Enlarging the Place of our Tents

15 February 2022

This week we are delving more into the Abrahamic Covenant.

I saw the covenant through new eyes today, though not because it was new, but because it was highlighted to me in a new way. That was, that God sets all the terms and conditions of the covenant. We actually don't set any terms - we are just invited to receive it. How interesting that God honors our agency to choose for ourselves, whether we choose liberty and eternal life, or death and captivity. Our covenantal relationship with Christ ("sons of God") represents life. The covenant with Satan ("sons of men") represents death. There really are only two choices in life aren't there? The red pill or the blue pill. (If you haven't seen the movie, "The Matrix", there are a lot of hints of this idea of "waking up" to the reality of life, but the choice is put upon the individual to free themselves in order to truly "see".)

Which leads me to the next point. Every single choice we make guides us towards one end (life) or the other (death). Even in the mundane choice of brushing our teeth or not. (I'll expand my thoughts on this example a bit further down.)

My friend shared that her understanding of covenants this week, in it's simplest form was:

"...a pattern of living as we enter into covenant with God and that relationship with him. We determine to what degree we want to engage in that relationship.

...when we choose to disengage from our covenants we are in essence exposing ourselves to... “ heavy blows” which bring a spiritual death. However, because of Christ we can re-engage in this covenant relationship and once again receive the blessings of said relationship!"

The heavy blows she was referring to, was an account in the book of Alma, of two warring groups. One, the Nephites, were armored physically, and had added protection from the striking blows to their bodies. However, the other group, wore nothing more but a loin cloth, so their bodies were "exposed" to the full force of the blows from their enemies. There are always spiritual lessons to be found in the Book of Mormon accounts, and the lesson she had seen in the symbolism of this account, was the spiritual protection that the armor of God offers those who accept it via covenant. Those without the protection of God's armor through that covenant relationship, are also exposed and made vulnerable to every "heavy blow" that life might bring. These blows can come in a variety of ways of course. They can be emotional, spiritual, intellectual, physical. Malachi prophesied that the Millenial covenant descendants of Israel, would "...grow up as calves in the stall." "The calf on the range is subject to all the forces of nature: inclement weather, predatory animals, and occasional scarcity of food and water. On the other hand, the calf raised in the barn or in a stall is protected from poor weather and predatory animals. Likewise, food and water are regularly provided. Nephi taught that “the time cometh speedily that the righteous must be led up as calves of the stall” (1 Nephi 22:24)." It is within and underneath the chuppa and covering of Christ's saving Atonement, that we are promised the reassurance that He will ease our burdens, infact, replace them with His yoke, which He promises is light.

I could see from the insight my friend shared, the eternal truth that, at the core of everything, it is the intent of our hearts, what we truly desire in life, that guides us to the pattern of living most conducive to obtaining those very same desires that germinate within our hearts.

In ancient Egyptian religious belief, Maat was both the goddess and the personification of truth and justice. Her ostrich feather represented truth. The ancient Egyptians believed that the heart recorded all of the good and bad deeds of a person’s life, and was needed for judgment in the afterlife. After a person died, the heart was weighed against the feather of Maat (goddess of truth and justice). The scales were watched by Anubis (the jackal-headed god of embalming) and the results recorded by Thoth (the ibis-headed god of writing). If a person had led a decent life, the heart balanced with the feather and the person was rendered worthy to live forever in paradise with Osiris.

The justice of God has always differed from the wisdom and justice of man, because God has never placed importance on the "...height of the stature..." of his children, as handsome and well-formed we all are. Our Heavenly Father, through the grace and mercy of His Son, has only ever been solely concerned with what lies beneath our outward facades. That's not to say that what we experience adversely or joyously in our physical bodies doesn't matter to Him. It actually does. But God knows that much of how He is able to manifest Himself to us along our earthly, mortal journey, does not happen because of what we do or manifest to the world in a physical way. Everything that matters, must occur within the nucleus of our souls. For me, that sacred place, is within the symbolic metaphor of the heart, which pumps and fuels our whole physical bodies with every breath of literal air that God breathes into us each day. The intentions/desires that lie within our heart of hearts, is truly what fuels us to get up and move and act and animate into the narrative of our lives.

