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2 Nephi 9:1-7 — LeGrand Baker — Keys to Ancient Israelite Religion

I have appreciated Richard Dilworth (Dil) Rust’s comments on Jacob’s teachings — and I look forward to what else he promises to say. Dil has observed that Isaiah is extremely important to our understanding of both the Bible and the Book of Mormon. I would like to mention why that is so.

Discovering the religion of the ancient Israelites before the Babylonian captivity is not as simple as it appears on the surface, and, surprisingly, the Bible is not as good a source as one might think. Even though much of the Old Testament tells about time before the exile, a good part of that was written after the exile, so seems to reflect the religion of the period in which it was written rather than the religion of the period it tells about. From the pre-exilic period, we have the words of Moses and Isaiah; some minor prophets; and some poetic works and wisdom literature; but that is about all. Most scholars believe that the historical portions of the Bible (Joshua, Judges, Samuel, Kings, and Chronicles, etc.) were either written or severely edited after the Babylonian captivity. Consequently, they tell the post-exilic official version of their early history and religion, but they are not a contemporary record, and that “official” reflects much of the apostasy which had already occurred. Lemche explains it this way,

In the Old Testament a number of texts — to a large degree to be found in the book of Psalms, but also elsewhere — seemingly testify to religious beliefs which are obviously not in accordance with the official version of the religion as given by the historical literature….The most important evidence of this state of religious affairs may be Deut. xxxii 8-9, in the LXX version, according to which Yahweh seems not to be identified with El Elyon but is considered a son of this mighty creator of the world. Other important testimonies are Ps. lxxxii and Ps. lxxxix 6-9, in that both testify to the belief in a divine pantheon in Israel, although Yahweh is obviously considered to be the king of the assembly of the gods….It now looks as if the description of the Israelite religion in the formative period of the nation as a religion which contained a strictly monotheistic faith has to be surrendered in favor of another picture of the religious development…Still, we are sorely without knowledge as to the content of their religion, and no source available can prove that the religion of the early Israelites was ever a monotheistic one, whether Yahwistic or no….I would say: so much for the presumed original Israelite monotheism! (Niels Peter Lemche, “The Development of the Israelite Religion in the Light of Recent Studies on the Early History of Israel,” in Congress Volume, Leuven, 1989 (Louvain, Belgium, E.J. Brill, for the International Organization fro the Study of the Old Testament, 1991), 109, 112-113, 115.

H. H. Rowley, The Old Testament and Modern Study, A Generation of Discovery and Research (Oxford, Clarendon Press, 1951), contains several essays on the history of academic discussions about the authorship and historicity of the books of the Old Testament. The three which are of most immediate interest to our studies are: N. H. Snaith, “The Historical Books,” p. 84-114; Aubrey R. Johnson, “The Psalms,” p. 162-209; and G. W. Anderson, “Hebrew Religion,” p. 283-310.)

This argument, that the historical books of the Old Testament were written after the Babylonian captivity and reflect the religion of the post-exilic rather than the pre-exilic Jews, has important implications to any study of the Book of Mormon. Lehi left Jerusalem a few years before the Babylonian captivity. Therefore, the religion of the Nephites should reflect the belief in a pantheon and that Jehovah is the Son of God as in the religion of the pre-exilic Jews. But it must not reflect the idea that Jehovah is alone in the godhead, which was the idea adopted by the post-exilic Jews. If that test were used to determine whether the Book of Mormon is an accurate reflection of the pre-exilic Israelite religion, the Book of Mormon passes with flying colors.

If these scholars are correct, and the evidence seems to indicate they are, then we have only small windows through which to see the religion of David, Solomon and the pre-exilic prophets. Let me give an analogy of the problem that poses. Having only those sources and trying to discover a complete theology is analogous to the challenge one might have if he tried to discover the theology of Latter-day Saints by reading only the Documentary History of the Church (which is the story of our beginnings as the books of Moses is the story of theirs), a collection of Conference addresses by Wilford Woodruff (which we might put in place of one of the ancient prophets), a single General Conference address by about half a dozen different general authorities (the minor prophets), and some of the words of the temple ceremony without any indication at all of what those segment were about or in what sequence or context they were spoken (the Psalms). Those sources would be important, of course, but they would also be inadequate. The list does not even include the standard works, just as our Bible does not include their ancient scriptures, such as the unedited books of Moses and the books of Enoch, Abraham, Joseph, Zenos etc.

Except for the book of Job, everything in our Bible was written by or after the time of Moses. But there can be little question but that the people who lived while our Bible was being written had ancient scriptures of their own. The complete Book of Enoch is just one probable example. The Book of Enoch was considered scripture by both Jews and early Christian. For example, 1 Enoch 1:9 is quoted as scripture in Jude 1:14. Our problem in trying to discover the ancient Israelite theology is about as difficult as trying to discover Latter-day Saint theology using only the sources I mentioned above.

Jeremiah and Ezekiel were both written at the time of the captivity and are about what was happening then, and prophecies about what would happen in the future. There are theological statements in them of course, but hardly enough to reconstruct even the basic assumptions of their theology on subjects other than those immediately addressed.

So that leaves basically foun places to look. The books of Moses, Job, Psalms, and Isaiah. Job is a review of the temple sequence with great emphasis on this lonely, dreary world. It also contains relatively little theology.

So our two most valuable sources in the pursuit of the ancient Israelite religion are the books of Psalms and Isaiah. The Psalms are quoted in the Old Testament and the New Testament, as well as in the Book of Mormon. Many scholars believe that the Psalms are the very words which were spoken an sung of their endowment/enthronement temple ceremony.All we have to do is discover the context in which those words were spoken (probably sung) and we can know a great deal about the theology of ancient Israel, as well as their enthronement/ endowment ceremonies. But that is exceedingly difficult because they were re-arranged in the post-exilic period so their arrangement is no longer in the sequence which gives them a story line. In Who Shall Ascend into the Hill of the Lord, Stephen Ricks and I have put many of them back in the order of the temple drama.

