Belief as the gate to "wisdom's path"

Moses 1:31-32 stood out to me recently:

31 And behold, the glory of the Lord was upon Moses, so that Moses stood in the presence of God, and talked with him face to face. And the Lord God said unto Moses: For mine own purpose have I made these things. Here is wisdom and it remaineth in me.

32 And by the word of my power, have I created them, which is mine Only Begotten Son, who is full of grace and truth.

"These things" in verse 31 refers to the earth and its inhabitants (see verses 27 and 28).

Moses' vision shares some parallels in form to the grand vision received by Nephi.  Nephi also sees in vision a large portion of the Nephites and learns of their fate long before they existed.

Moses only receives his vision after overcoming Satan by calling upon God in the name of Jesus (see Moses 1:20-21).

Nephi must also declare his belief in God prior to his vision.

4 And the Spirit said unto me: Believest thou that thy father saw the tree of which he hath spoken?

5 And I said: Yea, thou knowest that I believe all the words of my father.

6 And when I had spoken these words, the Spirit cried with a loud voice, saying: Hosanna to the Lord, the most high God; for he is God over all the earth, yea, even above all. And blessed art thou, Nephi, because thou believest in the Son of the most high God; wherefore, thou shalt behold the things which thou hast desired. (1 Nephi 11)

Notice also that the final verse of Moses 1 restricts sharing this information that came through belief with those who do not believe. (See Moses 1:42.) Nephi is also restricted from sharing parts of his vision. (See 1 Nephi 14:28.)

All of that is interesting. It seems Nephi had access to this material, perhaps on the Brass Plates, and was intentionally writing the account of his vision to compare himself to Moses.  He did this in other places, too.

What is this wisdom?

That's the question I've been pondering for the past few weeks.

Notice God's wisdom referenced in Moses 1:31, quoted above. The context of this verse implies that God's wisdom is contained in the foundational purposes of the earth.  Covenant fidelity unfolds this wisdom.  

The opposite of wisdom, then, is covenant rebellion, which leads to utter destruction, being cut off and cast out, etc.

This wisdom pattern is reinforced many times in the scriptures. I'll give three examples below.

Doctrine & Covenants 38

In this revelation, the saints are told to "treasure up wisdom in [their] bosoms, lest the wickedness of men reveal these things unto you by their wickedness, in a manner which shall speak in your ears with a voice louder than that which shall shake the earth..." (see verse 30).  This comes after we are told:

17 And I have made the earth rich, and behold it is my footstool, wherefore, again I will stand upon it.

18 And I hold forth and deign to give unto you greater riches, even a land of promise, a land flowing with milk and honey, upon which there shall be no curse when the Lord cometh;

19 And I will give it unto you for the land of your inheritance, if you seek it with all your hearts.

20 And this shall be my covenant with you, ye shall have it for the land of your inheritance, and for the inheritance of your children forever, while the earth shall stand, and ye shall possess it again in eternity, no more to pass away.

Helaman 12

This whole chapter is a narrative aside written by Mormon, lamenting the foolishness and instability of man. In verse 5, he mentions "wisdom's paths":

4 O how foolish, and how vain, and how evil, and devilish, and how quick to do iniquity, and how slow to do good, are the children of men; yea, how quick to hearken unto the words of the evil one, and to set their hearts upon the vain things of the world!

5 Yea, how quick to be lifted up in pride; yea, how quick to boast, and do all manner of that which is iniquity; and how slow are they to remember the Lord their God, and to give ear unto his counsels, yea, how slow to walk in wisdom’s paths!

6 Behold, they do not desire that the Lord their God, who hath created them, should rule and reign over them; notwithstanding his great goodness and his mercy towards them, they do set at naught his counsels, and they will not that he should be their guide.

Wisdom's paths clearly start when we hearken unto God and consider his "great goodness and mercy."

Mosiah 8

My final example is a bit of a mystery by itself, but it fits the pattern we're talking about, so I'll share it.

In Mosiah 8, Ammon-1 (the explorer, not the son of Mosiah) learns of the discovery of a fallen civilzation.  Records have been found but no one can read the language.  They seek a man who can interpret languages. Ammon knows such a man.  

