The cavity of a rock

Twice in the Book of Mormon, someone hides in "the cavity of a rock". This is a strange expression. Why not just use the word "cave" since most caves are in a rock anyway? I will first share two different aspects of this expression and then take a closer look at the context of its use in the Book of Mormon.

According to a Jewish rabbi, a cave or cavity in ancient Hebrew would be a euphemism for frustration and a feeling of inability. The rock on the other hand symbolizes assurance and protection and is commonly associated with God. God is the rock of our salvation (Ps. 89:26, 95:1, 2 Nephi 9:45, Jacob 7:25, etc.). The cavity of a rock is therefore a place where you turn to God for assurance in your distress.  

A very different aspect is the historical Mesoamerican setting for this expression. I don't know where the Book of Mormon actually took place, I just find Mesoamerica the most likely alternative. In this article, Jerry Grover explains that many Mesoamerican beliefs are represented by caves and ceremonies related to or taking place in caves. Anthropologists and archaeologists have linked findings in Mesoamerican caves to both kingship and scribes. These are two out of several similarities between the two "cavity of a rock" stories in the Book of Mormon.

The first one is in 1 Nephi 3, where Nephi and his brothers hide from Laban's servants

And it came to pass that we fled into the wilderness, and the servants of Laban did not overtake us, and we hid ourselves in the cavity of a rock. (1 Nephi 3:27)

The other is found in Ether 13

13 And I was about to write more, but I am forbidden; but great and marvelous were the prophecies of Ether; but they esteemed him as naught, and cast him out; and he hid himself in the cavity of a rock by day, and by night he went forth viewing the things which should come upon the people.
14 And as he dwelt in the cavity of a rock he made the remainder of this record, viewing the destructions which came upon the people, by night.

Turning to God for assurance in great distress

This symbolism is certainly present in both these stories. Nephi and his brothers had been "thrust out" (v.25) from Laban's house. They had all their riches stolen from them, had still not obtained the plates and a small army was after them to kill them. Ether had been "cast out" from among the people after they had all rejected him and his prophecies. Being encompassed by rock in that cave gave them the kind of protection that God can offer (even though Laman and Lemuel probably saw it differently, but this was the record of Nephi).

Relations to kingship

In his article, Grover cites anthropologist Healey, who has been researching Mesoamerican caves

About the same time as the Guerrero caves were in use on the Pacific coast of Mexico, several monumental, carved, stone ‘‘altars’’ from Olmec sites on the Gulf Coast depict elite individuals of this precocious society in a cavelike front cavity. These altar ‘‘niche figures,’’ surrounded by maize imagery, have been interpreted as representations of Olmec site rulers seated in the mouth of a cave. David C. Grove (1973:134) theorizes that the ‘‘emergence from the cave’’ was central to Olmec kingship, the ruler’s mythical Underworld origins, and claims to divine status. (Healy 2007)

It may not be obvious what this has to do with the stories of Nephi and Ether. But as we know, Laman and Lemuel started beating Nephi and Sam and an angel appeared

And it came to pass as they smote us with a rod, behold, an angel of the Lord came and stood before them, and he spake unto them, saying: Why do ye smite your younger brother with a rod? Know ye not that the Lord hath chosen him to be a ruler over you, and this because of your iniquities? Behold ye shall go up to Jerusalem again, and the Lord will deliver Laban into your hands.

The angel uses a possible wordplay because rod (makel) and ruler (melech) are similar in Hebrew. Even though Laman and Lemuel were the older brothers, it was given to Nephi to rule over them because of his righteousness and their iniquity. Later, he became a ruler over the Nephites, who separated from his brothers.

The relation to kingship in the case of Ether might not be obvious either. But even though Ether was an outcast, he was the rightful heir of the throne. This is clear from the genealogy in Ether 1 and the narrative in Ether 11. Ether's grandfather Moron was king of the people but "wicked before the Lord". His kingdom was overthrown and he ended up in captivity. His son also spent all his days in captivity before Ether was born. 

