D&C 1:2 - Part 2: Eyes, Ears, and Hearts
D&C 1:2 - ...and there is no eye that shall not see neither ear
that shall not hear neither heart that shall not be penetrated
The Lord is calling to all people to hear the word of the Lord, to see his works, to feel his love and be converted. There is symbolism in the many references to parts of the body. Eyes for seeing the works of God. Ears for hearing and hearkening to the Lord. And hearts to feel and testify of the verity of the work.
Eyes that See
"I am the way, the truth, and the life," the Savior proclaimed. "No man cometh unto the Father, but by me” (John 14:6). What is it that they shall see? They shall see the Way, which is in and through the Savior Jesus Christ. In fact, it is the Savior Jesus Christ. "Wherefore, how great the importance to make these things known unto the inhabitants of the earth, that they may know that there is no flesh that can dwell in the presence of God, save it be through the merits, and mercy, and grace of the Holy Messiah" (2 Nephi 2:8). He is the way, the only true example of a man who we know has been saved.
The eye is a symbol of knowledge and understanding. The greater our knowledge of truth, the greater the light within our eyes, and thus our souls. The more limited our knowledge of truth, the greater the darkness within us. This can also symbolize what light we are willing to see or allow into us. There are many scriptures that reference blind eyes or blind guides of those who profess to have knowledge of truth and yet seek only to satisfy their own pride or “that put darkness for light, and light for darkness” (Isaiah 5:20). What is it we should be seeing? When Christ came to the Americas after his resurrection, he told the people, "I am the light and the life of the world" (3 Nephi 11:11, emphasis added). Jesus Christ is that mark. He is that light that should fill our eyes and our hearts.
He also said at that visit, "the light of the body is the eye; if, therefore, thine eye be single, thy whole body shall be full of light. But if thine eye be evil, thy whole body shall be full of darkness. If, therefore, the light that is in thee be darkness, how great is that darkness" (3 Nephi 13:22-23)! Again he said, "I am the light which shineth in the darkness, and the darkness comprehendeth it not" (D&C 6:21). In the last day, the darkness will comprehend the light and shall see. Whether they decide to be filled with light or remain in darkness is their own decision.
Ears that Hear
In their ears they shall hear truth. Again, whether they choose to obey or choose to rebel is their own decision. Ears, like eyes, are symbolic. Ears have a connotation of receiving revelation, giving heed or understanding, and obedience. Hear and hearken are words of receiving instruction and obeying those words or directives. The Lord uses a combination of symbols related to mouths and ears throughout scripture to convey imagery of hearing words and receiving revelation from God and following that voice. An example is in D&C 84:43-45. Christ tells Joseph and the elders that are gathered with him, "And now I give you a commandment to beware concerning yourselves, to give diligent heed to the words of eternal life. For you shall live by every word that proeedeth forth from the mouth of God. For the word of the Lord is truth, and whatsoever is truth is light, and whatsoever is light is Spirit, even the Spirit of Jesus Christ" (emphasis added). Words are spoken and heard, or read. These come receptively to the individual to either be accepted or rejected, but they enter in either by ear or eye, whether physically or spiritually.
When Jesus began speaking to his disciples in parables, he said, "Who hath ears to hear, let him hear." His disciples asked him why he spoke to them in parables. He responded with a classic example of symbolic imagery of eyes and ears, seeing and hearing: "Because it is given unto you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it is not given. For whosoever hath, to him shall be given, and he shall have more abundance: but whosoever hath not, from him shall be taken away even that he hath. Therefore speak I to them in parables: because they seeing see not; and hearing they hear not, neither do they understand. And in them is fulfilled the prophecy of Esaias [Isaiah], which saith, By hearing ye shall hear, and shall not understand; and seeing ye shall see, and shall not perceive: For this people’s heart is waxed gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes they have closed; lest at any time they should see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and should understand with their heart, and should be converted, and I should heal them. But blessed are your eyes, for they see: and your ears, for they hear" (Matthew 13:9-16).
