Matt Palmer
“Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof; but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever.”
1 John 2:15-17.
The Spirit took Ezekiel to Jerusalem in vision and showed him the idol worship occurring in their temple. As Ezekiel progressed from the outer parts of the temple toward the inner parts of the temple, the idolatry became worse and worse. Ezekiel 8:1-16. The Lord told Ezekiel that he would destroy that people: “therefore will I also deal in fury: mine eye shall not spare, neither will I have pity: and though they cry in mine nears with a loud voice, yet will I not hear them.” Ezekiel 8:18.
Six men with destroying weapons entered Ezekiel’s vision at the command of the Lord. One of these men was clothed in linen and carried an inkhorn. The Lord spoke to the man in linen and instructed him on how to distinguish who would be spared from slaughter among the house of Israel: “go through the midst of the city, through the midst of Jerusalem, and set a mark upon the foreheads of the men that sigh that cry for all the abominations that be done in the midst thereof.” Ezekiel 9:4. The Lord then instructed the other men present: “go ye after him through the city, and smite: let not your eye spare, neither have ye pity: slay utterly old and young, both maids, and little children, and women: but come not near any man upon whom is the mark; and begin at my sanctuary.” Ezekiel 9:5-6.
It was only the poor in spirit that would be spared this destruction. The Lord was seeking out those that cried and mourned over the state of their nation and faith. These people were living in an unjust time where the religious and political leaders were turned away from the Lord and worshipped the world and its idols. This weighed heavy on those who were honest and loved the Lord above all else. It broke their hearts and put them in mourning. This is what distinguished them from the others. Their tears and sighs were the signs of their fidelity.
We have a close look at this distinction in the story of Lehi’s family. Nephi tells us that Lehi “prayed unto the Lord, yea, even with all his heart, in behalf of his people.” 1 Nephi 1:5. After receiving a vision of the Lord and His apostles, Lehi went to preach repentance in Jerusalem until his life was in danger. 1 Nephi 1:18-20. As readers of the Book of Mormon are well aware, Nephi was of the same heart and mind as Lehi.
Despite Lehi having been told by the Lord that Jerusalem would be destroyed, Lehi’s sons, Laman and Lemuel, strongly preferred to stay in Jerusalem. They didn’t think it could be destroyed. When Nephi made the case that Jerusalem was a wicked place that rejected true prophets, “they were angry with” Nephi and tied him up and left him for dead. 1 Nephi 7:7-16. Later, Nephi records the case that Laman and Lemuel made against Lehi and Nephi:
“And we know that the people who were in the land of Jerusalem were a righteous people; for they kept the statutes and judgments of the Lord, and all his commandments, according to the law of Moses; wherefore, we know that they are a righteous people; and our father hath judged them, and hath led us away because we would hearken unto his words; yea, and our brother is like unto him.”
1 Nephi 17:22
They turned everything around on Lehi. They accuse Lehi of employing self-righteous and wicked judgment against the citizens of Jerusalem, saying “we know they are a righteous people.” Note that Laman and Lemuel were not opposed to righteousness. They did not admit to idol worship and reject the law of Moses. They seem to have been perfectly good citizens of Jerusalem for their day, and pious according to their culture. They never said, “forget Jehovah, we worship the sun and Tammuz!” On the contrary, they said they keep the law of Moses just fine, and Lehi was a self-righteous kook using unrighteous judgment to puff himself up and make his family needlessly suffer.
Laman and Lemuel were not without reason to make these accusations against their father and brother. The Book of Jeremiah records sundry examples of the establishment prophets flattering the Lamans and Lemuels of their day, giving them false messages of peace and proclaiming all to be well in zion.
Jeremiah encountered one such prophet named Hananiah. The Lord sent Jeremiah, wearing a yoke on his neck, to instruct King Zedekiah to abandon hope and serve Babylon, since they had lost the Lord’s protection. Jeremiah 27:1-13. Jeremiah specifically noted and challenged the establishment prophets in Jerusalem preaching a message of peace and deliverance: “hearken not unto the words of the prophets that speak unto you, saying, Ye shall not serve the king of Babylon: for they prophesy a lie unto you. For I have not sent them, saith the Lord, yet they prophecy a lie in my name; that I might drive you out, and that ye might perish, ye, and the prophets that prophesy unto you.” Jeremiah 27:14-15.
Laman and Lemuel had their pick of establishment-approved and establishment-promoted prophets telling them that no destruction was coming to Jerusalem, telling them that Jerusalem was populated by a righteous people who lived the law of Moses. Laman’s objections to Lehi didn’t just spring up spontaneously in his rebellious heart. They were planted there by false prophets and nourished by Laman’s desire to be flattered and to believe that everything would be alright. Laman’s point was that the prophets promised peace and a return to normalcy. Lehi’s point was these were no prophets at all, as Lehi had received the word of Lord from the Lord Himself and could distinguish between prophecy and a lie.