That leaves Isaiah as one of the best source in the Old Testament by which one might discover the ancient religion of Israel. Scholars agree that Isaiah is heavily dependent upon the Psalms for its ideas and some of its words. So the key to unlocking Isaiah is the Psalms. Knowing what the Psalms are makes it possible to restate that by saying the key to unlocking Isaiah is the temple.

I suppose that the Brass plates contained many of the Old Testament scriptures which are lost to us. So Nephi, Jacob, Abinadi, the Saviour and others might have quoted Enoch or Abraham just as well as Isaiah. But they didn’t. They quoted the one major source which we could turn to in our Bible to learn the fulness of the ancient gospel. Those long quotes in the Book of Mormon let us compare the Isaiah of the Bible with the Isaiah of the brass plates. The upshot of that comparison is that the Bible’s Isaiah is remarkably accurate (except for the Cyrus part stuck in during the Exile). So in the Book of Mormon we not only have confirmation that the Bible’s Isaiah is mostly dependable, but we have the repeated admonition to read it and discover the ancient religion for ourselves. We also have a good deal of help in doing that as the Saviour and the greatest of the Book of Mormon prophets read it to us and explain what it means.

2 Nephi 6:3, 4 – LeGrand Baker – Jacob’s explanation of Isaiah

Jacob’s explanation of Isaiah is so clearly written that there seems to be no reason for one to try to re-explain Jacob’s explanation. However, there may be some value in pointing out the context in which Jacob placed his words. Verses 3 and 4 read in part:

3   For I have exhorted you with all diligence; and I have taught you the words of my father; and I have spoken unto you concerning all things which are written, from the creation of the world.
4   And now, behold, I would speak unto you concerning things which are, and which are to come; wherefore, I will read you the words of Isaiah (2 Nephi 6:3-4).

The words, “from the creation of the world” seem not to be a casual pointing in the direction of the physical creation because in terms of the sequence of events that is more than half way into our eternal history. Rather the phrase seems to be code here, as elsewhere, to refer to time and place of the Council in Heaven, and more specifically to the plans of that Council.

For example, notice Lehi’s use of the phrase:

10   But behold, when the time cometh that they shall dwindle in unbelief, after they have received so great blessings from the hand of the Lord— having a knowledge of the creation of the earth, and all men, knowing the great and marvelous works of the Lord from the creation of the world; having power given them to do all things by faith; having all the commandments from the beginning, and having been brought by his infinite goodness into this precious land of promise. (2 Nephi 1:10)

It is clear to me that he is talking about the affairs of the Council which have been revealed through scriptures and revelation to those whose ordinance experiences have given them a context in which to understand and exercise faith (pistis).

One of the most astounding uses of that phrase is found where Abraham writes.

28   But I shall endeavor, hereafter, to delineate the chronology running back from myself to the beginning of the creation, for the records have come into my hands, which I hold unto this present time (Abraham 1:28).

We are aware from the Book of Enoch, that Enoch had access to those records while he was in the presence of God, and wrote them for his posterity. This suggests that the records written by Enoch which dealt with the decisions and actions of the Council were still extant and in the possession of Abraham. Or else it suggests Abraham had access to those celestial records some other way.

Paul uses the phrase in somewhat the same way:

20   For God hath revealed unto them the invisible things of him, from the creation of the world, which are clearly seen; things which are not seen being understood by the things that are made, through his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse (JST Romans 1:20).

These uses suggest that the phrase “from the creation,” is equivalent to the phrase “in the beginning,” and that they have the same connotation as sode, that is, the decisions of the Council.

If that is so, then that seems to place Jacob’s commentary on Isaiah in a very interesting context. He writes,

3   I have spoken unto you concerning all things which are written, from the creation of the world. And now, behold, I would speak unto you concerning things which are, and which are to come (2 Nephi 6:3).

To me, that suggests he has already discussed the plans of the Council, and now his intent is to show how those plans are, and will yet be carried to fruition.

2 Nephi 5:16, 18, 26 — LeGrand Baker — Nephi as king

2 Nephi 5:16
16   And I, Nephi, did build a temple; and I did construct it after the manner of the temple of Solomon save it were not built of so many precious things; for they were not to be found upon the land, wherefore, it could not be built like unto Solomon’s temple. But the manner of the construction was like unto the temple of Solomon; and the workmanship thereof was exceedingly fine.

In the ancient Near East, kings built temples. Indeed, the building or restoring of a temple was a necessary beginning to a new dynasty. Nephi is aware of that, and builds the temple as though he were king. He does not write, “we built a temple,” he writes, “I, Nephi, did build a temple.” In so saying he assumes both the prerogative and responsibility of an anointed king.

The temple, he says, is built after the pattern and manner of construction of Solomon’s temple, except it was not built of so many precious things. He does not tell us what those “precious things” are, but he has just told us in the preceding verse,

15   And I did teach my people to build buildings, and to work in all manner of wood, and of iron, and of copper, and of brass, and of steel, and of gold, and of silver, and of precious ores, which were in great abundance(2 Nephi 5:15).

So the precious things the temple lacked, was not the gold which adorned the interior of the Solomon’s temple and covered the cherubim throne in the Holy of Holies, nor was it the gold and silver implements which were used in the temple service. So it must have been the material from which the temple itself was constructed. Our Bible (and, one may presume, the brass plates also) gives a detailed account of the construction of Solomon’s temple. Part of that detail reports,

19   And the king commanded, and they brought great stones, costly stones, and hewed stones, to lay the foundation of the house.
18   And Solomon’s builders and Hiram’s builders did hew them, and the stonesquarers: so they prepared timber and stones to build the house. (2 Kings 5: 17-18)

Such a labor would have been beyond the ability of Nephi and his colony. The stone like that which Solomon used was not available to Nephi, either because it did not exist there, or because it was in the mountain and could not be gotten out. So the Nephite temple was probably not built of wood, rather than stone. But the wood would have been inferior, at least in Nephi’s judgement, to the giant cedars of Lebanon which Solomon imported to construct his temple. Nevertheless, Nephi was very pleased with what he and his people had done.

