Serve the God of this Land, even Jesus Christ!

Ether 1 & 2

I started the Book of Ether this morning.  Moroni is translating the 24 plates found by the people of Limhi.  It’s not a translation but an abridgement.  I’ve never noticed that before.  It gives the genealogy of Ether and the directions the Lord give them when the languages are confounded at the Tower of Babel. 

This is a fascinating account of a people who must have been quite righteous.  And yet I scratch my head that Jared would always go to his brother to have him ask the Lord.  If he thought of the question, why could he not be the one to ask it?  It has to be a respect sort of thing - or family hierarchy or something.  And then I’m also intrigued that the brother of Jared needed chastising by the Lord because he wasn’t praying to him (v14).  That seems so odd to me.  If you’ve discovered how close the Lord is and that he’s really on your team, could you really go to bed at night and not give thanks for another day?  Could you wake up in the morning and not go to him in gratitude for a safe night and instructions for the day?  And yet the brother of Jared was what we consider a prophet.  I guess this shows the frailty of even the most righteous.  Then again, I must remember they didn’t have a Book of Mormon they’d been counseled to read daily to keep them in remembrance.  I wonder what the time frame was that allowed the brother of Jared to stop inquiring through prayer? 

Well, he repents and starts receiving instruction again.  This time, it is to build barges to carry the people across the ocean to a promised land – the Americas.  This too is fascinating to me.  I cannot picture what this had to look like.  Obviously, the Lord’s hand was in the details as what was required of these barges was huge.  

I love the warning to us as a nation.  This nation was founded on righteous principles with the men who founded it being God fearing and righteous people.  In verses 11-12 we are told quite clearly that if we don’t want the same fate to come upon us as a nation today as the Jaredites suffered, that we must serve the God of the land, who is Jesus Christ (Ch.2 v12).  It seems the leaders of our nation today are doing everything in their power to see that religion is not a factor in running this great nation – this choice land.  Oh how I pray we can turn things around.  So very much is hanging on this coming election. 

It is obvious to me the Lord expects us to worship him in prayer – individually, as families and as a nation.  Also, to remember the Lord has a plan for us and we must inquire about it.  He will guide us.