#16. Mosiah 4–6

(All questions from Book of Mormon Gospel Doctrine Teacher's Manual 
[unless otherwise indicated])

4:2) In what sense are we “less than the dust of the earth”? 

(See Helaman 12:8)

President Brigham Young said, “The earth is very good in and of itself, and has abided a celestial law, consequently we should … desire and strive to obey the same law that the earth abides… The animal, vegetable, and mineral kingdoms … the whole earth and all things pertaining to it, except men, abide the law of their Creator … and will be exalted.” (Journal of Discourses 2:302-303; 9:246). President Kimball said that one of the most important reasons for growing a garden is to “bring human nature closer to nature, as [it] was  in the beginning” (Apr 1978 CR).

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 Elder Boyd K. Packer has said: “Sometimes we harm ourselves and others in ways that we alone cannot repair…. If Christ had not made His Atonement, such injuries would be added one on the other and life would be hopeless. But He willingly sacrificed in order that we may be redeemed.” (See April 2001 CR.)

4:2) What did seeing their dependent state lead King Benjamin’s people to do?

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4:3) What caused King Benjamin’s people to be “filled with joy”?   (See also Galatians 5:22.)

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4:11-12, 26) What did King Benjamin say was necessary to retain a remission of our sins?




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          Elder James E. Talmage said, “Retaining the remission of our sins [requires] continued repentance … unfailing efforts to overcome … doing unto our neighbors as we would have them do unto us” (April 1921 CR).

Elder Neal A. Maxwell said: “Much emphasis was given by King Benjamin to retaining a remission of our sins [which] clearly depends on the regularity of our repentance. In the church we [rightly] worry… over the retention of new members, but the retention of our remissions is cause for even deeper concern.” (See BMSM, 142.) 
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4:14-15) President Hinckley said, “The health of any society, the happiness of its people, their prosperity, and their peace all find their roots in the teaching of children by fathers and mothers” (Oct 1993 CR; quoted in BMGDTM, 72).  Why is it so important that parents teach the gospel to their children?

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4:17) According to King Benjamin, why do some people refuse to help the needy?

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4:20-22) In what ways are we all beggars?

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4:26-7) How can we be sure to share with others as God would have us do?

“[T]here is no single right approach to helping the needy. We should remember the principles taught by King Benjamin and seek the guidance of the Spirit in each situation.” (Book of Mormon Gospel Doctrine Teacher’s Manual, 74.)

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4:29-30)   “Sow a thought, reap an act; sow an act, reap a habit; sow a habit, reap a character; sow a character, reap an eternal destiny” (David O. McKay, Apr 1962 CR).

How are our thoughts, words, and deeds related?

Elder Boyd K. Packer said: “Years ago I put up some signs in my mind…. ‘No trespassing.’ ‘No dumping.’ ….  I’ve had to evict some thoughts a hundred times before they would stay out. I have never been successful until I have put something edifying in their place. I do not want my mind to be a dumping place for shabby ideas or thoughts, bitterness, envy, hatred or jealousy.  If you are [troubled with] such things, it’s time to clean the yard.” (Oct 1977 CR.)   

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Mosiah 5:2) What effect did the Spirit of the Lord have on the people?

Why is it important for us to know that these people were already members of the Church?

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5:7) What does it [take] to become children of Christ?

Elder Bednar has said that “spiritual rebirth … is an ongoing process, not a single event” (Apr 2007 CR). Elder Dallin H. Oakes has said, “Being born again is a gradual thing; except in a few isolated instances that are so miraculous that they get written up in the scriptures [most of us] are born again by degrees” (March 1997 Ensign).  President Benson said, “For every Paul, every Enos, every King Lamoni, there are thousands of people who find the process … much more subtle, much more imperceptible. Day by day they move closer to the Lord …” (Oct 1989 Ensign, 2.)  

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5:8)  Elder D. Todd Christofferson has said: “Uniting ourselves to the body of Christ—the Church—is an important part of taking His name upon us” (April 2016 CR).

Elder Dallin H. Oaks has said: “We also take upon us his name as we publicly profess our belief in him, as we fulfill our obligations as members of his Church, and as we do the work of His kingdom” (April 1985 CR).

Elder Henry B. Eyring has said that to take His name upon us “we must see ourselves as His, put Him first in our lives, want what He wants rather than what the world teaches us to want. Doing for each other what the Lord would have us do [also] follows naturally from taking His name upon us.” (See Apr 1998 CR). 

What does it mean to [be willing to] “take upon [us] the name of Christ”?

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6:1, 3)   Why was it important to record the names of all those who had entered into the covenant to obey God’s commandments? 

