Alma 23-29

The people that are converted by Ammon, or Aaron, or Omner, or Himni have a desire to be called by a different name than Lamanites. The king, King Lamoni's father, changes there name to the Anti Nephi Lehis. over in chapter 24 verse 3 it states, "Now the king conferred the kingdom upon his son, and he called his name Anti-Nephi-Lehi." So Lamoni's brother is now called  Anti-Nephi-Lehi. They council with to know what to do to defend themselves against the Lamanites that are coming against them. They decide not to take up there weapons against them and 1005 people are killed. Because they didn't deffend themselves the Lamanites stop killing them and more than the number killed joined with them. That would take a lot of faith to go before an army and let yourself be killed knowing that the Lord will be merciful to you.
In chapter 25 verse 6 it states, 
"For many of them, after having suffered much loss and so many afflictions, began to be stirred up in remembrance of the words which Aaron and his brethren had preached to them in their land; therefore they began to disbelieve the traditions of their fathers, and to believe in the Lord, and that he gave great power unto the Nephites; and thus there were many of them converted in the wilderness."  
We see that the word of the Lord is fullfilled and the people remembered the things that they had been taught. If we plant a seed then it will grow. Ammon and he bretheren planted the seeds and it took a while to grow but once it did many came to the knowledge of the truth. We can plant seeds as well as we set a good example and share our testimonies with our friends and neighbors.Please post any thoughts that you have.

Alma 17-22

In these chapters we have the story of the sons of Mosiah and there mission stories. They all had different experiences as they went forth teaching the word of God to the Lamanites. They set forth a great example to all of us on how to do missionary work. In chapter 17 verse 3 it reads,
"But this is not all; they had given themselves to much prayer, and fasting; therefore they had the spirit of prophecy, and the spirit of revelation, and when they taught, they taught with power and authority of God."
This shows how they prepared to go and do the work. If we are to do missionary work we to need to know the scriptures and then  fast and pray for the opportunities to do the work.
I really like how Ammon teaches King Lamoni. He first goes and offers to serve the king and then does all that the king asked. He is able to gain the Kings trust and then is able to teach him. If Ammon had not been so righteous he could have had a lot of land from King Lamoni and could have married one of the kings daughters. But it says that Ammon was wise yet harmless.
We later learn that Aaron has a similar experience with King Lamoni's father. It is amazing how something as simple as service leads to great things. Please post any thoughts that you have.

Alma 13-16

In chapter 14 I am amazed at how Alma and Amulek are able to withstand the brutal beatings they took while imprisoned. I can't imagine how bad they suffered. I think of my mission and how I was fortunate to not be beaten or imprisoned for no reason. They had to have great faith knowing that the Lord would deliver them from the wicked people. I really like in verse 29 how it says the peole saw Alma and Amulek and they were struck with great fear and "fled from the presence of Alma and Amulek even as a goat fleeth with her young from two lions; and thus they did flee from the presence of Alma and Amulek."
 I like how in chapter 15 they find Zeezrom and he has changed complety and has faith in the Lord and is healed from his sickness.
In chapter 15 verse 17 it mentiones a "check", and I wonder in our lives what is a check to help us to stay on the right path.
Post any comments that you have.

Alma 8-12

The people of Ammonihah are so hardened that they reject Alma. In our day we can see that when someone falls away from the gospel they usually become more wicked than someone who didn't have the gospel. The people of Ammonihah had been Nephites and then followed after the Order of the Nehors and became the hardened people that they are.
Alma find Amulek and they become quite the missionary companionship.
Please post any comments.

Alma 5-7

In Alma chapter, Alma asks a lot of questions. As I read the chapter I couldn't help but think that he is trying to get the people to think about their lives. He asks questions to get the minds of the people to open up for the message he is teaching them. As a missionary we had to ask questions to find out if the people we were teaching understood what we were teaching them. Also asking questions helps us to find out what problems they were facing so we could help them overcome those problems. If we don't ask questions we can't learn as much from others who know more than we do.

Alma 7 vrs 23-24 "And now I would that ye should be humble, and be submissive and gentle; easy to be entreated; full of patience and long-suffering; being temperate in all things; being diligent in keeping the commandments of God at all times; asking for whatsoever things ye stand in need, both spiritual and temporal; always returning thanks unto God for whatsoever things ye do receive.And see that ye have faith, hope, and charity, and then ye will always abound in good works."
I shared this in a talk on Sunday because the subject was about charity.Please post any comments that you have.

