An Examination into and an Elucidation of the Great Principle of the Mediation Part 8

In the historical narrative of the Book of Genesis, we have numerous testimonies that Abraham offered up sacrifices, in connection with his worship of the Almighty. For instance, it is written:

"And Abram pa.s.sed through the land unto the place of Sichem, unto the plain of Moreh. And the Canaanite was then in the land. And the Lord appeared unto Abram, and said, Unto thy seed will I give this land; and there builded he an altar unto the Lord, who appeared unto him.

And he removed from thence unto a mountain on the east of Beth-el, and pitched his tent, having Beth-el on the west, and Hai on the east: and there he builded an altar unto the Lord, and called upon the name of the Lord."--Gen., xii, 6-8.

In the next chapter we are told that Abraham "went on his journeys from the south even to Beth-el, unto the place where his tent had been at the beginning, between Beth-el and Hai; unto the place of the altar, which he had made there at the first: and there Abram called on the name of the Lord."--Gen., xiii, 3, 4.

And afterwards he removed his "tent, and came and dwelt in the plain of Mamre, which is in Hebron, and built there an altar unto the Lord."--Gen., xiii, 18.

The Book of Abraham gives some further details on these matters. The Patriarch therein states:

"Now I, Abraham, built an altar in the land of Jershon, and made an offering unto the Lord, and prayed that the famine might be turned away from my father's house, that they might not perish; and then we pa.s.sed from Jershon through the land, unto the place of Sechem. It was situated in the plains of Moreh, and we had already come into the borders of the land of the Canaanites, and I offered sacrifice there in the plains of Moreh, and called on the Lord devoutly, because we had already come into the land of this idolatrous nation. And the Lord appeared unto me in answer to my prayers, and said unto me, Unto thy seed will I give this land. And I, Abraham, arose from the place of the altar which I had built unto the Lord, and removed from thence unto a mountain on the east of Bethel, and pitched my tent there, Bethel on the west, and Hai on the east: and there I built another altar unto the Lord, and called again upon the name of the Lord."--Pearl of Great Price.

Although full details are not given of the mode of sacrifice in those ancient times, nor of all the creatures that were acceptable unto the Lord, in the performance of this rite, yet the narrative of the contemplated sacrifice of Isaac by his father is indicative of the principle being well understood. We are told that the young man said: "My Father: and he said, Here am I, my son. And he said, Behold the fire and the wood, but where is the lamb for a burnt-offering? And Abraham said, My son, G.o.d will provide himself a lamb for a burnt-offering."--Gen., xxii, 7, 8.

It is evident from other scriptures that Abraham offered up these sacrifices in token of the great expiatory sacrifice of the Son of G.o.d. Indeed the Redeemer himself told the Jews, "Your father Abraham rejoiced to see my day: and he saw it, and was glad."--John, viii, 56.

In confirmation of this statement we read in the inspired translation of the Book of Genesis that the Lord said to Abraham, in relation to his possession of the land of Canaan, "Though thou wast dead, yet am I not able to give it thee? And if thou shalt die, yet thou shalt possess it, for the day cometh that the Son of Man shall live; but how can he live if he be not dead? He must first be quickened. And it came to pa.s.s, that Abram looked forth and saw the days of the Son of Man, and was glad, and his soul found rest, and he believed in the Lord; and the Lord counted it unto him for righteousness."

Again, Paul, in writing to the Galatians, states: "And the scripture, foreseeing that G.o.d would justify the heathen through faith, preached before the gospel unto Abraham, saying, In thee shall all nations be blessed. So then they which be of faith are blessed with faithful Abraham."--Gal., iii, 8, 9.

This promise is corroborated by the statements of Peter to the Jews:

"Ye are the children of the prophets, and of the covenant which G.o.d made with our fathers, saying unto Abraham, And in thy seed shall all the kindreds of the earth be blessed. Unto you first, G.o.d, having raised up his Son Jesus, sent him to bless you, in turning away every one of you from his iniquities."--Acts, iii, 25, 26.

The record of this covenant is to be found in the Book of Genesis, as follows:

"Now the Lord had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father's house, unto a land that I will show thee; and I will make of thee a great nation; and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee, and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed."--Gen., xii, 1-3.[A]

[Footnote A: See also Genesis, xviii, 18; xxii, 18.]