Elder Joseph B. Wirthlin said, “Building on this divine model, home teaching and visiting teaching companionships are called ‘to watch over the church always, and be with and strengthen [others].’ …. So when your leaders ask you to serve [as a home or visiting teacher], we hope that you will respond as if the Lord Himself were asking … because He is.” (See Oct 1997 CR.)

Book of Mormon Lesson #15--Mosiah 1–3

Book of Mormon Lesson # 15—mosiah 1–3

“Eternally Indebted to your Father”

Ponderize Scripture: Mosiah 3:19. “For the natural man is an enemy to God, and has been from the fall of Adam, and will be, forever and ever, unless he yields to the enticings of the Holy Spirit, and putteth off the natural man and becometh a saint through the atonement of Christ the Lord, and becometh as a child, submissive, meek, humble, patient, full of love, willing to submit to all things which the Lord seeth fit to inflict upon him, even as a child doth submit to his father.”

Introduction

When one looks at masterful discourses in the Book of Mormon, one thinks of Abinadi in the court of King Noah, Samuel the Lamanite atop the wall, calling the Nephites to repentance, or Alma powerfully preaching the Gospel to the people of Ammonihah. But undoubtedly one of the most succinct and moving discourses is that of King Benjamin. When I started working at what is now the Neal A. Maxwell Institute at BYU, Jack Welch was proposing the King Benjamin’s Speech project. It took us three years to put the volume together, and it remains the most comprehensive treatment of these pivotal six chapters of the Book of Mormon. In addition, three scripture mastery scriptures come from the first six chapters of Mosiah, one of which is our “ponderize” scripture.

What we may not realize is that nearly 300 years have passed between the end of the book of Jacob and King Benjamin’s Speech. The eight pages we covered last week span nearly three decades. And during that time, Jacob’s teaching of Christ seems to have been lost. So as Benjamin is nearing the end of his life and needs to pass on the kingship to one of his sons, he is visited by an angel and instructed anew about the life and mission of Christ. 

And it is one of those tender mercies of the Lord that we have his text. If you look at the Book of Mormon in eras, you have the Lehite era that takes you to the Promised Land, the Nephite era that takes you to the end of the small plates, and now the era of King Benjamin which leads to the time of the judges up until Christ’s coming. As it was intended to be the guiding gospel to the Nephites from then really until the coming of Christ, so it is a guiding light to us in our day. 

In his chapter in King Benjamin’s Speech, Elder Maxwell wrote, “We have no biography of King Benjamin; nevertheless, we have his words, which are what we most need for our discipleship. The combined efforts of the angel who inspired King Benjamin and King Benjamin himself, together with the selectivity of Mormon as editor have given us high relevancy amid the paucity of the Benjamin pages. Of course, while a special portion of King Benjamin’s sermon was directed by an angel, angels, in turn, ‘speak by the power of the Holy Ghost’ in what is a seamless process (2 Nephi 32:3). Since the Book of Mormon itself ‘shall go from generation to generation as long as the earth shall stand’ (2 Nephi 25:22), this means, much as we appreciate them today, that the words of King Benjamin will have their widest and greatest influence—personal and global—in the decades ahead.”[1]

Mosiah 1: King Benjamin teaches his sons and has Mosiah call the people together.

Benjamin has made sure that his children can read the brass plates and the small and large plates of Nephi has he had them up to that point. As we know they were written in “reformed Egyptian”—not a spoken language among the Nephites one presumes. It is interesting (and something Joseph could not have known) that the succession from Benjamin to Mosiah follows ancient Israelite traditions.[2]

We have talked before about what constitutes the “mysteries” of God, but here is an explanation, “A mystery is a truth that cannot be known except through divine revelation—a sacred secret. … In our day such great truths as those pertaining to the restoration of the Priesthood, the work for the dead, and the re-establishment of the Church are ‘mysteries,’ because they could not have been discovered except by revelation” (Hyrum M. Smith and Janne M. Sjodahl, Doctrine and Covenants Commentary, rev. ed. [1972], 141).

There is a phrase in “The Spirit of God”:  “we’ll call in our solemn assemblies” and this always reminds me of Benjamin having Mosiah summon the people so that he can give them his abdication address as it were and pass on what he would want his people to remember. We talked two weeks ago about Jacob’s last discourse which culminated in the allegory of the Olive Tree. Now, by divine commandment, Benjamin has instructed his sons and now talks to all his people sharing not only his own testimony but an angelic message of Christ and the Atonement.