Alma 1-4

          In these chapters it is interesting to see how the people fall into the pride cycle. Nehor sets up the people to follow after iniquity. Even after he was put to death it states in verse 16 "Nevertheless, this did not put an end to the spreading of priestcraft through the land; for there were many who loved the vain things of the world, and they went forth preaching false doctrines; and this they did for the sake of riches and honor."

          In the next two chapters it mentions the Amlicites fulfilling the word of the Lord by marking their heads. They also join up with the Lamanites and come up against the Nephites and how thousands of them are slain.

         Alma chapter 4 Alma gives up his seat as chief judge so he can devote his full attention to the teaching of the gospel. By doing so enabled him to go and convert thousands to the church.

19 "And this he did that he himself might go forth among his people, or among the people of Nephi, that he might preach the word of God unto them, to stir them up in remembrance of their duty, and that he might pull down, by the word of God, all the pride and craftiness and all the contentions which were among his people, seeing no way that he might reclaim them save it were in bearing down in pure testimony against them."

Mosiah 26-29

          In chapter 26 we see a change come over the church in Zarahemla. Many of the youngsters that was too young to remember the words of King Benjamin. I am amazed at how the younger generations were the ones to rise up and rebel against the words of the prophets. In our own time we see that the younger generations can be really good or really bad. It is interesting to see that Alma’s son is one of the ones who are going about persecuting the people. It is like the old adage, beware of the bishops kids. It is also interesting to relate the story of Paul and the story of Alma the Younger and how they were both going about persecuting the church and how they became great leaders. Also a side note to look at Laman and Lemule, and how they both saw an angel and still turned away from the Lord.

         In chapter 28 the sons of Mosiah and Alma want to go and preach to the Lamanites and 29 King Mosiah chooses judges to judge the people. He tells the people that if they could always have a just king that it would be better for the people. I wonder if that would hold true for our day. Post any thoughts that you might have.

Mosiah 21-25

In verse 1-3 of chapter 21 the Lamanites begin to persecute Limhi’s People but they don't slay them. Abinadi prophesied that they would be brought into bondage, and they were. Verse 4 states "Yea, all this was done that the word of the Lord might be fulfilled." The persecution gets so bad that Limhi’s people desire to go against the Lamanites. However, they are beaten three times. The people of Limhi fimally remember the Lord and humble themselves and the Lord eases their burdens.
In our lives how many times do we forget the Lord and have to be humbled. It isn't until we humble ourselvs that we are able to bear our afflictions.

Mosiah 22 the people of Limhi after meeting Ammon make plans to escape from the Lamanites. It is interesting to make a comparison between Limhi's people and Alma’s people. The Lord causes a sleep to come over the Lamanites for Alma yet Limhi's people have to make the guards get drunk and fall asleep to get away.

Mosiah 23 is the account of Alma and the group of people that are with him. They also come into bondage according to the word of Abinadi. The wicked priests of King Noah are the ones that rule over them.

How many times in our live are we brought into spiritual bondage when we don't follow the council of the Prophet. If we continue to do what we know is right, then we will be blessed.

When we follow the Lord we will prosper. The people of the Limhi and of Alma and all the people from Zarahemla are called Nephites. Please post any comments.

Mosiah 16-20

            In chapter 17 King Noah was about to release Abinadi. He must have had a little bit of the spirit prick his heart. However the Priests were the ones that told King Noah to have Abinadi put to death. Abinadi and Christ had a lot in common. They were both falsely accused and they both were innocent of the crimes that they were accused of. Pilot almost released Christ and Noah almost released Abinadi. They were both beaten and put to death. They both sealed their testimonies with their blood. It is interesting to see the similarities between Christ and Abinadi.

In chapter 18 Alma begins to teach the people the words of Abinadi. They form a church and are all baptized by Alma. Now the question may be asked where did Alma get his authority. King Noah appointed him to be a priest. Even though King Noah was not righteous the ordinance is still in effect. So Alma did have the authority to baptize after he repented of his ways. Interesting I know.

After all the contention that arises and everybody ran amuck the words of Abinadi are fulfilled. King Noah was put to death and the wicked priests run away from the people so they aren't put to death. Limhi takes over the people of Lehi Nephi and makes a pact with the King of the Lamanites that they would pay tribute to the King so he wouldn't destroy the people of Lehi Nephi.

Chapter 20 the wicked priests kidnap the Lamanite daughters and the Lamanites think it was the people of Lehi Nephi that took them. The Lamanites come against the people of Limhi. The whole mess could have been avoided had they inquired first if King Limhi had known about the abduction of the Lamanite daughters. How many times are we like the Lamanites. We think that we know what happened and jump to conclusions then afterwards learn the truth. Post any thoughts that you have.

