Book of Mormon Lesson 43: "How Could Ye Have Departed from the Ways of the Lord?"

QUOTE OF THE WEEK:

As I participated in the Mexico City Temple dedication, I received the distinct impression that God is not pleased with our neglect of the Book of Mormon. The object of studying the Book of Mormon is to learn from the experiences of those who have gone before us that blessings come by keeping the commandments of God and that tragedy is the result of disobedience. By learning from the lessons of the past, mistakes need not be repeated in our own lives. You will gain a firm and unshakable testimony of Jesus Christ and the absolute knowledge that the origin of the Book of Mormon, as described by Joseph Smith, is true. Reading and pondering the Book of Mormon and other scriptures brings spiritual mindedness. The Lord has instructed: "Let the solemnities of eternity rest upon your mind" (D&C 43:34), and "treasure up in your minds continually the words of life" (D&C 84:85) (Teachings of Ezra Taft Benson, p.51).

INTRODUCTION: Few men have ever lived who were like Mormon. A list of his accomplishments would fill pages. At age 15 he received a personal visitation from the Lord (Mormon 1:15). At age 16 he began what is almost certainly the most remarkable military career in the history of the world, a career which lasted 58 years (Mormon 2:16). What qualities did he possess that caused his people to appoint him to the position of commander in chief at age 16? Among other things, most of us have to be coaxed and begged to do our duty. Mormon had to be held back (Mormon 1:16, 17), what a man! His career began when he was 16, but at age 74 he was still leading his men, and Mormon 6:11 tells us that he led from the front, not the rear! Mormon was also a great statesman, leading his people (when they were willing to be led) under the direction of revelation from Almighty God. He was as important an author as the world has known, preparing a record that has changed and will change the lives of millions and millions of people, containing a message that, if universally followed, would save the world. (These concepts are paraphrased from The Upward Reach, by Sterling W. Sill, [Salt Lake City: Bookcraft, 1962], pp. 248,249, 252-254)

It is the life and times of Mormon that we will study in this lesson.

(Mormon 1)

Do you sense, as I do, a great modesty in Mormon? We are stunned by his accomplishments while still in his youth, but we must read between the lines to appreciate what he is really like.

At the age of 10 years, Ammaron came to him and made him custodian of the Nephite records. The reason, according to Mormon, is that Ammaron had perceived that he was “a sober child, and . . . quick to observe.” (Mormon 1:2)

There were other reasons than these. I cannot conceive that responsibility for the greatest treasure of the Nephite nation was given to a 10-year-old because he was serious and a quick study. To whom would you entrust your life’s work? No doubt revelation and deep spirituality were a part of Ammaron’s motivation, but Mormon will not tell us this.

At age 15 Mormon “was visited of the Lord, and tasted and knew the goodness of Jesus” (Mormon 1:15). Why did he have this experience at such a young age? He tells us he “was somewhat of a sober mind . . .” Is that the whole reason? Must we not believe that he, like Joseph Smith, had poured out the desires of his heart to the Lord, probably in behalf of his wicked people (see Mormon 1:16) who had “willfully rebelled.”

In his sixteenth year, Mormon was appointed leader of the Nephite armies. Again he gives us a reason: “I being young, and large in stature, therefore …” (Mormon 2:1, 2). And for no other reason? My skepticism runs rampant! I have no doubt that he was large in stature, but it does not seem likely that in a nation of millions, he was the only large person available. Why, with so little age and experience, was he selected by his people for this duty? And this is a people of whom Mormon says:

Perhaps the reason for his selection is implied in 3 Nephi 3:19.

Anyway, it seems clear that there is more to Mormon’s character and personality than he is willing to tell us.

What do you suppose Mormon was referring to when he said he had “tasted and knew of the goodness of Jesus?” Have you tasted? If you were asked to pen a paragraph describing the “goodness of Jesus” what would you write? Has that “goodness” influenced your life?

(Mormon 2; 3:1-16)

Mormon recorded for us that during his lifetime, with very few exceptions, “wickedness did prevail upon the face of the whole land. . .” (Mormon 1:13). As he describes the futility of the battles and the destructions of the wars, he shows us over and over the depravity of the Nephite people, for “not withstanding the great destruction which hung over my people, they did not repent of their evil doings . . .” (Mormon 2:8).

There is a lesson for us in Mormon’s descriptions of his degenerate people. I believe we who live in another time of increasing iniquity and awful wickedness can learn great lessons from Mormon about how to remain righteous in the midst of continuing corruption. Consider the following principles:

Love your enemies: Don’t respond the way the Nephites did.

We must not under any circumstances seek revenge, nor must we retaliate in anger.

The Sermon on the Mount shows how to stop the escalation of war and hatred. We are commanded to love our enemies, and do good to them and pray for them. The alternative, which is to hate as we are hated, and to return evil for evil and pain for pain, is to escalate the influence of misery in the world, and support Satan’s plan for all mankind (see 2 Nephi 2:18, 27). One of the responses of the “natural man” (see Mosiah 3:19) to injury or insult is to say, “I will do worse to you than you did to me.” That course, if pursued, leads to the awful scenes described in Mormon’s letter to his son (see Moroni 9:8, 9). Mormon says of the hatred of the Nephites,

When you discover a fire in your garage, you do not try to douse it with gasoline. When you discover mice in your pantry, you do not go to the pet store for more mice. When you hit your thumb with a hammer, you do not react by hitting your other thumb. We always look for the remedies that will eradicate the problem: water for the fire, mouse traps for the tiny rodents, pain killer for the smashed thumb. Why then, when we are subjected to misery because of the actions of others, would we respond by causing more misery?

