someone commented on one of my posts a while back about how she went to her bishop for guidance regarding being single and he quoted this scripture: isaiah 4:1- And in that day seven women shall take hold of one man, saying, We will eat our own bread, and wear our own apparel: only let us be called by thy name, to take away our reproach.
even the foot notes for this verse refers to the stigma of being unmarried. the bitter divorcee in me screams: "stigma? what the hell do you mean? am i LESS because i am not married?!" , but the tiny, molly mormon in me whispers "they are talking about a specific time in the old testament when there were a bunch of wars going on. doesnt mean today. it doesnt mean US. we are good. dont worry."
do the men in the church get a little freaked out by this scripture? do they worry that they are going to have to deal with seven women because of the scarcity of righteous(i use that term loosely)brethren? it might account for the deer in the headlights look on just about every single guy at any given sa activity. just thinking out loud here.
i continued on the scripture chase, reading the footnotes for the scriptures that were footnoted for isaiah 4:1. it talks about the scarcity of men due to war and the filth(isa 4:4) of the women that needs to be cleansed. there is no footnote for the word filth . i am no scripture scholar(zen, blain, help me out here?), but i am pretty sure they are not talking about a literal lack of hygiene. even back then there were harlots and such, but FILTH is a pretty strong word which implies serious sin. we are told to liken the scriptures unto ourselves and that they never are outdated. they can be applied to our current day and situation. filthy women in todays world? check. i dont claim perfection, nor do i stand in judgment, but COME ON. exotic dancing and prostitution as jobs to pay for college? sure! dressing our young daughters in revealing clothes and painting their faces as if they were grown women? yep, got that. teenage girls publicly acting as a lesbians to gain attention and turn boys on? got that too. do these things count as filth?
if we can take isaiah literally, do i want to deal with six other women clutching to my man? probably not. this could lead to a whole big discussion on the higher law of polygamy and i dont want to go there. i just want a nice guy to myself. maybe this is heavenly permission to give up on that ridiculous notion.
Sorry for the length, but I read this recently and thought you might be interested in an alternate interpretation of Isaiah 4:1
ReplyDelete"In Isaiah, too, there is an apocalyptic reference to the name Joseph, in connection with the establishement of the Kingdom of God. That Prophet (ch 3) describes the judgement on his people and the dissolution of the social order, as a consequence of greed, selfishness, and indulgence in luxury by the "upper classes" . He then predicts (Ch 4) the restoration, when "the branch of the Lord" - "the righteous branch", of II Nephi - shall be "beautiful and glorious". At the beginning of this time of restoration, Isaiah says, something unusual is to occur "Seven women shall take hold of one man," and ask him for the privilege of bearing his name, "to take away our reproach." This, we say, may well be considered as an allusion to the name and mission of the Prophet Joseph; for Joseph is said to mean "God hath taken away my reproach" (Gen 30:23)." Doctrine and Covenants Commentary, Deseret Book 1955 Hyrum M. Smith (Council of the Twelve) and Janne M. Sjodahl. Publication Committee - Joseph Fielding Smith, Harold B. Lee, Marion G. Romney.
ok- talk to me like i am a 3 year old...is this meaning there are 7 specific women taking a hold of joseph? i am so bad with scriptures. i read, but i dont ponder. the only reason this one caught my attention is the possible ramifications for single women. maybe that interpretation is too literal, too pedestrian. I DONT KNOW! i appreciate any insight. thanks for your comment.
ReplyDeleteI agree it's a bit obscure, but here is what I think. If you think of the parable of the 10 virgins with oil in their lamp, waiting for the bridegroom (Christ). The virgins symbolize the church. I think this is similar in that the man symbolizes the restored church, and the women (representing women and men) want to take his (the church, Christ) name upon them. Kind of obscure, not really my thing, but an alternate interpretation. On your other point, there are plenty of (married) people who struggle with similar issues, wanting a righteous companion. I know our Father in Heaven loves us all, and wants what is best for us. If we are faithful, no reward, blessing will be denied us. Sometimes we just can't see that far ahead. That's what makes it tough.
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