| Using
the Past to Define the Future: It stands to reason that our
earth life was preceded by a past, or in other words, a pre-earth
life. Today, this is a doctrine quite unique to Latter-day Saints,
yet it is scriptural and the concept of pre-earth life can be found
in Jewish writing before Maimonides (about eight hundred years ago)
and among the Dead Sea Scrolls (about two thousand years ago). The
term "foundation of the world" presupposes a before an
earth-as-we-know-it existence. "Of old hast thou laid the
foundation of the earth . . ." (Psalms 102:25)
"Mine hand also hath laid the foundation of the earth . .
." (Isaiah 48:13) ". . . the LORD, which
stretcheth forth the heavens, and layeth the foundation of the
earth, and formeth the spirit of man within him." (Zechariah
12:1) "Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee .
. ." (Jeremiah 1:5) ". . . for thou lovedst
me before the foundation of the world." (John
17:24)
Better Not Measure God’s
Handiwork by Man’s Time:
God’s time has a differentiation to man’s time. God is without
beginning or ending of days (man’s days). "And thou art after
the order of him who was without beginning of days or end of years,
from all eternity to all eternity." (JST Genesis 6:70)
". . . every kingdom in its hour, and in its time, and in its
season, even according to the decree which God hath made." (Doctrine
& Covenants 88:61)
God’s Math is Better Than Man’s
Math: Man
will think that 100% goes further than 90%. Yet God’s instruction
of tithing results in 90% going further than the 100% could. Alma’s
reminder of Melchizedek paying tithes was a part of the true order
of things. The Jewish view of tithing still has some biblical
meaning even though Jews do not have an order or organized way of
collecting and distributing tithes.
"During Temple times
Israelites would set aside a portion of their agricultural
products as tithes which were given to the priests, Levites, and
alternately to the poor or were to be taken to Jerusalem and eaten
there . . ." (Encyclopedia
Judaica Jr.)
Purpose of Tithing Changed When
Priesthood Was Lost:
"The tithes served the
purpose of supporting the priest and Levite who did not have any
ancestral holdings of land and were occupied with the Temple
service and other ritual duties, of supporting the poor, and of
strengthening the position of Jerusalem in the consciousness of
all the people of Israel. Basing themselves on the close
similarity in sound between the words te'aser (give tithes)
and tit'asher (become rich), Rabbi Johanan said: ‘Give
tithes so that you will become rich,’ and Rabbi Akiva added
that, ‘tithes are a fence which guards one's riches.’ After
the exile from Erez Israel, pious people became accustomed to give
one-tenth of their earnings to charity, although this ‘tithe’
is of comparatively modern origin." "It is still
customary among Orthodox Jews to set aside tithes from all produce
of the Land of Israel, and the produce marketed by Tnuva, the
large agricultural collective, is tithed at source before it is
sold." ". . . part is . . . used as fodder for animals
owned by priests . . . other tithes are distributed to the poor
and needy." (Encyclopedia Judaica Jr.)
Who Held Priestly Rights?
In ancient days, the Levites carried the responsibility of the
priesthood. There may have been exceptions such as Nazirites who may
have had priestly duties (in that they were not allowed to be by or
touch the dead) yet were not from the tribe of Levi. Today, for the
Jews, the priesthood is still not an acquired, but a hereditary,
right.
"All priests (kohanim) and
Levites (levi'im) are descendants of the tribe of Levi, but
priests are a distinct subgroup, the heirs of Aaron, the first
High Priest. The distinction given to the tribe of Levi to serve
as Levites is explained in the Bible as having been based on their
zealousness toward God after the sin of the Golden Calf. Aaron's
special distinction as priest was based upon his being Moses'
brother and his role as Moses' mouthpiece before Pharaoh. The
importance of maintaining the hereditary integrity of the
priesthood can be seen from the fact that when the Jews returned
from the Babylonian captivity after the destruction of the First
Temple, all those who claimed priestly rank but were unable to
produce documentary evidence of their descent from Aaron were
disqualified (Ezra 2:62)." (Encyclopedia
Judaica Jr.)
Biblical Priestly Duties and
Organization:
"The principal duties of
the priests were those connected with performing the sacrificial
service. They would also serve as teachers and instructors in the
laws of the Torah. In the course of time, the number of priests
increased to such an extent that it was necessary to divide them
into twenty-four groups. Each group (mishmar) served in the
Temple in rotation, one for each week. In addition, each group was
subdivided into several families who each served one day. This
arrangement gave every priest an opportunity of discharging his
duty. However, at the three main annual festivals, Passover,
Shavuot and Sukkot, all the twenty-four divisions officiated
simultaneously." "Levites were entitled to serve . . .
as assistants to the priests." ". . . The duties and
privileges of priests are now limited to pronouncing the priestly
benediction on festivals (and Sabbaths in Israel), the symbolic
redemption of the firstborn males on the 31st day after birth (pidyon
ha- ben) and the precedence of a kohen at functions
such as the Torah reading." (Encyclopedia Judaica Jr.)
Calling for a "Kohen"
when the Torah reading is done implies the special spiritual nature
that the priests had to understand the word of God.
Rejection of Priests and
Martyrdom: In Alma’s
day, the lawyers and judges of the land rejected the priestly
teachings and those who accepted them. Their persecution and
ultimate death was a martyrdom that resulted in their heavenly
reward.
"Jewish history is replete
with examples of those willing to die for their faith from
Shadrach, Meshach and Abednigo, who in the Book of Daniel refused
to worship an idol and thus endangered their lives, up to the
present generation of Soviet Jews who suffer indescribable
hardships rather than give up their Jewishness. Under Antiochus
Epiphanes, Hellenizers applied violent methods toward the Jews.
The Fourth Book of Maccabees is almost entirely a sermon on the
meaning and glory of self-sacrifice. Whereas in Christian and
Muslim thought martyrdom is chiefly regarded as the act of
individuals warranting canonization as saints, in Judaism it
remains a task for each and every Jew to fulfill if the
appropriate moment should come." (Encyclopedia
Judaica Jr.)
Heavenly Reward for Righteous
Martyrdom: The wall
sculpture at Yad Vashem, the Holocaust memorial in Jerusalem by
Naphtali Bezem’s includes a panel depicting Jews being brought
into the slave/extermination camps. Underneath is a "broken
woman" representing the broken Jewish family line. Next to
her is a broken fish with wings. A fish is sometimes used as an
art metaphor for the spirit. It’s wings seem to represent an
ascension to heaven, a reward for martyrdom. It reminds me of Alma’s
response to Amulek’s plea to have Alma use his prophetic
priestly power to stop the carnage.
". . . Alma said . . . the
Lord receiveth them up unto himself, in glory; and he doth suffer
. . . that the people may do this thing unto them . . . that the
judgments which he shall exercise upon them . . . may be just; and
the blood of the innocent shall stand as a witness against them .
. ." (Alma 14:11)
The Power of Memory – with the
Lord: Not a thing will
escape our memories. Yet, for those who turn to Him, The Lord
stands by every harrowing recollection with peace, power, comfort
and salvation.
"The Spirit of the Lord GOD
is upon me; because the LORD hath anointed me to preach good
tidings unto the meek; he hath sent me to bind up the
brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the
opening of the prison to them that are bound;" (Isaiah
61:1)
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