In that context (learning about a destroyed civilization), notice these words at the end of the chapter:

19 And now, when Ammon had made an end of speaking these words the king rejoiced exceedingly, and gave thanks to God, saying: Doubtless a great mystery is contained within these plates, and these interpreters were doubtless prepared for the purpose of unfolding all such mysteries to the children of men.

20 O how marvelous are the works of the Lord, and how long doth he suffer with his people; yea, and how blind and impenetrable are the understandings of the children of men; for they will not seek wisdom, neither do they desire that she should rule over them!

21 Yea, they are as a wild flock which fleeth from the shepherd, and scattereth, and are driven, and are devoured by the beasts of the forest. (Mosiah 8)

That strikes me as deeply significant to the wisdom pattern I'm trying to flesh out. The mystery is "A whole group of people slaughtered each other."  Heavenly gifts are cited as the path to understanding why this happened.  Wisdom is the answer revealed by that heavenly gift.

To put it simply, the doctrine of Christ is the path of wisdom. Every other course leads to death. Only this path leads to life eternal.  The "mysteries of God" are unfolded to those who will hearken to God's counsel. Everyone who will not hearken is left unprotected from the dangers that lurk as a result of the work of the destroyer. The scriptures are filled with cautionary tales, which can bring us as much wisdom as the examples of righteousness we also find therein.

This is partially a new idea to me.  I'm going to continue to look for examples to help tease more out of this pattern, but I believe I'm starting to see the concept of "God's wisdom" in a whole new light.

"Taken unto himself"

As mentioned in a recent post, I looked at Alma 46, in which Moroni quotes a prophecy of the patriarch Jacob/Israel comparing the preservation of a remnant of the coat of Joseph to a righteous remnant of his seed. In making this comparison, he uses a unique phrase, highlighted in red below:

24 Yea, let us preserve our liberty as a remnant of Joseph; yea, let us remember the words of Jacob, before his death, for behold, he saw that a part of the remnant of the coat of Joseph was preserved and had not decayed. And he said—Even as this remnant of garment of my son hath been preserved, so shall a remnant of the seed of my son be preserved by the hand of God, and be taken unto himself, while the remainder of the seed of Joseph shall perish, even as the remnant of his garment.

25 Now behold, this giveth my soul sorrow; nevertheless, my soul hath joy in my son, because of that part of his seed which shall be taken unto God.

26 Now behold, this was the language of Jacob. (Alma 46)

This post will explore this phrase along with a few similar phrases in an effort to link this "preserved remnant" to Enoch's Zion.

 

Moses-Alma Metalepsis

The phrase "taken unto himself" is rare in the Book of Mormon.  It only occurs twice, once in Alma 46, which is quoted above, and once in the preceding chapter, in reference to how the end of Alma's days resembled Moses:

19 Behold, this we know, that he was a righteous man; and the saying went abroad in the church that he was taken up by the Spirit, or buried by the hand of the Lord, even as Moses. But behold, the scriptures saith the Lord took Moses unto himself; and we suppose that he has also received Alma in the spirit, unto himself; therefore, for this cause we know nothing concerning his death and burial. (Alma 45)

Connection to Enoch?

It is here that I begin to see a connection to Enoch's Zion: those who are "taken" by the Lord "unto Himself" are preserved for a righteous purpose -- therefore nothing is known "concerning [their] death and burial." Something similar is said of Enoch's Zion:

69 And Enoch and all his people walked with God, and he dwelt in the midst of Zion; and it came to pass that Zion was not, for God received it up into his own bosom; and from thence went forth the saying, Zion is Fled. (Moses 7)

I'll have more to say about this part of Moses 7 in future posts. The final verses of Moses 7 tie in with many latter-day prophecies and promises related to New Jerusalem. For now, let's focus on the words in blue. Not identical to the wording in Alma 45 and Alma 46 -- "taken unto himself" -- but very similar. And the similar sequence of gradually increasing righteousness of Alma-2, Moses, and Enoch is also readily apparent.  Notice this statement from God to Moses:

4 And, behold, thou art my son; wherefore look, and I will show thee the workmanship of mine hands; but not all, for my works are without end, and also my words, for they never cease.

