"Taken unto himself"

As mentioned in a recent post, I looked at Alma 46, in which Moroni quotes a prophecy of the patriarch Jacob/Israel comparing the preservation of a remnant of the coat of Joseph to a righteous remnant of his seed. In making this comparison, he uses a unique phrase, highlighted in red below:

24 Yea, let us preserve our liberty as a remnant of Joseph; yea, let us remember the words of Jacob, before his death, for behold, he saw that a part of the remnant of the coat of Joseph was preserved and had not decayed. And he said—Even as this remnant of garment of my son hath been preserved, so shall a remnant of the seed of my son be preserved by the hand of God, and be taken unto himself, while the remainder of the seed of Joseph shall perish, even as the remnant of his garment.

25 Now behold, this giveth my soul sorrow; nevertheless, my soul hath joy in my son, because of that part of his seed which shall be taken unto God.

26 Now behold, this was the language of Jacob. (Alma 46)

This post will explore this phrase along with a few similar phrases in an effort to link this "preserved remnant" to Enoch's Zion.

 

Moses-Alma Metalepsis

The phrase "taken unto himself" is rare in the Book of Mormon.  It only occurs twice, once in Alma 46, which is quoted above, and once in the preceding chapter, in reference to how the end of Alma's days resembled Moses:

19 Behold, this we know, that he was a righteous man; and the saying went abroad in the church that he was taken up by the Spirit, or buried by the hand of the Lord, even as Moses. But behold, the scriptures saith the Lord took Moses unto himself; and we suppose that he has also received Alma in the spirit, unto himself; therefore, for this cause we know nothing concerning his death and burial. (Alma 45)

Connection to Enoch?

It is here that I begin to see a connection to Enoch's Zion: those who are "taken" by the Lord "unto Himself" are preserved for a righteous purpose -- therefore nothing is known "concerning [their] death and burial." Something similar is said of Enoch's Zion:

69 And Enoch and all his people walked with God, and he dwelt in the midst of Zion; and it came to pass that Zion was not, for God received it up into his own bosom; and from thence went forth the saying, Zion is Fled. (Moses 7)

I'll have more to say about this part of Moses 7 in future posts. The final verses of Moses 7 tie in with many latter-day prophecies and promises related to New Jerusalem. For now, let's focus on the words in blue. Not identical to the wording in Alma 45 and Alma 46 -- "taken unto himself" -- but very similar. And the similar sequence of gradually increasing righteousness of Alma-2, Moses, and Enoch is also readily apparent.  Notice this statement from God to Moses:

4 And, behold, thou art my son; wherefore look, and I will show thee the workmanship of mine hands; but not all, for my works are without end, and also my words, for they never cease.

5 Wherefore, no man can behold all my works, except he behold all my glory; and no man can behold all my glory, and afterwards remain in the flesh on the earth.

6 And I have a work for thee, Moses, my son; (Moses 1)

I find this so interesting.  Here is the logical chain revealed in these verses as I see it:

• God's works are endless.
• Man's work on the earth is finite.
• If a person beholds all of God's work, he would also behold all of God's glory, and could not afterwards remain on the earth.
• God still had a work for Moses to perform, therefore Moses only beheld a portion of God's work.
• It follows logically from all of this that once God's work for a given person is complete, they enter His rest, or perhaps another way to say this is that they behold all His glory.

Moses eventually completed the work God had for him, at which point he entered His rest.  Alma 45 suggests the same process happened with Alma-2. 

Enoch is the archetype of this process.

67 And the Lord showed Enoch all things, even unto the end of the world; and he saw the day of the righteous, the hour of their redemption, and received a fulness of joy; (Moses 7)

Enoch beheld "all things" and received a "fulness of joy" and entered into the rest of the Lord.

Other examples of similar wording

As I said, this wording is pretty unique in scripture.  Here are some additional examples of related wording:

In Alma 14:11 the phrase "receive them up unto himself" appears, in reference to the innocent believers killed in Ammonihah:

11 But Alma said unto him: The Spirit constraineth me that I must not stretch forth mine hand; for behold the Lord receiveth them up unto himself, in glory; and he doth suffer that they may do this thing, or that the people may do this thing unto them, according to the hardness of their hearts, that the judgments which he shall exercise upon them in his wrath may be just; and the blood of the innocent shall stand as a witness against them, yea, and cry mightily against them at the last day. (Alma 14)

In Jacob 5 the phrase "preserve ... unto myself" appears many, many times in reference to the the fruits (see verse 8, 19, 20, 23, 29, 31, 33, 46), the roots (see verse 11, 53, 54), the branches (see verse 13).  (Thanks to Stisa for bringing this to my attention). Verse 74 combines branch, root, and fruit into a metaphor that is very interesting with Enoch in mind:

74 And thus they labored, with all diligence, according to the commandments of the Lord of the vineyard, even until the bad had been cast away out of the vineyard, and the Lord had preserved unto himself that the trees had become again the natural fruit; and they became like unto one body; and the fruits were equal; and the Lord of the vineyard had preserved unto himself the natural fruit, which was most precious unto him from the beginning. (Jacob 5)

Finally, notice this crafty wording that describes the state of one who pursues unrighteous dominion:

38 Behold, ere he is aware, he is left unto himself, to kick against the pricks, to persecute the saints, and to fight against God. (Doctrine & Covenants 121)

Conclusion

The phrase "taken unto himself" tells a really important story in only three words.  It is meant to evoke Enoch's blessings and remind us of what God has in store for those who, like Enoch, receive of His fullness.

