Matthew 5::9 and Isaiah 11 More than 5 Minutes of Peace

"Five Minutes of Peace."  That is the title of a book I used to read to my children when they were young.  It's about a mother elephant of young children.  They are always needing something. Even when she is taking a bath they want to talk to her.

I used to yearn for 5 minutes of peace.  Now I long for a time of peace, the peace that is so elusive world-wide.

With turmoil seeping into our lives every day, I was struck by a few verses in Isaiah 11.  Verses 6-8 talk about how animals that are natural enemies will exist in peace when the Savior reigns.  Verse 9 then explains that the animals won't hurt or destroy because "the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord."  They live in peace because of the knowledge of the Lord.

That phrase made me pause.  What exactly is "the knowledge of the Lord?"  Perhaps it is referring in part to his plan of life and salvation for us; the full love of God; the knowledge that he will bring us home.  This knowledge brings peace and love into our hearts.  When we accept the full message of Christ--accept him, his love and atonement, and his covenant--we are filled with peace.  That peace then permeates around us.

"Blessed are the peacemakers" can then be read as "blessed are those who make full the message of Christ in their lives."  That truly is a blessed state in which to live!

Peace truly is more than the absence of contention and turmoil.  It means more than harmony.  A couple of scriptures come to mind that underscore this point:

• John 14:27:  "my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth..."
• 1 Nephi 14:7 he shall "work a great and a marvelous work...unto the convincing of them unto peace and life eternal."

What Are You Most Afraid Of?

Recently I answered one of the many getting to know you surveys that circulates through emails. One of the questions was "What are you most afraid of?" I forgot my most immediate fear, mice. Instead, I gave a half flippant, half honest answer.

What are you most afraid of? "days before the second coming (sometimes I think I live in a perpetual state of fear....)."

My insightful mother-in-law suggested that I read the scriptures and look for scriptures that urge us not to fear. She sited a few examples: "If ye are prepared ye shall not fear." "Trust in the Lord with all thine heart, and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and He shall direct thy paths." "Fear not, little flock, for I am with thee." "I cannot forget thee, I have engraven you upon the palms of my hands.""Have faith, and be believing, and all things shall work together for your good, if ye faint not."

I opened up my scriptures program and searched for the words "fear not."

Did you know that the phrase "fear not" occurs 97 times in the scriptures? Not all of them are about having faith, but many of them are. After reading them, I was comforted, even though I didn't know I needed to be at the moment. You should try it some time!

Below are are few scriptures that stood out to me.

…the word of the LORD came unto Abram in a vision, saying, Fear not, Abram: I am thy shield, and thy exceeding great reward. (Old Testament | Genesis 15:1)

And the LORD appeared … and said, I am the God of Abraham thy father: fear not, for I am with thee…. (Old Testament | Genesis 26:24)

Be strong and of a good courage, fear not, nor be afraid of them: for the LORD thy God, he it is that doth go with thee; he will not fail thee, nor forsake thee. (Old Testament | Deuteronomy 31:6)

And Elijah said unto her, Fear not; go and do as thou hast said: but make me thereof a little cake first, and bring it unto me, and after make for thee and for thy son. (Old Testament | 1 Kings 17:13)

And he answered, Fear not: for they that be with us are more than they that be with them. (Old Testament | 2 Kings 6:16)

For I the LORD thy God will hold thy right hand, saying unto thee, Fear not; I will help thee. (Old Testament | Isaiah 41:13)

BUT now thus saith the LORD that created thee, O Jacob, and he that formed thee, O Israel, Fear not: for I have redeemed thee, I have called thee by thy name; thou art mine. (Old Testament | Isaiah 43:1)

And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. (New Testament | Luke 2:10)

But even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not therefore: ye are of more value than many sparrows. (New Testament | Luke 12:7)

And it came to pass that Nephi and Lehi did stand forth and began to speak unto them, saying: Fear not, for behold, it is God that has shown unto you this marvelous thing, in the which is shown unto you that ye cannot lay your hands on us to slay us. (Book of Mormon | Helaman 5:26)

Therefore, fear not, little flock; do good; let earth and hell combine against you, for if ye are built upon my rock, they cannot prevail. (Doctrine and Covenants | Section 6:34)

