Webster

I love the dictionary! I especially love how it helps us in our understanding of the gospel. This page will be my study of certain words that are not commonly used in our modern day language but are used in the scriptures.

September 16th, 2011             Harrow

This is a harrow:


Webster defines "harrow"as: 1. A cultivating tool that has spikes, spring teeth, or disks. It is esp. used to pulverize and smooth soil. 2. Torment, or to vex.

So you are probably wondering what scripture would possibly use this crazy word of terror. Alma the younger uses it when he is describing when he was visited by an angel and he is remembering all his sins. "And it came to pass that as I was thus racked with torment, while I was harrowed up by the memory of my many sins,"

All his sins were tormenting him. His spiritual ground was being broken up and being pulverized. However, as he went through all this he came to remember something ". . behold, I remembered also to have heard my father prophesy unto the people concerning the coming of one Jesus Christ, a Son of God, to atone for the sins of the world. Now, as my mind caught hold upon this thought, I cried within my heart: O Jesus, thou Son of God, have mercy on me, who am in the gall of bitterness, and am encircled about by the everlasting chains of death."

Alma was brought to remember how merciful God was but it was first through experiencing godly sorry or being harrowed up. When he thought this, "I could remember my pains no more; yea, I was harrowed up by the memory of my sins no more. And oh, what joy, and what marvelous light I did behold; yea, my soul was filled with joy as exceeding as was my pain!"

His spiritual ground was made smooth, the harrowing process was over and he was filled with JOY! Sometimes it may hurt to repent but it will all be worth it in the end when all of our rough dry ground is made smooth!

August 29th, 2011           Condescension
"Knowest thou the condescension of God? And I said unto him: I know that he loveth his children; nevertheless, I do not know the meaning of all things."  1 Nephi 11:16-22

As I pondered this question it occurred to me that I wasn’t sure of the meaning of the word “Condescension.” So being the nerd I am I looked it up.

Condescension- voluntary descent from one's rank or dignity in relations with an inferior.

This chapter of the Book of Mormon is Nephi seeing the same vision his father Lehi saw but enhanced, maybe it was in HD.  After being asked the question Nephi sees the Virgin Mary and the baby Jesus in her arms. Jesus Christ is and was a part of the Godhead, which are 3 separate beings. Yet, here He was an infant dependant on His mother Mary for everything. This is the condescension of God. 

Elder Gerald N. Lund, formerly of the Seventy, explains this better than I could. “Here was Jesus—a member of the Godhead, the Firstborn of the Father, the Creator, Jehovah of the Old Testament—now leaving His divine and holy station; divesting Himself of all that glory and majesty and entering the body of a tiny infant; helpless, completely dependent on His mother and earthly father. That He should not come to the finest of earthly palaces and be . . . showered with jewels but should come to a lowly stable is astonishing. Little wonder that the angel should say to Nephi, ‘Behold the condescension of God!’” (Jesus Christ, Key to the Plan of Salvation

I love the Dictionary. :)