In a future post, I'll discuss the word "bosom" which appears in Moses 7:69 in the context of God receiving Enoch's city. This word has a very interesting set of meanings which fit nicely into the Enoch/New Jerusalem/Temple context.

"Chosen" as a reference to covenants

I believe that "chosen" is a special word in the scriptures. In this series, my hope is to outline a pattern demonstrating how this word connects to covenants through priesthood ordinances. Like many scriptural concepts, careful study of each and every occurrence of this word has helped me see a pattern that was not readily apparent prior to engaging in this study. I'll start with the same verse I intend to end the next part with:

20 ...But behold, I, Nephi, will show unto you that the tender mercies of the Lord are over all those whom he hath chosen, because of their faith, to make them mighty even unto the power of deliverance. (1 Nephi 1)

 This verse has always stood out to me as something special, even if I wasn't quite sure what Nephi was saying.  I think I made an important connection recently as I was studying references in the Book of Mormon about God the Father and Jesus Christ. 1 Nephi 1 is one such chapter.

In this post, I'll try to show how the first half of verse 20 gives us some important clues about a pattern of finding mercy and deliverance, both physically and spiritually, through faith. It has everything to do with obeying the invitations extended by divinely authorized messengers. When we think about divinely authorized messengers bringing us light and knowledge from heaven, coupled with commandments, we should think about our temple covenants.

1 Nephi 1 -- A Pattern in Lehi's Vision

Right after introducing himself to the reader, Nephi tells us about a vision his father had. 

1. He heard other prophets preaching.  
2. He prayed "unto the Lord, yea, even with all his heart, in behalf of his people."
3. He had a vision (but we only learn about some of what he saw, see 1 Nephi 1:16).
4. He sees God the Father sitting on His throne, followed by a vision of Christ descending from heaven, followed by "twelve others," who "went forth upon the face of the earth."
5. He is handed a book and invited to read.
6. Reading the book allowed him to prophesy of future events (including the coming of Christ and the redemption of the world, see verse 19), praise God, rejoice with his whole heart and soul. It "filled" him "with the Spirit of the Lord."
7. The people to whom he preached mocked him and "sought his life."

It is in this context that Nephi makes the statement quoted above (second half of verse 20) about the Lord's "tender mercies" being "over all them whom he hath chosen, because of their faith, to make them mighty unto the power of deliverance." Although he doesn't overtly state it, it seems rather obvious to me now that Lehi's story is outlining a pattern of how we can become "chosen, because of [our] faith."

"Chosen" as a reference to covenants

This concept has been touched on in other posts.  Specifically, this series of posts discusses how a part of the office of the ministry of angels involves "chosen vessels" bearing testimony of Christ (see Moroni 7:31-32). This post discusses Psalm 119, which includes the phrase: "I have chosen the way of faithfulness." 

In several other posts, Stisa and I have both touched on how the crossing of the deep waters (here, here, and here) and the promised land (here and here) represent covenant metaphors. Notice how Moroni describes the promised land as he begins to tell of the final destruction of the Jaredites:

2 For behold, they rejected all the words of Ether; for he truly told them of all things, from the beginning of man; and that after the waters had receded from off the face of this land it became a choice land above all other lands, a chosen land of the Lord; wherefore the Lord would have that all men should serve him who dwell upon the face thereof; (Ether 13)

It was by his faith and by covenant that Lehi obtained this land of promise for his posterity. See 2 Nephi 2:5.

What does it mean to be "chosen" by God?

On the surface, it might seem unfair that God chooses some of His children over others.  This is not so. Doctrine and Covenants 121 makes it very clear what it means to be "chosen" and the difference between being "called" and being "chosen."

34 Behold, there are many called, but few are chosen. And why are they not chosen?
35 Because their hearts are set so much upon the things of this world, and aspire to the honors of men, that they do not learn this one lesson—
36 That the rights of the priesthood are inseparably connected with the powers of heaven, and that the powers of heaven cannot be controlled nor handled only upon the principles of righteousness.
37 That they may be conferred upon us, it is true; but when we undertake to cover our sins, or to gratify our pride, our vain ambition, or to exercise control or dominion or compulsion upon the souls of the children of men, in any degree of unrighteousness, behold, the heavens withdraw themselves; the Spirit of the Lord is grieved; and when it is withdrawn, Amen to the priesthood or the authority of that man.
38 Behold, ere he is aware, he is left unto himself, to kick against the pricks, to persecute the saints, and to fight against God.
39 We have learned by sad experience that it is the nature and disposition of almost all men, as soon as they get a little authority, as they suppose, they will immediately begin to exercise unrighteous dominion.
40 Hence many are called, but few are chosen. (D&C 121)

Here's what I take away from this passage, for the purposes of defining what it means to be "chosen" by God.  Becoming "chosen" involves a process of receiving the priesthood (and its ordinances), coupled with setting our hearts upon the things of God and acting in accordance with the principles of righteousness, so that the priesthood authority can be efficacious in our lives and the powers of heaven and the Spirit of the Lord can influence us.



God "calls" everyone He can -- this is why missionary work is such a vital part of the Gospel and the church.  How we respond to the invitations of divinely authorized messengers determines whether we are "chosen."