Elder Parry said, “Keeping the doctrine pure was foremost in King Benjamin’s mind, so he wanted all of his people to receive his witness and his word. He instructed that Mosiah, his son and successor, be brought before him, and to him he gave specific instructions concerning the gathering of his people for this, his final conference.”[3]

Mosiah 2. King Benjamin teaches the people of their eternal indebtedness to God.

Benjamin was a king who served his people. Like the Savior, he led by example. And thankfully, he recorded his words and sent them out among his people. Just a few days after the end of General Conference, the talks are available online and in the Gospel Library. A few weeks after they arrive in printed form and as Benjamin’s words informed several generations, those talks are our instructions for the next six months. So maybe not to be listened to just once and then not reviewed, but perhaps read from daily.

From the youngest primary child to those of us who sit in the “old people’s row” when we think of service we think of Mosiah 2:17. “And behold, I tell you these things that ye may learn wisdom; that ye may learn that when ye are in the service of your fellow beings ye are only in the service of your God.” There have been 48 references to this scripture in General Conference, the first one recorded in 1942. Howard W. Hunter said : “Continue to seek opportunities for service. Don’t be overly concerned with status. … It is important to be appreciated. But our focus should be on righteousness, not recognition; on service, not status. The faithful visiting teacher [or home teacher], who quietly goes about her [or his] work month after month, is just as important to the work of the Lord as those who occupy what some see as more prominent positions in the Church. Visibility does not equate to value” (“To the Women of the Church,” Ensign, Nov. 1992, 96–97). 

Elder Scott said, “We best serve our Father in Heaven by righteously influencing others and serving them.”[4] President Uchtdorf summarized this chapter as follows, “Disciples of Jesus Christ understand that compared to eternity, our existence in this mortal sphere is only ‘a small moment’ in space and time. They know that a person’s true value has little to do with what the world holds in high esteem. They know you could pile up the accumulated currency of the entire world and it could not buy a loaf of bread in the economy of heaven. Those who will ‘inherit the kingdom of God’ are those who become ‘as a child, submissive, meek, humble, patient, full of love.’ ‘For every one that exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted.’ Such disciples understand also ‘that when ye are in the service of your fellow beings ye are only in the service of your God.’”[5]

Mosiah 3. King Benjamin repeats an angel’s prophecies about Jesus Christ and His Atonement.,

In chapter 3 we have the beginning of the revelations through the angel who appeared to and taught Benjamin. Here’s Elder Maxwell on the “awful arithmetic of the Atonement”: “Imagine, Jehovah, the Creator of this and other worlds, ‘astonished’! Jesus knew cognitively what He must do, but not experientially. He had never personally known the exquisite and exacting process of an atonement before. Thus, when the agony came in its fulness, it was so much, much worse than even He with his unique intellect had ever imagined! No wonder an angel appeared to strengthen him! (See Luke 22:43.) The cumulative weight of all mortal sins—past, present, and future—pressed upon that perfect, sinless, and sensitive Soul! All our infirmities and sicknesses were somehow, too, a part of the awful arithmetic of the Atonement. (See Alma 7:11–12; Isaiah 53:3–5; Matthew 8:17.) The anguished Jesus not only pled with the Father that the hour and cup might pass from Him, but with this relevant citation. ‘And he said, Abba, Father, all things are possible unto thee; take away this cup from me’ (Mark 14:35–36). Had not Jesus, as Jehovah, said to Abraham, ‘Is any thing too hard for the Lord?’ (Genesis 18:14). Had not His angel told a perplexed Mary, ‘For with God nothing shall be impossible’? (Luke 1:37; see also Matthew 19:28; Mark 10:27; Luke 18:27). Jesus’ request was not theater! In this extremity, did He, perchance, hope for a rescuing ram in the thicket? I do not know. His suffering—as it were, enormity multiplied by infinity—evoked His later soul-cry on the cross, and it was a cry of forsakenness. (See Matthew 27:46.) Even so, Jesus maintained this sublime submissiveness, as He had in Gethsemane: ‘Nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt’ (Matthew 26:39)” (Ensign, May 1985, 72–73).

Regarding the name to which Benjamin referred in Mosiah 1:11–12,  in The Living Christ, it says: “We bear testimony, as His duly ordained Apostles—that Jesus is the Living Christ, the immortal Son of God. He is the great King Immanuel, who stands today on the right hand of His Father. He is the light, the life, and the hope of the world. His way is the path that leads to happiness in this life and eternal life in the world to come” (“The Living Christ: The Testimony of the Apostles,” Ensign, Apr. 2000, 3).

