Now we continue with the narrative, on to chapter 3. Nephi and Lehi are really drawing out the eventual death of their father and exodus of Nephi, by illustrating some things to us in between in short chapters. Again, we have to consider, why is this short chapter included in the writings? Why is a commentary from the father being given for us all to read? Surely this isn’t all that was said to his children and surely this isn’t the personal feelings of a parent in its entirety. But for whatever reason, this is what we are given.
Starting with the name; the last chapter described well to us the significance of a name. Jacob was described after the manner of Isaiah as the house of Israel in need of Repentance. Now, in this chapter, we oddly move on to another name that is significant to Israel, that of Joseph. We learn from Josephs story in Egypt, in section 86, from 2 nephi 3 and many other places the significance of this name to the Gentiles and as the saving grace of all Israel. Many types and shadows and literal descriptions are offered throughout sacred writ.
A lot has been written on this chapter. Most of it by using to to prove that Joseph smith is the prophet and seer mentioned here. We will go over this in just a minute. Since this whole chapter is discussing the significance of the name Joseph, lets delve into the chapter itself.
Very first verse in this chapter;
“And now I speak unto you, Joseph, my alast-born. Thou wast born in the wilderness of mine afflictions; yea, in the days of my greatest sorrow did thy mother bear thee.”
That first sentence is meaningful. Its not often that we see two sentences in one verse. This suggests to me that they are really one thought. But, in that first sentance we again see some symbolic language to the house of Israel. Joseph of Egypt was the youngest at the time of his exile, though later he was not. However, Joseph of the Last-Days, or the house of Joseph, is part of Gods plan that the first shall be last. Indeed, the Last born in the last days, is Israel. And according to the types in scripture and in the descriptions of the Book of Mormon, this last-born group is hid from the world and becomes the Savior of all Israel. The Birthright is switched and the last born, hid and exiled son is given the blessing of returning. Indeed, as we see in the Book of Mormon and DC, as is illustrated many times in the annals of this blog, when the Gentiles finally are ripe and the gospel removed from them and given to Israel, it is among the greatest afflictions that the earth has ever seen. They are Born, as Revelations puts it, when the woman is in travail, crying out at the afflictions of the world (ISaiah 42, 1 Thes 5, DC 136). Joesph here was born too in a similar circumstance. thus, with this type holding true, we can look for the house of Joseph to be born in majesty shortly after the time of greatest Travail begins. This is also the tradition of the Jewish Messiah, who is born at a time that the Lords people enter into true sorrow and cry out. The servant then is born, and through his instrumentality the Knigdom is born to of its shackles and binds. The Lord than completes his chiasmic writing in the next two verses;
“And may the Lord consecrate also unto thee this aland, which is a most precious land, for thine inheritance and the inheritance of thy seed with thy brethren, for thy security forever, if it so be that ye shall keep the commandments of the Holy One of Israel. And now, Joseph, my last-born, whom I have brought out of the wilderness of mine afflictions, may the Lord bless thee forever, for thy aseed shall not utterly be bdestroyed.”
He states one sentence than reiterates the first verse in slightly different wording. The chiasm is illustrative to us. The Last thought, “may the Lord bless thee forever, for thy aseed shall not utterly be bdestroyed” is a continuation and broadening of the utterance, “yea, in the days of my greatest sorrow did thy mother bear thee”. Showing that the Seed of Joseph will be saved and on the Land of promise as a result of turning to the Lord when his people cry out. Central to the chiasm is a description that will come as a surprise to Israel. The promise and savior of that house will come from the Land, the America. That consecration and renewing of covenant which all the prophets had prophesied will happen here, they will be born here through tribulation, not in the old world where most of the worlds eyes are turned.
In verse 3-5 Lehi tells us that Joseph of Egypt is indeed a type and promise of the fulfillment of the house of Israels promise. He tells us that the Messiah will manifest himself to the Seed of Joseph in the Last Days and that that event will bring them out of darkness and into the Light. What a Glorious thought! and Appearance of our Lord will be the catalyst for the saving of all Israel, as Joseph was promised. Indeed Lehi literally says; “the Messiah should be made emanifest unto them in the latter days, in the spirit of power, unto the bringing of them out of fdarkness unto light—yea, out of hidden darkness and out of captivity unto freedom. For Joseph truly testified, saying: A aseer shall the Lord my God raise up, who shall be a choice seer unto the fruit of my bloins.”
