"An instrument in the hands of God"

This is a short follow-up note on my series of posts on the phrase "stretch forth thine hand" (which begins here). One main lesson from that study was that prophets are messengers from God calling a covenant people to repent. As we learned from the account of Enoch (discussed in part 4), Enoch feels the same things God feels and emulates actions described by God during his grand vision.

A related phrase which caught my attention during the course of this study is "an instrument in the hands of God."  This is unique to the Book of Mormon, but it shows up several times.  With only one exception (which will be discussed below), every time the word "instrument" is used in the Book of Mormon it is in connection with "an instrument in the hands of God."

Here are the verses where it is used.  Notice how consistent the context is -- each instance refers to leading/delivering a people or bringing them to repentance. I love the description of the purpose of the instrument (highlighted in green below).  If you ever want a succinct summary of why God sends prophets/messengers to earth, this is a nice list.

24 Rebel no more against your brother, whose views have been glorious, and who hath kept the commandments from the time that we left Jerusalem; and who hath been an instrument in the hands of God, in bringing us forth into the land of promise; for were it not for him, we must have perished with hunger in the wilderness; nevertheless, ye sought to take away his life; yea, and he hath suffered much sorrow because of you. (2 Nephi 1)

 

24 And there shall rise up one mighty among them, who shall do much good, both in word and in deed, being an instrument in the hands of God, with exceeding faith, to work mighty wonders, and do that thing which is great in the sight of God, unto the bringing to pass much restoration unto the house of Israel, and unto the seed of thy brethren. (2 Nephi 3)

 

10 Nevertheless, after much tribulation, the Lord did hear my cries, and did answer my prayers, and has made me an instrument in his hands in bringing so many of you to a knowledge of his truth. (Mosiah 23)

 

36 And thus they were instruments in the hands of God in bringing many to the knowledge of the truth, yea, to the knowledge of their Redeemer. (Mosiah 27)

 

8 Now the name of the man was Gideon; and it was he who was an instrument in the hands of God in delivering the people of Limhi out of bondage. (Alma 1)

 

30 And it came to pass that Alma, being a man of God, being exercised with much faith, cried, saying: O Lord, have mercy and spare my life, that I may be an instrument in thy hands to save and preserve this people. (Alma 2)

 

9 And it came to pass that they journeyed many days in the wilderness, and they fasted much and prayed much that the Lord would grant unto them a portion of his Spirit to go with them, and abide with them, that they might be an instrument in the hands of God to bring, if it were possible, their brethren, the Lamanites, to the knowledge of the truth, to the knowledge of the baseness of the traditions of their fathers, which were not correct.

10 And it came to pass that the Lord did visit them with his Spirit, and said unto them: Be comforted. And they were comforted.

11 And the Lord said unto them also: Go forth among the Lamanites, thy brethren, and establish my word; yet ye shall be patient in long-suffering and afflictions, that ye may show forth good examples unto them in me, and I will make an instrument of thee in my hands unto the salvation of many souls. (Alma 17)

 

3 Behold, I answer for you; for our brethren, the Lamanites, were in darkness, yea, even in the darkest abyss, but behold, how many of them are brought to behold the marvelous light of God! And this is the blessing which hath been bestowed upon us, that we have been made instruments in the hands of God to bring about this great work.

...

15 Yea, they were encircled about with everlasting darkness and destruction; but behold, he has brought them into his everlasting light, yea, into everlasting salvation; and they are encircled about with the matchless bounty of his love; yea, and we have been instruments in his hands of doing this great and marvelous work. (Alma 26)

 

9 I know that which the Lord hath commanded me, and I glory in it. I do not glory of myself, but I glory in that which the Lord hath commanded me; yea, and this is my glory, that perhaps I may be an instrument in the hands of God to bring some soul to repentance; and this is my joy. (Alma 29)

 

14 And Alma, and Ammon, and their brethren, and also the two sons of Alma returned to the land of Zarahemla, after having been instruments in the hands of God of bringing many of the Zoramites to repentance; and as many as were brought to repentance were driven out of their land; but they have lands for their inheritance in the land of Jershon, and they have taken up arms to defend themselves, and their wives, and children, and their lands. (Alma 35)

 

'keli' -- an article, utensil, vessel (כְּלִי)

The Hebrew word for 'instrument' is 'keli,' derived from the verb meaning 'to be completed.' Of note, the tools described in the Old Testament intended for use in the temple are also called 'instruments,' along with many other objects.