Elder Maxwell had this to say about the natural man, “Paul wrote helpfully, ‘[See] that ye have put off the old man with his deeds’ (Colossians 3:9). However, King Benjamin parallels and exceeds what is preserved from Paul. Brigham Young, such a careful student of the Book of Mormon, was quick to see and use numerous times in his teachings counsel concerning the natural man, for instance: ‘How difficult it is to teach the natural man, who comprehends nothing more than that which he sees with the natural eye! . . . Talk to him about angels, heavens, God, immortality, and eternal lives, and it is like sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal to his ears; it has no music to him; there is nothing in it that charms his senses, soothes his feelings, attracts his attention, or engages his affections, in the least’ (Discourses of Brigham Young [Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 1954], 260.) Brigham understood the natural man, as did King Benjamin and the apostle Paul. Paul concurred, of course, noting that to the natural man the things of the Spirit ‘are foolishness’ (1 Corinthians 2:14).”

So how do we put off the natural man? Mosiah 3:19 tells us.

In conclusion, here is a typically obscure but pithy quote from Hugh Nibley, also in King Benjamin’s Speech: “During his life span on this earth, in which all are in the same situation, ‘the natural man is an enemy to God—carnal, sensual, and devilish, or as we would say, oversexed, greedy, and mean, or perhaps lecherous, pampered, and vicious. Obviously things are out of order; but if we are really nothing, how can we save ourselves? Someone has to intervene, and here, with a sigh of relief, we learn that Benjamin has been tutored for this talk by an angel. This shocks us into realizing that we have not seen it all after all. There may be more to life than going to the office every day—this is not ‘all there is!’ Where did we get all those gifts and endowments with which we enter the world and then leave without ever using them? This question of Plato’s was repeated by Lamarck—to Darwin’s immense annoyance; he called it an abominable mystery. If natural selection chooses only those defenses of which the creature has absolute need for survival, why has our brain capacity so outrageously exceeded our needs? Where did we develop it? Where did we need it, if not in a far more sophisticated environment than we have here, where the stupidest species have survived the longest? We are equipped for much greater things than we ever achieve, and we yearn for something better than we can ever expect here and yet envisage most positively. That is what Plato calls anamnesis, dim memories of a better world that give us intimations of immortality at the sight of the kaloskagathos, something good, true, and beautiful. We are living in a dismal swamp between two glorious uplands. Why this unhappy interruption? For life is an interruption which consists almost entirely of an unbroken succession of interruptions. All this is to try man and to tempt him. For in getting ready for the long pull ahead, we must learn to cope with the worst.”[6]

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[1] Neal A. Maxwell, ““King Benjamin’s Speech: A Manual for Discipleship,” http://publications.mi.byu.edu/fullscreen/?pub=1087&index=1.

[2]Stephen D. Ricks, “Kingship. Coronation, and Covenant in Mosiah 1–6,” http://publications.mi.byu.edu/fullscreen/?pub=1087&index=10.

[3] L. Tom Perry, “Thou Shalt Give Heed unto All His Words,” Ensign, May 2000, 23.

[4] Richard G. Scott, “I Have Given You an Example,” Ensign, May 2014, 32.

[5] https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2011/10/you-matter-to-him?lang=eng.

[6] Hugh W. Nibley, “Assembly and Atonement,” http://publications.mi.byu.edu/fullscreen/?pub=1087&index=7.

#14. See Enos, Jarom, Omni and Words of Mormon

Ponder Enos 1:7-8 “And I said: Lord, how is it done? And He said unto me: Because of thy faith in Christ, whom thou hast never before heard nor seen. . . thy faith hath made thee whole.”

Jacob 7:27) Who was Enos's father?  (... uncle?  ... grandpa?)

What verses in Enos have especially impressed you?

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Re: Enos 1:1, “President Hinckley counseled parents to be righteous examples for their children, as Enos’s father was for him: ‘Treat your children as sons and daughters of God. Be kind. Love them. Respect them. Counsel with them. Teach them. Pray for them. Guide them and God will bless them and you.’(1 Nov 1997 Church News, 2.)” (Book of Mormon Gospel Doctrine Teacher’s Manual [BMGDTM], 62.)

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Enos 1:2, 4, 10) What can we learn from Enos about prayer?

Enos 1:2 says Enos wrestled before God in prayer. “Such wrestling is the struggle to find and express one’s real desires under the inspiration of the Holy Ghost.  Praying in this manner requires that a person eliminate vain, trite, or insincere repetitions and pour the deepest desires of his or her heart into words.” (See Book of Mormon Student Manual [BMSM], 130.)

