Ether 8 - Secret Combinations

If the account the Savior’s visit to the children of Lehi is the apex of the Book of Mormon, Ether 8 is the nadir. In it is the account of the formation of a secret combination that destroys the Jaredites. This practice of conspiring to trade blood for money and fame destroyed the Nephites and Lamanites. It is also destroying us.

Along the way, it is a powerful example that gross wickedness is not only a man’s game. Both sexes are capable of committing horrible sin. In this instance this great evil is inspired by a daughter who’s ambition was to please her father. Talk about twisted values!

The casual nature of marriage and polygamy in the Jaredite culture comes to light in this story. From Akish’ stature and prominence, he surely was already married when he asked for the daughter of Jared. Yet the simple act of dancing… it must have been quite the dance, was enough to inspire him to want her. It says something about him too for I doubt he was thinking, "she will be a great mother for my children," as she gyrated in front of him.

I can’t help but think, Moroni felt passionately about this episode, for it was a secret combination that destroyed his people and took from him everything in this life he valued. He wants us to know just how deadly dangerous these are. He saw our day, he knew from painful, personal experience their true nature. And so, across the centuries he warns us to be more wise than they were.

Will we?

Conference notes 2015

I don’t know about you, but this past conference was the most amazing one I’ve experienced in my life! From the tremendous outpouring of the Spirit to the timeliness of the messages, I’ve never seen a conference like this one. More than once, I commented at how quickly it seemed each session passed.

Each conference session zoomed by leaving me at the end wondering where the time went. Yet when I look back on the speaker list, each session contained a full set of talks. (Although, Priesthood meeting was one of the shortest I recall.) As I’ve started playing them on my computer, they do take the full two hour time, but sitting through the sessions, none seemed that long. Like a good movie or book when each was over, I was left yearning for more.

There are some amazing highlights though…

Elder Schwitzer’s talk on the need for disciples who boldly bare their testimonies. President Eyering’s talk on the Holy Ghost. Elder Anderson’s talk on faith. Elder Christofferson’s talk on the need for an organized church. And President Nelson’s talk on the role and need for covenant keeping women in the church.

There are so many stellar talks, each session contains gems worth studying again and again. Take the time… make the time… it will be well spent.

For myself, I plan on ponderizing the scriptures, on being a living witness of the Gospel to my family and having a conversation with each child that starts like this: “I was your age once, I’m in your corner and anytime you’d like to talk, I’m here for you…”

Ether 6-7 - The pattern begins

Once in the New World, the people begin to grow and flourish. With the passing of the years, as it is with all men, Jared and his brother age and face death. They see something must be done to provide some societal order for their posterity and that of those who traveled with them.

What happens next foreshadows of an event that will happen many years in the future among the House of Israel when they clamor for a king. As the prophet Samuel warned, Jared’s brother laments, “surely this thing leadeth into captivity.” None of his sons agree to be king, in fact, between the two men, only one, Jared’s son Orihah, agrees to be king.

While he's righteous, after just a few generations, all the things Jared’s brother warned of, come to pass. The rest of the chapter has the same pattern of events which eventually lead to their entire destruction: prosperity, pride, wickedness then judgement from God. It's a multi-generational chain of one sibling rising against the other to take the kingdom from his father. And so it goes until Shule wherein the prophets warn the people, “repent or be destroyed.” In this instance, they hearken to them and repent.

A big reason why they do, is Shule gives the prophets the political or government approval and protection to preach. Thus protected, they are able to reach and convert and convince enough people to avert the prophesied destruction. But at the end of this, the stage is set for Akish which will be the subject of a future post.

There 4-5 - A Promise to Us

It’s fascinating to read the Book of Mormon, especially when something you’ve read for years jumps out at you and for a moment… it’s new and fresh. That happened for me as I read Ether 4-5 today.

Ether 5 is a note from Moroni to the latter-day translator of the book, Joseph Smith. I won’t say more on that. Ether 4 is filled with the words of Christ to us the readers of this book. In it the Savior is speaking to us and Moroni's voice is no where present in the most of the chapter.

Two things stand out: one is the declaration that the rest of what Jared’s brother saw has been withheld from us because of our unbelief and that it will be revealed only when we repent and rend the veil of unbelief. The first time I read this, it seemed to be written to us all, but this morning as I read verse eleven, it became personal.

“But he that believeth these things which I have spoken, him will I visit with the manifestations of my Spirit and he shall know and bear record.” This is a promise that if we believe the Book of Mormon, and live its teachings by repenting and praying to the Lord often, then by the power of the Holy Ghost, we can learn these hidden truths.

How cool is that! And with conference coming… it’s a perfect time to start.