The dimensions of the temple of Solomon are given in the scriptures, so Nephi and his builders could have followed those with some accuracy. Notwithstanding those details, in our day the description in the Bible is not sufficient for one to know what the temple looked like. But for Nephi and his people that would not have been a problem. They had been in Jerusalem and seen the original.

The most sacred part of the temple was the Holy of Holies with the throne of God at its back wall. The throne had winged cherubim on each side. Their wings reached to either side and to the top of the room, which was about 16 feet high.

When Nephi’s temple was completed it would have been dedicated to the Lord.

Following Solomon’s example, Nephi would have done that personally. Temples in the ancient Near East were dedicated during the New Year’s festival. In Palestine this occurred in the fall of the year, in October or November. Nephi and his people were trying to live the Law as Moses had directed, so it is likely that this temple would have been dedicated during that same festival. The Feast of Tabernacles was a eight day feast which culminated in the renewing of covenants with God and in the enthronement or re-enthronement of the king. Mormon scholars have shown that King Benjamin’s address and the enthronement of his son Mosiah took place during such a festival.

As Nephi’s temple was being completed, it was entirely appropriate that the question would arise about whether Nephi would accept the title of king. Even before the offer was made Nephi had served as though he were king. Now, even though he rejected the title, he rejoiced in the fact that it was offered to him. .

18   And it came to pass that they would that I should be their king. But I, Nephi, was desirous that they should have no king; nevertheless, I did for them according to that which was in my power.
19   And behold, the words of the Lord had been fulfilled unto my brethren, which he spake concerning them, that I should be their ruler and their teacher. Wherefore, I had been their ruler and their teacher, according to the commandments of the Lord, until the time they sought to take away my life (2 Nephi 5:18-19).

In ancient Israel the king had three main functions. First, he was commander in chief of the armies, and responsible for all international relations. Second, he was the chief judge of the people. That is, he was the court of last appeal, much like the American Supreme Court. Third, he was something like the president of the church. The priests and Levites took care of the routine matters of daily sacrifice and services, but on special occasions the king could conduct and perform sacrifices himself. He could, and did, use the Urim and Thummim, and he could go into the Holy of Holies and speak with God. Near the conclusion of the Feast of Tabernacles he gave a lecture about the sanctity of the Law of Moses, and thus he was the chief teacher, as well as the chief priest and prophet.

After the Israelites left Egypt, the first man to hold the office, though not the title, of king was Moses. But Moses divided his authority between himself and his brother Aaron. Moses retained the powers of chief judge, and military and diplomatic leader; but he gave the Urim and Thummim and the authority which went with it to his brother Aaron.

Nephi apparently rejected the title “king” because he intended to follow Moses’ example. He retained the military and judgship authorities, but give the church leadership to his brothers Jacob and Joseph.

26   And it came to pass that I, Nephi, did consecrate Jacob and Joseph, that they should be priests and teachers over the land of my people (2 Nephi 5:26).

Many years later, King Mosiah did that same thing when he made Alma I head of the church. That authority was joined again in the person of Alma II, who promptly divided it again. Only this time he kept the ecclesiastical authority for himself and gave the military, diplomatic, and domestic judgship responsibilities to someone else who was called the “Chief Judge.”

Nephi’s temple is important for the same reasons that Solomon’s temple was important. It represented the creation of a new dynasty and a new nation. It also represented the covenants associated with kingship, priesthood, and it gave the people the opportunity to participate in all the ordinances which were a part of their temple worship.

2 Nephi 4:25 – LeGrand Baker – “the wings of his Spirit”

2 Nephi 4:25
25   And upon the wings of his Spirit hath my body been carried away upon exceedingly high mountains. And mine eyes have beheld great things, yea, even too great for man; therefore I was bidden that I should not write them.

I wish to comment on only two ideas. First that the great sin which weighs down Nephi’s soul is that he got angry with his brothers when they tried to murder him. That fact tells one a great deal about the fine-tuned sensitivity of Nephi’s soul, but it also tells one about the erosive power of the sin of being angry. I recall the story, that once when the Prophet was translating the Book of Mormon, he and Emma had a tizzy. The Spirit withdrew and Joseph could not continue to translate until he had gone out into the woods to apologize to the Lord, then returned to the house to apologize to Emma. Anger is addictive because it gives one an adrenalin high and gives the angry person a false sense of superiority. People who get angry frequently become chemically dependent on that artificial high and emotionally dependent on the sense of power. Anger is a cancer which destroys its host from within, often so subtly that the host thinks it is both normal and healthy, until it has had time to mature and is ready to strike its devastating, sometimes deadly blow.

The second idea upon which I wish to comment is the phrase, ‘the wings of his Spirit,’ in the verse, “And upon the wings of his Spirit hath my body been carried away upon exceedingly high mountains. And mine eyes have beheld great things, yea, even too great for man; therefore I was bidden that I should not write them.” These wings are both real and symbolic.

The cherubim who surround the celestial throne of God are described as having wings (sometimes called wings like the wings of an eagle), by Isaiah (ch. 6), Ezekiel (ch. 1), Daniel (ch. 7), and John (Rev. 4). But, we are told by the Prophet Joseph that “their wings are a representation of power, to move, to act, etc.” (D&C 77:4)

Similarly, there were cherubim whose wings overreached the throne of God in the Tabernacle of Moses, which throne was the Ark of the Covenant. (Exodus 25:20). Then, later, when Solomon built his temple, he constructed a huge throne in the Holy of Holies. There, cheribums with a wingspan of about 16 feet (1 Kings 6:24) spread those wings over a golden throne; and over whomever sat upon that throne; and over the Ark of the Covenant, which now served as the throne’s footstool.

Only the king who had been anointed a son of God, and thereby also adopted as a legitimate heir of God, could sit upon this earthly representation of the heavenly throne. Therefore, sitting upon the throne, under the wings of the cherubim represented not only priesthood power and temporal majesty, but also security and peace, as is expressed in the 63rd psalm, “Because thou hast been my help, therefore in the shadow of thy wings will I rejoice.” (Psalm 63:7. See also Psalms 17:8, 36:7, 57:1, 61:4, 91:4.)

