Chapter Nineteen

“ . . . when he had traveled three days in the wilderness, he pitched his tent in a valley by the side of a river of water. . . .   he built an altar of stones, and made an offering unto the Lord, and gave thanks unto the Lord our God.”78
“ . . . they did rejoice exceedingly, and   did offer sacrifice and burnt offerings unto the Lord;   . . .”79
“ . . . and   they did offer sacrifice and burnt offerings unto him.”80

     The Old Testament Levitical sacrificial laws received by Moses from God are very detailed and specific. They leave no options for Lehi to offer sacrifice and burnt offerings in the wilderness. An often-recurring phrase in the early chapters of the book of Leviticus, ‘the priests’, clarifies that the task of offering sacrifice and burnt offerings has been assigned to the Levitical priests in the tabernacle, (and later in the Temple as will be seen in Leviticus chapter 17 quoted further below):

Leviticus 1:1-17, KJV
“AND the LORD called unto Moses, and spake unto him out of the tabernacle of the congregation, saying,
Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, If any man of you bring an offering unto the LORD, ye shall bring your offering of the cattle,   even   of the herd, and of the flock.
If his offering   be   a burnt sacrifice of the herd, let him offer a male without blemish: he shall offer it of his own voluntary will at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation before the LORD.
And he shall put his hand upon the head of the burnt offering; and it shall be accepted for him to make atonement for him.
And he shall kill the bullock before the LORD: and   the priests, Aaron's sons,   shall bring the blood, and sprinkle the blood round about upon the altar   that   is by   the door of the tabernacle of the congregation.
And he shall flay the burnt offering, and cut it into his pieces.
And the sons of Aaron   the priest shall put fire upon the altar, and lay the wood in order upon the fire:
And   the priests, Aaron's sons,   shall lay the parts, the head, and the fat, in order upon the wood that   is   on the fire which   is   upon the altar:
But his inwards and his legs shall he wash in water: and   the priest shall burn all on the altar,   to be   a burnt sacrifice, an offering made by fire, of a sweet savour unto the LORD.
And if his offering   be   of the flocks,   namely, of the sheep, or of the goats, for a burnt sacrifice; he shall bring it a male without blemish.
And he shall kill it on the side of the altar northward before the LORD: and   the priests, Aaron's sons,   shall sprinkle his blood round about upon the altar.
And he shall cut it into his pieces, with his head and his fat: and the priest shall lay them in order on the wood that   is   on the fire which   is   upon the altar:
But he shall wash the inwards and the legs with water: and   the priest shall bring   it   all, and burn   it   upon the altar: it   is   a burnt sacrifice, an offering made by fire, of a sweet savour unto the LORD.
And if the burnt sacrifice for his offering to the LORD   be   of fowls, then he shall bring his offering of turtledoves, or of young pigeons.
And   the priest shall bring it unto the altar, and wring off his head, and burn   it   on the altar; and the blood thereof shall be wrung out at the side of the altar:
And he shall pluck away his crop with his feathers, and cast it beside the altar on the east part, by the place of the ashes:
And he shall cleave it with the wings thereof,   but   shall not divide   it   asunder: and   the priest shall burn it upon the altar, upon the wood that   is   upon the fire: it   is   a burnt sacrifice, an offering made by fire, of a sweet savour unto the LORD.”81

“ . . . and   the priest   shall burn the memorial of it upon the altar, . . .”82  
“ . . .   the priest, he shall bring it unto the altar.”83  
“And   the priest   . . .shall burn   it   upon the altar: . . .”84  
“And   the priest   shall burn the memorial of it, . . .”85  
“And   the priest   shall burn it upon the altar: . . .”86  
“And   the priest   shall burn them upon the altar . . .”87  
“ . . . and   the priest   shall make an atonement for them, . . .”88  
“And   the priest   shall take of the blood of the sin offering . . .”89  

Above is a mere sample of the beginning chapters of the book of Leviticus recording the Levitical laws received by Moses. The list could continue on and on, but for the sake of brevity this writer will suggest that the point is made. The Levitical priests were commanded to offer the sacrifices and burnt offerings upon the altar before the Lord. This statute is an everlasting ordinance before God as can be seen in Leviticus chapter seventeen following:

