Rachel was in love. At least, that's what I infer from the biblical text. We read that Jacob loved Rachel and that he worked seven years for the right to marry her, "and they seemed unto him but a few days, for the love he had to her" (Genesis 29:20). But after her father tricked Jacob into also marrying... Continue Reading →
Breaking a Yoke
A yoke is a wooden beam placed on the necks of two animals so that they can pull together. That's the literal definition. Throughout the scriptures, the term is also used metaphorically to represent servitude or oppression. Perhaps that's because the Hebrew word for yoke—ol (עֹל)—is related to the verb alal (עָלַל), which means to... Continue Reading →
Lahai-Roi
When Sarah mistreated Hagar, she ran away. An angel found her by a well and told her to go back and submit herself to her mistress. The angel promised great blessings, including numerous descendants. After that experience, Hagar called the Lord "El-Roi," which means "the God who sees me." The well became known as Beer-Lahai-Roi... Continue Reading →
Glory
Lift up your heads, O ye gates; even lift them up, ye everlasting doors; and the King of glory shall come in.Who is this King of glory? The LORD of hosts, he is the King of glory.Psalm 24:9-10 What is glory? The word appears 225 times in the King James Version of the Old Testament,... Continue Reading →
The Image of God
So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.Genesis 1:27 How much are we like God? We see daily evidence of how far we—and the people around us—fall short of perfection. So how can we think we have anything in common with a perfect Being? The... Continue Reading →
Deep Waters
When through the deep waters I call thee to go,The rivers of sorrow shall not thee o’erflow,For I will be with thee, thy troubles to bless,And sanctify to thee thy deepest distress."How Firm a Foundation," Hymns, #85 When it came time for Jared, his brother, and their families to board the huge barges they had... Continue Reading →
“Stronger than the Cords of Death”
"The cords of death entangled me," wrote David; "the torrents of destruction overwhelmed me" (Psalm 18:4, NIV; see also Psalm 116:3, NIV, 2 Samuel 22:6, NIV). Alma used similar language as he cried out to God for deliverance from his own overwhelming feelings of guilt: O Jesus, thou Son of God, have mercy on me, who am in the gall... Continue Reading →
Pavilion
The Feast of Tabernacles, or Sukkot, features the building of booths or huts, temporary structures which represent the tents the children of Israel lived in during their forty years in the wilderness. While the Hebrew word sukkah (סֻכָּה) is often translated "booth" or "tabernacle," it appears a few times in the King James Bible as... Continue Reading →
“Though Israel Be Not Gathered” – 1 Nephi 21:5
In a poignant expression of self-doubt, Isaiah lamented his apparent lack of success: I have labored in vain, I have spent my strength for naught and in vain; surely my judgment is with the Lord, and my work with my God.1 Nephi 21:4, Isaiah 49:4 In response God offered the following words of reassurance: And now,... Continue Reading →
Gross Darkness
Isaiah prophesied of a time when "darkness shall cover the earth, and gross darkness the people." But he promised that, in the midst of this darkness, "the Lord shall arise upon thee, and his glory shall be seen upon thee. And the Gentiles shall come to thy light, and kings to the brightness of thy... Continue Reading →