Book of Mormon Lesson #43 How could ye have departed from the ways of the Lord? Mormon 1-6; Moroni 9—Sara

Book of Mormon Lesson # 43—Mormon 1-6; Moroni 9

How could ye have departed from the ways of the Lord?

We've heard from Mormon sporadically throughout the Book of Mormon this year. As the editor, he must have had to go through a lot of records and it was probably really hard for him to say, "This is important for further generations, but this part isn't as important." Sometimes I think that parts of his commentary are to help him remember why he included particular passages. We are finally in the part of the Book of Mormon where we get to hear his story. 

I was reading in the Institute manual and one of the first things they share is the type of man Mormon was. Pres. Gordon B. Hinckley said this about Mormon,

“May I remind you for a moment of the greatness and of the goodness of this man Mormon. He lived on this American continent in the fourth century after Christ. When Mormon was a boy of ten, the historian of the people, whose name was Ammaron, described him as ‘a sober child, and … quick to observe’ (Mormon 1:2). Ammaron gave him a charge that when he reached the age of twenty-four, he was to take custody of the records of the generations who had preceded him.
“The years that followed Mormon’s childhood were years of terrible bloodshed for his nation, the result of a long and vicious and terrible war between those who were called Nephites and those who were called Lamanites.
“Mormon later became the leader of the armies of the Nephites and witnessed the carnage of his people, making it plain to them that their repeated defeats came because they forsook the Lord and He in turn abandoned them. …
“He wrote to our generation with words of warning and pleading, proclaiming with eloquence his testimony of the resurrected Christ. He warned of calamities to come if we should forsake the ways of the Lord as his own people had done.
“Knowing that his own life would soon be brought to an end, as his enemies hunted the survivors, he pleaded for our generation to walk with faith, hope, and charity, declaring, ‘Charity is the pure love of Christ, and it endureth forever; and whoso is found possessed of it at the last day, it shall be well with him’ (Moroni 7:47).
“Such was the goodness, the strength, the power, the faith, the prophetic heart of the prophet-leader Mormon” (in Conference Report, Oct. 1990, 69–70; or Ensign, Nov. 1990, 52).

This quote by Pres. Hinckley was given in response to the meaning of the name of "Mormon". Joseph Smith said that the name Mormon literally means "more good." I loved putting that into context in the ways in which the name Mormon is used in our day. Instead of the "Book of Mormon" thinking it as "The Book of more good". The fact that our nickname came from this great man who saw his neighbors and friends--his whole people--be destroyed is interesting to me. Could not this also be a way for the Lord to teach us of things we too might witness in our lifetime if we choose wickedness? He was called Mormon, we too are called Mormon. I cannot help but feel that learning more about him might help us learn more about ourselves. 

Mormon lived in a time when people willfully rebelled against God. He was commanded not to preach the gospel to his people even though he tasted the goodness of Jesus for himself, he wasn't allowed to share it with his people. They had already been taught by the three Nephites and rejected the prophets and teachings they received. The following quote was given 26 years ago and I was surprised by how many of these things he talks about are happening in the world today. Elder Larsen talks about how a whole righteous people could turn away from the Lord and what rebellion against God looks like in the world today:

“Historically, the drifting away from the course of life marked out by the Lord has occurred as individuals begin to make compromises with the Lord’s standard. This is particularly true when the transgression is willful and no repentance occurs. Remember Mormon’s description of those who turned away from the true path in his day. They did not sin in ignorance. They willfully rebelled against God. It did not occur as a universal movement. It began as individual members of the Church knowingly began to make compromises with the Lord’s standard. They sought justification for their diversions in the knowledge that others were compromising as well. Those who willfully sin soon seek to establish a standard of their own with which they can feel more comfortable and which justifies their misconduct. They also seek the association of those who are willing to drift with them along this path of self-delusion.
“As the number of drifting individuals increases, their influence becomes more powerful. It might be described as the ‘great and spacious building syndrome.’ The drifting is the more dangerous when its adherents continue to overtly identify with and participate with the group that conforms to the Lord’s way. Values and standards that were once clear become clouded and uncertain. The norm of behavior begins to reflect this beclouding of true principles. Conduct that would once have caused revulsion and alarm now becomes somewhat commonplace” (“Likening the Scriptures unto Us,” in Monte S. Nyman and Charles D. Tate Jr., eds., Alma, the Testimony of the Word [1992], 8).

