And it came to pass that thus did the three days pass away. And it was in the morning, and the darkness dispersed from off the face of the land, and the earth did cease to tremble, and the rocks did cease to rend, and the dreadful groanings did cease, and all the tumultuous noises did pass away. (3 Nephi 10: 9)
And the Nephites heard the same voice again, saying:
O ye people of these great cities which have fallen, who are descendants of Jacob, yea, who are of the house of Israel, how oft have I gathered you as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and have nourished you. (vs. 4)
Jesus Christ (for, indeed, it was His voice the people heard) has many times gathered his people to safety: Noah from the flood; Abraham from Ur; Israel from Egypt; Lehi from Jerusalem and the wilderness. He is reminding them in these few words of the miracles of sanctuary He has already performed as their Creator and the Great I Am of the Old Testament.
And again, how oft would I have gathered you as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, yea, O ye people of the house of Israel, who have fallen; yea, O ye people of the house of Israel, ye that dwell at Jerusalem, as ye that have fallen; yea, how oft would I have gathered you as a hen gathereth her chickens, and ye would not. (vs. 5 - This is similar to what He wept over Jerusalem just prior to His death - see Matthew 23: 37)
Christ reminds them of the many times He would have gathered them, but they would not be gathered. They rebelled; they denounced Him; they follow after other gods; they reveled in their sins; and they paid the ultimate price in suffering for their foolishness. He wanted them (and us!) to know that it did not have to be that way if they would only listen.
O ye house of Israel whom I have spared, how oft will I gather you as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, if ye will repent and return unto me with full purpose of heart. (vs. 5)
Finally came the promise: He has saved His people in the past; He has been willing to save His people even when they refused His grace; He is still willing to save His people if they will give away their sins and take His yoke upon them. He will still gather all who will come unto Him.
Let us begin our new beginning by coming unto Him with full purpose of heart that He might gather us, too.
Copyright January 1, 2014, Gebara Education
Picture:
Hen with chicks from www.christcenteredmail.com
Christ and the Nephites from www.lds.org
My yoke is easy and my burden is light. I love what you shared about Nephi 10. “How oft have I gathered you” (4)
ReplyDelete“How oft would I have gathered you” (5)
“How oft will I gather you” (6)
Clearly this is part and parcel of the Lord’s eternal work. He never stops. Verse 4’s reference seems to indicate there’s been some successes. We can think of glorious times in the history of the earth when the Lord’s people have gathered together to build temples and strive to become a Zion people.
Have a look at https://scripturenotes.com/as-a-hen-gathereth-her-chickens?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=study_topic_1_as_a_hen_gathereth_her_chickens&utm_term=2020-02-17
for further insight on this topic.