LeGrand L. Baker

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  • Alma 36:2 – LeGrand Baker – “always remember”

    Alma 36:2 – LeGrand Baker – “always remember”

    2Alma 36:2
    I would that ye should do as I have done, in remembering the captivity of our fathers; for they were in bondage, and none could deliver them except it was the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob; and he surely did deliver them in their afflictions (Alma 36:2)

    One of the most frequent admonitions by the Book of Mormon prophets is that we “remember.” As it is spelled here, it means to recall to mind, but if it is spelled this way: “re-member ; ”then it means to reinstate something as a part of what it once was. That may be a stronger and more accurate way of looking at the words of the prophets: to reinstate one’s covenants as a part of one’s Self—to always re-member!

    “Remember,” or some form of the word, is used in the Book of Mormon almost 200 times. A good many of those are promises that the Lord will remember his covenants, and others remind us that we must remember ours. Still others assert that it is not enough to simply call to mind that we made covenants, but the admonitions are to re-commit ourselves to the covenants we once made, that they may be a vital part of our present attitudes and actions. In the sacrament prayers, the one for the bread is a weekly new covenant that we will “always remember him.” The one for the water is an assertion that we keep that covenant and “do always remember him.”

    Among the most important covenants we make in our odyssey through linear time are the ones we made in the Council in Heaven. In one of the most beautiful of the Psalms the author defines the “meek” as those who keep those eternal covenants. It reads: (Psalms 25:9.)

    9 The meek will he guide in judgment: and the meek will he teach his way. …
    12 What man is he that feareth the LORD? him shall he teach in the way that he shall choose.
    13 His soul shall dwell at ease; and his seed shall inherit the earth.
    14 The secret [the Hebrew word here is sode, meaning the decisions of the Council in Heaven] of the LORD is with them that fear him; and he will shew them his covenant (Psalms 25:12-14. There is a full discussion of Psalm 25 in Who Shall Ascend into the Hill of the Lord, 525-42.).

    Most of the covenants we make here are a remembering of the ones we made before. Those covenants included not only the generic ones that applied to everyone, but some had to do with only ourselves: personal, specific assignments to be fulfilled while we are here. The problem is that even though we accepted those responsibilities then, when we were fully cognizant, now we do not remember them. One of the major functions of the Holy Ghost— and one of the promises that make it most valuable to us— is that it teaches us those covenants, and teaches us how to fulfill them, just as the time comes that we should fulfill them (but usually not before). The Saviour said to his apostles,

    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 14:26-27).

    It is significant that when Jacob spoke at the newly constructed Nephite temple, some of his most memorable words began with the charge to remember the event he was about to describe:

    41 O then, my beloved brethren, come unto the Lord, the Holy One. Remember that his paths are righteous. Behold, the way for man is narrow, but it lieth in a straight course before him, and the keeper of the gate is the Holy One of Israel; and he employeth no servant there; and there is none other way save it be by the gate; for he cannot be deceived, for the Lord God is his name.
    42 And whoso knocketh, to him will he open; and the wise, and the learned, and they that are rich, who are puffed up because of their learning, and their wisdom, and their riches—yea, they are they whom he despiseth; and save they shall cast these things away, and consider themselves fools before God, and come down in the depths of humility, he will not open unto them (2 Nephi 9:41-42).

    It is equally significant that in somewhat the same context King Benjamin made a very similar admonition to the saints that were gathered at the temple:

    12 I say unto you, I would that ye should remember to retain the name written always in your hearts, that ye are not found on the left hand of God, but that ye hear and know the voice by which ye shall be called, and also, the name by which he shall call you (Mosiah 5:12).

  • Alma 34:34-36 with D&C 88:1-41 – LeGrand Baker

    Alma 34:34-36 with D&C 88:1-41 – LeGrand Baker

    Alma 34:34-36
    34 Ye cannot say, when ye are brought to that awful crisis, that I will repent, that I will return to my God. Nay, ye cannot say this; for that same spirit which doth possess your bodies at the time that ye go out of this life, that same spirit will have power to possess your body in that eternal world.
    35 For behold, if ye have procrastinated the day of your repentance even until death, behold, ye have become subjected to the spirit of the devil, and he doth seal you his; therefore, the Spirit of the Lord hath withdrawn from you, and hath no place in you, and the devil hath all power over you; and this is the final state of the wicked.
    36 And this I know, because the Lord hath said he dwelleth not in unholy temples, but in the hearts of the righteous doth he dwell; yea, and he has also said that the righteous shall sit down in his kingdom, to go no more out; but their garments should be made white through the blood of the Lamb.

    The best commentary on these verses in D&C 88 where the Lord explains that the quality of our resurrected bodies will be determined by and compatible with the quality of our spirit:

    (Doctrine and Covenants 88:1-41.)

    The section begins with a promise of the Second Comforter

    1 Verily, thus saith the Lord unto you who have assembled yourselves together to receive his will concerning you:
    2 Behold, this is pleasing unto your Lord, and the angels rejoice over you; the alms of your prayers have come up into the ears of the Lord of Sabaoth, and are recorded in the book of the names of the sanctified, even them of the celestial world.
    3 Wherefore, I now send upon you another Comforter, even upon you my friends, that it may abide in your hearts, even the Holy Spirit of promise; which other Comforter is the same that I promised unto my disciples, as is recorded in the testimony of John.
    4 This Comforter is the promise which I give unto you of eternal life, even the glory of the celestial kingdom;

    The Lord then explains that truth shines, and the light of truth is the light of Christ which fills the immensity of space and is not only the light which we can see but also the light by which we think and learn.

    5 Which glory is that of the church of the Firstborn, even of God, the holiest of all, through Jesus Christ his Son—
    6 He that ascended up on high, as also he descended below all things, in that he comprehended all things, that he might be in all and through all things, the light of truth;
    7 Which truth shineth. This is the light of Christ. As also he is in the sun, and the light of the sun, and the power thereof by which it was made.
    8 As also he is in the moon, and is the light of the moon, and the power thereof by which it was made;
    9 As also the light of the stars, and the power thereof by which they were made;
    10 And the earth also, and the power thereof, even the earth upon which you stand.
    11 And the light which shineth, which giveth you light, is through him who enlighteneth your eyes, which is the same light that quickeneth your understandings;
    12 Which light proceedeth forth from the presence of God to fill the immensity of space—
    13 The light which is in all things, which giveth life to all things, which is the law by which all things are governed, even the power of God who sitteth upon his throne, who is in the bosom of eternity, who is in the midst of all things.

    That is explained more fully in Doctrine and Covenants 93:8-10)

    6 And John saw and bore record of the fulness of my glory, and the fulness of John’s record is hereafter to be revealed.
    7 And he bore record, saying: I saw his glory, that he was in the beginning, before the world was;
    8 Therefore, in the beginning the Word was, for he was the Word, even the messenger of salvation—
    9 The light and the Redeemer of the world; the Spirit of truth, who came into the world, because the world was made by him, and in him was the life of men and the light of men.
    10 The worlds were made by him; men were made by him; all things were made by him, and through him, and OF HIM.

    Now in section 88, the Lord describes the relationship between what one is and the glory one will ultimately receive:

    14 Now, verily I say unto you, that through the redemption which is made for you is brought to pass the resurrection from the dead.
    15 And the spirit and the body are the soul of man.
    16 And the resurrection from the dead is the redemption of the soul.
    17 And the redemption of the soul is through him that quickeneth all things, in whose bosom it is decreed that the poor and the meek of the earth shall inherit it.
    18 Therefore, it must needs be sanctified from all unrighteousness, that it may be prepared for the celestial glory;
    19 For after it hath filled the measure of its creation, it shall be crowned with glory, even with the presence of God the Father;
    20 That bodies who are of the celestial kingdom may possess it forever and ever; for, for this intent was it made and created, and for this intent are they sanctified.
    21 And they who are not sanctified through the law which I have given unto you, even the law of Christ, must inherit another kingdom, even that of a terrestrial kingdom, or that of a telestial kingdom.
    22 For he who is not able to abide the law of a celestial kingdom cannot abide a celestial glory.
    23 And he who cannot abide the law of a terrestrial kingdom cannot abide a terrestrial glory.
    24 And he who cannot abide the law of a telestial kingdom cannot abide a telestial glory; therefore he is not meet for a kingdom of glory. Therefore he must abide a kingdom which is not a kingdom of glory.
    25 And again, verily I say unto you, the earth abideth the law of a celestial kingdom, for it filleth the measure of its creation, and transgresseth not the law—
    26 Wherefore, it [the earth] shall be sanctified; yea, notwithstanding it shall die, it shall be quickened again, and shall abide the power by which it is quickened, and the righteous shall inherit it.

