Book of Mormon 121
Day 2
I feel certain that if, in our homes, parents will read from the Book of Mormon prayerfully and regularly, both by themselves and with their children, the spirit of that great book will come to permeate our homes and all who dwell therein. The spirit of reverence will increases; mutual respect and consideration for each other will grow. The spirit of contention will depart. Parents will counsel their children in greater love and wisdom. Children will be more responsive and submissive to the counsel of their parents. Righteousness will increase. Faith, hope, and charity-the pure love of Christ-will abound in our homes and lives, bringing in their wake peace, joy, and happiness" (Marion G. Romney, Ensign, May 1980, p. 67 also E.T. Benson, Ensign, Nov. 1986, p. 7.)
1. Outside Reading - Book of the Week, "Doctrinal Commentary on the Book of Mormon, Vol 1-4" Joseph Fielding McConkie, Robert Millet & Brent Top.
2. The Title page of the Book of Mormon is a literal translation taken from the very last leaf on the left hand side of the collection or book of plates. (HC 1:71; TPJS p. 7)
In the 1840 and 1852 editions of the Book of Mormon the name Moroni was placed after the 2nd paragraph suggesting that he was the author of the title page, or at least of that paragraph, but his name has not appeared there in all subsequent printings. (RJMatthews, "Nurturing Faith Through the Book of Mormon", p. 117)
3. Gary's Green Verses
Date | Reference | Fav. Verse | |
Jan. 19 | 1 Nephi 19 | 23 | Liken Scriptures THAT it might be for profit & learning |
Jan. 20 | 1 Nephi 20 | 10 | The Lord chooses us from our trials & afflictions |
Jan. 21 | 1 Nephi 21 | 25 | The Lord will help fight my battles and will SAVE MY CHILDREN |
Jan. 22 | 1 Nephi 22 | 17 | The righteous need not fear. I need to stay righteous. |
Jan. 23 | 2 Nephi 1 | 21 | My decisions affect not only me, but those who love me & those who I love |
Jan. 24 | 2 Nephi 2 | 2 | God consecrates our afflictions for our gain |
Jan. 25 | 2 Nephi 3 | 12 | The Bible & the Book of Mormon together confound false doctrines |
Jan. 26 | 2 Nephi 4 | 15 | I delight in the scriptures & ponder them & pray they will bless my children |
4. Here's a thought regarding our discussions last week in class about
different ideas/topics and how we could mark our scriptures related to
those ideas or topics when reading the BOM.
After reading and re-reading Nephi's vision and slowly gaining an idea
of how important the Tree of Life portion of the vision is to the
whole BOM/us, it would be fun to read the BOM with the Tree of Life
symbols in mind and color code each one and then color code the
different scriptures that are related to the symbols.
different ideas/topics and how we could mark our scriptures related to
those ideas or topics when reading the BOM.
After reading and re-reading Nephi's vision and slowly gaining an idea
of how important the Tree of Life portion of the vision is to the
whole BOM/us, it would be fun to read the BOM with the Tree of Life
symbols in mind and color code each one and then color code the
different scriptures that are related to the symbols.
5. FIFTEEN THINGS I HAVE LEARNED FROM FIRST NEPHI
1. The importance of being a goodly father. (1 Nephi 1:1; Enos 1:1; Mosiah 1:2; D&C 68:25-27; Genesis 18:18-19). What have I learned because of who my father is? Who is under afflicted? How would one know if he was "highly favored" ? What would consittute great knowledge of the goodness and the mysteries of God? What comes after the "therefore" for us?
2. Outline each chapter in the Book of Mormon? Start with Chapter one. A. prayer B. vision of Father and Son C. Book given to prophet D. Prophet tells people contents of Book E. Prophet’s life threatened.
3. Nephi's Mission Statement. (1 Nephi 1:20b) How does the rest of 1 Nephi substantiate Nephi's statement of purpose?
4. Remember Elder Bednar's talk on the tender mercies in April Conference 2005? " "Six months ago, I stood at this pulpit for the first time as the newest member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. Both then and even more so now, I have felt and feel the weight of the call to serve and of the responsibility to teach with clarity and to testify with authority. I pray for and invite the assistance of the Holy Ghost as I now speak with you. This afternoon I want to describe and discuss a spiritual impression I received a few moments before I stepped to this pulpit during the Sunday morning session of general conference last October. Elder Dieter F. Uchtdorf had just finished speaking and had declared his powerful witness of the Savior. Then we all stood together to sing the intermediate hymn that previously had been announced by President Gordon B. Hinckley. The intermediate hymn that morning was “Redeemer of Israel” (Hymns, no. 6). Now, the music for the various conference sessions had been determined many weeks before—and obviously long before my new call to serve. If, however, I had been invited to suggest an intermediate hymn for that particular session of the conference—a hymn that would have been both edifying and spiritually soothing for me and for the congregation before my first address in this Conference Center—I would have selected my favorite hymn, “Redeemer of Israel.” Tears filled my eyes as I stood with you to sing that stirring hymn of the Restoration."
