For My Profit and Learning

I've never really been interested in prophesies about the last days or speculating about signs of the times. That's not to say that I don't believe in a literal second coming of Jesus, or His millennial rein. It just means that for better or for worse, I have adopted an attitude that "it will happen when it happens" and tried to focus on the things I need to work on in my life to be a good person.  That is why chapters like Ether 13 are puzzling to me, and prompt me to reconsider my indifference to prophesies of the Second Coming. Ether was an embattled prophet who had to resort to hiding in a cave during the day because the people were trying to kill him. Moroni recorded that " marvelous were the prophecies of Ether; but [the people] esteemed him as naught, and cast him out" (Ether 13:13). These must have been desperate and difficult times for the prophet Ether, and I can imagine his struggle to know what he could possible preach to change the he...

He Could Not Be Restrained In chapter 12 we are finally introduced to the namesake of the Book of Ether. As the author explains, "Ether was a prophet of the Lord" who came forth in the days of Coriantumr, "and began to prophesy unto the people, for he could not be restrained because of the Spirit of the Lord which was in him” (Ether 12:2). I find this to be one of his most admirable and enviable qualities. Ether's closeness to God and the feelings of the Spirit were so powerful that he couldn't not share the gospel.  When it comes to sharing the gospel, telling others about my beliefs, or inviting friends and coworkers to church activities I can feel hugely inhibited. This same fear even extends to the important but uncomfortable conversations I want to have with my closest friends, immediate family members, and my spouse. I worry a lot about what other people will think of me, how they will feel or react, or if a certain conversation or invitation is appro...

The entire record of king Com of the Jaredites is comprised of seven short verses. He is virtually unknown to the history of the world, but he offers another example of heeding the words of the prophets in trying times. During his rule, the prophets were rejected by the people, who threatened to kill them, and they fled unto Com for protection (Ether 11:2). Presumably while in his care, the prophets “prophesied unto Com many things; and he was blessed in all the remainder of his days.” (Ether 11:3). I can't imagine that Com's choice to defend the prophets was popular. He likely faced opposition and there is not evidence in the scriptures that his people ever came around to his way of thinking. Com was not able to change the trajectory of the society in which he lived, but he was able enjoy the blessings of a righteous life because he sheltered the prophets, and heeded their words. Our blessings and happiness are not contingent on the behavior of others. We can only control...

After his father and entire family died in a famine, king Shez took the throne and “began to build up again a broken people. What made this herculean task possible was Shez's faith and reliance on the Lord. "Shez did remember the destruction of his fathers, and he did build up a righteous kingdom; for he remembered what the Lord had done in bringing Jared and his brother across the deep” (Ether 10:2). By remembering the mistakes that previous generations had made, and remembering the goodness of God to his people, we has able to avoid their vices and begin to help his people heal.  This brief example in the scriptures brings to mind the transformative figures in my family who have made sacrifices and done hard things to "build up again a broken people." All of us and all of our families are broken in many ways, and the scriptures constantly stress the importance of remembering what the Lord has done for His people in order to heal and progress. I've watche...

One of the most startling things about the record of the Jaredites is how quickly they descended from righteousness to wickedness and eventually into self-obliteration. As internal divisions and political strife increased, the Lord warned king Omer to flee:  " the Lord  warned  Omer in a dream that he should depart out of the land; wherefore Omer  departed  out of the land with his family" (Ether 9:3). The brief summary below shows just how turbulent the next few years were in the history of the Jaredites: Jared overthrew Omer Akish killed Jared Akish killed his heir son  Nimrah (another son of Akish) fled to the land of Omer Other sons of Akish war with Akish until the p eople of Akish are destroyed (only 30 survive) Omer returns to his land The time that passed between Jared's initial sedition and the complete decimation of the people (aside from the people of Omer who were warned to flee) was only a few decades. Thei...

