They Have Become A Burden

They Have Become a Burden

(Isaiah 1:14)

I attended an Elders' Quorum Meeting recently where the instructor led a discussion on Elder Gong's Conference Talk "We Each Have a Story," a talk that I found instructive and edifying.  I especially liked the way Elder Gong ended his talk by praising God's plan of happiness and Jesus Christ's Atonement, and his plea to all of us to go find our family members and bring them home to Christ

However, as is the practice, the instructor had us read some of the talk and then discuss it, and if it were not for a comment I made there would have been no mention of Jesus or his Atonement. There was no reference as to why we should find our family members. What happened to the Lord's command that we say nothing but repentance? Shouldn't it at least be mentioned once in awhile in meetings?

I kept thinking about what Isaiah said: "Your monthly and regular meetings my soul detests. They have become a burden on me; I am weary of putting up with them" (Isaiah 1:14).  

This instruction followed a Sacrament Meeting where a member of the High Council gave us a list of things to do that would rival any that the Jews had come up with.  He did, however, include Jesus on the list but only as a means to encourage us to do everything in our power to become like Jesus. 

Isaiah's prophecy about our meetings was echoed by Joseph Smith who said 

"...how vain and trifling 

have been our Spirits, 

our conferences, 

our councils, 

our meetings, 

our private as well 

as public conversations, 

too low, 

too mean, 

too vulgar, 

too condescending, 

for the dignified Characters 

of the called and chosen of God..." (History, 1838-1856 C-1 [2 November 1838-31 July 1842].

For a church that is supposed to nourish its members with "the good word of God, to keep them in the right way, to keep them continually watchful unto prayer, relying alone upon the merits of Christ, who was the author and finisher of their faith" (Moroni 6:4) we fall way short. Bottomless pit?  What better way to describe "hell?"

Some may think that Conference talks are the word of God, but to assume so, without knowing the word of God is to be ignorant of God's words. Sure the word of God may be spoken there, but not always, and in local meetings, not frequently. We have substituted the pulpit narrative for the scripture narrative. Our meetings have become more of a forum for quotes from conference talks, and in Relief Society and Elders Quorum these talks are the dictated subject matter. But what joy when the scripture narrative is given us from the pulpit!

When scriptures are quoted, they are often misinterpreted, as if those who quote them don’t understand their true or full meaning and connections. Never having been taught more than a prooftexting approach to the scriptures—of finding “proof” for a particular doctrine or interpretation—we forgo the trouble of searching and putting the pieces together and instead resort to cherry-picking what appeals and rejecting what doesn’t. Are we nearing a time when conformity to the pulpit narrative takes precedence to heeding what the scriptures say, which foresaw and forewarned against these very developments?

Is it really a surprise that young people are leaving the church in greater numbers?  They are not getting fed!  It is hard to live on cliches, platitudes, dogmas, tenets and lists of things to do or not do. They are getting religion instead of truth (the word of God). (D&C 84:45)

At a subsequent Sacrament meeting the talks were more of the same. While both were organized and delivered well, they both missed the mark. An analogy that somehow translated into developing faith and another talk on faith that was mostly quotes from Conference talks given to support the "assigned" topic. I sent a link of an article to the first speaker about how faith comes by hearing the word of God. Hopefully he will read it.

And I must admit that when I was their age, I did the same. Why? Because it made me look good, as in look at me I am an example. Later after being schooled in the word of God I gave a talk in a Sacrament Meeting where I shared my progression from being one of the good guys to recognizing that I  am a chief sinner. The name of this talk was I am a Sinner. I shared the horror of finding out that I had been worshipping an imaginary image of myself as one of the good guys. After giving this talk, the Bishopric in their next weekly message, which was included in the Sacrament Meeting program titled their message "For Those of Us Who are Not Sinners," where they quoted from a general authority to support their message. I immediately thought of Jacob saying:

"But behold, the Jews were a stiffnecked people; and they despised the words of plainness (translate words of God), and killed the prophets, and sought for things that they could not understand. Wherefore, because of their blindness, which blindness came by looking beyond the mark, they must needs fall; for God hath taken away his plainness from them, and delivered unto them many things which they cannot understand, because they desired it. And because they desired it God hath done it, that they may stumble" (Jacob 4:14 emphasis added).

This is also true for the Ephraimite Gentiles or better known as "members" of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. And while we have not killed the prophets as in causing their death, we have killed the prophets of the Old and New Testament and of the Book of Mormon by calling them 'dead' prophets and putting our trust in the 'living prophets--pulpit prophets, while just giving lip service to the others, who by the way, are very much alive! 

