When Ammon works as a shepherd for King Lamoni, he becomes a type of Christ as the good shepherd in the last days:
• He’s a king’s son
• He brings the sheep to water
• He gives directions as to how to gather the scattered sheep and he helps with the gathering
• He shows his power to his fellow shepherds in preserving the flocks
• He defends the flock against hostile forces that would scatter the flocks again
And you thought prepositions weren’t important!
In the following verse, prepositions play a large part in expressing God’s abilities and involvement in creation.
All things are:
• before him
• round about him
He is:
• above all things
• in all things
• through all things
• round about all things
All things are:
• by him
• of him
Just right off, I notice it is in a rough chiasmus—two in front, four in the middle, and two in back. The middle, which is meant to have the greatest emphasis, is about God, of course.
The numbers are interesting too; a total of four things about “all things” in relation to God, and a total of four things about God’s involvement in “all things.” Four is significant too, since it conveys the concept of totality and “all things everywhere.” (Think “the four winds” and “the four directions” and “the four seasons.”)
I suppose that I must point out that my observation about the numbers and chiasmus could also be seen as a bit of a simplification, since the end of the verse before it and the beginning of the verse also have “him who sitteth upon the throne and governeth and executeth all things. He comprehendeth all things. (D&C 88:40-41).. So perhaps it is better to spend analysis time on the prepositions.
In case you didn’t notice, verse 41 is thick with prepositions, so it behooves us to try to understand how God uses those prepositions to communicate about Himself. For those of you who are not grammatically inclined, a very easy way to find a preposition is to think of them as a POSITION in relation to something else, like say, a squirrel in relation to a log. The squirrel goes THROUGH the log, AROUND the log, OVER the log, UNDER the log, FROM the log, TO the log, BY the log… (Very active squirrel, you see.) (And for all you grammatically-inclined people who are cursing me right now, yes, I am simplifying it a bit, but you have to start somewhere.) Back to the verse.
The prepositions show both sides of the God/everything relationship—all things relative to God, God relative to all things. So here’s where I had to pull out a dictionary and start looking up prepositions.
All things are:
I learned a lot from this. I also noticed that several of these phrases seem paradoxical. For instance, how can all things be “round about God” and God be “round about all things”? Or how can God be “in all things” and “round about all things”? I don’t know. But there is one thing that I know—when something seems paradoxical, it means one of two things: something is not right, or something is missing from my understanding.
But let’s cut to the practical now. How might it influence us if we know this? It seems to me that it suggests that our bodies are temples, that the earth itself is a temple, that we belong to God, that God may be anywhere at anytime, that He acts through us, that life is a sacred thing, and ultimately all things will be for our good. It makes me want to be a part of all that sacredness and do nothing to destroy it.
What does it suggest to you?
He comprehendeth all things, and all things are before him, and all things are round about him; and he is above all things, and in all things, and is through all things, and is round about all things; and all things are by him, and of him, even God, forever and ever. (D&C 88:41)My first instinct running across this verse lately was to list it and chart it.
All things are:
• before him
• round about him
He is:
• above all things
• in all things
• through all things
• round about all things
All things are:
• by him
• of him
Just right off, I notice it is in a rough chiasmus—two in front, four in the middle, and two in back. The middle, which is meant to have the greatest emphasis, is about God, of course.
The numbers are interesting too; a total of four things about “all things” in relation to God, and a total of four things about God’s involvement in “all things.” Four is significant too, since it conveys the concept of totality and “all things everywhere.” (Think “the four winds” and “the four directions” and “the four seasons.”)
I suppose that I must point out that my observation about the numbers and chiasmus could also be seen as a bit of a simplification, since the end of the verse before it and the beginning of the verse also have “him who sitteth upon the throne and governeth and executeth all things. He comprehendeth all things. (D&C 88:40-41).. So perhaps it is better to spend analysis time on the prepositions.
In case you didn’t notice, verse 41 is thick with prepositions, so it behooves us to try to understand how God uses those prepositions to communicate about Himself. For those of you who are not grammatically inclined, a very easy way to find a preposition is to think of them as a POSITION in relation to something else, like say, a squirrel in relation to a log. The squirrel goes THROUGH the log, AROUND the log, OVER the log, UNDER the log, FROM the log, TO the log, BY the log… (Very active squirrel, you see.) (And for all you grammatically-inclined people who are cursing me right now, yes, I am simplifying it a bit, but you have to start somewhere.) Back to the verse.
The prepositions show both sides of the God/everything relationship—all things relative to God, God relative to all things. So here’s where I had to pull out a dictionary and start looking up prepositions.
All things are:
- before him—in sight of, in front of (and in this case, not older than)
- round about him—encircle, on all sides. (It seems God is in the thick of things.)
- by him—close to, by means of
- of him—indicating possession (Possession by God is easier to see if you remove the “are” from the whole phrase)
- above all things—at a higher position (progression?)
