"And it shall be unto you for a fringe" -- part 2

Part 1 introduced the commandment given to Moses in Numbers 15 that the Israelites "make a fringe" on their garments with ornate tassels, to remind them to "keep all the commandments of the Lord."

This post will continue to explore the topic by looking more deeply at the warning embedded in the commandment, then comparing the wording of the warning to Samuel the Lamanite's prophetic curse, and finally noting a similarity to a story found in Numbers 17-18.

The Warning

seek not after your own heart and your own eyes, after which ye use to go a whoring:

The KJV uses really interesting wording here. The underlying idea is that of giving away something most precious in exchange for something of no worth. I really like the Common English Bible translation of this verse:

This will be your fringe. You will see it and remember all the Lord’s commands and do them. Then you won’t go exploring the lusts of your own heart or your eyes. (source)

'Exploring the lusts of your own heart or your eyes' is such a great way to describe a great variety of sins.

Samuel the Lamanite's prophecy

The wording of the warning reminds me of a part of Samuel the Lamanite's warning to the Nephites:

27 But behold, if a man shall come among you and shall say: Do this, and there is no iniquity; do that and ye shall not suffer; yea, he will say: Walk after the pride of your own hearts; yea, walk after the pride of your eyes, and do whatsoever your heart desireth—and if a man shall come among you and say this, ye will receive him, and say that he is a prophet. (Helaman 13)

Just a few verses later, Samuel prophecies their lamentation if they choose not to repent:

32 And in the days of your poverty ye shall cry unto the Lord; and in vain shall ye cry, for your desolation is already come upon you, and your destruction is made sure; and then shall ye weep and howl in that day, saith the Lord of Hosts. And then shall ye lament, and say:

33 O that I had repented, and had not killed the prophets, and stoned them, and cast them out. Yea, in that day ye shall say: O that we had remembered the Lord our God in the day that he gave us our riches, and then they would not have become slippery that we should lose them; for behold, our riches are gone from us. (Helaman 13)

Note the inversion -- when the covenant people welcome in those who tell them to walk after the pride of the hearts and eyes, they will become cursed and their wealth will be taken away from them, because they forgot that the Lord is the source of their riches. 

Putting it all together

Here's where I arrive after all of this exploration: God recognizes the fickle nature of mortals and knows that without some safeguards, we are highly likely to sell ourselves "for that which has no worth" (2 Nephi 9:51). And so He mercifully offers an antidote.  This is where the wordplay and symbolism come together and transform this strange commandment into something really beautiful.  As discussed in part 1, the tassel ('zizith') of blue thread serves as a reminder of the head plate ('ziz') worn by the high priest and bearing the words "HOLINESS TO THE LORD." Combine this connection with the fact that both the word for tassel ('zizith') and the word for plate ('ziz') can have a floral connotation -- 'zizith' can refer to a 'floral projection' and 'ziz' can mean 'blossom.'

With this in mind, it is fascinating to then read on and come across the story of Aaron's rod just a few chapters later, in Numbers 17-18.  After an act of rebellion on the part of some Israelites, Moses is commanded to take Aaron's rod and one from each of the other ancestral houses, write their names upon them, and place them in the tabernacle.  The following day, a miracle is witnessed by all when Aaron's rod blossoms:

8 And it came to pass, that on the morrow Moses went into the tabernacle of witness; and, behold, the rod of Aaron for the house of Levi was budded, and brought forth buds, and bloomed blossoms, and yielded almonds. (Numbers 17)

Guess what root the word highlighted in green comes from?  'Ziz'! The same word that refers to the shiny gold head plate worn by Aaron as the high priest. Are the tassels then a symbol of life and increase, similar to Aaron's rod?  Perhaps.

Conclusion

In order to protect us from the lusts of our eyes and hearts, God gives His children something holy to think about and be reminded of frequently, by commanding them to sew a reminder of heaven (blue), eternal increase and eternal life (tassels -- a representation of buds/blossoms) into the fringe of their clothing.

Eternal life is the greatest of all of God's gifts (see Doctrine & Covenant 14:7). Our own pride/lusts cause spiritual myopia that might allow us to be tricked into giving away our eternal birthright for a proverbial mess of pottage.  God's wrath is directed at those things that cause us to forget He has in store for us.  

18 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men ... (Romans 1)

To the extent that those distractions have entered our hearts and minds, we will perceive that His wrath is directed at us.  But this is not so.  God's wrath can best be likened to the feeling a parent might have toward a snake slithering up to their toddler. The closer the snake is to the child, the easier it might be for the child to misinterpret the parent's aggression.

Moroni's "covenant of peace" -- part 2 (sending forth angels)

In my last post, I outlined an example of what I call the covenant worldview on display in Alma 44.

There's a little more to the story which I'd like to share in this post, which relates to the principle of mercy. The Doctrine & Covenants summarizes this principle very nicely:

42 But, behold, I say unto you that I, the Lord God, gave unto Adam and unto his seed, that they should not die as to the temporal death, until I, the Lord God, should send forth angels to declare unto them repentance and redemption, through faith on the name of mine Only Begotten Son.

