“Come Now, And Let Us Reason Together”

I’ve been re-reading “Through Faith” recently (free e-book here), and came across the following quote:

Reason is the toolset for gaining understanding. Only through reason can someone gain an idea of what is right, why it is right, and what it is worth in comparison to other beliefs. (Through Faith, p. 31)

It reminded me of this scripture:

Come now, and let us reason together, saith the Lord: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool. (Isaiah 1:18)

So many people see this scripture as an invitation to consider the possibility of forgiveness—that by “reasoning” with the Lord, we will someone how be persuaded to believe that an absolution of our sins is possible. And there certainly are those who need to be persuaded of that possibility. When someone is stained with sin, it can be difficult to believe that being cleansed of our sins could ever be a reality. Ever have clothes turn pink because you had something red in the wash along with them? How easy is it to get that pale shade of red completely out of the clothes? How much more difficult would it be to believe they could be made white again, if they turned a deep scarlet or crimson? And yet, the gospel teaches us that it is possible to be made white as wool, and so many people take that verse and run with the idea that God has the ability to forgive you of your sins.

He certainly does, but the verse means so much more than that. Sanctification is better than forgiveness, and that is what Isaiah is leading our minds to. Notice that Isaiah doesn’t make a case for the Atonement in that whole chapter as much as he makes a case for righteous living. He focuses on the ability (albeit frequent unwillingness) of humans to make good choices and to align themselves with the good counsel and direction that God gives to them.

When we read “Come now, and let us reason together,” we are reading an invitation to engage in the process of sanctification—the process of being made holy, which begins with repentance and a forgiveness of our sins, but which is also meant to continue as God gives us reasons why we should continually and increasingly turn away from the beliefs, desires, and actions that are not like His and embrace and incorporate into us those that are. By seeking and yielding to him, our natures are changed. We take on his name—his character—and we are truly cleansed from all unrighteousness.

God’s ability to reason is part of what makes Him who He is, and He has given us the ability to reason to enable us to become like Him. 

The Peace Offering—Part III

And if his oblation be a sacrifice of peace offering, if he offer it of the herd; whether it be a male or female, he shall offer it without blemish before the Lord. (Leviticus 3:1) 

“Without blemish” is an interesting phrase. In some translations of the Bible, the phrase “without defect” is used, and it is found not only in other verses in chapter 3, but also in many other verses of the Torah that set forth the requirements for many animal sacrifices.

However, because Christians readily acknowledge Jesus as the only person to have ever lived a sinless life, they regard any sacrifice in the law of Moses with the “without blemish” requirement as a direct analogue of him and his atoning sacrifice. They conveniently overlook the fact that the many other various requirements of those sacrifices make direct analogous relationships difficult—if not, impossible.

Why are different animals used? Why are different parts of those animals used? Why are some offerings of fine flour and oil? How do all of the differences in the law of Moses allude to Christ? These are just a few questions that could be asked. It is sheer mental laziness to ignore the many more questions that could be asked with even more specificity. These questions have answers, and we should seek after them, but they will not be addressed here.

Let’s stick to these questions: Can the phrase “without blemish” apply to anyone other than Jesus? What does it mean to be “without blemish” or “without defect,” exactly?

BLEM’ISH n. Any mark of deformity; any scar or defect which diminishes beauty, or renders imperfect that which is well formed.

1. Reproach; disgrace; that which impairs reputation; taint; turpitude; deformity.

DEFECT n.  [To fail; to make or do.]

1.  Want or absence of something necessary or useful towards perfection; fault; imperfection.

2.  Failing; fault; mistake; imperfection in moral conduct, or in judgment.

3.  Any want or imperfection in natural objects; the absence of anything necessary to perfection; anything unnatural or misplaced; blemish; deformity. We speak of a defect in the organs of seeing or hearing, or in a limb; a defect in timber; a defect in an instrument; &c.

Let’s draw upon the Hebrew שלמים that we discussed in the last post. If one was to make an offering of peace to God, of what would it consist? What is required of us to be reconciled to Him? Scriptures abound:

 

The Lord is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart; and saveth such as be of a contrite spirit. (Psalm 34:18)

 

1 Thus saith the Lord, The heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool: where is the house that ye build unto me? and where is the place of my rest?

2 For all those things hath mine hand made, and all those things have been, saith the Lord: but to this man will I look, even to him that is poor and of a contrite spirit, and trembleth at my word.

3 He that killeth an ox is as if he slew a man; he that sacrificeth a lamb, as if he cut off a dog’s neck; he that offereth an oblation, as if he offered swine’s blood; he that burneth incense, as if he blessed an idol. Yea, they have chosen their own ways, and their soul delighteth in their abominations. (Isaiah 66)

 

14 Deliver me from bloodguiltiness, O God, thou God of my salvation: and my tongue shall sing aloud of thy righteousness.

15 O Lord, open thou my lips; and my mouth shall shew forth thy praise.

16 For thou desirest not sacrifice; else would I give it: thou delightest not in burnt offering. 

17 The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise. (Psalm 51)

15 For thus saith the high and lofty One that inhabiteth eternity, whose name is Holy; I dwell in the high and holy place, with him also that is of a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite ones.

16 For I will not contend for ever, neither will I be always wroth: for the spirit should fail before me, and the souls which I have made. (Isaiah 57)

And ye shall offer for a sacrifice unto me a broken heart and a contrite spirit. And whoso cometh unto me with a broken heart and a contrite spirit, him will I baptize with fire and with the Holy Ghost… (3 Nephi 19:20)

 

And behold, I have given you the law and the commandments of my Father, that ye shall believe in me, and that ye shall repent of your sins, and come unto me with a broken heart and a contrite spirit. (3 Nephi 12:19) 

Let’s go back to discussing Hebrew for just a moment. The phrase “without blemish” isn’t, actually, a literal translation. In the Hebrew, it doesn’t literally say “without” anything. It’s more of a conceptual translation.

