Book of Mormon 5 - “Hearken to the Truth, and Give Heed unto It”

Lesson #5, “Hearken to the Truth, and Give Heed unto It”, highlighted the courage and obedience of Nephi. The stories are those I know well: the Liahona, the broken bow, and the journey to the Promised Land. Although I studied these stories in Sunday School classes and in Seminary, reflecting on the scriptures brought many new insights. I hope to capture some of these insights.

The first scripture that touched my heart was 1 Nephi 17:6: "We had suffered many afflictions and much difficulty, yea, even so much that we cannot write them all". This brought to mind some really bad times that were so bad I could not talk to anyone about them for a very long time. It is heart-breaking to have trials that cannot be written down or discussed.

We recognise the Liahona as a compass, but it is also a type or symbol of Christ and His teachings, according to Alma (Alma 37:44-45). As the Liahona guided Lehi and Ishmael’s families to the Promised Land, according to their faithfulness, so living the teachings of the gospel will lead us back to our Heavenly Father and eternal life. We cannot expect to fast and pray for blessings, if we are not living according to the commandments we have been given. We cannot expect to receive blessings we have not earned.

I acknowledge the power of the story of Nephi’s broken bow. When Nephi broke his bow, it was impossible to hunt for food for the family. Family members were hungry and subsequently, moaned! Would I have moaned under these circumstances? I imagine I would! Even the Prophet Lehi murmured! Nephi made a new wooden bow and an arrow from a straight stick, and then, in humility, asked his father for the direction he should take to find food. This is an awesome example of a strong, competent man, a leader in his own right, turning to his patriarch for guidance. We must never judge our parents or our leaders. They are not perfect, but they have responsibilities and keys given to them. The Lord has given them these keys and responsibilities for a purpose. If the Lord believes in them, who are we to question His wisdom?

My heart also broke for Lehi and Sariah, especially Sariah, on the ship travelling to the Promised Land. Nephi was bound with cords and treated severely for speaking out against his brothers and the daughters of Ishmael, for their levity and rudeness on board ship. In 1Nephi 18:17, we learn that Nephi’s brothers did not tolerate anyone speaking on behalf of Nephi, including his parents. His parents were brought down "upon their sick beds". I can identify with Nephi’s parents. Is there anything more worrying then seeing your children argue and seeing a child in unnecessary agony? The sort of pain you can feel for your children can make you physically ill.

Lesson #5 also had the beginnings of the words of Isaiah that Nephi shared with his family. I always find difficulty understanding Isaiah. I found a reference that helped me understand these chapters. My favourite LDS writer and speaker is John Bytheway. In Gospel Doctrine Prep, 1 Nephi 13-22, John Bytheway makes the Isaiah chapters understandable in a section-by-section analysis. John Bytheway has written a book called “Isaiah for Airheads”. I have ordered this book from Deseret Bookstore and cannot wait to read and understand more about the words of Isaiah!

Book of Mormon 4 - “The Things Which I Saw While I Was Carried Away in the Spirit”

Lesson 4, “The Things Which I Saw While I Was Carried Away in the Spirit”, inspired several periods of deep introspection. These scriptures further inspired me to view Nephi as a hero. He listened to his father, a prophet of God, describe a vision. Instead of being content with merely hearing the word of God from his father, he approached the Lord himself, in faith and prayer. He had the understanding that he was living in such a way that the Lord would answer his prayer. As well as the Tree of Life, Nephi was shown 1,000 years of the future of his own people, the formation of the great and abominable church, the colonisation of the Americas, the Apostasy, the Restoration of the gospel, the fate of the great and abominable church, and the blessings offered to the faithful.

