The Power and Faith of the Saints in Moroni’s Past

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As Moroni takes over writing on the plates from his father Mormon, he spends some time talking about factors besides the Lord’s purposes that will bring about the fulfillment of the prophecy of Isaiah. One of these that caught my attention was the prayers of the Saints.

23 Search the prophecies of Isaiah. Behold, I cannot write them. Yea, behold I say unto you, that those saints who have gone before me, who have possessed this land, shall cry, yea, even from the dust will they cry unto the Lord; and as the Lord liveth he will remember the covenant which he hath made with them.

24 And he knoweth their prayers, that they were in behalf of their brethren. And he knoweth their faith, for in his name could they remove mountains; and in his name could they cause the earth to shake; and by the power of his word did they cause prisons to tumble to the earth; yea, even the fiery furnace could not harm them, neither wild beasts nor poisonous serpents, because of the power of his word. (Mormon 8:23-24)

When I have read these verses before, I just assumed the saints referred to were the disciples of Christ, because of the reference to the furnaces and beasts that could not harm them and how similar that was the description of how the three Nephites were miraculously preserved. And yet, I now wonder if there is a reason Moroni called them “saints” and not “disciples of Jesus.” It makes me think that this could be describing the faith of the general church membership, not just the highest leaders.

I also notice that when Moroni refers to Isaiah, he repeats enough of an image—“crying from the dust”—that we can identify exactly where Moroni was thinking of: Isaiah 29. But he reworks the meaning a bit for his own purposes. Instead of terrible ones crying from the dust, Moroni has saints crying from the dust, essentially praying during mortality and beyond in behalf of their brethren. In v25 he also says their prayers were for the one who would bring forth the Book of Mormon, so it is a good bet it was also for all those engaged in the Restoration as well, as it continues today.

And Moroni wants us to know those prayers will be efficacious because of the great faith of those praying, and he cites the miracles they could do in the name of Jesus and by the power of His word as evidence of their spiritual power.

I don’t know about you, but it gets me thinking about what I might need to do so that my faith as a Latter-day Saint can grow to match those ancient Saints.

I don’t need to move mountains, but what obstacles in my life would I like to remove? I can think of a few, for sure.

I would rather not shake the earth, but it might be nice to use my faith to shake my false complacency.

What psychological prisons that hold me captive could use some destruction? What flame wars and beastly poisonous behavior could I use protection from by the power of Christ’s word?

How might our prayers, acting in Jesus’s name and by the power of His word accomplish?

Thoughts from Cheryl A. Esplin’s talk “Filling Our Homes with Light and Truth”

I wanted to share a few thoughts about a part of Cheryl A. Esplin’s talk “FillingOur Homes with Light and Truth”

I was impressed by the story she shared about the experience of a member of her ancestor’s family:

Several months ago I read the testimony of my great-grandfather’s sister Elizabeth Staheli Walker. As a child, Elizabeth immigrated to America from Switzerland with her family.

After Elizabeth married, she and her husband and children lived in Utah near the Nevada border, where they ran a mail station. Their home was a stopping place for travelers. All day and all night they had to be ready to cook and serve meals for travelers. It was hard, exhausting work, and they had little rest. But the greatest thing that concerned Elizabeth was the conversation of the people they associated with.

Elizabeth said that up to this time she had always taken for granted that the Book of Mormon was true, that the Prophet Joseph Smith had been authorized of God to do what he did, and that his message was the plan of life and salvation. But the life she was experiencing was anything but what would strengthen such a belief.

Some of the travelers who stopped were well-read, educated, smart men, and always the talk around her table was that Joseph Smith was “a sly fraud” who had written the Book of Mormon himself and then distributed it to make money. They acted as if to think anything else was absurd, claiming “that Mormonism was bunk.”

All this talk made Elizabeth feel isolated and alone. There was no one to talk to, no time to even say her prayers—although she did pray as she worked. She was too frightened to say anything to those who ridiculed her religion. She said she didn’t know but what they were telling the truth, and she felt she could not have defended her belief if she had tried.

Later, Elizabeth and her family moved. Elizabeth said she had more time to think and was not so distracted all the time. She often went down in the cellar and prayed to Heavenly Father about what was troubling her—about the stories those seemingly smart men had told about the gospel being bunk and about Joseph Smith and the Book of Mormon.

