Book of Mormon Summaries:
Mormon 3 to Ether 7...................Summary by Elder Moon
Mormon 3-9
Mormon Ch 3-9 describes the awful carnage and bloodshed that occurred the last 60 years (362 AD to 421 AD) of the Book of Mormon because the people did not keep the commandments. “O ye fair ones, how could ye have rejected that Jesus, who stood with open arms to receive you!” (Mormon 6:17). Repeatedly, for 1,020 years of the Nephite and Lamanite history, the Lord stated, “Inasmuch as you keep my commandments, ye shall prosper in the land; and inasmuch as you will not keep my commandments, ye shall be cut off from my presence.” (1Ne 2:20,21, 2Ne 1:9, 20,31 2Ne 4:4, Jarom 1:9, Mosiah 2:22,31, Alma 9:13, Alma 37:13, Alma 49:30, and Alma 50:2, to name a few)
At times they kept the commandments and at times they did not. I am like that in my life. There are months and even years when I have felt very close to the Lord, and there are times in my life when I did not have the full strength of his spirit. I needed to repent to gain the spirit again. Sometimes I didn’t do anything wrong at all. I just wasn’t magnifying my calling enough. I had to go to work, the Lord’s work, and that spirit quickly returned.
Then Mormon speaks of the future of his record, the Book of Mormon. “It will be hid up because of their wickedness and will come forth…in his own due time…when he shall see fit, in his wisdom.” (Mormon 5:12-13) And the purpose is stated: “…that they may be persuaded that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God; that the Father may bring about, through his most Beloved, his great and eternal purpose…” (Mormon 5:14)
Mormon 8:22 A golden nugget of thought: “For the eternal purposes of the Lord shall roll on, until all his promises shall be fulfilled.” Every promise made by the Lord has been or will be fulfilled! We are seeing promises fulfilled today: the Book of Mormon has come forth to every nation! Joseph Smith is known throughout the world. The gospel continues to roll forth to be preached to every nation, kindred, tongue and people. How blessed we are to be a part of the fulfillment of that prophecy.
Mormon 8:38 asks the people of our time: “Why are ye ashamed to take upon you the name of Christ? Why do you not think that greater is the value of an endless happiness than that misery which never dies—because of the praise of the world?” We are so blessed to have name tags that show in bold letters the name of “Jesus Christ”.
Then Mormon admonishes us to “Be wise in the days of your probation; strip yourselves of all uncleanness…yield to no temptation…serve the true and living God. (Mormon 9:28)
Ether 1-7
We are blessed that the people of Limhi found the 24 plates of the Jaredites, and that the Lord preserved them to come forth in our time. We learn great wisdom from Jared and his brother, the brother of Jared.
1. Pray for our needs. The brother of Jered did “cry unto the Lord, and the Lord had compassion upon Jared; therefore he did not confound the language of Jared.”
How many times in our lives do we have problems and need to “cry unto the Lord” for his help.
2. Pray to the Lord often!!! I can’t imagine how difficult it was when the Lord stood in a cloud and talked with the brother of Jared “and chastened him because he remembered not to call upon the name of the Lord…for the space of three hours…” (Ether 2:14) We are probably saying to ourselves, “What is wrong with him? Why didn't he pray to the Lord more often?” and yet how many times in our lives do we go for hours, days, or maybe even weeks and forget to seek out the Lord in true, earnest prayer.
3. Go to Work! I love that phrase! Ether 2:16 says, “And the Lord said: Go to work and build…barges…” What did the brother of Jared do? He “…did go to work, and built barges…” Sometimes when we have incredibly difficult assignments in life, all we need to do is “Go to Work”. I struggle at times, procrastinating things I don’t want to do, and yet I know the remedy! I know the Lords words are true…. “Go to Work!” What great advise for us as missionaries and for whatever we are doing in life!
4. Think! Jared’s brother knew his barges would be sealed from breathing air and they would also be in the dark. He asked the Lord to solve his problems. The Lord solved the breathing problem; he told him to cut holes in the top and bottom of the barge and to make it so he can “stop the hole” and “unstop” the hole (like a hatch on a submarine). (Ether 2:20)
But then the Lord wanted the brother of Jared to “think” and solve the darkness problem. The Lord got him started on the thinking process; He said, “…ye cannot have window, for they will be dashed in pieces; neither shall ye take fire with you, for ye shall not go by the light of fire. (Ether 2:23) Then the Lord clearly states that he wants him to go home and think about a solution! “Therefore what will ye that I should prepare for you that ye may have light…”
Oliver Cowdery can relate to the brother of Jared's need to do more than just ask the Lord for something. When Oliver wanted to translate the Book of Mormon, he couldn’t and the Lord told him why, “Behold, you have not understood; you have supposed that I would give it unto you, when you took no thought save it was to ask me.” D& C 9:7.