Fear not, little children, for you are mine, and I have overcome the world, and you are of them that my Father hath given me. (Doctrine and Covenants | Section 50:41)

Wherefore, fear not even unto death; for in this world your joy is not full, but in me your joy is full. (Doctrine and Covenants | Section 101:36)

Therefore, hold on thy way, and the priesthood shall remain with thee; for their bounds are set, they cannot pass. Thy days are known, and thy years shall not be numbered less; therefore, fear not what man can do, for God shall be with you forever and ever. (Doctrine and Covenants | Section 122:9)

Go thy way and do as I have told you, and fear not thine enemies; for they shall not have power to stop my work. (Doctrine and Covenants | Section 136:17)

Between the Testaments--Key Changes in Leadership

Because of the historical events that took place during the inter-tastemental period, there were some key changes that took place in the culture of Israel, especially a new class of Jewish leaders.

Governor: The governor, or prefect, was a political appointee of Rome over a smaller Roman province. The governor was directly accountable to Rome, yet he could rule his province without interference from Rome. The prefect was appointed from the class of Romans that would be compared to medieval knights. Their army was formed by the gentiles who lived in the area under their rule. For major uprisings, they could call up Caesar for extra military help. Pontius Pilate was one of these governors.

Client-King: Herod was a client-king. He was king of Israel, but he was not independent. He was given ruling authority and could basically do whatever he wanted, as long as he kept good relations with Rome.

High Priest: Formerly was a descendant of Aaron and the religious leader. This was the person who was basically the "president of the church." When Christ was born, the high priest was now appointed by Roman leaders. He still held the highest religious position.

Sadducees: This group of leaders most likely came from the old families of the high priests who came to power during the Maccabean period. They were the aristocracy of the Jews. Because they were both priests and wealthy, they had a lot of power.

Pharisees: This group of leaders came from the common people. They disliked the Romans and gentiles. Their emphasis was on the law, which they followed strictly. The oral law was derived from the Pharisees.

Scribes: In the Old Testament, scribes were a political position in court. After Ezra, scribes became teachers of the law. But not only were they teachers, they were also the interpreters of the law. This gave them a lot of power over the people. Most scribes were Pharisees.

Sources: Bible Dictionary; Black, 2010; Brown, 2002

Between the Testaments--Part 2, Rest of Historical Timeline

After Ezra, the Bible doesn't record much of what happened until the birth of Christ. It is this period between the testaments that major political and cultural changes occur. These changes have profound impact on the Israel that Christ lived in.

No longer did they have the problem of the Old Testament: the Israelites kept incorporating the traditions, worship practices, and beliefs of the Pagan nations causing them to forsake their own God. On the other hand, in the New Testament, the problem was the opposite. They finally got the message that foreign Gods and religions were bad. Therefore, they closed themselves off and became a people who were regimented and overly structured in the Law.

As mentioned in the last post, these changes started with Ezra and his reforms. The succeeding 400 years also had great impact on the Jews.

330 BC Alexander the Great conquered the Middle East, including Palestine. His rule began the Hellenization of Israel. During this time, many Jews migrated to Alexandria, Egypt. The Jews living there formed a large community and were highly respected. As they lived in Alexandria, though, they lost their proficiency in Hebrew. They transcribed their records into Greek. Actually, the earliest record we have of our canonized Bible is the Septuagint, which is the record of these Jews written in Greek.

330-175 BC Many different Roman rulers came and went. Some were more tolerant than others of the Jews and their religious traditions.

175 BC Antiochus Epiphanes ruled. He acted like he was Diety and was a strong believer in the Greek religious worship. He made the Jews abandon their own religious traditions and forced them to participate in the Greek traditions. There were alters built to Zeus on the temple mount, conducted pagan sacrifices, and the Jews were even forced to eat Pork, which if they didn't, they were killed.

163-142 BC It was at this time that the Maccabean Wars began. Mattathias Maccabee was the father of five sons. He refused to participate in a Pagan sacrifice and revolted. His sons followed and they set up a war cry for the Jews to follow. Over time, many did. Matthathias died and his sons took over. They continued fighting against the Greeks until in 142 BC they had finally won political independence for the first time in decades.

