By the Hand of Mormon

Introduction

Although I study the scriptures by topic, I always make an effort to additionally read the Book of Mormon from beginning to end. Once finished, I begin again. The reason for this is that my mind seems to gather new insights about the way the Lord works with people and “what great things he has done for [our] fathers.”¹ And I believe that Mormon, who told us so little about himself, has told us all we need to know about getting “nearer to God by abiding by its precepts.”² The most important lesson to be learned is that this is the Lord's doing, and he has guided the hand of Mormon with every word and every story. "...the Lord knoweth all things which are to come; wherefore, he worketh in me to do according to his will."³ Consider the following pieces of the Lord's puzzle, which, when encountered in our day-to-day reading, become testimonies to us of “his hand in all things.”⁴

Lost Pages

The first thing that the Lord had Mormon do was write things we would never see. We all know about the lost 116 manuscript pages. These were replaced by the Lord, in his wisdom, with Nephi's record which certainly does justice to that which was lost. Of those things which remain of Mormon's record, the books from Alma to 4 Nephi have a synopsis or description of what follows. But the Book of Mosiah starts abruptly because its original synopsis and the first few verses describing Benjamin's father, Mosiah, were lost. Despite the loss, we have been given a great treasure in what was preserved.

Synopsis – The End from the Beginning

As the scripture says above, the Lord knows all things, but there is another way to know “the end from the beginning”⁵. That is to be at the end of the story, retelling it, as Mormon does. And the retelling makes possible one of the major witnesses that the Book of Mormon is an abridgment of other records. If Joseph Smith were the author of the Book of Mormon he would not have been able, while dictating to Oliver Cowdery, to successfully predict the direction that the record would take. To create synopses would have been impossible, but as a translator, he was able to simply tell the story before him. Mormon, on the other hand, had already those things that the Lord wanted him to copy for us. And he created an introductory synopsis for each addition with phrases like, “The Record of Zeniff—An account of his people” and “The words of Alma which he delivered to the people in Gideon, according to his own record.”⁶ He then put in place each piece of the record. The words of the synopses in my copy of the scriptures are italicized which might give the false impression that they are modern additions.⁷ The chapter synopses, which are also in italics, were added in modern times. But Mormon's words are followed by an interesting tag: “Comprising Chapters x-xx”. These words were added after the chapter divisions were created in 1879⁸.

Retelling the Stories

No doubt Mormon, as a child, was told many stories from the history of his people. But as he was compiling the record, the Lord saw to it that it would be composed of stories that would make a difference in our lives, just as they had in Mormon's life.

There were other stories that were not as significant, from Mormon's perspective. Consider the story of Amulek's ancestor, Aminadi, who read the handwriting on the temple wall.⁹ If it weren't for the fact that Mormon was copying this story intact from Alma's record we would not have known it exists. King Mosiah had a brother named Helaman¹⁰, and we will never know to what extent Alma the younger was influenced to name his own son, Helaman, after him. Another minor fact that Mormon glosses over is that there were all kinds of trouble in King Benjamin's time, and these troubles were overcome by Benjamin with the help of holy men.¹¹ Also consider how many lands and cities are given names for their principle founders and yet very few are the subjects of Mormon's narrative. Helam is mentioned in passing as being the first baptized by Alma in the waters of Mormon, “he being one of the first”¹² converts. And later a land and a city are named after him.¹³ But to tell his story more completely would be to leave the outline that the Lord had planned.

On the other hand, Mormon chose other stories because of their impact on him and on us. Consider the story of Abinadi; he preached to King Noah's people and was rejected. He returned in disguise and when taken before the King he preached boldly, but only one person was prepared to hear his words directly, Alma. And that one person has made a difference in the lives of all who came after.

I will show unto you

Equally important to the Lord's purpose, besides having Mormon tell stories of great worth, is to liken these stories to us. And Mormon injects himself into the middle of his narrative to clarify the point. He tells us how the people of Alma settled in the land of Helam and began to prosper. Mormon says, “Nevertheless the Lord seeth fit to chasten his people; yea, he trieth their patience and their faith. ... For behold, I will show unto you that they were brought into bondage, and none could deliver them but the Lord their God...”¹⁴ He then tells of the burdens that were made light, and the Lord visiting them in their afflictions. Lastly comes the miraculous deliverance.