The lone exception in the Book of Mormon of the word 'instrument' being used in a context other than "an instrument in the hands of God" is from 3 Nephi 22:16 (quoting Isaiah 54:16):

16 Behold, I have created the smith that bloweth the coals in the fire, and that bringeth forth an instrument for his work; and I have created the waster to destroy.

This verse sheds a little light on the topic by reminding us that we can become useful helpers in bringing about God's eternal purposes for His children. This happens only as we devote ourselves to Him and align our will with His.

In the context of the "two ways" this means that we either become instruments in the hand of God or we end up worshipping the things which our own hands have made.

"For the mountains shall depart and the hills be removed, but my kindness shall not depart from thee."

In a recent post, I mentioned that the plan of mercy is fundamental to the creation.  It's one reason why the creation falls apart around those who reject the plan of mercy.

In this post, I'd like to give a few more examples of how the concept of mercy requires mortality. Mercy can only have claim over justice in the context of agency, repentance, death, and atonement.

The Fall brought about agency

A true test of our agency could only happen away from God's presence. The fall brought this about. Death allows for the probationary period to be temporary. Without the fall and death, God's word would be void (one of the descriptors of the pre-creation state of the earth from Genesis 1:2).

Alma-2 teaches this twice in Alma 12:

23 And now behold, I say unto you that if it had been possible for Adam to have partaken of the fruit of the tree of life at that time, there would have been no death, and the word would have been void, making God a liar, for he said: If thou eat thou shalt surely die.
...
26 And now behold, if it were possible that our first parents could have gone forth and partaken of the tree of life they would have been forever miserable, having no preparatory state; and thus the plan of redemption would have been frustrated, and the word of God would have been void, taking none effect. (Alma 12)

And once more in Alma 42:

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)

The creation is the stage upon which the fall (and subsequent redemption) of mankind is set

From the very beginning, creation's purpose had everything to do with bringing about mercy. 

10 For the mountains shall depart and the hills be removed, but my kindness shall not depart from thee, neither shall the covenant of my peace be removed, saith the Lord that hath mercy on thee. (3 Nephi 22:10; see also Isaiah 54:10)

God's mercy is more enduring than the mountains -- I might add any aspect of the creation itself. That is a powerful thought. A revelation to Joseph Smith goes into more detail:

48 And then shall the Lord set his foot upon this mount, and it shall cleave in twain, and the earth shall tremble, and reel to and fro, and the heavens also shall shake.

49 And the Lord shall utter his voice, and all the ends of the earth shall hear it; and the nations of the earth shall mourn, and they that have laughed shall see their folly.

50 And calamity shall cover the mocker, and the scorner shall be consumed; and they that have watched for iniquity shall be hewn down and cast into the fire.

...

55 And Satan shall be bound, that he shall have no place in the hearts of the children of men.

56 And at that day, when I shall come in my glory, shall the parable be fulfilled which I spake concerning the ten virgins.

57 For they that are wise and have received the truth, and have taken the Holy Spirit for their guide, and have not been deceived—verily I say unto you, they shall not be hewn down and cast into the fire, but shall abide the day. (Doctrine & Covenants 45)

In order to "abide" the day of judgment, we must be changed as a result of the choices we make in mortality. When we walk the covenant path, we become new creatures, destined for a higher plane of existence. Everything and everyone else remains in the dust at the day of judgment. 

