Lesson 14: "For a Wise Purpose"

8/2/2019 Lesson 14: "For a Wise Purpose"

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Gospel Doctrine, Lesson 14: For a Wise Purpose,Enos, Jarom, Omni, Words of Mormon

#1 Elder Henry B. Eyring tells us, More than we can imagine, our faithful efforto offer to our family the testimony we have of the truth will be multiplied inpower and extended in time.(CR April 1996)

#2 President Brigham Young said, If parents will continually set before their chdren examples worthy of their imitation and the approval of our Father in Heaventhey will turn the current, and the tide of feelings of their children, and they, evetually, will desire righteousness more than evil.(Discourses of Brigham Young, 208)

#3 Elder Dallin H. Oaks encourages us: Not all problems are overcome and notall needed relationships are fixed in mortality. The work of salvation goes on be-

yond the veil of death, and we should not be too apprehensive about incompleteness within the limits of mortality.(CR Oct. 1995)

#4 President Ezra Taft Benson said, What did the righteous fathers [and moth-ers] of the Book of Mormon teach their sons [and daughters]? They taught themmany things, but the overarching message was the great plan of the EternalGod the Fall, rebirth, Atonement, Resurrection, Judgment, eternal life. (see Alma

34:9). Enos said he knew his father was a just man, for he taught me in his language, andalso in the nurture and admonition of the Lordand blessed be the name of my God forit(Enos 1:1)...

All truths are not of the same value. The saving truths of salvation are of greatestworth. These truths the fathers [and mothers] taught plainly, frequently, and fervently. Arwe fathers [and mothers] doing likewise?(CR Oct. 1985)

#5 Elder Robert D. Hales explains, We cannot find Enos-like faith without ourown wrestle before God in prayer. I testify that the reward is worth the effort (COct. 2004)

#6 Brigham Young said that all of us are situated upon the same ground, in that we

must struggle, wrestle, and strive, until the Lord bursts the veil and suffers us to beholdHis glory, or a portion of it. (Journal of Discourses, 3:192)

To download past handouts, go to: highlandvalleysundayschoolnotes2012.blogspot.com

#7 Phillips Brooks, rector of Trinity Church in Boston, Massa-chusetts, in the early 1890s wrote: You may search all theages for a [person who has had no struggle]. You may gothrough the crowded streets of heaven, asking each [one] howhe came there, and you will look in vain everywhere for a manmorally and spiritually strong, whose strength did not come to...


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...him in struggle Do you suppose that man has never wrestled with his own success anhappiness?... There is no exception anywhere. Every true strength is gained in struggle.Kelly Ogden and Andrew C. Skinner, Verses by Verse The Book of Mormon, vol. 1, 287)

#8 "The wrestle Enos had before God was with himself. Sometimes the greatest effort isput forth when a person contends with himself before the Lord. Such wrestling is the strugle to find and express one's real desires which are sometimes hidden behind sin, evasionand cover-up. Wrestling with oneself involves deep thought, meditation, and concentratioIt means going beyond the clich level of prayer to the point that one truly pours his soulinto words and offers them to God. Repetitions cease to be vain, trite, or unfelt. Instead,each phrase is an expression of a yearning desire to do God's will. Such prayers are as-sisted and guided by the Holy Spirit, 'for we know not what we should pray for as weought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be ut-tered' (Romans 8:26)." (Religion 121-122, Book of Mormon Student Manual, p55)

#9 "Prayer is the act by which the will of the Father and the will of the child are broughtinto correspondence with each other. The object of prayer is not to change the will of Godbut to secure for ourselves and for others blessings that God is already willing to grant, buare made conditional on our asking for them. Blessings require some work or effort onour part before we can obtain them. Prayer is a form of work and is the appointed meansfor obtaining the highest of all blessings.(Bible Dictionary, under Prayer)

#10 Elder Jeffrey R. Holland states: At least six times in the Book of Mormon th

phrase for a wise purpose is used in reference to the making, writing, and pre-serving of the small plates of Nephi (see 1 Ne. 9:5; Words of Mormon 1:7; Alma 37:2,12,14,18).

You and I know the wise purposethe most obvious onewas to compensate fothe loss of the earlier mentioned 116 pages of manuscript.

But it strikes me that there is a wiser purpose than that.The key to such a suggetion of a wiser purpose is in verse 45 of Doctrine and Covenants section 10. As the Lord instructs Joseph.he says Behold, there are many things engraven upon the [small] platesof Nephi which do throw greater views upon my gospel.

