Enos, Jarom, Omni

Enos

The next few books are only 1 chapter each. In the book of Enos we learn the short story of Enos, the son of Jacob, who prayed all day and all night for forgiveness from his sins. It is worth reading his account in his own words:

 1 Behold, it came to pass that I, Enos, knowing my father that he was a just man—for he taught me in his language, and also in the nurture and admonition of the Lord—and blessed be the name of my God for it—

 2 And I will tell you of the wrestle which I had before God, before I received a remission of my sins.

 3 Behold, I went to hunt beasts in the forests; and the words which I had often heard my father speak concerning eternal life, and the joy of the saints, sunk deep into my heart.

 4 And my soul hungered; and I kneeled down before my Maker, and I cried unto him in mighty prayer and supplication for mine own soul; and all the day long did I cry unto him; yea, and when the night came I did still raise my voice high that it reached the heavens.

 5 And there came a voice unto me, saying: Enos, thy sins are forgiven thee, and thou shalt be blessed.

 6 And I, Enos, knew that God could not lie; wherefore, my guilt was swept away.

We don’t know what Enos needed to be forgiven of specifically. I think this is more a moment of spiritual “re-birth.” He was seeking forgiveness for being a man not very interested in God or eternal things, and this is now a turning point in his life. And it all started by “the words which [he] had often heard [his] father speak concerning eternal life, and the joy of the saints, [sinking] deep into his heart.” I love that, because so often parents think their children aren’t listening. But they usually are more than they show.

If you were to pray all day and all night, what would you say?

Enos is energized by his answer from the Lord and he feels driven to pray next for his people—the Nephites. After the Lord responds to that prayer, he feels a great desire to pray for his enemies, the Lamanites. I think we can learn from this pattern. Once we feel at peace with our own standing before God and have a forgiveness of our own sins, we feel a desire to look beyond ourselves and pray for others we love. And the next step is to feel a desire to love and pray for those who are our enemies.

Jarom

Jarom is Enos’s son, and he has even less to say than Enos did! He says up-front that he feels everything has been said about the “Plan of Salvation” by his forefathers (the record-keepers before him), so he writes only to record a piece of genealogy and history of the people. I do, however, love the spiritual insights he gives in this verse:

 4 And there are many among us who have many revelations, for they are not all stiffnecked. And as many as are not stiffnecked and have faith, have communion with the Holy Spirit, which maketh manifest unto the children of men, according to their faith.

Historically, these verses are the best summary of Jarom’s time. They also teach a primary spiritual theme of the Book of Mormon—“ Inasmuch as ye will keep my commandments ye shall prosper in the land.”

7 And it came to pass that they came many times against us, the Nephites, to battle. But our kings and our leaders were mighty men in the faith of the Lord; and they taught the people the ways of the Lord; wherefore, we withstood the Lamanites and swept them away out of our lands, and began to fortify our cities, or whatsoever place of our inheritance.

 8 And we multiplied exceedingly, and spread upon the face of the land, and became exceedingly rich in gold, and in silver, and in precious things, and in fine workmanship of wood, in buildings, and in machinery, and also in iron and copper, and brass and steel, making all manner of tools of every kind to till the ground, and weapons of war—yea, the sharp pointed arrow, and the quiver, and the dart, and the javelin, and all preparations for war.

 9 And thus being prepared to meet the Lamanites, they did not prosper against us. But the word of the Lord was verified, which he spake unto our fathers, saying that: Inasmuch as ye will keep my commandments ye shall prosper in the land.

Omni

There are 4 generations and 5 authors who write in this 1 chapter of 1 book. No other book in the Book of Mormon is quite like this. The first 4 authors—Omni, Amaron, Chemish, and Abinadom—only write a couple paragraphs and then pass it on to the next person. The main thing we learn from these men is that the Nephites have experienced a lot of war, and many of them have died. Amaron tells us the more wicked part of the Nephites were killed, which was the Lord’s way of bringing about His prophecy that the wicked would not prosper in the land.

Amaleki gives us more detail—important historical details. He tells us that the king in his day—Mosiah—is warned of the Lord to leave into the wilderness and take with him all the people who have faith in the Lord. They are led by the arm of the Lord until they discover a new people in a new land! They call them the people of Zarahemla and the land of Zarahemla. These people speak another language, but they are a peaceful people and Mosiah’s group unites with them. Mosiah becomes the king of all the people and has his language taught to the people of Zarahemla. Mosiah is also able to translate the ancient record of the people of Zarahemla and learns how they also were led to this “promised land” by the Lord from the land of Jerusalem. We will read more about these people much later in the Book of Mormon—in the book of Ether.

