Day 3 1 Nephi 13-18, D&C 9-12

[pam]

Discussion:

[Seanette]

This review is probably going to run a little long, especially in the Pearl of Great Price, where we learn a great deal about Adam and Eve and their family that is not in our present Bible, especially about Satan’s personality and methods (somehow, doesn’t seem surprising that that’s a large part of what’s been removed from the early portion of Genesis, since our Adversary benefits from his victims’ lack of knowledge about who/what he is and how to fight him).

1 Nephi 12: Nephi’s vision continues – he is shown the future of his descendants, including the contention that will come to be between his seed and the seed of his brothers, down to the apostasy following Christ’s visit to the New World (this falling-away is discussed in 4 Nephi). He learns that his seed will be doomed by their pride. The symbols of the vision of the Tree of Life are explained to him. The river of filthy water represents the depths of hell, the great and spacious building is the pride and vain imaginings of the world, the mists of darkness are the temptations of the devil (elsewhere, we note that being deceived by Satan is characterized as a darkening of the mind), and the gulf between the Iron Rod and the great and spacious building represents the word and justice of God, and the Messiah.

1 Nephi 13: Nephi’s vision continues: he sees the discovery and colonization of the American continent, the church of the devil taking shape, the bringing forth of the Bible and the loss of many plain and precious things from it (e.g., the information about Satan not found in the present Genesis, but found in the book of Moses). He sees the coming Apostasy, followed by the Restoration in the latter days, with additional Scripture coming forth.

1 Nephi 14: the Lord tells Nephi that repentant Gentiles will be blessed, the unrepentant will be cursed. It’s explained that there are only two churches: the Church of the Lamb of God, and the church of the devil, which is made up of all those who do not belong to the Church of the Lamb. There is no middle ground. The church of the devil will vastly outnumber the Church of the Lamb and will band together to fight the true Church, but the righteous will be granted God’s power. Nephi is shown more of the future, but is commanded to not write it, being told that is the assignment of John (whom Nephi is shown).

1 Nephi 15: L&L complain that they cannot understand their father’s words. Nephi asks them if they have inquired of the Lord. They have not, being unwilling to humble themselves to do so. Nephi explains the olive tree allegory and commands his brothers to inquire of God. They do so, and Nephi explains the Tree of Life vision to them, including the information that this is both temporal and spiritual. He tells them that their seed will receive the Gospel from the Gentiles in time.

1 Nephi 16: The wicked take the truth to be hard (this would appear to be a general human condition, as frequently as we see throughout Scripture and in our own time how hard non-believers fight to reject God’s truths and laws). Lehi’s sons and Zoram take wives from among the daughters of Ishmael (presumably, Lehi’s daughters are also marrying Ishmael’s sons). The group is given the Liahona (not yet known by that name), and discover that this guide works by their faith, pointing them in the direction they are to go and giving messages. We have the incident of Nephi’s broken bow, apparently the last working bow in the group. Everyone complains, even Lehi. Nephi doesn’t waste time murmuring and complaining, he’s too busy solving the problem by making himself another bow. It’s known that he will lead the group after Lehi does, and probably could have assumed control at this point, since Lehi is as demoralized as anyone else. Instead, Nephi honors his father as patriarch and priesthood leader by seeking his counsel on where to go to get food. This helps Lehi recover from his discouragement. Ishmael dies, and his daughters mourn. Laman, still upset over the loss of material comforts his family sacrificed to follow the commands God gave Lehi, tries to persuade his brothers and the sons of Ishmael to kill Nephi. They are chastened by the voice of the Lord.

1 Nephi 17: Nephi is commanded to begin building a boat, which his brothers oppose, since they don’t believe it can be done and don’t want to do the work. They’re still complaining over their sacrificed riches, social prestige, and comforts back in Jerusalem. Nephi reviews with them the history of God’s dealings with Israel. Nephi speaks of obedience bringing God’s favor and help in doing what is commanded. Nephi is filled with God’s power, his brothers are commanded to not touch him, until God decides to get their attention and, via Nephi, sends a shock through them. They respond by trying to worship Nephi, which he forbids, directing their worship to God, where it belongs. L&L are briefly repentant, although Nephi fears they are “past feeling”.

Section 9: more records are yet to be given to man. The process of obtaining revelation is set out: we are to study out the question for ourselves, arrive at what we believe the answer to be, then seek confirmation from the Lord as to whether we’re right. The Lord, as often stated in Scripture, expects us to give our best efforts, then He’ll make up the difference between that best and what’s needed.

