"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)

Five witnesses who were liberated

I will start off by giving credit where credit is due. This post is largely based on another blog post where an interesting observation has been made. The blogger's name is Robert Kay and apparently he is both a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints and a Jew.

In Helaman 8, Nephi, the son of Helaman, talks to a crowd of Nephites. He testifies of their wickedness and warns them about the judgments that shall come upon them unless they repent. 

And now behold, if God gave unto this man such power, then why should ye dispute among yourselves, and say that he hath given unto me no power whereby I may know concerning the judgments that shall come upon you except ye repent? (Helaman 8:12)

Ironically, Nephi's most outspoken critics were judges by occupation (see Helaman 8:1). Many of the secular judges in Nephite society are members of the Gadianton band of robbers and reject Nephi's message about the judgments of God. "We are the judges around here, no one else". At the end of the chapter, Nephi prophetically informs the people that their chief judge has just been murdered.

In his speech leading up to the culmination of the murdered chief judge, Nephi specifically mentions five prophets after the time of Abraham who testified of the Son of God, our Chief Judge.

19 And now I would that ye should know, that even since the days of Abraham there have been many prophets that have testified these things; yea, behold, the prophet Zenos did testify boldly; for the which he was slain.

20 And behold, also Zenock, and also Ezias, and also Isaiah, and Jeremiah, (Jeremiah being that same prophet who testified of the destruction of Jerusalem) and now we know that Jerusalem was destroyed according to the words of Jeremiah. O then why not the Son of God come, according to his prophecy?

So we have

1. Zenos (who was slain for his bold testimony according to verse 19)
2. Zenock (who was stoned to death according to Alma 33:17)
3. Ezias (probably a prophet from the brass plates that was familiar to the Nephites but unfamiliar to us)
4. Isaiah (whose death is not recorded in the Bible but who was sawn in two under the orders of King Manasseh, according to Jewish tradition)
5. Jeremiah (who was stoned to death according to extrabiblical sources)

Based on what we know about the other four, perhaps it is fair to assume that Ezias was a martyr too, and that Nephi mentions five witnesses of Christ who died for their testimonies?

Here is the interesting observation by Kay: When Nephi announces the death of their chief judge, there are five men who run to the judgement seat to see if Nephi has spoken the truth. When they arrive there and find that the chief judge dead, just as Nephi had prophecied, they fall to the earth in astonishment. They are accused for the murder and imprisoned. However, on the day of the chief judge's burial, they are set free.

And it came to pass that the five were liberated on the day of the burial. Nevertheless, they did rebuke the judges in the words which they had spoken against Nephi, and did contend with them one by one, insomuch that they did confound them. (Helaman 9:18)

There are striking parallels between the five prophets of old and the five men who find the chief judge dead. Perhaps the Nephite record keepers are trying to teach us a deeper lesson. Just like the five men became eye-witnesses of the death of the chief judge and fell to the ground, the five prophets mentioned were witnesses of Christ, our Chief Judge, testified boldly of him and were killed. However, on the day of Christ's burial, they were liberated, just like the other five men:

16 They were assembled awaiting the advent of the Son of God into the spirit world, to declare their redemption from the bands of death.

17 Their sleeping dust was to be restored unto its perfect frame, bone to his bone, and the sinews and the flesh upon them, the spirit and the body to be united never again to be divided, that they might receive a fulness of joy.

18 While this vast multitude waited and conversed, rejoicing in the hour of their deliverance from the chains of death, the Son of God appeared, declaring liberty to the captives who had been faithful (D&C 138)

Jesus Christ is our liberator and also our chief judge. Those who are converted to Him will be set free, like the five prophets of old and also the five men who ran to the judgement seat.

And there were some of the Nephites who believed on the words of Nephi; and there were some also, who believed because of the testimony of the five, for they had been converted while they were in prison. (Helaman 9:39)

Those who have not converted and have blood on their garments, like the brother of the Nephite chief judge (thanks for pointing that out, Lord Wilmore), will be found guilty. Nephi told the people about the real murderer. He asked them to pay the brother of the chief judge a visit and instructed them specifically:

31 But behold, ye shall examine him, and ye shall find blood upon the skirts of his cloak.

32 And when ye have seen this, ye shall say: From whence cometh this blood? Do we not know that it is the blood of your brother?

