Lamentations of Jeremiah: Beware of Bondage
Early in our marriage my wife, Mary, and I decided that to the
extent possible we would choose activities that we could attend together. We
also wanted to be prudent with our budget. Mary loves music and was undoubtedly
concerned that I might overemphasize sporting events, so she negotiated that
for all paid events, there would be two musicals, operas, or cultural activities
for each paid ball game.
Initially I was
resistant to the opera component, but over time I changed my view. I
particularly came to enjoy the operas by Giuseppe Verdi.1 This
week will be the 200th anniversary of his birth.
In his youth
Verdi was intrigued with the prophet Jeremiah, and in 1842, at the age of 28,
he achieved fame with the opera Nabucco, a
shortened Italian form of the name Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon. This opera
contains concepts drawn from the books of Jeremiah, Lamentations, and Psalms in
the Old Testament. The opera includes the conquest of Jerusalem and the
captivity and bondage of the Jews. Psalm 137 is
the inspiration for Verdi’s moving and inspiring “Chorus of the Hebrew Slaves.”
The heading of this psalm in our scriptures is very dramatic: “While in
captivity, the Jews wept by the rivers of Babylon—Because of sorrow, they could
not bear to sing the songs of Zion.”
My purpose is to
review many forms of bondage and subjugation. I will compare some circumstances
of our day with those in the days of Jeremiah before the downfall of Jerusalem.
In presenting this voice of warning, I am grateful that most Church members are
righteously avoiding the conduct that was so offensive to the Lord in
Jeremiah’s time.
The prophecies
and lamentations of Jeremiah are important to Latter-day Saints. Jeremiah and
the Jerusalem of his day are the backdrop to the beginning chapters in the Book
of Mormon. Jeremiah was a contemporary of the prophet Lehi.2 The
Lord dramatically informed Jeremiah of his foreordination: “Before I formed
thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I
sanctified thee, and I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations.”3
Lehi had a
different calling, mission, and assignment from the Lord. He was not called in
his youth but in his maturity. Initially his was a voice of warning, but after
faithfully declaring the same message as Jeremiah, Lehi was commanded by the
Lord to take his family and depart into the wilderness.4 In
doing so, Lehi blessed not only his family but also all people.
During the years
before the destruction of Jerusalem,5 the
messages the Lord gave to Jeremiah are haunting. He said:
“My people have
changed their glory for that which doth not profit. …
“… They
have forsaken me the fountain of living waters, and hewed … out … broken
cisterns, that can hold no water.”6
Speaking of the
calamities to come upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the Lord lamented, “[For
them] the harvest is past, the summer is ended, and [they] are not saved.”7
God intended
that men and women would be free to make choices between good and evil. When
evil choices become the dominant characteristic of a culture or nation, there
are serious consequences both in this life and the life to come. People can
become enslaved or put themselves in bondage not only to harmful, addictive
substances but also to harmful, addictive philosophies that detract from
righteous living.
Turning from the
worship of the true and living God and worshipping false gods like wealth and
fame and engaging in immoral and unrighteous conduct result in bondage in all
its insidious manifestations. These include spiritual, physical, and
intellectual bondage and sometimes bring destruction. Jeremiah and Lehi also
taught that those who are righteous must help the Lord establish His Church and
kingdom and gather scattered Israel.8
These messages
have echoed and been reinforced across the centuries in all dispensations. They
are at the heart of the Restoration of the gospel of Jesus Christ in this, the
final dispensation.
The captivity of
the Jews and the scattering of the tribes of Israel, including the ten tribes,
are prominent doctrinal factors in the Restoration of the gospel. The ten lost
tribes made up the Northern Kingdom of Israel and were carried away captive
into Assyria in 721 B.C. They went to the north countries.9 Our
tenth article of faith states, “We believe in the literal gathering of Israel
and in the restoration of the Ten Tribes.”10 We
also believe that as part of the covenant the Lord made with Abraham, not only
the lineage of Abraham would be blessed but also all the people of the earth
would be blessed. As Elder Russell M. Nelson has stated, the gathering “is
not a matter of physical location; it is a matter of individual commitment.
People can be ‘brought to the knowledge of the Lord’ [3 Nephi 20:13]
without leaving their homelands.”11
Our doctrine is
clear: “The Lord scattered and afflicted the twelve tribes of Israel because of
their unrighteousness and rebellion. However, the Lord also [utilized] this
scattering of his chosen people among the nations of the world to bless those
nations.”12
We learn
valuable lessons from this tragic period. We should do everything within our
power to avoid the sin and rebellion that lead to bondage.13 We
also recognize that righteous living is a prerequisite for assisting the Lord
in gathering His elect and in the literal gathering of Israel.
Bondage,
subjugation, addictions, and servitude come in many forms. They can be literal
physical enslavement but can also be loss or impairment of moral agency that
can impede our progress. Jeremiah is clear that unrighteousness and rebellion
were the main reasons for the destruction of Jerusalem and captivity in Babylon.14
Other kinds of
bondage are equally destructive of the human spirit. Moral agency can be abused
in many ways.15 I
will mention four that are particularly pernicious in today’s culture.
First,
addictions that impair agency, contradict moral beliefs, and destroy good
health cause bondage. The impact of drugs and alcohol, immorality, pornography,
gambling, financial subjugation, and other afflictions imposes on those in
bondage and on society a burden of such magnitude that it is almost impossible
to quantify.