It was during these wars that festival Hannukkah was established. The leaders wanted to burn the traditional candles sticks at the temple. However, there was only enough holy oil left to burn for one day. The oil burned for eight! Thus, the eight days of Hannukkah were established.

142-63 BC During the succeeding years, the house of the Maccabees, known as the Hasmoneans, ruled Israel. They also became the High Priests, the first time the high priests were not in the family of Eleazar, who was Aaron's son. During the reign of the Maccabees, the high priests were also the political rulers of Israel. The high priests were from the Hasmonean family until the Roman rule where they high priest then appointed by Roman leaders.

63 BC During the Maccabean rule, the leaders had often sought alliances with Rome. In 63 AD, there were two members of the Hasmonean family who both vied to be the succeeding ruler of Israel. During the civil war that ensued, they both ended up seeking alliance from Rome. This opened the way for the invasion of Pompey, which ended the independent status of the nation of Israel and put them under Roman rule.

Sources: Bible Dictionary; Black, 2010; Brown, 2002

Between the Testaments--Beginning with Return to Jerusalem

I was assigned to teach the first lesson this year on the New Testament. The lesson manual started with John 1 and Isaiah 61:1-3. This material excited me! But as I started to study, I couldn't quite pull it together. As I studied, I began to feel the need to devote about half of my lesson relating what happened between Malachi and Matthew.

Understanding this bit of history is critical to understanding the New Testament. The Old Testament and New Testament are two very different books with completely different styles, messages, narratives. For example, the Old Testament talks about a jealous God full of vengeance, while the God of the New Testament is full of love, mercy and compassion.

I pulled out a book I have written by Richard Neitzel Holzapfel called Between the Testaments. I was fascinated. (Later I found a great Ensign article called "Judah Between the Testaments http://lds.org/ensign/1982/10/judah-between-the-testaments?lang=eng that would be worth reading.)

The End of Captivity

The intertestamental period actually started before the Old Testament ended with the return of the Jews from their captivity in Babylon.

586 BC: Jews taken captive to Babylon. the temple destroyed and many sacred artifacts carried away to Babylon.

537 BC: Cyrus decrees the return of the Jews. He also sends back many sacred artifacts for the temple.

536-516 BC: Temple is rebuilt and many Jews return. Efforts are led by two individuals named Jerubbabel (which means from Babylon) and Jeshua (which means the Lord saveth). Jeshua happens to be the same name of Jesus. I find it symbolic that the restoration was led by two with those names.

The Samaritans were excluded from building the temple because they had inter-married with those of the pagan nations. They had broken their covenants with the Lord. They resented the exclusion. This was the beginning, as near as I can tell, of the contention between the Jews and Samaritans that was prevalent during the life of the Savior.

444 BC: Nehemiah is the governor of Israel. Under his direction the walls of the city are rebuilt. The Samaritans were again excluded; hence, they strove to stop the work of rebuilding the walls.

Reforms of Ezra

428 BC: Ezra was in Jerusalem. He was a scribe in the Babylonian king's court. A scribe was a court official, kind of like a secretary of state. When Ezra came to Jerusalem, he introduced religion reforms. Ezra read the scriptures to the people in their own language. At this time they spoke Aramaic, so Ezra had to translate the scriptures for them. Most of the Jews at this time had never had the scriptures read to them before because they spent their days in captivity.

Not only did Ezra read the scriptures and interpret them for the people, he also led the way in living the reforms. One of the problems the Jews had was marrying "foreign" wives, or wives outside of the covenant. Ezra encouraged the people to separate themselves from their foreign wives and leave them. Ezra led by example and was the first to perform this act and comply with the Law.

It was at this time that the position of scribe began to change. Ezra was a scribe, and he was the leader in interpreting the scriptures for the Jews. Thus, scribes became teachers of the law. In addition, because of Ezra and these reformation efforts, the people's hearts were turned to the Law as never before. They began to focus more on keeping the Law than on the covenant that the law led them to. Great implications for the New Testament times!

In addition, one of the reforms that came about during this time dealt with taxes. The Jews despised paying taxes to a "foreign" government--one that was not of their faith. Those who were privileged to work at the temple, the priests, became exempt from paying foreign taxes while the rest of the Jews still had to. This set the stage for the priests to become rich.

Sources: Bible Dictionary; Black, 2010; Brown, 2002