“And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,
Speak unto Aaron, and unto his sons, and unto all the children of Israel, and say unto them;   This   is   the thing which the LORD hath commanded, saying,
What man soever   there be   of the house of Israel, that killeth an ox, or lamb, or goat, in the camp, or that killeth   itout of the camp,
And bringeth it not unto the door of the tabernacle of the congregation, to offer an offering unto the LORD before the tabernacle of the LORD; blood shall be imputed unto that man; he hath shed blood; and   that man shall be   cut off   from among his people:
To the end that the children of Israel may bring their sacrifices, which they offer in the open field, even that they may bring them unto the LORD, unto the door of the tabernacle of the congregation,   unto the priest, and offer them   for   peace offerings unto the LORD.
And the priest shall sprinkle the blood upon the altar of the LORD   at   the door of the tabernacle of the congregation, and burn the fat for a sweet savour unto the LORD.
And they shall no more offer their sacrifices unto devils, after whom they have gone a-whoring.   This shall be a statute for ever unto them throughout their generations   .”90

     By God’s command the Levites alone had and have the right and responsibility to offer sacrifice and burnt offerings. Joseph Smith penned in the BkM that Lehi was a descendant of Joseph who had been sold into Egyptian slavery by his brothers.89   Lehi was therefore not of the tribe of Levi and was not a member of the Levitical priesthood. Had Lehi truly existed and performed the burnt offerings as Joseph Smith recorded, then he would have been disobeying God’s law. Blood would have been imputed to him, and he would have had to be ‘cut off ’ from among his people according to Leviticus 17:2-4 above. To be cut off means to be killed:

“Ye shall have one law for him that sinneth through ignorance,   both for   him that is born among the children of Israel, and for the stranger that sojourneth among them.
But the soul that doeth   ought   presumptuously,   whether he be   born in the land, or a stranger, the same reproacheth the LORD; and   that soul shall be cut off   from among his people.
Because he hath despised the word of the LORD, and hath broken his commandment, that soul shall utterly be cut off; his iniquity   shall be   upon him.
And while the children of Israel were in the wilderness, they found a man that gathered sticks upon the sabbath day.
And they that found him gathering sticks brought him unto Moses and Aaron, and unto all the congregation.
And they put him in ward, because it was not declared what should be done to him.
And the LORD said unto Moses,   The man shall be surely put to death: all the congregation shall stone him with stones without the camp.”91  
(Consider also Ezekiel. 14:17-19 & 31:14, Obadiah 1:9, and Isaiah. 53:8-9).

 

Not only did Lehi not have the authority to sacrifice; he was in the wilderness where he could not take the sacrifice or burnt offering to the Temple. This would have incurred the death penalty again:

“And thou shalt say unto them, Whatsoever man   there be   of the house of Israel, or of the strangers which sojourn among you, that offereth a burnt offering or sacrifice,
And bringeth it not unto the door of the tabernacle of the congregation, to offer it unto the LORD; even   that man shall be cut off from among his people.   ”93  

     This author finds some humor in the statement preceding chapter two of I Nephi. There we read the following contradiction:

“Lehi takes his family into the wilderness by the Red Sea-They leave their property-Lehi offers a sacrifice to the Lord and teaches his sons to keep the commandments--- . . .”94

 Lehi allegedly taught his sons to keep God’s commandments while he was breaking them. Joseph Smith must have believed the old saying, ‘Do as I say, not as I do’.  
     It will do well here to bring attention to God’s verification that these Levitical laws will never change. God’s covenant with King David and the Levitical priesthood is as solid as God’s covenant with the sun and moon:

“Thus saith the LORD;   If ye can break my covenant of the day, and my covenant of the night, and that there should not be day and night in their season;
Then   may also my covenant be broken with David my servant, that he should not have a son to reign upon his throne;   and with the Levites the priests, my ministers.
As the host of heaven cannot be numbered, neither the sand of the sea measured: so will I multiply the seed of David my servant,   and the Levites that minister unto me.”95