Amaleki also throws in another important piece of historical information. He says in v 27 that there were “a certain number who went up into the wilderness to return to the land of Nephi,” which is the land the Nephites used to be in before the Lord led Mosiah to the land of Zarahemla. He tells us a massive fight erupts among the group and everyone is killed except for 50 who return to Zarahemla. But later another group leaves to try to find the land of Nephi again, and Amaleki hasn’t heard from them since. I point this out because we will read what happened to these people in the book of Mosiah, coming up soon!

I like Amaleki’s words of farewell:

26 And now, my beloved brethren, I would that ye should come unto Christ, who is the Holy One of Israel, and partake of his salvation, and the power of his redemption. Yea, come unto him, and offer your whole souls as an offering unto him, and continue in fasting and praying, and endure to the end; and as the Lord liveth ye will be saved.

Jacob 7

Jacob 7

In Chapter 7, Jacob has an encounter with an “Anti-Christ” named Sherem who is preaching among the people and leading them away from a belief in Christ. Does this description sound familiar of some people in our day?

 2 And it came to pass that [Sherem] began to preach among the people, and to declare unto them that there should be no Christ. And he preached many things which were flattering unto the people; and this he did that he might overthrow the doctrine of Christ.

 4 And he was learned, that he had a perfect knowledge of the language of the people; wherefore, he could use much flattery, and much power of speech, according to the power of the devil.

Jacob and Sherem get into a debate, initiated by Sherem. I think this exchange is one of the most interesting and important:

 10 And I said unto him: Believest thou the scriptures? And he said, Yea.

 11 And I said unto him: Then ye do not understand them; for they truly testify of Christ. Behold, I say unto you that none of the prophets have written, nor prophesied, save they have spoken concerning this Christ.

The scriptures truly do testify of Christ!
Eventually Sherem demands of Jacob a “sign” that there is a Christ. Oh boy, he was asking for it!

14 And I said unto him: What am I that I should tempt God to show unto thee a sign in the thing which thou knowest to be true? Yet thou wilt deny it, because thou art of the devil. Nevertheless, not my will be done; but if God shall smite thee, let that be a sign unto thee that he has power, both in heaven and in earth; and also, that Christ shall come. And thy will, O Lord, be done, and not mine.

Sherem is immediately overcome by the power of God and falls to the earth. He is taken care of for a few days—long enough for him to regain enough strength to proclaim to the public that he spread lies and he was wrong—and then he dies. And peace is restored to the land again.

Jacob 5-6

Jacob 5

This chapter is the “Allegory of the Olive Tree.” To help explain this chapter and its abundant symbolism, I am drawing primarily upon the Book of Mormon Student Manual.

“An allegory is a story that uses symbols to explain important truths. The allegory of the olive tree in Jacob 5 teaches us about the Lord’s purposes in the scattering and gathering of the house of Israel. In chapter 6, the prophet Jacob summarized the major points of the allegory.”

Jacob 5:1—Who Was the Prophet Zenos?

Zenos, along with Zenock and Neum, were prophets during Old Testament times whose writings are not found in the Bible but were found on the plates of brass (see 1 Nephi 19:10).

Jacob 5—Understanding Zenos’s Allegory

Every item in an allegory is not necessarily meant as a symbol for something else, but certain major symbols must be understood in order to understand the allegory. The following symbols are important in understanding the allegory of the olive tree:

Symbol	What It Might Represent
The vineyard	The world
Master of the vineyard; Lord of the vineyard	God
Servants	The Lord’s prophets
Tame olive tree	The house of Israel, the Lord’s covenant people
Wild olive tree	Gentiles, or non-Israelites (later in the allegory the wild branches are the people of Israel who have forsaken God)
Branches	Groups of people
The roots of the tame olive tree	The covenants the Lord makes with His children, a constant source of strength and life to the faithful
The fruit	The lives or works of men
Digging, pruning, fertilizing	The work the Lord does for His children to help them be obedient and fruitful
Transplanting the branches	Scattering groups of people throughout the world, or restoring them to where they came from
Grafting	The joining of one group of people to another; referring to scattered Israel, it also means to “come to the knowledge of the true Messiah” (see 1 Nephi 10:14)
Decaying branches	People dying spiritually from sin and apostasy
Casting branches into the fire	God’s judgments

Jacob 5:8–10—What Does It Mean to “Graft” Branches?

To graft branches, healthy, living branches are cut from a tree or plant and inserted into another place (see accompanying illustration). The branches in this allegory represent groups of people that the Lord takes from one place and plants them in another. In the scriptural sense, grafting means to “come to the knowledge of the true Messiah” (1 Nephi 10:14).

