Lecture 2: 36-56 (summarized)

Intro | Preface
Lecture 1: 1 |  2-9 | 10-11 | 12-17 | 18-24
Lecture 2: 1-4 | 5-12 | 12-25 | 26-35

I had intended to continue discussing Lecture 2 in the same manner as the previous posts--pasting the paragraphs one by one, interspersing with clarifications and questions as I went. But looking at the verses, I don't think that will work. Just pasting the verses themselves makes this post enormous, because the rest of the Lecture deals with the genealogy of the first fathers. (Basically, a lot of "he begat" and "he died in the year" repetition.)

Thankfully, though, the owner of the site I've been using created a really handy chart of the genealogy of the fathers, from Adam down to Abraham:

(If the picture doesn't expand enough, follow this link to the original website; the picture is after the Lecture but before the questions.)

So, instead of dissecting every paragraph, I'll paste the summarizing paragraphs and discuss those. To read the full versions, you can read paragraphs 36-56 here, and the data the Lecture pulls from is in Genesis chapters 5, 9, and 11.

First, according to paragraphs 36-37, "Lamech, the father of Noah; Methuselah, Enoch, Jared, Mahalaleel, Cainan, Enos, Seth, and Adam, were all living at the same time, and beyond all controversy, were all preachers of righteousness." (p. 38)

Just some questions here:
What does it mean to be a "preacher of righteousness?"
If Righteousness is one of Christ's names (Jeremiah 23), does this affect what a "preacher of Righteousness" means?
If these first fathers were all preachers of Righteousness, what does it take for us to become preachers of Righteousness?

Then, from 39-42, "Enos, Cainan, Mahalaleel, Jared, Methuselah, Lamach, and Noah all lived on the earth at the same time, And that Enos, Cainan, Mahalaleel, Jared, Methuselah, and Lamech, were all acquainted with both Adam and Noah." (p. 43)

It fascinated me to realize how many of the fathers had lived together at the same time. Adam was able to directly teach his children in an unbroken line down to the ninth generation, and six of those children were then able to directly teach Noah before the flood. I can only imagine what that was like, to learn straight from Adam.

(This often leads me to wonder: I've heard among the church the theory that the restoration of the gospel to the earth was the catalyst behind all the technological innovations we see today, like jet engines, computers, and other advanced technology. If that's the case--that gospel enlightenment coincides with technological advancement--how far could technology advance among humans who spend 900-some years contemplating the same issues and living in a greater concentration of light and truth? It's an interesting thought exercise, at the very least.)

"From the foregoing it is easily to be seen, not only how the knowledge of God came into the world, but upon what principle it was preserved: that from the time it was first communicated, it was retained in the minds of righteous men, who taught, not only their own posterity, but the world; so that there was no need of a new revelation to man, after Adam's creation, to Noah, to give them the first idea, or notion of the existence of a God: and not only of a God, but of the true and living God." (p. 44)

This is an interesting line to me: "no need of a new revelation . . . to Noah, to give them the first idea . . . of the true and living God." The testimony was already available to man, so God didn't need to "reinvent the wheel," as it were; He didn't need to re-reveal something already available, and so He didn't.

I've heard this called by others "the economy of Heaven:" the tendency of God and Angels to allow us to do what we are honestly able to do before directly intervening, or to learn what we are able to learn before directly teaching us more. This doesn't count out the blessings of service offered by our fellow men, or the service we offer to others, however, but rather includes these acts within the range of "all we can do," as Nephi put it (2 Nephi 25-23). This seems to have been the case with God since the beginning, since the Angel only came to Adam after Adam had been doing "all he could do:" laboring, surviving the harsh world, and sacrificing in obedience to God. Even though it took a long time (perhaps a century or close) before he got an answer, he still received it.

Turning that to our time, how much do we have available to study? How many of our questions can be answered by the scriptures we have, and the wisdom and revelations others have had?

How often to we ask for a new revelation over something God has already revealed?

How ungrateful are we when we expect a new answer without effort, when others have labored diligently over the same questions, received the answers we seek, and provided them for any who struggle with the same question?

How long must we search, study, and labor before we receive the answer we seek?

