The following has been mentioned on this blog before but is repeated because it is important for the context of this post. Strange as it sounds, in Hebrew you don't make a covenant, you cut a covenant. (It is still translated into "make" in English to make sense to us). In Old Testament tradition, a covenant agreement was formally made by cutting animals in half and walking between the carcasses. It symbolized "what happened to these animals will happen to me if I break this treaty". In a time when literacy was rare, this act was the dramatic, and through a modern lens a bit grotesque, signature.
As far as I know, nobody was ever cut in half when breaking a covenant, so you would think of this as merely symbolic. But I just realized that this has everything to do with the common scriptural expression, "cut off", that I wrote about here a while back. Frequently, I see a topic that I have studied before in a new light as I learn more. This is one of those. As explained in the linked post, you are usually cut off from the people in the Old Testament and cut off from the Lord's presence in the Book of Mormon. But the consequence is really the same. Being cut off from the people, the covenant people of Israel, implies being cut off from the Lord's presence, because he dwelled in their midst where the tabernacle/temple stood containing the ark of the covenant.
The Hebrew word for cut is karath (כָּרַת). When you make a covenant or are cut off from the people in the English translation of the Old Testament, the Hebrew word is the same, karath in both cases. So we have in fact many examples of people being cut (off) as a consequence of breaking the covenant they cut. For instance, in Genesis 15, the Lord makes/cuts a covenant with Abraham and promises him numerous offspring and a promised land. In Genesis 17, circumcision is introduced as a token of the covenant.
And the uncircumcised man child whose flesh of his foreskin is not circumcised, that soul shall becut off [Hebr. karath] from his people; he hath broken my covenant. (Genesis 17:14)
The Mosaic covenant describes the same consequence. From Exodus to Deuteronomy there are all kinds of laws that come with a warning that those who break them will be cut off from the people, whether it is breaking the sabbath, touching unclean things, eating blood, eating sacrificial meat reserved for the priests, not keeping the passover, etc. In each case, being cut off is the consequence of breaking the covenant they have cut.
In the Book of Mormon, "cut off" is part of the standard phrase that I have called the Book of Mormon proverb.
Inasmuch as ye shall keep my commandments ye shall prosper in the land; and inasmuch as ye will not keep my commandments ye shall be cut off from my presence. (2 Nephi 4:4)
This post explains that this is a metalepsis of the Mosaic covenant as outlined in Deuteronomy in particular. The Nephites have the same covenant terms and consequences as their fathers.
It is interesting to note how this applies both on a personal and collective level. Individuals who broke the covenant were cut off from the people. But when the people of Israel by and large had fallen into apostasy, their kingdom was cut in half and split into a northern and southern kingdom. After that, they were cut off from the promised land and the temple (and thereby cut off from the Lord's presence) as prophesied by King Solomon
6 But if ye shall at all turn from following me, ye or your children, and will not keep my commandments and my statutes which I have set before you, but go and serve other gods, and worship them:
7 Then will I cut off Israel out of the land which I have given them; and this house, which I have hallowed for my name, will I cast out of my sight; and Israel shall be a proverb and a byword among all people (1 Kings 9)
Ezekiel also talks about a sword going through the land cutting off Israel
Or if I bring a sword upon that land, and say, Sword, go through the land; so that I cut off man and beast from it (Ezekiel 14:17)
This all made me think of Nephi's vision. He sees, like his father saw, a gulf separating the righteous from the wicked, or the tree of life from the great and spacious building.
And the large and spacious building, which thy father saw, is vain imaginations and the pride of the children of men. And a great and a terrible gulf divideth them; yea, even the word of the justice of the Eternal God, and the Messiah who is the Lamb of God, of whom the Holy Ghost beareth record, from the beginning of the world until this time, and from this time henceforth and forever. (1 Nephi 12:18)
Royal Skousen has postulated, quite convincingly in my opinion, that the "word" in this verse should have been "sword". This was simply a typo by Oliver Cowdery when copying from the original manuscript to the printer's manuscript. Nephi explains to his brothers:
28 And I said unto them that it was an awful gulf, which separated the wicked from the tree of life, and also from the saints of God.
29 And I said unto them that it was a representation of that awful hell, which the angel said unto me was prepared for the wicked.