So, clearly, this was not...tit for tat, this for thatyou give me 116 pages of manu-

script and Ill give you 142 pages of printed text. Not so. We got back more than we lost.And it was known from the beginning that it would be so. It was for a wiser purpose. Wedo not know exactly what we missed in the 116 pages, but we do know that what we re-ceived on the small plates was the personal declarations of three great witnesses [Nephi,Jacob, and Isaiah], three of the great doctrinal voices of the Book of Mormon, testifyingthat Jesus is the Christ

In fact, I think you could make a pretty obvious case that the solepurpose of thesmall plates was to give a platform for these three witnesses. (A Standard unto My People , CESsymposium on the Book of Mormon, Aug. 9, 1994, 9-10; see LDS.org under gospel library/additional addresses/CES addresse


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Other thoughts too great not to include:

Brigham Young:

"I believe I will take the liberty to tell you of another circumstance that will be as marvelous as anythingcan be. This is an incident in the life of Oliver Cowdery, but he did not take the liberty of telling such thin meeting as I take. I tell these things to you, and I have a motive for doing so. I want to carry them tothe ears of my brethren and sisters, and to the children also, that they may grow to an understanding o

some things that seem to be entirely hidden from the human family. Oliver Cowdery went with the PropJoseph when he deposited these plates. Joseph did not translate all of the plates; there was a portion ofthem sealed, which you can learn from the Book of Doctrine and Covenants. When Joseph got the platesthe angel instructed him to carry them back to the Hill Cumorah, which he did. Oliver says that when Joseph and Oliver went there, the hill opened, and they walked into a cave, in which there was a large andspacious room. He says he did not think, at the time, whether they had the light of the sun or artificialight; but that it was just as light as day. They laid the plates on a table; it was a large table that stood ithe room. Under this table there was a pile of plates as much as two feet high, and there were altogethen this room more plates than probably many wagon loads; they were piled up in the corners and along walls." (Journal of Discourses, 19:38)

Heber C. Kimball refers to this same experience, yet in a little different way: "How does it compare withthe visionthat Joseph and others had, when they went into a cave in the hill Cumorah and saw more records than ten men could carry? There were books piled up on tables, book upon book. Those records tpeople will yet have, if they accept of the Book of Mormon and observe its precepts , and keep the com-mandments." (Journal of Discourses, 4:105)

Elder Neal A. Maxwell taught the meaning of offering ourselves to the Lord: Real, personal sacrifice nevwas placing an animal on the altar. Instead, it is a willingness to put the animal in us upon the altar andetting it be consumed! (CR Apr. 1995)

Elder Maxwell: As you submit your wills to God, your are giving Him the onlything you canactually giveHim that is really yours to give (CR Apr 2004)

During his service as a mission president in Santiago Chile, Brother Ogden found himself frequen

n the office, staring at the picture board that contained more than two hundred photos of elders and sisters with notes about their time in the mission and where they were presently serving. He spent a lot oftime on his knees in that office, pleading with Heavenly Father for guidance in doing the work of his Sonnumber of times while praying, he would open his eyes, get up off his knees, stand before that pictureboard, and pray for each missionary by name.

We need to be specific in our prayers, mentioning the names of people we know who have specineeds. They are all around us, in every ward, on every street. The Spirit will tell us for whom we can pra

and how we can help them. And when we really connect with the Spirit, there can be a flow of pure integence. Sometimes there is a profuse flow of revelation that brings tears to the eyes, light to the mind, ooy to the heart. We find ourselves not just saying words to our God but sharing feelings with our FatheRevelation often comes during prayer, and when the Lord tells us something, when he gives us some insight into a gospel principle or instruction about how to proceed with something or how to help someonewe need to write it down, not waiting until the end of our prayeror we might forget it. Brother Odgenspractice on these occasions is to get up from his knees, grab a notebook and pen, and write about whatcame into his mind, even if it takes five or ten minutes to write. During that time, even more revelationmay come. Then he gets back on his knees and resumes his prayer. (D. Kelly Ogden and Andrew C. Skiner, Verses by Verse The Book of Mormon, vol. 1, 288-89)


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President Henry B. Eyring: Once I prayed through the night to know what I was to choose to do in themorning. I knew that no other choice could have had a greater effect on the lives of others and on myown. I knew what choice looked most comfortable to me. I knew what outcome I wanted. But I could nosee the future. I could not see which choice would lead to which outcome. So the risk of being wrongseemed too great to me.

I prayed, but for hours there seemed to be no answer. Just before dawn, a feeling came over meMore than at any time since I had been a child, I felt Like one. My heart and my mind seemed to grow

very quiet. There was a peace in that inner stillness.Somewhat to my surprise, I found myself praying, Heavenly Father, it doesnt matter what I wanI dont care anymore what I want. I only want that Thy will be done. That is all that I want. Please tell mwhat to do.