Relations to scribal traditions

Another quote from anthropologist Healy (2007) in his Mesoamerican cave research

Scribes, a secondary tier of Maya nobility, also are potential candidates to have visited caves. They may have used cave pilgrimages as a ‘‘mechanism...to affirm their ongoing relationship with the supernatural’’ (Stone 2005:136, 144). Perhaps they visited these sacred places, as pilgrims, to acknowledge ‘‘the divine source of their craft, affirming their legitimacy and supporting their (elevated) social positions by doing so.’’ The cave texts at Naj Tunich, for example, include self-references to scribal visits, where they appear to have been trying to connect with the divine source of their offices. Landa (in Tozzer 1941:153) mentions that holy water, which likely came from a cave or cenote, was used in the purification rites for ancient Maya codices.

The authors examine several hieroglyphic texts from cave sites which, using the new translation for ‘‘cave,’’ seem to record ‘‘arrivals’’ of various visitors and refer to caves as ‘‘a pilgrimage or ritual center’’ (Vogt and Stuart 2005:160–162). Stuart’s earlier work with ancient Maya texts enabled him to decipher the Maya expression for ‘‘writing,’’ tz’ihb, and the phrase u-tz’ihb, ‘‘he writes’’ from one of the cave paintings of Naj Tunich (Stone 1995, 2005a:142). He went further to show that the subject of this clause was the name of an ancient Maya scribe, with a special title of itz’at, or ‘‘sage.’’ The hieroglyph suggests that the scribe in question, with two other protagonists, came ‘‘to see’’ Naj Tunich, which phrase might actually be a Maya metaphor for ‘‘pilgrimage’’. All this fits nicely with the themes, discussed earlier, of caves as pilgrimage sites and meeting places, sometimes used by scribes.

Although Nephi doesn't write anything in the cave, he is a scribe and on an important mission to obtain the Brass Plates. Ether spends his time in the cave making "the remainder of this record" (Ether 13:14).

Of course there is much uncertainty about the ancient Mesoamerican traditional uses of caves and the connections to the specific Book of Mormon stories are rather loose. But the connection is definitely there. In any case, we can learn from these stories that obtaining, preaching or preserving the word of God can lead to adversity and hardship. But if we come to the rock of our salvation, we can find refuge and safety, even by angelic visitations.

 

Cast out -- Part 1

In my previous post I mentioned that I have noticed the Book of Mormon occasionally using certain recurring key phrases to teach the reader a lesson. In the final chapters of Helaman about Samuel the Lamanite, I see this happening.

And it came to pass that in this year there was one Samuel, a Lamanite, came into the land of Zarahemla, and began to preach unto the people. And it came to pass that he did preach, many days, repentance unto the people, and they did cast him out, and he was about to return to his own land. (Helaman 13:2)

I believe "cast out" to be a key phrase here. Even though Samuel was cast out, the Lord asked him to return because He had an important message for the inhabitants of Zarahemla.

But behold, the time cometh, saith the Lord, that when ye shall cast out the righteous from among you, then shall ye be ripe for destruction (Helaman 13:14)

Yea, wo unto this people, because of this time which has arrived, that ye do cast out the prophets (Helaman 13:24)

Behold ye are worse than they; for as the Lord liveth, if a prophet come among you and declareth unto you the word of the Lord, which testifieth of your sins and iniquities, ye are angry with him, and cast him out and seek all manner of ways to destroy him (Helaman 13:26)

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: O that I had repented, and had not killed the prophets, and stoned them, and cast them out. (Helaman 13:32-33)

The fact that they cast him out to begin with should count as a great warning to them. It is a sign of a people ripe for destruction. This was a message that all the inhabitants needed to hear and the reason why Samuel was commanded to go back and climb on the city wall. Obviously, it was also to teach them about the coming of Christ.