30 And I said unto them that our father also saw that the justice of God did also divide the wicked from the righteous; and the brightness thereof was like unto the brightness of a flaming fire, which ascendeth up unto God forever and ever, and hath no end. (1 Nephi 15)
This gulf, representing a division or separation, is caused by the "sword of the justice of the Eternal God" with "brightness of a flaming fire". I believe that this wording would create certain vivid images in the mind of an ancient Israelite. One is the flaming sword with the cherubim guarding the way to the tree of life, that Lord Wilmore discussed here, and Adam and Eve who were "cut off from the tree of life" (Alma 42:6). Another is the sword that cuts the animals in half whenever a covenant is made, symbolizing the consequences of breaking the covenant. The divine sword that cut Israel also ultimately creates the gulf by cutting off the wicked from the tree of life. So there is a covenant setting to Lehi's dream as well. This is not far fetched at all. After Nephi's vision, his brothers quarrel over the words of their father. Nephi, who had just seen what his father saw, explains
18 Wherefore, our father hath not spoken of our seed alone, but also of all the house of Israel, pointing to the covenant which should be fulfilled in the latter days; which covenant the Lord made to our father Abraham, saying: In thy seed shall all the kindreds of the earth be blessed.
19 And it came to pass that I, Nephi, spake much unto them concerning these things; yea, I spake unto them concerning the restoration of the Jews in the latter days. (1 Nephi 15)
This is just before he goes on to tell about the gulf a few verses later. The restoration of the Jews in the latter days results in a modern Israel of which we are part. Only those who keep their covenants will not be cut off from the tree of life.
This post continues the exploration of an endowment pattern found throughout the Book of Mormon in which a new covenant group is formed and called by God to:
leave the fallen world behind,
enter into the wilderness,
learn to be led by the hand of God, and
find a promised land.
In previous installments of this series, we've focused on many symbols and details shared in these stories, and then discussed the meaning of those symbols. I've mentioned that I believe this pattern is typified by the story of Adam and Eve being cast out of the Garden of Eden into the world to fulfill the first commandment given to them by God, that they should "be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over ... every living thing that moveth upon [it]." (See Genesis 1:28.) In this post, we'll look at other ancient stories which also follow this endowment pattern, at least to some degree, and see what we can learn.
There are two comprehensive examples, Abraham and Moses, followed by a few partial examples. We'll begin the Abraham, as found in Genesis and the Book of Abraham. With each example we cover, I'll begin by giving references to the symbols we've already discussed, then I'll give a general assessment of how the endowment pattern relates to that story.
Abraham
Cry unto God: Abraham 1:15 "...I lifted up my voice unto the Lord my God, and the Lord hearkened and heard..."
Warned to depart: Abraham 2:3 "Now the Lord had said unto me: Abraham, get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father’s house, unto a land that I will show thee." Also Genesis 12:1.
Escape secret plans to murder: Abraham 1:7, 12, 15
Bring all who will hearken: See also Abraham 2:6 for a connection to a promise contained in the Abrahamic covenant that all who hearken to God's voice will be given to Abraham as his "seed" for "an everlasting possession."
Pass through a wilderness: Genesis 12:9 makes reference to the Negev, a desert region in the south of Palestine.
"Many days": Not specifically found, but we know from the chronology of the story that the journey was long.
Tents: Genesis 12:8; Abraham 2:15, 20
Animals: Genesis 13:2.
Seeds: A reference to bringing physical seeds or grain is not found. Abraham 2:15 mentions "all our substance that we had gathered." See also Genesis 12:5. There is an important connection to the word "seed" in Abraham 2:6 (see note about "hearken" above). See also Abraham 3:14.
Inherit a new land: Abraham 2:3
New Name: Genesis 17:5.
Obedience to Commandments: Genesis 22:18.
"Prosper": Genesis 13:2
Led by a righteous patriarch/king: Abraham 1:2-3 contains father/son language (he sought "the blessings of the fathers" and desired to be "a father of many nations" and "a rightful heir" and "a prince of peace." Verse 3 describes Adam as the Firstborn and the first father.)
Moses
Cry unto God: Exodus 2:23 - "...the children of Israel sighed by reason of the bondage, and they cried, and their cry came up unto God by reason of the bondage." See also Exodus 3:9.
Warned to depart: See Exodus 3:8-10.
Escape plans to murder: Pharaoh's plan for the Israelites is bondage and captivity.
Bring all who will hearken: Exodus 3:16-18 - "Go, and gather the elders of Israel together, and say unto them, The Lord God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, of Isaac, and of Jacob, appeared unto me ... And they shall hearken to thy voice"
Pass through a wilderness: Exodus 13:20.