    It is a very simple matter, as Alma said, what we ARE determines what we will be, just as what we were (perhaps in a more or less degree) determined what we are.

    The Lord explains that in a very explicit way:

    Here, as is often the case, the verbs, especially the tense of the verbs provide to understanding the entire passage:

    27 For notwithstanding they [the righteous (zedek)] die, they also shall rise again, a spiritual [resurrected] body.
    28 They who are [present tense] of a celestial spirit shall [future tense] receive the same body which was [future tense that brings us back to the past, which is now the present] a natural body; even ye shall [future tense] receive your bodies, and your glory shall be [future tense] that glory by which your bodies are [present tense] quickened.
    29 Ye who are [present tense] quickened by a portion of the celestial glory shall then [future tense] receive of the same, even a fulness.
    30 And they who are [present tense] quickened by a portion of the terrestrial glory shall then [future tense] receive of the same, even a fulness.
    31 And also they who are [present tense] quickened by a portion of the telestial glory shall then [future tense] receive of the same, even a fulness.
    32 And they who remain shall [future tense] also be quickened; nevertheless, they shall [future tense] return again to their own place, to enjoy that which they are willing to receive, because they were not [past tense] willing to enjoy that which they might have received.

    That is followed by the explanation of why this is justice:

    33 For what doth it profit a man if a gift is bestowed upon him, and he receive not the gift? Behold, he rejoices not in that which is given unto him, neither rejoices in him who is the giver of the gift.
    34 And again, verily I say unto you, that which is governed by law is also preserved by law and perfected and sanctified by the same.
    35 That which breaketh a law, and abideth not by law, but seeketh to become a law unto itself, and willeth to abide in sin, and altogether abideth in sin, cannot be sanctified by law, neither by mercy, justice, nor judgment. Therefore, they must remain filthy still.
    36 All kingdoms have a law given;
    37 And there are many kingdoms; for there is no space in the which there is no kingdom; and there is no kingdom in which there is no space, either a greater or a lesser kingdom.
    38 And unto every kingdom is given a law; and unto every law there are certain bounds also and conditions.
    39 All beings who abide not in those conditions are not justified.

    The conclusion to this portion of the revelation is a statement describing the unity, love, and joy enjoyed by the righteous:

    40 For intelligence cleaveth unto intelligence; wisdom receiveth wisdom; truth embraceth truth; virtue loveth virtue; light cleaveth unto light; mercy hath compassion on mercy and claimeth her own; justice continueth its course and claimeth its own; judgment goeth before the face of him who sitteth upon the throne and governeth and executeth all things.
    41 He comprehendeth all things, and all things are before him, and all things are round about him; and he is above all things, and in all things, and is through all things, and is round about all things; and all things are by him, and of him, even God, forever and ever.

  • Alma 34: 32, LeGrand Baker, “to prepare to meet God”

    Alma 34: 32, LeGrand Baker, “to prepare to meet God”

    Alma 34: 32
    32 For behold, this life is the time for men to prepare to meet God; yea, behold the day of this life is the day for men to perform their labors.

    The operative word here is “prepare.” For some this life is the time to meet God, but even for such, the are necessary preparations to be made. For the rest of us, that meeting will come later, and this life truly is the time to prepare.

    Speaking of our time, Nephi wrote,

    14 ….wherefore, they shall come to the knowledge of their Redeemer and the very points of his doctrine, that they may know how to come unto him and be saved (1 Nephi 15:14).

    One must know how to come. As we approach the great mountain, those familiar with it’s heights can tell us that there is only one way to get to the top. We must walk that path, and that path only, or we will never reach the Holy of Holies at the summit.

    What follows this is a whole bunch of scriptures that make a pattern. I arranged it into the pattern, then decided it was too good. But they are all there, so if you wish, you can recreate the pattern yourselves. It’s a bit long, so I have put it in an attachment. [Attachment follows:]

    The path is described in brief this way:

    1 Verily, thus saith the Lord: It shall come to pass that every soul who forsaketh his sins and cometh unto me, and calleth on my name, and obeyeth my voice, and keepeth my commandments, shall see my face and know that I am (D&C 93:1).

    The way is described in much greater detail elsewhere. The following are examples:

    26 And now, my beloved brethren, I would that ye should come unto Christ, who is the Holy One of Israel, and partake of his salvation, and the power of his redemption. Yea, come unto him, and offer your whole souls as an offering unto him, and continue in fasting and praying, and endure to the end; and as the Lord liveth ye will be saved (Omni 1:26).

    The “power of his redemption” is the power to bring us back to him. In the Book of Mormon, “redeem” often means to be brought into the presence of the Saviour. (See the chapter about “redeem” from Who Shall Ascend into the Hill of the Lord.)

    There is a drama that contains the signposts that marks the way. The story is told in brief in 2 Nephi 10:1

    10 …. 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).

    The drama is described in greater detail in Alma 12:28-35, Moroni 10:28-31, Job 38-42, Isaiah 61, and in the context of 3 Nephi 20:30-40. It is deeply encoded in 1 Nephi 1:1-6.

    Congregations also prayed in mighty prayer, as these three scriptures teach us:

    6 Nevertheless the children of God were commanded that they should gather themselves together oft, and join in fasting and mighty prayer in behalf of the welfare of the souls of those who knew not God (Alma 6:6).

    1 And it came to pass that as the disciples of Jesus were journeying and were preaching the things which they had both heard and seen, and were baptizing in the name of Jesus, it came to pass that the disciples were gathered together and were united in mighty prayer and fasting.
    2 And Jesus again showed himself unto them, for they were praying unto the Father in his name; and Jesus came and stood in the midst of them, and said unto them: What will ye that I shall give unto you? (3 Nephi 27:1-2)

    13 And when they were come in, they went up into an upper room, where abode both Peter, and James, and John, and Andrew, Philip, and Thomas, Bartholomew, and Matthew, James the son of Alphaeus, and Simon Zelotes, and Judas the brother of James.
    14 These all continued with one accord in prayer and supplication, with the women, and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with his brethren (Acts 1:13–14. See also: Moroni 2:1-3).

    There is an often repeated command in the scriptures. Here is only one example:

    28 And now I go unto the Father. And verily I say unto you, whatsoever things ye shall ask the Father in my name shall be given unto you.
    29 Therefore, ask, and ye shall receive; knock, and it shall be opened unto you; for he that asketh, receiveth; and unto him that knocketh, it shall be opened (3 Nephi 27:28-29).

    Jacob describes the same concept:

    41 O then, my beloved brethren, come unto the Lord, the Holy One. Remember that his paths are righteous. Behold, the way for man is narrow, but it lieth in a straight course before him, and the keeper of the gate is the Holy One of Israel; and he employeth no servant there; and there is none other way save it be by the gate; for he cannot be deceived, for the Lord God is his name.
    42 And whoso knocketh, to him will he open; and the wise, and the learned, and they that are rich, who are puffed up because of their learning, and their wisdom, and their riches—yea, they are they whom he despiseth; and save they shall cast these things away, and consider themselves fools before God, and come down in the depths of humility, he will not open unto them (2 Nephi 9:41-42).

    To be redeemed in the Book of Mormon usually means to be brought into God’s presence. It is likely that Alma had Psalm 21 in mind when he asked:

    9 And again I ask, were the bands of death broken, and the chains of hell which encircled them about, were they loosed? I say unto you, Yea, they were loosed, and their souls did expand, and they did sing redeeming love. And I say unto you that they are saved.
    ………
    26 And now behold, I say unto you, my brethren, if ye have experienced a change of heart, and if ye have felt to sing the song of redeeming love, I would ask, can ye feel so now? (Alma 5:9, 26)

    In his sermon reported in Moroni 7, Mormon creates a chiasmus whose high point is:

    19 Wherefore, I beseech of you, brethren, that ye should search diligently in the light of Christ that ye may know good from evil; and if ye will lay hold upon every good thing, and condemn it not, ye certainly will be a child of Christ (Moroni 7:19. See Psalm 2).

    Nephi suggested this in not unique, but has an eternal continuity:

    17 And it came to pass after I, Nephi, having heard all the words of my father, concerning the things which he saw in a vision, and also the things which he spake by the power of the Holy Ghost, which power he received by faith on the Son of God—and the Son of God was the Messiah who should come—I, Nephi, was desirous also that I might see, and hear, and know of these things, by the power of the Holy Ghost, which is the gift of God unto all those who diligently seek him, as well in times of old as in the time that he should manifest himself unto the children of men.
    18 For he is the same yesterday, to-day, and forever; and the way is prepared for all men from the foundation of the world, if it so be that they repent and come unto him.
    19 For he that diligently seeketh shall find; and the mysteries of God shall be unfolded unto them, by the power of the Holy Ghost, as well in these times as in times of old, and as well in times of old as in times to come; wherefore, the course of the Lord is one eternal round (1 Nephi 10:17-19).

