And my Father Dwelt in a Tent

“And my Father dwelt in a tent” (1 Nephi 2:15) surely this is one of the first scriptures every seminary student memorizes, not only because of it length but also because of its perceived irrelevance. It is tossed of the lips as a humorous answer during a Sunday school lesson. At first glance it would seem as a parenthetical thought almost not worth mentioning but recently I have wondered if it was meant to mean something more. Perhaps Nephi was purposeful in his writing when he selected this phrase to describe his father’s abode. He may have used this statement to emphasis a point that would be clear to a person of his time but is lost on a modern day reader who lacks context. After all it was not just once that he mentioned the place of his father’s dwelling but four times. A point that for him was significant.

1 Nephi 2:15	And my father dwelt in a tent.
1 Nephi 9:1	And all these things did my father see, and hear, and speak, as he dwelt in a tent, in the valley of Lemuel, and also a great many more things, which cannot be written upon these plates.
1 Nephi 10:16	And all these things, of which I have spoken, were done as my father dwelt in a tent, in the valley of Lemuel.
1 Nephi 16:6	Now, all these things were said and done as my father dwelt in a tent in the valley which he called Lemuel.

I have often wondered about the significance and over the years have heard several reasons Nephi may have mentioned this oddity.

1.  It showed Lehi’s prosperity. He was obviously a person of wealth as he had both the knowledge and the financial ability to pack up his family, and provisions and travel into the wilderness. I would assume a traveling tent would not have been a part of the average family’s belongings of the time.
2. This also showed Lehi’s undoubting faith, leaving behind the comforts of home and wealth in response to the word of the Lord.
3.  It showed his commitment to the nomadic lifestyle he would go where the Lord wanted him to go.
4. Or It may have simply marked the end of a thought before Nephi moved onto the next part of his history.

Recently I have been reading some information that recalled in my mind this verse and made me wonder if Nephi added this phrase more deliberately then may first appear.

For the nomad culture the tent held particular significance. It was not merely a place of shelter but a cosmic center if you will, a central hub for the day to day life of the family. This thought was extended further when the Israelites were commanded to build the tabernacle (Exodus 26). In Hebrew the word used is מִשְׁכַּן, mishkan, translated "residence" or "dwelling place". According to the Hebrew Bible, it was the portable earthly dwelling place for God, a spiritual center in the midst of the desert from the time of the Exodus through the conquering of the land of Canaan.

In 1929 a French archaeologists discovered writings found in the ruined city of Ugarit (modern Ras Shamra) in Syria. This text has been used by scholars of the Hebrew Bible to clarify Biblical texts and has revealed ways in which ancient Israelite culture found parallels in the neighboring culture of the Canaanites. Some scholars even argue that the God El of the Canaanites was the prototype of the Israelite God Yahweh.

For me it is not so much of being a prototype but a different way of telling the same truth. The same truths were taught in the beginning to all. The stories of one culture may differ slightly or significantly from one another but the same core eternal teaching where being conveyed. In this case that there is a supreme God. The fact that God was called by a different name is unconcerning to me. To the canaanites god was El, to the Jews Yahweh, to the Egyptian Osiris, to the Christians God the Father. They where each trying to teach the same lessons taught under a different name. Over time some of the truths may have been distorted or changed but the basic element was there. A carful study of the Old Testament will show how the Canaanite worship of the God of El may have been more similar to Old Testament teachings then we would first think.

For Example in Hebrew El (אֵל) is also used as the word for "god” an element that is lost in the translation. It is used generically for any god, it could represent the god of the Canaanites, an idol or the supreme God (Yahweh). In the Tanakh, Elohim (אֱלֹהִים) is the normal word for the God (or gods, given that the 'im' suffix makes a word plural in Hebrew).

For the Canaanites El is the main god in the pantheon. He is the "Creator of all creatures", the "eternal king", "father of years", " the father of all the gods", "father of the bull". He is called "ab adm" or "father of adam (mankind)". All of this sounds familiar for Christians and Jew alike. His name occurs 238 times in the Old Testament. The suffix “el” also plays an important part in many Hebrew names and in the names for god.

