Although King David, having spent his adult life as a man of war, was forbidden to build the House of the Lord which would shelter the sacred Ark of the Testament, he spent most of his final days gathering materials which would be used in building the monument to the Lord which would bear his son Solomon’s name. As he inventoried the spoils gained from the campaigns of his reign and just prior to anointing Solomon as King of Israel, he was not only amazed with the volume of the spoils, but was also struck with the numerous ultimate sacrifices which had been required to bring about the stockpiling of such an immense treasury.
Standing before Israel surrounded by the spoils of their efforts, while offering one last sacrifice to the Lord, David then spoke his last testament to Israel, honoring his leaders and people for their dedication and then expounded on a principle that so often we are tardy in learning, we seldom understand, and only occasionally reluctantly live.
David proclaimed, “But who am I, and what is my people, that we should be able to offer so willingly after this sort? For all things come of Thee, and of Thine own have we given Thee.” (I Chronicles 29:14)
“For all things come of Thee and of Thine own have we given Thee.” Searching his life and writings we find it interesting that the great Israelite King makes this proclamation at the end of his life. One wonders if the concept came as an accumulation of experiences which brought him this wisdom or whether he had long ago been enlightened by this truth. His history indicates that even though in his Psalms the son of Jesse spent many hours singing appreciation to the Lord, some of his life’s decisions leave us to question the timing of his learning, the depth of his understanding and his dedication to the principle.
Thankfully, wiser judges than we will be left to determine the when, the sincerity and depth of King David’s commitment.
However, it takes only a glance at history and at our own times to realize that precious few of the masses which make up mankind ever learn to understand that so little of life and its treasures can be personally claimed and how much of life’s spoils are but stewardships on loan. That most of what we have become is but the borrowing from others who were willing to share. That the dances we do are only possible because the Master Puppeteer shows us the steps.
Some other principles of life we may be slow to learn and are yet shallow of understanding and reticent to live:
If we are among those who are lucky enough to enjoy the gift of education, how long did it take, five, ten, fifteen years, before we realized what a blessing it was to be with those who knew a little about the paths we were about to walk upon? Teachers must learn they have a responsibility to know the way and then to teach in exciting and interesting ways, but students must someday grasp that learning only comes when they take upon themselves the responsibility to learn.
Undoubtedly the vibes were felt during the bonding years, perhaps covered up during the elementary school years, found counterfeits during adolescence, might have been stimulated at the wedding alter, had to have been stirred when standing by the crib, but for most true love remains a mystery and few learn, understand or live lives where love is expressed in acts of giving and not in getting.
Listening quietly to soft tones, sitting alone away from the glittering lights of Gotham drinking in the brilliance of the Milky Way, watching the blaze of the sun being extinguished in the waters of the Pacific; these moments and many more give us glimpses of the true treasures of life. Sadly, most tomorrows come and the busyness of gathering stuff reveals how little we have learned, how minute is our understanding and what pittance of our three score and ten we devote to the real riches of life.
Like the ancients, we too are slow to learn of life’s truths. We too stop short of understanding of the purposes of existence. We too fritter away years in pursuit of that which will never satisfy.
Worst of all, the choices of the many seem to indicate that we are slowest to learn the greatest of all truths. All that I am, all that I do, all that I know, all that I have in my storehouse exists because of a benevolent, loving Heavenly Father.
“But who am I, and what is my people, that we should be able to offer so willingly after this sort? For all things come of Thee, and of Thine own have we given Thee.” (I Chronicles 29:14)
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Gracias por su constante inspiracion.
ReplyDeleteAlejandra Diaz
hermano williams es hermoso lo q escribio un nunca hay q decirlo de una vez x todas felicitaciones
ReplyDeleteCecilia Torres
Great piece. If you think 3 score and ten brought forth increased insight brace yourself for the next decade!
ReplyDeletePaul Hansen
Exelente el mensaje hermano ,al leerlo me hace saver que voy por buen camino ,gracias, por que sus mensajes elevan mi Espiritu.
ReplyDeleteMarta Cristina Mujica
Thanks Br. Riley for a stimulated and valuable lesson.
ReplyDeleteKen Virgen
ReplyDeleteBro. Riley,
Thanks for your thoughts. I don't always have time to read them when they come, but they are always appreciated. I think a lot about David. I think his place in the scriptures is important, along with that of Jonah and Alma the Younger.
With regard to the information I have read about Joseph Smith since the days when I attended your institute class, I think David is indispensable. No one is perplexed by the fact that David was a party to revelations, miracles, and prophecy just because he was an adulterer and murderer as a king. The reason why no one's faith is in jeopardy over this info is because it has been part of the narrative for thousands of years. It just is what it is, but it never changed the Lord's plans or words. His weakness and sin doesn't change the Gospel. The profane facts don't erase the sacred ones.
In the Book of Mormon we read about the principle of Opposition in All Things. I think if Lehi is to be taken seriously then the principle must extend to _all_ things, including our history. The facts are just the facts. Fanny Alger doesn't erase Section 88. Practicing polygamy and polyandry, and at times behind Emma's back, does not negate the Book of Moses. Illegally destroyed printing presses do not wipe away the astonishing miracles that occurred at the Kirtland temple.
continued
As we read on in the BOM, the Nephites encounter Christ and some of the things he prays are described as being unutterable. "And no tongue can tell, neither can it be written" says 3 Ne 17:17. Then near the end of the book, when Mormon is describing the horrifying wickedness of the Nephites to his son in Moroni 9:19, we see that wording again: "Yea, tongue cannot tell, neither can it be written." So Lehi's principle finds an unspeakable extreme in both the sacred and the profane by the end of the book. Nevertheless, just as with David and Joseph Smith, the profane facts don't negate the sacred facts. Instead, these complexities simply put the miracles in relief.
