Land of our inheritance -- Part 2

In Part 1 we looked at the covenant connection of the Hebrew yeresh, meaning to inherit/possess. The promised land is an inheritance given by covenant. It is a blessing ("flowing with milk and honey") but also a great responsibility. 

9 And now, we can behold the decrees of God concerning this land, that it is a land of promise; and whatsoever nation shall possess it shall serve God, or they shall be swept off when the fulness of his wrath shall come upon them. And the fulness of his wrath cometh upon them when they are ripened in iniquity.

10 For behold, this is a land which is choice above all other lands; wherefore he that doth possess it shall serve God or shall be swept off; for it is the everlasting decree of God. And it is not until the fulness of iniquity among the children of the land, that they are swept off. (Ether 2)

In Deuteronomy, Israel are repeatedly instructed to purge the evil out of their midst when they possess the promised land. The evil that should be purged comes from breaking God's statutes, judgments and commandments. Sin made unclean and defiled the whole land.

As we have often seen from Old Testament rhetoric, the blessings and cursings associated with the promised land were temporal and physical in nature. It was all about crop yields, weather, success or failure in warfare, children and posterity. There was little concern with the afterlife. But then the Book of Mormon comes along and adds a spiritual dimension to it all, indicating that the Old Testament instructions and events also functioned as "a type and a shadow" (Mosiah 13:10). For instance, in 1 Nephi 15, Nephi teaches his brothers about the Abrahamic covenant and the restoration of the Jews and ties it into his and his father's vision of the tree of life. His brothers seem confused about the temporal and spiritual aspects of this.

31 And they said unto me: Doth this thing mean the torment of the body in the days of probation, or doth it mean the final state of the soul after the death of the temporal body, or doth it speak of the things which are temporal?

32 And it came to pass that I said unto them that it was a representation of things both temporal and spiritual; for the day should come that they must be judged of their works, yea, even the works which were done by the temporal body in their days of probation.

33 Wherefore, if they should die in their wickedness they must be cast off also, as to the things which are spiritual, which are pertaining to righteousness; wherefore, they must be brought to stand before God, to be judged of their works; and if their works have been filthiness they must needs be filthy; and if they be filthy it must needs be that they cannot dwell in the kingdom of God; if so, the kingdom of God must be filthy also.

34 But behold, I say unto you, the kingdom of God is not filthy, and there cannot any unclean thing enter into the kingdom of God; wherefore there must needs be a place of filthiness prepared for that which is filthy. (1 Nephi 15)

The temporal promised land of inheritance for Israel should be kept clean, otherwise God could not dwell there among them. This is a type and a shadow of our eternal inheritance. No unclean thing can enter in there, because then "the kingdom of God must be filthy also". Another example from Alma 40:26

But behold, an awful death cometh upon the wicked; for they die as to things pertaining to things of righteousness; for they are unclean, and no unclean thing can inherit the kingdom of God;

The bolded phrase is recurrent in the scriptures, especially the idea that the kingdom of God is an inheritance, like the promised land was to Israel. But Laman and Lemuel's confusion about the physical and spiritual dimension of this may be the reason for their statement in 1 Nephi 2:11

11 Now this he spake because of the stiffneckedness of Laman and Lemuel; for behold they did murmur in many things against their father, because he was a visionary man, and had led them out of the land of Jerusalem, to leave the land of their inheritance, and their gold, and their silver, and their precious things, to perish in the wilderness. And this they said he had done because of the foolish imaginations of his heart.

1 Nephi 17:21

Behold, these many years we have suffered in the wilderness, which time we might have enjoyed our possessions and the land of our inheritance; yea, and we might have been happy.

Learning about the covenant context of yeresh (possess/inherit), I realize that Laman and Lemuel's lament here is also an appeal to the Abrahamic covenant. Their land of inheritance was according to their tribe, Manasseh, granted as a covenant promise from God. They had gold, silver and other possessions, indicating covenant blessings in the land. So why should they leave it? This seems like a fair argument but they are missing the bigger point that Nephi explains. He launches into a long speech in 1 Nephi 17 after their comment that I will not quote. But the point is that God establishes different lands of promise for the righteous. "he leadeth away the righteous into precious lands, and the wicked he destroyeth" (1 Nephi 17:38). 

