Ether 12:11


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(Book of Mormon | Ether 12:11)

1 Wherefore, by faith was the law of Moses given. 

My understanding is that the law of Moses, in its current form, was given as a direct result of the people’s lack of faith. God had a higher law prepared for them, and gave it to Moses, but when Moses saw the people’s lack of faith, as evidenced by their creation and worship of a golden calf, the new higher law was set aside, and because of their lack of faith, it was replaced with the law of Moses. Is this a correct understanding, and if it is correct, is it also correct to say that "by faith was the law of Moses given"?

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9 hours ago, askandanswer said:

(Book of Mormon | Ether 12:11)

 

1 Wherefore, by faith was the law of Moses given. 

My understanding is that the law of Moses, in its current form, was given as a direct result of the people’s lack of faith. God had a higher law prepared for them, and gave it to Moses, but when Moses saw the people’s lack of faith, as evidenced by their creation and worship of a golden calf, the new higher law was set aside, and because of their lack of faith, it was replaced with the law of Moses. Is this a correct understanding, and if it is correct, is it also correct to say that "by faith was the law of Moses given"?

I think verses 11 and 12 go together: “Wherefore, by faith was the law of Moses given. But in the gift of his Son hath God prepared a more excellent way; and it is by faith that it hath been fulfilled. For if there be no faith among the children of men God can do no miracle among them; wherefore, he showed not himself until after their faith.” These were written by a Nephite familiar with generations who had kept the law in his family line before the Lord came to visit them (as testified in the sacred records he had access to and especially the plates his father had abridged).

There are three or four messages here: 1) Moses had faith to receive the law, regardless of the sad circumstances under which it was given. 2) The Nephite fathers passed the law down because, unlike the inhabitants of Jerusalem they escaped from, they kept it (2 Nephi 25:24)—beginning with Nephi’s procurement of the plates (1 Nephi 4:15). 3) The recognition and explanation, over and over again in the Book of Mormon, that the Gospel surpasses the law of Moses. 4) The recognition that the law of Moses was taken away (“if there be no faith among the children of men God can do no miracle among them “) and that it served as a schoolmaster (“he showed not himself until after their faith”) to whomever would be schooled—in this case, the less wicked among the Nephites.

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14 hours ago, askandanswer said:

My understanding is that the law of Moses, in its current form, was given as a direct result of the people’s lack of faith. God had a higher law prepared for them, and gave it to Moses, but when Moses saw the people’s lack of faith, as evidenced by their creation and worship of a golden calf, the new higher law was set aside, and because of their lack of faith, it was replaced with the law of Moses. Is this a correct understanding, and if it is correct, is it also correct to say that "by faith was the law of Moses given"?

Yes and Yes.

The law of Moses was given as a result of the children of Israel's lack of readiness to live a higher law. The higher law was removed and the law of Moses was received. The chapter gives evidences of people exercising faith, or of the servant exercising faith and miracles happening. In this case, the law of Moses was received by the faith of Moses with understanding that a more excellent way was prepared through gift of the Son (at least this is they way I have understood what is being taught).

Another option would be people who may not have faith to live a higher law, but they do have faith to receive a lesser law (in this way it could even be said by faith the children of Israel received a lesser law, because the did not have faith to live a higher law). Our lives can be similar. We may not have the faith to receive one blessing, but we do have faith to receive an alternative blessing.

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