The Book of Ether

This week I've been studying from the Book of Ether.  This happens to be one of my favorite books in the Book of Mormon because it ties back to the Old Testament and also incorporates the New Testament.  It's all the scriptures in one book.  Bear with me as I try to explain why I say that statement.

The Book of Ether starts with a genealogical record of Ether's heritage.  It goes all the way back to Jared whose family was present at the Tower of Babel (Old Testament).  When God confounded the language of the people Jared knew that he needed his brother's help.  Jared's brother was a prophet, seer and revelator for God.

On multiple occasions Jared asks his brother to go to God on behalf of himself and others.  First to protect their language.  Once more to ask for protection for their friends and family.  And again for direction on where to go as God scatters the people.

As Jared's family and friends are led to their land of promise they become complacent.  Even the mighty brother of Jared succumbs to the distractions of life and is chastised by God.  Afterward he repents and rededicates himself to following God's commandments and counsel at all times.

At this point God instructs the brother of Jared to build barges to cross the sea.  The barges are built so well that they are completely sealed to block out water, light, and air.  Jared didn't argue the point before building them.  He simply did as commanded and then asked for clarification on how they were to breathe.  God gives the simple answer of creating stoppable holes for air.

Brother of Jared Sees the Finger of the Lord

by Robert Barrett, detail courtesy of Book of Mormon Insights

The brother of Jared could have done this himself.  He could have inferred the solution.  However he did not doubt God's plan and simply went with the instruction given.  He then asked for God's direction rather than guessing at what God wanted.

After this the brother of Jared wants to know how the people would see while in the eight barges.  This time he does take some action.  He smelts sixteen translucent stones and asks God to make them into lights for the eight barges.  This is not an order given to God but rather a humble request acknowledging that it is needed due to weakness.

Now comes my favorite part.  Because of his faith; the brother of Jared witnesses the finger of the Lord as He touches the stones one-by-one.  He feels unworthy to witness this and says as much.  But instead his faith is acknowledged and he gets to see the body of the Lord.  Only now does he find out that he has been talking with Jesus Christ Himself (New Testament).  The brother of Jared is shown many things and given commandment to write them up in a sealed language to be revealed only when the people are ready.

We now have the Old Testament meeting up with the New Testament in the experience of one man acting on the commandments of God and exercising his faith.  What becomes even more remarkable is read in Ether 3:19 where we learn that the brother of Jared no longer needs faith because he now has a sure knowledge of the truth "nothing doubting".

One other point I want to make is in regards to the sixteen stones designated as lights for the barges.  That number would mean there would be two lights per barge.  Why two?  My mind immediately looks at the symbolism of the scriptures again.  The Bible and The Book of Mormon.  Two witnesses of the gospel of Jesus Christ.  Or, again, the Old and New Testaments.  Two sources of light (truth).

Contention Prevention

One thing I really can't stand is contention.  I get very uncomfortable in situations when people are aggressive toward one another.  It could probably be traced to being a child of divorce and having witnessed a couple of my parents' arguments and not understanding what was happening.  Regardless of the source it's just part of who I am now to be a peacekeeper.

Last Sunday the lesson in third hour was from the teachings of Howard W. Hunter and it happened to be on the topic of prayer and help from on high.  In the lesson President Hunter recalled a story from when he was a bishop and a man in his ward expressed bitterness toward another man. President Hunter’s counsel reflected his testimony of the help that comes through prayer:

“I said to him, ‘My brother, if you will go home and pray for him every morning and every night, I’ll meet you two weeks from today at this same time and then we will decide what should be done.’”
After following this counsel, the man returned and humbly said of the other man, “He needs some help.”
“Are you willing to help him?” President Hunter asked.
“Yes, of course,” the man said.
“All the venom was gone and all the bitterness was gone,” President Hunter later recalled. “This is the way it is when we pray for one another.”- The Teachings of Howard W. Hunter, ed. Clyde J. Williams (1997), 39–40

I thought this was such a remarkable experience for all three men.  I see situations like this all the time in the wards I've lived in.  I've also witnessed others harboring bitterness toward people for things those people did do a third party!  I just can't wrap my brain around being angry with someone for something that has literally nothing to do with me.