This is a common theme in the Book of Mormon. Lehi leaves the land of his inheritance in 1 Nephi 2 and arrives at the promised land, later described by Book of Mormon prophets as the land of their first inheritance. Then history repeats itself. The Nephites become wicked for the most part and Mosiah-I leads a small group out of that land that the Lamanites take over, as prophesied by Jacob

And the time speedily cometh, that except ye repent they shall possess the land of your inheritance, and the Lord God will lead away the righteous out from among you. (Jacob 3:4)

Later, the sons of Mosiah-II go back to "the place of their father's first inheritance" (Alma 22:28) to preach the gospel. They have great success, but their coverts are under serious threat by the wicked and must once again be led out of the land into a new land of inheritance. The Nephites come to the rescue and grant the Lamanite converts the land of Jershon, meaning "place of inheritance/possession" according to rules of Hebrew name formation. The 'Y' in yeresh becomes 'J' according to typical English transliteration of Hebrew, and the suffix, "on", indicates a place. The wordplay is evident

And it came to pass that the voice of the people came, saying: Behold, we will give up the land of Jershon, which is on the east by the sea, which joins the land Bountiful, which is on the south of the land Bountiful; and this land Jershon is the land which we will give unto our brethren for an inheritance...And now behold, this will we do unto our brethren, that they may inherit the land Jershon...And it came to pass that it did cause great joy among them. And they went down into the land of Jershon, and took possession of the land of Jershon (Alma 27:22, 24, 26)

According to Matthew Bowen, the land grants to the Lamanite converts therefore stand as a symbol of the restoration of the Abrahamic covenant and reintegration into the House of Israel. His most recent article in the Interpreter Journal touches upon several of the aspects in these two posts as well as some that I have not addressed.

The Book of Mormon is also full of promises about lands of inheritance in the latter days. For example

7 But behold, thus saith the Lord God: When the day cometh that they shall believe in me, that I am Christ, then have I covenanted with their fathers that they shall be restored in the flesh, upon the earth, unto the lands of their inheritance.

8 And it shall come to pass that they shall be gathered in from their long dispersion, from the isles of the sea, and from the four parts of the earth; and the nations of the Gentiles shall be great in the eyes of me, saith God, in carrying them forth to the lands of their inheritance.

9 Yea, the kings of the Gentiles shall be nursing fathers unto them, and their queens shall become nursing mothers; wherefore, the promises of the Lord are great unto the Gentiles, for he hath spoken it, and who can dispute?

10 But behold, this land, said God, shall be a land of thine inheritance, and the Gentiles shall be blessed upon the land. (2 Nephi 10)

As covenant children of Abraham, we are part of the restoration of the latter days where, according to the Book of Mormon, the righteous inherit their original promised lands, preparing for a time when we may inherit a place at the right hand of God (see Alma 5:58).

Captivity

Captivity is a very central theme in both the Old Testament and the Book of Mormon. Searching for that particular word gives 163 results in those two volumes of scripture combined and 4 results in the rest of the standard works! No wonder, perhaps, considering the captivity in Egypt between Abraham and Moses, when the covenant people of Israel was established, as well as the Babylonian captivity after they had broken the covenant in the promised land. Jeremiah in particular talks about it a lot. He prophesied of the Babylonian captivity but also the later escape and restoration of the Jews.

Lehi was a contemporary with Jeremiah. With the imminent Babylonian captivity as backdrop, there is no wonder that this is an important theme in the Book of Mormon too. Lehi prophecied

That after they should be destroyed, even that great city Jerusalem, and many be carried away captive into Babylon, according to the own due time of the Lord, they should return again, yea, even be brought back out of captivity; and after they should be brought back out of captivity they should possess again the land of their inheritance. (1 Nephi 10:3)

Similar to Jeremiah

And I will be found of you, saith the Lord: and I will turn away your captivity, and I will gather you from all the nations, and from all the places whither I have driven you, saith the Lord; and I will bring you again into the place whence I caused you to be carried away captive. (Jeremiah 29:14)

It is a theme repeated time and again in the Book of Mormon, not only in remembrance of their father Lehi who escaped the Babylonian captivity. Nephi reminds his brothers of the Egyptian captivity and escape