- in all things—part of, involved with, working for (things have part of His attributes)
- through all things—from one opening side to the other, the extent of “in”, (perhaps indicating how all things support Him in His work)
- round about all things—surrounding (protective?) (obviously unseen by us)
I learned a lot from this. I also noticed that several of these phrases seem paradoxical. For instance, how can all things be “round about God” and God be “round about all things”? Or how can God be “in all things” and “round about all things”? I don’t know. But there is one thing that I know—when something seems paradoxical, it means one of two things: something is not right, or something is missing from my understanding.
But let’s cut to the practical now. How might it influence us if we know this? It seems to me that it suggests that our bodies are temples, that the earth itself is a temple, that we belong to God, that God may be anywhere at anytime, that He acts through us, that life is a sacred thing, and ultimately all things will be for our good. It makes me want to be a part of all that sacredness and do nothing to destroy it.
What does it suggest to you?
Adam’s temporary fall
And this is the genealogy of the sons of Adam, who was the son of God, with whom God himself, conversed.” (Moses 6:22)I previously took it for granted that when it says God conversed with Adam it meant in the Garden of Eden before the Fall. But now I’m not so sure it just means that. Plus, if the bit about Adam as “the son of God” just means Adam was created by God or that Adam’s spirit was begotten by God, we wouldn’t be learning anything new.
BUT!! If it means that Adam was born again of God and that he eventually attained such righteousness that he was brought back into the presence of God and conversed with God face to face, then we would really learn something truly precious, something worthy of the Pearl of Great Price. That would mean that Adam had obeyed the gospel, depended upon Christ’s atonement, and put off the natural man and became a saint. It would mean that through his faith in Christ, he had overcome his own fall. It would mean that Adam didn’t remain in his fallen state and that neither should we.
That the house be not broken up
In Joseph Smith--Matthew, Jesus tells some of the signs of His coming. One part recently caught my attention.
Also, since the house is spoken of in context of the church, the warning could also be to the church to watch so that it isn’t broken up (possibly by faction and dissention).
As for the servant who is made ruler over the household, this can be applied in a number of ways—parents, class teachers, presidencies, bishops, stake presidents, all the way to the prophet.
Giving meat in due season can be sharing with the hungry (and giving fast offerings). It can also be teaching and preaching doctrine when it is badly needed. (“Feed my sheep.”)
There may come a day when we will suffer persecution if we don’t go along with evil, when we will feel like giving in because things are so bad and Christ hasn’t come yet. This is why we are warned to be ready, to watch, and to give meat in due season, and to treasure up the word.
When I was reading through Joseph Smith—Matthew, it was very helpful to me to look for and highlight the instructions that Jesus gave for us to do to prepare. The signs of the Second Coming are undeniably scary, so focusing on what to DO is comforting.
46 And what I say unto one, I say unto all men; watch, therefore, for you know not at what hour your Lord doth come.if the good man of the house had known in what watch the thief would come, he would have watched, and would not have suffered his house to have been broken up—This could be applied to the disintegration of the family. If we knew when Satan was going to attack, we could keep that disintegration from happening. But wait! We do know. The prophets have warned us and continue to warn us. We know how mothers are being attacked. We know how fathers are being attacked. We know how children are being attacked.
47 But know this, if the good man of the house had known in what watch the thief would come, he would have watched, and would not have suffered his house to have been broken up, but would have been ready.
48 Therefore be ye also ready, for in such an hour as ye think not, the Son of Man cometh.
49 Who, then, is a faithful and wise servant, whom his lord hath made ruler over his household, to give them meat in due season?
50 Blessed is that servant whom his lord, when he cometh, shall find so doing; and verily I say unto you, he shall make him ruler over all his goods. (Joseph Smith—Matthew 1:46-50
Also, since the house is spoken of in context of the church, the warning could also be to the church to watch so that it isn’t broken up (possibly by faction and dissention).
As for the servant who is made ruler over the household, this can be applied in a number of ways—parents, class teachers, presidencies, bishops, stake presidents, all the way to the prophet.
Giving meat in due season can be sharing with the hungry (and giving fast offerings). It can also be teaching and preaching doctrine when it is badly needed. (“Feed my sheep.”)
51But if that evil servant shall say in his heart: My lord delayeth his coming,It is and always has been a temptation to give up our standards and set aside our covenants and join in the wickedness that goes on around us. It’s made to appear so normal. But this leads to kicking against the pricks, losing the Spirit, and then persecuting the Saints, and fighting against God.
52And shall begin to smite his fellow-servants, and to eat and drink with the drunken,
53The lord of that servant shall come in a day when he looketh not for him, and in an hour that he is not aware of,
54And shall cut him asunder, and shall appoint him his portion with the hypocrites; there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth. (JS-Matthew 1:51-54)
There may come a day when we will suffer persecution if we don’t go along with evil, when we will feel like giving in because things are so bad and Christ hasn’t come yet. This is why we are warned to be ready, to watch, and to give meat in due season, and to treasure up the word.
