Book of Mormon Lesson # 45—Ether 1-6--Sara

Book of Mormon Lesson # 45—Ether 1-6

Never has man believed in me as thou hast

This scripture block is a must read. I know I probably have said that about EVERY block I'm about to teach but this time I'm serious. I am really struggling knowing what I could possibly leave out. So thanks for reading so I know that no matter what I choose to include, you've already gotten it all.

The main thing I think will help you read this week is posing the question frequently (about every 3 scriptures), "What do I learn about prayer in these scriptures?" If you do that, I think you'll get a very rewarding study this week. For you primary teachers and nursing mothers, that's the exercise we are most likely going to do in class. The following quotes are ones that I found interesting while studying but I know that I won't have time to share in class:

From the Institute Student Manual:

Ether 1 gives a genealogy of the prophet Ether. This genealogy is a rare occurrence in the Book of Mormon and is explained by the following commentary: “Genealogies are common in the Bible. The Hebrew people took great interest in their family histories, and genealogies seem to have been carefully kept; the number in the scriptures is an index to their importance. Notice those in Genesis 5, 11, 46; Numbers 26; 1 Chronicles 1–9; read also the accounts in Ezra 9–10 which give an indication of the importance of keeping family histories. The Book of Mormon, however, contains only one example of an extended genealogy, that found in Ether 1:6–32. It gives the genealogy of Ether, the last prophet of the Jaredite people, whose lineage is traced back twenty-nine generations or more to Jared, who left the Tower of Babel with his family at the time of the confounding of the language of the people. Aside from this example, only scattered references of genealogical interest are found” (Sidney B. Sperry, “Types of Literature in the Book of Mormon,” in Journal of Book of Mormon Studies, vol. 21, no. 1 (1995): 117).

The Lord explained to the brother of Jared that blessings had come to his people as a result of prayers offered over a long time. Enduring obedience coupled with frequent and persistent prayers is powerful. In an 1839 discourse in Commerce, Illinois, the Prophet Joseph Smith taught: “God is not a respecter of persons, we all have the same privilege. Come to God weary him until he blesses you &c we are entitled to the same blessings” ([recorded in Willard Richards Pocket Companion, 78–79] cited in The Words of Joseph Smith: The Contemporary Accounts of the Nauvoo Discourses of the Prophet Joseph, comp. Andrew F. Ehat and Lyndon W. Cook [1980], 15).

President Spencer W. Kimball (1895–1985) similarly taught that we must put great effort into our prayers and that we must pray frequently:

“Do you get answers to your prayers? If not, perhaps you did not pay the price. Do you offer a few trite words and worn-out phrases, or do you talk intimately to the Lord? Do you pray occasionally when you should be praying regularly, often, constantly? Do you offer pennies to pay heavy debts when you should give dollars to erase that obligation?

“When you pray, do you just speak, or do you also listen? Your Savior said, ‘Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me.’ (Rev. 3:20.)

“… Should we ever fail to get an answer to our prayers, we must look into our lives for a reason” (“Prayer,” New Era, Mar. 1978, 17).

What was the Lord’s response when the brother of Jared asked how to light the barges? (See Ether 2:23–25.) What can we learn from the Lord’s response? (See the quotation below.) Why is it important to do all we can in addition to asking the Lord for help?

Elder Russell M. Nelson said that he has often heard President Gordon B. Hinckley say, “I don’t know how to get anything done except getting on my knees and pleading for help and then getting on my feet and going to work” (in Conference Report, Oct. 1997, 18; or Ensign, Nov. 1997, 16).

Here is a question from the Sunday School manual this week that is good to ponder:

How do you think the challenge to light the barges helped the brother of Jared grow? How can challenges in our lives help us?

And a Maxwell quote to go with it...

Elder Neal A. Maxwell (1926–2004) of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles explained that God loves those whom He chastens: “The Lord is truly there to chastise those whom He loves, including the spiritually preeminent. The Brother of Jared for too long had failed to pray (see Ether 2:14). Even the good can become careless without the Lord’s being there to chasten. Later, the chastened Brother of Jared saw Christ! (see Ether 3:13–16)” (in Conference Report, Oct. 1987, 37; or Ensign, Nov. 1987, 31).