"Teach them diligently unto thy children"

In the Book of Deuteronomy, when the Israelites are about to enter into the promised land, they are admonished over and over to keep the judgments, statutes and commandments of the Lord. They are informed about the blessings that await if they do and warned about the curses that inevitably follow if they don't. This passage is particularly well-known 

4 Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God is one Lord:

5 And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might.

6 And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart:

7 And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up.

8 And thou shalt bind them for a sign upon thine hand, and they shall be as frontlets between thine eyes.

9 And thou shalt write them upon the posts of thy house, and on thy gates. (Deuteronomy 6)

The Savior quotes verse 5 when he answers the famous question about the greatest commandment. But I wanted to focus on verse 7 about teaching the children. The NRSV Cultural Backgrounds Study Bible comments on this verse: 

The inculcation of moral principles and wisdom in youth was practiced widely in the ancient Near East. In Egypt, teaching and instruction were used from at least 2500 BC up until the time of the Ptolemies (c. 300 BC). Rules of conduct and learning were prepared for sons. From moral issues to royal protocol, children were trained in the home or in the king’s palace. Order, truth and justice were important. In Mesopotamia, Sumerian literature includes the advice of a father to his son. Several famous works of a didactic nature come from Mesopotamia. Repetition by mouth, copying texts and strict discipline (the rod!) were the main pedagogical means of “impressing” a desired curriculum on a student or child. This was done both in the home and in any place of learning available. Covenantal conditions and stipulations were passed on so that following generations would know and pursue them diligently

This is not the first time I read about ancient Israelite customs and see how well the Book of Mormon fits into that cultural framework. Especially the bolded parts are easily recognized in several Book of Mormon passages. Here are some examples:

Lehi's teachings to his sons

This is perhaps the best example of Near Eastern fatherly inculcation in the Book of Mormon. There are too many examples to go through in detail, but despite mixed outcomes, Lehi is quite clear about his objectives. 

28 And now, my sons, I would that ye should look to the great Mediator, and hearken unto his great commandments; and be faithful unto his words, and choose eternal life, according to the will of his Holy Spirit;

29 And not choose eternal death, according to the will of the flesh and the evil which is therein, which giveth the spirit of the devil power to captivate, to bring you down to hell, that he may reign over you in his own kingdom.

30 I have spoken these few words unto you all, my sons, in the last days of my probation; and I have chosen the good part, according to the words of the prophet. And I have none other object save it be the everlasting welfare of your souls. Amen. (Nephi 1-4)

The way of life and the way of death is the essence of Deuteronomy and this is what Lehi lays out in this chapter. "I have none other object save it be the everlasting welfare of your souls" is really strong language. All of 2 Nephi 1-3 and some of chapter 4 is Lehi's "advice of a father to his son" with "covenantal conditions and stipulations...passed on so that the following generations would know and pursue them diligently"

5 But, said he, notwithstanding our afflictions, we have obtained a land of promise, a land which is choice above all other lands; a land which the Lord God hath covenanted with me should be a land for the inheritance of my seed. Yea, the Lord hath covenanted this land unto me, and to my children forever, and also all those who should be led out of other countries by the hand of the Lord. (2 Nephi 1)

3 Wherefore, after my father had made an end of speaking concerning the prophecies of Joseph, he called the children of Laman, his sons, and his daughters, and said unto them: Behold, my sons, and my daughters, who are the sons and the daughters of my firstborn, I would that ye should give ear unto my words.

4 For the Lord God hath said that: Inasmuch as ye shall keep my commandments ye shall prosper in the land; and inasmuch as ye will not keep my commandments ye shall be cut off from my presence.

5 But behold, my sons and my daughters, I cannot go down to my grave save I should leave a blessing upon you; for behold, I know that if ye are brought up in the way ye should go ye will not depart from it.

6 Wherefore, if ye are cursed, behold, I leave my blessing upon you, that the cursing may be taken from you and be answered upon the heads of your parents.

7 Wherefore, because of my blessing the Lord God will not suffer that ye shall perish; wherefore, he will be merciful unto you and unto your seed forever. (2 Nephi 4) 

We could go on but this sample is sufficient to illustrate the point. 

