The SCRIPTURES OF THE THREE DEGREES

By Joe E. Kier, member Southern California Research Lodge, co-written by

Brother the Rev. H. Robert DeLancey, member of Rawlins Lodge No. 2, Wyoming.
Presented before Research Lodge of Colorado April 30, 1994.

Entered Apprentice Scripture, Psalm 133

"Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for Brethren to dwell together in
unity!

"It is like the precious ointment upon the head, that ran down upon the
beard, even Aaron's beard; that went down to the skirts of his garments.

"As the dew of Hermon, and as the dew that descended upon the mountains of
Zion; for there the Lord commanded the blessing, even life evermore."

This beautiful psalm of botherly love, entitled "The Excellency of Brotherly
Unity," is ascribed to David. It may express Nehemiah's ideal for the
postexilic Jerusalem community; it may be a call for the returned exiles to come
and dwell together in this new community with true fraternity. The opening
word, "Behold," may even suggest that the psalmist actually had before his eyes
an instance of the blessing of brotherly concord. Perhaps this psalm reflects
the enthusiasm of those who volunteered to dwell in Jerusalem in the days of
Nehemiah! Hehemiah 11:2 refers to this in saying, "And the people blessed all
the men that willingly offered themselves to dwell in Jerusalem."

Verse 1 simply calls attention to the blessings of dwelling together as
brothers.

Verse 2 illustrates the "good" of verse 1, by recalling the oil of joy
(ointment), thinking of the oil that was used to anoint a high priest. Aaron
stood as the personification of High Priesthood and the representation of the
Hebrew nation. The copious anointing which poured down over his garments
symbolized the solidarity of Israel.

Verse 3 illustrates the "pleasant" of verse I, by referring to the dews of
Hermon, which are proverbial. This dew was known as natures way of compensating
for her failure to give rain and symbolized refreshment and quickening.
Palestine was as desolate as the desert until the brethren came together in
brother fellowship; then, like the dews of Hermon, they brought freshness and
life, and the resurrection of ideals. There, in Jerusalem, God decreed the
blessing upon this great brotherhood, which would mean life and prosperity
forever.

[Here we see another difference for while California uses 1st Cor. 13:1-7 and 13
in the Fellow Craft degree, a great many jurisdictions use the Amos Scripture.]

Fellow Craft Scripture, Amos 7: 7,8

"Thus he shewed me; and, behold, the Lord stood upon a wall made by a
plumb line, with a plumb-line in his hand.

"And the Lord said unto me, 'Amos, what seest thou?' And I said, 'A plumb
line.' then said the Lord, 'Behold, I will set a plumb-line in the midst of my
people Israel; I will not again pass by them anymore."

This portrays a vision in which the Lord appeared to Amos to set new rules for
the future. It prophesies what will happen if life is not "perpendicular." No
prophet can any longer intercede for the Hebrews. It is up to them.
The vertical wall, supposed to be built in true perpendicular by the aid of a
plumb line, is now tested and found to be out of plumb. God will set a new
Plumb Line (possibly a Messiah) in the midst of the people of Israel, and they
must align their lives with the new Plumb Line, or be condemned. God will no
longer pass by them in forgiveness, simply because they are Israel, as he has in
the past.

Master Mason Scripture, Ecclesiastes 12: 1-7

"Remember now thy Creator in the days of thy youth, while the evil days
come not, nor the years draw nigh, when thou shalt say, I have no pleasure in
them;

"While the sun, or the light, or the moon, or the stars, be not darkened,
nor the clouds return after the rain;

"In the day when the keepers of the house shall tremble, and the strong men
shall bow themselves, and the grinders cease because they are few, and those
that look out of the windows be darkened.

"And the doors shall be shut in the streets, when the sound of the grinding
is low, and he shall rise up at the voice of the bird, and all the daughters of
music shall be brought low;

"Also when they shall be afraid of that which is high, and fears shall be
in the way, and the almond tree shall flourish, and the grasshopper shall be a
burden and desire shall fail; because man goeth to his long home, and the
mourners go about the streets;

"Or ever the silver cord be loosed, or the golden bowl be broken, or the
pitcher be broken at the fountain, or the wheel broken at the cistern.

"Then shall the dust return to the earth as it was and the spirit shall
return unto God who gave it."

Verse 1 reminds us to remember our Creator, God, while we are young, as when we
get older, our days may become evil and our years fly by with no pleasure, since
we have devoted our days to trying to obtain pleasure, and it escapes us ever
faster if we do not know our God.

Verse 2 describes a sirocco, or a desert storm, which may cause us to search
for God too late.

Verses 3-7 describe the infirmities which will assail us all with age. The
house itself, denotes the body. The keepers of the house which tremble are our
hands, which tremble with age. The strong men bowing describes an aching, bent
back. The grinders ceasing because they are few reminds us that our teeth will
no longer be able to handle good food. Those that look out of the windows are
our eyes, which frequently grow dim toward the end of life. The doors in the
street are the ears, which often lose their keenness in riper years, while the
reference to the daughters of music being low refers to those who have beautiful
voices to sing in early life, and lose that talent with age. 13eing afraid of
that which is high remarks on our loss of strength and balance in later years,
which causes us to place fears in the way of accomplishement. The flourishing
almond tree denotes gray hair, while the grasshopper probably calls to mind
greater irritations which surface in age. The silver cord probably refers to
the spinal cord; the golden bowl, to the skull; the pitcher, to the tears; and
the wheel broken at the cistern to the prostate gland or other abdominal parts,
which so frequently give way during the failing years.

The whole is a reminder to start early to remember thy Creator (worship God),
as you can't catch up in later life, for while the dust returns to the earth,
the spirit must return to God for his judgment at the end of our lives. The
proper living of our lives and worship of our God must last our lifetime, in
order to obtain eternal life with our God when this life is over.