One night Elizabeth had a dream. She said: “It seemed I was standing by a narrow wagon road, which led around by the foot of a low rolling hill; halfway up the hill I saw a man looking down and speaking, or seemed to be speaking, to a young man who was kneeling and leaning over a hole in the earth. His arms were stretched out, and it looked as if he was reaching for something from in the hole. I could see the lid of stone that seemed to have been taken off from the hole over which the boy was bending. On the road were many people, but none of them seemed to be at all interested in the two men on the hillside. There was something that came along with the dream that impressed me so strangely that I woke right up; … I could not tell my dream to anyone, but I seemed to be satisfied that it meant the angel Moroni [instructed] the boy Joseph at the time he got the plates.”

In the spring of 1893, Elizabeth went to Salt Lake City to the dedication of the temple. She described her experience: “In there I saw the same picture [that] I had seen in my dream; I think it was [a] colored-glass window. I feel satisfied that if I saw the Hill Cumorah itself, it would not look more real. I feel satisfied that I was shown in a dream a picture of the angel Moroni giving Joseph Smith the [gold] plates.”

Many years after having this dream and several months before she died at nearly age 88, Elizabeth received a powerful impression. She said, “The thought came to me as plain … as if someone had said to me, … ‘Do not bury your testimony in the ground.’”⁵

Generations later, Elizabeth’s posterity continues to draw strength from her testimony.

The story of Elizabeth Staheli Walker demonstrates a number of principles.

First, it can be a challenging experience for lifetime members to go from an environment that accords with their belief to an environment that challenges belief.  One is forced to re-examine the foundation of their testimony and ground it more firmly. 

Elizabeth had no one to talk to and no time to say her prayers.  It seems she had to make time to pray by praying during her work, since she didn’t have quiet, alone moments.  (I think she’s a good example of taking the initiative by doing what she could.  What if she had just decided not to pray at all since circumstances weren’t perfect?) 

What other resources might Elizabeth have had to strengthen her?  I personally wonder how daily scripture study might have made a difference.  It would have been difficult to fit that in with her busyness, but I think she could have snatched a few verses here and there, just like she fit prayer in.

The people who thought Mormonism was absurd were at least not violent about it. But they told stories that probably gave a different view of the Restoration, a view of it being a fraud.  It is admirable that even though Elizabeth didn’t have the resources to defend her faith, she at least clung to it the best she could.  And later in her life, she had time to pray about the troubling stories, so she did pray about them.  It shows she had confidence that she could learn the truth from God, rather than letting those stories pull her away.

I love that Heavenly Father gave her a dream. I found this dream very interesting because it is a composite of truth and symbolism.  The truth part of it was of Joseph Smith retrieving the gold plates from the Hill Cumorah under the direction of the angel Moroni.  The symbolic part of it was the road at the foot of the hill with many people on it, none of whom were at all interested in what was happening on the hill.  This perfectly symbolized the situation she’d lived through at the mail station.  She’d met many people on their way to somewhere else who were not at all interested in the events of the Restoration.  And to cover their disinterest, they had pretended a view that it was all absurd and a fraud and not worth their attention.

The fact that Elizabeth was in the dream and on the road showed that Heavenly Father knew she’d been influenced a bit by the people who were disinterested, but she could still see and recognize the importance of what was happening on the hill.   And later, when she saw that very scene represented in a colored-glass window at the Salt Lake Temple, she had yet another confirmation that Heavenly Father had shown her something special.

She didn’t tell her dream to anyone, but she did write it down and that meant that this experience of spiritual witness was not lost forever.  The dream was just for her; it addressed her doubts and concerns.   It is also valuable for us today because it shows us another way that Heavenly Father may speak peace to our doubts and help strengthen our testimonies. It also shows us the importance of recording the dreams we have that teach spiritual principles.  Some day those records will be appreciated by our descendants, or even wider.

I know Heavenly Father still can speak to us in dreams.  I occasionally have dreams that show me where I am spiritually in life and often they suggest to me what I need to do to improve. One of those dreams is like having an experience without actually living it, so the truths penetrate deeper.

The spiritual experiences Heavenly Father gives us and the ways we seek His guidance help fill us up so that we will be able to withstand the challenges to our faith, whether they come from people who are disinterested, or from people who are outright hostile.  I think that is the major message from Sister Esplin’s talk.

Rachel weeping for her children, and Ephraim bemoaning himself

The scripture about Rachel weeping for her children is mentioned in the New Testament with reference to Herod slaying all the babies in Bethlehem age two and younger. 