"Many days": The Israelites wandered forty years in the wilderness.
Tents: The tent/tabernacle of the congregation is a major topic of the later chapters of Exodus. See Exodus 39:32 for example.
Animals: Exodus 12:38. Of additional note, Moses was keeping the flock of his father in law at the time of his call on Horeb.
Seeds: Manna, which fed the children of Israel of forty years, is described as "like coriander seed" in Exodus 16:31.
Inherit a new land: Exodus 3:17.
New Name: Interesting note -- In Numbers 13, Moses sends twelve spies to assess the land of promise. He gives a new name to Hoshea, the head of the tribe of Ephraim in Numbers 13:16 (This will be the topic of a standalone post in the near future.)
Obedience to Commandments/"Prosper": Deuteronomy 29:9 - "Keep therefore the words of this covenant, and do them, that ye may prosper in all that ye do."
Led by a righteous patriarch/king: Moses has a dual lineage. He is a Levite by birth (Exodus 2:1) but was raised in the house of Pharaoh (Exodus 2:10).
The story of Moses is long and complex, but these symbols offer fascinating insights into deeper meaning. For example, notice in Exodus 9 how the fiery hail destroys the Egyptians' cattle and some of their crops (interestingly only those which had fully ripened -- more about this in a future post). See Exodus 9:19-22, 31-32. The cattle of the Israelites had been gathered to Goshen and were unaffected (see Exodus 9:26).
Incomplete examples
From this point on, we won't be dealing with complete patterns. The following examples contain a few of the symbols, but I'm not sure how interpret these examples aside from pointing out the symbols that are present.
Christ
The story of the beginning of Christ's earthly ministry breaks the pattern in some ways, but many of the same symbols are present when we look at the ministry of John the Baptist.
Mark describes it like this:
12 And immediately the Spirit driveth him into the wilderness.
13 And he was there in the wilderness forty days, tempted of Satan; and was with the wild beasts; and the angels ministered unto him. (Mark 1)
Cry unto God: We don't have a direct mention of Christ crying to God (at least not at the beginning of His ministry), but we do see John the Baptist in the wilderness. John is described as "the voice of one crying in the wilderness" (Matthew 3:3).
Warned to depart: See Matthew 3:7.
Pass through a wilderness: Matthew 4:1, Luke 4:1.
"Many days": Forty days in the wilderness
Seeds: Wheat mentioned in the context of gathering in Matthew 3:12 and Luke 3:17.
Animals: "with the wild beasts" in Mark 1:13
Enos
This example is almost a counter-example in some ways. The Nephites are in decline as covenant-keepers.
Enos uses some familiar language as he describes his conversion process:
3 Behold, I went to hunt beasts in the forests; and the words which I had often heard my father speak concerning eternal life, and the joy of the saints, sunk deep into my heart.
4 And my soul hungered; and I kneeled down before my Maker, and I cried unto him in mighty prayer and supplication for mine own soul; and all the day long did I cry unto him; yea, and when the night came I did still raise my voice high that it reached the heavens. (Enos 1)
He is reminded of the central promise connecting obedience and that promised land, as well as the covenant God made with the Nephites:
10 And while I was thus struggling in the spirit, behold, the voice of the Lord came into my mind again, saying: I will visit thy brethren according to their diligence in keeping my commandments. I have given unto them this land, and it is a holy land; and I curse it not save it be for the cause of iniquity; wherefore, I will visit thy brethren according as I have said; and their transgressions will I bring down with sorrow upon their own heads. ...
16 And I had faith, and I did cry unto God that he would preserve the records; and he covenanted with me that he would bringthem forth unto the Lamanites in his own due time.
17 And I, Enos, knew it would be according to the covenant which he had made; wherefore my soul did rest.
He also contrasts the Nephites and Lamanites using some of these symbols, but the meaning doesn't seem completely clear:
20 And I bear record that the people of Nephi did seek diligently to restore the Lamanites unto the true faith in God. But our labors were vain; their hatred was fixed, and they were led by their evil nature that they became wild, and ferocious, and a blood-thirsty people, full of idolatry and filthiness; feeding upon beasts of prey; dwelling in tents, and wandering about in the wilderness with a short skin girdle about their loins and their heads shaven; and their skill was in the bow, and in the cimeter, and the ax. And many of them did eat nothing save it was raw meat; and they were continually seeking to destroy us.
