Preparing for the Sabbath day

No, this is not a blog post about what we should do on Saturday night to prepare for Sunday, even though I get flashbacks to an old primary song typing that. But I love the Sabbath and having a day of rest. Even though it was not Sunday originally and we don't have the same strict rules as ancient Israel, it is very meaningful to me to single out a day that is different from the rest of the busy week. A day devoted to rest and worship. Sabbath is a Hebrew word that literally means rest. It is symonymous to nuach (where the name Noah comes from), that also means rest and that Lord Wilmore has written a long series about recently.

In Hebrews 3 and 4, Paul is connecting the two concepts of entering into his rest and the Sabbath day.

4 For he spake in a certain place of the seventh day on this wise, And God did rest the seventh day from all his works.

5 And in this place again, If they shall enter into my rest.

6 Seeing therefore it remaineth that some must enter therein, and they to whom it was first preached entered not in because of unbelief:

7 Again, he limiteth a certain day, saying in David, To day, after so long a time; as it is said, To day if ye will hear his voice, harden not your hearts.

8 For if Jesus had given them rest, then would he not afterward have spoken of another day.

9 There remaineth therefore a rest to the people of God.

10 For he that is entered into his rest, he also hath ceased from his own works, as God did from his.

11 Let us labour therefore to enter into that rest, lest any man fall after the same example of unbelief. (Hebrews 4)

God rested on the seventh day from all his works and so do we when we keep the Sabbath day holy. But it is also possible to enter into his rest. This is a day yet to come. "Today" is a day to "hear his voice". The children of Israel who David and Paul talk about (Paul is quoting Psalm 95 in Hebrews 4), did not hear his voice and therefore did not enter into his rest. Hearing his voice today is what prepares us for the ultimate Sabbath day of rest to come. That sounds simple enough, perhaps, but in Hebrew, "shama" שָׁמַע, means both to hear and to obey.

Another Hebrew word of relevance here is "yom" יוֹם, meaning "day" but is more generic than English and can refer to a more indefinite time period and sometimes is translated into "lifetime". After the six days of creation came the seventh day where God rested. Then came the day of our life, where we labour and prepare to also enter into that rest. Amulek puts it this way

For behold, this life is the time for men to prepare to meet God; yea, behold the day of this life is the day for men to perform their labors...But that ye have patience, and bear with those afflictions, with a firm hope that ye shall one day rest from all your afflictions. (Alma 34:32, 41)

Those who don't hear/obey today or hearden their hearts will not rest but will burn instead. 

23 Behold, now it is called today until the coming of the Son of Man, and verily it is a day of sacrifice, and a day for the tithing of my people; for he that is tithed shall not be burned at his coming.

24 For after today cometh the burning—this is speaking after the manner of the Lord—for verily I say, tomorrow all the proud and they that do wickedly shall be as stubble; and I will burn them up, for I am the Lord of Hosts; and I will not spare any that remain in Babylon.

25 Wherefore, if ye believe me, ye will labor while it is called today. (D&C 64)

Mormon also brings up this point to his son, Moroni

we have a labor to perform whilst in this tabernacle of clay, that we may conquer the enemy of all righteousness, and rest our souls in the kingdom of God. (Moroni 9:6)

There is a similar pattern for the earth. In Moses 7:48, the earth is longing for rest. Enoch is upset and asks God when the earth will get to rest. Eventually the answer comes

And there shall be mine abode, and it shall be Zion, which shall come forth out of all the creations which I have made; and for the space of a thousand years the earth shall rest. (Moses 7:64)

2 Peter 3:8 states

one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.

Personally, I think this is purely symbolic, since I don't believe God experiences time at all like we do. In any case, the symbolism fits well considering how D&C 77 talks about the 7000 years of the earth's "temporal existence" (which I interpret to be the time since the fall of Adam). Consequently, the day of rest for the earth is also the seventh day from the point of view of He who created it. The millenium is the Sabbath where the earth gets to rest.

