Boyer Family Book of Mormon Study Class: #7 DEC 30

In the past week I have posted six entries in this blog. I don’t expect to make that many posts in a week in the future, but I wanted to lay some groundwork for the coming year as we read and study the Book of Mormon together. Thanks to those of you who have taken time to read what I have written and for your supportive comments. Tomorrow (Sunday, January 5) will be the first Sunday of this new year and will be a “Sunday School” Sunday in Church units throughout the world. So, in advance of tomorrow’s Sunday School class, I’d like to write one more post this week and make a few comments about the material that you may discuss tomorrow in Sunday School, i.e. the Introductory pages to the Book of Mormon. On Monday we’ll start reading the Book of Mormon itself.

Disclaimer

Before proceeding, I need to make one explanatory disclaimer.

As the domain title of this blog (boyerfamilybookofmormonstudyclass) implies, what I plan to write in this blog is modeled after the discussions we had as a family over many years sitting at the kitchen table on school day mornings reading the Book of Mormon together. It is also modeled after discussions Lori and I had in the Chester, Rhyl and Wrexham Wards of the Chester England Stake while recently serving there as missionaries reading the Book of Mormon with beloved friends - new members, returning members, friends learning about our church and long-time veteran members.

What I intend to write will hopefully be plain and conversational, as if we were sitting together reading and discussing the Book. I’d rather not interrupt the flow of thought with frequent citation of references and links. I will provide some of these, but much of what I write will be from the accumulated fund of knowledge of years of reading, studying and teaching the Book of Mormon, hopefully interspersed with some inspired ideas and insights. I’m happy to amplify offline in communication between us if you have questions about or would like a reference for something I write that you may not have heard before or have a question about. If you are looking for an erudite, extensively referenced and footnoted commentary on the Book of Mormon, this is not the place to look. I have already suggested some places where you might begin. (See post #4 – Resources for studying the Book of Mormon.) I would especially suggest the excellent commentary by Millet and McConkie, Doctrinal Commentary on the Book of Mormon, and the excellent website https://bookofmormoncentral.org/. My hope is that what I write will shed some light on the Book of Mormon in an understandable, palatable way and add to your appreciation and enjoyment as you explore, whether for the first time or the fiftieth time, this marvelous inspired Book.

Title Page

The first page in the introductory material in the Book of Mormon, unlike the other pages, is actually a part of the Book of Mormon and was written by an ancient prophet (Moroni) and translated by Joseph Smith. In fact, Joseph Smith said that the Title Page was the last page that he translated. He then inserted the Title Page into the record at the beginning of the Book. It is clear that the Title Page had to be written by Moroni because it refers to the abridgement of the Book of Ether, which Moroni added to the records after his father died. He also refers to the record being “sealed by the hand of Moroni” – a modest reference to himself.

The structure of the Title Page, though relatively brief, is very complex. There is an excellent discussion of this by John Welch at Book of Mormon Central. I recommend it for your reading. The link is https://archive.bookofmormoncentral.org/content/introductory-pages-book-mormon.

“The interpretation thereof by the gift of God.”

The obvious reference to this statement is the manner in which the Book of Mormon was translated, i.e. by the “gift and power of God” (D&C 135:3). But I believe that this phrase also describes the manner in which we are able to understand the Book of Mormon – by the gift and power of God – to gain a knowledge of its truth. There is no other way. The learning of man is supportive but only the witness of the Holy Ghost is sufficient to provide the strength of conviction that will compel a person to take the necessary steps and make the required changes to conform their life with its teachings. That’s why it is so important that we read with “a sincere heart, with real intent and with faith in Christ.”

“. . . if there are faults they are the mistakes of men:”

This is Moroni’s frequently expressed concern. He is worried that, if the record is imperfect, it is his fault. He expresses this concern in greater detail in Ether 12:23-24. (Note that Nephi expressed a similar concern about his writing ability in 1 Nephi 19:6.) Moroni is worried about the “awkwardness of our hands” and that “thou hast not made us mighty in writing.” What a humble good man! His writing is powerful! He has no need to apologize. This lament of Moroni’s leads to a powerful revelation from the Lord to him in verses 26-27. The Lord tells Moroni that He allows us weaknesses and shows them to us so that we may be humble. And if we are humble and have faith, then is His grace sufficient for us and our weaknesses become strong. When we get to this part of the Book of Mormon later this year, we’ll talk more about this. But for now, suffice it to say that we don’t have to repent of our weaknesses. (We need to repent of our sins, but not our weaknesses!) We just need to be humble, have faith and rely on the Lord and the promise is that His grace is sufficient to give us the strength to overcome our weaknesses and make us strong. Powerful doctrine!