Notice here the continuation of thought. There is no delineation between the two ideas. The one tells us who the Choice seer is, the Messiah. Moroni in his visits to the boy Joseph was similarly blunt saying that “that prophet was Christ, but that that day had not yet come (JSH 1:40). The Lord himself revealed twice, in 3 Nephi 20 & 21, the same thing, that “Behold, I am he of whom Moses spake, saying: aA prophet shall the Lord your God raise up unto you of your brethren”.
Lehi goes on,
Yea, Joseph truly said: Thus saith the Lord unto me: A choice aseer will I braise up out of the fruit of thy loins; and he shall be esteemed highly among the fruit of thy loins. And unto him will I give commandment that he shall do a work for the fruit of thy loins, his brethren, which shall be of great worth unto them, even to the bringing of them to the cknowledge of the covenants which I have made with thy fathers. And I will give unto him a commandment that he shall do anone other work, save the work which I shall command him. And I will make him great in mine eyes; for he shall do my work. And he shall be great like unto aMoses, whom I have said I would raise up unto you, to bdeliver my cpeople, O house of Israel. And aMoses will I raise up, to deliver thy people out of the land of Egypt.”
This Choice seer, or servant of God, is said here to be “like unto Moses”. This in the same language that Moroni and the Lord himself used, as cited. We are told how to recognize him in that “he shall do none other work”. This will be his focus, the sole reason he is here, to bring the knowledge of the covenant. He will deliver Israel from their bondage, as Joseph did. And as is here mentioned, like Moses, he will bring them from bondage out of the land of Egypt. This is significant because it reiterates what Lehi had said earlier. Isaiah uses Egypt to speak of the great last days central economic place of Babylon, America. As Lehi above noted, The seed of Joseph will do his work from out of the Land of the Americas, where Lehi’s seed are. And Moses did the same, showing that both stories are perfect types for the events and the prophet who will be the principle cause of this movement. He will be great, but only in the eyes of the Lord. Being that he will remove the people from Egypt, or Babylon, the world at large will not look at him nearly so fondly. Also, this servant will be esteemed in the eyes of the fruit of Joseph. They will look to Him as a leader, even while the Egyptians, or Gentile nations do the opposite. HE will do a work for the seed of Lehi on this continent. This of course sounds nothing like Joseph Smith in the 1800′s, whose principle work was done amongst Egyptian gentiles. He never really carried any weight or esteem in the eyes of the Lamanites, nor did he renew a covenant to them which allowed them to change and become the savior of the house of Israel. He did how ever lay the groundwork for that eventuality and even served well as a type of the future.
Verse 11 is pivotal in explaining the time period of all this;
“But a aseer will I raise up out of the fruit of thy loins; and unto him will I give bpower to cbring forth my word unto the seed of thy loins—and not to the bringing forth my word only, saith the Lord, but to the convincing them of my word, which shall have already gone forth among them.”
This time around, this seer, will not only bring forth the word, in the Book of Mormon, but he will convince them that it is true. AND they will know that has “already gone forth among them.” This is of course NOT the order of things for Joseph Smith in his first restorative movement. When the book of Mormon reached the seed of Joseph, it was the first time it had. IT also did not convince them of their calling in Israel’s plan, as shown plainly in their continued trials, languishing and persecution. This is a movement which, as Moroni put it, “that day had not yet come”.
Then, of this movement when the seed of Joseph will miraculously turn, Joseph predicts through Lehi;
“Wherefore, the fruit of thy loins shall awrite; and the fruit of the loins of bJudah shall cwrite; and that which shall be written by the fruit of thy loins, and also that which shall be written by the fruit of the loins of Judah, shall grow together, unto the dconfounding of efalse doctrines and laying down of contentions, and establishing fpeace among the fruit of thy loins, and gbringing them to the hknowledge of their fathers in the latter days, and also to the knowledge of my covenants, saith the Lord. And out of weakness he shall be made strong, in that day when my work shall commence among all my people, unto the restoring thee, O house of Israel, saith the Lord.”