It is interesting to me how the earth itself follows the same pattern that we who are God's final creations are asked to follow. The earth was baptized during the flood, it will be "burned at his coming" (baptism by fire) and have a seventh day of rest, the Sabbath. When we are righteous and follow the same pattern, there is beautiful harmony between man and the whole creation.

This is wonderfully illustrated in D&C 59

12 But remember that on this, the Lord’s day, thou shalt offer thine oblations and thy sacraments unto the Most High, confessing thy sins unto thy brethren, and before the Lord.
13 And on this day thou shalt do none other thing, only let thy food be prepared with singleness of heart that thy fasting may be perfect, or, in other words, that thy joy may be full.
14 Verily, this is fasting and prayer, or in other words, rejoicing and prayer.
15 And inasmuch as ye do these things with thanksgiving, with cheerful hearts and countenances, not with much laughter, for this is sin, but with a glad heart and a cheerful countenance—
16 Verily I say, that inasmuch as ye do this, the fulness of the earth is yours, the beasts of the field and the fowls of the air, and that which climbeth upon the trees and walketh upon the earth;
17 Yea, and the herb, and the good things which come of the earth, whether for food or for raiment, or for houses, or for barns, or for orchards, or for gardens, or for vineyards;
18 Yea, all things which come of the earth, in the season thereof, are made for the benefit and the use of man, both to please the eye and to gladden the heart;
19 Yea, for food and for raiment, for taste and for smell, to strengthen the body and to enliven the soul.
20 And it pleaseth God that he hath given all these things unto man; for unto this end were they made to be used, with judgment, not to excess, neither by extortion.

Basically, those who keep the Sabbath shall inherit the earth. The description seems like a promise that those who keep the Sabbath day holy are also those who are prepared to enjoy the Sabbath day of the earth, the millenium when the whole earth will be at rest.

Satan = Enemy, adversary, accuser

In the Old Testament, "Satan" generally has a different meaning from what we are used to. It is actually a transliteration from a Hebrew word meaning enemy, adversary or accuser. Although Old Testament names usually have a specific meaning, satan is not used as a personal name, but rather a generic label for an enemy. In other words, the Old Testament does not use "Satan" with capital 'S' to describe a specific being that "rebelled against [God]" and was "cast down" (Moses 4:3). Frequently it is used to describe humans. In Numbers 22:22, 32, even God's angel is a "satan" functioning as a threatening enemy to a pagan magician trying to harm Israel. Only occasionally it is used to describe heavenly beings and few details are given.

Many Bible scholars would claim that our modern understanding of Satan developed after Old Testament times. However, the Book of Moses in the Pearl of Great Price makes it clear that Adam, Enoch and Moses had an understanding similar to ours so this might also be a case of "plain and precious things" being lost. In that regard, Moses 4:1 is particularly interesting.

And I, the Lord God, spake unto Moses, saying: That Satan, whom thou hast commanded in the name of mine Only Begotten, is the same which was from the beginning, and he came before me, saying—Behold, here am I, send me, I will be thy son, and I will redeem all mankind, that one soul shall not be lost, and surely I will do it; wherefore give me thine honor.

Even though Satan in this verse is naturally spelled with capital 'S' in English, the wording suggests an underlying Hebrew understanding. The verse is referring to Moses 1, where Moses is confronted by Satan and his first reaction is asking him "who art thou?" (Moses 1:13). In Hebrew, Moses would have been confronted by "enemy". Then, after commanding him to leave in the name of the Only Begotten, he talked with God again who gave him the creation account and then explained who "that satan" (enemy) really was. Moses 4 goes on to explain that it was the same being that was in the grand council in the beginning, who sought the Father's glory, who was cast down, became the father of all lies and beguiled Adam and Eve in the garden. It would seem at that moment, at least for Moses, that "that satan" became Satan with capital 'S'. This whole explanation in the beginning of Moses 4 is found in the Pearl of Great price but missing in the Old Testament. 

