2 Nephi 9:20 O how great the holiness of our God!

O how great the holiness of our God! For he knoweth all things, and there is not anything save he knows it.

Family scripture study again. We got through five verses tonight (2 Nephi 9:19-24. This pace is killing my children.) Ok. "Got through" might be stretching it a bit. Tonight we got hung up on verse 20. I pointed out that it seemed odd that Jacob would use God's omniscience as proof that He is holy. I asked why but no one could come up with a good reason. A simple Google search, "define holy" did not help ("dedicated or consecrated to God or a religious purpose; sacred").

Nathaniel had a heated argument with anyone who would engage (no one) explaining how God could not be holy because He can't dedicate Himself to Himself... or something... there was definitely a tautology going on in his argument.

I think the problem was our rudimentary definition. After giving up and ending our study session, I put the kids to bed and then in quiet consulted my Theological Dictionary of the New Testament by Geoffrey W Bromiley edited by Gerhard Littel and Gerhard Friedrich. This was dubbed "Little Kittel" by my professor Dr. Dennis Rasmussen--at least it was from Dr. Rasmussen that I heard this nickname--because the editors managed to abridge 10 volumes into a mere 1,300 pages. This "little" book was one of the best investments I made in college.

According to Little Kittel, in Old Testament times, "God's holiness expresses his divine perfection." And then specific to the later chapters of Isaiah (like those Jacob was just quoting) Kittel says, "the Holy One of Israel is more fully manifested as the God of redemption rather than judgement. God is incomparable (45:25). In his holiness lies his mystery (45:15). This mystery is redemption; hence salvation and holiness are now firmly related (45:18ff. etc.)."

Given this explanation, Jacob's words in verses 20-24 make complete sense. Perhaps when we pick up here tomorrow I won't have to tune out Nathaniel. ;)

Enos 1:1 A just man

Behold, it came to pass that I, Enos, knowing my father that he was a just man—for he taught me in his language, and also in the nurture and admonition of the Lord—and blessed be the name of my God for it

Last week I blogged about God's justice. Tonight rereading Enos 1:1 I realized that in this verse Enos ascribes justice to his father Jacob because he had taught his son "in his language, and also in the nurture and admonition of the Lord." Often we think of justice in relation to administering the law or to fairness. Jacob's teaching his son obviously has nothing to do with fairness or the law. So what are we to make of this verse?

Maybe though it's not saying that Jacob was just because he taught his son; perhaps Enos is saying that he knew his father was just because of his teachings. Does it matter?

If it is the first way (Jacob is just because of his teaching), that would imply that if I don't teach my children then I am not just.  If we define justice in terms of doing what is morally right instead of how we administer the law, then I suppose this is an OK reading. It is after all morally right to teach our children in the ways of the Lord.

The second way of reading the verse though is interesting because it implies that teaching our children "in our language and in the nurture and admonition of the Lord" allows our children to see us as just. My teenagers are highly attuned to any time I am not perfectly just. Rather than try to help them see the logic behind my attempts at acting justly, perhaps I should just redouble my efforts in teaching them "in the nurture and admonition of the Lord". (And correct their grammar more.)

Jacob 3:5-7 "how much better are they"

I find it interesting that Jacob calls his audience's attention to the righteousness of the Lamanites. It is very easy when we think we are "the chosen people" to look down on "those people in the great and spacious building" (hashtag).

"I don't drink or smoke like them."
"At the second coming I won't be burned like them because I've paid my fire insurance."
"I defend the family... unlike them [complete with head shaking]."

But Jacob teaches that they only do wrong because that's what their parents have taught them. Jacob makes it clear that family was important to the Lamanites. In fact, we can cross-reference these verses with 1 Nephi 17:20. In this verse Nephi's older brothers say:

"and we have wandered in the wilderness for these many years; and our women have toiled, being big with child; and they have borne children in the wilderness and suffered all things, save it were death; and it would have been better that they had died before they came out of Jerusalem than to have suffered these afflictions."

While his brothers may have been wrong, they were not oblivious to their wives' hardships. Perhaps the loving of spouse and children was taught among Lamanites from their first parents.

Jacob warns the Nephites that at the last day the Lamanites will be better off because the . (Yes I avoided the potentially racist phraseology.)

What am I to learn from this? Do I remember my own filthiness before the Lord or am I too busy condemning Babylon? Do I pay enough attention to my wife's hardships (we do have two almost three teenage boys and a 5-year old drama queen)? How much of what I believe is a product of the traditions of my fathers? (Note the plural... I'm not blaming you dad specifically but more generally the erroneous beliefs that have been passed down from generations.) I suppose if I believe Jacob I shouldn't spend too much time worrying about that last question.

"but ye shall remember your own filthiness, and remember that their filthiness came because of their fathers."

In the end, I need to worry about my own filthiness, not from whence it came, but I should remember the source for the filthiness of others.