    One must also communicate with God, or one cannot know the path. Thus we learn from Nephi:

    5 Wherefore it came to pass that my father, Lehi, as he went forth prayed unto the Lord, yea, even with all his heart, in behalf of his people.
    6 And it came to pass as he prayed unto the Lord, there came a pillar of fire and dwelt upon a rock before him; and he saw and heard much; and because of the things which he saw and heard he did quake and tremble exceedingly (1 Nephi 1:5-6).

    Later, in Nephi’s psalm, he reminds himself:

    23 Behold, he hath heard my cry by day, and he hath given me knowledge by visions in the nighttime.
    24 And by day have I waxed bold in mighty prayer before him; yea, my voice have I sent up on high; and angels came down and ministered unto me (2 Nephi 4:23-24. Other examples are: Enos 1:1-7, Alma 8:10).

    The mountain becomes a reality in the story of the brother of Jared. Three times he and the Lord spoke together, but each time the Lord remained behind a cloud (Ether 2:4-5,14). Then the fourth time this is what happened:

    6 And it came to pass that when the brother of Jared had said these words, behold, the Lord stretched forth his hand and touched the stones one by one with his finger. And the veil was taken from off the eyes of the brother of Jared, and he saw the finger of the Lord; and it was as the finger of a man, like unto flesh and blood; and the brother of Jared fell down before the Lord, for he was struck with fear.
    ………….
    13 And when he had said these words, behold, the Lord showed himself unto him, and said: Because thou knowest these things ye are redeemed from the fall; therefore ye are brought back into my presence; therefore I show myself unto you.
    14 Behold, I am he who was prepared from the foundation of the world to redeem my people. Behold, I am Jesus Christ. I am the Father and the Son. In me shall all mankind have life, and that eternally, even they who shall believe on my name; and they shall become my sons and my daughters (Ether 3:6, 13-14).

    In this scene in the Psalms, the members of the congregation (who are symbolically participants in the events) describe what is happening as the king approaches the veil of Solomon’s temple:

    1 The king shall joy in thy strength, O LORD; and in thy salvation how greatly shall he rejoice!
    2 Thou hast given him his heart’s desire, and hast not withholden the request of his lips. 3 For thou preventest [Bible footnote says: “thou will meet him”] him with the blessings of goodness: thou settest a crown of pure gold on his head.
    4 He asked life of thee, and thou gavest it him, even length of days for ever and ever.
    5 His glory is great in thy salvation: honour and majesty hast thou laid upon him.
    6 For thou hast made him most blessed for ever: thou hast made him exceeding glad with thy countenance.
    7 For the king trusteth in the LORD, and through the mercy of the most High he shall not be moved (Psalms 21:2-13).

    The next verses of the psalm is the words spoken by God and is a promise of invulnerability that the king can keep the covenants he made at the Council. It is the same promise the Lord explained to Moroni:

    27 And if men come unto me I will show unto them their weakness. I give unto men weakness that they may be humble; and my grace is sufficient for all men that humble themselves before me; for if they humble themselves before me, and have faith in me, then will I make weak things become strong unto them (Ether 12:27. See also v. 37-39 1-41).

    The Lord explained to the Prophet Joseph:

    23 Behold, Jesus Christ is the name which is given of the Father, and there is none other name given whereby man can be saved;
    24 Wherefore, all men must take upon them the name which is given of the Father, for in that name shall they be called at the last day;
    25 Wherefore, if they know not the name by which they are called, they cannot have place in the kingdom of my Father (D&C 18:23-25).

    Moroni’s last words were these:

    28 I declare these things unto the fulfilling of the prophecies. And behold, they shall proceed forth out of the mouth of the everlasting God; and his word shall hiss forth from generation to generation.
    29 And God shall show unto you, that that which I have written is true.
    30 And again I would exhort you that ye would come unto Christ, and lay hold upon every good gift, and touch not the evil gift, nor the unclean thing.
    31 And awake, and arise from the dust, O Jerusalem; yea, and put on thy beautiful garments, O daughter of Zion; and strengthen thy stakes and enlarge thy borders forever, that thou mayest no more be confounded, that the covenants of the Eternal Father which he hath made unto thee, O house of Israel, may be fulfilled.
    32 Yea, come unto Christ, and be perfected in him, and deny yourselves of all ungodliness; and if ye shall deny yourselves of all ungodliness, and love God with all your might, mind and strength, then is his grace sufficient for you, that by his grace ye may be perfect in Christ; and if by the grace of God ye are perfect in Christ, ye can in nowise deny the power of God.
    33 And again, if ye by the grace of God are perfect in Christ, and deny not his power, then are ye sanctified in Christ by the grace of God, through the shedding of the blood of Christ, which is in the covenant of the Father unto the remission of your sins, that ye become holy, without spot.
    34 And now I bid unto all, farewell. I soon go to rest in the paradise of God, until my spirit and body shall again reunite, and I am brought forth triumphant through the air, to meet you before the pleasing bar of the great Jehovah, the Eternal Judge of both quick and dead. Amen.(Moroni 10:28-34)

  • Alma 34:28-29. LeGrand Baker, the law of consecration

    Alma 34:28-29. LeGrand Baker, the law of consecration

    28 And now behold, my beloved brethren, I say unto you, do not suppose that this is all; for after ye have done all these things, if ye turn away the needy, and the naked, and visit not the sick and afflicted, and impart of your substance, if ye have, to those who stand in need—I say unto you, if ye do not any of these things, behold, your prayer is vain, and availeth you nothing, and ye are as hypocrites who do deny the faith.
    29 Therefore, if ye do not remember to be charitable, ye are as dross, which the refiners do cast out, (it being of no worth) and is trodden under foot of men.

    In these two verses we have the short version of the ultimate prerequisites necessary for one to become a celestial person. The law of consecration is described in verse 28, and charity in verse 29. In the Doctrine and Covenants, the most important commandment is that we live the law of consecration. In the Book of Mormon, the most important commandment is that we be charity. They are two sides of the same coin. The law of consecration is what we do when charity is what we are.

    The law of consecration was first introduced into the Church in Missouri as a way to help the poor saints. The problems were two. First, the law was structured as a system much like the united order. However, whereas in the united order, property was held in common, in the Missouri law of consecration small farms held as private property, but the farm came from a large piece of property that was first owned in trust by the church leaders. Individual jealousies and frustrations got in the way of its success. The second problem was expressed by the covetousness. The law of consecration was introduced into a non-consecrated people, rather than the other way around.

    The law of consecration is still a covenant based commandment, but now Zion is a subset of the Church, or perhaps the Church is a subset of Zion. Zion is the society of those who ARE charity, and who LIVE the law of consecration. The difference between ourselves and the Saints in Missouri is that now we are expected to live the law of consecration as individuals and families rather than as an organized community. The law of consecration is, as Amulek said, “[to] impart of your substance, if ye have, to those who stand in need.”

    My favorite example is this: A single mother needs a car— a member of the ward who has the means buys her one (nothing too fancy, because that would be more than she needs) and he may, or may not, give it to her through the bishop, that is, he may or may not let her know who bought it for her. The mother has a son who mows the lawn of an old widow who lives near by. The old lady frequently sits in the park where she watches the children play. When one is hurt, picked on, or sad, she makes a point of bring him to her park bench, giving him a cookie and a hug until he feels better. The point is this: there is no difference. The car, the lawn mowing, and the hug are all perfect examples of one’s living the law of consecration. One gives according to one’s ability, and according to the needs of the recipient. It is just as Amulek said:

    . . . for after ye have done all these things, if ye turn away the needy, and the naked, and visit not the sick and afflicted, and impart of your substance, if ye have, to those who stand in need—I say unto you, if ye do not any of these things, behold, your prayer is vain, and availeth you nothing, and ye are as hypocrites who do deny the faith.

    In the ancient Israelite temple drama, the members of the Council in Heaven— while they still in the presence of their Father in Heaven— make a covenant that they will live the law of consecration when they come to this world to this world. (The following is a review of Psalm 82 taken from Who Shall Ascend into the Hill of the Lord, p. 233-42. I have left the footnotes out of the quote.)

    Psalm 82: Instruction and Covenant

    A narrator introduces the scene

    1. God standeth in the congregation of the mighty;
    he judgeth among the gods.

    These words are clearly spoken by a narrator, or a chorus as in a Greek play, explaining what is happening on the stage.