Therefore let us go up; let us be strong like unto Moses; for he truly spake unto the waters of the Red Sea and they divided hither and thither, and our fathers came through, out of captivity, on dry ground, and the armies of Pharaoh did follow and were drowned in the waters of the Red Sea. (1 Nephi 4:2)

The reminder of the Egyptian captivity is repeated in the next chapter (see 1 Nephi 5:15). Eventually, the Nephites get their own captivity and escape narratives to commemorate, for instance the parallel stories of Limhi's people and Alma's people. Remembering this captivity becomes vital and is even commanded by an angel, as previously written in this post.

A peculiar addition to the captivity focus of the Book of Mormon is the Jaredite history with lots of kings living in captivity for much or all of their lives. Perhaps an expression of the Jaredite's failure to comply with the special conditions of the promised land.

Behold, this is a choice land, and whatsoever nation shall possess it shall be free from bondage, and from captivity, and from all other nations under heaven, if they will but serve the God of the land, who is Jesus Christ, who hath been manifested by the things which we have written. (Ether 2:12)

But as mentioned before, the Book of Mormon tends to use physical phenomena and apply them spiritually. The physical captivity of their fathers becomes an analogy of the captivity of the devil. Or perhaps it is even regarded as more or less one and the same. It is interesting to note the transitions between physical and spiritual captivity in the Book of Mormon. For instance, in 2 Nephi 1, Lehi talks to his sons and repeats the promises and conditions that the Lord gave to the Jaredites

Wherefore, this land is consecrated unto him whom he shall bring. And if it so be that they shall serve him according to the commandments which he hath given, it shall be a land of liberty unto them; wherefore, they shall never be brought down into captivity; if so, it shall be because of iniquity; for if iniquity shall abound cursed shall be the land for their sakes, but unto the righteous it shall be blessed forever. (2 Nephi 1:7)

Only a few verses later, he speaks of the captivity of the devil

Or, that a cursing should come upon you for the space of many generations; and ye are visited by sword, and by famine, and are hated, and are led according to the will and captivity of the devil. (2 Nephi 1:18)

It's not even easy to determine whether he talks about physical or spiritual captivity in this verse. Sword and famine are physical and "captivity of the devil" is added in that context. They go hand in hand. The same thing happens again when Lehi speaks to his son, Joseph, only two chapters later

4 For behold, thou art the fruit of my loins; and I am a descendant of Joseph who was carried captive into Egypt. And great were the covenants of the Lord which he made unto Joseph.

5 Wherefore, Joseph truly saw our day. And he obtained a promise of the Lord, that out of the fruit of his loins the Lord God would raise up a righteous branch unto the house of Israel; not the Messiah, but a branch which was to be broken off, nevertheless, to be remembered in the covenants of the Lord that the Messiah should be made manifest unto them in the latter days, in the spirit of power, unto the bringing of them out of darkness unto light—yea, out of hidden darkness and out of captivity unto freedom. (2 Nephi 3)

First a reminder of Joseph's (physical) captivity in Egypt. Then a prophecy of his descendant's escape out of darkness and (spiritual) captivity. 

One final example from Alma:

5 And behold, after that, they were brought into bondage by the hands of the Lamanites in the wilderness; yea, I say unto you, they were in captivity, and again the Lord did deliver them out of bondage by the power of his word; and we were brought into this land, and here we began to establish the church of God throughout this land also.

6 And now behold, I say unto you, my brethren, you that belong to this church, have you sufficiently retained in remembrance the captivity of your fathers? Yea, and have you sufficiently retained in remembrance his mercy and long-suffering towards them? And moreover, have ye sufficiently retained in remembrance that he has delivered their souls from hell? (Alma 5)

God delivered their fathers out of physical captivity and bondage. He also delivered their souls from hell. Whatever type of captivity, God has the power to deliver. This is an important message from Nephite prophets. 

"Ripening for destruction" in the story of Moses in Egypt

(This post is a side note that interrupts the conclusion of the endowment pattern series, which will be posted next week.)

