"An instrument in the hands of God"

This is a short follow-up note on my series of posts on the phrase "stretch forth thine hand" (which begins here). One main lesson from that study was that prophets are messengers from God calling a covenant people to repent. As we learned from the account of Enoch (discussed in part 4), Enoch feels the same things God feels and emulates actions described by God during his grand vision.

A related phrase which caught my attention during the course of this study is "an instrument in the hands of God."  This is unique to the Book of Mormon, but it shows up several times.  With only one exception (which will be discussed below), every time the word "instrument" is used in the Book of Mormon it is in connection with "an instrument in the hands of God."

Here are the verses where it is used.  Notice how consistent the context is -- each instance refers to leading/delivering a people or bringing them to repentance. I love the description of the purpose of the instrument (highlighted in green below).  If you ever want a succinct summary of why God sends prophets/messengers to earth, this is a nice list.

24 Rebel no more against your brother, whose views have been glorious, and who hath kept the commandments from the time that we left Jerusalem; and who hath been an instrument in the hands of God, in bringing us forth into the land of promise; for were it not for him, we must have perished with hunger in the wilderness; nevertheless, ye sought to take away his life; yea, and he hath suffered much sorrow because of you. (2 Nephi 1)

 

24 And there shall rise up one mighty among them, who shall do much good, both in word and in deed, being an instrument in the hands of God, with exceeding faith, to work mighty wonders, and do that thing which is great in the sight of God, unto the bringing to pass much restoration unto the house of Israel, and unto the seed of thy brethren. (2 Nephi 3)

 

10 Nevertheless, after much tribulation, the Lord did hear my cries, and did answer my prayers, and has made me an instrument in his hands in bringing so many of you to a knowledge of his truth. (Mosiah 23)

 

36 And thus they were instruments in the hands of God in bringing many to the knowledge of the truth, yea, to the knowledge of their Redeemer. (Mosiah 27)

 

8 Now the name of the man was Gideon; and it was he who was an instrument in the hands of God in delivering the people of Limhi out of bondage. (Alma 1)

 

30 And it came to pass that Alma, being a man of God, being exercised with much faith, cried, saying: O Lord, have mercy and spare my life, that I may be an instrument in thy hands to save and preserve this people. (Alma 2)

 

9 And it came to pass that they journeyed many days in the wilderness, and they fasted much and prayed much that the Lord would grant unto them a portion of his Spirit to go with them, and abide with them, that they might be an instrument in the hands of God to bring, if it were possible, their brethren, the Lamanites, to the knowledge of the truth, to the knowledge of the baseness of the traditions of their fathers, which were not correct.

10 And it came to pass that the Lord did visit them with his Spirit, and said unto them: Be comforted. And they were comforted.

11 And the Lord said unto them also: Go forth among the Lamanites, thy brethren, and establish my word; yet ye shall be patient in long-suffering and afflictions, that ye may show forth good examples unto them in me, and I will make an instrument of thee in my hands unto the salvation of many souls. (Alma 17)

 

3 Behold, I answer for you; for our brethren, the Lamanites, were in darkness, yea, even in the darkest abyss, but behold, how many of them are brought to behold the marvelous light of God! And this is the blessing which hath been bestowed upon us, that we have been made instruments in the hands of God to bring about this great work.

...

15 Yea, they were encircled about with everlasting darkness and destruction; but behold, he has brought them into his everlasting light, yea, into everlasting salvation; and they are encircled about with the matchless bounty of his love; yea, and we have been instruments in his hands of doing this great and marvelous work. (Alma 26)

 

9 I know that which the Lord hath commanded me, and I glory in it. I do not glory of myself, but I glory in that which the Lord hath commanded me; yea, and this is my glory, that perhaps I may be an instrument in the hands of God to bring some soul to repentance; and this is my joy. (Alma 29)

 

14 And Alma, and Ammon, and their brethren, and also the two sons of Alma returned to the land of Zarahemla, after having been instruments in the hands of God of bringing many of the Zoramites to repentance; and as many as were brought to repentance were driven out of their land; but they have lands for their inheritance in the land of Jershon, and they have taken up arms to defend themselves, and their wives, and children, and their lands. (Alma 35)

 

'keli' -- an article, utensil, vessel (כְּלִי)

The Hebrew word for 'instrument' is 'keli,' derived from the verb meaning 'to be completed.' Of note, the tools described in the Old Testament intended for use in the temple are also called 'instruments,' along with many other objects.

