By Eric
Hannah’s story as recorded in First Samuel is about true consecration. She was barren, and miraculously bore a son, who she would give completely to the Lord. We contrast her consecration with the sons of Eli, the temple priest, who defiled and blasphemed temple offerings. I find Hannah’s consecration of her son to be a timely and inspired miracle for two reasons. Samuel would not only symbolize a sacrificial lamb by being wholly consecrated to the Lord, but would also replace a set of wicked priests and restore dignity to temple sacrifice and the church as it was known during Eli’s stewardship.
There were several routine sacrifices among Israelites that were as common then as the sacrament service is to us today. In one sacrifice, the offender brought forth an animal to the priest who would divide the animal three ways. One portion belonged to the offender and another portion went to the priest and his family. The last portion was consumed upon the altar in the burnt offering which signified God’s portion. The completion of all three offerings signified satisfaction of the demands of justice, and recompense had been made for sin. All three parties were of one mind and heart again, and the offender went home acquitted of his transgressions.
There was another offering for consecration which was called the Olah offering in Hebrew, or the Burnt offering in English. The word “Olah” is a verb meaning “cause to go up”. In this offering, the animal was placed upon the altar and burned in its entirety, which literally went upward in smoke and flame to God. No part of this sacrifice was retained for the offender nor the priest in his ecclesiastical duties. Consecration by its very definition is entire, complete, and nothing less. To withhold any portion of this sacrifice from the Lord would have been blasphemy.
Hophni and Phinehas, the sons of Eli, took an instrument called a ‘fleshhook’ which resembled something like a fork, and dipped it into the sacrifice, and whatever clung to the fork they reserved for themselves. Further, the scriptural account says:
And if any man said unto him, Let them not fail to burn the fat presently, and then take as much as thy soul desireth; then he would answer him, Nay; but thou shalt give it me now: and if not, I will take it by force. Wherefore the sin of the young men was very great before the Lord: for men abhorred the offering of the Lord. – 1 Samuel 1:16-17
Simply put, Hophni and Phinehas robbed God of His portion, grieving the true cleansing process for the offender, defiling and blaspheming a sacred ecclesiastical stewardship and trust the Lord had in the priests who oversaw temple rites.
The Lord saw this defilement of His House coming and through Hannah’s true consecration prepared a true priest to come and restore order to the sacred temple rituals. Samuel.
As with our Israelite ancestors, those who have participated in the LDS covenant of consecration also promise to give everything upon the altars of the temple. There is however a major difference. Their entire offering is promised to the institution administering the covenant rather than the Maker of the Covenant. This practice may be akin to the blasphemous actions of Hophni and Phinehas who reserved a portion of what belonged to the Lord for themselves, failing to cause that most sacred offering to ‘go up’.
“Will a man rob God? Yet ye have robbed me. But ye say, Wherein have we robbed thee? In tithes and offerings” (Malachi 3:8.) The question might then be raised, who was the Lord censuring for withholding the offerings – the sinner, or the priest?
Samuels’ timely appearance on the ecclesiastical stage of Israel makes me think of the latter-day servant who will come “to set in order the House of God” (D&C 85:7), and several other verses that speak of the true shepherd who will come to care for Israel after her flocks had been scattered, neglected, and devoured by her former shepherds (see Ezekiel 34, Jeremiah 23, Isaiah 10&56).
May our consecrations be complete and wholly dedicated to our Creator until He sends His True Shepherd.
VERY timely Eric, thank you.
Thanks, Eric. The current institutional perspective of the Law of Consecration has always bothered me for several reasons. April 2011 Elder Eyring stated, “His [the Lord’s] way of helping has at times been called living the law of consecration. In another period His way was called the united order. In our time it is called the Church welfare program.” The Law of Consecration was not simply intended to care for the poor but to purify the hearts and minds of the people.
So Eric, what might a true Consecration from a humble servant of the Lord, look like today? One who has family, one who does not? One coming out of abuse into the light. or repenting/changing and may have very little worldly wealth, maybe even homeless? what might the Law of Consecration look like for such a one?
love you Eric
Thank you, Eric,
Beautiful!
I am so glad to finally have a second witness to this! The Lord taught me this a few years ago (in the temple while saying the words no less) and I haven’t been able to really share it with anyone because no one believes anything can be wrong in the temple. I love when I receive another witness to the things the Lord has taught me (even if it takes a few years). I try not to give in to the doubt that sets in and makes me feel like I was misled. So I am very, very grateful for this site. It has been my second, third and fourth witness many times. Thank you, thank you, thank you!
This is wonderful!! I feel The same 👍🏻
I enjoyed this. Thank you.
Thank you for the messages and themes of your blog. They’re always soul- stirring, causing deep pondering and much needed recommitment. This post is no exception. May you be blessed for your efforts!
Eric thanks for you post. For the past year or more the scripture in Malachi which is used to support tithing has sounded off, according to the standard interpretation. The chapter starts out with what appears to be the Davidic servant and then talks of the refining of the lords people. Then the lord talks to the decedents of Jacob and how they always turned away from Gods decrees. Then at this point it dives into robing God of the tithes. I have a hard time believing now, that God was upset about money as the church currently views this. I have learned a bit about the Gods Portion (his 10th) and the Holy Portion (his 10th of the tenth) and how in the last days he is going to basically spare his 10th from destruction. So I have begun to see this scripture as talking not about money but rather talking to the unrighteousness of the descendants of Jacob where they have robbed God because not even 10% of them were righteous. Eric what you have said here seems to fit as well, just the idea of giving our sacrifice to the church and not God. Essentially the church is robing God by pointing us and our offerings to it instead of God. Is there anything else you could say concerning this tithe mentioned here in Malachi? What other ways do you interpret this passage of Malachi? I just feel like I am still missing something here.
Thank you so much!
The temple covenant that has to do with consecration has been on my mind also, specifically since I’ve claimed that my covenants are between myself and God, without a middle man such as the church to dictate that I have kept those covenants or not.
This makes me think now, would this situation be similar with the baptismal covenant, or rather the confirmation part of it? I recall people being “Confirmed a member” of the church institution after baptism.
I find subjects like this interesting, especially when in the Book of Mormon when Christ visited the Nephites in 3 Nephi 19, Nephi and the 12 chosen disciples were all baptized. I assume they were all likely baptized before, since Alma the Elder years before also baptized people. This leads me to believe that either the ordinances needed correction, or to be updated with the introduction of new & higher laws to covenant to. I figure it is likely the latter, that new laws come with a new covenant, and therefore a new baptism to go with it.
Thanks again for sharing truths to help open our minds, and help make sense of the chaos in the world today!