Name	Hebrew	Translation
Michael	מִיכָאֵל (Mikha'el)	Who is like God (El)?
Gabriel	גַבְרִיאֵל (Gavri'el)	God (El)  is my strength
Israel	יִשְׂרָאֵל (Yisraʾel)	who prevails with God (El)
Daniel	דָּנִיֵּאל (Daniyy’el)	God (El) is my judge
Samuel	שְׁמוּאֵל (Shemu'el)	Name of God (El) or God (El) has heard
Lemuel*	לְמוּאֵל  (Lemu’el)	Devoted to God (El) or Belongs to God (El)
Ishmael*	יִשְׁמָעֵאל (Yishma'el)	God (El) will hear

*Appears in the Book of Mormon the Book of Mormon

Names for God	Translation	First used
El Shaddai	God (El) the Almighty	Genesis 17:1
El Elyon	God (El) the Most High	Genesis 14:18
El Olam	God (El) the Eternal	Genesis 21:33

Almost in all aspect accept for his sexual activity the nature of El was similar to that of Yahweh. Some Modern scholars even believe "Yahweh" should be "Yahweh-el" meaning "El who brings into being" This is further developed in the writings of the old testament

Verse	Original	Superimposition of original Hebrew
Gen 33:20	And he erected there an altar, and called it El-elohe-Israel.	And he erected there an altar, and called it El "the God of Israel"
Jos 22:22	God (El), God (Elohim), the LORD (Yahweh)	Yahweh is El of the gods [Elohim]
Ps 95:3	For the Lord is a great God, and a great King above all gods.	For Yahweh is the great El, the Great King over all the gods

When Yahweh first reveals himself to Moses he stated

I am the Lord ... I appeared to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob by the Name of God Almighty

Superimposing some original Hebrew this passage would read something like this

I am the Yahweh ... I appeared to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob by the Name of El Saddai  [El the Almighty] Ex 6:2-3.

In the Ugaritic writtings El presided over a Heavenly Council of gods. In the ancient world of Canaan, this was to considered to be the highest form of government in the universe, one which kings patterned their courts after. The "Assembly of El" or "sons of El" appear in Pss 82:1, 29:1, 89:6. In this light it is interesting that the most common word for God in the Old Testament is "Elohim" the plural form of El which means "the gods".

You may have been thinking to yourself that the similarities of Canaan on the writings of the Old Testament is very interesting but what does it have to do with Nephi’s Father dwelling in a tent. There are several interesting elements that may have been significant to Nephi between El and Lehi.

First El was said to have lived in a tent. The following excerpt for the Ugaritic text states:

Then they set face Toward El at the sources of the Two Rivers, In the midst of the pools of the Double-Deep. They entered the tent of El and went into the tent-shrine of the King, the Father of Years. (3.5.13-16, Go cnt; 4.4.20-24, Go 51; 6.1.32-36, Go 49; 2.3.4-5, Go 129; 17.6.46-49, Go 2 Aqht.)

El was the patriarch of the Gods. He lived in a tent at the source of two rivers in the midst of the pools of the double deep. According to some the rivers and the pools of the double-deeps may refer to actual rivers or they may represent the mythological sources of the salt water ocean and the fresh water springs. A Hittite fragment of this Canaanite myth also shows El living in a tent at the source of a river.

Lehi’s tent like the God El was located “in the midst of the pools of the double-deep” near a fresh water and salt water source. According to Nephi the tent of his father was located at the mouth of a river which emptied into the Red Sea (1 Ne. 4:8). The river was also referred to as “a river of water” (Ne.2:6) which could be interpreted that this was not a transient river that came and went with the rainy season but one that flowed year round. This interpretation is further solidified by Lehi’s plea to his son that he would be “like unto this river, continually running into the fountain of all righteousness” (1 Ne 2:9).

Lehi was also the patriarch of his family. At no time was it referred to as the “family tent” or “our tent” but as Lehi’s tent. It was not until they arrived on the shores of the ocean near Bountiful that Nephi speaks of “our tents”(1 Ne. 17:6). By this time he and his brothers had established families of their own.

