1 Ne 20:1 are come forth out of the waters of Judah, or out of the
waters of baptism
As one studies
Isaiah, it is useful to compare the Old Testament version to the Book of Mormon
version. In this verse, the Old Testament version lacks the phrase, “or out of
the waters of baptism.” McConkie and Millett
explain the origin of this clause:
“This clause
first appeared in the 1840 and 1842 editions of the Book of Mormon. It did not appear again until the 1920
edition, and it has been in all editions since that time. It appears to be a prophetic commentary by
Joseph Smith to explain the meaning of the phrase ‘out of the waters of
Judah.’.…If this phrase were a restoration of the original text as found in the
more pure version on the brass plates from which it comes, it would have
appeared in the 1830 edition of the Book of Mormon, and we would also expect to
find it in the Joseph Smith Translation of Isaiah 48:1, but we do not.
“Through the
use of this phrase, Joseph Smith is calling our attention to the fact that the
ordinance of baptism was as common to the people of the Old Testament as it was
to the people of the Book of Mormon.” (McConkie and Millet, Doctrinal
Commentary on the Book of Mormon, vol. 1, p. 152)
Baptism was
practiced by in Old Testament times as this scripture attests. Other evidence
that it was known among the Jews is found in the Dead Sea scrolls:
“…we come upon
a series of fragments relating to baptism. By baptism, of course, the reader
should realize that the proponents of this literature did not necessarily mean
anything different from traditional Jewish ritual immersion. The terminologies
are synonymous, though the emphasis on baptismal procedures at Qumran is
extraordinary. This can be seen not only in texts such as the one represented
by these fragments and the well-known Community Rule,iii,1-4, which in
describing baptism makes reference to ‘the Holy Spirit’, but also the sheer
number of ritual immersion facilities at the actual ruins of Qumran.” (Robert
Eisenman & Michael Wise, The Dead Sea Scrolls Uncovered, p. 230-1)
Further
evidence can be inferred from the ministry of John the Baptist. When the
scribes and Pharisees came out to see John, none of them ever questioned him
about the ordinance of baptism. This must be because the ordinance was familiar
to them.
Some have
thought that baptism for the dead was performed in the lavers of the tabernacle
of Moses and the Temple of Solomon. The latter was founded on the backs of 12
oxen representing the 12 tribes of Israel and is similar to baptismal fonts
found in today’s temples. However, no ordinances for the dead were performed
before the coming of Christ. His ministry in the world of spirits was a
necessary prerequisite. Also, the tabernacle of Moses and the Temple of Solomon
were temples under the administration of the Aaronic priesthood. All vicarious
ordinances are a function of the Melchizedek priesthood and no Melchizedek
priesthood ordinances were performed in these temples. There is no evidence
that baptisms for the living were performed in these lavers, either. Exodus
explains that these were used by the priests as a place to wash their hands and
feet prior to entering the tabernacle of the congregation (inner court). See
Exodus 30:17-21 and 1 Kings 7:23-6.
1 Ne 20:3-8 I have declared the former things from the beginning
Like many Isaiah
passages these six verses can be difficult to understand. However, with
patience and persistence, some sense can be made of Isaiah’s meaning. The key
to this passage is found in verse 5, I showed them
for fear lest thou shouldst say—Mine idol hath done them. An
interpretation of the rest of this passage is offered.
The phrase, I have declared the former things from the beginning,
means that the Lord has told the children of Israel his doings (the former things) from the beginning of time down
to Isaiah’s time. His intent was to send a clear message of prophecy through
his prophets so that when these prophecies came to pass, the children of Israel
wouldn’t give the credit to their idols. Long before Israel had turned away,
the Lord knew that this would happen, I did it
because I knew that thou art obstinate and thy neck an iron sinew, and thy brow
brass…I knew that thou wouldst deal very treacherously, and was called a
transgressor from the womb (v. 4,8). The phrase, Thou hast seen and heard all this; and will ye not declare them?, could
be paraphrased as follows, “you have heard of my prophecies and seen their
fulfillment from the beginning, won’t you admit it? Or will you give the credit
to your dumb idols?” The last half of verse 6 and verse 7 refer to new
prophecies and their eventual fulfillment which will also be rejected by Israel
because of their spiritual deafness (thou heardest
them not) and hearts which knew not the Lord (thou
didst not know them). The rebellion and idolatry of Israel is so bad
that the Lord considers destroying them, but He defers his anger for His name’s
sake.
1 Ne 20:9 Nevertheless, for my name’s sake will I defer mine anger
On occasion,
prophets have plead with the Lord that he not destroy the house of Israel. One
of the arguments used is that if He does, he will seem to be a ruthless,
merciless God to those nations who do not know Him. Therefore, he preserves
them for His name’s sake:
And the LORD said unto Moses, I have seen
this people, and, behold, it is a stiffnecked people:
Now therefore let me alone, that my wrath
may wax hot against them, and that I may consume them: and I will make of thee
a great nation.
