Parallel/inverted story arcs -- Sherem and Abinadi

My last few posts (here and here) have covered interesting ideas from a recent Interpreter paper authored by Val Larsen about cultural decline in the Book of Mormon from a prophetic worldview (the mantic) to an intellectual/materialist worldview (the sophic).  It's obvious that the Book of Mormon endorses the mantic perspective, yet over and over again we see the pattern of a mantic restoration followed by a decline to the sophic.

This post will discuss parallel themes in two well-known Book of Mormon stories: Sherem and Abinadi. Larsen lays out in specific detail how these two stories parallel each other.  Both stories take place in the context of a once-righteous people falling into wickedness involving sexual sin and material excess.

In the case of Sherem, he is the intellectual Deuteronomist challenging the prophetic tradition of the high priest (Jacob). He visits the Nephites, the spiritual survivors of the escape from wicked Jerusalem who heeded the prophetic words of Lehi (a mantic restorer). 

In the case of Abinadi, he is the prophet challenging the sophic tradition of the high priest (Amulon) of Noah, who is the king of a group of people who removed themselves from the leadership of Mosiah-1 (a different mantic restorer) and returned to the land of Nephi, which they had narrowly escaped with their lives.  They reversed course after following a prophet, and it led them back into captivity and later wickedness.

Here is a table from his paper outlining the main elements of each story:

In both cases, the interloper delivers his message and then dies, but the people eventually embrace that message.

Larsen believes it can be implied from the text of Jacob 7 that Sherem was specifically permitted by Nephi's successor to challenge Jacob. Jacob, after all, does not mention the king by name and specifically condemns the actions of the people under his reign. He also bases some of his contrast on the assumption that the descendants of Nephi gradually embraced the sophic worldview and rejected the Christ. I'm not sure I accept either of these conclusions uncritically, but they are interesting and both idea have some supporting evidence.  Regardless of how tenuous you might consider these two premises, the parallels between Sherem and Abinadi are undeniable. Here is another similarity -- Abinadi is specifically put to death for claiming that Christ will come down (the core tenet of the mantic worldview):

7 And he said unto him: Abinadi, we have found an accusation against thee, and thou art worthy of death.
8 For thou hast said that God himself should come down among the children of men; and now, for this cause thou shalt be put to death unless thou wilt recall all the words which thou hast spoken evil concerning me and my people. (Mosiah 17)

Sherem, on the other hand, is struck down by the power of God after demanding to see a sign (signs and wonders are another core tenet of the mantic worldview):

13 And it came to pass that he said unto me: Show me a sign by this power of the Holy Ghost, in the which ye know so much.
...
15 And it came to pass that when I, Jacob, had spoken these words, the power of the Lord came upon him, insomuch that he fell to the earth. And it came to pass that he was nourished for the space of many days. (Jacob 7) 

In other words, Abinadi suffered death for challenging the sophic ideas of the high priests of Noah and Sherem died for challenging the mantic principles of the high priest appointed by Nephi. 

The misguided interpretation of the law of Moses condemned Abinadi, and the power of God condemned Sherem. 

One more parallel to close this post:  Just before Sherem died, he "confessed the Christ, and the power of the Holy Ghost, and the ministering of angels" (Jacob 7:17). On the contrary, Abinadi died as a result of refusing to recall his testimony of Christ. (Mosiah 17:8-9).

A note about "signs"

I posted this a few weeks ago, contrasting how Sherem sought a sign in order to believe, and the result served as a sign for the people, bringing them to repentance, but the sign did not benefit Sherem.

Notice the words of Jacob's prayer, found in verse 14:

if God shall smite thee, let that be a sign unto thee that he has power, both in heaven and in earth; and also, that Christ shall come. (Jacob 7)

 

In this series of posts, Stisa points out that the purpose of the creation is to reunite heaven and earth and prepare the children of men to meet God.