As I have written before, I would not be surprised if the Nephites had an extended version of Genesis similar to the Book of Moses on the Brass Plates. For instance, in 2 Nephi 2:16-17, Lehi refers to something that he has read that looks very similar to Moses 4:1-6

17 And I, Lehi, according to the things which I have read, must needs suppose that an angel of God, according to that which is written, had fallen from heaven; wherefore, he became a devil, having sought that which was evil before God.

18 And because he had fallen from heaven, and had become miserable forever, he sought also the misery of all mankind. Wherefore, he said unto Eve, yea, even that old serpent, who is the devil, who is the father of all lies, wherefore he said: Partake of the forbidden fruit, and ye shall not die, but ye shall be as God, knowing good and evil.

It is clear from the Book of Mormon that the Nephites generally had this understanding. But the ancient Hebrew meaning of "satan" also shines through. For instance, one Hebrew meaning of the word is the accuser in a court setting. We see this setting in the first couple of chapters in the Book of Job and Zechariah 3:1-2, for example. The word, "adversary" is sometimes used in the Book of Mormon. According to the Webster 1828 dictionary, this can be "an opponent or antagonist, as in a suit at law". 

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— 
5 Now this was a plan of thine adversary, and he hath exercised his power in thee. (Alma 12)

Ironically, Alma is saying this to Zeezrom, who was a lawyer. The devil exercised his power in Zeezrom and used him as a tool in this court-like setting in Ammonihah to achieve his purposes and accuse Alma and Amulek. But in reality, as Alma points out, he was also Zeezrom's adversary. 

This role of the devil and meaning of satan is contrasted by Christ who is our advocate or intercessor (see e.g. 2 Nephi 2:9, Mosiah 15:8). These opposites are also illustrated when the Book of Mormon describes Christ as the fountain of all righteousness

Behold, I will show unto the Gentiles their weakness, and I will show unto them that faith, hope and charity bringeth unto me—the fountain of all righteousness. (Ether 12:28)

...and the devil as the enemy (Hebr. satan) of all righteousness.

And now, my beloved son, notwithstanding their hardness, let us labor diligently; for if we should cease to labor, we should be brought under condemnation; for we have a labor to perform whilst in this tabernacle of clay, that we may conquer the enemy of all righteousness, and rest our souls in the kingdom of God. (Moroni 9:6)

"Striving," Part 3

Part 1: "Striving" in the Book of Mormon

Part 2: "Striving" in the other books of scripture

In part 2, we ended in Moses 8, where Noah is ordained to the order of the Lord and given a commandment to "go forth and declare his Gospel unto the children of men, even as it was given to Enoch. (Moses 8:19.)

This comes right after the Lord tells Noah (see verse 17) that "[His] Spirit shall not always strive with man."

I couldn't help but compare this passage to Moroni 9, where Mormon encourages his son Moroni:

6 And now, my beloved son, notwithstanding their hardness, let us labor diligently; for if we should cease to labor, we should be brought under condemnation; for we have a labor to perform whilst in this tabernacle of clay, that we may conquer the enemy of all righteousness, and rest our souls in the kingdom of God. (Moroni 9)

Even if this dire situation, where the Nephites have hardened to the point of "seeking to put down all power and authority which cometh from God" and "denying the Holy Ghost," (see Moroni 8:28) Mormon reminds his son of their duty to continue in faith to preach to them and minister unto them.

Why continue in hope even when things seem so far gone?

I realize that the answer is found in the office of their calling, which Mormon explains in great detail is Moroni 7:

31 And the office of their ministry is to call men unto repentance, and to fulfil and to do the work of the covenants of the Father, which he hath made unto the children of men, to prepare the way among the children of men, by declaring the word of Christ unto the chosen vessels of the Lord, that they may bear testimony of him.

32 And by so doing, the Lord God prepareth the way that the residue of men may have faith in Christ, that the Holy Ghost may have place in their hearts, according to the power thereof; and after this manner bringeth to pass the Father, the covenants which he hath made unto the children of men.

33 And Christ hath said: If ye will have faith in me ye shall have power to do whatsoever thing is expedient in me.

34 And he hath said: Repent all ye ends of the earth, and come unto me, and be baptized in my name, and have faith in me, that ye may be saved.