In 3 Nephi 11:29 Jesus himself says "For verily, verily I say unto you, he that hath the spirit of contention is not of me, but is of the devil, who is the father of contention, and he stirreth up the hearts of men to contend with anger, one with another."

Later in 3 Nephi 14 Jesus continues teaching that we should avoid looking for fault and contending with one another.

 1 And now it came to pass that when Jesus had spoken these words he turned again to the multitude, and did open his mouth unto them again, saying: Verily, verily, I say unto you, Judge not, that ye be not judged.
 2 For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged; and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again.
 3 And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother’s eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye?
 4 Or how wilt thou say to thy brother: Let me pull the mote out of thine eye—and behold, a beam is in thine own eye?
 5 Thou hypocrite, first cast the beam out of thine own eye; and then shalt thou see clearly to cast the mote out of thy brother’s eye.

In Mark Chapter 7 Christ directly calls us hypocrites if we honor Him with the talk but do not walk the walk.

 6 He answered and said unto them, Well hath Esaias prophesied of you hypocrites, as it is written, This people honoureth me with their lips, but their heart is far from me.
 7 Howbeit in vain do they worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men.

 How can we continue to ignore this counsel from Jesus Christ found in Mark 5

39 But I say unto you, That ye resist not evil: but whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also. 

And we are not to do this only once.  Matthew 18:

 21 Then came Peter to him, and said, Lord, how oft shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? till seven times?
 22 Jesus saith unto him, I say not unto thee, Until seven times: but, Until seventy times seven.

Stay away from contention.  Learn to forgive.  Where is the difficulty in this?

 

Fear Not...

This week, in Pathway, I watched a video clip based on the verses in Matthew chapter 10.  This is where we read about when Jesus called his Apostles and he sent them out to preach.

Their missions were basically begun with the premise "Don't take anything with you.  Just go and trust that God will take care of you."

 9 Provide neither gold, nor silver, nor brass in your purses,
 10 Nor scrip for your journey, neither two coats, neither shoes, nor yet staves: for the workman is worthy of his meat.

In Helaman we read about Nephi out on his own mission and it's not going well.  In Chapter 10:2-3 we read that Nephi was despondent and headed to his home.  On the way God speaks to him and tells him how he trusts Nephi to always do what's right.  God trusts Nephi so much that He promises Nephi that whatever he asks God will do.  And then He tells Nephi

 11 And now behold, I command you, that ye shall go and declare unto this people, that thus saith the Lord God, who is the Almighty: Except ye repent ye shall be smitten, even unto destruction.
 12 And behold, now it came to pass that when the Lord had spoken these words unto Nephi, he did stop and did not go unto his own house, but did return unto the multitudes who were scattered about upon the face of the land, and began to declare unto them the word of the Lord which had been spoken unto him, concerning their destruction if they did not repent.

Nephi so trusted God that he immediately departed and returned to the mission field just as the original apostles followed Christ's charge unwavering.  I admire the apostles and prophets for their faith.

Every day I deal with anxiety caused by uncertainties in life.  Today I was reading for tomorrow's lesson in Elder's Quorum.  There's a quote from President Spencer W. Kimball:

“Being human, we would expel from our lives physical pain and mental anguish and assure ourselves of continual ease and comfort, but if we were to close the doors upon sorrow and distress, we might be excluding our greatest friends and benefactors. Suffering can make saints of people as they learn patience, long-suffering, and self-mastery” [Faith Precedes the Miracle (1972), 98].

In 2 Nephi 2:25 it reads "Adam fell that men might be; and men are, that they might have joy". By experiencing adversity we can appreciate the times of joy.  The key is not to fear.