When I was reading through Joseph Smith—Matthew, it was very helpful to me to look for and highlight the instructions that Jesus gave for us to do to prepare. The signs of the Second Coming are undeniably scary, so focusing on what to DO is comforting.
In the beginning, there was taxonomy…
In the book Glut: Mastering Information Through The Ages there is the story told of anthropologist Brent Berlin walking through the Peruvian rainforest with a guide from the local Aguaruna tribe. Berlin listened as his guide pointed out the names of all the plants and animals they encountered. The tribe had developed an elaborate taxonomy of their own to classify and categorize the living things around them.
Berlin also discovered later that folk taxonomies are startlingly complex in order to organize their understanding of plants and animals. History credits Linnaeus and Aristotle with starting to catagorize living things, but it is suspected that the practice goes further back. It would be highly useful to learn very quickly what plants and animals were poisonous and harmful and which weren't.
When I read about this, I instantly thought of some verses I had recently read in the Pearl of Great Price:
19 And out of the ground I, the Lord God, formed every beast of the field, and every fowl of the air; and commanded that they should come unto Adam, to see what he would call them; and they were also living souls; for I, God, breathed into them the breath of life, and commanded that whatsoever Adam called every living creature, that should be the name thereof.Here’s a really cute poem I found more than a year ago that seems to bring this event to life:
20 And Adam gave names to all cattle, and to the fowl of the air, and to every beast of the field; but as for Adam, there was not found an help meet for him. (Moses 3:19-20)
Adam’s Task, by John HollanderI think it says something about God's love for us and desire for us to learn that He allows us to make our own names for things. He wants us to discover for ourselves. I think it is also neat that He uses our names for things when He communicates. In a certain sense, it is another example of the condescension of God.
And Adam gave names to all cattle, and
to the fowl of the air, and to every
beast of the field...GEN 2:20
Thou, paw-paw-paw; thou, glurd; thou, spotted
Glurd; thou, whitestap, lurching through
The high-grown brush; thou pliant-footed,
Implex; thou awagabu.
Every burrower, each flier
Came for the name he had to give:
Gay, first work, ever to be prior,
Not yet sunk to primitive.
Thou, verdle; thou, McFleery’s pomma;
Thou; thou; thou--three types of grawl;
Thou flishket; thou. kabasch; thou, comma-
Eared mashawk; thou, all; thou, all.
Were, in a fire of becoming,
Laboring to be burned away,
Then work, half-measuring, half-humming,
Would be as serious as play.
Thou, pambler; thou, rivarn; thou, greater
Wherret, and thou, lesser one;
Thou, sproal, thou zant; thou, lily-eater.
Naming’s over. Day is done.
(from Selected Poetry (New York: Knopf, 1993)
Image: SchoolWorkHelper—St. Rosemary Educational Institution, http://schoolworkhelper.net/2010/07/scientific-taxonomy/
Wherefore Enos prophesied also
Seth lived one hundred and five years, and begat Enos,This has a great principle in it. We can pass spiritual gifts on to our children if we use them our whole lives and teach our children the ways of God. I know I learned how to bear testimony from the example my parents set and from what they taught me.
and prophesied in all his days, and taught his son Enos in the ways of God; wherefore Enos prophesied also. (Moses 6:13)
What spiritual gifts did your parents model for you?
All thy words will I justify
When God first calls Enoch to be a prophet, Enoch wonders why he has been called, since he is slow of speech and everybody hates him. This is the typical “reluctant prophet syndrome.” Enoch probably was perfectly content to valiantly follow his leaders in the righteous land of Cainan. But if Enoch came from a righteous land, why did he say everybody hated him? Hmmm. I suppose that in Cainan the people were able to bear with his slow speaking, but when he started traveling around, he found people were much more impatient. And they probably hated him for his goodness.
God tells him,
So Enoch puts his whole heart and soul into saying what the Lord wants him to say. I suspect he had a very hard time at the beginning. It says “Enoch went forth in the land, among the people, standing upon the hills and the high places, and cried with a loud voice, testifying against their works; and all men were offended because of him.” (v37) What he said annoyed the natural man and how he said it was, from a worldly perspective, probably not artistic at all, but somehow the Spirit reached them and they couldn’t keep away, whether they believed or not. (Have you ever known people like that?) The people say to each other, “Tarry ye here and keep the tents, while we go yonder to behold the seer, for he prophesieth, and there is a strange thing in the land; a wild man hath come among us.” (v38) Perhaps he was a bit of a loose cannon at first, but those who believed what he said already considered him a seer and knew he prophesied.
Here was their reactions:
This is what caused me to want to pay closer attention to what Enoch said, to see if I could feel what his people felt.
Is there anything that impresses you about the words of Enoch in the Pearl of Great Price?
God tells him,
32 …Go forth and do as I have commanded thee, and no man shall pierce thee. Open thy mouth, and it shall be filled, and I will give thee utterance, for all flesh is in my hands, and I will do as seemeth me good.I suppose if Enoch felt he wasn’t a good speaker and he was hated, his social status couldn’t get much worse.. He could only get better. Yet, he could have refused.