43 And thus did I, the Lord God, appoint unto man the days of his probation—that by his natural death he might be raised in immortality unto eternal life, even as many as would believe;

44 And they that believe not unto eternal damnation; for they cannot be redeemed from their spiritual fall, because they repent not;

45 For they love darkness rather than light, and their deeds are evil, and they receive their wages of whom they list to obey. (D&C 29)

In short, we are destined to die at the end of the probationary phase known as mortality, but we are given a promise that divine messengers will show us the way to avoid spiritual death at the day of judgment.

These angels come in various forms (Hebrew malak simply means messenger). All the way back in Genesis 3:24 we are told that cherubim (a Hebrew transliteration referring to "probably an order of angelic beings", derived from an ancient Akkadian word for "an intercessor," NIDOTTE Vol. 2, p. 717)

Notice how even in the war chapters of Alma, this principle is on display. I always found this part of the story quite confusing, but now I see its purpose clearly:

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:
14 Even as this scalp has fallen to the earth, which is the scalp of your chief, so shall ye fall to the earth except ye will deliver up your weapons of war and depart with a covenant of peace.
15 Now there were many, when they heard these words and saw the scalp which was upon the sword, that were struck with fear; and many came forth and threw down their weapons of war at the feet of Moroni, and entered into a covenant of peace. And as many as entered into a covenant they suffered to depart into the wilderness. (Alma 44)

The imagery of a soldier holding aloft his sword and warning the wicked must have been too close to the "angels will declare repentance and redemption" message for Mormon to avoid weaving that core concept into the narrative. And so the soldier "stretche[s] forth" his sword to the people and says "with a loud voice" that they must -- in a way -- repent and enter into a covenant of peace or be destroyed.

It works, only for some.

Those who died were "not numbered because of the greatness of the number" (verse 21) and they were "cast ... into the waters of Sidon, and they have gone forth and are buried in the depths of the sea" (verse 22).

Verse 18 contains several more covenant allusions:

18 But behold, their naked skins and their bare heads were exposed to the sharp swords of the Nephites; yea, behold they were pierced and smitten, yea, and did fall exceedingly fast before the swords of the Nephites; and they began to be swept down, even as the soldier of Moroni had prophesied.

The soldier had spoken through the spirit of prophecy that those who would not enter into the covenant would be destroyed, and they were.  The word of God is often referred to as a sword which is quick, powerful, sharp, and able to divide asunder (see D&C 6:2, 11:2, 12:2, 14:2, 33:1).

The enemies of the Nephites were not able to withstand the swords because of their naked skins and bare heads. Compare D&C 27:15-18, especially verse 18.

Similar to the story of Ammon defending King Lamoni's flocks in Alma 17, I believe this was a real event recounted by a faithful historian who never missed an opportunity to put the covenant worldview on display.

"Every Good Thing" and the Oath and Covenant of the Priesthood.

Stisa posted about this phrase back in July, connecting "every good thing" with "faith, hope and charity." I agree with his assessment.  In light of recent discoveries I've made in my study, I'd like to take this concept one step further and suggest that "every good thing" is making reference to the temple covenant.

The phrase "every good thing" shows up six times in the Book of Mormon, in ten consecutive verses of Moroni 7 (the color code scheme I am using will make sense a little later in this post):

19 Wherefore, I beseech of you, brethren, that ye should search diligently in the light of Christ that ye may know good from evil; and if ye will lay hold upon every good thing, and condemn it not, ye certainly will be a child of Christ.
20 And now, my brethren, how is it possible that ye can lay hold upon every good thing?
21 And now I come to that faith, of which I said I would speak; and I will tell you the way whereby ye may lay hold on every good thing.
22 For behold, God knowing all things, being from everlasting to everlasting, behold, he sent angels to minister unto the children of men, to make manifest concerning the coming of Christ; and in Christ there should come every good thing.
23 And God also declared unto prophets, by his own mouth, that Christ should come.
24 And behold, there were divers ways that he did manifest things unto the children of men, which were good; and all things which are good cometh of Christ; otherwise men were fallen, and there could no good thing come unto them.
25 Wherefore, by the ministering of angels, and by every word which proceeded forth out of the mouth of God, men began to exercise faith in Christ; and thus by faith, they did lay hold upon every good thing; and thus it was until the coming of Christ.
26 And after that he came men also were saved by faith in his name; and by faith, they become the sons of God. And as surely as Christ liveth he spake these words unto our fathers, saying: Whatsoever thing ye shall ask the Father in my name, which is good, in faith believing that ye shall receive, behold, it shall be done unto you.
27 Wherefore, my beloved brethren, have miracles ceased because Christ hath ascended into heaven, and hath sat down on the right hand of God, to claim of the Father his rights of mercy which he hath upon the children of men?
28 For he hath answered the ends of the law, and he claimeth all those who have faith in him; and they who have faith in him will cleave unto every good thing; wherefore he advocateth the cause of the children of men; and he dwelleth eternally in the heavens.