21 And it came to pass that the people of Nephi did till the land, and raise all manner of grain, and of fruit, and flocks of herds, and flocks of all manner of cattle of every kind, and goats, and wild goats, and also many horses.
I honestly don't know how to interpret these verses. On the one hand it seems the Nephites are trying to bring about the promises of God to restore the Gospel to the Lamanites, but they are unsuccessful due to their own wickedness (see verse 22). Wandering in the wilderness and feeding upon beasts of prey makes sense in this symbolic context, but why does Enos describe the Lamanites as dwelling in tents? Perhaps he's simply documenting the facts as they are, or perhaps he's indicating symbolically that the Lamanites had not yet found the rest of the Lord. Verse 21 seems more obviously in line with the endowment pattern. Even though I don't understand all of the deeper meaning here, it is certainly interesting to ponder how these symbol impact the message of Enos' account.
Lehi's dream
This example is an endowment pattern embedded within another endowment pattern. Just after leaving Jerusalem, as his family was camped in tents in the wilderness, Lehi has this dream of the tree of life. It is interesting to note that in the first edition of the Book of Mormon, 1 Nephi 6-9 were all one chapter. Notice how the vision of the tree of life is embedded within a larger narrative -- beginning right after the brothers take wives and right before Nephi closes the chapter by describing his plates and their content.
Notice 1 Nephi 8:1-2, which opens the account of the dream --
1 And it came to pass that we had gathered together all manner of seeds of every kind, both of grain of every kind, and also of the seeds of fruit of every kind.
2 And it came to pass that while my father tarried in the wilderness he spake unto us, saying: Behold, I have dreamed a dream; or, in other words, I have seen a vision.
And 1 Nephi 9:1, which concludes the account of the dream --
1 And all these things did my father see, and hear, and speak, as he dwelt in a tent, in the valley of Lemuel, and also a great many more things, which cannot be written upon these plates.
Cry unto God: "I began to pray unto the Lord that he would have mercy on me, according to the multitude of his tender mercies."
Bring all who will hearken:
14 ... I beheld your mother Sariah, and Sam, and Nephi; and they stood as if they knew not whither they should go.
15 And it came to pass that I beckoned unto them; and I also did say unto them with a loud voice that they should come unto me, and partake of the fruit, which was desirable above all other fruit.
16 And it came to pass that they did come unto me and partake of the fruit also.
17 And it came to pass that I was desirous that Laman and Lemuel should come and partake of the fruit also; wherefore, I cast mine eyes towards the head of the river, that perhaps I might see them.
18 And it came to pass that I saw them, but they would not come unto me and partake of the fruit.
Pass through a wilderness: "a dark and dreary wilderness" in verse 4
"Many days": "many hours in darkness" in verse 8
Other examples
This pattern is found in other stories as well. Consider the story of Isaac in Genesis 26 and see how many of these elements are contained in that account. Consider what it means that Abraham sent Hagar and Ishmael into the wilderness and the Lord hear Hagar's cry and blessed them with water (see Genesis 21:12-21). As we deepen our understanding of each individua symbol and also of the pattern as a whole, we can find beautiful new messages in these familiar stories.
Conclusion
This post is very long and contains far more references than I normally include in a single post. I sincerely hope you will take the time to look these up on your own and study these examples for yourself. I hope this exercise has been fruitful for you.
This pattern is so intimately connected to covenants, and yet (aside from the accounts of Abraham, King Benjamin, and Alma-1) covenants are not really ever the central focus of the stories. This is a great example of how hidden wisdom is contained in the scriptures, waiting to be discovered by those with eyes to see.
In my next post -- which I intend to be the final post in this series -- we will turn to the Doctrine & Covenants and look at hos some of these same symbols are found in latter-day revelations. For me, this brings the message out of the ancient past and right into my heart. It is clear that God stand ready to bless us with the same blessing he gave His people throughout human history.
In my last post, I outlined how King Benjamin subtly makes repeated reference to the Garden of Eden narrative in the opening portion of his sermon through the various meanings of the Hebrew roots abad and shamar. He has done for the covenant people under his care what God instructed Adam and Eve to do for the Garden of Eden.
There is one more component of this. In verses 11-13 and 30, Benjamin speaks of what God has allowed him to do and what he has in turn allowed for his people:
11: ...I have been chosen by this people, and consecrated by my father, and was suffered by the hand of the Lord that I should be a ruler and a king over this people...
