Gospel Themes

"And Abraham rose up early in the morning, and saddled his ass, and took two of his young men with him, and Isaac his son, and clave the wood for the burnt offering, and rose up, and went into the place of which God had told him.

"Then on the third day Abraham lifted up his eyes, and saw the place afar off.

"And Abraham said unto his young men, Abide ye here with the ass; and I and the lad will go yonder and worship, and come again to you.

"And Abraham took the wood of the burnt offering, and laid it upon Isaac his son; and he took the fire in his hand, and a knife; and they went both of them together.

"And Isaac spake unto Abraham his father, and said, My father: and he said, Here am I, my son, And he said, Behold the fire and the wood; but where is the lamb for a burnt offering?

"And Abraham said, My son, God will provide himself a lamb for a burnt offering; so they went both of them together.

"And they came to the place which God had told him of; and Abraham built an altar there, and laid the wood in order, and bound Isaac his son, and laid him on the altar upon the wood.

"And Abraham stretched forth his hand, and took the knife to slay his son.

"And the angel of the Lord called unto him out of heaven, and said, Abraham, Abraham: and he said, Here am I.

"And he said, Lay not thine hand upon the lad, neither do thou any thing unto him; for now I know that thou fearest God, seeing thou hast not withheld thy son, thine only son from me.

"And Abraham lifted up his eyes, and looked, and behold behind him a ram caught in a thicket by his horns; and Abraham went and took the ram, and offered him up for a burnt offering in the stead of his son."—(Gen. 22:1-13.)

Jehovah's Promise to His Friend.—Then followed the Lord's promise to the tried and proven Father of the Faithful:

"In blessing I will bless thee, and in multiplying I will multiply thy seed as the stars of the heaven, and as the sand which is upon the sea shore; and thy seed shall possess the gate of his enemies;

"And in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed" (Ibid, 17, 18).

How that promise was fulfiled, will be shown in the concluding part of this volume.

CHAPTER VI

Moses and Aaron

"The sons of Moses, and also the sons of Aaron shall offer an acceptable offering and sacrifice in the house of the Lord, which house shall be built unto the Lord in this generation, upon the consecrated spot, as I [the Lord] have appointed;

"And the sons of Moses and of Aaron shall be filled with the glory of the Lord, upon Mount Zion in the Lord's house, whose sons are ye; and also many whom I have called and sent forth to build up my church;

"For whoso is faithful unto the obtaining these two priesthoods of which I have spoken, and the magnifying their calling, are sanctified by the Spirit unto the renewing of their bodies;

"They become the sons of Moses and of Aaron and the seed of Abraham, and the church and kingdom, and the elect of God."—(D. and C. 84:31-34.)

Israel and the Exodus.—The principal events of the Mosaic dispensation were the exodus from Egypt and the establishment of Israel as an independent nation, under the leadership of their great prophet and lawgiver, Moses. Both these events foreshadowed greater ones, namely: the world's deliverance from the bondage of sin and death, and the establishment upon earth of the Kingdom that shall stand forever.

The Passover.—The exodus was commemorated by the Feast of the Passover, instituted to perpetuate in the minds and hearts of the children of Israel their deliverance from slavery, and at the same time to foreshow the mightier redemption of which that exodus was typical. The Passover was kept as follows: On the night before the departure out of Egypt, each Israelitish household, obedient to God's command through Moses, took a lamb "without blemish," and slew it, sprinkling the blood upon the posts and lintels of their doors. It was promised that the Angel of Death, who had been sent to afflict the cruel nation for its oppression of the Lord's people, by slaying the first-born of every Egyptian household, would pass over every Israelitish dwelling upon which this blood was sprinkled. Not a bone of the lamb was to be broken, nor a fragment of it left to decay; for it was intended to symbolize the Lamb of God, whose body was not to see corruption (Ps. 16:10). Neither was any bone of him to be broken.

