Weeping/mourning/sadness becomes joy through Jesus Christ

Here is a very short note showing an intriguing connection between the New Testament and the Book of Mormon.

Here are Christ's words from John 16:

20 Verily, verily, I say unto you, That ye shall weep and lament, but the world shall rejoice: and ye shall be sorrowful, but your sorrow shall be turned into joy.

And here are Mormon's words from 3 Nephi 10:

10 And the earth did cleave together again, that it stood; and the mourning, and the weeping, and the wailing of the people who were spared alive did cease; and their mourning was turned into joy, and their lamentations into the praise and thanksgiving unto the Lord Jesus Christ, their Redeemer.

This is really interesting to me. I can't help but assume that but accounts are based off of an earlier scripture. I looked for some possible candidates, though we may not have it in our current scriptures. Here are some possibilities:

5 For his anger endureth but a moment; in his favour is life: weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning. (Psalm 30)

2 To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all that mourn;

3 To appoint unto them that mourn in Zion, to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they might be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, that he might be glorified. (Isaiah 61) 

13 Then shall the virgin rejoice in the dance, both young men and old together: for I will turn their mourning into joy, and will comfort them, and make them rejoice from their sorrow. (Jeremiah 31) 

Noah, the ark, and "rest" -- part 7 ("Remember")

This post continues an overview of many related concepts, ultimately connecting Noah's ark with the rest we find through an everlasting covenant with God.

Today we'll focus on "remember" -- a word we've discussed many times on the blog (see here and here for example).

The Hebrew context of the word "remember" is very interesting.  It's a two-way street that goes far beyond merely recalling information -- it is about bringing a person to mind and then acting for their benefit. One scholar put it this way:

God's remembering has to do with his attention and intervention, whether in grace or judgment.1

As it relates to man remembering God, another scholar said this:

Thus, Hebrew זָכַר (#2349) when collocationally related to Yahweh carries a connotative meaning of encouragement (remembering past mercy) or of repentance (remembering past judgment). Indeed, the semantic domain of זָכַר is extensive, involving reflection, reasoning, meditating, submitting, committing.2

Thus, when God remembers us, He intervenes on our behalf, and when we (properly) remember Him, we act in accordance with His will for us.

"And God remembered..."

This Old Testament phrase delights me. It shows up in various contexts, but you can see in the passages below that God's remembering is always connected to His intervention.

• Noah (Genesis 8:1)
• Abraham (Genesis 19:29)
• Rachel (Genesis 30:22)
• Israel (Exodus 2:23-25)
• Hannah (1 Samuel 1:19)
• Ephraim (Jeremiah 31:20)

When God remembered Noah, He caused the flood to subside. He later covenanted with Noah and gave him a sign to remember the covenant. When He remembers Rachel and Hannah, He gives them each a son. Abraham receives protection for Lot. Ephraim will receive mercy. Each of these actions points our minds to the atoning sacrifice of Jesus Christ, the ultimate act associated with God "remembering" His people. For us, mercy comes in the form of deliverance from destruction by our brother, a Messiah willing to covenant with us.

"Remember how merciful the Lord hath been unto the children of men"

Many scriptures speak of our duty to remember God, both what He has done for the faithful in the past, what He does for us each day, and what He will yet do for us in the future. Moroni exhorts us to "remember" in four separate verses in the final chapter of the Book of Mormon. We are to remember His mercy to His children from Adam to the present day (v.3), that "every good gift cometh of Christ" (v. 18), that God is "the same yesterday, today, and forever" (v. 19), and finally he exhorts us to remember God's word, specifically the Book of Mormon by which we shall be judged (v. 27).  This "remembering" is certainly coupled to action.

'Remember' and harmony in the creation

The balance between us remembering God and God remembering us bring about a harmony in the creation. This is righteousness, as will be discussed in the next post. The concept is beautifully illustrated in Psalm 105:

4 Seek the Lord, and his strength: seek his face evermore.
5 Remember his marvellous works that he hath done; his wonders, and the judgments of his mouth;
6 O ye seed of Abraham his servant, ye children of Jacob his chosen.
...
38 Egypt was glad when they departed: for the fear of them fell upon them.
39 He spread a cloud for a covering; and fire to give light in the night.
40 The people asked, and he brought quails, and satisfied them with the bread of heaven.
41 He opened the rock, and the waters gushed out; they ran in the dry places like a river.
42 For he remembered his holy promise, and Abraham his servant.
43 And he brought forth his people with joy, and his chosen with gladness:
44 And gave them the lands of the heathen: and they inherited the labour of the people;
45 That they might observe his statutes, and keep his laws. Praise ye the Lord. (Psalm 105)

1: Leslie C. Allen, "2349 זכר" NIDOTTE, 1:1100-1105

2: VanGemeren, W. (Ed.). (1997). New international dictionary of Old Testament theology & exegesis (Vol. 1, p. 148). Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House.