Introduction

“. . . the keystone of our religion,”

The Book of Mormon is neither the foundation (the apostles and prophets) nor the cornerstone (Jesus Christ) (See Ephesians 2:20) of our religion. The Book of Mormon is the wedge-shaped stone placed in the center of the top of an arch that holds all the other stones in the arch in place. If the keystone is removed, the arch collapses. If the Book of Mormon is not true, then all of the claims of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints crumble to dust. But because it is true, we can know that the other key elements of the arch – apostles, prophets, priesthood, ordinances, temples, sealing power, etc. – are also true and stand firm.

Joseph Smith said, “Take away the Book of Mormon and the revelations and where is our religion? We have none.” (History of the Church 2:52)

Is it any wonder that Satan, the enemy of truth, and those who oppose the work of the Church focus so much attention on trying to disprove the truth of the Book of Mormon. They know that, if the Book of Mormon falls, the arch crumbles. That’s why we each need our own inner testimony of the truth of the Book of Mormon from the unimpeachable witness of the Holy Ghost.

“We invite all men [and women] everywhere to read the Book of Mormon, to ponder . . . and to ask”

The Introduction concludes with a powerful invitation – read, ponder and pray about the Book of Mormon – and a powerful promise – “gain a testimony of its truth and divinity by the power of the Holy Ghost” and “also come to know . . . that Jesus is the Savior of the world, that Joseph Smith is His revelator and prophet in these last days and that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is the Lord’s kingdom once again established on earth,”

Three reasons to read the Book of Mormon

Let me insert here that, in my experience, there are (at least) three main reasons to diligently read the Book of Mormon for ourselves:

1. Because it is a Second Witness of Jesus Christ. The Book of Mormon brings us to Christ and His Atonement. The Book of Mormon is the “Handbook of the Atonement.” The Book of Mormon teaches us the Doctrine of Christ and many related collateral doctrines. So we read the Book of Mormon for what we learn about the Gospel.

2. Because it is the Keystone of our Religion. As discussed above, the Book of Mormon is the prooftext that the claims of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints are true – God lives; we are His beloved sons and daughters; Jesus is His Only Begotten Son and is our Savior and Redeemer; They appeared to the young prophet Joseph Smith and through him restored to the earth Their true church with all of the authority, priesthood, ordinances and doctrines necessary to bring us home along the Covenant Path.

3. Because reading the Book of Mormon is attended by the power of the Holy Ghost, who will not only witness to us of the truth of the Book of Mormon but will also teach us “the truth of all things.” (Moroni 10:5). If we want to have the power of the Holy Ghost operative in our lives, one of the surest ways to help it happen is to prayerfully read the Book of Mormon with faith and real intent.

The Testimony of the Three Witnesses

“. . . it is marvelous to our eyes.”

The Three Witnesses saw the plates, the angel Moroni and the interpreters. They heard the voice of God. It was marvelous to their eyes. But the Book of Mormon can be marvelous to our eyes. Though we haven’t seen the plates, the interpreters or the angel or heard the voice of God, we too can know that the Book of Mormon is true by the power of the Holy Ghost. As we receive that witness (and it can occur gently and subtly each time we read the Book of Mormon), it will be “marvelous to our eyes.”

We, too, can be witnesses of the Book of Mormon. As the faithful members of the Church grow in testimony of the Book of Mormon this year while reading and studying it together individually and as families, there will be a growing “cloud of witnesses” (Hebrews 12:1) of the millions who know that the Book of Mormon is true and for whom it is “marvelous” to their eyes, as well.

