Lehi, Nephi and the shekinah -- Part 1 (The divine presence)

Shekinah is an interesting Hebrew word that is difficult to translate directly into English. It denotes the divine presence of God. It is derived from the Hebrew root, shakan/shaken, meaning "to settle down, abide, dwell". According to Encyclopaedia Judaica

In classic Jewish thought, the shekhinah refers to a dwelling or settling in a special sense, a dwelling or settling of divine presence, to the effect that, while in proximity to the shekhinah, the connection to God is more readily perceivable.

Perhaps surprisingly, the word is not found at all in the Bible. It is from later rabbinic literature and is very common there. That does not mean that the rabbis invented a concept that was foreign to Old Testament writers. The idea of God's presence and a dwelling place for him is very common. As mentioned, Shekinah is dervied from the verb, "to dwell". Another word derived from that root is the noun, mishkan. This means dwelling place or tent and can refer to both a secular dwelling (tent) or a holy dwelling place like the tabernacle.

In Jewish thought the shekinah glory or divine presence is often coupled with a physical manifestation. The cloud by day and pillar of fire by night in the wilderness, as well as the smoke and thunder on mount Sinai, denotes the shekinah glory, the divine presence. When Moses was instructed to make a tabernacle in the wilderness, God would have a dwelling place among his people. He would "shakan" in the "mishkan" as we can read in Exodus.

And it came to pass, as Moses entered into the tabernacle, the cloudy pillar descended, and stood at the door of the tabernacle, and the Lord talked with Moses. (Exodus 33:9)

And Moses was not able to enter into the tent of the congregation, because the cloud abode (shakan) thereon, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle (mishkan). (Exodus 40:35)

This is a bit of a side note, but it makes me think of John 1:14 where "the Word [Jesus] became flesh and dwelt among us” and Mosiah 3:5 where "the Lord Omnipotent who reigneth, who was, and is from all eternity to all eternity, shall come down from heaven among the children of men, and shall dwell in a tabernacle of clay". (I highlighted the part that makes it easy to recognize King Benjamin's Hebrew wordplay). The God of Israel (Jesus Christ) was among his people again but this time they did not recognize him.

The dedication of the temple of Solomon is almost an echo of the tabernacle in Exodus.

10 And it came to pass, when the priests were come out of the holy place, that the cloud filled the house of the Lord,

11 So that the priests could not stand to minister because of the cloud: for the glory of the Lord had filled the house of the Lord.

12 Then spake Solomon, The Lord said that he would dwell in the thick darkness.

13 I have surely built thee an house to dwell in, a settled place for thee to abide in for ever. (1 Kings 8)

Even though the noun, shekinah, is not found in the Old Testament, it is easy to see how it was derived by the rabbis.

There is another interesting aspect of the shekinah of the rabbis. Even though there is strong evidence that Israelites of old were polytheists and worshiped a divine feminine, the later Deuteronomist and rabbinical views is that God is one in a very literal sense. However, shekinah is a feminine noun and thought to represent feminine aspects of the divine. 

Yet, is not God omnipresent, how can he dwell in one location. This is where we miss it.  The rabbinic teaching is that the omnipresence of God is Heavenly, it is his masculine nature, the part that protects, provides, watches over.  However, the Shekhiniah is the earthly, the feminine nature where He nurtures, comforts, shares intimately with you. (Source)

I am not sure if or how we could relate that to LDS teachings of Heavenly Father and Heavenly Mother but I find it beautiful. It certainly does make me think of the heaven and earth relation that I have written about before as well as this post where the male and female counterparts are the culmination of the creation of heaven and earth. While here on earth, we have access to the "earthly" shekinah that will help us to ultimately reunite with the heavenly. As Latter-Day Saints, we would perhaps normally associate the divine presence that we have access to here on earth with the Holy Ghost, but the concept of shekinah is in fact associated with the concept of the Holy Spirit (ruach ha-kodesh) in Judaism.

As you probably already guessed from the heading of this post, this Hebrew thought of God's presence and relations to a tent/tabernacle, would be part of Lehi and Nephi's worldview and provides a better understanding of why there is so much focus on Lehi's tent in the wilderness. 

In my next post I will discuss further evidence of connections between Lehi's tent and Israel's tabernacle.

 

"Friend" as covenant term

I came across something interesting on this excellent blog. The blogger quotes from books that I don't have so I will just copy some of his quotes.

Amy Hardison writes that anciently, covenants were written with a specific vocabulary. Inside the covenant context, certain words had official and legal meanings that sometimes differed from their normal, everyday use. For instance, one of the words is "friend." In Isaiah 41:8 God chooses and blesses Israel because she is "the seed of Abraham my friend." Friendship is a binding of hearts and souls. We often describe this relationship with such phrases as "bosom buddies" or "soul mates." We attain a similar but far more sacred friendship with God by making covenants with him. Each covenant raises the level of our purity so we are more like him. Each covenant binds us to him in purpose and heart. This covenant unity, or sacred friendship, grants great blessings to us and our posterity. [Amy Blake Hardison, "Being a Covenant People," in Covenants Prophecies and Hymns of the Old Testament, pp. 24, 26-27]

I was not aware of this but realizing how the word, "friend" is used in the scriptures, it makes a lot of sense. Here are some examples.