It is these matters in our hearts that our Heavenaly Father takes an interest in. Of course He always hopes that in time, He might win over our hearts. That's where the Covenant comes in. Our Father wants us to experience a mighty change, that has very little to do with wordly pursuits of financial success, grandeur, or accolades, because it is only through this inner change, that we can become intimately acquainted with who He really is, receive a taste of how much He truly knows and loves us, recognize more clearly how to hear Him when it really counts, and then be able to see beyond our natural sight, which path/pattern He is beckoning to us to take/follow. Only He knows the way to bring us out of one mindset, and into a more perfect union with Him. We call this new state of being, His eternal rest. But we must want (our heart again!) to go there. We must forgo other desires that compete for our inner-most affections. Our eye must be single only to Him.

Enoch's Zion city was taken up to heaven, on account of the righteousness of the people in it, for they were "...of one mind and one heart..." - It only took them about 18 generations to get to that level of righteousness (365 years is a long time to change the hearts of society!), but I guess their account teaches us that it CAN be done?!

When it comes to decision-making and determining what resides in my heart, one way I weigh up my choice, is to ask myself what do I really hope or intend (heart again!) the outcome to be? Is my end goal here, to prove something to others and to God? Am I trying to build up a tower/ziggurat of Babel unto myself to gain my own glory? I admit, I often will argue both sides within myself, cross-examination and all! I find the Lord always knows when I'm in need of a dash of humility. In the midst of my internal arguments He will offer me a tender mercy in the form of a quieter, yet seemingly more secure alternative: desire to willingly come unto God - avail myself to be an instrument in His hands, and build up His temple, according to the pattern or blueprint, that only He can provide! Only one of the paths I've mentioned above will actually help me reach the destination that truly enlarges my righteous desires (heart!) in a way that is balanced, whole and perfect. Only one of these paths will help me to become more like my Heavenly Father and His Son, in the purest way.

Why do any of these things matter to us? We all want to be happy don't we? But how do we accomplish that? How can we know that we are getting there? That we are even making a dent in our list of life goals? What are the markers for success anyway? Is being successful in our endeavors an essential pre-requisite to where we are going? Can't we be happy doing the bare minimum or even the opposite to these things?

I came up with an example of a very basic choice in life that I figure we can all relate to.

Brushing one's teeth.

On the surface of it, there's nothing really fantastic about this decision. Maybe most of us don't even think about the consciousness of this act. It's a very automated process that is part of everyone's regular morning and evening routines.

But why do it?

Well, I can think of at least two reasons.

The first and most obvious is because we don't want to be gross. And plaque and furryness in the mornings is actually pretty yuck. It always feels refreshing to brush! We've always been taught to do it, as early as pre-school. We knew that we had to look after our bodies, or else we can get sick. So it slowly became a habit. It may have taken us a few years, but we got there in the end. Nothing wrong with that! When we grow up though, things can start to change. Our motives for doing even simple things, can and do change. We may not think so deeply about it, but even the act of brushing our teeth has an underlying motive to it.

Maybe you don't think about these things. But I admit, even in the mundane act of brushing my teeth, I often do run myself through my reasons for brushing. I guess I just want to know that I'm living my life with a purpose that is congruent to what I believe in my core, to be true. That's not to say that brushing my teeth is the pinnacle of my success in that my life is measured solely on whether or not I brush these pearly whites!

In a revelation to Joseph Smith, Doctrine & Covenants 88, Jesus Christ presented the following question and answer:

33 For what doth it profit a man if a gift is bestowed upon him, and he receive not the gift? Behold, he rejoices not in that which is given unto him, neither rejoices in him who is the giver of the gift.

It's pretty simple then isn't it?

The motive to brush my teeth can simply be rooted in a feeling of gratitude towards my Heavenly Father.

I read the follow yesterday, by John S. Tanner in the 1989 Ensign, "To Clothe a Temple". It tied in a number of thoughts that I had already written here in this blog (the spirit had kept impressing upon me more and more additional insights as I was typing), so I thought it would be great to insert a couple of excerpts from this talk, because I felt like the inspiration of these thoughts were right, and I couldn't see the end from the beginning in my own thoughts. (I actually thought it was hilarious that he also used an example of brushing teeth!!)

"Somewhere between the time a toddler answers the door when he is straight from the bathtub and towelless and the time a pubescent teenager locks the door merely to brush her teeth, children become, like Adam and Eve, conscious of their nakedness. As parents, we can use the child’s earliest years to instill principles of modesty and to form correct habits."

correct habits => righteous patterns... I'm seeing a correlation here!