Just like El’s tent Lehi’s was the official center of all administration and authority the figurative center of the universe.  1 Nephi 3:1; 4:38; 5:7; 7:5; 7:21-22; 15:1 and 16:10 speak of the tent as the headquarters for all activities, discussions, and decisions.

It was from this Lehi’s tent that he directed his children to return to enlist Ishmael and his family that they should take the daughters to wife, “that they might raise up seed unto the Lord in the land of promise” (1 Ne 7:1).  On their successful return it was to “the tent of [Nephi’s] father” they brought Ishmael and his daughters (1 Ne. 7:22). 

Lehi’s tent was a place of sacrifice and revilation. For after Lehi pitched his tent he build an altar of stone and made sacrifices unto the lord (1 Ne 2:5-7). Abraham also made an alter where he pitched his tent at Beth-el (house of El - sorry superman God had the title first). We read “from thence [he traveled] unto a mountain on the east of Beth-el, and pitched his tent, having Beth-el on the west, and Hai on the east: and there he builded an altar unto the Lord, and called upon the name of the Lord” (Gen 12:8). Later it was at Beth-el that Jacob would see God standing at the top of a Ladder upon which his angles accended and decended. Normally alters and sacrifices where made in holy places or high in the mountains. In these cases the places may have been considered holy because that is where their tents were pitch just as the tabernacle made the ground upon which it was pitch sacred. So to was the tent of El a place of sacrifice on the sacred ground where the earth meat the heaven.

For me it is significant that Lehi received the vision of the tree of life while as the scripture say he “dwelt in a tent” (1 Ne 8 through 1 Ne 9:1). I think it also significant that after Nephi experienced a similar vision that his first action was to return to the “tent of his father” (1 Ne 15:1). It was the tent where the oracles were received.

Finally it was from the door of his tent in which El divine oracles were pronounced. A theme that is also seen in the Old Testaments with the tabernacle. For it was written that “at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation before the Lord: where [God] will meet you, to speak there unto thee” (Ex. 29:42). With this in mind it is interesting that Lehi awoke to find the Liahona a brass ball that would lead them on their journey to the promised land at the door to his tent (1 Nephi 16:8-11).

The similarities between Lehi’s tent and that of El’s Celestial tent is striking. For me it confirms The Book of Mormon as a historical text. Reading the Old Testament you can see the parallels in the teachings of the Canaanites and those of the children of Israel. I would argue you can also see those parallels through Nephi’s writings. Particularly in his writings about his fathers tent. 

I believe for Nephi his father dwelling in a tent was profound and symbolic. When he mentioned this it was because for him the tent of his father was the center of his world, a place of assembly, the place where God would communicate to man through his father. And so it is that I believe he wrote not in passing but with profound emotion and a sense of awe that  his “Father dwelt in a tent”.    

Finding Christ in the Movements of the Stars

One thing I have always enjoyed has been laying out on a blanket while camping staring into the night sky. When I was little my Father would point out the different constellations. On some occasions we would climb out my window and sit on the roof while we watched the sun set or count asteroids as they fell. One cannot help but feel small as you stare into the night sky. For the Lord has said “worlds without number have I created and I also created them for mine own purpose (Moses 1:33).

Like Moses we can easily arise at the conclusion “that man is nothing” (Moses1:9),  that we are a small grain of sand on an immense beach. However, as I have learned more about the regular motions of the stars I have found what for me personally has been a witness that there is a supreme Creator reaching out to let us know he is there.

For “even the earth, and all things that are upon the face of it, yea, and its motion, yea, and also all the planets which move in their regular form do witness that there is a Supreme Creator” (Alma 30:44).

Sun

It is the sun that is the bestowed light and life to the world. In ancient Egypt the sun God Ra played a dominant role among the high Gods. In their writings the sun’s qualities as creator and nourisher of the earth and its inhabitants are glorified. Each Day Ra travels across the sky. It was thought that Ra “died” each evening. Throughout the night he traveled through the world of the dead coming off conqueror over death and was reborn in the morning.