5 Wherefore, no man can behold all my works, except he behold all my glory; and no man can behold all my glory, and afterwards remain in the flesh on the earth.

6 And I have a work for thee, Moses, my son; (Moses 1)

I find this so interesting.  Here is the logical chain revealed in these verses as I see it:

• God's works are endless.
• Man's work on the earth is finite.
• If a person beholds all of God's work, he would also behold all of God's glory, and could not afterwards remain on the earth.
• God still had a work for Moses to perform, therefore Moses only beheld a portion of God's work.
• It follows logically from all of this that once God's work for a given person is complete, they enter His rest, or perhaps another way to say this is that they behold all His glory.

Moses eventually completed the work God had for him, at which point he entered His rest.  Alma 45 suggests the same process happened with Alma-2. 

Enoch is the archetype of this process.

67 And the Lord showed Enoch all things, even unto the end of the world; and he saw the day of the righteous, the hour of their redemption, and received a fulness of joy; (Moses 7)

Enoch beheld "all things" and received a "fulness of joy" and entered into the rest of the Lord.

Other examples of similar wording

As I said, this wording is pretty unique in scripture.  Here are some additional examples of related wording:

In Alma 14:11 the phrase "receive them up unto himself" appears, in reference to the innocent believers killed in Ammonihah:

11 But Alma said unto him: The Spirit constraineth me that I must not stretch forth mine hand; for behold the Lord receiveth them up unto himself, in glory; and he doth suffer that they may do this thing, or that the people may do this thing unto them, according to the hardness of their hearts, that the judgments which he shall exercise upon them in his wrath may be just; and the blood of the innocent shall stand as a witness against them, yea, and cry mightily against them at the last day. (Alma 14)

In Jacob 5 the phrase "preserve ... unto myself" appears many, many times in reference to the the fruits (see verse 8, 19, 20, 23, 29, 31, 33, 46), the roots (see verse 11, 53, 54), the branches (see verse 13).  (Thanks to Stisa for bringing this to my attention). Verse 74 combines branch, root, and fruit into a metaphor that is very interesting with Enoch in mind:

74 And thus they labored, with all diligence, according to the commandments of the Lord of the vineyard, even until the bad had been cast away out of the vineyard, and the Lord had preserved unto himself that the trees had become again the natural fruit; and they became like unto one body; and the fruits were equal; and the Lord of the vineyard had preserved unto himself the natural fruit, which was most precious unto him from the beginning. (Jacob 5)

Finally, notice this crafty wording that describes the state of one who pursues unrighteous dominion:

38 Behold, ere he is aware, he is left unto himself, to kick against the pricks, to persecute the saints, and to fight against God. (Doctrine & Covenants 121)

Conclusion

The phrase "taken unto himself" tells a really important story in only three words.  It is meant to evoke Enoch's blessings and remind us of what God has in store for those who, like Enoch, receive of His fullness.

In a future post, I'll discuss the word "bosom" which appears in Moses 7:69 in the context of God receiving Enoch's city. This word has a very interesting set of meanings which fit nicely into the Enoch/New Jerusalem/Temple context.

The everlasting covenant and gospel dispensations -- Part 5 (Moses)

The previous parts of this series are found here:

• Part 1: Introduction and Adam
• Part 2: Enoch
• Part 3: Noah
• Part 4: Abraham

I honestly thought that I would combine at least 2-3 dispensations in each post, but this turned out to be more elaborate and a longer series than anticipated. 

Moses

This post is about the gospel dispensation of Moses. Usually, there is a general apostasy between the dispensations. But this dispensation is a bit different in that regard. We know that there was a righteous priesthood line from Abraham: Isaac, Jacob and Joseph. They lived in Egypt and prospered before they were enslaved. The text does not really say anything about the people of Israel falling into apostasy and it does not really seem to be the case. The midwives described in Exodus 1 feared God and in Exodus 2, the people cried to him in their agony.

