Day 37 - Ether 3-8

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Discussion

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Ether 3:1 they called the mount Shelem, because of its exceeding height

Hugh Nibley
“Shelem means high, safe, secure. The word shalom is derived from that. Remember, shalom means you’re safe. Shalom is a ‘ladder, a high place.’ If you’re going to a high place, it is a safe place, a secure place, a shelem. He went to the highest mountain around. Moses did the same thing. Lehi and Nephi did the same thing. So again this is a pattern.” (Teachings From the Book of Mormon, Lecture 111, p. 271)

Ether 3:1 he did carry [sixteen small stones] in his hands upon the top of the mount

Hugh Nibley
“The only trouble is that the stones don't shine. What shall the man do next? He carries the stones up to the very top of ‘an exceedingly high mountain’—and that is as far as he can go. Of course God could have appeared to him in the plain, but the idea of the whole thing is that man himself must meet God halfway. So the brother of Jared toils up the mountain as he had toiled at the smelter until, as it were, he reaches the end of the line—he can go no further; he has done all that is in his power. From then on it is up to the Lord. Standing on the mountaintop, the brother of Jared holds up his pretty but worthless stones and asks the Lord to take over.” (An Approach to the Book of Mormon, p. 351)

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Ether 3:5 great power, which looks small unto the understanding of men

Dallin H. Oaks
“Many mortals have a myopic view of the power and position of God. As the brother of Jared observed, even the great power of God ‘looks small unto the understanding of men.’ (Ether 3:5.) In truth, many mortals—even some members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints—are so shortsighted that they presume to judge the things of God by their own mortal reasoning. As Elder Neal A. Maxwell has observed: ‘Yes, we may acknowledge His overall plan but criticize His style, because He does things in His own way. . . . We would prefer that things be done in our way, even though our ways are much lower than His.’” (The Lord’s Way, p. 3)

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Ether 3:27 Write these things and seal them up; and I will show them in mine own due time unto the children of men

The glorious vision of the brother of Jared was recorded by him and sealed up. It becomes the infamous sealed portion of the Book of Mormon, destined to come forth only when the world is sufficiently righteous (this probably means after the start of the Millenium). Nephi wrote of this sealed portion, saying:

‘behold the book shall be sealed; and in the book shall be a revelation from God, from the beginning of the world to the ending thereof.
Wherefore, because of the things which are sealed up, the things which are sealed shall not be delivered in the day of the wickedness and abominations of the people. Wherefore the book shall be kept from them.
…And the day cometh that the words of the book which were sealed shall be read upon the house tops; and they shall be read by the power of Christ; and all things shall be revealed unto the children of men which ever have been among the children of men, and which ever will be even unto the end of the earth.’ (2 Ne 27:7-11)

Joseph Fielding Smith
“At the command of the Lord…Moroni also sealed up the greater things in this vision and also the interpreters-which were the same ‘two stones’ had by the Brother of Jared-so that this vision should not be made known even in our day among the Gentiles, in the day of their wickedness; it could not be revealed ‘until the day that they shall repent of their iniquity, and become clean before the Lord.’ (Ether 4:6)So we today do not have the fulness of the account written and sealed up by the Brother of Jared and again sealed by Moroni. This part of the record the Prophet Joseph Smith was forbidden to translate. We have, then, received but the ‘lesser part.’” (Doctrines of Salvation, 3:224-5)

Joseph Fielding Smith
“Now the Lord has placed us on probation as members of the Church. He has given us the Book of Mormon, which is the lesser part, to build up our faith through our obedience to the counsels which it contains, and when we ourselves, members of the Church, are willing to keep the commandments as they have been given to us and show our faith as the Nephites did for a short period of time, then the Lord is ready to bring forth the other record and give it to us, but we are not ready now to receive it. Why? Because we have not lived up to the requirements in this probationary state in the reading of the record which had been given to us and in the following its counsels.” (Conference Report, Oct. 1961, p. 20)

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Ether 4:3 therefore I am commanded that I should hide them up

We wish that Moroni had been allowed to record this vision in greater detail. But as king Mosiah knew great things which were too sacred to be revealed until after Christ’s First Coming, Moroni knew great things which were too sacred to be publicly revealed until after Christ’s Second Coming. Yet someday, as promised, the things revealed to the brother of Jared will be revealed to us if we follow the counsel of Ether 4.

Bruce R. McConkie
“Even the true saints-the believing disciples, those who have accepted the gospel and received the gift of the Holy Ghost-are not prepared to receive all things. We have the fulness of the everlasting gospel, meaning we have every truth, power priesthood, and key needed to enable us to gain the fulness of salvation in our Father's kingdom. But we do not have, and are not yet prepared to receive, the fulness of gospel truth.

