Can We See Afar Off?
I want to preface my thoughts with this: Moses chapter 6 and Doctrine and Covenants section 93 are probably my favorite chapters in all of scripture for explaining our very existence. Abraham 3 is also right up there with them. They describe that we are eternal. They tell us who and what we are and how we progress from divine potential and intelligence to spiritual being to mortal beings who can experience rebirth through the atonement of Jesus Christ. In essence, they contain the answers to the most important questions we have, if and when we come to understand the mysteries of Godliness. These great and deep concepts are expressed beautifully in symbolism, if we can see afar off.
In Moses 6:26-27, it describes the calling of Enoch as a prophet and seer. “And it came to pass that Enoch journeyed in the land, among the people; and as he journeyed, the Spirit of God descended out of heaven, and abode upon him. And he heard a voice from heaven, saying: Enoch, my son, 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;”.
The condition of the people of the time, as described in these verses, mirrors our day. We can see that people’s hearts have indeed waxed hard and cold. Many do not hear the word of the Lord anymore, and we have become short-sighted. These symbolic representations of our current conditions describe the refusal of people to feel, hear, and see God and his work in our lives. I do not think it is necessary to go into detail about it, but only to the extent that it causes us to consider how we interact with life.
What should we be feeling that we are not? What can we hear in the din of too many voices? Why can’t we see afar off? When our hearts are hard and we are deaf and blind, we cannot possibly experience an abundant life. If we want more than a mundane and pointless existence, we must be able to feel, hear, and see.
Our hearts are meant to receive truth and experience love, the deepest of emotions. In a sense, if we haven’t hardened our hearts, it will guide us in the right direction because God communicates with our hearts. Love is the basis of all relationships. When we don’t love or receive love, despair and hate takes its place. Love does not exist in selfishness. Love grows as we serve and care for others. We experience love when our focus is on others and on God. Our heart is a symbol of a receptacle of truth, love, and virtue.
If anything is worth hearing, it is the words of eternal life. In the scripture, we read the phrase, “Those who have ears to hear, let them hear.” We use physical hearing for communication and as a sense that warns of dangers we may not be able to see. In a spiritual and symbolic sense, they serve these same purposes. We hear the word of God when we are tuned into him. That means that we have to be tuned out of everything else. Anyone who is married has probably at some point had their spouse express that they are not being heard. Listening is the most important part of communication in a relationship.
The last reason the Lord gives for Enoch’s calling was that people were unable to see afar off. This obviously was talking about poor eyesight. Maybe it wasn’t so much about ability as it was about refusing to see beyond the present. Or they could have been looking in the wrong direction. Perhaps they were unable to discern between truth and error. Any of these things describes some kind of blindness. Again, in a spiritual sense, those who have eyes to see can see. In the world of artificial intelligence, we are shown images that seem real but are not. We can’t afford to be fooled.
Enoch was told to anoint his eyes with clay and then wash them. The symbolism of this is interesting. In the temple, we have ordinances of washing and anointing. They are performed in that order and have their origins in ancient practices that prepared priests and kings for their responsibilities. In Enoch’s case, the anointing comes first, but it is symbolic of the world (clay) that needed to be washed out of his eyes so that he could become a seer. He needed to be able to see heavenly things and see afar off.
Moses chapter 6 is chock-full of symbolism. The symbols of birth and rebirth are the same. Water, blood, and spirit (breath) are elements of physical birth. Baptism by water, redemption by the blood of Christ, and reception of the Holy Ghost represent rebirth and regeneration.
However, only a fraction of significant symbols are described in this chapter. I believe symbols of God are all around us if we have ears to hear, eyes to see, and hearts to understand. “And behold, all things have their likeness, and all things are created and made to bear record of me, both things which are temporal, and things which are spiritual; things which are in the heavens above, and things which are on the earth, and things which are in the earth, and things which are under the earth, both above and beneath: all things bear record of me.”