Week 47 is scheduled for study Nov. 18-24, 2024. Our brief look at Jaredite history shows us the difference between choosing good and finding happiness, and choosing evil and suffering.
Day 1
Ether 6:1-12 – The Lord will guide me through my mortal journey.
The manual asks us to consider how our life might be compared to the journey made by the Jaredites across the waters to the Promise land. Each of us will find different comparisons as we think about this assignment. The following is what came into my mind as I tried to fulfill this assignment.
The World
The Jaredite barges were sealed against the weather. Hence those inside only saw the light sporadically when they were able to open the hatch for air. For the most part the world travels in dark with only periodic influxes of light from above. They don’t know where they are going, because they haven’t heard the voice of the Lord tell them what His plans for them are. And because they are accustomed to living in spiritual darkness they make their decisions based on their own intelligence and experiences. In many cases it really is a case of the blind leading the blind.
The winds that blow the world’s vessels are likened to Satan’s influence that drives people hither and thither, like a boat with no rudder. Truly the winds never cease to blow whether we are wicked or righteous.
The Righteous
For the righteous, those who heed the counsels of God, they are still in dark vessels, but these vessels are lit with the white light of knowledge God imparts to His listening children. They are still made to cross the ocean without any real understanding of where they are going or how long their journey will last, but their faith in God sustains them. They spend their time during their travels trusting in God and giving thanks by singing His praises.
The righteous also have access to the light of God that streams into their lives as they open the “window” to heaven through prayer. During these brief periods of refreshment as the fresh air of knowledge flows in through the opening their souls find relief and solace.
Both
For both groups of people life is not easy. We all have only limited understanding of our ultimate destination, though the righteous know more about it than the world does. Both groups have access to the Holy Ghost and His sweet influences, though the righteous have the gift of the Holy Ghost, which can be likened to the stones given the barges to enlarge their understanding of the world around them.
All of us must pass through the tempests and dangers of the deep in this world. Those who listen to the Lord are able to see more clearly those things that will give the soul rest and peace. Those who have not been shown the light of God yet are left to make their mortal journey in the darkness of spiritual ignorance with only their own sense of morals and intelligence to guide them. The light of Christ influences both groups, but those who know to follow God benefit from that light more than those who don’t yet know how much obedience to God can do for them in lightening their life and bringing them joy.
Day 2
Ether 6:5-18, 30; 9:28-35; 10:1-2 – Walk humbly before the Lord.
I find it interesting that in almost every case where someone walks humbly before the Lord it is because they remembered all the good things God had already done for them and their ancestors. So many times in the scriptures we are told to remember what God has done for us. There seems to be an inextricable tie between remembering and humility. They appear to be bound to one another.
We can choose to be humble. Humility is not something that we either are or are not. It is a choice. Humility can be forced upon us through circumstances in our life, but choosing to be humble is the easier route. Elder Dale G. Renlund talks extensively on ways in which we can choose greater humility. The path to humility is paved with choices to be kind, forgiving, merciful, nonjudgmental, and to actively seek to bless the lives of those around us.
To do justly and walk humbly with God is to intentionally withdraw our hand from iniquity, walk in His statutes, and remain authentically faithful. A just person turns away from sin and toward God, makes covenants with Him, and keeps those covenants. A just person chooses to obey the commandments of God, repents when falling short, and keeps on trying. …
Jesus Christ’s sacrifice for sin and salvation from spiritual death are available to all who have such a broken heart and contrite spirit. A broken heart and contrite spirit prompt us to joyfully repent and try to become more like our Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ. As we do so, we receive the Savior’s cleansing, healing, and strengthening power. We not only do justly and walk humbly with God; we also learn to love mercy the way that Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ do.
God delights in mercy and does not begrudge its use. In Micah’s words to Jehovah, “Who is a God like unto thee, that pardoneth iniquity, … will have compassion upon us,” and will “cast all … sins into the depths of the sea.” To love mercy as God does is inseparably connected to dealing justly with others and not mistreating them.
Did you notice that nothing in the preceding paragraphs is accidental? Everything Elder Renlund talks about is a chosen way to live our life. All those choices require effort and forethought. We must want to become that kind of person to make those choices over and over again until being that kind of person becomes natural to us.
Day 3
Ether 7-11 – I can become a Christlike leader.
There is a pattern in the lives of the kings over the Jaredites. Those who kept the commandments sought to bless the lives of their people. They kept the commandments and upheld the teachings of the prophets. Those who were wicked reviled the prophets, embraced all the wicked ways of the world, and eagerly sought power and authority through the secret combinations of Satan.
It is interesting that those who embraced the secret combinations to get gain and power were only able to get both and maintain it for a limited time. In several of their reigns they were nearly all destroyed because of their wickedness. This never happened to those who were righteous. The righteous kings were always prosperous and saw their kingdom expand and grow. Isn’t it interesting that the wicked always think they know better than those who do things the Lord’s way?
Righteous leaders seek to improve and help others. Wicked leaders seek power and control. We don’t have to have a kingdom up for grabs to make these same choices in our personal life.
Day 4
Ether 8:7-26 – The Lord does not work in darkness.
If I choose to do evil I can accomplish much wickedness on my own. But if I unite with others to do wicked things the possibilities of what I can accomplish become exponentially greater. This is the power of secret combinations.
This is the same principle used by God for promoting unity to do good in the world. I can do good on my own, but when I can support others in doing good we can accomplish so much more as a group. When an entire people cooperate with each other to do good there is no end to the good that can be accomplished. The principle is the same, whether for good or for evil. We just have to choose which one we will support.
God works in the light using truth, clarity, and transparency. Satan works in the dark using concealment, falsehood, and confusion. The first uplifts and blesses the lives of all the people involved. The latter uplifts and gives power mainly to those who are in charge of the evil they perpetrate. Unity in righteousness creates loyalty. Unity in wickedness breeds betrayal. Look at the story of Jared and Akish for examples of betrayal.
Personal Study
Praise God
The manual specifically mentions singing praises to God. This is what Jared and his people did on their journey to the Promise land. But there is more than one way to praise God. We can give thanks through prayer, speak His praises in our conversation with others, offer thoughts of gratitude in our thinking and moments of pondering. We can include expressions of praise and gratitude when we write notes, record our experiences in our journal, speak to others, or when we speak publicly. The key here is expressing our gratitude and recognizing God’s power and blessings in our life.
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