Insights from my daily study of the scriptures
We can all be inspired by the testimonies of others, as the Samaritans in Sychar were inspired by the woman who had met Jesus. But ultimately, the goal is for us to gain our own personal testimonies by direct experience with Him, as they did.
Anna received a spiritual witness that Jesus was the Messiah, and she shared that testimony with others. Lamoni's wife did the same. Those who obtain and share a testimony of Jesus are prophets and prophetesses.
Lamentations 3 traces the author's journey through three emotional states, each of which elicits a different kind of exclamation and a different perspective on the author's relationship with God. Stage 1: Dejection For the first seventeen verses, the author describes God as his or her enemy: "He hath led me, and brought me into darkness, but not into light"... Continue Reading →
Talk is cheap. It's easy to say something, and in many circumstances the speaker pays no price if their words are inaccurate. When we need more certainty that a person is telling the truth, we take formal steps to increase our confidence. For example, in court, we have witnesses swear an oath before they testify,... Continue Reading →
I've been thinking today about two Old Testament prophecies, both of which are associated with John the Baptist, but both of which have much broader applicability. Isaiah prophesied that, following the Babylonian captivity, there would be a voice in the wilderness, crying "Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make straight in the desert a... Continue Reading →
The credibility of a witness depends on their consistency over time. If they testify that something is true one day, you would expect them to stand behind what they said at a later time. When Alma invited a group of people to be baptized in the waters of Mormon, he told them that they were... Continue Reading →
Just before their first battle, Helaman asks his 2,000 young soldiers if they will take a risk and attack the Lamanite army which has been pursuing them. These young warriors (whom he called his "sons") respond with great faith: Our God is with us, and he will not suffer that we should fall; then let... Continue Reading →
A martyr is a witness. The word "martyr" appears three times in the King James version of the Bible. It is a translation of the Greek word martus (μάρτυς), which is translated many other places as "witness." Perhaps standing up for what is right always requires some courage, but when a person is willing to... Continue Reading →
Sometimes it's only in retrospect that we recognize the significance of our experiences, both in terms of our own spiritual growth and in terms of their influence on other people. We've been studying this week about two groups of people—the people of Limhi and the people of Alma—both of whom endured a difficult period of... Continue Reading →
The very first passage from Isaiah which Nephi quotes opens with an indictment. The prophet addresses himself to the people who claim to be the covenant people of God but who aren't acting like it: Hearken and hear this, O house of Jacob, who are called by the name of Israel, and are come forth... Continue Reading →