The faith to leave Bountiful

I think about how happy Lehi's family must have been to arrive at Bountiful after leaving Jerusalem and wandering for so long. I bet it would have been quite tempting to consider Bountiful to be the promised land, but it wasn't.  It wouldn't have taken much faith to accept living in Bountiful after wandering in the wilderness.

Imagine how much faith it must have taken to leave Bountiful on a ship you built yourself, without any previous ship-building experience, unlike any other ship you've seen.

I see a parallel in our lives.  Core Gospel principles can lead us to relative comfort, peace, and prosperity, but God has something much greater in mind for each of us, if we are willing to exercise the faith necessary to act according to His will for us.

Building our lives the same way Nephi built his ship

I like to compare the building of the ship with how we are asked to build our lives.

Nephi states that the Lord showed him "from time to time" how to work the timbers:

2 Now I, Nephi, did not work the timbers after the manner which was learned by men, neither did I build the ship after the manner of men; but I did build it after the manner which the Lord had shown unto me; wherefore, it was not after the manner of men.

Similarly, we are asked to shape our lives after the manner the Lord has shown us, not after the manner of men.

How are we to know how to shape our lives. Here's verse 3:

3 And I, Nephi, did go into the mount oft, and I did pray oft unto the Lord; wherefore the Lord showed unto me great things.

Nephi's brothers do not have the same trust in God, and so although they help, the process probably seems much more unusual and arbitrary to them.

Perhaps it is the same with the commandments--if we regularly receive direct inspiration from God as we "go to the mount oft" and "pray oft," we will have a much easier time following the Lord's instructions than if we act out of a sense of obedience alone or based on cultural of familial expectations.

In 1 Nephi 17, Laman and Lemuel argue that the people of Jerusalem were righteous:

22 And we know that the people who were in the land of Jerusalem were a righteous people; for they kept the statutes and judgments of the Lord, and all his commandments, according to the law of Moses; wherefore, we know that they are a righteous people; and our father hath judged them, and hath led us away because we would hearken unto his words; yea, and our brother is like unto him. And after this manner of language did my brethren murmur and complain against us.

Nephi proceeds to give them a whole sermon about how Moses was called by God to lead the chosen people out of bondage to the promised land:

40 And he loveth those who will have him to be their God. Behold, he loved our fathers, and he covenanted with them, yea, even Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob; and he remembered the covenants which he had made; wherefore, he did bring them out of the land of Egypt.

Clever.

Another note on nakedness and dust - linking to the Garden of Eden

Lord Wilmore has brought up both the topic of "nakedness" and "dust" in several recent posts and I learned something interesting about the Garden of Eden story the other day, related to those topics. When Genesis 3:1 states that the serpent was more cunning/subtle (Hebrew: arum) than any other animal, there is a wordplay linking to Genesis 2:25 stating that Adam and Eve were naked (Hebrew: arummim). Some have even suggested that Genesis 3:1 could have been translated into "naked" so that "the serpent was more naked than any beast of the field".

We know who the serpent really is. 2 Nephi 2:18 reads

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...

His misery is related to his nakedness or inability to one day be "clothed" in glory or "covered" by the atonement. The "naked" or furless serpent works well as a symbol for this. But there is something else about the serpent too: God cursed it to crawl upon his belly and eat dust all the days of his life (Genesis 3:14). In other words, he would never be able to "arise from the dust" (2 Nephi 1:14). Consequently, if we don't arise from the dust either as Lehi exhorted his sons, we will stay in the realm of the Devil, the "dust-eater" and might be consumed by him. This is what happens if we don't put off the natural man (Mosiah 3:19) or the flesh, which was formed from the dust. On the other hand, if we put off the natural man and arise from the dust, we will just like Christ have the power to "bruise his head" while he can only "bruise our heel".

I think there is some interesting symbolism to contemplate here.

A connection between the "baptism by fire" and angels, plus a discussion of the other kind of fire we can choose.