ReplyDeleteI want you to know that my belief in the Gospel and in the book of Mormon has never been stronger, Bro Riley. Your lessons played a part in that growth, and for that I thank you. But I also want you to know that I think our culture's whitewashed history is doing us no favors. The story of our history has taken on a life of its own independent of the institution of the church, and any 14-year-old can get on the internet and access info about Joseph Smith in a matter of seconds and immediately feel betrayed and let down by their religious culture.
Who is going to arm these kids with the facts from a faithful perspective before they go read Wikipedia or someone's blog? Who from the church is going to be forthright with these young people before they encounter such info through friends or modern day Korihors?
Apparently the answer is no one. Polyandry, Blood oaths in the Endowment, Brigham Young, the Salamander letter, it is all there for any teen or BYU student to research on their i-phone in between classes or before they go to sleep. Then when they ask their parents about that stuff, they get an abstraction from those that they trust because the fact is that most of the parents in our culture aren't prepared to engage these topics, either. This sort of thing makes it easy for the adversary to pick off our faithful-yet-naive-and-inexperienced young people long before they are able to reside within a mature testimony of the Gospel for more than a few years. It makes it easy for him to fragment families.
The world is different now, Bill. We face tough times ahead because of our aversion to certain aspects of our history, and David resides within our canon as an ancient reminder of the value of owning up to one's mistakes so that they don't come falling out of the coat closet by the front door like so many dry bones. David is also one of the great repenters of the scriptures, after all. If Zion is actually our goal, we should follow his example more keenly than we currently do, with much fear and trembling before the Lord.
Love always,
Rocky Cordray
What temerity would one have to attempt to add to a statement so beautifully chronicled and so well exegeted?
ReplyDeleteSo I guess I'll get back to you later today :-)
Stay skeptical, open and rational; resist gullibility.
Paul Maddox
Profundas y sentidas gracias!!!!! por alinear tus pensamientos, con reflexiones que invaden mi alma y me revelan que estoy en buena senda, siendo testigo de mis propias desiciones y confortado por la coherencia con que entiendo mi vida.
ReplyDeleteMil Gracias y Amor para ustedes...
Julio Midina
Thank you for your Sabbath Day Thought for this week.
ReplyDeleteProcessions’ seem so important to the youth and to others who feel they need to “keep up”.
I appreciate the reminder… of who we are and what we have J.
With love,
Karen Perkins
What will we give to know the Savior instead of the world? That is the most important thought we should have in our lives!
ReplyDeleteBarbara Phelps
As I approach 3 score & 5, I realize more fully that each lesson in life requires 2 participants, & each must be prepared. To teach well, I must be prepared; to learn well, I MUST also be prepared. No teacher can teach one who is not prepared to receive! It takes both! Thank you for doing YOUR part so well: I pray that I have done my part well enough! I pray that we can walk the path together & find our way home having done our part for each other!
ReplyDeletePatricia Walters
Bill,
ReplyDeleteSuppose that a person gifted with the amount of logic of a normal man (or woman of course) believed for whatever reason that nothing (within his own grasp of comprehension) could come from nothing (be he mistaken or not); that he must have been made, created if you prefer. That such a maker, at least with respect to his powers or any power such as he knew, must have power infinite. To accomplish the creation his knowledge must be infinitely greater than his own or others of his kind. For a world such as this, it would seem incomprehensible to him to have resulted from total aimless purposeless nothing.
Given a period of quiet reflection what might any such man deduce, even though no Sherlock he? :)
"All things come from Him and I have nothing to give that He did not give me." "I am incapable of fathoming my own existence, much less His plan, what is left for me but to simply trust it"; call such trust faith if you prefer.
One difficult thing about trust as described above is that "precious few" have been given the gift of
"five, ten, fifteen years" of education,
Have had the peace to reap the benefits of those wonderful "bonding years",
And though those marvelous heavens are there for us all, millions are too stuck in the bondage of squalor to look up.
But perhaps the most insidious trap of all, one that affect those of us who are "proud" to be able to claim an education, have had wonderful bonding years and the leisure to reflect on the treasures of God's nature, is the trap we often blindly fall into of insular, provincial, sectarian modes of thought.
Modes of thought: not a narrow trap; a broad path: one which accommodates the philosopher, the scientist, the historian (ref. Durant :-), the theologian, indeed even the self depicted skeptic:-(.
“Who is wise?” asks the Jewish ethical text Pirkei Avot. “He who learns from all people.”
Wisdom is rare, especially among those of us who would be seen as wise.
Paul Maddox
ReplyDeleteKathie Brooks
To
Bill Riley
You never run out of beautiful, profound thought! Thank you so much for sharing your wealth of understanding!
By the way, I would like to treat you and Kathleen to our OCMCO Christmas concert this year! This is a tradition Bill and I started six years ago and we always jump online first thing to get, what he carefully determined, the best seats! Tickets go online Oct 4 and the concert is Dec 6!
Please let me know if you will be traveling to exotic places at that time. Otherwise, you are our guests!:)
Kathie Brooks