In verse 15, we see what I believe is a subtle mention of "heaven and earth":

15 And it came to pass that when I, Jacob, had spoken these words, the power of the Lord came upon him, insomuch that he fell to the earth.

This miraculous manifestation had an effect on the people who witnessed it: 

21 And when the multitude had witnessed that he spake these things as he was about to give up the ghost, they were astonished exceedingly; insomuch that the power of God came down upon them, and they were overcome that they fell to the earth.

Note that the power of God "came down" upon them, indicating its heavenly origin.

Here is a detail I overlooked in my initial post. According to verse 17, when Sherem asked for the people to gather, he:

• "spake plainly unto them and 
• denied the things which he had taught them, and 
• confessed 
• the Christ, and 
• the power of the Holy Ghost, and 
• the ministering of angels."

I can't help but notice that Sherem ends up "confessing" three essential parts of the gospel, outlined in my "Office of the Ministry of Angels" series found here. That is really interesting.

A note about what happened after Sherem died -- "let that be a sign unto thee that he has power"

 The account of Jacob's encounter with Sherem in Jacob 7 is multilayered and interesting on many levels. I just noticed one additional layer, involving what happens right after Sherem dies:

21 And when the multitude had witnessed that he spake these things as he was about to give up the ghost, they were astonished exceedingly; insomuch that the power of God came down upon them, and they were overcome that they fell to the earth.

Notice how this verse mirrors what had recently happened to Sherem a few verses earlier.

15 And it came to pass that when I, Jacob, had spoken these words, the power of the Lord came upon him, insomuch that he fell to the earth. And it came to pass that he was nourished for the space of many days.

Sherem had demanded that Jacob show him a sign:

13 And it came to pass that he said unto me: Show me a sign by this power of the Holy Ghost, in the which ye know so much.

Instead, what happened to him became a sign for the people. 

22 Now, this thing was pleasing unto me, Jacob, for I had requested it of my Father who was in heaven; for he had heard my cry and answered my prayer.

23 And it came to pass that peace and the love of God was restored again among the people; and they searched the scriptures, and hearkened no more to the words of this wicked man.

Jacob's prayer is found in verse 14:

14 And I said unto him: What am I that I should tempt God to show unto thee a sign in the thing which thou knowest to be true? Yet thou wilt deny it, because thou art of the devil. Nevertheless, not my will be done; but if God shall smite thee, let that be a sign unto thee that he has power, both in heaven and in earth; and also, that Christ shall come. And thy will, O Lord, be done, and not mine.

The fulfillment of Jacob's words certainly did provide a sign for Sherem, as he requested, though not to his benefit.  What befell him brought about an awareness in him of his awful state before God. The people who witnessed this were also wrought upon by the power of God, causing them to "search the scriptures" and restoring "peace and the love of God" among them, "[hearkening] no more to the words of this wicked man."

What I take from this is that we will all receive the witness we desire, at some point or another.  If we seek it willingly and humble ourselves, the signs provided to us by the Holy Ghost and holy works will allow us to stand clean before God at the day of judgment.

The proper order is for faith to precede the signs.  Satan tries to trick us into believing it goes the other way around -- seeing a sign first, only then being willing to believe.

Heaven and earth -- Part 1

A footnote in Quentin L. Cook's last General Conference talk led me down the rabbit hole. He refers to another conference talk by Ezra Taft Benson in October 1986. They both quote Moses 7:62

And righteousness will I send down out of heaven; 

and truth will I send forth out of the earth

This poetic parallelism involving both heaven and earth has pretty clear traces of ancient Israelite religion. Compare with another poetic parallelism in Deuteronomy 32:1

Give ear, O heavens, and I will speak! 

And let the earth hear the words of my mouth!

