In reading the beginning of sections of the Doctrine and Covenants, it is impossible to miss the repetition of the phrase, “The field is white already to harvest.”

For many years the grammar of this phrase has puzzled me, greatly. I hear the echos of my English teachers that if the field is now finally prepared to be harvested, the word should be “all ready,” not already, which is an adverb. I’ve chalked up this usage to a 19th century mistake and just figured the spelling was wrong.

Until I realized this week that the original quotation actually comes from John 4:

35 Say not ye, There are yet four months, and then cometh harvest? behold, I say unto you, Lift up your eyes, and look on the fields; for they are white already to harvest.

Well, I guess I’m going to have to push back my “bad grammar” argument a few more centuries, maybe it is just an archaic usage.

The nice thing, though, about finding the usage in the New Testament is I’m now not limited to an original English document such as the Doctrine and Covenants, I can go back to the Greek and see what in the world is going on with this phrase.

For example, here is the New King James translation of the verse:

“Do you not say, ‘There are still four months and then comes the harvest’? Behold, I say to you, lift up your eyes and look at the fields, for they are already white for harvest!

Aha! So we DO have the right word, just an word order that makes the meaning harder to see.

Another clarification this translation starts to make clear is that “to harvest” isn’t the infinitive form of a verb. The strong number for “to” is G4314, which is a preposition that means “at,” “near,” or “by.”

Here are some alternate translations if you are curious.

The significance of this, in my mind, is that shift changes slightly in what the verse is telling us about the field. It isn’t that the field is “all ready” and prepared for a final harvest, but instead that the time has already come, and is now, that the harvest must begin.

A subtlety, to be sure, but interesting.

There is one more thing to consider, though:

You shall declare the things which have been revealed to my servant, Joseph Smith, Jun. You shall begin to preach from this time forth, yea, to reap in the field which is white already to be burned. (D&C 31:4)

I’ll leave it to you to untangle that one.

This might sound like a strange question, but one I’ve thought about off and on over the years, with different conclusions:

Where have all the devils gone?

I don’t say this with the belief that they really have vanished, disappeared, lost their power, etc. One look at the world around us, compared with previous times, should convince us that the power of the adversary is alive, well, and prospering.

We are certainly a religion that believes in the reality of Satan and his angels. The Book of Mormon is full of references, we have modern revelation explaining the origins in the grand councils of heaven of these devils and their fall from grace.

We have keys given to us to aid us in detecting them, priesthood and methods for driving them away. As a believing member of the LDS faith, their existence is undeniable.

The New Testament is also a witness that the Savior and his Apostles in ancient days found devils in abundance among the people. They were the cause of sicknesses, loss of speech, madness, and other maladies. Casting out devils was explicitly listed as something that believers would do.

We are a very sophisticated society today, and look with skepticism on anything supernatural. We go to doctors for sicknesses, therapists for speech problems and take drugs for psychosis. The supernatural is what we entertain ourselves with, but that kind of superstition is a relic of the past. Does our sophistication and unbelief alone prevent devils from causing the havoc they did in former days?

Are the old records just a naive explanation of the diseases that we understand so much better now? If so, what was Jesus really doing when he cast out devils and the individual was healed?

Where have all the devils gone?

It has becoming an almost overwhelming guiding principle in Mormondom that we are to practice “moderation in all things.” Many times this is referred to in reference to the Word of Wisdom, so much so that you might be surprised to find out that the word “moderation” appears nowhere in section 89.

What does it mean to have “moderation in all things?” It is to maintain a mean, an average between two extremes. Think just a moment about what that means.

Should we seek for the mean, the “in-between” state in all things? Do we really value the middle ground between sin and righteousness as the ultimate goal? Moderation in the law of chastity?

So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth.
Revelation 3:16

In fact, the phrase “moderation in all things” is not found anywhere in the standard works. It comes from the philosophies of Aristotle and his Doctrine of the Mean, which seeks for a middle ground between excess and deficiency. But even in that regard, “all things” distorts his ideas.

What do the scriptures actually say about “all things?”