Sometimes in life we are just overwhelmed with a problem. We pray to the Lord and ask him to solve it for us. But instead we should ponder, use logic, and think of possible solutions. We are on this earth to learn how to solve problems. The Lord will help us; but he wants us to do all that we can do first.
5. Take Action! The brother of Jared thought about the darkness problem, and took action! He went up mount Shelem, made a hot fire, and melted out of rock 16 small stones, white and clear, even as transparent as glass (Ether 3:1) His idea was to have the Lord touch them so that they would glow. Then he would put 2 lighted rocks in each of the 8 barges. He had no idea if his plan would work. As he prayed, he humbly said, “Now behold, O Lord, and do not be angry with thy servant because of his weakness before thee…”( Ether 3:2) Then he pleaded with the Lord to “…touch these stones with thy finger, and prepare them that they may shine forth unto us in the vessels which we have prepared, that we may have light while we shall cross the sea” (Ether 3:4) .
6. Have Faith! The brother of Jared had such great faith that when the Lord touched the stones with his finger, the veil could not be withheld, and he saw the Savior. The Lord said, “…never has man come before me with such exceeding faith as thou hast; for were it not so ye could not have seen my finger.” (Ether 3:9) “Then the Lord showed himself unto him and said, “…ye are redeemed from the fall; therefore ye are brought back into my presence; therefore I show myself unto you.” (Ether 3:13) The brother of Jared “…had faith no longer, for he knew, nothing doubting. Wherefore, having this perfect knowledge of God, he could not be kept from within the veil; therefore he saw Jesus; and he did minister unto him.” (Ether 3:20) 1Nephi 10:19 states: “For he that diligently seeketh shall find; and the mysteries of God shall be unfolded unto them by the power of the Holy Ghost…” All the elders on our mission have the Melchizedek Prieshood, which entitles them to “…administereth the gospel and holdeth the key of the mysteries of the kingdom, even the key of the knowledge of God.” (D&C 84:19) It is wonderful to live on the earth when the gospel has been restored and to receive the blessings of the knowledge of God, based on our faithfulness and righteousness.
7. Trust in the Lord! After the Jaredites had loaded the barges with “flocks, both male and female, of every kind; and also of the seed of the earth of every kind; and thy families…and friends (Ether 1:41) and all manner of food, that thereby they might subsist upon the water, and also food for their flocks and herds, and whatsoever beast or animal or fowl…”(Ether 6:4), “they got aboard of their vessels or barges, and set forth into the sea, commending themselves unto the Lord their God.” (Ether 6:4). How precious it would be for us to commend ourselves unto the Lord, to put our trust in Him and submit ourselves to the Lord.
8. Sing Praises to the Lord. The Lord loves and appreciates our gratitude for him When the Jaredites were “…many times buried in the depths of the sea…they did cry unto the Lord, and he did bring them forth again upon the top of the waters.” (Ether 6-7) “And they did sing praises unto the Lord; yea, the brother of Jared did sing praises unto the Lord and he did thank and praise the Lord all the day long; and when the night came, they did not cease to praise the Lord.” (Ether 6:9)
Then, 344 days later, that’s 11 months and a week in a little barge, they landed on the shores of the promised land. Then they “…did humble themselves before the Lord, and did shed tears of joy before the Lord, because of the multitude of his tender mercies over them.” (Ether 6:13)
May the Lord bless us with a multitude of his tender mercies. The Book of Mormon is the word of God. Simply stated, it is true!
Written by Elder Moon and being distributed to the missionaries in the DR Congo Mission in French
Ether 8 through Moroni 10...............Summary by Sister Moon
One theme that runs constant throughout all the scriptures is that when the people are wicked and refuse to soften their hearts, they push God from their lives and Satan rules over the them. As people become humbled from circumstances, and begin to seek help realizing they can’t do things on their own, the Lord allows good men to teach his word. As people come to accept the gospel, have broken hearts and contrite spirits, goodness begins to prevail and people begin to prosper. Once people begin to prosper, they start to become prideful, wickedness subtly creeps in, and begins to thwart the plan of righteousness. This pattern is repeated over and over throughout the scriptures.
In Ether 8, we read of secret combinations once again being established. There is warning to the gentiles in our day against secret combinations and their intent to destroy freedom throughout the world. In Ether 8:26 Moroni states: “I, Moroni, am commanded to write these things that evil may be done away, and that the time may come that Satan may have no power upon the hearts of the children of men, but that they may be persuaded to do good continually, that they may come unto the fountain of all righteousness and be saved.”