(The bold parts are just highlighting the parallelistic pairing, in addition to heaven/earth). A similar statement is found in Isaiah 1:2 and there are many other examples of scriptures involving heaven and earth. Most well-know, perhaps, is the very first verse in the Old Testament. We can also read the verse before the first quote, Moses 7:61

but before that day the heavens shall be darkened, and a veil of darkness shall cover the earth; and the heavens shall shake, and also the earth

Those who have followed this blog for a while can probably guess what comes next. Not surprisingly, we see many examples of this heaven and earth pairing in the Book of Mormon too. There are way more examples than I can include here, so let me just share a few.

in this ye have sinned, for ye have rejected all these things, notwithstanding so many evidences which ye have received; yea, even ye have received all things, both things in heaven, and all things which are in the earth, as a witness that they are true. (Helaman 8:24)

Repent ye, and prepare the way of the Lord, and walk in his paths, which are straight; for behold, the kingdom of heaven is at hand, and the Son of God cometh upon the face of the earth. (Alma 7:9)

Nevertheless, not my will be done; but if God shall smite thee, let that be a sign unto thee that he has power, both in heaven and in earth; and also, that Christ shall come. (Jacob 7:14) 

In trying to better understand where this is coming from, I found the following quote on this website

The purpose of the Jewish people—the objective of all Jewish history—is the marriage of heaven and earth. While many spiritual seekers and virtually all religions seek to escape the confines of the flesh and climb heavenward, the Jew is charged with a far more profound calling: first create peace, then build a bridge, and finally marry heaven and earth.

This "marriage" of heaven and earth is not foreign to those familiar with LDS theology. Joseph Smith said

This earth will be rolled back into the presence of God, and crowned with celestial glory (Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, p.181)

The earth itself becoming celestial is one manifestation of this "marriage". But let's go back to the first quote from Moses 7. Ezra Taft Benson commented on what Enoch saw: To summarize his interpretation:

• "righteousness will I send down out of heaven": The Father and the Son appearing to the boy Joseph and further revelations and manifestations, many of which are recorded in the D&C
• "truth will I send forth out of the earth": The Book of Mormon plates buried in the earth, coming forth and being translated

So the D&C/modern revelation and the Book of Mormon coming from heaven and earth, respectively, unite as tools in the beginning of the latter-day gathering of Israel. The next phrase in Moses 7:62 explains the purpose: "To bear testimony of mine Only Begotten."

This is consistent with another verse in the Book of Moses

And behold, all things have their likeness, and all things are created and made to bear record of me, both things which are temporal, and things which are spiritual; things which are in the heavens above, and things which are on the earth, and things which are in the earth, and things which are under the earth, both above and beneath: all things bear record of me. (Moses 6:63)

Going back again to Moses 7:62: So President Benson taught us that heaven and earth united at the commencement of the dispensation of the fullness of times. Interestingly, when we read the next few verses we realize that the latter-day gathering not only begins with but also culminates in a heaven-earth "marriage". The New Jerusalem will be built on earth and the City of Enoch, which was taken to heaven, will meet them. Then, as written in Revelation 21 and Ether 13, there will be a "new heaven and a new earth". We also read about the city of Enoch

And it came to pass that the Lord showed unto Enoch all the inhabitants of the earth; and he beheld, and lo, Zion, in process of time, was taken up into heaven. And the Lord said unto Enoch: Behold mine abode forever. (Moses 7:21, edited in, hat-tip to Lord Wilmore)

Based on the many scriptures I have shared so far, I have come to realize that the heaven-earth pairing is often done in conjunction with major events in God's plan for his children. For instance

• The creation (1 Moses 1:1)
• The first coming of Christ (Alma 7:9 as quoted. See also e.g. Mosiah 3:8)
• The restoration (Enoch 7:62 as quoted and discussed)
• The millennium (Ether 13:9)

Perhaps inspired by Lord Wilmore's (the other blogger) mission to find covenant related themes in the Book of Mormon, I see how this definitely fits in such a line of thought. More on that in part 2.

