Jacob 1 - That We Might Persuade Them to Come Unto Christ I'm taking an online economics class right now, which prompted me to think of the definition of economics in the context of the scriptures. Economics is the study of the allocation of scarce resources. In the case of Nephi and his successor Jacob, the plates upon which they engraved their record was a scarce resource. They were costly to make and difficult to engrave, and instilling a tradition of passing them through generations was surely cumbersome. Recognizing the great importance of spiritual things and the challenge of maintaining records, Nephi instructed Jacob to prioritize religious instruction saying, " if there were preaching which was sacred, or revelation which was great, or prophesying, that I should engraven the heads of them upon these plates, and touch upon them as much as it were possible, for Christ’s sake, and for the sake of our people" (Jacob 1:4). This priority was not only reflecte...
Moroni chapter 2 is only three verses long, and describes how the Savior conferred the Melchizedek priesthood on his disciples when he visited the people of the Americas. He also taught them how to confer upon others the gift of the Holy Ghost.
"The words of Christ, which he spake unto his disciples, the twelve whom he had chosen, as he laid his hands upon them—And he called them by name, saying: Ye shall call on the Father in my name, in mighty prayer; and after ye have done this ye shall have power that to him upon whom ye shall lay your hands, ye shall give the Holy Ghost; and in my name shall ye give it, for thus do mine apostles. Now Christ spake these words unto them at the time of his first appearing; and the multitude heard it not, but the disciples heard it; and on as many as they laid their hands, fell the Holy Ghost." - (Moroni 2:1-3)
Today in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, the ordnance of confirmation is performed this way:
- States the person’s full name.
- States that the ordinance is performed by the authority of the Melchizedek Priesthood.
- Confirms the person a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
- Uses the words “Receive the Holy Ghost” (not “receive the gift of the Holy Ghost”).
- Gives words of blessing as the Spirit directs.
- Closes in the name of Jesus Christ.
Given the superficial differences between how the Savior ordained his apostles to the Melchizedek priesthood and instructed them to confer the gift of the Holy Ghost and how those ordinances are performed today, I wonder why it was important for Moroni to record this. His life was preserved and prolonged so that he could record this and other basic ordinances to come. Certainly the Lord knew he would restore and revise these ordinances, so why make a special effort to record them here?
Part of the answer might be found in the timeline of the restoration of the priesthood in 1829. "Historical records and the testimony of Joseph Smith’s associates ... indicate that the time of the restoration of the Melchizedek Priesthood was probably within the 13-day period of 16 to 28 May 1829" (lds.org). According to Scott Woodward's summary of the timeline of the translation of the Book of Mormon, that means that Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery finished translating Mormon's abridgment and Moroni's additions (Mosiah-Moroni) only days before receiving the Aaronic and Melchizedek priesthoods (see Background to D&C 10). In fact, it was the record of these ordinances in 3rd Nephi specifically that prompted their questions to the Lord. Oliver Cowdery reported that on 15 May "after writing the account given of the Savior's ministry to the remnant of the seed of Jacob, upon this continent," he and Joseph went and "prayed ("Letter I," Messenger and Advocate, October 1834, 15). Joseph Smith said, "We ... went into the woods to pray and inquire of the Lord respecting baptism for the remission of sins, that we found mentioned in the translation of the plates. While we were thus employed, praying and calling upon the Lord, a messenger from heaven descended in a cloud of light, and having laid his hands upon us, he ordained us, saying: [see D&C 13] (Joseph Smith—History 1:68).
While less is know about the timeline and impetus for Joseph and Oliver's ordination to the Melchizedek priesthood from Peter, James, and John, it is interesting to imagine that the translation of Moroni's record could have prompted and predicated their ordination. In a sense, it is possible that the entire chapter of Moroni 2 was intended for a readership of two - Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery.
Application Questions
How have priesthood ordinance, specifically receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost blessed your life?
If the Lord can and has restored priesthood ordinances like ordination and confirmation in modern times, why was if important for Moroni to record the method Christ used to ordain the Nephites to the Melchizedek priesthood and confirm new members?
Image Credit: That Ye May Know. © 1995 Gary L. Kapp.
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