligently to sanctify his people that they might behold the face of God;
24 But they hardened their hearts and could not endure his presence; therefore, the Lord in his wrath, for his anger was kindled against them, swore that they should not enter into his rest while in the wilderness, which rest is the fulness of his glory.

Hearing his voice is a preparatory step, often involving priesthood ordinances and covenants, that will enable us to one day see the face of God.

66 Behold, that which you hear is as the voice of one crying in the wilderness—in the wilderness, because you cannot see him—my voice, because my voice is Spirit; my Spirit is truth; truth abideth and hath no end; and if it be in you it shall abound.
67 And if your eye be single to my glory, your whole bodies shall be filled with light, and there shall be no darkness in you; and that body which is filled with light comprehendeth all things.
68 Therefore, sanctify yourselves that your minds become single to God, and the days will come that you shall see him; for he will unveil his face unto you, and it shall be in his own time, and in his own way, and according to his own will. (D&C 88)

There might be subtle allusions to the Exodus here too. The "wilderness" and admonition to "sanctify yourselves" as the children of Israel were asked, are possible clues. All these references are pointing us to a story where there are lessons to be learned. The children of Israel refused the invitation to hear him. As a consequence, the higher priesthood was taken away from them and they wandered and eventually died in the wilderness without entering into his rest. Similarly, in the wilderness of our lives, the good shepherd calls us and invites us to him and his fold through covenants administered by the Mechizedek Priesthood that has been restored. If we learn from the mistakes of Israel of old and, as a latter-day people of Israel, hear his voice instead of hardening our hearts and sanctify ourselves, we will enter into his rest and behold his face. In this context, the Prophet's invitation to us today to "hear Him" is absolutely crucial.