The analogy presented of the Savior by the sun is clear. Christ is “the light and the life of the world” (3 Nephi 11:11,  D&C 12:9, D&C 39:2). He gave himself for the world. He overcame the power of death and was resurrected. As the sun rises in the east, so too will Christ come again.

Moon

The sun the moon and the stars were given “for signs, and for seasons, and for days, and years” The significance of the moon for me as a reminder of Christ is a unique one as it had significance during Christ’s own life and death.

Some fourteen hundred years before Christ was born the Israelites were enslaved to the Egyptians. Through a series of plagues brought upon the land of Egypt the Lord showed forth his power to the pharaoh in order to encourage him to let His people go. With each new plague pharaoh hardened his heart and would not free the Israelites. In the final plague the Lord brought death to all the firstborn of both man and beast foreshadowing the sacrifice of his own firstborn to bring salvation to his people. After this final plague

“the Pharaoh rose up in the night, he and all his servants, and all the Egyptians; and there was a great cry in Egypt… and He called for Moses and Aaron by night and said, Rise up, and get you forth from among my people, both ye and the children of Israel; and go, serve the LORD, as ye have said” (Exodus 12:31).

And the LORD God brought forth the Israelites out of Egypt by night (Deut. 16:1). I think it is significant that the release of the children of Israel occurred under the guiding light of a full moon. We know this because from that time forth the Children of Israel were instructed to keep the Passover on the day of their release so as to always remember their deliverance. This celebration begins on the eve of the 14th day of Nisan every year.

The Gregorian calendar that we use now is based on the sun and therefore a full moon can land on any given day in a month. The Hebrew calendar however follows the phases of the moon. That means that each month the full moon falls about the 14 of every month. With this in mind it was during Passover that Christ was crucified and that evening there was a full moon. To me it is significant that following the death of Christ the Moon would commence its waning phase and the light would begin to diminish. Those that crucified the Savior had hoped that the light of Christ would have gone out altogether. Indeed many of his followers had lost hope, but as the new moon returns each month so to was the promise that the Savior would return. His light would not diminish but would return again to fill the whole earth.

Incidentally for members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter day Saints there is a belief that Christ was born on April 6th not December 25 as commonly celebrated today. If this was the case and He was born on April 6th in 1 BC he was also born on the day of a Passover. As the shepherds watched over their flocks it would have been a full moon that shone overhead. The exact birth day and year of the Savior is debatable but if this was the one the symbolism would be striking.  Christ a lamb without blemish, the only begotten and firstborn of the father came into the world as the pascal lamb from his very birth. It was not until after his mortal ministry was over, some 33 years later, that he would be slain.

Hebrew Year Date of 15 Nisan Gregorian Year 3758 Mar 29 3 BC 3759 Mar 18 2 BC 3760 Apr 6 1 BC 3761 Mar 27 1 AD 3762 Apr 14 2 AD 3763 Apr 3 3 AD

Passover begins the evening of the 14th day of Nisan.

Again, for members of the LDS church, there are other significant correlations. First, the church was  organized on April 6, 1830. This was the day before Passover in that year. For me the significance was that on this day the paterfamilias of a Jewish household led his family through the house by candlelight, looking in nooks and crannies for any leaven in the house. No leaven was supposed to be in the home during the Passover. Not infrequently, Jews would sell their leaven to their Gentile neighbors and buy it back after the eight days of unleavened bread. In this situation on this eve of the Passover you could see the symbolism of the leaven being sold or passed from the Jews to the Gentiles. The parable of the Leaven is significant.

And again he said, Where unto shall I liken the kingdom of God? It is like leaven, which a woman took and hid in three measures of meal, till the whole was leavened. (Luke 13:20-21)

  

The leaven was passed onto the Gentiles the day the church was organized. It was from here that the full light of the gospel should be reflected into the world. And the evening of the Next day began Passover with the full light of the moon shining once again on the inhabitants of the earth. In time and through missionary labors that leaven would again be given back.

