Let’s Wear the Robe of Righteousness! – Ashlee Johnson

In 2 Nephi 4:32-33 Nephi says, “O Lord, wilt thou not shut the gates of thy righteousness before me… that I may be strict in the plain road! O Lord, wilt thou encircle me around in the robe of thy righteousness! O Lord, wilt thou make a way for mine escape before mine enemies. Wilt thou make my path straight before me!” [1] Nephi truly wants this Robe of Righteousness, to walk on the straight and narrow path of the Lord. We should try to follow the example of the prophet Nephi and also strive to obtain the Lord’s Robe of Righteousness. What is this Robe of Righteousness though, and how do we get it?

By using the Hebrew translation of the word “righteous” I came to some interesting conclusions. The Hebrew word for “righteous” is  or “tsadaq”. [2] Then I researched the Hebrew word “rasha” which is often paired up with “tsadaq” as its antonym. [3] “Rasha” is usually translated as "wicked" but also means, "to depart from the path and become lost". [2] Since “rasha” is the opposite of “tsadaq”, I concluded that this Hebrew word for righteous could mean “one who remains on the path.” Ultimately one who wears the Robe of Righteousness is one who is preparing to walk and remain on the path the Lord has set out for us. Even the word “Melchizedek” is translated as a “king/prince of righteousness”. [2] If we are wearing the Robe of Righteousness, we are endowed or blessed with the priesthood!

Clearly this Robe of Righteousness is extremely valuable, but why should we want to obtain it? How may it bless us? In Doctrine and Covenants 29:12 it reads, “I say unto you… that mine apostles, the Twelve which were with me in my ministry at Jerusalem, shall stand at my right hand at the day of my coming… being clothed with robes of righteousness, with crowns upon their heads, in glory even as I am.” [4] The Lord’s apostles get to stand on the right hand of God, and what are they wearing? Robes of Righteousness! We should try to be like our prophets and apostles of old, and wear the Robe of Righteousness as well. Then we may also stand on the right hand of God, and be favored in His eyes. Even Isaiah wears the Robe of Righteousness. “I will greatly rejoice in the Lord, my soul shall be joyful in my God; for he hath clothed me with the garments of salvation, he hath covered me with the robe of righteousness.” [5] Everyone who speaks of the Lord and his Robe of Righteousness is rejoicing in Him. Shouldn’t that be something we strive for? We should want the same joy these people feel, and want to be wrapped in the Robe of Righteousness. It is yet another reason to desire the Robe of Righteousness.

By wearing a Robe of Righteousness, we will be led to live with our Heavenly Father once more. This should be a daily goal for everyone. We want to live with God again because of his greatness and mercy, and because it will give us everlasting joy. Throughout all of 2 Nephi 9, Jacob is praising the Lord. “O the wisdom of God, his mercy and grace! ... O how great the goodness of our God, who prepareth a way for our escape from the grasp of this awful monster [hell]… O how great the plan of our God! For the spirit and the body [will be] restored to itself again, and all men become incorruptible, and immortal… the righteous shall have a perfect knowledge of their enjoyment, and their righteousness being clothed with purity, yea, even with the robe of righteousness… O the greatness and the justice of our God! ... O how great the holiness of our God! For he knoweth all things, and there is not anything save he knows it.” [6] As I read this chapter, I immediately felt grateful and excited to meet my Heavenly Father. He is amazing! We should want nothing more than to be with him again. Even in the lyrics of the song “Beautiful Savior” it is eminent that the Savior is wonderful. “Fair is the sunshine, fair is the moonlight, bright the sparkling stars on high; Jesus shines brighter, Jesus shines purer, than all the angels in the sky.” [7] We should all want to live with Him again someday.

Now how do we get a Robe of Righteousness? What do we need to do? We can start simply by keeping the commandments of the Lord and his prophets. Follow their guidelines, be an example to others, and strive to be more Christ-like. When I was younger, Heavenly Father reminded me to be more Christ-like when I was not doing so. I was being a typical fifth grade girl, and getting too caught up in the things of the world. My friends and I were fighting with other girls constantly and we even started plotting against one of them. We wanted to bring her down so to say! Well that same day, I went to my church for a ward activity with my family. I took a quick break to the bathroom, and soon noticed that someone had left a necklace by the sink. In big letters on the front of the necklace was the word “SMILE” and on the back it listed the scripture 2 Nephi 9:39. Once I read the scripture I immediately felt that the Lord was gently reminding me to stay on the straight and narrow path. The verse says, “O, my beloved brethren, remember the awfulness in transgressing against that Holy God, and also the awfulness of yielding to the enticings of that cunning one. Remember, to be carnally-minded is death, and to be spiritually-minded is life eternal.” [8] I know the Lord was telling me to be spiritually minded, not carnally minded! I immediately stopped the bickering going on with my friends, and tried to be a better person and example.

The wonderful thing about that scripture is the “smile” factor. With the last five words, “spiritually-minded is life eternal,” you can take the first letter of each word and spell the word “smile” J. I hope all of us will strive to “smile” and be more spiritually minded, so that we may wear the Robe of Righteousness and be able to live with our Heavenly Father once more. It is definitely worth all the struggles and difficulties of this world to wear the Robe of Righteousness, and I know that I will constantly desire to be wrapped up in it. I bear testimony of this, and say these things in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.

WORKS CITED

1. 2 Nephi 4:32-33

2. The Scriptures: CD-ROM Edition 1.1. Salt Lake City: The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 2005.

3. http://www.ancient-hebrew.org

4. Doctrine and Covenants 29:12

5. Isaiah 61:10

6. 2 Nephi 9:8-20

7. http://www.lds.org/churchmusic

8. 2 Nephi 9:39