2 Nephi 15-19

Thank you for coming today and for your thoughtful comments! How grateful I am for each of you and what you bring to our discussion. Have a Merry Christmas! I'll see you January 8. 

January Reading

January   1—No class
January   8—2 Nephi 20-24
January 15—2 Nephi 25-29
January 22—2 Nephi 30-33
January 29—Jacob 1-4

Process of Revelation

First, I invite you to participate in a 10-day fast from social media and from any other media that bring negative and impure thoughts to your mind. Pray to know which influences to remove during your fast. The effect of your 10-day fast may surprise you. What do you notice after taking a break from perspectives of the world that have been wounding your spirit? Is there a change in where you now want to spend your time and energy? Have any of your priorities shifted—even just a little? I urge you to record and follow through with each impression.

Second, I invite you to read the Book of Mormon between now and the end of the year. As impossible as that may seem with all you are trying to manage in your life, if you will accept this invitation with full purpose of heart, the Lord will help you find a way to achieve it. And, as you prayerfully study, I promise that the heavens will open for you. The Lord will bless you with increased inspiration and revelation.

Russell M. Nelson, October Conference 2018

Understanding Isaiah

To help his readers better understand Isaiah’s writings “in plainness,” Nephi provided five “keys” that would benefit those who may otherwise be confused. Donald W. Parry helpfully summarized these keys as:

1. Understand the “manner of prophesying among the Jews” (v. 1)
2. Do not do “works of darkness” or “doings of abominations” (v. 2)
3. Be filled with the spirit of prophecy (v. 4)
4. Be familiar with the regions around Jerusalem (v. 6)
5. Live during the days that the prophecies of Isaiah are fulfilled (v. 7)

https://knowhy.bookofmormoncentral.org/content/how-does-nephi-help-us-understand-isaiah

This list involves both intellectual as well as spiritual factors. For example, Parry explained that understanding the manner of prophesying among the Jews (v. 1) includes understanding how the ancient authors of the Old Testament employed such tools as symbolism, metaphor, poetic devices, and prophetic speech patterns (key 1) Understanding Isaiah and other ancient prophets in this way requires serious mental exercise, including a close and perceptive reading of the text and, whenever possible, being aware of the original language as well as the historical and literary contexts of its composition.

Likewise, becoming familiar with the geography of ancient Israel (key 4) is primarily a studious pursuit. Most readers of the Bible will obtain a knowledge of the “regions round about” Jerusalem by reading commentaries, consulting atlases, or visiting the Holy Land.

At the same time, Nephi included spiritual preparation as the central key (key 3) to understanding Isaiah’s prophecies. He encourages readers to seek the gift of the spirit of prophecy, which “same spirit of prophecy provided or prompted the words of revelation to Isaiah.” To embrace this spiritual gift, readers must live worthy of the companionship of the Spirit of God and must shun the evil works of darkness and all unholy and impure practices (key 2).

While intellectual endeavor might help some come closer to the spirit, ultimately the spirit of prophecy comes to those who exercise faith in Jesus Christ. “Individuals who possess the spirit of prophecy, or the testimony of Jesus, are, in a sense, prophets . . . in terms of possessing a personal, revealed testimony of Jesus Christ.” For Nephi, then, it’s not nearly enough to just comprehend the basic grammar or vocabulary of Isaiah. One must be attuned to God’s spirit, so “that they may know the judgments of God” and the other spiritual messages “according to the word which [Isaiah] hath spoken” (v. 3).

https://knowhy.bookofmormoncentral.org/content/how-does-nephi-help-us-understand-isaiah