Yet, this is counted as one of the seven gospel dispensations, perhaps because there is a re-establishment of the everlasting covenant, which underscores my point of this series. 

And God heard their groaning, and God remembered his covenant with Abraham, with Isaac, and with Jacob. (Exodus 2:24)

This is the backdrop of the Exodus. God remembers the covenant with Abraham and therefore he liberates the people of Israel and establishes a covenant with them, basically giving them the terms by which they can obtain the blessings promised to Abraham's seed. So this is another example of a connection between the dispensations with a new dispensation referring to other dispensations. When it comes to Moses and Abraham, this article discusses the many similarities between the Book of Moses and the Apocalypse of Abraham. 

There are also obvious similarities to Noah. The name, Moses, means "to pull/draw out" (implied: of water). This is what he is called because he is placed in an ark on the Nile and pulled out or rescued by Pharaoh's daughter. Lord Wilmore describes more about the similarities here. 

The similarities to Enoch are also interesting. Compare Moses 1 and Moses 7:

1 The words of God, which he spake unto Moses at a time when Moses was caught up into an exceedingly high mountain,

2 And he saw God face to face, and he talked with him, and the glory of God was upon Moses; therefore Moses could endure his presence.

3 And God spake unto Moses, saying: Behold, I am the Lord God Almighty, and Endless is my name; for I am without beginning of days or end of years; and is not this endless?

4 And, behold, thou art my son; wherefore look, and I will show thee the workmanship of mine hands; but not all, for my works are without end, and also my words, for they never cease. (Moses 1)

This is Moses talking with God face to face on a mountain and being shown his works. Just like what Enoch experienced. 

3 And it came to pass that I turned and went up on the mount; and as I stood upon the mount, I beheld the heavens open, and I was clothed upon with glory;

4 And I saw the Lord; and he stood before my face, and he talked with me, even as a man talketh one with another, face to face; and he said unto me: Look, and I will show unto thee the world for the space of many generations. (Moses 7)

Enoch establishes Zion on the mountain and they are blessed there (see Moses 7:17-18). "In the process of time" they are taken up because of their righteousness. So Enoch was blessed on the mountain, talked with God face to face and saw his glory. But he also managed to gather a people and prepare them for that same experience. The same can be said about Moses on Mount Sinai, except he did not manage to give the people the same experience. The people of Israel were invited to prepare to be in God's presence too, but failed (see Exodus 20:18-19). D&C 84 explains this in more detail. 

19 And this greater priesthood administereth the gospel and holdeth the key of the mysteries of the kingdom, even the key of the knowledge of God.

20 Therefore, in the ordinances thereof, the power of godliness is manifest.

21 And without the ordinances thereof, and the authority of the priesthood, the power of godliness is not manifest unto men in the flesh;

22 For without this no man can see the face of God, even the Father, and live.

23 Now this Moses plainly taught to the children of Israel in the wilderness, and sought diligently to sanctify his people that they might behold the face of God;

24 But they hardened their hearts and could not endure his presence; therefore, the Lord in his wrath, for his anger was kindled against them, swore that they should not enter into his rest while in the wilderness, which rest is the fulness of his glory.

25 Therefore, he took Moses out of their midst, and the Holy Priesthood also;

26 And the lesser priesthood continued, which priesthood holdeth the key of the ministering of angels and the preparatory gospel

We learn from these verses that the priesthood is the key to seeing the face of God like Moses and Enoch did. Being ordained after his holy order is one of the characteristics of the gospel dispensations that we have discussed in this series. But since the Israelites were not ready, they got the lesser priesthood and wandered around in the wilderness without entering into his rest. The higher priesthood came back with Jesus Christ in the next dispensation. That is the topic for the next post.