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Regarding Enos 1:5, 10, Elder Boyd K. Packer said, “The scriptures generally use the word voice” but “it is a voice that one feels, more than one hears” since revelations often “are not seen with our eyes, nor heard with our ears” (Jan 1983 Ensign, 51).  “Some answers will come from reading the scriptures, some from hearing speakers [and] some will come by very direct and powerful inspiration [which] comes more as a feeling than as a sound” (Oct 1979 Conference Report [CR]; quoted in BMSM, 132).

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Re: Enos 1:9, Elder Robert D. Hales has said: “The scriptures confirm that the truly converted do more than just forsake the enticements of the world. They love God and their fellowmen.” (Oct 2000 Conference Report, 6; quoted in BMSM, 131.) 

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Regarding Enos 1:22, Elder Bruce R. McConkie said, “Every member of the Church should be a prophet”(Mormon Doctrine, 606).  Elder Dallin H. Oaks has said, “The testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy’ (Rev. 19:10). This was what Moses meant when he expressed the wish ‘that all the Lord’s people were prophets, and that the Lord would put His Spirit upon them’ (Num. 11:29)!” (October 1990 CR).
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Enos 1:27) In concluding his account, of what did Enos testify?


           How did Enos know that?

See D&C 131:5, 2 Peter 1:17-19. Although Peter, James and John "heard an audible voice from heaven bearing testimony that Jesus was the Son of God [on the Mount of Transfiguration (Matthew 17:5), Peter subsequently] says 'we have a more sure word of prophecy, whereunto ye do well that ye take heed as unto a light shining in a dark place.' Now, wherein could they have a more sure word of prophecy than to hear the voice of God saying, 'This is my beloved Son'? …. Though they might hear the voice of God and know that Jesus was the Son of God, this would be no evidence that they had the promise of eternal life in the kingdom of God. [T]his promise ... was an anchor to the soul, sure and steadfast…. [T]his hope and knowledge would support the soul in every hour of trial, trouble and tribulation." (See Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, 298.)

See also Ether 12:4. "Hope: The confident expectation of and longing for the promised blessings of righteousness" (The Guide to the Scriptures, www.lds.org). "In the language of the gospel ... hope is sure ... Hope is a gift of the Spirit... that through the Atonement of Jesus Christ and the power of His Resurrection, [a person] shall be raised unto life eternal." (President Dieter F. Uchtdorf, Oct 2008 CR.)

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Jarom 1:4-5)  How was the Nephite society able to grow strong?

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Jarom 1:5) What have latter-day prophets said about “strict … laws of the land”?

 Elder Dallin H. Oaks has said: “Few concepts have more potential to mislead us than the idea that choice, or agency, is an ultimate goal…. To secure our agency in mortality we fought a mighty contest the book of Revelation calls a ‘war in heaven.’ …. But our war to secure agency was won….

“…. It will not do to pretend that our agency has been taken away when we are not free to exercise it without unwelcome consequences. If we say we are anti-[this or that] in our personal life but pro-choice in public policy, we are saying that we will not use our influence to establish public policies that encourage righteous choices….

“Those who reach the pro-choice position by saying we should not legislate morality should realize that the law of crimes legislates nothing but morality. Should we repeal all laws so that our government will not punish any choices some persons [do not] consider immoral? Such an action would wipe out virtually all of the laws against crimes.” (See January 2001 Ensign.)

… President Brigham Young said “[T]here are rules regulating all good societies and the business intercourse of men with each other … the violation of which cannot be countenanced either by civil or religious [authorities]….  Men should be abridged in doing wrong.” (Journal of Discourses 12:152-53.)

… President Benson said, “It is not a denial of liberty to forbid the sale of narcotics or alcohol, nor is it a denial of liberty to ban the distribution of character-destroying materials” (See Oct 1959 CR). 

… President Kimball said, “One of the saddest days in all of Utah's history was when the people, including the Latter-day Saints (for it could not have been done without them), rejected the counsel and urging of the Lord's prophet, Heber J. Grant, and repealed Prohibition … yet many of those voters had sung numerous times, ‘We Thank Thee, O God, For A Prophet.’”

“We urge Latter-day Saints to get involved as citizens [to support] tougher local laws against vice…. Important as it is, building stronger homes is not enough ... We therefore urge Church members to join others in unceasingly combating, in their communities and beyond … the permissiveness in modern society.” (The Teachings of Spencer W. Kimball; Oct 1975 and 1977 Conference Report [CR].) 

… President Hinckley said, “Legal restraints are eroding in the name of ‘freedom’” and “the bitter fruit of these so-called freedoms has been enslavement to debauching habits and behavior.” (See Oct 1975 Conference Report.) 

