What
Great Things the Lord Hath Done for the House of Israel
When
I first began thinking about what I would write for this paper, all I
could come up with was what I didn't want to write about. From what
I can tell, there’s nothing more irritating than having to read
around several hundred essays which are all centered on the same
generic topics. Accordingly, my paper has two main directives.
Directive one: choose an interesting and (hopefully) unique topic
which won’t bore poor Brother Butterfield. Directive two: gain a
greater understanding of said topic through thorough research and
personal pondering. The topic I've chosen is the “great things
the Lord hath done for [the house of Israel],” as stated in the
title page of the Book of Mormon. These “things” can be found all
over – in both recent history and the ancient beginnings of our
church, the scriptures, and even in our very own lives.
Our
Heavenly Father is omniscient, which means He “knoweth all things,
for all things are present before [Him]” (D&C 38:2). He has
worked nonstop to make sure His purposes are fulfilled. For example,
we have what we need in the Book of Mormon because He knew Joseph
Smith would allow Martin Harris to take the 116 pages which are now
lost forever. From the beginning, that was a part of His plan. The
Lord would not allow us to suffer simply because Joseph Smith and
Martin Harris needed to learn a lesson. The work still needed to move
along. It’s mind-boggling to even attempt to understand all the
buffers the Lord has blessed us with. As members of Christ’s
restored church on the earth, I submit we often take our many
blessings for granted. In reality, nothing about this church is, has
been, or ever will be easy. Take the atonement, the key to eternal
salvation, for example. Was it easy for Christ to lead a completely
sinless life? Was his suffering in Gethsemane a pleasant experience?
No and no. Even Christ, the greatest man who ever walked the earth,
was tempted. When our Lord and Savior was at one of his physically
weakest points, having undergone a lengthy fast necessary in his
preparations for his ministry, the devil came to him, tempting him to
use his divine powers to attain food. He went through trials and
overcame each one for us. The very fact that Christ condescended to
come to earth and suffer in the way He did, is an excellent example
of the great things the Lord has done for us, the House of Israel.
Similarly, Joseph Smith Jr. and his brother Hyrum were martyred for
the cause of the restoration. Living as Latter-Day Saints has not
gotten any easier necessarily, but we tend not to realize the gravity
of the sacrifices other people have had to endure for the Gospel.
The
Lord’s blessings have not only been for us in the last several
hundred years. He has been doing great things for the people on this
earth even since before we knew we would be coming down here. He
first allowed us our agency to choose to whether or not to come down
to earth, to accept the trials we knew we would have to face, then
sent us off to use our agency here… but He has never left us
completely alone. Even those who were on the earth when the
priesthood had been taken away have the ability to reap the blessings
of the atonement. He has provided a way for us to do the work for
them here, at which point they still
have the agency to accept or deny the truth. In addition, the Lord
has done many other marvelous things for His people. There was
nothing ordinary about Moses splitting the Red Sea so the Israelites
could cross to safety on dry ground, nor can anyone deny the hand of
the Lord in the story of Sherem in Jacob, chapter 7, where he was
preaching “among the people, and [declaring] unto them that there
should be no Christ,” demanded a sign from Jacob, and was dead not
long after confessing he’d been wrong the whole time. The Lord will
do what is necessary for His people, even if it involves sacrificing
one or a few of His children so the testimonies of others can grow.
Another
great example of how the Lord has gone to great lengths for the House
of Israel is part of the story of original household
of Israel. What were the chances that Joseph, who was sold into
captivity by his brothers and ended up in prison after Potiphar’s
sly wife wrongfully accused him of attempting to seduce her, would
essentially become an economic adviser to the Pharaoh? Then, on top
of all of that, what were the chances that his brothers would end up
coming to him in humility, actually sorry for what they’d done?
When you think of the improbability of each of these things happening
to one person, it’s easy to believe the Lord has done many great
things for the House of Israel and continues to do so.
In
2 Nephi 28:27 it says “Yea, wo be unto him that saith: We have
received, and we need no more!” This verse is in reference to
continuing revelation, which is another way the Lord has done great
things for His people, but I believe it also makes a strong case for
the Lord’s continual blessings for us. He, better than all people,
knows the trials we are going through and desires to help us, should
we allow Him to. The great things the Lord does for us don’t have
to be earth-shattering miracles. They could be as simple as providing
an opportunity for your testimony to grow. As a member of the Church
of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, I have the unique opportunity
to hold a compilation of the experiences and revelations of many
inspired prophets in the palm of my hand: the Book of Mormon. All
throughout the scriptures we see examples of how the House of Israel
is being led away from the ways they know to be right by the devil’s
cunning traps. Too often are we lulled into a false sense of security
and allow Satan to influence our lives. One tactic he uses is doubt.
This concept is evident in the title page of the Book of Mormon, when
Moroni writes “And now, if there are faults they are the mistakes
of men; wherefore, condemn not the things of God, that ye may be
found spotless at the judgment-seat of Christ.” I remember the
first time I found a typo in my copy of the Book of Mormon – I was
shocked. How could the most correct book in all of human history have
a typo? My young testimony was bruised as doubt began to seep into my
soul. Then one day I came upon this scripture and this reality hit me
in the face: the Book of Mormon is a true book written by imperfect
humans for imperfect humans. The Gospel will still be true, even and
especially if my copy of the truth carries a typo, I don’t quite
understand, or if I don’t like the way something was said. What
matters is that the Book of Mormon came from the Lord, who cares
about us and knows what we need to hear. In that experience, I was
given the opportunity to learn and grow because the Lord had seen fit
to inspire those words from Moroni to the world.
The
Lord continues to bless the House of Israel. Examples of His
blessings can be found in every aspect of our lives and histories
because everything about this earth was built to facilitate
successful earthly experiences. He loves us and He has already given
everything: His divine guidance, a living prophet, valiant prophets
of the past, and even an atoning sacrifice which we could not have
done by ourselves. It’s up to us now to realize our many blessings
and seize the great opportunities of life and the Gospel which the
Lord has labored to offer us.
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Works
Cited
"2 Nephi
Chapter 28." The Church of Jesus Christ
of Latter-day Saints. Web. 28 Oct. 2010.
<http://new.lds.org/scriptures/bofm/2-ne/28.27?lang=eng#26>.
"Doctrine and
Covenants Section 38." The Church of
Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Web. 28
Oct. 2010.
<http://new.lds.org/scriptures/dc-testament/dc/38.2?lang=eng#1>.
Hunter, Howard W.
"The Temptations of Christ - Ensign Nov. 1976." The
Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
Web. 28 Oct. 2010.
<http://new.lds.org/ensign/1976/11/the-temptations-of-christ?lang=eng>.
"Jacob Chapter
7." The Church of Jesus Christ of
Latter-day Saints. Web. 28 Oct. 2010.
<http://new.lds.org/scriptures/bofm/jacob/7?lang=eng>.
Matthew.
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day
Saints. Web. 28 Oct. 2010.
<http://new.lds.org/scriptures/nt/matt/4.4?lang=eng#3>.
Maxwell, Neal A. All
These Things Shall Give Thee Experience. Salt
Lake City, UT: Deseret Book, 1979. Print. * I would have cited the
specific section you gave us, but I'm not sure exactly where it is in
the book.
Moroni. "The
Book of Mormon: An Account Written by the Hand of Mormon upon Plates
Taken from the Plates of Nephi." The
Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
Trans. Joseph Smith Jr. Web. 28 Oct. 2010.
<http://new.lds.org/scriptures/bofm/bofm-title?lang=eng&query=book
mormon title page>.
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