4. How to gain a testimony- 1 Nephi 2:16-17; D&C 46:13-14; President Packer's talk in Oct. 2011 General Conference, Sat. AM session to the youth. Elder Walker?
5. Cognate accusatives and construct state 2:23; 3:3
6. 1 Nephi 4:2 - D&C 20:11; Robert L. Millet- Another Testament of Christ and of the Bible.
7. 1 Nephi 5:4 - BYU student and divorce
8. 5:17-22 - The Plates of Brass were preserved for the Nephites just like the BOM was for us.
9. 7:21 James E. Faust and the Underwoods - Ensign May 1994, p. 6-7 In the listening audience today are Jeff and Joyce Underwood of Pocatello, Idaho. They are parents of Jeralee and their other five children. Jeff works on a building maintenance team that cares for some of our chapels in Pocatello, Idaho. Joyce is a mother and homemaker. One day last July, their daughter Jeralee, age eleven, was going door to door collecting money for her newspaper route. Jeralee never returned home—not that day, nor the next day, nor the next, nor ever. Two thousand people from the area had gone out day after day to search for her. Other churches sent support and food for the searchers. It was learned that Jeralee had been abducted and brutally murdered by an evil man. When her body was found, the whole city was horrified and shocked. All segments of the community reached out to Joyce and Jeff in love and sympathy. Some became angry and wanted to take vengeance. After Jeralee’s body was found, Jeff and Joyce appeared with great composure before the television cameras and other media to publicly express their profound thanks to all who had helped in the search and who had extended sympathy and love. Joyce said, “I know our Heavenly Father has heard and answered our prayers, and he has brought our daughter back to us.” Jeff said, “We no longer have doubt about where she is.” Joyce continued, “I have learned a lot about love this week, and I also know there is a lot of hate. I have looked at the love and want to feel that love, and not the hate. We can forgive.” Elder Joe J. Christensen and I, representing the General Authorities, were among the thousands privileged to attend Jeralee’s funeral service. The Holy Spirit blessed that gathering in a remarkable way and spoke peace to the souls of all who attended. Later, President Kert W. Howard, Jeralee’s stake president, wrote, “The Underwoods have received letters from people both in and out of the Church stating that they prayed for Jeralee, and they hadn’t prayed in years, and because of this, they had a renewed desire to return to the Church.” President Howard continued, “We will never know the extent of activation and rededication this single event has caused. Who knows the far-reaching effects Jeralee’s life will have for generations untold.” Many have come into the Church because they wanted to know what kind of a religion could give the Underwoods their spiritual strength. I mention the good coming from this tragic event with Jeralee’s parents’ full approval and encouragement. Their sweet daughter was like the lad who had only five barley loaves and two small fishes to give to the cause of the Savior, but by the power of God, countless thousands have been spiritually fed. I testify that the gospel we teach is the “power of God unto salvation” for all who listen and obey (Rom. 1:16), regardless of their talents and abilities, in the name of Jesus Christ, amen. (Lady in my Ed. Week Class)
10. 1 Nephi 8:7-12 - Dark and dreary waste. Note that Lehi didn't get to the tree by holding on to the rod. (note vs. 8 on prayer) then vs. 12- My green verse. "Do you spend as much time making your family and home successful as you do in pursuing social and professional success? Are you devoting your best creative energy to the most important unit in society-the family? Or is your relationship with your family merely a routine, unrewarding part of life? (Joseph Fielding Smith, Ensign, January, 1971-1st issue of Ensign, inside front cover) Also "You can't lift another until we are on higher ground." (Harold B. Lee) "In some cases....parents are desperately tring to bring back some in their family who have wandered. I am confident that there will be, increasingly, a reward given by God for their efforts. Those who never give up will find that God never gave up and that He will help them." (HBEyring, Ensign, May 2008, p. 20-24)