10 And now, because I am a Lamanite, and have spoken unto you the words which the Lord hath commanded me, and because it was hard against you, ye are angry with me and do seek to destroy me, and have cast me out from among you.
11 And ye shall hear my words, for, for this intent have I come up upon the walls of this city, that ye might hear and know of the judgments of God which do await you because of your iniquities, and also that ye might know the conditions of repentance (Helaman 14)

I will get back to the purple part. Notice the similarity to Helaman 13:14: "Cast...out...from among you". The people are in a state where they cast out the righteous and the prophets, as evidenced by the casting out of Samuel initially. This is a dangerous state to be in and the reason why Samuel has been assigned by God to warn them.

Studying this phrase in the Book of Mormon in general, it becomes clear that this was not just a unique case for the people of Zarahemla in the end of Helaman. As far as I have been able to find, every time people cast out the prophets, righteous or any messenger with the word of God, they are destroyed. The inhabitants of Zarahemla were warned by Samuel, but they didn't listen and were burned (see 3 Nephi 8:8,24). 

We see the same trend over and over. Alma-II was "cast out" of Ammonihah (Alma 8:13). Like Samuel, he was asked to return, and his missionary companion, Amulek, gave the people a similar warning.

But it is by the prayers of the righteous that ye are spared; now therefore, if ye will cast out the righteous from among you then will not the Lord stay his hand; but in his fierce anger he will come out against you; then ye shall be smitten by famine, and by pestilence, and by the sword; and the time is soon at hand except ye repent. (Alma 10:23)

The people in Ammonihah didn't heed the warning. They cast out the righteous in Alma 14 and the whole city was destroyed in Alma 16.

Here is what happened to Alma-II's father, Alma-I

3 But the king was more wroth, and caused that Alma should be cast out from among them, and sent his servants after him that they might slay him.
4 But he fled from before them and hid himself that they found him not. And he being concealed for many days did write all the words which Abinadi had spoken. (Mosiah 17)

This is on a smaller scale, but we notice the same pattern. Abinadi preached to the wicked King Noah and his priests. They executed Abinadi but the also cast out Alma, the only one among them who believed and repented. When there were no more righteous among them, King Noah was killed and the other priests were hunted and later slain by the Lamanites (Alma 25:8).

Another example is found in the Book of Ether.

13 And I was about to write more, but I am forbidden; but great and marvelous were the prophecies of Ether; but they esteemed him as naught, and cast him out; and he hid himself in the cavity of a rock by day, and by night he went forth viewing the things which should come upon the people.
14 And as he dwelt in the cavity of a rock he made the remainder of this record, viewing the destructions which came upon the people, by night. (Ether 13)

Like Alma, Ether was cast out, and wrote the word of God while in hiding. What happened to the Jaredites who cast him out? They were all destroyed.

As a final example, these are the words of Zenos, quoted by Alma in Alma 33:10

Yea, and thou hast also heard me when I have been cast out and have been despised by mine enemies; yea, thou didst hear my cries, and wast angry with mine enemies, and thou didst visit them in thine anger with speedy destruction.

There is a pattern where a group of wicked people are given the word of God by a messenger. The wicked group of people cast out the messenger and reject the word. By so doing, they risk having none righteous among them and suffer destruction. The word, however, is preserved.

"Cast out" is a very common expression in the Book of Mormon, used in different contexts. I will spend two more posts diving in. In the next parts, we will look at an interesting exception to the pattern demonstrated in this post: When "The Word" himself, Jesus Christ, is the outcast, he is also the one dying. But his death and resurrection brings life to the righteous and a second death to the wicked, who are ultimately cast out from his presence. In the third part, we will see how "cast out" applies on a personal level. 

(No more be) confounded

In a previous post I touched upon the topic that I will address, without knowing some aspects I recently learned providing even more depth. The tower of Babel and the New Jerusalem are presented as antithetic parallels in the Book of Ether.

