the Lord has prepared

In preparation for sunday school this week I was reading through the teacher's manual, studying the scriptures and thinking about the questions (I'm not teaching, but I do use the manual to study sometimes anyhow) and I had a couple insights that I want to share.

First of all, the background -- it's Lesson 2 "All things according to His will" and I had read my way through the story of all the ways in which Nephi and his brothers had tried to obtain the brass plates, and failed. Finally in 1 Nephi 4 they try one last time and Nephi entered Jerusalem:

And I was led by the Spirit, not knowing beforehand the things which I should do. (1 Ne. 4:6)

The manual asks "What are some situations in which we might need to be “led by the Spirit, not knowing beforehand the things which [we] should do”? (1 Nephi 4:6). What can we learn from Nephi’s words: “Nevertheless I went forth”? (1 Nephi 4:7)."

I thought of a couple of different times when I had to make choices in my life -- taking steps into the darkness because I didn't know exactly what I was going to do or why and I had to trust that things were going to work out -- and just go forth. With these experiences in my mind I read on through the chapter of how Nephi was led to the unconscious figure of Laban in the streets and "was constrained by the Spirit" to kill him (4:7-10). In regards to this, the manual asked: "Why was Nephi reluctant to kill Laban? (See 1 Nephi 4:10.) How did Nephi become convinced that he should kill Laban? (See 1 Nephi 4:11–18.)"

In reading those verses, and thinking on those questions, I identified that Nephi was reluctant to kill Laban because he had never "shed the blood of man" and "shrunk" from the task. This isn't surprising because I believe most people would hesitate to kill another human being (no matter who it was) and it's less surprising given the fact that Nephi had been raised with the law "Thou shalt not kill" and it would be difficult for anyone to accept that they were being asked to break a commandment... yet, as put by the prophet Joseph Smith, this was "revelation adapted to the circumstances" and "whatever God requires is right, not matter what it is, although we may not see the reason thereof til long after the events transpire" (TPJS p. 256). Having to be obedient in the face of a seemingly contradictory position is a scary place to be!

This connected to what I was thinking about earlier, about moving forward and not knowing what you are going to do but just continuing onward, because as I have moved forward I have been faced with the challenge to do things that I did not want to do -- and, tho not to the same degree as Nephi, at one time my choice even seemed to fly in the face of what I understood to be right... 

Nephi began to be convinced that he should kill Laban as the Spirit explained to him that the Lord had delivered Laban into his hands and as he thought about how Laban had already tried to take his life and had taken his property (vs 11). As Nephi thought on that, the Spirit again told him to slay Laban, explaining that the Lord "delivered" Laban into Nephi's hands for that purpose, so that he could slay "the wicked" and "bring forth" the "righteous purposes" of God (vs 13) -- those purposes being that Nephi and his descendants could have the plates and thereby not "dwindle and perish in unbelief" by having the scriptures/the law contained thereon. 

As he thought on all of this, Nephi fully realized "that the Lord had delivered Laban into [his] hands for this cause—that [he] might obtain the records according to his commandments. Therefore [he] did obey the voice of the Spirit" (1 Ne. 4:17-18).

Now this isn't where the line of questioning ends... By referring by to a well known verse the next question in the manual connects everything in the story (and in the answers to the previous questions) to one very critical concept...

1 Nephi 3:7: 

And it came to pass that I, Nephi, said unto my father: I will go and do the things which the Lord hath commanded, for I know that the Lord giveth no commandments unto the children of men, save he shall prepare a way for them that they may accomplish the thing which he commandeth them.

• How did the Lord “prepare a way” for Nephi to do what he had been commanded to do? How has the Lord prepared ways for you to keep His commandments?

As I thought about how to answer to this question, what gripped me here is that that the Lord didn't just prepare the way for Nephi to obtain the plates by putting Laban in Nephi's path, he also prepared the way for Nephi to do what needed to be done in order to get the plates. In other words, the Lord prepared Nephi -- to accept the instruction to kill Laban in order to obtain the plates.

How? 

First, by letting him fail to obtain them the first couple times so that he could see that there was no other option. How could a good man like Nephi kill another man if he thought that somehow there might be another way? 

Second, by ensuring that Nephi understood the importance of the plates in helping he and his family to keep the Lords commandments. How else could he see that the ends justified the means?