10. Chapter 8 and the four kinds of people and the 4 kinds of soils in the parable of the sower.
9. Ch. 8 - "Nibley suggested that the elements of Lehi's dream scenery were made up of the images that surrounded him: that is natural enough, for men to dream by night of the things they see by day-that is what makes Lehi's dream so convincing as authentic testimony. He explains, "Long ago Sigmund Freud showed that dreams are symbolic, that they take their familiar material from everyday life and use them to express the dreamer's real thoughts and desires...the peculiar materials of which Lehi's dreams are made, the images, situations, and dreams-scenery which though typical come from the desert world in which Lehi was wandering" (Lehi in the Wilderness, p. 40)
10. The tree - Since ancient times, palm branches have symbolized victory and kingship. In the Near East the king had been associated with the image of a sacred tree. Indeed, Lehi's dream of a tree representing the divine king, Jesus Christ, was perfectly in harmony with the Near East imagery of the day. The heavenly origin of kingship is already attested in the earliest Mesopotamian cultures. In both Sumerian and Babylonian mythology, it is expressed allegorically with the image of a tree planted upon earth by the mother goddess, Inanna/Ishtar. The sacred tree, usually represented in the form of a stylized palm tree growing on a mountain, is the most common decorative motif in Assyrian royal iconography. . . For the Assyrians the palm tree was the earthly representation of the cosmic tree that linked heaven and earth and as such represented a king who did the same. For the inhabitants of ancient Arabia, the palm also represented the Tree of Life. (Lehi in the Wilderness, p. 44-45)
11. Dreams- “Oh I’m not here to tell you that every dream you have is a direct revelation from the Lord-it may be fried liver and onions that may have been responsible for an upset nervous disorder. But I fear that in this age of sophistication there are those of us who are prone to rule out all dreams as of no purpose, and of no moment....Let me read you what Parley P. Pratt said about this matter. ‘In all ages and dispensations God has revealed many important instructions and warnings to men by means of dreams. When the outward organs of thought and perception are released from their activity, the nerves unstrung, the whole of mortal humanity lies hushed in quiet slumbers in order to renew its strength and vigor, it is then that the spiritual organs are at liberty in a certain degree to assume their wanted functions....Their kindred spirits, their guardian angels, then hover about them with the fondest affection, the most anxious solicitude, Spirit communes with spirit, thought meets thought, and blends with soul, in all the raptures of mutual pure and eternal love. In this situation the spiritual organs....our spirit body has eyes to see, ears to hear, tongue to speak, and so on....the spiritual organs are susceptible of converse with Deity, or of communion with angels, and the spirits of just men made perfect. In this situation we frequently hold communion with our departed father, mother, brother, sister, son or daughter, or with the former husband or wife of our bosom whose affections for us, being rooted and grounded in the eternal elements, issuing from under the sanctuary of love’s eternal fountain can never be lessened or diminished by death, distance of space, or length of years.’ When we begin to understand that, beyond sight, as Brigham Young said, is the spirit world right here round about us. If our spiritual eyes could be open, we could see others visiting with us, directing us. And if we will learn not to be so sophisticated that we rule out that possibility of impressions from those who are beyond sight, then we too may have a dream that may direct us as a revelation. (Harold B. Lee. BYU Devotional, Oct. 15, 1952)
12. 8:27 "Being popular can become narcotic. We can come to crave it and to need the frequent ‘fixes’ brought by the world’s praise and caresses of recognition. A turned head bows much less easily. Popularity is dangerous especially because it focuses us on ourselves rather than keeping us attentive to the needs of others. We become preoccupied with self and with being noticed, letting those in real need ‘pass by’ us, and we ‘notice them not’ (Mormon 8:39) ....To like being liked for its own sake is unhealthy. Similarly, overmuch concern with public image can cause us to rearrange priorities rather than striving to have Jesus’ image in our countenance (see Alma 5:14,19)....The narrow and straight way that leads to salvation, alas, is the path less traveled by. Hence, there is no way we can both move with the herd and also move toward Jesus. Nevertheless there are some who try to serve the Lord without offending the devil....Firm followers of Jesus, therefore, will not be mere chameleons-adopting their colors to match the ever-changing circumstances by simply blending in.” (Neal A. Maxwell, Ensign, May 1995 p.15)
13. 1 Nephi 11:1 - Note the Desire, Believe, Ponder formula. Remember Joseph Smith and the 1st Vision. Joseph and Sidney and D&C 76 and Joseph F. Smith and D&C 138. "The Lord seldom encourages or commands us to merely read the scriptures. He and his prophets use such terms as "search" (John 5:39; 3 Nephi 23:1, 5; D&C 1:37); "meditate" (Joshua 1:8; 1 Timothy 4:15; D&C 76:19); "study" (D&C 11:22; 26:1; 88:118); "ponder" (2 Nephi 4:15; 3 Nephi 17:3; D&C 88:62, 71; 138:1, 11); "reflect upon" (D&C 138:2; JSH 1:12); "feast upon" (2 Nephi 31:20; 32:3; Alma 32:42), and "trasure up" (D&C 84:85; JS-M 1:37).( Ogden, Verse by Verse, p. 50)
14. 1 Nephi 11:16-36 - Condescend means to descend or come down to be with. The doctrine of the son ship of Jesus is fundamental to our religion. Otherwise, how could Jesus have power to lay down and take up His life. (John 10:17-18)
15. 1 Nephi 13 - The Great and Abominable Church- Apostate Christianity, Nazism, Communism, Drug Cartels, Secular Humanism, radical religious groups, Near Eastern groups, and ?
