Come Follow Me Book of Mormon with Sam Enos - Words of Mormon
Welcome to Come Follow Me With Sam! We are going to talk about Enos, Jarom, Omni and friends, exodus's, new civilizations, and old ones, all in one short blog post.
Just like there are crazy ripples happening in the world today, there are crazy ripples in Nephite civilization. This is a really great reading considering the current events that happened this week.
Enos's prayer in the forest starts out with a simple enough explanation - he was thinking hard about life and wanted to talk to God about it. What happens in the forest is very complex. Here are some elements that I can pull out.
1. Enos was really praying. All the day long and when the night came, he 'did still raise my voice high that it reached the heavens'. He REALLY had some things to say. What things of eternal life and the joy of the saints sunk deep into his heart? for that Enos matter, what was the joy of the saints? in our twitch stream today, my brother suggested that he was really worried about his own sins, maybe he didn't feel like he was living the best life.
2. Enos heard a voice. This is probably the main criteria for which Enos included the event in his writings. Nephi and Jacob saw God. Enos only mentions hearing his voice. This seems to indicate that things were already going downhill for the Nephites, and that Enos wasn't able to maintain the same relationship his father and uncle had. To be fair, it doesn't seem as if the Nephite civilization as a whole was able to do this either.
3. Enos's sins were forgiven. This gets a little complex. Enos had a knowledge that God could not lie. The brother of jared mentions this same thing when he exercises great faith. His sins were forgiven there. What type of repentance happened in the forest? Enos too, wanted to know this mystery. God said it was 'Because of thy faith in Christ, whom thou hast never before heard not seen...wherefore, thy faith hath made me whole.
Some of Joseph Smiths records put great emphasis on him seeking to repent that motivated him to pray and by consequence receive the first vision. They also talk of an unspeakable love and joy that fill his heart. The repentance part is similar to Enos; I can't help but think the love and joy part is too.
4. Enos is moved to pray for both the Nephites and the Lamanites. I believe that the Spirit of God was upon him at this point, because he immediately turned to the welfare of his brethren. This is something that is natural when you have the spirit of Christ.
5. God made a covenant with Enos to preserve a record. Are we being blessed today because of the prayer of Enos? Is the reason this record was preserved because Enos asked in faith? God said that this was the same thing his fathers asked for in like manner. It seems there is something large at work here.
6. Enos wrestled. I believe the word choice here is significant. Enos refers to his experience using words like wrestle, cry, raise voice, pour out my whole soul, struggle in spirit, and labor with diligence. In verse 2, there is a footnote to Jacob's, son of Isaac, wrestle with God or an angel of God. My brother dives into it on our twitch stream today. You can find it for at least the next 14 days in the highlights section. The resemblance is uncanny and the lesson is one that perhaps we as a church have not learned yet.
What follows is a strange time in the book of Mormon for the prophets. They write little, and what they write seems more out of devotion to the commandment to keep the plates sacred than it is their desire to add to the plates.
Jarom says "I shall not write the things of my prophesying, nor of my revelations. For what could I write more than my fathers have written? For have they not revealed the plan of salvation? I say unto you, Yea; and this sufficeth me.
On the one hand, this is a powerful idea. He is saying essentially that we have the words of eternal life. We have what we need to be saved. he decided to be careful of adding anything more to what was already said.
At the same time, it is not a good sign when there isn't anything to add.
Jarom mentions that there is a lot of wickedness and also many revelations. The nephites seem to be struggling on this point.
Omni pulls another one of these interesting moves - he says he is a wicked man. On the one hand, that is great that he can identify that. On the other hand, this is not a good sign for the people.
And from here on out, there is very little prophesying. The last writer is Amaleki. He writes somewhat more than anyone since jarom and he puts in this golden verse:
There is a great treasure here when we understand that these prophet's journeys are our journey in the last days and just as they helped guard the church, so we guard the church with our testimonies.
These records cover the span of several hundred years. During this time, the Nephites were almost wiped out TWICE!!!!
Wow.
It seems as though the nephites could never conquer their pride and it was very difficult to stay righteous. The second time, God told the people to get out, and those did listened and were led by King Mosiah to the land of Zarahemla where they met the people of Mulek.
I don't think we can understate the effect that this merging of two civilizations had on each other. It seems as though it mutually strengthened both. The Mulekites were strengthened thanks to receiving the plates and scriptures and leadership of Mosiah. The Nephites were strengthened too; I believe that they received some stability and some new understanding from being connected to a new and different civilization. This is a fun mini-grafting that is reminiscent of the allegory of the olive tree and the greater scattering and gathering of Israel that it speaks of.
The reading for the week - and this part of the scriptural record - ends with an insert from Mormon that he placed between the small plates and the rest of his abridgment of the Nephite record. There are many lessons to be learned from these few words of Mormon. The greatest lesson could be that God oversees His works and keeps His promises with the house of Israel and of those that follow him, whether born into the house of Israel or grafted in.
Just like there are crazy ripples happening in the world today, there are crazy ripples in Nephite civilization. This is a really great reading considering the current events that happened this week.