Laman and Lemuel’s hearts were not broken for the state of Jerusalem. Whereas they rooted for quick return to normalcy for their people, in Ezekiel’s vision, the Lord was looking for those who lamented that normalcy to begin with. The Lord wasn’t looking for a return to normal. He was looking for a people that would return to Him. But that much would prove impossible for a people unwilling to consider that they had strayed from Him in the first place. Ultimately, the way to distinguish between the righteous and the wicked, between the spared and the slaughtered, was between those that wept for the status quo and those that embraced it.
It is to be expected, it is even entirely healthy, for the sensitive conscience and the heart that loves God, to mourn injustice and perversion and to yearn for Zion at the cost of all Babylon has to offer. The would-be citizen of Zion should feel uncomfortable in this world. The love of the Father is not in it; it only offers lust and pride. 1 John 2:16. To take idols and plant them in the place of the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob brings pain to the honest in heart. Those that love God would trade a lifetime as an emperor in Babylon to limp to Zion on bloody feet and die happy at the sight of their salvation.
I think a word of caution is worthwhile about this impulse. It is common in our time to lament the status quo and to point out unrighteousness everywhere and all the time, but the solution always seems to be more of this world’s solutions, more of its thoughts, and more of its ways. There are those who profess to hate this world only because the world has not shown sufficient idolatry to any particular loudmouth’s gods. It is not sufficient to feel out of place. It is only wise to seek after the things of God at the expense of all others. In Ezekiel’s vision, the man in linen was seeking after those whose hearts were broken by the fact of idolatry, not just that his idols were losing at the moment. Don’t be distracted when someone commands you to abandon your preferred idol for their favorite idol. Take Lehi’s example, and follow after the Lord.
While it may feel heavy to see your time and place for what it is, ultimately, the Lord has promised to visit those that choose Him with lightness and ease. After the Nephites and Lamanites experienced sore destruction at the time of Christ’s crucifixion, He spoke to the survivors about the past:
“O ye people of these great cities which have fallen, who are descendants of Jacob, yea, who are of the house of Israel, how oft have I gathered you as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and have nourished you. And again, how oft would I have gathered you as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, yea, O ye people of the house of Israel, who have fallen; yea, O ye people of the house of Israel, ye that dwell at Jerusalem, as ye that have fallen; yea, how oft would I have gathered you as a hen gathereth her chickens, and ye would not.”
But note that He shifts to speaking about the future:
“O ye house of Israel whom I have spared, how oft will I gather you as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, if ye will repent and return unto me with full purpose of heart.”
3 Nephi 10:4-6.
To the people in His mortal ministry, and to us, Christ said: “Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me, for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” Matthew 11:28-30. In heaviness, we find lightness. In trouble, we find ease. “Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted.” Matthew 5:4. That paradox contains the promise of our deliverance, if we will find it for ourselves.
This was very well done. Perfect contrasts were laid out with our day and the false prophets of another day.
Matt gave examples of what many of us are feeling and seeing.
Thank you very much.
Love this essay. I appreciate every word as I’m watching the same pattern unfold today.
Thank you for this post. It is a great reminder to earnestly pray for our leaders ecclesiastically, civilly and for people to come unto Christ.
Yes. Thank you for this.
Change is hard if the problem is not seen. Which for me, is a huge part of the sadness. I personally know many who suffer the effects of unrighteous dominion; both the garden variety kind that most people seem blind to, and abuse from overt secret combinations within the church. Very, very sad to me that in this, the last days of the last days, our leaders seem to have turned a blind eye to it. Yet I know that they are not blind. I know of several cult survivors who have witnessed of their experiences to the Brethren. And yet they say nothing, they do nothing. How is that love? How is that caring for your flock? How is that being a watchman on a tower if you say and do nothing about that which you see and know?
It’s very saddening to me. Perhaps it’s too late. Perhaps the day of grace has past. Perhaps all that they can do at this point is to have their people root themselves personally in Christ and be personally supported and directed by Him.
But it’s so, so sad that His church is unwilling to give any direction or support at all. That doesn’t feel like a people and a leadership standing in truth. What are they thinking? Do they think that if they close their eyes that something that exists will suddenly cease to exist? How do they expect to worship the God of truth if not in truth?
Perhaps they think the problem is so big that they can do nothing to curb it or heal it, but instead wait for the Savior to return and fix it himself. Whatever the case, it’s confusing, it’s disheartening, and it’s very, very sad.