33 And then shall he tremble, and shall look pale, even as if death had come upon him.

This all happened just as Nephi had instructed. Similarly, spiritual death shall come upon us if our clothes are stained with blood and have not been washed clean through the atonement of our older brother, Jesus Christ.

22 And now I ask of you, my brethren, how will any of you feel, if ye shall stand before the bar of God, having your garments stained with blood and all manner of filthiness? Behold, what will these things testify against you?

23 Behold will they not testify that ye are murderers, yea, and also that ye are guilty of all manner of wickedness?

24 Behold, my brethren, do ye suppose that such an one can have a place to sit down in the kingdom of God, with Abraham, with Isaac, and with Jacob, and also all the holy prophets, whose garments are cleansed and are spotless, pure and white? (Alma 5) 

 This story teaches us who is the true Judge and also who is the true Liberator. 

"Divided hither and thither" -- a sermon in a phrase, part 2

Please read part 1 of this series before reading on.

We left off with a brief discussion of several unique elements had in common among Nephi-2, Elijah, and Moses. These are the three prophets mentioned in connection with "divid[ing] hither and thither." Other details at least two of them share in common are these:

• Sealing power (Nephi-2 and Elijah)
• Power over the elements (All three)
• Dividing and crossing over water on dry ground (Moses and Elijah)
• Taken up to heaven rather than dying (All three)
• Important post-mortal responsibilities including bestowal of priesthood keys (Moses and Elijah)

Since posting the first part, I've thought more about what these three prophets have in common as well as what we're supposed to learn from all of this. The Venn diagram has expanded a little:

I'll probably dive deeper into these new additions in future posts, especially shining faces, but for now I'll just give a brief summary below.

Shining faces

A shining face is a symbol of God's favor and communion with heavenly beings. Nephi-2 is seen to have a shining face while communing with angels:

36 And it came to pass that he turned him about, and behold, he saw through the cloud of darkness the faces of Nephi and Lehi; and behold, they did shine exceedingly, even as the faces of angels. And he beheld that they did lift their eyes to heaven; and they were in the attitude as if talking or lifting their voices to some being whom they beheld.
37 And it came to pass that this man did cry unto the multitude, that they might turn and look. And behold, there was power given unto them that they did turn and look; and they did behold the faces of Nephi and Lehi.
38 And they said unto the man: Behold, what do all these things mean, and who is it with whom these men do converse?
39 Now the man’s name was Aminadab. And Aminadab said unto them: They do converse with the angels of God. (Helaman 5)

Of course Moses' face shone after he came down from speaking with Jehovah face to face.

This symbol also points our mind to Christ, whose face shone on the Mount of Transfiguration, at which time He also spake with Moses and Elias (Elijah).

1 And after six days Jesus taketh Peter, James, and John his brother, and bringeth them up into an high mountain apart,
2 And was transfigured before them: and his face did shine as the sun, and his raiment was white as the light.
3 And, behold, there appeared unto them Moses and Elias talking with him. (Matthew 17)

Dividing the waters and Priesthood Keys

Dividing the waters is a creation reference.  At the creation, God set the bounds of the sea (a symbol of death and chaos). This comes up several times in the Old Testament.

• Job 38:10-11
• Proverbs 8:29
• Psalm 104:9
• Jeremiah 5:22

The power to divide the water and pass through on dry ground is an act of creation of sorts. 

In the case of Elijah and Nephi-2, a special sealing power is given to them by God which allows them to cause a famine in the land. This done by declaring there shall be no rain in the land. (See 1 Kings 17:1; Helaman 11:17.)  Stisa pointed out to me that this is a variation on separating water and land (and creating dry ground in a bad way).

Creation by division

Another facet of this creation symbolism embedded within dividing the waters is that in the ancient Hebrew understanding, creation happens as an act of "forming or fashioning by cutting" or "shaping." (source)  You could compare it to the process of transforming a stick into an arrow. 