What happened in that forest?
Enos's prayer in the forest starts out with a simple enough explanation - he was thinking hard about life and wanted to talk to God about it. What happens in the forest is very complex. Here are some elements that I can pull out.
1. Enos was really praying. All the day long and when the night came, he 'did still raise my voice high that it reached the heavens'. He REALLY had some things to say. What things of eternal life and the joy of the saints sunk deep into his heart? for that Enos matter, what was the joy of the saints? in our twitch stream today, my brother suggested that he was really worried about his own sins, maybe he didn't feel like he was living the best life.
2. Enos heard a voice. This is probably the main criteria for which Enos included the event in his writings. Nephi and Jacob saw God. Enos only mentions hearing his voice. This seems to indicate that things were already going downhill for the Nephites, and that Enos wasn't able to maintain the same relationship his father and uncle had. To be fair, it doesn't seem as if the Nephite civilization as a whole was able to do this either.
3. Enos's sins were forgiven. This gets a little complex. Enos had a knowledge that God could not lie. The brother of jared mentions this same thing when he exercises great faith. His sins were forgiven there. What type of repentance happened in the forest? Enos too, wanted to know this mystery. God said it was 'Because of thy faith in Christ, whom thou hast never before heard not seen...wherefore, thy faith hath made me whole.
Some of Joseph Smiths records put great emphasis on him seeking to repent that motivated him to pray and by consequence receive the first vision. They also talk of an unspeakable love and joy that fill his heart. The repentance part is similar to Enos; I can't help but think the love and joy part is too.
4. Enos is moved to pray for both the Nephites and the Lamanites. I believe that the Spirit of God was upon him at this point, because he immediately turned to the welfare of his brethren. This is something that is natural when you have the spirit of Christ.
5. God made a covenant with Enos to preserve a record. Are we being blessed today because of the prayer of Enos? Is the reason this record was preserved because Enos asked in faith? God said that this was the same thing his fathers asked for in like manner. It seems there is something large at work here.
6. Enos wrestled. I believe the word choice here is significant. Enos refers to his experience using words like wrestle, cry, raise voice, pour out my whole soul, struggle in spirit, and labor with diligence. In verse 2, there is a footnote to Jacob's, son of Isaac, wrestle with God or an angel of God. My brother dives into it on our twitch stream today. You can find it for at least the next 14 days in the highlights section. The resemblance is uncanny and the lesson is one that perhaps we as a church have not learned yet.
The records of the prophets during the lull
What follows is a strange time in the book of Mormon for the prophets. They write little, and what they write seems more out of devotion to the commandment to keep the plates sacred than it is their desire to add to the plates.
Jarom says "I shall not write the things of my prophesying, nor of my revelations. For what could I write more than my fathers have written? For have they not revealed the plan of salvation? I say unto you, Yea; and this sufficeth me.
On the one hand, this is a powerful idea. He is saying essentially that we have the words of eternal life. We have what we need to be saved. he decided to be careful of adding anything more to what was already said.
At the same time, it is not a good sign when there isn't anything to add.
Jarom mentions that there is a lot of wickedness and also many revelations. The nephites seem to be struggling on this point.
Omni pulls another one of these interesting moves - he says he is a wicked man. On the one hand, that is great that he can identify that. On the other hand, this is not a good sign for the people.
And from here on out, there is very little prophesying. The last writer is Amaleki. He writes somewhat more than anyone since jarom and he puts in this golden verse:
26 And now, my beloved brethren, I would that ye should come unto Christ, who is the Holy One of Israel, and partake of his salvation, and the power of his redemption. Yea, come unto him, and offer your whole souls as an offering unto him, and continue in fasting and praying, and endure to the end; and as the Lord liveth ye will be saved.
There is a great treasure here when we understand that these prophet's journeys are our journey in the last days and just as they helped guard the church, so we guard the church with our testimonies.
What was happening to the Nephite civilization
These records cover the span of several hundred years. During this time, the Nephites were almost wiped out TWICE!!!!
Wow.
It seems as though the nephites could never conquer their pride and it was very difficult to stay righteous. The second time, God told the people to get out, and those did listened and were led by King Mosiah to the land of Zarahemla where they met the people of Mulek.
I don't think we can understate the effect that this merging of two civilizations had on each other. It seems as though it mutually strengthened both. The Mulekites were strengthened thanks to receiving the plates and scriptures and leadership of Mosiah. The Nephites were strengthened too; I believe that they received some stability and some new understanding from being connected to a new and different civilization. This is a fun mini-grafting that is reminiscent of the allegory of the olive tree and the greater scattering and gathering of Israel that it speaks of.
Words of Mormon
The reading for the week - and this part of the scriptural record - ends with an insert from Mormon that he placed between the small plates and the rest of his abridgment of the Nephite record. There are many lessons to be learned from these few words of Mormon. The greatest lesson could be that God oversees His works and keeps His promises with the house of Israel and of those that follow him, whether born into the house of Israel or grafted in.
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