And no one can assist in this work except he shall be humble and full of love, having faith, hope, and charity, being temperate in all things, whatsoever shall be entrusted to his care.
D&C 12:8

Aah, temperance might be mistaken for moderation, but the two are not synonymous. Temperance is self mastery, self control, self discipline. Temperance in training for a competition or a race may well involve some “unbalanced” focus on health, exercise, diet, etc. This is not moderation in all things, but it is self-discipline in obtaining a goal.

And everyone who competes for the prize is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a perishable crown, but we for an imperishable crown.
1 Corinthians 9:25 (NKJV Translation)

Finding a balance, a moderation between excess and deficiency is a worthy goal in most cases, but not in all things.

And again, my brethren, I would cite your minds forward to the time when the Lord God gave these commandments unto his children; and I would that ye should remember that the Lord God ordained priests, after his holy order, which was after the order of his Son, to teach these things unto the people.

The first thing we have to deal with in this chapter is “the Lord God gave these commandments.” “These” refers to things discussed in previous chapters, which were covered in a separate lesson last week, so we’re going to have to recap to figure out why Alma starts giving a lesson on Priesthood.

Looking at the previous chapter, Alma 12:21-37 seems to be the relevant verses. As is the case with many prophets, Alma is teaching the people by expounding on Adam and Eve and the fall. The Lord gave a first commandment to Adam and Eve in the garden, which they transgressed. As a result, the Lord then gives them his “second” commandment, referred to in 12:31-33.

This second commandment includes: * do no evil (12:32) * repent (:33) * don’t harden hearts (:33)

As a result, we can obtain mercy through the only begotten, according to the plan of redemption prepared before the foundation of the world. Ok, this is all well and fine, but what does this have to do with Alma 13? Well, we have to look just a bit further back into chapter 12,

28 And after God had appointed that these things should come unto man, behold, then he saw that it was expedient that man should know concerning the things whereof he had appointed unto them;
29 Therefore he sent angels to converse with them, who caused men to behold of his glory.
30 And they began from that time forth to call on his name; therefore God conversed with men, and made known unto them the plan of redemption, which had been prepared from the foundation of the world; and this he made known unto them according to their faith and repentance and their holy works.

God sends angels, he ordains High Priests and sends them as prophets to his people. This was Melchizedek’s great work. This is the goal of the all the prophets, call upon people to repent, put their faith in God to a sufficient degree that they enter into his rest.

In short, to goal is to establish Zion.

Now, as I said concerning the holy order, or this high priesthood, there were many who were ordained and became high priests of God; and it was on account of their exceeding patience in enduring years of Elders Quorum lessons and ward moving parties, and their extreme age before all other Elders, they choosing to sleep in meetings, even unto appearing to perish ;

One of the difficulties we sometimes have in reading the Book of Mormon is that we sometimes confuse the way things work now with the way things worked in the past. Alma 13 is a great example of the trouble this can cause. The chapter is an explanation of the calling of a High Priests, so we might naturally conclude the high priests referred to in this chapter are the same as those organized in all of the Stakes of Zion. This would be a mistake.

Obviously, I’ve altered the verse above to prove a point. In our current structure, the advancement of men to the office of High Priest is generally done for two reasons: (1) receiving a calling that requires the office (bishopric, high council, etc.), and (2) Age.

Obviously an age based advancement still requires a certain level of church faithfulness and activity, but many times the main reason for moving somebody on is that they are among the older members of the Elder’s quorum.

Alma is talking about something more than just standard advancement in the Melchizedek Priesthood, something we might miss if we latch too closely onto the term “High Priest.”

Observe the qualifications (again, from verses 10-12, the real ones this time):

• exceeding faith
• repentance
• righteousness before God
• choosing to repent and work righteousness
• called after a holy order
• sanctified by the Holy Ghost
• garments washed white through the blood of the Lamb
• pure and spotless before God
• could not look upon sin without abhorrence
• entered into the rest of the Lord their God

Alma goes on to name Melchizedek as the prototype for this kind of High Priest. Melchizedek wasn’t an everyday High Priest, remember that even Abraham deferred to Melchizedek. Melchizedek obtained the kind of calling we’re talking about, and worked the kind of righteousness in his sphere that brought his entire kingdom to repentance to the degree that they established Zion, had the heavenly beings among them, including the Savior. Melchizedek and his people obtained that degree of righteousness that they were taken up into Heaven as was done with the city of Enoch.

