WHY DO WE NEED CONSTANT NOURISHMENT TO BODY & SPIRIT?

(Taken from A Bible, A Bible, pages 93-99, by Robert J. Matthews)

"The spirit craves knowledge as the body craves food, and he who seeks sincerely to satisfy those spiritual cravings will find a bounteous feast at the Lord's Table, all based on that person's willingness to receive.

We need to keep learning in order to maintain a spiritual uplift. What lifted us yesterday may not be sufficient tomorrow to help us retain the same level of spirituality; we will need more knowledge, new insights, new viewpoints, and new learning experiences.

This is illustrated with the Joseph Smith Translation (JST). Note, for example, that in the King James Version the account of the Creation is given in third person, with Moses telling the story of what the Lord accomplished: "In the beginning God created . . ." and so forth. On the other hand, the JST gives the account in first person, with the Lord telling the story himself: "I, God," did so and so. Many such changes occur throughout the Joseph Smith Translation which enhance the record and say something about the restorative nature of what Joseph Smith was doing.

We find in the Joseph Smith Translation an explanation of the creative process, showing that life as we now know it-mortality -is the culmination of a three-step process (see JST, Gen. 1-5; Moses 2-5). We learn that all things were created first as spirits, and that this was done in heaven. Then all things-men, animals, and plants-were created on earth as physical beings, with tangible bodies, but in a condition in which they were not yet subject to sin or death.

As the third step in the process, these physical beings underwent another essential change and became mortal, a change which occurred when Adam and Eve, while in the Garden of Eden, ate of the tree of knowledge of good and evil. Adam and Eve were physical in their nature while they were in the garden, but they were not mortal until they partook of the forbidden fruit. This three-step process, outlined so well in the Joseph Smith Translation, is scarcely hinted at in any other version of the Bible.

Later, In Ex. 6:2-3 of the King James Version we read that the Lord revealed himself to Moses by the name of Jehovah, but that Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob did not know the Lord by that name. This is corrected in the Joseph Smith Translation to convey the truth that not only Moses but also Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob knew the Lord by that name (see JST, Ex. 6:2-3).

As recorded in the King James Version of Ex. 33:20, the Lord said to Moses, "Thou canst not see my face: for there shall no man see me, and live." Thereupon the Lord said he would arrange for Moses to hide in the cleft of a rock as He passed by; Moses would be able to see the back parts, but the Lord's face would not be seen. Without further explanation, these scriptures seem to contradict an earlier passage that reads: "The Lord spake unto Moses face to face, as a man speaketh unto his friend" (Ex. 33:11).

The Joseph Smith Translation confirms that Moses was not privileged to see the face of the Lord, but adds the significant qualifying information that the restriction was temporary and applied only "at this time" (see JST, Ex. 33:20-23).

As many of the preceding examples illustrate, one of the main contributions of the Joseph Smith Translation is that it provides us with an opportunity to see a bigger picture, to gain a greater perspective. In the book of 1 Nephi we learn that when designing and mischievous persons took from the Bible many plain and precious things, their motive was to confuse the people and keep them in spiritual darkness (see 1 Ne. 13:27). This they did very effectively by removing certain things so as to destroy the perspective, the purpose, and the continuity of the biblical narrative. They left many of the what's, but removed many of the why's and the how's.

As members of the Church we are not merely invited to become acquainted with Joseph Smith's translation of the Bible; we are expected to do so, if for no other reason (and there are plenty of reasons) than the fact that it exists and is available for study. If any member of the Church does not already have a testimony by the Spirit of the worth of the Joseph Smith Translation, then there is waiting for that member-through committed, prayerful study of the Prophet's translation-one of the most fruitful experiences of his or her life."