When it comes to scripture study, one thing often leads to another.  As I was studying the endowment pattern in the Book of Mormon, I noticed a repetitive warning about the people who occupy the land of promise:

And the fulness of his wrath cometh upon them when they are ripened in iniquity. (Ether 2:9)

Later, as I was studying the story of Moses looking for those same elements, I came across this very interesting verse describing the fiery hail which destroyed the crops and cattle of the Egyptians:

31 And the flax and the barley was smitten: for the barley was in the ear, and the flax was bolled.

32 But the wheat and the rie were not smitten: for they were not grown up. (Exodus 9)

Here are a few thoughts about this symbolism:

1. The crops which had ripened were destroyed by the hail, but those that were not yet ripened were spared. This fits the pattern from Ether 2:9 above.  Destruction comes when the people have fully ripened in iniquity.
2. The crops which were destroyed had specific purposes (and idolatrous/worldly symbolic value). Flax was used to make the linen clothing Egyptian priests were required to wear. Barley was used primarily to feed horses and make beer. (See the commentary note for verse 31 here.)  Wheat and rye are more directly useful for sustaining man.
3. The Hebrew root used to describe the state of the barley is 'giḇōl' from a root meaning 'to be convex or cupped in shape.' This is extremely intriguing, as it conjures imagery related to consecration and the Hebrew/Egyptian symbolism of the cupped hand, described in detail in this post. It seems ripening in destruction present a "Two Ways" alternative to the righteous symbol of the cupped hand by shaping the wicked into a vessel prepared to receive the wrath of God rather than His blessing. Thus, accepting the fulness of the word of God leads one to receive powerful blessings from God, whereas rejecting the word of God leads to receiving the fulness of His wrath -- both symbolized in various ways by a cup. 
4. The crops and cattle of the Israelites were spared from this calamity. The Israelites were given the land of Goshen to settle, and Goshen did not experience the hail (see Exodus 9:26).
5. The Egyptians were warned, and some were spared by "fear[ing] the word of the Lord." (See Exodus 9:20-21.)

Conclusion

I'll end this post by listing some verses from the Book of Mormon which mention ripening:

35 ... this people had rejected every word of God, and they were ripe in iniquity; and the fulness of the wrath of God was upon them; and the Lord did curse the land against them, and bless it unto our fathers... (1 Nephi 17)

16 ... For the day shall come that the Lord God will speedily visit the inhabitants of the earth; and in that day that they are fully ripe in iniquity they shall perish. (2 Nephi 28)

37 But behold, the wild branches have grown and have overrun the roots thereof; and because that the wild branches have overcome the roots thereof it hath brought forth much evil fruit; and because that it hath brought forth so much evil fruit thou beholdest that it beginneth to perish; and it will soon become ripened, that it may be cast into the fire, except we should do something for it to preserve it. (Jacob 5, see also verse 58)

19 ... if the time should come that this people should fall into transgression, they would be ripe for destruction. (Alma 10)

28 For behold, there is a curse upon all this land, that destruction shall come upon all those workers of darkness, according to the power of God, when they are fully ripe; therefore I desire that this people might not be destroyed. ...

31 Yea, and cursed be the land forever and ever unto those workers of darkness and secret combinations, even unto destruction, except they repent before they are fully ripe. (Alma 37)

16 And he said: Thus saith the Lord God—Cursed shall be the land, yea, this land, unto every nation, kindred, tongue, and people, unto destruction, which do wickedly, when they are fully ripe; and as I have said so shall it be; for this is the cursing and the blessing of God upon the land, for the Lord cannot look upon sin with the least degree of allowance. (Alma 45)

2 For as their laws and their governments were established by the voice of the people, and they who chose evil were more numerous than they who chose good, therefore they were ripening for destruction, for the laws had become corrupted. (Helaman 5)

39 And thus they did obtain the sole management of the government, insomuch that they did trample under their feet and smite and rend and turn their backs upon the poor and the meek, and the humble followers of God.

40 And thus we see that they were in an awful state, and ripening for an everlasting destruction. (Helaman 6)

25 But behold, ye have rejected the truth, and rebelled against your holy God; and even at this time, instead of laying up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where nothing doth corrupt, and where nothing can come which is unclean, ye are heaping up for yourselves wrath against the day of judgment.

