Dwelling in Righteousness
For a people to be Zion they must dwell in righteousness.
This expression contains a two fold meaning that gives us additional information
on how to be Zion. If this characteristic was important enough to be used in Moses’ description of Enoch’s Zion then perhaps it would help us to understand
what righteousness is and what it means to dwell in righteousness.
In describing Enoch’s Zion Moses stated:
“And from that time forth there were wars and bloodshed
among them; but the Lord came and dwelt
with his people, and they dwelt in righteousness. The fear of the Lord was
upon all nations, so great was the glory of the Lord, which was upon his
people. And the Lord blessed the land, and they were blessed upon the
mountains, and upon the high places, and did flourish. And the Lord called his people
Zion, because they were of one heart and one mind, and dwelt in righteousness;
and there was no poor among them. (Moses 7: 16-18)
The phrase “dwelt in righteousness” although simple is
packed with meaning. To understand what it means to dwell in righteousness we
must understand what righteousness is from a Hebraic point of view.
“Thy word is a
lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.
I have sworn, and I will perform it, that I will keep thy righteous judgments. I am afflicted very much: quicken me, O LORD,
according unto thy word. Accept, I beseech thee, the freewill offerings of my
mouth, O LORD, and teach me thy judgments. My soul is continually in my hand:
yet do I not forget thy law (Torah).”
(Psalms 119: 5-9)
To an Israelite his walk with God is the path. Just as the Hebrew word resha (wicked)
carries the meaning of departing from God’s path, the Hebrew word tzadik
(righteous) carries of the meaning of walking in God’s path. God’s commandments and instructions are the
path of righteousness. To uphold,
correctly interpret, protect, and carry out God’s commandments is
righteousness.
Righteousness is not some mystical state of bliss but a
condition of being where people establish and carry out God’s commandments or
laws amongst them. In describing who
would dwell in the holy hill and in the presence of God’s tabernacle, King
David demonstrates God’s definition of righteousness as condition, attitude,
and most importantly actions:
“[[A Psalm of
David.]] LORD, who shall abide in thy
tabernacle? who shall dwell in thy
holy hill?
He that walketh uprightly, and worketh righteousness,
and speaketh the truth in his heart. He that backbiteth not with his tongue,
nor doeth evil to his neighbour, nor taketh up a reproach against his
neighbour. In whose eyes a vile person is contemned; but he honoureth them that
fear the LORD. He that sweareth to his own hurt, and changeth not. He that
putteth not out his money to usury, nor taketh reward against the innocent. He
that doeth these things shall never be moved.” (Psalms 15)
God’s Presence- His Tabernacle
By establishing a community or society based upon God’s
commandments and instructions we create a condition of dwelling in
righteousness. In doing so we create a literal place governed by righteous, God
given laws where people can dwell in peace (shalom).
Another important aspect connected to the idea of dwelling
in righteousness is the realization of the presence of God. When the people took upon themselves the
terms of God’s covenants and enacted his covenant instructions God placed his
tabernacle (or presence) in the midst of the camp of Israel. Notice that in connection with the people
dwelling in righteousness how Moses describes God dwelling among Zion, ““And
from that time forth there were wars and bloodshed among them; but the Lord came and dwelt with his people,
and they dwelt in righteousness.”
God (YHVH) is righteous and to dwell with him in his
presence is to dwell in righteousness.
Just as the ancient tabernacle in the wilderness was a fulfillment of
establishing God’s throne among his people so do we also seek the fulfillment
of establishing a community or society based on God’s law where his Tabernacle
(Yeshua) can come and abide with us.
This condition of God dwelling with his people and his people upholding
and carrying out his laws is what is called Zion.
“And many people shall go and say, Come ye, and let us go up
to the mountain of the LORD, to the house of the God of Jacob; and he will
teach us of his ways, and we will
walk in his paths: for out of Zion shall go forth the law,
and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem.” (Isaiah 2:3)
What Law?
When we hear the word Law images of police cars, handcuffs,
and swirling red and blue lights come to mind. When many Mormons read their
Israelite scriptures their approach is that of western protestant Christianity
that is based upon a Greek-Gentile Mindset and culture. They read Hebraic expressions
such as “I have come to fulfill the law” from a gentile paradigm.
“2 And it came to pass that when Jesus had said these words
he perceived that there were some among them who marveled, and wondered what he
would concerning the law of Moses; for they understood not the saying that old
things had passed away, and that all things had become new.