Ether chapter 8 tells of how a wicked man named Akish usurped the throne by conspiring with his kinsmen and his followers: " And it came to pass that Akish gathered in unto the house of Jared all his kinsfolk, and said unto them: Will ye swear unto me that ye will be faithful unto me in the thing which I shall desire of you? And it came to pass that they all sware unto him, by the God of heaven, and also by the heavens, and also by the earth, and by their heads, that whoso should vary from the assistance which Akish desired should lose his head; and whoso should divulge whatsoever thing Akish made known unto them, the same should lose his life.    And it came to pass that thus they did agree with Akish. And Akish did administer unto them the oaths which were given by them of old who also sought power, which had been handed down even from Cain, who was a murderer from the beginning.   And they were kept up by the power of the devil t...

In just a few short generations after arriving in the promised land, the Jaredites experienced civil war, and divided into competing kingdoms  Kib was king of the Jaredites, but was overthrown and placed in captivity by his son Corihor. Kib's other son, Shule, challenged and defeated Corihor and returned the kingdom to his father. What surprises me most about this story is the ease with which Shule forgave his brother Corihor: " And Corihor repented of the many evils which he had done; wherefore Shule gave him power in his kingdom" (Ether 7:13). Corihor had imprisoned their father for years and started a conflict that resulted in the death of many people on both sides. For most in Shule's positions, forgiveness would not even feel like an option. Most monarchs would have executed him for treason. Instead Shule not only forgave Corridor, he  gave him "power in his kingdom." Forgiving others does not mean we do not impose consequences or set bound...

Physical journeys recorded in the scriptures are some of my favorite metaphors to apply to my own life. In the case of the brother of Jared and his family, they completed a literal journey across the great waters to arrive at the promised land. We are all in the middle of a figurative journey through mortality with the hope of returning to God and living with Him again. In preparation for the Jaredites' journey, " the Lord caused stones to shine in darkness, to give light unto men, women, and children, that they might not cross the great waters in darkness (Ether 6:3). Similarly, we have not been sent to this earth without guidance and direction from God. Each person who is born in the earth is given the benefit of the light of Christ. This internal compass helps all of us discern good and evil and make good choices. The more we heed this internal voice, the clearer it becomes, and the more access we have to God and His direction.  The Jaredites faced inc...

As Moroni abridged the record of the Jaredites, he explained that the miraculous things that the brother of Jared saw were too sacred to share. He sealed that portion of the record and explained that it was not to be translated or published, “except by and by it shall be wisdom in God“ (Ether 5:1).  Sometimes as believers we are too certain that what we know is all there is, and that it will never change. This kind of arrogance about our ability to comprehend the will of God overplays our hand, alienates others, and limits our ability to learn more. Instead, God wants us to remain open to the additional light and knowledge He wants to give us, and to love each other deeply in the meantime.   I know we don't know everything God wants to tell us. His truth is infinite and cannot be understood by human minds. Even the pure revelation He gives us through an living prophet today is delivered to a limited human, who understands in incompletely, and transmi...

One of the most important and counterintuitive ways that the Lord shows love for His children is by withholding information that we are not ready to receive. We are held accountable for the things that we know. If we are not prepared to keep the commandments He has given us and live according to the truth that we have, more knowledge would hinder instead of help us.  That is why God reveals truth "line upon line, precept upon precept." That is why Christ spoke in parables and why the cryptic words of Isaiah are so important. By requiring interpretation and discernment through the power of the Holy Ghost, God ensures that only those who diligently seek will be exposed to the increased responsibility of more knowledge. Part of the record of the Jaredites was sealed. Moroni explained that this part of the record, " shall not go forth unto the Gentiles until the day that they shall repent of their iniquity, and become clean before the Lord" (Ether 4:6). In the same...

Ether chapter 3 is one of my favorite chapters of the Book of Mormon. It came to life for me the first time when I was a missionary in Taiwan (2003-3005). As a missionary we would make plans, do acts of service, contact strangers on the street, knock on doors, teach English, and organize community events all with the intent that we might find people who were interested in learning about the gospel and helping them prepare to be baptized.  Touch These Stones Reading this passage of scripture as a missionary taught me that all of my works, all of my efforts, all of my outward performances were dead. They did not hold any power of their own and were useless in affecting change in another person's heart. The brother of Jared had to find a way to light the barges that would carry him and his family across the ocean, and went to the effort to devise a plan on his own. He even  " molten  out of a rock sixteen small stones; and they were white and clear, even as transp...