Continuing, Joseph now traces the genealogy from Noah to Abraham. After explaining that people hold different opinions on how old Terah (Abraham's father) was, he explains that even accepting the oldest age (130 years) falls within the proposed pattern. From this assumption, he writes "Nahor, brother of Abraham, Terah, Nahor (the great-grandfather of Abraham) Serug, Reu, Peleg, Eber, Salah, Arphaxed, Shem, and Noah, all lived on the earth at the same time." And among these fathers, all but Peleg and Nahor the Elder were acquainted with both Noah and Abraham. (p. 52)

Even with this direct connection, though, some of Abraham's closer grandfathers had fallen into apostasy, and his own father had even given Abraham up for sacrifice. Abraham, then, was the first to reconnect to the First Fathers, to Restore what had been lost through apostasy, and a "greater follower of Righteousness" in his own right (Abraham 1: 2). This is probably worth its own article, so this comment will suffice for now.

"We have now traced the chronology of the world, agreeably to the account given in our present bible, from Adam to Abraham, and have clearly determined, beyond the power of controversy, that there was no difficulty in preserving the knowledge of God in the world, from the creation of Adam, and the manifestation made to his immediate descendants, as set forth in the former part of this lecture, so that the students in this class need not have any dubiety (meaning doubt or uncertainty) resting on their minds, on this subject; for they can easily see, that it is impossible for it to be otherwise; but that the knowledge of the existence of a God, must have continued from father to son, as a matter of tradition, at least. For we cannot suppose, that a knowledge of this important fact, could have existed in the mind of any of the before mentioned individuals, without their having made it known to their posterity." (p. 53) This was so important, apparently, that the Fathers could not have possibly left their children without the understanding that God lives.

"We have now shown how it was that the first thought ever existed in the mind of any individual, that there was such a being as a God, who had created and did uphold all things: that it was by reason of the manifestation which he first made to our father Adam, when he stood in his presence, and conversed with him face to face, at the time of his creation.

"Let us here observe, that after any portion of the human family are made acquainted with the important fact that there is a God who has created and does uphold all things, the extent of their knowledge, respecting his character and glory, will depend upon their diligence and faithfulness in seeking after him, until like Enoch, the brother of Jared, and Moses, they shall obtain faith in God, and power with him to behold him face to face." (p. 54-55)

And here's why it's so important: Once we know God exists, the foundation is set. It is then up to us to learn of and experience (in other words, to Know) "his character and glory." As we do so, it is only a matter of time, diligence, and faithfulness before we "shall obtain Faith in God, and power with Him to behold Him face to face."

This is not something reserved for some select, random few which God arbitrarily selects by His own will and pleasure. This is preserved in a Lecture Joseph Smith intended to prepare for the entire body of believers, intended to "unfold to the understanding the doctrine of Jesus Christ," which is "the important doctrine of salvation." This is meant for everyone. It's literally meant for you and me, if we will receive it.

We have the foundation, that God exists. We have a plethora of revelations and scriptures in our church, and there are other texts of wisdom held sacred by other peoples, written by the Lost Tribes of Israel, if we would only seek them out and read them by the Spirit of God (2 Nephi 3). It is up to us to put our own house (our hearts and minds) in order, for the Lord whom ye (diligently) seek will come suddenly to His temple, which temple ye are (Malachi 3: 1, 1 Corinthians 3: 17).

"We have now clearly set forth how it is, and how it was, that God became an object of faith for rational beings; and also, upon what foundation the testimony was based, which excited the inquiry and diligent search of the ancient saints, to seek after and obtain a knowledge of the glory of God (p. 56):" In these examples, it is the testimony of those who Knew which became the foundation of Faith; it begs the question, if one only believes and says he Knows, can that testimony serve as a solid foundation for Faith?

"And we have seen that it was human testimony, and human testimony only, that excited this inquiry, in the first instance in their minds—it was the credence they gave to the testimony of their fathers—this testimony having aroused their minds to inquire after the knowledge of God, the inquiry frequently terminated, indeed, always terminated, when rightly pursued, in the most glorious discoveries, and eternal certainty." (p. 56, emphasis added)

Plain as can be. Will we receive it?