I think it is instructive to see where this comes from and see its context to learn more about it.  It is from Jeremiah 31:15, but verses 16-17 have some things to say that might startle us.

15 ¶Thus saith the Lord; A voice was heard in Ramah, lamentation, and bitter weeping; Rahel weeping for her children refused to be comforted for her children, because they were not.

16 Thus saith the Lord; Refrain thy voice from weeping, and thine eyes from tears: for thy work shall be rewarded, saith the Lord; and they shall come again from the land of the enemy.

17 And there is hope in thine end, saith the Lord, that thy children shall come again to their own border. (Jeremiah 31:15-17)

Right along with the prophecy that there would be weeping and why, there also comes instructions about how that grief can be overcome.  And I think it can also be applied to mean several things.

Concerning the slaughter of the innocents, the rest of the verses give comfort that the work these mothers have done to nurture them would still be rewarded.  None of it would be for nothing.  Also, the promise that their children would come again from the land of the enemy is essentially speaking of a future resurrection when they would receive those children back again.  They could live in hope for that day.

Another way to read these verses is as prophecy of the coming destruction and scattering of the people.  This is Jeremiah speaking, after all.

And yet, in the very next verse comes that comfort from the Lord that the children of Israel would come back again from the land of the enemy (Babylon), and for those who were killed, resurrection from death.  Further, there was still hope that they would repent, even in the spirit world.

Now, this isn’t the only cool part of the chapter.  Verses 18-20 have things to say about Ephraim.  Keep in mind that at the time Jeremiah wrote this, Ephraim (part of the northern 10 tribes) had already been carried captive by Assyria some 100 years before because of stubborn wickedness.

18 ¶I have surely heard Ephraim bemoaning himself thus; Thou hast chastised me, and I was chastised, as a bullock unaccustomed to the yoke: turn thou me, and I shall be turned; for thou art the Lord my God.

19 Surely after that I was turned, I repented; and after that I was instructed, I smote upon my thigh: I was ashamed, yea, even confounded, because I did bear the reproach of my youth.

20 Is Ephraim my dear son? is he a pleasant child? for since I spake against him, I do earnestly remember him still: therefore my bowels are troubled for him; I will surely have mercy upon him, saith the Lord. (Jeremiah 31:18-20)

Note the characteristics of Ephraim as described in these verses:

1.     He realizes he has been chastised by God.  (He’s acquired quite a lot of spiritual discernment about how the Lord is at work in his life.)

2.     He realizes he is like a bullock unaccustomed to the yoke. (He has acquired the ability to see the truth about himself, rather than remaining in blind pride.)

3.     He requests the help of God is being turned from his sins.  (This shows he knows he can’t depend upon his own strength and wisdom, and he trusts in Christ’s atoning power to change and cleanse him.)

4.     He has come to know the Lord and is trying to follow Him.

5.     He is aware of the consequences of his actions and the stages of repentance, as well as knowledge of the spiritual history of his people, which hasn’t been all stellar.

As I look at those characteristics of Ephraim, I can’t see how any of that can happen unless they’ve been converted to the restored gospel and restored to their spiritual blessings of being part of Israel.  None else but the humble followers of Christ have such humility, such true vision of their state, such dependence on the Lord, such a repentant heart.

In v20, Jeremiah speaks on behalf of the Lord, declaring the Lord remembers Ephraim as a dear son and will have mercy on him.  Clearly that mercy can only be brought about through Ephraim’s sincere repentance.

So, to sum up, Jeremiah prophesied that the lost (killed or captive) children of Israel would be returned (resurrected or gathered).  He also prophesied that the people of Ephraim would be restored to the truth of the gospel and would become a humble and repentant people (completely opposite from what they were when they were carried away).  Those of us who are Ephraimites can take satisfaction in knowing that we are part of the fulfillment of this scripture.  It also gives us yet another way to measure ourselves.  How well do our lives fit the characteristics of Ephraim described by Jeremiah?

·      Do we understand when the Lord is chastising us for our sins?

·      Do we recognize how we are unaccustomed to the yoke of discipleship?

·      Do we ask for the Lord’s help to change when we repent?

·      Do we consider the Lord our God to the extent that we worship Him and follow Him?

·      Do we repent?  Do we allow ourselves to be instructed?  Are we ashamed of our sins?