Because the throne and its overshadowing wings were symbolic of priesthood and kingship, they were also symbolic of the invitation to receive the gift of eternal life. The Saviour used that symbolism repeatedly, as a lament for those who would not accept the invitation.

37   O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets, and stonest them which are sent unto thee, how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not! (Matthew 23:37, see also Luke 13:34, 3 Nephi 10:4-6, D&C 43:24)

And also as a promise to those how would accept that invitation:

Who will gather his people even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, even as many as will hearken to my voice and humble themselves before me, and call upon me in mighty prayer. (D&C 29:2, see also 10:65) (The phrase “mighty prayer” has an obvious significance in this enthronement context.)

Thus, the symbolism of those enthroning wings is the same as the symbolism of the powerful wings of the celestial cherubim upon whose power, God himself may ride.”And he rode upon a cherub, and did fly: yea, he did fly upon the wings of the wind. (Psalms 18:10 and 2 Samuel 22:11)” And upon whose wings he invites his children to ride also. “But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint. (Isaiah 40:31)”

So Nephi’s statement resounds with the clarity of the ancient enthronement ordinances, is a testimony of the validity of those ordinances, and a representative form and pattern of their fulfilment. He wrote,

25   And upon the wings of his Spirit hath my body been carried away upon exceedingly high mountains. And mine eyes have beheld great things, yea, even too great for man; therefore I was bidden that I should not write them. (2 Nephi 4:25)

The wings have a further and expected symbolism, which is an extension of the ones mentioned so far. They also represent the association of enthronement and peace. “But unto you that fear my name, shall the Son of Righteousness arise with healing in his wings; and ye shall go forth and grow up as calves in the stall.” That, as Nephi adds, “all those who shall believe on his name shall be saved in the kingdom of God. (3 Nephi 25:2 and 2 Ne. 25:13)

2 Nephi 4:1-2 — LeGrand Baker — Joseph in Egypt

Sometimes I suspect that the best kept secret in the church is the academic value of the latter-day scriptures. That observation is not intended to be a criticism of members of the church, just as the following is not intended to be a criticism of scholars of other faiths. The following is only an example of how much Mormons can know which other people cannot know. The example begins with Psalm 105, which is a review of Israelite history.

17   He sent a man before them, even Joseph, who was sold for a servant:
18   Whose feet they hurt with fetters: he was laid in iron:
19   Until the time that his word came: the word of the LORD tried him.
20   The king sent and loosed him; even the ruler of the people, and let him go free.
21   He made him lord of his house, and ruler of all his substance:
22   To bind his princes at his pleasure; and teach his senators wisdom (Psalm 105:17-22).

In commenting on those verses, Svend Holm-Nielsen wrote,

The description of Joseph’s release and his promotion in vv. 20-22 resembles that of the Joseph narrative in Genesis. The idea of Joseph as the instructor of Pharaoh’s elders and the teacher of wisdom seems to be a rather exaggerated interpretation of Gen. 41:37- 40, maybe inspired by the views on the heathen world as an underdeveloped world in relation to Israel,… (“The Exodus Traditions in Psalm 105″, Annual of the Swedish Theological Institute, vol. 11, p 25)

Notice how different that analysis is from Nephi’s,

1   And now, I, Nephi, speak concerning the prophecies of which my father hath spoken, concerning Joseph, who was carried into Egypt.
2   For behold, he truly prophesied concerning all his seed. And the prophecies which he wrote, there are not many greater. And he prophesied concerning us, and our future generations; and they are written upon the plates of brass (2 Nephi 4:1-2).

It is not that Holm-Nielsen is not a good scholar; it is only that he probably hasn’t read the Book of Mormon and does not know its value as an historical record.

My point is this. In our world there is a prevailing notion that any idea which in not “test-tube- demonstrable” must not be taken too seriously. That notion, in some contexts, is the stimulus which invites experimentation, study, and the continued search for knowledge. But in other contexts, it is the opiate which virtually cripples many fine, intelligent, and otherwise capable young minds. How priceless, then, is one’s knowing that the Book of Mormon is a trustworthy statement of historical and doctrinal truth. Such a knowledge gives one academic and spiritual stability which the otherwise learned might envy or reject with contempt, and which their university education might appear to approximate, but can never duplicate.

2 Nephi 3:1, 3 — LeGrand Baker — ‘the wilderness of mine afflictions’

2 Nephi 3:1,3
1  And now I speak unto you, Joseph, my last-born. Thou wast born in the wilderness of mine afflictions; yea, in the days of my greatest sorrow did thy mother bear thee….
3  And now, Joseph, my last-born, whom I have brought out of the wilderness of mine afflictions,…

Lehi says it twice the same way, “the wilderness of mine afflictions.” Neither time does he say, “my afflictions in the wilderness.”

Chauncey Riddle told me once that he had never met a truly spiritual person who had not suffered a great deal in this life. I believe he is correct. It is not the suffering, but the way one grows from it, that defines the person. There is an ancient Chinese proverb, “The same heat which melts the butter, boils the egg.

Consider just a few examples:

Abraham was despised by his father’s family, and placed on an Egyptian altar to be sacrificed. His wives jangled so much he had to send one away. He had been promised a son and heir, but he was a very old and disappointed man before the boy was born, then some years later, Abraham was asked to sacrifice his own beloved son.

Isaiah received a call at the Council in Heaven (Isaiah 6:1-12), then lived long enough to see its promises fulfilled. They were not happy promises. Isaiah’s best friend’s son ascend to the throne of Judah, turned from the Lord to worship Baal, and finely stretch Isaiah out on a table and sawed him in two.

The Saviour’s pain was unspeakable. He experienced in only a few short hours all my sorrows, all my sins, and all my physical pains and maladies, not only mine but those of every other creature in all eternity.

Joseph Smith not only lived with continual persecution, but also with the constant threat of being killed. About 30 years ago I wrote a short paper published in the Improvement Era (June 1969, 10-15) which showed that Joseph went through much of his life knowing that someday he would be murdered.

Lehi’s wilderness of affliction was not unusual for prophets — nor for anyone else, for that matter.