Jacob 5:8, 13–14, 19–25—The “Young and Tender” Branches of the House of Israel

The “young and tender branches” seem to be those people who responded to the “pruning and fertilizing” by God and His prophets. They were more teachable than the old established branches, or the groups of Israelites who had to be removed and destroyed.

President Joseph Fielding Smith taught: “In that parable the olive tree is the House of Israel. … In its native land it began to die. So the Lord took branches like the Nephites, like the lost tribes, and like others that the Lord led off that we do not know anything about, to other parts of the earth. He planted them all over his vineyard, which is the world” (Answers to Gospel Questions, comp. Joseph Fielding Smith Jr., 5 vols. [1957–66], 4:204).

Zenos’s allegory helps us understand that the scattering of branches of Israel all over the world was a blessing both to Israel and to the rest of Heavenly Father’s children, the Gentiles.

And last but not least, I think vs. 46-48 are the most important verses of the allegory. The Lord asks why the trees are not bringing forth good fruit, despite his every effort to nourish them and help them. The answer is PRIDE. Pride is the universal sin, and leads to the downfall of so many.

46 And now, behold, notwithstanding all the care which we have taken of my vineyard, the trees thereof have become corrupted, that they bring forth no good fruit…

47 But what could I have done more in my vineyard? Have I slackened mine hand, that I have not nourished it? Nay, I have nourished it, and I have digged about it, and I have pruned it, and I have dunged it; and I have stretched forth mine hand almost all the day long, and the end draweth nigh. And it grieveth me that I should hew down all the trees of my vineyard, and cast them into the fire that they should be burned. Who is it that has corrupted my vineyard?

48 And it came to pass that the servant said unto his master: Is it not the loftiness of thy vineyard—have not the branches thereof overcome the roots which are good? And because the branches have overcome the roots thereof, behold they grew faster than the strength of the roots, taking strength unto themselves. Behold, I say, is not this the cause that the trees of thy vineyard have become corrupted?

Jacob 6

 "O be wise; what can I say more?"

The moral of the story of the Olive Tree:

 5 Wherefore, my beloved brethren, I beseech of you in words of soberness that ye would repent, and come with full purpose of heart, and cleave unto God as he cleaveth unto you. And while his arm of mercy is extended towards you in the light of the day, harden not your hearts.

 7 For behold, after ye have been nourished by the good word of God all the day long, will ye bring forth evil fruit, that ye must be hewn down and cast into the fire?

 8 Behold, will ye reject these words? Will ye reject the words of the prophets; and will ye reject all the words which have been spoken concerning Christ, after so many have spoken concerning him; and deny the good word of Christ, and the power of God, and the gift of the Holy Ghost, and quench the Holy Spirit, and make a mock of the great plan of redemption, which hath been laid for you?

Jacob 1-4

Jacob 1

Jacob, Nephi’s younger brother, takes over as head of the church and keeper of the records. He begins his portion of the record by re-emphasizing his purpose in writing and preaching, which was the same as Nephi’s:

 7 Wherefore we labored diligently among our people, that we might persuade them to come unto Christ, and partake of the goodness of God, that they might enter into his rest…

 8 Wherefore, we would to God that we could persuade all men not to rebel against God, to provoke him to anger, but that all men would believe in Christ, and view his death, and suffer his cross and bear the shame of the world; wherefore, I, Jacob, take it upon me to fulfil the commandment of my brother Nephi.

Nephi anoints a new king, and the people choose to honor Nephi by naming all the kings after him Nephi 2, Nephi 3, Nephi 4, etc. Then Nephi dies. The people “loved Nephi exceedingly” because he was a good leader, teacher, and protector of the people.

Jacob tells us there are sub-groups amongst the Nephites and Lamanites called Jacobites, Josephites, Zoramites, Lamanites, Lemuelites, and Ishmaelites. But for simplicity, Jacob will call them all Nephites or Lamanites: “But I, Jacob, shall not hereafter distinguish them by these names, but I shall call them Lamanites that seek to destroy the people of Nephi, and those who are friendly to Nephi I shall call Nephites, or the people of Nephi.” (vs. 14)

Under the reign of the new king the Nephites begin to grow wicked—specifically Jacob tells us the men begin to be unfaithful to their wives, and the people begin to be prideful and focused on acquiring riches. The next two chapters are Jacob’s preaching to the people regarding these sins. These are some good chapters!

Jacob 2

It is interesting to me how Jacob begins his preaching to the people. He wants to share the comforting, uplifting word of God but instead he feels it is necessary on this occasion to reprimand the men for their sins and call them to repentance.

 6 Yea, it grieveth my soul…that I must testify unto you concerning the wickedness of your hearts.

 7 And also it grieveth me that I must use so much boldness of speech concerning you, before your wives and your children, many of whose feelings are exceedingly tender and chaste and delicate before God, which thing is pleasing unto God;

 8 And it supposeth me that they have come up hither to hear the pleasing word of God, yea, the word which healeth the wounded soul.