33 Say unto this people: Choose ye this day, to serve the Lord God who made you.
34 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 6:32-34)
So Enoch puts his whole heart and soul into saying what the Lord wants him to say. I suspect he had a very hard time at the beginning. It says “Enoch went forth in the land, among the people, standing upon the hills and the high places, and cried with a loud voice, testifying against their works; and all men were offended because of him.” (v37) What he said annoyed the natural man and how he said it was, from a worldly perspective, probably not artistic at all, but somehow the Spirit reached them and they couldn’t keep away, whether they believed or not. (Have you ever known people like that?) The people say to each other, “Tarry ye here and keep the tents, while we go yonder to behold the seer, for he prophesieth, and there is a strange thing in the land; a wild man hath come among us.” (v38) Perhaps he was a bit of a loose cannon at first, but those who believed what he said already considered him a seer and knew he prophesied.
Here was their reactions:
And it came to pass when they heard him, no man laid hands on him; for fear came on all them that heard him; for he walked with God. (Moses 6:39)We may think that Enoch’s words were magic somehow, but their power lay in his priesthood and speaking with the Spirit. When he said something was going to happen, it came to pass, so people couldn’t dismiss him. Yes, the wicked became his enemies, and they fought against him, but they couldn’t dismiss him.
And as Enoch spake forth the words of God, the people trembled, and could not stand in his presence. (Moses 6:47)
…all nations feared greatly, so powerful was the word of Enoch, and so great was the power of the language which God had given him. (Moses 7:13)
This is what caused me to want to pay closer attention to what Enoch said, to see if I could feel what his people felt.
Is there anything that impresses you about the words of Enoch in the Pearl of Great Price?
In which bad cooking teaches me the consequences of disobedience
If I were to craft an analogy of myself as a cook, I would have to say that I am a stunt devil who persistently sky-dives with a faulty parachute. This is why my husband is the main cook in the family. His products can be relied upon to sustain life. Mine can’t.
One of my endeavors was something called “Orange Spiced Sweet Potatos”. I am always looking for interesting things to do with vegetables, and I’m also looking for ways to incorporate unfamiliar vegetables into my diet, so this sounded to me like a winner. It sounded exotic. And it was a crock-pot recipe, so I could precook it! SCORE!
The fact that it called for orange juice when there was no orange juice left in the house didn’t faze me; I simply used a juice blend (apple, peach, raspberry, and blueberry). The fact that it called for pecans when the grocery store didn’t carry pecans didn’t faze me either. Walnuts would do just as well. (You’d think that I would go and do the things which the recipe had commanded, but noooooo…) And I was not going to put in the entire ½ cup of butter that it called for. My husband and I are trying to preserve our figures. I put in half of that.
Too bad I started it at 7pm at night and my slow cooker didn’t have any faster settings than four hours. I decided to cook it for ten hours instead and get up at 4am to turn it off. (You’d think I’d see what this was setting me up for, but did I? Nooooo..)
During the cooking process, my husband observed that it smelled like an aromatic candle. It was a pleasant scent, to be sure.
When I finally tasted my Nominally-Orange-But-Really-Apple-Peach-Raspberry-Blueberry-Spiced-Sweet-Potatoes (hereafter referred to as Juice Blend Sweet Potatoes), my first impression was that I had RUINED it, but as I put down the spoon, my mouth decided ALL BY ITSELF that it wanted some more. So I ate another spoonful. And again, didn’t really like it, but my mouth was still intrigued and wanted more. (Has that ever happened to you when some part of your body decides it has its own opinion about something in complete contradiction to your own conscious assessment? I don't get it.)
When my husband tried some, his description of the flavor of Juice Blend Sweet Potatoes was that it was “violent”. My husband is not a food critic. (Well, he is sort of, but he’s not the kind who gets paid to tell restaurants they stink.) He’s also not the most talkative and wordy fellow. BUT, on this occasion his word “violent” was fitting, fitting in every way. If you could taste domestic violence, that’s what my Juice Blend Sweet Potatoes was like. Somehow the piquancy evoked flying projectiles, bruises, verbal abuse, and calls to the police. All of that happening IN YOUR MOUTH. The flavors REALLY fought with each other.
Now, despite his scruples, my husband mastered himself enough to try a serving. (This shows you just HOW MUCH he loves me. He will attempt to eat my cooking. When I cook.) We didn’t know if we could take Juice Blend Sweet Potatos undiluted, so we decided to buffer it with sizable chunks of pumpkin bread.
The mixed-buffered effect was better, but still questionable. And after one bowl, I couldn’t STAND the idea of eating any more EVER AGAIN. Never mind that we could try it as the recipe was actually written. We didn’t want to risk it. After some dithering and indecision, I asked my husband to perform an act of mercy for me and dispose of my Juice Blend Sweet Potatoes while I went someplace where I couldn’t see what happened to it or hear it scream.
This incident, happened at least a year ago and today I have shared it with you for an INSTRUCTIVE PURPOSE. (No, it is not to say, “It is risky to come have dinner at our house.”)
