Cunning Plans of the Devil

And thus we see how great the inequality of man is because of sin and transgression, and the power of the devil, which comes by the cunning plans which he hath devised to ensnare the hearts of men. (Alma 28:13)

What are the cunning plans of the devil? Can we see them at work in our lies? Do we see the attempts to flatter or stir up to anger or other strong emotion? Do we notice the attempts to bind down with apathy or discouragement or hopelessness?

Ensnaring hearts makes me think of feelings that are easy to get into, but which are hard to get out of.

I decided I needed more insight on this, so I decided to look at “snare” in the Topical Guide.

The children of Israel were commanded, “if thou serve their gods, it will surely be a snare unto thee.” (Ex. 23:33) Since that service to the other gods involved ritual prostitution, that was definitely true. Getting into that sin would be hard to get out of.

Gideon, after his military success, made an ephod and all Israel went whoring after it, and it became a snare unto Gideon and to his house (see Judges 8:27). Material goods can be a snare when everybody loves it but us. If we want to get rid of it because it is having a bad influence and nobody will let us, or we don’t see what’s so great about it.

Saul gave his daughter Michal to David to wife, calculating that she would be a snare to him (see 1 Samuel 18:21) possibly because of her idolatry (see 1 Sam. 19:13). When spouses aren’t equally yoked, the less faithful one can pull down the more faithful one. The same can be said of friends as well.

David curses the wicked in Psalm 69:22, “Let their table become a snare before them; and that which should have been for their welfare, let it become a trap.” How might a table be a snare? I think it means what is on the table, not the table itself. In his day, food might have been a snare if people began breaking the Law of Moses concerning clean and unclean foods. It would lead them into thinking they could break other laws as well.  A table can also be a snare to people who have a hard time knowing when to stop eating.

Our mouth can snare us. “A fool’s mouth is his destruction, and his lips are the snare of his soul.” (Proverbs 18:7) People are affected by their own words, and we can get stuck in patterns of speech that aren’t very kind or healthy. We can get stuck in patterns of criticism or gossip.

Proverbs 22:24-25 warns against making friends with an angry man lest we learn his ways and become ensnared in them. So anger becomes a snare too. I think we can see today how people can get pulled a habit of anger.

Proverbs 29:8 says scornful men bring a city into a snare, but wise men turn away wrath. Scorn causes people to do all kinds of things to avoid being derided, even if it is wrong. It can affect entire communities.

Proverbs 29:25 says, “The fear of man bringeth a snare: but whoso putteth his trust in the Lord shall be safe.” Worrying about what others will think can become a pernicious trap that keeps us timid and powerless.

Jeremiah 50:24 warns Babylon that a snare is laid for them and they are trapped because they fight against the Lord. Rebellion becomes a snare.

In Luke 21:34-35, Jesus warns that in the last days drunkenness, excess, and cares of this life would become a snare to the world before the second coming. So pleasures can be a snare as well. (It would certainly be a cunning plan of the devil to make fun into a snare that traps people.)

1 Timothy 6:9 says that they that will be rich fall into temptation and a snare. So greed and avarice can be an instrument of entrapment by the devil. The law of sacrifice is one of the Lord’s methods for getting His people loose from that kind of trap.

Alma the elder told the people in Mosiah 23:9 that he was caught in a snare with the iniquity of King Noah and the priests. He got loose by accepting the truth Abinadi taught, by standing up for Abinadi (which caused a break between Alma and the others), and by repenting.

Is there anything that is spiritually trapping you these days? Humility and repentance is the key to get out.

The word of God as a sword, quick and powerful

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Behold, I am God; give heed to my word, which is quick and powerful, sharper than a two-edged sword, to the dividing asunder of both joints and marrow; therefore give heed unto my word. (D&C 11:2)

This verse and similar language is used to introduce a number of revelations in the Doctrine and Covenants—sections 6, 11, 12, 14, 33.

Why does the Lord say His word is quick? 

I suspect that He doesn’t mean quick in the sense of speed, but in the old sense of “alive,” just like we are promised elsewhere that we will be quickened, which means we will be made alive.

Is the Lord’s word alive?

I think so. When I read it, it moves me and stirs me. It wakes me up and blows fresh air through my soul. There is health and vigor in it.

Why does the Lord say His word is also like a sword that divides asunder joins and marrow?

You only have to read a few of the revelations to see there is so much plain-speaking and honesty with no softening of the truth that it cuts through all layers of rationalization and self-deception. 

But why say it can divide asunder joints and marrow? Why use that imagery instead of saying something like splitting hairs down the middle or piercing to the heart? 

To talk about cutting bone instead of cutting to the heart underlines the sharpness and strength of the word. (And maybe it says something about the stubbornness of the listeners and readers.)  Also, cutting joints makes me think of cutting limbs off, taking a cross-section in one way, while cutting through marrow makes me think of cutting down through the bone long-ways to reveal another kind of cross-section. That idea of being able to cut cross-sections in two different ways through very hard material encapsulates a great lesson about the power and precision and versatility of the Lord’s words.

Also, I notice there’s a contrast that is set up too. The word is something that can quicken and enliven, or it can harm what gets in the way.  The word of God does tend to do that, depending on the listener. One who listens and obeys is made more spiritually alive, while one who rejects it is gradually cut off from the Lord’s presence.

New insight on the Parable of the Sower

I was reading Talmage’s Jesus the Christ yesterday and got some new insights from the parable of the sower.

If you remember, this parable is about the four different types of ground that the seeds fell on.

19 When any one heareth the word of the kingdom, and understandeth it not, then cometh the wicked one, and catcheth away that which was sown in his heart. This is he which received seed by the way side.

20 But he that received the seed into stony places, the same is he that heareth the word, and anon with joy receiveth it;

21 Yet hath he not root in himself, but dureth for a while: for when tribulation or persecution ariseth because of the word, by and by he is offended.

22 He also that received seed among the thorns is he that heareth the word; and the care of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, choke the word, and he becometh unfruitful.

23 But he that received seed into the good ground is he that heareth the word, and understandeth it; which also beareth fruit, and bringeth forth, some an hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty. (Mattew 13:19-23)

We often think of these different types of ground as different types of people and the way they react to hearing the gospel.  But this may be doing us a disservice.  How does it help us to read it that way?  I don’t think it does much for us except to give us a self-satisfied notion that we know what’s going on.

Another question – if a person is one particular type of ground, like a bad type, are they stuck that way forever?  And if a person is a good type of ground, are they forever safe?

I’m sure you can probably answer that question with me.  No; no one is stuck forever if they don’t want to be, or forever safe in spite of themselves.

This is when I realized what the true purpose of this parable is.  It’s to be used as a self-diagnosis tool for the Saints to help us test ourselves and realize where we are.   Because we’re not always going to be good ground all the time.  For whatever reason, we may find ourselves identifying with the weedy ground or stony ground or even the wayside ground.  (I know I have, at various times.)

The even cooler thing is we’re not stuck, if that happens because we should know enough about farming to realize that for each problematic type of ground, there is a solution for how to fix it.

If the ground on the wayside is trodden down and birds come and carry away the seeds, then clearly that ground has become terribly hardened.  It has to be softened up.  (Humility!  Gratitude!  And trials!)  If birds are carrying away the seeds, the seeds need to be held onto by the ground and buried.  (Treasure and ponder over the word instead of forgetting it.)

If the ground is stony with only a shallow covering of earth, then those stones need to be broken up (with humility) or carried away (like taking away bad traditions with good doctrine).  The seed has to be planted deeper for deeper roots to form (commitment). 

If the ground is weedy and choking the good seeds, then the weeds have to be removed (priorities have to be put straight).