God is no respecter of persons and he allows each the opportunity to choose their own fate. As we look again in 3 Nephi 11, the people who were gathered together at the land Bountiful "heard a voice...[and] they understood not the voice which they had heard." This is speaking about those surviving believers. Though they heard the voice, it was not understandable to them at that point. This shows perhaps symbolically a previous tendency of disobedience or slowness to hear God's voice in the past, or at least some dissonance. As we read on, we find these are receptive individuals, willing to hear. On the third attempt, they heard the voice of the Father and tuned in their hearts and minds to God and understood the voice. To this same group of people, prior to this gathering but after the destruction, he said, "How oft would I have gathered you as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings...and ye would not" (3 Nephi 10:5). Similarly in the last days, all shall hear the voice of God and know truth. It is left to each of us to hear and hearken and to obey.
Hearts Penetrated
The heart is the center of life, and in ancient days it was the root or seat of knowledge, as the mind is today. The heart is the core of man, where our beliefs are stored and our inner desires ruminate. "For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also," the Lord frankly stated (Matthew 6:21). Those core beliefs, those deepest and darkest corners of the heart will be penetrated with light. Alma posed the question to the believers, "have ye spiritually been born of God? Have ye received his image in your countenances? Have ye experienced this mighty change in heart" (Alma 5:14)? He follows up by asking, "If ye have experienced a change of heart, and have felt to sing the song of redeeming love, I would ask, can ye feel so now" (verse 26)?
By what shall the hearts of every person be penetrated? What shall “none escape”? What is it that caused Zeezrom, the wicked lawyer of the people of Ammonihah to "be harrowed up under a consciousness of his own guilt...[and] be encircled about by the pains of hell" (Alma 14:6)? Perhaps it is the judgments of God. "All shall rise...and stand before God, and be judged according to their works." Amulek also taught that Christ "shall come into the world to redeem his people; and shall take upon him the transgressions of those who believe on his name; and these are they who shall have eternal live, and salvation cometh to none else. For the wicked remain as though there had been no redemption made" (Alma 11:40-41, emphasis added).
For those who are righteous, Isaiah proclaims, "Since the beginning of the world men have not heard, nor perceived by the ear, neither hath the eye seen, O God, beside thee, what he hath prepared for him that waiteth for him" (Isaiah 64:4). On the other hand, Alma speaks of those who "die as to things pertaining unto righteousness." He states that their "torment shall be as a lake of fire and brimstone, whose flame ascenedeth up forever and ever.... They shall be as though there had been no redemption made; for they cannot be redeemed according to God's justice" (Alma 12: 16-18).
Patterns of Isaiah
Given the context examined in D&C 1:1 and the direct link to Isaiah, D&C 1:2 again draws us to Isaiah's words and his prophetic calling, and rightfully so, for the voice of the Lord is delivered by his chosen disciples (D&C 1:4). Isaiah had a vision in which he saw God sitting upon his throne. "I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, whom shall I send, and who will go for us," the Lord asks in Isaiah 6:8. We see this familiar pattern of God's voice to a choice servant, the calling of a prophet in this case. Isaiah volunteers, and the Lord accepts, "Go, and tell this people, Hear ye indeed, but understand not; and see ye indeed but perceive not. Make the heart of this people fat, and make their ears heavy, and shut their eyes; lest they see with their ears, and understand with their heart, and convert, and be healed" (Isaiah 6:9-10). This is the same passage that the Savior quoted which we addressed earlier regarding parables.
This pattern is present also in the calling of Enoch, that great patriarch, and one of the Fathers who holds those promises sought after (Moses 6:26-27). As Enoch "journey[ed] in the land" he heard the voice of God say, "prophesy unto this people, and say unto them--Repent, for thus saith the Lord: I am angry with this people, and my fierce anger is kindled against them; for their hearts have waxed hard, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes cannot see afar off." Again we see this pattern today, in D&C 1, that the people of the Lord's church, or his chosen disciples (verse 4), are called to deliver his warning voice, that the voice of the Lord will be unto all men, that every person will see, hear, and feel.
In each of these examples, the Lord uses three parts: eyes, ears, and hearts. There is deep symbolic meaning in the use both of receptive organs and the use of threes. There is a godly perfection, and complete and divine fullness. Each soul will see and hear and feel through the power of God. It reminds me of Joseph's Smith's proclamation in the familiar Wentworth Letters, “The Standard of Truth has been erected...; the truth of God will go forth boldly, nobly, and independent, till it has penetrated every continent, visited every clime, swept every country, and sounded in every ear, till the purposes of God shall be accomplished, and the Great Jehovah shall say the work is done."