It's really hard to summarize these words, since so many themes are swirling around each other. Here's my attempt:

Those who exercise faith and cleave to every good thing (all of the covenants) given to them by ministering angels will become a child of Christ and lay hold on every good thing (all that the Father has).

This is the oath and covenant of the priesthood, using different words!

33 For whoso is faithful unto the obtaining these two priesthoods of which I have spoken, and the magnifying their calling, are sanctified by the Spirit unto the renewing of their bodies.
34 They become the sons of Moses and of Aaron and the seed of Abraham, and the church and kingdom, and the elect of God.
35 And also all they who receive this priesthood receive me, saith the Lord;
36 For he that receiveth my servants receiveth me;
37 And he that receiveth me receiveth my Father;
38 And he that receiveth my Father receiveth my Father’s kingdom; therefore all that my Father hath shall be given unto him.
39 And this is according to the oath and covenant which belongeth to the priesthood.
40 Therefore, all those who receive the priesthood, receive this oath and covenant of my Father, which he cannot break, neither can it be moved.
41 But whoso breaketh this covenant after he hath received it, and altogether turneth therefrom, shall not have forgiveness of sins in this world nor in the world to come.
42 And wo unto all those who come not unto this priesthood which ye have received, which I now confirm upon you who are present this day, by mine own voice out of the heavens; and even I have given the heavenly hosts and mine angels charge concerning you.
43 And I now give unto you a commandment to beware concerning yourselves, to give diligent heed to the words of eternal life.
44 For you shall live by every word that proceedeth forth from the mouth of God. (D&C 84)

As if to underscore this point even further and make it even more clear that "every good thing" is a reference to making and keeping our covenants, compare verse 22:

22 For behold, God knowing all things, being from everlasting to everlasting, behold, he sent angels to minister unto the children of men, to make manifest concerning the coming of Christ; and in Christ there should come every good thing. (Moroni 7)

...with verses 31-32:

31 And the office of their ministry (i.e., the ministry of angels) is to call men unto repentance, and to fulfil and to do the work of the covenants of the Father, which he hath made unto the children of men, to prepare the way among the children of men, by declaring the word of Christ unto the chosen vessels of the Lord, that they may bear testimony of him.
32 And by so doing, the Lord God prepareth the way that the residue of men may have faith in Christ, that the Holy Ghost may have place in their hearts, according to the power thereof; and after this manner bringeth to pass the Father, the covenants which he hath made unto the children of men. (Moroni 7)

I posted quite a bit about "the Office of the Ministry of Angels" recently. (Overview of seven-part series here.)

This is a very exciting discovery for me. Once again, we see that an expression with a pleasant ring to it ("every good thing") is actually a symbol of our covenants, mercifully hidden beneath the surface layer of meaning.

Moroni takes one more step to make this connection abundantly clear in the final verses of the Book of Mormon:

30 And again I would exhort you that ye would come unto Christ, and lay hold upon every good gift, and touch not the evil gift, nor the unclean thing.
31 And awake, and arise from the dust, O Jerusalem; yea, and put on thy beautiful garments, O daughter of Zion; and strengthen thy stakes and enlarge thy borders forever, that thou mayest no more be confounded, that the covenants of the Eternal Father which he hath made unto thee, O house of Israel, may be fulfilled.
32 Yea, come unto Christ, and be perfected in him, and deny yourselves of all ungodliness; and if ye shall deny yourselves of all ungodliness, and love God with all your might, mind and strength, then is his grace sufficient for you, that by his grace ye may be perfect in Christ; and if by the grace of God ye are perfect in Christ, ye can in nowise deny the power of God.
33 And again, if ye by the grace of God are perfect in Christ, and deny not his power, then are ye sanctified in Christ by the grace of God, through the shedding of the blood of Christ, which is in the covenant of the Father unto the remission of your sins, that ye become holy, without spot. (Moroni 10)

Below is my summary of Moroni 7:19-28 again.  I hope I've convinced you this language is pointing us to the covenant.

Those who exercise faith and cleave to every good thing (all of the covenants) given to them by ministering angels will become a child of Christ and lay hold on every good thing (all that the Father has).

Also relevant are the words given to Joseph Smith in June 1829, probably around the same time he was completing the Book of Mormon translation:

6 Seek to bring forth and establish my Zion. Keep my commandments in all things.
7 And, if you keep my commandments and endure to the end you shall have eternal life, which gift is the greatest of all the gifts of God. (D&C 14)

I genuinely wonder what these words (D&C 14, Moroni 7, and Moroni 10) meant to Joseph Smith in 1829.  How much did he understand about what was to come?  Mormon and Moroni seem to understand very clearly what the temple covenant really means, but this does not seem to have been made explicit to Joseph Smith until the revelation of D&C 84 in 1832, and the earliest temple of the restoration was still 4 years away at that time (and the endowment was about ten years away).

This is all very interesting. If Joseph Smith was the author of the Book of Mormon, he was working an incredibly long con!