Symbolism Realized.—In a most remarkable manner was this symbolism realized; for when the Roman soldiers came to Calvary to remove the three bodies from the crosses erected there, they put an end to both the malefactors by breaking their legs; but finding Jesus already dead, this additional indignity was not put upon him. Pierced with five wounds, yet not a bone of him broken, the Lamb of God answered to the prophetic likeness of the paschal lamb, and was laid away in the rocky tomb, from which he came forth upon the third day, his perfectly preserved body—the tabernacle of the Holy One—glorified in immortality.

The Paschal Ceremony.—In the ceremonial of the Passover, the flesh of the lamb was roasted, and partaken of with bitter herbs and with unleavened bread, or bread hastily prepared; the former typifying the bitterness of the bondage that was about to end, and the latter the haste attendant upon the departure out of Egypt. To emphasize this fact still further, the members of the family, while partaking of the feast, then and thereafter, were clad as if for a journey.—(Exodus 12.)

Shadow and Substance.—This sacred memorial, a reminder to God's people of what he had done, and would yet do, was observed in Israel, by divine appointment, until the coming of Christ. The night before he was sacrificed, he, the great Paschal Lamb, after partaking of the ancient feast with his disciples, instituted in its stead the Lord's Supper, commanding them to observe it thenceforth. The Supper and the Passover were both designed to commemorate the Savior's atonement; but in the Passover the pointing was forward, to an event yet to come, while in the Supper the indication is backward, to an event that has already taken place. It was about the same hour of the day when the paschal lamb was offered in the temple at Jerusalem, that Christ died on Calvary, the substance and the shadow thus corresponding.

The Great Deliverer.—The lamb of the Passover symbolized the Lamb of God, the universal Deliverer, and Moses, who led the Lord's people out of Egypt, was also a type of the world's Redeemer. Jesus, whose mission the career of Moses foreshadowed, is repeatedly described in the sacred writings as "like unto Moses;" and Moses, the type of Christ, was reputedly "the meekest of men."

How Moses Obtained the Priesthood.—Moses was of the tribe of Levi, and son-in-law to Jethro, from whom he received the Priesthood.

"And Jethro received it under the hand of Caleb;

"And Caleb received it under the hand of Elihu;

"And Elihu under the hand of Jeremy;

"And Jeremy under the hand of Gad;

"And Gad under the hand of Esaias;

"And Esaias also lived in the days of Abraham, and was blessed of him—

"Which Abraham received the Priesthood from Melchizedek, who received it through the lineage of his fathers, even till Noah;

"And from Noah till Enoch, through the lineage of their fathers;

"And from Enoch to Abel, who was slain by the conspiracy of his brother, who received the Priesthood by the commandments of God, by the hand of his father Adam, who was the first man."—(D. and C. 84:7-16.)

Jethro, Priest of Midian.—An account of the relations between Moses and his father-in-law, Jethro the Midianite, may be found in the second, third and eighteenth chapters of Exodus. The Midianites were descendants of Ishmael, son of Abraham.

The Call of Aaron.—Moses, having received the Melchizedek Priesthood, organized, by divine direction, the Lesser Priesthood, with Aaron, his brother, at its head. It was in the wilderness of Sinai, fourteen hundred and ninety-one years before the coming of the Savior. The children of Israel, in their exodus from Egypt, after the miraculous passage of the Red Sea, whose retiring waters had rolled over the heads of their enemies, were encamped at the foot of the famous eminence, ever since a sacred way-mark in the history of the Hebrew nation.

The Lord came down upon Mount Sinai, "in the sight of all the people," and from the midst of thunders, lightnings and thick clouds, which caused the mountain to quake and obscured his glorious presence from the gaze of the unsanctified multitude, he summoned Moses up into the top of the Mount, and delivered unto him, among other charges, the following:

"Take thou unto thee Aaron thy brother, and his sons with him, from among the children of Israel, that he may minister unto me in the priest's office, even Aaron, Nadab and Abihu, Eleazer and Ithamar, Aaron's sons.