And third (and most important), by implanting in Nephi's heart an ability to seek out and recognize the directions of the Spirit -- something that he had practiced many times before then. Without this, how could he ever have take the step to disregard previous commandments in order to obey immediate revelation? 

Yes, we take steps into the darkness, "not knowing beforehand" what we are going to do, but WE DO NOT GO UNPREPARED.

I do not think that it is coincidental that manual was put together this way -- to ask this question in regards to this specific preparation. It opened my mind and heart up to new ways of understanding how the Lord has prepared ways for me to keep His commandments by preparing ME to be able to keep them.

I hope you will spend some time pondering how this story is also your story... I testify it will enlighten your understanding and fill you with a renewed sense of love and gratitude for the Lord and his goodness.

**sidenote: i think it's especially interesting to think about this in terms of God's grace, how it is a power that enables us to do what He has commanded us to do.

David, Nabal, & Abigail

I want to go through 1 Samuel 25 because there are some beautiful concepts in this chapter that often get missed --

The set up for the chapter is that David has been set apart by the prophet Samuel to be king after Saul, who unsuccessfully tries to kill David but eventually admits that God is with David and he will be the king. Nabal is a great and rich man who is also very rude, in fact, his name "Nabal" basically means jerk -- he known by this because he is such a "corrupt, a doer of wicked deeds")

David needs some provisions and hears that Nabal is in the wilderness shearing his sheep so he sends some of his men ahead to greet Nabal and ask for what they need. He does this very nicely in verses 6-8

And thus shall ye say to him that liveth in prosperity, Peace be both to thee, and peace be to thine house, and peace be unto all that thou hast. ...Wherefore let the young men find favour in thine eyes: for we come in a good day: give, I pray thee, whatsoever cometh to thine hand unto thy servants, and to thy son David.

However, Nabal's response illustrates his character:

10 And Nabal answered David’s servants, and said, Who is David? and who is the son of Jesse? there be many servants now a days that break away every man from his master.
11 Shall I then take my bread, and my water, and my flesh that I have killed for my shearers, and give it unto men, whom I know not whence they be?

This made David angry. He had his men gear up for battle against Nabal for the offense that he took at Nabal's words. Fortunately, Abigail, Nabal's wife is told about the whole situation. She is described in verse 3 as "a woman of good understanding, and of a beautiful countenance" so when she hears the story from a servent of how David's men were good to Nabal's servants, helpful even, and they did not take what they needed but instead politely asked it of Nabal, who then "railed on them" (vs 14) she realized she had to do something to keep David from destroying Nabal and his household.

18 Then Abigail made haste, and took two hundred loaves, and two bottles of wine, and five sheep ready dressed, and five measures of parched corn, and an hundred clusters of raisins, and two hundred cakes of figs, and laid them on asses.
19 And she said unto her servants, Go on before me; behold, I come after you. But she told not her husband Nabal.
20 And it was so, as she rode on the ass, that she came down by the covert of the hill, and, behold, David and his men came down against her; and she met them.

David is really steaming at this point. He is angry that he had aided Nabal in the wilderness, protected him, and Nabal "requited [him] evil for good" (vs 21) and says that he will completely destroy everything of Nabal's. This is where things really get interesting:

23 And when Abigail saw David, she hasted, and lighted off the ass, and fell before David on her face, and bowed herself to the ground,
24 And fell at his feet, and said, Upon me, my lord, upon me let this iniquity be: and let thine handmaid, I pray thee, speak in thine audience, and hear the words of thine handmaid.
25 Let not my lord, I pray thee, regard this man of Belial, even Nabal: for as his name is, so is he; Nabal is his name, and folly is with him: but I thine handmaid saw not the young men of my lord, whom thou didst send.

Abigail throws herself at the mercy of David and asks that the offense of Nabal be upon her, that Nabal is as his name implies (a jerk) and that if she had met the men David had sent things would have been different.

26 Now therefore, my lord, as the Lord liveth, and as thy soul liveth, seeing the Lord hath withholden thee from coming to shed blood, and from avenging thyself with thine own hand, now let thine enemies, and they that seek evil to my lord, be as Nabal.
27 And now this blessing which thine handmaid hath brought unto my lord, let it even be given unto the young men that follow my lord.