12: ...I have been suffered to spend my days in your service...
13: Neither have I suffered that ye should be confined in dungeons, nor that ye should make slaves one of another, nor that ye should murder, or plunder, or steal, or commit adultery; nor even have I suffered that ye should commit any manner of wickedness...
30: ...the Lord God doth support me, and hath suffered me that I should speak unto you...
As best I can tell, this passive form of speaking makes reference to the Hebrew root natan, which is admittedly very common in the Old Testament (2011 occurrences), and has the following core meanings:
נָתַן (nātan), give, present, offer, allow, permit, surrender, deliver, set, put, place (NIDOTTE Vol. 3, p. 205)
One scholar attempts to summarize the meaning of this root:
נָתַן basically marks the act through which an object or matter is set in motion (NIDOTTE Vol. 3, p. 205)
Despite how common it is, I can't help but find myself fascinated by the number of instances in the OT where this root shows up in the context of creation and covenant. Here are a few examples, with the words in bold italics being translated from natan:
Genesis 1:17 - And God set them [the stars] in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth,
Genesis 1:29 - And God said, Behold, I have given you every herb bearing seed, which is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree, in the which is the fruit of a tree yielding seed; to you it shall be for meat.
Genesis 3:6 - And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat.
Genesis 3:12 - And the man said, The woman whom thou gavest to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I did eat.
Genesis 4:12 - When thou tillest the ground, it shall not henceforth yield unto thee her strength; a fugitive and a vagabond shalt thou be in the earth.
Genesis 9:2 - And the fear of you and the dread of you shall be upon every beast of the earth, and upon every fowl of the air, upon all that moveth upon the earth, and upon all the fishes of the sea; into your hand are they delivered.
Genesis 9:3 - Every moving thing that liveth shall be meat for you; even as the green herb have I given you all things.
Genesis 9:12-13 - And God said, This is the token of the covenant which I make between me and you and every living creature that is with you, for perpetual generations: I do set my bow in the cloud, and it shall be for a token of a covenant between me and the earth.
Genesis 12:7 - And the Lord appeared unto Abram, and said, Unto thy seed will I give this land: and there builded he an altar unto the Lord, who appeared unto him.
Genesis 17:2,5-6 - And I will make my covenant between me and thee, and will multiply thee exceedingly. ... Neither shall thy name any more be called Abram, but thy name shall be Abraham; for a father of many nations have I made thee. And I will make thee exceeding fruitful, and I will make nations of thee, and kings shall come out of thee.
These are but a few of the examples. When Abraham pays tithes to Melchizedek, this root is used. Likewise when Isaac and Jacob take wives, this root shows up over and over again. When Pharaoh gives authority to Joseph, we see this root.
Of course this could be primarily due to how common this root is in general. I can't discount that possibility, but thinking about the concept has opened up a new layer of significance in King Benjamin's sermon.
A case study in righteous dominion
What we have in these opening remarks teach us a lesson about what righteous dominion ought to look like. Benjamin is telling his people that God "suffered him" to be their king, to have dominion over them just as Adam was given, and that he can stand with a clean conscience before God when he must give account for his responsibilities. See Mosiah 2:15.
This is the essence of righteous dominion. God gives to us and asks us to give to each other in return, in essence to do for others what He has graciously done for us.
Let's look at service as an example. After Benjamin points out that he has served God by serving them, he teaches them to serve each other in order to serve God. See Mosiah 2:16-18. In verse 22 he teaches a similar principle about keeping the commandments. God keep His promises and lives according to the terms of the covenant, and expects His people to do likewise.
So the deeper principle here is that we should emulate God in every instance where we have some form of dominion over any portion of the creation.
Margaret Barker puts it this way:
‘God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness…’ (Gen.1.26). This is one of the
most enigmatic lines in the Bible, and yet also one of the most important. It means that the
human has to be like God in caring for the creation. One of Israel’s ancient law codes, the
Holiness Code (Lev.19-26), set out a complete pattern for life based on the injunction: ‘You
shall be holy, for I the LORD your God am holy’ (Lev.19.2). Jesus, when exhorting his followers
to trust God, reminded them that the Creator cared for the lilies of the field and the birds of the
air (Mt.6. 25-33; 10.29). This is how they thought of the Creator; not as a figure in the past who
had completed the work and then left it; it was a picture of constant loving care. Adam, as the
image of God, was expected to do this too. (source)
God created us in His image and "set us in motion" (see above definition for natan) to "act for [our]selves and not to be acted upon" (2 Nephi 2:26). This comes with an expectation that our actions emulate those of our Creator.