 … Elder Boyd K. Packer said, “Regardless of how lofty and moral the ‘pro-choice’ argument sounds, it is badly flawed. With that same logic one could argue that all traffic signs and barriers which keep the careless from danger should be pulled down … as infringing upon liberty, agency, freedom, the right to choose….  People who are otherwise sensible say, ‘I do not intend to indulge, but I vote for freedom of choice for those who do.’” (April 1992 Conference Report.)

… Elder Neal A. Maxwell said, “To assume that because all things cannot be legislated, therefore nothing can be legislated is a dangerous delusion” (Deposition of a Disciple, 20-22).  “Cultural decline is accelerated when [members] of society become indifferent to general values... This drift is facilitated by the indifferent or the indulgent [who] step aside when they might have constrained as is their representative right.” (April 1999 Conference Report.)

… Elder Robert L. Simpson said, “Is there some legislation that needs to be encouraged? God gave us a democratic process for a reason.” (See January 1973 Ensign, 112.)

Are latter-day prophets for or against “strict laws of the land”?

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How can we apply the counsel in Jarom 1:11 to ourselves as we prepare for the Savior's 2nd Coming? (See also Mosiah 3:13.)

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What would you say is the main message of the Book of Omni?



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Regarding Omni 1:17, while struggling to put the light and knowledge he had been given into words, the Prophet Joseph Smith once said: “Lord, deliver us … from the little, narrow prison” of  “a crooked, broken, scattered and imperfect language” (History of the Church 1: 299).                What might we learn from this?

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What can we learn from Amaleki in Omni 1:26?

Regarding Omni 1:26, Elder Neal A. Maxwell said: “As we submit our wills to God, we are giving Him the only thing we can actually give Him that is really ours to give” (April 2004 CR, 48; Book of Mormon Student Manual, 134).

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Regarding Words of Mormon 1:17, 
in the scriptures . . . 

..."holy men" often refers to called or presiding prophets (see, e.g., 2 Peter 1:20-21). 

... "sharpness” of speech (see also D&C 121:43) does not suggest angry, bitter or cutting communication. Rather, it “refers to the need to give clear, well-defined instructions” (Teaching, No Greater Call, 84).

Regarding lesson #14

“The major writings of the Book of Mormon are introduced and concluded by ‘colophons,’ which have the purpose of acquainting the reader with the … authorship of the material.  Such colophons are found [in] Jarom 1:1-2, Omni 1:1, 3-4; Words of Mormon 1:9 [and elsewhere]…. This [affirming] of one’s reliability is a [feature] of any properly composed Egyptian autobiography of Nephi’s time. . . .

“Strictly speaking, the Book of Mormon is the history of a group of sectaries preoccupied with their own religious affairs, who only notice the presence of other groups when such have reason to mingle with them or collide with them.… [T]he idea of other migrations to the New World is taken so completely for granted that the story of the Mulekites is dismissed in a few verses (Omni 1:14-17). . . .

“In Israel the transmission of the sacred records went hand in hand with the transmission of the crown [just as we find] in the Book of Mormon ([see, for example] Omni 1:11, 19-20).” 

(From Hugh Nibley, Since Cumorah.)

Lesson # 13 Jacob 5–7

Book of Mormon Lesson # 13—Jacob 5–7

“The Allegory of the Olive Trees”

Ponderize Scripture: Jacob 6:11–12. “O then, my beloved brethren, repent ye, and enter in at the strait gate, and continue in the way which is narrow, until ye shall obtain eternal life. O be wise; what can I say more?”

Introduction

As President Eyring testified at the beginning of General Conference last Saturday, the Lord taught in parables, often to do with the miracle of seeds growing into fruitful plants. The parable of the sower that Pres. Nelson expounded on a few conferences ago, although simple in concept, is profound in meaning. Likewise Zenos’s Allegory of the Olive Trees deals with something basic to human existence—growing our own food—but expands to describe the history of God’s dealing with His children on this earth. 

For those of you who were there when I issued the challenge to read the whole of Jacob 5, I will have candy. Hopefully, more important than actually reading the whole chapter, you will have gained some insights into why the Lord inspired Jacob to include this allegory in its entirety and thereby restore some obviously well-known but lost scripture. It is perhaps ironic that Christ, the Messiah is the master of the vineyard, when His sacrifice has been aptly compared to the process of extracting olive oil. 

