Jesus Christ, Our Deliverer

I feel very blessed to have had the opportunity this year to study the Book of Mormon as I prepared to teach the lessons. I have many post-it notes in my scriptures with ideas and insights gained as I studied the material each week.

One of the themes that really stood out this year is Christ's role as not only the Savior, but also the Deliverer.

I am a big fan of goal-setting and motivational literature and sometimes fall into the trap of believing that if I put my mind to 'it' and work hard enough, I can get through whatever problems I face. But that doesn't always work. Sometimes in life we find ourselves in situations or face challenges that no amount of positive thinking can resolve on our own.

"...I give unto men weakness that they may be humble; and my grace is sufficient for all men that humble themselves before me; for if they humble themselves before me, and have faith in me, then will I make weak things become strong unto them." (Ether 12:27)

Let me illustrate a spiritual principle with a temporal example. Contrast the bondage experiences between the people of King Limhi and the followers of Alma the Elder.

King Limhi was the righteous successor to his wicked father, King Noah. The Lamanites held the people in bondage and imposed a heavy tax on them. Limhi's people tried three times to free themselves with the sword, but were unsuccessful. After their third attempt, "they did humble themselves even to the dust... even in the depths of humility and did cry mightily to God; yea even all the day long did they cry unto their God that he would deliver them out of their afflictions." (Mosiah 21:13-14). The Lord prospered them "by degrees" (Mosiah 21:16) until finally making it possible for them to escape.

Alma the Elder was a priest of King Noah who believed the words of the prophet Abinadi at the risk of his own life. Alma and his group of converts eventually flee into the wilderness after "having been warned of the Lord that the armies of king Noah would come upon them" (Mosiah 23:1). Eventually they find themselves in bondage to the Lamanites as well. Alma and his people immediately turn to the Lord for deliverance and are given the strength to "bear up their burdens with ease" (Mosiah 24:15) until the time they were delivered.

I think it is safe to say that we will all be required to experience hardships and trials that we will be unable to overcome on our own.

As a side-note, I find it curiously interesting how many people blame God for what they feel are unjust circumstances in their lives when everyone will have to experience their own custom-made tests. It would only be unfair if someone were made exempt from the testing process. The actual tests may differ, but I believe the degree and intensity will be the same for all.

Anyhow, we can choose to try finding the way out on our own, as did Limhi's people. We can charge repeatedly against a problem or situation, only to get beaten back repeatedly. Or we can skip that part as did Alma and his followers and move straight to the submissive, willing obedience and rely upon God for strength. Notice, He did not immediately remove the burdens, but gave them strength to bear their trials before eventually delivering them. When we are faced with the trials and tests, can we "submit cheerfully and with patience to all the will of the Lord"? (Mosiah 24:15)

Trials and hardships are inevitable. Jobs will be lost, loved ones will at some point leave this life and sometimes violently or unexpectedly, illnesses and injuries will come and go. We can either "curse God, and die" (Job 2:9), or "look to God and live" (Alma 37:47). One of the recurring themes in the Book of Mormon is that deliverance comes only through willing and faithful submission to Christ.

"...behold I say unto you, that as these things are true, and as the Lord God liveth, there is none other name given under heaven save it be this Jesus Christ, of which I have spoken, whereby man can be saved." (2 Nephi 25:20)

"What will ye that I should do...?"

I think the experience of the brother of Jared in Ether 2 & 3 is one of the greatest examples of problem solving we can find in the scriptures. He had just completed the construction of eight barges "according to the instructions of the Lord" (Ether 2:16) and now had three problems to take to the Lord (Ether 2:19).

1. There is no light.
2. How will we steer?
3. We won't be able to breathe.

Notice the Lord's answers. In verse 20, He instructs TBOJ to make a hole in the top and bottom of each vessel. When they need air, they simply unplug the top hole (I find it very amusing that he was told to plug it again if water started coming in). I assume they knew what to do with the hole in the bottom, because it isn't explained. Problem #3 solved, they now have a way to get air.

In verse 24, the Lord explains that the barges will be driven as a "whale in the midst of the sea". Problem #2 solved, the Lord will be doing the steering.

Which brings us back to problem #1; what do we do about getting light into the barges? The Lord asks him, "What will ye that I should do that ye may have light in your vessels?" (vs. 23). Having light was obviously a worthy objective, the Lord didn't say they had to go in the dark. He had already shown TBOJ how the other two problems would be resolved, but now He asks for his input. He instructs TBOJ that they can't have windows because they'd get broken, and they can't use fire. So the only two man-made sources of light available had just been ruled out.

So, what did he do? He went to a mountain known for its "exceeding height" (Ether 3:1) and moltened out 16 small, clear stones and carried them to the top of the mountain before asking the Lord to touch them. He reasoned that if the Lord touched the stones, "they [would] shine forth... in the vessels... that we may have light" (Ether 3:5). TBOJ's faith is so strong, he is permitted to see Christ's finger as He touches the stones. The vision that follows is a topic for another discussion. I want to focus on the decision-making process at work here and what we can apply to our own lives.

1. TBOJ had questions and discussed them with the Lord in prayer. How many of our concerns and problems would be resolved if we would first pray about them?

2. Realize that the answer isn't always going to be handed to us. It is interesting to me that God answered the last two problems, but not the first. He could very well have asked, "What do you think you should do in order to get air inside the vessels?" Elder Richard G. Scott taught in October 1989 General Conference:

"When we explain a problem and a proposed solution, sometimes He answers yes, sometimes no. Often He withholds an answer, not for lack of concern, but because He loves us—perfectly. He wants us to apply truths He has given us. For us to grow, we need to trust our ability to make correct decisions. We need to do what we feel is right. In time, He will answer. He will not fail us."

As He did with TBOJ, the Lord gives us clear guidelines which we can use to form our decisions. He tells us what is and isn't acceptable (ie. 'you can't use windows or fire') and leaves us to our agency. What would TBOJ have missed if the Lord had just handed him 16 glowing rocks? What would we have missed?

3. Go to the "mountain of the Lord" (Isaiah 2:3) when you need divine direction. TBOJ went to the top of an exceedingly high mountain to talk with the Lord and receive needed assistance. The temple is a house of learning where the Holy Ghost can be poured out more abundantly. To make things even more interesting, TBOJ took the stones he obtained at the base of the mountain with him to the top of the mountain.

What if you can't go to the temple? We have been taught that our homes should be second only to the temple in holiness.

"In addition to temples, surely another holy place on earth ought to be our homes. The feelings of holiness in my home prepared me for feelings of holiness in the temple." (Elder James E. Faust, “Standing in Holy Places,” Ensign, May 2005, 62)

So, this scriptural experience gives us keys to handling decisions in our own lives; pray, put in your own effort, and go to the temple.

Lesson Learned?

I've had many talks with my brother-in-law about preparing lessons. We both have been puzzled about the seeming contradiction that comes when "Saturday Night Specials" (where we remember it's our turn to teach the lesson on Sunday) turn out better than lessons for which we have prepared diligently all week. We both agree that the intent is not to teach us to procrastinate the day of our lesson prep. Perhaps it has something to do with being more reliant on the Spirit both during the preparation and during the delivery of the lesson.

Well, a few weeks ago I had some extra time to put into my lesson and decided I'd really throw everything I had into it. I pulled apart the scriptures so I'd have a better understanding of what was going on. It was a tremendous learning experience as I gained new insights and had questions come to my mind that encouraged me to study further. I had enough material gathered that I could do a whole lesson out of the first 10-15 verses in the material. It was a very familiar passage to everyone, so I figured it would be a good idea to walk the class through the process I had taken to study.

It was like watching a train wreck in slow motion. From the first one or two verses we covered, I could tell things were falling apart. I couldn't understand why it wasn't coming together as well as it had while I was studying and by the end of the lesson I'm sure I lost most of the class. It was a very disheartening experience spending all week getting everything ready only to have it crash and burn.

Then today's lesson went very well with lots of class participation and things just seemed to flow, and I have to admit that it was another Saturday Night Special. So, it would seem to reinforce the procrastination angle but that's not what I think I'm supposed to take away from the experience.

I think I'm beginning to learn the subtle difference between insights for my own enrichment and insights to help the lesson. I'm also learning to follow the lesson manual more than I have been. My train wrecks have usually happened on lessons where I have had my own agenda.

So hopefully I can apply what I've learned without having to be reminded again...

The Nephite Beatitudes, Part II

Just a quick commercial for the Scriptures: CD-ROM Edition 1.1. The price is right, the word-search is really good, 12 different languages, and I really like the notes feature...

Anyhow, back at the ranch...

3. "Yea, blessed are the poor in spirit who come unto me, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven." (3 Nephi 12:3)

The Greek renders it better (in my opinion) as "spiritual beggars" rather than "poor in spirit".

"For behold, are we not all beggars? Do we not all depend upon the same Being, even God, for all the substance which we have…?" (Mosiah 4:19)

So, we need to recognize our own spiritual dependence on the Lord, but that is only the first part. The second, and most vital, part is the phrase that was left out of the Matthew account, "...who come unto me...". What good is it to recognize your spiritual dependence if you do nothing about it?