The Creation-Covenant Connection in more detail, part 1

These days I'm spending a lot of time thinking about the connection between Creation and Covenant.  Margaret Barker proposes that both words derive from a primitive Hebrew root associated with "organizing" and "bringing together." The covenant was first introduced in the Garden of Eden. Transgression led to the Fall, which drove Adam and Eve out into a cursed, thorny, dusty wilderness (see Genesis 3:17-19).

The Fall brought us to a wilderness and a world of trouble.  The Everlasting Covenant shows us the way to return to the garden. This theme has been discussed many times in other posts, which you can find here.

In this series of posts, we'll walk through this concept in more detail and hopefully find new meaning in a few scriptural passages along the way.

Part 1 -- "The Light of the Knowledge of the Glory of God in the Face of Jesus Christ"
Part 2 -- A Divinely-Appointed Curse "for [our] sakes"
Part 3 -- "Rending the Veil of Unbelief" and "Dispersing the Cloud/Mists of Darkness"
Part 4 -- Creation, Covenant, and "Life"

Part 1 -- "The Light of the Knowledge of the Glory of God in the Face of Jesus Christ"

In this post, I'll illustrate the connection between "light" and the Gospel of Jesus Christ, with a specific focus on covenants.  We'll start with a well-known Psalm, 

1 The Lord is my light and my salvation;
    whom shall I fear?
The Lord is the stronghold of my life;
    of whom shall I be afraid?

2 When evildoers assail me
    to devour my flesh—
my adversaries and foes—
    they shall stumble and fall.

3 Though an army encamp against me,
    my heart shall not fear;
though war rise up against me,
    yet I will be confident.

4 One thing I asked of the Lord,
    that will I seek after:
to live in the house of the Lord
    all the days of my life,
to behold the beauty of the Lord,
    and to inquire in his temple.

5 For he will hide me in his shelter
    in the day of trouble;
he will conceal me under the cover of his tent;
    he will set me high on a rock.

6 Now my head is lifted up
    above my enemies all around me,
and I will offer in his tent
    sacrifices with shouts of joy;
I will sing and make melody to the Lord. (Psalm 27, NRSV)

One of the most intriguing aspects of Barker's "Creation-Covenant Connection" is that our progression along the path actually peels away the layers of the physical creation until we return to the presence of God, which is symbolized by the Light which came into existence "before the foundation of the world." In other words, Day One of the creation came before the other days. Christ was with the Father before the creation of the world.

I know that probably sounds weird, but several passages in the New Testament (along with similar symbolic language in the Book of Mormon and other scripture) cause me to believe Barker is on to something.

17 He himself is before all things, and in him all things hold together.  (Colossians 1, NRSV)

Here is another example, from these words of Paul:

6 For it is the God who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. (2 Corinthians 4, NRSV)

Notice the direct connection of the creation of light by God and "the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ." There are definite temple connections built into these symbols, especially in light of the connection between the glory of God and the robes of the Priesthood. (See Exodus 28:2.) This is perhaps why the rising sun is a perfect symbol of Jesus Christ.

What blocks this Light?

We only get to see that glorious light when we are able to look past the veil of unbelief. Paul talks about that, too, in the same passage quoted above:

3 And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing. 4 In their case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. 5 For we do not proclaim ourselves; we proclaim Jesus Christ as Lord and ourselves as your slaves for Jesus’ sake. (2 Corinthians 4, NRSV)

The glorious light of the Gospel is veiled by "the god of this world," who has "blinded the minds of the unbelievers."

What is the tool Satan uses to blind the minds of the unbelievers?  The creation itself!  Our carnal appetites give him a foothold, if we let him.  Greed, envy, lust, anger, etc.

The Book of Mormon has numerous references to blindness and more than one reference to "the veil of unbelief." We'll discuss those in part 3.

The consequence of blindness

Just as God cursed the ground for Adam's sake, to remind him to point himself toward Eden, we bring upon ourselves a curse when we stray from our covenants.  I believe this curse is a built-in feature of the creation, with a very specific intent.  This curse will be the subject of part 2.  

Conclusion

I'll end this part with two beautiful passages from Jeremiah 31. The whole chapter swirls around this theme and rings with optimism about a future day when Israel is gathered in peace and abundance, followed by a description of the "new covenant" God will make with Israel in a coming day.  Notice the reference to writing the law on their hearts, and compare that to Paul's description of the light "shone in our hearts."

10 

Hear the word of the Lord, O nations,    and declare it in the coastlands far away;say, “He who scattered Israel will gather him,    and will keep him as a shepherd a flock.”11 For the Lord has ransomed Jacob,    and has redeemed him from hands too strong for him.12 They shall come and sing aloud on the height of Zion,    and they shall be radiant over the goodness of the Lord,over the grain, the wine, and the oil,    and over the young of the flock and the herd;their life shall become like a watered garden,    and they shall never languish again. 

31 The days are surely coming, says the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah. 32 It will not be like the covenant that I made with their ancestors when I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt—a covenant that they broke, though I was their husband, says the Lord. 33 But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the Lord: I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. (Jeremiah 31:10-12; 31-33, NSRV)