35 And now, my beloved brethren, if this be the case that these things are true which I have spoken unto you, and God will show unto you, with power and great glory at the last day, that they are true, and if they are true has the day of miracles ceased?

36 Or have angels ceased to appear unto the children of men? Or has he withheld the power of the Holy Ghost from them? Or will he, so long as time shall last, or the earth shall stand, or there shall be one man upon the face thereof to be saved?

37 Behold I say unto you, Nay; for it is by faith that miracles are wrought; and it is by faith that angels appear and minister unto men; wherefore, if these things have ceased wo be unto the children of men, for it is because of unbelief, and all is vain.

38 For no man can be saved, according to the words of Christ, save they shall have faith in his name; wherefore, if these things have ceased, then has faith ceased also; and awful is the state of man, for they are as though there had been no redemption made.

 

Putting it all together

• The Spirit strives with the natural man in order to give each of us a choice between good and evil.
• The Spirit is capable of creating within us a "new creature" -- "born of God, changed from their carnal and fallen state, to a state of righteousness, being redeemed of God, becoming his sons and daughters." (See Mosiah 27:25-26.)
• The work of conversion is helped along by those who have embraced the covenant and are called to the work. They become "chosen vessels of the Lord, that they may bear testimony of him. And by so doing, the Lord God prepareth the way that the residue of men may have faith in Christ, that the Holy Ghost may have place in their hearts, according to the power thereof; and after this manner bringeth to pass the Father, the covenants which he hath made unto the children of men." (Moroni 7:31-32.)
• If we strive against this work and against the Spirit, it has no place in us and we become the carnal captives of the adversary.
• If we have once embraced the covenant but later reject it to the point that the Spirit no longer strives with us, we invite "speedy destruction" upon ourselves. (2 Nephi 26:11) 

"Striving" in the Book of Mormon, part 1

"Striving" is an interesting, somewhat antiquated word. A family member brought it to my attention in the scriptures, wondering what it meant, and now, a few weeks later, I'm prepared to offer a review of how it is used in the scriptures and what I believe the word means.

This post will be the first of several posts about the word "striving" in the scriptures, particularly in the Book of Mormon.

To start, I'll share two examples from Mormon in context:

27 Behold, my son, I will write unto you again if I go not out soon against the Lamanites. Behold, the pride of this nation, or the people of the Nephites, hath proven their destruction except they should repent.

28 Pray for them, my son, that repentance may come unto them. But behold, I fear lest the Spirit hath ceased striving with them; and in this part of the land they are also seeking to put down all power and authority which cometh from God; and they are denying the Holy Ghost.

29 And after rejecting so great a knowledge, my son, they must perish soon, unto the fulfilling of the prophecies which were spoken by the prophets, as well as the words of our Savior himself. (Moroni 8)

3 And now behold, my son, I fear lest the Lamanites shall destroy this people; for they do not repent, and Satan stirreth them up continually to anger one with another.

4 Behold, I am laboring with them continually; and when I speak the word of God with sharpness they tremble and anger against me; and when I use no sharpness they harden their hearts against it; wherefore, I fear lest the Spirit of the Lord hath ceased striving with them.

5 For so exceedingly do they anger that it seemeth me that they have no fear of death; and they have lost their love, one towards another; and they thirst after blood and revenge continually.

6 And now, my beloved son, notwithstanding their hardness, let us labor diligently; for if we should cease to labor, we should be brought under condemnation; for we have a labor to perform whilst in this tabernacle of clay, that we may conquer the enemy of all righteousness, and rest our souls in the kingdom of God. (Moroni 9)

Both passages are bleak.  Mormon has lost hope in the Nephites entirely and believes it is only a matter of time before they are completely destroyed.

From these two passages, we see the following additional attributes ascribed to the Nephites:

• pride
• seeking to put down all power and authority which cometh from God
• denying the Holy Ghost
• rejecting so great a knowledge
• they do not repent
• Satan stirreth them up continually to anger one with another
• when I speak the word of God with sharpness they tremble and anger against me
• when I use no sharpness they harden their hearts against it
• so exceedingly do they anger 
• they have no fear of death
• they have lost their love, one towards another
• they thirst after blood and revenge continually

This is a pretty awful scene, and it is only the tip of the iceberg.  In the rest of chapter 9, an absolutely horrid scene of depravity is described.