The Savior's invitation "come unto me" is repeated more often in the Book of Mormon than any other book of scripture. Christ bids us to "come unto me" so we can:
-find rest (Matt 11:28)
-drink of the Living Water (John 7:37)
-receive of His mercy (2 Nephi 28:32)
-receive the place prepared for us in the mansions of the Father (Enos 1:27)
-receive eternal life (3 Nephi 9:14, Ether 4:18, Moroni 7:34, D&C 45:5)
-be healed (3 Nephi 18:32)
-be numbered among His people (3 Nephi 21:6)
-be sanctified by the Holy Ghost (3 Nephi 27:20)
-receive a remission of your sins (3 Nephi 30:2)
-receive hidden knowledge (Ether 4:13)
-be shown our weaknesses in order to be made strong (Ether 12:27)

The Lord does not expect us to do something without first showing us how to do it. So how do we come unto Christ?

"Now this is the commandment: Repent, all ye ends of the earth, and come unto me and be baptized in my name, that ye may be sanctified by the reception of the Holy Ghost, that ye may stand spotless before me at the last day." (3 Nephi 27:20)

Notice in the scriptures the Lord never invites us to "come unto me" to be chastised or punished.

4. "And again, blessed are all they that mourn, for they shall be comforted." (3 Nephi 12:4)

This one may not make sense either. What's so great about being depressed? Are we supposed to be sad all the time? Isn't the Gospel the 'good news'? The "plan of happiness" (Alma 42:8)? So why are the mourners so blessed?

Let's look at the scriptural examples of those who mourn:
-Nephi mourned because of the unbelief and wickedness of others (2 Nephi 32:7)
-The people of Limhi mourned because of their own afflictions (Mosiah 7:23)
-Alma the Elder taugh we should mourn with those that mourn (Mosiah 18:9)
-Alma the Younger taught we would mourn over our unrighteous works (Alma 5:36)
-He also taught his son to let his sins trouble him "with that trouble which shall bring you down unto repentance" (Alma 42:29). Elder Richard G. Scott referred to this as "healing sorrow" (Gen Conf, April 1995).
-The Nephites mourned several times over the loss of family members due to wars, famine, or natural disasters (see Alma 28:12, 3 Nephi 8:23-25)

So why should any of those examples make us feel blessed? There is no inherent blessing in just mourning. I believe the key is found in Doctrine & Covenants 136:29, "...if thou art sorrowful, call on the Lord thy God with supplication, that your souls may be joyful."

Just as being poor in spirit profers us nothing without coming unto Christ, so mourning brings us no blessing without also turning to the Lord. As an example, when Alma and his followers were subjected to harsh burdens from the Lamanites, they turned to God, who "did strengthen them that they could bear up their burdens with ease, and they did submit cheerfully and with patience to all the will of the Lord." (Mosiah 24:15)

Therein lies the blessing. If our mourning leads us to the Savior, then we too can be strengthened to bear whatever burden we are called to carry. Christ suffered "pains and afflictions and temptations of every kind... that his bowels may be filled with mercy... that he may know ... how to succor his people according to their infirmities." (Alma 7:11-12)

Elder Neal A. Maxwell taught, "We can confidently cast our cares upon the Lord because, through the agonizing events of Gethsemane and Calvary, atoning Jesus is already familiar with our sins, sicknesses, and sorrows. He can carry them now because He has successfully carried them before." (General Conference, Oct 1987).

How comforting it is to know that there is nothing we can experience in mortality that Christ has not already experienced on our behalf. And because of His experience, he knows perfectly how to comfort and strengthen us as we go through our own experience.

The Nephite Beatitudes, Part I

Look at me, getting the lesson material up before Sunday's lesson (3 Nephi 12-15)...

Here, Christ gives the Nephites the equivalent to the Sermon on the Mount with a few subtle differences that give more light and meaning to the original version (like to which audience He was speaking and when, the chosen 12 or the multitude in general). I don't have room to go through all of it, so I'll just focus on the beatitudes.

I don't think many people recognize the first two as actually being part of the beatitudes, but they fit the pattern.

1. "...Blessed are ye if ye shall give heed unto the words of these twelve whom I have chosen from among you to minister unto you, and to be your servants; and unto them I have given power that they may baptize you with water; and after that ye are baptized with water, behold, I will baptize you with fire and with the Holy Ghost; therefore blessed are ye if ye shall believe in me and be baptized, after that ye have seen me and know that I am." (3 Nephi 12:1)

God has again called and authorized servants in our day. We are led by a living prophet and 12 apostles. The promise applies as much to us in our day that if we will heed their words, "I will baptize you with fire and with the Holy Ghost."

Wilford Woodruff once taught that, "the very moment that men in this kingdom attempt to run ahead or cross the path of their leaders, no matter in what respect, the moment they do this they are in danger of being injured by the wolves. ... I have never in my life known it to fail." (Journal of Discourses 5:83)

There is safety and security in following the counsel and direction from the Lord's prophet, for "whether by [God's] voice or the voice of [His] servants, it is the same." (D&C 1:38)

2. "And again, more blessed are they who shall believe in your words because that ye shall testify that ye have seen me, and that ye know that I am. Yea, blessed are they who shall believe in your words, and come down into the depths of humility and be baptized, for they shall be visited with fire and with the Holy Ghost, and shall receive a remission of their sins." (3 Nephi 12:2)

This one confused me a bit, but I think I'm starting to catch on. Initially, it almost sounds like Christ is saying it's better to have 2nd-hand knowledge than 1st-hand experience, but I don't think that's where He's going with this.

There are several examples in the scriptures of those who fell away after seeing miracles, angels, or other manifestations. Laman and Lemuel heard the voice of God and saw an angel, but still couldn't soften their hearts. On the other hand, the wife of King Lamoni believed her husband would rise again simply because Ammon said so. "...I have had no witness save thy word... nevertheless I believe that it shall be according as thou hast said.

"And Ammon said unto her: Blessed art thou because of thy exceeding faith; I say unto thee, woman, there has not been such great faith among all the people of the Nephites." (Alma 19:9-10)

Orson Pratt said: "If I had seen angels, I might doubt, without having the Holy Ghost. I might doubt if I had seen great miracles, without the Holy Ghost accompanying them; and I might doubt if I saw the heavens opened, if I heard the thunders roll; and I might go and build a golden calf and worship it: but when the Holy Ghost speaks to me and gives me a knowledge that this is the kingdom of God, so that I know it just as well as I know anything else, then that knowledge is past controversy." (Journal of Discourses 8:313)

So, as I understand this, we're being taught that the witness that comes from the Holy Ghost is more powerful than seeing signs or angels. "What greater witness can you have than from God?" (D&C 6:23)

Also enshrined in this beatitude is the charge to share our faith and testimony with others, "because that ye shall testify that .... ye know that I am."

"Wherefore, how great the importance to make these things known unto the inhabitants of the earth, that they may know that there is no flesh that can dwell in the presence of God, save it be through the merits, and mercy, and grace of the Holy Messiah..." (2 Nephi 2:8)

"Come Unto Me"

This week's lesson focused on 3 Nephi chapters 8-11. The Savior's visit to the Americas is one of my favorite passages in all of scripture. The Nephites experienced three days of darkness and destruction that corresponded with the time between Christ's death and resurrection. During this time, at least 16 Nephite cities were completely destroyed by fire, flood, or being buried in the earth "to hide their wickedness and abominations from before my face" (3 Nephi 9:8).

During the three days of darkness, Christ spoke to the people who had been "spared because [they] were more righteous" than the wicked who had been destroyed (3 Nephi 9:13). If you think about it, that's not really a glowing endorsement to say someone is more righteous than those who had "[cast] out the prophets, and stone[ed] those whom [God] did send" (3 Nephi 9:10).

Imagine a voice calling out of the darkness, "...will ye not now return unto me, and repent of your sins, and be converted, that I may heal you?

"Yea, verily I say unto you, if ye will come unto me ye shall have eternal life. Behold, mine arm of mercy is extended towards you, and whosoever will come, him will I receive; and blessed are those who come unto me." (3 Nephi 9:13-14)

I love the imagery in those verses. I picture the Savior standing with his arms outstretched, wanting so much to heal us if we will only come to him. It ties in wonderfully with Chapter 10 when He uses the imagery of the mother hen. "...how oft have I gathered you as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and have nourished you." (3 Nephi 10:4) Then again, "...how oft would I have gathered you..." (3 Nephi 10:5, notice the change in verb tense between these three passages). And again "...how oft will I gather you as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, if ye will repent and return unto me with full purpose of heart." (3 Nephi 10:6).

The other part from this week's lesson that touched me was 3 Nephi 9:20:

"And ye shall offer for a sacrifice unto me a broken heart and a contrite spirit. And whoso cometh unto me with a broken heart and a contrite spirit, him will I baptize with fire and with the Holy Ghost..."

