At
the end of King Benjamin’s speech and after his people have taken on them the
name of Christ, he says some things using an analogy of writing and blotting
that are important to understand:
11 And I would that ye should
remember also, that this is the name that I said I should give unto you that
never should be blotted out, except it be through transgression; therefore,
take heed that ye do not transgress, that the name be not blotted out of your
hearts.
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
5:11-12)
This idea
of writing and blotting out is an interesting figure of speech. I had the idea in my head for the
longest time that to blog something out was to cross it out with more ink so
that it couldn’t be read, but with some research, I found out that wasn’t what
it meant at all.
There is
blotting paper that is used to absorb extra ink after someone has written so
that ink dries faster, but that is, I think, a relatively new invention.
Somewhere—I
wish I could remember or find the source again—I read that in ancient times
there was no way to erase ink from a writing surface except to re-wet it and
press some kind of cloth to it to try to lift the softened ink up and out. Removing the ink by blotting took a
while, but it was possible.
So, King
Benjamin uses this image to teach that when we take the name of Christ upon us,
it should be written on our hearts, but sin and transgression have the effect
of blotting that name slowly out of our hearts, which is why we have to take
heed that we do not transgress.
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