(Book of Mormon – 2 Nephi – Chapters 9, 10, 11) 3
Sunday, September 23. 2018
A thought as a preamble
You don’t have to be with me very long before you understand that the ability to recall the how, when, where, what or why of events in my life has become a very tentative ability. This becomes especially apparent when it applies to who said what and when they said the words which come into my mind. Anyway, somewhere, sometime in my past, I heard someone say, Satan doesn’t really care how he gets you to leave the comforts of the Plan of Happiness, as long, as Nephi teaches, he can beguile you with his lies and bind you in the chains of misery.
Somewhere there may be a more complete list of his wily ways, but Nephi’s list, found in chapter 9 of Second Nephi, of the ways he uses our weaknesses to entrap us and lead us carefully away from our covenants is complete enough to keep us vigilantly cautious during our days.
Although I cling to the premise that our probationary and growth experiences extend far into our past before we were born and will extend far into our future once we leave our present state, Nephi warns us that becoming subject to the temptations of the Devil not only binds us with chains, but the characteristics these temptations put upon us are extremely sticky and could even follow us into our future state of existence.
Nephi proclaims a warning which especially applies to those who have received the commandments of the Lord and then transgress them because of falling prey to the temptations of the Adversary. He woefully proclaims that they who thus fall will waste the days of their probation and their state will be one of awfulness.
One of the major problems we all face is as long as we do not put off the telestial nature of being carnal, sensuous and devilish we were born into, we will remain frail creatures prone to vanity and foolishness. We continue to have a propensity to think we are wise because we have a sophomoric level of learning causing us to think our foolish notions are wise.
He who was known in our pre mortal state by the name of Lucifer has sufficient understanding to know that if he can keep us from following the counsels of the Lord which will lift us from our telestial frail state to a terrestrial state of being good and honorable people, he can make of us his angels.
In the following paragraphs I will present those temptations which are appealing to the telestial neophyte which Nephi felt important to warn us about, which he had observed his people becoming subject to and being used by Satan to bring misery to them.
Wo unto the rich!
It becomes immediately apparent that Nephi was not against every one having sufficient for their needs. He was worried that when some begin to enjoy the things which can be theirs because they set their hearts on them, the gaining of wealth and the gaining of things become their god.
Because having treasure fills their beings and dominates their thoughts, words and actions, they begin to hate the poor and persecute the meek. The sole purpose of their existence becomes set on building their mountain of minutia higher and higher.
Those of this ilk are never able to realize the foolishness of laboring for that which has no eternal worth which will never bring satisfaction.
Wo unto the poor!
Although Nephi does not put this characteristic into his list, and the poor are usually possessed of the qualities of humility, meekness and spirituality. However, I have observed that there are those among the impoverished who find their want of goods as a license to covet the possessions of their neighbors leading them to steal and even murder.
There are some who chose to labor not, but feel it to be the obligation of those who have enough and to spare, to provide for their needs and nurture and care for them to the fulfilling of their wants.
It must be noted there are those who labor diligently and yet lack the needs of life and have never fallen into the trap of being beguiled by the whisperings of devils which would cause them to abandon their qualities of humility, meekness and spiritual-ness.
Wo unto the deaf and blind!
It is almost too obvious, but bears commenting about, that those who deliberately choose to shut their ears to hearing and close their eyes to seeing the words of the Lord, given to the children of Heavenly Father to help them keep safely upon the path and holding firmly to the rod of iron, are usually more easily deceived by the words which are pleasing to the telestial being.
The morning when I was about to write this thought, I read some statistics that those who have chosen to have zero affiliation with any religious organization has gone from 7% in the late 1800 to 23% today. I totally realize that affiliation with a religious organization does not automatically make a person good and that not being affiliated with a religious organization does not automatically make a person bad. However, assembling and affiliating with those who are at least attempting to know how their Heavenly Father would have them act, as they say, can’t be all that bad.
Wo unto the uncircumcised of heart!
This temptation cannot be addressed without a review of the connection between covenant and circumcised. In Hebrew they are the same word and therefore circumcision is the mark of a covenant male and a male demonstrated his covenant making and keeping by being circumcised.
As it was noted in the problem of being deaf and blind to the doctrines of the gospel, being circumcised does not automatically make a person a covenant keeper nor does being uncircumcised make a person a covenant breaker.
When the term is used as Nephi used it in connection with the heart it signifies our covenants have become a sustaining part of our existence, signifying that we have covenanted to keep the commandments of the Lord as part of our life.
Those who take their covenants as chafe in the wind are especially vulnerable to the devices and lies of Satan.
Wo unto the liar, murderer and committer of whoredoms!
When a person allows the telestial nature of their being to become so dominant that they can justify even a little of being captivated by these temptations, they have really become stuck in the sticky stuff Satan spews.
The problem for most of us is that we do fall into justifying little white lies, slaying the reputation of a brother or sister or allowing our bodies to become fashionably alluring.
As with all of the cunningly presented temptations of Satan, the most dangerous step is the first one we take towards the his bog of goo.
Wo unto they who worship idols!
Although these words probably had a much different significance to the people of Nephi than they do to us who dwell in the days of excess or minimalism, the percentage of participation of the population in worshiping idols may have magnified with the march of time.
We don’t often see our mantles lined with statues to which we bow down and worship as our gods, but we are nevertheless consumed with the worshiping of idols.
Soloons are filled with worshipers of fermented grains, stadiums are filled with people hailing their heroes, people don skimpy scanty attire and sun and nature worship in open air cathedrals on sand and grass as we are consumed with seventh and first day reverence for our chosen idols.
We are so dedicated to some idols that they fill our souls with passionate worship 24/7 as we dedicatedly pay homage to the gods of honor, prestige, status and position.
A thought as an epilogue
There are times when watching, reading or listening to the news that I sink into the trap of feeling all is lost. Then I quickly am struck with the thought regarding the improbability of an Omnipotent, Omniscient, Omnipresent, Omni-merciful, Omni -loving Being losing in the battle for the immortality and eternal lives of his children is ludicrous and beyond reality.
I am also comforted with the constant reminder from living apostles and prophets that as long as we are inhaling and exhaling the atmosphere of this planet there is the reality of being cleansed from the sticky stuff Satan has smeared us with and because our Father is so merciful, he will continue to work His glory upon us line upon line, helping us change our natures from telestial to terrestrial and from terrestrial to celestial.
Satan cannot win the universal battle against God and if we follow the counsels of the Lord he will not win the personal battle against us.
(to be continued)
THOUGHTS FOR A SABBATH DAY – WILLIAM L. RILEY
EDITED BY – KATHLEEN W. RILEY
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