    Here, and in the next verses, to “judge” means the same thing in Hebrew as it does in English. When pronouncing judgment, a judge may condemn or exonerate; or a judge is also one who selects, chooses, or assigns. In an ancient court of law, a judge would sit as an evidence of his superior status. In this psalm he was standing, as one did when making a covenant. Thus, a more explicit translation might be: “God standeth in the congregation of the mighty; he chooses among the gods.” During ceremonies like the one depicted in Psalm 82, the congregation also stood to make covenants, and in doing so they spoke in unison, as with one voice.

    The gods among whom Elohim was choosing were the members of the Council in Heaven. That situation immediately calls one’s attention to Abraham 3:22-23, where “God saw these souls [the noble and great ones] that they were good, and he stood in the midst of them, and he said: These I will make my rulers.” There he was standing and judging or choosing. These appear to be two versions of the same story:

    ELOHIM SPEAKS TO THE MEMBERS OF THE COUNCIL.

    2. How long will ye judge unjustly,
    and accept the persons of the wicked?

    The Hebrew reads simply “the wicked.” The Tanakh, which is the official Jewish translation of the Old Testament, renders this verse as “How long will you judge perversely, showing favor to the wicked?” That is the pivotal question upon which everyone’s salvation ultimately turns. It is about prejudice, bigotry, and intolerance. As soon as we arrive in this world, no matter what human culture we arrive in, that culture teaches us that some people are better than others, so favor should be shown to those with political prestige, money, education, expensive toys, “correct” cultural preferences, and “appropriate” lifestyle. It does not matter whether they are better because they have ten cows rather than just two, or whether they have a huge house rather than a simple one. The principle is the same—and that idea that some people are better than others—says God in these instructions to his children, is the misconception they must first correct in themselves, and then reject altogether. One does not judge people by their appearances or by their prestige. In the festival temple drama, that message was relevant far beyond its presentation on the stage. Its purpose was to remind the people in the audience about the covenants they had made before they came to this world, and to give them the opportunity to re-make those same covenants in this world, and to receive instructions about how those covenants should be fulfilled. There could have been no question about the implications of that command. The Law was explicit:

    5 And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might (Deuteronomy 6:5).

    18 Thou shalt not avenge, nor bear any grudge against the children of thy people, but thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself: I am the Lord (Leviticus 19:18).

    At the Council, the Father’s first instructions to his children was that when they come to this earth, they must obey what James called the “royal law:”

    8 If ye fulfil the royal law according to the scripture, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself, ye do well:
    9 But if ye have respect to persons, ye commit sin, and are convinced of the law as transgressors (James 2:8-9).

    THE FATHER GIVES INSTRUCTIONS ABOUT WHAT ONE MUST DO WHILE IN THIS TEMPORAL WORLD:

    3. Defend the poor and fatherless:
    do justice to the afflicted and needy.

    “Defend” and “do justice” suggest the power, authority, and responsibilities of kingship to defend those who have no political or military power, or who are impoverished:

    4. Deliver the poor and needy:
    rid them out of the hand of the wicked.

    “Deliver” from “the wicked” seems to represent the power, authority, and responsibilities of priesthood. The denotation of the word translated “poor” is weak or feeble, but the connotation seems to have spiritual rather than physical overtones. The wicked are those who are morally wrong, who neither know nor wish to know the truth. Thus, these instructions pertain to the way every man in the congregation must execute the duties of priesthood and sacral kingship.

    In relation to one’s kingship duties, the poor and the needy are impoverished as to things of this world. With regard to priesthood duties, they are, as in the Beatitudes those who make he sacrifice of a broken heart and contrite spirit, as also in Psalm 86.

    1 Bow down thine ear, O Lord, hear me:
    for I am poor and needy.
    2 Preserve my soul; for I am holy:
    O thou my God, save thy servant that trusteth in thee.
    3 Be merciful unto me,
    O Lord: for I cry unto thee daily.
    4 Rejoice the soul of thy servant: for unto thee,
    O Lord, do I lift up my soul.
    5 For thou, Lord, art good, and ready to forgive;
    and plenteous in mercy unto all them that call upon thee.
    (Psalm 86:1-5)

    In that psalm, being poor and needy has nothing to do with worldly impoverishment; rather, it has to do with being holy and completely dependent upon the Lord. That same interpretation is probably equally valid in Psalm 82, in regard to these instructions received by the members of the Council about how they were to perform their earthly priesthood duties. In noting that, one also identifies an almost invisible line dividing the responsibilities of those to whom God was speaking. They were reasonable to protect, defend, and support the physically impoverished as well as the spiritually pure:

    5. They know not, neither will they understand;
    they walk on in darkness:
    all the foundations of the earth are out of course.

    “They” of verse 5 appear to be those who are called “wicked,” yet, their wickedness seems to be a consequence of a widespread chaos, rather than of their individual rebelliousness. If that is correct, then “they,” as well as the poor and needy, are those whom the members of the Council were sent to the earth to serve. These verses describe a situation in which chaos reigns supreme—lack of knowledge, walking in darkness, the earth out of course. It is the same imagery we find in the “valley of the shadow of death” in Psalm 23, and in the dark and dreary waste at the beginning of Lehi’s tree of life vision. It represents the condition of mortality where all persons must experience disorder, and choose from among its myriads of possibilities. The instructions were imperatives in which the members of the Council were commanded to work to overcome the darkness. The assignment that the Father gave to the members of the Council was that they go to the earth and help others walk in the light of truth—to help them transcend and overcome the chaos. However, the Father warned, it would not be all that easy. “They”—the people who most need the help—will not understand, and many, perhaps most, will reject the message. The Father further warns:

    6 I have said, Ye are gods;
    and all of you are children of the Most High.
    7 But ye shall die like men,
    and fall like one of the princes.

    With those words, God outlined the consequences of mortality for the members of the Council. An equally valid meaning of the word translated “but” is “surely,” which would simply be the assurance that death was a natural part of the assignment they were undertaking. In that case the verse would read, “and all of you are children of the Most High, surely you will die like men, and fall [as a hero in battle] like one of the princes.”

    The warning was that when the members of the Council come to the earth they would no longer be identifiable as “the gods.” They would simply be ordinary humans like everybody else. They would feel sorrow and pain, until death would eventually consume their earthly bodies. Some would use up their lives in God’s service, while others would fall like princes in battle, sealing their testimonies with their own blood—like Abinadi and Joseph Smith, or like the “ordinary” men and women who would be killed during the Roman persecutions, or at the hands of a Missouri mob, or who would expire while trudging in the mountainous snow pulling a handcart toward Zion.

    HAVING GIVEN THOSE INSTRUCTIONS, THE FATHER INVITES THE CONGREGATION TO RISE AND MAKE A COVENANT THAT THEY WILL OBEY HIS WORDS:

    8 Arise, O God [or, “O gods”], judge the earth:
    for thou shalt inherit all the Nations. (Psalm 82:1-8).

    Verse 8 is commonly understood to be an adoration of Elohim offered by the members of the Council who invite him to rise. The problem with that interpretation is that in verse one, God was already standing, and it doesn’t make a great deal of sense to have the members of the Council ask God to stand up. The word ‘God’ is translated from the Hebrew word “Elohim.” Elohim is the plural for “gods”—“the gods” in the ordinary sense. It is also the name of the Father of the gods. This is clearly shown in verse one that is translated, “God standeth in the congregation of the mighty; he judgeth among the gods.” Both the first and the last words in that verse are “elohim.” So we have, “Elohim standeth in the congregation of the mighty; he judgeth among the elohim.” Similarly, verse 8 begins, “Arise, O elohim.” The translators of the King James Version chose to have it read, “Arise, O God.” However, an equally valid translation would be “Arise, O gods,” making that last verse read as the conclusion of the Father’s instructions, and his invitation to them to stand and make a covenant. While this translation seems more internally consistent to the psalm, there is a grammatical problem. The verb is singular so elohim must also be singular. Therefore, if the verse is the conclusion of God’s instructions to the Council, it must be understood that he was addressing each of them individually, and inviting each one to stand and covenant with him. With that covenant comes God’s guarantee of their success: “for thou shalt inherit all the nations”—a promise of eternal life and of their ultimate restoration to their former status.

    During the performance of this psalm, the members of the Israelite audience probably understand themselves to represent the members of the Council in Heaven. If that were so, then it was they who stood to the covenant. Their watching the play was an opportunity for them to review the covenants they had made in the premortal world, and their participation in the drama became a new covenant-making reality. As they spoke the words in unison, each individual covenanted to fulfill his own assignment in order that the Father’s purposes might be accomplished. If those assumptions are correct, then, as in the story of King Benjamin, even though the words were spoken in unison, making of the covenant was the personal act of each individual in the congregation.