Which Jared came forth with his brother and their families, with some others and their families, from the great tower, at the time the Lord confounded the language of the people, and swore in his wrath that they should be scattered upon all the face of the earth; and according to the word of the Lord the people were scattered. (Ether 1:33)

8 Wherefore, the remnant of the house of Joseph shall be built upon this land; and it shall be a land of their inheritance; and they shall build up a holy city unto the Lord, like unto the Jerusalem of old; and they shall no more be confounded, until the end come when the earth shall pass away.
9 And there shall be a new heaven and a new earth; and they shall be like unto the old save the old have passed away, and all things have become new.
10 And then cometh the New Jerusalem; and blessed are they who dwell therein, for it is they whose garments are white through the blood of the Lamb; and they are they who are numbered among the remnant of the seed of Joseph, who were of the house of Israel.
11 And then also cometh the Jerusalem of old; and the inhabitants thereof, blessed are they, for they have been washed in the blood of the Lamb; and they are they who were scattered and gathered in from the four quarters of the earth, and from the north countries, and are partakers of the fulfilling of the covenant which God made with their father, Abraham (Ether 13)

Two things that I want to add to this:

1. Babel is very similar to the Hebrew word, "balal", meaning confounding/confusing.
2. "Babel" in the Hebrew Old Testament text is the same as "Babylon". They have just been translated differently

The wordplay in Genesis 11:9 is evident

Therefore is the name of it called Babel; because the Lord did there confound (Hebr. "balal") the language of all the earth: and from thence did the Lord scatter them abroad upon the face of all the earth.

Ether and Genesis 11 follow the same pattern. But there is more. Considering the fact that Babel and Babylon are the same, we also recognize this theme in the destruction of Jerusalem by the Babylonians. In the words of Biblical scholar, Jonathan Grossman

In Babylonian eyes, Babylon is invincible and eternal because it was founded by the gods, for their own purposes. In contrast, the biblical story quashes this notion and presents the city’s construction as the result of human action, with no divine corroboration; and many have interpreted the builders’ words, to ‘make a name for ourselves,’ as a kind of rebellion against God. . . . “Babylon is famously characterized as a political monolith: they oppress and dominate their subjects—their ‘language’ is enforced upon everyone. This portrait of Babylon is undermined by the biblical portrait of Babylon’s founding: rather than unite humanity under its own language and beliefs, Babylon is the source of universal dispersion and divergence.” (The Double Etymology of Babel in Genesis 11, ZAW 129 (2017): 366,374)

The Book of Mormon is essentially the story of two groups of people escaping Babel. The Book of Ether is about Jared, his brother and their families and friends escaping the tower of Babel and the confounding of their language. The rest of the Book of Mormon is concerned with Lehi, Ishmael and their families escaping the Babylonian captivity. Both groups are led to a promised land far from Babel, everything is set up for them to avoid being confounded. They prosper in the land for a while but they struggle to live up to the favor they have been shown and end up being "confounded" and scattered or destroyed. Instead of succeeding to establish a lasting righteous society, the righteous among these people looked forward to a future day when they would be "no more confounded".

This is Ether's perspective when he talks about a future New Jerusalem in the quote I shared at the beginning of this post. Nephi shares this same perspective. 

And harden not their hearts against the Lamb of God, they shall be numbered among the seed of thy father; yea, they shall be numbered among the house of Israel; and they shall be a blessed people upon the promised land forever; they shall be no more brought down into captivity; and the house of Israel shall no more be confounded. (1 Nephi 14:2)

And I did rehearse unto them the words of Isaiah, who spake concerning the restoration of the Jews, or of the house of Israel; and after they were restored they should no more be confounded, neither should they be scattered again. And it came to pass that I did speak many words unto my brethren, that they were pacified and did humble themselves before the Lord. (1 Nephi 15:20)

7 And it meaneth that the time cometh that after all the house of Israel have been scattered and confounded, that the Lord God will raise up a mighty nation among the Gentiles, yea, even upon the face of this land; and by them shall our seed be scattered.
8 And after our seed is scattered the Lord God will proceed to do a marvelous work among the Gentiles, which shall be of great worth unto our seed; wherefore, it is likened unto their being nourished by the Gentiles and being carried in their arms and upon their shoulders.
9 And it shall also be of worth unto the Gentiles; and not only unto the Gentiles but unto all the house of Israel, unto the making known of the covenants of the Father of heaven unto Abraham, saying: In thy seed shall all the kindreds of the earth be blessed... 
22 And the righteous need not fear, for they are those who shall not be confounded. (1 Nephi 22)

Confounded can have a variety of meanings in English and different Bible translations also use other words in the Tower of Babel story, like God "confused" the language rather than "confounded". However, confused is not found in the Book of Mormon at all. So in the sense that Nephi is using the word here, it seems likely to me that this is based on the Hebrew, balal. When we know where Nephi is coming from, it is also not hard to imagine that he uses this term as an allusion to the Babylonian captivity. 