Mercy comes through the Word

One final thought to wrap up this post: 

If Adam and Eve could have made the plan "void" by partaking of the fruit prior to repenting, doesn't it follow that we do the same for ourselves if we reject the plan of happiness?

Come Follow Me: October 12–18. 3 Nephi 20–26: “Ye Are the Children of the Covenant”

 This past week's Come Follow Me lesson is a great one.  Here are additional links to supplement your study.

3 Nephi 20 -- Abinadi and the first and second Moses, The tree of life and the living waters, "Cast" and "hard heart"

3 Nephi 21 -- What the Book of Mormon teaches about the relationship between the Eternal Father and His Son, Jesus Christ (and each of us), part 1, Preparing the way for the gathering of Israel, The scattering and gathering

3 Nephi 22 -- "Prolonging" and "lengthening cords", Redeemer/kinsman, God's covenant with Israel in the latter days

3 Nephi 23 -- Internal Consistency about Isaiah, What made it onto the plates

3 Nephi 24 -- Preparing a way

3 Nephi 25 -- The Sun/Son of Righteousness

3 Nephi 26 -- Mercy is associated with..., Forbidden to write, Mormon's inclusio in 3 Nephi

A note about "Prolonging" and "Lengthening cords"

Along the same lines as my previous post here regarding swelling hearts and expanding Zion's borders, I've been studying the Hebrew root 'arak,' which refers to lengthening something.

arak: to be long --  אָרַךְ -- continue (1), delay (1), endure* (1), endures (1), lengthen (3), lengthened (1), lingered (2), live (2), long (5), long* (3), makes him slow (1), prolong (8), prolonged (4), prolongs (1), stick (1), survived* (2).

We'll look at two common uses of this root in the Old Testament and the Book of Mormon.

"Lengthen thy cords"

Christ quotes Isaiah's use of this root in a covenant context, prophesying of the latter-day restoration of the covenant:

2 Enlarge the place of thy tent, and let them stretch forth the curtains of thy habitations; spare not, lengthen thy cords and strengthen thy stakes; (3 Nephi 22)

This wording fits in well with the idea of Zion enlarging when covenants are kept, as well and Zion as an enclosed garden.

Contrasting covenant theme related to cords

It should be noted that cords are occasionally mentioned in the context of Satan binding those who reject their covenants. (See 2 Nephi 26:22.) As is often the case, covenant symbols have positive and negative connotations.

"Prolong thy days"

In the Old Testament, this root is used in a covenant context, for example:

40 Thou shalt keep therefore his statutes, and his commandments, which I command thee this day, that it may go well with thee, and with thy children after thee, and that thou mayest prolong thy days upon the earth, which the Lord thy God giveth thee, for ever. (Deuteronomy 4)

Isaiah makes use of this root to speak of the results of Christ's suffering:

Yet it was the will of the Lord to crush him with pain.
When you make his life an offering for sin,
he shall see his offspring, and shall prolong his days;
through him the will of the Lord shall prosper. (Isaiah 53, NRSV)

This passage is part of Abinadi's sermon to the wicked priests of King Noah, found in Mosiah 14.

Notice how Alma uses this same wording in his masterful sermon in Ammonihah, in a passage filled with other covenant symbols. He is specifically warning the wicked Nephites that their violation of their covenant is more severe (and will therefore be treated more harshly by the Lord) than the Lamanites' wickedness:

16 For there are many promises which are extended to the Lamanites; for it is because of the traditions of their fathers that caused them to remain in their state of ignorance; therefore the Lord will be merciful unto them and prolong their existence in the land.
17 And at some period of time they will be brought to believe in his word, and to know of the incorrectness of the traditions of their fathers; and many of them will be saved, for the Lord will be merciful unto all who call on his name.
18 But behold, I say unto you that if ye persist in your wickedness that your days shall not be prolonged in the land, for the Lamanites shall be sent upon you; and if ye repent not they shall come in a time when you know not, and ye shall be visited with utter destruction; and it shall be according to the fierce anger of the Lord. (Alma 9)

Notice Lehi's teaching about Adam and Eve. Is it possible he is making reference to the fact that they were taught about covenants upon their expulsion from the Garden of Eden?