Mosiah 12-15

            In chapter 12 Abinadi is taken before King Noah to be questioned. The priests of Noah say to Abinadi that they teach the Law of Moses to the people, and ask him a question about Isaiah. Abinadi then lays into them and teaches them about the Ten Commandments. In verse 37 Abinadi says, "Have ye done all this? I say unto you, Nay, ye have not. And have ye taught this people that they should do all these things? I say unto you, Nay, ye have not." He calls out the Priests telling them that they haven't been teaching the Law of Moses to the people.  

In chapter 13, Abinadi continues to teach the Priests about the Ten Commandments. The Priests try to lay hold on Abinadi but he tells them, 3 "Touch me not, for God shall smite you if ye lay your hands upon me, for I have not delivered the message which the Lord sent me to deliver; neither have I told you that which ye requested that I should tell; therefore, God will not suffer that I shall be destroyed at this time." They are afraid and he is able to continue his speach to them.

At the beginning of chapter 15 Abinadi talks about how Christ is both the Father and the Son. Abinadi isn't talking about God and Jesus being one but how Christ is the Father and the Son.  

These chapters about Abinadi were so important that they are refered to throughout the rest of the Book of Mormon. Whenever anyone teaches they teach the words of Abinadi. It is amazing to me that Alma was able to remember all the words that Abinadi spoke and was able to record them so that we can have them today. Please post any comments.

Mosiah 6-11

         I really like how in Mosiah chapter 7, Mosiah has a concern for the people that went back to the land of Lehi Nephi. In verse one its states that "they wearied him with their teasings." I wonder what that is supposed to mean teasings. However he must have known that those people were struggling with the Lamanites and that is why he was curious to know how they were doing.

         In chapter 8 Ammon teaches the people and learns about the 24 Jaredite plates. He tells the king that a seer is greater than a prophet. A cross reference is 1 Samuel 9:9 which reads, "Beforetime in Israel, when a man went to enquire of God, thus he spake, Come, and let us go to the seer: for he that is now called a Prophet was beforetime called a Seer." In this verse is says that a seer is now called a prophet. Post any comments that you may have.

        In chapters 9-11 it is Zeniffs record about leaving Zarahemla and going down to the Land of Lehi-Nephi. Zeniff recalls that having strength in the Lord is better than having strength in yourself. He says that his people were able to drive away the Lamanites because they relied on the Lord. In chapter 11 when King Noah takes over he leads the people to do wickedness and they prevail against the Lamanites for a while and boast in their own strength. But along comes Abinadi and tells them if they don't change their ways they will be destroyed.

         In our own lives we may think that we can make it on our own and may suceed for a while, but eventually we will start to fail. Once we stop relying on the Lord that is when we will notice our lives getting harder. We have to continually rely on the Lord to help us in all that we do. Just like the people of Zeniff did. They realized they were slow to remember the Lord and they repented. After they repented and called upon the Lord they were able to withstand the Lamanites.

Mosiah 1-5

         In Mosiah chapters 1-5 is the conference talk that King Benjamin gives to his people. I really like these chapters. It is almost like listening to a conference talk. One interesting side note that my teacher addressed in class is how everyone knew what to do when they were called to come to the temple. It is thought that King Benjamin's address fell on a Jewish holiday, because everyone came to the temple and pitched their tents towards the temple and offered sacrifices.

        Mosiah chapter 2, King Benjamin mentions service a lot throughout the chapter. In our day we see the importance of serving others. In serving others we lose ourselves and gain a greater appreciation for those that are around us.

        
        Jumping ahead to Mosiah 4:29-30, it states "And finally, I cannot tell you all the things whereby ye may commit sin; for there are divers ways and means, even so many that I cannot number them.

 But this much I can tell you, that if ye do not watch yourselves, and your thoughts, and your words, and your deeds, and observe the commandments of God, and continue in the faith of what ye have heard concerning the coming of our Lord, even unto the end of your lives, ye must perish. And now, O man, remember, and perish not."

         
         We need to make sure that we are following the counsel of the Lord so we will keep the commandments. If we don't then we will fall into transgression and perish. Keep the commandments.

