I love symbolism, though admittedly, I’m not very good at recognizing the subtle things. I’m really quite good with obvious things like Aslan representing Christ in the Narnia books by C.S. Lewis😊, but things that take time and thought and searching are a challenge, as they are meant to be. Thomas Paine wrote, “Heaven knows how to put a proper price upon its goods” and with symbolism, that is certainly true.
While doing initiatories at the temple recently, I was pondering how each of the “physical” blessings pronounced upon our bodies are actually spiritual in nature. One of those phrases that stood out to me was the blessing upon the neck of the body, “that it may bear up your head properly.”
It is pronounced twice, once when a person is washed to be/become clean from the blood and sins of this generation in which we live, and second, when anointed to become kings/queens and priests/priestesses to God.
In trying to understand what this meant, I tried searching the scriptures for references that mentioned “head and neck” but that didn’t find anything useful.
I started thinking about what the scriptures say about the neck. Stiff-necked came to mind and I knew the positive spiritual quality had to be the opposite of that, but what would that be called? Flexible-neck?
I honestly don’t remember now exactly how it came to me but I’ll just credit the Spirit for teaching me as I was pondering. I started to change my focus from the neck to the head. The neck is to hold up the head properly. The head can’t be in an attitude of pride, so it must be a positive orientation. It finally dawned on me that one particular meaning of this phrase is to hold your head high as a child of God.
I recalled the story of the French youth Louis XVII, son of Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette. After the French revolution, he was imprisoned and his captors tried to corrupt him. He showed great strength in resisting their influence, because he knew he was destined to be the king of France. His identity was secure in his heart and mind and they failed to turn him.
I believe this is the principle behind holding our heads up properly.
Using this insight, I was able to then use Daniel the A.I. in Scripture Notes, to locate some relevant scriptures. I’ve found that using “Daniel” has helped me become very specific in asking questions which also invite revelation. The more we can define a question and exactly what we are looking for, the easier it is to find it. Formulating a good question is much more than “half the battle” as the saying goes.
From 2 Enoch 22:
7. And the Lord said to his servants tempting them: Let Enoch stand before my face into eternity, and the glorious ones bowed down to the Lord, and said: Let Enoch go according to Your word.
8. And the Lord said to Michael: Go and take Enoch from out of his earthly garments, and anoint him with my sweet ointment, and put him into the garments of My glory.
9. And Michael did thus, as the Lord told him. He anointed me, and dressed me, and the appearance of that ointment is more than the great light, and his ointment is like sweet dew, and its smell mild, shining like the sun’s ray, and I looked at myself, and I was like one of his glorious ones.
This is a powerful set of verses.
First, the word tempting needs addressed in verse 7. The Lord is not tempting them to do evil, but enticing (another definition of tempting) them to exalt one of their holy brothers. It was a gift to them. It must give heavenly beings one of the greatest pleasures to bestow holy blessings upon their brothers and sisters who sanctify their lives to ascend into eternity.
Second, Michael is instructed to anoint Enoch and then put upon him garments of the Lord’s glory. This anointing is to make us like one of the glorious ones.
How does this relate to blessing the neck to hold the head up properly? David wrote:
Psalms 3:3. But thou, O Lord, art a shield for me; my glory, and the lifter up of mine head.
The Lord intends for us to hold our heads high, not in a lofty proud way, but knowing who we are, children who are kings and queens of the Most High God! He wants us to live in righteousness, and claim the blessings he bestowed upon Enoch.
In Jacob’s great sermon on the atonement of Jesus Christ, he points this out.
2 Nephi 9:14. Wherefore, we shall have a perfect knowledge of all our guilt, and our uncleanness, and our nakedness; and the righteous shall have a perfect knowledge of their enjoyment, and their righteousness, being clothed with purity, yea, even with the robe of righteousness.
The neck holding up our heads PROPERLY, means with righteous dignity. It is a form of spiritual confidence that we know who we are and from whence we came. Like Louis XVII, we do not submit to baseness and corruption but accept the anointing to kingship and queenship, knowing our divine identity and destiny.
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