21 And the days of the children of men were prolonged, according to the will of God, that they might repent while in the flesh; wherefore, their state became a state of probation, and their time was lengthened, according to the commandments which the Lord God gave unto the children of men... (2 Nephi 2)

Connections to Zenos and the restoration of the Lamanites?

Samuel uses similar language when talking about promises made to the Lamanites:

4 But behold my brethren, the Lamanites hath he hated because their deeds have been evil continually, and this because of the iniquity of the tradition of their fathers. But behold, salvation hath come unto them through the preaching of the Nephites; and for this intent hath the Lord prolonged their days. ...
10 And now, because of their steadfastness when they do believe in that thing which they do believe, for because of their firmness when they are once enlightened, behold, the Lord shall bless them and prolong their days, notwithstanding their iniquity—
11 Yea, even if they should dwindle in unbelief the Lord shall prolong their days, until the time shall come which hath been spoken of by our fathers, and also by the prophet Zenos, and many other prophets, concerning the restoration of our brethren, the Lamanites, again to the knowledge of the truth. (Helaman 15)

Notice that mention of "Zenos, and many other prophets, concerning the restoration of our brethren." I have some ideas about what Samuel is referring to, which I will save for my next post.

Redeemer - kinsman -- Part 1

The Hebrew term for "Redeemer" is the word גואל (goel). It is also used in connection with its cognate - the term גאל (gaal) which means kinsman. The spelling of gaal is the exact same as the verb, "redeem".

In ancient Israelite thought, the kinsman-redeemer was a male relative, who should act on behalf of a relative who was in trouble or need. There are many examples of this in the Jewish Law. See Leviticus 25:25 for instance

If thy brother be waxen poor, and hath sold away some of his possession, and if any of his kin come to redeem it, then shall he redeem that which his brother sold.

Perhaps the best description of a kinsman-redeemer in the Old Testament is Boaz in the Book of Ruth. He is a wealthy relative of Naomi and her daughter-in-law, Ruth, appeals to him as their goel.

And he said, Who art thou? And she answered, I am Ruth thine handmaid: spread therefore thy skirt over thine handmaid; for thou art a near kinsman. (Ruth 3:9)

As Ruth's goel, Boaz offers her protection, redeems her from her difficult situation as a widow with a widowed mother-in-law to take care of, and marries her. They later bear a son named Obed who becomes the grandfather of David and a forefather of Jesus.

This background is useful to better understand how ancient Israelites would view scriptures describing the Lord as their Redeemer. We find several of those, often with allusions to the Messiah.

I will help thee, saith the Lord, and thy redeemer, the Holy One of Israel. (Isaiah 41:14)

This poetic parallelism connects "help" with "redeemer" and "Lord" with "Holy One of Israel".

For thy Maker is thine husband; the Lord of hosts is his name; and thy Redeemer the Holy One of Israel; The God of the whole earth shall he be called. (Isaiah 54:5 / 3 Nephi 22:5)

Here is another connection between Redeemer and the Holy One of Israel, who Nephi in no uncertain terms says is Christ (see 2 Nephi 25:29). It is also interesting to note that this is the chapter Jesus quotes to the Nephites after having told them about the gathering of Israel and the covenant with them. "thine husband" is a symbol of the covenant relationship between Jehovah and his people. Actually, the underlying Hebrew here is the verb "to marry". "He who espouses/marries you" (is perhaps a better translation) is also "thy Redeemer" and directs our minds to the Boaz and Ruth story.