Reinforcing Jacob 4 with Jacob 7

After having found the parallels between Jacob 4 and Jacob 7 that I posted about recently, I started finding many more. I just have a hard time believing these came about by accident. Two seemingly unrelated chapters, but yet connected in so many ways. I'll just list what I found and you can judge for yourselves. To me, this is mind-blowing.

Searching and believing the scriptures

Jacob 4:6

Wherefore, we search the prophets

Jacob 7:23

they searched the scriptures

Those are just two examples, but both chapters focus on the prophets and the scriptures. Jacob 4 starts out with Jacob telling about the plates and his writings. He quotes the scriptures (Psalm 118) in verse 16 ("according to the scriptures"). The whole point of this connection seems to be that the scriptures testify of Christ. Jacob 4:4-5

For, for this intent have we written these things, that they may know that we knew of Christ, and we had a hope of his glory many hundred years before his coming; and not only we ourselves had a hope of his glory, but also all the holy prophets which were before us. Behold, they believed in Christ

Compare with the story of Sherem in Jacob 7:10-11

And I said unto him: Believest thou the scriptures? And he said, Yea. And I said unto him: Then ye do not understand them; for they truly testify of Christ. Behold, I say unto you that none of the prophets have written, nor prophesied, save they have spoken concerning this Christ. 

and 7:19

I have lied unto God; for I denied the Christ, and said that I believed the scriptures; and they truly testify of him.

 Labor diligently - hearts

Compare verse 3 in both of these chapters

3 Now in this thing we do rejoice; and we labor diligently to engraven these words upon plates, hoping that our beloved brethren and our children will receive them with thankful hearts (Jacob 4)

3 And he labored diligently that he might lead away the hearts of the people, insomuch that he did lead away many hearts (Jacob 7)

Another interesting parallel contrasting Jacob and Sherem.

The Jews looking beyond the mark

In Jacob 4, Jacob speaks about the Jews. In verse 14, he accuses them of killing the prophets (who testified of Christ) and looking beyond the mark. Sherem on the other hand speaks of Jacob and the Nephites and accuses them:

And ye have led away much of this people that they pervert the right way of God, and keep not the law of Moses which is the right way; and convert the law of Moses into the worship of a being which ye say shall come many hundred years hence (Jacob 7:7)

In other words, Sherem claims they should fix their eyes on the Law of Moses and that looking forward to Christ was "looking beyond the mark". But he is wrong. The stone (Christ) that Jacob talks about in chapter 4, that will be a stumbling stone for the Jews, will ultimately be a sure foundation and a corner stone.

With these parallels, it's as if Jacob sets up an interesting theological debate between the two, even though Sherem was not around in Jacob 4.

Looking forward to Christ

This might overlap a bit with the one about scriptures and the Jews/Law of Moses, but another illustration of the contrast between Jacob and Sherem is found here

we knew of Christ and had a hope of his glory (Jacob 4:4)

declare unto them that there should be no Christ (Jacob 7:2)

Knowing of things to come

Another major theme in both of these chapters is about the possibility to know anything about the future, particularly concerning the coming of Christ. In Jacob 4, Jacob argues that prophecy is real and the spirit can witness of things pertaining to the future. In verses 12-13

why not speak of the atonement of Christ, and attain to a perfect knowledge of him, as to attain to the knowledge of a resurrection and the world to come? Behold, my brethren, he that prophesieth, let him prophesy to the understanding of men; for the Spirit speaketh the truth and lieth not. Wherefore, it speaketh of things as they really are, and of things as they really will be

In Jacob 7, Sherem argues the opposite in verse 7

...a being which ye say shall come many hundred years hence. And now behold, I, Sherem, declare unto you that this is blasphemy; for no man knoweth of such things; for he cannot tell of things to come.

Power

Another major theme in both of these chapters is power. It's a word repeated 13 times in total in these two chapters. In Jacob 4, it is all about God being the ultimate source of power.