 She offers David and his men the food she has brought, the thing they had asked for in the first place. Then she makes a very important point:

28 I pray thee, forgive the trespass of thine handmaid: for the Lord will certainly make my lord a sure house; because my lord fighteth the battles of the Lord, and evil hath not been found in thee all thy days.
29 Yet a man is risen to pursue thee, and to seek thy soul: but the soul of my lord shall be bound in the bundle of life with the Lord thy God; and the souls of thine enemies, them shall he sling out, as out of the middle of a sling.
30 And it shall come to pass, when the Lord shall have done to my lord according to all the good that he hath spoken concerning thee, and shall have appointed thee ruler over Israel;
31 That this shall be no grief unto thee, nor offence of heart unto my lord, either that thou hast shed blood causeless, or that my lord hath avenged himself: but when the Lord shall have dealt well with my lord, then remember thine handmaid.

She explains that undoubtably David is headed for greatness; the Lord has always been with him because he has always followed the Lord and done the right thing -- and in this situation the right thing is to forgive, which will allow David to continue to hold on to the favor of the Lord. In forgiveness he will avoid the "grief" or "offense of heart" that would undoubtably follow any impatience and anger-driven vengeance. One day he will be a ruler and he will be glad he forgave and kept on the side of heaven. 

David recognizes this and thanks her:

32 And David said to Abigail, Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, which sent thee this day to meet me:
33 And blessed be thy advice, and blessed be thou, which hast kept me this day from coming to shed blood, and from avenging myself with mine own hand.
34 For in very deed, as the Lord God of Israel liveth, which hath kept me back from hurting thee, except thou hadst hasted and come to meet me, surely there had not been left unto Nabal by the morning light any that pisseth against the wall.
35 So David received of her hand that which she had brought him, and said unto her, Go up in peace to thine house; see, I have hearkened to thy voice, and have accepted thy person.

Both were blessed by her wisdom and humility.

The key idea here is that BY TAKING THE TRESPASS UPON HERSELF Abigail makes it easy for David to forgive. How can he stay angry when she has brought a gift, spoken so well, asked forgiveness, AND innocently taken the blame upon herself? She clears all the barriers. The interesting parallel here is to make Abigail a type of Christ -- in the same way that she willingly took on the offense of Nabal, Christ willingly takes on our offenses, ALL of our offenses, so that we can more easily forgive each other. After all, we have been commanded to forgive everyone  ("of you it is required to forgive all men" D&C 64:10) and this can be a difficult thing when we have been wronged... but the Atonement once again provides the enabling power to do it. As in this story of David, our "Nabal" falls out of the picture as Christ/Abigail takes on the offense and in that guiltless and loving state asks us to forgive.

It is a new way of looking at what the Atonement means for us in our efforts to follow Christ and become like him.

*Side note: Abigail went home, but did not say anything to Nabal who was having a party and getting very drunk. The next morning however, she told him what had happened and after vs 37 "his heart died within him, and he became as a stone" and 10 days later he died. Goes to show that those who offend get what is due them in God's own time.

a prophet's reward

"Before we even consider the question of whether Joseph Smith was a true prophet or not, the uniqueness of his position deserves respectful attention. Because, true or false, he was the first man since the days of the Apostles to claim the things that real prophets claim. The modern prophets who excited the laughter and contempt of the world exactly as the ancient prophets shocked and amused the friends of Justin were the first men since ancient times to talk of what they had seen and heard in the presence of God and angels. What could they expect but a prophet's reward?"  (Hugh Nibley)

How will it be when none more saith "I saw"?

I've been reading The World and the Prophets by Hugh Nibley and I'd like to mention a few points in the first chapter that stood out to me.

In describing prophets, Nibley quotes Justin Martyr (also known as just Saint Justin, an early Christian apologist) that "they do not need training speech or skill in controversy and argument but only to keep themselves pure to receive the power of the Spirit of God, so that the divine plectrum can express itself through them as on the string of a lyre, making use of righteous men and revealing to them the knowledge of sacred and heavenly things."

The music analogy there, of the lyre, is what I wanted to make a special point of. Nibley goes on to explain that "holy men can receive God's revelations because they are in tune to the proper wavelength, so to speak. God can play on them as a plectrum plucks the strings of a lyre because they are prepared to vibrate to his touch -- not by virtue of any special training, and not whenever they choose to respond, but whenever it pleases God 'from time to time' to move them from heaven."