The importance of repeating this tale comes into focus when Alma's son, Alma, is going about to destroy the Church. And when an angel is sent to stop him in the way he tells Alma to stop or be destroyed. But before that, the angel says, “Go, and remember the captivity of thy fathers in the land of Helam,”¹⁵ which becomes a theme through many pages to follow.

This theme is repeated in the words of King Mosiah when explaining why he wanted a system of judges.¹⁶ And when Alma, the younger, is made the high priest and sets the Church in order he recounts this story while preaching to the people of Zarahemla. He likens the physical bondage of his fathers to the spiritual bondage of his listeners.¹⁷ Lastly Alma, in giving counsel to his son, Helaman, recalls the visit of the angel¹⁸, and proclaims his own deliverance from physical and spiritual bondage just as the people in the land of Helam were delivered.¹⁹

Following the Lord's outline, Mormon has taken us on the same journey as Alma and his son, Alma. We are reminded of our own spiritual bondage before coming to an understanding of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. And we are blessed in times of trouble to see others in trouble who were delivered by the hand of the Lord.

Like unto Moroni

One of the purposes of the Lord was to have Mormon present the lives of righteous people, spiritual heroes, and their examples of success in the midst of trials and tribulations. We have the example of the sons of Mosiah-- missionaries, of Alma and his sons-- keepers of the Church, and of Helaman and Moroni-- warriors for righteousness' sake. Of all these, Mormon's personal hero was Moroni; he even named his son after him. In Mormon's description of the opposition he talks about cunning and deceit, and he contrasts that with Moroni's methods of preparing the people, not for war, but to be faithful.²⁰ He stops the narrative to pay tribute to this inspired leader with these words, “Yea, verily, verily I say unto you, if all men had been, and were, and ever would be, like unto Moroni, behold, the very powers of hell would have been shaken forever; yea, the devil would never have power over the hearts of the children of men.”²¹ Then Mormon lists other spiritual heroes,“no less serviceable”²², because they are like unto Moroni. And we wish to one day be counted worthy to stand with such. Although Moroni wasn't one of a kind, he was, in Mormon's eyes, and ours, the model for all men and women of faith.

Another witness of Jesus Christ

What greater purpose could Mormon have than to testify of the risen Lord? And what better way to testify than to lead us through his people's history to the point that all the prophets have spoken of? He found Nephi's record and began to copy it for us, “an account of [Christ's] ministry shall be given hereafter. Therefore for this time I make an end of my sayings.”²³ Having previously noted that the record is true²⁴, Mormon allows Nephi's record to do the talking. And the Savior's own words make us wish we had been there too. Some are not even recorded, but the message is clear. ”And no tongue can speak, neither can there be written by any man, neither can the hearts of men conceive so great and marvelous things as we both saw and heard Jesus speak; and no one can conceive of the joy which filled our souls at the time we heard him pray for us unto the Father.”²⁵

According to His will

Finally, as Mormon concludes the story of his people, we listen in as he speaks to the remnant of them which would survive, "...if ye believe this ye will know concerning your fathers, and also the marvelous works which were wrought by the power of God among them."²⁶ And is not this same power in our own lives?

Before passing the record to his son, Moroni, Mormon concluded where we began, attaching the small plates of Nephi to his record. And with a hint at the future he completed the assembly of all the pieces that Joseph Smith would need to bring it forth to the world. “I do this for a wise purpose; for thus it whispereth me...”²⁷ And Mormon thus had his hand in the entire book from beginning to end. And in its accomplishment we see not only the hand of Mormon, but also the hand of the Lord.

