Noah, the ark, and "rest" -- Part 8 (Lessons from Ammonihah)

Lord Wilmore has written a series on this topic consisting of many posts back in February/March. I wanted to add some thoughts to his about the Nephite view as expressed in the story of Alma and Amulek in Ammonihah. There is an overarching theme of Noah/rest and "enter[ing] in" that I find fascinating. In general, there are numerous posts on "enter into his rest" on this blog. Here is a brief recap

• Psalm 95 uses this expression, referring to the Israelites who rebelled in the desert and did not enter into the promised land
• This is a metaphor for the (divine) rest we can enter into through covenants
• The Hebrew word for (divine) rest is "nuach" and is a variant of the personal name, Noah

There is much more to this, but I would just refer Lord Wilmore's and my own series on this topic which can be found on this blog with the search function.

The account of Noah and the ark is full of "entering in". This is translated from the Hebrew word, bo (בּוֹא), which is found 9 times in the account. In Genesis 7, the text repeatedly describes people and animals entering into the ark. The way the Hebrew is constructed, "enter in" is often followed by the name Noah (meaning rest) so that there is an underlying metaphor of entering into divine rest throughout the chapter. After the flood, the ark finally comes to rest on the mountaintop (see Genesis 8:4). The dove also found rest at last after having found no resting place before the waters receded (see Genesis 8:9). The wordplays are numerous and evident.

What does that have to do with Alma and Amulek in Ammonihah? Quite a bit, actually. The expression, "enter into his rest", is used 9 times in Alma's sermon in Ammonihah in Alma 12-13. I don't think it is a coincidence that Alma uses this theme as a central component in his message. Noah is mentioned by Amulek as they start preaching in Ammonihah.

Yea, and I say unto you that if it were not for the prayers of the righteous, who are now in the land, that ye would even now be visited with utter destruction; yet it would not be by flood, as were the people in the days of Noah, but it would be by famine, and by pestilence, and the sword. (Alma 10:22)

There is an apt warning of destruction to a wicked people, but the Noah comparison might seem a bit odd. Why drag Noah into this? Geographical hints in the Book of Mormon reveal that the closest neighbouring city to Ammonihah was the city of Noah! (See Alma 49:11-12 and 16:3, which we will get back to). This is likely something Amulek had in mind and used to amplify his message, hinting at their neighboring city of rest. In the story they likely knew from the brass plates, Noah and his family who "entered in" were saved but everyone else was destroyed. The Ammonihahites need to be cautious. At the moment, only the prayers of the righteous are saving them from suffering the same fate, only by sword instead of flood.

With this as backdrop, Alma gives a discourse largely based on the concept of "entering into his rest" (Hebr. nuach). On a deeper level, Alma's message is therefore an invitation to "enter in" like Noah and his family into the ark that protected them from the floods. Similarly, entering into the covenant, according to the high priestly/temple tradition as outlined in Alma 13, will protect them from the sword. (Their choice is to stay true to the covenant they've "cut" or be "cut down" by the sword.) On the other hand, if they refuse like the people in the days of Noah or their forefathers in the desert in the days of Moses, and even cast out the righteous from among them, they will be destroyed. As Lord Wilmore has pointed out in his series, the ark symbolizes the covenants/temple that we enter into for protection. The Lord "smiled upon [the ark] and held it in his own hand" (Moses 7:43).

Considering our covenants to serve as a protective factor that leads us to divine rest is a very different view from the notion of covenants as bothersome obstacles to our freedom. Although not necessarily the prevalent view of members today, many (myself included) may have mistakenly seen it that way from time to time.

Back to the inhabitants of Ammonihah, they decline the invitation to enter into his rest. Some believed, but they were either killed or cast out by the wicked, as we read in Alma 14. This is exactly what they were warned against. Since God's word "cannot return void" (Moses 4:30), the consequence was inevitable. Alma 16 describes the Lamanite army destroying the whole city

2 For behold, the armies of the Lamanites had come in upon the wilderness side, into the borders of the land, even into the city of Ammonihah, and began to slay the people and destroy the city.

3 And now it came to pass, before the Nephites could raise a sufficient army to drive them out of the land, they had destroyed the people who were in the city of Ammonihah, and also some around the borders of Noah, and taken others captive into the wilderness.

Notice that the whole city of Ammonihah was destroyed including those who lived "around the borders of Noah". Just like the waters surrounded Noah in the ark and destroyed every living thing but protected Noah and his family.

And every living substance was destroyed which was upon the face of the ground, both man, and cattle, and the creeping things, and the fowl of the heaven; and they were destroyed from the earth: and Noah only remained alive, and they that were with him in the ark. (Genesis 7:23)

Compare with Alma 16:9

every living soul of the Ammonihahites was destroyed

It is a very sad story, but nonetheless a story with deep symbolism that we can learn from. Even though the Ammonihahites and some of their forefathers, at the time of Noah and Moses, chose not to "enter into his rest", the invitation that has been extended since the beginning by angels (Alma 12:29, Alma 13:22) and those who are called after the Holy Order of God (Alma 13:6) is perpetuated. Just consider what Alma and Amulek did after they had been cast out and Ammonihah had been destroyed

15 And thus did Alma and Amulek go forth, and also many more who had been chosen for the work, to preach the word throughout all the land. And the establishment of the church became general throughout the land, in all the region round about, among all the people of the Nephites.

