A Study of the Book of Mormon

Mosiah 18:8-10 I am working to commit this well know passage of scripture to memory. What follows are some of the thoughts and impressions that have come to me in the process of so doing. This verse is frequently quoted out of context as the definitive definition of why we are baptized. That is well. I appreciate however having the historical background fresh in my mind as I study it. The first aspect of the baptismal covenant that impresses me is the commitment to "bear one another's burdens, that they may be light." I was baptized a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints when I was eight years old. I did not understand, nor do I hardly remember the events on the day of my baptism. However, as I look back at the covenant's significance and the promises that were extended to me, it helps me to understand why my life has taken the course which it has. This point has been reinforced and driven home in several ways over the past week. In a recent leade...

Mosiah 4:24-30 In these verse, King Benjamin has a few more words to say in regards to caring for the poor. These words however are curious in that he is addressing those who are poor (in material goods) and how they ought to approach charitable giving. He concludes that group of verses by say that "all things should be done in wisdom and order; for it is not requisite that a man run faster than he has strength." He goes on to say that diligence is required, concluding that "all things must be done in order." ( verse 27 ) At the end of the chapter, King Benjamin makes an impassioned plea to avoid sin in all its forms. The responsibility is ultimately individual. "Watch yourselves." The footnote leads to Deuteronomy 4:9(6-9) , wherein Moses is reminding the children of Israel the distinct advantage that they have over all other nations. He asks them, "For what nation is there so great, who hath God so nigh unto them, as the Lord our God is in all thin...

2 Nephi 15:17 "Then..." After the destruction of the wicked and after the Lord is exalted in righteousness. "shall the lambs..." The disciples of Christ; the followers of the Good Shepherd. "feed after their manner..." The real question here is whom does "their" refer to? It is in reference to the wicked who had been destroyed. We've read in earlier verses that the unrighteous have these great feasts, but their indictment was that they did not remember the Lord their God. The sheep then, the followers of Christ, are the privileged recipients of those blessings that were first enjoyed by the wicked. The second half of the verse reaffirms this point even more clearly: "And the waste places of the fat ones shall strangers eat." There is an interesting cross reference to this verse in Isaiah 10:16 which reads: "Therefore shall the Lord, the Lord of hosts, send among his fat ones leanness; and under his glory he shall kindle a bur...

Mormon 8 Moroni starts to write. Vs. 6 - Prophecy complete. Alma 45:10 Vs. 10 - After having had explained that only Lamanites and robbers remained in the land, he says this, "and there are none who know the true God..." that's quite the distinction! He did not say there were no saints (though I suppose a true saint does know God). This separation defines those that will make it to the Celestial Kingdom. Vs. 11 - The three disciples of Christ serve as teachers to the prophets and apostles, among other things. They ministered to Mormon and Moroni. (I'm sure their instruction is tremendously useful, insightful.) Vs. 14 - How interesting and yet how true it is. The Gold Plates, though made of gold, have no worth ($), because the Lord has said it... that no man will get gain from those plates. And so it is!