Creation Theme in Mosiah 2

[DispensatorMysteriorum]

Has anyone published or commented before on the obvious creation theme in Mosiah 2? I'm a bit puzzled as to how there are no footnotes pointing back the many allusions to Genesis 1-3. 


 

Quote

20 I say unto you, my brethren, that if you should render all the thanks and praise which your whole soul has power to possess, to that God who has created you, and has kept and preserved you, and has caused that ye should rejoice, and has granted that ye should live in peace one with another—

21 I say unto you that if ye should serve him who has created you from the beginning, and is preserving you from day to day, by lending you breath, that ye may live and move and do according to your own will, and even supporting you from one moment to another—I say, if ye should serve him with all your whole souls yet ye would be unprofitable servants.

22 And behold, all that he requires of you is to keep his commandments; and he has promised you that if ye would keep his commandments ye should prosper in the land; and he never doth vary from that which he hath said; therefore, if ye do keep his commandments he doth bless you and prosper you.

23 And now, in the first place, he hath created you, and granted unto you your lives, for which ye are indebted unto him.

24 And secondly, he doth require that ye should do as he hath commanded you; for which if ye do, he doth immediately bless you; and therefore he hath paid you. And ye are still indebted unto him, and are, and will be, forever and ever; therefore, of what have ye to boast?

25 And now I ask, can ye say aught of yourselves? I answer you, Nay. Ye cannot say that ye are even as much as the dust of the earth; yet ye were created of the dust of the earth; but behold, it belongeth to him who created you.

26 And I, even I, whom ye call your king, am no better than ye yourselves are; for I am also of the dust. And ye behold that I am old, and am about to yield up this mortal frame to its mother earth.

27 Therefore, as I said unto you that I had served you, walking with a clear conscience before God, even so I at this time have caused that ye should assemble yourselves together, that I might be found blameless, and that your blood should not come upon me, when I shall stand to be judged of God of the things whereof he hath commanded me concerning you.

The illusions to "the beginning," "day," "walking before God," "breath," "living souls," "mother earth," "commandments," free "will," and "forever" are really striking to me given the story of the creation and fall as recorded in Genesis 1-3. 

[Robert F. Smith]

MOSIAH 2:20-27,

20 i say unto you my brethren that

if you should render all the thanks and praise[1]

which your whole souls hath power to possess

to that god who hath created you

and hath kept and preserved you[2]

and hath caused that ye should rejoice

and hath granted that ye should live in peace one with another[3]

21 i say unto you that

if ye should serve him who hath created you from the beginning

and art preserving you from day to day[4] by lending you breath

that ye may live and move[5]

and do according to your own will[6]

and even supporting you from one moment to another

i say if ye should serve him with all your whole soul[7]

and yet ye would be unprofitable servants[8]

22 and behold

all that he requires of you is to keep his commandments[9]

and he hath promised you that

if ye would keep his commandments

ye should prosper in the land[10]

and he never doth vary from that which he hath said

therefore if ye do keep his commandments

he doth bless you and prosper you
23 ¶  and now in the first place he hath created you

and granted unto you your lives

for which ye are in debted unto him
24 and secondly

he doth require that ye should do as he hath commanded you

for which if ye do he doth immediately bless you

and therefore he hath paid you

and ye are still in debted unto him

and art and will be forever and ever

therefore of what have ye to boast[11]
25 and now i ask can ye say ought of yourselves

i answer you nay

ye cannot say that thou art even as much as the dust of the earth[12]

yet thou wast created of the dust of the earth[13]

but behold it belongeth to him who created you[14]
26 and i even i whom ye call your king

am no better than ye yourselves are

for i am also of the dust

and thou beholdest that i am old

and am about to yield up this mortal frame[15] to its mother earth
27 therefore as i said unto you

that i had served you walking with a clear conscience before god

even so i at this time have caused

that ye should assemble yourselves together

that i[16] might be found blameless[17]

and that your blood should not come upon me[18]

when i shall stand to be judged of god

---

[1] cf I Chron 16:4, "to thank and praise the LORD God" ǁ 23:30; Ps 56:12, "I will render praises unto thee"; II Chron 5:13, Ps 116:12, I Thess 3:9.

[2] ǁ Shehekheyanu, the standard opening prayer for festivals in the Jewish Prayerbook: "Praised art thou, Lord our God, King of the Universe, who hast kept us and hast preserved us and enabled us to reach this festival season"; ǁ Mosiah 7:20 hath kept and preserved his people even until now; cf Num 6:24, "The LORD bless thee, and keep thee" (beginning of priestly Day of Atonement blessing); Ps 41:2, "The LORD will preserve him, and keep him alive; and he shall be blessed"; Neh 9:6, Wisdom of Solomon 11:25; 1Q22 IV (Words of Moses); 1Q5 2:2-4; Alma 44:3-4.

[3] ǁ Mk 9:50, "have peace one with another"; ǁ II Cor 13:11, "live in peace"; cf Lev 26:6, "And I will give peace in the land"; Num 6:26, "and give thee peace" (end of  priestly Day of Atonement blessing); 1Q22 IV (Words of Moses); 1Q5 2:2-4.

[4] cf vs 20, Neh 9:6.

[5] ǁ  Acts 17:28, "For in him we live, and move"; cf Acts 17:24 (Creator), 25 ("giveth to all life, and breath").

[6] ǁ  Dan 11:16, "do according to his own will" ǁ 11:3,36.