16. Author: Hanson, Louise G. - Encyclopedia of Mormonism - "Latter-day Saints generally regard Columbus as having fulfilled a prophecy contained early in the Book of Mormon. Nephi 1 recorded a vision of the future of his father's descendants. After foreseeing the destruction of his own seed, Nephi beheld a gentile "separated from the seed of my brethren by the many waters," and saw that the Spirit of God "came down and wrought upon the man; and he went forth upon the many waters, even unto the seed of my brethren, who were in the Promised Land" (1 Ne. 13:12). Nephi appears to give an accurate account of Columbus's motives. Even though he was well-acquainted with the sciences of his day and his voyages have been viewed by some historians as primarily an economic triumph of Spain over Portugal, Columbus apparently had bigger motives for his voyage and felt himself spiritually driven to discover new lands. Newly acknowledged documents show that medieval eschatology, the scriptures, and divine inspiration were the main forces compelling him to sail. His notes in the works of Pierre d'Ailly and his own unfinished Book of Prophecies substantiate his apocalyptic view of the world and his feelings about his own prophetic role. Among the themes of this book was the conversion of the heathen. Columbus quoted Seneca, "The years will come…when the Ocean will loose the bonds by which we have been confined, when an immense land shall lie revealed" (Watts, p. 94). He believed himself chosen by God to find that land and deliver the light of Christianity to the natives there. He was called Christoferens (the Christ-bearer). A map contemporaneous with his voyages depicts him bearing the Christ child on his shoulders across the waters. He believed that he was to help usher in the age of "one fold, and one shepherd," citing John 10:16(cf. 3 Ne. 15:21), and spoke of finding "the new heaven and new earth." Writing to King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella to gain financial support, Columbus testified that a voice had told him he had been watched over from infancy to prepare him for discovering the Indies. He felt that he was given divine keys to ocean barriers that only he could unlock (Merrill, p. 135). In a second letter, he emphasized his prophetic role: "Reason, mathematics, and maps of the world were of no use to me in the execution of the enterprise of the Indies. What Isaiah said [e.g., Isa. 24:15] was completely fulfilled" (Watts, p. 96). Unknowingly, Columbus also fulfilled Nephi's prophecy. 17. 1 Nephi 17:55 - Testimony and Barbara Bakody
18. 1 Nephi 18:9 - Music and the Spirit D&C 136:28
19. - 1 Nephi 22:16-17 During my life I have had many experiences of being guided in what I should do and in being protected from injury and also from evil. The Lord’s protecting care has shielded me from the evil acts of others and has also protected me from surrendering to my own worst impulses. I enjoyed that protection one warm summer night on the streets of Chicago. I have never shared this experience in public. I do so now because it is a persuasive illustration of my subject. My wife, June, had attended a ward officers’ meeting. When I came to drive her home, she was accompanied by a sister we would take home on our way. She lived in the nearby Woodlawn area, which was the territory of a gang called the Blackstone Rangers. I parked at the curb outside this sister’s apartment house and accompanied her into the lobby and up the stairs to her door. June remained in the car on 61st Street. She locked all of the doors, and I left the keys in the ignition in case she needed to drive away. We had lived on the south side of Chicago for quite a few years and were accustomed to such precautions. Back in the lobby, and before stepping out into the street, I looked carefully in each direction. By the light of a nearby streetlight, I could see that the street was deserted except for three young men walking by. I waited until they were out of sight and then walked quickly toward our car. As I came to the driver’s side and paused for June to unlock the door, I saw one of these young men running back toward me. He had something in his right hand, and I knew what it would be. There was no time to get into the car and drive away before he came within range. Fortunately, as June leaned across to open the door, she glanced through the back window and saw this fellow coming around the end of the car with a gun in his hand. Wisely, she did not unlock the door. For the next two or three minutes, which seemed like an eternity, she was a horrified spectator to an event happening at her eye level, just outside the driver’s