 Secondly, Christ's body was restored to Him on the Sunday following the paschal full moon so to was there to be a modern restoration to the body of the church. On April 3, 1836 the Savior, Moses, Elias and Elijah appear in succession in the Kirtland temple to restore the priesthood keys required for this dispensation to the church. Passover in the year 1836 fell on Friday April 1. This meant that Sunday April 3, 1836 was the symbolic day that Christ was resurrected. As Christ's spirit was restored to his body, so too was the spirit of Elijah returned to the saints in like manner.

Each of these events occurred when the light of the moon was at its fullest (or the Sunday following). To me this light is a reminder of the Savior who is the light that shines into the darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not (John 1:1). Many eternally significant events happened under the reflecting light of a full moon but the world did not pay attention.

There are yet other ways in which the moon reminds of the Savior. The characteristics of the moon are interesting. For one it has a gravitationally locked (tidal locked) rotation with the earth. The result of this is that the same side, or face, of the moon is always visible from the earth. Christ has said “I will make an everlasting covenant with them, that I will not turn away from them.” (Jeremiah 32:40) The moon is continually facing toward us and will not turn away. This stands as a reminder that no matter what we do Christ will be turned toward us to reflect his light into our life. It is where we place the Savior that will determine how much light we will receive.

http://astroyogalove.com/the-planets/the-moon/

The moon also is exerting an incredible force on the earth. It reaches out in attempts to pull the earth closer to it. The earth doesn’t move but the water does. It is this pull that causes the rising and falling of the ocean. Some scientist believe that it was the ebb and flow of these tides which lead to the creation of life on earth. It certainly effects the times and seasons at it continually reaches out to the earth to pull it closer. For me the moon provides a beautiful analogy of the Savior as the creator and bringer of life as well as one who continually reaches out to each of us individually in attempts to draw us closer to Him.

Scientists believe that without the moon life on the earth could not exist. By intelligent design the moon attracts almost every comet, meteor and or asteroid that may have otherwise hit the earth. The moon is completely covered with craters as a result of a bombardment of foreign bodies floating through space. The earth on the other hand contains very few. If it were not for the moon acting like a huge vacuum cleaner sweeping back and forth across the sky life on earth may have ended as it did for the dinosaurs. As I look at the scars on the surface of the moon borne from dangers that would have otherwise hit us here on earth I can’t help but think of the wounds made in Christ's own body for our salvation from spiritual death. “Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows… smitten of God, and afflicted… he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed” (Isaiah 534-5). 

The final way in which the moon represents Christ for me is as it relates to a prophesy of his second coming  for “The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before that great and notable day of the Lord come” (Acts 2:20).

A total lunar eclipse occurs whenever the sun the earth and the moon line up with the moon on the far side of the earth from the sun. Direct sunlight is completely blocked by the earth's shadow. The only light seen is refracted through the earth's shadow. This light looks red for the same reason that the sunset looks red, due to rayleigh scattering of the more blue light. Because of its reddish color, a total lunar eclipse is sometimes called a blood moon. The sun can be turned to darkness when the moon is located between the earth and the sun resulting in a solar eclipse. These phenomenons have happened many times since Christ was crucified and will continue to happen many more before he returns. For me there is also a spiritual interpretation of this scripture.  How is it that the sun will be turned to darkness and the moon will be turned into blood simultaneously? As the world turns more fully away from the Savior the divine light cast upon us will have no power to light our way. At the same time, if we stand in front of that light it will forever be changed turning the moon to blood as it were. Besides a physical manifestation could this prophesy also be symbolic of a world that has turned completely from the light of the Saviour in such a way as to block even its reflective rays into the lives of those that live upon it?

Ironically, if Christ was crucified during the Passover in 33 A.D. His crucifixion occurred during a lunar eclipse.  The eclipse began at 3:00 pm during the exact moments Christ was suffering on the cross. By the time the moon rose above the horizon the eclipse was well underway and as a result it would have appeared blood red. (the following image was made with the help of Stellarium)

What is even more significant is that lunar eclipse results in a syzygy.  If there is an eclipse in one direction there is an eclipse in the other direction as well.  If you were standing on the moon during that syzygy of 3 April 33, you would see a total eclipse of the Sun. The blotted Sun would be in the heart of the constellation of the Ram (Aries). Truly even the sun the moon and the stairs paid homage to the Lamb who was slain.