Before I get into that one, I want to lead in with another scripture. This one is from Isaiah 53:5, where he speaks of Christ, "...he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed." (See also Mosiah 14:5)

The Hebrew word for 'bruised' is actually dakka, which means 'to be crushed'. Christ was not merely bruised for our sins, he was crushed under their weight. Remind me later and I'll talk about the significance of this with respect to Gethsemane...

Why do I bring this up? Because the Hebrew word for 'contrite' is dakka. This, for me anyway, ties together the sacrifice offered by Christ with the sacrifice He asks of us. Fortunately, this is a qualitative comparison and not a quantitative one. There is no way we can ever carry the burden He bore for us, but it seems that we are expected to be crushed, or brought down, with the weight and recognition of our sins as we come unto Christ. If we don't realize how much of a 'tab' we have accumulated, we will never really appreciate what Christ has done in settling our account.

In contrast to the Law of Moses where one could sacrifice an animal on their behalf, Christ now asks us to sacrifice of ourselves. He lovingly invites us to give Him our broken hearts so that he make us whole again.

Patterns For Our Day

President Ezra Taft Benson said, “In the Book of Mormon we find a pattern for preparing for the Second Coming. A major portion of the book centers on the few decades just prior to Christ’s coming to America. By careful study of that time period, we can determine why some were destroyed in the terrible judgments that preceded His coming and what brought others to stand at the temple in the land of Bountiful and thrust their hands into the wounds of His hands and feet. … Can anyone doubt that this book was meant for us and that in it we find great power, great comfort, and great protection?” (in Conference Report, Oct. 1986, 5–6; or Ensign, Nov. 1986, 6–7).

This week's lesson dealt with the decades leading up to Christ's visit to America (1 AD - 33 AD), and there are a few things I think are quite relevant to our day that, if applied, will help us stay in good shape.

1. Signs & Wonders
Samuel the Lamanite prophesied the coming of a "day and a night and a day, as if it were one day and there were no night" (Hel 14:4). Five years later the sign came, indicating the birth of Christ in Bethlehem. When the sign came, people could not dispute it. They knew the sun went down, but there was no darkness. However, "there began to be lyings sent forth among the people, by Satan, to harden their hearts, to the intent they might not believe in those signs and wonders which they had seen..." (3 Nephi 1: 22)

So many people say, "I'll believe it when I see it" but what a frail support upon which to base our faith (don't even get me started on how unreliable eye-witness testimony is). Many people observed the sign, but were lead afterwards not to believe, even to the point where they "began to forget those signs and wonders which they had heard, and began to be less and less astonished at a sign or a wonder from heaven..." (3 Nephi 2:1). The Savior taught that in the last days there would be "famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places" (Matt 24:7, see also Mark 13:8, Luke 21:11), but in our day we say "it's just another earthquake".

2. "...unite with [the] brethren..." (3 Nephi 2:12)
As the Gadianton Robbers became more prevalent, the righteous Lamanites united with their Nephite brethren "for the safety of their lives and their women and their children... and also to maintain their rights, and the privileges of their church and of their worship, and their freedom and their liberty" (3 Nephi 2:12). Only when they were united together did they gain any advantage over the Gadiantons. In 3 Nephi 3, the Nephites went so far as to gather together in one place, which eventually led to the defeat of the Gadianton Robbers. They hearkened to Lachoneus, a righteous leader, repented, and were spared.

Wilford Woodruff once taught, "the very moment that men in this kingdom attempt to run ahead or cross the path of their leaders, no matter in what respect, the moment they do this they are in danger of being injured by the wolves. … I have never in my life known it to fail." (Journal of Discourses 5:83)

3. Beware of Pride
The Nephites went from a state where "there was not a living soul among [them] who did doubt in the least the words of all the holy prophets who had spoken; for they knew that it must needs be that they must be fulfilled." (3 Nephi 5:1). They knew Christ had come and they "did serve God with all diligence day and night". (3 Nephi 5:3). Fast-forward a couple of years and we see "some were lifted up unto pride and boastings" (3 Nephi 6:10). A year later they are "in a state of aweful wickedness.

"Now they did not sin ignorantly, for they knew the will of God concerning them... therefore they did wilfully rebel against God." (3 Nephi 6:17-18)

I like to think that my faith and testimony are strong enough that I'll be able to withstand the trials that are ahead. But then I read this and I can't help but wonder how many of the Nephites felt the same way in 3 Nephi 5:1. If you would've walked up to anyone on the street and told them in 6-7 years, they'd be "wilfully rebel[ing] against God", they would've shared a strong and fervent testimony of their faith and devotion to God and how they'd never give that up. But the truth is that most of them did fall away. The trick is learning from their experience to prevent the same mistakes in our own lives. As President Benson taught, Beware of Pride.

4. Great Faith
A few years later, things had digressed to the point where the people killed the prophets who came to warn them and call them to repentance. Nephi went out undeterred, and "began to testify, boldly, repentance and remission of sins through faith on the Lord Jesus Christ." (3 Nephi 7:16)

The people became angry with him for a few reasons. First, "because he had greater power than they" (3 Nephi 7:18). They recognized in him a real power, not the fleeting mist of political power to which they aspired, but eternal and binding power. And, rather than bring their lives back in accordance with eternal principles (remember, a few years ago these had all been faithful and righteous people), they resented Nephi and wanted to destroy him, "for it were not possible that they could disbelieve his words" (3 Nephi 7:18).

Second, he had the nerve to raise his brother Timothy from the dead "after he had been stoned and suffered death by the people" (3 Nephi 7:19). As a side note, this tells me that Timothy was actively preaching to the people as well. Just because we're faithful and obedient, doesn't mean we don't get a few rocks thrown in our direction.

Anyhow, back at the ranch... Nephi's faith sustained him and gave him the strength to be obedient even though he was vastly in the minority. Sometimes we think being the only LDS at work or at school is tough... Nephi had such great faith "on the Lord Jesus Christ that angels did minister unto him daily." (3 Nephi 7:18)

That's how strong our faith will need to be. Whether or not we get angels is up to God, but we'd better make sure our faith is strong enough if the time ever comes when we really need angelic assistance.

"... hide up [your] treasures unto me..."

There was a lot of ground to cover for last week's lesson (Helaman 13-16). Samuel the Lamanite came onto the scene and then left just as quickly. I think most are familiar with his prophecies concerning the birth and death of the Savior and the accompanying signs for those in the Americas.

One thing jumped out at me that I had never picked up before. Helaman 13:19 reads,

"For I will, saith the Lord, that they shall hide up their treasures unto me... for none hideth up their treasures unto me save it be the righteous..."

This really got me thinking, and three questions worked their way to the surface.

1. What is our treasure?
2. How do we hide it up unto the Lord?
3. Why are we hiding it?

First, what is our treasure? Once I figured this out, the other two seemed to fall into place. Like many good insights, this one came to me as I was in sacrament meeting. Desperation? Maybe... Anyhow, I thought of the Sermon on the Mount when Christ taught,

"For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also." (3 Nephi 13:21, also in Matt 6)

It seems to me that the Lord is saying He wants us to hide up our hearts unto Him, as our hearts and treasures seem to be nearly synonymous. If our hearts aren't in the right place, we'll need to go through the "mighty change of heart" so we can hide it up to Him.

Second, how do we hide it unto the Lord? I think this means keeping our hearts safe from influences that would pull our desires away from the Lord.

Elder David A. Bednar taught in the April 2006 General Conference:

"The standard is clear. If something we think, see, hear, or do distances us from the Holy Ghost, then we should stop thinking, seeing, hearing, or doing that thing."

We need to protect our hearts as we would a precious valuable. We go to great lengths to protect our temporal treasures, there are industries devoted to safety and security. But how much protection do we place around our hearts?

Third, why do we need to hide our hearts? Something from this weeks lesson stuck out as I was driving around. 3 Nephi 6:15-16 tells of how "Satan had great power, unto the stirring up of the people to do all manner of iniquity...

"And thus Satan did lead away the hearts of the people..." (emphasis added).

The Nephites seem to have been "lull[ed]... away into carnal security" (2 Nephi 28:21) and let down their guard to the point where "they did willfully rebel against God." (3 Nephi 6:18).

If we hide our hearts unto the Lord, then they will be safe from the "fiery darts of the adversary" (Eph 6:16, 1 Nephi 15:24). We often have a tendency to neglect the areas of our lives which we feel are strong and impervious. Elder Dallin H. Oaks taught:

"Satan can ... attack us where we think we are strong -- in the very areas where we are proud of our strengths. He will approach us through the greatest talents and spiritual gifts we possess. If we are not wary, Satan can cause our spiritual downfall by corrupting us through our strengths as well as by exploiting our weaknesses." (Ensign, Oct. 1994, p. 12)

So, what is the Lord trying to tell us when he asks us to hide up our treasures unto him? I think it is an invitation to turn our hearts completely to him where they will be kept safe. And like anything else we willingly give to the Lord, he returns to us with increase.