Out of Zion the Deliverer

Paul has some things to say about how Israel would eventually be brought to believe in the gospel after having rejected it in Paul’s day.

25 For I would not, brethren, that ye should be ignorant of this mystery, lest ye should be wise in your own conceits; that blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in.

26 And so all Israel shall be saved: as it is written,

There shall come out of Sion the Deliverer,

and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob:

27 For this is my covenant unto them, when I shall take away their sins. (Romans 11:25-27)

I was really curious about this quotation Paul used.  I wanted to know where it came from.  The footnote pointed to Isaiah 59:20, and that’s where I discovered something really interesting—it looks like Paul was quoting Isaiah but there are some significant differences between Isaiah and Paul’s quotation.

20 ¶And the Redeemer shall come to Zion,

and unto them that turn from transgression in Jacob, saith the Lord.

21 As for me, this is my covenant with them, saith the Lord; My spirit that is upon thee, and my words which I have put in thy mouth, shall not depart out of thy mouth, nor out of the mouth of thy seed, nor out of the mouth of thy seed’s seed, saith the Lord, from henceforth and for ever. (Isaiah 59:20-21)

In Isaiah, Zion and Jacob seem to be used parallelistically and meant to mean the same entity, although you could argue that mentioning them twice indicates the possibility that they are separate there.  At best it is ambiguous.

The way Paul renders Isaiah, Sion is considered a different entity from Jacob, such that the Deliverer comes to Sion first and then goes to Jacob!

Another difference between Paul and Isaiah is that Paul states the Deliverer will go from Sion to Jacob, implying a previous time when Jacob will not have this Deliverer and will need redemption.  Yet Isaiah says the Redeemer will come to Zion and Jacob, as if it happens at the same time (which adds to the sense of parallelism).

Another difference is Paul’s rendering making it known it is the Deliverer who turns away ungodliness from Jacob.  Isaiah makes it seem like the Redeemer is coing to those of Jacob who have already turned away from their transgressions, implying the visit is a reward for previous repentance.  Paul, on the other hand, makes the point that the visit is what brings the repentance.

What are we to make of this?  Usually Paul is very careful with his quotations.  It makes me think that there might have been a big change made to that part of Isaiah in order to try to bury the implications that there would be a time when Zion would be a separate entity from Jacob.

I also went looking to see if there were any other scriptures from the Old Testament that supported Paul’s rendering and I found Psalms 14:7:

Oh that the salvation of Israel were come out of Zion!

when the Lord bringeth back the captivity of his people,

Jacob shall rejoice, and Israel shall be glad.

Here too we see the idea of salvation coming out of Zion then going to Jacob and Israel, implying Jacob/Israel is separate from Zion and that salvation in the latter days comes from Zion to Jacob/Israel.

This essentially prophesies of the restoration of the gospel that would come to the gentiles, create Zion, and then go from Zion to descendents of Jacob.  Paul knew the apostasy would occur even after the gospel had gone to the gentiles in his day.  He knew it would be restored and then spread to gather Israel.  

Isaiah 18 on Signs of the Restoration

1 Woe to the land shadowing with wings,

which is beyond the rivers of Ethiopia:

2 That sendeth ambassadors by the sea,

even in vessels of bulrushes upon the waters, saying, Go, ye swift messengers,

to a nation scattered and peeled,

to a people terrible from their beginning hitherto;

a nation meted out and trodden down,

whose land the rivers have spoiled!

3 All ye inhabitants of the world, and dwellers on the earth,

see ye, when he lifteth up an ensign on the mountains;

and when he bloweth a trumpet, hear ye.

4 For so the Lord said unto me,

I will take my rest,

and I will consider in my dwelling place like a clear heat upon herbs,

and like a cloud of dew in the heat of harvest.

5 For afore the harvest, when the bud is perfect,

and the sour grape is ripening in the flower,

he shall both cut off the sprigs with pruning hooks,

and take away and cut down the branches.

6 They shall be left together unto the fowls of the mountains,

and to the beasts of the earth:

and the fowls shall summer upon them,

and all the beasts of the earth shall winter upon them.

7 ¶In that time shall the present be brought

unto the Lord of hosts

of a people scattered and peeled,

and from a people terrible from their beginning hitherto;

a nation meted out and trodden under foot,

whose land the rivers have spoiled,

to the place of the name of the Lord of hosts,

the mount Zion. 

