Paneh (פָנִים): face

The Hebrew word for face would seem a quite trivial thing to make a blog post about, but I find it interesting for several reasons. Just like other body parts, face can be taken literally but also carry deeper symbolic meaning. For an ancient Jew, the face was also synonymous with "presence". This is sometimes reflected in the English translations of the Old Testament. The Hebrew word is paneh (פָנִים). For example, Psalm 95, that has been discussed many times on this blog, begins like this:

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

2 Let us come before his presence with thanksgiving, and make a joyful noise unto him with psalms.

3 For the Lord is a great God, and a great King above all gods.

4 In his hand are the deep places of the earth: the strength of the hills is his also.

5 The sea is his, and he made it: and his hands formed the dry land.

6 O come, let us worship and bow down: let us kneel before the Lord our maker.

"Face" is not even mentioned once in English in these verses, but in the Hebrew text it is found twice (the bold parts). A literal translation of the bold part in verse 6 would read "kneel face Yahweh". That would make little sense in English. Knowing that the Lord's face has to do with his presence, the translators choose the preposition "before" even though there is no preposition in the Hebrew text. This is only one of very many examples, which means that whenever "paneh" is used in Hebrew in the meaning of presence, it gets a bit lost in translation. 

"Before the Lord" or "paneh Yahweh" is often used in the context of bringing sacrifices to the Lord. As I have often mentioned before, the Book of Mormon frequently uses Old Testament terms in a context that seems to expand on or show a deeper meaning to the Old Testament usage. "Before the Lord" in the Book of Mormon is almost always in the context of humility. The Book of Mormon people humble themselves before the Lord. They were humble in the Lord's presence, or literally his face. Perhaps this indicates that bringing sacrifices in the temple, which by definition is in the Lord's presence, is an act of humility.

The word, "face", is also frequently used in the early chapters of Genesis. Notice the reference to the creation in verse 5 of the Psalm quoted above. There is a poetic reference to both hands and face that is lost in translation. The creation account mentions the face of the waters and the face of the earth. Searching for "face" in the Book of Mormon, I also found that the overwhelming majority of uses of this word, is in the phrase "face of the earth/land". Lord Wilmore has previously postulated that this is a covenant term, and I think he is absolutely right. I want to expand on the theme in his linked post to further demonstrate this. The Book of Mormon frequently describes the activity of a chosen covenant people on the face of the (promised) land. I am not going to quote a lot of these verses, but I find Ether 6:12 particularly interesting:

12 And they did land upon the shore of the promised land. And when they had set their feet upon the shores of the promised land they bowed themselves down upon the face of the land, and did humble themselves before the Lord, and did shed tears of joy before the Lord, because of the multitude of his tender mercies over them.

13 And it came to pass that they went forth upon the face of the land, and began to till the earth.

If the Nephite language preserved this feature from Hebrew, perhaps the "face of the land" and "before the Lord" were linked by a common word as it would be in Hebrew. This is also seen in the early chapters of Genesis. When Adam and Eve had partaken of the fruit, they

hid themselves from the presence (Hebr. paneh) of the Lord God amongst the trees of the garden. (Genesis 3:8)

Instead of humbling themselves before the face of the Lord, they hid themselves from it. This is repeated when describing the curse of Cain.When Cain's sacrifice was rejected, his countenance (Hebr. paneh) fell, as we read in Genesis 4:5. Then he murdered his brother, Abel, and was cursed.

14 Behold, thou hast driven me out this day from the face of the earth; and from thy face shall I be hid; and I shall be a fugitive and a vagabond in the earth; and it shall come to pass, that every one that findeth me shall slay me. (Genesis 4:14)

Cain was banished from the face of the earth and hidden from the face of the Lord. But how could he be driven out from the face of the earth? He would be a fugitive and vagabond, but surely he was not going to be sent to another planet(!). I think there is a deeper and profound meaning here. Temporarily, we are all on the face of mother earth that was created for us to learn and grow. Her presence lets us enjoy the bounty she can bring forth, the fruit of the tilled ground. The face of mother earth is a gateway to the face/presence of the Lord. In the context of the plan of salvation, we know this to be the case. Because of his murder and rebellion, Cain was banished from the face of the earth, who would no longer yield its strength, and thereby also excluded from the possibility to come before (the face of) the Lord.