It will be noticed in the above quotation from the Book of Genesis, that no reference is made to the preaching of the Gospel to Abraham in connection with these great promises as spoken of by Paul. This deficiency is supplied by the Book of Abraham, wherein the covenant between G.o.d and His faithful servant is given at greater length in that covenant we find the following:

"My name is Jehovah, and I will make of thee a great nation and I will bless thee above measure, and make thy name great among all nations, and thou shalt be a blessing unto thy seed after thee, that in their hands they shall bear this ministry and priesthood unto all nations, and I will bless them through thy name; for as many as receive this Gospel shall he called after thy name, and shall be accounted thy seed, and shall rise up and bless thee, as their father; and I will bless them that bless thee, and curse them that curse thee; and in thee (that is, in thy priesthood) and in thy seed, (that is, thy priesthood,) for I give unto thee a promise that this right shall continue in thee, and in thy seed after thee, (that is to say, the literal seed, or the seed of the body,) shall all the families of the earth be blessed, even with the blessings of the Gospel, which are the blessings of salvation, even of life eternal."

Of the personal history of Isaac we have but a very meagre account in the Bible; however, sufficient is said to inform us that he, like his father, offered up sacrifices, that his offering was acceptable to G.o.d, and that He renewed with him the covenant previously made with Abraham. Of Isaac it is written: "And he went up from thence to Beer-sheba. And the Lord appeared unto him the same night, and said, I am the G.o.d of Abraham thy father: fear not, for I am with thee, and will bless thee, and multiply thy seed for my servant Abraham's sake.

And he builded an altar there, and called upon the name of the Lord."--Gen., xxvi, 23-25.

Jacob followed in the footsteps of his father. He worshipped the true and living G.o.d, and had the blessings of his fathers confirmed on him.

Regarding sacrifices we are informed that, after his sudden departure from Laban and their later somewhat stormy interview, "Jacob offered sacrifice upon the mount" (Gen., x.x.xi, 52); and again, shortly after, by command of the Lord, he journeyed to Bethel, "and he built there an altar and called the place El-beth-el," or the House of G.o.d.--Gen., x.x.xv, 7.

CHAPTER XIII.

Sacrifices in the Days of Moses--The Inst.i.tution of the Pa.s.sover and the Exodus--The Symbolism of the Paschal Lamb--The Covenant of the Atonement between Christ and His Father--The Redeemed--Tokens of Covenants--The Rainbow--The Name of Jesus the Only Name--The Levites.

In regard to the offering of sacrifices, it is very evident that in the days of Moses the children of Israel were quite familiar with this rite, as also were the Egyptians. For one great request which Moses and Aaron made of Pharaoh, King of Egypt, was, "Let us go, we pray thee, three days' journey into the desert, and sacrifice unto the Lord our G.o.d;" and as a reason why they should thus go into the wilderness it was urged by them, when the Egyptian monarch said, "Go ye, sacrifice to your G.o.d in the land," that "it is not meet so to do; for we shall sacrifice the abomination of the Egyptians to the Lord our G.o.d: lo, shall we sacrifice the abomination of the Egyptians before their eyes, and will they not stone us? We will go three days' journey into the wilderness, and sacrifice to the Lord our G.o.d, as he shall command us."--Ex., viii, 26, 27.

It is further stated, that after a time, when all other judgments had failed to bring about the desired effect with Pharaoh, that "Moses said, Thus saith the Lord, About midnight will I go out into the midst of Egypt: and all the first-born in the land of Egypt shall die, from the first-born of Pharaoh that sitteth upon his throne, even unto the first-born of the maid-servant that is behind the mill; and all the first-born of beasts. And there shall be a great cry throughout all the land of Egypt, such as there was none like it, nor shall be like it any more. But against any of the children of Israel shall not a dog move his tongue, against man or beast: that ye may know how that the Lord doth put a difference between the Egyptians and Israel."--Ex., xi, 4-7.