Nephi writes of the baptism by fire in 2 Nephi 31:

13 ...then shall ye receive the Holy Ghost; yea, then cometh the baptism of fire and of the Holy Ghost; and then can ye speak with the tongue of angels, and shout praises unto the Holy One of Israel.

Later in 2 Nephi 32, he explains:

3 Angels speak by the power of the Holy Ghost; wherefore, they speak the words of Christ.

I like the visual imagery of receiving the "baptism of fire" as a means of becoming pure and learning to speak the words of Christ.

We see other direct connections between angels and the Holy Ghost in Helaman 5 (notice the number of temple-related themes in this short passage):

44 And Nephi and Lehi were in the midst of them; yea, they were encircled about; yea, they were as if in the midst of a flaming fire, yet it did harm them not, neither did it take hold upon the walls of the prison; and they were filled with that joy which is unspeakable and full of glory.
45 And behold, the Holy Spirit of God did come down from heaven, and did enter into their hearts, and they were filled as if with fire, and they could speak forth marvelous words.
46 And it came to pass that there came a voice unto them, yea, a pleasant voice, as if it were a whisper, saying:
47 Peace, peace be unto you, because of your faith in my Well Beloved, who was from the foundation of the world.
48 And now, when they heard this they cast up their eyes as if to behold from whence the voice came; and behold, they saw the heavens open; and angels came down out of heaven and ministered unto them.

...as well as 3 Nephi 17:

24 And as they looked to behold they cast their eyes towards heaven, and they saw the heavens open, and they saw angels descending out of heaven as it were in the midst of fire; and they came down and encircled those little ones about, and they were encircled about with fire; and the angels did minister unto them.

It occurs to me that our mortal experience is going to end in one of two types of fire.  We can accept the word of God and receive the purifying fire of the Holy Ghost, or we can reject it.  If so, the Book of Mormon describes the other kind of fire we'll be setting ourselves up to experience:

5 For behold, when ye shall be brought to see your nakedness before God, and also the glory of God, and the holiness of Jesus Christ, it will kindle a flame of unquenchable fire upon you. (Mormon 9)

52 And again I say unto you, the Spirit saith: Behold, the ax is laid at the root of the tree; therefore every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit shall be hewn down and cast into the fire, yea, a fire which cannot be consumed, even an unquenchable fire. Behold, and remember, the Holy One hath spoken it. (Alma 5)

27 And their torment is as a lake of fire and brimstone, whose flames are unquenchable, and whose smoke ascendeth up forever and ever. Thus hath the Lord commanded me. Amen. (Mosiah 3)

Notice the symbol of the ascending smoke, which might be a temple incense allusion. Compare Revelation 8:3-4

3 And another angel came and stood at the altar, having a golden censer; and there was given unto him much incense, that he should offer it with the prayers of all saints upon the golden altar which was before the throne.
4 And the smoke of the incense, which came with the prayers of the saints, ascended up before God out of the angel’s hand.

It seems that one way or the other, there will be fire and there will be smoke.

More on Nakedness in the Book of Mormon

In 2 Nephi 9, Jacob contrasts the two ways we might feel at the last day, when we rise from the grave and stand to be judged:

14 Wherefore, we shall have a perfect knowledge of all our guilt, and our uncleanness, and our nakedness; and the righteous shall have a perfect knowledge of their enjoyment, and their righteousness, being clothed with purity, yea, even with the robe of righteousness.

I appreciate the contrasting pairs:

Guilt --- Enjoyment
Uncleanness --- Clothed with Purity
Nakedness --- Robe of Righteousness

Hearts and Minds

In Alma 13, Alma-2 discusses the calling of certain individuals to a "holy calling":

4 ...on account of their faith, while others would reject the Spirit of God on account of the hardness of their hearts and blindness of their minds, while, if it had not been for this they might have had as great privilege as their brethren.

He's channeling Nephi-1 with this description.  See  1 Nephi 7:

8 And now I, Nephi, being grieved for the hardness of their hearts, therefore I spake unto them, saying, yea, even unto Laman and unto Lemuel: Behold ye are mine elder brethren, and how is it that ye are so hard in your hearts, and so blind in your minds, that ye have need that I, your younger brother, should speak unto you, yea, and set an example for you?