26 Yea, even at this time ye are ripening, because of your murders and your fornication and wickedness, for everlasting destruction; yea, and except ye repent it will come unto you soon. (Helaman 8)

37 And it came to pass in the eighty and fifth year they did wax stronger and stronger in their pride, and in their wickedness; and thus they were ripening again for destruction. (Helaman 11)

14 But behold, it is for the righteous’ sake that it is spared. 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; yea, wo be unto this great city, because of the wickedness and abominations which are in her. (Helaman 13)

Endowment Narratives in the Book of Mormon, Part 3c -- Finding Meaning in the Symbols

The last two posts have focused on the symbolism and meaning of the elements I've identified as belonging to an "endowment pattern" in the Book of Mormon.  This post will discuss the remaining six symbols.

Tents (a symbol of the presence of the Lord)

A deep dive into the symbolism of the tent can be found in this series of posts by Stisa (here, here, and here). To summarize, there is a linguistic/wordplay connection in Hebrew associating the presence of the Lord (shekinah) with a tent/tabernacle (mishkan). To quote Stisa from part 2 of his series, the tent is:

...a place for the shekinah glory. Lehi dwelt [shakan] in a tent [mishkan] and God dwelt with them and guided them along. The journey to the promised land was commanded by God and he was with them every step being a light to them in the wilderness and preparing the way (see 1 Nephi 17:13).

In part 2 of this series, I detailed how often tents are specifically mentioned when a new covenant-keeping group leaves a wicked situation. Think of all the items a group of people might bring on their journey into the wilderness.  It includes much more than tents. Weapons for hunting and defense, clothing, tools, cooking implements, etc.  The author specifically mentions tents for their symbolic significance. This is a symbol of new birth and is the author's way of telling us that they enjoyed the presence of the Lord to guide them along their journey.

They inherit a land/They obey the commandments of the Lord/Abundance & Prospering

In this next section, we'll discuss three elements which are intimately connected. If the tent represents God's guidance while in the wilderness, the land of inheritance represents the culmination of that journey, where an even greater blessing awaits the covenant people. The tent is the symbol of the  "cloud by day and pillar of fire by night," (see Exodus 13:22)  and the land of inheritance is Mount Sinai -- a place of holiness and rest, "to go no more out." (See Alma 7:25.) This land of inheritance is obtained and possessed by strict obedience to God's law.

The symbol of a promised land is at least as old as Israel itself. A land of inheritance was promised to Abraham for his posterity. One author describes it this way:

In the Bible, the term “Promised Land” refers to a specific region of land that God endowed to His chosen people, as part of their heritage. ... For migrating herders like the Jews, having a stable home of their own would be a true blessing. The promised land was a place to rest from their continual wandering. But this promise came with conditions. First, God commanded that Israel, the name of the new nation, had to trust and follow Him. Second, God demanded faithful worship of Him (Deuteronomy 7:12-15). (source)

God conditionally endows His nomadic people with a permanent dwelling place flowing with blessings as long as they serve Him and obey His word.

This theme is carried into the Book of Mormon in two key narratives.  First, at the time of Lehi's departure from Jerusalem (the original land of promise during a period of severe wickedness)he was promised that by obedience he could obtain a land of promise and prosper. (This post from Stisa demonstrates how often this 'proverb' appears in the Book of Mormon.) Notice the connection between obedience, prospering, and the land of promise from the very beginning of the Book of Mormon:

20 And inasmuch as ye shall keep my commandments, ye shall prosper, and shall be led to a land of promise; yea, even a land which I have prepared for you; yea, a land which is choice above all other lands. (1 Nephi 2)

Lehi later describes the promises associated with this land of promise in greater detail:

9 Wherefore, I, Lehi, have obtained a promise, that inasmuch as those whom the Lord God shall bring out of the land of Jerusalem shall keep his commandments, they shall prosper upon the face of this land; and they shall be kept from all other nations, that they may possess this land unto themselves. And if it so be that they shall keep his commandments they shall be blessed upon the face of this land, and there shall be none to molest them, nor to take away the land of their inheritance; and they shall dwell safely forever. (2 Nephi 1)

This pattern is repeated over and over again.  Here's Alma-2 reminding the wicked people in Ammonihah of this same set of promises and a warning:

9 Do ye not remember that our father, Lehi, was brought out of Jerusalem by the hand of God? Do ye not remember that they were all led by him through the wilderness?