The first part was an introduction to the topic. In this part I will focus on the Abrahamic covenant and how it is used in the Book of Mormon. As explained in part 1, the term "the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob" is used to specifically refer to this covenant and the God who gave these promises to Abraham and his posterity.
It is interesting to see how this evolves. In Genesis 17:1, God says to Abraham
I am the Almighty God
In Genesis 26:24, God says to Isaac:
I am the God of Abraham
In Genesis 28:13, God says to Jacob
I am the Lord God of Abraham thy father, and the God of Isaac
In Exodus 3:6, God says to Moses
I am the God of thy father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob
From then on we see "the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob" repeated numerous times. Moses lived hundreds of years after Abraham. But this is where God started to fulfill his promises.
the children of Israel were fruitful, and increased abundantly, and multiplied, and waxed exceeding mighty (Exodus 1:7)
Numerous offspring was one of those promises. But a promised land was another and the exodus out of Egypt was the way there. The preface of the exodus is that the Israelites were in bondage and "God remembered hiscovenantwith Abraham, with Isaac, and with Jacob" (Exodus 2:24). So this expression, "God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob" is associated with delivery from bondage, as we shall see later, and the promised blessings to Abraham and his seed. What were those blessings? In Genesis 12:2-3, we read
2 And I will make of thee a greatnation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing: 3 And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.
In Genesis 15 he is also promised a land for his posterity. But I want to focus on the bold part for a while. When Jesus appears to the Nephites, this is the part he focuses on. He tells them
ye are of the covenant which the Father made with your fathers, saying unto Abraham: And in thy seed shall all the kindreds of the earth be blessed. (3 Nephi 20:25)
The Book of Abraham expands on this a bit
in thy seed after thee (that is to say, the literal seed, or the seed of the body) shall all the families of the earth be blessed, even with the blessings of the Gospel, which are the blessings of salvation, even of life eternal. (Abraham 2:11)
It explains that "blessed" is ultimately exaltation or receiving eternal life.
I searched the Book of Mormon to find all verses with "Abraham", "Isaac" and "Jacob" in them and found 12. I like how Nephi is using it in 1 Nephi 6:4
For the fulness of mine intent is that I may persuade men to come unto the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, and be saved.
Read in this covenant context, Nephi is inviting us to the God that has given promises to Nephi's people, who are of Abraham's seed and the "remnant" who will read this in the future and who are also of Abraham's seed. This God will always keep his promises and is therefore the source of our salvation. I also like how this is not only Nephi's intent but the fulness of his intent.
Reading all these 12 mentions of "Abraham, Isaac and Jacob" in the Book of Mormon, reveals a trend. They are usually in one of two categories:
Delivery from captivity (with reference to Exodus 3:6 quoted above)
Exaltation (with reference to Abraham 2:11 quoted above)
When delivery is the topic, there is sometimes reference to the exodus of their forefathers and sometimes reference to their own captivity. Here is Nephi reminding his brothers of their forefathers:
Behold, he loved our fathers, and he covenanted with them, yea, even Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob; and he remembered the covenants which he had made; wherefore, he did bring them out of the land of Egypt. (1 Nephi 17:40)
Here is Mormon wanting to demonstrate to the reader that the same God and covenants applied to them (in this case Alma the Elder):
For behold, I will show unto you that they were brought into bondage, and none could deliver them but the Lord their God, yea, even the God of Abraham and Isaac and of Jacob. (Mosiah 23:23)
When salvation or exaltation is the topic, this expression is typically coupled with the concept of sitting down in the kingdom of heaven. One example
And may the Lord bless you, and keep your garments spotless, that ye may at last be brought to sit down with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and the holy prophets who have been ever since the world began, having your garments spotless even as their garments are spotless, in the kingdom of heaven to go no more out. (Alma 7:25)
As explained before, the covenant is about "blessing" the posterity of Abraham, which ultimately means eternal life. "sit down" is the enthronement that is an important part of ancient temple theology. In the holy of holies there was a throne symbolizing exaltation. This was the throne of God the Father (see e.g. 1 Nephi 1:8), but we read about Jesus Christ sitting down at his right hand (Moroni 7:27) and then preparing a place for us to "sit[...] down" (Ether 12:37).