Mormon loved both the Nephites and the Lamanites. He spoke of his feelings about his wicked people:

Chapter 7, the final chapter of Mormon’s writings, is an invitation to “the Lamanites of the latter-days to believe in Christ, accept his gospel, and be saved” (see chapter heading, Mormon 7).

Never give up: We have discussed earlier in this lesson the free-fall of the Nephite nation. The Book of Mormon itself warned the Nephites of their ultimate destruction (see 1N.12:19; 15:5; Enos 1:13; Hel. 13:5, 9). Mormon must have known from his immersion in the records and the actions of his people that the time of their destruction was at hand.

Even when he poured out his soul in prayer for them, it was “without faith, because of the hardness of their hearts” (Mormon 3:12). When he relented from his refusal to lead them (Mormon 3:11), he tells us he

He even tells us that he knew the Nephite struggles for victory were “all in vain” because of the number and nature of their enemies (Mormon 5:6).

He informs us that he did not dare to recommend his people to God, for fear God would smite him (see Mormon 9:21). But he never quits trying! In spite of the hopelessness of this situation, Mormon wrote to his son, Moroni as follows:

Maintain your integrity; make no compromise with evil: The time came when Mormon knew that the iniquity of the Nephites had removed all hope of assistance from the Lord.

As I read this, I thought of the courage of Joseph Smith as he excommunicated the Three Witnesses. What a danger these men posed to him and to the work of the Lord if they were to recant on the testimony they had given to the world. But like Mormon, Joseph refused to compromise. Something was wrong and it needed action. Both of these men acted appropriately without consulting the consequences.

Seek support from righteous people: Even though Mormon lived in a world of nearly undiluted iniquity, there were righteous beings about to lend support. He sought them and received instruction from them and gave instruction to some of them. The most obvious of those were Ammaron (Mormon 1:2); Christ (Mormon 1:15); the Three Nephites (3 Nephi 28:26); and Moroni, his son (Moroni 8, 9). In addition, during part of the ministry of Mormon, there must have been one or more righteous congregations, for the text of Moroni 7 if a transcription of the words spoken by Mormon to his “beloved brethren” as he taught in a synagogue.

This is a significant example for all of us. As we struggle toward exaltation and sanctification, we must seek the support of those who know enough to help us on our journey.

This counsel also brings to mind the oft-repeated advice of Alma to his people at Helam:

We must seek support from righteous people, people of experience: worthy, godlike people who walk in his way obediently.

Have an anchor and a sail in God and Christ: This is wonderful imagery for people trying to sail the uncharted waters of their own mortality. Mormon uses it to describe people who have neither an anchor nor sail:

I have been inclined from time to time to regard the gospel with its attendant truths and certainties as a collection of sails and anchors: sails to move us forward along the path that leads to eternal life, and anchors to hold us safely on the path. What better anchor is there for the soul of a man than the iron rod? What better sails than the hope of heaven, a fullness of joy, and eternal family unity? What parts of the gospel plan keep you from wandering? What hopes do you nourish that cause you to press forward with steadfastness?

You have seen people who have neither sail nor anchor. The world in the year 2016 is filled with themCmen for whom the greatest good is the thing that brings the quickest happiness or thrill or reward. They are indeed as chaff before the wind.

(Mormon 3:17-22; 5:8-24)

In Mormon 3:17-19 Mormon identifies his audience. He is writing to the house of Israel, including the remnant of the descendants of Lehi, and to the ends of the earth. Mormon tells us that his message is for the “twelve tribes of Israel.” James wrote his message “to the twelve tribes which are scattered abroad . . .” (James 1:1). What does this suggest about where the lost tribes are located?

“I write unto you all,” he declares, (Mormon 3:20) but why?

But there is another reason:

In Mormon 5:8, Mormon suddenly stops his historical narrative to speak to us. This portion of chapter 5 is worth a careful review. His messages to the Gentiles are particularly significant, for, we are told, we “have care for the House of Israel” (Mormon 5:10).

(Mormon 4; 5:1-7; 6; Moroni 9)

The time may finally come when a society, a nation, a city, an individual can no longer be reclaimed through repentance. We have been taught that the Spirit of the Lord will not strive with man always (see Gen. 6:3; 2 Nephi 26:11; Ether 2:15; D&C 1:33, etc.). A time can come when the pervasiveness of wickedness can cause a segment of the Lord’s children to forfeit the right to occupy real estate, especially in a promised land.

By the 6th chapter of Mormon, that time has come for the Nephites. When the 24 survivors of that final battle were gathered at the top of Cumorah, they became the final, solemn witnesses to the inescapable imperatives of the judgments of God. The land for miles in every direction must have been littered with the bodies of the dead men, women, and children, all of them sacrificed on the altars of Nephite iniquity.

Mormon’s anguish at this sight reaches out across the ages to us, wrenching our hearts and souls with a reflection of his own sorrow:

CONCLUSION: Moroni, who had been a witness to the destruction of the Nephites, added a postscript to the Book of Mormon, a highly condensed recitation of a storyline made familiar to us in the record of the Nephites. That postscript is the Book of Ether. Mormon appended it to the plates given him by his father.

This book is a message for us. It was engraved when there were no Nephites to read it and no Lamanites who wanted to read it. It was a message from one who knew the consequences of trying to live in the land of promise on principles that did not come from God.

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