Notice, when I try a recipe and I don’t follow the directions, and then it turns out badly, I tend to say, “Ohhh, that was so awful! I don’t think I want to try that recipe again!” I am afraid to actually follow it completely for fear that it still won’t work out. Now, get this. I discovered this messed up attitude of mine was skewered in the scriptures. This is part of the consequences of disobedience that the Lord describes in the Doctrine and Covenants:
So, all you bad cooks out there, we must REPENT and follow the recipe!
Oh, and by the way, repent of all that sin stuff too.
One of my endeavors was something called “Orange Spiced Sweet Potatos”. I am always looking for interesting things to do with vegetables, and I’m also looking for ways to incorporate unfamiliar vegetables into my diet, so this sounded to me like a winner. It sounded exotic. And it was a crock-pot recipe, so I could precook it! SCORE!
The fact that it called for orange juice when there was no orange juice left in the house didn’t faze me; I simply used a juice blend (apple, peach, raspberry, and blueberry). The fact that it called for pecans when the grocery store didn’t carry pecans didn’t faze me either. Walnuts would do just as well. (You’d think that I would go and do the things which the recipe had commanded, but noooooo…) And I was not going to put in the entire ½ cup of butter that it called for. My husband and I are trying to preserve our figures. I put in half of that.
Too bad I started it at 7pm at night and my slow cooker didn’t have any faster settings than four hours. I decided to cook it for ten hours instead and get up at 4am to turn it off. (You’d think I’d see what this was setting me up for, but did I? Nooooo..)
During the cooking process, my husband observed that it smelled like an aromatic candle. It was a pleasant scent, to be sure.
When I finally tasted my Nominally-Orange-But-Really-Apple-Peach-Raspberry-Blueberry-Spiced-Sweet-Potatoes (hereafter referred to as Juice Blend Sweet Potatoes), my first impression was that I had RUINED it, but as I put down the spoon, my mouth decided ALL BY ITSELF that it wanted some more. So I ate another spoonful. And again, didn’t really like it, but my mouth was still intrigued and wanted more. (Has that ever happened to you when some part of your body decides it has its own opinion about something in complete contradiction to your own conscious assessment? I don't get it.)
When my husband tried some, his description of the flavor of Juice Blend Sweet Potatoes was that it was “violent”. My husband is not a food critic. (Well, he is sort of, but he’s not the kind who gets paid to tell restaurants they stink.) He’s also not the most talkative and wordy fellow. BUT, on this occasion his word “violent” was fitting, fitting in every way. If you could taste domestic violence, that’s what my Juice Blend Sweet Potatoes was like. Somehow the piquancy evoked flying projectiles, bruises, verbal abuse, and calls to the police. All of that happening IN YOUR MOUTH. The flavors REALLY fought with each other.
Now, despite his scruples, my husband mastered himself enough to try a serving. (This shows you just HOW MUCH he loves me. He will attempt to eat my cooking. When I cook.) We didn’t know if we could take Juice Blend Sweet Potatos undiluted, so we decided to buffer it with sizable chunks of pumpkin bread.
The mixed-buffered effect was better, but still questionable. And after one bowl, I couldn’t STAND the idea of eating any more EVER AGAIN. Never mind that we could try it as the recipe was actually written. We didn’t want to risk it. After some dithering and indecision, I asked my husband to perform an act of mercy for me and dispose of my Juice Blend Sweet Potatoes while I went someplace where I couldn’t see what happened to it or hear it scream.
This incident, happened at least a year ago and today I have shared it with you for an INSTRUCTIVE PURPOSE. (No, it is not to say, “It is risky to come have dinner at our house.”)
Notice, when I try a recipe and I don’t follow the directions, and then it turns out badly, I tend to say, “Ohhh, that was so awful! I don’t think I want to try that recipe again!” I am afraid to actually follow it completely for fear that it still won’t work out. Now, get this. I discovered this messed up attitude of mine was skewered in the scriptures. This is part of the consequences of disobedience that the Lord describes in the Doctrine and Covenants:
Who am I, saith the Lord, that have promised and have not fulfilled? I command and men obey not; I revoke and they receive not the blessing. Then they say in their hearts: This is not the work of the Lord, for his promises are not fulfilled (D&C 58:31–33).Ohhhh, the shame. (hides eyes)
So, all you bad cooks out there, we must REPENT and follow the recipe!
Oh, and by the way, repent of all that sin stuff too.
Seeing double names in the Book of Moses?
There's an interesting duality that is being set up throughout the Book of Moses. It has to do with duplicated names. (I really wish I could find the internet source that first pointed this out to me. I tried to find it, but I couldn't.)
* There is Enoch the son of Cain, and there is the holy Enoch who builds the city Zion, preaches, and walks with God.
* Cain's Enoch built his own city too, but it wasn't Zion.
* There is the righteous land of Cainan, where the good Enoch came from (Moses 6:17,41), and there is the bad people of Canaan (Moses 7:6-8) who live in a hot, barren, cursed wilderness and who destroy people.