In the old testament God commands the Israelites to  “Observe the month [hebrew: chodesh חֹ֫דֶשׁ (Stong’s no. 2320), may also be translated new moon] of Abib and keep the Passover…” (Deuteronomy 16:1). Here, the word “observe” in the Hebrew is shamar שָׁמַר and also means “look narrowly for, search” (Strong’s  No. 8104). The Holladay Concise Hebrew and Aramaic Lexicon defines it as watching in the sense of looking. The command is to look for, wait for, watch and mark the new moon. Symbolically we are to also look for wait for, watch and mark the signs that will announce the return of the Savior an event that if we do not take care to notice the signs we may miss.

 Jupiter

Jupiter is the fifth planet from the Sun and the largest in the Solar System. Jupiter was known to astronomers of ancient times. The Romans named it after their god Jupiter. When viewed from Earth, Jupiter can reach an apparent magnitude of −2.94, bright enough for its reflected light to cast shadows, and making it on average the third-brightest object in the night sky after the Moon and Venus. For me the symbolism of this planet as a reminder of Christ is as follows:

First, Jupiter is by far the largest planet, and as such there is something kingly in its nature. The meaning of the name Melchizedek is “Zedek is [My] King.” Zedek,  was the Jewish name given to the planet Jupiter, remaining so in the astronomy of the Jews in later ages. Zedek also has the meaning of “righteousness” or “justice.”

Many theories for the Star of Bethlehem, which invoke celestial alignments, have Jupiter as one of the bodies involved. Jupiter was always seen as the Planet of Kings, and thus its rise and alignment would have signified to the Magi (Three Wise Men) that a ‘King’ was to be born.

We are told in the New Testament that Jesus was born of a virgin. And precisely on December 25, 2 B.C., Jupiter “stopped” in the constellation of Virgo, the Virgin (in the middle of the constellation). On that day the “King, planet” stopped its lateral motion through the stars and remained stationary for about six days. To an observer on earth it would have appeared completely stationary in the midst of Virgo. An event such as this one would be noticed by astrologers and may have signalled the Magi to begin their quest for the Christ Child. From Jerusalem it would have appeared directly overhead Bethlehem.

If Christ was born on April 6, 1 B.C. it would have also been during the exact time Mary (the Virgin) was carrying the Christ Child. If he was born on the 25 of December it would have been unlikely that there would have been shepherds abiding in the field as this was usually done from early spring to early fall.

Another possible celestial sign was given earlier that year on June 17, 1 B.C. During this evening one of the most impressive conjunctions occurred with the two brightest planets passing each other in the sky. Jupiter the king of planet joined Venus, called Meleket ha-Shamayim, "the queen of heaven," in (Jeremiah 7:18). All of this occurs near the constellation of Leo the Lion which was the symbol of Juda.  In the middle east, the two planets were in contact at sunset (in the western sky). Venus passes Jupiter at about 2' arc per hour. The eye has a resolution of 1' arc so the two appeared as one only for a little more than 1 hour. To add yet one more celestial coincidence this all occurred under a full moon. Again if we take this as an annunciation of Christ birth and we use April 6^th as the date this event occurred there was roughly nine months that fall between these events. (To see these events for yourself download  Stellarium change the location to Jerusalem looking at the western horizon on the following date June 17, -1 at 11:00 pm which would correspond to June 17, 2 B.C. as Stellarium uses a 0 to represent 1 BC - there is no 0 AD)

To me I think it is significant that Jupiter takes 12 years to circle the sun. Each year Jupiter is in a different sign of the Zodiac. There are twelve celestial constellations that stand as witteness of the majesty of Jupiter.

Jupiter is also significant in that it gives off twice as much energy as it receives. In other words unlike earth that receives more energy from the sun than it gives off Jupiter creates energy of it own.  The symbolism here is that Christ also has life in himself not relying on outside forces.

This image shows the heat given off by Jupiter seen at infrared wavelengths.

