2 Nephi 13 – The Show of Their Countenance

This entire chapter has so much meat it is hard to choose just one thing to "chew" on.  However, because I relate to verse 9, and time is a little limited this morning, I want to talk about “. . . the show of their countenance. . .”. 

I was only 27, so I was still young and in pretty good shape.  I’ve never been ugly and one would think I’d be noticeable.  However, I worked in a worldly environment.  There were good people surrounding me, but the majority of men there were of the world.  My ex-husband had a friend whose husband worked where I was employed.  She wanted to know what he thought of her friend’s wife, so sent him to seek me out.  I heard about this later through my ex-husband who was told by his friend what her husband had to say about me.  I was “non-descript”.  Hmmm.  What exactly did that mean?  Well, I took it to mean I wasn’t particularly noticeable.  Well, at least he didn’t say I was ugly.

Compare this to a short time later.  I was studying the gospel and was quite excited about the Atonement.  My testimony was growing and I was beginning to realize who I really am.  I was happy and I remember walking from one building to another and thinking how beautiful the world is.  My eyes were changing and I could see things in a way I’d never seen before.  During this process I frequently had people come up to me and ask if I had changed the color of my hair.  No.  Had I cut it and had a new haircut?  No.  Changed my makeup?  No.  They said I just looked different.  I too could see it in the mirror.  Something had changed, yet I had changed nothing on the outside.  This change was coming from the inside!

That is why when I read verse 9 of this chapter, I know from experience how this can be.  I know we’re not supposed to pass judgment on others, but you can see when people have strayed from the teachings of the gospel.  It does show in their countenance: “The show of their countenance doth witness against them, and doth declare their sin to be even as Sodom and they cannot hide it.  Wo unto their souls, for they have rewarded evil unto themselves!” 

That says it all.

2 Nephi 10 – Our Children Shall be Restored

In 1 Nephi 19:23-24 Nephi tells us that we should liken the scriptures unto ourselves.  I couldn’t help but think of my wayward children as I read from 2 Nephi 10 this morning. 

For quite some time I’ve been wondering about the baby born to wicked parents who grow up without the gospel and dies having never heard about our Savior.  How unfair this seems to be.  I believe – and know they will get their opportunity to hear about the gospel after they die.  I believe they will be given the opportunity to accept or reject.  That is doctrine from the Book of Mormon as well, and I don’t really worry about it.  But I keep thinking about the millions who die in calamities in parts of the world where the gospel has never gone.  It just seems so unfair to me because I have been given so much because I have the gospel in my life. 

Well, 2 Nephi 10:2-4 covers these concerns beautifully.  Or at least this morning it is my wayward children I thought of as I read these verses. 

In v2 it says “For behold, the promises which we (I interpret this to mean me as well because I have received promises in the temple), have obtained are promises unto us according to the flesh; wherefore, as it has been shown unto me that many of our (my) children shall perish in the flesh because of unbelief, (You mean they just might not come back to the gospel in this life?  Can I bear this?) nevertheless, God will be merciful unto many; and our children shall be restored, that they may come to that which will give them the true knowledge of their Redeemer.”  These are temple blessings!

I’ve never doubted this teaching, but it is hard to deal with the fact they may not come back to the gospel in this life.  Even though Jacob is talking about the Jews, it’s not a stretch to liken this to children of the covenant who have strayed.  They too “crucify” Christ in that they take those things they have been taught that are sacred and cast them aside as a thing of naught. 

In verse 6 there will be destructions, famines, pestilences, and bloodshed among those who crucify their Savior.  I see this in my children’s lives that have wandered far from the path of righteousness.  Their lives are not happy ones.  They have forgotten their Savior who is mighty to save.  I pray constantly – not just daily, but constantly that somehow they will reach out for help.  I pray there will be someone there to reach out to them when they tire of the destruction in their lives.

So this really does answer my question about the millions of people who come to this earth never hearing the gospel truths and having the choice to accept them.  That said, I come to the conclusion that this life is a lot more about gaining a body than it is about the things of the spirit.  We will get that eventually.  The sad thing is the opportunities lost from not having the gospel in your life.  Once I discovered the truth for myself and embraced it, the world became a beautiful place.  The mountains were beautiful; I saw the beauties of nature and the goodness of others.  I promise I did not see these things before.  They were just objects.  Oh what a blessing the gospel has been in my life.  What a blessing the scriptures continue to be in my life.  Oh how I pray for all my children and grandchildren that they will have the blessing of seeing these things for themselves in this life and embrace it with all their hearts. But if not, what comfort comes from knowing the things Jacob taught me this morning.