* There is the good Lamech, the father of Noah, and then there is the bad Lamech, who killed his great grandfather.
* There is Methusael (great-grandson of the bad Enoch) and then there is Methuselah (son of the good Enoch).
We are being shown the two possible ways we can go. One leads up, the other leads down. We are shown the author of each way, and the consequences of each way. They each have their organization and their covenants, but one is counterfeit of the other. One leads to life, the other leads to death. We choose which one we take.
* There is Enoch the son of Cain, and there is the holy Enoch who builds the city Zion, preaches, and walks with God.
* Cain's Enoch built his own city too, but it wasn't Zion.
* There is the righteous land of Cainan, where the good Enoch came from (Moses 6:17,41), and there is the bad people of Canaan (Moses 7:6-8) who live in a hot, barren, cursed wilderness and who destroy people.
* There is the good Lamech, the father of Noah, and then there is the bad Lamech, who killed his great grandfather.
* There is Methusael (great-grandson of the bad Enoch) and then there is Methuselah (son of the good Enoch).
We are being shown the two possible ways we can go. One leads up, the other leads down. We are shown the author of each way, and the consequences of each way. They each have their organization and their covenants, but one is counterfeit of the other. One leads to life, the other leads to death. We choose which one we take.
The house that Cain built
In Moses 5:41-56, the sordid story of Cain’s family is set forth. What makes this story odd to a reader (and it does seem odd) is the way we are given a jumble of small bits of information that seems to have little if anything to grab onto and learn from.
The first thing I did when studying this section was to pray to understand it and learn from it. (Always smart to do when confused.) Then I started by comparing the verses in this block to the verses in Genesis 4. The Genesis account ends abruptly after Lamech reveals the murder to his wives, so I knew that everything after that in Moses 5 is supposed to throw some light on it.
Verse 49 reveals that Lamech killed Irad. Who is Irad? Suddenly the genealogy in v42-43 becomes important; Irad is Lamech’s great grandfather. What an enormous crime to kill someone so instrumental in giving you life! And notice how Lamech refers to his victim—“I have slain a man..” Irad is only “a man” to Lamech.
Verse 50 says that Lamech killed Irad for the sake of the oath and not to get gain. We learn what kind of oath this was from Ether 8:13 in which Akish makes his family and friends take the oath that if they should vary from the assistance asked of them or divulge what was made known to them, they should lose their lives. This is evidently what Irad did—he made known their secret. The only reason that I can think of for Irad to expose those secret combinations is if he wanted to escape them and work to make an end of them. It seems that Irad had begun to repent. But Lamech would not tolerate that, even if Irad was his great grandfather. So he killed him. So we can clearly see that Moroni’s words about secret combinations are true; the devil uses these oaths to keep men in darkness (Ether 8:16), to make the cost of repentance seem too high and discourage anyone from leaving secret combinations.
Verse 51 tells us this secret combination was from the days of Cain, with works in the dark, and they knew every man his brother. It was a family matter, and everyone knew everyone else who was in on it and Cain involved his posterity in it.
Verse 52 says the Lord cursed Lamech and his house. How terrible that all Lamech’s family had to share in that curse. This may have been why Lamech came to his wives in the first place, to get the torment of the murder off his chest. “Hear my voice, ye wives of Lamech, hearken unto my speech; for I have slain a man to my wounding, and a young man to my hurt.” (v47) It sounds like a confession, but it isn’t, since he conceals his relationship to the victim and even tries to cover his tracks and deflect investigation by calling his victim a “young man.” All he wants is sympathy for the hurt he feels for committing this grave sin. His wives are the ones closest to him; he should at least have some rest around them, shouldn’t he?
You have to give Adah and Zillah credit. Rather than comforting him, they manifest the proper feeling—outrage. “They rebelled against him, and declared these things abroad, and had not compassion.” (v53) And because of the big stink Adah and Zillah made, no other man in these secret combinations dared to tell his wife(s) anything about their involvement in secret combinations, for fear their wife(s) would react the same way as Adah and Zillah. “And it was among the sons of men. And among the daughters of men these things were not spoken because that Lamech had spoken the secret unto his wives, and they rebelled against him” (v52-53). The secret combinations didn't kill Lamech, though, because he hadn't revealed the secret combination; he had just revealed the murder. (Another reason why Lamech was so cagey.) Yet to put on a show of respectability for their wife(s), those of the secret combination had to publicly repudiate Lamech. “Wherefore Lamech was despised, and cast out, and came not among the sons of men, lest he should die.” (v54)
Something else that stuck out to me was where it said “Wherefore the Lord cursed Lamech, and his house, and all them that had covenanted with Satan; for they kept not the commandments of God, and it displeased God, and he ministered not unto them” (v52). These people were not ignorant of the gospel and the commandments; they had been taught the truth. They knowingly disobeyed.