Nephi wrote to teach, not to confuse; so if he quotes his father about a wilderness, then he must already have told us what that wilderness was. There are two wildernesses which Nephi describes in some detail. The first was the wilderness in which Lehi and his family were physically afflicted, the desert, the hunger and thirst, the children in rebellion. The second wilderness was the one Lehi saw in his vision, the lonely, dreary, darkened place through which he walked as held to the iron rod.

I believe that, except for specific and well defined exceptions, the Lord does not teach one about other people. For example the endowment I experience in the temple is my personal autobiography. It is only mine. For you, it is also only yours. But it is never ours. For me, it is the private, intensely personal story about MY eternal relationship with the Saviour. For you, it is your private, intensely personal story, about YOUR eternal relationship with the Saviour. For me it is not a story about someone else, into which I may peek and become privy to its most sacred details. Because the things which are most sacred about the temple endowment are the experiences one has with the Holy Ghost who teaches one what the story says about oneself.

Our temple service may be understood as a generic story of everyone, just as Isaiah 6, D&C 76, and Lehi’s Tree of Life vision may be understood that same way. As such they are valuable, but they become priceless when the Spirit uses them to teach one about oneself.

If what I have just written is true, then Lehi’s Tree of Life vision, was for and about Lehi. It was a prophecy of the way his life would be, preparing him for the wilderness of his affliction, promising him the fruit of the tree of life at the end of his journey. Now, as I read these first chapters of Second Nephi, I find Lehi’s testimony that the promises made to him were fulfilled in his lifetime. He waded through much sorrow, and I suspect much pain. Nonetheless, he could humbly testify,

15  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)

The explanation of why there is, and must be, all that unhappiness is found when the Lord said to Joseph,

7   And if thou shouldst be cast into the pit, or into the hands of murderers, and the sentence of death passed upon thee; if thou be cast into the deep; if the billowing surge conspire against thee; if fierce winds become thine enemy; if the heavens gather blackness, and all the elements combine to hedge up the way; and above all, if the very jaws of hell shall gape open the mouth wide after thee, know thou, my son, that all these things shall give thee experience, and shall be for thy good.
8   The Son of Man hath descended below them all. Art thou greater than he?
9   Therefore, hold on thy way, and the priesthood shall remain with thee; for their bounds are set, they cannot pass. Thy days are known, and thy years shall not be numbered less; therefore, fear not what man can do, for God shall be with you forever and ever. (D&C 122:7-9)

The last verse I just quoted is as important to our discussion as the first. Before each of us came to the earth, the Lord made immutable covenants guaranteeing our eternal success if we would choose to have success. And, I believe, guaranteeing that each of us would have the necessary experiences to prepare us for that success. Knowing this, feeling sometimes as Job and Isaiah felt, in my heart I echo Isaiah’s words: “Lord, how long?” And I am comforted by the words of a Psalm.

For yet a little while, and the wicked shall not be:
yea, thou shalt diligently consider his place, and it shall not be.

But the meek shall inherit the earth; and shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace(Psalm 37:10-11).

2 Nephi 2:26-30 — LeGrand Baker — free to choose

2 Nephi 2:26-30

26  And the Messiah cometh in the fulness of time, that he may redeem the children of men from the fall. And because that they are redeemed from the fall they have become free forever, knowing good from evil; to act for themselves and not to be acted upon, save it be by the punishment of the law at the great and last day, according to the commandments which God hath given.
27  Wherefore, men are free according to the flesh; and all things are given them which are expedient unto man. And they are free to choose liberty and eternal life, through the great Mediator of all men, or to choose captivity and death, according to the captivity and power of the devil; for he seeketh that all men might be miserable like unto himself.
28 And now, my sons, I would that ye should look to the great Mediator, and hearken unto his great commandments; and be faithful unto his words, and choose eternal life, according to the will of his Holy Spirit;
29  And not choose eternal death, according to the will of the flesh and the evil which is therein, which giveth the spirit of the devil power to captivate, to bring you down to hell, that he may reign over you in his own kingdom.
30  I have spoken these few words unto you all, my sons, in the last days of my probation; and I have chosen the good part, according to the words of the prophet. And I have none other object save it be the everlasting welfare of your souls. Amen. Please remember that I feel free to write what I write here because I trust that each of you will know these ideas are only my opinions. If they are true, then they are true. If not, you may hope that some day I will have enough good sense to change my mind.

When I was a boy in seminary, I was taught that there were three consequences of the fall. First, that our spirits were removed from the presence of God and would forget what it was like to be there. Second, that our spirits could come to this world to get a physical body, but that body would eventually die. Third, that in this world we would be subject to sin. I was also taught that the atonement took care of the fall because, first and second, everyone would be resurrected and brought back into God’s presence, and third, it would be possible to repent and be forgiven. I had a testimony then, that those principles are true and I still have that testimony. However since then, the simple, somewhat flat, black and white picture sketched there in the barest outline has been filled in. It now has taken on brilliant color, and it has become three dimensional, with a breadth, height and depth that I could never have imagined when I was a boy. The Book of Mormon has been largely responsible for that change, and this sermon by Lehi is a major factor in giving the picture its three dimensional perspective.

Lehi’s assumptions about the fall seem to be somewhat more complex than simply that we left God’s presence to get a body and became subject to sin. Let me try to briefly describe what I think he is saying and why he is saying it. That task is difficult, because his information was first hand. He had seen all things from before the beginning. He apparently read in the book given him by the Saviour the purposes and plans of the Council in Heaven. He not only knew what was going to be done, and when, but he also knew who the people are, and who have which assignments. That last bit is going to take a little explaining, so let me digress just a little.