Other examples of "Striving" in the Book of Mormon

We find four additional examples in the Book of Mormon which use this specific context -- the Spirit ceasing to strive with a group of people as they become "fully ripe for destruction:

• 1 Nephi 7:14 (speaking of the people at Jerusalem)
• 2 Nephi 26:11 (speaking of the Nephites)
• Mormon 5:16 (speaking of the Lamanites)
• Ether 2:15 (speaking of the Jaredites)
• Ether 15:19 (speaking of the Jaredites).

That's seven references in the Book of Mormon which connect the Spirit ceasing to strive with a group of people and that group's final destruction.

Aside from that, we have a few other contexts where we find the word "strive/striving":

• Missionary/faithfulness context:
• Mosiah 27:35 - "zealously striving to repair all the injuries which they had done to the church"
• Helaman 15:6: - "they are striving with unwearied diligence that they may bring the remainder of their brethren to the knowledge of the truth"
• 1 Nephi 17:15 - "I, Nephi, did strive to keep the commandments of the Lord, and I did exhort my brethren to faithfulness and diligence"
• Military context (with covenant subtext):
• Alma 60:25 - "strive to strengthen and fortify our armies"
• Repentant context (five verses after 1 Nephi 7:14 in the list above)
• 1 Nephi 7:19 - "they did soften their hearts; and they did cease striving to take away my life"

What does "striving" mean?

Since language changes over time, I typically like to check the Webster's 1828 dictionary to get a sense of what a word meant around the time the Book of Mormon was written. I found these two definition's at the top of the list:

1. To make efforts; to use exertions; to endeavor with earnestness; to labor hard; applicable to exertions of body or mind. A workman strives to perform his task before another; a student strives to excel his fellows in improvement.

2. To contend; to contest; to struggle in opposition to another; to be in contention or dispute; followed by against or with before the person or thing opposed; as, strive against temptation; strive for the truth.

Interestingly, it seems every instance of "strive/striving" in the Book of Mormon falls under the first definition. Not so with the Bible, but we'll get to that in a later post.

What does it mean when the Spirit ceases striving with a people?

It seems that in the Book of Mormon, the most common use of the word "striving" is a reference to a passage from the brass plates, which we have in our Old Testament in Genesis 6:3. I'll discuss this and the possible connection to Enoch and Noah in the next post.  Suffice it to say, it seems that when the Spirit ceases to strive with a rebellious covenant people, very bad things come.

Mercy is associated with...

I'm studying references to "mercy" in the Book of Mormon.  In my last post, I looked at 5 references to "the arm of mercy."

In this post, I've compiled a list of attributes mentioned in association with mercy.  I've noticed that God's "mercy" is often mentioned in a list of other attributes. Before you look at this list, ask yourself which attributes you might think are most often connected with God's mercy.

In the list below, I've highlighted attributes which show up in more than one list, and italicized attributes which only show up once.

