Genesis 19: 19-30 the city of Zoar.. a little one

Zoar: Means a little thing 

Have you ever been caught within the grasp of something that you knew was not good for you? Have you ever been given a second chance in life to succeed and to move forward and then all you could think of was exactly what you had just been freed from? 

Lot was given a second chance. He had been freed from his ties to the evil in Sodom. He says to the Lord, "thou hast magnified thy mercy... in saving my life." Clearly he understands his good fortune and what is about to happen. So why then does he not exercise his faith and move to the higher ground? 

What happens in verse 20 really caused me to think. Lot and his family are safe from destruction. He is free from the grasp of the sin that was consuming Sodom. It is here that he choose to push his luck and plead for what he is most comfortable for. Like an addict he can not own up to the truth that he would be alone with himself or his family, away from the city.   He must have Zoar, a little one. 

The question is what does he lose when he chooses to disobey the direction of God's servants to "escape to the mountain?" What does he lose when he purposefully chooses to fear "some evil" that might "take me?" Was he truly grateful for his being saved? Or was he only thinking selfishly (as sin causes us to do) If you consider that God's mercy and grace had just supplied him with three angels who saved him from destruction by leading him out of the city and plain, and that his faith had preserved him, why then could he not continue in faith and strength to the higher ground? 

I am considering now the many times in my life when I have been given or had to give instruction concerning how to change a situation for the better. On one occasion my initial instruction was to argue. In fact I did argue and discuss the situation with the Lord. It did not turn out as I would have first hoped. 

I am thinking now of Joseph Smith who, like Lot had not learned this lesson. He wanted what he wanted and did not want to do as he was instructed concerning the 16 pages of manuscript that he loaned to Martin Harris. It too did not turn out as he would have hoped. 

Lot was given instruction to move to higher ground. In stead of exercising faith and trust in the Lord's judgement he argued his need for his soul. Is it not a little one? my soul shall live. How often have we focused on what we could not do and not understood what the Lord knows we can do? 

After much petitioning the Lord gave in to Joseph Smith and the consequence was that the pages were lost. After much petitioning and the urgency of time, Lot's desire is "accepted," and Zoar, is not overthrown. Lot and his family are given permission to "escape thither" where they were able to watch the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah with brimstone and fire. 

What if they had gone on to higher ground? What if they had been busy putting their feet one in front of the other and had a different perspective of the destruction? How do you suppose it must have been for them to be on the same level, (the plain) as the destruction? What profit did they gain by being close to the destruction? If they had gone to higher ground would they have heard the cries or smelled the sulphur and pitch as it burned and itched their nostrils? Even if Lot was able to not turn and watch he had led his family here. What had he done to prevent their destruction? 

Lot's wife, we are told is unable to restrain her desire to watch her homeland destroyed. She turns back to the scene and is turned (literally or metaphorically it does not matter) into a pillar of stone. Why? Because of what she desired. Because of what her focus was on. 

How do we turn to stone? Is it something that comes from within? Was it anger that consumed her? Was it the willingness to forgo her family and leave them for the world she had just been led from? 

What is it like to be turned to salt? Did it happen in an instance or is this story, like many in the Bible, condensed to represent a longer period of time? Did she stew over it. Did she and Lot argue? Did her anger and loss overtake her to where she could no longer move and the sulphur and tar encapsulate her? 

What was the one little thing, the Zoar, that caused Lot's wife to turn her heart away from all that was good and allow herself to be hardened to all that God's love would bring? 

What is that Zoar in your life that God has led you away from, has given you direction for, has granted you grace and mercy for, and you have not understood. 

Under the Sun Ecclesiastes 4 P

Ecclesiastes 4

Under the Sun

Hot and long are my days under the sun.

Oppressed without hope of comfort, I cry out.

He who holds power over my labor, casts us into

A demonic cycle where we,

My oppressor and I, face a hopeless struggle.

He replaces his fear of right with an impotent offer of solace.

I replace my comfort lost with the celebration of my dead

And a grievance for my unborn.

Under the sun,

A mirage of escape looms, Untouchable,

Masked in the pretense of a “right work”.

Success lends itself to envious strife and

Broken promises of rewards

That causes my contentment to fly away

With both hands full of emptiness.

Under the sun,

A fool, I languish so that I might fold my hands

And eat my own flesh.

Under the sun,

Learned, I strive for the envy of my neighbor

And the vanity of my success.

Under the sun

Alone I must trudge

with neither eye satisfied,

Always wondering

“For whom do I serve?”

Under the sun

Alone I face a sore travail

and taste not of the “good reward”

Reserved for the two

That lift one another,

Warm one another,

And offer a threefold cord.

Under the sun

I serve an old and foolish king

That turns away from humble counsel and

Fills his kingdom with desolate spirits

Who are unable to comprehend,

The quiet freedom, comfort and contentment

A poor and wise child could bring.

Under the Sun

Did Solomon sing,

A mournful yet beautiful hymn

To the lonely, the oppressed and even the fool

God's love wants only to comfort, quiet, befriend.

Linda Conkey Shaw July 4, 2010 Copyright

I actually thougth when I first read this chapter that it was going to be an easy blog.

It was not easy to comprehend. It was not easy to get. I had to read, and reread it. Finally it fell into place.

