Week 45 is scheduled for study Nov. 4-10, 2024. Part of the plan for our salvation includes our books of scripture, the Bible, Book of Mormon, and all the other scriptures God gives us.
Day 1
Mormon 7 – Believe in Jesus Christ and lay hold upon his gospel.
Over and over again the prophets stated that the descendants of those remaining after the Nephite nation was destroyed would be nearly destroyed themselves when the gentile nations were given the land of promise. If you pick up a history book and read of the fate of those who lived in the Americas when the European nations started to move into the Americas, you find that between war and needless slaughter, as well as European diseases for which the native populations had no immunity built up, the natives of this land were nearly wiped off the map. The key word here is “nearly”.
The descendants of the Book of Mormon people became, for the most part, poor, destitute, and were left at the mercy of their conquerors. That can leave a people feeling very hopeless and helpless. Mormon 7 is Mormon’s message of hope to this people who had been so brutally beaten down. Mormon never excuses them for their rejection of the prophets and their rebellion against the gospel of Christ. His message is one of clarity and promise. If they want to receive the blessings of being honored and favored of the Lord they must lay down their weapons of rebellion and believe in Christ, keep his commandments, be baptized, and lay hold of his gospel.
The promises and warnings made to the descendants of the Lamanites are true for us as well. If we want the blessings of Christ’s gospel, his good news, we must do as Mormon instructs the Lamanites. The sought for blessings can only come when we make covenants with God then embrace Christ’s gospel message. His commandments bring happiness and hope to all people. No matter how downtrodden we may be or feel we are, keeping Christ’s gospel message alive in our heart will lift us up and show us ways to increase our prosperity and personal joy.
Day 2
Mormon 7:8-10; 8:12-16; 9:31-37 – The Book of Mormon is of great worth.
This first set of verses is a little vague until you stop and think about what it is really saying then it is crystal clear.
8 Therefore repent, and be baptized in the name of Jesus, and lay hold upon the of Christ, which shall be set before you, not only in this record but also in the record which shall come unto the Gentiles the Jews, which record shall come from the Gentiles you.
9 For behold, is for the intent that ye may that; and if believe that ye will believe this also; and 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.
10 And ye will also know that ye are a of the seed of Jacob; therefore ye are numbered among the people of the first covenant; and if it so be that ye believe in Christ, and are baptized, first , then with fire and with the Holy Ghost, following the of our Savior, according to that which he hath commanded us, it shall be well with you in the day of judgment. Amen.
Verse 8 says the gospel of Christ will be set before us by way of the record we will receive from the Jews. That’s the Bible.
Verse 9 says the purpose of the Book of Mormon is to the intent that when we read it we will believe “that”, which is again, the Bible. Mormon goes on to say that if we believe “that” then we will believe “this” (the Book of Mormon). And if we believe the Book of Mormon we will all “know concerning [our] fathers, and also the marvelous works which were wrought by the power of God among them.”
Verse 10 tells us that once we believe the Bible we “will also know that [we] are a remnant of the seed of Jacob; therefore [we] are numbered among the people of the first covenant.” And it follows that if we believe these things and are baptized and follow Christ then it will be well with us “in the day of judgment.”
This is the purpose of the Book of Mormon. It is to convince us of the truthfulness of the Bible and to teach us of the gospel of Christ. Many of the truths lost to us in the Bible are restored through the teachings of the Book of Mormon. The truths of the gospel of Christ are clarified and expounded in the Book of Mormon.
Day 3
Mormon 8:1-11 – I can keep the commandments even when others do not.
Can you imagine Moroni not praying even once a day for decades at a time? What about reading the scriptures? How about thinking about Christ and his atoning sacrifice? Most of the other things all of us can do, but were not available to him, are added activities that can bless our life each day. Moroni was a prophet who was left alone to consider the destruction of not only his people, his society, but his immediate family as well. Yet for all this his only comment is that he must finish the record his father made and commanded him to complete the record before placing it in the ground for the Lord to take custody of their story.
What a lonely existence Moroni led. Have you ever considered that it might have been so easy to just deny the Christ and live the rest of his life as a Lamanite, but with people around you? He might even have been able to become a husband and father for the rest of his life. All these things were possibilities, but none of them were options if he wanted to save his immortal soul. What others did around him was not his concern. What Moroni chose to do when there was no one else to monitor his behavior was the most important thing. Keeping the commandments, keeping in touch with his God through prayer, and fulfilling the promises he made to his father and to God were at the top of his priority list.
Each day we all have the same types of choices to make that Moroni had. Do I pray today? How often to I make an effort to communicate with my Father in Heaven? Which covenants am I able to keep, and am I able to set an example for someone else today? How do I feel and accept Christ’s love for me in my daily behavior? And how does my unseen behavior and my unseen choices demonstrate to God my devotion and commitment to Him?
The choices we make each day become a living tribute to God that demonstrates His importance in our life. Whether we are surrounded by great numbers of Saints or live lonely existences, like Moroni, the choices are the same, and the resulting eternal rewards are the same.
Day 4
Mormon 8:26-41; 9:1-30 – The Book of Mormon was written for our day.
It isn’t enough that Moroni tells us that he has seen our day and knows the issues and behaviors of our generation. He specifically lists behavior after behavior, and attitude after attitude that is common among the people of our world today. He also then gives us the logic and scriptural answers to our modern questions. All of his statements in today’s reading offer powerful insights into how to save the modern soul.
The manual states that Moroni asks 24 questions. Have you listed each of those questions? Try to answer for yourself all of his questions. Now go back and try to list each of Moroni’s warnings to those who imagine the things he lists in his questions. Note that his writings here don’t just ask the questions and give the warnings. He also provides solutions for the modern answers to our global problems.
Day 5
Mormon 9:1-25 – Jesus Christ is a God of miracles.
Have you ever considered why someone might declare that God is no longer a God of miracles? The modern Christian churches, at least most of them, declare that God did His work during his mortal ministry, and that all the revelations that followed with Christ’s apostles were the last of the revelations to come to man. They claim that God has committed His gospel to mankind, and that it is up to us to interpret what we have been given, for after the last Apostle’s writing God fell silent, never to openly speak to humanity again.
We declare, and the Book of Mormon declares that this is not the case. God has never ceased to be the same God that He has always demonstrated Himself to be. As miracles were common in Christ’s day, they are supposed to be today and tomorrow. Since God does not change, what option is left for us to consider if there are no miracles today? The answer points directly to us. We have changed. We have done something to Christ’s gospel, changed his laws, or have ceased to exercise faith in the true God. We must come to admit that we, as his people have apostatized from his laws and changed his gospel over the centuries until we have lost our way. Only a restoration of God’s pure doctrine through a prophet could set this course straight again. That is the mission of Joseph Smith, to restore the gospel of Christ in its purity to the children of God for the sake of their own salvation.
Personal Study
Listen to the Spirit
We have heard the Brethren tell us in General Conference many times that when we listen to the Spirit during their talks we will learn the things God wants us to know most at that time. They may or may not have anything to do with the actual talks. By inviting the Spirit into our life and into our heart during Conference (or during a fast or a time of prayer, etc.) we are asking for direction in our life. The Spirit will tell us what is most important for us to know. That knowledge is personal and unique to each of us.
You may have noticed that when I write my commentary it may or may not have a direct bearing on what was talked about in the manual. What I write about is what comes to mind at the time I sit to do my work. The key here is that I am studying the scriptures and trying to understand them, so the Spirit connects things for me that I might not otherwise have found. I believe that is what the prophets want for each of us.
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