window. The young man pushed the gun against my stomach and said, “Give me your money.” I took the wallet out of my pocket and showed him it was empty. I wasn’t even wearing a watch I could offer him because my watchband had broken earlier that day. I offered him some coins I had in my pocket, but he growled a rejection. “Give me your car keys,” he demanded. “They are in the car,” I told him. “Tell her to open the car,” he replied. For a moment I considered the new possibilities that would present, and then refused. He was furious. He jabbed me in the stomach with his gun and said, “Do it, or I’ll kill you.” Although this event happened twenty-two years ago, I remember it as clearly as if it were yesterday. I read somewhere that nothing concentrates the mind as wonderfully as having someone stand in front of you with a deadly weapon and tell you he intends to kill you. When I refused, the young robber repeated his demands, this time emphasizing them with an angrier tone and more motion with his gun. I remember thinking that he probably wouldn’t shoot me on purpose, but if he wasn’t careful in the way he kept jabbing that gun into my stomach, he might shoot me by mistake. His gun looked like a cheap one, and I was nervous about its firing mechanism. “Give me your money.” “I don’t have any.” “Give me your car keys.” “They’re in the car.” “Tell her to open the car.” “I won’t do it.” “I’ll kill you if you don’t.” “I won’t do it.” Inside the car June couldn’t hear the conversation, but she could see the action with the gun. She agonized over what she should do. Should she unlock the door? Should she honk the horn? Should she drive away? Everything she considered seemed to have the possibility of making matters worse, so she just waited and prayed. Then a peaceful feeling came over her. She felt it would be all right. Then, for the first time, I saw the possibility of help. From behind the robber, a city bus approached. It stopped about twenty feet away. A passenger stepped off and scurried away. The driver looked directly at me, but I could see that he was not going to offer any assistance. While this was happening behind the young robber, out of his view, he became nervous and distracted. His gun wavered from my stomach until its barrel pointed slightly to my left. My arm was already partly raised, and with a quick motion I could seize the gun and struggle with him without the likelihood of being shot. I was taller and heavier than this young man, and at that time of my life was somewhat athletic. I had no doubt that I could prevail in a quick wrestling match if I could get his gun out of the contest. Just as I was about to make my move, I had a unique experience. I did not see anything or hear anything, but I knew something. I knew what would happen if I grabbed that gun. We would struggle, and I would turn the gun into that young man’s chest. It would fire, and he would die. I also understood that I must not have the blood of that young man on my conscience for the rest of my life. I relaxed, and as the bus pulled away I followed an impulse to put my right hand on his shoulder and give him a lecture. June and I had some teenage children at that time, and giving lectures came naturally. “Look here,” I said. “This isn’t right. What you’re doing just isn’t right. The next car might be a policeman, and you could get killed or sent to jail for this.” With the gun back in my stomach, the young robber replied to my lecture by going through his demands for the third time. But this time his voice was subdued. When he offered the final threat to kill me, he didn’t sound persuasive. When I refused again, he hesitated for a moment and then stuck the gun in his pocket and ran away. June unlocked the door, and we drove off, uttering a prayer of thanks. We had experienced the kind of miraculous protection illustrated in the Bible stories I had read as a boy. I have often pondered the significance of that event in relation to the responsibilities that came later in my life. Less than a year after that August night, I was chosen as president of Brigham Young University. Almost fourteen years after that experience, I received my present calling. I am grateful that the Lord gave me the vision and strength to refrain from trusting in the arm of flesh and to put my trust in the protecting care of our Heavenly Father. I am grateful for the Book of Mormon promise to us of the last days that “the righteous need not fear,” for the Lord “will preserve the righteous by his power.” (1 Ne. 22:17.) I am grateful for the protection promised to those who have kept their covenants and qualified for the blessings promised in sacred places.