And even though Lamech’s sons were talented people—Jabal could make tent living comfortable and deal very well with cattle, and Jubal was an amazing musician and music teacher, and Tubal Cain excelled at working with brass and iron (v45-46)—even with their great talents, they were cursed for their wickedness and we are told that “their works were abominations, and began to spread among all the sons of men.” (v52) They used their talents for evil and corrupted others as well, when they could have been a great benefit instead.
I’m sure there is more to learn from this section. When I started looking at this scripture block, it seemed to be a mishmash, but once you get into it, you begin to see that it is actually a story (and a cautionary one) like a three act play, where even the seemingly unimportant details become significant eventually. Actually, from another perspective, it is perfectly organized. All you have to do is think of questions those verses answered and we see how the Lord revealed this to Joseph Smith in response to his questions.
v49 answers the question “Who did Lamech kill?”
v50 answers the question “Why did Lamech kill Irad?”
v51 answers the question “How long was this going on?”
v52 answers the question “Did they know it was wrong?”
v53 answers “How did Lamech’s wives react when they learned Lamech had committed murder?” and “How did everyone else react?”
v55 answers “Did this stop secret combinations?”
v56 answers “How did God feel about it, and how did He try to stop it?”
Ultimately, the greatest thing that we learn from this scripture block that we don’t get from the Genesis account is that God was not pleased with what Cain and his family was doing. We learn God tried everything in His power to reclaim them by having repentance preached to them (v58), that He became angry with them (v56) for their stubbornness and finally punished them by cursing both them (v52,56) and the earth (v56). While the Genesis account makes it seem as if God is ambivalent about all this wickedness and violence and didn’t do anything to try to reclaim them or punish them, the Moses account shows us that God is the same yesterday, today, and forever, and that He will strive with man to repent until they utterly reject Him.
41 And Cain was shut out from the presence of the Lord, and with his wife and many of his brethren dwelt in the land of Nod, on the east of Eden.Principles and doctrines are noticeably absent and it is hard to grab onto enough to form even a cautionary tale. (Why should we care that Jabal was the father of those who dwelt in tents or that Tubal Cain instructed every artificer in brass and iron? Why give us a map of Lamech’s genealogy and posterity if they were wicked? Why do we care that Lamech told his wives about the murder he committed? Why would he tell them if he was part of a secret combination? Why is this included in the Pearl of Great Price? What is valuable about it?)
42 And Cain knew his wife, and she conceived and bare Enoch, and he also begat many sons and daughters. And he builded a city, and he called the name of the city after the name of his son, Enoch.
43 And unto Enoch was born Irad, and other sons and daughters. And Irad begat Mahujael, and other sons and daughters. And Mahujael begat Methusael, and other sons and daughters. And Methusael begat Lamech.
44 And Lamech took unto himself two wives; the name of one being Adah, and the name of the other, Zillah.
45 And Adah bare Jabal; he was the father of such as dwell in tents, and they were keepers of cattle; and his brother’s name was Jubal, who was the father of all such as handle the harp and organ.
46 And Zillah, she also bare Tubal Cain, an instructor of every artificer in brass and iron. And the sister of Tubal Cain was called Naamah.
47 And Lamech said unto his wives, Adah and Zillah: Hear my voice, ye wives of Lamech, hearken unto my speech; for I have slain a man to my wounding, and a young man to my hurt.
48 If Cain shall be avenged sevenfold, truly Lamech shall be seventy and seven fold;
49 For Lamech having entered into a covenant with Satan, after the manner of Cain, wherein he became Master Mahan, master of that great secret which was administered unto Cain by Satan; and Irad, the son of Enoch, having known their secret, began to reveal it unto the sons of Adam;
50 Wherefore Lamech, being angry, slew him, not like unto Cain, his brother Abel, for the sake of getting gain, but he slew him for the oath’s sake.
51 For, from the days of Cain, there was a secret combination, and their works were in the dark, and they knew every man his brother.
52 Wherefore the Lord cursed Lamech, and his house, and all them that had covenanted with Satan; for they kept not the commandments of God, and it displeased God, and he ministered not unto them, and their works were abominations, and began to spread among all the sons of men. And it was among the sons of men.
53 And among the daughters of men these things were not spoken, because that Lamech had spoken the secret unto his wives, and they rebelled against him, and declared these things abroad, and had not compassion;
54 Wherefore Lamech was despised, and cast out, and came not among the sons of me n, lest he should die.
55 And thus the works of darkness began to prevail among all the sons of men.
56 And God cursed the earth with a sore curse, and was angry with the wicked, with all the sons of men whom he had made;
57 For they would not hearken unto his voice, nor believe on his Only Begotten Son, even him whom he declared should come in the meridian of time, who was prepared from before the foundation of the world.
58 And thus the Gospel began to be preached, from the beginning, being declared by holy angels sent forth from the presence of God, and by his own voice, and by the gift of the Holy Ghost. (Moses 5:41-58)
The first thing I did when studying this section was to pray to understand it and learn from it. (Always smart to do when confused.) Then I started by comparing the verses in this block to the verses in Genesis 4. The Genesis account ends abruptly after Lamech reveals the murder to his wives, so I knew that everything after that in Moses 5 is supposed to throw some light on it.