But as always, there are references to the creation in conjunction with a gospel dispensation. Like Abraham, Moses is the source of one of our creation accounts. Also, just like Abraham 3 is the precursor of the creation account in Abraham 4 (as explained in the previous post of this series), Moses 1 is the precursor of the creation account in Moses 2. As explained in this article, Moses 1 (as well as the whole Book of Moses) is an example of ancient ascent literature, a temple text describing a journey that ultimately leads to God's presence. This represents the reversal of the creation and fall. (See figure 1 and figure 2 in the linked article). I consider individual covenants as steps on this way and the everlasting covenant as the sum total making up this journey that leads back to God's presence. Moses epitomized this journey, the way of life, but the children of Israel epitomized the other way, the way of death. This serves as a warning to the latter-day Israel in the final dispensation of the fullness of times.

The Only Begotten -- Part 2 (full of grace and truth)

When studying the use of the "Only Begotten" in the scriptures (posted as part 1 of this series), I noticed a strong correlation with the phrase, "full of grace and truth". Almost without exception, when grace and truth are used together in the scriptures it is in one of the passages naming the Son as the Only Begotten. 

Let us go back to the Pearl of Great Price again, where this expression is used the most. In Moses 1, we find this twice:

And I have a work for thee, Moses, my son; and thou art in the similitude of mine Only Begotten; and mine Only Begotten is and shall be the Savior, for he is full of grace and truth (Moses 1:6)

And by the word of my power, have I created them, which is mine Only Begotten Son, who is full of grace and truth. (Moses 1:32)

If we count Moses 1 as the beginning of our scriptures, since it is preceding the creation account that we find in Genesis 1, we see that the Only Begotten who is full of grace and truth is introduced in the very beginning. But we could also look at it chronologically based on a timeline. After all, Moses 1 is God speaking to Moses. We could go back to Adam and the first instance of introducing the Savior of the world, as recorded in the scriptures. I quoted it in the last post and it is unique to the Book of Moses

And then the angel spake, saying: This thing is a similitude of the sacrifice of the Only Begotten of the Father, which is full of grace and truth. (Moses 5:7)

Sure enough, there it is. This is speculative, but my preliminary theory is that what we read in Moses 5:5-8 was highly significant among believers during the first temple period among the Jews and anyone who kept this tradition after the Deuteronomist reform where such talk about the Only Begotten was censored from scripture. Adam had just been cast out of the Garden of Eden. He was asked to sacrifice and after showing his obedience, he got the explanation along with an introduction of the Savior of mankind. He is introduced as "the Only Begotten of the Father, which is full of grace and truth". This is a key passage that remains in oral traditions, scriptures and cultural heritage of later prophets.

One of the few uses of "Only Begotten" in the Bible is found in John 1:14. This is also interesting because John starts out with "in the beginning", which is a metaleptic reference to the creation account. Here is the verse:

And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.

With the additional knowledge found in the Book of Moses about how God revealed the creation account to Moses and how Adam was taught about the ultimate sacrifice by the Savior, these highlighted terms may also be viewed as metalepsis.

In part 1, I demonstrated that 6 out of 9 Book of Mormon uses of "Only Begotten" are in the context of referring back to ancient times. The other 3 lack that context but guess what: 2 out of those also link "Only Begotten" with grace and truth. Here they are:

I say unto you, that I know of myself that whatsoever I shall say unto you, concerning that which is to come, is true; and I say unto you, that I know that Jesus Christ shall come, yea, the Son, the Only Begotten of the Father, full of grace, and mercy, and truth. And behold, it is he that cometh to take away the sins of the world, yea, the sins of every man who steadfastly believeth on his name. (Alma 5:48)

And not many days hence the Son of God shall come in his glory; and his glory shall be the glory of the Only Begotten of the Father, full of grace, equity, and truth, full of patience, mercy, and long-suffering, quick to hear the cries of his people and to answer their prayers. (Alma 9:26)

In both these verses, Alma and Amulek are talking about things to come. But I wonder if the wording they use have particular meaning to an audience who have read the brass plates. That which was soon to come was what had been taught from the beginning, by the mouth of angels, who visited Adam and others revealing the plan of redemption through the Only Begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth. 