“Why will ye die?”

There were so many things to cover from this week’s lesson, I had to decide between posting 5 pages of material and focusing on one thought. There was one theme that came up a few times during the lesson material (Helaman 6-12), and that was how quickly we tend to forget the Lord.

“For behold, the Lord had blessed them so long with the riches of the world that they had not been stirred up to … wars… therefore they began to set their hearts upon their riches… that they might be lifted up one above another…” (Hel 6:17)

It sounds like they’ve enjoyed the blessings for a long time, doesn’t it. How long was “so long”? Well, verse 1 says the 62nd year of the judges had ended, and things really fell apart in the commencement of the 67th year. For the Nephites, “so long” ended up being three years. For years, I’d read that and think, “those silly Nephites, why can’t they just keep things together?!” I don’t know when it changed for me, but I’ve been trying to think lately when was the last time I’ve been able to keep my act together for three years in a row. I’m pretty sure that my personal record for consecutive individual scripture study stands unbroken at 25 days. That doesn’t leave me with a lot of ground from which to judge the Nephites.

Why is it so hard to do the “small and simple things”? I can sit down and read a novel or even a motivational book for hours at a time, but somehow can’t seem to be consistent with scripture reading.

In Helaman 7, Nephi reproves the people who have gathered around him as he mourns over their wickedness.

“…ye are given away that the devil has got so great hold upon your hearts.” (vs. 15)

Is that why I have such a hard time with consistent daily scripture study? Is my heart not truly in it?

“Yea, how could you have given way to the enticing of him who is seeking to hurl away your souls down to everlasting misery and endless wo?” (vs. 16)

Well, when you put it that way it sounds all warm and fuzzy, doesn’t it?

“O repent ye, repent ye! Why will ye die? Turn ye, turn ye unto the Lord your God…” (vs. 17)

Whatever that is in my heart instead of the desire to study the scriptures, is it worth dieing for?

“O, how could you have forgotten your God in the very day that he has delivered you?” (vs. 20)

How many times in my life have I turned away after receiving blessings from the Lord’s hand? How many days have gone by without seeing me on my knees in gratitude for all I’ve received?

So here’s the plan. I’m going to make a real effort to see how long I can maintain my daily scripture study and personal prayers, starting today. President Ezra Taft Benson said in conference, “God will have a humble people. Either we can choose to be humble or we can be compelled to be humble.” (“Beware of Pride,” Ensign, May 1989, 4)

Personally, I’d rather choose to be humble…

The Power of the Word

I'm getting ready for the lesson on Sunday (and it's not even Saturday yet). We're doing Helaman chapters 1-5 this week, and what jumped out at me was the emphasis on the power of the word of God to really change people's lives.

Lemme e'splain... No. There is too much. Lemme sum up...

Chapters 1-4 deal with the on-going military struggles between the Nephites (captained by Moroni's son, Moronihah) and the Lamanites. It's a good read, I would highly recommend you take the time to go through it on your own. As a result of the Nephites' disobedience and pride "...and their boastings in their own strength, they were left in their own strength; therefore they did not prosper... until they had lost possession of almost all their lands." (Helaman 4:13)

I love that phrase, because of "their boastings in their own strength, they were left in their own strength". These guys were probably doing fairly well in the muscle department. I did 20 pushups this morning and thought I was going to lose the use of my arms for the rest of the day (in my defense, my feet were on one of those big inflatable exercise balls at the time, and I was using the fancy push-up bars for an added degree of difficulty). But I digress...

Moronihah and Nephi and Lehi (sons of Helaman 'the 2nd') preach repentance to the Nephites and they are able to regain half of their lands before they give up on trying to take back any more territory (Helaman 4:16-18). Even if the story stopped there, it would be impressive. Simply teaching the gospel humbled the people to where they were obedient again. But the story doesn't stop there...

Nephi and Lehi decide to preach to the Lamanites starting in Zarahemla,

"...they did preach with great power, insomuch that they did confound many of those dissenters who had gone over from the Nephites, insomuch that they came forth and did confess their sins and were baptized unto repentance, and immediately returned to the Nephites to endeavor to repair unto them the wrongs which they had done." (Helaman 5:17)

Not bad, huh. I'll have to look into it further, but I think this is the first recorded incident when a Nephite dissenter was converted back. But wait, it gets better. Eight thousand Lamanites were also baptized. That's a lot, in case you were wondering... But it gets even better.

They head towards the land of Nephi and are met by an army of the Lamanites who cast them into prison (okay, so that part's not better, but it ends on a positive note). I used to be good at math, but I can still figure out that it doesn't take an army to arrest two men. If that wasn't enough, they leave them in prison for "many days without food" before going in "that they might slay them" (Helaman 5:22).

Long story short, Nephi and Lehi are surrounded as if by a pillar of fire, the Lamanites are a little stunned when they see the two men aren't burned or harmed. A voice from above tells them to repent, and the 300 who came to kill Nephi & Lehi are converted and run around converting others, "insomuch that the more part of the Lamanites were convinced of them" and "did lay down their weapons of war, and also their hatred" (Helaman 5:50-51).

I think Mormon chose this account very carefully to contrast the results achieved through the Nephite military efforts with the results of the changing power of the gospel. There's no doubt Moronihah was a very righteous man, and had the Nephites as a whole been more humble and faithful, I think he could've been more successful with his armies.

On the other hand, two men armed only with the power and authority from God were able to set at defiance the Lamanite army. To me, the climax of the story is the last verse in chapter 5:

"And it came to pass that they did yield up unto the Nephites the lands of their possessions." (Helaman 5:52)

Moronihah's army was only able to regain half of their lands through battle and bloodshed. The preaching of the word caused the Lamanites to voluntarily return to the Nephites the all the lands which had been taken without any loss of life.

"And now, as the preaching of the word had a great tendency to lead the people to do that which was just—yea, it had had more powerful effect upon the minds of the people than the sword, or anything else, which had happened unto them..." (Alma 31:5, emphasis added)

Ammon & Lamoni

Ammon has long been one of my biggest heroes. And, as luck would have it, it wasn't my week to teach when this lesson came around.

I had a couple of "wonders" during the lesson today:

1. Lamoni offered one of his daughters to Ammon as a wife (Alma 17:24). I wonder if this was a political move on his part, like in European history when the king of one country would marry the queen of another country. Ammon is King Mosiah's son, which would make him a prince in our day. Could Lamoni have been using this as an opportunity to get a foothold in the Nephite 'royal family'? Apparently he wasn't watching the news when Mosiah introduced the system of judges.

2. Lamoni puts Ammon on shepherd duty (Alma 17:25). I wonder if this was a way to get rid of Ammon, as this job had a reputation for employee termination. Let the kings sheep get scattered or stolen, and you're dead (literally). Maybe that was in some small way contributing to the king's amazement when the servants returned. Not only did Ammon not get killed, but he saved the flocks and the other servants, and managed to 'disarm' his opponents.

3. This one isn't so much of a wonder as a reverential amazement. We often glaze over the queen's experience as King Lamoni is presumed dead during his spiritual experience. As near as we can tell from the story, she was not taught by Ammon, but knew that he could help her. At Ammon's word alone, she stayed at her husband's bedside waiting for the time when Ammon said Lamoni would arise. "...Blessed art thou because of thy exceeding faith; I say unto thee, woman, there has not been such great faith among all the people of the Nephites" (Alma 19:10).

Anyhow, I hope to one day have the opportunity to ask Ammon and Lamoni (and Mrs. Lamoni) for all the details of their experience. Maybe on judgement day while I'm waiting in line for my turn (letting everyone cut in line ahead of me).

Zeezrom - An Unlikely Hero

On Sunday we were introduced to Zeezrom as Alma and Amulek were preaching in Ammonihah (Lesson 23, Alma 8-12) and we get to continue his story in next week's lesson (#24, Alma 13-16). Sure, his story didn't start out on the right foot. He was "the foremost to accuse Amulek and Alma" as they taught (Alma 10:31) and seems to be a 'big shot' among the city's lawyers. He was also an "...expert in the devices of the devil, that he might destroy that which was good..." (Alma 11:21).

I'm not going to go through the story of his conversion experience, you can look it up in Alma 11-15. The short & sweet of it is that he was converted and stayed faithful.

I think one of the key points in this story is the power of the Atonement to change lives. Not just the lives of the "good" people, but any life. Here is a man who was actively engaged in fighting against the prophet Alma. In that respect, he's no different than those who came before him - such as Nehor. What made him different, however, was the fact that somehow he found the humility to listen to the prophet and change his life. It's not easy for any of us to admit we're wrong, and here is Zeezrom sincerely asking Alma to teach him.

I never made the connection before, but these two men were very similar in their backgrounds. Both had been actively engaged in trying to break down the church of God and after their conversions spent all their efforts in teaching others. Who better to reach out to Zeezrom than Alma? In both cases, it was their new-found faith in Christ that saved them. I'd like to imagine Alma giving Zeezrom a pep talk. Imagine the genuine love and empathy in his voice as he says, "Z, I know what you're going through, trust me. Remember what we told you about Christ and the atonement." (don't bother looking for that in the scriptures, I made that part up). This part is true though:

"And Alma said: If thou believest in the redemption of Christ thou canst be healed." (Alma 15:8).

