A Study of the Book of Mormon

Alma 11:21-37 The premise for this very decisive debate between Amulek and Zeezrom, the lawyer, is found in the statement "I shall say nothing which is contrary to the Spirit of the Lord" in verse 22 . In same verse, Zeezrom, the lawyer, states that he will pay Amulek six ontis of silver (see previous post ) if he denies the existence of God. Immediately in verse 23 and 24 , Amulek makes a very bold set of accusations against the accusing lawyer. Perhaps, I shouldn't be looking at Amulek's statements as defensive accusations though. Rather, remembering that he is speaking by the power of the Spirit, these are statements of truth. (This isn't a name-calling competition.) So when Amulek declares Zeezrom to be "a child of hell" perhaps this is statement of realization, even on the part of Amulek. Maybe, the Spirit of the Lord is giving Amulek the words to say in the very moment that he is saying them, offering both instruction and perspective to Amulek as t...

Alma 11:1-22 I finally arrive at chapter 11 of Alma. We have at the beginning of the chapter an explanation of the currency of the day among the Nephites. It is laid out as such: Nephite Coinage Chart Gold Silver Value limnah onti ( vs.22 ) Equal to a senine, a seon, and a shum of gold combined, or equal to a senum, an amnor, and a ezrom of silver combined. (7 senines, 7 senums, or 7 days of work) ( vs. 10, 13 ) shum ezrom 2 seons (4 senines) or 2 amnors (4 senums) ( vs. 9, 12 ) seon amnor 2 senines or 2 senums ( vs. 8, 11 ) antion 3 shiblons, which means it should be 1½ senine ( vs. 19 ) senine senum This is the base measurement from which all other coins are valued. A day's wages for a judge. Also, the worth of a measure of barley and every other kind of grain.( vs. 3, 7 ) shiblon half a senum, half a measure of barley ( vs. 15 ) shiblum half a shiblon (4 shiblums = a senum) ( vs. 16 ) leah half a shiblum (8 leahs = a senum) ( vs. 17 ) In verse 20 , we learn that the motivation...

Alma 7:7-9 This particular injunction resonates with me, probably because of my personal circumstances at the moment. Yet it seems that the personal and individualized instruction tends to be the most universally compelling at the same time. Alma states that the Spirit had said unto him to tell the people of Gideon: Cry unto this people, saying—Repent ye, and prepare the way of the Lord, and walk in his paths, which are straight; for behold, the kingdom of heaven is at hand, and the Son of God cometh upon the face of the earth. ( vs. 9 ) In chapter 9, a different account is found where Alma is among the people of Ammonihah. This time it is the voice of an angel that had instructed Alma:  And now for this cause, that ye may not be destroyed, the Lord has sent his angel to visit many of his people, declaring unto them that they must go forth and cry mightily unto this people, saying: Repent ye, for the kingdom of heaven is nigh at hand; And not many days hence the Son of God sh...

Alma 5:50-62 In the first three verses of this grouping, Alma testifies of things which he has heard of the Holy Spirit. All of these verses suggest that there is a literal division between the righteous and the wicked. The Kingdom of God is coming quickly, wherein the righteous will dwell. Therefore, one ought to repent of his sins and bring forth works of righteousness if he desires to be a part of this kingdom. How will the righteous be distinguished from the wicked? Or in other words, what type of person will inherit the kingdom of heaven. Also I ask myself, amongst what type of people do I want to enjoy of their friendship and company? In the kingdom of heaven, there are the penitent. They are they who desire to follow the voice of the Good Shepherd. ( vs. 57 ) They are they whose names are written in the book of life. ( vs. 58 ) And it will be God who will separate the wicked from among the righteous. ( vs. 59 ) I am impressed by this thought: that in the kingdom of God, there wi...

Alma 5:26-42 I am surprised as I read in this particular part of the chapter to notice how much Alma's words sounded like those of the Savior himself. I don't know why it should have surprised me, given the clarification found in Doctrine and Covenants 1:38 , "Whether by my own voice or the by the voice of my servants, it is the same ," (emphasis added). However, it is striking how much Alma's words sound like the Savior's own words, using phrases such as: "Behold ye must prepare quickly; for the kingdom of heaven is soon at hand, and such an one hath not eternal life." ( vs. 28 ) Compare with Matthew 4:17 - "From that time Jesus began to preach, and to say, Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand." "Come unto me and ye shall partake of the fruit of the tree of life; yea, ye shall eat and drink of the bread and the waters of life freely;" ( vs. 34 ) Compare to John 6:58 - "This is that bread which came down from heave...

Mosiah 4:16-23 On the topic of charitable giving, these verses address erroneous attitudes towards the poor. It is commonplace, at least in my own experience, to rationalize away every petition for charitable assistance. There are some interesting diagnosis of this type of attitude. What strikes me as even more profoundly important is that an attitude of neglect towards the poor is in direct defiance to the work of God: "Whosoever [jugdeth the poor] 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 ." ( vs. 18 , emphasis added) "Whoso mocketh the poor reproacheth his Maker : and he that is glad at calamities shall not be unpunished." ( Proverbs 17:5 , emphasis added) Isaiah 58 is for me one of the most inspiring chapters on charitable giving that is found in holy writ, for it helps me to see the blessing or the fruits that come from engaging in such activities...

Jacob 1 Jacob paints an interesting picture of the state of the Chruch of Christ in his day, some 540 years before the coming of the Messiah. In verse 5 , Jacob observes that because of great faith and much anxiety for the welfare of their own people, they had been shown what would come of their own people. Christ does that for those who sincerely desire to know of and seek after the welfare of their fellowmen. Then in verse 6 , Jacob makes an even more interesting observation: "And we also had many revelations and the spirit of much prophecy; wherefore, we knew of Christ and his kingdom, which should come." I feel that as I read these verses that, because of their diligence and faith, they were lacking in nothing in regards to the spiritual knowledge required to establish the kingdom of God among their own people. This strikes me as being very important for the very fact that time and location are irrelevant in regards to establishing the kingdom of God among a people. Under...