The Sabbath Day is a Protection and a blessing...

Jeremiah the Prophet - Michelangelo, Sistine Chapel ceiling

I have been teaching the Old Testament in Sunday School this year.  This morning I ran across Jeremiah's call for Judah to keep the Sabbath Day.

21 Thus saith the LORD; Take heed to yourselves, and bear no burden on the sabbath day, nor bring it in by the gates of Jerusalem;
22 Neither carry forth a burden out of your houses on the sabbath day, neither do ye any work, but hallow ye the sabbath day, as I commanded your fathers.
23 But they obeyed not, neither inclined their ear, but made their neck stiff, that they might not hear, nor receive instruction.
24 And it shall come to pass, if ye diligently hearken unto me, saith the LORD, to bring in no burden through the gates of this city on the sabbath day, but hallow the sabbath day, to do no work therein;
25 Then shall there enter into the gates of this city kings and princes sitting upon the throne of David, riding in chariots and on horses, they, and their princes, the men of Judah, and the inhabitants of Jerusalem: and this city shall remain for ever.
26 And they shall come from the cities of Judah, and from the places about Jerusalem, and from the land of Benjamin, and from the plain, and from the mountains, and from the south, bringing burnt offerings, and sacrifices, and meat offerings, and incense, and bringing sacrifices of praise, unto the house of the LORD.
27 But if ye will not hearken unto me to hallow the sabbath day, and not to bear a burden, even entering in at the gates of Jerusalem on the sabbath day; then will I kindle a fire in the gates thereof, and it shall devour the palaces of Jerusalem, and it shall not be quenched.

(Old Testament | Jeremiah 17:21 - 27)

And one from Isaiah:

13 ¶ If thou turn away thy foot from the sabbath, from doing thy pleasure on my holy day; and call the sabbath a delight, the holy of the LORD, honourable; and shalt honour him, not doing thine own ways, nor finding thine own pleasure, nor speaking thine own words:
14 Then shalt thou delight thyself in the LORD; and I will cause thee to ride upon the high places of the earth, and feed thee with the heritage of Jacob thy father: for the mouth of the LORD hath spoken it.

(Old Testament | Isaiah 58:13 - 14)

Why does the Lord require the observance of the Sabbath - a practice almost extinct in our day and time? My take is if we embrace the Sabbath (as opposed to resisting it) it gives us a greater chance at becoming holy and putting of the natural man and learning how to put God first in our lives.  It's one more effort by God to aid us in becoming unselfish - quite the unruly task for each of us near sighted mortals.   There are promised blessing for keeping the Sabbath and apparently lost blessing for not.

Faith

I’ve been thinking today about faith.  In Sunday School earlier this year we had a lesson on the children of Israel entering into the promised land.  The Lord repeated the miracle of parting the waters as they crossed the river Jordon.  Not only was this a sign that God was with Joshua who had now taken over the leadership of the camp but it generated the faith Israel needed to successfully enter into the Promised Land. 

The priests who carried the Arc of the Covenant  were commanded to go first.  They were to walk into the water with the Arc before the water parted.   Elder Packer talks about this concept in the following quote:

"Shortly after I was called as a General Authority, I went to Elder Harold B. Lee for counsel. He listened very carefully to my problem and suggested that I see President David O. McKay. President McKay counseled me as to the direction I should go. I was very willing to be obedient but saw no way possible for me to do as he counseled me to do. "I returned to Elder Lee and told him that I saw no way to move in the direction I was counseled to go. He said, 'The trouble with you is you want to see the end from the beginning.' I replied that I would like to see at least a step or two ahead. Then came the lesson of a lifetime: 'You must learn to walk to the edge of the light, and then a few steps into the darkness; then the light will appear and show the way before you'" ("The Edge of the Light," BYU Today, Mar. 1991, 22-23).

Why must we take the step into the unknown?  It is because that act itself begins to create the faith to bring about whatever it is we are seeking to accomplish in our lives.  There is no active faith present before we take that first step and moving forward is part of what creates the faith to prevail.  I think this is true, very true, in relationship to priesthood blessings.  We activate the faith necessary to realize the blessing by giving the blessing, by pronouncing the words and then by acting upon that blessing while continuing to petition the Lord for its fulfillment. .  The same principle applies to our other requests in prayer.  Our acting in faith parts the waters before us. 

Often we misunderstand the process and think like Oliver Cowdery that all we have to do is ask.  Rather, we must ask in faith which includes action and moving towards whatever it is we need to create before us. 

This step between wanting to have our blessings handed to us just because we have asked without moving forward on our part and the miracles that occur from truly acting in faith is the gap we need to bridge.  It seems impossibly hard to us and that is because we think we have to do it ourselves.  Actually it is the Lord that provides the power but we access that power through active faith.  Active faith is spiritual work which is why I think we often shy away from it.  We tend to rest in a state of spiritual inertia.   We are held back by choosing to remain in unbelief instead of acting in belief.  We don’t plant the seed as outlined in Alma 32-34.  We hope the Lord will arrive with the silver platter full of answers to our prayers but we are not firm in our resolve to lay our faith offering before the Lord and know that He will respond to that in the best way for our eternal development.  

Once we have acted in faith the Savior's atonement reveals itself in our lives and the fruits of that atonement come forth.  That fruit is indeed joyous to the soul as we see the Lord's hand play out in undeniable ways. May we learn to act in faith.