In that moment I felt as quiet inside as I had ever felt. And the message came, and I was sure wt was from. It was clear what I was to do. I received no promise of the outcome. There was only the assurance that I was a child who had been told what path led to whatever He wanted for me. (As a Child,16)

Elder Neal A. Maxwell: Petitioning in prayer has taught me again and again, that the vault of heaven witall its blessings is to be opened only by a combination lock. One tumbler falls when there is faith, a seco

when there is personal righteousness; the third and final tumbler falls only when what is sought is in Godudgmentnot oursright for us. Sometimes we pound on the vault door for something we want verymuch and wonder why the door does not open. We would be very spoiled children if that vault dooropened any more easily than it does. I can tell, looking back, that God truly loves me by inventorying thpetitions He has refused to grant me. Our rejected petitions tell us much about ourselves but also muchabout our flawless Father. (Insights,New Era,Apr. 1978, 6)

President Boyd K. Packer: Put difficult questions in the back of your minds and go about your lives. Pon-der and pray quietly and persistently about them.

The answer may not come as a lightning bolt. It may come as a little inspiration here and a littlethere, line upon line, precept upon precept (D&C 98:12)

Some answers will come from reading the scriptures, some from hearing speakers. And, occasion

ally, when it is important, some will come by very direct and powerful inspiration. The promptings will beclear and unmistakable (CR Oct. 1979)

Regarding Jarom 1:5~ President Gordon B. Hinckley: I say this to the boys. I say it also to any of youolder men who have a similar problem. I do so with love. I know that the Lord is pleased when we useclean and virtuous language; for He has set an example for us. His revelations are couched in words thaare affirmative, that are uplifting, that encourage us to do what is right and to go forward in truth andgoodness.

Dont swear. Dont profane. Avoid so-called dirty jokes. Stay away from conversation that is sprin

kled with foul and filthy words. You will be happier if you do so, and your example will give strength to oers (CR Oct. 1987)


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Lucy Mack Smith, mother of the prophet Joseph Smith wrote:

Martin Harris, having written some one hundred and sixteen pages for Joseph, asked permission omy son to carry the manuscript home with him, in order to let his wife read it, as he hoped it mighhave a salutary effect upon her feelings.

Joseph was willing to gratify his friend as far as he could consistently, and he inquired of the Lord know if he might do as Martin Harris had requested, but was refused. With this, Mr. Harris was no

altogether satisfied, and, at his urgent request, Joseph inquired again, but received a second re-fusal. Still, Martin Harris persisted as before, and Joseph applied again, but the last answer was noike the two former ones. In this, the Lord permitted Martin Harris to take the manuscript home whim, on condition that he would exhibit it to none, save five individuals whom he had mentioned,and who belonged to his own family.

Mr. Harris was delighted with this, and bound himself in a written covenant of the most solemn nature, that he would strictly comply with the injunctions which he had received. Which being done, took the manuscript and went home.

Joseph did not suspect but that his friend would keep his faith, consequently, he gave himself no

uneasiness with regard to the matter.

Mr. Harris had been absent nearly three weeks, and Joseph had received no intelligence whateverfrom him, which was altogether aside of the arrangement when they separated...He set out in thefirst stage that passed for Palmyra, and, when he was left to himself, he began to contemplate thecourse which Martin had taken, and the risk which he (Joseph) had run in letting the manuscript gout of his handsfor it could not be obtained again, in case Martin had lost it through transgressioexcept by the power of God, which was something Joseph could hardly hope forand that, by pesisting in his entreaties to the Lord, he had perhaps fallen into transgression, and thereby lost themanuscript. When, I say, he began to contemplate these things, they troubled his spirit, and his s

was moved with fearful apprehensions. And, although he was now nearly worn out, sleep fled fromhis eyes, neither had he any desire for food, for he felt that he had done wrong, and how great hicondemnation was he did not know.

Only one passenger was in the stage besides himself: this man observing Josephs gloomy appearance, inquired the cause of his affliction, and offered to assist him if his services would be accept-able. Joseph thanked him for his kindness, and mentioned that he had been watching some timewith a sick wife and child, that the child had died, and that his wife was still very low; but refrainefrom giving any further explanation. Nothing more passed between them upon this subject, until Jseph was about leaving the stage; at which time he remarked, that he still had twenty miles furtheto travel on foot that night, it being then about ten oclock. To this the stranger objected, saying,

have watched you since you first entered the stage, and I know that you have neither slept noreaten since that time, and you shall not go on foot twenty miles alone this night; for, if you mustgo, I will be your company. Now tell me what can be the trouble that makes you thus dispirited?

