One of the singular things that we, as Elders in the Lord's church possess, is the ability to bless those who seek for the truth and to curse those who kick against the pricks and fight the servants of God.
I am always amazed that Joseph, for all the crazy stuff he had to endure, that he did not wholesale openly curse those who afflicted him during his mortal journey and life's mission. It may have been done in quiet, but I have read no account of it being done openly. What great restraint! When I see what Jesus did to the bush that produced no fruit (just as His frustration was likely mounting over Israel's lack of fruit and unfulfilled mandates and His dreams for them), I am amazed. But the bush died forthwith (shriveled up on the spot):
This tree was "guilty" of violating the first commandment given from God to His posterity and to all things on earth; Multiply and replenish". With no fruit, there would be no seeds. With no seeds, there would be no multiplication, nor replenishment. There are so many parables that address this very topic in the scriptures. Produce, or your existence is in vain and the very purposes of God; frustrated. This is the agenda of the d'evil; to attempt to thwart or frustrate the declarations and wishes of God. Those who kick against the pricks, so to speak. We see them all around us; those who love rebellion more than compliance to the desires of a Loving God. If His ways were harmful or injurious to us, it would be one thing. But they are designed to bring us the ultimate in happiness and fulfilment. So, why kick against the pricks?!?
The primary role of the Priesthood is to bless the lives of others. Whether it is healing or specifically calling down the powers of heaven to provide rain when/where needed, to alleviate some telestial condition that is afflicting. Those with a fulness of their Priesthood can act in that capacity. Those with faith to receive can receive the portion given to them.
We have also been given the mandate to curse those who reject our message - and I have had experiences with that power:
"I will bless those who bless you, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed" appears in Genesis 12:3
And then there is the injunction in the Doctrine and Covenants:
2 But with some I am not well pleased, for they will not open their mouths, but they hide the talent which I have given unto them, because of the fear of man. Wo unto such, for mine anger is kindled against them.
3 And it shall come to pass, if they are not more faithful unto me, it shall be taken away, even that which they have.
4 For I, the Lord, rule in the heavens above, and among the armies of the earth; and in the day when I shall make up my jewels, all men shall know what it is that bespeaketh the power of God.
14 And after thou hast come up unto the land of Zion, and hast proclaimed my word, thou shalt speedily return, proclaiming my word among the congregations of the wicked, not in haste, neither in wrath nor with strife.
15 And shake off the dust of thy feet against those who receive thee not, not in their presence, lest thou provoke them, but in secret; and wash thy feet, as a testimony against them in the day of judgment.
It is pretty clear here that we are to open our mouths (use the "sword of my mouth" to declare truth and let the chips fall where they may). For some, that chip dispersion was assured death. For others, they got to see the results of their cursings on the wicked (withdrawals of God's protections in a fallen world).
As the father of a wayward child who was openly kicking against the pricks, I asked God to drop the hammer on her so that her mortal probation would not be an utter waste. What happened over the course of the next few months was breath taking - and we are still dealing with the blowback and carnage from that event until she is humble enough to cry out to the very God of Heaven for help and assistance beyond what we are allowed to give. God loves each of us enough to do the hard thing to ensure our growth and ultimate happiness.
Jehovah (Jesus) also didn’t appreciate fruit itself, whose purposes went to waste and did not reach its potential.
ReplyDeleteThe most recent example of this were some strawberries that my husband had purchased. Some were ready to eat and we’re ripe and very tasty and red. The other half were whitish-pink and needed more time to ripen.
In the allegory of the olive tree in Jacob in the Book of Mormon, the wild fruit is referred to. So it is referenced as well in Isaiah. The wild fruit appears to not be desirable.
Wild fruit, according to Jewish scholar Abvaham Gileadi, is fruit that rots before reaching ripeness.
So while you are waiting for it to ripen, so you can eat it, it is deteriorating (rotting) either on the vine or on on a tree branch, or in the container.
While the first half of the strawberries experienced similar or same conditions as the wild half, the first half were delicious; the wild half kept deteriorating while we waited for them to ripen, until they molded and were squishy and mushy with moldy furry stuff growing all over them, yet they were not red, still pinkish-white — made no positive progress, while negatively degrading.