And Moses besought the LORD his God, and
said, LORD, why doth thy wrath wax hot against thy people, which thou hast
brought forth out of the land of Egypt with great power, and with a mighty
hand?
Wherefore should the Egyptians speak, and
say, For mischief did he bring them out, to slay them in the mountains, and to
consume them from the face of the earth? Turn from thy fierce wrath, and repent
of this evil against thy people.
Remember Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, thy
servants, to whom thou swarest by thine own self, and saidst unto them, I will
multiply your seed as the stars of heaven, and all this land that I have spoken
of will I give unto your seed, and they shall inherit it for ever (Ex 32:9-13).
And it came to pass that the Lord of the
vineyard said unto the servant: Let us go to and hew down the trees of the vineyard
and cast them into the fire, that they shall not cumber the ground of my
vineyard, for I have done all. What could I have done more for my vineyard?
But, behold, the servant said unto the Lord
of the vineyard: Spare it a little longer.
And the Lord said: Yea, I will spare it a
little longer, for it grieveth me that I should lose the trees of my vineyard. (Jacob
5:49-51)
“The Lord Jehovah had placed his name and the promise
of his power upon the nation of Israel. They were his people; they were to
become his peculiar treasure. He had given that name and power to none other,
and had no intention of his holy name being forgotten, ignored, or profaned by
the surrounding nations. ‘I will not suffer my name
to be polluted,’ he said, ‘and I will not
give my glory unto another.’ ("1 Ne. 20:41
Ne. 20:4, "1 Ne. 20:8"1 Ne. 20:98-9,11)"1 Ne. 20:11” (Kent P. Jackson, ed., Studies in
Scripture, Vol. 7: 1 Nephi to Alma 29 [Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Co.,
1987], 78.)
“No
pain that we suffer, no trial that we experience is wasted. It ministers to our
education, to the development of such qualities as patience, faith, fortitude
and humility. All that we suffer and all that we endure, especially when we
endure it patiently, builds up our characters, purifies our hearts, expands our
souls, and makes us more tender and charitable, more worthy to be called the
children of God . . . and it is through sorrow and suffering, toil and tribulation,
that we gain the education that we come here to acquire and which will make us
more like our Father and Mother in heaven.” (Dawn Anderson, Dlora Dalton, and
Susette Green, eds., Every Good Thing: Talks from the 1997 BYU Women’s
Conference [Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Co., 1998], 22.)
“The
Lord has said, ‘I have chosen thee in the furnace of
affliction.’ ("Isa. 48:10Isaiah 48:10;
"1 Ne. 20:101 Nephi 20:10.) He knows, being
omniscient, how we will cope with affliction beforehand. But we do not know
this. We need, therefore, the refining that God gives to us, though we do not
seek or crave such tribulation.
“Is not our struggling amid suffering and chastening in a way like the efforts of the baby chicken still in the egg? It must painfully and patiently make its own way out of the shell. To help the chick by breaking the egg for it could be to kill it. Unless it struggles itself to break outside its initial constraints, it may not have the strength to survive thereafter.
“Afflictions
can soften us and sweeten us, and can be a chastening influence. ("Alma 62:41Alma 62:41.) We often think of
chastening as something being done to punish us, such as by a mortal tutor who
is angry and peevish with us. Divine chastening, however, is a form of learning
as it is administered at the hands of a loving Father. ("Hel.
12:3Helaman 12:3.)
“Elder James E. Faust of the Council of the Twelve has said, ‘In the pain, the agony, and the heroic endeavors of life, we pass through the refiner's fire, and the insignificant and the unimportant in our lives can melt away like dross and make our faith bright, intact, and strong.’ (Ensign, May 1979, p. 53.) Elder Faust continued, ‘This change comes about through a refining process which often seems cruel and hard. In this way the soul can become like soft clay in the hands of the Master.’” (All These Things Shall Give Thee Experience [Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Co., 1979], 38-39.)
1 Ne 20:12 I am the first, and I am also the last
This phrase identifies
the God of Israel, or Jehovah, as none other than the pre-mortal Jesus Christ.
This fundamental truth can be proven by a careful study of the first chapter of
Revelation:
I saw….one like unto the Son of man,
clothed with a garment down to the foot, and girt about the paps with a golden
girdle.
His head and his hairs were
white like wool, as white as snow; and his eyes were as a flame of
fire….
And when I saw him, I fell at his feet as
dead. And he laid his right hand upon me, saying unto me, Fear not; I am the
first and the last:
I am he that liveth, and was dead;
and, behold, I am alive for evermore (Rev 1: 12-18)
The term,
“first and the last,” has reference to the eternal nature of Jehovah and to the
endlessness of His powers.
