Mahan

A couple weeks back, I decided it was time to read the Bible again, especially the Old Testament because that is my favorite book of scripture.  I’ve read Genesis and Exodus more times than I can count since I was eight-years-old.  A lot of that was because I kept trying to read the Bible cover-to-cover since that age, and the first two books of the Bible have the coolest stories and the most memorable people.  Abraham and Joseph and Moses were my favorite prophets, and I was an especial fan and Rachel and Leah, for reasons I can’t explain beyond the fact that their family dynamic fascinated and continues to fascinate me to this day.

I rarely made it through Leviticus.  So much of the priesthood ordinances and procedures went so far over my head and were just flat out boring, it was so hard to get past.  At my young age, it was so much easier to skip ahead to Joshua where the stories picked up again.  I liked the Psalms, because even though there were a lot of them, they were short.  I’ve read a lot of Isaiah, partly through the Bible and partly from the dozens upon dozens of times he is quoted in the Book of Mormon, I couldn’t help but absorb his stuff (I know most Latter-day Saints have a hard time understanding him, which I think is a shame because his teachings are beautiful.)

As I grew older, 1 Samuel through 2 Kings have been so instrumental in my present thinking about kingdoms and leadership, the great necessity of obeying the Lord and keeping his commandments, as well as the need to heed the prophets.  Samuel and King David had an influence on Israel that reached for generations.  The stories of Ruth, David’s great-grandmother, and of Jonah were short tales, but ones with a lot of heart.  Jonah especially grabs a hold on my head and heart.  I’m not sure what it is, but I always learn something new from those four chapters every time I read his story (and it is a shame how little anybody pays attention to him after the fish spits him out.)

I finally read the Bible cover-to-cover just before I turned 22, and I did it again a year later.  Some changes occurred and part of that has to do with age and maturity.  I appreciate books like Leviticus and Deuteronomy now more than I ever could at age eight.  The doctrines and laws that bored me to tears then are fascinating to me now.

But it has been a while since I did a read through of the Bible and I figured it was high time to go over it again.  And I figured it would be fun for my monthly Sunday blog to pick a particular story or important figure from scriptures, talk about them and give my impressions.  Why?

First of all, because I want to.  That’s all my blog is:  what I want.

But also, the Bible isn’t read enough, not in the world but especially among members of my own church.  They’ll know the Book of Mormon… well enough, and be passably familiar with modern-day revelation and the New Testament, but the whole Bible?  No.

I understand it.  The Book of Mormon is the keystone of our religion; without it, we don’t have a church and if the members don’t know the Book of Mormon, they’re going to look pretty stupid talking about it in front of other people.  Also, the Book of Mormon is shorter… and easier to read… and it’s awesome.  But they should know the Bible just as well as all the other scriptures we have!

So, as much as this is for me and my personal gratification, I’m really hoping to encourage at least one person to go read the Bible and enjoy it for themselves (more than one would be better, but I’ll settle for one.)

So I started off my Bible reading in Genesis (of course.)  I once had this whole book memorized, I went over it so often.  I got excited about who my first subject would be.  Adam and Eve, maybe Noah, or Abraham, who you can never go wrong talking about.  You know who I ended up picking?  The first murderer, Cain.

The story of Cain and Abel is a very simple one.  The Bible covers him entirely in Genesis 4.  First he, then his brother Abel, is born to Adam and Eve.

“And Abel was a keeper of sheep, but Cain was a tiller of the ground.  And in process of time it came to pass, that Cain brought of the fruit of the ground an offering unto the LORD.  And Abel, he also brought of the firstlings of his flock and of the fat thereof.  And the LORD had respect unto Abel and to his offering:  But unto Cain and to his offering he had not respect.  And Cain was very wroth, and his countenance fell.  And the LORD said unto Cain, Why art thou wroth? and why is thy countenance fallen?  If thou doest well, shalt thou not be accepted? and if thou doest not well, sin lieth at the door.  And unto thee shall be his desire, and thou shalt rule over him.” (Genesis 4:2-7)

It’s a very simple story that has influenced humankind for millennia.  And it’s set an interesting pattern that follows through many scriptures.  There is the older brother who is rejected by the Lord in favor of the younger: Isaac is chosen above Ishmael, Jacob before Esau, Joseph above all the other sons of Israel, Moses over Aaron, David above his six older brothers, and Nephi before Laman and Lemuel (if you were looking for a Book of Mormon example; that one is a way too obvious pick.)