If the ground is fruitful, but only giving 30- or 60-fold when 100-fold is desired, then there has to be more soil amendment (nourishing doctrine and desire) and more growth (deciding to do more to stretch oneself).

This parable really is for us to act on because Jesus can sow the word profusely, but we need to be prepared for it.  He can’t do that preparation for us. 

Having a language pure and undefiled

I was studying Moses 6 about Adam and Seth and something struck me about this verse:

And by them their children were taught to read and write, having a language which was pure and undefiled. (Moses 6:6)

The first thing I thought of when I read that was all the things I had heard people speculate about the pure Adamic tongue and how we tend to yearn to know that and speak it and want it brought back. We’ve wondered what it would be like to speak it, what it would be like to have such strength of expression that it would overpower others just for them to read our words, just as Moroni was overpowered by the written words of the brother of Jared. You’ve probably thought this, and I know I have.

But today as I read this I began to wonder, why can’t we make our own language “pure and undefiled”? I started to think about what it would take for that to happen. Yes, English isn’t the Adamic tongue, but it is what we’ve got to work with at the moment, so why can’t we make that pure and undefiled?

So I started to think about what it might take to make our language pure and undefiled. Maybe it’s how we use our words that really makes a language that way. Wouldn’t speaking with both honesty and charity purify our language? Wouldn’t speaking with justice and mercy purify our language? Wouldn’t sharing the gospel purify our language? Wouldn’t expressing faith and trust (instead of doubt and distrust) purify our language?

What kind of things can you think of that we can do to make our language pure and undefiled?

Why both “salt of the earth” and “light of this people”?

Recently I was reading the Savior’s words to the Nephites and I ran across these sayings:

13 Verily, verily, I say unto you, I give unto you to be the salt of the earth; but if the salt shall lose its savor wherewith shall the earth be salted? The salt shall be thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out and to be trodden under foot of men.
14 Verily, verily, I say unto you, I give unto you to be the light of this people. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hid.
15 Behold, do men light a candle and put it under a bushel? Nay, but on a candlestick, and it giveth light to all that are in the house;
16 Therefore let your light so shine before this people, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father who is in heaven. (3 Nephi 12:13-16)

My question upon reading this was, why did Jesus feel it necessary to give two different versions of what seems to be the same idea? They both seem to convey the idea of how the Lord’s covenant people are to be special and an example. I have heard explanations that salt on sacrifices is a symbol of the covenant, but for some reason I have a hard time grasping this association; it feels like the ideas are too far apart. (Maybe I just haven’t progressed to the point of getting it yet.)

But back to the question of why both “salt of the earth” and “light of this people” were used. What is the same between them and what is different?

I noticed that these two metaphors involved different senses—taste and vision. Being a light to the eyes is like being an example. But taste is a bit trickier. Nonmembers don’t taste us…. Or do they? I remembered a verse from Job that I had noticed a long time ago.

Doth not the ear try words? and the mouth taste his meat? (Job 12:11)

I went searching for more instances in the scriptures where “taste” is used and I found three other helpful verses.

How sweet are thy words unto my taste! yea, sweeter than honey to my mouth! (Psalms 119:103)

Is there iniquity in my tongue? cannot my taste discern perverse things? (Job 6:30)

Let your speech be alway with grace, seasoned with salt, that ye may know how ye ought to answer every man. (Colossians 4:6)

In a sense, words can be tasted by the ear just like salt is tasted by the tongue. There is a special flavor and savor to the godly conversation of the Saints that is refreshing. Our words can impart gospel principles and a unique perspective of the world. As Paul said to the Colossians, our speech can be with grace (which the Bible Dictionary says is “enabling power”) that can edify and motivate and even help change lives. The savor of our words is instrumental in attracting people to the gospel and in teaching it.

So it seems that Jesus meant to use the metaphors of “salt of the earth” and “light of this people” to convey the ideas that both our words and our example help the world.

I know I really savor the words of faithful Latter-day Saints. I was trying to remember a particularly memorable experience I could share of savory words someone spoke and I realized how blessed I am to associate with so many members so often. I taste that savor in general conference. I taste it in the scriptures. I taste it in well-prepared church talks and lessons. I taste it in sincere prayers. I taste it in everyday conversation that is tinged with faith. I taste it on so many of your blogs.

I think a most recent example is in our relief society lesson on charity yesterday in which our instructor mentioned that she had realized that she needed to show her husband more charity by not bringing up past mistakes he had made. We all giggled a bit at this admission of hers, but there was a special savor in hearing her thoughts about it. I know I appreciated it because it motivated me to commit to being more forgiving of my husband too.

I also can’t help but give my mother credit for her savory words. In my upbringing she exemplified “salt of the earth.”

Can you tell me of an experience you had when the savor of someone’s words helped you?

Grammatical Study of the Sacrament Prayer on the Bread

O God, the Eternal Father, we ask thee in the name of thy Son, Jesus Christ, to bless and sanctify this bread to the souls of all those who partake of it, that they may eat in remembrance of the body of thy Son, and witness unto thee, O God, the Eternal Father, that they are willing to take upon them the name of thy Son, and always remember him and keep his commandments which he has given them; that they may always have his Spirit to be with them. Amen. (D&C 20:77)

Let’s start with the verbs and verbals. What do we find?

Ask
Bless
Sanctify
Partake
Eat
Witness
Are willing
Take upon
remember
Keep
Has Given
May Have
Be with

There are so many things we can say about this list. It indicates that taking the sacrament is not just one action, but many. Some actions are visible and others aren’t. And I can see that if I am not strenuously engaged in those actions that are not outwardly visible, I am clearly not doing my part and the ordinance is merely “dead works.”

Something else I can see from this list is that there are actions that the Lord does and actions that we do. The Lord does the “bless, sanctify, has given, be with”. We do the “ask, partake, eat, are willing, remember, keep, and may have.”

How about the nouns in the prayer? (There’s a lot of pronouns in there too, so I am leaving them out.)

God
Father
Name
Son
Jesus Christ
Bread
Souls
all those who partake of it
Body
Son
God
Father
Name
Son
Commandments
Spirit

Something I notice from this list is that the whole Godhead appears in it. Each member of the Godhead is performing a special role. God the Father will bless and sanctify the bread so that the ordinance can be done to salvation. The Son, Jesus Christ acts as an advocate, since the ordinance is done in His name. He gave commandments, which are referred to. He was born on earth, He died, and was resurrected, which is implied by the mere reference to His body. The same reference to His body also evokes His voluntary sacrifice for the sins of mankind. Finally, Spirit acts as a constant companion to the worthy partakers.

I also notice that “the name of thy Son” occurs twice in the prayer. The first time it is used as part of the petition and the second it is something taken on by the partaker. To me this suggests the hope of a change in identity that is to lead to a change in nature.

Okay. What adjectives and adverbs can we find and what do they teach us?

Eternal (Father)
Eternal (Father)
Always (remember)
Always (have)

The only true adjectives and adverbs are focused on eternity. This is a sign to me that this ordinance is of God and that God’s work is to bring us to be more like Him. That “always remember” suggests to me that my memory and gratitude for Christ’s sacrifice can last beyond mortal life into the eternities.

What words in the sacrament prayers strike you as being especially significant? What experiences have brought you greater meaning as you have taken the sacrament?

Joseph Smith’s Last Words

Joseph leaped from the window, and was shot dead in the attempt, exclaiming: O Lord my God! (D&C 135:1)

The question I asked myself today when I thought of this: "Were Joseph Smith’s last words a prayer or a greeting to Someone who was there to meet him?" ( I think we can safely assume that he wasn’t taking the Lord’s name in vain..)