The Hebrew word that is used here is תמים (tah-meem) [1], which is also translated as “innocent,” “blameless” “guileless,” “sincere,” “honest,” “whole-hearted,” and “upright.” And so, in order for a peace offering to be “without blemish,” it needs to have those qualities. A “blemish” is something that would “impair [the] reputation” of the sacrifice. The sacrifice would be disqualified by a “want or absence of [these qualities] necessary or useful towards perfection.”

Nephi describes the condition of the required sacrifice well:

Wherefore, my beloved brethren, I know that if ye shall follow the Son, with full purpose of heart, acting no hypocrisy and no deception before God, but with real intent, repenting of your sins, witnessing unto the Father that ye are willing to take upon you the name of Christ, by baptism—yea, by following your Lord and your Savior down into the water, according to his word, behold, then shall ye receive the Holy Ghost; yea, then cometh the baptism of fire and of the Holy Ghost; and then can ye speak with the tongue of angels, and shout praises unto the Holy One of Israel. (2 Nephi 31:13)

Is Jesus the only one who can have these qualities? Obviously not. God instructs us to take those qualities upon ourselves, to the same degree that Christ took them upon himself. And it is only when we do that that we can approach him in making an offering of peace.

These things were made known to the Ancients. Repentance was not something made effectual at the time of Christ’s atoning sacrifice. Although it was made effectual by his sacrifice, repentance and all of its consequent blessings have been made available to all from the days of Adam and were taught through symbolism to the Israelites in the days of Moses.

[1]—This is the same consonant combination as the word “Thummim,” as in the Urim and the Thummim—part of the priestly garments. Joseph Smith once said that “Urim” and “Thummim” should be translated as “lights” and “perfections,” and these words should spur many thoughts about what is required to have a flow of information in the Spirit, especially given this blogpost.

The Peace Offering—Part II

I feel the need to be working on this series again. Lately, I have been feeling like a dam that is ready to burst. God has given me a greater appreciation for opportunities to share what he teaches me with others, and even though matters in my personal life are not completely resolved, and even though there ways in which I hope God gives me even greater opportunities to be of service to Him, this platform is a blessing in my present situation. 

The Hebrew word for “peace offerings” in Leviticus chapter 3 is שלמים (shlem•eem), and I find that fascinating, though not surprising. I know very little Hebrew, but I have an understanding of a few things about the language that have proved to be very beneficial in helping me better solidify gospel concepts and principles in my head.

Hebrew is read right-to-left. The ״ים״ in ״שלמים״ is a suffix, and it is used when pluralizing masculine words. If you remove that suffix, you are left with ״ש-ל-מ״. The ש makes an “sh” sound, the ל makes an “l” sound, and the מ makes an “m” sound. These are the same letters that form the consonant root of “shalom,״ which means “peace.” You’ve probably heard “shalom” before. “Shalom” is a common salutation in Hebrew. Israelis use it kind of like Americans use “hello” or “goodbye,” so it’s a word that might be familiar to you, even if you know nothing else about Hebrew.

Conceptually, ש-ל-מ has to do with transactions between two parties. Along those lines, the infinitive verb ״לשלם״ means “to pay, to recompense, or to render.” The “peace” that an individual extends to someone when saying “shalom” implies conciliation, where neither party bears any reproach—agreement, where any antagonism might otherwise be encountered. Consequently, you can say “shalom” when there is a pre-existing state of peace, but it can also be said when making an offering that would bring about a state of reconciliation where one does not presently exist. If there is any degree of enmity between two parties approaching each other, “shalom” pre-supposes that both individuals bring to the table what would constitute an offering appropriate for a complete and total reconciliation.

This would have (or, at least, should have) been easily understood by the ancient Israelites who spoke Hebrew. They were being taught what offering was considered acceptable in establishing peace between God and man. It was (and is) the same offering that has been required since Adam fell and was cast out of the Garden of Eden. He was the first to make that offering, and Moses gave the Israelites the opportunity to make it, too, but they did not, and so Moses was instructed to give them the analogue within the Law found in Leviticus 3.

Decoding Leviticus 3, then, becomes extremely important to anyone who desires true reconciliation to God.

Burning Down the House—A Vignette

Over the last three months, there have been numerous times when I have come to my blog to continue my series on the peace offering in the law of Moses. Each time, the Lord has quietly prompted me to leave it alone. This has been very disappointing me because there are other things that I would like to publish on my blog, but I know that the series on the peace offering should be completed first. I also know that, before that can happen, the circumstances of my personal life require some very focused attention. That has been the case for longer than I have wanted it to be.

It’s funny how people differ in their estimations of what improves and what doesn’t, and it turns out that those differences create a whole lot of difficulty for those who, at first, see the shortest path to reach the best and fastest improvement possible. Sometimes, it’s almost as if one party wants to try to restore a decrepit, disease-infested house using the same worn-out, blighted materials that are presently on it, while the other party comes to see the need to just burn it down and walk away. Worse, the first party will do things to the second party that prevent them from making the process as fast and as painless as possible, causing the situation to drag on far longer than it needs to.

And it is next to impossible to explain to the first party (or to anyone else, sometimes) why burning down the house is not only necessary, but also expedient. People think that those two words mean the same thing, but they don’t. True, expediency has to do with purpose, but it also has everything to do with time, and God is not in the business of wasting that. As soon as a lesson is learned, he sets in motion the circumstances he has already prepared for us to progress to what lies beyond. It is extremely unfortunate when individuals fight against that.

May the Lord hasten his work, and may he come to the aid of all those engaged in it.