16 And there was no inequality among them; the Lord did pour out his Spirit on all the face of the land to prepare the minds of the children of men, or to prepare their hearts to receive the word which should be taught among them at the time of his coming—

17 That they might not be hardened against the word, that they might not be unbelieving, and go on to destruction, but that they might receive the word with joy, and as a branch be grafted into the true vine, that they might enter into the rest of the Lord their God. (Alma 16)

When we hear the word, do we harden our hearts or receive it with joy? It is an important question to ask because the consequences of choosing one or the other differ vastly. This is taught in the scriptures both in sermons and stories (Ammonihah being one of them). One leads us to "go on to destruction" like the Ammonihahites, the other to "enter into the rest of the Lord".

Noah, the ark, and "rest" -- part 4 ('Tevah' and 'the word')

This post continues a series of posts connecting Noah, his ark, Enoch, his city, and the "rest" we find as we enter into the everlasting covenant.

In this post, I'll lay out the case connecting Noah's ark to 'the word' of God, which is an expansive concept Stisa and I have both discussed many times (see here, here and here for some examples).  In that first link, written in February 2020, I said the following:

I believe ... that we can greatly benefit by seeing the rod as an implement of gathering in the hands of a divine messenger. It is more than just printed words on a page, it is divinely inspired messages, the voice of the Spirit, and invitations to follow the Savior.

A rod is a very apt metaphor for the word of God, a tool used by shepherds to direct their flock. How we choose to respond to the portion of the word we receive is what will ultimately determine our destiny.

In that same post, I outlined how Nephi connects "the word" with the power to save (particularly power over the waters) and do "great work" on the earth. (See 1 Nephi 17:26.)

My recent studies on the topics of Noah and 'entering into His rest' have repeatedly led me back to the concept of the word.  I'll attempt to illustrate how intimately connected these concepts are in this post.

Let's take a closer look at the two Old Testament stories in which the Hebrew word 'tevah' is used: the story of Noah and the story of infant Moses.

• In both cases, a group of people faces death by drowning: all humanity in the case of Noah (see Genesis 6:7) and all male sons of Hebrew women in the story of Moses (see Exodus 1:22). 
• Both vessels were covered in pitch (Genesis 6:14 and Exodus 2:3). 
• In both cases, only a single family or individual is saved from the waters.

These specific parallels to tell me that a deeper message connecting these two stories can be found here. So imagine my surprise when I learned that the Hebrew word 'tevah' -- only used to describe these two life-saving vessels -- can also mean 'the word' of God! The connection is very old, so old that two main branches of Judaism and the Ethiopian Christian church use the word in a similar context yet in different ways:

Post-biblically, however, the use of tevah to signify the ark in the synagogue is old, going back to early rabbinic times, in which the word also meant “box.” (As it does today in such contemporary words as tevat-do’ar, or “mailbox.”) We know this not only from the Talmud, but also from the more exotic evidence of Ge’ez, the ancient sacred language of the Ethiopian Christian church, in which tabot means “holy ark,” too. This usage has, according to the scholars, no indigenous Ge’ez derivation and must have entered Ge’ez in the early centuries C.E. from a Hebraic source. (The old legend that the original Ark of the Covenant was taken to Ethiopia after the destruction of the Temple may be related to this.) ... The word teva does designate the pulpit in Sephardic synagogues, i.e., the table or stand on the bima or platform from which prayers are recited and the Torah is read. The ark, on the other hand, is called by Sephardic Jews the hehal (pronounced “HEY-khal”), from the Hebrew heykhal, “temple.” (source)

It's very intriguing to realize that 'tevah' can refer to the pulpit in a Sephardic synagogue or the box in which the Torah scrolls are kept in an Ashkenazi synagogue. A variant of the same word refers to a replica of either the Ark of the Covenant or the Tablets of Law (ten commandments) in the Ethiopian Church. (Not to mention that Sephardic Jews refer to the ark using the Hebrew word for temple.)

This is particularly interesting because in the Old Testament the Ark of the Covenant is not referred to using the word 'tevah.' Rather, 'aron' is used.  But the fact that three very old Judeo-Christian religions substituted a form of 'tevah' to refer to 'the word' is quite telling. 

In light of all of this, it seems that one deeper message we can take from both stories is this: 'the word' can save us from death if we "enter into" it. On that, it seems there is general consensus.  This begs this question, though: How do we enter into God's word? The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is uniquely positioned to offer a deep answer to that question, which has to do with Christ, covenants, baptism, temples, and latter-day revelation.