Read 2 Nephi16:1-8 with these definitions

vs. 1—“train filled the temple”—followers of God
vs 2—“seraphim”—angelic messengers, derived from the Hebraic meaning “to burn” meaning “fiery/burning beings”
vs 2.—“six wings”—denotes power to move
vs. 2—“covered his face…feet”—denotes humility in presence of God
vs 3—“holy, holy, holy”—the very best, no good, better and best in Hebrew.
vs 4.—“and the posts of the door moved”—heavenly assembly singing praises to God with such vigor that “the posts of the door moved”
vs 4.—“smoke”—the glory of God
vs 5—“I am undone; because I am a man of unclean lips”—Isaiah’s feelings of unworthiness to be in the presence of the Lord
vs 6-7—hot coal from altar, touched lips—In order to join the council, Isaiah first needed to receive sanctification at the temple altar. Though the literal identity of this fiery angelic being is ambiguous in the text, one reading would interpret the seraph as an allusion to Christ. This would serve as an illustration of Isaiah’s role as an eyewitness of Jesus. (David E. Bokovoy, “An LDS Reading of Isaiah’s Prophetic Call”)
vs. 8—“Here am I, send me”—Isaiah’s expression of his willingness to serve as messenger for the council

“In the April 1929 general conference of the Church, President Anthony W. Ivins of the First Presidency counseled the Saints: "We must be careful in the conclusions that we reach. The Book of Mormon teaches the history of three distinct peoples, or two peoples and three different colonies of people, who came from the old world to this continent. It does not tell us that there was no one here before them. It does not tell us that people did not come after. And so if discoveries are made which suggest differences in race origins it can very easily be accounted for, and reasonably, for we do believe that other people came to this continent." In 1952 Hugh Nibley observed: "Now there is a great deal said in the Book of Mormon about the past and future of the promised land, but never is it described as an empty land. The descendants of Lehi were never the only people on the continent, and the Jaredites never claimed to be." More recently John Sorenson and Brant Gardner have summarized evidence from the Book of Mormon text that is best explained in the context of non-Lehites in the land of promise.”

"I DID LIKEN ALL SCRIPTURES UNTO US,” John Gee and Matthew Roper, https://archive.bookofmormoncentral.org/content/i-did-liken-all-scriptures-unto-us-early-nephite-understandings-isaiah-implications-others

“The song of the vineyard (2 Nephi 15) reminds Latter-day Saints how the Lord cares for them. He will provide for them all that is necessary to do his will and accomplish his designs. In return he expects his people to respond to his loving kindness by remaining faithful to the gospel covenants. If they fail to do so they can expect the Lord’s judgements. He will withdraw his Spirit, leaving them without protections—either spiritual or physical. They are left to themselves to suffer the consequences of their own disobedience, which can result in desolation, captivity and destruction. Modern prophets have interpreted this chapter as a wonderful promise of a latter-day restoration of the gospel as the Lord lifts his ensign to the nations to which we are all invited to come.”

Terry B. Ball, Book of Mormon Reference Companion, pg. 365-6

2 Nephi 9-14

December Reading

December 18--2 Nephi 15-19
December 25--No Class

Infinite Atonement

“The Atonement is infinite for at least the following eight reasons:
Elder Maxwell has suggested, it is “infinite in the divineness of the one sacrificed.”
It is infinite in power. The Savior went from grace to grace until he “received all power, both in heaven and on earth.”
The Atonement is infinite in time. It applies retroactively and prospectively through time immemorial.
It is infinite in coverage. It applies to all God’s creations and all forms of life.
It is infinite in depth. It is infinite not only in who it covers, but in what it covers. (sins, pain, suffering, etc)
It is infinite in the degree of suffering endured by the Redeemer.
It is infinite in love.
It is infinite in the blessings it bestows. The blessing of the Atonement extend far beyond its well-known triumph over physical and spiritual death. Some of these blessing overlap; some complement and supplement each other; but in the aggregate the effect of this event so blesses our lives in a multiplicity of ways, both known and yet to be discovered, that it might appropriately be said to be infinite in its blessing nature.”

Tad R. Callister, The Infinite Atonement, pg. 64-5

Mercy and Grace

“Mercy is not getting what we deserve.
Grace is getting what we don’t deserve.”

Robert Millet

Judgement

“In judgment we will find that we are in a sacred, safe space where love and understanding prevail, allowing us to come to self-knowledge and self-understanding, perhaps for the first time. We cannot overstate the significance of this shift from accusatory judgment and evaluation to judgment as an awakening of self. The clichéd model of judgment portrays us standing before a selection committee to see if we pass muster before the infliction of a penalty or reward. Jacob, however, draws us in a very different direction, emphasizing that we shall come to “a perfect knowledge” of ourselves. Self-knowledge is the precursor to healing and to wholeness. Judgment is the prelude to progress.”