We know that Cain’s offering was not accepted of the Lord, but there really isn’t any mention of why.  Was God being arbitrary?  Was sacrificing meat better than offering fruit, and if so, why?  And why shouldn’t Cain feel angry that the Lord rejected him and his labor?  I know how it feels to work hard for somebody over me, to put in my labor and give my best, and then to say it was no good.  That’s a rotten feeling.  And why is the sacrifice part of the story?  What does it mean?

This is where I do step outside just the Bible and look at other scriptures, in this case, the Pearl of Great Price (these are further revelations and writings from Joseph Smith; short collection but very powerful stuff.)  The Book of Moses contains a fuller account of the first 6 chapters of Genesis, and where I’ll turn to explore more about what I’ve learned about Cain.

Starting in Moses 5, before Cain and Abel were born, Adam and Eve were cast from the Garden of Eden, and from there had sons and daughters.  Many years passed and Adam and Eve’s children had children of their own.  Adam and Eve prayed and the Lord spoke to them, “And he gave them commandments, that they should worship the Lord their God, and should offer the firstlings of their flocks, for an offering unto the Lord.  And Adam was obedient unto the commandments of the Lord.  And after many days an angel of the Lord appeared unto Adam, saying: Why dost thou offer sacrifices unto the Lord?  And Adam said unto him:  I know not, save the Lord commanded me.  And then the angel spake, saying:  This thing is a similitude of the sacrifice of the Only Begotten of the Father, which is full of grace and truth.” (Moses 5:5-7)

If you accept this scripture as truth, we learn that sacrifice began before Cain and Abel came into the picture (we also learn that they were not Adam and Eve’s first children, merely the first ones worth keep tracking of.)  Sacrifice was commanded by the Lord, and like all sacred ordinances, it was there to remind the children of the earth of Christ and his Atonement.  It also brings me comfort to know that the coming of the Son of God was planned from the beginning.  Adam and Eve themselves were taught that the Savior would come and give his life for all that we might return to live with God.

Christ has been referred to in other scriptures as the Lamb of God, and when the scriptures talk about the firstlings of the flocks, I think of the firstborn lambs being offered as sacrifice also as a reminder of the Lord.

Adam and Eve, being good parents went to their children and shared with them all the Lord had taught them, but sadly, their children didn’t believe them, but chose their own path away from the gospel and this was a great cause of sorrow to Adam and Eve.

“And Adam knew Eve his wife, and she conceived and bare Cain, and said:  I have gotten a man from the Lord; wherefore he may not reject his words.  But behold, Cain hearkened not, saying:  Who is the Lord that I should know him?  And she again conceived and bare his brother Abel.  And Abel hearkened unto the voice of the Lord.  And Abel was a keeper of sheep, but Cain was a tiller of the ground.  And Cain loved Satan more than God.  And Satan commanded him, saying:  Make an offering unto the Lord.  And in process of time it came to pass that Cain brought of the fruit of the ground an offering unto the Lord.  And Abel, he also brought of the firstlings of his flock, and of the fat thereof.  And the Lord had respect unto Abel, and to his offering; But unto Cain, and to his offering, he had not respect.  Now Satan knew this, and it pleased him.  And Cain was very wroth, and his countenance fell.  And the Lord said unto Cain:  Why are thou wroth?  Why is thy countenance fallen?  If though doest well, thou shalt be accepted.  And if thou doest not well, sin lieth at the door, and Satan desireth to have thee; and except thou shalt hearken unto my commandments, I will deliver thee up, and it shall be according to his desire.  And thou shalt rule over him; For from this time forth thou shalt be the father of his lies; thou shalt be called Perdition; for thou wast also before the world.  And it shall be said in time to come—That these abominations were had from Cain; for he rejected the greater counsel which was had from God; and this is a cursing which I will put upon thee, except thou repent.” (Moses 5:16-25; emphasis added)