New Week & New Insights

Courtesy of Robert Couse-Baker

The last few weeks have been very trying.  I've been pondering my own spirituality and noticing the negativity that seems to surround me on every side.  I worry about the attitudes of Christians, Jews, Muslims and all other religions.  I see how many have the attitude that they are "better" than the other religions and I think of the attitudes of the Zoramites in Alma 31:11-18.

The Zoramites basically said "Thank you that we are so much better and smarter than everyone else".  If anyone opposed that train of though then their leaders threw those people out of town.  I see this mentality everywhere today and it made me think of how snobby people are getting.


Satan leads people away by fine threads and by subtle jabs that get people riled up against one another.  Because when we contend with each other we don't have the Spirit with us and we definitely are not thinking about our Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ.

The Zoramites eventually became Lamanites and went on to contend with the remainder of the Nephites.  What's interesting is that the Nephites still considered the Lamanites to be their brethren.  How often do we get into contention with someone and forget that they are our brothers or sisters?

Recently the First Presidency reminded us of this with regards to refugees.  Thinking about the state of welfare in the United States and the refugee crisis.  Mosiah 4:11-28 came to my attention and I read verses 17 & 18:

17 Perhaps thou shalt say: The man has brought upon himself his misery; therefore I will stay my hand, and will not give unto him of my food, nor impart unto him of my substance that he may not suffer, for his punishments are just 

18 But I say unto you, O man, whosoever doeth this the same hath great cause to repent; and except he repenteth of that which he hath done he perisheth forever, and hath no interest in the kingdom of God.

Moroni tries to remind us that we must remember where we came from or we will lose the protection of God.  This includes when we get too haughty and full of ourselves.  Elder David A. Bednar recently gave a devotional address at Brigham Young University Idaho.  In this address he reiterated a warning that he has given previously.

“In the authority of the holy Apostleship, I now raise a voice of warning and make a solemn promise. If the day ever were to come that intellectual arrogance, a lack of appreciation, and a spirit of demanding entitlement take root on this campus —among the students, faculty, employees or the administration, or within the community — then in that day the Spirit of Ricks will be well on the way to being extinguished — and the heavenly influence and blessings that have prospered this institution and the people associated with it will be withdrawn. Conversely, as long as intellectual modesty, humility, gratitude, obedience, and frugality continue to characterize those who learn and serve at BYU–Idaho, then this university will shine forth ever brighter as a beacon of righteousness and of inspired educational innovation.”

I cannot help but be worried about that warning and how people all around the world are having attitudes of superiority.  The dangers of becoming "snobs" are immense and yet it's easy for Satan to lead us down that path.

Lures, baits, and traps oh my!

Image from Wikipedia article on "Trapping"

The Winter 2016 Pathway term has begun and I'm diving back into my scripture studies and blog posts.

I have to say "long time no see".  I took a few weeks off after the Fall 2015 term and that stretched into a few more weeks.  Quite often I find myself falling into the trap of the old routine and not keeping up on new routine.

I have had a few people tell me in person that they appreciated my Becoming Project post and that they've shared it with others.  That makes me feel good.

This past week we've been studying Alma Chapters 30-35.  What struck me immediate was the recounting of the events surrounding Korihor.  I noticed a few things both written and unwritten in these passages.

For those that don't know about Korihor; he was an antichrist in the definition that he "counterfeits the true gospel or plan of salvation and that openly or secretly is set up in opposition to Christ".  Korihor preached that there was, and could be, no Christ.  When asked directly he flatly stated that he did not believe there is a God.  The problem with Korihor is that he was deceived.  And this is the part that you have to start to read between the lines (at least I did).

Alma gave Korihor several chances to turn away from the lies he was spreading.  Alma gave several examples of why the scriptures were true, why prophecy is real, why the Atonement was coming.  Korihor kept arrogantly asking for a sign.