The stranger then observed, I feel to sympathize with you, and I fear that your constitution, whics evidently not strong, will be inadequate to support you. You will be in danger of falling asleep inthe forest, and of meeting with some awful disaster.

Joseph again thanked the gentleman for his kindness, and, leaving the stage, they proceeded to-gether On entering our house, the stranger remarked that he had brought our son through the


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forest, because he had insisted on coming, that he was sick, and needed rest, as well as refresh-ment, and that he ought to have some pepper tea to warm his stomach. After thus directing us,relative to our son, he said, that when we had attended to Joseph he would thank us for a littlebreakfast for himself, as he was in a haste to be on his journey again.

When Joseph had taken a little nourishment, according to the directions of the stranger, he re-quested us to send immediately for Mr. Harris. This we did without delay. And when we had given

the stranger his breakfast, we commenced preparing breakfast for the family; and we supposed thMr. Harris would be there, as soon as it was ready, to eat with us, for he generally came in suchhaste when he was sent for. At eight oclock we set the victuals on the table, as we were expectinhim every moment. We waited till nine, and he came nottill ten, and he was not theretill elevestill he did not make his appearance. But at half past twelve we saw him walking with a slow andmeasured tread towards the house, his eyes fixed thoughtfully upon the ground. On coming to thegate, he stopped, instead of passing though, and got upon the fence, and sat there some time withis hat drawn over his eyes. At length he entered the house. Soon after which we sat down to thetable, Mr. Harris with the rest. He took up his knife and fork as if he were going to use them, butmmediately dropped them. Hyrum, observing this, said Martin, why do you not eat; are you sick?

Upon which Mr. Harris pressed his hands upon his temples, and cried out in a tone of deep anguisOh, I have lost my soul!

Joseph who had not expressed his fears till now, sprang from the table, exclaiming, Martin, haveyou lost that manuscript? Have you broken your oath, and brought down condemnation upon myhead as well as your own?

Yes; it is gone, replied Martin, and I know not where.

Oh, my God! said Joseph, clinching his hands. All is lost! All is lost! What shall I do? I havesinnedit is I who tempted the wrath of God. I should have been satisfied with the first answerwhich I received from the Lord; for he told me that it was not safe to let the writing go out of my

possession. He wept and groaned, and walked the floor continually.

At length he told Martin to go back and search again.

No; said Martin, it is all in vain; for I have ripped open beds and pillows; and I know it is notthere.

Then must I, said Joseph, return with such a tale as this? I dare not do it. And how shall I appebefore the Lord? Of what rebuke am I not worthy from the angel of the Most High?

I besought him not to mourn so, for perhaps the Lord would forgive him, after a short season of hmiliation and repentance. But what could I do to comfort him, when he saw all the family in the

same situation of mind as himself; for sobs and groans, and the most bitter lamentations filled thahouse. However, Joseph was more distressed than the rest, as he better understood the conse-quences of disobedience,. And he continued pacing back and forth, meantime weeping and grievinuntil about sunset, when by persuasion, he took a little nourishment.

The next morning, he set out for home. We parted with heavy hearts, for it now appeared that allwhich we had so fondly anticipated, and which had been the source of so much secret gratificatiohad in a moment fled, and fled forever. (History of Joseph Smith by his Mother, 1945, 124-29)


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LESSON OUTLINEToday we begin with the Book of Enos.

~Whos son was Enos? (Jacob); Nephew? (Nephi); Grandson? (Lehi)~Was he a prophet? (Yes, read Enos 1:19)~Did he have his calling and election made sure? (Yes, read Enos 1:27)~How old was Enos when he wrote this accout? (About to die, v. 26)Enos 1:18~Enos faith was like his fathers. Who were his fathers? (Lehi, Jacob)

So Enos was in good company and a great prophet, like his father and grandfather. While weregetting relationships straight in our minds:

~Who were the Nephite kings descendants of? (Nephi)~And who, at least from Nephis death through the book of Omni, were the record-

keepers descendants of? (Jacob)

The time period they were the record-keepers covered more than 400 years. One book I readfrom said that if the 1,000 year history of the Book of Mormon had been as abbreviated as thisportion, the Book of Mormon would be only about 20 pages instead of 531!

Back to Enos. From a parental perspective, Enos account can be very comforting. Enos parentsmay have wondered if Enos was really listening during the years of family prayers, scripture studand home evenings.