“Before we are able to progress further in the eternal worlds, we come to a recognition of our divided self and are guided gently to bring the apparent and the authentic selves into harmony. At that point, we are prepared to move forward. Paul teaches such a version of judgment, when he writes to the Corinthians that “being judged, we are corrected by the Lord, that we not be condemned.” Judgment prevents condemnation, it does not precede it. Judgment is an assist in recognizing our true condition in order that we may improve it, not suffer from it. This moment of coming to oneself, Jacob describes as coming to a “perfect [complete] knowledge” of ourselves.
As most of us are too harsh on ourselves, this will be a step toward greater peace, self-acceptance, and love of self. That is why, said President Dieter F. Uchtdorf, “that Day of Judgment will be a day of mercy and love—a day when broken hearts are healed, when tears of grief are replaced with tears of gratitude, when all will be made right.”

Givens, Fiona and Teryl. The Christ Who Heals: How God Restored The Truth That Saves Us (Kindle Locations 2349-2355). Deseret Book Company. Kindle Edition. 

Hope for the Future

“To know and trust that God remembers his promises and has the integrity to keep them is a key principle in the doctrine of hope. We can have a calm assurance that all gospel covenants and their respective promises are reliable. Our trust in God produces a sure hope that every inspired promise uttered in a priesthood blessing, every inspired promise made by an authorized servant of the Lord, every inspired promise made in a patriarchal blessing—in short, every promise sanctioned by the Holy Ghost—is to be trusted.
Surely, part of the mortal test is to see if we will retain hope in the promises of the Lord when we cannot see how they will be fulfilled. After all, it is one thing to rejoice in a promised blessing when it is given, and it is quite another thing to patiently wait for its fulfillment when the circumstances of life create seemingly insurmountable barriers to its realization.
Mortality is laced with confusing ironies, interspersed with unsettling paradoxes and occasioned by perplexing experiences that can test our trust in the Lord’s promised blessings. The test of trust may come to the righteous sister who longs for an eternal companion, only to find as the years turn into decades that an eternal companion has become as elusive as water in the Sahara desert. Personalized testing may come to the young man who was promised in his patriarchal blessing that as a missionary he would bring many souls to the waters of baptism, and yet, as his mission draws to a close, he has not participated in a single convert baptism.
Hope, born of unwavering trust in God’s promises, allows a disciple to transcend the ironies, paradoxes, and perplexities of mortality. Trust in God’s promises fosters hope, not because of what we know, but because we know that he knows!”

“Knowing that God has not forsaken us, is merciful, and has the integrity to keep his promises is foundation to the doctrine of hope. These attributes clearly indicate that the Lord is willing to help and redeem us. But this knowledge alone is insufficient to produce a firm and unwavering hope. Something is missing.”

“Our hope in Christ is fostered as we more fully comprehend the character of Christ. In part, this means understanding his character as the perfect embodiment of mercy, integrity, and power. Any one of these attributes, viewed in isolation, may be impressive, but when they are woven together into the tapestry of his complete character, they become inspiring. For example, an all-powerful Christ is simply terrifying if he is not also filled with mercy. A merciful Christ is less than inspiring if he is too weak to save us. Moreover, a Christ who embodies power and mercy, but lacks total integrity may leave us anxious and wondering—will he keep his promises?
We can have hope in Christ because of our complete confidence in the character of Christ. For example, those who trust in Christ can wait on him. The capacity to wait on the Lord is an outgrowth of hope. However, the fruits of hope extend beyond patience. Hope in Christ endows us with a capacity to be optimistic and buoyant in the face of all our mortal challenges. It is striking that throughout this sermon, Jacob, a man who was intimately acquainted with the vicissitudes of life, freely drew upon language indicative of hope. Quoting Isaiah, Jacob reminded his downhearted people that the “Lord shall comfort Zion” and in a future day, “joy and gladness shall be found therein, thanksgiving and the voice of melody (2 Nephi 8:3). Moreover, the Lord will redeem his people and they shall “come with singing unto Zion; and everlasting joy and holiness shall be upon their heads; and they shall obtain gladness and joy; sorrow and mourning shall fall away” (2 Nephi 8:11). In light of these prophetic utterances, Jacob implored his brethren, “Rejoice, and lift up your heads forever, because of the blessings which the Lord God shall bestow upon your children” (2 Nephi 9:3).