Growing up, I always learned that "modesty" was about the specific way I groomed myself. I was taught not to wear anything above my knees, for Sunday church meetings or otherwise. Bikinis were out. Strapless anything, out. Anything that showed a bit of skin was against my cultural beliefs as a Samoan (these were probably influenced by the early Christian missionaries, as Samoan women traditionally were topless) and as a "Mormon".

It has taken me over 2 decades to come to a proper understanding of the Lord's definition of modesty. And it has nothing to do with what the Church might outline in a pamphlet, though these policies are a necessary guideline and I think they are a good starting point. Fashion trends come and go, so today's policy on our standard of dress, may shift over time with the changing fashions, but the principle and eternal truth of modesty never will. The true understanding of this, comes from within. It comes from a deep and abiding love for the covenant we've made with God, and have promised to live up to in our lives. It comes from our deep, personal/intimate relationship with Him, akin to how we might view our marriage to a spouse.

I like how Brother Tanner put it:

"...for teenagers as for children, modesty is... much more than a matter of tight pants or spandex swimming suits, of hemlines or necklines. Rather, it’s a line drawn in the heart; it’s the result of truly believing that the body is the temple of the spirit. The same holds true for adults, who may be the worst offenders against the principle of modesty. Certainly their guilt is greater to the degree that they are more knowledgeable. Further, adults who have received their endowments wear a reminder from the temple that the body is a temple, too, for both are sacred sanctuaries of the spirit. The Lord has provided the Saints a powerful shield and protection against immodest dress.

Many, however, seem to be lax and casual about wearing temple garments. Yet strict observance of this obligation still remains a precondition of temple worthiness, just as necessary as observing the laws of tithing, chastity, honesty, and the Word of Wisdom. Though the Church has not developed pharisaically detailed rules regulating our manner of dress, we are asked to declare our obedience in this matter. If we must err, we should do so on the side of caution. The paramount principle for all age groups—from toddlers to teens, from young adults to the aged—is to treat the body as a temple. “Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?” asks Paul. (1 Cor. 3:16.)"

When I feel a covenantal bond with my Creator, it doesn't rely on what I can get out of it, or what suits me to do for myself today. Rather, it becomes more about what I can give, what more can I offer, doesn't it? The motives that come out of covenantal agreements are really powerful in the process of transforming ourselves! Like our Father Abraham, and "the" Fathers whom he sought to follow, we are all on this intrepid, nomadic journey of self-discovery as we gradually come to see our own nakedness, have our eyes opened to our tendencies to become enticed towards the things of the earth, the carnal, sensual, devilish things. Adam and Eve in discovering their nakedness, tried in earnest to cover themselves through their own means. We are like that too aren't we? We often try to sweep things under the carpet, or try to disguise our weaknesses so that other's don't see the chinks in our armour. But here's the thing: if we humbly come to God and admit our faults, He will clothe us with a much finer garment than we could ever attempt to sew for ourselves. "Clothing Adam and Eve was one of the first acts of mercy the Lord extended to mortals. A richly symbolic gesture, clothing humanity foreshadowed the final mercy God will grant his children when he shall clothe them in the “robe of righteousness” and “garments of salvation.” (Isa. 61:10.) Clothing the naked also exemplifies the godlike mercy we are to manifest toward each other. (See, for example, Matt. 25:36; Mosiah 4:26.) From the first to the last, then, clothing is more than a superficial matter. Clothes were provided by God to shield and protect us against not only the harsh elements of nature but also the temptations of our fallen natures, which the adversary seeks to exploit. Clothing allows us to express our individuality and to develop one of the most gracious of all virtues—modesty."

Leaves of a ficus sycomorus or Egyptian/African sycamore tree some attribute to the "fig leaves" that Adam and Eve sewed together and used as a covering.