"Covering" and "encircling" as symbols of the Atonement and Temple Covenants

In this 1990 Ensign article, Hugh Nibley talks about the word "atonement" and makes some interesting points.

First, he talks about the usefulness of the term "renconciliation" in this context, which means "to be seated again with someone."

The Greek term "katallagein" is translated to "reconciliation" and refers to the settling of a debt or making peace.

With that discussion out of the way, the Semitic roots of the concept of Atonement are then discussed:

The basic word for atonement is kafar, which has the same basic meaning in Hebrew, Aramaic, and Arabic—that being “to bend, arch over, cover; 2) [to pass over with one’s palm &c., to wipe out, rub] … to deny, … to forgive, … to be expiated, … renounce.”
The Arabic kafara puts the emphasis on a tight squeeze, such as tucking in the skirts, drawing a thing close to oneself. Closely related are Aramaic and Arabic kafata, meaning a close embrace, which are certainly related to the Egyptian hpt, the common ritual embrace written with the ideogram of embracing arms. Hpt may be cognate with the Latin capto and the Persian kaftan, a monk’s robe and hood completely embracing the body.

Each of these roots offers an interesting glimpse into the atonement: to cover, to forgive, to draw a thing close to oneself, a close embrace, and a robe and hood covering the body.

The last concept is the one that really caught my attention, and Brother Nibley takes it one step further:

Most interesting is the Arabic kafata, as it is the key to a dramatic situation. It was the custom for one fleeing for his life in the desert to seek protection in the tent of a great sheik, crying out, “Ana dakhiluka,” meaning “I am thy suppliant,” whereupon the host would place the hem of his robe over the guest’s shoulder and declare him under his protection...In reply, according to the ancient custom, the Master would then place the hem of his robe protectively over the kneeling man’s shoulder (kafata). This puts him under the Lord’s protection from all enemies. They embrace in a close hug, as Arab chiefs still do; the Lord makes a place for him and invites him to sit down beside him—they are at-one.

 These ancient Semitic roots illuminate our understanding of atonement-related in the Book of Mormon. Considering the following verses:

O Lord, wilt thou encircle me around in the robe of thy righteousness! O Lord, wilt thou make a way for mine escape before mine enemies! (2 Nephi 4:33)

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 5:24)

But behold, the Lord hath redeemed my soul from hell; I have beheld his glory, and I am encircled about eternally in the arms of his love. (2 Nephi 1:15)

I added italics to related temple/covenant language found in the references above, lending credibility to the idea that "encircling with a robe" and "sitting down in the kingdom of God" can safely be added to the list of terms that should point our mind to the atonement and connecting the atonement with the temple covenants.

Here is Paul speaking to the Hebrews (Hebrews 9:3-5 [Expanded Bible]):

3 Behind the second curtain was a ·room [section; L tent] called the ·Most Holy Place [T Holy of Holies; Ex. 26:31–34]... 5 Above the Ark were the ·creatures that showed God’s glory [or glorious cherubim; Ex. 25:18–22; C angelic beings representing God’s presence and glory; Gen. 3:24; Ezek. 9:3; 10:1–22], ·whose wings reached over [L overshadowing] the ·lid [mercy seat; atonement cover; Lev. 16:2]. But we cannot ·tell everything about [discuss in detail] these things now.

"Chains of Hell" as Poetry, part 2

Alma the Younger was a major student of the scriptures.  It seemed he was quite fond of building sermons and literary pieces around the themes of the "founding fathers" of the Nephite civilization (Nephi, Lehi, and Jacob). Other writers, including Mormon and Moroni, don't seem to have done this (or if they did, it wasn't included in the record.)