What a powerful statement! Christ can heal us! He has already carried our pains, sicknesses, and sins (Alma 7:11-12) and knows perfectly how to heal our wounded souls and hearts. I think we know He can heal us, but we often don't believe it.

To me, Zeezrom is a great example of the atonement in action. If it can make such a dramatic change in his life, I have to believe it can work in my life too.

Abinadi – A Renewed Appreciation

In our ward we have three Gospel Doctrine teachers and two classes, so every third week I get a week off. I was fortunate enough to be able to cover both of the Abinadi lessons (Mosiah 11-17). I gained a renewed appreciation for his example of being “steadfast and immovable”. Here are some of the things that impressed me.

1. I learned that in Hebrew, ‘Abi’ means ‘my father’ and ‘nadi’ means ‘present with you’. So together, the name Abinadi would mean something along the lines of ‘my father is present with you’. Way cool, because God was certainly with him.

2. In Mosiah 11, we are introduced to Abinadi, who enters the scene prophesying against the people’s wickedness and exhorts them to repent. King Noah put out an “arrest order” on Abinadi with the intent of killing him. Two years later, Abinadi returns to the city in disguise and says “Thus has the Lord commanded me, saying – Abinadi, go and prophesy unto this my people…” I wondered what’s the point of wearing a disguise if you’re just going to tell everyone who you are anyway. Then I realized Abinadi was only worried about getting into the city, not getting out. I think he went in knowing that he wasn’t coming out again. I can’t imagine getting a mission call that said “you’re going to be the first martyr recorded in the Book of Mormon”.

3. I didn't realize just how extensive the results of his mission really were. I had a vague idea that most of the Book of Mormon from that point on was a result of Abinadi's influence, but I had to see it on paper to really get it. Because I like playing with CorelDraw, and also because a good visual aid never hurts, I made a chart of Alma's family. Every Nephite record keeper up to Mormon was a direct descendent of Alma the Elder. Three of them were also Chief Judges. Two were among the 12 chosen by the resurrected Savior to be special witnesses. I wonder if Abinadi was given a glimpse of just how far his influence would reach. In a way, any of us who read the Book of Mormon are indebted to Abinadi.

4. As often as I read the account, I will always be impressed and awed at how he stood in defiance of King Noah's priests. I try to imagine this prophet of God standing before his accusers, much like Christ stood before the Sanhedrin, as they tried to find some grounds to charge him. Trying in vain to catch him with their clever questions, instead being "confound[ed]... in all their words" (Mosiah 12:19). Picture the priests and those in the court cowering before an unarmed prisoner as he boldly declares, "Touch me not, for God shall smite you if ye lay your hands upon me, for I have not delivered the message which the Lord sent me to deliver..." (Mosiah 13:3).

If you want an interesting exercise, compare Abinadi's teachings in Mosiah 15 & 16 with Alma the Younger's teachings. You'll find that Alma uses a lot of the same language and phrasing used only by Abinadi. I wonder how often he heard Abinadi's teachings from Alma Sr. during Family Home Evening. This is totally unwarranted speculation, but I wonder if the angel who visited Alma the Younger (both times) could have been Abinadi.

I used to think there may have been a connection between Abinadi and King Benjamin because there are several similarities in their teachings, but then I realized Abinadi was killed approximately 24 years before King Benjamin's final address.

Anyhow, as it always does, studying the material for the lesson somehow gets me into the scriptures in a way I don't normally reach in my own personal study. I hope I have half of Abinadi's faith and courage when my time of testing comes.

Captain Moroni

We were asked to speak in our ward today and I must say this was probably the most fun I've ever had preparing a talk. The bishopric approached us before the meetings last week and gave us the topic (the speakers they originally had lined up weren't available for some reason). I started penciling in some notes for my talk, then Brother Jensen from the high council got up and gave a great talk on faith. He covered everything I had written down already, so I had to do something that wouldn't sound like a rerun. So I decided to talk about Captain Moroni as an example of faith in Christ. Rather than post all five pages here, I thought I'd just post the link and let you download it if you're interested (you'll need a PDF reader).

Click here to download.

I had so much fun with it that I want to work on it more and fill in all the parts I had to glaze over because of time restraints. Maybe I'll do another running series here when I get all the parts put together. This could easily turn into enough content for a fireside, there was a lot of content that I couldn't put into the talk.

It was a very interesting experience this past week, because I also had to teach the Gospel Doctrine class today. I had a talk that practically fell together as fast as I could get it on paper. Then I had a lesson that I couldn't pull together to save my life. I don't know what I am supposed to learn from this yet, hopefully it'll make sense at some point in the future.

The Example of Enos, or “Why My Prayers Suck”

The lesson on Sunday (number 14, for those who may be keeping track) deals with the books of Enos, Jarom, Omni, and the Words of Mormon. As I read the account of Enos praying in the wilderness, I feel like I’ve been reading Miracle of Forgiveness and stopped before I get to the reassuring part at the end. I can’t help but compare with my own life and come up short on the balance. Enos goes off and prays all day and into the night, and if I kneel down at night there’s a good chance I’m falling asleep before I’m done.

Enos is on a hunting trip and from verse two seems to be concerned about a remission of his sins. There is a parallel here with Joseph Smith’s First Vision. One of Joseph’s first accounts (did you know there was more than one?) was in 1832 where he recounted his search for the true church from age 12 – 15. Part of his search was driven by a desire to obtain forgiveness and remission of his sins, recognizing that proper authority was necessary. (Milton V. Backman Jr., “Joseph Smith’s Recitals of the First Vision,” Ensign, Jan 1985, 8).

Anyhow, I don’t think there is any room here to assume Enos was guilty of any serious transgression. As the Prophet Joseph Smith taught:

“The nearer man approaches perfection, the clearer are his views, and the greater his enjoyments, till he has overcome the evils of his life and lost every desire for sin.” (Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, p. 51)

Our friend Enos was probably a habitual jay-walker or maybe he waited until the 20th to do his hometeaching every month. Whatever it was, he was moved by the Spirit to seek forgiveness as part of his process of improvement. I’m always impressed at how he describes his experience. He only uses the word ‘prayer’ (or variants) three times in his narrative (in verses 4, 11, & 12). He uses other descriptive phrases ten times. For example:

-“wrestle … before God” (vs 2)
-“my soul hungered… and I cried unto [my Maker]” (vs 4)
-“supplication” (vs 4). Interesting side-note, ‘supplication’ comes from Latin, meaning to bend or yield.
-“did… raise my voice high” (vs 4)
-“pour out my whole soul unto God” (vs 9)
-“struggling in the spirit” (vs 10)
-“many long strugglings” (vs 11)
-“labored with all diligence” (vs 12)
-“cried unto [the Lord] continually” (vs 15)
-“did cry unto God” (vs 16)

Elder David A. Bednar in conference last week started out by saying, “Simply saying prayers is quite a different thing from engaging in meaningful prayer.”

How long do you think it had been since Enos merely “said his prayers”? Look at how he describes his prayers, he felt his prayers! He was familiar with the process, he was used to praying under the direction of the Spirit. Check out verse 13, that’s a pretty specific “what if” to just pull out of the air.

Some have used his desire for a remission of sins to claim that this was a great turning point in his life. I feel that this was simply the next logical step in his spiritual progression. One doesn’t just jump right into an all-day, all-night prayer marathon after saying routine prayers at home. Try praying for just 30 minutes, how long would it take you or me before we could pull a ‘prayer-a-thon’ like Enos did?

Elder Bednar also said “meaningful prayer requires both holy communication and consecrated work.” Well, Enos had both of those marked off. He “labored with all diligence” (vs 12) while praying, and then when he got back home, he testified “of the things which I had heard and seen” (vs 19) and “declared [the truth] in all my days” (vs 26).

On a different topic, something jumped out at me as I was reading verse 1. Enos describes his father Jacob as “a just man” who “taught me in his language, and also in the nurture and admonition of the Lord…” What does it mean to be “taught… in the nurture and admonition of the Lord”? At first, I figured it must mean that Jacob taught him the gospel. But why not just say “he taught me the gospel”? Especially considering the difficulty involved with the engraving process. Enos, like his father, chose his words very carefully. So, what did he mean? May I suggest a few possibilities…

Could this be his way of saying Jacob taught him about the Lord’s nature? Our Perfect Parent nurtures us and encourages our growth and admonishes us if we start to wander off (admonish: ‘to advise, caution, to reprove in a mild and good-willed manner’).

Maybe he is describing Jacob’s parenting style? To paraphrase, ‘my father used the nurture and admonition of the Lord to teach me’. It’s not a stretch to see gentle Jacob as the nurturing type, and it’s easy to see him admonishing in his sermon at the temple (Jacob 2-4).