Covenants are also "cut" in Hebrew. Symbolism involving cutting a covenant include circumcision, purity laws, and actual cutting of animals in half (see Genesis 15). This is completely foreign to our modern culture, but it is noteworthy that cutting plays a central role in the ancient understanding of both divine creation and covenant-making. This does not seem coincidental.

This symbol also points our minds to Christ.  Just as Nephi-2 was left alone standing in the midst of a people divided in their opinion of him, Christ's invitation to mankind creates a division between those who will humble themselves and repent/follow Him and those who will harden themselves against the word.

It seems this is the message that Mormon is uncertain we'll get, so just after the account of Nephi-2 causing and then ending the famine, Mormon inserts a long aside about human wickedness, found in Helaman 12. In this passage, Mormon directly connects covenant and creation as he compares man to dust:

6 Behold, they do not desire that the Lord their God, who hath created them, should rule and reign over them; notwithstanding his great goodness and his mercy towards them, they do set at naught his counsels, and they will not that he should be their guide.
7 O how great is the nothingness of the children of men; yea, even they are less than the dust of the earth.
8 For behold, the dust of the earth moveth hither and thither, to the dividing asunder, at the command of our great and everlasting God. (Helaman 12)

In the verses that follow, Mormon repeatedly states that various elements of the creation will obey the word of God (unlike man). It's a powerful connection between creation and covenant.

Conclusion -- The Deeper Message

I included "a sermon in a phrase" in the title of this series for a reason.  Identifying the connecting phrase "divided hither and thither" has opened my mind to a deeper understanding of priesthood authority and the purpose of mortality. I've also gained a deeper appreciation of Jesus Christ's role as the Creator of heaven and earth as well as the Father of our salvation.

In only four words, a connection is made between Nephi-2, Moses, and Elijah.  Connections can then be made between these three and Christ, with additional connections to shining faces, communicating directly with heavenly Beings, and priesthood power offering power over the chaos just as these prophets had power to divide the waters.

I'm grateful for so much beautiful doctrine tucked away in just a passing phrase.

"Divided hither and thither" -- a sermon in a phrase, part 1

My most recent post (re-)introduced a concept I recently learned about from Stisa which gives a name to a phenomenon I've noticed and blogged about in the past -- metalepsis.  In short, it's a technique used by ancient scribes to reference an older account by using key wording from that account as they tell a different story. I gave the example from Mormon 8:8, from which I unpacked four sermons last October. I ended the post by quoting Helaman 10:1 and hinting that a sermon is packed into words "divided hither and thither" in that verse.

Here is the whole verse:

1 And it came to pass that there arose a division among the people, insomuch that they divided hither and thither and went their ways, leaving Nephi alone, as he was standing in the midst of them. (Helaman 10)

This all began as a hunch on my part.  The initial thought was: "What a weird way to end a story!" The mental image of the people dividing into two groups and going their own way conjured an image of Moses parting the Red Sea.

Of course, Nephi had just finished teaching the people about the role of prophets, including a reference to Moses, so I went back and reviewed that passage:

11 Therefore he was constrained to speak more unto them saying: Behold, my brethren, have ye not read that God gave power unto one man, even Moses, to smite upon the waters of the Red Sea, and they parted hither and thither, insomuch that the Israelites, who were our fathers, came through upon dry ground, and the waters closed upon the armies of the Egyptians and swallowed them up?
12 And now behold, if God gave unto this man such power, then why should ye dispute among yourselves, and say that he hath given unto me no power whereby I may know concerning the judgments that shall come upon you except ye repent?
13 But, behold, ye not only deny my words, but ye also deny all the words which have been spoken by our fathers, and also the words which were spoken by this man, Moses, who had such great power given unto him, yea, the words which he hath spoken concerning the coming of the Messiah. (Helaman 8)

Notice the common elements between this passage and the verse above: division/parting, "one man"/"Nephi alone," two groups of people (one preserved and one destroyed)

And just before that, Mormon described how Nephi was causing two distinct reactions among the people, a group of believers and group that was hostile:

5 Therefore [the corrupt judges] did cry unto the people, saying: Why do you suffer this man to revile against us? For behold he doth condemn all this people, even unto destruction; yea, and also that these our great cities shall be taken from us, that we shall have no place in them.
6 And now we know that this is impossible, for behold, we are powerful, and our cities great, therefore our enemies can have no power over us.
7 And it came to pass that thus they did stir up the people to anger against Nephi, and raised contentions among them; for there were some who did cry out: Let this man alone, for he is a good man, and those things which he saith will surely come to pass except we repent;
8 Yea, behold, all the judgments will come upon us which he has testified unto us; for we know that he has testified aright unto us concerning our iniquities. And behold they are many, and he knoweth as well all things which shall befall us as he knoweth of our iniquities;
9 Yea, and behold, if he had not been a prophet he could not have testified concerning those things. (Helaman 8)

As I read and re-read the passage, the words "divided hither and thither" really stood out as a key connecting phrase. I looked up every instance I could find in all of the scriptures where "hither and thither" is used in connection with "divide" or something like it. Aside from the verse above (Helaman 10:1), I found four references in the Book of Mormon and two in the Old Testament. That's it. Here they are:

Old Testament

8 And Elijah took his mantle, and wrapped it together, and smote the waters, and they were divided hither and thither, so that they two went over on dry ground. (2 Kings 2)


14 And he took the mantle of Elijah that fell from him, and smote the waters, and said, Where is the Lord God of Elijah? and when he also had smitten the waters, they parted hither and thither: and Elisha went over. (2 Kings 2)

Book of Mormon

2 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)


26 Now ye know that Moses was commanded of the Lord to do that great work; and ye know that by his word the waters of the Red Sea were divided hither and thither, and they passed through on dry ground. (1 Nephi 17)


11 Therefore he was constrained to speak more unto them saying: Behold, my brethren, have ye not read that God gave power unto one man, even Moses, to smite upon the waters of the Red Sea, and they parted hither and thither, insomuch that the Israelites, who were our fathers, came through upon dry ground, and the waters closed upon the armies of the Egyptians and swallowed them up? (Helaman 8)


8 For behold, the dust of the earth moveth hither and thither, to the dividing asunder, at the command of our great and everlasting God. (Helaman 12)

Aside from Mormon's more generic use of the phrase in Helaman 12 (which relates to the story it follows, for reasons I'll flesh out in a future post), the rest of these passages make reference to Nephi-2, Moses, or Elijah. Very interesting. As I read through these, I marveled at the connections between the three prophets being mentioned. Here's a rough draft of what was starting to take shape in my head:

All three had power over the elements. All three are associated with the sealing power.  Moses and Elijah were present at the Kirtland Temple dedication when important priesthood keys were restored.  All three had mysterious non-deaths (only according to latter-day scripture in the case of Moses).

What's the deeper message from all of this? Well, it seems to have a lot to do with priesthood authority and the purpose of mortality. "One man" is given power to cause a division by preaching the word of God. This results in the formation of a covenant people -- creation by division. We'll get into this in more depth in the next post.

Treasures on earth and in heaven

When writing about symbolism of swords and the sacred Nephite relics, I started noticing the use of the word, treasures, in the scriptures. We are all familiar with the Savior's words at the Sermon on the Mount in the Old World and the Sermon at the temple in the New World.

19 Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and thieves break through and steal;
20 But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal.
21 For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also. (3 Nephi 13)

One may think that the Savior tells them something new since this sermon generally marks the transition from the old covenant to the new. However, this is just a reiteration of an old covenant term. I noticed this in Exodus 19 as I read this post from Lord Wilmore and discussed this whole concept with him.

Now therefore, if ye will obey my voice indeed, and keep my covenant, then ye shall be a peculiar treasure unto me above all people: for all the earth is mine (Exodus 19:5)

This is repeated in Psalm 135:4.

For the Lord hath chosen Jacob unto himself, and Israel for his peculiar treasure.

A covenant people is God's treasure. In return, the covenant people should collect treasures in heaven. Their treasure should be God and his word.