    Because the congregation’s participation in the drama was, for each of them, a present and personal act, the words of the psalm and the enactment of the story were, as Mowinckel and Nibley suggested, not just a remembering of the myth and a re-enactment of the ritual, but a new actualization of the event and a new covenant. For each member of the congregation who participated in the drama, their making the covenant anew was a reaffirmation of an everlasting covenant, but it was also a new covenant, affirming one’s present relationship with God.

  • Alma 34:26-27, LeGrand Baker, Constant Prayer

    Alma 34:26-27, LeGrand Baker, Constant Prayer

    Alma 34:17-27
    26 But this is not all; ye must pour out your souls in your closets, and your secret places, and in your wilderness.
    27 Yea, and when you do not cry unto the Lord, let your hearts be full, drawn out in prayer unto him continually for your welfare, and also for the welfare of those who are around you.

    The command to pray continually is repeated so frequently in the scriptures that we aught to take it very seriously.

    15 Verily, verily, I say unto you, ye must watch and pray always, lest ye be tempted by the devil, and ye be led away captive by him.
    16 And as I have prayed among you even so shall ye pray in my church, among my people who do repent and are baptized in my name. Behold I am the light; I have set an example for you.
    17 And it came to pass that when Jesus had spoken these words unto his disciples, he turned again unto the multitude and said unto them:
    18 Behold, verily, verily, I say unto you, ye must watch and pray always lest ye enter into temptation; for Satan desireth to have you, that he may sift you as wheat.
    19 Therefore ye must always pray unto the Father in my name;
    20 And whatsoever ye shall ask the Father in my name, which is right, believing that ye shall receive, behold it shall be given unto you (3 Nephi 18:15-20).

    This is what I wrote about constant prayer in Who Shall Ascend into the Hill of the Lord.

    Prayer is like walking in the mountain with a friend. There are times when you see a sunrise so expansive and glorious that it must be shared with your friend to be fully appreciated. There are times you walk with the other in silence, then you stop and your eyes look—alone—as you ponder the perfect beauty of a columbine. Sometimes you talk together—your friend and you—but only briefly – because a smile can say so much more. Sometimes the words flow like the confluence of two great rivers and the ideas reach out to embrace a world as big as the open sea. Sometimes you walk together quietly and say nothing, and the unspoken words are more profound than speech. There is no aloneness in the quiet, just as there was no aloneness when all your conscious world was only the beauty of a single columbine. Friendship is like that. So is prayer.

    Prayer in the name of Christ is requisite to show one’s reliance on the Father’s covenant that is personified in the Savior (see Moroni 10:32-33). One’s faith in Christ increases as one begins to rely more heavily on the feelings that can be identified as the testimony of the Holy Ghost. Those feelings are the evidence—the assurance—the pistis—of the divinity of Christ, of the validity of the Atonement, and of the absolute integrity of the Father who first made the covenant. When we exercise “faith in Christ,” we evoke the powers promised by the Father’s covenants, but we also give evidences of our own faithfulness to the conditions of the covenants (page 1026).

    If prayer is a conversation between friends, then it requires listening as well as talking. A constant repetition of a “shopping list” is not the same thing as a conversation. It is true that we must ask, and it is true that we should ask about things that are important to us, just as Abinadi says in the verses that precede the one I quoted. However, the command is: to ask for “which is right. The only way we can know what is right is to ask and to listen. The Lord explained:

    63 Draw near unto me and I will draw near unto you; seek me diligently and ye shall find me; ask, and ye shall receive; knock, and it shall be opened unto you.
    64 Whatsoever ye ask the Father in my name it shall be given unto you, that is expedient for you;

  • Alma 34:14-16, LeGrand Baker, Mercy and Justice

    Alma 34:14-16, LeGrand Baker, Mercy and Justice

    14 And behold, this is the whole meaning of the law, every whit pointing to that great and last sacrifice; and that great and last sacrifice will be the Son of God, yea, infinite and eternal.
    15 And thus he shall bring salvation to all those who shall believe on his name; this being the intent of this last sacrifice, to bring about the bowels of mercy, which overpowereth justice, and bringeth about means unto men that they may have faith unto repentance.
    16 And thus mercy can satisfy the demands of justice, and encircles them in the arms of safety, while he that exercises no faith unto repentance is exposed to the whole law of the demands of justice; therefore only unto him that has faith unto repentance is brought about the great and eternal plan of redemption (Alma 34:14-16).

    Compared with:

    22 But there is a law given, and a punishment affixed, and a repentance granted; which repentance, mercy claimeth; otherwise, justice claimeth the creature and executeth the law, and the law inflicteth the punishment; if not so, the works of justice would be destroyed, and God would cease to be God.
    23 But God ceaseth not to be God, and mercy claimeth the penitent, and mercy cometh because of the atonement; and the atonement bringeth to pass the resurrection of the dead; and the resurrection of the dead bringeth back men into the presence of God; and thus they are restored into his presence, to be judged according to their works, according to the law and justice.
    24 For behold, justice exerciseth all his demands, and also mercy claimeth all which is her own; and thus, none but the truly penitent are saved.
    25 What, do ye suppose that mercy can rob justice? I say unto you, Nay; not one whit. If so, God would cease to be God (Alma 42:22-25).

    In the above, the first by Amulek and the second by Alma, a quick reading seems to discover a conflict in the words, but a careful reading makes both more clear because each reinforces the power of the other. The apparent conflicts read:

    …mercy, which overpowereth justice, and bringeth about means unto men that they may have faith unto repentance.

    What, do ye suppose that mercy can rob justice? I say unto you, Nay; not one whit.

    It is a common belief among Christians that Christ’s mercy overpowers justice and will give them salvation without repentance. For Catholics, the words of the priest enables the mercy that brings one to heaven. For Protestants it is saying “I believe,” then “just doing one’s best,” and believing that God will “make up the difference.” In either case, the doctrine is that God will take one as he is, and do a miraculous change on him to make him good enough to get into heaven. The fallacy in the doctrine is that it teaches that it is God who imposes the change in our natures, and in doing so, it reduces heaven to the level of whomever God puts into it.

    The scriptures do promise that there CAN be such a change in our natures, BUT they insist that it must come about by faith, repentance, baptism, receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost, and then making and keeping covenants that come in conjunction with the ordinances of salvation. There is no shortcut. It is a mater of continual repentance and refining of one’s Self. This refining process is enabled as a gift of the Saviour’s mercy. Exactly as Abinadi said:

    15 And thus he shall bring salvation to all those who shall believe on his name; this being the intent of this last sacrifice, to bring about the bowels of MERCY, which overpowereth justice, and BRINGETH ABOUT MEANS unto men that they may have faith unto repentance.

    The origin of the idea that God can use mercy to overcome our individual agency is easy to come by. It is based on false premises. False premises cannot bring one to a true conclusion, so the conclusion is false as well. The false premises are these:

    1. When one does not believe in a pre-mortal existence.

    A religion that does not understand that we have a pre-mortal existence, cannot understand that much of what we are now is a product of what we have chosen to become. We come into this world innocent, but we bring two things with us: our personality and our integrity. Our personality stays in tact, it is our integrity that is tested here. But if one believes our cognizant Self was first created at birth then it must follow that whatever circumstances we are in, in this life is a product of chance, or of the workings of a capricious and incomprehendible God. By eliminating a premortal life in their teachings, they pretty much eliminate or severely curtail the importance of free agency. That leaves us as only a product of our environment and our genes. If our being here, and the circumstances in which we come is entirely happenstancial— something over which we had no control— then so are the circumstances that dictate the events of our lives. If agency is not an issue, then we are not wholly responsible for our actions. If we are not wholly responsible then God is responsible for our situation, and if he is responsible for putting us here, then he must also be responsible for getting us out of here and into heaven. That is the rationale, and with that logic there can be no way we can get to heaven except it be through God’s grace.

    However, we did have a premortal life, and during that life we made some very important decisions about this life. President McKay said:

    How the law of spiritual attraction works between the spirit and the expectant parents, has not been revealed, neither can finite mind fully understand. …. Of this we may be sure, each was satisfied and happy to come through the lineage to which he was attracted and for which, and only which, he or she was prepared. (Llewelyn R. McKay, Home Memories of President David O. McKay [Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Co., 1956], 229 – 230.)

    2. The other false premise is that after this life we go directly to heaven or to hell. A religion that teaches that one goes directly to heaven or hell when one dies allows no time or place for learning or repentance except in this earth life. Thus, they see this life as the only time given to us in which we can determine whether we wish to be saved or not saved.