Another example in Psalms

35 And they remembered that God was their rock, and the high God their redeemer. (Psalm 78:35)

Again a poetic parallelism connects redeemer to another word, this time "rock". When the Psalmist multiple times in other Psalms writes about "the rock of my salvation", it should be clear who that rock is. But again, the Book of Mormon removes all doubt.

And now, my sons, remember, remember that it is upon the rock of our Redeemer, who is Christ, the Son of God, that ye must build your foundation (Helaman 5:12)

So the concept of a kinsman-redeemer is something the ancient Israelites attributed to the Messiah who would come, the rock and the Holy One of Israel. He would be their redeemer. They also believed he would be their kinsman. In light of this it is interesting to see how this word is used in the Book of Mormon. The first time it is used, is by Lehi in 1 Nephi 10:4-6

5 And he also spake concerning the prophets, how great a number had testified of these things, concerning this Messiah, of whom he had spoken, or this Redeemer of the world.

6 Wherefore, all mankind were in a lost and in a fallen state, and ever would be save they should rely on this Redeemer.

We have just seen that prophets of old testified of a redeemer like Lehi says. But as I have discussed in a previous post, Lehi's view of this redeemer was perhaps quite radical at his time. "Redeemer of the world" is not found anywhere in the Old Testament. They perceived a Messiah who was their kinsman and would redeem them, not the whole world. They did not understand that

as many of the Gentiles as will repent are the covenant people of the Lord; and as many of the Jews as will not repent shall be cast off; for the Lord covenanteth with none save it be with them that repent and believe in his Son, who is the Holy One of Israel. (2 Nephi 30:2)

or that

God is able of these stones to raise up children unto Abraham. (Matthew 3:7)

This is getting too long for one post so I will split it up and write more about the use of "Redeemer" in the Book of Mormon in part 2 and how it fits with the Old Testament kinsman idea.

References to Jesus Christ in the Book of Mormon

It has been pointed out that the name "Christ" is not used in the Small Plates of Nephi until Jacob learns the name from an angel (see 2 Nephi 10:3).

Stisa's recent post got me thinking about commonly used names for Christ in the Book of Mormon, and how it might look to map out how the most common names are used throughout the book.

Here is the result.  The chart below shows a band each time the name on the left is used, beginning in Mosiah (I'm using the order of dictation here rather than the order of the Book of Mormon as printed) and ending with the Small Plates on the right (as labelled).

What do we learn from this?  I see a few points worth making:

1) "Christ" is by far the most common name for the Son of God throughout the book as a whole, but three other names are used in the early part of the Small Plates.

2) In the 2 instances where "Messiah" is used outside of the Small Plates, the name "Moses" is also mentioned in the same verse (see Mosiah 13:33 and Helaman 8:13).  This is an interesting and unexpected finding that I'll be looking into in more depth in the near future.

3) The vast majority of the references to "the Lamb of God" occur in 1 Nephi 10-14.

As I ponder this additional layer of complexity as it relates to the dictation of the Book of Mormon, it occurs to me that Joseph Smith would need to remember to stop referring to Christ by that name at the end of his translation process, for ~30 chapters, using other names for Him during that phase, and then later resuming for the final 25 chapters.

Study notes: God's covenant with Israel and the latter days

This is a summary of certain passages in the Book of Mormon, talking about the covenant God has made with Israel, how this will be restored in the latter days and the role of the Gentiles. Primarily, this is presented by the Savior himself when he visits the Nephites.

I have always found these chapters a bit difficult to follow, but it was a great help for me to summarize them like I did below. Here we see that there are certain key events that are presented and repeated. In chapter 16, Christ is talking about this subject right after having talked about “his sheep” in chapter 15. After a lot of other events, he returns to this topic in chapter 20. In verse 11 he basically says: “Remember what I told you about Isaiah’s words being fulfilled?” with a clear reference to chapter 16, verse 17. Then he goes on to repeat some of the events described in that chapter.