(Isaiah 18)

This is a tricky chapter because there is a lot of imagery in it that is difficult to connect together into anything that we recognize.  I have studied it carefully, and I have also looked online to see what others have said to try to explain it, and there is a lot of disagreement about what it means.  Most commentaries make interesting points, but also ideas that seem to go of into left field, so I recommend you search and read and decide for yourself.  There are also things I still don’t understand myself, so I expect to grow in my understanding as well.

One thing that seems helpful is to first to pick out some recognizable features.

In our scriptures, we can start by noting the chapter summary:  “The Lord will raise the gospel ensign, send messengers to his scattered people, and gather them to Mount Zion.”   The summary seems to focus upon the words “ensign,” (v3) the phrase “Go, ye swift messengers” (v2), and “scattered” (v2, 7) and the phrase “to the place of the name of the Lord of hosts, the mount Zion” (v7). 

However, there is more to the chapter than just messengers and gathering.  There is an extensive puzzling description of the people to whom this prophecy is addressed (v1-2), there is a time when the Lord rests and considers (v4), there is a time when a harvest of sour grapes ripens and is pruned (v5), a scene of devastation when animals and birds feed for years on what is left (v6), and a present brought to the Lord at Mount Zion of a people (v7). 

If we read this with our testimony of the restoration of the gospel, perhaps we gain a better understanding.  I believe that the verse that should grab our attention most immediately is verse 3:

All ye inhabitants of the world,

and dwellers on the earth,

see ye, when he lifteth up an ensign on the mountains;

and when he bloweth a trumpet, hear ye.

The ensign on the mountains is an image that we understand and will automatically recognize.  We have a church magazine called the Ensign (though that didn’t become its name until late in the 20^th century).  The house of the Lord established in the tops of the mountains (Isaiah 2:2) is another type of ensign.  General conference is another kind of ensign, a standard waved in the eyes of the world.  Isaiah tells the entire world to take notice when they see the ensign lifted up.

As for the blowing trumpet image, it is one that we also recognize in the statue of the angel Moroni blowing his trumpet from the tops of most of our temples.  For a long time that image was put on the cover of our missionary Book of Mormons.

I think the ensign and the blowing trumpet were signs that Isaiah gave in this scripture to the rest of the world to warn them to sit up and take notice when the restored gospel would begin to come forth from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Another part of this verse that we understand because of our testimonies of the restored gospel is verse 7:

In that time shall the present be brought

unto the Lord of hosts

of a people scattered and peeled,

and from a people terrible from their beginning hitherto;

a nation meted out and trodden under foot,

whose land the rivers have spoiled,

to the place of the name of the Lord of hosts,

the mount Zion. 

We understand the idea of bringing a people as a present to the place of the name of the Lord, to mount Zion in several senses.  People converted to the gospel bring themselves as a present to the Lord as they submit to His will.  But further, as Latter-day Saints, we know that converted people also begin to do temple work for their ancestors, in effect bringing a present to the Lord in the temple of the names they do vicarious ordinance work for.  It reminds me of Joseph Smith’s teaching:

Behold, the great day of the Lord is at hand; and who can abide the day of his coming, and who can stand when he appeareth? For he is like a refiner’s fire, and like fuller’s soap; and he shall sit as a refiner and purifier of silver, and he shall purify the sons of Levi, and purge them as gold and silver, that they may offer unto the Lord an offering in righteousness. Let us, therefore, as a church and a people, and as Latter-day Saints, offer unto the Lord an offering in righteousness; and let us present in his holy temple, when it is finished, a book containing the records of our dead, which shall be worthy of all acceptation. (D&C 128:24, emphasis added)

The “land shadowing with wings” could be interpreted as the land of America.  America has been ever “shadowed with wings,” or protected by heavenly powers.  It also has lots of air transportation, but this interpretation may be less helpful, since other nations also have air transportation. 

to a nation scattered and peeled -- The United States is indeed quite scattered, such as with Alaska that is disconnected from the main part of the United States, and Hawaii, that island clear out in the Pacific ocean.  It has unincorporated territories of Puerto Rico, Guam, American Samoa, Northern Mariana Islands, U.S. Virgin Islands.  As for “peeled,” one site says that it can also be translated as “obstinate,” “independent-minded,” or “smooth” (clean-shaven?)  (http://www.icr.org/books/defenders/3998/)  “Peeled” could also refer to the manner that America peeled away from Great Britain to obtain its independence. 

to a people terrible from their beginning hitherto -- This could refer to the way the United States has become a dominant superpower.  Even in its first years, it was “terrible,” in that oppressive mobs have frequently combined to express displeasure and to mete out vigilante justice. (It was after all, a mob that participated in the Boston Tea Party, even if we have sacralized that part of our history.)