King Benjamin's teachings to his sons

This account is much briefer but sufficient to see the ancient Near Eastern cultural heritage

2 And it came to pass that he had three sons; and he called their names Mosiah, and Helorum, and Helaman. And he caused that they should be taught in all the language of his fathers, that thereby they might become men of understanding; and that they might know concerning the prophecies which had been spoken by the mouths of their fathers, which were delivered them by the hand of the Lord.

3 And he also taught them concerning the records which were engraven on the plates of brass, saying: My sons, I would that ye should remember that were it not for these plates, which contain these records and these commandments, we must have suffered in ignorance, even at this present time, not knowing the mysteries of God.

4 For it were not possible that our father, Lehi, could have remembered all these things, to have taught them to his children, except it were for the help of these plates; for he having been taught in the language of the Egyptians therefore he could read these engravings, and teach them to his children, that thereby they could teach them to their children, and so fulfilling the commandments of God, even down to this present time.

7 And now, my sons, I would that ye should remember to search them diligently, that ye may profit thereby; and I would that ye should keep the commandments of God, that ye may prosper in the land according to the promises which the Lord made unto our fathers.

8 And many more things did king Benjamin teach his sons, which are not written in this book.

Apparently, this account is very abbreviated, and King Benjamin taught his sons "many more things". In verse 4, King Benjamin seems to refer to Deuteronomy 6:7, probably among other things, where the commandment to teach the word of God to your children is given.

Alma-II to his sons

I am sure that all the righteous record keepers in the Book of Mormon had similar teaching sessions to their sons, even though not all have been recorded. But Mormon decided to include Alma's word to his sons and take them directly from his own record. Here we see the same pattern, especially with Helaman who is the oldest and the next record keeper.

13 O remember, remember, my son Helaman, how strict are the commandments of God. And he said: If ye will keep my commandments ye shall prosper in the land—but if ye keep not his commandments ye shall be cut off from his presence...

17 For he will fulfil all his promises which he shall make unto you, for he has fulfilled his promises which he has made unto our fathers...

20 Therefore I command you, my son Helaman, that ye be diligent in fulfilling all my words, and that ye be diligent in keeping the commandments of God as they are written....

35 O, remember, my son, and learn wisdom in thy youth; yea, learn in thy youth to keep the commandments of God. (Alma 37)

The bold parts are directly linked to the quoted description of the ancient Israelite practice of fathers teaching their sons.

Belonging to Yahweh

For a person to belong to another person is a very foreign and perhaps even abhorrent notion today. But it was a normal part of ancient cultures. For instance

Often a man who had taken on debt and could not pay it off was forced to sell himself or one of his family members to the creditor as a debt-slave. No actual “sale” took place, but the person was transferred into the possession of the creditor. The “sale price” was understood to be a loan, which the debtor had already received and was now unable to repay. Redemption occurred when the debtor or one of his family members eventually acquired the means to pay off the debt and thereby retrieve the debt-slave from the creditor. To redeem a person was, in a sense, the act of buying the person back from the creditor, often at the same price (the amount of the loan) at which the person was “sold.” (NRSV, Cultural Backgrounds Study Bible)

Even though we may be uncomfortable with it, the common scriptural idea of being the Lord's people and belonging to him is best understood in this context. A lot of this can be traced back to the Exodus. 

The LORD said to Moses: Consecrate to me all the firstborn; whatever is the first to open the womb among the Israelites, of human beings and animals, is mine...When in the future your child asks you, ‘What does this mean?’ you shall answer, ‘By strength of hand the LORD brought us out of Egypt, from the house of slavery. When Pharaoh stubbornly refused to let us go, the LORD killed all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, from human firstborn to the firstborn of animals. Therefore I sacrifice to the LORD every male that first opens the womb, but every firstborn of my sons I redeem. (Exodus 13:1-2, 14-15)

Apparently, the Israelites were indebted to Yahweh for sparing their firstborn right before they left Egypt. We remember that they were spared as long as the blood of the lamb was stricken on the door posts. But as stated in Exodus 13, they would now belong to the Lord. The firstborn animals were therefore sacrificed to him, but the firstborn human male would be "redeemed", that is, an animal could be sacrificed in his place, just like a redeemer could pay the debt of someone else according to ancient practice. Later on, the firstborn are replaced or "redeemed" by the Levites.