    The rationale is that since it is apparent that heaven is not available in this life, it follows that people cannot be saved on their own merit. As those religions have no place for priesthood and temple ordinances, they have to conclude that since God puts people on the earth as he chooses, he must also be totally responsible for saving them. Therefore (again) the conclusion that if we are to be saved at all, it must be only by God’s grace.

    However, for God to simply “make up the difference” would negate the power of our own free agency, violate the purposes of the plan of salvation, and make ordinances and covenants (for the living as well as for the dead) of no use whatever. If one believed that everything that we will be throughout the eternities is determined by only what happens to us in this short, unpredictable earth life, there can be no promise of salvation except the one that is taught by the Protestants. That is, that in order for us to be saved, God simply must “make up the difference.”

    The scriptures insist that is not true. Because we obeyed in the spirit world before we came here, we qualified (through the blessings of the atonement) to come into this physical world, and we became innocent from whatever sins we committed before we came here. A veil was dropped over our memory when we come into this world, so we could begin this life from the condition of innocence. The Lord explained that we have been made innocent twice. Once when we were born as spirit children of our Father in Heaven, and a second time when we were born into this world:

    38 Every spirit of man was innocent in the beginning; and God having redeemed man from the fall, men became again, in their infant state, innocent before God (D&C 93:38).

    Between the first and the second we had an opportunity to learn, repent, and obey. (That we could sin then, can be no question. A third committed irreparable sins and did not keep their first estate.) Our obedience gave us an opportunity to come to this world and answer the all-important question: Why did we obey. If the answer is that we love God and his children, then love will lead us to the quality of obedience that will enable us to accept the full blessings of the atonement.

    That situation continues into the post mortal spirit world, thus enabling every individual (whether they lived in this world 5 minutes or a hundred years) to continue the experience of this existence until they have a full opportunity to accept or reject truth and repent. Thus, through the cleansing power of the atonement all persons have an absolute opportunity to become precisely what they choose to be.

    Mercy (the blessings of the atonement) is the enabling power that permits one to repent and become his true Self. Amulek also testified:

    8 And now, behold, I will testify unto you of myself that these things are true. Behold, I say unto you, that I do know that Christ shall come among the children of men, to take upon him the transgressions of his people, and that he shall atone for the sins of the world; for the Lord God hath spoken it (Alma 34:8).

    In this life, the atonement (mercy) suspends us above the powers of justice, giving us the opportunity to repent until we have completely defined who and what we wish to be. That takes a long time in this life, and may take much longer in the spirit world that follows. But when we are what we choose to be, and repentance has run the full course that we wish it to run, then mercy has also done all it can do, as Alma explains:

    22 But there is a law given, and a punishment affixed, and a repentance granted; which repentance, mercy claimeth; otherwise, justice claimeth the creature and executeth the law, and the law inflicteth the punishment; if not so, the works of justice would be destroyed, and God would cease to be God.
    23 But God ceaseth not to be God, and mercy claimeth the penitent, and mercy cometh because of the atonement; and the atonement bringeth to pass the resurrection of the dead; and the resurrection of the dead bringeth back men into the presence of God; and thus they are restored into his presence, to be judged according to their works, according to the law and justice.
    24 For behold, justice exerciseth all his demands, and also mercy claimeth all which is her own; and thus, none but the truly penitent are saved.
    25 What, do ye suppose that mercy can rob justice? I say unto you, Nay; not one whit. If so, God would cease to be God (Alma 42:22-25).

    So in the end, it is mercy that ENABLES us to repent so we can QUALIFY to go to the Celestial Kingdom, but it is justice that ENABLES us TO GO here— Just as Amulek said:

    16 And thus mercy can satisfy the demands of justice, and encircles them in the arms of safety, while he that exercises no faith unto repentance is exposed to the whole law of the demands of justice; therefore only unto him that has faith [pistis] UNTO repentance is brought about the great and eternal plan of redemption (Alma 34:16).

  • Mosiah 29:26-27 — LeGrand Baker — The nature of government

    Mosiah 29:26-27 — LeGrand Baker — The nature of government

    Mosiah 29:26-27
    26 Now it is not common that the voice of the people desireth anything contrary to that which is right; but it is common for the lesser part of the people to desire that which is not right; therefore this shall ye observe and make it your law—to do your business by the voice of the people.
    27 And if the time comes that the voice of the people doth choose iniquity, then is the time that the judgments of God will come upon you; yea, then is the time he will visit you with great destruction even as he has hitherto visited this land.

    In a very unexpected way, this chapter is one more, very strong, evidence that Joseph did not write the Book of Mormon. The reason is this:

    Joseph Smith and Thomas Jefferson were contemporaries. Jefferson died in 1826, only 4 years before the Church was organized. At that time most Americans believe God had supported the Americans in the Revolutionary War, and that he had a direct hand in creating the Federal Constitution–and, of course, that the government created by the Constitution was the best of all possible governments. Joseph was taught that from childhood, and he certainly believed it. That being so, if this young man were writing the Book of Mormon, and if he had wanted to demonstrate that his fictional prophets were great and wise men, he would have had them anticipate the inspired American Constitution, by creating a government that looked like it as was built on the same principles, of representation and separation of powers. But he did not. It is the fact that he did not, that constitutes another “evidence” that he did not write the Book of Mormon.

    What the book’s author does instead, is what he says he is doing: dividing the powers of an ancient king into two parts, and creating two separate systems of government–one political and the other ecclesiastical. The ancient kings had two primary responsibilities. First, they were the religious leaders. It was they who represented the will and power of the nation’s gods. In Egypt the kings claimed to be gods. In Israel they were the adopted sons of God. (See Psalm 2) The king was always the highest of the High Priests. Mosiah had not surrendered that authority to Alma when he gave him permission to organize a church, any more than Solomon had surrendered his authority over the Temple when he acknowledged Zadok as High Priest. But in chapter 28, Mosiah did surrender those powers. The record does not give details. It only reports:

    20 And now, as I said unto you, that after king Mosiah had done these things, he took the plates of brass, and all the things which he had kept, and conferred them upon Alma, who was the son of Alma; yea, all the records, and also the interpreters, and conferred them upon him, and commanded him that he should keep and preserve them, and also keep a record of the people, handing them down from one generation to another, even as they had been handed down from the time that Lehi left Jerusalem. (Mosiah 28:20)

    Possession of the royal religious regalia and genealogies was much of what constituted the legitimacy of kingship and priesthood. That Mosiah’s “conferred them upon” Alma was not only a formal investiture of authority, but also the surrendering of some of the most important symbols of sacral kingship.

    The second part of the king’s duties had to do with keeping his nation secure. This entailed: 1) responsibility for the nation’s diplomacy and military welfare and action. 2) responsibility for the citizen’s personal security. The latter involved both making and enforcing the laws, and being the court of final appeal. So far as the people were concerned, the king’s being a righteous judge (whether in religious, civil, or criminal matters) was his single most important duty. That was true of political kingship, just as it is always true of sacral kingship. In the sequence of the Beatitudes, being merciful is the critical juncture that separates what must do to attain salvation, and one’s being able to “see God” and being “called” a child of God. In that sequence, one may do and achieve many things, but if one does not judge righteously, one can progress no farther.

    It was the second part of his duties that King Mosiah retained for himself until his death, then transferred to the new Chief Judge.

    An interesting, but unemphasized part of the story, is that Mosiah made that division in his authority before he put the proposition to his people about a system of judges, rather than a king.

    It is also interesting that, even though the government he proposed was quite different from the American Constitution, the rationale he used to support his proposal was the same used by Jefferson in the Declaration of Independence to justify America’s separation from the British Empire.

    King Mosiah wrote:

    26 Now it is not common that the voice of the people desireth anything contrary to that which is right; but it is common for the lesser part of the people to desire that which is not right; therefore this shall ye observe and make it your law—to do your business by the voice of the people.
    27 And if the time comes that the voice of the people doth choose iniquity, then is the time that the judgments of God will come upon you; yea, then is the time he will visit you with great destruction even as he has hitherto visited this land. (Mosiah 29: 26-27)

    In Jefferson’s day, there were two main political philosophies, just as there are today.

    One was the idea that rule should be in the hands of the elite. John Locke believed this should be the aristocracy–the propertied class–thus his assertion that peoples’ natural rights were “life, liberty, and property.”