The lone exception in the Book of Mormon of the word 'instrument' being used in a context other than "an instrument in the hands of God" is from 3 Nephi 22:16 (quoting Isaiah 54:16):

16 Behold, I have created the smith that bloweth the coals in the fire, and that bringeth forth an instrument for his work; and I have created the waster to destroy.

This verse sheds a little light on the topic by reminding us that we can become useful helpers in bringing about God's eternal purposes for His children. This happens only as we devote ourselves to Him and align our will with His.

In the context of the "two ways" this means that we either become instruments in the hand of God or we end up worshipping the things which our own hands have made.

Captivity

Captivity is a very central theme in both the Old Testament and the Book of Mormon. Searching for that particular word gives 163 results in those two volumes of scripture combined and 4 results in the rest of the standard works! No wonder, perhaps, considering the captivity in Egypt between Abraham and Moses, when the covenant people of Israel was established, as well as the Babylonian captivity after they had broken the covenant in the promised land. Jeremiah in particular talks about it a lot. He prophesied of the Babylonian captivity but also the later escape and restoration of the Jews.

Lehi was a contemporary with Jeremiah. With the imminent Babylonian captivity as backdrop, there is no wonder that this is an important theme in the Book of Mormon too. Lehi prophecied

That after they should be destroyed, even that great city Jerusalem, and many be carried away captive into Babylon, according to the own due time of the Lord, they should return again, yea, even be brought back out of captivity; and after they should be brought back out of captivity they should possess again the land of their inheritance. (1 Nephi 10:3)

Similar to Jeremiah

And I will be found of you, saith the Lord: and I will turn away your captivity, and I will gather you from all the nations, and from all the places whither I have driven you, saith the Lord; and I will bring you again into the place whence I caused you to be carried away captive. (Jeremiah 29:14)

It is a theme repeated time and again in the Book of Mormon, not only in remembrance of their father Lehi who escaped the Babylonian captivity. Nephi reminds his brothers of the Egyptian captivity and escape

Therefore let us go up; let us be strong like unto Moses; for he truly spake unto the waters of the Red Sea and they divided hither and thither, and our fathers came through, out of captivity, on dry ground, and the armies of Pharaoh did follow and were drowned in the waters of the Red Sea. (1 Nephi 4:2)

The reminder of the Egyptian captivity is repeated in the next chapter (see 1 Nephi 5:15). Eventually, the Nephites get their own captivity and escape narratives to commemorate, for instance the parallel stories of Limhi's people and Alma's people. Remembering this captivity becomes vital and is even commanded by an angel, as previously written in this post.

A peculiar addition to the captivity focus of the Book of Mormon is the Jaredite history with lots of kings living in captivity for much or all of their lives. Perhaps an expression of the Jaredite's failure to comply with the special conditions of the promised land.

Behold, this is a choice land, and whatsoever nation shall possess it shall be free from bondage, and from captivity, and from all other nations under heaven, if they will but serve the God of the land, who is Jesus Christ, who hath been manifested by the things which we have written. (Ether 2:12)

But as mentioned before, the Book of Mormon tends to use physical phenomena and apply them spiritually. The physical captivity of their fathers becomes an analogy of the captivity of the devil. Or perhaps it is even regarded as more or less one and the same. It is interesting to note the transitions between physical and spiritual captivity in the Book of Mormon. For instance, in 2 Nephi 1, Lehi talks to his sons and repeats the promises and conditions that the Lord gave to the Jaredites

Wherefore, this land is consecrated unto him whom he shall bring. And if it so be that they shall serve him according to the commandments which he hath given, it shall be a land of liberty unto them; wherefore, they shall never be brought down into captivity; if so, it shall be because of iniquity; for if iniquity shall abound cursed shall be the land for their sakes, but unto the righteous it shall be blessed forever. (2 Nephi 1:7)

Only a few verses later, he speaks of the captivity of the devil

Or, that a cursing should come upon you for the space of many generations; and ye are visited by sword, and by famine, and are hated, and are led according to the will and captivity of the devil. (2 Nephi 1:18)

It's not even easy to determine whether he talks about physical or spiritual captivity in this verse. Sword and famine are physical and "captivity of the devil" is added in that context. They go hand in hand. The same thing happens again when Lehi speaks to his son, Joseph, only two chapters later

4 For behold, thou art the fruit of my loins; and I am a descendant of Joseph who was carried captive into Egypt. And great were the covenants of the Lord which he made unto Joseph.