The Blessing of the Covenant

Genesis 9

27 God shall enlarge Japheth, and he shall dwell in the tents of Shem; and Canaan shall be his servant.

During my now 2yo's birthday weekend a couple of weeks ago, with the added numbers of visiting grandparents, I became acutely aware of just how small and tight our 70sqm, 3-bedroom, 1-bathroom home can be, with so many young children and all the rubbish that seems to follow them around, no matter how often you remind them to pick things up! Small spaces don't do well with clutter, and with four children running backwards and forwards through our space, there seems to be never-ending clutter everywhere! Suddenly I seemed to understand what Isaiah meant when he declared to Israel, "Enlarge the place of thy tent!"... In that realization, I felt like those six words were specifically for me, and God's reason for sending me this message, was "...because you have lots of children - I have made your family to increase, and you need to accomodate your growing family!" I think though, that in the context of Isaiah 54, what God was actually trying to do, was comfort Israel with a promise. A promise that required a commitment from them, "...to enlarge the place of their tent." As I scanned through the chapter, it felt to me that God was encouraging Israel to prepare for a future time, a time when their family would enlarge. He was telling them to prepare for it by building a larger tent to house all these children who would come.

When God made his covenant with Abraham, he promised that Abraham's descendants would number the "stars in the heavens".

Abraham and Sarah must have wondered in their old age, how this promise could possibly come to pass. Sarah was beyond her child-bearing years. Was it to be a spiritual blessing rather than a literal blessing? It seems that Abraham and Sarah felt it had to have been a literal blessing, so they thought they should do everything they can to bring it to pass. Sarah gave Abraham her Egyptian handmaid to wife, and before long Hagar was pregnant with Ishmael. Was the betrothal of Hagar as a second wife to Abraham, a hint of the covenant of celestial marriage during Abraham's time? It turns out that Sarah could not get over the emotional issues that having a child to a second wife, understandably, brings into a marriage. Hagar and her son Ishmael were sent away. Early scholars considered Ishmael to be the principal ancestor of the Northern Arabs. It seems interesting that as a result of not just this relationship, but also through his son Isaac, and subsequent children to Keturah, his 3rd wife, Abraham is acknowledged as a "Father" to 3 of the world's most prominent religions - Judaism, Islam and Christianity. It appears the God of Abraham kept His covenantal promise to Abraham and Sarah, whose lineage, both literal and spiritual, continue to expand even today. Was the Abrahamic covenant known as the "everlasting covenant"? Did that encompass the same ancient order of "celestial" or plural marriage?

In our dispensation, members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints understand that celestial or plural marriage is a restoration of an ancient law. Joseph Smith revealed it to be "the" [new] and everlasting covenant [see Doctrine & Covenants 132]. I have yet to study Section 132 to get a handle on what God is really revealing to us on earth about it. This topic can be a very sensitive one, particularly amongst the Saints I find. Polygamy within the history of the restored Church in America was difficult even for the pioneer Saints who were commanded to live this law. Though many continue to hold their personal views of this covenant close to their chest while remaining steadfast to their religion, others who have not been able to fully resolve their conflicting feelings on it, seem to have allowed this and other controversial topics, to motivate their exodus out of the Church. The Lord is still helping me to understand this law, line upon line, gradually, as my faith and understanding of His Gospel grows. On the surface of this 'new and everlasting covenant' of plural marriage, it appears to me, to be an invitation by God to man, to become like He is, with the potential for eternal increase in His endless glories above. And what Father wouldn't have joy in seeing his posterity also increasing eternally in each of their own spheres of righteousness? Stars in the heavens!

Japheth Shall Be Enlarged

Perhaps the "enlarging" of Japheth is a long-standing promise to the house of Japheth, that not only will his posterity increase through time, but more importantly, that they would find shelter under the covenant roof of "Shem", and come to be numbered among the House of Israel, through whose lineage, the Savior of the world, even Jesus Christ would descend? It feels like Isaiah is saying to Israel/Shem, "Enlarge (prepare) your tents, because what the Gentiles (nations) have (as the symbolic "married woman" ie. a husband and children) will suddenly become yours (who is the desolate woman ie. no husband, hence barren with no children) - and you will need adequate space to house all these blessings"... Japheth will enlarge, and he will come to live in your tent Shem. I don't know which nations descend from Japheth. But I hazard a guess that at least a third of the world's population will come seeking refuge under the covenant tent of Shem?