"And thou shalt make holy garments for Aaron thy brother, for glory and for beauty.

"And thou shalt put them upon Aaron thy brother, and his sons with him; and shalt anoint them, and consecrate them, and sanctify them, that they may minister unto me in the priest's office."—(Exodus 28:1-3.)

The Ten Commandments—Sacred Patterns.—The Lord also gave to Moses the Ten Commandments, which He had previously spoken in the hearing of all Israel, with other parts of the Law, afterwards embodied by the prophet in his famous code. Also the pattern of the Ark or Sanctuary, the symbol of the covenant that God had made with his people; and of the Tabernacle or holy tent where the Ark was deposited, where the priests offered sacrifice and made atonement for the sins of the nation, and where the Lord communicated by angels or by Urim and Thummim with those chosen to represent him in that sacred capacity. He instructed him minutely as to the fashioning of the priestly robes, the materials to be used in them, and the persons who should make them, likewise prescribing the manner in which these things should all be consecrated to his service.

Elders in Israel.—It seems that there were more elders than one in Israel, at the time Aaron and his sons were called to minister in the priest's office; a fact shown by the following reference to an event somewhat earlier than the one in question:

"Then went up Moses, and Aaron, Nadab, and Abihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel:

"And they saw the God of Israel; and there was under his feet as it were a paved work of a sapphire stone, and as it were the body of heaven in his clearness.

"And upon the nobles of the children of Israel he laid not his hand; also they saw God, and did eat and drink."—(Exodus 24:9-11.)

I assume, of course, that the title "elder" had the same significance then that it has now—that it was an office in the Melchizedek Priesthood. If this be correct, and I see no reason why it should be doubted, then there were at least "seventy elders" in Israel at that time. Nay, more, for these seventy were "of the elders of Israel," one of whom, of course, was Moses, who had doubtless ordained the others. It is even probable that Aaron and his sons likewise held the Melchizedek Priesthood when they were called to act as priests; for they were among those who "saw God," which they could not have done, with safety, had they held only the Aaronic Priesthood. Aaron's call to preside over the priests, was probably similar to a call that might now be made upon a high priest to officiate as presiding bishop.

The Golden Calf.—How were Aaron and his sons, on the eve of their setting apart to these sacred honors, conducting themselves, during the absence of their leader? Forty days and nights had passed since Moses, accompanied by faithful Joshua, went up into the Mount to commune with the Almighty. Alarmed at his protracted stay, unable to account for it, and no doubt apprehensive as to their own safety without super-natural guidance, the people, not yet free from taint of contact with idolatrous Egypt, and forgetful of the covenant they had made with God on the day the Ten Commandments were thundered from the mountain top, "gathered themselves together unto Aaron, and said unto him: Up, make us gods which shall go before us; for as for this Moses, the man that brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we wot not what is become of him."—(Exodus 32:1.)

Obedient to their wishes, and perhaps fearful of consequences if he refused, Aaron took of their golden earrings and made for them a molten calf, after the Egyptian god Apis, and having finished it, and built an altar before it, he proclaimed: "These be thy gods, O Israel, which have brought thee up out of the land of Egypt." He also announced "a feast to the Lord" in its honor on the morrow.

"Who's on the Lord's Side?"—In this sensuous and blasphemous worship the Israelites were engaged, when Moses came down from the Mount. The shouts of revelry had reached his ears far up the height, insomuch that Joshua, who was still with him, suggested "a noise of war in the camp." Moses, however, recognized the sound of singing. He had been warned by the Lord of what was taking place, and on coming nearer the whole revolting truth burst upon him. The golden god on high—the people, chosen Israel, feasting and dancing before it in their nakedness! Such was the soul-sickening spectacle presented to his gaze. In his hands he held the "tables of the testimony"—the divine decalogue, written by the finger of God. Before his eyes was being violated the very first of those ten commandments. His righteous anger knew no bounds. Casting from him the stone tablets, which shattered as they fell, he burst like a storm upon the guilt-stricken idolators. Demolishing their idol, grinding it to powder, and scattering it to the winds and waters, he called for all who were "on the Lord's side" to rally round him.