Second, some
addictions or predilections, while not inherently evil, can use up our precious
allotment of time which could otherwise be used to accomplish virtuous
objectives. These can include excessive use of social media, video and digital
games, sports, recreation, and many others.16
How we preserve
time for family is one of the most significant issues we face in most cultures.
At a time when I was the only member of the Church in our law firm, one woman
lawyer explained to me how she always felt like a juggler trying to keep three
balls in the air at the same time. One ball was her law practice, one was her
marriage, and one was her children. She had almost given up on time for
herself. She was greatly concerned that one of the balls was always on the
ground. I suggested we meet as a group and discuss our priorities. We
determined that the primary reason we were working was to support our families.
We agreed that making more money wasn’t nearly as important as our families,
but we recognized that serving our clients to the best of our abilities was
essential. The discussion then moved to what we did at work that was not
necessary and was inconsistent with leaving time for family. Was there pressure
to spend time in the workplace that was not essential?17 We
decided that our goal would be a family-friendly environment for both women and
men. Let us be at the forefront in protecting time for family.
Third, the most
universal subjugation in our day, as it has been throughout history, is
ideology or political beliefs that are inconsistent with the gospel of Jesus
Christ. Substituting the philosophies of men for gospel truth can lead us away
from the simplicity of the Savior’s message. When the Apostle Paul visited
Athens, he tried to teach of the Resurrection of Jesus Christ. Of this effort
we read in Acts, “For all the Athenians and strangers which were there spent
their time in nothing else, but either to tell, or to hear some new thing.”18 When
the crowd realized the simple religious nature of Paul’s message, which was not
new, they rejected it.
This is emblematic of our own day, where gospel truths
are often rejected or distorted to make them intellectually more appealing or
compatible with current cultural trends and intellectual philosophies. If we
are not careful, we can be captured by these trends and place ourselves in
intellectual bondage. There are many voices now telling women how to live.19 They
often contradict each other. Of particular concern are philosophies that
criticize or diminish respect for women who choose to make the sacrifices
necessary to be mothers, teachers, nurturers, or friends to children.
A few months ago
our two youngest granddaughters visited us—one each week. I was at home and
answered the door. My wife, Mary, was in another room. In both cases, after a
hug, they said almost the same thing. They looked around and then said, “I love
to be in Grandma’s house. Where is Grandma?” I didn’t say it to them, but I was
thinking, “Isn’t this Grandpa’s house too?” But I realized that when I was a
boy, our family went to Grandma’s house. The words of a familiar song came into
my mind: “Over the river and through the woods to Grandmother’s house we go.”
Now, let me say
unequivocally that I am thrilled with the educational and other opportunities
that are available to women. I treasure the fact that the backbreaking work and
domestic drudgery required of women has been reduced in much of the world
because of modern conveniences and that women are making such magnificent
contributions in every field of endeavor. But if we allow our culture to reduce
the special relationship that children have with mothers and grandmothers and
others who nurture them, we will come to regret it.
Fourth, forces
that violate sincerely held religious principles can result in bondage. One of
the most invidious forms is when righteous people who feel accountable to God
for their conduct are forced into activities that violate their conscience—for
example, health providers forced to choose between assisting with abortions
against their consciences or losing their jobs.
The Church is a relatively small minority even when
linked with people who are like-minded. It will be hard to change society at
large, but we must work to improve the moral culture that surrounds us.
Latter-day Saints in every country should be good citizens, participate in
civic affairs, educate themselves on the issues, and vote.
Our primary
emphasis, however, should always be to make any necessary sacrifices to protect
our own family and the rising generation.20 The
vast majority of them are not yet in bondage to serious addictions or false
ideologies. We must help inoculate them from a world that sounds a lot like the
Jerusalem that Lehi and Jeremiah experienced. In addition, we need to prepare
them to make and keep sacred covenants and to be the principal emissaries to help
the Lord establish His Church and gather scattered Israel and the Lord’s elect
everywhere.21 As the Doctrine and Covenants beautifully reads, “The
righteous shall be gathered out from among all nations, and shall come to Zion,
singing with songs of everlasting joy.”22
Our challenge is
to avoid bondage of any kind, help the Lord gather His elect, and sacrifice for
the rising generation. We must always remember that we do not save ourselves.
We are liberated by the love, grace, and atoning sacrifice of the Savior. When Lehi’s
family fled, they were led by the Lord’s light. If we are true to His light,
follow His commandments, and rely on His merits, we will avoid spiritual,
physical, and intellectual bondage as well as the lamentation of wandering in
our own wilderness, for He is mighty to save.
Let us avoid the
despair and sorrow of those who fall into captivity and can no longer bear to
sing the songs of Zion. In the name of Jesus Christ, amen.
“Bondage of Peer
Pressure”
cji
10/21/18
Lo comes an election
cycle
driving through the
streets
we see peer pressures
whether right or wrong
candidates’ names on
lawns
like the Burma Shave of
old
some known criminals
others proclaiming
Satan
bondage, socialism
worse
others proclaiming
freedoms
some giving away
freedoms
some inviting responsibility
which are our peers
pushing
unlike drugs in the
street
which will we be addicted
in our call to be the
same
bondage to our peers!
Copyright © 2018 – cji
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