Nevertheless, the Lord God showeth us our weakness that we may know that it is by his grace, and his great condescensions unto the children of men, that we have power to do these things. (Jacob 4:7)

For behold, by the power of his word man came upon the face of the earth, which earth was created by the power of his word (Jacob 4:9)

In Jacob 7, Sherem is using his power that comes from a different source

he could use much flattery, and much power of speech, according to the power of the devil. (Jacob 7:4)

Later, he challenges the source of Jacob's power

13 And it came to pass that he said unto me: Show me a sign by this power of the Holy Ghost, in the which ye know so much.

14 And I said unto him: What am I that I should tempt God to show unto thee a sign in the thing which thou knowest to be true? Yet thou wilt deny it, because thou art of the devil. Nevertheless, not my will be done; but if God shall smite thee, let that be a sign unto thee that he has power, both in heaven and in earth; and also, that Christ shall come. And thy will, O Lord, be done, and not mine.

15 And it came to pass that when I, Jacob, had spoken these words, the power of the Lord came upon him, insomuch that he fell to the earth. And it came to pass that he was nourished for the space of many days.

 His failed challenge leads him to confess in verses 17-18

he spake plainly unto them and denied the things which he had taught them, and confessed the Christ, and the power of the Holy Ghost, and the ministering of angels. And he spake plainly unto them, that he had been deceived by the power of the devil.

The topic of power doesn't even end there. After the people have gathered and witnessed the death of Sherem (the ultimate proof that his source of power was nothing compared to Jacob's), we read the following in verse 21

And when the multitude had witnessed that he spake these things as he was about to give up the ghost, they were astonished exceedingly; insomuch that the power of God came down upon them, and they were overcome that they fell to the earth.

Unshaken faith

Just in case you missed the previous post about this, here is a repetition of the first parallel I found.

Compare Jacob 4:6

Wherefore, we search the prophets, and we have many revelations and the spirit of prophecy; and having all these witnesses we obtain a hope, and our faith becometh unshaken, insomuch that we truly can command in the name of Jesus

with Jacob 7:5

And he had hope to shake me from the faith, notwithstanding the many revelations and the many things which I had seen concerning these things; for I truly had seen angels, and they had ministered unto me. And also, I had heard the voice of the Lord speaking unto me in very word, from time to time; wherefore, I could not be shaken.

...followed by Jacob commanding and Sherem overcome by God's power.

Conclusion

I can't bring myself to believe that all these parallels are coincidental. This is brilliant authorship by Jacob. He brings up a lot of important doctrinal points in chapter 4 about the coming of Christ, the Jews, prophecy, power, scriptures, labor and unshaken faith. In chapter 7, Sherem comes along and challenges every single point. Jacob refutes them verbally, followed by a demonstration of God's power on him physically. By telling the story about Sherem, Jacob verifies and reinforces all the points he brought up in chapter 4.

"Unshaken"

Reading Enos 1:11, I noticed the word, "unshaken"

And after I, Enos, had heard these words, my faith began to be unshaken in the Lord

I remember having read this before in Jacob somewhere, so I looked it up. I have written about Jacob's personality previously, showing some expressions typical for him. This is one that I missed but "shaken/unshaken" in the context of firm in the faith is used once by Nephi, once by Enos (in the quote above), once by Mormon and five times by Jacob. I don't know how much Enos' use of this expression is related to this statement in Enos 1:1,

Behold, it came to pass that I, Enos, knowing my father that he was a just man—for he taught me in his language, and also in the nurture and admonition of the Lord—and blessed be the name of my God for it

but I find the following connection interesting: Jacob 4:6

Wherefore, we search the prophets, and we have many revelations and the spirit of prophecy; and having all these witnesses we obtain a hope, and our faith becometh unshaken, insomuch that we truly can command in the name of Jesus

and the encounter with Sherem in Jacob 7:5

And he had hope to shake me from the faith, notwithstanding the many revelations and the many things which I had seen concerning these things; for I truly had seen angels, and they had ministered unto me. And also, I had heard the voice of the Lord speaking unto me in very word, from time to time; wherefore, I could not be shaken.