Anyhow, I’m not exactly sure what he meant. Just thought I’d throw that out there because it is the part that stuck with me the most over the last couple of days.

The "Isaiah Barrier" - Key 5

I'm finally getting around to the 5th and last key in the series. Then maybe I can back-track and cover a few thoughts I've had about other topics.

In 2 Nephi 25:4, Nephi describes what is possibly the most important key to understanding Isaiah's writings:

"...the words of Isaiah... are plain unto all those that are filled with the spirit of prophecy..."

Okay, if we have to have it, maybe we should figure out what it is. Revelation 19:10 tells us that "the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy."

So, does that mean if I don't understand Isaiah that I must not have a testimony? I think that might be over-simplifying things a little. I don't think Nephi is implying a direct correlation between the strength of our testimony and the degree to which we grasp Isaiah. Here's what I think: the same principles involved in gaining our testimony are required to understand any scripture, not just Isaiah.

How do we gain our testimony? Ammon and his brothers, some of the most effective and powerful missionaries we have on record, "had searched the scriptures diligently, that they might know the word of God. But this is not all; they had given themselves to much prayer, and fasting: therefore they had the spirit of prophecy,..." (Alma 17:2-3)

How did the sons of Mosiah gain the spirit of prophecy, or testimony of Christ? Through prayer, fasting, and diligent searching of the scriptures (not searching for their scriptures as we often do on Sunday mornings). How do you think they approached their scripture study? Do you think they begrudgingly read a few chapters before falling asleep so they could mark it off on their daily to-do list? Let me share an insight I had a few years ago, something which may help us with scripture study, especially Isaiah.

Ammon has always been one of my heroes. At first, I must admit the whole chopping off of the arms was the hook for me. But as I got older (I won't say 'mature' because no one will believe that), I became more interested in the other aspects of Ammon's character. I read Alma 17:2-3 several times before something jumped out. I think the phrase "that they might know the word of God" has a dualistic meaning. The first meaning is exactly what it seems on the surface, they studied the scriptures to learn the gospel.

To approach the second meaning, let me first cross-reference with Revelation 19:13. John, in speaking of Christ, wrote "...and his name is called The Word of God." Using both passages together, the sons of Mosiah "searched the scriptures diligently, that they might know [Christ]". The two meanings are complimentary and I believe as we focus on the first, we are lead to the second. We start off diligently trying to learn the things that Christ has taught in the scriptures, then we are gradually drawn towards coming to know the Author - often without even recognizing it.

That, I believe, is what Nephi is trying to tell us. Read Isaiah and "search... diligently" for the Savior. Once you learn to see Christ in Isaiah's writings, it'll be easier to understand. I was feeling ambitious during the Old Testament year in Sunday School and I made a chart listing all the references to Christ that I could find in Isaiah. If you're curious, you can download it to see what I missed. It was a great exercise for me, because when I was done I realized that Christ was everywhere in Isaiah. You can't go more than a few verses before running into another reference to the Savior.

Nephi prefaced his reference to Isaiah by saying:

"Behold, my soul delighteth in proving ... the truth of the coming of Christ... And my soul delighteth in proving... that save Christ should come all men must perish." (2 Nephi 11:4,6)

What does Nephi write after his Isaiah marathon? In 2 Nephi 25, he talks about how Christ shall come in the flesh and be crucified (vs 12-13) and then resurrected (vs 14). He speaks of the restoration and how the Jews will be convinced of Christ's role as Messiah (vs 18), how Christ's is the only name by which men can be saved (vs 20), Nephi's labors to persuade others to believe and be reconciled to Christ (vs 23), how they are made alive in Christ because of their faith (vs 25), how they "talk of Christ, ... rejoice in Christ, ... preach of Christ, ... prophesy of Christ" (vs 26). He says "the right way is to believe in Christ...and worship him with all your might, mind, and strength, and your whole soul" (vs 28, 29).

Are you starting to see a trend? To Nephi, the Book of Isaiah was about his Savior. He delights in the promises that Christ will again gather the scattered branches of Israel. I really believe that as we tune ourselves to the Spirit, we will see how Christ is the central theme in all of Isaiah's writings. Like the principle of sympathetic resonance. Huh? Lemme 'splain... no, there is too much. Lemme sum up... If you have two tuning forks that are tuned to the same pitch and frequency (eg. Middle C), striking one will cause the other to vibrate as well. Nephi's 5th key to understanding Isaiah is (and I'm grossly simplifying here) to make sure our tuning fork is on the same pitch with the Spirit so we can use our testimony of Christ to recognize Isaiah's testimony in his writings.

The "Isaiah Barrier" - Key 4

This could be arguably the most difficult of the five keys. In 2 Nephi 25:6, Nephi said because he lived at Jerusalem, he knew "concerning the regions round about", which gives us another key into understanding Isaiah. Granted, this one probably won't make the Isaiah sections jump out and start singing, but it helps a little when you know where he's talking about. Your best friend on this one will be the Bible maps.

Isaiah speaks of the "end of the conduit of the upper pool" in 2 Nephi 17:3, which doesn't mean anything to most of us. Once we learn that the Pool of Shiloah was also called the upper pool, then we know exactly where Isaiah is referring, and the conduit or aqueduct is Hezekiah's tunnel that was constructed to bring in water into the seiged city of Jerusalem from the nearby Gihon Spring.

In 2 Nephi 20:9 when the Assyrian king is boasting about Calno, Carchemish, Hamath, and Arpad, it's helpful to know that those are the names of cities (not people as I had assumed) that had been conquored by the Assyrian armies (738 BC, 717 BC, 720 BC, and 738 BC, respectively).

2 Nephi 21/ Isaiah 11 speaks a lot about the conditions in the Millennium and the gathering of Israel. Verse 11 indicates that the "remnant of his people" will be gathered from "Assyria, and from Egypt, and from Pathros, and from Cush, and from Elam, and from Shinar, and from Hamath, and from the islands of the sea." Egypt I can pick out of that line-up and even find on a map, but the rest is a little fuzzy. After a little research, I found that Assyria is comparable to present-day Iran/ Iraq. Pathros is Upper Egypt, Cush is Ethiopia, Elam is Persia, Shinar is the city of Babel, and Hamath is Upper Syria. Now it's a little easier to get the scope of this specific gathering. The Islands of the sea were pretty much anywhere you couldn't get to on land, which would include the Americas, England, etc.

So there we go, the fourth key is knowing a little about the geography of Israel and the surrounding areas. Part of what makes this one so difficult is the fact that some of the places Isaiah names have been renamed or don't exist anymore. Don't let that trip you up though, there's enough information available to get the general idea.

The "Isaiah Barrier" - Key 3

Time for the third key to our understanding of Isaiah (almost seems like a contridiction in terms, doesn't it). After Nephi finished quoting from Isaiah, he mentioned a couple of things his people would need to know in order to understand these chapters (and presumably the rest of Isaiah). He said he taught his people "concerning the judgments of God, which hath come to pass among the Jews" (2 Nephi 25:6).

How is that going to help us with Isaiah?? There are a couple of answers which may help. First, if we see that Isaiah's prophecies concerning his day came true, then we can be confident his prophecies concerning our day will also come true (and some already have). Also, as if he wasn't hard enough to understand already, Isaiah made several dualistic prophecies which can apply to our day and his day at the same time. Understanding what happened in his day can help us figure out things that will happen in ours. For example, 2 Nephi 23/ Isaiah 13 uses the destruction of Babylon as a symbol of the destruction that will accompany the Second Coming.

So, where exactly do we start? One thing I found helpful was to make two lists as I went through 2 Nephi 12 - 24. The first list was God's judgement for the righteous. The second list was God's judgement upon the wicked. This helped me put things into perspective and sort out some of the tricky parts.Let's take a look at a few passages to see if they make more sense.

2 Nephi 12:6

Therefore, O Lord, thou hast forsaken thy people, the house of Jacob, because they be replenished from the east, and hearken unto soothsayers like the Philistines...

I wondered for a long time what it meant to be "replenished from the east". I should've checked the footnotes. The corresponding verse in Isaiah 2 has a footnote which explains that 'replenished' is an Idiomatic Expression meaning 'are filled, supplied with teachings' (Isaiah 2:6a). So Israel was getting a time-out for turning to other philosophies and beliefs, rather than turning to God for direction.

Another example is in 2 Nephi 13:16-24. I have read this passage several times in the past and have heard it discussed in Sunday School classes as being judgements against Babylon. Take a moment to read verse 16 again:

Moreover, the Lord saith: Because the daughters of Zion are haughty, and walk with stretched-forth necks and wanton eyes...

Whoa, Isaiah is saying that this is judgement upon the Lord's own chosen people. Those of the Lord's church are being chastized for following the world's extremes in fashion and for being proud while they're doing it. The word wanton means "sexually lawless or unrestrained; loose; lascivious", and these are the daughters of Zion... I don't need to know what a caul, wimple, or crisping pin is to know these girls are in trouble.

