I've been thinking about promised lands today. When God appeared to Moses on Mount Horeb, he promised not only to deliver the children of Israel from captivity but also to lead them "unto a land flowing with milk and honey" (Exodus 3:8). So before the Israelites even began their journey, they had a destination in mind. Lehi's... Continue Reading →
A Land of Promise
Abraham recognized that it was time for a change. "I, Abraham, saw that it was needful for me to obtain another place of residence," he wrote (Abraham 1:1). God had promised to lead him by the hand (Abraham 1:18), and take him to "a strange land" where his descendants would become "a great nation" (Genesis 12:1-2). The... Continue Reading →
A Tower to Get to Heaven
Sometime after the Great Flood, the descendants of Noah were gathered in a place called Shinar, which later became known as Babylonia. They collectively resolved to build "a city and a tower, whose top may reach unto heaven." They viewed this project as a way to avoid being "scattered abroad upon the face of the... 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 →
Anxiously Engaged
After their conversion, the sons of King Mosiah decided that they wanted to preach the gospel to their enemies. This was their idea. They weren't told to do it. But the Lord endorsed the plan. "Let them go up," He told Mosiah. He promised that they would have success and that He would protect them... Continue Reading →
“That They May Shine Forth in Darkness” – Ether 3:4
Humans hate uncertainty. We want to be able to accurately predict the future. We want to be able to explain things that seem mysterious. We don't like being left in the dark. As the Jaredites prepared to embark on a journey of unknown duration across the ocean, the brother of Jared became concerned about two... Continue Reading →
Four Years and Three Hours – Ether 2:14
After the first generation of Jaredites had traveled a great distance toward a land which God had promised would be "choice above all the lands of the earth" (Ether 1:42), they arrived at the ocean. Throughout their journey, they had prayed for instructions. Moroni tell us that they had been "directed continually by the hand... Continue Reading →
A Choice Land – Ether 2:8-12
After describing the journey of Jared and his family and friends from the Tower of Babel to the ocean, Moroni breaks the narrative to deliver a warning to his modern readers. The American continent, where they were headed, is a special place. "This is a land which is choice above all other lands," he said;... Continue Reading →
Barges
As Jared and his brother traveled with their families and friends through the wilderness, they carried many supplies with them which might seem unusual, including bees and fish. To carry the latter over land, they prepared a "vessel," which I envision as a large waterproof container, something like a portable aquarium (Ether 2:1-3). When they... Continue Reading →
What Does It Mean to Be “Ripe in Iniquity?”
In this life, there is a space between choices and consequences. That’s what makes it a period of probation. We are not trained animals, taking actions with the expectation of immediate rewards or punishments. Instead, we are often left alone, to see what we will choose to do in the absence of either positive or... Continue Reading →
Book of Mormon Study Notes 