The next chapter gives the history of the fulfilment of this threatened judgment and the results that flowed therefrom. It is recorded:

"And the Lord spake unto Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt, saying, This month shall be unto you the beginning of months; it shall be the first month of the year to you. Speak ye unto all the congregation of Israel, saying, In the tenth day of this month they shall take to them every man a lamb according to the house of their fathers, a lamb for an house: and if the household be too little for the lamb, let him and his neighbor next unto his house take it according to the number of the souls: every man according to his eating shall make your count for the lamb. Your lamb shall be without blemish, a male of the first year: ye shall take it out from the sheep or from the goats: and ye shall keep it up until the fourteenth day of the same month: and the whole a.s.sembly of the congregation of Israel shall kill it in the evening. And they shall take of the blood, and strike it on the two side-posts, and on the upper door-post of the houses, wherein they shall eat it. And they shall eat the flesh in that night, roast with fire, and unleavened bread; and with bitter herbs they shall eat it."--Ex., xii, 1-8.

"And thus shall ye eat it; with your loins girded your shoes on your feet, and your staff in your hand: and ye shall eat it in haste; it is the Lord's pa.s.sover. For I will pa.s.s through the land of Egypt this night, and will smite all the first-born in the land of Egypt, both man and beast: and against all the G.o.ds of Egypt I will execute judgment: I am the Lord. And the blood shall be to you for a token upon the houses where ye are: and when I see the blood, I will pa.s.s over you, and the plague shall not be upon you to destroy you, when I smite the land of Egypt. And this day shall be unto you for a memorial; and ye shall keep it a feast to the Lord throughout your generations: ye shall keep it a feast by an ordinance for ever."-- Ex., xii, 11-14.

"Then Moses called for all the Elders of Israel, and said unto them, Draw out, and take you a lamb, according to your families, and kill the pa.s.sover. And ye 'shall take a bunch of hyssop, and dip it in the blood that is in the basin, and strike the lintel and the two side-posts with the blood that is in the basin: and none of you shall go out at the door of his house until the morning. For the Lord will pa.s.s through to smite the Egyptians; and when he seeth the blood upon the lintel, and on the two side-posts, the Lord will pa.s.s over the door, and will not suffer the destroyer to come in unto your houses to smite you. And ye shall observe this thing for an ordinance to thee and to thy sons for ever."--Ex., xii, 21-24.

"And the children of Israel went away, and did as the Lord had commanded Moses and Aaron, so did they. And it came to pa.s.s, that at midnight the Lord smote all the first-born in the land of Egypt, from the first-born of Pharaoh that sat on his throne, unto the first-born of the captive that was in the dungeon; and all the first-born of cattle. And Pharaoh rose up in the night, he, and all his servants, and all the Egyptians; and there was a great cry in Egypt: for there was not a house where there was not one dead. And he called for Moses and Aaron by night, and said, Rise up, and get you forth from among my people, both ye and the children of Israel: and go, serve the Lord, as ye have said. Also take your flocks and your herds, as ye have said, and be gone: and bless me also. And the Egyptians were urgent upon the people, that they might send them out of the land in haste; for they said, We be all dead men."--Ex., xii, 28-33.

It is further said: "And it shall be when thy son asketh thee in time to come, saying, What is this? that thou shalt say unto him, By strength of hand the Lord brought us out from Egypt, from the house of bondage; and it came to pa.s.s, when Pharaoh would hardly let us go, that the Lord slew all the first-born in the land of Egypt, both the first-born of man, and the first-born of beasts; therefore I sacrifice to the Lord all that openeth the matrix, being males; but all the first-born of my children I redeem."--Ex., xiii, 14, 15.

From the above quotations, amongst other important matters, it appears, that when the destroying angel pa.s.sed by the houses of the children of Israel he found the blood of a lamb sprinkled on the door post; which was a type of the blood of Christ, the Lamb of G.o.d. The angel who was the executor of justice could not touch those who were protected by that sacred symbol; because that prefigured the sacrifice of the Son of G.o.d, which was provided at the beginning of creation for the redemption of the human family, and which was strictly in accordance with provisions then made by the Almighty for that purpose--"the Lamb slain from before the foundation of the world"--and accepted in full as an atonement for the transgressions of mankind, according to the requirements of eternal justice and agreed to by the Savior and His Father. A proposition is made to meet the requirements of justice, which proposal is accepted by the contracting parties, all these contracting parties being satisfied with the arrangement thus made. Hence it is said by one of the prophets: "Then he is gracious unto him, and saith, Deliver him from going down to the pit: I have found a ransom."--Job, x.x.xiii, 24.