God promises Enoch influence

Behold my Spirit is upon you,
wherefore all thy words will I justify;
and the mountains shall flee before you,
and the rivers shall turn from their course;
and thou shalt abide in me, and I in you;
therefore walk with me.
(Moses 6:34)

Recently I was thinking about this verse when God calls Enoch to be a prophet. I realized that while God was talking literally about mountains fleeing and rivers changing course, mountains and rivers were also being used as symbols for types of people. The mountains symbolized people who were lifted up in pride. The rivers symbolized people who were very set in their ways, who did things a certain way, and who flowed down to the lowest spiritual level. God promised Enoch that through the words given him, the proud would begin to fear (and humble themselves) and those who were set in their ways would change their course (for something better). I thought that was awesome. Literal control of the elements is miraculous, but I think that change for the better in a person’s life is no less miraculous.

What can you do with just six words?

Earnest Hemingway was challenged to write a six-word novel. He came up with the following: “For sale: Baby shoes, never worn.”

Can you come up with a six-word sermon for a sacrament talk? Or how about telling a scripture story in six words? Here’s my contributions:

Tempted, tasted, sinned, left the Garden.

Tower of Babel? I don’t understand.

Watched sheep, chopped arms, converted many.

Giant, scary. Boy with sling, fearless.

Prophets: Repent! People: No! God: Good-bye!

Be wise, my son. ‘Nuff’ said.

-ity Virtues and –ity Vices

After H. David Burton’s talk today about –ity virtues, I became curious about what –ity words were out there and what an examination of their definitions could teach me. I found a lot of –ity words, both virtues and vices. So I decided to list them all, find out their definitions, and group them and order them. Lo and behold, I started to see some patterns. (Definitions are taken from my Oxford American Dictionary widget for Macintosh. (Also, some definitions are adapted and synthesized from root words.)) Note the progressions of word and definitions.

-ity Virtues

maturity – the state, fact, or period of being mature. Fully developed physically, full-grown. Having reached an advanced stage of mental or emotional development characteristic of an adult. Careful and thorough in planning and thought. Implies gaining wisdom, experience, or sophistication as well as adulthood.
nobility – the quality of being noble in character, mind, birth, or rank. Showing fine personal qualities or high moral principles and ideals
sanctity – the state or quality of being holy, sacred, or saintly; ultimate importance and invioluability
sublimity – of much excellence, grandeur, or beauty as to inspire great admiration and awe
eternity – infinite or unending time, a state in which time has no application, endless life after death, used euphemistically to refer to death,
divinity – the state or quality of being divine, study of religion

legality – the quality or state of being in accordance with the law
authority – the power or right to give orders, make decisions, and enforce obedience; the right to act in a specified way, delegated from one person or organization to another
dignity – state or quality of being worthy of honor or respect, composed or serious manner or style, self-respect
inviolability – never to be broken, infringed, or dishonored
solemnity – the state of being serious and dignified
gravity – extreme or alarming importance, seriousness or solemnity of manner
equity – quality of being fair and impartial
docility – ready to accept control and instruction, submissive

morality – principles concerning the distinction between right and wrong or good and bad behavior, behavior as affected by these principles, a particular system of values or principles of conduct, the extent to which an action is right or wrong, behavior or qualities judged to be good

verity – a true principle or belief especially one of fundamental importance
veracity – conformity to facts, accuracy, habitual truthfulness
integrity – the quality of being honest and having strong moral principles; moral uprightness, the state of being whole and undivided, unified, unimpaired, sound in construction, internal consistency or lack of corruption
sincerity – free from pretense or deceit; proceeding from genuine feelings of a person saying what they genuinely feel or believe, not dishonest or hypocritical
tenacity – not readily letting go of, giving up, or separated from an object that one holds, a position, or principle; not easily dispelled or discouraged, persisting in existence or a course of action
sedulity – showing dedication and diligence

purity – freedom from adulteration or contamination, freedom from immorality, especially of a sexual nature
chastity – the state or practice of refraining from extramarital, or especially all sexual intercourse
fidelity – faithfulness to a person, cause, or belief, demonstrated by continuing loyalty and support; sexual faithfulness to a spouse; the degree of exactness with which something is copied or reproduced

sagacity – having or showing good judgment
clarity – quality of being clear, in particular, quality of coherence and intelligibility, quality of being certain or definite, quality of transparency or purity
lucidity – expressed clearly; easy to understand; showing ability to think clearly especially in periods of confusion
assiduity – constant or close attention to what one is doing
brevity – concise and exact use of words in writing or speech
curiosity- a strong desire to learn or know something,

vitality – the state of being strong or active, energy; the power to give continuance of life, present in all living things
salubrity – health-giving, healthy
ability – capacity to do something, talent that allows someone to achieve a great deal, a level of mental power
capacity – the ability or power to do, experience, or understand something
activity – the condition in which things are happening or things are being done
agility – able to move quickly and easily
alacrity – brisk and cheerful readiness
celerity - quickness
dexterity – skill in performing tasks, especially with the hands

frugality – sparing or economical with regard to money or food; simple, plain, or costing little
utility – state of being useful, profitable, beneficial. A measure of that which is sought to be maximized in any situation involving a choice, useful, able to perform several functions
ingenuity – the quality of being clever, original, and inventive

diversity – the state of being diverse, variety; a range of different things
unity – a state of being united or joined as a whole, harmony or agreement between people or groups, forming a complete and pleasing whole
community – feeling of fellowship with others, as a result of sharing common attitudes, interests, and goals
amity – a friendly relationship
affinity – a spontaneous liking or sympathy for someone or something, relationship especially by marriage rather than blood ties, degree to which a substance tends to combine with another
joviality – cheerful or friendly
lenity – kindness, gentleness
geniality – friendly and cheerful, pleasantly mild or warm
charity – voluntary giving of help, typically in the form of money to those in need, an organization set up to do so, kindness and tolerance in judging others, love of humankind typically in a Christian context

humility – a modest or low view of one’s own importance. A low sense of pride
civility – formal politeness and courtesy in behavior or speech, polite remarks used in formal conversation. In early use, it denoted good citizenship and orderly behavior
urbanity – showing courteousness and refinement of manner

felicity – intense happiness, ability to find appropriate expression for one’s thoughts, particularly effective feature of a work of literature or art
jollity – lively or cheerful activity or celebration
jocosity – playful or humorous

stability – the state of being stable. Not likely to change or fail; firmly established.
serenity – state of being calm, peaceful, untroubled
placidity – not easily upset or excited

-ity Vices

vanity – excessive pride in or admiration of one’s own appearance or achievements. The quality of being worthless or futile
pomposity – affectedly and irritatingly grand, solemn, or self-important
uppity – self-important, arrogant
indignity – treatment or circumstances that cause one to feel shame or to lose one’s dignity
disunity – disagreement or conflict within a group
enmity – the state or feeling of being actively opposed or hostile to someone or something
hostility – unfriendliness or opposition
animosity – strong hostility
malignity – evil in nature or effect: malevolent; speaking about someone in a spiteful and critical manner
acidity – the bitterness or sharpness of a person’s remarks or tone
severity – (of something bad or undesirable) very great, intense; strict or harsh
asperity – harshness of tone or manner
pugnacity – eager or quick to quarrel
lividity – furiously angry
morbidity – characterized by or appealing to an abnormal and unhealthy interest in disturbing and unpleasant subjects especially death and disease.
brutality – savagely violent, without any attempt to disguise unpleasantness
ferocity – the state of being savagely fierce, cruel, or violent
barbarity – extreme cruelty or brutality, absence of culture or civilization