Jupiter, like the moon, is vital to the very survival of life on earth thanks to it's location and sheer size. The king of planets acts as a gatekeeper sweeping up comets and asteroids that might otherwise crash into earth. It also 'shepherds' the asteroid belt, preventing the asteroids from falling into the sun and thus keeping them away from harming us.

http://www.physics-astronomy.com/

As the king of all planets I think Jupiter has much to teach us about the symbolism of Christ.

Saturn

Saturn was referred to as Shabbatai שבתאי, Meaning: "the restful one," since Saturn is the slowest-moving visible planet. The name has reference to the 7^th day when God rested,  incidentally Saturn is the 7^th brightest object in the sky (The brightest object being the Sun followed by the moon, Venus, Jupiter, Mars, Mercury and then Saturn).  In many ancient religions dominion passes from Saturn to Jupiter. Jupiter (Zeus) became the chief god after supplanting Saturn (Kronos). As I looked at Saturn for the first time through a telescope I was amazed at the rings surrounding the planet. You see pictures in school but actually seeing with your own eyes is a sight to behold. If Jupiter reminds me of Christ, then Saturn reminds me of God his father. As I looked at this planet through the telescope the thought came to my mind that the rings surrounding this planet were made up of the primordial elements that would make up a planet floating in concentric circles around the main body. As I thought about this I could not help but think of the scripture in Abraham:

I came down in the beginning in the midst of all the intelligences... Now the Lord had shown unto me, Abraham, the intelligences that were organized before the world was;and among all these there were many of the noble and great ones; And God saw these souls that they were good, and he stood in the midst of them, and he said: These I will make my rulers; for he stood among those that were spirits, and he saw that they were good; and he said unto me: Abraham, thou art one of them; thou wast chosen before thou wast born. (Abraham 3:21-23) 

In the Jewish apocryphal writings there is an often depicted situation described in the Book of Mormon. In a vision Lehi sees God on his throne "surrounded with numberless concourses of angels in the attitude of singing and praising their God" (1 Nephi 1:8). Hugh W. Nibley says “these surrounding concourses are concentric circles, and the singing and praising are never static: it is a dynamic picture with everything in motion, as Lehi sees it, and as the cosmic pattern of the thing requires.” As I saw the rings of Saturn I was reminded of this symbolism.

Sirius

Sirius is a star system and the brightest star in the Earth's night sky. The name "Sirius" is derived from the Ancient Greek Σείριος (Seirios), meaning "glowing" or "scorcher". Sirius is also known colloquially as the "Dog Star", reflecting its prominence in its constellation, Canis Major (Greater Dog). For the Egyptians the heliacal rising of Sirius marked the flooding of the Nile and which brought life and fertility to her lands. For the ancient Greeks it marked the "dog days" of summer or the hottest part of the summer. Its heliacal rising was of such importance that its arrival was anticipated or heralded by an announcing star. Mirzam a less bright star is situated to the east of Sirius. Mirzam would rise above the horizon shortly before Sirius. In fact the name is derived from the Arabic Al Murzim, "The Announcer."

The symbolism that Sirius signals the renewing of new life to the world is a beautiful one. Also the fact that Sirius is the brightest star cannot be overlooked. Christ has said “I am the light and the life of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life” (John 8:12) it is also significant that Sirius is preceded by Mirzam. Again the scriptures teach “Behold, I will send my messenger, and he shall prepare the way before me” (Malachi 3:1). John the Baptist said of himself “He… who [comes] after me is preferred before me, whose shoe's latchet I am not worthy to unloose.”   (John1:24) So as John was to come before the Savior to herald his coming so to does the rising of Mizram announce the immediate rising of the still brighter star Sirius.

Polaris (The North Star)

Because Polaris lies nearly in a direct line with the axis of the Earth's rotation "above" the North Pole it stands almost motionless in the sky. All other stars of the northern sky appear to rotate around it. Therefore, it makes an excellent fixed point from which to draw measurements for celestial navigation and for astronomy. I myself have used the north star to find my way when I was lost while on a night quading adventure in which I got lost. Using the north star I was able to find my way back to the highway which I knew lay north of my current position. From there I was able to get home.