A few years ago, there was a movement among my friends and family members where there was a lot of confusion and strong opinions of how the Lord's way needed to be updated. Standards that had once been praised and valued were being mocked and questioned. I became confused and felt judged for having questions but also for not being satisfied with answers the world was giving. I went to the scriptures, I asked God, I asked my husband, and I asked my priesthood leaders through the stake conference Q & A session. I received light instead of the dark feelings of confusion I felt when I read blog posts and opinions that were harsh and judgmental.

I think one of Mormon's greatest examples to us in our day is one of love. In Mormon 3: 12 it says,

12 Behold, I had led them, notwithstanding their wickedness I had led them many times to battle, and had loved them, according to the love of God which was in me, with all my heart; and my soul had been poured out in prayer unto my God all the day long for them; nevertheless, it was without faith, because of the hardness of their hearts.

The biggest thing that we get accused of as members of the church in this day and age is that we don't show love when family and friends stray. In my own family, one of my mother's cousins chose a gay lifestyle and his brother, an active member in the church, refused to ever look at him again. On the other hand, all of his other siblings and his parents, also active members in the church, reached out to him. Invited him to family events, and made him feel welcome. But you don't really hear about the good people on facebook, or the good moments in the news. 

 How can we love people without approving of their destructive life styles? Do we stop serving them? Do we stand up to them? I think we can learn a lot about how to handle difficult situations from verse 12. Mormon was told by God that these peoples' hearts were so hard that he couldn't even teach them the gospel, yet he still poured out his soul unto God all the day long for them. He didn't move away or stop trying. He led them to battle several times because he could see that they desperately needed help. He was willing to help them in any way he could and still keep his loyalty to God first. I think it was because of his love of God that his love of the people was so great. 

Because the scripture block is a little longer than usual this week, I want to end with just one last quote. One of the scariest parts of sin is that it starts to take away our desires to repent and return to the Lord. We are in his hands if we look to him. Mormon says in 5:23:

Know ye not that ye are in the hands of God? Know ye not that he hath all power, and at his great command the earth shall be rolled together as a scroll?

Elder Zwick of the seventy explained some of the symbolism by being in God's hands:

“Hands are one of the symbolically expressive parts of the body. In Hebrew, yad, the most common word for hand, is also used metaphorically to mean power, strength, and might (see William Wilson, Old Testament Word Studies [1978], 205). Thus, hands signify power and strength. …
“To be in the hands of God would suggest that we are not only under His watchful care but also that we are guarded and protected by His wondrous power.
“Throughout the scriptures, reference is made to the hand of the Lord. His divine assistance is evidenced over and over again. His powerful hands created worlds, and yet they were gentle enough to bless the little children. …
“Every one of us needs to know that we can go on in the strength of the Lord. We can put our hand in His, and we will feel His sustaining presence lift us to heights unattainable alone. …
“… How do we learn to extend our hand and connect to the comfort provided by the Lord? …
“Here are four keys:
“Learn
“Listen
“Seek the Spirit
“Pray always
“The Lord will provide sustenance and support if we are willing to open the door and receive His hand of divine assistance. …
“Imagine the wounds in His hands. His weathered hands, yes, even His hands of torn flesh and physical sacrifice, give our own hands greater power and direction.
“It is the wounded Christ who leads us through our moments of difficulty. It is He who bears us up when we need more air to breathe or direction to follow or even more courage to continue.
“If we will keep the commandments of God and walk hand in hand with Him in His paths, we will go forward with faith and never feel alone” (in Conference Report, Oct. 2003, 36–38; or Ensign, Nov. 2003, 34–36).