The Bedouin desert people live in tents made of woven goat hair, handcrafted by the wife and mother of the family. The fibrous material of the goat hair expands during the winter rains, but when dry, they contract again, revealing it's porous nature as the sunlight streams through. It is this part of the nomadic experience that Isaiah refers to, when he says:

"It is he that sitteth upon the circle of the earth, and the inhabitants thereof are as grasshoppers; that astretcheth out the heavens as a curtain, and spreadeth them out as a tent to dwell in:"

The ceiling of the Bedouin tent look like stars as the desert sunlight contrasts against the shadowed goat-hair covering. Here's another thought that's just come to me: Would it be appropriate to substitute the name of Shem, in the Noah's blessing, with the name of Jesus Christ? In the Hebrew tradition, "Shem" meaning "name" is also vocalized to replace the sounding out of the written symbols of God's name, known as the Tetragrammaton, ("yod, hey, vav, hey") which is considered too sacred to utter. But instead of "name" (Shem), the Jews place the syllable "ha", which transliterates as the English article "the", before the name, Shem, to pronounce the name of God as, "haShem" or "the Name".

I wonder how the same verse reads if we replace Shem's name with the holy name of "haShem"?

Genesis 9

27 God shall enlarge [bless/multiply/increase] Japheth, and he shall dwell in the tents of [ha]Shem; and Canaan shall be his servant. The tent of haShem in Moses' day, was known as the Tent of Meeting, the Tent of the Congregation or the Tabernacle.

There seems to be an interesting correlation between the mention of Canaan as both Japheth's and Shem's servant, in the above blessing, and the function of the tabernacle in bringing the Israelites to the land of Canaan to conquer it, during Moses' time.

Wikipedia definition of "Tabernacle":

According to the Hebrew Bible, the tabernacle (Hebrew: מִשְׁכַּן, mishkān, meaning "residence" or "dwelling place"), also known as the Tent of the Congregation (אֹ֣הֶל מוֹעֵד֩ ’ōhel mō‘êḏ, also Tent of Meeting, etc.), was the portable earthly dwelling place of Yahweh (the God of Israel) used by the Israelites from the Exodus until the conquest of Canaan. Moses was instructed at Mount Sinai to construct and transport the tabernacle[1] with the Israelites on their journey through the wilderness and their subsequent conquest of the Promised Land. After 440 years, Solomon's Temple in Jerusalem superseded it as the dwelling-place of God.

"In My Father's House Are Many Mansions"

The Prophet Joseph Smith (1805–44) taught that the Savior’s statement, “In my Father’s house are many mansions,” found in John 14:2, should be understood to mean, “‘In my Father’s kingdom are many kingdoms,’ in order that ye may be heirs of God and joint-heirs with me. … There are mansions for those who obey a celestial law, and there are other mansions for those who come short of the law, every man in his own order” (Teachings of Presidents of the Church: Joseph Smith [2007], 219)" There seems to be numerous covenantal references to this idea of "enlarging" "multiplying" "increasing". Other scriptural terms are "fat", as in the fat (marrow) of our bones. It shouldn't surprise me that the Creator of the heaven and earth, is a God who increases and enlarges, as He is a God who "covers" and protects his children. In the Hebrew language, a way that you pluralize words, is by adding the suffix "im" to the end. An example of this is the word for God in the singular is "Eloah". To pluralize God, the word becomes "Elohim", as in Gods. Sometimes the principle of multiplication in the Hebrew mindset, is more about adding emphasis. The word "chayyim" actually means "lives" - however in the Hebrew language it is translated to mean "life" - singular. Joseph Smith however said, "...that it should always be rendered "lives" in the expression "eternal life" - referring to the eternal increase in posterity for those who attain exaltation." It's interesting to note that whilst I think that my focus in life should be to "sacrifice" or "offer up" unto God, God's focus is, has always been and will always be, on how He can enlarge and increase us. He teaches this eternal truth right in the very first book of the Bible, and additionally in the Pearl of Great Price accounts of the Creation. In the beginning, the commandment given to all of the works of His hands, including His sons and daughters, is to "multiply". It is in and through His everlasting covenant that He is able to enlarge His children that enables us to become like Him. We cannot hope to know what God's expanding love feels like, if we forgo the protective covering that He offers each and every one of us in His Tent. In essence, our reluctance to cover ourselves, ultimately leaves us exposed to the harsh elements of life that will ultimately cause us to become withered, dry and barren compared. God's loving-kindness (chesed) means that we are not left without good gifts in the future. Even after everything passes away, His love for us remains! Even still, surely our only desire is to qualify ourselves and our families, for the greatest gifts that He has instore for us? Even if for the sake and love of our children? How will you enlarge the covenant tent of haShem in your life?

I will be asking myself this question throughout the rest of this year.