I know I have quoted a lot of scriptures in this post, but I want to quote one more because it links the two concepts of delivery from bondage and salvation.
And the God of our fathers, who were led out of Egypt, out of bondage, and also were preserved in the wilderness by him, yea, the God of Abraham, and of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, yieldeth himself, according to the words of the angel, as a man, into the hands of wicked men, to be lifted up, according to the words of Zenock, and to be crucified, according to the words of Neum, and to be buried in a sepulchre, according to the words of Zenos... (1 Nephi 19:10)
The God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, who delivered the Israelites out of Egypt is the same God who delivers us from spiritual bondage through his sacrifice; a sacrifice that was foreshadowed by Abraham and his son, Isaac. Just as he kept his covenant and delivered Abraham's seed out of captivity and into the promised land, he can lead us to our eternal destination where we can "sit down" with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.
In part 3 we will have a closer look at the Mosaic covenant and how it is referenced in the Book of Mormon.
8 Now, the decrees of God are unalterable; therefore, the way is prepared that whosoever will may walk therein and be saved. (Alma 41)
"Walk" as a covenant symbol.
I love identifying covenant symbols in the Book of Mormon. The more I carefully study these words, the stronger I come to know how carefully prepared these words were. This two-part series of posts will cover the term "walk," which I believe most often refers to a people who are living according to the temple covenant.
To illustrate this, I'll give a few example of how this word is used in the other books of scripture in part 1, followed by a long list of examples of its use in the Book of Mormon in part 2.
Old Testament
Enoch "walked with God." (See Genesis 5:22.)
Noah "walked with God." (See Genesis 6:9.)
Abraham walked "before God." (See Genesis 17:1, Genesis 48:15.)
Leviticus 26 specifies the conditions of the covenant. The Lord outlines conditions for what will happen in consequence of the people "walk[ing] in [His] statutes" and "walk[ing] contrary unto [Him]" (see verses 3 and 21, for example). One of the blessings of obedience is to have the Lord's promise: "I will walk among you" (see verse 12). One of the consequences of disobedience is to have the Lord "walk contrary unto you" (see verse 24).
33 Ye shall walk in all the ways which the Lord your God hath commanded you, that ye may live, and that it may be well with you, and that ye may prolong your days in the land which ye shall possess. (Deuteronomy 5)
3 And the king (Josiah) stood by a pillar, and made a covenant before the Lord, to walk after the Lord, and to keep his commandments and his testimonies and his statutes with all their heart and all their soul, to perform the words of this covenant that were written in this book. And all the people stood to the covenant. (2 Kings 23)
18 Whoso walketh uprightly shall be saved... (Proverbs 28)
Of all of the references in the Old Testament, perhaps my favorite is found in Micah 4:
2 And many nations shall come, and say, Come, and let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, and to the house of the God of Jacob; and he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths: for the law shall go forth of Zion, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem...
5 For all people will walk every one in the name of his god, and we will walk in the name of the Lord our God for ever and ever.
In these verses we get a direct connection between the latter-day temple, Zion, walking in the Lord's ways, and "walk[ing] in the name of the Lord." We also find some of these direct connections in Isaiah 2/2 Nephi 12:2-5.
New Testament
4 Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. (Romans 6) This verse seems to clearly connect the baptismal covenant with the term "walk."
10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them. (Ephesians 2) This verse connects "good works," "walking," and the purpose of our creation in "Christ Jesus." This is a very interesting passage that I will dedicate an entire future post to.
6 As ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk ye in him... (Colossians 2)
7 But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin. (1 John 1)
6 And this is love, that we walk after his commandments. This is the commandment, That, as ye have heard from the beginning, ye should walk in it. (2 John 1)
4 Yet you have a few people in Sardis who have not soiled their clothes. They will walk with me, dressed in white, for they are worthy. 5 The one who is victorious will, like them, be dressed in white. I will never blot out the name of that person from the book of life, but will acknowledge that name before my Father and his angels. (Revelation 3, NIV) We find some pretty striking temple imagery in these verses.
D&C
133 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)
24 Search diligently, pray always, and be believing, and all things shall work together for your good, if ye walk uprightly and remember the covenant wherewith ye have covenanted one with another. (D&C 90)
In the next part, we'll look at how "walk" is used in the Book of Mormon in a covenant context.