The humble Jaredites in Ether 6:12 represent the polar opposite of that. I have recently written about a reversal of curses in the beginning of Genesis, but apparently there are layers to that. Bowing ourselves upon the face of the earth in humility, tilling the earth and bringing forth her yield as a righteous sacrifice before the Lord, leads us to his face/presence. 

Joshua as a new name

While studying the endowment pattern in the Book of Mormon, I researched new names, which are a symbol found frequently in that pattern. One very interesting detail which emerged from that study is found in Numbers 13:16, where Moses gives a new name to the head of the tribe of Ephraim prior to the twelve spies being sent to assess the land of promise.  

8 Of the tribe of Ephraim, Oshea the son of Nun.

...

16 These are the names of the men which Moses sent to spy out the land. And Moses called Oshea the son of Nun Jehoshua.

Oshea means 'salvation.' The new name, given by Jehovah's agent on earth, is Jehoshea ("Joshua" in the KJV). This new name means 'Jehovah is salvation.'  That detail is very intriguing in the context of the gathering of Israel in the latter days. We know Ephraim was prophesied to play a great role in the great latter-day work, and just as Joshua did not fear when he saw the giants in the land of promise, we should not fear anything in mortality once we learn that salvation comes through Jehovah.

Despite everyone else's fear, Joshua and Caleb spoke boldly of their confidence in God's power to lead His people to victory:

7 ...The land, which we passed through to search it, is an exceeding good land.

8 If the Lord delight in us, then he will bring us into this land, and give it us; a land which floweth with milk and honey.

9 Only rebel not ye against the Lord, neither fear ye the people of the land; for they are bread for us: their defence is departed from them, and the Lord is with us: fear them not. (Numbers 14)

Sadly, the people fear the inhabitants of the land of promise more than they trust in God, and as a result they provoke God's wrath. 

22 Because all those men which have seen my glory, and my miracles, which I did in Egypt and in the wilderness, and have tempted me now these ten times, and have not hearkened to my voice;

23 Surely they shall not see the land which I sware unto their fathers, neither shall any of them that provoked me see it ...

29 Your carcases shall fall in this wilderness; and all that were numbered of you, according to your whole number, from twenty years old and upward, which have murmured against me,

30 Doubtless ye shall not come into the land, concerning which I sware to make you dwell therein, save Caleb the son of Jephunneh, and Joshua the son of Nun.

31 But your little ones, which ye said should be a prey, them will I bring in, and they shall know the land which ye have despised.

32 But as for you, your carcases, they shall fall in this wilderness.

33 And your children shall wander in the wilderness forty years, and bear your whoredoms, until your carcases be wasted in the wilderness. (Numbers 14)

This is the provocation spoken of in Jacob 1:7, Alma 12:35-36, Hebrews 3:8-19, and Psalm 95:8. Although the punishment seems quite severe, it is important to note that the people who incurred this wrath did so by rejecting God after experiencing His power and mighty miracles.  Each of these individuals witnessed the ten plagues in Egypt and personally followed Moses through the Red Sea on dry ground.

The context matters. The consequence of sin depends in part on what light we have received.  As Alma-2 teaches quite clearly earlier in Alma 12, the danger of hardening our heart against the word of God is that it can lead us to reject God's power to save:

13 Then if our hearts have been hardened, yea, if we have hardened our hearts against the word, insomuch that it has not been found in us, then will our state be awful, for then we shall be condemned.

14 For our words will condemn us, yea, all our works will condemn us; we shall not be found spotless; and our thoughts will also condemn us; and in this awful state we shall not dare to look up to our God; and we would fain be glad if we could command the rocks and the mountains to fall upon us to hide us from his presence.