5 Wherefore, Joseph truly saw our day. And he obtained a promise of the Lord, that out of the fruit of his loins the Lord God would raise up a righteous branch unto the house of Israel; not the Messiah, but a branch which was to be broken off, nevertheless, to be remembered in the covenants of the Lord that the Messiah should be made manifest unto them in the latter days, in the spirit of power, unto the bringing of them out of darkness unto light—yea, out of hidden darkness and out of captivity unto freedom. (2 Nephi 3)

First a reminder of Joseph's (physical) captivity in Egypt. Then a prophecy of his descendant's escape out of darkness and (spiritual) captivity. 

One final example from Alma:

5 And behold, after that, they were brought into bondage by the hands of the Lamanites in the wilderness; yea, I say unto you, they were in captivity, and again the Lord did deliver them out of bondage by the power of his word; and we were brought into this land, and here we began to establish the church of God throughout this land also.

6 And now behold, I say unto you, my brethren, you that belong to this church, have you sufficiently retained in remembrance the captivity of your fathers? Yea, and have you sufficiently retained in remembrance his mercy and long-suffering towards them? And moreover, have ye sufficiently retained in remembrance that he has delivered their souls from hell? (Alma 5)

God delivered their fathers out of physical captivity and bondage. He also delivered their souls from hell. Whatever type of captivity, God has the power to deliver. This is an important message from Nephite prophets. 

"Stretch forth thine hand" -- Part 4 (Enoch)

The other parts of this series can be found here:

Part 1: Introduction

Part 2: Old Testament

Part 3: The Book of Mormon

In this concluding post of the series, we'll look at the Book of Moses and what I consider to be the most important use of "stretching forth hands" imagery in all of the scriptures. The context is Enoch seeing a grand vision of the world.  In this vision, he sees Satan's great influence over the fallen world, and he sees the God of Heaven weeping. This impacts Enoch greatly, and he asks the Lord an important question:

29 And Enoch said unto the Lord: How is it that thou canst weep, seeing thou art holy, and from all eternity to all eternity?

30 And were it possible that man could number the particles of the earth, yea, millions of earths like this, it would not be a beginning to the number of thy creations; and thy curtains are stretched out still; and yet thou art there, and thy bosom is there; and also thou art just; thou art merciful and kind forever;

31 And thou hast taken Zion to thine own bosom, from all thy creations, from all eternity to all eternity; and naught but peace, justice, and truth is the habitation of thy throne; and mercy shall go before thy face and have no end; how is it thou canst weep? (Moses 7)

The Lord responds with a rather lengthy answer.  Here is the first part of His answer:

 

32 The Lord said unto Enoch: Behold these thy brethren; they are the workmanship of mine own hands, and I gave unto them their knowledge, in the day I created them; and in the Garden of Eden, gave I unto man his agency;

33 And unto thy brethren have I said, and also given commandment, that they should love one another, and that they should choose me, their Father; but behold, they are without affection, and they hate their own blood;

34 And the fire of mine indignation is kindled against them; and in my hot displeasure will I send in the floods upon them, for my fierce anger is kindled against them.

35 Behold, I am God; Man of Holiness is my name; Man of Counsel is my name; and Endless and Eternal is my name, also.

The Lord continues to answer Enoch. The next few verses are really interesting:

36 Wherefore, I can stretch forth mine hands and hold all the creations which I have made; and mine eye can pierce them also, and among all the workmanship of mine hands there has not been so great wickedness as among thy brethren.

37 But behold, their sins shall be upon the heads of their fathers; Satan shall be their father, and misery shall be their doom; and the whole heavens shall weep over them, even all the workmanship of mine hands; wherefore should not the heavens weep, seeing these shall suffer?   

38 But behold, these which thine eyes are upon shall perish in the floods; and behold, I will shut them up; a prison have I prepared for them.