    The Frenchman, Jean Jacquis Rousseau, believed differently. His philosophy was that people were innately driven by avarice, therefore, no government controlled by the masses could possibly be equitable or legitimate, because it would soon deteriorate into a system of rule by the strong. He used the Dark Ages as evidence to support his thesis. He wrote that only a self-defined and self-appointed moral elite who were above the desires for wealth and self-aggrandizement could dispense justice, and that it was the responsibility of this moral elite to get control of the government and impose equity upon society. Both Communism (which saw the working class as the moral elite) and Fabian Socialism (which saw the well educated upper classes as the moral elite) are offshoots of Rousseau’s thinking.

    Thomas Jefferson represented the other school of thought. The very best book I know about Jefferson’s philosophy is Gary Wills, Inventing America, Jefferson’s Declaration of Independence, first published by Doubleday in 1978. Jefferson did not accept Locke’s “life, liberty, and property,” but rather believed that the rights of all people were “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.” The happiness of the citizenry, he believed, was the only correct criterion by which one could judge the legitimacy of a government. When he wrote that “all men were created equal,” he did not mean that there is a sameness in human ability, or aptitude, or even interests and desires. He and the Scottish thinkers he followed believed that all people are equal in that they share an innate sense of goodness and justice, and a conscience to help direct their thinking and actions. In this philosophy, any government that represents the masses would share that same sense of right and wrong, and its laws would reflect the conscience of the people. Therefore if a government were to be legitimate it must be chosen by the masses in order to ensure that it would support and defend that universal sense of right and wrong.

    That was precisely King Mosiah’s rationale:

    26 Now it is not common that the voice of the people desireth anything contrary to that which is right; but it is common for the lesser part of the people to desire that which is not right; therefore this shall ye observe and make it your law—to do your business by the voice of the people.

    And Mosiah’s warning is as relevant now as it was more than 2,000 years ago:

    27 And if the time comes that the voice of the people doth choose iniquity, then is the time that the judgments of God will come upon you; yea, then is the time he will visit you with great destruction even as he has hitherto visited this land. (Mosiah 29: 26-27)

  • Mosiah 28:13 — LeGrand Baker — the Urim and Thummim

    8 – Mosiah 28: 13 — LeGrand Baker — the Urim and Thummim

    Mosiah 28: 13,
    13 And now he translated them by the means of those two stones which were fastened into the two rims of a bow.

    That sounds very much like Joseph Smith’s description: “Also, that there were two stones in silver bows—and these stones, fastened to a breastplate, constituted what is called the Urim and Thummim” (Joseph Smith-History:35a) – – and, in fact, they clearly are describing the same thing.

    – – – – – – – – – – –

    Limhi brought Mosiah a record, “engraven on plates of ore,” (Mosiah 21:27) which he translated by the aid of “two stones which were fastened into the two rims of a bow,” and which gave an account of the Jaredites.(Mosiah 28:11-19).

    There is little question about their origin, but there is no information about how Mosiah got those stones except that they were a “gift from God.” (Mosiah 21:28)

    They had originally been given, by the Lord, to the brother of Jared. When the Lord commanded the brother of Jared to seal up the record of his great vision, he also instructed him to include with it the Urim and Thummim so that, in the future, one who had the authority could read the record.(Ether 3:21-28) Since they were used by Mosiah for that purpose, one may assume that his “interpreters” were the same as the “Urim and Thummim” that the brother of Jared had sealed up.

    But there is no evidence about when or where Mosiah received them. He got them before he was given the plates of Ether. One knows that because the king had already used them to translate the ‘large stone’ that was had engravings on it. Those writings were translated by the “gift and power of God.” (Omni 1:20-21) – the same words that describe how the Book of Mormon was translated.

    The history of the Urim and Thummim (called interpreters in the Book of Mormon) is easy to trace after that. Mosiah gave them to Alma (Mosiah 28:20), who in turn gave them to Helaman (Alma 37:20-22). Each gave their successors instructions that they were to be passed down with the plates, sword, and other sacred things. There is no record of that happening, but it clearly did. In the end, Moroni says he hid the Urim and Thummim and the plates together so they could be given to the Prophet Joseph (Ether 4:1-6).

    After the Book of Mormon was translated, Joseph did not return them to Moroni with the plates, but continued to use them. The latest account I know of his having them was in July 1843, about a year before Joseph died. William Clayton who was Joseph’s scribe in Nauvoo left this account of the writing of the revelation that is now D&C 132;

    He [Joseph] then requested me to get paper and prepare to write. Hyrum very urgently requested Joseph to write the revelation by means of the Urim and Thummim, but Joseph, in reply, said he did not need to, for he knew the revelation perfectly from beginning to end. (Andrew Jensen, Historical Record, Vol. 5-9 [Salt Lake City, Andrew Jensen, 1886-1890], p. 225.)

    That part of their history is all clear enough, but that is the only part that is clear. As far as I know, there is no evidence of what happened to them after Joseph’s death, just as there is no account of their origin, other than that they were given, by the Lord, to the Brother of Jared.

    – – – – – – – – – –

    It appears there is more than one set of stones called the Urim and Thummim (Or else there is only one and the Lord moves them from continent to continent as various people have need of them.)

    There are several other references to the (or a) Urim and Thummim in the Old World scriptures. Abraham had a set by which he learned about the systems of stars (Abraham 3:1-4). There is no evidence of where he got it, or what he did with it. Moses later had one, but since Moses did not get his Melchizedek Priesthood from his Israelite fathers in Egypt, it is unlikely that they had the Urim and Thummim to give him. But one does not know that. Moses got the priesthood from his father-in-law, Jethro, who was a descendent of Abraham from another son.

    Moses gave the Urim and Thummim to Aaron, who carried in the breastplate that was a part of his high-priestly garments. (Exodus 28:30, Leviticus 8:8, Numbers 27:21, Deuteronomy 33:8) Tradition has it that the they continued with the High Priests until – – – no one knows when. There is a reference to them in 1 Samuel 28:6 that says they didn’t work for King Saul. The implication is that they should have been working, but it doesn’t actually say who was using them, or even if they were really available to use. That is the last we hear of them in the Old Testament until after the Babylonian captivity. Then, there are two versions of the same story in Ezra 2:63 and Nehemiah 7:65. The story is that some people without a proven genealogy were trying to claim they were from a priestly family. The decision about what to do with them was that they could not be acknowledged as priests until their linage was confirmed by someone who used the Urim and Thummim. The implication of that postponement is that at that time there was no one who could do use the Urim and Thummim–presumably because no one had the authority, or no one even knew where they were.

  • Mosiah 27:34-35 — LeGrand Baker — sons of Mosiah

    Mosiah 27:34-35 — LeGrand Baker — sons of Mosiah

    Mosiah 27:34-35
    34 And four of them were the sons of Mosiah; and their names were Ammon, and Aaron, and Omner, and Himni; these were the names of the sons of Mosiah.
    35 And they traveled throughout all the land of Zarahemla, and among all the people who were under the reign of king Mosiah, zealously striving to repair all the injuries which they had done to the church, confessing all their sins, and publishing all the things which they had seen, and explaining the prophecies and the scriptures to all who desired to hear them.

    After that, they asked their father for permission to go and preach to the Lamanites.

    This is a more remarkable story that our 21st century culture is apt to see readily. A more typical account of the four sons of any king would conclude with one of them murdering the other three. Here are some examples of what I mean.

    When Solomon became king, he promptly killed everyone who might have challenged his right to the throne. (1 Kings 1&2)

    Nebuchadnezzar, the crown prince of Babylon, had just defeated the Egyptians at Carchemish when he learned his father had died. Consequently he could not follow up his victory by wiping out the Egyptian army. Rather, he had to return to Babylon, where he spent three years hunting down and killing all of his brothers, then, when his throne was secure, he and his army resumed the war.

    One of the consequences of his victories was that he placed Zedekiah on the Jewish throne to rule as his underling. But Zedekiah later made an alliance with Egypt, so Nebuchadnezzar came back again, destroyed Jerusalem, captured Zedekiah, “And they slew the sons of Zedekiah before his eyes, and put out the eyes of Zedekiah, and bound him with fetters of brass, and carried him to Babylon.” (2 Kings 25:7)

    One does not kill just the king, but also anyone that might claim his throne.

    As a footnote to that story as it is told by Josephus, Whiston observed,

    Burder remarks, this was done with the intention of rendering the king incapable of ever re-ascending the throne. Thus it was a law in Persia, down to the latest time, that no blind person could mount the throne. Hence the barbarous custom of depriving the sons and the male relatives of a Persian king, who are not to be allowed to attain the government, of their sight. Down to the time of Abbas, in 1642, this was done by only passing a red-hot copper plate before the eyes, by which the power of vision was not entirely destroyed, and person blinded still retained a glimmer of sight. (William Whiston, trans., The Complete Works of Flavious Josephus [London, The London Pringing and Publishing Company, Limited, 1876], p. 213 footnote. )

    The point of those stories is this: A throne was a very dangerous kind of chair to sit on. And the simplest way to make sure one did not fall off of it, was to kill or disable anyone else who might want to be there.

