The Shepherds of Ephraim

 

The Shepherds of Ephraim

By Olya Lambert

As a preface to this, I would like to say that my experience with the leaders of the church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has been incredibly positive. I have learned so much from those I have loved and served with over the years and feel very grateful for the experiences I have had. My comments are not intended to belittle, berate or condemn anyone, but rather provide a new perspective on some old issues.

Questioning your leaders in our church culture is tragically considered an unpardonable heresy. Most of us, rather than second guess the prophet or the twelve, would be much more willing to stand before the merciless courts of Spanish Inquisition.

Erasing the boundary between the concept of ‘faith’ and ‘religion’ and equating the two, we “doubt our doubts” and sheepishly walk away from answering questions that create cognitive dissonance. We travel the world to invite OTHERS to approach God in prayer for heavenly answers and direction, but choose to abdicate our sovereignty when it comes to US receiving that guidance. 

Brigham Young expressed his concern on the matter, when he said: “I am more afraid that this people have so much confidence in their leaders that they will not inquire for themselves of God whether they are led by Him” (Brigham Young, 1862). Indeed, confidence in our leaders has become so unshakable over the last 200 years, we have hardly noticed it was at the expense of our own ability to receive personal revelation from God and standing firmly in that divine witness.

The notion that the Shepherds of Ephraim would never lead us astray is extremely comforting, but it goes against the principle of free agency central to our beliefs. Why would Heavenly Father “not allow” for the leadership of the church to take us down the wrong path, while at the same time “allowing” for the worst tragedies and atrocities in human history to take place on both a personal and national scale? Why does He “allow” for bad things to happen to good people? Do we get to decide when that principle takes effect and when it doesn’t? It appears that as a church that is exactly what we are doing!!! 

To some, the leaders of the church will always be infallible. And, of course, I am fully aware of the following statement by Wilford Woodruff that supports such notions:

The Lord will never permit me or any other man who stands as President of this Church to lead you astray… If I were to attempt that, the Lord would remove me out of my place, and so He will any other man who attempts to lead the children of men astray ….” (Official Declaration 1).

It’s interesting that the statement above got included in our scriptures, but the one below by Brigham Young, did not:

Brethren, this Church will be led onto the very brink of hell by the leaders of this people. Then God will raise the one mighty and strong, spoken of in the 85th Section of the Doctrine and Covenants, to save and redeem this church. [i]

The two quotes are in massive contradiction, but perhaps one way to reconcile them is NOT by saying that leading astray is an impossibility, but rather WHEN it happens the Lord will intervene. Section 85 seems to suggest the same:

7 And it shall come to pass that I, the Lord God, will send one mighty and strong, holding the scepter of power in his hand, clothed with light for a covering, whose mouth shall utter words, eternal words; while his bowels shall be a fountain of truth, to set in order the house of God.(…)

(Note, that setting the church in order suggests that there is a need, that it became “out of order”.)

8 While that man, who was called of God and appointed, that putteth forth his hand to steady the ark of God, shall fall by the shaft of death, like as a tree that is smitten by the vivid shaft of lightning.

The mighty and strong one (who that could be is a discussion for another time) becomes the Lord’s chosen leader and end time servant, while the one who had previously been called of God is removed by divine means!!! This narrative, that end time church leaders not only CAN, but WILL lead us astray and can be REMOVED, is not one we are familiar or comfortable with.

Interestingly, speaking of the end time servant in almost identical terms as those mentioned above, Isaiah provides a poignant description of latter-day Ephraim and its shepherds:

1 Woe to the crown of pride, to the drunkards of Ephraim, whose glorious beauty is a fading flower, which are on the head of the fat valleys of them that are overcome with wine! (Isaiah 28)

For non-drinking Latter-day Saints, it could be difficult to grasp why Isaiah would use such alcohol-heavy imagery to describe modern Ephraim. Perhaps the wine allusions have more to do with a state of mind, when like drunkards we can’t discern what is real from what is not. We embrace the notion of our self-importance and grandeur to a point of Rameumpton. We sustain flawless leaders that flawlessly sustain and justify us, and in our LDS centered view of the world, with the blinders firmly on, our vision and judgment become out of alignment with God’s.

In very clear terms Isaiah communicates that the shepherds of Ephraim are equally guilty of “drunkenness”:

7 But they also have erred through wine, and through strong drink are out of the way; the priest and the prophet have erred through strong drink, they are swallowed up of wine, they are out of the way through strong drink; they err in vision, they stumble in judgment.

But he goes even further in his pronouncements of Ephraim’s wickedness:

15 Because ye have said, We have made a covenant with death, and with hell are we at agreement; when the overflowing scourge shall pass through, it shall not come unto us: for we have made lies our refuge, and under falsehood have we hid ourselves (Isaiah 28).

A scourge???? As in pandemic???? This couldn’t be more current. Clearly, the above verse thunderously echoes Brigham’s concern about the shepherds of Ephraim leading others to the “brinks of hell”. I doubt it’s intentional, but it doesn’t absolve us from the God-given responsibility to seek for The Shepherd and hear His voice, even as the shepherds of Ephraim would lead us astray. 

---

[i] Provo Bowery Conference, August 24th, 1867; [BX 8693 .C559 C547o, Americana Collection, L. Tom Perry Special Collections, Harold B. Lee Library, Brigham Young University, Provo, Utah], page 106. See also The Complete Discourses of Brigham Young, volume 4, edited by Richard S. Van Wagoner [Salt Lake City: The Smith-Pettit Foundation, 2009], pages 2478–2479.)