Learning from Microcosms

The [Book of Mormon] was written by many ancient prophets by the spirit of prophecy and revelation. Their words, written on gold plates, were quoted and abridged by a prophet-historian named Mormon. The record gives an account of two great civilizations. One came from Jerusalem in 600 B.C., and afterward separated into two nations, known as the Nephites and the Lamanites. The other came much earlier when the Lord confounded the tongues at the Tower of Babel. This group is known as the Jaredites. After thousands of years, all were destroyed except the Lamanites, and they are among the ancestors of the American Indians.

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We invite all men everywhere to read the Book of Mormon, to ponder in their hearts the message it contains, and then to ask God, the Eternal Father, in the name of Christ if the book is true. Those who pursue this course and ask in faith will gain a testimony of its truth and divinity by the power of the Holy Ghost. (See Moroni 10: 3-5.)

Those who gain this divine witness from the Holy Spirit will also come to know by the same power that Jesus Christ 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 the earth, preparatory to the second coming of the Messiah.
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Wickedness. Destruction. Pride. Carnage. Confounding. Extinction.

These are some words that, from a historian's perspective, might be associated with the Book of Mormon, and with the Book of Ether, which may be considered a microcosm of the events of the entire canon. As the above Explanatory Introduction to the Book of Mormon states, the Jaredites were a people, come to the Americas before the Nephites, who experienced destruction, due to their disbelief. However, this "mini Book of Mormon" is as much a didactic tool as is the macro. We see the consequences of pride, and of failing to rely completely on the merits of the Savior and His Atonement.

“And behold, the Spirit of the Lord had ceased striving with them, and Satan had full power over the hearts of the people; for they were given up unto the hardness of their hearts, and the blindness of their minds that they might be destroyed; wherefore they went again to battle.” (Ether 15:19.)

Such words may invoke fear in the believer, fear that letting the adversary take hold of their lives may lead to similar destruction. This is a fear of getting to the point where we are so self-deceived that we fail to recognize even our most basic needs, effectively handing our own prosperity, well-being, and destruction to a hollow cause.

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Faith. Hope. Redemption. Legacy. Salvation. Striving. Conversion. Eternal Happiness.

Never to be upstaged by the negative, these are words that also describe the 15-chapter Jaredite experience. The book shows a faithful family, putting their full trust in the Lord, and receiving great blessings as they exercise that faith. This is a lesson applicable to all of God's children:

Wherefore, whoso believeth in God might with ^asurety ^bhope for a better world, yea, even a place at the right hand of God, which ^chope cometh of ^dfaith, maketh an ^eanchor to the souls of men, which would make them sure and steadfast, always abounding in ^fgood works, being led to ^gglorify God...And now, I, Moroni, would speak somewhat concerning these things; I would show unto the world that ^afaith is things which are ^bhoped for and ^cnot seen; wherefore, dispute not because ye see not, for ye receive no ^dwitness until after the ^etrial of your faith. (Ether 12: 4, 6)

The Book of Ether also provides us with the example of resilience, or how to be successful in the face of adversity. The foremost example of this is the Prophet Ether, who strove to serve the Lord, despite outright rejection and wickedness of the people he taught. Elder Neal A. Maxwell recounts:

Ether’s great love for the people reflected a selflessness and lack of concern for his own life. Ether said, “Whether the Lord will that I be translated, or that I suffer the will of the Lord in the flesh, it mattereth not, if it so be that I am saved in the kingdom of God.” (Ether 15:34.) The willingness to die which is born of a despair and a disdain for life is not the same thing as Ether’s courage, in which he was willing to suffer before death and then to die, if necessary—even though he loved life.( Ensign, Aug 1978, 6)

In closing, we see examples in the Book of Ether that are also apparent in the entire Book of Mormon. Ether, as a microcosm, gives us a snapshot of the purpose of the entire volume. It is to believe in Christ, and to gain a personal witness of His divinity, and power to redeem us from the effects of the Fall. The Brother of Jared had this witness confirmed, as the Savior appeared to him, and said:

Behold, I am he who was ^aprepared from the foundation of the world to ^bredeem my people. Behold, I am Jesus Christ. I am the ^cFather and the Son. In me shall all mankind have ^dlife, and that eternally, even they who shall believe on my name; and they shall become my ^esons and my daughters. (Ether 3:14)

May we all use the Holy Scriptures to gain this witness. Have a great week!