The Quest for Further Light and Knowledge

I have always loved the phrase “further light and knowledge” and it’s sacred intent.  Scriptures in the Book of Mormon and the Doctrine and Covenants describe the connection between light and knowledge and the importance of obtaining it 

Light and knowledge are companions and illuminators of the mind.  One needs further light and knowledge to advance towards the kingdom of God but light and knowledge in and of themselves are not saving attributes.  The mind is only one half of the equation.   The Lord tells us in the Doctrine and Covenants that He requires both the mind and the heart and that the revelatory process comes through both.  

So what of the heart?  Just as the mind needs to be enlightened, the heart must be purified, sanctified and made new.  The heart is to be broken and contrite and in the end become a receptacle for charity, the pure love of Christ.  Without the schooling of the heart further light and knowledge can only leave us looking at the distant shore from across the way.  We can see where we want to go but can’t seem to get there.  

The journey of purification and sanctification is not a day’s hike or a fast sprint.   It is the end result of constant humility, repentance, forgiveness and service to others.  It requires the vigilant elimination of pride and selfishness and the use of covenants that access the atonement.   Its crowning achievement upon this earth is the love of God and of all mankind.   

Light and knowledge once gained need to be acted upon.   If not light and knowledge become hollow without substance and can lead us to possess a false sense of spiritual security.  I wonder if Lucifer’s (Light Bearer, Son of the Morning) downfall was a result of seeking light and knowledge without submissiveness and humility.  He became a law unto himself and taken with his own ideas.  He was missing the broken, obedient and sanctified heart.  

Perhaps this necessary balance is the reason the Lord often couples the heart and mind in the scriptures.  Here are a few to ponder:

34 Behold, the Lord requireth the heart and a willing mind; and the willing and obedient shall eat the good of the land of Zion in these last days. 

(Doctrine and Covenants | Section 64:34)

18 And the Lord called his people ZION, because they were of one heart and one mind, and dwelt in righteousness; and there was no poor among them.

(Pearl of Great Price | Moses 7:18)

65 And with one heart and with one mind, gather up your riches that ye may purchase an inheritance which shall hereafter be appointed unto you.

(Doctrine and Covenants | Section 45:65)

2 Yea, behold, I will tell you in your mind and in your heart, by the Holy Ghost, which shall come upon you and which shall dwell in your heart.  (It is interesting the heart is the desired dwelling place for the adversary as well.  Mosiah 3:6)

(Doctrine and Covenants | Section 8:2)

(Doctrine and Covenants | Section 4:2) 2 Therefore, O ye that embark in the service of God, see that ye serve him with all your heart, might, mind and strength, that ye may stand blameless before God at the last day.

15 Behold, when ye shall rend that veil of unbelief which doth cause you to remain in your awful state of wickedness, and hardness of heart, and blindness of mind, then shall the great and marvelous things which have been hid up from the foundation of the world from you—yea, when ye shall call upon the Father in my name, with a broken heart and a contrite spirit, then shall ye know that the Father hath remembered the covenant which he made unto your fathers, O house of Israel.

(Book of Mormon | Ether 4:15)

18 Now, as my mind caught hold upon this thought, I cried within my heart: O Jesus, thou Son of God, have mercy on me, who am in the gall of bitterness, and am encircled about by the everlasting chains of death.

(Book of Mormon | Alma 36:18)

33 But if ye will turn to the Lord with full purpose of heart, and put your trust in him, and serve him with all diligence of mind, if ye do this, he will, according to his own will and pleasure, deliver you out of bondage.

(Book of Mormon | Mosiah 7:33)

1 BUT behold, I, Jacob, would speak unto you that are pure in heart.  Look unto God with firmness of mind, and pray unto him with exceeding faith, and he will console you in your afflictions, and he will plead your cause, and send down justice upon those who seek your destruction.

2 O all ye that are pure in heart, lift up your heads and receive the pleasing word of God, and feast upon his love; for ye may, if your minds are firm, forever.

(Book of Mormon | Jacob 3:1 - 2)

21 And now that my soul might have joy in you, and that my heart might leave this world with gladness because of you, that I might not be brought down with grief and sorrow to the grave, arise from the dust, my sons, and be men, and be determined in one mind and in one heart, united in all things, that ye may not come down into captivity;

(Book of Mormon | 2 Nephi 1:21)

9 ¶ And thou, Solomon my son, know thou the God of thy father, and serve him with a perfect heart and with a willing mind: for the LORD searcheth all hearts, and understandeth all the imaginations of the thoughts: if thou seek him, he will be found of thee; but if thou forsake him, he will cast thee off for ever.

(Old Testament | 1 Chronicles 28:9)

35 And I will raise me up a faithful priest, that shall do according to that which is in mine heart and in my mind: and I will build him a sure house; and he shall walk before mine anointed for ever.

(Old Testament | 1 Samuel 2:35)

James Talmage - Testimony

"I say stand by your testimony. When you have received it from the Lord, let it be your guide. It will be no handicap to you in your researches, your studies, your explorations and investigations. It will not detract from your reputation for learning, if you deserve any such reputation, provided you stand by the truth." Conference Report, April 1929, p. 48.

Profound truth from Elder Packer's conference talk...

"I wish to share with you those truths which are the most worth knowing, the things that I have learned and experienced in nearly 90 years of life and over 50 years as a General Authority. Much of what I have come to know falls into the category of things which cannot be taught but can be learned.

Like most things of great worth, knowledge which is of eternal value comes only through personal prayer and pondering. These, joined with fasting and scripture study, will invite impressions and revelations and the whisperings of the Holy Spirit. This provides us with instruction from on high as we learn precept upon precept."