15 But this cannot be; we must come forth and stand before him in his glory, and in his power, and in his might, majesty, and dominion, and acknowledge to our everlasting shame that all his judgments are just; that he is just in all his works, and that he is merciful unto the children of men, and that he has all power to save every man that believeth on his name and bringeth forth fruit meet for repentance.

16 And now behold, I say unto you then cometh a death, even a second death, which is a spiritual death; then is a time that whosoever dieth in his sins, as to a temporal death, shall also die a spiritual death; yea, he shall die as to things pertaining unto righteousness.

17 Then is the time when their torments shall be as a lake of fire and brimstone, whose flame ascendeth up forever and ever; and then is the time that they shall be chained down to an everlasting destruction, according to the power and captivity of Satan, he having subjected them according to his will.

18 Then, I say unto you, they shall be as though there had been no redemption made; (Alma 12)

Thus, the new name given by Moses to Hoshea/Joshua is quite significant.  'Jehovah is salvation.'  Upon receiving this knowledge by covenant, we can either choose to live accordingly and follow Christ, or reject His saving power. If we reject Him, one day we will stand before God and "acknowledge to our everlasting shame that all is judgments are just ... that he is merciful unto the children of men, and that he has all power to save every man that believeth on his name and bringeth forth fruit meet for repentance."

It also needs to be mentioned that this new name is the Hebrew name of Jesus. The Messiah took this same name upon Himself when He came to earth.  As I've mentioned previous (see section on 'new names' at the end of this post), with a name comes a purpose. Christ's condescension to earth made salvation possible, so the name 'Joshua' is perfect.

Noah, the ark, and "rest" -- Part 8 (Lessons from Ammonihah)

Lord Wilmore has written a series on this topic consisting of many posts back in February/March. I wanted to add some thoughts to his about the Nephite view as expressed in the story of Alma and Amulek in Ammonihah. There is an overarching theme of Noah/rest and "enter[ing] in" that I find fascinating. In general, there are numerous posts on "enter into his rest" on this blog. Here is a brief recap

• Psalm 95 uses this expression, referring to the Israelites who rebelled in the desert and did not enter into the promised land
• This is a metaphor for the (divine) rest we can enter into through covenants
• The Hebrew word for (divine) rest is "nuach" and is a variant of the personal name, Noah

There is much more to this, but I would just refer Lord Wilmore's and my own series on this topic which can be found on this blog with the search function.

The account of Noah and the ark is full of "entering in". This is translated from the Hebrew word, bo (בּוֹא), which is found 9 times in the account. In Genesis 7, the text repeatedly describes people and animals entering into the ark. The way the Hebrew is constructed, "enter in" is often followed by the name Noah (meaning rest) so that there is an underlying metaphor of entering into divine rest throughout the chapter. After the flood, the ark finally comes to rest on the mountaintop (see Genesis 8:4). The dove also found rest at last after having found no resting place before the waters receded (see Genesis 8:9). The wordplays are numerous and evident.

What does that have to do with Alma and Amulek in Ammonihah? Quite a bit, actually. The expression, "enter into his rest", is used 9 times in Alma's sermon in Ammonihah in Alma 12-13. I don't think it is a coincidence that Alma uses this theme as a central component in his message. Noah is mentioned by Amulek as they start preaching in Ammonihah.

Yea, and I say unto you that if it were not for the prayers of the righteous, who are now in the land, that ye would even now be visited with utter destruction; yet it would not be by flood, as were the people in the days of Noah, but it would be by famine, and by pestilence, and the sword. (Alma 10:22)

There is an apt warning of destruction to a wicked people, but the Noah comparison might seem a bit odd. Why drag Noah into this? Geographical hints in the Book of Mormon reveal that the closest neighbouring city to Ammonihah was the city of Noah! (See Alma 49:11-12 and 16:3, which we will get back to). This is likely something Amulek had in mind and used to amplify his message, hinting at their neighboring city of rest. In the story they likely knew from the brass plates, Noah and his family who "entered in" were saved but everyone else was destroyed. The Ammonihahites need to be cautious. At the moment, only the prayers of the righteous are saving them from suffering the same fate, only by sword instead of flood.