I hereby accept the Levites from among the Israelites as substitutes for all the firstborn that open the womb among the Israelites. The Levites shall be mine, for all the firstborn are mine; when I killed all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, I consecrated for my own all the firstborn in Israel, both human and animal; they shall be mine. I am the LORD. (Numbers 3:12-13)

In Numbers 8, there is a formal consecration of the Levites as substitutes for all the firstborn belonging to the Lord. In verses 6-12, the Levites are commanded to wash themselves, offer a sin offering, go to the tabernacle to be brought before the Lord, and have Israel lay their hands on their heads. Then the Levites are to be offered as an offering to the Lord!

13Then you shall have the Levites stand before Aaron and his sons, and you shall present them as an elevation offering to the LORD. Thus you shall separate the Levites from among the other Israelites, and the Levites shall be mine. (Numbers 8:13-14)

Fortunately, unlike many other cultures at the time, human sacrifice was strictly forbidden under Mosaic law. Instead of the Levites being slain and burned on the altar, animals again "redeem" them or are sacrificed in their place. But the "elevation offering" is interesting. It has different translations in different Bible versions, but here is an explanation

The Hebrew word translated “elevation offering” denotes a type of offering that is lifted up toward the heavens in presentation and dedication to God and then lowered into the hands of the priest. This practice is evidenced in Egyptian and Mesopotamian ritual offerings pictured on monuments, steles and plaques. Often the breast or right thigh of the animal was uplifted as an elevation offering. In Israel, the elevation offering was associated with the well-being offering (here; v. 34; 23.20), the consecration of the priests (8.29; Ex 29.27), the dedication of the Levites (Num 8.11– 13, 21), and the purification ritual for Nazirites (Num 6.19– 20). In Lev 10.15, the “thigh that is raised” (that is, moved upward) and the “breast that is elevated” (in Hebrew, moved from side to side) were ordained as gifts for the Aaronic priesthood. Grain and oil offerings were also presented in such fashion, as with the consecration of the priests (8.27; Ex 29.23– 24), cleansing ritual for lepers (Lev 14.12, 21, 24) and the sheaf of grain and two loaves for the festival of weeks (23.15,17). The transference ritual of up and down, forward and backward movement signified that the offering was moving from its temporary owner to its ultimate owner, God. (emphasis added)

I don't know what that would have looked like for the Levites who were presented as an elevation offering to the Lord in the tabernacle, but I can imagine them waving or making some gesture towards heaven to indicate that they now belong to Yahweh as his property. After this they are ready to officiate in the tabernacle.

Levites also served as guardians of the sanctuary and constituted the first level of human presence in proximity to the tabernacle according to detailed encampment instructions for Israel in a "concentric circles of holiness" arrangement. I will not go into details here as Lord Wilmore soon will write more about that. But in their function they provided a constant visible presence among the 12 tribes to remind them of the need for holiness and righteousness as God's people. This was also the case when Israel finally obtained the promised land and each tribe has a designated inheritance. The Levites had no such designated portion of the land but lived among the other tribes serving as priests and facilitated the rendering of the tithes by Israel, among other things. Instead of land, the Levites inherited the Lord!

Then the LORD said to Aaron: You shall have no allotment in their land, nor shall you have any share among them; I am your share and your possession among the Israelites. (Numbers 18:20)

Levites, who have been dedicated to Yahweh as his possession now inherit him in return in a reciprocal relationship. The idea of God being our possession is not as usual in the scriptures as the other way around, but the closely related idea of inheriting everything our Father has, is very important in Latter-day Saint theology. The promised land is obviously a symbol of the heavenly destination that we all seek. What I also like about this, is how the Levites were first consecrated to God and served among Israel to bring them to God for his possession too, so they eventually could inherit him by "entering into his rest". This is a type and example for priesthood holders today.

In order to avoid turning this into an Old Testament blog, I will close by sharing a Book of Mormon scripture beautifully conveying these ideas.

17 And blessed art thou because thou hast established a church among this people; and they shall be established, and they shall be my people.

18 Yea, blessed is this people who are willing to bear my name; for in my name shall they be called; and they are mine.

19 And because thou hast inquired of me concerning the transgressor, thou art blessed.

20 Thou art my servant; and I covenant with thee that thou shalt have eternal life; and thou shalt serve me and go forth in my name, and shalt gather together my sheep.