laxity – not sufficiently strict or severe, careless, relaxed, loose, involving laziness or indifference
ambiguity – uncertainty or inexactness of meaning, lack of decisiveness or commitment resulting from a failure to make a choice between alternatives
velleity – having a wish not strong enough to lead to action
passivity – accepting or allowing what happens or what others do, without active response or resistance, made unreactive, containing no force
futility – incapable of producing any useful result, pointless

vacuity – having or showing a lack of thought or intelligence, mindless
stupidity – lacking intelligence or common sense, unable to think clearly
vapidity – offering nothing that is stimulating and challenging
banality – so lacking in originality as to be obvious and boring
inanity – silly, stupid
fatuity – silly, pointless
puerility – childishly silly or trivial
frivolity – not having any serious purpose or value
tenuity – lack of solidity or substance, thinness
levity – humor or frivolity, especially the treatment of a serious matter with humor or in a manner lacking of respect
salacity – manner of treating sexual matters indecently, indicating undue interest or enjoyment in the subject
profanity – blasphemous or obscene language, oaths, irreligious or irreverent behavior. Not sacred.
vulgarity – lacking in sophistication and good taste, unrefined. Making explicit and offensive reference to sex or bodily functions: coarse and rude.
obscenity – an extremely offensive word or expression, (of the portrayal or description of sexual matters) offensively or disgusting by accepted standards of morality and decency. Offensive to moral principles. Repugnant.
impurity – condition of being mixed with foreign matter, adulterated, dirty, morally wrong especially in sexual matters, defiled or contaminated according to ritual perscriptions
crudity – in a natural or raw state, not yet processed or refined, not adjusted or corrected, constructed in a rudimentary or makeshift way. (of an action) showing little finesse or subtlety and as a result unlikely to succeed. (of language, behavior, or a person) offensively coarse or rude especially in relation to sexual matters
carnality – relating to especially sexual, needs and activities
iniquity – immoral or grossly unfair behavior
depravity – moral corruption, wickedness

cupidity – greed for money or possessions
rapacity – marked by greed, grasping
inequity – lack of fairness or justice
disparity – a great difference (economic)
paucity – scarcity of something

falsity – not according with truth or fact; incorrect. Not according with rules or law. Appearing to be the thing denoted: deliberately made or meant to deceive. Artificial, feigned, illusory, not actually so. Treacherous, unfaithful
rascality – a mischievous person or cheeky person or child, a dishonest person
mendacity – untruthful
duplicity – deceitfulness, double-dealing
venality – susceptible to bribery
dacoity – an act of armed robbery commited by a gang in India or Burma

This shows me that there is progression in virtues and regression in vices.

Considering what wasn’t said

I ran across this verse a few days ago.

So shall he sprinkle many nations;
the kings shall shut their mouths at him:
for that which had not been told them shall they see;
and that which they had not heard shall they consider. (Isaiah 52:15)

It’s one of those verses that has continued to puzzle me. For some reason, this time when I read it, I thought of Christ as he stood before Pilate and Herod.

1 And the whole multitude of them arose, and led him unto Pilate.
2 And they began to accuse him, saying, We found this fellow perverting the nation, and forbidding to give tribute to Caesar, saying that he himself is Christ a King.
3 And Pilate asked him, saying, Art thou the King of the Jews? And he answered him and said, Thou sayest it. (Luke 23:1-3)

12 And when he was accused of the chief priests and elders, he answered nothing.
13 Then said Pilate unto him, Hearest thou not how many things they witness against thee?
14 And he answered him to never a word; insomuch that the governor marvelled greatly. (Matthew 27:12-14)

4 Then said Pilate to the chief priests and to the people, I find no fault in this man.
5 And they were the more fierce, saying, He stirreth up the people, teaching throughout all Jewry, beginning from Galilee to this place.
6 When Pilate heard of Galilee, he asked whether the man were a Galilaean.
7 And as soon as he knew that he belonged unto Herod’s jurisdiction, he sent him to Herod, who himself also was at Jerusalem at that time.
8 ¶ And when Herod saw Jesus, he was exceeding glad: for he was desirous to see him of a long season, because he had heard many things of him; and he hoped to have seen some miracle done by him.
9 Then he questioned with him in many words; but he answered him nothing.
10 And the chief priests and ascribes stood and vehemently accused him.
11 And Herod with his men of war set him at nought, and mocked him, and arrayed him in a gorgeous robe, and sent him again to Pilate.
12 ¶ And the same day Pilate and Herod were made friends together: for before they were at enmity between themselves.
13 ¶ And Pilate, when he had called together the chief priests and the rulers and the people,
14 Said unto them, Ye have brought this man unto me, as one that perverteth the people: and, behold, I, having examined him before you, have found no fault in this man touching those things whereof ye accuse him:
15 No, nor yet Herod: for I sent you to him; and, lo, nothing worthy of death is done unto him.
16 I will therefore chastise him, and release him. (Luke 23:4 -16)

15 Now at that feast the governor was wont to release unto the people a prisoner, whom they would.
16 And they had then a notable prisoner, called Barabbas.
17 Therefore when they were gathered together, Pilate said unto them, Whom will ye that I release unto you? Barabbas, or Jesus which is called Christ?
18 For he knew that for envy they had delivered him. (Matthew 27:15-18)

Pilate seems to have gotten an earful from the crowd, and yet he was able to see and consider that what he had heard from the Jews and what he was seeing in Christ were not the same thing. There was nothing that he could say against Christ, so in that respect his mouth was shut.

My hope is that we can live our lives in a way similar to Christ so that when we are accused of evil deeds, those who examine us will see and consider (and recognize) that which they had not heard from others—the truth.

How are we to understand the word “astonished” in the scriptures?

One of the fun things that has been observed by John Bytheway in his book “Righteous Warriors” and in his Education Week talk* by the same title is that in Book of Mormon you see the use of the word “astonished” to denote surprise. You also see the phrase “exceedingly astonished” and “astonished beyond measure”. The reader, when he or she runs across these phrases, gets the sense of complete and total surprise, that something completely unexpected has happened.

However, I suspected that the word was not being used indiscriminately, but was being used to convey something either good or bad.

I looked “astonish” up in the Topical Guide, but it had very little in the way of references. Most from the Bible, and it had about two from the Book of Mormon, but I knew “astonish” is used far more than two times in the Book of Mormon. I looked in the Index and they didn’t have any entry at all. Finally, I went on the church’s website to the online scriptures and did a search for “astonish”, and I got 76 results. (Actually, there were more than 76 results, because they count multiple instances in the same chapter as one result.)

What I found was that in most cases, when people are astonished in the scriptures, it is not good. It’s bad.

This is different from our modern definition for astonish--“to surprise or impress greatly”-- which is neutral and even positive. But there happens to be a much older meaning for “astonish”. Evidently in the 16th century it conveyed a sense of being stunned, bewildered, and dismayed. That idea of being dismayed is the sense that “astonish” is used for most often in the Book of Mormon.

Let’s look at some examples.

Dismay at wickedness

12 Now, when they had come into the land, behold, to their astonishment they found that the Zoramites had built synagogues, and that they did gather themselves together on one day of the week, which day they did call the day of the Lord; and they did worship after a manner which Alma and his brethren had never beheld;….
19 Now it came to pass that after Alma and his brethren and his sons had heard these prayers, they were astonished beyond all measure. (Alma 31:12,19, emphasis added)

The Zoramite we-are-saved-while-everyone-else-is-damned-and-there-is-no-Christ prayers understandably caused great dismay with Alma and company.

And now it came to pass when Lachoneus received this epistle he was exceedingly astonished, because of the boldness of Giddianhi demanding the possession of the land of the Nephites, and also of threatening the people and avenging the wrongs of those that had received no wrong, save it were they had wronged themselves by dissenting away unto those wicked and abominable robbers. (3 Nephi 3:11)

We can note that Lachoneus was dismayed by Giddianhi’s demands and threats, but later we see that he is not frightened by them.