Solomon sees only evil "under the sun". He does not understand how any who live only for the day to day cycle of life find comfort, companionship, or contentment. He sees how the powers that oppress rob all of mankind from the hope of a better way. He sees how the powers that drive us to put success over relationships, over companionship bring empty wealth. He sees how kings (himself) finds nothing but arrogance, selfishiness, and power hungry people in his kingdom. He sees that life is not good this way.

I know that this is true. In my own life I have seen many who have travailed "under the sun" and found no real happiness. The corporate world makes the world go around, and down. It often looses its balance when it places profit, success and greed over the humane needs of feeling accepted, balanced and humble.

Words and Phrases

vs 1 all the oppressions.... the world is full of oppression. If someone cannot directly oppress you through work, they will seek to lure you into oppression through "evil designs" that cause you to become addicted to their product, etc.

vs 1 no comforter... The Holy Ghost is the first comforter to those that believe in Jesus Christ.

We need not have "no comfort" in this life. We only choose to not accept the comfort that was planned for us from the beginning.

vs. 2 I praised the dead.... so great is the cage of oppression that many who are caught into it celebrate their dead more than their own life. They praise those that made it through their trials. and greive for those who have yet to come. Life is not meant for this despair. Life is meant to have Joy.. Joy in the Journey.

vs 4. every right work... Solomon is going to now consider the travail's of man's labor. and

first he will look at "every right work" the successes that men have in their lives and what it brings them when they are not balanced.

vs 5. the fool, foldeth his hands. ... second solomon will look at the fool who refuses to work. He ends up eating himself .. when we don't prepare for the future and use wisdom to plan for our tomorrows we deceive ourselves into a false sense of security only to be surprised that we must eat up all of our resources. We should always plan prudently

vs 6. a favorite verse... A handful of quietness.. ... It is better to be content with a little than to have frustration with too much. There is greater joy in contentment. There is greater joy in understanding how to balance our wants with the needs of our spirits.

vs 7. vanity under the sun... another look at how we ply emptiness in our world.

vs 8. for whom do I labor? the lonely must labor all day and to no reward. to no satisfaction or contentment. They do not share their lives with any one so they must fall alone, sleep alone, be cold alone, and never understand that their pursuit of wealth does not bring them good rewards. There is no family, no friends, no rejoicing in hard work that serves itself.

vs 9 two are better than one... The Lord has taught me this.. two missionaries, two animals, two partners, two visiting teachers, two home teachers, two .. strength in pairs.

vs 10. for if they fall... safety, security, promise of help from those you serve.

vs 11 how can one be warm alone? the warmth of friendship. the warmth of togetherness and of sharing thoughts, feelings, love, hopes, dreams, tomorrows, laughter, etc.

vs 12 a threefold cord is not quickly broken. .. strength in numbers. don't go it alone

vs 13 who will no more be admonished... will I ever receive so much success, wealth, want, that I forget how to take counsel.

vs 16 shall not rejoice in him... who can not rejoice in the Lord God? Who cannot see the strength that faith in him will bring?

.

he should be a free man

1 Nephi 4: 16-38

What does it mean to be free? I recently read "Song Yet Sung" by James McBride. It described the struggle of the black man in Maryland during the 1860's. Freedom to the black man, freedom to the white man, freedom to the woman, freedom to the minority, it all seems to be a great social issue.

Nephi promises Zoram that if he goes into the wilderness, he will be "free like unto us?" Why was Lehi's family free? Because they left a land of iniquity? Because the left a land where men wanted to slay them for speaking the truth? In McBride's book the slaves describe their plight as "all lies are truth and all truths are lies?" I thought about this allot.

I guess it depends upon who you are, what you have to lose and to whom you belong as to weather what you believe is a lie or a truth? Nephi sought to fine truth. Laman and Lemuel never believed what he told them and later in the story we will find that they too had a hard time with the truth.

So it seems that truth is connected to freedom and freedom is connected to truth. WE cannot be truly free without truth, nor can we find truth without freedom. They are connected. And herein lies God's wisdom in making Agency the backbone of our moral trials.
We must have freedom to choose. Our founding fathers understood this fundamental truth.

I believe this is why I strive daily to find truth: in the scriptures, in the trees, in the birds song, in those that I love, and in myself. I know that in finding truth, I will find freedom... freedom from what? stress, guilt, pressure, hardship, yes... and so much more. gravity.. and earthly pain.

That is why Jesus's atonement means so much. It brings us the truth about ourselves. It teaches us that we are loved! So much are we loved that if we will believe this one simple truth we begin to understand the price that was paid for us to internalize this truth and then share it. This truth will truely set us free. The truth will set you free.

Zoram did go with them. He did believe thier promise that they would set him free and let him tarry with them. We never hear about Zoram again. Was he an African slave, an indentured servant? How did his seed pass through to the Nephite people.

What I find of greatest worth is that Zoram helped Nephi retrieve the law so that the truth could be taught. He helped Nephi and then he was set free from Laban's wrath and harsh servitude. The Lord's plan had promise for the slave. He "should be a free man" and receive of the blessings that Lehi would receive, if he (as a freeman) would choose to live the commandments of God.

i think we all should be free men. We all should seek the truth, through the spirit, through words, through practice, through smiles, through honesty, through acceptance, and mostly through love. I think that truth and freedom are like love and peace, they go together, they harmonize one another.