Nephi lived in Jerusalem as a child/youth and probably knew the threat that Babylon/Babel presented at the time. Because of his prophetic gifts and those of his father (see 1 Nephi 17:43 and 2 Nephi 1:4), he also knew that Jerusalem in fact had been destroyed. This destruction was another story of confounding/balal and scattering, just like the Tower of Babel. He also knew that this would eventually happen to his own seed (see for instance 1 Nephi 22:8 quoted above). 

Nephi clearly identifies a repeating cycle of a covenant people followed by wickedness, confounding and scattering. Specifically, we have

• God covenanting with Noah and his seed after the flood (Genesis 9:9). But his seed built the Tower of Babel to "make a name for themselves", were confounded and scattered.
• God covenanting with Abraham and later with the people of Israel led by Moses. As Abraham's seed they would be a covenant people led to the promised land. But after many centuries in the promised land they had become "ripe in iniquity" (1 Nephi 17:35) and were scattered and destroyed by the Babylonians
• Nephi belonged to a group that was rescued from the Babylonian destruction and received another promised land as part of a covenant (2 Nephi 1:5). But he saw a vision where he learned that it would not last forever. His people would eventually suffer destruction and scattering as well. 

This must surely be frustrating to Nephi. But just as surely, he must have found comfort in the fact that there would be an end to this cycle. In a future time, a remnant of the House of Israel would be established as a new covenant people to "no more be confounded". This choice of words is likely a reference to the Babel/Babylon factor that led to the previous failures. It is an expression of great hope for a future time when the cycle is broken and there will be no more Babel/balal. We live in this time. The new and everlasting covenant has been established, this time to stay. The gathering of Israel has started and there will be no more scattering and confounding on a global level. It is up to us to stay on the covenant path and learn from the past so it doesn't happen to us on a personal level either.

Day and night in the Book of Mormon

I don't even remember anymore which Book of Mormon verse gave me the idea to study the symbolic use of day and night in ancient Israelite tradition. One thing is clear: Day and night is used both literally and symbolically in both the Bible and the Book of Mormon. Searching the internet, I found surprisingly little on the ancient symbolic meaning of day/night. This was one of the few helpful sources. I will still try to share some takeaways from my study.

The day/night symbol is introduced very early in the Bible: In the creation account in Genesis 1. Some would perhaps argue that they are used literally and not symbolically. I find the literal interpretation as an earthly 24 hour period quite absurd, considering the fact that the sun was created on the fourth "day". The Hebrew word for day, yom, might as well be translated into "time" to designate a time period of unspecific length, but given the large amount of symbolism in the creation account and the play on opposites (light/darkness, heaven/earth, over the firmament/under the firmament, waters/land, animals on land/animals in the sky, etc.) I interpret the day/night in the creation account as something purely symbolic. The article that I shared above states:

In contrast to pagan mythology, where sunrise represents a daily contention between opposing forces, in Jewish monotheism, the day-and-night cycle is attributed to a single God who "forms the light, and creates darkness" (Isa. 45:7), "who changes the times," and "who removes the light from before the darkness and the darkness from before the light" (beginning of the evening prayer). The special religious significance attached to this periodicity can be observed in the Temple rites of regular morning and evening sacrifices and in the benedictions over the daily cycle in the morning and evening prayers (the benediction "Creator of the luminaries" in the morning prayer, and the benediction "Who brings the nights" in the evening prayer). Every morning, when darkness disappears before the light, the initial act of creation is renewed.