“I have made a covenant with my chosen, I have sworn unto David my servant,
Thy seed will I establish for ever, and build up thy throne   to all generations. Selah.
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  
I have found David my servant; with my holy oil have I anointed him:
With whom my hand shall be established: mine arm also shall strengthen him.
The enemy shall not exact upon him; nor the son of wickedness afflict him.
And I will beat down his foes before his face, and plague them that hate him.
But my faithfulness and my mercy   shall be   with him: and in my name shall his horn be exalted.
I will set his hand also in the sea, and his right hand in the rivers.
He shall cry unto me, Thou   art   my father, my God, and the rock of my salvation.
Also I will make him   my   firstborn, higher than the kings of the earth.
My mercy will I keep for him for evermore, and my covenant shall stand fast with him.
His seed also will I make   to endure   for ever, and his throne as the days of heaven.
If his children forsake my law, and walk not in my judgments;
If they break my statutes, and keep not my commandments;
Then will I visit their transgression with the rod, and their iniquity with stripes.
Nevertheless my lovingkindness will I not utterly take from him, nor suffer my faithfulness to fail.
My covenant will I not break, nor alter the thing that is gone out of my lips.
Once have I sworn by my holiness that I will not lie unto David.
His seed shall endure for ever, and his throne as the sun before me.”96  

     ‘But this says nothing about the Levites!’ some might exclaim. God’s covenant with them is equally strong. Jeremiah records the following prophecy, yet to be fulfilled, and it declares that God’s covenant with the Levites is an eternal covenant. We may not know where the Levites are in this world today, but God does. Chapter twenty-two will show God’s future promises toward all of Israel, and the Levites will certainly be a part of them as Jeremiah’s prophecy will affirm:

“And   I will cause the captivity of Judah and the captivity of Israel to return, and will build them, as at the first.
And   I will cleanse them from all their iniquity, whereby they have sinned against me; and I will pardon all their iniquities, whereby they have sinned, and whereby they have transgressed against me.
And it shall be to me a name of joy, a praise and an honour before all the nations of the earth, which shall hear all the good that I do unto them: and they shall fear and tremble for all the goodness and for all the prosperity that I procure unto it.
Thus saith the LORD; Again there shall be heard in this place, which ye say   shall be   desolate without man and without beast,   even   in   the cities of Judah, and in the streets of Jerusalem, that are desolate, without man, and without inhabitant, and without beast,
The voice of joy, and the voice of gladness, the voice of the bridegroom, and the voice of the bride, the voice of them that shall say, Praise the LORD of hosts: for the LORD   is   good; for his mercy   endureth   for ever:   and   of them that shall bring the sacrifice of praise into the house of the LORD.   For I will cause to return the captivity of the land, as at the first, saith the LORD.
Thus saith the LORD of hosts; Again in this place, which is desolate without man and without beast, and in all the cities thereof, shall be an habitation of shepherds causing   their   flocks to lie down.
In the cities of the mountains, in the cities of the vale, and in the cities of the south, and in the land of Benjamin, and in the places about Jerusalem, and in the cities of Judah, shall the flocks pass again under the hands of him that telleth   them, saith the LORD.  
Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will perform that good thing which I have promised unto the house of Israel and to the house of Judah.
In those days, and at that time, will I cause the Branch of righteousness to grow up unto David; and he shall execute judgment and righteousness in the land.
In those days shall Judah be saved, and Jerusalem shall dwell safely: and this   is the name   wherewith she shall be called, The LORD our righteousness.
For thus saith the LORD; David shall never want a man to sit upon the throne of the house of Israel;
Neither shall the priests the Levites want a man before me to offer burnt offerings, and to kindle meat offerings, and to do sacrifice continually.
And the word of the LORD came unto Jeremiah, saying,
Thus saith the LORD;   If ye can break my covenant of the day, and my covenant of the night, and that there should not be day and night in their season;
Then   may also my covenant be broken with David my servant, that he should not have a son to reign upon his throne;   and with the Levites the priests, my ministers.
As the host of heaven cannot be numbered, neither the sand of the sea measured: so will I multiply the seed of David my servant,   and the Levites that minister unto me.”97