The Lord is calling to all people to hear the word of the Lord, to see his works, to feel his love and be converted. There is symbolism in the many references to parts of the body. Eyes for seeing the works of God. Ears for hearing and hearkening to the Lord. And hearts to feel and testify of the verity of the work.
Eyes that See
"I am the way, the truth, and the life," the Savior proclaimed. "No man cometh unto the Father, but by me” (John 14:6). What is it that they shall see? They shall see the Way, which is in and through the Savior Jesus Christ. In fact, it is the Savior Jesus Christ. "Wherefore, how great the importance to make these things known unto the inhabitants of the earth, that they may know that there is no flesh that can dwell in the presence of God, save it be through the merits, and mercy, and grace of the Holy Messiah" (2 Nephi 2:8). He is the way, the only true example of a man who we know has been saved.
The eye is a symbol of knowledge and understanding. The greater our knowledge of truth, the greater the light within our eyes, and thus our souls. The more limited our knowledge of truth, the greater the darkness within us. This can also symbolize what light we are willing to see or allow into us. There are many scriptures that reference blind eyes or blind guides of those who profess to have knowledge of truth and yet seek only to satisfy their own pride or “that put darkness for light, and light for darkness” (Isaiah 5:20). What is it we should be seeing? When Christ came to the Americas after his resurrection, he told the people, "I am the light and the life of the world" (3 Nephi 11:11, emphasis added). Jesus Christ is that mark. He is that light that should fill our eyes and our hearts.
He also said at that visit, "the light of the body is the eye; if, therefore, thine eye be single, thy whole body shall be full of light. But if thine eye be evil, thy whole body shall be full of darkness. If, therefore, the light that is in thee be darkness, how great is that darkness" (3 Nephi 13:22-23)! Again he said, "I am the light which shineth in the darkness, and the darkness comprehendeth it not" (D&C 6:21). In the last day, the darkness will comprehend the light and shall see. Whether they decide to be filled with light or remain in darkness is their own decision.
Ears that Hear
In their ears they shall hear truth. Again, whether they choose to obey or choose to rebel is their own decision. Ears, like eyes, are symbolic. Ears have a connotation of receiving revelation, giving heed or understanding, and obedience. Hear and hearken are words of receiving instruction and obeying those words or directives. The Lord uses a combination of symbols related to mouths and ears throughout scripture to convey imagery of hearing words and receiving revelation from God and following that voice. An example is in D&C 84:43-45. Christ tells Joseph and the elders that are gathered with him, "And now I give you a commandment to beware concerning yourselves, to give diligent heed to the words of eternal life. For you shall live by every word that proeedeth forth from the mouth of God. For the word of the Lord is truth, and whatsoever is truth is light, and whatsoever is light is Spirit, even the Spirit of Jesus Christ" (emphasis added). Words are spoken and heard, or read. These come receptively to the individual to either be accepted or rejected, but they enter in either by ear or eye, whether physically or spiritually.
When Jesus began speaking to his disciples in parables, he said, "Who hath ears to hear, let him hear." His disciples asked him why he spoke to them in parables. He responded with a classic example of symbolic imagery of eyes and ears, seeing and hearing: "Because it is given unto you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it is not given. For whosoever hath, to him shall be given, and he shall have more abundance: but whosoever hath not, from him shall be taken away even that he hath. Therefore speak I to them in parables: because they seeing see not; and hearing they hear not, neither do they understand. And in them is fulfilled the prophecy of Esaias [Isaiah], which saith, By hearing ye shall hear, and shall not understand; and seeing ye shall see, and shall not perceive: For this people’s heart is waxed gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes they have closed; lest at any time they should see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and should understand with their heart, and should be converted, and I should heal them. But blessed are your eyes, for they see: and your ears, for they hear" (Matthew 13:9-16).
God is no respecter of persons and he allows each the opportunity to choose their own fate. As we look again in 3 Nephi 11, the people who were gathered together at the land Bountiful "heard a voice...[and] they understood not the voice which they had heard." This is speaking about those surviving believers. Though they heard the voice, it was not understandable to them at that point. This shows perhaps symbolically a previous tendency of disobedience or slowness to hear God's voice in the past, or at least some dissonance. As we read on, we find these are receptive individuals, willing to hear. On the third attempt, they heard the voice of the Father and tuned in their hearts and minds to God and understood the voice. To this same group of people, prior to this gathering but after the destruction, he said, "How oft would I have gathered you as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings...and ye would not" (3 Nephi 10:5). Similarly in the last days, all shall hear the voice of God and know truth. It is left to each of us to hear and hearken and to obey.