In this way, I’m very grateful to the Pearl of Great Price for elaborating on this story.  It makes the Lord’s decisions clear and not arbitrary at all, but instead shows the grand drama that has gone since the beginning of time.  There are two masters which we can choose: the Lord or Satan, and both of them command that we follow them.

From the beginning of the tale, Cain asked, “Who is the Lord that I should follow him?” and he loved Satan more than God.  In fact, what’s taught here is that the reason he made an offering to the Lord at all was because Satan commanded him to.  Satan, that crafty liar and manipulator, knew what would happen when Cain made the offering.  The Lord didn’t respect Cain’s offering because Cain didn’t do it out of love for the Savior.  He loved Satan and followed him.  The Lord warned him to repent, because if not, he would be delivered up and become the father of Satan’s lies.

Cain, of course, refused to listen anymore to the Lord, which was a great sorrow to his parents, and he grew ever nearer to Satan, so close that he made a covenant with the devil.

“And Satan said unto Cain:  Swear unto me by thy throat, and if thou tell it thou shalt die; and swear thy brethren by their heads, and by the living God, that they tell it not; for if they tell it, they shall surely die; and this that thy father may not know it; and this day I will deliver thy brother Abel into thine hands.  And Satan sware unto Cain that he would do according to his commands.  And all these things were done in secret.”  (Moses 5:29-30)

Just this taught me several things.  First, Satan wants to bind us to him as the Lord desires us to be bound to him.  And why not?  He is a great imitator, and seems to delight in taking things that are holy, such as our covenants, and twisting them to suit his own purposes.  Desecration is the name of his game.

Also, he does like to keep his secrets and will threaten you with death in order to keep them.  After Cain swore, he was to bring his other brethren into the secret, and were threatened with death should they ever reveal the promise.  But what was the secret?

“And Cain said:  Truly I am Mahan, the master of this great secret, that I may murder and get gain.  Wherefore Cain was called Master Mahan, and he gloried in his wickedness.”  (Moses 5:31, emphasis added)

I emphasized earlier that verse, “That these abominations were had from Cain.”  This was his curse, that it should be known that this terrible evil came from him.  How many lives have been taken because somebody had something to gain from it?  How many wicked kings have lived through history that brought war and bloodshed so that they would a bigger kingdom than they then possessed?  How many crimes have been committed to take what another possessed?  Later scriptures reveal that Cain was not the only one to claim the title Master Mahan, or possessor of the great secret.  Through the generations of time, we see men embracing the doctrine that they murder and get gain.  And it all stemmed from Cain.

“And Cain talked with Abel his brother:  and it came to pass, when they were in the field, that Cain rose up against Abel his brother, and slew him.” (Genesis 4:8)

“And Cain gloried in that which he had done, saying:  I am free; surely the flocks of my brother falleth into my hands.” (Moses 5:33)

In a book I read recently by Hugh Nibley, it was brought to my attention that the murder of Abel was not wrought in a sudden heat of passion.  This was a cold and calculated move by Cain.  Abel possessed flocks, and when Abel was out of the picture, those flocks fell to Cain.  He murdered and got gain from it.  That he hated his brother Abel, because Abel’s offering was accepted while his wasn’t, added a delicious dish of vengeance to the heinous crime.