In a recent post, I referenced some examples of chiasmus centered on the topic of the "chains of hell," Here is another example, from Alma 12:

11 And they that will harden their hearts, to them is given the lesser portion of the word until they know nothing concerning his mysteries; and then they are taken captive by the devil, and led by his will down to destruction. Now this is what is meant by the chains of hell.
12 And Amulek hath spoken plainly concerning death, and being raised from this mortality to a state of immortality, and being brought before the bar of God, to be judged according to our works.
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.

I like to look for two elements in order to convince myself that a proposed chiasmus is intentional:

1. Multiple layers--more than 4 or 5 is almost always enough to satisfy this criterion for me. This passage has 6 layers.
2. A central theme that is the overarching message intended to be sent by the author. In other words, the middle element of the chiasmus should be the most important one. In this case, the word condemn is repeated 4 times in the center of the passage. This seems to fit the context of the passage, which serves to highlight the fact that if we harden our hearts to the word of God, we will be condemned.

Another subtle detail jumped out at me in the passage above.  Notice that between the blue and green elements there is an additional metaphor: if we harden our hearts against the word (verse 13), then at the judgment we will wish that the rocks and mountains could fall upon us to hide us from his presence (verse 14).

Moroni and the Title of Liberty -- Connections to the Northern Kingdom, Joseph of Egypt, and "nakedness"

Stisa's recent post on the origins of the Brass Plates reminded me of the symbolic significance of the Title of Liberty in Alma 46.

As Stisa also points out in this post, there is a clear cultural context channeled by Moroni as he rends his garment, writes covenant language on it, and uses this symbol to unite his people to stand up for their defense.  He doesn't stop there, either.  Notice how in verse 23 he explicitly references Joseph in Egypt:

23 Moroni said unto them: Behold, we are a remnant of the seed of Jacob; yea, we are a remnant of the seed of Joseph, whose coat was rent by his brethren into many pieces; yea, and now behold, let us remember to keep the commandments of God, or our garments shall be rent by our brethren, and we be cast into prison, or be sold, or be slain.

Notice in this verse the direct connection between the garment and faithfulness to the covenant.

I want to take this same idea and tie it into the concept of the covenant/garment themes laced (pun intended) throughout the Book of Mormon. In verse 21, the rending of garments becomes a ritual performed to remind the people of their covenant:

21 And it came to pass that when Moroni had proclaimed these words, behold, the people came running together with their armor girded about their loins, rending their garments in token, or as a covenant, that they would not forsake the Lord their God; or, in other words, if they should transgress the commandments of God, or fall into transgression, and be ashamed to take upon them the name of Christ, the Lord should rend them even as they had rent their garments.

It goes without saying, then, that the people were already wearing garments to rend at the time of Moroni's impassioned speech. These Nephites, descendants of the tribes of Joseph, who were at the time living in the middle of the tropical jungle in Mesoamerica 500 years after Lehi left Jerusalem, were clothed in a garment of special significance.

For this to be the case so many generations later indicates to me how culturally vital it must have been to them.  Remember that Joseph's "coat of many colors" (mentioned in the KJV in Genesis 37:3) is thought by some biblical scholars to be a mis-translation. Other scholars believe it refers to a ceremonial garment of special, temple-related significance: 

"The article so described was a ceremonial robe which could be draped around statues of goddesses, and had various gold ornaments sewed onto it."

Indeed, the NIV translates this as "ornate robe." The NRSV calls it "a long robe with sleeves." The Expanded Bible calls it "a special robe with long sleeves."

The Lamanites, on the other hand, were frequently described as naked. Alma 43:20, for example:

20 Now the army of Zerahemnah was not prepared with any such thing; they had only their swords and their cimeters, their bows and their arrows, their stones and their slings; and they were naked, save it were a skin which was girded about their loins; yea, all were naked, save it were the Zoramites and the Amalekites;

Notice this reference mentioning that all of the Lamanites were naked except the Zoramites and Amalekites.

This begs the question: what is different about the Zoramites and the Amalekites that caused them to be clothed among all the naked Lamanites?

In short, both groups used to be Nephites. It seems that despite abandoning their loyalty to the Nephites, they maintain a cultural commonality and continued to wear a garment like the Nephites.