1 My son, if thou wilt receive my words, and hide my commandments with thee;
2 So that thou incline thine ear unto wisdom, and apply thine heart to understanding;
3 Yea, if thou criest after knowledge, and liftest up thy voice for understanding;
4 If thou seekest her as silver, and searchest for her as for hid treasures;
5 Then shalt thou understand the fear of the Lord, and find the knowledge of God. (Proverbs 2)

We have seen on this blog before that Proverbs often speaks of wisdom personified as the female deity, or our Heavenly Mother as we would call her. The author advises to seek Wisdom as a treasure. The Book of Mormon prophets clearly understood this idea of heavenly treasures, even before the coming of Christ and his famous words in the sermon at the temple. Nephi-2 warns both his sons...

And now my sons, behold I have somewhat more to desire of you, which desire is, that ye may not do these things that ye may boast, but that ye may do these things to lay up for yourselves a treasure in heaven, yea, which is eternal, and which fadeth not away; yea, that ye may have that precious gift of eternal life, which we have reason to suppose hath been given to our fathers. (Helaman 5:8)

...and the people of Zarahemla

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. (Helaman 8:25)

There is beautiful symmetry and balance in a covenant relationship when God reaches down to his people, makes them his treasure and draws them to him, while the people in turn reach upwards to lay up for themselves treasures in heaven. This covenant relationship is a binding of hearts because "where your treasure is, there will your heart be also". This is why Book of Mormon prophets consistently warn against seeking earthly riches

But wo unto the rich, who are rich as to the things of the world. For because they are rich they despise the poor, and they persecute the meek, and their hearts are upon their treasures; wherefore, their treasure is their god. And behold, their treasure shall perish with them also. (2 Nephi 9:30)

When God/the heavenly treasure is replaced by earthly treasures, their hearts are not seeking him and the covenant is violated. The end result is disastrous and the Book of Mormon conveys that message in no unclear terms. A very common sign of pride in the Book of Mormon is when the people does what Jacob describes in this quoted verse. The combination of "heart" and "riches" in the same sentence is found 13 times in the Book of Mormon, usually in the form of "set their hearts upon their riches" or similar.

I posted recently about the swords and treasures slipping away from the people right before they were destroyed, according to the prophecies of Samuel the Lamanite. Pondering the covenant relations of all this, I noticed that this is described as a consequence of a "curse of the land". Both the Jaredites and Nephites received a land of promise as part of a covenant. The Nephites were constantly reminded of the covenant, that like the Israelites of old, they would be blessed in the land if they kept the commandments. But in the end they didn't and the land was cursed. The curse of the land is also mentioned 5 times in the Book of Ether. It is a general principle conveyed in 1 Nephi 17.

38 And he leadeth away the righteous into precious lands, and the wicked he destroyeth, and curseth the land unto them for their sakes.

39 He ruleth high in the heavens, for it is his throne, and this earth is his footstool.

40 And he loveth those who will have him to be their God. 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.

The "curse of the land" is a sign of covenant violation, just as "prosper in the land" is a sign of covenant keeping. What kind of riches or treasures they searched for and where their hearts were, was apparently an important indicator of their covenant keeping. Let's have another look at the prophecies of Samuel:

18 And it shall come to pass, saith the Lord of Hosts, yea, our great and true God, that whoso shall hide up treasures in the earth shall find them again no more, because of the great curse of the land, save he be a righteous man and shall hide it up unto the Lord.

19 For I will, saith the Lord, that they shall hide up their treasures unto me; and cursed be they who hide not up their treasures unto me; for none hideth up their treasures unto me save it be the righteous; and he that hideth not up his treasures unto me, cursed is he, and also the treasure, and none shall redeem it because of the curse of the land.

20 And the day shall come that they shall hide up their treasures, because they have set their hearts upon riches; and because they have set their hearts upon their riches, and will hide up their treasures when they shall flee before their enemies; because they will not hide them up unto me, cursed be they and also their treasures; and in that day shall they be smitten, saith the Lord. (Helaman 13)

The land of promise became cursed because of wickedness, because the Nephites did not keep the commandments so they could prosper in the land as promised. Setting your heart upon riches and hiding treasures in the earth, symbolically binds your heart to the earth. Hiding your treasure "up unto the Lord" or laying up for yourself treasures in heaven, on the other hand, binds your heart upward towards God. There is a lesson here for all of us. What are our riches and where are our hearts?