 9 Wherefore, it burdeneth my soul that I should be constrained, because of the strict commandment which I have received from God, to admonish you according to your crimes, to enlarge the wounds of those who are already wounded, instead of consoling and healing their wounds…

As I mentioned before, there are two primary sins that are prevalent amongst the Nephite men right now that Jacob speaks against. The first is the love of money and the pride that comes from it.

 13 And the hand of providence hath smiled upon you most pleasingly, that you have obtained many riches; and because some of you have obtained more abundantly than that of your brethren ye are lifted up in the pride of your hearts, and wear stiff necks and high heads because of the costliness of your apparel, and persecute your brethren because ye suppose that ye are better than they.

 14 And now, my brethren, do ye suppose that God justifieth you in this thing? Behold, I say unto you, Nay. But he condemneth you, and if ye persist in these things his judgments must speedily come unto you.

Jacob goes on to teach that riches are not bad in-and-of-themselves. It is the love of riches and selfishness, entitlement, and pride it leads to. Jacob teaches the proper attitude toward wealth & riches:

 17 Think of your brethren like unto yourselves, and be familiar with all and free with your substance, that they may be rich like unto you.

 18 But before ye seek for riches, seek ye for the kingdom of God.

 19 And after ye have obtained a hope in Christ ye shall obtain riches, if ye seek them; and ye will seek them for the intent to do good—to clothe the naked, and to feed the hungry, and to liberate the captive, and administer relief to the sick and the afflicted.

After teaching the people that they must seek to bless others with their possessions, he moves on to sin #2 which he clearly states is a more serious sin than the first:

22 And now I make an end of speaking unto you concerning this pride. And were it not that I must speak unto you concerning a grosser crime, my heart would rejoice exceedingly because of you. But the word of God burdens me because of your grosser crimes.

 31 For behold, I, the Lord, have seen the sorrow, and heard the mourning of the daughters of my people in the land of Jerusalem, yea, and in all the lands of my people, because of the wickedness and abominations of their husbands.

 32 And I will not suffer, saith the Lord of Hosts, that the cries of the fair daughters of this people, which I have led out of the land of Jerusalem, shall come up unto me against the men of my people, saith the Lord of Hosts.

35 Behold, ye have done greater iniquities than the Lamanites, our brethren. Ye have broken the hearts of your tender wives, and lost the confidence of your children, because of your bad examples before them; and the sobbings of their hearts ascend up to God against you.

The crime of which he is speaking is infidelity or adultery, and he will dive deeper into this topic in the next chapter.

Jacob 3

Jacob teaches the Nephite men that they are no better than the Lamanites, who don’t even believe in God but are good and faithful to their wives and children. The Nephites know better, and still they are more wicked than the un-believing Lamanites in this very important commandment from God.  

7 Behold, their husbands love their wives, and their wives love their husbands; and their husbands and their wives love their children; and their unbelief and their hatred towards you is because of the iniquity of their fathers; wherefore, how much better are you than they, in the sight of your great Creator?

The lesson in this is powerful for all of us. How often do we judge or look down on other people for their bad decisions or life styles… when we ourselves are living in ways we know we shouldn’t?

I also appreciate these comforting and uplifting words that Jacob slips in for those who were pure and just seeking for the strength  and healing of the word of God:

 1 But behold, I, Jacob, would speak unto you that are pure in heart. Look unto God with firmness of mind, and pray unto him with exceeding faith, and he will console you in your afflictions, and he will plead your cause, and send down justice upon those who seek your destruction.

 2 O all ye that are pure in heart, lift up your heads and receive the pleasing word of God, and feast upon his love; for ye may, if your minds are firm, forever.

Jacob 4

Good verses from Chapter 4! Each verse contains an important principle—I think it is especially important to remember verse 10.

4 For, for this intent have we written these things, that they may know that we knew of Christ, and we had a hope of his glory many hundred years before his coming; and not only we ourselves had a hope of his glory, but also all the holy prophets which were before us.

 6 Wherefore, we search the prophets, and we have many revelations and the spirit of prophecy; and having all these witnesses we obtain a hope, and our faith becometh unshaken, insomuch that we truly can command in the name of Jesus and the very trees obey us, or the mountains, or the waves of the sea.

 7 Nevertheless, the Lord God showeth us our weakness that we may know that it is by his grace, and his great condescensions unto the children of men, that we have power to do these things.

 10 Wherefore, brethren, seek not to counsel the Lord, but to take counsel from his hand. For behold, ye yourselves know that he counseleth in wisdom, and in justice, and in great mercy, over all his works.