The Book of Mormon will finally do what it was intended to do. IT wil bring a peace through covenant keeping to a group of people who has not had it since about 200 AD. Their weakness, indeed at the moment there are not many people who look weaker, they will be made strong. His Work (restoring Israel to covenant, exalting his children) will then be commenced. Simultaneously to this resoration to the pure blood, the Gentiles will be purged; “I will bring the fulness of my gospel from among them. And then will I aremember my covenant which I have made unto my people, O house of Israel, and I will bring my gospel unto them (3 Nephi 16)”. Indeed, the Lord tells us in section 45,
“And when the times of the aGentiles is come in, a blight shall break forth among them that sit in darkness, and it shall be the fulness of my cgospel; But they areceive it not; for they perceive not the light, and they turn their bhearts from me because of the cprecepts of men. And in that generation shall the atimes of the Gentiles be fulfilled. And there shall be men standing in that ageneration, that shall not pass until they shall see an overflowing bscourge; for a desolating csickness shall cover the land.”
Showing that in the same generation that the Light breaks forth (the Last Days messiah as Lehis shows, who is the covenant and fulness of the Gospel), the Gentiles fate will be sealed as they will finally reject that Light entirely, as the Jews of old. And the overflowing scourge will cover the land, the woman cry out and Zion will be born.
Lehi continues;
“And thus prophesied Joseph, saying: Behold, that seer will the Lord bless; and they that seek to destroy him shall be confounded; for this promise, which I have obtained of the Lord, of the fruit of my loins, shall be fulfilled. Behold, I am sure of the fulfilling of this promise; And his aname shall be called after me; and it shall be after the bname of his father. And he shall be clike unto me; for the thing, which the Lord shall bring forth by his hand, by the power of the Lord shall bring dmy people unto esalvation.”
AS we saw in Josephs Smiths first trip to the vineyard, he was destroyed and the Gentiles were not confounded. But, the promise in the last days is that that servant will be marred but healed, and the Gentiles who seek to destroy him will be confounded. related commentary on Isaiah;
Isaiah 42:4 He shall not fail nor be discouraged, till he have set judgment in the earth: and the isles shall wait for his law.
***The Servant is a lawgiver, like Moses. And, like Moses, he does not grow dim. This implies that he has extraordinary powers. No one will be able to prevent him from fulfilling his mission. He will be marred (chapter 52) but the Lord heals him (chapter 57). The fact that he is marred, then healed implies that he does not have a lot of power to begin with. His healing is part of his empowerment. The fact that the isles wait for his law indicates that, unlike Moses, the Servant’s mission extends to all nations. He calls them from among the nations to Zion to avoid the destruction that are coming upon the nations. He does this by teaching them God’s Law. Then escape destruction by entering into a covenant with the Lord, then they qualify for His protection. The breaking of the covenant (a spiritual thing) led to a physical exile. Renewal of the covenant (repentance, spiritual renewal) will lead to a physical return.
This eventual happening surrounding the servant and Israel is yet to happen, another strike for this having been Joseph in the 1800′s as is commonly put. WE force interpretations as apologists rather than seek understanding as it is written.
There is a point here considering his name. Indeed Joseph Smith fit this type. But, just because Moses, Joseph, Jacob and many others fit these types so well in many facets doesn’t mean they are the thing for which the type was given! Immediately after speaking about his name Lehi elaborates by telling us that the work he performs will bring salvation to that people of Lehi. Again, Joseph Smiths commencing work will only do this in a 3rd person several generational way. Indeed, the addition to the scriptures in the Book of Mormon will be the true catalyst for this event, not purely what Brother Joseph has given us. We’ve discussed this before, and could perhaps another time but its beyond the scope of this writing.
Indeed, noting the mention of the name Joseph, may merely be a tip-off to the house of Israel who are looking for the Messiah Ben-Joseph (or of Ephraim) to regather Israel and reestablish temple worship in Jerusalem. New scripture and a miraculous revelation could establish this fact to those with eyes to see, that indeed the Name of Joseph is had here in Egypt, and the gathering of Israel is happening here amongst that people. That a New Jeruasalem is being established and Temple building is a calling card of theirs.
Now when Lehi commences he tells us some details of this event that are most descriptive;
And the Lord hath said: I will raise up a Moses (as we have mentioned); and I will give power unto him in a rod; and I will give judgment unto him in writing. Yet I will not loose his tongue, that he shall speak much, for I will not make him mighty in speaking. But I will awrite unto him my law, by the finger of mine own hand; and I will make a bspokesman for him. And the Lord said unto me also: I will raise up unto the fruit of thy loins; and I will make for him a spokesman. And I, behold, I will give unto him that he shall write the writing of the fruit of thy loins, unto the fruit of thy loins; and the spokesman of thy loins shall declare it. And the words which he shall write shall be the words which are expedient in my wisdom should go forth unto the afruit of thy loins. And it shall be as if the fruit of thy loins had cried unto them bfrom the dust; for I know their faith.”