It also states that Jews perform their mitzvot (religious duties) during daytime only. This fits with an idea in the Book of Mormon, that night is a time when no work can be performed.

wide is the gate, and broad the way which leads to death, and many there be that travel therein, until the night cometh, wherein no man can work. (3 Nephi 27:33)

after this day of life, which is given us to prepare for eternity, behold, if we do not improve our time while in this life, then cometh the night of darkness wherein there can be no labor performed. (Alma 34:33)

These verses also use the night as symbol of a time after our life when it is too late to repent. Another verse to go along with this idea

as he has desired to do evil all the day long even so shall he have his reward of evil when the night cometh (Alma 41:5)

This mortal probation is "day", a time where we can labor, repent, keep the commandments, etc. After that comes the night. Isaiah-expert, Avraham Gileadi, frequently interprets "night" in Isaiah as the Day of Judgment. See for instance his comments on Isaiah 21:11-12. The article I linked states the following:

Traces of the dualist theory are found in Jewish folklore and it may be assumed that the belief that Jewish redemption will come in an era when there is perpetual day derives from it. The concept was accepted, at least poetically and symbolically, both in the Bible (Zech. 14:7) and in the aggadah (Ḥag. 12a).

This creates a contrast between the judgment of the wicked associated with endless night and redemption associated with perpetual day. We see it in the New Testament too. In the description of the New Jerusalem in Revelation 22:5:

And night will be no more

How fitting in this context, that the sign of the birth of the Redeemer in the Book of Mormon was turning night into day! As we know, one day, one night and one day were as one long day where the night was bright and behaved like a day. Inevitable judgment turned into redemption when the Savior came into the world.

On this note, there was another thing I noticed while studying day/night symbolism in the Book of Mormon. Very frequency, night is connected to seeing, which seems counter-intuitive. I have not found any commentary on this, but we see it in the Bible too: In Daniel chapters 2 and 7, the prophet Daniel has "night visions", "God spoke to Israel in visions of the night" (Genesis 46:2), God appears to Solomon in a dream by night in 1 Kings 3:5, etc. Also, during the Exodus there is a pillar of fire to lead the people of Israel at night.

I don't know why that is, but my guess would be something along these lines:

• A vision at night is a manifestation of God's power. He breaks through the darkness to reveal himself to those he has elected.
• Often, visions are given to a prophet who stands out in the midst of difficulty or unrighteousness (like Daniel in Babylonian captivity). Though the surroundings are dark, the prophet is granted sight.

Below are examples from the Book of Mormon where night is connected to seeing.

the Lord their God, their Redeemer, going before them, leading them by day and giving light unto them by night (1 Nephi 17:30, referring to the Exodus already mentioned)

Behold, he hath heard my cry by day, and he hath given me knowledge by visions in the night-time (2 Nephi 4:23)

a cloud and smoke by day and the shining of a flaming fire by night; for upon all the glory of Zion shall be a defence (2 Nephi 14:5, quoting Isaiah also alluding to the Exodus)

For I pray continually for them by day, and mine eyes water my pillow by night (2 Nephi 33:3)

when thou liest down at night lie down unto the Lord, that he may watch over you in your sleep (Alma 37:37)

he hid himself in the cavity of a rock by day, and by night he went forth viewing the things which should come upon the people (Ether 13:13)

The idea of seeing in the night also reminds me of the mist of darkness in Lehi's dream. Those holding on to the word of God were led through it safely and could partake of the fruit that "exceeded all the whiteness" Lehi had ever seen. 

Sometimes we are blessed to see in the night. Sometimes we need to have faith in the midst of darkness and just hold on. If we do, the Savior can turn night into day for us.

6 And so it is on the other hand. If he hath repented of his sins, and desired righteousness until the end of his days, even so he shall be rewarded unto righteousness.

7 These are they that are redeemed of the Lord; yea, these are they that are taken out, that are delivered from that endless night of darkness (Alma 41:6-7)

 

 

 

 

"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."

Forbidden to write -- Part 2

In part 1, we started looking at examples in the Book of Mormon where the author is forbidden to write certain things. We saw two examples from Nephi and one from Mormon. In this part we will look at one more example from Mormon and two from Moroni. That gives two examples each for the three main Book of Mormon authors.