What happens next is that Jacob commands in the name of the Lord (Jacob 7:14-15) and Sherem is struck.

It is completely natural that certain words and expressions are recurring in a long text such as the Book of Mormon. But I don't think connections like this example are arbitrary (like rare/unique expressions and multiple connections in the same verse pairs). Jacob says in one of the quoted chapters that "we labor diligently to engraven these words upon plates" (Jacob 4:3). In my recent studies I have found that the Book of Mormon text, down to pretty much every single word, is deliberate and not left to chance. If we study as diligently as they engraved their words, I think there are numerous possibilities to detect these connections and learn from them. 

Recognizing this presumably intended connection between these two passages, what can we learn from it? One technique I think Jacob is using is simply emphasizing a principle by repetition: If we seek and obtain revelation, our faith becomes unshaken. A great way to teach this principle is by first stating the doctrine (Jacob 4) and then giving a real life example of its application (Jacob 7). 

Another interesting detail is the different uses of the word, "hope", in these two verses. In Jacob 4, the "many revelations" lead to hope, which in turn leads to unshaken faith. In Jacob 7, Sherem had hope that he could shake Jacob's faith despite his "many revelations". That is a very different kind of hope. Jacob makes it very clear what kind of hope prevails in the end.

Jacob's personality -- Part 2

Having looked for Jacob's "distinct voice" in the Book of Mormon, I am trying to get under his skin. I showed some examples in part 1. Compared to other Book of Mormon writers and the relative proportion of his writings, Jacob seems very focused on

• His anxiety for the welfare of the Nephites
• Taking his duty to preach very seriously, to avoid his garments being stained with the blood of his listeners
• The awful endless torment of the damned, the "lake of fire and brimstone"

All these three seem related somehow and they help us understand the person, Jacob. He is an anxious person and his anxiety is related to the welfare of his people. He does everything in his power to help them understand and avoid "the consequences of sin" (2 Nephi 9:48), which he describes liberally in strong symbolic terms. That is why he also takes his duty to preach so seriously.

In general, Jacob comes across as a dramatic and even a bit poetic type of person. In addition to the trends from the quotes in part 1, this side of his personality I think is reflected in statements like these:

O how great the goodness of our God, who prepareth a way for our escape from the grasp of this awful monster (2 Nephi 9:10)

O that he would show you that he can pierce you, and with one glance of his eye he can smite you to the dust! (Jacob 2:15)

our lives passed away like as it were unto us a dream, we being a lonesome and a solemn people, wanderers, cast out from Jerusalem, born in tribulation, in a wilderness, and hated of our brethren, which caused wars and contentions; wherefore, we did mourn out our days (Jacob 7:26)

Add to that, Jacob is also quoting from the Book of Psalms several times in his book, which is not otherwise frequently quoted in the Book of Mormon. Perhaps Jacob was musically talented too?

There are of course too few clues to get a deep understanding of Jacob's personality and perhaps my analysis is a bit off. But I think it's an interesting exercise nonetheless. The Book of Mormon authors were real people with distinct personalities and character traits and I hope that I'm able to meet them some day and thank them for their invaluable contribution.

For more fact-based information about Jacob, this is what we know

• He was born in the wilderness after his family had fled Jerusalem, meaning he never lived in Jerusalem like his parents and older brothers. All he knew about Jerusalem was what he had heard and read
• He suffered much affliction and sorrow in his childhood because of the rudeness of his brothers (2 Nephi 2:1)
• He saw the Savior in his youth (2 Nephi 2:4 and 2 Nephi 11:3)
• After they separated from Laman, Lemuel and the others, Jacob was consecrated by Nephi a priest and teacher over the people
• The Book of Mormon says nothing about his age, but he might have lived to be very old, and possibly also had children at an old age (remarried?), since his son Enos was still alive 179 years after Lehi left Jerusalem (Enos 1:25), which would be a few years before Jacob's birth.