Luckily Joseph Smith comes to the rescue here with some clarification. The Rod and spokesman idea is interesting. IT seems that the Law will be written by the servant, but His servant will give it to us through word. In section 113 Joseph gets an answer about who the Rod in ISaiah 11 is;
“What is the arod spoken of in the first verse of the 11th chapter of Isaiah, that should come of the Stem of Jesse? Behold, thus saith the Lord: It is a servant in the hands of Christ, who is partly a descendant of Jesse as well as of aEphraim, or of the house of Joseph, on whom there is laid much bpower.”
Also, if you recall section 85 which made Josephs bones quake, the OMS comes, “holding the scepter of power in his hand, clothed with light for a covering, whose mouth shall utter words, eternal words; while his bowels shall be a fountain of truth”. Does this not sound exactly like what Joseph of Egypt and Lehi here are telling us? The servant will have power in a rod, this rod will be his spokesman, who will declare the Law which THE servant gives. These writings will ring true as a voice from the dust to those who have ears to hear. This rod is a servant in the hands of Christ, a Rod. partly of Ephraim and partly of Joseph. He does the work, in section 85, of restoring the people of God to covenant and united order. The Lord then tells us that this servant is Joseph Smith, in section 103 and section 101. Section 101 shows plainly that his first attempt will not result in the redemption of Zion, but that Josephs second coming, this time with the Lord of the Vineyard, will result in that eventuality.
The Servant like unto Moses though, who gives the Law according too Lehi and Joseph and who gathers the people according to Judaism and Isaiah, is described as “a adescendant of Jesse, as well as of Joseph, unto whom rightly belongs the bpriesthood, and the ckeys of the kingdom, for an densign, and for the gathering of my people in the elast days. (section 113).”
Whereas the OMS is shown to be of Joseph through Ephramite lineage and Jesse, this servant is of Joseph plainly and of Jesse. He is pure blood. In fact, Orson pratt and other contemporaries of Joseph smiths time said the same. IT was even written here in this chapter with a footnote which read, “a Future INDIAN prophet” (see the photocopy on file here). Plainly up to the 1905 edition of the Book of Mormon the people did not believe this to be the original Joseph. And as we have shown, it is a future Joseph in every description besides the name, though that Joseph Smith serves as a wonderful type.
BAck to 2 Nephi 3, Lehi continues in verse 21;
“Because of their faith their awords shall proceed forth out of my mouth unto their brethren who are the fruit of thy loins; and the weakness of their words will I make strong in their faith, unto the remembering of my covenant which I made unto thy fathers. And now, behold, my son Joseph, after this manner did my father of old aprophesy.”
Interesting here that he declares that Their words (Josephs and Lehis seed) will be declared by MY mouth unto their brethren. And all of it is to bring covenant back to the people. He also refers again to the One Mighty Among them who will bring to pass much restoration. ITs awesome how all these key words are used in repetitive form, but strictly in the right ssnse of the word to illustrate to us and not confuse. An imperfect language is made stronger thorugh the use of key words, in aiding the understanding.
Finally in the last verse in closing the Father says to the house of Joseph;
“And now, blessed art thou, Joseph. Behold, thou art little; wherefore hearken unto the words of thy brother, Nephi, and it shall be done unto thee even according to the words which I have spoken.”
This is the same as we explored in the earlier chapters. Nephi as the Servant, instruction is given here to the house of Joseph to hear that servant and hearken to his words. They ares specifically called little, which is plain to us who now view them. But the promise is given that if they here the voice of that Servant in the last days they will indeed be restored and prove to be the Savior of all Israel from out of Egypt.
All of this language and illustration of the Falters children, their tribes and families and their callings, has serves us well in seeing the roles that they will play in the Marvelous work. Nephis exodus in the coming chapter is proceeded by many types and discussions. Those who will not listen in that approaching day are given as a type of Laman and Lemuel. The people of Israel who have not repented, who are still mixed into Babylon, are given as Jacob. And the house of Joseph who will stay hidden from the world and eventually restore Israel to their covenant status is explained. The servant who is born at the commencement of the Travail of Gods people is elaborated, as is the Man who will perform his work amongst this people in His name. A picture is definitely being painted!
great post!