Here’s Truman Madsen, “To produce olive oil, the refined olives had to be crushed in a press. The mellowed and seasoned olives were placed in strong bags and flattened on a furrowed stone. Then a huge crushing circular rock was rolled around on top, paced by a mule or an ox and a stinging whip. Another method used heavy wooden levers or screws twisting beams downward like a winch upon the stone with the same effect: pressure, pressure, pressure—until the oil flowed. . . . He who never took a backward step from the will of the Father, he who was supersensitive, could and did feel. For us. With us. The pressure worked upon him; as the olive press worked upon the olive. . . .In glorifying the Father, Jesus suffered with a suffering so great that drops of blood came from his pores. (See D&C 19:18; compare Luke 22:44.) . . At the last, a spear was thrust into his side. Out of it flowed water and blood, as oil flows from the purged and pressed olive. . . . And as we stand before the ancient olive press, the heart is invaded with a “never again”: “Never again in indifference will I speak or hear the words, ‘I anoint you with this oil which has been consecrated.’”[1]

1. Jacob quotes Zenos’s allegory of the olive trees.

I am attaching a couple of graphics that see the allegory from different viewpoints. Hopefully these will help visualize the stages of the different visits by the Master to the Olive Grove.

Symbol	Meaning
Vineyard	The world
Master of the vineyard	Jesus Christ
Tame olive tree	The house of Israel, the Lord’s covenant people
Wild olive tree	Gentiles (people not born into the house of Israel)
Branches	Groups of people
Servants	Prophets and others called to serve
Fruit	Lives or works of people

Important is how it can be applied to our own lives. Orson Pratt interpreted this allegory as referring to unity in the Church, “Thus you see our Heavenly Father has been at work among this people, and with this people, for almost one half of a century, bringing together, gathering the branches of the wild olive tree from the distant nations of the earth and grafting them in and making them, as it were, one body, on this great western hemisphere. . . . This oneness among the people of God must be attained in this world, Matt. 6:10 in order that His purposes may be brought about, respecting man and the earth on which he lives. . . . The servants labored in the vineyard with their mights. Jacob 5:61-62; Jacob 5:71 What for? To prune up the trees, to graft them into their proper place, that they may bring forth that fruit which was most precious to the Lord from the beginning and the fruit become like unto one body. Jacob 5:74 And the roots and the top thereof were equal. Jacob 5:66,73 And the blessings of the Most High began to be made manifest upon the fruits of the vineyard, and they began to grow and extend themselves, their branches spreading upon the face of the whole earth.”[2] He had some interesting things to say about the political process which I won’t go into here, but you can follow the link in the footnote if you are interested.

Elder Holland gives us an analysis of the allegory:

“This allegory as recounted by Jacob is from the outset intended to be about Christ. …

“Even as the Lord of the vineyard and his workers strive to bolster, prune, purify, and otherwise make productive their trees in what amounts to a one-chapter historical sketch of the scattering and gathering of Israel, the deeper meaning of the Atonement undergirds and overarches their labors. In spite of cuttings and graftings and nourishings that mix and mingle trees in virtually all parts of the vineyard, it is bringing them back to their source that is the principal theme of this allegory. Returning, repenting, reuniting—at-one-ment—this is the message throughout.

“… At least fifteen times the Lord of the vineyard expresses a desire to bring the vineyard and its harvest to his ‘own self,’ and he laments no less than eight times, ‘It grieveth me that I should lose this tree.’ One student of the allegory says it should take its place beside the parable of the prodigal son, inasmuch as both stories ‘make the Lord’s mercy so movingly memorable.’

“Clearly this at-one-ment is hard, demanding, and, at times, deeply painful work, as the work of redemption always is. There is digging and dunging. There is watering and nourishing and pruning. And there is always the endless approaches to grafting—all to one saving end, that the trees of the vineyard would ‘thrive exceedingly’ and become ‘one body; … the fruits [being] equal,’ with the Lord of the vineyard having ‘preserved unto himself the … fruit.’ From all the distant places of sin and alienation in which the children of the Father find themselves, it has always been the work of Christ (and his disciples) in every dispensation to gather them, heal them, and unite them with their Master” (Christ and the New Covenant [1997], 165–66).

Jacob 5:3–18.

What was the cause for this first visit to the vineyard? And what was the remedy?

Jacob 5:19–25

What was the significance of the different “spots of ground” and what were the results?

Jacob 5: 29–48

In this third visit, what did the Master find? What do you think “loftiness of the vineyard” means to you in your life? When we hear the pleas of the servant, doesn’t it make us think of Abraham and his plea to the Lord to save the lives of those righteous people yet living in Sodom and Gomorrah (Genesis 18:16–33)? Who pleads for us today? Did you hear that in Conference last weekend?