[7] ǁ Dt 11:13, Josh 22:5, "serve him with all your heart and with all your soul"; Mk 12:30,33, Rom 1:9.

[8] cf Lk 17:10, "when ye shall have done all those things which are commanded you, say, we are unprofitable servants"; Mat 25:30.

[9] cf Dt 10:12-13, Eccl 12:13, Mica 6:8.

[10] cf vss 31,36; note the presentation of wdj3, "prosperity," at the Egyptian sd-festival; jubilee.

[11] cf vss 15-16, Rom 3:27, Eph 2:9.

[12] ǁ  Gen 13:16, 28:14, II Sam 22:43, "as the dust of the earth"; cf Hel 12:7-8.

[13] cf Gen 2:7, 3:19, Job 14:19.

[14] cf Lev 25:23, "The land shall not be sold for ever: for the land is mine; for ye are strangers and sojourners with me."

 

[15] cf vs 30, 1:9, Gen 27:2, Josh 23:2, I Sam 12:2, Pss 71:18, 103:14, Lk 1:18.

[16] vss 27-28 ‖ Gen 49:1, “Gather yourselves together, that I” ‖ Gen 49:2

[17] ǁ I Tim 3:10, "being found blameless” ǁ II Pt 3:14; cf I Cor 1:8.

[18] cf vs 28, 17:10, II Ne 9:44, Jacob 2:2, Alma 5:22, 60:13, Isa 1:15, 59:3, Jer 26:14-15, Lam 4:13, Ezk 3:18-20, 33:1-9, Acts 5:28, 18:6, 20:26.

Edited November 12, 2021 by Robert F. Smith

[ProphetShiloh]

This chapter makes a whole lot more sense when you realize that creation as addressed in holy writ is the spiritual creation of human civilization.  The temporal aspects of creation play out when the spirits that are foreordained come into it and take up tabernacles in the flesh via resurrection.

Thanks for pointing this chapter out.  It further affirms holding creation as an act of organizing immortal and/or eternal souls into civilizations, which go in cycles.  We have the "old world" that began 6,000 years ago in Mesopotamia, and we have the "new world" that began in America culminating in the coming forth of "man" (Adam and Eve) circa 1830 AD.

The foundation of the "new world" has been laid, but the dragon-serpent has made war upon the saints and overcome them for a season.

[The Nehor]

6 minutes ago, ProphetShiloh said:

This chapter makes a whole lot more sense when you realize that creation as addressed in holy writ is the spiritual creation of human civilization.  The temporal aspects of creation play out when the spirits that are foreordained come into it and take up tabernacles in the flesh via resurrection.

Thanks for pointing this chapter out.  It further affirms holding creation as an act of organizing immortal and/or eternal souls into civilizations, which go in cycles.  We have the "old world" that began 6,000 years ago in Mesopotamia, and we have the "new world" that began in America culminating in the coming forth of "man" (Adam and Eve) circa 1830 AD.

The foundation of the "new world" has been laid, but the dragon-serpent has made war upon the saints and overcome them for a season.

Welcome to the board fellow crazy person.

[Calm]

8 minutes ago, ProphetShiloh said:

take up tabernacles in the flesh via resurrection.

Immortal beings become mortal through resurrection?  Isn’t it supposed to be the reverse?

[ProphetShiloh]

6 hours ago, Calm said:

Immortal beings become mortal through resurrection?  Isn’t it supposed to be the reverse?

Thank you for pointing this out.  Apparently we view resurrection from a different point of view.  You have drawn a conclusion from my words that I wouldn't want people to come away with.  However, I can see why you would reach this conclusion.  I will explain my view of resurrection so that you can take a step back and hopefully get what I am really trying to say.

There are two sides to the distinction that we refer to as "resurrection".  It is actually a process of union that is facilitated by way of covenants so that it is done in an agreeable manner to all parties involved.  When someone receives the ordinance of the laying on of hands to receive the gift of the Holy Ghost, this is in fact the spiritual birth of that individual.  Because they didn't have this life-giving spiritual indwelling before, the process of them receiving it is in fact their spiritual resurrection.  They went from being spiritually dead to spiritually living.  That is what spiritual resurrection is.  But, we do not have to delineate between spiritual and physical resurrection.  When you consider the point of view of the formerly deceased spirit, this spiritual being is now obtaining the covenant right to dwell in a physical tabernacle.  It was physically dead before, but it becomes physically alive when it is received into a worthy tabernacle to dwell.

In summary:
There is the human person who was spiritually dead prior to being spiritually resurrected when they "receive the Holy Ghost".
There is the spirit of a former human person who had physically died, but who is now able to dwell in a physical human tabernacle again.

The process of resurrection has been taking place ever since Jesus Christ opened up the ordinances of spiritual life as administered through the Melchizedek Priesthood.  Therefore, everyone would do well to understand that we do not wait until after we are physically dead to be resurrected.  In mortality we have an allotted period of time to acquire the highest and most noble spiritual resurrection that we can.  That period of time is the duration of our mortal life.  So long as we retain the spiritual indwelling of the Holy Ghost, we are in union with the spiritual vehicle by which our spirit is immortalized.  Our spirit and the spirit of God become "one".  This is how we become immortal.  His Spirit preserves and keeps our spirit through the covenants of the Gospel that bring us into union.

[Calm]

What is the difference between what you call resurrection and what Saints label as “spiritual rebirth”?

https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/manual/doctrines-of-the-gospel-student-manual/18-conversion?lang=eng