Priesthood

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Esau and Jacob

January 23, 2010 in Priesthood by Greg | 10 comments

Recently, a friend pointed me to an interesting account of how the birthright blessings of the patriarchal priesthood were given to Jacob, and not Esau. According to the biblical account,

Esau and Jacob by Matthias Stom And Isaac intreated the Lord for his wife, because she was barren: and the Lord was intreated of him, and Rebekah his wife conceived. And the children struggled together within her; and she said, If it be so, why am I thus? And she went to enquire of the Lord. And the Lord said unto her, Two nations are in thy womb, and two manner of people shall be separated from thy bowels; and the one people shall be stronger than the other people; and the elder shall serve the younger. And when her days to be delivered were fulfilled, behold, there were twins in her womb. And the first came out red, all over like an hairy garment; and they called his name Esau. And after that came his brother out, and his hand took hold on Esau’s heel; and his name was called Jacob: and Isaac was threescore years old when she bare them. (Genesis 25:21-26).

Commenting, Bruce H. Porter wrote:

The mother of the twins learned that “two nations” were within her, and that “the elder shall serve the younger.” It must be noted that the revelation concerning the birthright came to Rebekah, and not to Isaac the father of the children. Rebekah, knowing that Jacob was the chosen one of the Lord and the one who should receive the birthright blessing from Isaac, began the preparations.

Twice Rebekah commanded Jacob; “. . . obey my voice . . .” (Gen. 27:8, 13). Holding a position of authority, the matriarch directed her son in the arrangements that were to be made and the information that would be given to Isaac during the ritual blessing. She appeared not only to be fully acquainted with the liturgy, but also played a key role in the blessing itself. Jacob’s fears are manifested in his concern that he might appear to be the “deceiver” (vs. 12) and that there would be “a curse…and not a blessing.” This foreboding of Jacob was quickly silenced when “his mother said unto him, Upon me be thy curse, my son: only obey my voice . . .” Only in a position of authority may one be responsible for the actions of another, as Rebekah promised she would be. Had this been a deception, Rebekah as well as her son Jacob would be held accountable. Yet neither are reprimanded in the scriptural text by Isaac or the Lord. Jacob’s mother accepted full responsibility for the correct or incorrect (as it seemed) performance and acceptability of this priesthood ordinance as executed by the patriarch.

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Holy Order in the Book of Mormon

August 20, 2009 in Priesthood by Greg | No comments

The Book of Mormon contains a number of references to the holy order – or the Holy Priesthood, after the Order of the Son of God -1, many of which are found in the book of Alma. In “The Holy Order of God”, Robert L. Millet wrote:

Priest entering the Holy of Holies To the wayward people of Ammonihah, Amulek had delivered a poignant testimony of Christ as God, had borne witness of the necessity of repentance, and had held out the hope of redemption from sin and death through the merits and mercy of the coming Messiah (see Alma 11:26-46). Alma then delivered a companion and confirming witness of the reality of the Savior and the manner in which men and women can, through faith, pass from death unto eternal life. “Therefore,” he said, quoting the Lord to the ancients, “whosoever repenteth, and hardeneth not his heart, he shall have claim on mercy through mine Only Begotten Son, unto a remission of his sins; and these shall enter into my rest.” Alma then pleaded: “And now, my brethren, seeing we know these things, and they are true, let us repent, and harden not our hearts, . . . but let us enter into the rest of God, which is prepared according to his word” (Alma 12:34, 37). It is in the context of Alma’s discussion of how the Saints can, through applying the atoning blood of Christ, enter into the rest of God, that Alma begins a discussion of the holy order of God. His discussion is a deep and ponderous and insightful prophetic declaration as to how, through the blessings of the priesthood—those called and prepared from the foundation of the world—the people of God may be sanctified from sin and enjoy the “words of eternal life” in this mortal sphere, all in preparation for eternal life with God and holy beings hereafter (see Moses 6:59).2

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  1. See D&C 107:3; for a more thorough review of the priesthood and its orders, see Ellsworth, Richard G. “Priesthood”. 1992. Encyclopedia of Mormonism. 2009.↩
  2. Millet, Robert L. “The Holy Order of God”. Monte S. Nyman and Charles D. Tate, Jr., eds. Alma, The Testimony of the Word. Provo, Utah: BYU Religious Studies Center, 1992. 61-86.↩

Priesthood of the Nephites

February 23, 2009 in Priesthood by Greg | 6 comments

A number of years ago I came across this article about the priesthood of the Nephites by Joseph Fielding Smith, Jr. At the time, I wasn’t really looking for information about this topic. Rather, I was studying references to the holy order.

As I reflected on the information contained in this “answer” by then Elder Smith, I wondered if there are not also “priests and teachers” in our day who have been called to “teach, direct, and admonish the people.” Here is the complete text to this article:

Joseph Fielding Smith Question: “While studying our Book of Mormon lesson in our Sunday School class our attention was called to the statement in the Teachers’ Supplement which says that the Nephites did not have the Aaronic Priesthood. Members of the class questioned the authenticity of this and called attention to the words in Moroni, chapter three, which clearly state that they ordained priests and teachers, to preach repentance and remission of sins. Then we read in II Nephi 5:26, that Nephi consecrated Jacob and Joseph ‘that they should be priests and teachers over the land of my people.’ Will you kindly put us straight on this matter?”

Answer: After the tribes of Israel were brought out of Egypt the Lord proposed to make them a royal priesthood, conferring on members of all the tribes the authority of the Melchizedek Priesthood; but when they made a golden calf to worship in the absence of Moses and were in constant murmuring and rebellion, the Lord denied them this great honor and took Moses and the Higher Priesthood from them, and decreed that this priesthood should not be given them and that they “should not enter into his rest, while in the wilderness, which rest is the fulness of his glory.”1 From that time until the coming of our Redeemer, Israel was subject to the Aaronic Priesthood and the “carnal law,” which was added. Instead of taking the firstborn of the families, the Lord separated the tribe of Levi and made them the priests of the people.

For the Lord had spoken unto Moses, saying,

“Only thou shalt not number the tribe of Levi, neither take the sum of them among the children of Israel.”2

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  1. D. & C. 84:22-27. Numbers chapters 1-3.↩
  2. Numbers 1:48-49.↩

Two High Priesthoods?

November 16, 2008 in Priesthood by Greg | 2 comments

David Larsen’s presentation “Two High Priesthoods? Evidence for Changes in the Priesthood from First to Second Temple Judaism” was given at the 2008 SANE Conference. This is a fascinating discussion about priesthood in ancient Israel that may change your view of this topic if you have not yet delved into these things.

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-5863340665630045695

For additional information see Videos of SANE Symposium Lectures on “Temples and Ritual in Antiquity” at Temple Study.