Dismay at a different reaction that hoped for

And now when Lamoni had rehearsed unto him all these things, behold, to his astonishment, his father was angry with him, and said: Lamoni, thou art going to deliver these Nephites, who are sons of a liar. Behold, he robbed our fathers; and now his children are also come amongst us that they may, by their cunning and their lyings, deceive us, that they again may rob us of our property. (Alma 20:13)

Undoubtedly Lamoni had hoped for a more favorable reaction from his father to his story.

Suddenly recognizing the hand of the Lord

And when they had all testified to the things which they had seen, and he had learned of the faithfulness of Ammon in preserving his flocks, and also of his great power in contending against those who sought to slay him, he was astonished exceedingly, and said: Surely, this is more than a man. Behold, is not this the Great Spirit who doth send such great punishments upon this people, because of their murders? (Alma 18:2, emphasis added)

It might be a little difficult to understand how Lamoni might have been dismayed by the faithfulness and power of Ammon, unless we surmise that Lamoni’s idea of the Great Spirit up to that point had probably been something like “If the Great Spirit doesn’t stop me, then whatever I do is right.” He thought Ammon was the Great Spirit come down to right wrongs, which suggested to him that he had somehow done wrong to kill his servants.

And when the multitude had witnessed that he spake these things as he [Sherem] was about to give up the ghost, they were astonished exceedingly; insomuch that the power of God came down upon them, and they were overcome that they fell to the earth. (Jacob 7:21, emphasis added)

Seeing Sherem deny the things he had taught and hearing him express his fear of having an “awful case” would certainly cause dismay in those who had believed him before.

Dismay at being wrong

And now behold, when they saw this they were astonished exceedingly, insomuch that they fell to the earth; for they had not believed the words which Nephi had spoken concerning the chief judge. (Helaman 9:4, emphasis added)

Dismay at seeming disaster

And they began to assemble themselves together unto the house of the king. And there came a multitude, and to their astonishment, they beheld the king, and the queen, and their servants prostrate upon the earth, and they all lay there as though they were dead; and they also saw Ammon, and behold, he was a Nephite. (Alma 19:18)

To all the Lamanites, it must have looked like there was some sort of deadly invisible force had run absolutely amok in the king’s house. Some sort of mysterious massacre.

And behold the people did gather themselves together unto the place of the judgment-seat—and behold, to their astonishment they saw those five men who had fallen to the earth. (Helaman 9:7)

Once again, at first glance it looks like some sort of massacre.

Dismay at preparation

36 But Ammon stood forth and began to cast stones at them with his sling; yea, with mighty power he did sling stones amongst them; and thus he slew a certain number of them insomuch that they began to be astonished at his power; nevertheless they were angry because of the slain of their brethren, and they were determined that he should fall; therefore, seeing that they could not hit him with their stones, they came forth with clubs to slay him.
37 But behold, every man that lifted his club to smite Ammon, he smote off their arms with his sword; for he did withstand their blows by smiting their arms with the edge of his sword, insomuch that they began to be astonished, and began to flee before him; yea, and they were not few in number; and he caused them to flee by the strength of his arm. (Alma 17:36-37, emphasis added)

It’s easy to see how the Lamanites would be dismayed at not being able to overpower Ammon, when it was all of them to only one of him.

8 But behold, to their uttermost astonishment, they were prepared for them, in a manner which never had been known among the children of Lehi. Now they were prepared for the Lamanites, to battle after the manner of the instructions of Moroni.
9 And it came to pass that the Lamanites, or the Amalickiahites, were exceedingly astonished at their manner of preparation for war. (Alma 49:8-9)

But behold, to their astonishment, the city of Noah, which had hitherto been a weak place, had now, by the means of Moroni, become strong, yea, even to exceed the strength of the city Ammonihah. (Alma 49:14)

23 And it came to pass that on the morrow they returned into the camp of the Nephites in great haste, being greatly astonished, and struck with much fear, saying:
24 Behold, we followed the camp of the Amlicites, and to our great astonishment, in the land of Minon, above the land of Zarahemla, in the course of the land of Nephi, we saw a numerous host of the Lamanites; and behold, the Amlicites have joined them; (Alma 2:23-24)

Prophecies fulfilled

15 And it came to pass that the words which came unto Nephi were fulfilled, according as they had been spoken; for behold, at the going down of the sun there was no darkness; and the people began to be astonished because there was no darkness when the night came….
17 And they began to know that the Son of God must shortly appear; yea, in fine, all the people upon the face of the whole earth from the west to the east, both in the land north and in the land south, were so exceedingly astonished that they fell to the earth. (3 Nephi 1:15-17)

Stopped by an angel

18 And now Alma and those that were with him fell again to the earth, for great was their astonishment; for with their own eyes they had beheld an angel of the Lord; and his voice was as thunder, which shook the earth; and they knew that there was nothing save the power of God that could shake the earth and cause it to tremble as though it would part asunder.
19 And now the astonishment of Alma was so great that he became dumb, that he could not open his mouth; yea, and he became weak, even that he could not move his hands; therefore he was taken by those that were with him, and carried helpless, even until he was laid before his father. (Mosiah 27:18-19)

Dismayed by words

And they [the priests of Noah] began to question him [Abinadi], that they might cross him, that thereby they might have wherewith to accuse him; but he answered them boldly, and withstood all their questions, yea, to their astonishment; for he did withstand them in all their questions, and did confound them in all their words. (Mosiah 12:19)

And now, when Amulek had spoken these words the people began to be astonished, seeing there was amore than one witness who testified of the things whereof they were accused, and also of the things which were to come, according to the spirit of prophecy which was in them. (Alma 10:12)

And it came to pass that Zeezrom was astonished at the words which had been spoken; and he also knew concerning the blindness of the minds, which he had caused among the people by his lying words; and his soul began to be harrowed up under a consciousness of his own guilt; yea, he began to be encircled about by the pains of hell. (Alma 14:6)

And I will also grant unto thee that thy brethren may be cast out of prison, and thou and thy brethren may come unto me, in my kingdom; for I shall greatly desire to see thee. For the king was greatly astonished at the words which he had spoken, and also at the words which had been spoken by his son Lamoni, therefore he was desirous to learn them. (Alma 20:27, emphasis added)

Lamoni’s father would have been greatly dismayed by the Ammon’s words about being cast off for murdering an innocent man. It is likely that Lamoni’s father had the blood of innocent men on his hands already and hadn’t thought anything of it until Ammon’s words.

Therefore they did speak unto the great astonishment of the Lamanites, to the convincing them, insomuch that there were eight thousand of the Lamanites who were in the land of Zarahemla and round about baptized unto repentance, and were convinced of the wickedness of the traditions of their fathers. (Helaman 5:19, emphasis added)

The doctrine that no unclean thing can enter into the kingdom of God is probably one of the most dismaying ideas ever.

1 And now behold, it came to pass that all the people of the land did hear these sayings, and did witness of it. And after these sayings there was silence in the land for the space of many hours;
2 For so great was the astonishment of the people that they did cease lamenting and howling for the loss of their kindred which had been slain; therefore there was silence in all the land for the space of many hours. (3 Nephi 10:1-2)

Detected in a crime

And he shall stand with fear, and wist not what to say. And behold, he shall deny unto you; and he shall make as if he were astonished; nevertheless, he shall declare unto you that he is innocent. (Helaman 9:30)

Hard-heartedness

And it came to pass that thus passed away the *ninety and fifth year also, and the people began to forget those signs and wonders which they had heard, and began to be less and less astonished at a sign or a wonder from heaven, insomuch that they began to be hard in their hearts, and blind in their minds, and began to disbelieve all which they had heard and seen— (3 Nephi 2:1)

That is an interesting verse. It suggests that one of the functions of signs and wonders is to astonish (dismay) people so that they become willing to repent.