...

13 Behold, do ye not remember the words which he spake unto Lehi, saying that: Inasmuch as ye shall keep my commandments, ye shall prosper in the land? And again it is said that: Inasmuch as ye will not keep my commandments ye shall be cut off from the presence of the Lord. (Alma 9)

This same promise is had among the Jaredites, first mentioned in the very earliest portion of Moroni's Jaredite account:

38 And it came to pass that Jared spake again unto his brother, saying: Go and inquire of the Lord whether he will drive us out of the land, and if he will drive us out of the land, cry unto him whither we shall go. And who knoweth but the Lord will carry us forth into a land which is choice above all the earth? And if it so be, let us be faithful unto the Lord, that we may receive it for our inheritance. (Ether 1)

What follows is a highly repetitive warning that the condition for possessing this choice land of promise is to serve God:

7 And the Lord would not suffer that they should stop beyond the sea in the wilderness, but he would that they should come forth even unto the land of promise, which was choice above all other lands, which the Lord God had preserved for a righteous people.

8 And he had sworn in his wrath unto the brother of Jared, that whoso should possess this land of promise, from that time henceforth and forever, should serve him, the true and only God, or they should be swept off when the fulness of his wrath should come upon them.

9 And now, we can behold the decrees of God concerning this land, that it is a land of promise; and whatsoever nation shall possess it shall serve God, or they shall be swept off when the fulness of his wrath shall come upon them. And the fulness of his wrath cometh upon them when they are ripened in iniquity.

10 For behold, this is a land which is choice above all other lands; wherefore he that doth possess it shall serve God or shall be swept off; for it is the everlasting decree of God. And it is not until the fulness of iniquity among the children of the land, that they are swept off. (Ether 2)

In our modern temple worship, the same pattern is demonstrated.  We progress toward God's presence by making sacred promises to follow His commandments until we symbolically obtain a fulness and enter into His rest. We are also given warnings that by entering these covenants we take upon ourselves sacred obligations to serve God. 

New names are given (see Genesis 2:20)

The symbolism of naming is ancient and deep.  In the ancient near east, the very existence of a thing (or person) was inextricably linked to it having a name given.

If creation is the act of bringing something into existence, we must ask what constituted existence in the ancient world. In our culture, we consider existence to be either material (i.e., having molecules/taking up space and extending to energy and subatomic particles) or experiential (e.g., abstractions such as love or time). Those definitions, however, are culturally determined. By contrast, in the ancient world something existed when it had a function -- a role to play. In Mesopotamia one way to accomplish this was to name something, because a name designated a thing's function or role. (NRSV Cultural Backgrounds Study Bible, "Creation and Existence")

When it comes to the formation of a covenant people, giving them a new name would symbolically represent that they have also been given a new purpose for existence. Giving a new name in a covenant context could even be seen as an act of (spiritual) creation.

They are led by a righteous patriarch/king/royal family member

I'd love to say I left the most intriguing detail for the end, but that's not the case.  I honestly don't know what to make of this element of the endowment pattern, aside from the fact that I noticed it. It could certainly be that groups of people in the Book of Mormon tend to be led by men who are often kings, prophets, or their sons. That being said, I couldn't help but notice how often a group is led by a righteous royal figure or a father/son combination: Lehi-Nephi, Mosiah-Benjamin-Mosiah, etc.

The symbolic significance of this is pretty clear -- a king/son of king comes to the rescue of a lost people and reclaims them. Christ of course plays this role for each of us in the covenant context, acting both as our Father of our salvation as as the Son of God the Father.  This post from Stisa will shed more light on the concepts if you want to read more.

Conclusion

Now that we have taken our time identifying the pattern and discussing some of the symbolism contained within the elements of the pattern, we will continue on to the remaining parts of the series. Here is what comes next:

Part 4 -- A discussion of details that didn't make the initial list of twelve but deserve some discussion.

Part 5 -- Other scripture stories which contain elements of the pattern (including Abraham, Moses, and Christ).

Part 6 -- The endowment pattern in the latter days.