The longest sentence in the Book of Mormon—392 words long—is 3 Nephi 21:1-7. In this sentence, Jesus reveals a sign by which we can know that the gathering Israel has begun. Here is the complete sentence, with some commentary in brackets: And verily I say unto you, I give unto you a sign, that ye may... Continue Reading →
“Lay Hold upon the Word of God” – Helaman 3:29
In the opening session of the October 2020 General Conference, President Russell M. Nelson extended an invitation, based on a passage from the Book of Mormon: As we gather to hear the words the Lord has inspired His servants to deliver, I invite you to ponder a promise the Lord made. He declared that "whosoever... Continue Reading →
“Quick and Powerful” – Helaman 3:29
When the Nephites experienced a miraculous conversion in a very short period of time, even the leaders of the church were "astonished beyond measure" (Helaman 3:25). The contentions which had recently plagued them vanished, and they began to live in peace and prosperity. Mormon explains this rapid change by reminding us that God loves all... Continue Reading →
“They Must Retain Their Brightness” – Alma 37:5
When Nephi and his brothers returned to the camp of their family in the wilderness, their father, Lehi, examined the sacred writings contained on brass plates which they had retrieved. After searching the record and learning about its contents, he was filled with the Spirit of the Lord and began to prophesy: That these plates... Continue Reading →
“The Preaching of the Word”: Alma 31:5
Early in his ministry, when Alma was troubled by inequality among his people, he resigned his position of political authority and dedicated himself to his ecclesiastical role. "And this he did...that he might preach the word of God unto them...seeing no [other] way that he might reclaim them." He had tremendous confidence in the power... Continue Reading →
“If You Will Hearken” – Alma 5:60
During Abinadi's message to the priests of King Noah, he quoted the following words from Isaiah: All we, like sheep, have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way. (Mosiah 14:6) One of those priests, Alma, was converted to the gospel because of Abinadi's words. Years later, as Alma's son (also named... Continue Reading →
“The Pleasing Word of God” – Jacob 2:8, Jacob 3:2
At the beginning of Jacob's second sermon, he expresses sorrow that many innocent people in the congregation will be subjected to a strict call to repentance. He acknowledges the people present, "many of whose feelings are exceedingly tender and chaste and delicate before God. He says that he imagines that they have come to the... Continue Reading →
“From the Dust” – 2 Nephi 33:13
Nephi tells us that he "did liken all scriptures" to himself and to his family. Here's an example of a passage from Isaiah which he identified with personally: And thou shalt be brought down, and shalt speak out of the ground, and thy speech shall be low out of the dust, and thy voice shall... Continue Reading →
Overcoming Resistance to Change – 2 Nephi 28 & 29
When you are confident that your worldview is complete, it can be easy to ignore or reject inconvenient facts which fail to conform to your theories. That's human nature. We prefer for the data to fit neatly into our preconceived notions rather than to have to question those notions. But this resistance to change can... Continue Reading →
Internalizing Isaiah
Nephi loved the words of Isaiah. He read them to his family to "persuade them to believe in the Lord their Redeemer" (1 Nephi 19:23). He assigned his brother Jacob to preach a sermon about a passage from Isaiah (2 Nephi 6:4). He quoted 16 chapters from the book of Isaiah in his writings. And... Continue Reading →