Hearts Penetrated
The heart is the center of life, and in ancient days it was the root or seat of knowledge, as the mind is today. The heart is the core of man, where our beliefs are stored and our inner desires ruminate. "For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also," the Lord frankly stated (Matthew 6:21). Those core beliefs, those deepest and darkest corners of the heart will be penetrated with light. Alma posed the question to the believers, "have ye spiritually been born of God? Have ye received his image in your countenances? Have ye experienced this mighty change in heart" (Alma 5:14)? He follows up by asking, "If ye have experienced a change of heart, and have felt to sing the song of redeeming love, I would ask, can ye feel so now" (verse 26)?
By what shall the hearts of every person be penetrated? What shall “none escape”? What is it that caused Zeezrom, the wicked lawyer of the people of Ammonihah to "be harrowed up under a consciousness of his own guilt...[and] be encircled about by the pains of hell" (Alma 14:6)? Perhaps it is the judgments of God. "All shall rise...and stand before God, and be judged according to their works." Amulek also taught that Christ "shall come into the world to redeem his people; and shall take upon him the transgressions of those who believe on his name; and these are they who shall have eternal live, and salvation cometh to none else. For the wicked remain as though there had been no redemption made" (Alma 11:40-41, emphasis added).
For those who are righteous, Isaiah proclaims, "Since the beginning of the world men have not heard, nor perceived by the ear, neither hath the eye seen, O God, beside thee, what he hath prepared for him that waiteth for him" (Isaiah 64:4). On the other hand, Alma speaks of those who "die as to things pertaining unto righteousness." He states that their "torment shall be as a lake of fire and brimstone, whose flame ascenedeth up forever and ever.... They shall be as though there had been no redemption made; for they cannot be redeemed according to God's justice" (Alma 12: 16-18).
Patterns of Isaiah
Given the context examined in D&C 1:1 and the direct link to Isaiah, D&C 1:2 again draws us to Isaiah's words and his prophetic calling, and rightfully so, for the voice of the Lord is delivered by his chosen disciples (D&C 1:4). Isaiah had a vision in which he saw God sitting upon his throne. "I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, whom shall I send, and who will go for us," the Lord asks in Isaiah 6:8. We see this familiar pattern of God's voice to a choice servant, the calling of a prophet in this case. Isaiah volunteers, and the Lord accepts, "Go, and tell this people, Hear ye indeed, but understand not; and see ye indeed but perceive not. Make the heart of this people fat, and make their ears heavy, and shut their eyes; lest they see with their ears, and understand with their heart, and convert, and be healed" (Isaiah 6:9-10). This is the same passage that the Savior quoted which we addressed earlier regarding parables.
This pattern is present also in the calling of Enoch, that great patriarch, and one of the Fathers who holds those promises sought after (Moses 6:26-27). As Enoch "journey[ed] in the land" he heard the voice of God say, "prophesy unto this people, and say unto them--Repent, for thus saith the Lord: I am angry with this people, and my fierce anger is kindled against them; for their hearts have waxed hard, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes cannot see afar off." Again we see this pattern today, in D&C 1, that the people of the Lord's church, or his chosen disciples (verse 4), are called to deliver his warning voice, that the voice of the Lord will be unto all men, that every person will see, hear, and feel.
In each of these examples, the Lord uses three parts: eyes, ears, and hearts. There is deep symbolic meaning in the use both of receptive organs and the use of threes. There is a godly perfection, and complete and divine fullness. Each soul will see and hear and feel through the power of God. It reminds me of Joseph's Smith's proclamation in the familiar Wentworth Letters, “The Standard of Truth has been erected...; the truth of God will go forth boldly, nobly, and independent, till it has penetrated every continent, visited every clime, swept every country, and sounded in every ear, till the purposes of God shall be accomplished, and the Great Jehovah shall say the work is done."
How receptive are our ear, clear are our eyes, or soft are our hearts?