Let's shift gears and look at something a bit more uplifting.

2 Nephi 15:25:
"...For all this his anger is not turned away, but his hand is stretched out still."

Some commentators interpret this as saying the Lord is just waiting to strike Israel again. I see it as the dual roles of justice and mercy. On one side, justice demands that we receive "the fruit of [our] doings" (2 Nephi 13:10), whether good or evil. On the other side, mercy seeks to lift us up as much as we will allow. I read that scripture and I see God's hand reaching out to pull us up if we will only grab hold.

Anyhow, go through and make your own list so you can see how Isaiah refers to God's judgements on Israel and other nations. I found the corresponding footnotes in Isaiah really help to understand the same passages in 2 Nephi, especially in the context of God's judgements.

The "Isaiah Barrier" - Key 2

As I finished my last post, I started to wonder what I got myself into. I can’t rightly just wander off onto other tangents now that I have started. When you start a 5-part series, people will most likely expect all five parts. And, unless you’re George Lucas, people will expect those parts to be in sequential order (maybe I could run a prequel series after this is done).

So why am I doing this? I’d like to say that my motives are purely altruistic and I have nothing but your best interest in mind. Honestly, this is more of an enforced personal study program for me. I had to cover in about 35-40 minutes of class time what could easily spill into hours of study. I guess this is my way of covering all the ground I couldn’t do in class…

So, now that we’re all practiced up on likening the scriptures to ourselves, we can venture out into the second key to unlocking Isaiah.

Key 2: 2 Nephi 25:1
“Know … concerning the manner of prophesying among the Jews”.

Wait a minute, Elder Eyring said that Nephi selected these chapters from Isaiah because he knew we could get through them without having to be proficient in Hebrew. Now you’re telling me that I need to know how the Jews prophesied? I’m confused.

Yes, Isaiah’s prophecies are written in a style that the Jews were accustomed to reading and hearing. He used imagery and symbolism that would have been familiar to Jewish people in his time, but that doesn’t necessarily mean that we’re out of luck either. Nephi wouldn’t have included those passages if he didn’t think we would catch the important parts. I have to keep reminding myself during the tough parts that Nephi saw our day and picked things he thought would be relevant to us.

So let’s look at a few passages to see if we can make sense out of the imagery.

Let’s start with an easy one, 2 Nephi 12:2–3.
2. And it shall come to pass in the last days, when the mountain of the Lord’s house shall be established in the top of the mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills, and all nations shall flow unto it.

I picked this one to start because most of us already know that Isaiah is talking about temples (especially if we read the chapter heading). This is a good exercise in “reverse engineering” the symbolism. Why would Isaiah choose a mountain to represent the temple? Think of the physical effort it takes to get to the top of a mountain compared to the spiritual effort required to reach the House of the Lord. From the mountain, you can see as far as the physical limitation of your vision will allow. From the temple, you can see as much of eternity as your mortal, finite mind can grasp. How much of the daily distraction do you hear from the top of a mountain?

If the temple is compared to a mountain, then what would be symbolic of the hills, above which the mountain is exalted?

Another example: 2 Nephi 14:5-6.
5. And the Lord will create upon every dwelling-place of mount Zion, and upon her assemblies, a cloud and smoke by day and the shining of a flaming fire by night; for upon all the glory of Zion shall be a defence.

Huh? So all the houses will be on fire? That doesn’t sound good, but those who read the story of Moses should see something a little familiar here. The footnote in verse 5 refers to Exodus 13:21:

And the Lord went before them by day in a pillar of a cloud, to lead them the way; and by night in a pillar of fire, to give them light; to go by day and night;

During Israel’s camping trip in the desert, the presence of the Lord was a literal protection for them in the day and guidance and light for them in the night. So when Isaiah uses the same imagery to describe the millennial conditions, what does it really mean? If it was the Lord’s presence for Moses, then it’ll be the Lord’s presence again in the Millennium. That defense is sounding a whole lot better now.

As an interesting side note, early manuscripts of Joseph Smith's account of his First Vision experience show that he often crossed out the word 'fire' and used 'light' or 'glory' to describe the appearance of Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ. Orson Pratt wrote in his book 'Interesting Account of Several Remarkable Vision' that Joseph expected to see "the leaves and boughs of the trees consumed" (pg 5).

We can use Key #1 to liken this to ourselves now that we have a better understanding of the imagery. To what extent do we allow the Lord to be our cloud by day and fire by night? Do we walk in darkness when the Lord offers noon-day illumination to our souls and lives? Is our “dwelling-place of mount Zion” entrusted to the Lord’s protective care?

Sometimes other scriptures can help us understand the symbolism used. Compare 2 Nephi 15:1-7 with Zenos’ allegory of the olive trees in Jacob 5. Imagine, using Isaiah to help another scripture passage make sense. Never thought you'd be doing that, did you?

The Prophet Joseph Smith taught, “I make this broad declaration, that whenever God gives a vision of an image, or beast, or figure of any kind, He always holds Himself responsible to give a revelation or interpretation of the meaning thereof, otherwise we are not responsible or accountable for our belief in it. Don’t be afraid of being damned for not knowing the meaning of a vision or figure, if God has not given a revelation or interpretation of the subject.” (Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, comp. Joseph Fielding Smith, Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Co., p. 291.)

If you run into symbolism you don't understand, check the footnotes to see if/how other scriptures refer to the passage. I've found it helpful to compare the Isaiah footnotes from the Book of Mormon chapters with those in the Old Testament.

The second key boils down to understanding the symbolism and imagery used by Isaiah. Keep an open mind and heart as you read and you'll find that you understand more than you think you do. Just remember that the Lord wants you to understand what you're reading and will help if you put the effort in.

The "Isaiah Barrier" - The First Key

Why is Isaiah so hard to understand? You'd think if it were so important (and it is...), it would be written in a way we could grasp. I'm offering this as purely my own opinion, but here's what makes sense to me. First, let me refer to part of a talk by Elder Richard G. Scott from October General Conference, 1989. In speaking of prayer he said,

"I have discovered that what sometimes seems an impenetrable barrier to communication is a giant step to be taken in trust."

Huh? Where am I going with this? Lemme 'splain... God gives us weaknesses "that [we] may be humble; and [His] grace is sufficient for all ... that humble themselves before [him]..." (Ether 12:27). I believe that Isaiah is intentionally difficult to help us become humble enough to go to the Lord for help. To paraphrase Elder Scott, 'what sometimes seesms an impenetrable barrier to understanding the scriptures is a giant step to be taken in trusting the Lord'. It seems impassable, but with the Lord's help we'll make it through Isaiah...

The Gospel Doctrine manual lists five 'keys' to help understand Isaiah. Those of you in the advanced class might skip ahead to Elder Bruce R. McConkie's "Ten Keys to Understanding Isaiah". While I am a huge fan of Elder McConkie, it might be a little much for most of us right now. I want to deal with the keys listed in the manual and see if they can be expanded upon. This is going to turn into one of those "tune in next week" series because I'll probably only be able to deal with one key at a time.

Key #1: 1 Nephi 19:23

This verse was brought up as one of the reasons why Nephi quoted Isaiah so often, "that [he] might more fully persuade [his brothers] to believe in the Lord their Redeemer". It also has the first key in how to make sense out of not only Isaiah, but all scriptures. We, like Nephi, need to "liken all scriptures unto us, that it might be for our profit and learning."

If you're like me (which would be a scary thought), you're asking yourself, "How do I liken something I don't understand?"

In the February 2004 Ensign, Elder Henry B. Eyring said, "I have worried about the barrier of Isaiah. In fact, I have pondered this thought: 'Why did Nephi put the barrier there?'"

See... even Elder Eyring calls it a barrier. Now I don't feel so bad. After referring to 1 Nephi 19:23, he continues:

"I have thought perhaps what Nephi is trying to tell us is that he recognized the barrier of Isaiah. He knew that the book of Isaiah is full of imagery. Of all the scriptures, few have as many images; therefore, Isaiah can be very difficult. I believe what Nephi meant by “liken all scriptures unto us” was that they could be directly applied.

"Many are more skilled than I am at putting scriptures in their historic context. There are wonderful techniques of understanding metaphor, simile, and allegory in the scriptures, and I hope you will learn as much about that as you can. But I hope you will learn one more thing. As you read Isaiah in the Book of Mormon, try to believe that Nephi knew Isaiah and he knew imagery. Nephi said to liken Isaiah directly unto you. So I tried it. I read Isaiah’s words again, assuming Nephi picked the parts of Isaiah that I, without worrying about the imagery, could take directly to my heart as if the Lord were speaking to me…" (Henry B. Eyring, “The Book of Mormon Will Change Your Life”, Ensign, Feb 2004, 9)

Elder Eyring seems to be saying that Nephi picked out passages that we would be able to apply to ourselves without being fluent in Hebrew or knowing anything about the culture. Sounds great, but does it work? Let's look at a few passages and test it out.

1 Nephi 21:14-16

14 But, behold, Zion hath said: The Lord hath forsaken me, and my Lord hath forgotten me—but he will show that he hath not.