“And the LORD said unto Cain, Where is Abel thy brother?  And he said, I know not:  Am I my brother’s keeper?” (Genesis 4:9)

What a difference in attitude from when the Lord came to Adam and Eve in the garden of Eden.  When the Lord called to Adam and said, “Where art thou?” Adam said, “I heard thy voice in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked; and I hid myself.” (Genesis 3:9-10)

People can say what they want about Adam and Eve, but when the Lord asked them a question, they didn’t dodge it.  They made no excuses.  Adam told the simple truth:  I was afraid and I hid.  It’s not like he could have fooled God, and neither can any of us.  What we do isn’t hidden from God.  When he asked Adam and Eve where they were, he already knew.  The purpose of the question was to hold them accountable for their actions.  And they gave an honest accounting for their actions, even though it made them look bad and they undoubtedly felt ashamed for it.

Cain?  No accountability at all, and no remorse.  “I know not.”  What a bald-faced lie!  “Am I my brother’s keeper?”  Perhaps not.  Nobody ever said he was Abel’s keeper.  But does that mean he shouldn’t care for his brother, be jealous of his well-being, or at the very least, not killing them?  What a moron.

“And [the Lord] said, What hast thou done? the voice of thy brother’s blood crieth unto me from the ground.” (Genesis 4:10)

And everything afterwards lists the cursing of Cain, and the generations that followed.  Cain went on to have children and grandchildren and a growing number of great-grandchildren.  One of his descendants was a wicked man named Lamech, who killed a man and boasted of it to his two wives.  The Book of Moses has an interesting expansion of this story as well, but the only part I care to mention about that here is that Lamech also became Master Mahan, and was very jealous of his oath to Satan.

And this never went away.  I don’t often wish to dwell on the subject of evil and those who perpetrate it, but I think it would be a great disservice to any student of scripture to avoid the matter entirely.  Cain and his following Satan set humankind down a road and created a conflict that still hasn’t ended yet.  The title of Mahan and its secret has been passed down, and Cain is the father of that lie.

Several examples come to my mind of this in scripture.  In the Book of Ether, when Jared lost his kingdom and desired it back, the daughter of Jared danced before Akish.  When Akish told Jared he wanted to marry the daughter, Jared said:  “I will give her unto you, if ye will bring unto me the head of my father, the king.” (Ether 8:12)

Akish gathered all his kin, “And it came to pass that they all sware unto him, by the God of heaven, and also by the heavens, and also by the earth, and by their heads, that whoso should vary from the assistance which Akish desired should lose his head; and whoso should divulge whatsoever thing Akish made known unto them, the same should lose his life.  And it came to pass that thus they did agree with Akish.  And Akish did administer unto them the oaths which were given by them of old who also sought power, which had been handed down even from Cain, who was a murderer from the beginning.” (Ether 8:14-15)

The Gadianton robbers, the most infamous villains in all the Book of Mormon, were known for making secret oaths and covenants, and I fully believe those oaths to be the same that Cain made.  It is part of Satan’s plan of misery, to lead the human race to destruction.  It is in direct opposition to the Lord’s own great plan of happiness, for the salvation of us all.

This drama went on through the Savior’s own time.  Look at the great crime of Judas Iscariot, who sold Jesus for 30 pieces of silver.  Did not Judas make a secret covenant whereby he would allow Jesus to be murdered and he gain from it?

I only write a religious post once a month.  Granted, it’s strictly my religion, but my intent when I started doing this was to have an uplifting message for all to profit.  Two weeks ago, though, I knew Cain was going to be my focus this month, and I knew that uplifting was not going to be the theme of this essay.  Yet I couldn’t and still cannot deny the feeling that this was what I was supposed to write about.  I don’t have the great words myself, but perhaps I may be forgiven for borrowing Moroni’s.  I have written about the wicked today in the hopes that “evil may be done away, and that the time may come that Satan may have no power upon the hearts of the children of men, but that they may be persuaded to do good continually, that they may come unto the fountain of all righteousness and be saved.” (Ether 8:26)

When we shine light on the darkness, the darkness disappears.  When we thrust truth on the lies, the lies vanish into the air.  Evil, when it is no longer secret, gives way to the good.  I believe this with all my heart.