It is with this backdrop that Alma calls on us to repent, that we too may enter into this kind of rest. Do we have enough faith to even consider that such a thing is possible?

With social and instant media booming in today’s world, it can be very easy to participate in the online LDS conference discussion to the point that it becomes a distraction, instead of a help. What exactly is said during a session is, in my opinion, secondary to what the spirit teaches as we hear the words.

I have participated in small ways in the twitter #ldsconf discussion over the past 2 years. I will also be participating in a limited way during this weekend.

Even so, the best talks draw me away from my computer and help me focus on really learning and connecting with the Spirit.

So, don’t be afraid to pause your timelines or turn off the electronics for a few minutes.

You might even get out an old fashioned notebook and start recording your own Small Plates.

There are a few blogs I follow that I think are teaching some important things. Even critical things.

Here is such a post, regarding being born again and obtianing a baptism of fire.

When we take whatever truth we understand, and whatever light we perceive, and reorder or lives to that level of obedience, sacrificing whatever is required in that small circle of light, then the Lord changes us in that instant that our hearts turn to him in diamond-hard desire. It doesn’t happen after years of proving our intent, it happens in the moment we choose to forever obey.

Child of Promise
By: Henry B. Eyring 4 May 1986

Links:mp3, html

As I mentioned before, I have been teaching Gospel Doctrine in Sunday School for about 6 months now. I have very much enjoyed studying and gaining insights into the scriptures that I haven’t had before. This is more an indictment of the lack of depth in my study before this calling than anything.

I have been surprised a number of times, however, at what happens when I am standing in front of a class. I often find interesting and important teachings in the sections of scripture we study, insights that seem to me to open up the scriptures in a more enlightening way.

There have been many occasions when I have planned on explaining such an insight that my mouth has been constrained and the Spirit has not allowed me to teach. I do not believe that the insight or understanding were wrong, I have felt the spirit in my preparation and guidance in my study.

It seems the Lord knows much better than I do what the class at large is prepared to handle. I do know that many in the class are probably prepared to go to a new level of understanding, but perhaps there were many also unprepared who may have been led into misunderstanding.

I am not a very learned gospel scholar, and I doubt whatever understandings I have are all that remarkable to most people, which makes this phenomena even more interesting to me.

Just a quick thought as I end my day. This week it is my turn to teach 2 Nephi 1-2 in gospel doctrine. This section of, 2 Nephi you will remember, speaks much about the fall of Adam and the redemption of that fall through Jesus Christ.

In our family scripture study this evening, we read a related thought in 1 Nephi 10:

5 And he also spake concerning the prophets, how great a number had testified of these things, concerning this Messiah, of whom he had spoken, or this Redeemer of the world.
6 Wherefore, all mankind were in a lost and in a fallen state, and ever would be save they should rely on this Redeemer.

We are all lost and subject to the effects of the fall. Only through Christ can we be made free. We cannot rely on our own works, we cannot depend on man’s reasoning, or in the arm of flesh. Salvation comes only by reliance on Jesus Christ.

Great and marvelous things are promised as we seek to come unto him. It can be unto us even as it was to the prophets of old, or as it was to those who lived during his ministry on earth.

17 …I, Nephi, was desirous also that I might see, and hear, and know of these things, by the power of the Holy Ghost, which is the gift of God unto all those who diligently seek him, as well in times of old as in the time that he should manifest himself unto the children of men.
18 For he is the same yesterday, today, and forever; and the way is prepared for all men from the foundation of the world, if it so be that they repent and come unto him.
19 For he that diligently seeketh shall find; and the mysteries of God shall be unfolded unto them, by the power of the Holy Ghost, as well in these times as in times of old, and as well in times of old as in times to come; wherefore, the course of the Lord is one eternal round.
(1 Nephi 10)