Reading at such a fast pace has made me think about things a little differently. It has been easier to follow the story line and pay more attention to the people. I almost said characters, but they were real people. In today's reading, several people stood out to me:
Sherem - Jacob 7:1-23 At first I thought Sherem deserved what was coming to him. Afterall, he spent so much time leading people astray. But then as the story continued, I began to feel sad for him. After receiving his sign, he realized his mistake and feared his "case shall be awful," but confessed anyway. I thought it was interesting that he immediately gathered everyone together to tell them he was wrong and to testify of Christ. As a result, "peace and the love of God was restored again among the people" I was impressed with his urgency to tell everyone he was wrong and as a result, saved many souls. I hope somehow his soul was saved.
Enos - I was struck with the intensity of Enos. He had such faith and he cared so deeply for his brethren - both the Nephites and the Lamanites. I hope I can someday have the heart and faith of Enos.
Omni - v2. He declares that he is a wicked man who has not kept the commandments as he ought to have. And yet he saw the importance of keeping the record and passing it on to his son. This kind of reminded me of men during the restoration who fell away from the Church, but never denied the truth of it. I wonder if Omni ever repented and became strong again. I hope so.
Mormon - What a responsibility and burden this must have been for Mormon to keep the record safe, especially when he knew it was vital for future generations. "I deliver these records into the hands of my son; and it supposeth me that he will witness the entire destruction of my people. But may God grant that he may survive them...that perhaps some day it may profit them." Thank you, Mormon. It has profited so many in so many important ways.
3 comments:
Great thoughts, Mal! I am a little behind but am loving Nephi's example of steadfastness and unshakable testimony.
Love your post. I had some of these very thoughts as I read. I do feel like I get to know people better each time I read.
You're a kinder person than I am... I still think Sherem deserves what he got! Like Nehor - they both were fooled by Satan, led people astray, repented at the end, publicly admitted they preached falsely - yet many of their followers continued on the wrong path. It's sad. It's like the FLDS church today - Warren Jeffs admitted at the end, while in jail, that he didn't have priesthood power. He actually went pretty nuts - starving himself and all. Yet many of the people that followed him and called him Prophet are still living in that compound, doing who-knows-what...
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