Dregs (or Lees)

My lovely sister canned homemade grape juice last Fall, and I was the lucky one to finish off the Mason Jar of deliciousness.  In the bottom of my cup was something about which I've read:

dregs,

also known as lees.  Dregs refers to the sediment collected at the bottom of unfiltered wine (in my case grape juice), and is historically the least favorable part of the drink.  It is thrown out, tossed away, and discarded.  I decided to try  re-dissolving  my grapefruit dregs to see if they'd produce a concentrated drink- they didn't dissolve easily (i.e. without heat and stirring).  Next I'd tried munching on them, expecting a bit of flavorful juice.  My first crunch was sorely disappointing- the clumps weren't flavorful at all, and in truth, were gross.  That's a big statement coming from a girl who eats the entire apple- core and all.

Reference to dregs has appeared in both the Old Testament in Isaiah 51 and 52, and in the 2nd Book of Nephi chapter 8.  In general, during these chapters the Lord provides a strong comparison between those who rely on Him for strength, and those who either fear their enemies or love mankind greater than they trust God.  In prototypical Old Testament  representation, the Lord wields great power over His enemies and His chosen people, and commensurately, these chapters give scintillating examples of how the Lord will provide and protect those who love Him.  Notice that dregs are equated with the Lord's wrath, and the absence of dregs is a sign of His love or blessing.

For example, from 2 Nephi 8: 6, we learn that the Lord's salvation and righteousness has power over even the heavens and the earth:

"Lift up your eyes to the heavens, and look upon the earth beneath; for the heavens shall vanish away like smoke, and the earth shall wax old like a garment, and they that swell therein shall die in like manner.  But my salvation shall be forever, and my righteousness shall not be abolished (2 Nephi 8:6)."

However, the Lord makes it very clear that those who do not hearken unto Him are subject to his fury, as given my the example of Jerusalem, who was scattered to the ends of the earth:

"...O Jerusalem, which hast drunk at the hand of the Lord the cup of his fury--thou hast drunken the dregs of the cup of trembling wrung out-- (2 Nephi 8:17)."

From these scriptures we learn that the Lord's fury is represented as the 'cup of his fury.'  The worst and most distasteful part of his fury is therefore the dregs of the cup of his fury.  Note that the cup of the Lord's fury isn't just a mixture of juice and dregs-- instead, it could be only the dregs.  The dregs have been wrung of any juice, and they are left to be consumed.

Recollecting the distaste associated with the dregs of my grapefruit juice, I can understand how the Scriptures would use dregs as a symbol of the worst of the worst, meted out to the worst of the worst.  It's a terrible figurative punishment.

If dregs are doled out to the wicked, then what is provided for the righteous?  The absence of dregs- or a refined, pure, drink.  In Doctrine and Covenants 58:6-12 the Lord promises that those who are obedient and whose hearts are prepared shall be give a great feast (mmm!), one component of which includes wine that has refined out the lees, or dregs.  The best and finest wine is that substance which has filtered out the dregs and lees.  The image of this finery is exactly what the Lord promises his faithful in the following,

"6 Behold, verily I say unto you, for this cause I have sent you—that you might be obedient, and that your hearts might be prepared to  bear testimony of the things which are to come;  

7 And also that you might be honored in laying the foundation, and in bearing record of the land upon which the Zion of God shall stand; 

8 And also that a feast of fat things might be prepared for the poor; yea, a feast of fat things, of wine on the lees well refined, that the earth may know that the mouths of the prophets shall not fail;  

9 Yea, a supper of the house of the Lord, well prepared, unto which all nations shall be invited.  

10 First, the rich and the learned, the wise and the noble;  

11 And after that cometh the day of my power; then shall the poor, the lame, and the blind, and the deaf, come in unto the marriage of the Lamb, and partake of the  supper of the Lord, prepared for the great day to come.  

12 Behold, I, the Lord, have spoken it."

What does this mean?  First, those who are wicked are apportioned the distasteful of what the Lord has.  Second, those that are righteousness are given of the Lord's abundant (and well-refined!) goodness.

Now consider the most righteous human who has ever lived- the Son of Righeousness himself.  He is Emmanual, the Messiah, our Lord and Master, Jesus the Christ.  Christ's perfection demanded the best that his Father had to give, ...and yet... Christ's cup was not well-refined.  Christ himself was well-refined, but was given the cup of bitter things (i.e. the Atonement), of which he partook,

"18 Which suffering caused myself, even God, the greatest of all, to tremble because of pain, and to bleed at every pore, and to suffer both body and spirit—and would that I might not drink the bitter cup, and shrink— 

19 Nevertheless, glory be to the Father, and I partook and finished my preparations unto the children of men. (D&C 19: 18-19)"

Christ partook of the bitter cup, which I conjecture was full to the brim with dregs, so that when we repent we may be spared of the cup of the Lord's fury.  We may forego the dregs of bitterness, and instead feast upon the well-refined drink of the Lord's goodness.

May we repent and come unto Christ.  The same lips which sipped the dreg-laden bitter cup have promised us eternal joy and happiness.  Come unto Christ.