A Study of the Book of Mormon

Alma 19:12-13 At the appointed time, king Lamoni awakens from his deep sleep, and there is his wife, the queen, waiting for him. The first words out of his mouth are these: "Blessed be the name of God, and blessed art thou." The first part of this statement makes sense. King Lamoni had just received a powerful witness of the reality of God, but he then gives the same blessing to his wife. Why? I am reminded of the statement of Nephi's brother Jacob, "Behold, the Lamanites your brethren... their husbands love their wives, and their wives love their husbands; and their husbands and their wives love their children... and one day they shall become a blessed people." ( Jacob 3:5-7 ) King Lamoni goes on to testify that he had seen his Redeemer, and then emphasis three points: "and he shall come forth," "and be born of a woman," "and he shall redeem all mankind who believe on his name." ( vs. 13 ) These are curious points of testimony for ...

Alma 15 This chapter addresses something that I feel that I am not very good at: ministering to the sick and the poor. The story of Zeezrom also concludes in this chapter, he (having been taken gravely ill) being the key player to whom Alma administered to. (Side note: In times past, my wife and I have also discussed this chapter as evidence of how sin and one's mental and emotional state can have a direct impact on the physical well being of an individual.) After Alma and Amulek's miraculous deliverance from the prison at Ammonihah, they were commanded to leave that town. ( vs. 1 ) At Sidom, many of those who believed the preaching of Alma and Amulek had resorted there, and at Alma's arrival they learned of the fate of the wives and children, and also their own miraculous deliverance. The first case study in this chapter is Zeezrom. Zeezrom is fully convinced that Alma and Amulek were no more and that their destruction rested fully upon his own shoulders. The mental and sp...

Alma 11:41-46 These verse contain, in all of scripture, one of the most comprehensive declarations on the Resurrection, its purpose and  nature. Purpose of the Resurrection "for behold, the day cometh that all shall rise from the dead and stand before God, and be judged according to their works." ( vs. 41 ) "and we shall be brought to stand before God, knowing even as we know now, and have a bright recollection of all our guilt." ( vs. 43 ) "and shall be brought and be arraigned before the bar of Christ the Son, and God the Father, and the Holy Spirit, which is one Eternal God, to be judged according to their works, whether they be good or whether they be evil." ( vs. 44 ) Nature of the Resurrection "Therefore the wicked remain as though there had been no redemption made, except it be the loosing of the bands of death;"  ( vs. 41 ) "Now, there is a death which is called a temporal death; and the death of Christ shall loose the bands of this ...

Alma 11:40-41 After explaining the truly prominent and omnipotent position that Christ possesses in the grand plan of life, Amulek goes on to explain how Christ's mission is to "redeem his people and... take upon him the transgressions of those who believe upon his name." ( vs 40 ) There is a chilling declaration in vs. 41 , "Therefore the wicked remain as though there had been no redemption made." A footnote on the verse asks this question: For what doth it profit a man if a gift is bestowed upon him, and he receive not the gift? Behold, he rejoices not in that which is given unto him, neither rejoices in him who is the giver of the gift. ( Doctrine and Covenants 88:33 ) One cannot appreciate the Atonement of Christ until one has received of its power and tasted of its influence, and been healed. But oh what joy and peace that gift does bring! 

Jacob 6 In verse 5 , Jacob commands his brethren to "cleave unto God as he cleaveth unto you." The association illustrates a truth that I seldom would consider: God already has an intimate, personal relationship with me. I know that this goes along the lines of a supreme being who knows all my thoughts and actions, but something strikes me as exceptionally personal in that omniscience, not as a removed, observational unit. Really, it makes sense. Why would someone want to know everything about you or me, without being intimately concerned for your well being and safety. Footnotes on cleave lead to the account of Hezekiah , king of Judah, and his interactions with Assyria. Isaiah was prophet during the reign of Hezekiah. He offered spiritual strength to Hezekiah to withstand the tenacious cries of the messenger of the king of Assyria, who repeatedly came down from Assyria threatening Hezekiah with destruction if they did not submit to their rule. What was more, the messenger f...

Jacob 4:14-18 There are several interesting thoughts presented in these final verses that could be each treated individually. For example, verse 14 talks about God ultimately allowing all of his children to do what they will do, even if it will lead to their destruction. "...And because they desired it God hath done it, that they may stumble." Not that God will take away the consequences of bad behavior, but He does work according to our desires. On the the flip side, if our desires are God's desires, then how great are the blessings that will result. Another interesting thought: the stone, or the sure foundation, which God had given the Jews to build upon. When Jacob gave this prophecy, he was anticipating that the Jews would reject "the stone upon which they might build and have safe foundation." ( vs. 15 ) Jacob goes further to say that this stone is the only way that God will provide for their redemption. Jacob also knows that God will redeem His people. So...

As an addendum to my last post , I've found another scripture that parallels Job's and Jacob's (brother of Nephi) statements about the resurrection (see Job 19:26 , 2 Nephi 9:4 ). This one says nearly the same thing as the others, only the context of this declaration is significant. In Moses 5:10 , Adam states, "Blessed be the name of God, for because of my transgression my eyes are opened, and in this life I shall have joy, and again in the flesh I shall see God." This is father Adam, the head of the human race, when he had finally come to understand the meaning of his fall from the Garden of Eden. In verses previous to this, Adam had learned that salvation was made available to him on conditions of repentance and faith on the Son of God. Though he had been separated from the presence of God, this new knowledge of God's plan for the human family allowed him to understand that at some future date he could be restored to physically and spiritually live in the p...

2 Nephi 2:5 & 6 I've combed through the cross references to verses 5 & 6 this morning, and found myself concluding that man is fallen, and would be always, unless he come to rely wholly upon Jesus Christ (see 1 Nephi 10:6 ). The absoluteness of this simple statement is impressed upon me again. As mortals we are given enough to understand that alone man is carnal, subject to the effects of a broken law, and hopelessly consigned to a fate of misery and death. Only by exercising faith in the merits of Christ can we leave that consignment. Christ is the sure road to salvation. And besides Him alone, there is no other way. This absolute dependence upon my Savior is somehow what I lack yet.

2 Nephi 1:13-23 The natural course for one who has experienced the joy of redemption is to extend those blessings to others. In fact, it becomes their "obsession" to see that the opportunities for salvation are extended to all. This is where Lehi is found: having partaken of the glories of God -- receiving the assurance of salvation for himself -- and now he longs (with that affection that only a parent could feel for a child) that every member of his family be the recipients of the same blessings and promises. Lehi uses phrases like "Awake"and "arise from the dust" to illustrate to his sons their failure to partake of the glories of God--vivid descriptions of the perilous course that his older sons had chosen to follow.