Now of course, this analogy can apply to us. We must be in tune to the spirit and prepared to respond to the touch of God in order to receive the personal revelation that he has for us. That is how he works with us to accomplish his will, for example:

1 Nephi 18:1And it came to pass that they did worship the Lord, and did go forth with me; and we did work timbers of curious workmanship. And the Lord did show me from time to time after what manner I should work the timbers of the ship.

And, like Nephi, from time to time the Lord will enlighten our understanding and inspire us to action "precept upon precept; line upon line; here a little, and there a little" (Isaiah 28:10). This individual and intimate communication with our Heavenly Father is critical for our spiritual development, but is not the same as the revelation that comes to a prophet.

As touched upon in my first two paragraphs, a prophet is not someone trained to speak or skilled in his ability to argue. Unlike philosophers and scholars who seek to understand by their own minds and argue by their own skill "it was not their [the prophets] wont to build up a case by formal argument, but simply to report the truth as reliable witnesses, without any disputation at all" as it is only by "revelation from outside" that man can "be freed from his fearful confinement within the narrow cell of his own limited experience" (Nibley but this bit is from Ch 2).

After all, the wisdom/understanding/abilities of any man are nothing in comparison with God, and for all our efforts, quite often completely miss the mark. God himself said "For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts" (Isaiah 55:9) so how can we ever hope to know the mind of God unless He gives it unto us? We can only know through partially through personal revelation (as just discussed) AND through faith in the revelation received by the prophets.

Without the gift of prophets -- "of direct revelation from heaven such as is received only by prophets" we "would be no better than the heathen -- well-meaning but bankrupt" (Nibley). Seeking to do the will of God yet without the power to access the fullness of His will, and thereby worshipping him "in vain" and (be in purposefully or unconsciously) resorting to "teaching for doctrines the commandments of men" (Matthew 15:9, Mark 7:7).

Paul taught of the purpose and importance of the witness of prophets and apostles over and over again in Ephesians. He explained that they were given "For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ: Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ"  (Ephesians 4:11-13). There is an edification, unification, and perfection of the Saints that can only be perpetuated through a prophet -- and this is because the body of the saints is "built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone" (Ephesians 2:20) and there are revelations made known only prophets that we may hear from them and through our faith understand:

Ephesians 3
3 How that by revelation he made known unto me the mystery; (as I wrote afore in few words, 4 Whereby, when ye read, ye may understand my knowledge in the mystery of Christ) 5 Which in other ages was not made known unto the sons of men, as it is now revealed unto his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit; 

The Jews had difficulty accepting this, as do many today. "God had visited the earth in remote times; he had spoken to Abraham and to Moses. Venerable traditions burdened with a magnificent weight of art, poetry, scholarship, and ritual attested the sincere devotion of the race to the memory of God's visits to men in times past. But to ask men to believe that that same God had spoken in their own day, and to a plain man who walked their streets—that was simply too much to take! That was the test that Christ's generation could not pass.

It was a test that few have ever passed: the humiliating test of recognizing a true prophet and taking instruction from the weak and humble things of the earth" (Nibley).

I add my witness that our age has NOT been "excused from taking the same test of authority" and that God HAS called prophets and they do speak to us words from heaven that we would do well to listen and obey (Nibley). It may be "unwelcome news to the world" that "the true church must and will always have living prophets" (Nibley) but it is nonetheless the case -- and I for one am grateful for divine precepts and direction that come from God through his appointed spokesmen, and address the needs of the saints in this day, in our complicated and increasingly wicked world.

thanksgiving

Thou gracious God, whose mercy lends

Thou gracious God, whose mercy lends
the light of home, the smile of friends,
our gathered flock thine arms enfold
as in the peaceful days of old.

Wilt thou not hear us while we raise
in sweet accord of solemn praise
the voices that have mingled long
in joyous flow of mirth and song?

For all the blessings life has brought,
for all its sorrowing hours have taught,
for all we mourn, for all we keep,
the hands we clasp, the loved that sleep.

The noontide sunshine of the past,
these brief, bright moments fading fast,
the stars that gild our darkening years,
the twilight ray from holier spheres.

We thank thee, Father; let thy grace
our loving circle still embrace,
thy mercy shed its heavenly store,
thy peace be with us evermore.