Expiation for Idolatry.—The sons of Levi responded to a man. Moses, directed by the Lord, commanded them to take their swords and go in and out from gate to gate, and slay every man his son, brother and neighbor; that they might consecrate themselves before the Lord, and make atonement for the great sin that had been committed. The stern behest was obeyed, and there fell that day in Israel about three thousand male souls.

Organization and Consecration.—The expiation complete, Moses proceeded to organize the priesthood, as he had been directed, and also to construct the tabernacle and the ark according to the pattern that God had shown him. The garments of the priests and the appurtenances of the sanctuary were fashioned to conform with the divine instruction, and Aaron and his sons, the ark, the tabernacle, and everything connected with the sacred ceremonial, were then sanctified and dedicated, with solemn and impressive ceremonies, to the service of the God of Israel.

The Levites.—Prior to the false worship of Apis, the Lord had chosen unto himself the firstborn males of every household in Israel, as a parallel act to the destruction of the firstborn throughout the land of Egypt, and had sanctified and set them apart for some peculiar purpose. He now altered his original design, and taking the tribe of Levi, instead, made of them the sacerdotal class of the nation. This selection was no doubt a recognition and a reward for the zeal they had displayed in wiping out the stain of idolatry from Israel.

"And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, Bring the tribe of Levi near, and present them before Aaron the priest, that they may minister unto him."

* * * * * * * * * * *

"And thou shalt give the Levites unto Aaron and to his sons: they are wholly given unto him out of the children of Israel."

* * * * * * * * * * *

"Behold, I have taken the Levites from among the children of Israel, instead of all the firstborn that openeth the matrix among the children of Israel; therefore the Levites shall be mine;

"Because all the firstborn are mine, for on the day that I smote all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, I hallowed unto me all the firstborn in Israel, both man and beast; mine they shall be; I am the Lord."

* * * * * * * * * * *

"And thou shalt take the Levites for me (I am the Lord), instead of all the firstborn among the children of Israel; and the cattle of the Levites, instead of all the firstlings among the cattle of the children of Israel."

* * * * * * * * * * *

"And for those that are to be redeemed of the two hundred and three score and thirteen, of the firstborn of the children of Israel, which are more than the Levites:

"Thou shalt even take five shekels apiece by the poll, after the shekel of the sanctuary shalt thou take them; the shekel is twenty gerahs.

"And thou shalt give the money wherewith the odd number of them is to be redeemed, unto Aaron and to his sons.

"And Moses took the redemption money of them that were over and above them that were redeemed by the Levites.

"And Moses gave the money of them that were redeemed unto Aaron, and to his sons, according to the word of the Lord, as the Lord commanded Moses."—(Numbers 3.)

Thus were the Levites given as "a gift for the Lord," to have charge of the tabernacle and the sanctuary—though not to officiate there as did the priests—and to "do the service of the congregation." So that Aaron, who was now high priest, or bishop over the lesser priesthood, had under him, not only his sons, in the priests' quorum, but also a great body of Levites (were they not as teachers and deacons?) to officiate in the minor quorums. Hence the origin of the term Levitical, as applied to this priesthood.

Slain for Offering Strange Fire.—Soon after this organization and selection, Nadab and Abihu were slain by the Lord for "offering strange fire" before him, or officiating when he "commanded them not," and Eleazer, Aaron's third son, then took the senior's place. He was made "chief over the chief of the Levites," having oversight of those who had charge of the sanctuary. Thus, while Eleazer presided over the Levites, Aaron presided over both priests and Levites; Moses, by virtue of his superior calling, retaining the controlling power or presidency over the whole.