Section 10: Joseph Smith is warned of the scheme relating to the 116 lost pages, that will be altered to supposedly discredit him when he retranslates the material. He’s instructed to use the other set of records that cover the same material (reference 1 Nephi 9) to foil this plan. Satan stirs up opposition to the work of God, among other things teaching that there is no sin in lying to supposedly catch God’s representatives in a lie. The Book of Mormon will take the Gospel to the Lamanites and all other nations. The repentant and obedient will be gathered to the church the Lord will establish.

Section 11: God’s work will come forth. His servants are instructed to keep the commandments, preach repentance, seek for wisdom, trust the Holy Spirit, and study. We must obtain God’s Word before we can preach it. We are instructed to not deny revelation or prophecy.

Section 12: repeats early part of Section 11

Moses 5: lots of material here that does not appear in our present book of Genesis that makes for a much clearer and more detailed narrative of events, including information about Satan’s methods. Adam and Eve begin having children. Adam offers sacrifices, not knowing why. As Nephi in 1 Nephi 9, it’s enough for Adam that the Lord commanded him to do so, he doesn’t need to know all the details many people seek before they’ll obey God. Eve expresses her gratitude for the Plan of Salvation and the knowledge of good and evil, the joy of redemption, and that they would not have had children without the Fall. They teach their children the Gospel. Satan tempts their children, draws some away from righteousness. Cain chooses to follow Satan, including taking it on himself to decide what is an acceptable offering to God rather than obeying God’s instructions on the subject. Abel is obedient, resulting in his offering being accepted while Cain’s is rejected, to his anger. The Lord warns Cain to turn back to the path of good, warning that he will become Perdition and rule over Satan, being known to posterity as the source of abominations, and will be cursed. Cain refuses to heed this warning. He marries one of his nieces, who shares his rebellion. He covenants with Satan and becomes Master Mahan, glorying in his wickedness. He kills Abel, expecting to receive Abel’s flocks and considering himself free. He is cursed and cast out, a mark placed on him. Several generations later, his descendant Lamech in turn becomes Master Mahan and kills Irad for revealing the secret Satan gave Cain. Lamech’s wives denounce him. The Earth is cursed for man’s wickedness. Even this early in history, the Gospel of Jesus Christ is being taught.

Moses 6: Seth is born and is like Abel in righteousness. Adam and his family keep a book of remembrance in their pure, undefiled language (is this the language of God? I wonder). Wars and bloodshed are brought about by the wicked seeking for power by secret works. Enoch is called as prophet and begins preaching repentance and the Gospel. Baptism was taught first to Adam. Enoch explains the parallels between physical birth and baptism: water (in the womb, used to baptize), blood (at birth, the Blood of Christ to wash away sin), and spirit (the human spirit entering the body, the Spirit of God as companion and guide).

[KeithLBrown]

As I read today's reading assignment, the theme that stood out in my mind can best be summarized in the words of 1 Nephi 17:3 which read, "And thus we see that the commandments of God must be fulfilled. And if it so be that the children of men keep the commandments of God he doth nourish them, and strengthen them, and provide means whereby they can accomplish the thing which he has commanded them. . ." [emphasis added by this author]

There is no way of getting around this important truth -- the commandments of God must be fulfilled. It is when we are faithful and obedient to the commandments of the Lord that we become recipients of the bounteous blessings that He has in store for us. As we obey His voice and do those things which He has commanded us to do we come to the realization as did the Apostle Paul of the New Testament, that we CAN do all things through Christ which strengthens us. Through faithful obedience we learn that nothing is impossible with God. He can do anything but fail us.

Oftentimes in life we try desperately to have our own way and to do things according to our own agendas. I have found in my own personal life that it is at those times that things normally tend to go wrong for me. It is at those times that I find myself more stressed, aggravated, distressed, depressed, and exhausted. During those times it becomes real easy for me to have a pity party and cry "O woe is me. Why doesn't anything ever work out the way that I want it to?" Or, the flip side of that coin is that things may work out in the end, but it takes a lot longer to get to the end result. Conversely, when I listen to the voice of the Lord and follow His instructions, I find that my life is so much more at peace.

I love the words found in 1 Nephi 17:13 which read, "And I will also be your light in the wilderness; and I will prepare the way before you, if it so be that ye shall keep my commandments; wherefore, inasmuch as ye shall keep my commandments ye shall be led towards the promised land; and ye shall know that it is by me that ye are led." I have written beside this verse in my Scriptures the words "He leadeth me". I can truly testify that all that I am, and all that I am able to do is because my Lord leads me and I do my best to be faithful and obedient to His commands and to follow the path that He has set before me.

Edited July 4, 2009 by KeithLBrown

[pam]

Let me ask this for discussion: Who or what is the great and abominable Church?