Bruce R.
McConkie
“Christ is the
First and the Last. (D. & C. 110:4; Isa. 41:4; 44:6; 48:12; Rev. 1:8-17;
2:8; 22:13.) These terms are descriptive of his eternal timelessness; he is God
everlastingly. As the First, the thought is conveyed that he is pre-eminent
above all the earth's inhabitants, both from the standpoint of time (he being
the Firstborn in the spirit), and from the standpoint of power and dominion (he
having become a God in the beginning). As the Last, the concept is revealed
that he will go on as God, continuing to enjoy his full pre-eminence, to all
eternity, everlastingly without end.” (Mormon Doctrine, p 281)
1 Ne 20:14 who among them hath declared these things, the Lord hath
loved him.
The Lord loves
those prophets who have declared his message. ‘How
beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him that bringeth good tidings,
that publisheth peace; that bringeth good tidings of good’ (Isa 52:7).
Abinadi taught that this was a description of ‘all
the holy prophets ever since the world began’ (Mosiah 15:13). The Lord
promises that all that they prophesy will come to pass, ‘he will fulfil his word which he hath declared by them.’ Because
of his love for his prophets, the Lord is careful to make sure that ‘every jot and tittle’ of the law and the prophecies
shall be fulfilled (Alma 34:13).
1 Ne 20:16 Come ye near unto me
This passage
is reminiscent of two New Testament scriptures:
Come unto me, all ye that labour and
are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. (Matt 11:28)
O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that
killest the prophets, and stonest them which are sent unto thee, how often
would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her
chickens under her wings, and ye would not! (Matt 23:37)
1 Ne 20:19 his name should not have been cut off nor destroyed from before me
As the saints mourned the martyrdom of the Prophet and Hyrum, they undoubtedly turned to the scriptures for solace. Two of the themes in this chapter are the Lord’s love for his prophets and the rejection of their message by the people. Where can a greater example of these concepts be found than in the mission of Joseph Smith? Therefore, when the mourning saints of Nauvoo read this passage, they understood that it could apply to their beloved prophet, including his furnaces of affliction and eventual martyrdom:
“…we
wish that 'An Observer' would read the following paragraph in the 6th chapter
of the first book of Nephi, page 54, in said Book of Mormon. 'Come ye near unto me; I have not spoken in secret from
the beginning; from the time that it was declared, have I spoken; and the Lord
God and his spirit hath sent me. And thus saith the Lord, the Redeemer, the
holy One (Jesus Christ) of Israel; I have
sent him; [Joseph Smith] the Lord thy God who
teacheth thee to profit; who leadest thee by the way thou shouldst go, has done
it. O that thou [the Gentiles] hadst
hearkened to my commandments, then had thy peace been as a river, and
righteousness as the waves of the sea; thy seed also had been as the sand; the
offspring of thy bowls like the gravel thereof; his name [Joseph
Smith's] should not have been cut off, nor destroyed
from before me.'
“Perhaps Isaiah in the 48th chapter and other places, might have mentioned the fact that his name was 'cut off.' Read and reflect, for there are more true prophecies in the Bible and Book of Mormon, than the sects and sinners ever dreamed of. Remember that.” (Reflections, Times and Seasons, vol. 5 (January 1844-January 1, 1845), No. 16. Nauvoo, Illinois, Sept. 2, 1844. Whole No. 100 635.)
1 Ne 20:20 Go ye forth of Babylon
Babylon is used in the scriptures as a symbol of the wickedness of the world. To leave Babylon is to leave the wicked of the world and begin life as a follower of Jesus Christ. This symbolism is also important because of the many scriptures which talk about the destruction of Babylon. These have a dual meaning—they refer to the literal destruction of the kingdom of Babylon and to the destruction of the wicked at the Second Coming of Christ.
Neal A.
Maxwell
“Even if we
decide to leave Babylon, some of us endeavor to keep a second residence there,
or we commute on weekends. To quote President Marion G. Romney, some go
on ‘trying to serve the Lord without
offending the devil’ (“The Price of Peace,” in Speeches of the Year [Provo:
Brigham Young University, March 1, 1955], p. 7).” (Neal A. Maxwell, A
Wonderful Flood of Light, p.47)
“Why do some of our youth risk engaging in ritual prodigalism, intending to spend a season rebelling and acting out in Babylon and succumbing to that devilishly democratic ‘everybody does it’? Crowds cannot make right what God has declared to be wrong. Though planning to return later, many such stragglers find that alcohol, drugs, and pornography will not let go easily. Babylon does not give exit permits gladly. It is an ironic implementation of that ancient boast: ‘One soul shall not be lost.’ (Moses 4:1.) (Ensign, November 1988, p. 33. as taken from The Neal A. Maxwell Quote Book, by Cory H. Maxwell, under heading for “Sin”)