To a nation meted out and trodden down – “meted out” could be referring to the way a nation has been measured and surveyed for settlement.  “a nation…trodden down” evokes the image of a place being walked all over, and this may be referring to cities that have many pedestrian areas, but also to the way the nation had built roads everywhere.  In Israel in Isaiah’s day, roads where made by people who just walked in the same place over and over until the ground was so compacted that nothing grew on it.  If Isaiah saw our concrete and asphalt roads in vision, he probably wouldn’t think that we had put any substance down to make the road, he would think that we had trod over the ground so much that the ground naturally became like that.  If he saw all the roads in our cities and our highway systems, he would have indeed called us a nation trodden down.

whose land the rivers have spoiled! – Some think that “spoiled” is to be interpreted as “divided.”  America is divided by a number of large rivers, such as the Mississippi, the Missouri, the Columbia, the Colorado, the Rio Grande, the Brazos, the Ohio, and more.  At http://www.enchantedlearning.com/usa/rivers/ I found a list of 28 United States rivers that were over 600 miles long!  Still, spoiling can also be interpreted as destruction and carrying away property by river flood.  America has had a number of devastating floods during its history that have caused huge amounts of damage.  The flooded Missouri River in 1993, for instance, caused $15 billion in damages and was the second costliest on record (Top 10 Historic U.S. Floods, http://www.time.com/time/specials/packages/article/0,28804,2070796_2070798_2070783,00.html).

Verses 4-6 are trickier.

4 For so the Lord said unto me,

I will take my rest,

and I will consider in my dwelling place like a clear heat upon herbs,

and like a cloud of dew in the heat of harvest.

 5 For afore the harvest, when the bud is perfect,

and the sour grape is ripening in the flower,

he shall both cut off the sprigs with pruning hooks,

and take away and cut down the branches.

 6 They shall be left together unto the fowls of the mountains,

and to the beasts of the earth:

and the fowls shall summer upon them,

and all the beasts of the earth shall winter upon them.

I looked up pruning grapes on the internet to see if understanding that might help with understanding these verses.  I learned that pruning is done both early and late.  Early pruning establishes which branches will bear fruit.  Late pruning during the summer helps balance the productivity of the vine with leaf and shoot growth.  It seems to me that Isaiah meant for the grapevine to represent the house of Israel and he was trying to show how the Lord would prune unproductive branches out to be destroyed.  The imagery of fowls and beasts summering and wintering on the plucked branches makes me think that it means that Gentiles would benefit from the destruction. 

I think there are lessons we can get from this idea of early pruning (cutting off springs) and late pruning (cutting down branches).  The Lord is willing to cut off unrepentant individuals from the church whether they are new or old members.  Looked at it another way, He will purify the church of iniquity whether it is early in its history, or later in its history. 

What does this mean in verse 4 that the Lord will “consider in my dwelling place like a clear heat upon herbs, and like a cloud of dew in the heat of harvest”?  The metaphor is peculiar.  What principle are we to learn about the Lord and how He is considering?  How might we draw comfort from this?

The first question we might ask is, “What do we know about how dew forms?”  Dew is formed when water vapor in the air is cooled past the dew point and condenses into water droplets.  The hotter it is, the more water that air can hold, and the more humid it will feel. 

A “cloud of dew” could also loosely be called a “clear heat” because you can see straight through this water vapor in the air; it doesn’t appear as clouds.  Visible clouds would be fog, which wouldn’t be a clear heat.  So “cloud of dew” and “clear heat” are synonyms. 

One principle I might learn is this -- just like a cloud of water can be in the air without us seeing it, the Lord is there in the temple, even though we can’t see Him.  Just like we know water is in the air by how humid the air feels, we can sense the presence of the Lord through the Spirit.  Just like the herbs wait for dew to condense and water them, we Saints wait for the time when the Lord will appear and nourish us.  We might also say that we are nourished already as the doctrines of the priesthood distill upon our souls as the dews from heaven (see D&C 121:45).

I personally find this comforting since it confirms to me that I am seen and known by the Lord.