Conclusion

Every time I read the Book of Mormon the Holy Ghost brings the affirming witness that it is the word of God for our day. And I find new insights that are not to be had by reading scholarly commentaries, the footnotes, or the Topical Guide. These insights are the transforming elements that the Lord has placed there for each of us to find. These are the things that more fully make us followers of Jesus Christ, his sons and his daughters. May we abide by the precepts in the Lord's book, written by the hand of Mormon, and thereby be found “no less serviceable.”²⁸

1 The Book of Mormon, title page, second paragraph.

2 The Book of Mormon, introduction, sixth paragraph.

3 Words of Mormon 1:7.

4 Doctrine & Covenants 59:21

5 Isaiah 46:10.

6 Mormon's synopses appear before the chapters in Mosiah 9 and 23, in Alma 5, 7, 9, 17, 21, 36, 39, and 45, in Helaman 7 and 13, and in 3 Nephi 11.

7 In the internet version of the Book of Mormon, Mormon's synopses are not italicized. See http://lds.org/scriptures

8 Orson Pratt's addition of chapters and verses as we have them now began with the 1879 edition of the Book of Mormon.

9 See Alma 10:2.

10 See Mosiah 1:2.

11 See Words of Mormon 1:17-18.

12 Mosiah 18:12.

13 See Mosiah 23:19-20.

14 Mosiah 23:21-23.

15 Mosiah 27:16.

16 See Mosiah 29:18-20.

17 See Alma 5:5-14; 29:11-12.

18 See Alma 36:2-5.

19 See Alma 36:27-29.

20 See Alma 48:7.

21 Alma 48:17.

22 Alma 48:19.

23 3 Nephi 10:19.

24 See 3 Nephi 8:1.

25 3 Nephi 17:17.

26 Mormon 7:9.

27 Words of Mormon 1:7.

28 Alma 48:19.

Ties that Bind

Every General Conference the Lord tells us again what is important and what is not.

And there is a regular feast of things to listen to and to act upon. All of these things have at their center the Gospel of Jesus Christ and a hope of things to come.

For my birthday, my wife put a picture on the wall, next to my bed, of two men running, with looks that can only be described as anticipation. The men in the picture are the apostles, Peter and John. They are running toward what we now know is an empty tomb. And the artist has painted them at the moment that they realize that the women who reported it were right. They see for themselves the stone, rolled away. And the dawning we see in their faces is captured in the title of the painting, “Hope”.

Hope is ours because the tomb is empty. And all the promises that God has made toward us are fulfilled. We now know that the day will come when all the tombs will be empty.

My purpose today is to take some things that we have received in Conference and present them such in a way that what has been said before, might become new in our minds. And I want to give us hope that we can accomplish what God has said we must be doing.

These thoughts were put together for a talk about Family History Work. And when we talk about Family History we mean more than genealogy. We mean gathering records, ancient and modern, that can save our families, the members that are living, those that are dead, and those who are yet to come.

When the Lord gets here we will have a thousand years to get all the records together and do the work for the dead. But he has started us out working on it now.

Why? Because the point of restoring the Gospel to the earth before His return is to prepare a people who will be ready for His coming. These times are not survivable without a spiritual shield to match the tests of our day.

Elder Dallin H. Oaks said, “[the mission of the Church has been] organized to include three dimensions: proclaim the gospel, perfect the Saints, and redeem the dead. As we know, these three dimensions are interlocking and inseparable.” (October 1989 Conference, “Family History: 'In Wisdom and in Order'”)

We can say that perfecting the saints is accomplished not only by Home Teaching and Visiting Teaching, holding Family Home Evening, but by writing personal histories, sharing our testimonies, seeking out our kindred dead and doing temple ordinances for them.

We also need to understand the scope of what we have been asked to do and how we may already be participating. Quoting Elder Oaks again:

“Some members may feel guilty about not furthering the mission of the Church when they are actually doing so. This kind of guilt comes not from insufficient efforts, but from insufficient vision. For example, a mother with several young children may be furthering the mission of the Church most profoundly in all three of its dimensions in her own home when she helps her children to prepare for missions, when she teaches them to revere the temple and prepare to make covenants there, and when she shows them how to strive for perfection in their personal lives.”

