When I was growing up the ratio spoken of seemed more credible than it does today. I couldn't help noticing, as a child, how many women attended church without their husbands. The ratio of active women to men was significant. About the time Women's Lib came on the scene, the ratio has leveled out. I don't have hard data for this, just personal observation. The same is true of the Temple. When I was first endowed I seldom attended a session in which the brethren came close to matching the attendance of the Sisters. These days it typically is the other way around. Currently, the ratio is more evenly balanced than it has ever been in my life. The foreseen imbalance will likely be from something physically catastrophic like war or spiritually so, like pornography. I'll be watching with interest. And not a little trepidation.
Wouldn't it be lovely to have, rising above your home, a cloud by day and a pillar by night? Apparently, Zion must be cleansed first. Such a cleansing might remove me though, so I'll be patient and try to get ready. I suspect that though this may be interpreted literally, that figuratively such symbols of faith and loyalty already exist and are visible. Just as was spoken of yesterday, there are countenance type indicators that are easily perceived through spiritual eyes and I'm not talking about Family Home Evening bumper stickers. Over on my other blog, Live and Learn, I wrote the other day, about my amazement that a couple of old duffers might make a difference to a collection of juvenile delinquents. While those kids see no smoke or fire, they do sense the presence and love of the Lord. The influence of Zion cannot enter Babylon unnoticed. Not by anybody.
4 comments:
When our family follows the counsel of the prophet, I feel this protection tangibly.
“A shadow by day and a pillar by night”
The Latter day glory has come forth. What a blessed privilege to be a small part of it.
Perhaps we can think of the pillar in this instance as being a structure that will support and uphold us and our families during this difficult time, rather than one that will just hover over our heads -- symbolically or otherwise! Monuments are nice -- even allegorical ones which give us comfort -- but when support is needed, a strong pillar or column is much more useful.
I found that in studying this particular chapter, looking at each of the footnotes, and even extending two of them to a scripture chain was really illuminating.
(This will probably take several posts!)
Here is the process below for this short chapter.
1 aAND in that day, seven women shall take hold of one man, saying: We will eat our own bread, and wear our own apparel; only let us be called by thy name to take away our breproach.
(a)“And” (This cross reference takes us to Isaiah and some additional cross references from that verse which are very helpful in understanding what the Lord means in this verse.)
Isa. 4: 1 (1-6)
1 AND in that day seven women shall take hold of one bman, saying, We will eat our own bread, and wear our own apparel: only let us be called by thy cname, to take away our reproach.
(a)“seven” IE because of scarcity of men due to wars.
(b)“man” Isa. 3: 25 (24-25)
25Thy men shall fall by the sword, and thy mighty in the war.
(c)"name" TG Marriage
(d)“reproach” Ie., the stigma of being unmarried and childless.
(continued)
2 In that day shall the abranch of the Lord be beautiful and glorious; the fruit of the earth excellent and comely to them that are escaped of Israel.
(a)"branch"
Isa. 60: 21.
21 Thy people also shall be all righteous: they shall inherit the land for ever, the branch of my planting, the work of my hands, that I may be glorified.
Isa. 61: 3.
3 To appoint unto them that mourn in Zion, to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they might be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the LORD, that he might be glorified.
2 Ne. 3: 5.
5 Wherefore, Joseph truly saw our day. And he obtained a promise of the Lord, that out of the fruit of his loins the Lord God would raise up a righteous branch unto the house of Israel; not the Messiah, but a branch which was to be broken off, nevertheless, to be remembered in the covenants of the Lord that the Messiah should be made manifest unto them in the latter days, in the spirit of power, unto the bringing of them out of darkness unto light—yea, out of hidden darkness and out of captivity unto freedom.
Jacob 2: 25.
25 Wherefore, thus saith the Lord, I have led this people forth out of the land of Jerusalem, by the power of mine arm, that I might raise up unto me a righteous branch from the fruit of the loins of Joseph.
3 And it shall come to pass, they that are aleft in Zion and remain in Jerusalem shall be called holy, every one that is written among the living in Jerusalem—
(a)"left"
Matt. 13: 43 (41-43)
43 Then shall the righteous shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Who hath ears to hear, let him hear.
4 When the Lord shall have awashed away the filth of the daughters of Zion, and shall have purged the blood of Jerusalem from the midst thereof by the spirit of judgment and by the spirit of bburning.
(a)"washed"
2 Ne. 13: 24 (16-26)
24 And it shall come to pass, instead of sweet smell there shall be stink; and instead of a girdle, a rent; and instead of well set hair, baldness; and instead of a stomacher, a girding of sackcloth; burning instead of cbeauty. This takes us to an additional cross reference in Lam. 1:6:
(c)"beauty"
Lam. 1: 6 (4-6)
6 And from the daughter of Zion all her beauty is departed: her princes are become like harts that find no pasture, and they are gone without strength before the pursuer.
(Continued)
(a)“burning” (this cross reference goes back to 2 Ne. 13:4)
Mal. 3: 2.
2 But who may abide the day of his coming? and who shall stand when he appeareth? for he is like a refiner’s ffire, and like fullers’ soap:
Mal. 4: 1.
1 FOR, behold, the day cometh, that shall burn as an oven; and all the proud, yea, and all that do wickedly, shall be stubble: and the day that cometh shall burn them up, saith the LORD of hosts, that it shall leave them neither root nor branch.
5 And the aLord will create upon every dwelling-place of mount Zion, and upon her assemblies, a bcloud and smoke by day and the shining of a flaming fire by night; for upon all the glory of Zion shall be a defence.
(a)"Lord"
Isa. 60: 20 (1-3, 19-21)
20 Thy sun shall no more go down; neither shall thy moon withdraw itself: for the LORD shall be thine everlasting light, and the days of thy mourning shall be ended.
TG God, Presence of.
(b)"cloud"
Ex. 13: 21.
21 And the LORD went before them by day in a pillar of a cloud, to lead them the way; and by night in a pillar of fire, to give them light; to go by day and night:
Zech. 2: 5.
5 For I, saith the LORD, will be unto her a wall of fire round about, and will be the glory in the midst of her.
6 And there shall be a tabernacle for a shadow in the daytime from the heat, and for a place of arefuge, and a covert from storm and from rain.
(a)”refuge”
Isa. 25: 4.
4 For thou hast been a strength to the poor, a strength to the needy in his distress, a refuge from the storm, a shadow from the heat, when the blast of the terrible ones is as a storm against the wall.
Post a Comment