With this as backdrop, Alma gives a discourse largely based on the concept of "entering into his rest" (Hebr. nuach). On a deeper level, Alma's message is therefore an invitation to "enter in" like Noah and his family into the ark that protected them from the floods. Similarly, entering into the covenant, according to the high priestly/temple tradition as outlined in Alma 13, will protect them from the sword. (Their choice is to stay true to the covenant they've "cut" or be "cut down" by the sword.) On the other hand, if they refuse like the people in the days of Noah or their forefathers in the desert in the days of Moses, and even cast out the righteous from among them, they will be destroyed. As Lord Wilmore has pointed out in his series, the ark symbolizes the covenants/temple that we enter into for protection. The Lord "smiled upon [the ark] and held it in his own hand" (Moses 7:43).

Considering our covenants to serve as a protective factor that leads us to divine rest is a very different view from the notion of covenants as bothersome obstacles to our freedom. Although not necessarily the prevalent view of members today, many (myself included) may have mistakenly seen it that way from time to time.

Back to the inhabitants of Ammonihah, they decline the invitation to enter into his rest. Some believed, but they were either killed or cast out by the wicked, as we read in Alma 14. This is exactly what they were warned against. Since God's word "cannot return void" (Moses 4:30), the consequence was inevitable. Alma 16 describes the Lamanite army destroying the whole city

2 For behold, the armies of the Lamanites had come in upon the wilderness side, into the borders of the land, even into the city of Ammonihah, and began to slay the people and destroy the city.

3 And now it came to pass, before the Nephites could raise a sufficient army to drive them out of the land, they had destroyed the people who were in the city of Ammonihah, and also some around the borders of Noah, and taken others captive into the wilderness.

Notice that the whole city of Ammonihah was destroyed including those who lived "around the borders of Noah". Just like the waters surrounded Noah in the ark and destroyed every living thing but protected Noah and his family.

And every living substance was destroyed which was upon the face of the ground, both man, and cattle, and the creeping things, and the fowl of the heaven; and they were destroyed from the earth: and Noah only remained alive, and they that were with him in the ark. (Genesis 7:23)

Compare with Alma 16:9

every living soul of the Ammonihahites was destroyed

It is a very sad story, but nonetheless a story with deep symbolism that we can learn from. Even though the Ammonihahites and some of their forefathers, at the time of Noah and Moses, chose not to "enter into his rest", the invitation that has been extended since the beginning by angels (Alma 12:29, Alma 13:22) and those who are called after the Holy Order of God (Alma 13:6) is perpetuated. Just consider what Alma and Amulek did after they had been cast out and Ammonihah had been destroyed

15 And thus did Alma and Amulek go forth, and also many more who had been chosen for the work, to preach the word throughout all the land. And the establishment of the church became general throughout the land, in all the region round about, among all the people of the Nephites.

16 And there was no inequality among them; the Lord did pour out his Spirit on all the face of the land to prepare the minds of the children of men, or to prepare their hearts to receive the word which should be taught among them at the time of his coming—

17 That they might not be hardened against the word, that they might not be unbelieving, and go on to destruction, but that they might receive the word with joy, and as a branch be grafted into the true vine, that they might enter into the rest of the Lord their God. (Alma 16)

When we hear the word, do we harden our hearts or receive it with joy? It is an important question to ask because the consequences of choosing one or the other differ vastly. This is taught in the scriptures both in sermons and stories (Ammonihah being one of them). One leads us to "go on to destruction" like the Ammonihahites, the other to "enter into the rest of the Lord".