"And now Korihor said unto Alma: If thou wilt showme a sign, that I may be convinced that there is a God,yea, show unto me that he hath power, and then will I be convinced of the truth of thy words." - Alma 30:43

Alma continues to try to reason with Korihor.  At one point Alma warns him that he has two strikes and says to him "therefore if thou shalt deny again, behold God shall smite thee, that thou shalt become dumb, that thou shalt never open thy mouth any more, that thou shalt not deceive this people any more".  But Korihor cannot resist mocking one more time.  However this time we begin to see the beginnings of the doubt creep into Korihor's defiance.

"Now Korihor said unto him: I do not deny the existence of a God, but I do not believe that there is a God; and I say also, that ye do not know that there is a God; and except ye show me a sign, I will not believe." - Alma 30:48

Note the emphasis (mine).  Suddenly Korihor is contradicting himself.  How can he not deny the existence of God but believe there is no God?  Is he simply trying to avoid being accused of blasphemy?  Is he trying to find a way out of the mess he's gotten himself into?  Regardless of the thought process it's two late.  The third strike has been taken and Alma's promise becomes true.

Courtesy of flikr user Doc

And here is the part of the event that makes me want to do a face palm for Korihor's response (emphasis added):

And Korihor put forth his hand and wrote, saying: I know that I am dumb, for I cannot speak; and I know that nothing save it were the power of God could bring this upon me; yea, and I always knew that there was a God.
But behold, the devil hath deceived me; for he appeared unto me in the form of an angel, and said unto me: Go and reclaim this people, for they have all gone astray after an unknown God. And he said unto me: There is no God; yea, and he taught me that which I should say. And I have taught his words; and I taught them because they were pleasing unto the carnal mind; and I taught them, even until I had much success, insomuch that I verily believed that they were true; and for this cause I withstood the truth, even until I have brought this great curse upon me. - Alma 30:52-53

The fact that Korihor preached against the existence of a God makes no sense to me when he admits that he not only that he always knew there was a God but also that an angel (albeit a false one) appeared to him.  And yet this is the cruelty of the deceptions of Satan.

What I noticed was that Korihor apparently never took the time to question the truthfulness of the "angel's" teachings.  He never prayed about whether or not this was something he should follow along with doing.

It's a simple precept of free-agency.  Pray about whether or not something is true.  This applies to everything.  The scriptures, prophets, teachings, revelation, are all subject to the affirming testimony of the Holy Ghost.

I know several literal anti-Christs in my life.  I have co-workers, acquaintances and friends (both online and offline) that are all avowed atheists.  Some are of the "hey believe what you want but don't push it on me and I'll leave you alone" variety.  Others, like Korihor, would ridicule and mock believers.  A few of these people would have open glee at being labelled as an anti-Christ.  The irony is that the people they mock, if they truly believers, are the same people who would care most about them and their eternal salvation.

My Becoming Project

Image from WikiHow Creative Commons usage

This was my submission for my final report in my Book of Mormon class.  After finishing it tonight I felt like sharing it with others.  Not because I'm proud of it but because I hope it will help others on their own journey.

I can honestly say that this course has saved me from me.  Leading into this course I had lost my relationship with the Holy Ghost, Jesus Christ, and Heavenly Father.  I had read the testimonials about Pathway but I had grown cynical and hard-hearted to the point that I easily dismissed those testimonies.  When I read about the Becoming Project I was, frankly, turned off by the idea and dismissive of the process.  However I knew I had to do it and I remember thinking I would just go through the motions for the credit.  Having completed this term I’m shocked at how wrong I was and how different I’ve become.

By the end of the first week I was already warming up to the idea of the project.  I think this is why I picked “Disciplined Faith” as the trait I wanted to work on.  I had always held a resentment in the back of my head for not getting the blessings I wanted when I wanted them.  I had finally figured out that I was getting blessed based on the effort I was putting in.  So I had decided that I would simply start doing the things Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ ask of us. 