And further: "Therefore the redeemed of the Lord shall return, and come with singing unto Zion; and everlasting joy shall be upon their head: they shall obtain gladness and joy; and sorrow and mourning shall flee away."--Isaiah, li, 11.

Who are the redeemed, except those who have accepted the terms of the ransom thus provided? The ransom being provided and accepted, the requirements of justice are met, for those contracts are provided and sanctioned by the highest contracting parties that can be found in the heavens, and the strongest, most indubitable and infinite a.s.surances are given for the fulfilment of that contract, and until the contract is fulfilled the sacrifices are offered as a token and remembrance of the engagements and covenants entered into G.o.d gave a token to Noah, of a rainbow, which should be a sign between Him and mankind that He would nevermore destroy the earth by water; He accepted these sacrifices as a token of the covenant that the Messiah should come to take away sin by the sacrifice of Himself, and thus fulfil the covenant, pertaining to this matter, made before the world was.

And again there was another token, which was given to Adam by an angel. This holy messenger said to our great father, "Thou shalt do all that thou doest in the name of the Son. And thou shalt repent, and call upon G.o.d, in the name of the Son for evermore." (Pearl of Great Price.) For, as expressed in the New Testament, "there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved." (Acts iv, 12.) Or, to quote from the Book of Mormon, "There shall be no other name given, nor any other way nor means whereby salvation can come unto the children of men, only in and through the name of Christ, the Lord Omnipotent." And furthermore, that name, or token, will continue to be given until the Scripture is fulfilled which saith: "Wherefore G.o.d also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: that at the name of Jesus every knee shall bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of G.o.d the Father."--Phil., ii, 9-11.

Again, the Lord, through the sprinkling of the blood of a lamb on the door-posts of the Israelites, having saved the lives of all the first-born of Israel, made a claim upon them for their services in His cause. It is written:

"And I, behold, I have taken the Levites from among the children of Israel instead of all the first-born that openeth the matrix among the children of Israel; therefore the Levites shall be mine; because all the first-born are mine; for on the day that I smote all the first-born in the land of Egypt I hallowed unto me all the first-born in Israel, both man and beast; mine they shall be: I am the Lord."--Num., iii, 12, 13.

But the first-born of the Egyptians, for whom no lamb as a token of the propitiation was offered, were destroyed. It was through the propitiation and atonement alone that the Israelites were saved, and, under the circ.u.mstances they must have perished with the Egyptians, who were doomed, had it not been for the contemplated atonement and propitiation of Christ, of which this was a figure.

Hence the Lord claimed those that He saved as righteously belonging to Him, and claiming them as His He demanded their services; but afterwards, as shown in the above quotation, He accepted the tribe of Levi in lieu of the first-born of Israel; and as there were more of the first-born than there were of the Levites, the balance had to be redeemed with money, which was given to Aaron, as the great High Priest and representative of the Aaronic Priesthood, he being also a Levite. (See Numbers, iii, 50, 51.)

CHAPTER XIV.

History of Sacrifices and the Law of Moses among the Nephites-- References to the Books of Nephi, Jacob, Mosiah and Alma--The Testimony of Jesus regarding the Law of Moses.

From the Bible we turn to the Book of Mormon, with a view to discover to what extent the law of sacrifice, as a type of the offering up of the promised Messiah, was observed among that branch of the house of Israel which G.o.d planted on this continent. In perusing the pages of this sacred record, we shall find several important facts and ideas, in connection with this subject, presented very prominently by the ancient Nephite historians: among them--

First, that the law of Moses, with all its rites, ordinances, and sacrifices, was strictly observed by the faithful Nephites from the time of their arrival on the promised land, until it was fulfilled in Christ, and by his command ceased to be observed.

Second, that when the Nephites brought any of the Lamanites to the knowledge and worship of the true G.o.d, they taught them to observe this law.

Third, that those who apostatized from the Nephites, as a general thing, ceased to observe this law.

Fourth, that the true import of the law of Moses, and of its ceremonies and sacrifices, as typical of the atonement yet to be made by our Lord and Savior, was thoroughly taught by the Priesthood among that people, and very generally understood by them.

Fifth, that a.s.sociated with the observance of this law, there were continued admonitions given that salvation was in Christ and not in the law, which was but the shadow and type of that of which he was the prototype and reality.