Hearing His voice

Recently, the Prophet has invited us to hear Him like the boy Joseph Smith did. I want to contextualize this by looking at how the scriptures invite us to hear God and how He has spoken to people in the past. I have picked up several learning points that I have divided into sections of this post.

A still small voice

It is likely that the account of the prophet Elijah was found on the brass plates. One of the most well-know stories about Elijah is found in 1 Kings 19:11-13

11 And he said, Go forth, and stand upon the mount before the Lord. And, behold, the Lord passed by, and a great and strong wind rent the mountains, and brake in pieces the rocks before the Lord; but the Lord was not in the wind: and after the wind an earthquake; but the Lord was not in the earthquake:
12 And after the earthquake a fire; but the Lord was not in the fire: and after the fire a still small voice.
13 And it was so, when Elijah heard it, that he wrapped his face in his mantle

The last part, where Elijah wrapped his face, signifies God's presence. It was the still, small voice that came from the Lord. The Book of Mormon also talks about this still small voice. 

And it came to pass when they heard this voice, and beheld that it was not a voice of thunder, neither was it a voice of a great tumultuous noise, but behold, it was a still voice of perfect mildness, as if it had been a whisper, and it did pierce even to the very soul (Helaman 5:30)

And it came to pass that while they were thus conversing one with another, they heard a voice as if it came out of heaven; and they cast their eyes round about, for they understood not the voice which they heard; and it was not a harsh voice, neither was it a loud voice; nevertheless, and notwithstanding it being a small voice it did pierce them that did hear to the center, insomuch that there was no part of their frame that it did not cause to quake; yea, it did pierce them to the very soul, and did cause their hearts to burn. (3 Nephi 11:3)

The last one is from the Savior's visit to the Nephites. It is interesting to notice that there is quaking and burning, just like the Elijah account, but they are internal instead of external. The still, small voice causes the frame to quake and the heart to burn. Another possible allusion to Elijah is found in 1 Nephi 17:45.

ye have heard his voice from time to time; and he hath spoken unto you in a still small voice, but ye were past feeling, that ye could not feel his words; wherefore, he has spoken unto you like unto the voice of thunder, which did cause the earth to shake as if it were to divide asunder.

Compared to Elijah the events are reversed. God first tries with his still, small voice. But since they are "past feeling", he must resort to the thunder and earthquakes instead. The prophet Zenos, who Nephi quotes in 1 Nephi 19, seems to indicate that this marks the difference between the righteous and wicked. 

For thus spake the prophet: The Lord God surely shall visit all the house of Israel at that day, some with his voice, because of their righteousness, unto their great joy and salvation, and others with the thunderings and the lightnings of his power, by tempest, by fire, and by smoke, and vapor of darkness, and by the opening of the earth, and by mountains which shall be carried up.

The thunder and tempest also comes from God, but only those who hear his voice are able to withstand those things. The next section describes a people who didn't. 

The fate of those who refuse to hear his voice

Another well-known account combining God's voice with thunder and lightning is Moses on Mount Sinai. There is a clear connection to Elijah. 1 Kings 19 and Exodus 20 both take place on Mount Horeb. Horeb is just another word for Sinai, or there may be two adjacent summits with two different names, as some scholars believe. In any case, 1 Kings 8:9 states that Moses got the commandments at Horeb and 1 Kings 19:8 states that Elijah was at Horeb when God manifested himself with a still, small voice. According to that verse, Horeb is the Mount of God. There are several other parallels. For instance, both Moses and Elijah fasted there for 40 days. Elijah cause the Jordan River to part in 1 Kings 2, like Moses the Red Sea. Moses' succcessor was Joshua, which means Yahweh saves, whereas Elijah's successor was Elisha meaning El (God) saves.

The Mount of God is easily associated with the temple and from a Latter-Day Saint perspective there is further connection in the fact that both Moses and Elijah appeared in the Kirtland temple in 1836 to restore Priesthood keys, just as they had appeared together on the Mount of Transfiguration.