In Section 138, President Joseph F. Smith identified the following two groups of people as being present at the meeting which the Saviour attended in the spirit world between the time of his death and his resurrection. Some of those in the first group were Adam, Eve, Noah, Abraham, Moses, Isaiah, Ezekiel, Elijah, as well as the ancient Nephite prophets. All of those in this group had already lived in mortality, and were “dead.” The other group consisted of those who had not yet lived in mortality. Some of those who were named in President Smith’s revelation are: the Prophet Joseph and Hyrum, Brigham Young, John Taylor, Wilford Woodruff, and others “who were reserved to come forth in the fulness of times to take part in laying the foundations of the great latter-day work.” Of these, Joseph F. Smith wrote, “I observed that they were also among the noble and great ones who were chosen in the beginning to be rulers in the Church of God. Even before they were born, they, with many others, received their first lessons in the world of spirits and were prepared to come forth in the due time of the Lord to labor in his vineyard for the salvation of the souls of men.”

First lessons” is an interesting phrase. We tend to equate that sort of phrasing with the idea of remedial, or simple, like first grade or kindergarten. But these “first lessons” included teaching their children how to come to Christ (Alma 13), expelling Satan during the war in heaven, and creating the world (Abraham 3-6). The people in the meeting President Smith described, both those who were “dead” and those still in the pre-earth spirit world, had known each other and worked together for eons. Lehi had seen the Council, he would have recognize his friends, remembered their assignments, and their impact on the fulfillment of his own assignment –even if that impact would follow his life on earth by thousands of years (as would the Prophet Joseph’s), or precede it by only a hundred and twenty years (as would Isaiah’s). I suspect that there is a group of friends — a very large group of friends, not just a few, for President Smith describes them as “an innumerable company of the spirits of the just.” (v.12) — who were friends there, will be friends again. Some, those who live at the same time and same place in mortality, are also friends here. But others may be anyway. For example, I presume that means that the friendship between Joseph Smith and Moroni was a very long standing one and that Moroni had a perfect memory of their friendship even if Joseph had temporarily forgotten. Nephi also knew who the Prophet Joseph was, and what his mission would be, as I presume did Lehi also.

My point is, if one is going to discuss the meaning of the fall, with even an inkling of the background from which Lehi discussed it, it seems to me one must do so (even in a very limited way) within the context in which Lehi would have understood it. And Lehi’s understanding was intimate with people and events which stretched to both ends of eternity.

I suppose I ought to stop here and call attention to some things modern prophets have said about this earth, before I discuss the meaning of the fall to the people on the earth. The first is a statement made by the Prophet Joseph. Joseph re-wrote the entire revelation of the 76th Section of the D&C in poetry form. The poem was published in the Times and Seasons (Feb. 1, 1843), and reprinted in the August 1843 issue of the Millennial Star. A few stanzas read as follows:

Speaking of those who fear the Lord “and live for the life that’s to come,” Joseph wrote,

I’ll surely reveal all my myst’ries to them —
The great hidden myst’ries in my kingdom stor’d;
From the council in Kolob, to time on the earth,
And for ages to come unto them I will show
My pleasure and will, what the kingdom will do:
Eternity’s wonders they truly shall know.
Great things of the future I’ll show unto them,
Yea, things of the vast generations to rise;
For their wisdom and glory shall be very great,
And their pure understanding extend to the skies.
And before them the wisdom of wise men shall cease,
And the nice understanding of prudent ones fail?
For the light of my spirit shall light mine elect,
And the truth is so mighty ’twill ever prevail.
And the secrets and plans of my will I’ll reveal,
The sanctifi’d pleasures when earth is renew’d;
What the eye hath not seen, nor the ear hath yet heard,
Nor the heart of the natural man ever view’d.

In those verses are two ideas to which I wish to call especial attention. The first is that those about whom the Prophet is speaking are promised that they may see the Council and know its secret plans (sode). The second is the information that the place where the Council met was Kolob, which is identified in Abraham 3:13-16 as the central star and temple of the universe. (I read “nearest unto me” to mean temple, or, if all creation is considered sacred space, then it would mean the Holy of Holies. This seems to me to be a more likely interpretation than the idea that the phrase suggests a geographical location in the universe.) describes his own sode experience.

I, Joseph, the prophet, in spirit beheld,
And the eyes of the inner man truly did see
Eternity sketch’d in a vision from God,
Of what was, and now is, and yet is to be.
Those things which the Father ordained of old,
Before the world was or a system had run,
Through~Jesus, the Maker and Saviour of all –
The only begotten (Messiah) his son
Of whom I bear record, as all prophets have,
And the record I bear is the fulness-yea, even
The truth of the gospel of Jesus — the Christ,
With whom I convers’d in the vision of heav’n.
I marvell’d at these resurrections, indeed,
For it came unto me by the spirit direct:
And while I did meditate what it all meant,
The Lord touch’d the eyes of my own intellect.
Hosanna, for ever! They open’d anon,
And the glory of God shone around where I was;
And there was the Son at the Father’s right hand,

The Prophet Joseph then wrote:

In a fulness of glory and holy applause.
I beheld round the throne holy angels and hosts,
And sanctified beings from worlds that have been,
In holiness worshipping God and the Lamb,
For ever and ever. Amen and amen.

Then follows the Prophet’s testimony which is so often quoted from Section 76. But this too is broader than the other, giving priceless information about the meaning and extent of the atonement.

And now after all of the proofs made of him,
By witnesses truly, by whom he was known,
This is mine, last of all, that he lives; yea, he lives!
And sits at the right hand of God on his throne.
And I heard a great voice bearing record from heav’n,
He’s the Saviour and only begotten of God;
By him, of him, and through him, the worlds were all made,
Even all that career in the heavens so broad.
Whose inhabitants, too, from the first to the last,
Are sav’d by the very same Saviour as ours;
And, of course, are begotten God’s daughters and sons
By the very same truths and the very same powers.

The other reference I wish to use for a background to my discussion of the fall is from John Taylor’s editorial in the 29 August 1857 issue of The Mormon. I quoted it in full earlier, so wish to call attention to only a part of it here.