There are the Lord's words to Alma-1. It is not stated here, but we know that his people were in bondage and God redeemed them. Perhaps this is one of the reasons for the Lord now claiming them as his. Belonging to God as his possession is not a bad thing though, even if it can sound like it to modern ears. When Alma in this capacity serves in His name and gathers His sheep, he gets eternal life in return. 

The breastplate and the Urim and Thummim

I just read Exodus 28:30

And thou shalt put in the breastplate of judgment the Urim and the Thummim; and they shall be upon Aaron’s heart, when he goeth in before the Lord: and Aaron shall bear the judgment of the children of Israel upon his heart before the Lord continually.

Aaron and his sons, the priests of the tabernacle, wore a breastplate in which they put the Urim and Thummim. Some scholars believe that there was some sort of pouch on the breastplate that could fit the two stones. We know that Joseph Smith also had a breastplate and a Urim and Thummim. According to his younger brother, William, the breastplate had a

pocket [that] was prepared in the [Nephite] breastplate on the left side, immediately over the heart. When not in use the [interpreters were] placed in this pocket, the rod being of just the right length to allow it to be so deposited.

Admittedly this is a late account. But if William remembers correctly, the similarities to Exodus and the way Aaron and his sons anciently used the breastplate and Urim and Thummim, are striking. More information on this topic is given in this article. What the article does not mention, is that Joseph Smith did not seem to know about the Urim and Thummim at the time when he translated the Book of Mormon. Otherwise, critics could claim that Joseph simply read Exodus 28:30 and imitated that as he fabricated a story (except the witnesses actually saw the breastplate and interpreters too). But Joseph Smith never once mentioned the Urim and Thummim before, during or shortly after the Book of Mormon translation. They are not mentioned in the Book of Mormon either. Joseph consistently referred to the stones as "the Nephite interpreters". In the Book of Mormon itself, they are described as "interpreters" (Mosiah 8:13), "two stones which were fastened into the two rims of a bow" (Mosiah 28:13) or simply "two stones" (Ether 3:23).

Not until 1833, the name Urim and Thummim starts being used. Someone, and it does not even seem to be Joseph Smith, made the connection between the Nephite interpreters and the ancient Urim and Thummim mentioned in the Bible. The earliest account that we have where this name is being used and this connection is being made is found in the January edition of the Evening and Morning Star

It was translated by the gift and power of God, by an unlearned man, through the aid of a pair of Interpreters, or spectacles-(known, perhaps, in ancient days as Teraphim, or Urim and Thummim)

This was written by W. W. Phelps. The "perhaps" seems to indicate personal speculation rather than information from Joseph Smith. But this seemed to gain traction since numerous accounts after this use "Urim and Thummim" as names for both the Nephite Interpreters and Joseph Smith's seer stone. I don't know how critics would explain the fact that the Nephite Interpreters seem to be carrying on an ancient Israelite tradition and knowledge of the Urim and Thummim. Joseph just copying the Bible does not hold up to scrutiny, unless we believe that he purposely did not say anything and hoped that someone else like W.W.Phelps would make the connection later on. Seems far fetched to me.

Blood, murder and guilt

The Book of Mormon is a Jewish book. This has become increasingly clear to me as I have studied it in much detail while learning more of ancient Israelite culture and language. I mean "Jewish" in a broad sense, since Lehi was from the tribe of Manassah, but he came from Jerusalem and the inhabitants there at the time are generally referred to as Jews. This is what Nephi does too. 

I have charity for the Jew—I say Jew, because I mean them from whence I came. (2 Nephi 33:8)

This post only gives one example of the Book of Mormon as a Jewish book by which I mean, the Book of Mormon is telling the story of a people with Jewish heritage. There are many other examples here.

There is a Jewish idea (and ancient Near Eastern idea in general) of guilt from homicide associated with blood pollution. For instance, Moses kills an Egyptian and flees to Midian. Upon his return many years later, he is still carrying the guilt and undergoes a ritual that seems rather strange to us in Exodus 4:25-26, involving blood. The NRSV cultural backgrounds study Bible explains:

The idea may be that, even though Moses is free in a legal sense to return, he still carries about on his person a kind of spiritual or religious pollution as a result of the homicide— a pollution that must be purged. In the case of homicide, the pollution is referred to by the Hebrew word dam (“ blood”); the perpetrator has been contaminated by the victim’s blood. This notion of blood contamination turns up in ancient Greece and Mesopotamia as well. An Assyrian text from the mid-600s BC declares that the perpetrator of a homicide must make a payment (what is really a ransom for his own life) to the victim’s family and in so doing “wash the blood away.” A text from Mari (c. 1800 BC) refers to a “criminal who is polluted with that blood (shed in murder).” In ch. 4, Yahweh cannot allow Moses to emerge from his place of asylum unless the contamination is purged.