When God speaks to Moses, it doesn't say that he does so in a still, small voice. To the contrary, we get the impression that it is the thundering and lightening signifying his presence. So in that context, it is surprising that God was not found in the storm, earthquake or fire when appearing to Elijah. I don't know the reason for this difference, when there are so many parallels. But in the story of Moses, it is not just about him, but also the whole people of Israel.

18 And all the people saw the thunderings, and the lightnings, and the noise of the trumpet, and the mountain smoking: and when the people saw it, they removed, and stood afar off.
19 And they said unto Moses, Speak thou with us, and we will hear: but let not God speak with us, lest we die. (Exodus 20)

The children of Israel were afraid and did not want to listen. This is why the psalmist refers to them when he writes

7 For he is our God; and we are the people of his pasture, and the sheep of his hand. To day if ye will hear his voice,

8 Harden not your heart, as in the provocation, and as in the day of temptation in the wilderness (Psalm 95)

I will get back to the part marked with green. "The provocation" and "day of temptation" are references to the children of Israel. The psalmist goes on to remind us that they wandered in the wilderness for 40 years instead of "entering into His rest" in the promised land. All because they did not hear his voice. As we just saw in Exodus 20, they did not want to hear his voice. They wanted Moses to take care of that part, he could just tell them later what God said. Similarly, if we do not seek to hear God's voice, hearing what the Prophet says will not help. The words of the Prophet are the words of God and to recognize them as such we must learn to hear Him. Then we can hear God's word and will through the prophet as well as directly and personally to us. This is why the prophet does not say "hear me", but rather "hear Him".

This quote from Psalm 95 has been discussed several times on this blog and is also referred to several times in all the other standard works, especially the bold part. Here are some examples from the Doctrine and Covenants.

And ye are called to bring to pass the gathering of mine elect; for mine elect hear my voice and harden not their hearts (D&C 29:7)

Hearken, O ye people of my church, and ye elders listen together, and hear my voice while it is called today, and harden not your hearts (D&C 45:6)

And even so will I cause the wicked to be kept, that will not hear my voice but harden their hearts, and wo, wo, wo, is their doom. (D&C 38:6) 

We need to hear his voice while it is called today. Tomorrow he may call us and invite us to his rest, but if we have not familiarized with his voice we don't recognize it and respond, and will not "enter in". Not because the gates have closed right in front of us, but because we are still wandering mindlessly around in the wilderness. 

Jacob also alludes to Psalm 95.

5 Wherefore, my beloved brethren, I beseech of you in words of soberness that ye would repent, and come with full purpose of heart, and cleave unto God as he cleaveth unto you. And while his arm of mercy is extended towards you in the light of the day, harden not your hearts.
6 Yea, today, if ye will hear his voice, harden not your hearts; for why will ye die? (Jacob 6)

"why will ye die" is further reference to the children of Israel. Jacob urges his people not to be like their forefathers, who refused to hear his voice and died in the wilderness as a consequence, instead of entering into his rest.

"My sheep hear my voice"

Back to the green marking in Psalm 95. There is a shepherd/sheep analogy often linked to hearing his voice. 

And other sheep I have, which are not of this fold: them also I must bring, and they shall hear my voice; and there shall be one fold, and one shepherd. (John 10:16)

This is referenced and expanded on in 3 Nephi 15 and 16. One fold and one shepherd is a result of the gathering of Israel. Hearing his voice is a prerequisite. When the shepherd calls and we don't respond, there can be no gathering. 

