The first example that I would like to refer to is, perhaps, the most obscure with respect to the point I wish to make. Esther is a true follower of the God of Abraham, living in the time of the Babylonian captivity of the tribe of Judah. And she has been selected to replace Vashti as queen to Ahasuerus. Her “uncle”2 Mordecai, a minister to the king and also a Jew, refuses to bow to Haman, someone of greater rank3. Being offended, Haman hatches a plot to kill all Jews4, not realizing that the queen, Esther, is also a Jew5. At the point of crisis Mordecai tells Esther that she must approach the king and foil Haman's scheme6. But to come into the king's presence without being summoned means death, unless he is in a good mood.
Mordecai's argument, persuading Esther to act, is interesting because he knows that God will save His people. And now is Esther's time to choose to be an instrument in God's hands or leave it to some other method that the Lord might devise.
13 Then Mordecai commanded to answer Esther, Think not with thyself that thou shalt escape in the king’s house, more than all the Jews.
14 For if thou altogether holdest thy peace at this time, then shall there enlargement and deliverance arise to the Jews from another place; but thou and thy father’s house shall be destroyed: and who knoweth whether thou art come to the kingdom for such a time as this?7
Mordecai was pointing out that Esther could neither go forward nor backward with respect to other options. Her circumstances required that she go not around but through the problem. Her answer to Mordecai was to have all the Jews in the vicinity of the palace to fast and pray for her for three days8: not that she could make up her mind, but that she might survive and succeed. And she concluded with this phrase, “... and so will I go in unto the king, which is not according to the law: and if I perish, I perish.”9 Esther did survive and pointed out to the king that Haman was up to no good10. Haman's plot was foiled. He died instead11, and Esther was the savior of her people.
The Lord puts us in situations that test our faith. And these things happen more often than we might think. He tests not only the leaders of the people but the rest of us as well. Mordecai's phrase, “who knoweth whether thou art come to the kingdom for such a time as this?”12 haunts us because it implies that we are not always aware when we are the person intended to act at a particular time. We often rely on our circumstances to guide what happens next.
For the second example, I would like to refer to the story of Daniel and his three friends, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego. My story begins with the interpretation of Nebuchadnezzar's dream. Daniel, as you will recall, is the one who interprets the dream13, and Nebuchadnezzar offers him a cabinet post as his reward14. Daniel then suggests that Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego receive appointments under him as governors over the province of Babylon15. This is done, and within only a few scripture verses the crisis is upon them: will they bow to the golden image that Nebuchadnezzar has set up?16 The answer, of course, is no, meaning they are going into the “fiery furnace.” More importantly, their answer is, “God will save us, but if not, we still won't do it.”17 Yes, they are saved by a miracle, but more than that, it is the Lord, Himself, who visits with them in the furnace18. And I submit that they were set up to go down that path to their potential destruction so that the Lord, already knowing their faith in Him, could perform the miracle in front of everyone else. Most miracles are not so public.
The last of my examples is the source of the title of this entry. It is the story of the man known only as the brother of Jared, a name-reference which was probably easier for Moroni to engrave in the small space he had19. Jared's brother was named Mahonri, but their last name, Moriancumer was probably too much to write. He was the one who was commanded to build barges capable of crossing the great deep20. And because they were “tight like a dish”21 he was forced to go back to the Lord for clarification on his instructions. These barges were so tight that no light nor air could get in22. And the Lord's answer left him with a problem to solve:
23And the Lord said unto the brother of Jared: What will ye that I should do that ye may have light in your vessels? For behold, ye cannot have windows, for they will be dashed in pieces; neither shall ye take fire with you, for ye shall not go by the light of fire.
24For behold, ye shall be as a whale in the midst of the sea; for the mountain waves shall dash upon you. Nevertheless, I will bring you up again out of the depths of the sea; for the winds have gone forth out of my mouth, and also the rains and the floods have I sent forth.
25And behold, I prepare you against these things; for ye cannot cross this great deep save I prepare you against the waves of the sea, and the winds which have gone forth, and the floods which shall come. Therefore what will ye that I should prepare for you that ye may have light when ye are swallowed up in the depths of the sea?23
Notice that the Lord asks Mahonri what He should prepare for him. As Mahonri studied the problem he turned it around and asked himself what he should prepare for the Lord. The answer was a set of sixteen stones. There would be required, two, one for either end, for each of the eight barges. And these stones would have to be made from the best rock, melted out of quartz, or something like it. And these stones were white and clear24. He took them before the Lord, knowing that a being who lives in glory can make other things glorious as well25.
The Lord knew the outcome of this conversation would be that Mahonri, he of so great faith26, would see His finger and be permitted to see so much more that we can't begin to fathom it27. Knowing then, that Mahonri would seek the Lord's help in this way, He led Mahonri down this path to the point of being allowed to enter His presence.
Each of us is on such a path. We may not recognize it, but we are being nudged into pondering our own problem of getting more light in our barge. And we are being told that windows are out, and fire is out. And the only path that will solve our problem takes us straight into the arms of the Lord.
Do we come prepared for the meeting, or are we going to be empty-handed? Paul, no doubt because of his experience on the road to Damascus, described the sensation of being unprepared by saying, “It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.”28
Let us, therefor, study and pray and prepare for ourselves, sixteen stones, white and clear, that we may be ready when we reach the end of the path that leads us into the hands of the living God. May our experience bring understanding. . . and joy.
1 See Matthew 7:6
2 See Esther 2:5-7
3 See Esther 3:1-2
4 See Esther 3:5-13
5 See Esther 2:10
6 See Esther 4:7-8
8 See Esther 4:16
10 See Esther 5:2-3, 7-8; 7:1-6
11 See Esther 7:9-10
14 See Daniel 2:48
15 See Daniel 2:49
16 See Daniel 3:1-6 (the next six verses)
17 See Daniel 3:12-18
18 See Daniel 3:25
19 See Mormon 8:5
20 See Ether 2:16
22 See Ether 2:18-22
26 See Ether 3:15
27 See Ether 3:25-27
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