Jeremiah bought land. If you're wondering about the significance of that transaction, consider the following: Prophets since Moses had foretold the captivity of the children of Israel and the destruction of Jerusalem. Jeremiah had told the people clearly that this event was no longer in the distant future. It was going to happen to them... Continue Reading →
A Tree of Life
Multiple scriptures discuss "the tree of life," referring either to the second named tree in the Garden of Eden, representing immortality (Genesis 2:9, 2 Nephi 2:15, Alma 12:22-26, Alma 42:2-5) or to the focal point of Lehi's dream, representing the love of God as manifest through Jesus Christ (1 Nephi 8:10, 1 Nephi 11:25, 1... Continue Reading →
Ages
Based on: Psalm 90 Core message: We have to expand our perspective, even beyond our own lifetime, if we want to understand God better. Related Book of Mormon passage: Moroni 10:3
Hardened Hearts
Why would the leader of a nation continue to pursue a harmful course of action in the face of increasing punishments? I'm not talking about Vladimir Putin's ongoing invasion of Ukraine in spite of severe international sanctions; I'm talking about Pharaoh's unwillingness to let the Israelites go free while his country was pummeled by plagues.... Continue Reading →
Father of Many
Why did God change Abram's name? The name Abram (a variant of Abiram) consists of two parts: ab (אָב), meaning "father," and rum (רוּם), meaning "exalted" or "lifted up." You could translate the name as "exalted father," or "father who is respected and admired." When Abram was 90 years old, God appeared to him and... Continue Reading →
Rolling Waters
In his epistle from Liberty Jail, Joseph Smith used the imagery of moving water to illustrate the principle that continuous revelation helps the gospel remain current and relevant in our lives. "How long can rolling waters remain impure?" he asked. "What power shall stay the heavens?" Then he went on to compare the powerful current of... Continue Reading →
“Temporal and Spiritual” – Mosiah 2:41
Don't underestimate the value of temporary things. On at least two occasions, Nephi's brothers, Laman and Lemuel, asked him whether the principles of the gospel related to temporal things or only to spiritual things. They seem to have wanted to keep different parts of their lives separates, with their daily decisions being disconnected with their... Continue Reading →
“The Greatest of All the Gifts of God” – 3 Nephi 15:36
The central symbol in Lehi's dream was "a tree, whose fruit was desirable to make one happy" (1 Nephi 8:10) After eating some of the fruit, his greatest desire after that was to help others experience that same joy, beginning with his own family. When one of Lehi's sons, Nephi, prayed to understand his father's dream, he experienced a... Continue Reading →
What Does It Mean to “Dwindle in Unbelief?”
dwindle - Diminish gradually in size, amount, or strength (Oxford English Dictionary) Near the beginning of the Book of Mormon, Nephi learns from the Spirit that, without the brass plates containing the scriptures, his family would "dwindle and perish in unbelief" (1 Nephi 4:13). King Benjamin later emphasized this point to his sons: "Were it not for... Continue Reading →
Harden Not Your Hearts – 1 Nephi 15:11
The 95th psalm tells us not to harden our hearts if we want to hear God's voice (Psalm 95:7-8). Nephi tells his brothers the same thing when he hears them arguing about the meaning of their father's words. "Have ye inquired of the Lord?" he asks. "We have not," they reply, "for the Lord maketh... Continue Reading →
Book of Mormon Study Notes 