 

Adam and Eve in the scriptures, part 3

This is the final post in a series about references to Adam and Eve in the scriptures. Part 1 offered a numerical overview. Part 2 looked qualitatively at references to Adam and Eve in the Bible and the Doctrine & Covenants. This final part will first look at references to Adam and Eve in the Book of Moses and Book of Abraham, and then we'll conclude with a look at the Book of Mormon.

Book of Moses

Moses 1:34 -- The first man of all men is called Adam.

Moses 3:19-23 -- Adam named all living things; Eve was created from one of Adam's ribs.

Moses 4:6-31 -- Satan beguiles Adam and Eve; the ground is cursed for their sake; they are clothed with coats of skins; they are driven out.

Moses 5 -- Adam and Eve obey the law of sacrifice and are taught by angels. Cain slays Abel and secret combinations are formed.

Moses 6 -- Adam and Eve hearken unto the voice of the Lord and repent. They teach their children the Gospel. Adam is baptized.

Moses 7:1 -- 

And it came to pass that Enoch continued his speech, saying: Behold, our father Adam taught these things, and many have believed and become the sons of God, and many have believed not, and have perished in their sins, and are looking forth with fear, in torment, for the fiery indignation of the wrath of God to be poured out upon them.

Book of Abraham

Abraham 1:3, 26 -- The priesthood came to Abraham through Adam.

Abraham (Facsimile 2) -- Key-words of the Holy Priesthood were given to Adam in the Garden of Eden.

Abraham 5:13-21 -- Creation account.

Book of Mormon

Doctrinal topics found in connection with references to "Adam" or "Eve" or "first parents" abound in the Book of Mormon. It's impressive to see how often and how deeply the doctrine connects.  There is also a conspicuous amount of overlap with doctrinal concepts in the Book of Moses.

2 Nephi 2:15-26 (Lehi)

• God created all things “to bring about his eternal purposes in the end of man” including opposition in all things. 

• Satan seeks our misery.

• In mortality mankind is given the opportunity to repent.

• Men are that they might have joy.

• Christ came to redeem mankind.

2 Nephi 9:9,21 (Jacob)

• Satan seeks our misery.

• Satan beguiled our first parents.

• He “transformeth himself nigh unto an angel of light”

• Christ suffered the pains of all mankind.

Jacob 4:3-5 (Jacob)

• “All the holy prophets” had a hope of Christ’s glory.

Mosiah 3:11-26; 4:7 (King Benjamin -- quoting an angel in ch. 3)

• The natural man in each of us can be “put off” through:

• The Atonement of Jesus Christ

• Yielding to the enticings of the Holy Spirit

• Becoming submissive meek, and humble

• The atonement was prepared “from the foundation of the world for all mankind who ever were, are, or will be.

Mosiah 16:3 (Abinadi)

• Satan beguiled Adam and Eve and caused their fall

Alma 12:21-26 (Alma-2)

• Death came about by the fall.

• Space was granted unto man to repent

• The purpose of life is to prepare to meet God and prepare for the endless state that comes after the resurrection.

Alma 42:2-7 (Alma-2)

• Becoming cut off from God’s presence allowed mankind to “[become] subjects to follow their own will”

Helaman 14:16-18 (Samuel the Lamanite)

• Adam’s fall cut us off from the presence of the Lord.

• Christ brought about the resurrection and conditions of repentance to bring us “back into the presence of the Lord”

Mormon 3:20 (Mormon)

• Every soul must stand before the the judgment seat of Christ to be judged

Mormon 9:11-14 (Moroni)

• The fall came by Adam, the redemption of Adam came by Christ

Ether 8:25 (Moroni)

• Satan beguiled our first parents.

Moroni 8:8 (Mormon -- quoting the word of the Lord)

• The curse of Adam is taken from little children through Christ.

Moroni 10:3 (Moroni)

• God was merciful to Adam

Conclusion

I can't help but marvel at the amount of deep yellow in that Book of Mormon list.  There is a tight connection between references to deep gospel doctrine and Adam and Eve.  This is essentially absent from the Old Testament.  Why? Was it because the temple doctrines once had by ancient Israelites ended up suppressed and stripped away?  Was this doctrinal tradition preserved on the brass plates?