Chains in the scriptures

Dear friend

The scriptures are full of symbolism. Possessions, places and people have all been used to represent a concept and teach doctrine. Depending on the context, an object in one analogy may stand for something good, but in another place it will be a negative association.

Such is the case with "chains". Chains may not play so great a part in our lives these days, but in older scripture times they were commonplace and used in all kinds of ways.

One example is from the Old Testament, Genesis 41:42.

42 And Pharaoh took off his ring from his hand, and put it upon Joseph’s hand, and arrayed him in vestures of fine linen, and put a gold chain about his neck;

Joseph so impressed Pharaoh that he was made ruler of all Egypt, second only to Pharaoh himself. The chain in this incident was made of gold and represented the vested authority given to Joseph. It set him apart from his fellows in status and power. In many cultures community leaders such as mayors still wear gold chains of office.

As suggested, there are other scripture teaching uses for the chains concept. Indeed prior to meeting Pharaoh, Joseph was all too familiar with another of them; chains of incarceration.

This alternative application of analagousness can be discovered in the Book of Mormon, 2 Nephi 1:13.

13 O that ye would awake; awake from a deep sleep, yea, even from the sleep of hell, and shake off the awful chains by which ye are bound, which are the chains which bind the children of men, that they are carried away captive down to the eternal gulf of misery and woe.

Here the prophet-father Lehi is pleading with his wayward sons to escape from the spiritual chains that are holding them back. These chains represent the effects of sin or resistent inaction. They bind us down, and if not shaken off will lead to our inescapable captivity in the hell of unhappiness.

These days the closest most of us get to an actual chain may be to display a small item of jewellery round our neck. But these scriptural chains are still in effect. Our task is to discern the difference then seek the one while resisting the other.

It is my hope that we always avoid the hellish chains of sin. And while we may not seek the gold option, I pray that God may instead place chains of approval and acceptance around our necks.

Samuel.