3 And he said unto them: Marvel not that I said unto you
that old things had passed away, and that all things had become new. 4 Behold,
I say unto you that the law is fulfilled that was given unto Moses. 5 Behold, I
am he that gave the law, and I am he who covenanted with my people Israel;
therefore, the law in me is fulfilled, for I have come to fulfil the law;
therefore it hath an end. 6 Behold, I do not destroy the prophets, for as many
as have not been fulfilled in me, verily I say unto you, shall all be
fulfilled. 7 And because I said unto you that old things have passed
away, I do not destroy that which hath been spoken concerning things which are
to come. 8 For behold, the covenant which I have made with my people is not all
fulfilled; but the law which was given unto Moses hath an end in me. (3 Nephi
15)
Verse 2-3: Old and New-- The word for new finds its root in
the Hebrew word Chodesh. The word Chodesh that is translated "new"
relates to the idea of the NEW MOON. It draws upon the picture of a cycle. The
moon goes through its phases from Dark to light to back to darkness. What we
call the New moon is actually a RE-NEWAL OF THE MOON every month. So for old
things to become new in a Hebrew concept draws from the idea of a cycle of
birth-maturity-death and then birth again, but in the end while we call it a "new
moon" it is actually the same MOON Reborn. The Law God gave to Moses had
its birth and through the applying of traditions and apostasy it matured and
waned but through the Messiah it is re-newed just as our Moon is renewed every
month. Same law in its original state and intent or as Mormons might understand
it-- IT WAS RESTORED.
4-5 Fulfilled- From a Gentile point of view fulfilled means
it literally has an end, i.e so we don't have to follow it anymore. As such
that means I get to worship other Gods, disrespect my parents, steal, murder,
and sleep with your wife, etc as the law is fulfilled and done away. To FULFILL
the Torah to a Jew means to PROPERLY INTERPRET AND PERFORM THE TORAH. So when
the Messiah says he comes to FULFILL the LAW he means that he comes to give us
the correct Interpretation and performance of the commandments he gave to Moses
at Sinai.
The part that trips us up is the "it hath an end"
part. Hebraic thought is rooted in cycles-- what we in the LDS world might call
an eternal round. In Greek culture and though to have an end is similar to the
idea of crossing the finish line in a race-- it is done and you finished the
race. In Hebraic thought "the end" is the purpose for which something
is Given. Hebrew is rooted in function. Like a cycle of the Moon we go through
a cycle but in the end it is still the same moon. To accomplish the
"end" of something is to accomplish it's purpose. The section of
scripture above is part of a poetic structure and if you will notice the Messiah
himself tells you what the end or purpose of the law, "but the law which
was given unto Moses hath an end in me." In other words the law given to
Moses is to bring us to the Messiah. That is it's purpose. There is one path,
one way, one Messiah
Just like the United State of America has a Constitution to
govern its people and to establish unity or oneness so does God’s Constitution
Found in the Scriptures provides us with the foundation for unity or Oneness. The ultimate expression of this is found in
the greatest law as expressed by the Savior:
“And one of the scribes came up and heard them disputing
with one another, and seeing that he answered them well, asked him, “Which
commandment is the most important of all?”
Jesus answered, “The most important is, ‘Hear, O Israel: The
Lord our God, the Lord is one. And you shall love the Lord your God with all
your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your
strength.’ (quoting Deuteronomy 6:4-5, The Shema) The second is this: ‘You
shall love your neighbor as yourself. (quoting Leviticus 19:18)’ There is no
other commandment greater than these.” and with all your strength, and to love
your neighbor as yourself is more important than all burnt offerings and
sacrifices." (Mark 12:28-33)
To dwell in Righteousness we must dwell in Love. The Love
that permeates Zion is no fleeting emotion or new age touchy feely rehashing of
the doctrines perpetrated by the Greek love god. The Love of Zion is a covenant love based
upon God’s definition of love as taught in his instructions to his children:
“If you love me, you will keep my commandments… Whoever has
my commandments and keeps them, he it is who loves me. And he who loves me will
be loved by my Father, and I will love him and manifest myself to him.”(John
14: 14,21)
The Master did not leave us without instructions. Following classic Israelite style he gave the
Sermon on the Mount as his “HOW TO” Manual to fulfill the commandments he gave
at Mount Sinai. Lay the foundation of Zion.
Start by embracing the Ten Commandments as your covenant boundaries and
the Sermon on the Mount as the Messiahs instructions on how to interpret and
correctly perform those commandments. In
doing so, we will see the literal fulfillment of Nephi’s words:
“And because of the righteousness
of his people, Satan has no power; wherefore, he cannot be loosed for the
space of many years; for he hath no power over the hearts of the people, for they dwell in righteousness, and the
Holy One of Israel reigneth. (1 Nephi 22:26)
Without God’s laws we live in a state of iniquity
(lawlessness). “And by this we know that
we have come to know him, if we keep his commandments. Whoever says “I know
him” but does not keep his commandments is a liar, and the truth is not in him,
but whoever keeps his word, in him truly the love of God is perfected. By this
we may know that we are in him: whoever says he abides in him ought to walk in
the same way in which he walked (1 John 2:3-6)
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