The Book of Mormon rocks

Sorry, I couldn't resist the temptation to use a word-play to create a click-bait title, it should read "the rocks in the Book of Mormon". For context, let me comment briefly on the use of rocks in the Bible. About 50% of the use is metaphorical and points to the Savior. "Rock of my salvation" is found multiple times in the book of Psalms for instance. Moses smote the rock and water came out. Christ is the source of living water and Paul is saying that the rock was Christ. The symbolism is fitting when we think about the steadfastness of the solid rock.

Even though they didn't have the New Testament story of Jesus at the well or Paul's letters, Lehi, Nephi and their righteous descendants definitely were familiar with this symbolism. One example is found in 2 Nephi 25:20

And now, my brethren, I have spoken plainly that ye cannot err. And as the Lord God liveth that brought Israel up out of the land of Egypt, and gave unto Moses power that he should heal the nations after they had been bitten by the poisonous serpents, if they would cast their eyes unto the serpent which he did raise up before them, and also gave him power that he should smite the rock and the water should come forth; yea, behold I say unto you, that as these things are true, and as the Lord God liveth, there is none other name given under heaven save it be this Jesus Christ, of which I have spoken, whereby man can be saved.

I don't think it's a coincidence that Nephi uses the story of Moses smiting a rock as an example when he testifies of the salvation through Christ. As a side note, I also noticed the repetitive resumption in this verse and marked it in yellow.

We also see the "my rock and my salvation" and "the rock of my salvation" language from the Old Testament echoed in the Book of Mormon.

Psalm 95:1

O come, let us sing unto the Lord: let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation.

2 Nephi 4:30

Rejoice, O my heart, and cry unto the Lord, and say: O Lord, I will praise thee forever; yea, my soul will rejoice in thee, my God, and the rock of my salvation.

No wonder we refer to 2 Nephi 4 as Nephi's psalm. There are multiple other examples both from the Bible and the Book of Mormon and I will not list them all. But I actually started looking into this when I read 1 Nephi 13:36

And in them [the Nephite records] shall be written my gospel, saith the Lamb, and my rock and my salvation.

I was a bit puzzled by the way it was phrased. It seems that the verse is saying that "my rock and my salvation" shall be written in the records. This use of the expression would deviate a bit from the norm. Considering the fact that the punctuation was not part of the original text and placed there by the printer, E. B. Grandin, perhaps it would be better to drop the comma after Lamb. "saith the Lamb and my rock and my salvation", changes the meaning and is perhaps a better one, in my opinion, more in line with the other similar expressions in the scriptures.

We have seen before that Jacob seems particularly fond of the Book of Psalms and he uses this expression both in 2 Nephi 9:45

O, my beloved brethren, turn away from your sins; shake off the chains of him that would bind you fast; come unto that God who is the rock of your salvation.

and in Jacob 7:25

Wherefore, the people of Nephi did fortify against them with their arms, and with all their might, trusting in the God and rock of their salvation;

I will create another post tomorrow looking further into the use of rocks as symbol in the Book of Mormon.

"Anti-Christs" in the Book of Mormon

We read about many people in the BoM who denied Christ, but there are three persons who stand out as "anti-Christs", who go around among the people and actively preach against His coming. Here's a short summary/analysis:

Sherem (Jacob 7) is preaching that a belief in Christ is distracting the people from keeping the Law of Moses and that "no man knoweth of such things; for he cannot tell of things to come". Ironically, the Law of Moses was "a shadow of those things which are to come" (Mosiah 16:14).