Elder Holland said, “After digging and dunging, watering and weeding, trimming, pruning, transplanting, and grafting, the great Lord of the vineyard throws down his spade and his pruning shears and weeps, crying out to any who would listen, ‘What could I have done more for my vineyard?’ What an indelible image of God’s engagement in our lives! What anguish in a parent when His children do not choose Him nor ‘the gospel of God’ [Romans 1:1] He sent!” (Ensign, Nov. 2003, 72).

The process of extricating that which causes the bad or bitter fruit was wonderfully illustrated by Elder Kevin Duncan last week, “Many years ago, while I was mending a fence, a small sliver of wood entered into my finger. I made a meager attempt to remove the sliver and thought I had done so, but apparently I had not. As time went on, skin grew over the sliver, creating a lump on my finger. It was annoying and sometimes painful. Years later I decided to finally take action. All I did was simply apply ointment to the lump and cover it with a bandage. I repeated this process frequently. You cannot imagine my surprise when one day, as I removed the bandage, the sliver had emerged from my finger. The ointment had softened the skin and created an escape for the very thing that had caused pain for so many years. Once the sliver was removed, the finger quickly healed, and to this day, there remains no evidence of any injury. In a similar way, an unforgiving heart harbors so much needless pain. When we apply the healing ointment of the Savior’s Atonement, He will soften our heart and help us to change. He can heal the wounded soul (see Jacob 2:8).”[1] Quite probably that “ointment” contained oil.

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[1] https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2016/04/the-healing-ointment-of-forgiveness?lang=eng.

Jacob 50:77

In this final phase, does reading it fill you with hope or dread? Elder Dean A. Larsen, “[Now] is the period during which the Lord and his servants will make the final great effort to take the message of truth to all the peoples of the earth and to reclaim the descendants of ancient Israel who have lost their true identity. . . . You have come to the earth when the foundation has been laid for this great work. The gospel has been restored for the last time. The Church has been established in almost every part of the world. The stage is set for the final dramatic scenes to be enacted. You will be the principal players. You are among the last laborers in the vineyard. This is the yoke that is set upon your necks. This is the service for which you are chosen” (Ensign, May 1983, 33).

Jacob 6

Although Jacob doesn’t offer a great deal of commentary, his “final words” are poignant, “O then, my beloved brethren, repent ye, and enter in at the strait gate, and continue in the way which is narrow, until ye shall obtain eternal life. O be wise; what can I say more?” (vss. 11–12). Choose the right way, as President Monson said, “Although it is imperative that we choose wisely, there are times when we will make foolish choices. The gift of repentance, provided by our Savior, enables us to correct our course settings, that we might return to the path which will lead us to that celestial glory we seek.

May we maintain the courage to defy the consensus. May we ever choose the harder right instead of the easier wrong.”[1]

Jacob 7

The whole focus of Jacob 5 is to teach of Christ coming as the promised Messiah. After finishing his record, he thinks, he is then confronted with Sherem who challenges everything Jacob has taught.

For commentary on the confrontation between Jacob and Sherem, see John W. Welch’s Legal Cases in the Book of Mormon online here (choose page 134). https://archive.bookofmormoncentral.org/node/313

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[1] https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2016/04/choices?cid=HP_SU_3-4-2016_dOCS_fGC_xLIDyL1-A_&lang=eng.

Vineyard vs Olive Grove

According to Hugh Nibley, the word kerem is the word for olive grove in its oldest occurrence when it appears in the book of Judges 15:5. But in the rest of the bible it means a vineyard. Palestine is the home of the vine, as well as the olive; they go together. There's the very famous poem by Ovid about the olive and the vine--how the vine clings to the olive and grows up around it, etc. The wedding of the olive and the vine is a classic theme. Thus here in chapter 5 of the book of Jacob, the word actually means either one. It means a vineyard or it means an olive grove, and they grew together. So when you see the word kerem in the Old Testament, you can translate it as either one. That's exactly what Jacob has done here. The karst of the Dalmatian Coast is absolutely bare rock where the soil has been washed away. It was timbered once upon a time. Anciently, the timber was all cut down, and the soil was all washed away. That happens when you cut them down; you lose them forever. But the whole coast of Dalmatia is olive groves, and between the olive trees are the vines growing. [Hugh W. Nibley, Teachings of the Book of Mormon, Semester 1, p. 398]

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[1]           https://www.lds.org/ensign/1982/12/the-olive-press?lang=eng.

[2] Journal of Discourses, 19:330–34. See, http://scriptures.byu.edu/#:t2e65e$81713:c0cf051h7.