    Our Mosiah’s grandfather, Mosiah I, may have been in that same sort of situation. We have no detail except this:

    “… [Mosiah,] being warned of the Lord that he should flee out of the land of Nephi, and as many as would hearken unto the voice of the Lord should also depart out of the land with him, into the wilderness— And it came to pass that he did according as the Lord had commanded him. And they departed out of the land into the wilderness, as many as would hearken unto the voice of the Lord….(Omni 1: 12b-13a)

    We are not told what he was running away from, but there seems to be only two likely possibilities: Either the Lamanites were about to attack, or else he had an elder brother who was out to kill all the other boys in the family. (We know Mosiah was not the legal heir to the throne, because all the kings were named Nephi, and that was not his name.)

    Mosiah II was very aware of this traditional way of salving the problems of succession. He later justified his new constitution by warning his people:

    “And now if there should be another appointed in his stead, behold I fear there would rise contentions among you. And who knoweth but what my son, to whom the kingdom doth belong, should turn to be angry, and claim his right to the kingdom, and draw away a part of this people after him, which would cause wars and contentions among you, which would be the cause of shedding much blood.” (Mosiah 129, 7&9. I have constructed the statement using words in both verses.)

    It is reasonable to believe that while his sons were going about to destroy the Church, they were keeping an eye on each other, knowing that when dad died, at least three of them would not live long, and each probably plotting the deaths of the others.

    It that was true, and it is not at all unreasonable to believe it was true, then their conversions, and their desires leave their royal status and to go on missions together, would have been the least likely of all the expected conclusions to their story.

  • Mosiah 27:24-27 — LeGrand Baker– born of the Spirit.

    Mosiah 27:24-27 — LeGrand Baker– born of the Spirit.

    24 For, said he, I have repented of my sins, and have been redeemed of the Lord; behold I am born of the Spirit.
    25 And the Lord said unto me: Marvel not that all mankind, yea, men and women, all nations, kindreds, tongues and people, must be born again; yea, born of God, changed from their carnal and fallen state, to a state of righteousness, being redeemed of God, becoming his sons and daughters;
    26 And thus they become new creatures; and unless they do this, they can in nowise inherit the kingdom of God.
    27 I say unto you, unless this be the case, they must be cast off; and this I know, because I was like to be cast off.

    – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –

    It is difficult to know how one is to understand Alma’s words. Like so many places it the scriptures, the words can be read to convey seemingly different messages. And, as is typical with such scriptures, each of those messages is (or appears to be) equally valid. Let me show you what I mean. I will quote those verses three times. Each time I will put a different interpretation of the words in brackets.

    A – – – – – – – – – – – – –

    24 For, said he, I have repented of my sins, and have been redeemed [Believe in the atonement] of the Lord; behold I am born of the Spirit. [Having been baptized, I have also received the Gift of the Holy Ghost.]
    25 And the Lord said unto me: Marvel not that all mankind, yea, men and women, all nations, kindreds, tongues and people, must be born again [Be baptized and receive the Gift of the Holy Ghost]; yea, born of God, [It must be done by proper authority] changed from their carnal and fallen state [keep their baptismal covenant and become a true Latter-day Saint], to a state of righteousness [keeping the commandments], being redeemed of God [having the atonement apply to oneself], becoming his sons and daughters [become humble and teachable as a little child];
    26 And thus they become new creatures [develop a lifestyle that is compatible with the gospel]; and unless they do this, they can in nowise inherit the kingdom of God. [those are prerequisites to going to the Celestial Kingdom.]
    27 I say unto you, unless this be the case, they must be cast off; and this I know, because I was like to be cast off. [Otherwise one will not go to the Celestial Kingdom.]

    I doubt if anyone would disagree with that interpretation. That is the way I have been taught since childhood, and I certainly would not question its validity.

    Yet, if we were to put those same words in the mouth of a modern prophet, and make the context a sermon he was delivering to an audience that consisted only of temple worshiping Latter-day Saints, I suspect one would hear it quite differently.

    B – – – – – – – – – – – – –

    24 For, said he, I have repented of my sins, and have been redeemed [Have a burning testimony of the atonement] of the Lord; behold I am born of the Spirit. [Having been baptized, I have received the Gift of the Holy Ghost, and been admitted into the family of God—which implies the sealing ordinances.]
    25 And the Lord said unto me: Marvel not that all mankind, yea, men and women, all nations, kindreds, tongues and people, must be born again [Receive all the ordinances, including the temple ordinances]; yea, born of God, [It must be done by proper authority] changed from their carnal and fallen state [keep one’s temple covenants to become a true Latter-day Saint], to a state of righteousness [being in all ways worthy of a temple recommend], being redeemed of God [having the atonement apply to oneself], becoming his sons and daughters [become humble and teachable as a little child–but in the context of keeping one’s temple covenants];
    26 And thus they become new creatures [develop a lifestyle that is compatible with the temple covenants]; and unless they do this, they can in nowise inherit the kingdom of God. [those are prerequisites to going to the Celestial Kingdom.]
    27 I say unto you, unless this be the case, they must be cast off; and this I know, because I was like to be cast off. [Otherwise one will not go to the Celestial Kingdom.]

    I don’t suppose anyone would disagree with that interpretation either. It is consistent with everything I have been taught since I became an adult.

    Nevertheless, if one insists that the words in these verses be interpreted in their most precise meaning, then the meaning of the whole is changed more dramatically still.

    C – – – – – – – – – – – – –

    24 For, said he, I have repented of my sins, and have been redeemed [In many places in the Book of Mormon, to be redeemed means to be brought into the presence of God. Heleman 14:16-18, 2 Ne. 1: 15, 2 Nephi 2: 2-4, Ether 3:13] of the Lord; behold I am born of the Spirit. [to become the sons and daughters of God: Psalm 2, 3 Nephi 12: 8-9, Ether 3:13-14, Moroni 7:46-48.]
    25 And the Lord said unto me: Marvel not that all mankind, yea, men and women, all nations, kindreds, tongues and people, must be born again [become the sons and daughters of God, as in the scriptures above]; yea, born of God, [2 Peter 1: 1-11. Read the first verse, “Simon Peter, a servant and an apostle of Jesus Christ, to them that have obtained like precious faith {pistis- tokens of the covenants] with us through the righteousness [correct temple things] of God and our Saviour Jesus Christ, then the remainder becomes a sequence that concludes, “give diligence to make your calling and election sure: for if ye do these things, ye shall never fall:For so an entrance shall be ministered unto you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ”] changed from their carnal and fallen state [Moroni 10: 32-33, “Yea, come unto Christ, and be perfected in him, and deny yourselves of all ungodliness; and if ye shall deny yourselves of all ungodliness, and love God with all your might, mind and strength, then is his grace sufficient for you, that by his grace ye may be perfect in Christ; and if by the grace of God ye are perfect in Christ, ye can in nowise deny the power of God.”], to a state of righteousness [“righteousness” is zedek, which means the correctness in all temple things] being redeemed of God [being brought into the presence of God], becoming his sons and daughters [ Becoming heirs, that one may receive all that the Father has. In Ephesians 1:5 Paul explains this by saying we were foreordained “unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself [to Heavenly Father], according to the good pleasure of his [Heavenly Father’s] will.” I understand that to mean even though we are Heavenly Father’s spirit children, only the Saviour has the right to inherit all the Father has, but that through the Saviour’s atonement, we may become his joint heirs to all the Father has.]
    26 And thus they become new creatures [ [Moroni 10: 33-34, “And again, if ye by the grace of God are perfect in Christ, and deny not his power, then are ye sanctified in Christ by the grace of God, through the shedding of the blood of Christ, which is in the covenant of the Father unto the remission of your sins, that ye become holy, without spot. [and can say with Moroni,] And now I bid unto all, farewell. I soon go to rest in the paradise of God, until my spirit and body shall again reunite, and I am brought forth triumphant through the air, to meet you before the pleasing bar of the great Jehovah, the Eternal Judge of both quick and dead. Amen.]; and unless they do this, they can in nowise inherit the kingdom of God. [those are prerequisites to inheriting the Celestial Kingdom.”]
    27 I say unto you, unless this be the case, they must be cast off; and this I know, because I was like to be cast off. [Otherwise one cannot inherit the Celestial Kingdom.]

    I put all those scriptural references in there because I realize that interpretation seems very severe, and because one cannot relate it to experiences one has had in this life, it may seem to be not all that relevant. Still, I suppose it is also a valid interpretation.