Allan D. Rau, "Cheer Up Your Hearts: Jacob's Message of Hope in Christ," Religious Educator 14 no. 3 (2013): 49–63. “Cheer Up Your Hearts”: Jacob’s Message of Hope in Christ

2 Nephi 4:12-8

REVISED December reading schedule

December 11—2 Nephi 9-14
December 18—2 Nephi 15-19
December 25—No Class

Nephi’s Psalm

The five basic elements of an individual lament are as follows:

Invocation—2 Nephi 4:16-17

Complaint—2 Nephi 4:17-19

Confession of Trust—2 Nephi 4:20-30

Petition—2 Nephi 4:31-33

Vow of Praise—2 Nephi 4:34-35

“Nephi’s poignant complaint is a cry for forgiveness of sins. Nephi follows the standard pattern by making his confession very general, never specifying the exact nature or number of the transgressions that beset him. The feelings of remorse and the subsequent trust in the atonement are what is important. Thus Nephi leads penitent readers to “liken the scriptures unto themselves” so they might gain strength in their own battles against temptation and sin regardless of what each individual’s trial might be.”

“Nephi wrote with a clear understanding of the full plan of salvation as shown him in vision and taught by the Spirit of the Lord (1 Nephi 11). Such knowledge and testimony is never expressed by the psalmists of the Old Testament. The hope and strength manifested by the penitent Nephi hearkens back to that earlier divine instruction when the Spirit asked, “Knowest thou the condescension of God”? (1 Nephi 11:16). Nephi’s eloquence here is evidence of the depth of understanding he gained then.”

Matthew Nickerson (1997) "Nephi's Psalm: 2 Nephi 4:16-35 in the Light of Form-Critical Analysis," Journal of Book of Mormon Studies: Vol. 6 : No. 2 , Article 3. 

https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/jbms/vol6/iss2/3

Prosper in the Land

“One of the overarching themes in the Book of Mormon is captured in this remarkable promise the Lord made to Lehi and to all who come to the land of promise:

Inasmuch as ye shall keep my commandments ye shall prosper in the land; but inasmuch as ye will not keep my commandments ye shall be cut off from my presence.

In this verse the Lord teaches us that the opposite of prospering is to be cut off from His presence and, thus, from all of the blessings that flow from Him. To prosper in the land is to receive all the blessings that God has prepared for us. 

Obedience connects us to the Savior and opens channels for His love and power to flow into us, much like life-giving nutrients flow from the trunk of a tree into its branches.  

The Lord gives us commandments so that we might have His love, joy, and power in our lives. When we disobey those commandments, we weaken our connection to Him. If we do not repent, we become cut off from the source of divine power and joy in life. But the more we obey His commandments, the more we draw near to Him, the stronger the connection becomes, the greater the joy we experience, and the more we become like Him. We abide in Christ, and we prosper in the land.”

Kim B. Clark, “Deep Obedience,” April 19, 2011, BYU-Idaho

Jacob’s Speech

“The Servant speaks in the first person in this song. He acknowledges God’s hand in preparing for and supporting him in the work, giving him the “tongue of the learned,” wakening and opening his ears so that he could learn. The testimony reminds us of the boy Jesus’s remarkable ability to learn and understand his Father’s will, even to the point of astonishing the “doctors” as he heard and questioned them in the temple when he was just twelve years old (Luke 2:42–52). The Servant then speaks of the persecution he would endure as he would willingly allow himself to be smitten and spat upon foreshadowing the cruel treatment he would receive at the hands of Pilate and the Roman soldiers commissioned to scourge and crucify him (see Matthew 26:31). The Servant closes the song by testifying of his confidence that God would sustain and support him, while his adversaries would “wax old” and be eaten up, a prophecy fulfilled as the Roman Empire and the Jewish leaders who condemned him faded in infamy, while the redeeming work of the Servant is praised and persists through eternity.”