Knowest thou not that; eternities ago, thy spirit, pure and holy, dwelt in thy Heavenly Father’s bosom, and in his presence, and with thy mother, one of the Queens of heaven, surrounded by thy brother and sister spirts in the. spirit world, among the Gods. That as thy spirit beheld the scenes transpiring there, and thou growing in intelligence, thou sawest worlds upon worlds organized and peopled with thy kindred spirits, took upon them tabernacles, died, were resurrected, and received their exaltation on the redeemed worlds they once dwelt upon. Thou being willing and anxious to imitate them, waiting and desirous to obtain a body, a resurrection and exaltation also, and having obtained permission, thou made a covenant with one of thy kindred spirits to be thy guardian angel while in mortality, also with two others, male and female spirits, that thou wouldst come and take a tabernacle through their lineage, and become one of their offspring. You also choose a kindred spirit whom you loved in the spirit world, (and had permission to come to this planet and take a tabernacle) to be your head, stay, husband, and protector on the earth, and to exalt you in the eternal worlds. All these were arranged, likewise the spirits that should tabernacle through your lineage. Thou longed, thou sighed, and thou prayed to thy Father in heaven for the time to arrive when thou couldst come to this earth, which had fled and fell from where it was first organized, near the planet Kolob. Leave thy father and mother’s bosoms, and all thy kindred spirits, come to earth, take a tabernacle, and imitate the deeds of, those you had seen exalted before you.

Now, to review the most important points, and add a couple other relevant ones. Kolob is “nearest to God.” It is also the site where the Council met. It was there where Joseph saw “the Son at the Father’s right hand….on his throne….round the throne holy angels….” The earth, “had fled and fell from where it was first organized, near the planet Kolob.” The implications of Abraham 3 to the end, is that this earth was the first world which was created by the Council. Elsewhere the earth is called the “footstool” of God, which suggests that it is the part of the throne by which one ascends to sit upon the throne. This earth is the “altar” of the universe, upon it the Saviour performed his atoning sacrifice; and from the elements of this earth, the Saviour obtained the Celestial elements of his own resurrected body.

Well, all that’s background. Now let’s get to the point. The questions are: What was the fall? What were its immediate effects? What were its ultimate purposes?

What was the “fall” as far as this earth is concerned? Was the earth inhabited by spirit people while it was “near” Kolob, or only after it “fled and fell”? What are the implications of the answer? That’s easy, I don’t know the answer, so I haven’t the foggiest idea what the implications are. But laying aside the question of the earth’s fall, lets look at the question Lehi poses: What was the fall as far as people who not occupy this earth are concerned?

First of all, the fall made it possible for specific members of the Council, and for others who had spirit bodies, to clothe those spirit bodies in physical bodies. Second, the world where one comes to receive these physical bodies is sacred but not “clean;” therefore it is, and must be, outside the presence of God — that is, it is outside the presence of God from the perspective of humans who can neither see him nor hear his voice. Third, there is an almost total memory loss on the part of those spirits who came into these physical bodies. Fourth, the fall places one in a physical environment where he can experience and find meaning in physical birth, growth, exhilaration, deterioration, and death; in an academic and emotional environment where one can learn through study, faith, observation, and experience; and in a spiritual environment where one can see and experience both good and bad, and learn to distinguish between them. These complexly intertwined environments can only exist in a world where the people have an almost total loss of their memory of the life, learning, and experiences which brought them here; and an almost total loss of ability to see and hear things other than those in a physical dimension.

Lehi seems very aware of this. While his discussion touches every facet of the fall, he focuses it especially on our loss of memory and the consequences of our not being able to remember who or what we were, why we came here, and what our assignment was.

When one is born into this world, he is innocent. That innocence is a gift of the atonement (D&C 93:38), and therefore evidences one’s having had faith in Christ before being born into this world. The evidence is in the fact that the blessings of the atonement come to one only after one has accepted them through the appropriate ordinances and covenants. If that law also held in the world before this one, each person born here must have accepted the Saviour’s atonement or he could not have been born innocent in this world. It seems to me that a little child’s absolute innocence is evidence of his previous faith, covenants, and holy works. But it also seems to me that one’s innocence is expressed largely in the fact that he cannot remember where we came from (Or, if remembering it, he is not able to communicate it until after that memory has been displaced by more immediate experiences.), and thus he is not able to anticipate what will come after. So, in terms of the functions of one’s physical body, and in terms of academic and emotional “realities” one will encounter here, he comes to this earth almost completely oblivious, callow, without guile, having almost no experience with which to judge happy from sad, good from bad, evil from righteousness. One comes, as Adam and Eve came, of one’s own volition, but having no memory of the part one played in the former world. Symbolically, every individual born into this world must partake of the fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and evil. One is then free to learn anew the meaning of pleasure, happiness, good, righteousness, joy in this world; and thus can learn anew in this world how to distinguish those positive feelings from their negative counterparts: pain, sorrow, bad, evil, darkness.

The object of all that background I gave at the beginning of this note was to illustrate that the forgetfulness which came when we were born, is not a little thing. Each of us had a great deal to forget. And our absolute innocence was accomplished in that complete forgetfulness, without which innocence would have been impossible.

But, even in our forgetfulness, there are some fundamental parts of us which were neither obliterated nor diminished. One example is the quality of one’s integrity. Job’s interesting, and I think accurate, account of one issue of the “war in heaven,” points that out.

A few verses from Job will illustrate this point.

3  And the LORD said unto Satan, Hast thou considered my servant Job, that there is none like him in the earth, a perfect and an upright man, one that feareth God, and escheweth evil? and still he holdeth fast his integrity, although thou movedst me against him, to destroy him without cause. (Job 2:3)

9  Then said his wife unto him, Dost thou still retain thine integrity? curse God, and die. But he said unto her, Thou speakest as one of the foolish women speaketh.
10  What? shall we receive good at the hand of God, and shall we not receive evil? In all this did not Job sin with his lips. (Job 2:9-10)

1  Moreover Job continued his parable, and said,
2  As God liveth, who hath taken away my judgment; and the Almighty, who hath vexed my soul;
3  All the while my breath is in me, and the spirit of God is in my nostrils;
4  My lips shall not speak wickedness, nor my tongue utter deceit
5  … till I die I will not remove mine integrity from me.
6  My righteousness I hold fast, and will not let it go: my heart shall not reproach me so long as I live. (Job 27:1-6)

We come into this world innocent, but not defenseless. We come with our integrity, our fore-ordination, and a promise from God that no external power in hell or on earth will be sufficient to prevent us from keeping the covenants we made before we came here. Those covenants includes the promise of our ultimate redemption.