[pam]

I find it interesting that one verse held so much meaning. When Nephi was speaking with his brothers to try and understand why they were so hard hearted and as he put it to understand their disputations..Nephi said this one little thing:

1 Nephi 15:8

And I said unto them; Have ye inquired of the Lord?

So simple yet so profound. How many times in our own day to day lives are we confused and unable to understand certain things...Do we inquire of the Lord?

[pam]

You will find that I am a big one for little stories concerning particular scriptures. They help me to understand some of the scriptures better. So here is another one concerning D&C 9:8. This concerning experiencing the "burning of the bosom."

Jay Jensen

A number of years ago, in a meeting of returned mission presidents, we reviewed different ways to improve missionaries’ spirituality. One person said, “We need to help all missionaries experience and recognize the ‘burning of the bosom’ taught in Doctrine and Covenants 9:7–9.” A member of the First Quorum of the Seventy then shared the following experience:

One of the Quorum of the Twelve came to tour the mission over which the Seventy was presiding. As they drove to the next zone conference, the Apostle turned to him and said, “I wonder if you might have left an impression in the missionaries” minds that has created more problems than you can resolve. As I have traveled throughout the Church, I’ve found relatively few people who have experienced a burning of the bosom. In fact, I’ve had many people tell me that they’ve become frustrated because they have never experienced that feeling even though they have prayed or fasted for long periods of time.

He explained that Doctrine and Covenants 9:7–9 was given in response to the process of translating sacred records. There the burning of the bosom was appropriate. The principle can apply to personal revelation, he said, but more precisely it related to the translation of the Book of Mormon. He counseled the mission president to refer missionaries to other scriptural references about the Holy Ghost. For example, he cited the verse “Did I not speak peace to your mind concerning the matter? What greater witness can you have than from God?” (D&C 6:23.)

Over the years, I have tried to learn the different ways in which the Spirit of the Lord works. Surely God does speak from heaven, but he manifests, confirms, or gives direction in a variety of ways. (“Have I Received an Answer from the Spirit?” Ensign, Apr. 1989, 21–22)

[pam]

D&C 10:4

4 Do not run faster or labor more than you have strength and means provided to enable you to translate; but be diligent unto the end.

These words appear to have been given at a time when Joseph was extremely anxious to finish the translation.

Neal A. Maxwell

The scriptural advice, “Do not run faster or labor more than you have strength” (D&C 10:4) suggests paced progress, much as God used seven creative periods in preparing man and this earth. There is a difference, therefore, between being “anxiously engaged” and being over-anxious and thus underengaged. (“Notwithstanding My Weakness,” Ensign, Nov. 1976, 12–13)

[pam]

D&C 10:52

52 And now, behold, according to their faith in their prayers will I bring this part of my gospel to the knowledge of my people. Behold, I do not bring it to destroy that which they have received, but to build it up.

Gordon B. Hinckley

We do not debate. We, in effect, simply say to others, “Bring all the good that you have and let us see if we can add to it.” (Dallin H. Oaks, “Have You Been Saved?” Ensign, May 1998, 57)

[KeithLBrown]

Pam said:

I find it interesting that one verse held so much meaning. When Nephi was speaking with his brothers to try and understand why they were so hard hearted and as he put it to understand their disputations..Nephi said this one little thing:

1 Nephi 15:8

And I said unto them; Have ye inquired of the Lord?

So simple yet so profound. How many times in our own day to day lives are we confused and unable to understand certain things...Do we inquire of the Lord?

Thanks for sharing this Pam. This gives me an excellent ideal for a new blog entry, Sacrament Talk, and/or High Priest Group Leadership Lesson.

[pam]

What I am enjoying so far about this reading challenge and discussion is that each of us have our own unique way of discussing what we have read. I'm a "give me an example" kind of person so I like stories and quotes. So you'll just have to put up with them. lol

[KeithLBrown]

Pam said:

What I am enjoying so far about this reading challenge and discussion is that each of us have our own unique way of discussing what we have read. I'm a "give me an example" kind of person so I like stories and quotes. So you'll just have to put up with them. lol

I love the stories that you have been posting. Excellent examples. Keep them coming.

[KeithLBrown]

Let me ask this for discussion: Who or what is the great and abominable Church?

Here are a couple things that I have found thus far on this subject:

1. President Boyd K. Packer Acting President of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, “Who Is Jesus Christ?”, Ensign, Mar 2008, 12–19.