Now, there are some other cases where it seems that this dismay in the meaning of “astonish” does not make sense because the circumstances seem more positive. However, this is when we find that there are deeper psychological currents that are rising to the surface, and people coming to grips with inner failings they hadn’t known existed.

And it came to pass that as my father arose in the morning, and went forth to the tent door, to his great astonishment he beheld upon the ground a round ball of curious workmanship; and it was of fine brass. And within the ball were two spindles; and the one pointed the way whither we should go into the wilderness. (1 Nephi 16:10)

Why would Lehi be dismayed by the appearance of the Liahona? If we look at the context of this verse we see why. A little before the above verse, it says that Lehi had fulfilled all the Lord’s commandments thus far. Perhaps Lehi felt that he could live in peace where he was from now on. But no, the Lord has more for Lehi to do—he is told to take his family into the wilderness the next day, and just in case Lehi thinks he was imagining it, the Lord leaves Lehi a tangible gift of guidance. There’s nothing for it but to obey.

And now it came to pass that as Alma was journeying from the land of Gideon southward, away to the land of Manti, behold, to his astonishment, he met with the sons of Mosiah journeying towards the land of Zarahemla. (Alma 17:1)

Why should Alma be dismayed at meeting his buddies again after 14 years? Well, think about it; he’s meeting them at the head of a crowd of Lamanites. No way of just knowing whether they were friendly or not. (With Lamanites, likely it was always safer to assume they were enemies first.) Maybe it looked like his old friends had got together a Lamanite faction to invade the Nephite lands and take over. It is once he starts asking questions that he finds out his buddies are still in the Lord and that the Lamanites with them are converted people.

And when he saw that Ammon had no desire to destroy him, and when he also saw the great love he had for his son Lamoni, he was astonished exceedingly, and said: Because this is all that thou hast desired, that I would release thy brethren, and suffer that my son Lamoni should retain his kingdom, behold, I will grant unto you that my son may retain his kingdom from this time and forever; and I will govern him no more— (Alma 20:26, emphasis added)

Why would Lamoni’s father be dismayed to find that Ammon didn’t want to kill him and that Ammon really cared about Lamoni? Because it was taking all of his deep-seated prejudices about Nephites and turning them upside down, which meant Lamoni’s father had been wrong all along. And not just sort of wrong, but totally and completely dead wrong. Being wrong is hard for any of us to take, but it’s got to be even harder for a powerful king to discover he has been so mistaken for so long.

25 And it came to pass that there were two hundred, out of my two thousand and sixty, who had fainted because of the loss of blood; nevertheless, according to the goodness of God, and to our great astonishment, and also the joy of our whole army, there was not one soul of them who did perish; yea, and neither was there one soul among them who had not received many wounds.
26 And now, their preservation was astonishing to our whole army, yea, that they should be spared while there was a thousand of our brethren who were slain. And we do justly ascribe it to the miraculous power of God, because of their exceeding faith in that which they had been taught to believe—that there was a just God, and whosoever did not doubt, that they should be preserved by his marvelous power. (Alma 57:25-26)

Why should the preservation of the stripling warriors cause dismay among the Nephite army? This one was a poser for me. Maybe.. maybe the stripling warriors had been completely underestimated and looked down upon by the rest of the Nephite army. (“Those little whippersnappers, they’re still wet behind the ears; what good are they ever going to do us in a battle?”) Maybe the Nephite army thought the stripling warriors would suffer the greatest casualties due to their youth and inexperience. And then to find out after battle that none of the stripling warriors had died (though all wounded multiple times) and instead a thousand of the Nephites had died? Humiliating! They would have to realize how powerful faith in God truly was.

And when Alma had said these words, Zeezrom leaped upon his feet, and began to walk; and this was done to the great astonishment of all the people; and the knowledge of this went forth throughout all the land of Sidom. (Alma 15:11)

Why might Zeezrom’s miraculous healing cause dismay? Perhaps the people had pidgeon-holed Zeezrom as an unbeliever and thought his feverish torment a fitting punishment and rejoiced to hear of it. (Perhaps a number of the people were refugees from Ammonihah and knew that Zeezrom had been instrumental in hardening hearts to have the righteous women and children burned.) Hearing of Zeezrom’s miraculous healing would cause dismay if they didn’t want him to be healed. Hopefully it also impressed the lesson upon them that the Lord’s mercy is for EVERYONE that repents.

And so great was the prosperity of the church, and so many the blessings which were poured out upon the people, that even the high priests and the teachers were themselves astonished beyond measure. (Helaman 3:25)

Why would many blessings cause dismay among high priests and teachers in the church? Sometimes church leaders are so intimately aware with the weaknesses of their people that it can begin to seem to them as if there’s no way for their people to rise above the level at which they struggle so desperately. Then when the miracles of the Lord’s tender mercies occur, and a huge jump in progress happens, the leaders can feel dismay at their own lack of faith. They are humbled.

Conclusion: The word “astonished” can be interpreted as “dismayed” in the Book of Mormon.

*If you want see John Bytheway’s Education Week talk “Righteous Warriors: Lessons from the War Chapters of the Book of Mormon” (which is very entertaining and enlightening), you can find it here. I recommend it for a good Family Home Evening.

Watch your words

I recently ran across these things spoken by Jesus:

33 Either make the tree good, and his fruit good; or else make the tree corrupt, and his fruit corrupt: for the tree is known by his fruit.
34 O generation of vipers, how can ye, being evil, speak good things? for out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh.
35 A good man out of the good treasure of the heart bringeth forth good things: and an evil man out of the evil treasure bringeth forth evil things.
36 But I say unto you, That every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment.
37 For by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned. (Matthew 12:34-37)

I’ve always been a little confused by these verses because I’d read that bit “A good man out of the good treasure of the heart bringeth forth good things: and an evil man out of the evil treasure bringeth forth evil things” and I'd think, But even the best people can say bad things and even the worst people can say good things! I was confused, because it didn’t seem to reflect reality.

But recently I had some experiences that prepared me to understand this better.

I took a poetry class this semester and one of the assignments was very strange—we were supposed to write a love poem with rough ugly language or write a poem about something we hated using smooth beautiful love language. As I started thinking about how I was going to do this assignment, I wondered what I loved that could write about. My husband? I thought about what I could say about him that could convey love in ugly language, and I realized that it just wasn’t in me to use that kind of tone for someone or something I loved. And I thought about what I disliked, and I realized it also wasn’t in me to use happy and beautiful words for what I considered ugly.

“[H]ow can ye, being evil, speak good things?” Or how can we being good, speak evil things?

Now, something else that I realized was from looking back on a moment when I was very angry. At that particular angry moment, I really couldn’t think about anything else but how angry I was at what had happened and at the person who had done it. And in the little that I said, my anger was still obvious, even though I tried to hide it.

This showed me that whatever came out of my mouth was going to be reflecting whatever was in my mind, and since I can only think about one thing at a time at any particular moment, what I say is truly an exact reflection of who I am at that moment.

So of course, in the final judgment, if the Lord looks at a record of the words I have said, it will indicate a range of my states of being—good or evil—during my life, and it is imperative that I repent of any evil speaking immediately. I want the record of my words to be indicative of greater and greater goodness as time goes on.