Then, in chapter 21, he talks about how the coming forth of the Book of Mormon will be a sign that the restoration of Israel is about to happen and repeats all the events discussed in chapter 16. They are color coded for easier identification. They are not necessarily in order (neither here nor in the Book of Mormon) since they are not necessarily discrete events and may overlap or occur on multiple occasions.

When we read these chapters, we note how Old Testament scriptures, in particular Isaiah, is dispersed into the text in these chapters, especially at the end, to demonstrate that this is what Isaiah was really talking about.

Note also how Mormon, who abridged the words of the Savior among the Nephites, thinks this part of his words were important to include and how he repeats several of these key issues in Mormon 5.

3^rd Nephi 16

Gentiles will populate the Americas and scatter the remnant of the House of Israel there (v.8)

The fulness of the gospel shall come to the Gentiles (v.6-7)

Still, many Gentiles will sin and reject the gospel (v.10)

God will fulfill his covenant with the House of Israel (v.11)

The gospel will be brought to the House of Israel (from the Gentiles) (v.11)

Israel will be gathered (v.5)

The Gentiles who repent will be numbered among the House of Israel (v.13)

Gentiles who do not repent will be “trodden under foot” by the House of Israel (v.15)

“This people” will have the Americas for an inheritance (v.16)

Isaiah 52:8-10 will be fulfilled (v.17-20)

3^rd Nephi 20

Jesus reminds the people what he said in Chapter 16, that Isaiah 52:8-10 will be fulfilled (v.11)

God will fulfill his covenant with the House of Israel (v.12)

The gospel will be brought to the House of Israel (from the Gentiles) (v.13)

Israel will be gathered (v.13)

Gentiles who do not repent will be “trodden down” by the House of Israel (v.16)

“This people” will have the Americas for an inheritance (v.14)

Isaiah 52:8-10 will be fulfilled (v.32-25 paraphrasing Isaiah 52:8-10 again before moving on to quote other Isaiah passages)

3^rd Nephi 21

Gentiles will populate the Americas and scatter the remnant of the House of Israel there (v.2, 4)

The fulness of the gospel shall come to the Gentiles (v.6)

Still, many Gentiles will sin and reject the gospel (v.14-21)

God will fulfill his covenant with the House of Israel (v.4, 7)

The gospel will be brought to the House of Israel (from the Gentiles) (v.5, 7)

Israel will be gathered (v.1, 24, 28)

The Gentiles who repent will be numbered among the House of Israel (v.6, 22)

Gentiles who do not repent will be “trodden down” by the House of Israel (v.12)

A remnant of Jacob will have the Americas for an inheritance (v.22,28)

Quoting Isaiah 52:12 (v.29) and Isaiah 54 (Chapter 22)

Mormon 5

Gentiles will populate the Americas and scatter the remnant of the House of Israel there (v.19-20)

God will fulfill his covenant with the House of Israel (v.20)

Gentiles who do not repent will be “trodden under foot” by the House of Israel (v.24)

Use of Isaiah in 3rd Nephi

Reading 3rd Nephi 21 yesterday and 22 today, I was thinking about the depth of knowledge about Isaiah on display here. In 3rd Nephi 21, the Savior explains the role of the Book of Mormon in the restoration of his covenant people. At the end of the chapter, we read that the covenant people will be gathered in the land of their inheritance. At the beginning of chapter 22, we read "And then shall that which is written come to pass:" followed by a quotation of Isaiah 54. Isaiah in general is hard for me to understand, but reading Avraham Gileadi's commentary really helped: http://www.isaiahexplained.com/54#commentary. This also helped me realize how well it fits into the context of the preceding chapter and that the author must have had a really good understanding of Isaiah. We see the same in chapter 20. There are quotes from Isaiah and Micah dispersed in between the words of the Savior when he gives his sermon to the Nephites. I find The Book of Mormon is really a gateway to understanding the Old Testament better.