3 Nephi 28:13-14, 25

13 And behold, the heavens were opened, and they were caught up into heaven, and saw and heard unspeakable things.

14 And it was forbidden them that they should utter; neither was it given unto them power that they could utter the things which they saw and heard...

25 Behold, I was about to write the names of those who were never to taste of death, but the Lord forbade; therefore I write them not, for they are hid from the world.

I can understand the one in verse 14. We are not going to get a full description of what they saw in heaven. It wasn't possible for them to express in words anyway. But it makes me think. How many times do we speculate about the afterlife, try to describe or imagine conditions there, the nature of the Godhead, etc. When we learn that power from God is required to enable us to utter those things, we should be humble and realize that a detailed knowledge of the heavens is beyond our comprehension at the moment.

Regarding verse 25, Mormon was forbidden to write the names of the "3 Nephites". They were to be "hid from the world". I don't know why knowing their names would make much of a difference. We already know the names of the 12 disciples from 3 Nephi 19:4, so it would have to be 3 of them I would suppose? But the Lord forbade it for a reason. Perhaps it is just to avoid needless speculations like this? I really don't know.

Ether 4:4-7

4 Behold, I have written upon these plates the very things which the brother of Jared saw; and there never were greater things made manifest than those which were made manifest unto the brother of Jared.

5 Wherefore the Lord hath commanded me to write them; and I have written them. And he commanded me that I should seal them up; and he also hath commanded that I should seal up the interpretation thereof; wherefore I have sealed up the interpreters, according to the commandment of the Lord.

6 For the Lord said unto me: They shall not go forth unto the Gentiles until the day that they shall repent of their iniquity, and become clean before the Lord.

7 And in that day that they shall exercise faith in me, saith the Lord, even as the brother of Jared did, that they may become sanctified in me, then will I manifest unto them the things which the brother of Jared saw, even to the unfolding unto them all my revelations, saith Jesus Christ, the Son of God, the Father of the heavens and of the earth, and all things that in them are.

The brother of Jared is one of a few people in the scriptures that are described as seeing everything. In the case of the brother of Jared

25 And when the Lord had said these words, he showed unto the brother of Jared all the inhabitants of the earth which had been, and also all that would be; and he withheld them not from his sight, even unto the ends of the earth.

26 For he had said unto him in times before, that if he would believe in him that he could show unto him all things—it should be shown unto him; therefore the Lord could not withhold anything from him, for he knew that the Lord could show him all things. (Ether 3)

The brother of Jared was commanded to write it down and Moroni was commanded to seal the translation of it. We learn that we will not get it until we repent and show the same kind of faith that the brother of Jared had. My guess is that we will have to wait for the millennium. We learn from Ether 4:2 that the people had access to it after Christ had visited them and they lived in a righteous Zion-like society for many years. When wickedness started prevailing again, we read

yea, there were many churches which professed to know the Christ, and yet they did deny the more parts of his gospel, insomuch that they did receive all manner of wickedness, and did administer that which was sacred unto him to whom it had been forbidden because of unworthiness. (4 Nephi 1:27)

I wonder if at least part of "that which was sacred" could be the record of Jared's brother?

Ether 13:13

And I was about to write more, but I am forbidden; but great and marvelous were the prophecies of Ether

Another case of Moroni being forbidden to write while abridging the Book of Ether. Right before Moroni gets this message, he writes about Ether's prophecies concerning the gathering of Israel, the New Jerusalem and related end-time events. Why is he not allowed to write more? Here is my theory: Remember the first example in part 1, where Nephi is not allowed to continue because that is John the revelator's domain? The last thing Nephi wrote before that was the wrath of God poured out upon the "mother of harlots" (1 Nephi 14:17). This is something we read about in Revelation 17-18 too. In the remaining chapters of Revelation, we read about the gathering of the Lord's elect, his second coming, the millenium and the New Jerusalem, just what Ether was talking about. But because that is John's territory, Moroni gets the same commandment as Nephi to not write it down.