HCS Book of Mormon Blog Post Week of June 18-25th Pages: 126 – 140

This week’s readings are taken from the Book of Jacob. Up till now, all that we have read in the Book of Mormon was recorded by Nephi. Now he challenges his younger brother, Jacob, to take over the record-keeping of his people.

Jacob is the older of Lehi’s two sons born during the eight years of journeying in the wilderness. He has personally not “seen” the former lands or life his family led. What he has seen is his brother Nephi’s dedication to and testimony of Jesus Christ. At this point he is about 45-50 years old and he now “takes up the mantle” of recording on the Small Plates of Nephi and continuing to testify of Jesus Christ to all people.

Jacob is probably best-known for his writings in Chapter 5, “The Allegory of the Olive Tree”. An “allegory” is a story or parable which symbolizes things in real life. The allegory Jacob relates comes from the writings of Zenos (see vs. 1 of Ch. 5), a prophet whose writings are not found in the Bible.

The Allegory of the Olive Tree is simple yet very complex. Much can be gained by reading and re-reading Chapters 5 and 6 of Jacob. While many of our Church leaders have expounded on these prophetic words, it is still up to each of us to gain wisdom and knowledge as we “ponder and pray” about the words of the Lord through his Prophets.

David J. Ridges, the famed Church teacher and scholar, gave this guiding background: “The use of the olive tree as a symbol of the house of Israel is an excellent example of how God uses symbolism to teach his children gospel laws and principles. For centuries the olive tree has been associated with peace. When the dove returned to the ark, it carried an olive leaf in its beak, as to symbolize that God was again at peace with the earth. The olive branch was used in ancient Greece and Rome to signify peace, and it is still used in that sense today in the great seal of the United States where the American eagle is shown grasping an olive branch in its talons. The ONLY true source of peace is Jesus Christ, the Prince of Peace.”

There is also much symbolism as Jacob relates Zenos’ allegory of the “cultivation” that must take place with the olive tree. If the green slip of an olive tree is merely planted and allowed to grow, it develops into the wild olive tree, a bush that grow without control, tangled and producing only small, worthless fruit. To become a productive “tame” olive tree, the main stem must be cut back completely and a branch from a tame olive tree grafted into the stem. With careful pruning and cultivating the tree will grow healthy and over time produce “good” fruit. In other words, the tree cannot become productive just by itself…it requires grafting and care by the “husbandman” to bring it to its full potential.

This story was and is true of Israel…and more importantly, it is true of you and I. We CANNOT do it alone. While we may have the best of intentions, we are mortal and we sin. Only the “husbandman”, our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, can prune and cultivate us to be ALL that we can BE! May we each constantly strive to this end!

BOM Reading Mormon 9

When I search and ponder and seek for God in my life, I find miracles happening all around me.  

Our youth conference a few weeks ago brought blessings of faith to many youth and leaders in our stake.  To see lives change and testimonies grow is an example of miracles.  A heart that softens and changes right before my eyes is a miracle to me.

Photo by Eva Snider

For a sinner like me to have away to return to our Father in Heaven is a miracle.  Through Jesus Christ this is possible:

Mormon 9:13 And because of the redemption of man, which came by Jesus Christ, they are brought back into the presence of the Lord; yea, this is wherein all men are redeemed, because the death of Christ bringeth to pass the resurrection...

I believe that miracles large and small happen to us if we choose to recognize them for what they are... the hand of God in our lives. 

I know we have a Father in Heaven who is aware of us.  I see his hand in my life and for that I am eternally grateful.

Mormon 9:5
And now, O all ye that have imagined up unto yourselves a god who can do no miracles, I would ask of you, have all these things passed, of which I have spoken? Has the end come yet? Behold I say unto you, Nay; and God has not ceased to be a God of miracles.

Happy Father's Day!

BOM Reading pgs 98-112

Brothers and Sisters,

I know 2 Nephi is sometimes a hard book to get through especially, with families of small children like we currently have! However, I appreciate the writings in these chapters because the study of it helps us gain greater understanding of the basic doctrines of the gospel of Jesus Christ. I loved reading and pondering the prophecies from Nephi, Jacob, and Isaiah as they gave prophecy of the Restoration of the gospel of Jesus Christ in our day, the scattering and gathering of God’s covenant people, the Second Coming of Jesus Christ, the coming forth of the Book of Mormon, and the Millennium.

In 2 Nephi 30:9–10, Nephi prophesies of a time when “the Lord God shall cause a great division among the people, and the wicked will he destroy; and he will spare his people.” So the question we need to ask ourselves is what must we do in order to be on the Lord’s side of this great division that is occurring?  The answer I believe is simple in thought (remember our thoughts proceed action so this is a good place to start! 😉) but, sometimes more difficult in action. In order to be numbered among the Lord’s people, we simply need to separate ourselves from worldly ways now! 

So, how do we do this? Elder Neil L. Andersen stated: "Overcoming the world is not one defining moment in a lifetime, but a lifetime of moments that define an eternity. "Elder Larry W. Gibbons of the Seventy said: “In this day of moral relativism we must be prepared to take a stand and say, ‘This is right, and this is wrong.’ We cannot follow the crowd! We can be in the world, go to school, go to work, join worthwhile community organizations, and so forth. But we must hold to the Lord’s standards."

Life is a journey with a beginning and an end. We are striving to live celestial lives here in mortality and I have learned that the shortest distance between two points is a straight line. Brothers and sisters, walk and stay on the straight and narrow path. In fact, stay in the middle of the straight and narrow path! Don’t drift; don’t wander; don’t dabble; be careful! I know that if we keep the commandments and endure to the end we will receive eternal life and I know that is the greatest gift God has to offer us. He loves us and He wants us to return home to Him after we have completed that which is needed for us to become more like Him. If you are attending church regularly to partake of the sacrament and renewing your baptismal covenants each week then, you are becoming more like Christ. Next step is to help others come unto Christ while striving to live life to be able to enjoy the blessings of the temple.

Wherever we are in our journey, we can take inventory, assess, and make necessary corrective actions to ensure we are on the Lord’s side when he surely comes again. What are some thoughts or suggestions you have that can help ensure we are on the Lord’s side of this great division of good and evil that is occurring? 

Sincerely, 

The Mathis Family

 

George A. Mathis, Jr. - Stake Clerk

Orlando Florida Hunters Creek Stake