Notice how Alma 5 is completely aligned with this line of thinking. 

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)

I have noticed that the Book of Mormon frequently applies secular Jewish traditions to our relationship with God. I have written about several such examples before. "Cut off from among the people" in the Old Testament becomes "cut off from the Lord's presence" in the Book of Mormon. The tradition of a kinsman-redeemer in the Old Testament is applied to our redemption from sin in the Book of Mormon. Etc. In Alma 5, the idea of blood pollution reflects ancient Jewish culture but also applies on a more spiritual level, in this case judgment day. 

The Jewish festivals and their fulfillment

Yes, the title may appear a bit strange. Are festivals really, like prophecies, something to be fulfilled? This seems to me to be the case. As I studied about the Feast of Tabernacles and saw some sort of fulfillment in Isaiah 54 and Revelation 19-21 that I wrote about recently, I had the thought that this may be the case for all the Jewish festivals. After some searching I realized that I am not the first to have had that thought either. But I think that the restored gospel offers a unique perspective on this. 

There are 7 Jewish festivals altogether. This is definitely not a coincidence, considering the symbolism of the number 7 in Judaism.

Though the origins of this view are shrouded in the past, it is believed that one prime reason the number seven gained this particular symbolism of “perfection and completeness” is that it combines the number three and the number four. The number three symbolized heaven (or the masculine) and the number four represented the earth (or the feminine). As is commonly explained, “Seven symbolizes wholeness in many cultures, being the union of the divinity (three) and the material earth (four).” Seven was regarded as “a holy number yielded by adding the basic number of the masculine, 3, and the basic number of the feminine, 4.” “Because the number seven (the septenary) combines the ternary and quaternary—heaven or divinity and earth or humanity—it unifies the macrocosm and microcosm and signifies cosmic order.” (Source)

This aspect of the symbolism of seven as a sum of four (earth/humanity) and three (heaven/divinity) is of particular relevance. The Jewish festivals are grouped into four spring and three fall festivals. These are

1. Passover
2. Unleavened bread
3. First fruits
4. Pentecost
5. Trumpets
6. Atonement
7. Tabernacles

The four spring feasts are all related to and fulfilled at Christ's first coming, when he was born to earth as a man. So this is the earth part, the four out of the complete seven. The three fall feasts are all related to and fulfilled at Christ's second coming, when he will come from heaven in his full divinity. The four plus three are combined in two comings of Christ to complete the salvation and exaltation of man. There is a lot of beautiful symbolism all around. The common pattern is a Jewish festival with a specific purpose for Israel but also with symbolic significance (that they may or may not have understood). At some point in time, either at the first coming of Christ for the spring festivals, or at the second coming of Christ for the fall festivals, there is the realisation of events that the feast symbolized or pointed forward to. Below is a brief summary of each feast along with my interpretation of their symbolic value and fulfillment. More information on the feast itself is linked in the headlines.

Passover

This is the first feast of the Jewish calendar and arguably the most well-known. I think the symbolism is also well-known. The blood of the lamb at the door posts preceding the Exodus out of Egypt representing sin, is an obvious pointer to the Savior and his atoning blood. No further elaboration needed, I think. But it is interesting to note that Jesus was likely crucified on the 14th of the Jewish month, Nisan. This was the day of the pesach feast where the sacrificial lamb would be prepared in every believing Jewish household.

Unleavened bread

Some Jewish feasts go together. The feast of unleavened bread follows immediately after passover, on Nisan 15. This would be the Saturday where the body of Jesus laid in the tomb. Leaven or yeast was an ancient symbol of sin and corruption. Unleavened bread would therefore symbolize a holy life without corruption. A body in a tomb would normally rot and decay, but the "bread of life" changed the natural course of events. The feast of unleavened bread is fulfilled in Christ and we may even regard the partaking of the sacramental bread (even though we don't worry about its yeast content) as part of this fulfillment or perhaps as a latter day celebration of this feast. The feast actually went on for seven days to have an extended period of time to eat unleavened bread and sustain the uncorrupted life. Similarly, we should let the effects of our partaking of the sacrament last for a full seven days to "walk in holiness before the Lord" throughout the week until the next time.