Unspeakable words

The greatest part of the Book of Mormon is when Christ visits the American continent after His Resurrection. Here is a place where He prays for a crowd of people who have gathered to hear Him:

15 And when he had said these words, he himself also knelt upon the earth; and behold he prayed unto the Father, and the things which he prayed cannot be written, and the multitude did bear record who heard him.
16 And after this manner do they bear record: The eye hath never seen, neither hath the ear heard, before, so great and marvelous things as we saw and heard Jesus speak unto the Father;
17 And no tongue can speak, neither can there be written by any man, neither can the hearts of men conceive so great and marvelous things as we both saw and heard Jesus speak; and no one can conceive of the joy which filled our souls at the time we heard him pray for us unto the Father. (3 Nephi 17:15-17)

I’ve wondered in the past how it is possible to speak things that can’t be written or even imagined. But I think I’m beginning to realize how it happens. When I was a teenager I would hear people talk with great enthusiasm about service and missionary work and the Spirit of God and a number of other things of spiritual significance, and I couldn’t understand what was so great about them. But as I have gained more experience with these things I have become acquainted with the great joy that comes from them. I’ve learned how satisfying service is. I’ve learned how invigorating and exciting missionary work is. I’ve gotten more in tune with the Spirit of the Lord and a number of other things, and now I find that when someone says those words they seem magical to me, because just the words evoke memories of the wonderful feelings I’ve had.

So I think that those words Jesus prayed must have been somewhat like icebergs (remember, 10% above the water, 90% submerged where you can’t see it). 90% of the meaning must have been felt.

Balaam and the Talking Donkey

When I was little my Mom would read books to me with scripture stories of the Bible. There was one book with a black cover that had a selected stories from the Old Testament in them and my absolute favorite story in that book was that of Balaam and his talking donkey. This was better than Doctor Dolittle!

Recently I reread through it and while thinking about it I noticed and realized some things that I hadn’t before.

And Balak the son of Zippor saw all that Israel had done to the Amorites.
And Moab was sore afraid of the people, because they were many: and Moab was distressed because of the children of Israel.
And Moab said unto the elders of Midian, Now shall this company lick up all that are round about us, as the ox licketh up the grass of the field. And Balak the son of Zippor was king of the Moabites at that time. (Numbers 22:2-4)

Background: Israel has left Egypt and after the 40 years in the wilderness they are now entering the promised land and the current inhabitants are getting swept off. King Balak knows what’s coming.

He sent messengers therefore unto Balaam the son of Beor to Pethor, which is by the river of the land of the children of his people, to call him, saying, Behold, there is a people come out from Egypt: behold, they cover the face of the earth, and they abide over against me:
Come now therefore, I pray thee, curse me this people; for they are too mighty for me: peradventure I shall prevail, that we may smite them, and that I may drive them out of the land: for I wot that he whom thou blessest is blessed, and he whom thou cursest is cursed. (Numbers 22:5-6)

All King Balak knows is that whenever Balaam says something will happen to someone, it happens. (We know this as the gift of prophecy) Balak doesn’t have any idea that the Balaam’s God is also Israel’s God; he just hopes that he can pay Balaam to say something bad will happen to Israel.

And the elders of Moab and the elders of Midian departed with the rewards of divination in their hand; and they came unto Balaam, and spake unto him the words of Balak.
And he said unto them, Lodge here this night, and I will bring you word again, as the Lord shall speak unto me: and the princes of Moab abode with Balaam.
And God came unto Balaam, and said, What men are these with thee? (Numbers 22:7-9)

I think it is cool that even though the Lord knew exactly who and what those men were doing visiting Balaam, He still wanted to hear Balaam tell Him about it. This indicates that the Lord liked to hear from Balaam and talk to him. If the Lord liked to hear from Balaam, the Lord must like to hear from us too. From His perspective, our thoughtful and sincere prayers must be very important and interesting to Him.

And Balaam said unto God, Balak the son of Zippor, king of Moab, hath sent unto me, saying,
Behold, there is a people come out of Egypt, which covereth the face of the earth: come now, curse me them; peradventure I shall be able to overcome them, and drive them out.
And God said unto Balaam, Thou shalt not go with them; thou shalt not curse the people: for they are blessed.
And Balaam rose up in the morning, and said unto the princes of Balak, Get you into your land: for the Lord refuseth to give me leave to go with you. (Numbers 22:10-13)

Note that Balaam clearly says why he will not go. The LORD has not given him permission. Maybe if he had been more clear that the Lord had blessed Israel and would not curse them, then future requests would have been nipped in the bud.

And the princes of Moab rose up, and they went unto Balak, and said, Balaam refuseth to come with us. (Numbers 22:14)

Note that the princes of Moab only gave King Balak part of that partial message Balaam gave them from the Lord. Perhaps they do not believe it was the Lord that instructed Balaam not to go. Maybe they think Balaam is just being stubborn and is blaming his God for it to save face.

And Balak sent yet again princes, more, and more honourable than they. (Numbers 22:15)

Because King Balak hasn’t been told that 1)the Lord told Balaam not to go and 2) Israel is not cursed but blessed, he thinks Balaam is being stubborn and he figures he just needs to use a bigger carrot.

And they came to Balaam, and said to him, Thus saith Balak the son of Zippor, Let nothing, I pray thee, hinder thee from coming unto me: (Numbers 22:16)

Balak wants to make sure that inconvenience hasn’t been a factor in Balaam’s refusal.

For I will promote thee unto very great honour, and I will do whatsoever thou sayest unto me: come therefore, I pray thee, curse me this people. (Numbers 22:17)

How many of us have been offered practically a blank check to do something we’ve already been told we shouldn’t do? I hope this never happens to me, but if it did, I really really hope I would be faithful.. (Sheesh! Why can’t people offer us a blank check to do what we know we SHOULD do?!)

And Balaam answered and said unto the servants of Balak, If Balak would give me his house full of silver and gold, I cannot go beyond the word of the Lord my God, to do less or more.
Now therefore, I pray you, tarry ye also here this night, that I may know what the Lord will say unto me more. (Numbers 22:18-19)

Balaam's words sound righteous, but he had already been told once by the Lord to not go with them and had already been told not to curse Israel. At this stage he should have said, “I’ve already told you that the Lord told me ‘No!’” I can only suppose that since the first messengers had left he had been thinking a lot about what he had lost by not going to Balak and that was a factor in not immediately refusing. Instead, he stalled to buy time.

And God came unto Balaam at night, and said unto him, If the men come to call thee, rise up, and go with them; but yet the word which I shall say unto thee, that shalt thou do.
And Balaam rose up in the morning, and saddled his ass, and went with the princes of Moab. (Numbers 22:20-21)

The Lord knew Balaam was weakening, so the Lord was trying to work in a way that Balaam would be able to handle. The Lord gave Balaam a specific sign to look for that would tell him whether he should go with the messengers—“if the men come to call thee”. Unfortunately, Balaam seems to have lost it at this point. It seems Balaam was so excited that there might be a possibility that he could go with the men, that he ignored the condition completely, got up, got ready to go, and went with them.

But about this sign. I don’t know what it was customary for a host to do when sending travelers on their way in the morning, but it seems to me that the Lord carefully crafted this sign. It seems to me that the men would only have come to call Balaam in the morning if they had really honestly believed him to be a prophet and wanted to hear what the Lord would say. But wait, if they honestly believed him to be a prophet, then they would already have realized that the answer would still be the same “No Curses Allowed”, so they probably would feel like they didn’t even need to ask what the answer was. I bet that if Balaam had waited in bed, he would have waited in vain.

