While serving in the palace of the king of Persia, Nehemiah was devastated to learn of the sorry state of the city of Jerusalem. The people who were left there were "in great affliction and reproach." The walls of the city were broken, and the gate had been burned. As Nehemiah pleaded with God for... Continue Reading →
“There Failed Not Ought”
The author of the book of Joshua summarizes the message of the book in this way: The Lord gave unto Israel all the land which he sware to give unto their fathers; and they possessed it, and dwelt therein.And the Lord gave them rest round about, according to all that he sware unto their fathers: and there stood not a man of all their enemies before them; the Lord delivered all their... 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 Covenant”
A covenant is an alliance, a formal relationship, with a promise that the relationship will endure. When David and Jonathan became close friends, "their souls were knit together," and Jonathan loved David "as his own soul." As an acknowledgement of that love and as a promise of continued friendship, they made a covenant with each... Continue Reading →
We Need Our Ancestors—and They Need Us
The word "fathers" appears 182 times in the Book of Mormon, usually meaning "ancestors." For example: On the title page, we read that one of the purposes of the book is "to show unto the remnant of the House of Israel what great things the Lord hath done for their fathers."Lehi was delighted to find... Continue Reading →
Three Covenants
One of the purposes of the Book of Mormon is for us to "know the covenants of the Lord" (Title Page). The Savior emphasized three of those covenants during His visit to the American continent, following His death and resurrection: Israel will be gathered: "Then will I gather them in from the four quarters of the earth;... Continue Reading →
Bound
An important characteristic of God is that He is perfectly reliable. As we strive to become more like Him, He gives us opportunities to emulate that characteristic. "I, the Lord, am bound when ye do what I say," He told a group of church leaders in 1832 (Doctrine and Covenants 82:10). Is His agency limited... Continue Reading →
Moroni Wrote to the Lamanites
"I make not myself known to the Lamanites lest they should destroy me" (Moroni 1:1)."I write a few more things, that perhaps they may be of worth unto my brethren, the Lamanites, in some future day, according to the will of the Lord" (Moroni 1:4). Jesus said, "Love your enemies" (3 Nephi 12:44, Matthew 5:44). As a... Continue Reading →
“If There Was No Mistake” – 3 Nephi 8:1-2
As Mormon prepares to relate the most extraordinary sequence of events in the Book of Mormon, he begins by emphasizing the reliability of his source, followed immediately by an admission that the source may have gotten some of the details wrong: And now it came to pass that according to our record, and we know... Continue Reading →
The “Hundredth Part” – Mormon’s Prioritization of Events in the Book of Alma
Mormon had access to a large library of sacred records, describing 1,000 years of history (Mormon 1:3-4). From those records, he made an abridgment of the history of his people, focusing on events and teachings which would help us understand God's covenants and increase our faith in Jesus Christ (Title Page, Words of Mormon 1:3-5).... Continue Reading →
Book of Mormon Study Notes 