2 Nephi 9 - Potpourri of Spiritual Content

This chapter is full of precious gems to digest and it’s difficult to know what I want to focus on.  If I could have an investigator read just one chapter, this might be it.  It speaks of the cunningness of the devil, but of the saving graces of our Savior.  We can find joy even after we have slipped up having known the commandments from our youth or – even if we were not born into a home where gospel principles were taught to us.  There is a way for us to enjoy all the blessings our Heavenly Father has in store for us, if we will but keep His commandments.  It is a beautiful plan – so much so that numerous times Jacob said so in the following ways:

• V8        O the wisdom of God, his mercy and grace!
• V10      O how great the goodness of our God, who prepareth a way for our escape from the grasp of this awful monster;
• V13      O how great the plan of our God!
• V17      O the greatness and the justice of our God!
• V19      O the greatness of the mercy of our God, the Holy One of Israel!
• V20      O how great the holiness of our God!

But there is another list – the list of worldly behavior that keeps us from partaking of the goodness of our Savior’s atonement:

• V27 –   Does not keep the commandments
• V28 –   Learned in the ways of the world and think they know it all
• V30 –   Rich and give not to the poor
•             Persecute meek
•             Hearts are upon treasures; their treasure is their God
• V31 -   Deaf and will not hear the truth
• V32 -   Blind and will not see
• V33 -   Uncircumcised of heart, aka impure heart
• V34 -   Liar
• V35 -   Murderer
• V36 -   Commit whoredoms (The dictionary describes whoredoms as promiscuous sexual activity and prostitution.)
• V37 -   Idol worship
• V38 -   Non-repentant, and those who die without repenting

I love this acronym that is in verse 39:  SMILE – to be Spiritually Minded is Life Eternal.  In other words, keep your mind on those things that are of eternal worth, AKA being spiritually minded!

V41 -   We will all be judged by our Savior.  “He employeth no servant there . . . and He cannot be deceived. . .”  

Jacob pleads with the people to

• v50 –   “Come, my brethren , . . come buy wine and milk without money and without price.” 
• V51 –   “. . . feast upon that which perisheth not. . . delight in fatness.”  This is the gospel we are invited to partake of.  It is there for all at no price at all.  We can partake as much as we want and we will delight in the “fatness” it brings, which is a desire to do the will of the Lord and be judged righteously at the last day. 

2 Nephi 2 – A Lot of Logic and Doctrine!

Lehi is speaking to his son, Jacob.  Lehi knows his time on earth is limited and he wants Jacob to understand the things he has been taught as a prophet of God.  Consequently, there is a lot of meat in this chapter and a lot of it is in the things we learn in the temple. 

• The Spirit is the same yesterday, today and forever.   Does this even need to be expounded upon?  God doesn’t change; man does!
• The way was prepared from the fall of Adam that salvation is free.  This is through our Savior and Redeemer, Jesus Christ.
• Men are instructed sufficiently to know good from evil (v5).  The Spirit spoken of in this verse is the Holy Ghost and the world knows it as a conscience.  “For behold, the Spirit of Christ is given to every man that he may know good from evil. . .” (Moroni 7: 16)
• Redemption comes from Christ (v6), because he is full of grace and truth.  He loves us!  He wants us to return to our Heavenly Father. 
• In order to tap into that redeeming grace and love, we must have a broken heart and a contrite spirit.  What is a contrite spirit?  It is feeling or expressing remorse or penitence; affected by guilt (Dictionary definition).  What is penitence?  The action of feeling or showing remorse and the evil that we’ve done (Dictionary definition).
• It is important that those of us who have been taught these things make them known to the inhabitants of the earth.  Missionary work is what that boils down to.  Once we’ve been taught, we just teach our brothers and sisters.  Why?  So they can dwell in the presence of God as well (v8). 
• “He (Savior) is the firstfruits unto God, inasmuch as he shall make intercession for all the children of men; and they that believe in him shall be saved. (v9)  In the dictionary is the first agricultural product.  So Christ is the first product of a finished life on earth?  So what does finished mean?  I’m going to say to have lived on earth, completed our mission on earth, die, and to rise again as the Savior did. 
• We will be judged of Christ (v10).  This judgment will answer the ends of the atonement.  We will be judged according to our works and the desires of our hearts. (The Living Christ)
• The is opposition in all things (v11).  Gospel truth.
• Adam fell that men might be (v25).  Gospel truth as well.

 There are blessings because of the Fall of Man (Adam and Eve).  

• We can act for ourselves, aka make our own choices and suffer the consequences. (16)
• We are as God, knowing good from evil (18)
• We are allowed to work – to enjoy the fruits of our labors (v19).
• Our days are prolonged so that we can repent when we do things wrong (21)
• We can repent (v21).
• We can have children, aka families (v23).

I could probably dig more logic and doctrine out of this chapter, but these are the main ones.  We are so blessed for the Fall of Adam.  As it says in verse 23, without the Fall we would have not been born and we would not have been allowed to have families.