~But what does Enos say happened to the words planted in him during his younger years

(See end of v. 3: they sunk deep into [his] heart.)Quotation #1Quotation #2Quotation #3Quotation #4(But do all the things we teach our children have the same value?

I realize President Benson was speaking to the priesthood session of conference here, so I took liberty of adding some femininity to his words.)

~Okay, so Enos goes hunting, and ends up doing what? (praying)~But this isnt just any prayer, is it?

Lets scan verses 2-17, and pick out some words Enos uses to describe his prayer: wrestle (v. 2) full of faith (v. 8) long strugglings (v soul hungered desire labored with all cried (v. 4) pour out whole soul diligence (v. 12) mighty prayer struggling (v. 10)

Modern prophets also have somecomforting words for parents.

V. 9


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This doesnt sound like a picnic of a prayer, does it? Notice that word wrestle~Why do you suppose Heavenly Father sometimes requires us to wrestle before Him i

our prayers? Quotaton #5~So what is increased as we put forth great effort in our prayers? (our faith)

~Can you think of other scriptural examples of wrestling? Jacob (Israel) wrestled for a blessing from God.

~Do you remember the circumstances? (In Gen. 32 it says his brother Esau wcoming to see him, with 400 men. Why would that make him nervous? Jacoguided by his mother, Rebekkah, received the birthright blessing which belonged to Esau, who was the firstborn. So he swore he would kill Jacob, whowith his mothers guidance, left home. So now Jacob is trying to reconcile threlationship and Esau is coming with 400 men. Now do you see his predica-

ment? What was his reward for wrestling all night? (the presence of God)

President Joseph Fielding Smith offered the following: Who wrestled with Jacob on Mount Peniel? The scriptures say it was a man. The Bib

nterpreters say it was an angel. More than likely it was a messenger sent to Jacob to give him the blessing. To think he wrestled and held an an

gel who couldnt get away, is out of the question. The term angelas used in the scriptures, at times, refers to messengers who are sent with sommportant instruction. Later in this chapter when Jacob said he had beheld the Lord, that did not have reference to his wrestlin g. (Andrew Sk

ner, Jacob, Keeper of Covenants, Ensign, Mar. 1988,)

Zacarias. Joseph Smith stated that Zacharias went into the temple to wrestle withGod, to obtain a promise of a son. ("Words of Joseph Smith" p. 90 note 26, Ehat and Cook. Quoted inOgden p. 287)

Quotation #6Quotation #7Quotation #8(I like how the CES religion manual explains wrestling in prayer)

One point about prayer that I think is key is this:~Is the object of prayer to obtain what we want from our Father in Heaven?Quotation #9

Lets turn to Omni for a bit. Starting in verse 12, Amaleki tells us about Mosiah.~What does Mosiah have in common with Lehi? (commanded to flee. This was prophesi

by Jacob 300 years earlier: Jacob 3:4)~Who do Mosiah and his people find? (people of Zarahemla, v. 14)~Who were the people of Zarahemla? (descendants of Mulek)~What tribe did Lehi come from? (Manasseh); Ishmael? (Ephraim); Mulek? (Judah)~Had the Mulekites brought records with them? (no)


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~What was the consequence? (language corrupted, denied the being of their creator,v. 17)

~What was their language originally? (Hebrew, which Mosiah now taught to them)

At the end of Omni, Amaleki, keeper of the plates, waxes old.~Did he have any children? (No, v. 25)

~So who does he pass the records to? (King Benjamin)~Who was King Benjamin the son of? (Mosiah)~At this point, who interrupts the narrative? (Mormon)~In what year is Mormon writing? (385 A.D., so at least 500 years later)

He wants to explain why hes chosen to repeat some history.~Do we see any repeat in the story so far? (No)~Why not? (Martin Harris lost the first 116 pages of manuscript which had been translate

by Joseph Smith.)

~What did that manuscript contain? (Book of Lehi)~Where did Moroni find the Book of Lehi? (large plates of Nephi)Words of Mormon, v.3~Which plates are the first ones mentioned? (large plates of Nephi)~Which plates does Mormon call these plates? (small plates of NephiA)Words of Mormon, v. 6 & first phrase of v. 7~What is the wise purpose? (Has to do with the 116 pages lost by Martin Harris)

So Mormon doesnt understand why hes repeating himself. Did Nephi understand why he had

make another set of plates? (No, see1 Nephi 9:5

)~Who understood the whys? (Heavenly Father)Quote #10I am grateful to know that our Father in Heaven knows all things and that He is in charge. I prathat we will strengthen our faith by learning how to wrestle with Him in our prayers!

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Lesson 14: "For a Wise Purpose"