Today's Favorite Verse: Zechariah 9:11-12

Today's Favorite Verse: Zechariah 9:11-12

"As for thee also, by the blood of thy covenant I have sent forth thy prisoners out of the pit wherein is no water.

Turn you to the strong hold, ye prisoners of hope: even to day do I declare that I will render double unto thee;"

I wondered what it meant by "prisoners of hope". Hope cannot be a bad thing to be a prisoner of? I found this great explanation in the Old Testament Student Manual.

"Elder Bruce R. McConkie explained: “It was of these that Zechariah prophesied when as part of a longer Messianic utterance, he spoke of ‘prisoners of hope’; it was of these that he gave assurance that ‘the Lord their God shall save them.’ He gives the Messianic message in these words: ‘By the blood of the covenant’—that is, because of the gospel covenant, which is efficacious because of the shedding of the blood of Christ—’I have sent forth thy prisoners out of the pit wherein is no water.’ (Zech. 9:11–16.) ‘Wherein is no water’—how aptly and succinctly this crystallizes the thought that the saving water, which is baptism, is an earthly ordinance and cannot be performed by spirit beings while they dwell in the spirit world. Did not Paul say in this same connection, ‘What shall they do which are baptized for the dead, if the dead rise not at all? why are they then baptized for the dead?’ (1 Cor. 15:29.)” (The Promised Messiah, p. 241.)"

(The Old Testament Student Manual Kings-Malachi, "Preparations for the Lord's Return in Glory (Zechariah)", (33-32) Zechariah 9:11-12. Who Are the Prisoners?)

It made me ponder on the redemption of the dead and the temple work we do in their behalf. They are prisoners of hope, that wait for their temple work to be preformed by proxy in the house of the Lord.

Day 3079