In my opinion the effect on me was astoundingly quick.  By the third week I was sold that I really did need to work on becoming a better disciple if I was to be worthy of the blessings I needed in my life.  At our Gathering meeting one of the women in my group was lamenting that there was no way she could become this improved person in only three months.  I replied that she had misinterpreted the intent. 

I showed her that the project is titled “Becoming” not “Become”.  I explained that the project is the beginning of a process and that very few people will become the disciple we imagine by the end of the term.  I then confessed that I would likely be working on my attribute for the rest of my life. 

At this point it hit me that while we have chosen one attribute to work on; we don’t end up working on just that one attribute alone.  As I work on applying discipline in my life, with the faith that I’ll be blessed for following counsel and commandments, I end up working on several traits by nature of focusing on the one trait. 

During this process I’ve learned to trust more in the Lord and Heavenly Father.  I’ve learned how to be more humble and accepting.  I’ve gained patience and a greater appreciation and understanding for others as well.  I never intended to focus on those traits.  They simply became part of the narrative as I went along.  As I pondered these changes in my life I started to appreciate the people I was reading about in the Book of Mormon. 

For example I’ve finally been able to relate to Nephi.  Prior to this I had always envisioned him as this stalwart servant of God.  But now I see that he worked on obedience and was blessed greatly for that simple act.  I also came to realize that Nephi, like me, was blessed with the things he needed when he needed them.  But he was not always blessed with the things he likely would have wanted at several points.  His example was that he appreciated the blessings and looked beyond the trials.

Another person I was startled to relate to was Amulek.  I remember roughly equating my own conversion to that of Saul and Alma.  I was anti-religion and knew nothing of the gospel (nor did I want to have anything to do with it).  But I had experienced a change of heart like these two men.  I had turned my back on what I was and became a new person.  However I hadn’t had an appreciation for Amulek until recently.

In previous reading I had always imagined Amulek as someone who was basically a good guy and was called by God to aid His prophet.  That was all.  I hadn’t really thought about what he had testified.  Suddenly I could relate to Amulek though.  He had said that he was a man of reputation among his friends.  Yet he then states that he knew nothing of the gospel and had wronged God by not seeking knowledge.  Amulek even nails down the exact date of his conversion (and I like to imagine he would have specified the hour and minute if he would have had a clock available).  This was his way of saying to others, and himself, that he was forever changed from that point forward.   Once again I suddenly felt a kinship with someone in the scriptures. 

This entire process has been a blessing that I didn’t know I needed before I started.  I can look back over the past few months and realize just how hard my heart had become.  I can also see how that affected those I love.  This provided me empathy for Laman and Lemuel and all who did not follow the promptings they were given. 

I’m not claiming to have had a miraculous change of who I am.  I know I still have a lot to work on and a long way to go.  But I now appreciate more of why we’re taught “line upon line, line upon line; here a little, and there a little”.  We don’t need to work on changing all at once.  If we pick one thing then the rest falls into place automatically. 

I keep thinking about how the scripture in 1 Nephi 16:29 applies directly to me where it says “…And thus we see that by small means the Lord can bring about great things.”  The Becoming Project is about picking one small thing to work on in ourselves.  Picking that one small thing then leads to great things in ourselves. 

I’m so thankful for the lessons I’ve learned from this process and I will continue to strengthen these newly found spiritual muscles as I learn to walk before I run.

Battling Ourselves

Photo by Elena Schevardo

This week for Pathway the General Studies class was on family relationships while the Book of Mormon class was on Mosiah 27 through Alma 7.

It's interesting to me to realize that the recording of the Book of Mormon started from family relationships.  If Laman and Lemuel had better relationships with their parents and siblings would there have been such a long, bitter, struggle between these family branches?

Family relationships are a common element in the scriptures.  Cain and Abel, Abraham and Isaac, and even how God is our Heavenly Father.

I remember when The Family Proclamation was read aloud in services in 1995.  I've remembered thinking "duh" when it was read and wondering why it needed to be so formally stated.  Much like other revelation and prophecy it wasn't until much later that the need for this proclamation became apparent.