39 And that which I have chosen hath pled before my face. Wherefore, he suffereth for their sins; inasmuch as they will repent in the day that my Chosen shall return unto me, and until that day they shall be in torment;

40 Wherefore, for this shall the heavens weep, yea, and all the workmanship of mine hands.

In these two verses we have three references to hands.  First the Lord reminds Enoch that none of His creations are beyond His power -- He can stretch forth His hands and hold all of them.  We'll come back to this a little later. Next, He laments the wickedness of the residue of the people (those who were not taken up to heaven with Zion) at the time of Noah. Finally, He indicates to Enoch that all heavenly beings (presumably including the righteous in Zion) will weep over the wicked who will suffer. No righteous individual takes any delight in the suffering of anyone, even the wicked.  

This statement seems to have a powerful effect on Enoch:

41 And it came to pass that the Lord spake unto Enoch, and told Enoch all the doings of the children of men; wherefore Enoch knew, and looked upon their wickedness, and their misery, and wept and stretched forth his arms, and his heart swelled wide as eternity; and his bowels yearned; and all eternity shook. 

This is such an important verse! Enoch receives sacred information about God, mankind, the creation, and his own role in the plan of salvation.  Let's take a closer look at the list of things that happen as a result of God revealing to Enoch this information:

...wherefore Enoch: 

1. knew, and 
2. looked upon their wickedness, and their misery, and 
3. wept and 
4. stretched forth his arms, and 
5. his heart swelled wide as eternity; and 
6. his bowels yearned; and 
7. all eternity shook. 

Notice that the items on this list directly imitate the attributes and actions of God. With items #3 and #4, Enoch performs the same actions noted in verses 28 and 36, respectively. #4 is an important symbol. Enoch has fully committed himself to fulfilling God's righteous purposes. Items #5-7 remind me of key passages from the Book of Mormon. This will be the subject of future posts, because in some cases the references are numerous and deserve some discussion. Below I'll give a single corresponding Book of Mormon reference for each item.

#5 - His heart swelled: "Now this great iniquity had come upon the Nephites, in the space of not many years; and when Nephi saw it, his heart was swollen with sorrow within his breast; and he did exclaim in the agony of his soul:" (Helaman 7:6)

#6 - His bowels yearned: "And he said unto them: Behold, my bowels are filled with compassion towards you. Have ye any that are sick among you? Bring them hither. Have ye any that are lame, or blind, or halt, or maimed, or leprous, or that are withered, or that are deaf, or that are afflicted in any manner? Bring them hither and I will heal them, for I have compassion upon you; my bowels are filled with mercy." (3 Nephi 17:6-7)

#7 - all eternity shook: "Ye are swift to do iniquity but slow to remember the Lord your God. Ye have seen an angel, and he spake unto you; yea, 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." (1 Nephi 17:45)

Hands and Noah's Ark

Before finishing up, let's revisit the phrase from verse 36, "I can stretch forth mine hands and hold all the creations which I have made." I believe the clue to understanding what God means by this verse is found in verse 43:

43 Wherefore Enoch saw that Noah built an ark; and that the Lord smiled upon it, and held it in his own hand; but upon the residue of the wicked the floods came and swallowed them up.

God is certainly mighty to save all of His creations.  He stretches forth His hand to offer refuge from death and hell -- the "prison" referred to in verse 38. Those who enter in do so by covenant.  This is perfectly symbolized by Noah's ark, which was held in God's own hand.  (I previously posted about this verse here.) It is no surprise then that when prophets come to preach repentance, they often gesture by stretching forth their hands.  It's a powerful symbol.

Conclusion

The name Enoch means 'initiated one.' These verses demonstrate how Enoch's visionary experiences result in him becoming an instrument in God's hands, with an eye single to His glory. When prophets stretch forth their hands and declare repentance, they are helping God bring about God's purposes for His creation.

Stretching forth one's hand is a subtle scriptural reference to this initiatory experience had by Enoch. This series has helped me see God's love more clearly. We'll close this series with the poignant words of Jacob:

4 And how merciful is our God unto us, for he remembereth the house of Israel, both roots and branches; and he stretches forth his hands unto them all the day long; and they are a stiffnecked and a gainsaying people; but as many as will not harden their hearts shall be saved in the kingdom of God.