Terry B. Ball, “Isaiah’s ‘Other’ Servant Songs,” in The Gospel of Jesus Christ in the Old Testament, The 38th Annual BYU Sidney B. Sperry Symposium (Provo, UT: Religious Studies Center, Brigham Young University, 2009) 

https://rsc.byu.edu/archived/gospel-jesus-christ-old-testament/12-isaiahs-other-servant-songs

December Reading

December   4—2 Nephi 4:12 through 2 Nephi 8
December 11—2 Nephi 9-10
December 18—2 Nephi 11-16
December 25—No Class

2 Nephi 1-4:11

Thanks for your thoughts yesterday. What a great discussion we had. Your insights cause me to ponder and see things more clearly. Thank you for what you bring to class--your preparation, your experience and your great desire to learn. What a blessing it is to be with you each week!

Lehi’s Final Blessing

“The first four chapters of 2 Nephi contain the rich and eloquent blessings the prophet Lehi gave to his posterity. As he bestowed his father’s blessings upon his sons, Lehi did many things. He prophesied about the promised land (2 Nephi 1); he taught about the eternal laws of opposition, probation and atonement (2 Nephi 2); he spoke about the seer who the ancient Joseph testified would be raised up in the latter days (2 Nephi 3). Sometimes he spoke of his posterity’s spiritual standing before the Lord; at other times he was concerned about their temporal and physical prosperity and well-being. Thus, he addressed a range of religious, prophetic, family, and societal themes.”

“The family was a major concern in the laws of Near Eastern societies. Many well-established norms regarding family life prevailed in these civilizations, standardizing the treatment of problem situations which naturally arise in and around the family, marriage, children and inheritance.
Although women, children, and family laws are mentioned far less frequently in the Book of Mormon than in the Bible, family matters had to have been a concern in Nephite law and society as well. The Nephites married and were given in marriage; they had wives and children to divide their property among when they died; they had need to organize and protect their family relationships. Therefore, we can assume that family law was a part of the Nephite world.”

“In the ancient Hebrew family, children were considered part of the father’s “property,” especially unmarried children still living at home. The father had the right to do with them or to take them with him virtually as he willed, which would appear to explain Lehi’s power to take his family with him out into the desert. Indeed, the idea that family members were legally part of the father’s moveable property seems to be reflected in 1 Nephi 2:4, where Nephi lists the family together with Lehi’s provisions and tents. Although his wife and grown sons might murmur and object, their legal and social duty was to follow. Accordingly, of all the things Laman and Lemuel complain about, they never object to Lehi’s right to have taken them with him.”

“Lehi was doing many things as he spoke officially to his posterity for the last time. One of the most enduring legacies of Lehi’s last will and testament appears to be the organization of his descendants into tribes. Just as the ancient patriarch Jacob left the House of Israel with a family structure composed of twelve tribes, Lehi addressed his posterity in seven groups. This seems to be the precedent that established the legal order that lasted among these people for almost one thousand years. After speaking to several of his sons collectively, Lehi spoke 2 Nephi 1:30-32 (Zoram), 2 Nephi 2, (Jacob) 2 Nephi 3 (Joseph), 2 Nephi 4: 3-7 (children of Laman), 2 Nephi 4:8-9 (children of Lemuel) , 2 Nephi 4:10 (sons of Ishmael) and 2 Nephi 4:11 (Sam). The seven groups recognizable here are exactly the same as the seven tribes mentioned three other times in the Book of Mormon, each time in the rigid order of “Nephites, Jacobites, Josephites, Zoramites, Lamanites, Lemuelites, and Ishmaelites” (Jacob 1:13; 4 Nephi 38; Mormon 1:8; see also D&C 3:17–18). Though kingships and judgeships might come and go in Nephite history, the underlying family fabric of Nephite society attributable to Lehi’s testament remained permanent (e.g. 3 Nephi 7:2–4). Even in the final days of the Nephite demise, Mormon still saw the general population divided along this precise seven-part line (Mormon 1:8). The fact that this exact organization persisted so long is evidence that Lehi’s last words to his sons in this regard were taken as constitutionally definitive-just as the organization of Israel into twelve tribes in the earlier age had been essential to the political, social, religious and legal structure there.