Omni 1

I am sorry everyone. I got sick and have been a little slow on posting. I have some interesting insights that from class and from reading. Feel free to comment on Enos through Mosiah.
One interesting note from my class that my teacher offered comes from Omni 1:12-30. Amaleki is writing and says that he is the son of one Abinadom. Then he speaks of Mosiah and this is Mosiah the first, who is warned to leave the land of Nephi and he goes and finds the Land of Zarahemla. These people left Jerusalem at the time that Zedikiah king of Judah was carried away captive into Babylon. Then in verse 23 Amaleki states that he was born in the days of Mosiah the first, and lived to see his death, and King Benjamin his son to rule in his place. This is the same King Benjamin who gives his address to all the people of Zerahemla in Mosiah chapters 2-6. Now the whole reason I am mentioning all this to you, Amaleki back in Omni 1:30 mentions that he had a brother that went with a large group that left Zarahemla to go back to the Land of Nephi. My teacher has a theory that his brother is Abinadi that teaches the wicked King Noah. Crazy I know. He didn't say it was doctrine just something to wonder. His father’s name is Abinadom, and it is never mentioned where Abinadi comes from when he goes before King Noah.

Jacob Ch 1-4

In Jacob chap 2 Jacob mentions three major sins that the people are following after. The first one is their desire for many wife’s and concubines which was not a commandment at the time. The second one is seeking riches to get gain. The third is pride. Because of their riches they began to be prideful and to be stiff-necked. Jacob warned them to seek first the kingdom of God then they would obtain riches to help others.
Today we see many of the same sins of pride and of fornication. How many times we hear from the apostles to remember the Lord first and to avoid pornography. Today we have the same issues to fight against. We see a distinct pattern that leads to the Lord humbling the people in some way. In our day we are heading for the Second Coming and the destruction that will take place before it. If we are faithful and prepared we will not fear.

In Jacob ch: 10 Jacob reminds us that we need to set a good example for our children.
"Wherefore, ye shall remember your children, how that ye have grieved their hearts because of the example that ye have set before them; and also, remember that ye may, because of your filthiness, bring your children unto destruction, and their sins be heaped upon your heads at the last day."
Now that I have kids, I am realizing the importance of setting a good example for them to follow. If I fail to teach them then I will be held responsible.
Please post any thoughts that you come across as you read.

2 Nephi 32-33

I really like these passages from 2 Nephi 32:3-5.
"3...Wherefore, I said unto you, feast upon the words of Christ; for behold, the words of Christ will tell you all things what ye should do.

 4 Wherefore, now after I have spoken these words, if ye cannot understand them it will be because ye ask not, neither do ye knock; wherefore, ye are not brought into the light, but must perish in the dark.

 5 For behold, again I say unto you that if ye will enter in by the way, and receive the Holy Ghost, it will show unto you all things what ye should do."

Nephi continues in verse six saying that this is the doctrine of Christ. If we don't understand we need to ask and it will be shown unto us by the Holy Ghost.

2 Nephi 33:14 is a powerful statement from Nephi. "And you that will not partake of the goodness of God, and respect the words of the Jews, and also my words, and the words which shall proceed forth out of the mouth of the Lamb of God, behold, I bid you an everlasting farewell, for these words shall condemn you at the last day." This is his final testimony of the words that he wrote on the Gold Plates. If we will read the Book of Mormon and ask if it is true then we will gain a testimony of the truthfulness of it. That is what Nephi is telling us to do.

2 Nephi Ch 29

As I read through 2 Nephi chapter 29, I am reminded of times during my mission. Many times we would meet people and introduce them to the Book of Mormon and they would make statements almost word for word in 2 Nephi 29:3. In the following the verses the Lord tells us that he has more nations than one. He has commanded that men to write and the world will be judged out of the books that are written.

Back in chapter 28, I am reminded at how members of the church are sometimes in a false sense of security. How many times are we told in conferences that we cannot stop progressing? If we aren't moving forward then we will start going backwards. This past conference, I felt that the speakers were trying to get this point across. We cannot serve two masters. Please write any comments that you have.

2 Nephi Ch 21-25

2 Nephi 21:8
Asp I had to look it up and found out that it is a venomous snake. Either the Egyptian cobra or the horned viper.
 Crazy. 

2 Nephi 21:15 the term dryshod means "without getting the feet wet." Please see what you find in these chapters. More to come. Thanks

2 Nephi Ch. 17-24

While reading in 2 Nephi chapter 17, I came across vrs 15 which reads, "Butter and honey shall he eat, that he may know to refuse the evil and to choose the good."  Then over in vrs 22 it reads, "And it shall come to pass for the abundance of milk they shall give he shall eat butter; for butter and honey shall everyone eat that is left in the land." This led me to think of the term a land flowing with milk and honey. Post any thoughts that you may have. Add any insights that you have while reading these chapters.

2 Nephi Ch. 11-16

2 Nephi ch. 15 talks about a vinyard of grapes. I am reminded of Jacob 5 and the alegory of the olive tree.
Feel free to add your comments about these 5 chapter.