Note

There are two excellent movies recently produced by the Church which tell the story of the translation of the Book of Mormon from Oliver Cowdery’s perspective and the story of the vision of the Three Witnesses from the perspective of David Whitmer. These films are entitled Days of Harmony and A Day for the Eternities. Each is about 25-30 minutes long and each is very well done. I highly recommend them, especially for families. They can be found at https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/media-library/video/2018-03-1000-days-of-harmony?lang=eng

and https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/media-library/video/2018-03-2000-a-day-for-the-eternities?lang=eng

They are very good!

The Testimony of the Prophet Joseph Smith

I wish I had more time to write about this important part of the introductory materials of the Book of Mormon. Maybe I will later.

Joseph tells the remarkable story of his several visits with Moroni, “a messenger sent from the presence of God” to tutor and prepare him for his role in translating the Book of Mormon beginning in 1823 when Joseph was just 17 years old. If a young man in the Church today, Joseph Smith would be a priest age young man. Moroni is like his bishop or priest quorum adviser. There are at least 22 instances in which Moroni visits Joseph Smith over the period of time between 1823 and 1830. Sometimes his visit was to reprove and take away the plates. More often, his visits were to instruct and encourage. Though a great prophet, Moroni didn’t have anyone to preach or minister to for at least the last 20 years of his life. Imagine how excited he was to finally have a priest quorum of one promising young man to work with – Joseph Smith! And Moroni took his role as tutor for Joseph as well as guardian of the plates very seriously.

Joseph gives us the best, most detailed account of a resurrected personage (except for the description of the Savior Himself in D&C 110) anywhere in the scriptures. He was a glorious being! And it appears that he traveled the distance between Joseph’s bedroom and the “presence of God” several times that first night. Obviously, heavenly beings can travel by some medium faster than the speed of light! Amazing! Someday we’ll understand more.

Notice that when Joseph, as instructed by the angel, told his father of his visions of the angel, instead of reprimanding Joseph for not being able to work, Joseph’s father believed his son, told him that “it was of God” and that he should “go and do as commanded by the messenger.” That interchange tells us a lot about what kind of a father Joseph Smith, Sr. was and what kind of a son Joseph Smith, Jr. was. And it tells us a lot about their relationship – good lessons for all of us who are fathers (or mothers)!

Praise to the Man!

The story of Joseph Smith is powerful! I recommend taking time to read his whole story as found in the Pearl of Great Price, Joseph Smith – History, including the story of the First Vision, the visits of Moroni and other messengers, the translation of the plates and the opposition he experienced. How grateful we should be for his courage and faith to do what the Lord asked him to do – against great opposition – and ultimately give his life to seal his testimony with his blood. Praise to the Man!

I had the opportunity several years ago to study extensively and give an extended lesson on the role of Moroni as the personal tutor of the Prophet Joseph Smith and their many interactions. It was very revealing to me. In the process of preparing that lesson, I reviewed again the powerful hymn, “Praise to the Man” (Hymn No. 27) written shortly after the martyrdom of the Prophet Joseph and his brother, the Patriarch Hyrum, by William W. Phelps. The hymn is set to the tune of a well-known Scottish folksong, “Scotland the Brave.” Though having no musical talent myself, I felt prompted to write a 5^th verse to this familiar hymn. To my knowledge, this verse has only been sung once, at the end of the gathering where I taught this lesson. But I’ll share the words with you here.

Tutored by angels, he was schooled for his mission.

Ancients and patriarchs their keys on him bestowed.

Prophets and priesthood are now found in the Kingdom.

Joseph is our link with faithful Saints of old.

In summary, I feel to say in praise of the Prophet Joseph Smith –

Praise to the man who communed with Elohim, Jehovah and with angels!

Praise to the man who gave us ancient and modern scripture!

Praise to the man through whom were restored priesthood, keys, covenants, ordinances, temples and sealings!

Praise to the man who presides in the Church in the Spirit World and who holds the keys to our exaltation in this dispensation!

Praise to the man who lived as a prophet and died as a prophet!

Praise to the man – our beloved Prophet dear!

I am grateful to be among the millions who know of the Prophet Joseph Smith. I hope one day to know him personally, to greet him in person in the Spirit World and to reverently thank him for his life, his ministry and his faithfulness to his mission. Praise to the man!