Before we continue, we need to review the meanings of the word “redeem.” The Greek word translated “redeem” means to ransom or purchase. The Hebrew word means the same, except it carries the connotation that it is done by a brother or another close relative. Another meaning of

the word “redeem, as it is used in Job (19:26-30) and frequently throughout the Book of Mormon, is that one is brought into the presence of God.

Now, after all that introductory stuff, let’s look at what Lehi was saying. We will begin with verse 26.

26  And the Messiah [The word “Messiah” means the Anointed One. This name/title, Messiah, pulls one back into the context of the Council where Jesus was “the anointed Son of God, from before the foundation of the world.” (TPJS 265)] cometh in the fulness of time, that he may redeem [bring back to the presence of God] the children of men from the fall [their state of forgetfulness]. And because that they are redeemed [brought back into the presence of God] from the fall [Their forgetfulness is completely eradicated only when they are shown all things.] they have become free forever, knowing good from evil [because they have experienced both, rejected evil, been purified by the atonement, and been brought back into the presence of God]; to act for themselves and not to be acted upon, save it be by the punishment of the law at the great and last day, according to the commandments which God hath given. [I think that means, according to the instructions one received at the Council.](2 Nephi 2:26)

One’s coming into the presence of God is a multi-leveled experience. The Holy Ghost is a member of the Godhead, so to hear and harken to his promptings is a coming into God’s presence. The endowment is symbolically that in a more precise way. In each instance one receives instructions which will lead one along the path of the fulfilment of his covenants at the Council. Ultimately one can literally come into the presence of God and renew their covenants there. In each layer of this ascending cycle, Lehi’s words are relevant and true:

27  Wherefore, men are free according to the flesh; and all things are given them which are expedient unto man [line upon line, precept upon precept, experience upon experience]. And they are free to choose liberty and eternal life [ “Free to choose” is an active, not a passive state. Freedom is the ability to act without restraint. Choosing liberty and eternal life is never passive.], through the great Mediator of all men, [Accepting the blessing and responsibilities of the Saviour’s atonement is never passive either.] or to choose captivity and death, according to the captivity and power of the devil; for he seeketh that all men might be miserable like unto himself.

28  And now, my sons, I would that ye should look to the great Mediator, and hearken unto his great commandments; and be faithful unto his words [ “Faithful” means one’s doing what one has promised he will do.], and choose eternal life, according to the will of his Holy Spirit (2 Nephi 2:27-28).

In every level of one’s progression, obedience to the Spirit, is the key to knowing who and what one is, and what one must do to accomplish ones purposes here. The Saviour explained,

24  He that loveth me not keepeth not my sayings: and the word which ye hear is not mine, but the Father’s which sent me.
25  These things have I spoken unto you, being yet present with you.
26  But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.
27  Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid (John 14:24-27).

Lehi continued his instructions to his children by issuing this warning,

29  And not choose eternal death, according to the will of the flesh and the evil which is therein, which giveth the spirit of the devil power to captivate, to bring you down to hell, that he may reign over you in his own kingdom(2 Nephi 2:29).

The ancient Egyptians believed that the retention of memory was the equivalent of having eternal life; and that eternal death and the loss of memory are the same. Alma seems to have taught something of the same concept.

9 And now Alma began to expound these things unto him, saying: It is given unto many to know the mysteries of God; nevertheless they are laid under a strict command that they shall not impart only according to the portion of his word which he doth grant unto the children of men, according to the heed and diligence which they give unto him.
10 And therefore, he that will harden his heart, the same receiveth the lesser portion of the word; and he that will not harden his heart, to him is given the greater portion of the word, until it is given unto him to know the mysteries of God until he know them in full.
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 (Alma 12:9-11).

I think that a valid meaning of the phrase “to be redeemed from the fall” is that at the end of this age one is brought back into the presence of his Father with one’s memory absolutely in tact.

So what is the point of it all? The fall was not a casual thing. It apparently caused a great deal of trouble. It was probably the principle about which the war in heaven was fought. It obviously took a great deal of planning — both for us to get into it, and for us to get out of it. Given all that, one may assert that it must afford opportunity of inestimable value to our Father’s children, otherwise, why would anyone have bothered. To say that we came here to be judged, is correct, of course; but then, what does that mean. As I understand it, the object of the atonement is to save every individual in the highest degree of glory to which he is willing to ascend. And there can be no question but that a major function of this earth life and the spirit world which follows is to give each individual a maximum opportunity to define himself in terms of his own capacity to BE good. That is what the fall does, but how is it done? The answer which seems most likely to me, is this:

Each one of us came into this world innocent, in utter forgetfulness, and subject to being acted upon by everything from accident and bacteria, to evil people and evil spirits. God is not unkind; he did not throw us down here to torture us. So somehow it must be that one’s being in this environment, which sometimes seems so nearly to approximate hell, has great value. That value, I believe, is this. Everything in this environment testifies that it is temporary, tentative, of no eternal (and for the most part, of little real earthly) value. If one can learn that, and learn what is real and what has value, and get out of this world with an experiential knowledge of the difference between good and evil; having lived close enough to the Spirit that one’s memory of eternal things is restored in a large measure; and having accomplished the assignment — in this environment — which he was anointed in the Council to accomplish; then, by virtue of the power of the Saviour’s atonement, the person may once again become clean and innocent in his cleanliness. Only this time the innocence and cleanliness is secured in earned personal priesthood power rather than in forgetfulness. Thus if one is cleansed by ordinance, enthroned in charity, and sustained by his own choice and by the power of the atonement — and this within the environment of this world — then one becomes free indeed. Free to act, at liberty to BE, full of peace, having been redeemed into the eternal presence of a loving Father.

Lehi concludes,

30  I have spoken these few words unto you all, my sons, in the last days of my probation; and I have chosen the good part, according to the words of the prophet. And I have none other object save it be the everlasting welfare of your souls. Amen (2 Nephi 2:30).