Verse 49 reveals that Lamech killed Irad. Who is Irad? Suddenly the genealogy in v42-43 becomes important; Irad is Lamech’s great grandfather. What an enormous crime to kill someone so instrumental in giving you life! And notice how Lamech refers to his victim—“I have slain a man..” Irad is only “a man” to Lamech.
Verse 50 says that Lamech killed Irad for the sake of the oath and not to get gain. We learn what kind of oath this was from Ether 8:13 in which Akish makes his family and friends take the oath that if they should vary from the assistance asked of them or divulge what was made known to them, they should lose their lives. This is evidently what Irad did—he made known their secret. The only reason that I can think of for Irad to expose those secret combinations is if he wanted to escape them and work to make an end of them. It seems that Irad had begun to repent. But Lamech would not tolerate that, even if Irad was his great grandfather. So he killed him. So we can clearly see that Moroni’s words about secret combinations are true; the devil uses these oaths to keep men in darkness (Ether 8:16), to make the cost of repentance seem too high and discourage anyone from leaving secret combinations.
Verse 51 tells us this secret combination was from the days of Cain, with works in the dark, and they knew every man his brother. It was a family matter, and everyone knew everyone else who was in on it and Cain involved his posterity in it.
Verse 52 says the Lord cursed Lamech and his house. How terrible that all Lamech’s family had to share in that curse. This may have been why Lamech came to his wives in the first place, to get the torment of the murder off his chest. “Hear my voice, ye wives of Lamech, hearken unto my speech; for I have slain a man to my wounding, and a young man to my hurt.” (v47) It sounds like a confession, but it isn’t, since he conceals his relationship to the victim and even tries to cover his tracks and deflect investigation by calling his victim a “young man.” All he wants is sympathy for the hurt he feels for committing this grave sin. His wives are the ones closest to him; he should at least have some rest around them, shouldn’t he?
You have to give Adah and Zillah credit. Rather than comforting him, they manifest the proper feeling—outrage. “They rebelled against him, and declared these things abroad, and had not compassion.” (v53) And because of the big stink Adah and Zillah made, no other man in these secret combinations dared to tell his wife(s) anything about their involvement in secret combinations, for fear their wife(s) would react the same way as Adah and Zillah. “And it was among the sons of men. And among the daughters of men these things were not spoken because that Lamech had spoken the secret unto his wives, and they rebelled against him” (v52-53). The secret combinations didn't kill Lamech, though, because he hadn't revealed the secret combination; he had just revealed the murder. (Another reason why Lamech was so cagey.) Yet to put on a show of respectability for their wife(s), those of the secret combination had to publicly repudiate Lamech. “Wherefore Lamech was despised, and cast out, and came not among the sons of men, lest he should die.” (v54)
Something else that stuck out to me was where it said “Wherefore the Lord cursed Lamech, and his house, and all them that had covenanted with Satan; for they kept not the commandments of God, and it displeased God, and he ministered not unto them” (v52). These people were not ignorant of the gospel and the commandments; they had been taught the truth. They knowingly disobeyed.
And even though Lamech’s sons were talented people—Jabal could make tent living comfortable and deal very well with cattle, and Jubal was an amazing musician and music teacher, and Tubal Cain excelled at working with brass and iron (v45-46)—even with their great talents, they were cursed for their wickedness and we are told that “their works were abominations, and began to spread among all the sons of men.” (v52) They used their talents for evil and corrupted others as well, when they could have been a great benefit instead.
I’m sure there is more to learn from this section. When I started looking at this scripture block, it seemed to be a mishmash, but once you get into it, you begin to see that it is actually a story (and a cautionary one) like a three act play, where even the seemingly unimportant details become significant eventually. Actually, from another perspective, it is perfectly organized. All you have to do is think of questions those verses answered and we see how the Lord revealed this to Joseph Smith in response to his questions.
v49 answers the question “Who did Lamech kill?”
v50 answers the question “Why did Lamech kill Irad?”
v51 answers the question “How long was this going on?”
v52 answers the question “Did they know it was wrong?”
v53 answers “How did Lamech’s wives react when they learned Lamech had committed murder?” and “How did everyone else react?”
v55 answers “Did this stop secret combinations?”
v56 answers “How did God feel about it, and how did He try to stop it?”
Ultimately, the greatest thing that we learn from this scripture block that we don’t get from the Genesis account is that God was not pleased with what Cain and his family was doing. We learn God tried everything in His power to reclaim them by having repentance preached to them (v58), that He became angry with them (v56) for their stubbornness and finally punished them by cursing both them (v52,56) and the earth (v56). While the Genesis account makes it seem as if God is ambivalent about all this wickedness and violence and didn’t do anything to try to reclaim them or punish them, the Moses account shows us that God is the same yesterday, today, and forever, and that He will strive with man to repent until they utterly reject Him.
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