--Oliver Wendell Holmes, Sr., 1869

Adam and Eve

In an article about the divine nature and destiny of women, Glenn L. Pace states "I’d like to share a perspective from John Milton’s Paradise Lost that fully resonates with my soul." As I was reading what he shared it also resonated with me, (especially after reading a comment from a friend on a different post) so I wanted to share it here with you:

 Milton describes the beauty of the Garden and the variety of animals. In his account, Adam watches the interplay between the animals and communicates with them as best he can. However, Adam concludes something is drastically amiss. Milton wrote: 


They rejoice 
Each with their kind, lion with lioness; 
So fitly them in pairs thou hast combin’d; 
Much less can bird with beast, or fish with fowl 
So well converse, nor with the ox the ape; 
Worse then can man with beast, and least of all. 


In other words, Adam is saying, “What’s wrong with this picture?” Milton goes on to suggest that God delayed the introduction of Eve until Adam could fully appreciate her. Seeing that Adam is now ready for the introduction of Eve, God describes what is going to happen next. I love Milton’s description of what Eve would mean to Adam: 

What next I bring shall please thee, be assur’d, 
Thy likeness, thy fit help, thy other self, 
Thy wish exactly to thy heart’s desire. 

“Thy fit help”? No, this doesn’t mean she would be in good shape. It means she would be a match, a complement, a counterpart, even his “other self.” Finally, Eve stood before him, and she exceeded his highest expectations. He had never seen anything like her in the garden. Milton continues: 

Under his forming hands a creature grew, 
Manlike, but different sex, so lovely fair, 
That what seem’d fair in all the world, seem’d now 
Mean, or in her summ’d up, in her contain’d, 
And in her looks, which from that time infus’d 
Sweetness into my heart, unfelt before. 


I hope Milton will forgive me for adding my opinion that the “sweetness” Adam felt, which was “unfelt before,” was much more than that which was generated by Eve’s physical appearance. Those feelings flowing into him had as their source her wellspring. His feelings were the direct result of standing in front of one of the daughters of heavenly parents who had a divine nature different from, but complementary to, his own divine nature.

 I think God also does the same for each of us, delaying our introduction to our "fit help" until we are each prepared to fully appreciate the other. I believe that in that moment we will each experience that same sweetness and complimentary power.

the signs of the coming of the Song of Man

We read this quote in institute:

"There will be wars and rumors of wars, signs in the heavens above and on the earth beneath, the sun turned into darkness and the moon to blood, earthquakes in divers places, the seas heaving themselves beyond their bounds; then will appear one grand sign of the Son of Man in heaven. But what will the world do? They will say it is a planet, a comet, etc. But the Son of Man will come as the sign of the coming of the Son of Man, which will be as the light of the morning cometh out of the east (Teachings, 286-287)."  

"When the sign is given however it will be known to and identified by the prophet of God on earth" (Teachings, 279-280) 

And we briefly discussed what the sign might be and ultimately decided that whatever it is, will be BIG and, to anyone who is looking for it, obviously IT (though it won't hurt that the Saints will also have it pointed out by the prophet!).

And of course I couldn't help but start thinking about those prophecies of the last days, and how ALL of them are happening... the signs have ALL started -- and not only started but increased!

SOURCE

Isaiah 24:20
The earth shall reel to and fro like a drunkard, and shall be removed like a cottage; and the transgression thereof shall be heavy upon it; and it shall fall, and not rise again.

how about all those recent earthquakes? (the chart to the left was published in april of this year so that number may be higher...)

Doctrine and Covenants 88:90
And also cometh the testimony of the voice of thunderings, and the voice of lightnings, and the voice of tempests, and the voice of the waves of the sea heaving themselves beyond their bounds.

SOURCE

Tsunamis having been making the news a lot lately too. the chart to the right seems to indicate consistent increase.

An article by NOAA scientists stated it the abstract that "Analysis of the database revealed that while the total number of magnitude 7.5 earthquakes per decade since 1901 has remained consistent, the last decade has experienced some of the most devastating geologic events in history." 

But back to that one grand sign of the coming of the Song of Man... It's hard not to wonder every time I read about an approaching comet or planetary intrigue if this is going to be IT... it certain puts Matthew 24 into perspective, especially versus 46-48:

46 And what I say unto one, I say unto all men; watch, therefore, for you know not at what hour your Lord doth come.
47 But know this, if the good man of the house had known in what watch the thief would come, he would have watched, and would not have suffered his house to have been broken up, but would have been ready.
48 Therefore be ye also ready, for in such an hour as ye think not, the Son of Man cometh.