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. (Jacob 6)

Adam and adamah -- Part 4

Here are the links to

• Part 1
• Part 2
• Part 3

I didn't think I would make a part 4, but I keep coming back to these three levels of the state of adamah (Hebrew for ground/earth)

1. Garden of Eden. No cultivation needed because the ground brings forth "every tree" (Genesis 2:9)
2. Cursed ground outside the Garden of Eden. Needs cultivation by man to bring forth fruit. (Genesis 3:19,23)
3. Both ground and tiller of the ground (Cain) are cursed. The ground no longer yielding its strength. (Genesis 4:12)

One reason is because three levels like this is a recurring temple theme. In our modern temples and theology, we talk about the telestial, terrestrial and celestial kingdoms or worlds. In the ancient tabernacle/temple, there were different names but the same structure. There was the outer court, the holy place within the temple and then the inner sanctuary referred to as the most holy place or the holy of holies. These three levels of the temple correspond to the three levels of man. The NRSV Cultural Backgrond Study Bible explains

Ancient Israelite society operated on the understanding that there were three distinct categories or states in which persons (and objects) could find themselves: the state of uncleanness, the state of cleanness and the state of holiness. Yahweh inhabited the last, and animals unfit to eat inhabited the first. Persons could move between being clean and unclean, depending on what they had recently been doing, eating, touching, etc. Persons in a state of uncleanness were not allowed to approach anyone or anything deemed holy. Even persons who believed themselves to be in a state of cleanness could suffer dire consequences for coming into contact with that which was holy without authorization (e.g., 2 Sam 6.6–7). One of the goals of Yahweh’s covenant with the Israelites was to make of them a “holy nation” (Ex 19.6).

The three different states of adamah in Genesis 2-4 therefore follows a recognizable pattern

Unclean - clean - holy

Outer court - holy place - holy of holies

Telestial - terrestrial - celestial

In the outer courts of the tabernacle/temple, there were bronze basins for washing to become clean. For the high priests, who were the only one who could enter into the inner sanctuary, there were sanctification/purification rituals to make them holy (Hebr. qodesh). The Garden of Eden is where the tree of life and God's presence is found. Man was cast out for his disobedience. But if we enter into and keep covenants (somehow associated with tilling the earth), we can be clean and prepare to become holy. If not, we are stained with blood and the earth will not yield its strength. 

I have discussed in the previous parts how Christ and covenants prepare a reversal of these curses and can help us progress through the three levels to a holy state back to the tree of life. What I did not fully realize is how the atonement of Christ symbolized this reversal. In the second part, I discussed the blood of Christ falling to the ground in Gethsemane. This is related to the third state where ground and man is cursed after the blood of Abel was swallowed up by the ground. Christ reverses the curse by spilling his own blood. The next day, Jesus is mocked and beaten prior to the crucifixion. The soldiers make a crown of thorns and put on his head. This reminds us of the second state of adamah, where it is cursed after Adam's transgression. Remember what the account says about the curse

cursed is the ground for thy sake; in sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life; Thorns also and thistles shall it bring forth to thee; and thou shalt eat the herb of the field (Genesis 3:17-18)

Jesus voluntarily takes upon him the sting of thorns from the cursed adamah as he walks with us back to the tree of life. As a reversal of the curse, he wears them on his head as king. Finally, he is crucified by being "hanged on a tree" (see Acts 5:30, Acts 10:39, Acts 13:29, 1 Peter 2:24). Most likely, this was not a tree with roots and branches. The Greek word, xulon, that is used can mean both tree and wood. But the symbolism is clear, nonetheless. Xulon is used both for the cross where Jesus was hanged and the tree of life in Revelation 22. In a sense, this wooden cross that "the firstfruits", Jesus Christ,  (see 1 Corinthians 15:20) was hanged on becomes the tree of life for us and the reversal of curses is complete. 

Through Christ, we have gone through blood and thorns, from unclean to clean to holy and can finally enter into the inner sanctuary, the celestial world, the tree of life and God's presence. I love how earth and man follow each other on this path. As Adam goes from unclean/telestial to clean/terrestrial to holy/celestial, adamah goes from blood-stained and not yielding its strength to yielding through sweat and thorns to growing a tree of life. Adam becomes El and adamah yields elah. I know I am repeating myself a bit with this post but I just love to see previous and new themes coming together.