Touch Me Not

1 Nephi 17:48

And now it came to pass that when I had spoken these words they were angry with me, and were desirous to throw me into the depths of the sea; and as they came forth to lay their hands upon me I spake unto them, saying: In the name of the Almighty God, I command you that ye touch me not, for I am filled with the power of God, even unto the consuming of my flesh; and whoso shall lay his hands upon me shall wither even as a dried reed; and he shall be as naught before the power of God, for God shall smite him.

When a person speaks or acts in the name of a higher authority, they are stating that the authority has been delegated to them to speak or act. They act in place of the higher authority, as if they were indeed the very one they represent. As an agent, their acts are as binding and authoritative as if the higher authority were performing them directly. The city, in the form of the city council, authorizes police officers to enforce the laws of the city. All governments delegate authority to agents to carry out the business of the government. 

God likewise delegates authority to agents to carry out His work. These agents are called priesthood holders. Not just anyone can say "In the name of Almighty God" with God's backing.

In this case, the power that filled Nephi was accompanied by a tangible feeling and a physical, electrical force. In that moment, Nephi was transfigured by a physical manifestation of God's power, similar perhaps to how the Savior was transfigured before His disciples on the mount or Moses was transfigured as he descended from Sinai. 

Nephi was changed, at least temporarily. He was beyond mere mortality at that moment. He was experiencing the baptism of fire in a dramatic way. Not his physical flesh but the fleshliness of the natural man was being burned away, and a refined spirit was the result. The insulating dross that normally restrained his spiritual power was stripped away, and the real Nephi, who had lived in the presence of Elohim and Jehovah for eons, shone through. 

Because of the manifestation of God's power, Nephi was delivered from the evil intentions of his brothers to destroy him. If I seek it and live for it, God will manifest His power in my life to deliver us from the evil intentions of Satan, my former brother, to destroy my soul. As I let the Lord fill my life with light and power, I can say to Satan, "Touch me not. " 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular Posts

Loving Kindness

Image
1 Nephi 19:9 And the world, because of their iniquity, shall judge him to be a thing of naught; wherefore they scourge him, and he suffereth it; and they smite him, and he suffereth it. Yea, they spit upon him, and he suffereth it, because of his loving kindness and his long-suffering towards the children of men. To be kind is to be sympathetic, helpful, gentle, and loving. So Jesus's loving kindness is His innate nature to be kind because He loves everyone. He is sympathetic to His persecutors because He sees from their perspective. Given what they know and believe and the circumstances in which they live, He understands why they are cruel, vicious, and hateful.  This loving kindness is born out of His atonement. Having suffered all things in the flesh, having lifted every person's burden, having experienced every pain, anguish, affliction, and illness, He knows me personally, intimately, directly, and perfectly. And that knowledge inspires sympathy, not anger; kindness, not r...
Read more

Set God at Naught

Image
1 Nephi 19:7 For the things which some men esteem to be of great worth, both to the body and soul, others set at naught and trample under their feet. Yea, even the very God of Israel do men trample under their feet; I say, trample under their feet but I would speak in other words—they set him at naught, and hearken not to the voice of his counsels. To "set at naught" is to ignore and to consider of no worth. This is not ignorance but a deliberate defiance and disregard for God and His laws.  God has created the universe, the earth on which I live, and me. He has given laws and guidelines in the form of commandments that inform me of how best to thrive and be happy among His creations and with others. They are not arbitrary restrictions or punishments. He is telling me how He has set up the universe and designed mortal life to my best advantage.  What arrogance I portray if I take possession of the world He has created for me and then say to Him, "Thanks, but I don't ...
Read more

God's Economy

Image
1 Nephi 19:5 And an account of my making these plates shall be given hereafter; and then, behold, I proceed according to that which I have spoken; and this I do that the more sacred things may be kept for the knowledge of my people. God reveals sacred knowledge to the prophets and then commands them to write and preserve their words so that we may benefit from what the Lord has revealed. This is the purpose of scripture: to give us knowledge. Thus, we do not all have to be prophets to have the knowledge of prophets.  In God's economy, it is more efficient for Him to reveal a truth once and then spread it by the written word among all people than to reveal the same truth a million times to a million individuals, each of whom may receive, interpret, and apply the truth slightly differently. In this way, God doesn't have to start over fresh with each person, but we can build on the learning of others.
Read more