The God of Contradiction

 

 The God of contradiction?!?! He doesn’t contradict Himself, His paths are straight and His course is “one eternal round” (D&C3:2)!  Isn't the God the worship unchangeable, “the same today, yesterday, and forever”( D&C 35:1)?!?!   

 In the book of Malachi the Lord speaks of “the turning of the hearts of the children to the fathers” which is to precede “the dreadful day of the Lord”(Malachi 4:4-5).The meaning of that phrase has been misinterpreted to infer extensive temple work for the deceased.  In reality, the Lord was talking about us turning our hearts and attention, not to our ancestors, but our righteous fathers, the patriarchs of old, that we too can begin to understand His dealings with His covenant people. Through the words of Isaiah He pleads with us: 

Look unto Abraham your father, and unto Sarah that bare you: for I called him alone, and blessed him, and increased him.( Isaiah 51:2)

Not only does the Lord admonish us to look unto Abraham, He wants us to “do his works,” since he, along with Isaac and Jacob, has attained godhood (D&C 132:32, 37). What escapes our latter-day attention and understanding is that Abraham’s righteousness, according to the Lord, did not consist in his ability to keep the written Law at all times, but in being willing to break it, when commanded. Since Abraham “did not refuse” to take Isaac’s life, it was “accounted unto him for righteousness” (132:36). 

While Abraham was able to successfully dodge the “thou shalt not kill” bullet, he had no such luck with what we know as the Law of Chastity and had many wives. Does our father Abraham turn in his grave at the words of the Book of Mormon Jacob: “Wherefore, my brethren, hear me, and hearken to the word of the Lord: For there shall not any man among you have save it be one wife; and concubines he shall have none ( Jacob 2:27)?

As if to mock our  heated debate of recent years on the origins on plural marriage, its truthfulness as a principle or it’s “abomination” as ascertained by Jacob (Jacob 2:24), the Lord throws to us, already bewildered and confused, this delicious nugget : 

Abraham received concubines, and they bore him children; and it was accounted unto him for righteousness, because they were given unto him…(D&C 132:37).

Come again??? Didn’t Jacob just make it clear in the book we know to be “most correct”  that having many wives, let alone concubines, is wrong?  “Wrong for whom?” is perhaps a better question. Addressing a crowd of men that were trying to excuse themselves in their lustful desires and wounding their wives and children by such actions, Jacob is bold in condemning the practice. But do you see what he said about Abraham, Jacob and Isaac? Not a word!!! His thundering silence speaks volumes on the subject. We can choose to ignore that, of course, if it doesn’t fit with our beliefs.

Taking things out of context, WE create contradictions, not Him.  And then, scratching our heads, we wonder why is all this as clear as mud…

David also received many wives and concubines, and also Solomon and Moses my servants, as also many others of my servants, from the beginning of creation until this time; and in nothing did they sin save in those things which they received not of me ( D&C 132:38).

Here’s that word  ‘save’ or ‘except’. How can we accept “except”?!? What happened to the NEVER crooked paths?  We want everything to fit in a box: black or white, dos and don’ts, thou shalts and thou shalt nevers…We want everything to be “one size fits all” without this godly confusion!!! We wish for God to tell us , once and for all, definitively, what is right and what isn't, what is of Him and what is of the Devil, to stop mixing apples and oranges and make it uniform. And He doesn't. He makes the rules and the exceptions. Is that surprising? He has the audacity to do what He will and with a subtle smirk on His face silently walks away …

While it was right for Nephi to slay Laban, it wasn’t for Laman and Lemuel. They didn't get to wield the sword over a drunken man, but Nephi did. Without his breaking of the law, we wouldn’t have a Nephi… We wouldn’t have the record we all know and cherish, the very Book of Mormon, another Testament of Jesus Christ... Without the breaking away from Law and tradition we wouldn’t have an Abraham. Nor would we have a Joseph Smith...

 

Perhaps, what is to be learned here, is that at times what the Lord asks is counterintuitive, it goes against the written law, against the norm and tradition. Our ability to adhere to what He says is the only measure of righteousness. 

What others are doing or not doing is a private matter, between them and the Lord. But to attain the faith of Abraham and Isaac takes going up Moriah, not debating and intellectualizing about it... 

The standard of God’s righteousness is different than the “raised bar ”we have been used to.  But it is also much simpler: If the Lord says to do it, then do. If He doesn’t, don’t.

It was also Abraham that was instructed on the varying degrees of intelligence of our spirits. It turns out that as God’s children, we are not like communicating vessels holding the same amount of liquid. Quite the opposite, all contain varying degrees of intelligence, and any given one, always holds more than the other (Abraham 3:19).

God doesn’t gauge intelligence by giving out IQ tests. For Him it is measured in Light and Truth (D&C 93:36). As Our Father’s children, we vary in our capacity to recognize, discern and embrace it. Therefore, what is right for one in a given circumstance is absolutely wrong for another.

That’s not what we want. We would like to climb into the saddle of righteousness and feel poised, proving our own correctness, backed up with scripture and historical evidence. We want “them” to be wrong and us to be right.  We cherry pick scriptural passages that prove our point and sweep the rest under the rug, not sure what to do with it.  We want to feel justified in our throwing of rocks at those we “know” are deceived. Is that what we want? And more importantly, is that what the Lord wants us to do and be????

In our exasperation some of us may want to throw in a towel and wish for the Lord to come down and sort out this mess for us personally, face to face… Such instruction has had precedence with the few, but it hasn’t been the pattern for most. Nephi was moved by the Spirit, since there was no time for an angelic visitation prior to him drawing the sword.Do we want Him to change His ways ?!?! Are we asking for a God of contradiction ?!? The irony….

The Lord allows for Lamans and Lemuels, for Nehors and Kishkumens, for Brighams and company, as well as for modern-day wolves in sheep’s clothing…He extends his gift of Agency to ALL and honors it, regardless of how it is used. He doesn’t force anyone to receive more than they are ready for… He invites all to go up Moriah or Horeb, to enter the wayfaring halls of Liberty Jail… Some will respond to His call, most will decline. The bitter cup of exaltation is often traded for something more palatable, by the unprepared for a sponge full of vinegar…

Our God is indeed unchangeable. Teetering on the brink of restoration of all things, we search the patterns of his dealings with man from the beginning of time.His unvarying path is to invite us to sacrifice all earthly things, for only that can  generate sufficient faith to dwell with the fathers. The stunning  curvature of his eternal round may seem crooked to some... But those that know Him and His ways, will see no contradiction.