The Law and the Testimony.—Eleven months and twenty days the Israelites had sojourned in Sinai. During this period they had celebrated their second Passover, or feast of unleavened bread. Two other annual feasts they were commanded to keep, namely the feast of Pentecost, or the promulgation of the law, and the feast of Tabernacles, or tents, commemorating their sojourn in the wilderness. The laws of Moses were now promulged and codified; the tables of the testimony, having been renewed, were placed, with other sacred relics, in the ark for safe keeping; and the sublime system of heaven-revealed religion was set in motion.

On to Canaan!—The civil and military wings of this nomadic power, springing as if by magic from an unorganized rabble, without laws, institutions, or prescribed method of worship, into a compact and powerful nation, were now in full equipment and discipline. "On to Canaan!" was the national cry. And so, on the twentieth day of their second year, or about May 20, 1490 B. C., the Camp of Israel struck their tents, and guided by the cloud and pillar of God, which had been with them since the memorable night when the fetters of two centuries were stricken off and the power of Egypt submerged, they began their march through the Sinaitic desert toward the wilderness of Paran.

A Nation on the March.—The order of this remarkable procession was as follows: Foremost, rose aloft the standard of Judah, the future kingly power of the tribes, and following them were the tribes and armies of Issachar and Zebulon. Then came the sons of Gershon and Merari (first and third sons of Levi), bearing the components of the Tabernacle, which it was their duty to set up and take down, as the camp rested or resumed its journey. The standard of Reuben was next advanced, and immediately in his rear marched Simeon and Gad. Then the Ark of God appeared, borne in the center of the moving host, on the shoulders of the sons of Kohath. The half tribes of Joseph—Ephraim and Manasseh—went next, the standard of Ephraim being their rallying center, and also for the sons and daughters of Benjamin. Then set forward the standard of Dan; his tribe and the tribes of Asher and Naphtali bringing up the rear.

The Camps of Israel.—This mighty host, comprising an army of over half a million, and a total population of nearly three million souls, was divided into four camps, of three tribes each, exclusive of the Levites; Joseph being twice numbered, in Ephraim and Manasseh, to make up, in the tribal count, for the absence of the sacred class from secular enumeration. When the cloud rested, indicating their stopping place, the tents were set surrounding the Tabernacle of the Congregation; the camp of Judah on the east, that of Reuben on the south, Ephraim on the west, and Dan upon the north. The Levites encompassed the tabernacle immediately about, to prevent the unsanctified from approaching too near and purposely or inadvertently defiling it—an offense punishable by death. When the ark set forward, Moses exclaimed: "Rise up, O Lord, and let thine enemies be scattered; and let them that hate thee flee before thee!" When it rested, he said: "Return, O Lord, unto the many thousands of Israel!"

The Two Leaders.—Thus it was that Moses and Aaron became the leaders of Israel, representing, respectively, the two priesthoods that administer the government of God; the lesser priesthood, "confirmed upon Aaron and his seed, throughout all their generations," and the greater priesthood, "which is after the holiest order of God."

Power of the Greater Priesthood.—"And this greater priesthood administereth the gospel and holdeth the key of the mysteries of the kingdom, even the key of the knowledge of God;

"Therefore, in the ordinances thereof, the power of godliness is manifest;

"And without the ordinances thereof, and the authority of the priesthood, the power of godliness is not manifest unto men in the flesh;

"For without this no man can see the face of God, even the Father, and live.

"Now this Moses plainly taught to the children of Israel in the wilderness, and sought diligently to sanctify his people that they might behold the face of God;

"But they hardened their hearts and could not endure his presence, therefore the Lord in his wrath (for his anger was kindled against them) swore that they should not enter into his rest, while in the wilderness, which rest is the fulness of his glory.

"Therefore he took Moses out of their midst, and the holy priesthood also.—(D. & C. 84:19-25.)