First fruits

"On the morrow after the Sabbath" followed after unleavened bread, Leviticus 23:11 schedules the feast of first fruits. So this is another festival attached to passover. It was a feast for acknowledging the fertility of the land. Israelites were to bring the early crops and "wave the sheaf before the Lord". This is the third feast and represents the third day when Jesus arose from the grave. The symbolism is evident to Paul

But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the firstfruits of them that slept. (1 Corinthians 15:20)

The feasts of passover, unleavened bread and first fruits were all fulfilled in the atonement, death, burial and resurrection of Christ.

Pentecost

Perhaps unknown to some, pentecost was also an ancient Israelite feast and not originally a Christian holiday. It obviously became so when it was fulfilled at the day of pentecost. Israel was instructed to celebrate pentecost (Hebr. Shavout) 50 days after pesach. It was supposed to align with the events of the Exodus, where Moses received the Torah on Mount Sinai 50 days after leaving Egypt. Pentecost therefore, dispite its focus as an agricultural festival like many of the others, signifies revelation and covenant. It is ironic, then, that the people who are described in Acts on the day of pentecost gathered to renew their commitment to the old covenant, when the Holy Ghost came to fulfill the promise of the new covenant.

Trumpets

The Jewish spring feasts described already and their symbolic fulfillment have been quite conventional, in the sense that all our Christian brothers and sisters would share the LDS view. But now it's getting interesting. The feast of the trumpets was the first fall festival. A season had passed since the spring festivals, just like there has been a long time of spiritual darkness on earth after Christ and until the restoration. Leviticus 23, that gives instructions for all Jewish festivals requires in verse 24

In the seventh month, in the first day of the month, shall ye have a sabbath, a memorial of blowing of trumpets, an holy convocation.

In Israel, the trumpet was the signal for the field workers to come to the temple. The high priest blew it as an invitation to worship. Remarkably, but perhaps not surprisingly given the consistent pattern we see, September 22 1827 was the the first day of the seventh month in the Jewish calendar. In other words, faithful Jews would be celebrating this feast on the very day when the angel Moroni (who is found on top of many LDS temples with a trumpet) visited Joseph Smith. Lord Wilmore has previously written about this so I will just refer to his post linked in the heading.

Atonement

Yom Kippur or the Day of Atonement is the holiest day of the Jewish calendar. It was the one day of the year where the high priest could enter into the Holy of Holies of the temple, sprinkle blood upon the mercy seat and utter the sacred name of God, YHWH. The symbolism might seem confusing because we would naturally connect this with Jesus' atoning sacrifice, his first coming and therefore the spring festivals. But we already have pesach (easter) and the sacrificial lamb symbolism covering this aspect. According to the pattern we have seen so far, we should expect the day of atonement to be fulfilled in conjunction with Christ's second coming. With the feast of trumpets (restoration) leading up to and marking the preparation for the day of atonement, assuming the day of Christ's second coming happening on that day as its fulfillment is almost inevitable. We should not speculate and "that day and hour knoweth no man", so I hesitate a bit to say it, even though it seems obvious from the symbolism at play. At least we still don't know which year.

We read that Christ will return in glory wearing red, triumph over his enemies and bless the righteous. His coming will usher in the millenium that is symbolized by the last Jewish feast of the year, the Feast of Tabernacles.

Tabernacles

The Feast of Tabernacles is also an agricultural feast. This time it is a celebration of the abundance of the recent harvest gathered in. People dwell in tents and invite God to dwell with them. I have recently written a few blog posts with some reflections on this theme. See here and here. The symbolism and fulfillment is clearly linked to the New Jerusalem and the Millennium. After the second coming, the resurrected Christ dwells among his people in a paradisiacal state of abundance and prosperity. As explained in the first of the two linked blog posts, Isaiah 54:2 describes the current preparation for this, continually expanding the tent of the covenant people. The end of the Book of Revelation also describes the fulfillment of the Feast of Tabernacles as a wedding feast between Israel and Christ.