21 And he that will hear my voice shall be my sheep; and him shall ye receive into the church, and him will I also receive. (Mosiah 26:21)

Alma teaches this very clearly

37 O ye workers of iniquity; ye that are puffed up in the vain things of the world, ye that have professed to have known the ways of righteousness nevertheless have gone astray, as sheep having no shepherd, notwithstanding a shepherd hath called after you and is still calling after you, but ye will not hearken unto his voice!...
57 And now I say unto you, all you that are desirous to follow the voice of the good shepherd, come ye out from the wicked, and be ye separate, and touch not their unclean things; and behold, their names shall be blotted out, that the names of the wicked shall not be numbered among the names of the righteous, that the word of God may be fulfilled, which saith: The names of the wicked shall not be mingled with the names of my people...
60 And now I say unto you that the good shepherd doth call after you; and if you will hearken unto his voice he will bring you into his fold (Alma 5)

We are called upon by the good shepherd who wants to gather us into his fold. The gathering consists of each sheep coming "out from the wicked" and being "separate". He has called and is still calling, so it is up to us to listen, hearken and follow his voice. It is for our own good. He will lead us to safety and good pasture. If we have not learned to recognize his voice, there can be no gathering. On the other hand, when we hearken to his voice and gather, we are ready for the next step: Seeing his face.

Hearing his voice leads to seeing his face

In this section we will see how the scriptures teach that hearing his voice enables us to eventually see his face. We return again to the Exodus to draw a lesson from the ancient Israelites. We learned in chapter 20 that they were afraid and did not want to hear God's voice. This is what happened in chapter 19

5 Now therefore, if ye will obey my voice indeed, and keep my covenant, then ye shall be a peculiar treasure unto me above all people: for all the earth is mine:

6 And ye shall be unto me a kingdom of priests, and an holy nation. These are the words which thou shalt speak unto the children of Israel.

7 And Moses came and called for the elders of the people, and laid before their faces all these words which the Lord commanded him.

8 And all the people answered together, and said, All that the Lord hath spoken we will do. And Moses returned the words of the people unto the Lord.

9 And the Lord said unto Moses, Lo, I come unto thee in a thick cloud, that the people may hear when I speak with thee, and believe thee for ever. And Moses told the words of the people unto the Lord.

10 And the Lord said unto Moses, Go unto the people, and sanctify them to day and to morrow, and let them wash their clothes,

11 And be ready against the third day: for the third day the Lord will come down in the sight of all the people upon mount Sinai.

I have marked some with purple also to highlight another point: When the good shepherd calls and invites us into his fold, we respond to this invitation by entering into a covenant with him. The gathering of Israel is the gathering of a covenant people. At Horeb/Sinai, Israel promised to obey his voice ("all that the Lord hath spoken we will do"), but as we saw in chapter 20, at the end of the day, they did not even want to hear it. Too bad because this would have enabled them not only to hear him but also seeing him. The Lord comments on this in D&C 84

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.

Hearing his voice is a preparatory step, often involving priesthood ordinances and covenants, that will enable us to one day see the face of God.

66 Behold, that which you hear is as the voice of one crying in the wilderness—in the wilderness, because you cannot see him—my voice, because my voice is Spirit; my Spirit is truth; truth abideth and hath no end; and if it be in you it shall abound.
67 And if your eye be single to my glory, your whole bodies shall be filled with light, and there shall be no darkness in you; and that body which is filled with light comprehendeth all things.
68 Therefore, sanctify yourselves that your minds become single to God, and the days will come that you shall see him; for he will unveil his face unto you, and it shall be in his own time, and in his own way, and according to his own will. (D&C 88)

There might be subtle allusions to the Exodus here too. The "wilderness" and admonition to "sanctify yourselves" as the children of Israel were asked, are possible clues. All these references are pointing us to a story where there are lessons to be learned. The children of Israel refused the invitation to hear him. As a consequence, the higher priesthood was taken away from them and they wandered and eventually died in the wilderness without entering into his rest. Similarly, in the wilderness of our lives, the good shepherd calls us and invites us to him and his fold through covenants administered by the Mechizedek Priesthood that has been restored. If we learn from the mistakes of Israel of old and, as a latter-day people of Israel, hear his voice instead of hardening our hearts and sanctify ourselves, we will enter into his rest and behold his face. In this context, the Prophet's invitation to us today to "hear Him" is absolutely crucial.