A story from the Qur'an that I like speaks of how Abraham became a true believer. 

And when Abraham said to his father Azar, 'Takest thou idols for gods? I see thee, and thy people, in manifest error.' So We were showing Abraham the kingdom of the heavens and earth, that he might be of those having sure faith. When night outspread over him he saw a star and said, 'This is my Lord.' But when it set he said, 'I love not the setters.' When he saw the moon rising, he said, 'This is my Lord.' But when it set he said, 'If my Lord does not guide me I shall surely be of the people gone astray.' When he saw the sun rising, he said, 'This is my Lord; this is greater!' But when it set he said, 'O my people, surely I am quit of that you associate. I have turned my face to Him who originated the heavens and the earth, a man of pure faith; I am not of the idolaters.' His people disputed with him. He said, 'Do you dispute with me concerning God, and He has guided me? I fear not what you associate with Him, except my Lord will aught. My Lord embraces all things in His knowledge; will you not remember? How should I fear what you have associated, seeing you fear not that you have associated with God that whereon He has not sent down on you any authority?' Which of the two parties has better title to security, if you have any knowledge? Those who believe, and have not confounded their belief with evildoing -- to them belongs the true security; they are rightly guided. (Surah Al-An'am [6:74-82])

In this story Abraham was looking for a God he could rely on. One that was not of the "setters". Just as the North Star does not set so to can we trust in Christ. For Christ is "the same today and tomorrow, and forever" (Moroni 10:7)  

 Many a mariner has contributed his safe return home to the steady, unchanging and sure guidance of the North Star. So too will we find our way home if we use as our guide an eternally unchanging landmark, even Jesus Christ.
 

Thus saith the Lord your God, even Jesus Christ, The great I am, Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, The same which looked upon the wide expanse of eternity, and all the seraphic host of heaven, before the world was made" (D&C132:66)

Uranus and Neptune

Although Uranus is visible with the naked eye it was not generally recognized as a planet until about 1783. Uranus is named after the ancient Greek deity of the sky Uranus the father of Cronus (Saturn) and grandfather of Zeus (Jupiter). For me one of the most fascinating aspects of Uranus was that through observations of its movements the observer was pointed to something more, something unseen.

After the discovery of Uranus, astronomers noticed that the planet was being pulled slightly out of its normal orbit. After being unable to reconcile this data one such astronomer  perceptively remarked the following:

"... I leave it to the future the task of discovering whether the difficulty of the reconciling [the data] is connected with the ancient observations, or whether it depends on some foreign and unperceived cause which may have been action upon the planet" (Alexis Bouvard)

A few decades later John Couch Adams of Britain and Urbain Jean Joseph Leverrier of France, used mathematics to predict that the gravity from another planet beyond Uranus was affecting its obit. Through their calculations they figured out not only where the planet was, but also how much mass it had. A young astronomer, Johann Gottfried Galle, decided to search for the predicted planet and observed Neptune for the first time in 1846.

As I think of how Neptune was discovered I can't help but think of how the scriptures hint to me that there is something more, something that although is true cannot be seen and that not all knowledge is given at once. Instead knowledge is given line upon line and precept upon precept; through studying the scriptures one can gain an understanding of things not yet seen. We can also gain hope that questions that do not have adequate answers today will someday be made so clear that even a small child will be able to provide an answer, even as any child now could tell you what planet exists beyond Uranus.
    

For me these similarities between Christ and the movements of the stars is striking. They have reminded me of my loving Saviour who brought life and light into the world and who has reached out through the regular motions of the universe to let us know He is there.  Whether or not the above mentioned motions were divinely appointed is debatable but if their movements can turn our view toward the Savior I don’t think this is a bad thing.

“The heavens declare the glory of God;
the skies proclaim the work of his hands.
Day after day they pour forth speech;
night after night they reveal knowledge.
They have no speech, they use no words;
no sound is heard from them.

Yet their voice goes out into all the earth,
their words to the ends of the world.” Psalm 19:1-4 (NIV)