So we are busy in so many ways in this work that we shouldn't feel guilty. But we also need to acknowledge our own limitations. Elder Oaks' talk is entitled “Family History: 'In Wisdom and in Order'”. He says,

“On the question of how much and what each member can do in individual efforts, in addition to his or her Church calling, we should be guided by the principle taught in King Benjamin’s great sermon. After teaching his people the things they should do to 'walk guiltless before God,' including giving to the poor, he concluded: 'And see that all these things are done in wisdom and order; for it is not requisite that a man should run faster than he has strength.' (Mosiah 4:27.) Similarly, as the Prophet Joseph Smith struggled through adversity to translate the Book of Mormon, the Lord told him: 'Do not run faster or labor more than you have strength and means provided to enable you to translate; but be diligent unto the end.' (D&C 10:4.)

“Guided by these inspired words, leaders should encourage members to determine, according to the promptings of the Spirit, what temple and family history work they can do 'in wisdom and order' consistent with their own 'strength and means.' In this way, if we are 'diligent unto the end,' the work will prosper. The list of ways to further the work is long, and the consequences of a broad-based multitude of individual efforts by Church members are far-reaching.”

I have thought more about the importance of personal histories in the last few years. And when my daughter, Joanna, was in the MTC (Missionary Training Center), I began to write the first draft of my personal history. Many of us have been inspired by Nephi's words, “I, Nephi, having been born of goodly parents...” (1 Nephi 1:1; The Book of Mormon - Another Testament of Jesus Christ) But we get bogged down in the details that come later. But I have a suggestion for you. Those words are part of Nephi's small plates. That means that it only contains the spiritual experiences and enough of the rest of the story to hold it together.

I did that with my own story, and as each piece was finished I would send it to my missionary. I called them my small plates and tacked them on to the end of each letter I sent.

I have since taken the framework of the small plates story and gone back to put in odd little details that are really just a memoir. But I got the most important part in first: my testimony.

If your children are small, and still a handful, take time, after their bedtime, to write in a journal those little things they do that remind you of yourself when you were small. Later you can go back and turn them into the treasures you want them to have.

These things are part of how we bind our families together in trying times. President Monson has reminded us over and over to focus on what matters most. Family is at the top of the list.

More importantly, the Lord has a plan to bind us to Him while we bind ourselves to each other. That is why Home Evening is what it is. That is why Home Teaching and Visiting Teaching are what they are. To do them right He is part of the equation. And when we take the Spirit to be our Guide and learn to depend on Him then we are ready for any storm that comes, even storms that are already upon us.

And the work for our Dear Ones who have gone on before is of the same character and purpose. We can't do it right except we are touched by the Spirit of God. It's not just the miracles that happen. Because testimonies are not about miracles. But it is because we come to realize more fully how much we need the Lord's help to do sacred things.

I don't have time to tell you stories about genealogical successes. And they are not as important as the temple experiences that come later. But remember also that the spiritual things are only for family. (Do you begin to see how this works?)

We are all given our own genealogical problems to solve and overcome. Come to the Family History Center, and we will help you all we can. But in the end, it is the Lord's work and He is the Helper that we all count on.

I want to tell you that there is hope for any lost name because they will be found. The Lord himself has paid for every one of us. He knows you, and he knows me, and his purpose is to bring to pass our immortality and our eternal life. (See Moses 1:39; the Pearl of Great Price)

I thought about telling you about technology and how we continue to progress. But what matters is that when this life over there is going to be a big party. I mean a big party. And we are going to have the most fun because we are going to know the most people there.

It's time to quote the Prophet Joseph Smith:

“Brethren, shall we not go on in so great a cause? Go forward and not backward. Courage, brethren; and on, on to the victory! Let your hearts rejoice, and be exceedingly glad. Let the earth break forth into singing. Let the dead speak forth anthems of eternal praise to the King Immanuel, who hath ordained, before the world was, that which would enable us to redeem them out of their prison; for the prisoners shall go free.” (Doctrine and Covenants 128:22)

The records we find and the records we create will get us through the times ahead. Because in the process of finding and creating we will bind ourselves together and bind ourselves to the Lord.

Remember the words of the hymn, “High on the Mountain Top”. (Hymns #5)

“Forever there, His ways we'll tread, And save ourselves with all our dead.”

I testify these things are true in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.