Passages containing lists about attributes of God which include mercy

"through the wisdom, and power, and justice, and mercy of him who created all things" (Mosiah 5:15)
"by the mercy and power of God" (Alma 5:4)
"have you sufficiently retained in remembrance his mercy and long-suffering towards them?" (Alma 5:6)
"the Son, the Only Begotten of the Father, full of grace, and mercy, and truth." (Alma 5:48)
"if it had not been for his matchless power, and his mercy, and his long-suffering towards us" (Alma 9:11)
"the Only Begotten of the Father, full of grace, equity, and truth, full of patience, mercy, and long-suffering," (Alma 9:25)
"who can say too much of his great power, and of his mercy, and of his long-suffering towards the children of men?" (Alma 26:16)
"he has all power, all wisdom, and all understanding; he comprehendeth all things, and he is a merciful Being, even unto salvation" (Alma 26:35)
"that God might be a perfect, just God, and a merciful God also" (Alma 42:15)
"let the justice of God, and his mercy, and his long-suffering have full sway in your heart" (Alma 42:30)
"according to the mercy, and the justice, and the holiness which is in Christ" (3 Nephi 26:3)
" the mercies and the long-suffering of the Lord" (Mormon 2:12)
"his justice and mercy" (Mormon 6:22)
"may his sufferings and death, and the showing his body unto our fathers, and his mercy and long-suffering, and the hope of his glory and of eternal life" (Moroni 9:25)
"thy power, and goodness, and mercy" (1 Nephi 1:14)
"through the merits, and mercy, and grace of the Holy Messiah" (2 Nephi 2:8)
"the power, and the mercy, and the justice of God" (2 Nephi 2:12)
"O the wisdom of God, his mercy and grace!" (2 Nephi 9:8)
"his greatness, and his grace and mercy" (2 Nephi 9:53)
"his justice, and power, and mercy" (2 Nephi 11:5)
"he counseleth in wisdom, and in justice, and in great mercy" (Jacob 4:10)

Mercy is associated with...

• justice x 8
• long-suffering x 7
• grace x 5
• wisdom x 4
• power x 3
• truth x 2
• equity x 1
• patience x 1
• understanding x 1 
• goodness x 1
• greatness x 1
• holiness x 1
• hope of his glory x 1
• sufferings and death x 1
• merits x 1
• the showing his body unto our fathers x 1

Conclusions

Should we be surprised that God's mercy is most often associated with His justice? Or that long-suffering, grace, wisdom, power, and truth show up more than once on this list? I'm not sure any of those findings surprise me too much. It seems that studying each of these concepts in more detail would likely enhance my understanding of His mercy, too.  

Zeezrom as a metanym

There is evidence that Mormon intentionally inserted wordplay into names in the Book of Mormon.  So much evidence, in fact, that some scholars openly wonder if his use of this particular literary technique is significantly underrated.

Take the name "Zeezrom" as an example.  If we compare the structure of this name to "Zenephi" mentioned in Moroni 9:16, we end up wondering what an "ezrom" is.  It turns out Mormon goes out of his way to tell us what an ezrom is in the verses right after we meet Zeezrom:

12 And an ezrom of silver was as great as four senums. (Alma 11)

An ezrom is a measure of silver.  It is worth noting that Zeezrom is introduced into the narrative (see Alma 10:31) just three verses before this explanation of the Nephite monetary system begins. We learn that Zeezrom was a chief accuser of Alma and Amulek and an expert in the law.

Mormon comments in the very next verse about the object of the lawyers:

32 Now the object of these lawyers was to get gain; and they got gain according to their employ. (Alma 10)

We then get a 20 verse aside that explains that judges were paid according to the time they spent adjudicating disputes, as did the lawyers, and then a detailed explanation of the monetary system.  An "ezrom" is one of about a dozen names introduced in the aside.

The narrative starts up again with a repetition of the detail we got right before the aside (in other words, this is a great example of repetitive resumption):

20 Now, it was for the sole purpose to get gain... (Alma 11)

Perhaps all of this could just be a coincidence, but what comes next convinces me the name Zeezrom is intended to teach us a deeper meaning.  This expert lawyer and chief accuser of Alma and Amulek gets into a verbal exchange with the missionaries and proceeds to offer them money:

22 And Zeezrom said unto him: Behold, here are six onties of silver, and all these will I give thee if thou wilt deny the existence of a Supreme Being.

The man whose name relates to silver offers the missionaries silver to deny the existence of God.

The fact that after mentioning the name Zeezrom, Mormon immediately interrupts the narrative to offer us an explanation as to what the name means, only then to connect the man and the meaning of his name by his action indicates to me that all of this was intentional on the part of Mormon.

I can't help but also ponder how Joseph Smith (if you want to suppose he is the actual author of this book) accomplished this kind of complex multi-tiered wordplay into his story without any notes, in a single draft. Clever!

Hat tip: Brant Gardner.