The importance of the American continent and the history of that continent were highlighted in Nephi’s vision. He saw the way the Bible would spread across the globe. He also saw that many plain and precious parts of the gospel would disappear from the Bible. The 4th century historian Eusebious described the process that resulted in parts of the Bible becoming corrupted. He described a vast number of copies of Bible documents, all with their own variations. He said these documents were “altered, by the eagerness of their disciples to insert each one his own corrections, as they call them, i.e. their corruptions....” (Quoted in Millet, R.L., & Jackson, K.P. Studies in Scripture, Vol. 7). The truth in its entirety was removed from the earth. Religious disputes resulted in persecution and war in many parts of the world. Many religious groups sought refuge in America. The signing of the Declaration of Independence and the Revolutionary War provided the environment of religious and personal freedom that would facilitate the restoration of the gospel by the Prophet Joseph Smith.

Our future is in our hands. We are so blessed to have the truthfulness of the gospel. We cannot afford to be complacent. We need to be actively living what we believe. This requires work, effort, determination, faith, and courage. We need to hold close to the Iron Rod and read the scriptures, listen to the prophet and the General Authorities, and apply what we read and hear into our lives. If we are not actively working towards eternity, we may be subject to the temptations of Satan - “The church of the devil is the world; it is all the carnality and evil to which fallen man is heir” (Elder Bruce R. McConkie, Doctrinal New Testament Commentary, Vol. 3). The messages from Nephi, from Elder Bruce R. McConkie, from President Ezra Taft Benson (Teachings of President Ezra Taft Benson), and from our wonderful speakers at Sacrament meeting, all concur – we need to be obedient to the commandments!

Book of Mormon 3 - “The Vision of the Tree of Life”

I enjoyed preparing Lesson 3 of the Book of Mormon, “The Vision of the Tree of Life”. I spent a great deal of time thinking about dreaming and visions. I am a vivid dreamer and have the most unusual dreaming experiences. But, it is true, that the symbols and items that fill my dreams are those that are familiar to me. If Joseph Smith had “written” the Book of Mormon, the visions would have contained symbols that were familiar to him. The nature of the visions testifies to the divine origin of the Book of Mormon. The symbolism is typical of the time in which the prophets Lehi and Nephi lived. Two examples from An Approach to the Book of Mormon by Hugh Nibley refer to 1 Nephi 8:4-8 and 1 Nephi 8:9 & 20. In 1 Nephi 8:4-8, Lehi’s vision is of a lone traveller in a dark and dreary world, who travels for hours until, in desperation, he pleads to the Lord for mercy. This is a common nightmare of the early Arab poet. Yet, the academic study of the poetry of the Arabs of this time period only occurred in the early 20^th century! The same is true of the imagery of a large and spacious field in the second scriptural reference, 1 Nephi 8:9 & 20. The Arab poet used “maidan” to mean the world and to refer to a large and spacious field, a symbol of freedom from fear and oppression.

One dear sister made my Sunday rather exciting by introducing me to the Deseret Bookshelf. I tried in vain to set this up on my phone and tablet – apparently the software on my Samsung devices is not too happy with the Bookshelf! However, I did manage to set it up on my computer. The Bookshelf releases reading references that accompany each of the Sunday lessons. She showed me two very interesting references. The first dealt with the two trees. I still need to find the details. The tree in the Garden of Eden and the tree in Lehi’s vision may indeed be the very same tree! The second reference spoke about the Lord as our sure foundation and Satan as the Lord of the Air – not too strange that the large and spacious building should appear to be floating in the air! Brother Hugh Nibley (in his Collected Works, Volume 6, pages 257-258) describes ancient, grand Arab houses built after the Babylonian style, and first discovered in the 1930s, that were often 10 to 12 stories high, with windows beginning 20 to 50 feet from the ground, for defense. Windows alight, this high off the ground, would give the building the appearance of floating!

