Build a Tower

In the revelation where the Lord addressed the suffering of the saints who were driven out of Jackson County, He gave a very interesting parable. A nobleman said to his servants, “Go ye unto my vineyard, even upon this very choice piece of land, and plant twelve olive trees. And set watchmen round about them, and build a tower, that one may overlook the land round about, to be a watchman upon the tower, that mine olive trees may not be broken down when the enemy shall come to spoil and take upon themselves the fruit of my vineyard.” The servants did most of what the nobleman commanded, but they only “began to build a tower” instead of completing it. “And while they were yet laying the foundation thereof, they began to say among themselves: And what need hath my lord of this tower?” After much discussion amongst themselves they decided they didn’t really need the tower and “became very slothful, and they hearkened not unto the commandments of their lord.” This of course led to the demise of the vineyard, for “the enemy came by night, and broke down the hedge; and the servants of the nobleman arose and were affrighted, and fled; and the enemy destroyed their works, and broke down the olive trees.” When the nobleman found out what happened, he lamented that they had not “built the tower also, and set a watchman on the tower” which would have protected them from their enemy (Doctrine and Covenants 101:44-54). The story seems to have a clear parallel in the story of these saints who had lost their homes: they had obeyed some but not all of the Lord’s commandments for them. Most importantly, they had not built the temple (the tower in the story) as He had instructed and, the story seems to suggest, this prevented them from being fully protected from their enemies.

               Surely this story has powerful applications for us today. First, we cannot be satisfied with obeying only some of the Lord’s commandments. Doing partially what the Lord asked was not enough for those servants to be protected from their enemies. Second, they got in trouble because they second-guessed the Lord’s commandments. Like we sometimes do today, they debated on the merits of the Lord’s instructions which eventually led them to be slothful and find a reason not to fulfill them. Instead of having the “I will go and do” attitude of Nephi, they had the “it is a hard thing” attitude of Laman and Lemuel who sought excuses not to fulfill the commandments of the Lord. And perhaps most importantly, we must give the temple the center place it deserves in our lives. Just as those saints failed to follow the Lord’s instruction to build a temple—which was surely a daunting task—we often fail to make the sacrifices needed worship in the temple. Surely it is for us spiritual protection against the adversary, just as the tower in this parable was physical protection against the enemies of the nobleman. Perhaps at times we also say, “What need hath [I] of this [temple].” We don’t see the immediate value of time spent in the house of the Lord and so it is easy to believe that it is not needful. But as Joseph’s prayer at the dedication of the Kirtland Temple suggests, it is a place for us to obtain power and protection from the Lord: “And we ask thee, Holy Father, that thy servants may go forth from this house armed with thy power, and that thy name may be upon them, and thy glory be round about them, and thine angels have charge over them” (Doctrine and Covenants 109:22). Surely we are not in a position to judge those early saints who sacrificed so much even if they did not live up to all the commandments; but we can learn from their experience to take seriously the commands of the Lord and to sacrifice to make time for His house that will endow us with power.