John W. Welch, https://rsc.byu.edu/archived/book-mormon-second-nephi-doctrinal-structure/4-lehis-last-will-and-testament-legal-approach

“The essence of the covenantal promise is the same as that given to Israel as a whole. Variations of the promise “that ye may prosper in all that ye do” are frequently found in God’s covenant with the people of Israel, most notably in Deuteronomy.  

The blessings of “prosperity” are meant to belong to all who keep their covenantal commitments. Sixty years ago, Professor Eldin Ricks noted, “The idea was not new to Nephi. Hebrew prophets had taught this truth to their listeners for many generations. … It is particularly prominent in the writings of the seventh and eighth-century prophets.” Thus, the promise of prosperity to the faithful is extended to the Lord’s children in all ages.

The specific Book of Mormon formulation of this promise clarifies that prospering is being blessed with the Lord’s strengthening and supporting presence, not simply in order to get rich or be successful. Though wealth and success can be byproducts of the Lord’s prospering presence, they are not meant to be equated with it. At its core, the English word “prosper” comes from the Latin pro spere, literally meaning “according to one’s hope” or “agreeable to one’s wishes,” meaning “fortunate” more than “wealthy.”

https://knowhy.bookofmormoncentral.org/content/what-does-it-mean-to-“prosper-in-the-land”#footnote4_g250zbs

1828 Dictionary definition of prosper—to favor, grow or increase, to thrive

Agency

“Thus, the necessary components of agency are as follows: (1) an intelligent being, one who can choose for himself when given the opportunity; (2) that intelligent being must have a knowledge of alternatives for action; and (3) that intelligent being must have the power to act on a choice freely made.”

“For every person of normal intelligence, agency is a matter of degree. The level of knowledge of good and evil and the amount of power to act on one’s choices determine the degree of agency. God increases or decreases that power to act according to each person’s own will and choices, but everyone of normal intelligence has enough knowledge and power to choose between Christ and the devil and to be held accountable for the choice made.”

Chauncey C. Riddle, Philosophy, emeritus; BYU, as printed in Book of Mormon Reference Companion

“The law of moral agency, of choice and consequence, does not require that we entirely bear the burden of our own choices made in this life because those choices are always made under circumstances that are less than perfect. Our accountability is thus always partial, incomplete. Into that gap between choice and accountability, the Lord steps. Christ’s atonement provides a way to break the cycle of sin, and begin a new life course (in ways large or small) with a newly forged disposition. Growing in the hard-won knowledge of good and evil, we are better able to choose in the greater light of a fuller understanding, or with a more unencumbered will.”

 

Teryl and Fiona Givens, The God Who Weeps

The Fall

“[Adam and Eve] transgressed a commandment of God which required that they leave their garden setting but which allowed them to have children before facing physical death. To add further sorrow and complexity to their circumstance, their transgression had spiritual consequences as well, cutting them off from the presence of God forever. Because we were then born into that fallen world and because we too would transgress the laws of God, we also were sentenced to the same penalties that Adam and Eve faced. ...

“... From the moment those first parents stepped out of the Garden of Eden, the God and Father of us all, anticipating Adam and Eve’s decision, dispatched the very angels of heaven to declare to them—and down through time to us—that this entire sequence was designed for our eternal happiness. It was part of His divine plan, which provided for a Savior, the very Son of God Himself—another ‘Adam,’ the Apostle Paul would call Him [see 1 Corinthians 15:45]—who would come in the meridian of time to atone for the first Adam’s transgression. That Atonement would achieve complete victory over physical death. ... Mercifully it would also provide forgiveness for the personal sins of all, from Adam to the end of the world, conditioned upon repentance and obedience to divine commandments” 

Elder Jeffrey R. Holland“Where Justice, Love, and Mercy Meet,”Ensign, May 2015, 105–6).

Because of Him

https://www.lds.org/media-library/video/2014-00-1420-because-of-him?lang=eng