Another part of the lesson that made me reflect on my own studying of the scriptures was 1 Nephi 11. Nephi indeed knew the importance of pondering spiritual matters in his heart, as this pondering leads to personal revelation. I need to spend time reflecting on all scriptures that are contained in the lessons, if I am to understand and teach with the Spirit. From Liberty Jail, the Prophet Joseph Smith wrote, “The things of God are of deep import and time, and experience, and careful and ponderous and solemn thoughts can only find them out".

https://www.pinterest.com/sgeorgebriggs/tree-of-life-lehis-dream/

Book of Mormon 2: “All Things According to His Will”

I was able to introduce two inspirational DVDs to my wonderful Gospel Doctrine class today. One was the first Book of Mormon movie about the travels of Lehi’s family. The second was from my very favourite, inspirational Church speaker, John Bytheway. John Bytheway speaks about Nephi on his DVD, Heroes: Lessons from the Book of Mormon. He paints a vivid picture of a true hero. He was strong, obedient, courageous, faithful, and yet incredibly humble. What an inspiration to us all! Throughout my life, as a member of the church, the most influential and memorable scripture from the Book of Mormon has been 1 Nephi 3:7, ““I will go and do the things which the Lord hath commanded, for I know that the Lord giveth no commandments unto the children of men, save he shall prepare a way for them that they may accomplish the thing which he commandeth them.” This scripture has always helped me to accept callings when I felt inadequate and to stick to my principles when faced with opposition.

I thought a lot about the challenges Lehi’s family faced when travelling through the wilderness to the Red Sea. I can understand the complaints of Laman and Lemuel, leaving all their possessions and comforts for the rigours of the journey into the unknown. I can also understand Sariah as she fretted over the safety of her boys making the long journey back to Jerusalem to obtain the Brass Plates. As a mother, I can empathise with her completely. During the week, I directed my Gospel Doctrine class to an article by Maurine Proctor (January 4, 2016) called Book of Mormon Extras Lesson 2 – What was the Real Problem with Laman and Lemuel? This can be found at: http://ldsmag.com/book-of-mormon-extras-lesson-2-what-was-the-real-problem-with-laman-and-lemuel/. Maurine really helped me to think about the complaints that Lehi’s eldest sons so readily made. The less we rely on the Lord and His Spirit to guide us, the more frequent and clamorous our dissatisfaction and complaining will be. This is a great lesson for me. I am a very good moaner. I need to rely on the Spirit and daily show my appreciation for all the blessings I receive.

I shared a delightful quotation from Elder Jeffrey R. Holland with the class today. He said, “I have often thought that Nephi’s being bound with cords and beaten by rods must have been more tolerable to him than listening to Laman and Lemuel’s constant murmuring.  Surely he must have said at least once, “Hit me one more time. I can still hear you.”  Yes, life has its problems, and yes, there are negative things to face, but please accept one of Elder Holland’s maxims for living—no misfortune is so bad that whining about it won’t make it worse.” This is one more quote that I need to remember. I will try for this week to remember Elder Holland’s maxim and apply it in all I do.

Book of Mormon 1: “The Keystone of Our Religion”

I spent some reflecting back on the first lesson from the Book of Mormon, “The Keystone of Our Religion”. Words from President Ezra Taft Benson will change the way I study the Book of Mormon this year. He reminded us that the prophets in the Book of Mormon testified that they wrote for future generations. President Benson suggested that while we read and study, we should ask ourselves, “Why did the Lord inspire Mormon (or Moroni or Alma) to include this in his record? What lesson can I learn to help me live in this day and age?” 

According to President Benson we will receive power to resist temptation, avoid deception, and stay on the straight and narrow path by seriously studying the Book of Mormon. I need this power in my life. President Marion G. Romney listed benefits of reading the Book of Mormon as families: an increase in spirituality, righteousness, faith, hope, and charity; more respect, consideration, reverence, love, and wisdom; and less contention and disobedience. Who could possibly resist seeking these blessings? I love the Book of Mormon!

This week I thought a lot about a time in my life when I learned for myself that the Book of Mormon was true. I was fortunate to be a Seminary student, when Seminary was still in its infancy in New Zealand. My teacher was Brother Ta Po'ona (if I remember correctly, Tauatuku Tetuera Po'ona), and the course of study was the Book of Mormon. This was the year when I discovered for myself the truthfulness of this sacred book of scripture.