In the Garden:
“And the Gods said: Behold, we will give them every herb bearing seed that shall come upon the face of all the earth, and every tree which shall have fruit upon it; yea, the fruit of the tree yielding seed to them we will give it; it shall be for their meat. And to every beast of the earth, and to every fowl of the air, and to every thing that creepeth upon the earth, behold, we will give them life, and also we will give to them every green herb for meat, and all these things shall be thus organized.” Abraham 4:29-30
In the garden herbs and fruits are given to man for meat, and the earth in its paradisiacal glory brings forth fruit and herbs spontaneously; in this time food does not need preparation or preservation, it can be eaten fresh daily and does not spoil. There is not need for the storing of grain against a day of famine or a season of winter, in this garden state Adam and Eve do not toil to till the ground, instead they dress the garden and eat freely of it. In the garden God gives to his children the best part that the earth has to offer for the body of man and the supply thereof is unlimited. In the garden Adam and Eve live in harmony and peace with the beast of the earth and do not partake of the flesh of animals, and it is not necessary for as the scriptures say every green herb is given them in the stead thereof.
After the Fall:
The change that comes over the earth after the fall changes how Adam and Eve will eat, how they will survive. The source of food they will most often turn to will be a source that can be grown, harvested, prepared, and stored away for times of winter and of famine. They no longer live in a self sustaining garden of green herbs and fruit, but instead they live in a telestial world where there are seasons, and death has come into the world. Here they are given the commandment to till the ground and to eat the herb of the field.
“Cursed is the ground for thy sake; in sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life…Thorns also and thistles shall it bring forth to thee; and thou shalt eat the herb of the field; In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken: for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return.” Genesis 3:18-19
To interpret the word of wisdom correctly the order of its layout denotes the will of God in its inspired phrases, as it begins “the word of wisdom, showing forth the order and will of God…” Note the order of things; the Lord does not place his words half-hazardly; he puts things in order for a reason. In the beginning of the revelation for our health, he chooses first to admonish against those things we should never take into our bodies, when that task is completed he gives to us that which is most wholesome for the health of our bodies
First he gives to us the herbs (vegetables) and the fruit of the earth, with no restriction on their use except that we should be prudence and thanksgiving –
“And again, verily I say unto you, all wholesome herbs God hath ordained for the constitution, nature, and use of man—Every herb in the season thereof, and every fruit in the season thereof; all these to be used with prudence and thanksgiving.”
Second he gives to us to eat of the beast of the earth, but admonishes us to eat of it sparingly and tells us these were created for our use only in times of famine and excess of hunger. –
“Yea, flesh also of beasts and of the fowls of the air, I, the Lord, have ordained for the use of man with thanksgiving; nevertheless they are to be used sparingly; and it is pleasing unto me that they should not be used, only in times of winter, or of cold, or famine.
Third he gives to use the grains of the earth as a staff of life to us and to the animals of the earth; again he tells us that these grains are for the use of man only in times of famine and excess of hunger.
“All grain is ordained for the use of man and of beasts, to be the staff of life, not only for man but for the beasts of the field, and the fowls of heaven, and all wild animals that run or creep on the earth…And these hath God made for the use of man only in times of famine and excess of hunger. All grain is good for the food of man; as also the fruit of the vine; that which yieldeth fruit, whether in the ground or above the ground—Nevertheless, wheat for man, and corn for the ox, and oats for the horse, and rye for the fowls and for swine, and for all beasts of the field, and barley for all useful animals, and for mild drinks, as also other grain.”
D&C 89:10-17
Someday we will live in the Garden of the Earth again. “With the ushering in of the millennium, "the earth will be renewed and receive its paradisiacal glory" (Tenth Article of Faith); that is, it will return to the edenic, terrestrial state which existed when the Lord God finished the creative enterprise and pronounced everything that he had made, "very good."” [Mormon Doctrine, Bruce R. McConkie] Like it did for our first parents “the soil of the earth will bring forth in its strength, and the fruits thereof will be meat for man.” [Brigham Young, Discourse of Brigham Young, p.115] We will have no need of flesh and as it was in the beginning “Peace shall prevail both among men and among beasts…the more kind we are to our animals, the more will peace increase, and the savage nature of the brute creation vanish away.” [Brigham Young, Discourse of Brigham Young, p.115]
There are many good scientific sources of nutritional information that support the Word of Wisdom, we should seek out this learning and wisdom and utilize it as we attempt to live by this divine council. "And as all have not faith, seek ye diligently and teach one another words of wisdom; yea, seek ye out of the best books words of wisdom; seek learning, even by study and also by faith." D&C 88:118 “Reliable scientific knowledge is necessary if one is to be guided safely in this important subject.” John A. Widtsoe, Word of Wisdom; a Modern Interpretation
On a side note:
The doctrines set forth by modern revelation teach us much about the state of the earth from creation to celetialization. The earth is first created spiritually as the scriptures say, “First spiritual, secondly temporal, which is the beginning of my work” (D&C 29:32) When the physical creation was complete it was in its paradisiacal glory, or a terrestrial state which existed when the Lord pronounced it “very good”. At the fall the earth became telestial, but it “will be cleansed again. It was once baptized in water. When Christ comes, it will be baptized with fire and the power of the Holy Ghost. At the end of the world the earth will die; it will be dissolved, pass away, and then it will be renewed, or raised with a resurrection. It will receive its resurrection to become a celestial body, so that they of the celestial order may possess it forever and ever. Then it will shine forth as the sun and take its place among the worlds that are redeemed.” [Joseph Fielding Smith, Doctrines of Salvation] What does Joseph Fielding Smith mean by “At the end of the world…?” The end of the world or the death of the earth does not occur at the second coming, but as he says the second coming is the baptism by fire; the end comes after the final battle between good and evil at the end of the millennium before the final judgment. In answer to the question, how will there be a war between good and evil at the end of the millennium, “Will the earth go back to the telestial order after the millennium? No, but the people on the face of the earth, many of them…will rebel against the Lord knowingly, and the great last struggle will come, and the devil and his forces will be defeated; then the earth will die and receive its resurrection and become a celestial body. The resurrection of the wicked will take place as one of the last events before the earth dies.”
No comments:
Post a Comment