From Moses Until John.—"And the lesser priesthood continued, which priesthood holdeth the key of the ministering of angels and the preparatory gospel;

"Which gospel is the gospel of repentance and of baptism, and the remission of sins, and the law of carnal commandments, which the Lord in his wrath caused to continue with the house of Aaron among the children of Israel until John, whom God raised up, being filled with the Holy Ghost from his mother's womb:

"For he was baptized while he was yet in his childhood, and was ordained by the angel of God at the time he was eight days old unto this power, to overthrow the kingdom of the Jews, and to make straight the way of the Lord before the face of his people, to prepare them for the coming of the Lord, in whose hand is given all power.—(Ibid, 26-28.)

CHAPTER VII

The Lamb of GodA stranger Star that came from farTo fling its silver rayWhere, cradled in a lowly cave,A lowlier Infant lay;And led by soft sidereal light,The Orient sages bringRare gifts of gold and frankincense,To greet the homeless King.O wondrous grace! Will Gods go downThus low that men may rise?Imprisoned here the Mighty One,Who reigned in yonder skies?Hark to that chime!—What tongue sublimeNow tells the hour of noon?O dying world, art welcomingLife's life—Light's sun and moon?Proclaim him, prophet harbinger!Make plain the Mightier's way,Thou sharer of his martyrdom!Elias? Yea and Nay.The crescent Moon, that knew the SunEre Stars had learned to shine;The waning Moon, that bathed in bloodEre sank the Sun divine."Glory to God, good will to man!—Peace, peace!" triumphal tone.Why peace? Is discord then no more?Are Earth and Heaven as one?Peace to the soul that serveth him,The Monarch manger-born;There, ruler of unnumbered realms;Here, throneless and forlorn.He wandered through the faithless world,A Prince in shepherd guise;He called his scattered flock, but fewThe Voice did recognize;For minds upborne by hollow pride,Or dimmed by sordid lust,Ne'er look for kings in beggar's garb,For diamonds in the dust.Wept he above a city doomed,Her temple, walls, and towers,O'er palaces where recreant priestsUsurped unhallowed powers."I am the Way, the Life, the Light!"Alas! 'twas heeded not.Ignored—nay, mocked; God scorned by man!And spurned the truth he taught.O bane of damning unbelief!When, when till now, so rife?Thou stumbling stone, thou barrier 'thwartThe gates of endless life!O love of self, and Mammon's lust,Twin portals to despair,Where bigotry, the blinded bat,Flaps through the midnight air!Through these, gloom-wrapt Gethsemane!Thy glens of guilty shadeGrieved o'er the sinless Son of God,By gold-bought kiss betrayed;Beheld him unresisting dragged,Forsaken, friendless, lone,To halls where dark-browed hatred satOn judgment's lofty throne.As sheep before his shearers, dumb,Those patient lips were mute;The clamorous charge of taunting tonguesHe deigned not to dispute.They smote with cruel palm a faceWhich felt yet bore the sting;Then crowned with thorns his quivering brow,And, mocking, hailed him "King!"Transfixt he hung—O crime of crimes!—The God whom worlds adore."Father forgive them!" Drained the dregs;Immanuel—no more.No more where thunders shook the earth,Where lightnings tore the gloom,Saw that unconquered Spirit spurnThe shackles of the tomb.Far-flaming light, a sword of might,A falchion from its sheath,It cleft the realms of darkness, andDissolved the bands of Death;Hell's dungeons burst, wide open swungThe everlasting bars,Whereby the ransomed soul shall winThose Heights beyond the Stars.—("Elias," Canto Three, Part One.)

The Consummation.—It was finished!—not the work of the Lord, nor the revelation of his word and will to man; but the sacrifice, the immolation of the Spotless One, whose acceptable offering, the ransom of a lost creation, made it possible for redeemed humanity, by faith and good works, to lay hold upon eternal life, the greatest gift that Divinity can bestow.