And God’s anger was kindled because he went: and the angel of the Lord stood in the way for an adversary against him. Now he was riding upon his ass, and his two servants were with him.
And the ass saw the angel of the Lord standing in the way, and his sword drawn in his hand: and the ass turned aside out of the way, and went into the field: and Balaam smote the ass, to turn her into the way.
But the angel of the Lord stood in a path of the vineyards, a wall being on this side, and a wall on that side.
And when the ass saw the angel of the Lord, she thrust herself unto the wall, and crushed Balaam’s foot against the wall: and he smote her again.
And the angel of the Lord went further, and stood in a narrow place, where was no way to turn either to the right hand or to the left.
And when the ass saw the angel of the Lord, she fell down under Balaam: and Balaam’s anger was kindled, and he smote the ass with a staff. (Numbers 22:22-27)

Balaam’s donkey feared and obeyed the angel more than Balaam. Its loyalty went to the higher authority. Balaam should have feared and obeyed God more than King Balak and his messengers.

And the Lord opened the mouth of the ass, and she said unto Balaam, What have I done unto thee, that thou hast smitten me these three times?
And Balaam said unto the ass, Because thou hast mocked me: I would there were a sword in mine hand, for now would I kill thee. (Numbers 22:28-29)

A talking donkey! Amazing! But does Balaam bat an eye? No! You’d think animals talked to him every day! Actually, because Balaam was a man of God, he must have been thoroughly acquainted with miracles of all types and perfectly comfortable with wonders to the point that he expected them. But the thing he couldn’t stand here was that his donkey was messing with him. Of all things for the donkey to ask when it starts talking is, “What have I done? Why have you hit me these three times?”

Balaak is even madder that the donkey is asking what it did wrong. Hel-LO! You’ve gone off the road and you’ve smooshed my foot and you’ve lain down for no good reason and now you’re asking me what you’ve done wrong?! YOU KNOW what you’ve done wrong! “You’re making fun of me! I wish I had a sword right now so that I could kill you!”

And the ass said unto Balaam, Am not I thine ass, upon which thou hast ridden ever since I was thine unto this day? was I ever wont to do so unto thee? And he said, Nay.
Then the Lord opened the eyes of Balaam, and he saw the angel of the Lord standing in the way, and his sword drawn in his hand: and he bowed down his head, and fell flat on his face. (Numbers 22:30-31)

The donkey says, “Have I ever done something like this to you before?” We can imagine Balaam thinking about this and saying, “Noooooo..” and right when he is starting to think about what could be causing the donkey to act so strangely, he SEES. The angel. With a sword. And Balaam drops like a sawed tree.

Why was Balaam so scared when he saw the angel with the sword in his hand?

He realized that at the same time that he was mad enough to kill his donkey for leaving the road and crushing his foot and refusing to move, the Lord was mad enough to kill him for disobeying by going with King Balak’s messengers when he wasn’t supposed to. Balaam remembered that he told the donkey he wanted to kill it with a sword, and here was an angel standing there with a sword, all ready to dispatch Balaam. (“with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged..”)

And the angel of the Lord said unto him, Wherefore hast thou smitten thine ass these three times? behold, I went out to withstand thee, because thy way is perverse before me: (Numbers 22:32)

If Balaam thought the donkey’s way was perverse, his own way was worse. If Balaam hit his donkey for disobeying, what would the Lord do to Balaam?

And the ass saw me, and turned from me these three times: unless she had turned from me, surely now also I had slain thee, and saved her alive. (Numbers 22:33)

Here the angel puts Balaam’s sins into perspective. If the donkey had disobeyed the warning of the angel and had gone on anyway, the angel would have had four choices:
1) Kill both disobedient Balaam and disobedient donkey.
2) Kill the disobedient Balaam and save disobedient donkey.
3) Kill disobedient donkey and save disobedient Balaam.
4) Kill neither the disobedient Balaam or disobedient donkey.
The angel says he would have killed Balaam and saved the donkey, because Balaam’s knowledge and responsibility was much, much greater than the donkey's, so his sin of disobedience was much much greater and deserved the penalty of death more than the donkey did.

And Balaam said unto the angel of the Lord, I have sinned; for I knew not that thou stoodest in the way against me: now therefore, if it displease thee, I will get me back again. (Numbers 22:34)

Perhaps Balaam hadn’t been able to see the angel, because he had stopped paying attention to the Lord’s guidance. He let himself only hear what he wanted to hear when the Lord told him the required condition for going with the messengers, so he had been deafening his own spiritual ears and blinding his own eyes. But now he's finally willing to go back home and stay.

And the angel of the Lord said unto Balaam, Go with the men: but only the word that I shall speak unto thee, that thou shalt speak. So Balaam went with the princes of Balak. (Numbers 22:2-35)

At this point, there is probably a part of us that is saying, “So…Balaam got his way, right? He finally got to go like he wanted!” Well, this wasn’t a joy ride. He would not be able to anticipate any honor and praise and riches and promotion coming out of this errand, because he knew that the Lord would not allow him to curse Israel.

Maybe Balaam wanted to go see what it was like in the big time with the big shots. (Who wouldn’t find it an honor to be asked to come and do something for the president of the United States or a king!) The problem with being excited to meet the big shots is that it is too easy to be awed and want to do what they ask you to do, even when it is wrong. It’s too easy to forget where your loyalty lies. Perhaps the Lord had wanted to save Balaam from this temptation at the beginning.

So why was Balaam now instructed to go?

Having disobeyed, as part of his repentance he needed to make restitution, which meant he needed opportunities to demonstrate absolute obedience to the Lord.

Also, King Balak needed to be taught that it was not possible to bribe a prophet to curse or bless whomever he wanted. Perhaps Balak would have figured this out sooner if Balaam had been firm and continued to refuse to as he should have, but now the lesson was coming for sure. (The blessing process is very interesting. Numbers 23 & 24.)

We know from Numbers 23 and 24 that Balaam was obedient to the Lord and blessed Israel three times. Naturally Balak was disappointed. He said to Balaam, “I called thee to curse mine enemies, and, behold, thou hast altogether blessed them these three times. Therefore now flee thou to thy place: I thought to promote thee unto great honour; but, lo, the LORD hath kept thee back from honour.” (Numbers 24:10-11)

This was a thrust—"the Lord is keeping you back from honor". But with an eternal perspective we know that the Lord wanted to bestow much greater honor on Balaam in the resurrection than Balak could ever give in mortality. To his credit, Balaam withstood Balak’s jab by prophesying of the Messiah. (Numbers 24:17-19) This teaches us that our testimonies can help us withstand the fiery darts of the adversary.

If Balaam had just stuck to his guns after that, all would have been well. But evidently he couldn’t stand the long-term disapproval of Balak or the prospect of returning home empty-handed, because it was he who gave the Moabites the idea to go and tempt Israel into idolatry and sexual immorality.

But I have a few things against thee, because thou hast there them that hold the doctrine of Balaam, who taught Balac to cast a stumblingblock before the children of Israel, to eat things sacrificed unto idols, and to commit fornication. (Revelation 2:14, emphasis added)

And Moses was wroth with the officers of the host, with the captains over thousands, and captains over hundreds, which came from the battle.
And Moses said unto them, Have ye saved all the women alive?
Behold, these caused the children of Israel, through the counsel of Balaam, to commit trespass against the Lord in the matter of Peor… (Numbers 31:14-16, emphasis added)

Leading people into temptation was a worse sin than disobeying. It made him into one of a generation of vipers.

And what was the end of Balaam? Remember the angel who stood in his way ready to smite him with a sword?

Balaam also the son of Beor, the soothsayer, did the children of Israel slay with the sword among them that were slain by them. (Joshua 13:22)

Definitely a cautionary tale. Balaam wasn't immune to temptation, even as a prophet. Neither are any of us.

(Image credit - members.aol.com/JAlw/balaam.html)