Jacob defined the great and abominable church in these words: “Wherefore, he that fighteth against Zion, both Jew and Gentile, both bond and free, both male and female, shall perish; for they are they who are the whore of all the earth; for they who are not for me are against me, saith our God” (2 Ne. 10:16). Nephi said, “Because of the many plain and precious things which have been taken out of the book, … an exceedingly great many do stumble, yea, insomuch that Satan hath great power over them” (1 Ne. 13:29).

2. Stephen E. Robinson, “Warring against the Saints of God,” Ensign, Jan 1988, 34

The war with Babylon, the great and abominable, began before the world was formed and continues through all ages of time.

The word great in the phrase great and abominable church is an adjective of size rather than of quality and, like the Hebrew gadol or the Greek megas, informs us of the great size of the abominable entity. Secondary meanings might refer to great wealth or power.

The term abominable is used in the Old Testament to describe what God hates, what cannot fail to arouse his wrath. In Daniel, the abomination of desolation is that thing so hateful to God that its presence in the temple causes the divine presence to depart, leaving the sanctuary desolate. In the Old Testament, the terms translated into English as abominable or abomination (Hebrew roots shiqqutz, ta’ab, piggul; Greek Septuagint and New Testament bdelugma) are usually associated with idolatrous worship or gross sexual immorality.

The word church (Hebrew qahal or edah; Greek ekklesia) had a slightly broader meaning anciently than it does now. It referred to an assembly, congregation, or association of people who bonded together and shared the same loyalties. Thus, the term was not necessarily restricted to religious associations; in fact, in Athens the Greeks used the term to denote the legislative assembly of government.

Originally, the term ekklesia, formed from two words meaning call and out, referred to those citizens whom heralds called out or summoned to public meetings. Thus, it was an ideal word to represent the body of individuals whom God “calls out” of the world through the Holy Ghost. The civil dimension of the word appears in Acts 19:32, where assembly in the KJV is a translation of the Greek ekklesia. We must, however, remember that we don’t know the original word on the gold plates that Joseph Smith translated as church. Whatever it was, the Prophet chose to translate it as church instead of as assembly.

When we put all this together, we find that the term great and abominable church means an immense assembly or association of people bound together by their loyalty to that which God hates. Most likely, this “church” is involved specifically in sexual immorality, idolatry (that is, false worship), or both. While the book of Revelation does not use the exact phrase “great and abominable church,” both John and Nephi use a number of similar phrases to describe it. They call it the “Mother of Harlots, and Abominations,” “mother of abominations,” and “the whore that sitteth upon many waters.” (Rev. 17:1, 5; 1 Ne. 14:10–11.)

From this we can learn that the phrase “great and abominable church” refers to all those who fight against God, not to a specific church.

[pam]

I was flabbergasted once when someone brought this subject up on another thread about this. They mentioned a particular Church in existence today that is that great and abominable Church. I will have to find it again but I have a quote from a GA that discusses this. But I'm headed now to work and won't be home till probably midnight.

But I will look for it.

[ruthiechan]

It's the pride of the world. The greater the pride the greater sin likely resides in someone. I don't see how someone could think that the great and abominable church is a single specific church. . .

What amazes me is Laman and Lemuel. They convince Ishmael's sons that Nephi is trying to be a ruler and that his visions are lies and God talking to him is a lie, but yet they had previously seen angels and God had spoken to them as well! What the? Then later, saying it would have been better to die than to have hardships? What the? But how can anything get better if you're dead?

What also is so amazing is that Nephi never gives up on his older brothers. He doesn't say, fine you guys can go back, we're going to keep going. No, he keeps trying to help them develop faith and wants to keep the whole family together. He is also constantly forgiving them. Being bound for four days is a big deal. When his brothers start to worship him he says no way, when he could have said, yeah, I am your ruler, and here's my law. There was none of that nonsense in Nephi. I wish we could see more of Sam during this time. I am sure he was one of the people who tried to speak for Nephi.

In the Doctrine and Covenants I noticed the repeats from section 6 that Seanette spoke of.

I noticed a few other things, but one thing I feel like I should share here (I don't share everything since some things are a little too personal) is in Section 10: 37. "But as you can not always judge the righteous, or as you cannot always tell the wicked from the righteous, therefore I say unto you, hold your peace until I shall see fit to make all things known unto the world concerning the matter."

We really can't tell the difference between the righteous and the wicked unless someone does something glaringly wrong. Even a wicked person can do a kind act or deed. It's their motivations behind it that make the difference. This is another reason why it's so important to have knowledge of the Gospel and the Holy Ghost with you so that we will be able to determine what should be done regarding certain individuals and when and where and with whom to share the Gospel with. It also means we shouldn't assume someone is wicked or beyond hope.

PS: Pam, I like your stories too.