Lehi, Nephi and the shekinah -- Part 1 (The divine presence)

Shekinah is an interesting Hebrew word that is difficult to translate directly into English. It denotes the divine presence of God. It is derived from the Hebrew root, shakan/shaken, meaning "to settle down, abide, dwell". According to Encyclopaedia Judaica

In classic Jewish thought, the shekhinah refers to a dwelling or settling in a special sense, a dwelling or settling of divine presence, to the effect that, while in proximity to the shekhinah, the connection to God is more readily perceivable.

Perhaps surprisingly, the word is not found at all in the Bible. It is from later rabbinic literature and is very common there. That does not mean that the rabbis invented a concept that was foreign to Old Testament writers. The idea of God's presence and a dwelling place for him is very common. As mentioned, Shekinah is dervied from the verb, "to dwell". Another word derived from that root is the noun, mishkan. This means dwelling place or tent and can refer to both a secular dwelling (tent) or a holy dwelling place like the tabernacle.

In Jewish thought the shekinah glory or divine presence is often coupled with a physical manifestation. The cloud by day and pillar of fire by night in the wilderness, as well as the smoke and thunder on mount Sinai, denotes the shekinah glory, the divine presence. When Moses was instructed to make a tabernacle in the wilderness, God would have a dwelling place among his people. He would "shakan" in the "mishkan" as we can read in Exodus.

And it came to pass, as Moses entered into the tabernacle, the cloudy pillar descended, and stood at the door of the tabernacle, and the Lord talked with Moses. (Exodus 33:9)

And Moses was not able to enter into the tent of the congregation, because the cloud abode (shakan) thereon, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle (mishkan). (Exodus 40:35)

This is a bit of a side note, but it makes me think of John 1:14 where "the Word [Jesus] became flesh and dwelt among us” and Mosiah 3:5 where "the Lord Omnipotent who reigneth, who was, and is from all eternity to all eternity, shall come down from heaven among the children of men, and shall dwell in a tabernacle of clay". (I highlighted the part that makes it easy to recognize King Benjamin's Hebrew wordplay). The God of Israel (Jesus Christ) was among his people again but this time they did not recognize him.

The dedication of the temple of Solomon is almost an echo of the tabernacle in Exodus.

10 And it came to pass, when the priests were come out of the holy place, that the cloud filled the house of the Lord,

11 So that the priests could not stand to minister because of the cloud: for the glory of the Lord had filled the house of the Lord.

12 Then spake Solomon, The Lord said that he would dwell in the thick darkness.

13 I have surely built thee an house to dwell in, a settled place for thee to abide in for ever. (1 Kings 8)

Even though the noun, shekinah, is not found in the Old Testament, it is easy to see how it was derived by the rabbis.

There is another interesting aspect of the shekinah of the rabbis. Even though there is strong evidence that Israelites of old were polytheists and worshiped a divine feminine, the later Deuteronomist and rabbinical views is that God is one in a very literal sense. However, shekinah is a feminine noun and thought to represent feminine aspects of the divine. 

Yet, is not God omnipresent, how can he dwell in one location. This is where we miss it.  The rabbinic teaching is that the omnipresence of God is Heavenly, it is his masculine nature, the part that protects, provides, watches over.  However, the Shekhiniah is the earthly, the feminine nature where He nurtures, comforts, shares intimately with you. (Source)

I am not sure if or how we could relate that to LDS teachings of Heavenly Father and Heavenly Mother but I find it beautiful. It certainly does make me think of the heaven and earth relation that I have written about before as well as this post where the male and female counterparts are the culmination of the creation of heaven and earth. While here on earth, we have access to the "earthly" shekinah that will help us to ultimately reunite with the heavenly. As Latter-Day Saints, we would perhaps normally associate the divine presence that we have access to here on earth with the Holy Ghost, but the concept of shekinah is in fact associated with the concept of the Holy Spirit (ruach ha-kodesh) in Judaism.

As you probably already guessed from the heading of this post, this Hebrew thought of God's presence and relations to a tent/tabernacle, would be part of Lehi and Nephi's worldview and provides a better understanding of why there is so much focus on Lehi's tent in the wilderness. 

In my next post I will discuss further evidence of connections between Lehi's tent and Israel's tabernacle.