See Mythical Category of Dead Prophets

Now the prophets spoken of by Jacob include those who just show up, are not part of the hierarchy, historical prophets like Abinadi and Samuel the Lamanite, and many other such prophets who are mentioned, although not by name) in the Book of Mormon (Ether 11:1; Helaman 9:2; 13:25-26: Jarom 1:4), and like those prophesied to come forth, and many who are already here in numbers prior the the Lord's Second Coming. 

See An Example of What Has Been and Shall Be. 

Also see www.owlofthedesert.com/blog series on "Would God That All the Lord's People Were Prophets."

As Jacob says blindness comes by looking beyond the mark, and the mark is Christ. Instead of feeding each other with the words of life, we feed each other with words that give no life.

It should not shock us or surprise us that we are the ones these prophets will call to repentance. Isaiah prophesied and said the following concerning us.

Instead of obtaining revelation from Jehovah (vv 9, 14, 16, 26, 29), we water down his word until it is ineffectual in empowering his people (vv 10-13; Isaiah 32:6).

When his people’s devotion to Jehovah becomes but a shallow version of his law and word, it lacks the power to withstand evil.

(28:9–10) Although Jehovah wants to give his people “instruction” and “revelation,” we are but babes and sucklings who haven’t developed far enough to digest more than milk: “Everyone who uses milk is unskillful in the word of righteousness, for he is a babe” (Hebrews 5:13). Ephraim’s (our) mode of learning is still “line upon line, line upon line, precept upon precept, precept upon precept, here a little, there a little” (saw lasaw saw lasaw qaw laqaw qaw laqaw ze‘ir sam ze‘ir sam). Assonance and alliteration parody their rote method of learning that consists of parroting back what their leaders teach.

Each poetic allegory (vv 23-26, 27-29) reiterates Isaiah chapter 28’s theme of the need for divine revelation and its lack among the people of Ephraim that leaves them unprepared for Jehovah’s Day of Judgment. (v 29)—hark back to verse 9: “Whom shall he give instruction? Whom shall he enlighten with revelation?” and to Jehovah’s taking steps to restore his revelation to “those who believe it” (v 16).

Your wine diluted with water. Besides its literal meaning, the idea of “wine” metaphorically signifies spiritual nourishment: “You who have no money, come, buy wine and milk with no money and at no cost” (Isaiah 55:1). Those who teach God’s word, in effect, have watered it down until it no longer nourishes his people: “Their heart ponders impiety—how to practice hypocrisy and preach perverse things concerning Jehovah, leaving the hungry soul empty, depriving the thirsty [soul] of drink” (Isaiah 32:6). What passes for God’s word has become but a diminished version of his gospel in its fullness.

Precepts of men prevent people from receiving more of God’s word as Isaiah teaches it. If people haven’t heard something a thousand times, then it can’t be true. Although what they believe may have no basis of fact, they won’t search the scriptures to see if those things are so (Acts 17:11). Ought not a prophet who saw our day, who so eloquently spells it out, be our daily walk and talk?

These epitomize the Isaiah and Book of Mormon scriptures narrative.

 

They also parallel the Lord’s people “in Zion” subscribing to “precepts of men,” which in the end cause them to deny him; his current wife becoming a harlot, her people’s indulging the sins of Sodom, leading to the Lord’s remarrying his first wife—the house of Israel—in their place; the olive tree of Zenos’ allegory bearing all kinds of fruit—none of it any good—causing the Lord of the vineyard to appoint his end-time servant to call other servants to help him graft the natural branches back into their mother tree, to cut off the bad and cast them out of the vineyard.

Is it any wonder that we are the wild fruit spoken of by Jacob in the Allegory of the Olive Tree? Is it any wonder that we look beyond the mark? Is it any wonder that as the wild fruit we will be cut down and cast into the fire?

"Then if our hearts have been hardened, yea, if we have hardened our hearts against the word, insomuch that it has not been found in us, then will our state be awful, for then we shall be condemned.

For our words will condemn us, yea, all our works will condemn us; we shall not be found spotless; and our thoughts will also condemn us; and in this awful state we shall not dare to look up to our God; and we would fain be glad if we could command the rocks and the mountains to fall upon us to hide us from his presence.

But this cannot be; we must come forth and stand before him in his glory, and in his power, and in his might, majesty, and dominion, and acknowledge to our everlasting shame that all his judgments are just; that he is just in all his works, and that he is merciful unto the children of men, and that he has all power to save every man that believeth on his name and bringeth forth fruit meet for repentance" (Alma 12:13-15 emphasis added).

What a night and day (literally) difference between the pulpit narrative and the scripture narrative!