Parallels to Christ

I believe the symbolism embedded in the story of Noah is intended to point our minds to Christ's atonement, which is the ultimate means by which we can obtain everlasting life. Just as Noah entered the ark after hearkening to God's command to build it, each of us must build an ark of sorts from the word of God in our own lives and enter into it by trusting God to lead us and guide us through the chaos of mortality in safety. Recall that the ark had no sail and no oars.

Christ is the Word, who was with God and was God from the beginning. Those who receive Him obtain power from Him "to become the sons of God" by becoming "born ... of God." (See John 1:1-2, 12-13.)

I like the connection between baptism and the story of Noah. When we are baptized, we lay down the old creature into the water and allow a "new creature" to arise. (See Mosiah 27:25-26.) 

This new creature rejoices and diligently serves God for the rest of his or her time on earth. As discussed in this post, we do not serve Him to somehow earn eternal life. As I stated in that post:

...our good works are not performed in an effort to be saved. They are not the cause of salvation, they are an effect of it! These good works spontaneously appear when we truly recognize by what power we are saved.

The new creatures are the sons and daughters of God (Mosiah 27:25). His children perform good works such as baptism "as a testimony that ye have entered into a covenant to serve him until you are dead as to the mortal body; and may the Spirit of the Lord be poured out upon you; and may he grant unto you eternal life, through the redemption of Christ, whom he has prepared from the foundation of the world." (Mosiah 18:13)

There isn't a set number of "good works" we must perform in order to qualify for salvation.  Rather, we must use our agency to bring about a "mighty change in [our] hearts" (Alma 5:13-14), after which good works flow naturally from us like pure water from a fountain.

Baptism as the gate by which we "enter in"

The connections to Noah and baptism go a little bit deeper, too. 

• Noah "enter[ed] into the ark" (Genesis 7:13) prior to the flood. 
• Baptism is the "gate by which [we] should enter" in order to "receive." (See 2 Nephi 31:9, 17-18.) 
• This is the beginning of the process by which we become "peaceable followers of Christ" who "have obtained a sufficient hope by which ye can enter into the rest of the Lord, from this time henceforth until ye shall rest with him in heaven." (Moroni 7:3)

Alma masterfully connects the covenant and "entering into His rest" in Alma 12-13. We've touched on this a little already in this series and we'll come back to it as we contrast God's "wrath" and His rest in the next two parts of this series.

I'll give Alma-2 the last word:

37 And now, my brethren, seeing we know these things, and they are true, let us repent, and harden not our hearts, that we provoke not the Lord our God to pull down his wrath upon us in these his second commandments which he has given unto us; but let us enter into the rest of God, which is prepared according to his word. (Alma 12)

Noah, the ark, and "rest" -- part 1

In the selfsame day entered Noah, and Shem, and Ham, and Japheth, the sons of Noah, and Noah’s wife, and the three wives of his sons with them, into the ark (Genesis 7:13)

 

And the ark rested ... upon the mountains of Ararat. (Genesis 8:4)

This post will begin a series on connections between the following concepts:

• Noah
• The ark that protected Noah's family from the flood
• The mount upon which the ark came to rest
• The tabernacle in the wilderness
• The ark of the covenant
• The everlasting covenant
• "entering in" (either to the ark, the covenant, or His rest)
• "swearing in His wrath"
• Enoch testifying from "the hills and the high places"
• The city of Zion

I'll say as I begin that I only have a few loose ideas where this study will take me, but I'm confident it will be worthwhile based on some discoveries I've already made.

We've previously discussed King Noah from the Book of Mormon and Mormon's clever description of his wickedness in connection to the meaning of his name in Hebrew, "rest." You can read that here. That is part of a larger series on the subject of "entering into His rest" written by Stisa (the other parts of that series are found here and here). All of that is important background, but I'll be taking this connection a little bit deeper and focusing my attention on the Noah of Genesis and how his story and his name connect to the concepts of "enter[ing] in" at the strait gate.

The two arks

Let's begin with the similarities between the ark that Noah built and the tabernacle in the wilderness built by Moses, at the center of which rested the ark of the covenant in the Holy of Holies. Jeffrey Bradshaw points out in this paper on that topic many important connections:

• Noah's ark is the only man-made structure mentioned in the Bible whose design was directly revealed by God.
• It was designed in three tiers with dimensions paralleling the tabernacle.
• The ark was to be made of "gopher wood" which is taken by modern scholars to mean cypress wood, which is the same material used to build some temple doors. 
• "Gopher" also sounds similar to the word for "pitch" (kopher) which is mentioned in the same verse as a covering of the wood. Kopher derives from the same Hebrew root for atonement.
• Both instances of "ark" (Noah's ship and the object at the center of the tabernacle) eventually came to be known by the same term in Hebrew (tevah).
• The waters of the flood dried up on the the first day of the new year, similar to the day of the dedication of Solomon's temple.

Having established these connections between the tabernacle and Noah's ark, I'll push forward in the next posts with many interesting symbols connected to Noah's ark, Enoch, and the temple covenant. In the next post we'll begin with Enoch's vision found in the Book of Moses and how that connects to Noah and "rest."