Who hasn't felt forgotten or forsaken in this life? I think it's safe to say we all pass through that at one point, wondering if God is aware of what we're doing or going through.

15 For can a woman forget her sucking child, that she should not have compassion on the son of her womb? Yea, they may forget, yet will I not forget thee, O house of Israel.

The Lord says a woman would forget her nursing child before He ever forgot about us. That's a comforting thought to me.

16 Behold, I have graven thee upon the palms of my hands; thy walls are continually before me.

When I was in high school (before the wonder of Palm Pilots and electronic organizers), when I needed to remember important items like homework assignments or a girl's phone number, the only way for me to be assured of remembering it later was to write it on my hands. I had to be careful, because if I wrote it on my palm the writing would wear off or smudge so I couldn't read what I had written. Isaiah says that the Lord has a more reliable method of remembering us. We are written on the "palms of [His] hands", but not with ink. The nails of the cross are His reminders of us, "continually before [Him]."

Another example: 2 Nephi 15:18:

Wo unto them that draw iniquity with cords of vanity, and sin as it were with a cart rope

Imagine someone pulling their sins behind them, tied to the cart by their own vanity. How often do we let our own pride prevent us from letting go of our "favorite" sins? So we often keep hauling them around with us, making our own progress more difficult.

So there's the first key, likening Isaiah to ourselves. Sounds easy enough, right? While it may not seem straight-forward to start out, but with practice and application it becomes easier. Eventually...

The "Isaiah Barrier" - Part 1

Do you panic when you see "Compare Isaiah [insert chapter # here]" in the chapter headings? Do you skim through 2 Nephi 12 - 24 as fast as you can so you can honestly say you read it? Welcome to the club. If you're like most of us, Isaiah makes about as much sense to you as the instructions on programming your TV before you realize you're reading the Swahili section instead of English. Ikea assembly instructions make more sense than Isaiah sometimes. You know which ones I'm talking about... the ambiguous pictures without words where you're not sure if you're making a bookcase or bar stool.

It's really interesting as a Gospel Doctrine teacher to see everyone's eyes glaze over as soon as they find out the lesson is on Isaiah. Some of the class had actually read the lesson ahead of time and made comments like, "I'm glad it's you and not me" as they walked into class.

I had some interesting thoughts and ideas as I was preparing the lesson last week. Hopefully they'll help at least downgrade your panic to a low-grade phobia.

Would it make you feel better if Nephi told you that Isaiah would be a tough read?

"Wherefore, hearken... and give ear unto my words; for ... the words of Isaiah are not plain unto you" (2 Nephi 25:4)

Truer words were never spoken. Thanks for that head's up Nephi, but you could've warned us before you put in all the Isaiah chapters...

Let's stop for a moment to put it into perspective.

• The book of Isaiah in the Old Testement has 1292 verses (King James Version).
• The New Testament refers to Isaiah approximately 57 times.
• The Doctrine & Covenants references Isaiah at least 100 times (direct quotes, paraphrasing, and interpretations).
• The Book of Mormon quotes 433 verses, or roughly 33% of what we have in the Old Testament.

As I was running the numbers at 6:30 on Sunday morning, a realization hit me. Nephi knew through his extended version of the Tree of Life vision that we would already have the Bible containing, among other things, the book of Isaiah. So naturally, I wondered why Nephi would spend so much time and effort engraving 1/3rd of a book that he knew we already had. Maybe because 234 of the 433 verses quoted are changed ('corrected' would probably be a better word) from what we have in the Old Testament. It could be to reflect the importance of Isaiah's message.

Let's let Nephi tell us why he included so much of Isaiah's writings in his record:

1. 1 Nephi 19:23, "that I might more fully persuade them to believe in the Lord their Redeemer I did read unto them that which was written by the prophet Isaiah"
2. 2 Nephi 11:2-4, he used Isaiah's words to prove "unto my people the truth of the coming of Christ" as Isaiah "verily saw my Redeemer, even as I have seen him." It's easier to understand someone if you both share common experiences.
3. 2 Nephi 11:8, "...I write some of the words of Isaiah, that whoso of my people shall see these words may lift up their hearts and rejoice ..." (isn't that your first instinct after reading Isaiah?)
4. 2 Nephi 25:3, "I write unto my people, unto all those that shall receive hereafter these things which I write, that they may know the judgments of God"

If you want a really interesting exercise, make a chart like the one below (or click on it to download a PDF copy):

Each column represents one of the four reasons Nephi included Isaiah's writings. You'll need to make it bigger, of course, at least a full-sized page depending on how small you write. Now, go through 2 Nephi chapters 12-24 and make notes whenever you find something that fits into one of the four columns. What this did for me was show me that I could understand Isaiah without needing a PhD in Hebrew. I was reading with a specific goal instead of hoping that something would jump out and miraculously make sense to me, or counting the pages until I was "in the clear" again.

I'll continue my little rant another day before this turns into a small novel. In the meantime, try filling out the chart to see what you find. Feel free to comment on anything that jumps out at you...

Did NOT see that one coming...

The new Church presidency was announced this morning. It was no surprise that Thomas S. Monson is the new president. Henry B. Eyring was called as the 1st Counselor, no big shock there. However, I did not see Dieter F. Uchtdorf getting called as the 2nd Counselor.

Don't get me wrong, I fully support and sustain his appointment as counselor. It just never crossed my mind as a possibility, seeing as how he has only been an apostle since October 2004. I guess that's probably one of the reasons no one asked me first. Is it wrong to admit that I was cheering for Elder Bednar?

I guess I was just as surprised when Pres. Uchtdorf was called to be an apostle, I hadn't really even heard of him before that time. No pun intended, but he seemed to fly in under the radar. He quickly became one of my favorites though (not to suggest that there is a Q12 that I don't like, I have favorites and then strong favorites).

We have to wait until the April General Conference to find out who will fill the vacancy in the Quorum of the 12 Apostles. I'm not even going to speculate because I have a track record of 0%. I'll just be pleasantly surprised with whoever is called. I'm looking forward to hearing from Presidents Eyring and Uchtdorf twice at each conference now, which also means that President Monson will now be speaking three times/ conference. This is exciting for me. I could listen to them read the ingredients off a cereal box.

I've always enjoyed listening to Pres. Eyring. He came to our stake conference in Lethbridge before my mission, at the time he was a member of the Quorum of the 70. He was the last speaker and went to the pulpit without any papers or notes and talked about each topic from the preceeding speakers and expanded on what they had said, adding supporting anecdotes from his own experience.

Some people have sports stars, singers, or actors as heros. My heros wear suits and ties and are called to be special witnesses of Christ. In my book, it doesn't get much cooler than that.

"We thank thee, O God, for a prophet"

I was stunned and saddened when I heard that Pres. Gordon B. Hinckley, 15th president of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, had passed away this evening at the age of 97.

We knew he wouldn't live forever, but we were sure hoping. Every time we saw him on TV for General Conference, Church broadcasts, or even interviews with the media, we couldn't help but feel the love he had for everyone.

I remember sitting as a teenager in one of the rooms of the Cardston temple for the rededication after it had been remodeled back in 1991. Presidents Hinckley and Monson came through our room on their way to the Celestial room for the dedicatory prayer.

Shortly after my mission, I was lucky enough to go to Salt Lake for April conference in 1995. We sat in the tabernacle waiting for conference to start. There was the usual pre-meeting buzz as everyone was talking quietly. Then a reverent silence spread through the tabernacle as President Hinckley came into the room as the prophet. We could feel his presence and the spirit he carried with him before we could see him. I have never doubted that he was a prophet of God.

As is the case when we lose anyone dear, we know he is in a wonderful place, reunited at last with his beloved wife. But we still can't help being a little selfish in wishing he were still here with us.

The beauty of the Church - well, one of them anyway - is that we are not left without guidance and leadership. The Lord has a system in place whereby prophetic succession is done without rallying for office or aspiring to position (click here for more details). Soon, the announcement of the new president of the Church will be made.

President Hinckley will be dearly missed, and at the same time we look forward to following the new prophet and pledge to him the same love and devotion we had for President Hinckley. We revere and love the prophet because he is called of God and speaks for Him.

LDS.org article

“I want to bear you my testimony. I know that God our Eternal Father lives. I know that. I know that He watches over us, His children. He is the great God of the universe. He is the Governor of the universe. And yet He listens to each of us, His children, and how thankful we ought to be. I know that Jesus is the Christ, the Redeemer of the world, He who wrought a great Atonement in behalf of each of us. I do not care what you remember from this meeting, but I hope that you will remember this, that you heard Gordon B. Hinckley say that he knows that God lives and that Jesus is the Christ, the Redeemer of the world... That is my testimony and it is as real and as true as the sunrise in the morning.” (Panama City Panama Fireside, January 20, 1997.)

Some other good links:

The Family: A Proclamation to the World

The 6 B's, a classic talk from 2000

The Living Christ: The Testimony of the Apostles