Friends of God in the Old Testament

Abraham and Moses are both called friends of God

And the scripture was fulfilled which saith, Abraham believed God, and it was imputed unto him for righteousness: and he was called the Friend of God. (James 2:23, see also 2 Chronicles 20:7)

And the Lord spake unto Moses face to face, as a man speaketh unto his friend (Exodus 33:11)

What does it mean to be a friend of God? As per the above quote, this seems like covenant language. Abraham is the father of the covenant people and in the Exodus, God establishes a covenant with Israel.

Jesus as friend of church leaders in the original and latter-day church

When Jesus prepared to empower the new covenant with his sacrifice, he moved his closest relations from the status of "disciple" to "friend".

13 Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.

14 Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you.

15 Henceforth I call you not servants; for the servant knoweth not what his lord doeth: but I have called you friends; for all things that I have heard of my Father I have made known unto you. (John 15)

This is the first time he uses that term to his disciples. I think this creates a link to Jehovah's friendship with Moses and the old covenant.

Even though this use of the word as a covenant term is not common in our age, we see a similar pattern in the D&C. (I don't know but perhaps it was more common in Joseph Smith's time?). The word, "friend", is never used that way in the D&C until section 84, the section with the oath and covenant of the priesthood. He even makes reference to John 15.

63 And as I said unto mine apostles, even so I say unto you, for you are mine apostles, even God’s high priests; ye are they whom my Father hath given me; ye are my friends

After this first time the Lord calls his latter-day servants "friends", it is repeated 10 more times in the D&C.

Another relevant passage from D&C is this

Art thou a brother or brethren? I salute you in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, in token or remembrance of the everlasting covenant, in which covenant I receive you to fellowship, in a determination that is fixed, immovable, and unchangeable, to be your friend and brother through the grace of God in the bonds of love, to walk in all the commandments of God blameless, in thanksgiving, forever and ever. Amen. (D&C 88:133)

This was a formal salutation when entering the school of the prophets. Considering the fact that they were instructed not to receive anyone who was not "clean from the blood of this generation" and receive them by the ordinance of the washing of feet, there was a bit more to this than just a friendship in the modern sense.

Nephi and Zoram

There are some examples in the Book of Mormon. In 2 Nephi 1:30, we read

And now, Zoram, I speak unto you: Behold, thou art the servant of Laban; nevertheless, thou hast been brought out of the land of Jerusalem, and I know that thou art a true friend unto my son, Nephi, forever.

Keep in mind that when Zoram came with Nephi out in the wilderness, they swore an oath to each other (see 1 Nephi 4:33-37). The blog I linked to comments on this verse

The usage of the word "friend" in this context refers to more than just a friendly relationship; it is a covenant term which tells us that Nephi and Zoram are in covenant. As Lehi's blessing over Zoram continues, he states that because Zoram has been faithful (to his covenant with Nephi), his seed will be blessed even as the descendants of Nephi, his covenant partner. [David Lamb, "Friend: A Covenant Term," in Recent Book of Mormon Developments, Vol. 2, p. 51]

King Benjamin and his people

Again I quote from the same blog commenting on Mosiah 4:4. This is in turn taken from the book by David Lamb that commented on Nephi and Zoram

In King Benjamin's proclamation we find another example of the word "friend" as it applies to a covenant relationship. King Benjamin begins his message by greeting his people as "my brethren" (Mosiah 2:9). While "brother" is also a covenant term, in this case "brethren" refers to blood lineage as they are all from the house of Israel. As he continues his speech, he salutes the people from time to time in various ways such as "O my people," or "O all ye old men, and also ye young men, and you little children," or "And again my brethren," etc. These various salutations during the first portion of his message can be found in Mosiah 1:47, 52, 70, 73, 79, 86, and 92.

     As King Benjamin finishes the first part of his message, he notices that the fear of the Lord has come upon his people and they have all fallen to the ground. In reading Mosiah 4:2-3, we find that these people enter into a covenant with God by asking that the atoning blood of Christ be upon them. Immediately after the people enter into a covenant with the Lord, King Benjamin addresses them in a different manner. For the first time in his speech, he addresses them as "friends."

     King Benjamin's introduction of the salute "my friends" into the proclamation at this particular point is more than an expression of fondness for his subjects; it is recognition that the people have entered into a covenant.

 This is so obvious now that I see it.

The wicked counterpart

I haven't seen any comment on this, but to me it seems that this meaning of "friend" also is used for the evil counterpart of righteous covenants, i.e. the "secret combinations" we read about, especially in the Book of Mormon, to gain power. At least when searching for the word, "friend" in the scriptures, I found that when this term is used among the wicked, it is very often used in that sense. Some examples:

For behold, he has his friends in iniquity, and he keepeth his guards about him; and he teareth up the laws of those who have reigned in righteousness before him; and he trampleth under his feet the commandments of God (Mosiah 29:22)

Now it came to pass that those judges had many friends and kindreds; and the remainder, yea, even almost all the lawyers and the high priests, did gather themselves together, and unite with the kindreds of those judges who were to be tried according to the law. (3 Nephi 6:27)

Therefore, behold, it came to pass that because of the secret combinations of Akish and his friends, behold, they did overthrow the kingdom of Omer. (Ether 9:1)