The next few chapters of Ether show the same cycle of wickedness, destruction, righteousness, and prosperity. In Ether 12 we learn the power of faith. It is a chapter worth reading over and over. Ether tells us that by believing, we might with “surety hope for a better world.” Moroni tells us that “faith is things which are hoped for and not seen: wherefore, dispute not because ye see not, for ye receive no witness until after the trial of your faith.” He then gives us many great examples of faith:
· Christ appeared unto the Nephites after he had risen from the dead
· Christ showed himself unto the world and glorified the Father because of faith
· The prophets of old were called by faith
· The law of Moses was given by faith
· Alma and Amulek caused the prison to tumble to the earth by faith
· Nephi and Lehi wrought the change upon the Lamanites by faith
· Many people before and after Christ brought about many miracles by faith
· The three disciples obtained the promise of not tasting of death by faith
· Brother of Jared saw God through his tremendous faith
· The Book of Mormon was written by commandment and preserved and brought forth through faith
· Brother of Jared removed the mountain Zerin by faith
· Christ himself appeared unto his disciples after they had faith and spoke in his name
We also learn in this chapter of the definition of love as charity and the great need to have charity. We are told that if we have not charity, our talents may be taken from us and given to those that have charity that they may have it more abundantly.
One of my favorite scriptures is found in chapter 12 verse 27. Please read it over and over. We learn that our weaknesses were given to us to give us an opportunity to show humility. If we are humble and have faith in Christ, he will make those weak things strong. What a great promise!
As Ether closes his record, he foretells of a new Jerusalem which will be built on the American continent. He writes the record of his people and tells of their destruction because of their wickedness.
The Book of Moroni starts as a handbook of instructions. In it he gives instructions as to:
· The proper way to ordain priests and teachers
· The manner in which the Sacrament should be administered
· Repentance, forgiveness and baptism
· Meetings should be conducted by the power of the Holy Ghost
Next Moroni recounts some of the words of his father Mormon. Mormon admonishes us:
· To do good and pray with a willing heart and real intent or it profiteth us nothing
· All good comes from God and “that which is evil cometh of the devil”
· All men are given the Spirit of Christ to know good from evil
· Be careful how we judge for we will be judged by the same judgment we judge others
· Search diligently for the good
· We become sons and daughters of Christ by faith
· Christ “answered the ends of the law. And he claimeth all those who have faith in him”
· Miracles and the ministering of angels have not ceased and are brought about through faith
· It is through faith, hope and charity that we can have eternal life through the atonement
· Charity is the pure love of Christ and we should pray diligently to possessed of that love that we may be like Him
In Chapter 8 , Moroni shares a letter that his father Mormon wrote on the abomination of infant baptism and why it is evil. He tells us that “little children are whole, for they are not capable of committing sin” and that “little children are alive in Christ, even from the foundation of the world.”
Chapter 9 tells of the sad state of both the Nephites and the Lamanites and the wickedness that will cause their “utter destruction”. It also tells of Mormon’s great love for his son Moroni and his prayer for him.
In the closing chapter of the Book of Mormon, Moroni’s great promise provides much hope to anyone willing to do as John A. Widtsoe once said: “Decide what you want to be, pay the price, and be what you want to be.” We can know of the truthfulness of the Book of Mormon if we pay the price and do as Moroni promises us in verse 4: “And when ye shall receive these things, I would exhort you that ye would ask God, the Eternal Father, in the name of Christ, if these things are not true; and if ye shall ask with a sincere heart, with real intent, having faith in Christ, he will manifest the truth of it unto you, by the power of the Holy Ghost.”
What a glorious promise! The way is made so easy for us to learn the truth. But we must pay the price by reading, having faith, praying with a sincere heart and truly desiring to know. Then the Holy Ghost can witness to us of the truthfulness of the Book of Mormon.
We are further told by Moroni that each of us is given special gifts or talents that we need to remember are given to us from Christ. He also bears witness to us of the need for all of us to have faith, hope and charity if we are to be saved in the kingdom of God. In closing, he reminds us that he has borne witness to us, that he has declared truth unto us and he will stand clean in the day of judgment because he has declared these things unto us. And the last promise: “Yea, come unto Christ, and be perfected in him, and deny yourselves of all ungodliness; and if ye shall deny yourselves of all ungodliness, and love God with all your might, mind and strength, then is his grace sufficient for you, that by his grace ye may be perfect in Christ; and if by the grace of god ye are perfect in Christ, ye can in nowise deny the power of God.
And again, if ye by the grace of God are perfect in Christ, and deny not his power, then are ye sanctified in Christ by the grace of God, through the shedding of the blood of Christ, which is in the covenant of the father unto the remission of your sins, that ye become holy, without spot.”
May we all pay the price to be sanctified and purified through the blood of Christ.
Written by Sister Moon and being distributed to the missionaries in the DR Congo Mission in French
