Did the authors of the Book of Mormon have access to the book of Judges? They did have the brass plates, which contained "the five books of Moses...and also a record of the Jews...and also the prophecies of the holy prophets" (1 Nephi 5:10-13). It seems reasonable to assume that some version of the book... Continue Reading →
The Song of the Sea: Gratitude Builds Faith
Many times in the Book of Mormon, people offer thanks and praise to God after receiving a blessing. For example: The family of Lehi "did rejoice exceedingly" and offered sacrifice to God when the sons returned safely from Jerusalem with the brass plates (1 Nephi 5:9-10). They did the same after the sons returned with... Continue Reading →
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 →
“My Spirit Will Not Always Strive with Man”
There is a cryptic passage near the beginning of the book of Genesis. After listing ten generations from Adam to Noah, the author quotes the Lord as saying: My spirit shall not always strive with man, for that he also is flesh: yet his days shall be an hundred and twenty years.Genesis 6:3 What does that mean? It sounds like an... Continue Reading →
An Help, Meet for Him
After Lehi and his family left Jerusalem but before they began their journey to the promised land in earnest, the Lord told Lehi that his group was incomplete. He said "that it was not meet" for Lehi to "take his family into the wilderness alone; but that his sons should take daughters to wife" (1... Continue Reading →
“Their Bounds Are Set”
Freedom to choose is not the same thing as unlimited power. That seems pretty obvious, but in our pursuit of freedom, we sometimes fail to acknowledge our constraints. And when other people are misbehaving, we may forget that they, too, operate within constraints, seen or unseen. Job pointed out that the ultimate constraint on every... Continue Reading →
Oblations
In ancient Israel, an essential element of worship was giving gifts to God. Worshippers would bring animals or grain to the temple—the very best they had—to offer as a sacrifice. The King James Version of the Bible most frequently refers to these gifts as "offerings," but it sometimes calls them "oblations." An oblation is a... Continue Reading →
Forgiveness
Grudges and resentments are like dead weight which drag us down. Forgiveness is like dropping ballast from a balloon, allowing us to soar to new heights. During the final week of the Savior's mortal life, Peter asked Him how many times he should forgive someone who wronged him, even suggesting the generous number of seven... Continue Reading →
Lehi and Sariah’s Family
The Book of Mormon begins with a family. Not a blissful, idyllic family, but a troubled one. A family with sibling rivalry, parent-child discord, and even marital conflict. In other words, a real family. With God's help, this family achieved miraculous things: they escaped certain destruction in Jerusalem, traveled through the wilderness and across the... Continue Reading →
What Are the Roles of Persuasion and Punishment in Motivating Good Behavior?
This is the third of three posts in response to a question I received last week. The first post discussed God's love for us. The second discussed why God would "inflict" things on us. Today's post discusses the roles of persuasion and of punishment from God's perspective. The questioner wants to understand why a loving... Continue Reading →
Book of Mormon Study Notes 