Ether 3 - The Lord Speaks to the Brother of Jared

Heavenly Father used the need for light as a way to prepare Jared's brother to see the pre-mortal Savior. As I commented in the previous posting, God knew exactly what He was doing when He pushed the question back on him.

One take away from this is God doesn’t always telegraph His intentions. So our best attitude when interacting with Him is one of gratitude, faith, patience, and trust.

Another take away is when you ask for anything from God, you just never know what it is you’re going to get in reply. In this case Jared’s brother, not only saw the Lord’s finger, he saw His entire spirit body and then the whole history of man on the Earth. He’s then told to write it down but to tell no one what he saw. As a result, the Jaredites never knew of this remarkable encounter.

My guess is only trusted prophets, who kept the records knew, if anyone did, of what they contained. I say that because Ether had to know what was in them to include them in the twenty-four plates which Limhi’s party found. Not to mention, Alma warned Helaman about their contents and that it should not go to the people. Then again, there’s nothing to state the 24 plates were all the same nor that they were made at the same time. The only known transposing of the record is when Moroni wrote the account into the Book of Mormon. We do know in 3 Nephi, Mormon says he’s told not to write all that he knows because our faith needs to be tested. Surely some of what he withheld is the rest of this revelation.

Who's to say the history of mankind upon the earth is what’s in the sealed part? I think it is, but we’re not in a position nor frame of mind to deal with it. As I’ve said before, mercy is the motivation behind us not knowing as much as anything. So, we move forward in faith, grateful for what we’ve been shown and looking to the day when we no longer see through the glass darkly.

Ether 2 -3 - More on Prayer

The powerful lesson on prayer begun in Ether 1 sees its profound conclusion in Ether 2 and 3. While I’m saving the crux of the answer in Ether 3 for my next post, there are still some amazing answers to questions we have about prayer to be had in what leads up to it. Answers to questions like: What does God expect of us about prayer? What does He expect of us when dealing with questions and matters we bring to Him for help? These are answered.

There’s also a profound promise about this continent, this Land of Promise. But with any blessing from God, there is also a penalty affixed (see Lehi’s sermon to his sons on opposition in all things ) equal to the blessing. In the case of this land, since it’s a land of promise it’s also a cursed land. If you obey God and turn to Him then the bounties of this land are yours and it will be a land of liberty. Turn away from God and in the fulness of your wickedness, you’ll be swept off.  We’ve just seen that with the Nephites, the American Indians likewise were driven off of their lands into reservations, we’ll read about it at the end of this book. God not only keeps His promises to our detriment or blessing.

Regarding prayer, we have the chastisement of Jared’s brother… three hours worth from the Lord for not praying. In contrast we have the amazing prayer where the Lord reasons with him about the air and light situation on the boats he built. In effect, the Lord leaves the question of the lights to him by saying, “You can’t have windows because they’ll get broken by the waves. You can’t have fire because I won’t allow it.” (Not to mention fire would burn all the oxygen out of these enclosed spaces.) So what was left? He puts the matter in the Brother of Jared’s hands…

Have you ever struggled with challenges? Or faced perplexing dilemmas and turn to God for help only to be told, “go figure it out.” If you have ever felt that way, you’re in good company. The lesson is this: God knows the answer to the problem, just as He did with the air, but He needed to teach a lesson and so that’s what happened. As it was for Jared’s brother, it is likely so for us. Heavenly Father always knows the answer, but this life isn’t a test for Him. It’s our test and as we see here, often times, the only answer is to choose, ask God and go.

Ether 1 - The Power of Prayer: God

With the end of the Nephites' story, Moroni still had room on the plates, so he gave us the story of the Jaredites. I'm grateful for what he wrote, but I wish he'd thought differently about including the creation story. While we have an account in the Bible and two in the Pearl of Great Price, I would love to have read Ether's version. Sigh.

The standout message in this chapter though is the powerful story about prayer. I wonder though, why Jared didn't pray? Why did he feel the need to go to his brother instead? Yet he did and that's what we have. But here is the lesson...

Three times Jared asks his brother to cry to the Lord for help. Each time he does and every time, God answered. The first is to ask the Lord to not confound them and their families so they could still understand one another. Which makes me wonder, did they know it was going to happen by revelation? Or, was the process such, they could see it happening in real-time and wanted to avoid it? I don't know, but either scenario is plausible.

The second time was to extend that blessing not only to their families and kin but to their friends as well. Again the Lord granted their request.

The third time was to ask... "if you're going to drive us out of the land, where do you want us to go? And if so, could we go some place nice?"

In reply, God says, and I'm paraphrasing here, "You are going to be scattered, but since you asked, I will lead you to a choice land and there I will make you into a great people." And we'll see, that's exactly what happened.

My take away is this, it never hurts to ask God. You just have to be willing to do what He says when He answers, if you want His answers to continue coming.