Nehor (Alma 1) is preaching that priests and teachers should become popular and that "all mankind should be saved at the last day". It doesn't explicitly say in Alma 1 that he denied the coming of Christ, but it becomes clear as we read about other people later who practice his religion. See for instance Alma 21:4-8. In verse 8, we read: "We do not believe that thou knowest of things to come".

Korihor (Alma 30) is preaching that there should be no Christ, "for no man can know of anything which is to come" and "that when a man was dead, that was the end thereof". He even says there is no God.

Observations:

• All three deny the coming of Christ, arguing that it's impossible to know anything about the future.
• There is a progression from religiosity to atheism: Sherem wanted the people to get back on track, the Law of Moses being the "right way". Nehor believes that everyone will be saved anyway, so we are not responsible to God for our actions. Korihor denies the very existence of a God.
• Perhaps Satan does not worry too much about what people believe as long as they don't believe in Christ? Except for denying the coming of Christ, Sherem, Nehor and Korihor all gave different messages, perhaps what the people around them at the time were the most likely to receive. It didn't really matter as long as it led them away from Christ.

Devilish Details in the Book of Mormon -- Part 2

The devil is a very common topic in the Book of Mormon.  In yesterday's post, we looked at names for the devil used in the Book of Mormon.  Today's list contains words that describe Satan's tactics.

Part 2
Description of the devil's ways:



lie -- 41, 7

42 Behold, I know that thou believest, but thou art possessed with a lying spirit, and ye have put off the Spirit of God that it may have no place in you; but the devil has power over you, and he doth carry you about, working devices that he may destroy the children of God. (Alma 30)

subtle -- 3, 1

4 And thou seest that we know that thy plan was a very subtle plan, as to the subtlety of the devil, for to lie and to deceive this people that thou mightest set them against us, to revile us and to cast us out-- (Alma 12)

cunning -- 22, 2

29 Yea, we see that whosoever will may lay hold upon the word of God, which is quick and powerful, which shall divide asunder all the cunning and the snares and the wiles of the devil, and lead the man of Christ in a strait and narrow course across that everlasting gulf of misery which is prepared to engulf the wicked—
30 And land their souls, yea, their immortal souls, at the right hand of God in the kingdom of heaven, to sit down with Abraham, and Isaac, and with Jacob, and with all our holy fathers, to go no more out. (Helaman 3)

10 But behold, the life of my servant shall be in my hand; therefore they shall not hurt him, although he shall be marred because of them. Yet I will heal him, for I will show unto them that my wisdom is greater than the cunning of the devil. (3 Nephi 21)

deceive -- 14, 1

18 And he spake plainly unto them, that he had been deceived by the power of the devil. And he spake of hell, and of eternity, and of eternal punishment. (Jacob 7)

flattery* -- 21, 2

22 And behold, others he flattereth away, and telleth them there is no hell; and he saith unto them: I am no devil, for there is none—and thus he whispereth in their ears, until he grasps them with his awful chains, from whence there is no deliverance. (2 Nephi 28)

device* -- 4, 2

42 Behold, I know that thou believest, but thou art possessed with a lying spirit, and ye have put off the Spirit of God that it may have no place in you; but the devil has power over you, and he doth carry you about, working devices that he may destroy the children of God. (Alma 30)

snare* -- 12, 1

13 And thus we see how great the inequality of man is because of sin and transgression, and the power of the devil, which comes by the cunning plans which he hath devised to ensnare the hearts of men. (Alma 28)

Outsider evidence: Sherem has a "perfect knowledge of the language of the people"

In Jacob 7:4, we learn that Sherem (who contends with Jacob in this chapter) has "a perfect knowledge of the language of the people.  This makes no sense in the context of Nephites living in isolation from all other people, but makes a lot of sense if they live among native people who came along with them.  Jacob's first spoken language would certainly have been Hebrew. If Sherem has a language advantage over Jacob as it relates to the people, it makes sense his first language is a New World tongue.

For other examples of "Outsider evidence", see this (growing) list.