What is Our Civic Duty, Part 2

Many years ago I had an institute teacher that pointed out the unlikely nature of the story in Job chapter 1. He said something to the effect of, “it’s not good doctrine that God gets together with the devil to discuss afflicting one of his children.”

He then pointed us to one of the most inspirational ancient texts I have encountered. It is an apocryphal version of the story of Job that we are familiar with.

The story is so powerful, I will quote most of chapter 1 here. The scene begins with Job at the end of his life calling his children to him (those that came later), and giving them the account of his sufferings and what brought them on. We pick up in verse 7. (If you want to watch/listen to this, click here to open it up on Youtube.)

7 Hear now, children, and I will reveal to you what happened to me.

8 I was a very rich man living in the East in the land Ausitis, (Utz) and before the Lord had named me Job, I was called Jobab.

[Observation]

9 The beginning of my trial was like this. Near my house there was the idol of one worshipped by the people; and I saw constantly burnt offerings brought to him as a god.

[Pondering]

10 Then I pondered and said to myself: “Is this he who made heaven and earth, the sea and us all? How will I know the truth?”

[Revelation]

11 And in that night as I lay asleep, a voice came and called: “Jobab! Jobab! rise up, and I will tell you who is the one whom you wish to know.

12 This, however, to whom the people bring burnt offerings and libations, is not God, but this is the power and work of the Seducer (Satan) by which he beguiles the people.”

[Asking Permission to Take Action]

13 And when I heard this, I fell upon the earth and I prostrated myself saying:

14 “O my Lord, who speaks for the salvation of my soul. I pray you, if this is the idol of Satan, I pray you, let me go from this place and destroy it and purify this spot.

15 For there is none that can forbid me doing this, as I am the king of this land, so that those that live in it will no longer be led astray.”

[Consequences are Explained]

16 And the voice that spoke out of the flame answered to me: “You can purify this spot,

17 But I announce to you what the Lord ordered me to tell you, For I am the archangel of God.”

18 And I said: “Whatever shall be told to his servant, I shall hear.”

19 And the archangel, said to me: “In this manner speaks the Lord: If you undertake to destroy and take away the image of Satan, he will set himself with wrath to wage war against you, and he will display against you all his malice.

21 He will bring upon you many severe plagues, and take from you all that you have. He will take away your children, and will inflict many evils upon you.

22 Then you must wrestle like an athlete and resist pain, sure of your reward, overcome trials and afflictions.

[The Reward is Explained]

23 But when you endure, I shall make your name renowned throughout all generations of the earth until to the end of the world.

24 And I shall restore you to all that you had, and the double part of what you will lose will be given to you in order that you may know that God does not consider the person but gives to each who deserves the good.

25 And also to you shall it be given, and you will put on a crown of tassel flowers.

26 And at the resurrection you will awaken for eternal life. Then you will know that the Lord is just, and true and mighty.”

[The Decision – the use of agency]

27 After that, my children, I replied: “From the love of God I shall endure until death all that will come upon me, and I shall not shrink back.”

28 Then the angel put his seal upon me and left me.

Chapter 2

1 After this I rose up in the night and took fifty slaves and went to the temple of the idol and destroyed it to the ground.

Wow, what a story. Job recognizes the evil, is told the consequences of his actions and that Satan will come after him with a vengeance, girds up his loins and destroys the temple of Satan. Job is the epitome of Paul’s declaration to the Ephesians:

Ephesians 6:12. For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.

Jesus cleansed the temple and shook the devil’s hold on the Jews. For that, he was killed. He also knew the consequences of his actions and accepted death as the mission he was called to perform.

Satan is the greatest tyrant and we live in an age when his power is waxing strong. Are we awake to his deceptions around us? He works in darkness binding down individuals, families, communities, and nations, mixing lies and perversions with just enough truth to make it believable to the masses.

What is Our Civic Duty?

Are we seeking to know our life missions to tear down Satan’s kingdom? What is our civic duty?

Is it to see evil and remain silent because we don’t want to stir up trouble?

Is it to trust that others will do the heavy lifting of maintaining our freedoms?

Is it to wait until our churches organize programs to protect and preserve our freedoms?

Absolutely not.

The Lord informed us of our duty.

D&C 123:13 Therefore, that we should waste and wear out our lives in bringing to light all the hidden things of darkness, wherein we know them; and they are truly manifest from heaven—

Our Spiritual Duty

It’s not so much a civic duty, as a spiritual duty to stay engaged in the war for freedom, the war on agency. Are we doing our part and living with the consequences of resisting Satan?

Are we looking for the evils of the world, and doing what we can to make this world a better place? Gandalf said this best in Tolkien’s Fellowship of the Ring, when he said:

“Yet it is not our part to master all the tides of the world, but to do what is in us for the succor of those years wherein we are set, uprooting the evil in the fields that we know, so that those who live after may have clean earth to till. What weather they shall have is not ours to rule.”

Location is Irrelevant

I realize that many of you reading this are outside the United States. Many of your constitutions were based upon the principles that the U.S. Constitution was created with. You are engaged in the same fight for freedom as all people are because Satan intends to enslave mankind in a global government, the kingdom of the beast.

The Lord said the Constitution was for all people so it should be right that all people should understand how freedom works.

D&C 101:77. According to the laws and constitution of the people, which I have suffered to be established, and should be maintained for the rights and protection of all flesh, according to just and holy principles;

If you are not currently involved, I invite you to take your first steps now.

Pray, learn, look, and act.

Be a Job and uproot the evil in your land so others can have clean earth to till. We weren’t born in this age by chance.

Read Part 1 here, go to Part 3.