“This is perfectly illustrated by the fact that we do not have the sealed portion of the Book of Mormon. That treasure-house of Holy Writ contains an account of the creation of the world, of the dealings of God with men in all ages of the Second Coming of the Son of Man, and of the millennial era when the earth shall rest and Zion prosper to the full-all of which we are not prepared to receive. The doctrines revealed to the brother of Jared, and which are recorded in the sealed portion of the Book of Mormon, were had among the Jaredites; they were known to the Nephites during their Golden Era; certainly they were known and taught in Enoch's Zion; but when the Lehite people ‘dwindled in unbelief,’ Moroni was commanded to ‘hide them up.’” (Mortal Messiah, Book 2, p. 237)

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Ether 4:7 in that day that they shall exercise faith in me…then will I manifest unto them the things which the brother of Jared saw

Bruce R. McConkie
“From these revelations we learn that there are no limitations placed upon any of us. Revelations are not reserved for a limited few or for those called to positions of importance in the Church. It is not position in the Church that confers spiritual gifts. It is not being a bishop, a stake president, or an apostle that makes revelation and salvation available. These are high and holy callings which open the door to the privilege of great service among men. But it is not a call to a special office that opens the windows of revelation to a truth seeker. Rather it is personal righteousness; it is keeping the commandments; it is seeking the Lord while he may be found.

“God is no respecter of persons. He will give revelation to me and to you on the same terms and conditions. I can see what Joseph Smith and Sidney Rigdon saw in the vision of the degrees of glory -- and so can you. I can entertain angels and see God, I can receive an outpouring of the gifts of the Spirit -- and so can you.” (Conference Report, Oct. 1969, p. 82)

Anthony W. Ivins
“This sealed portion of the record which came into the hands of Joseph Smith but was not translated by him so far as we are aware, the abridgment made by Mormon, the record of Ether, and the other sacred records which were deposited in the Hill Cumorah, still lie in their repository, awaiting the time when the Lord shall see fit to bring them forth, that they may be published to the world.

”Whether they have been removed from the spot where Mormon deposited them we cannot tell, but this we know, that they are safe under the guardianship of the Lord, and that they will be brought forth at the proper time as the Lord has declared they should be, for the benefit and blessing of the people of the world, for his word never fails.” (Conference Report, Apr. 1928, p. 15)

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Ether 5:2-3 ye may show the plates unto those who shall assist

Again, this message was written specifically for Joseph Smith. When the prophet translated this portion of the record, he was prompted to show the plates unto three witnesses. This was according to the promise which had been previously given to the prophet, in addition to your testimony, the testimony of three of my servants…shall go forth with my words that are given through you. Yea, they shall know of a surety that these things are true, for from heaven will I declare it unto them (DC 5:11-12). However, the demonstration of the record was to be done according to the will of the Lord, for the record was to be shown by the power of God (v. 3).

Joseph Smith
“In the course of the work of translation, we ascertained that three special witnesses were to be provided by the Lord, to whom He would grant that they should see the plates from which this work (the Book of Mormon) should be translated; and that these witnesses should bear record of the same, as will be found recorded, Book of Mormon, page 581 [Book of Ether, chapter 5, verses 2, 3 and 4, p. 487, edition 1920], also page 86 [II Nephi, chapter 11, verse 3, p. 73, edition 1920]. Almost immediately after we had made this discovery, it occurred to Oliver Cowdery, David Whitmer and the aforementioned Martin Harris (who had come to inquire after our progress in the work) that they would have me inquire of the Lord to know if they might not obtain of him the privilege to be these three special witnesses; and finally they became so very solicitous, and urged me so much to inquire that at length I complied; and through the Urim and Thummim, I obtained of the Lord for them the following: (DC 17)

‘Behold, I say unto you, that you must rely upon my word, which if you do with full purpose of heart, you shall have a view of the plates, and also the breastplate, the sword of Laban, the Urim and Thummim, which were given to the brother of Jared upon the mount, when he talked with the Lord face to face, and the miraculous directors which were given to Lehi while in the wilderness, on the borders of the Red Sea.
And it is by your faith that you shall obtain a view of them, even by that faith which was had by the prophets of old.
And after that you have obtained faith, and have seen them with your eyes, you shall testify of them, by the power of God.’”
(History of the Church, 1:52-53, see also DC 17:1-3)

Ether 5:3 unto three shall they be shown by the power of God

The plates had to be shown to the three witnesses by the power of God. This means that Joseph Smith could not just show them the plates and ask them to testify. This would not do. Others would contend that he had fashioned some ancient appearing record in order to dupe the three witnesses into a false testimony. In order to prove to the world that Joseph Smith was not a magician and the greatest deceiver of his day, the Lord would reveal the truth of the Book of Mormon to the three witnesses by the indisputable power of God.

“It has been the boast of so-called sleight-of-hand performers that they can duplicate every trick of spiritists, no matter how astounding; but here is a plain divine manifestation of which no human art, or ingenuity, can furnish an imitation.” (Reynolds and Sjodahl, Commentary on the Book of Mormon, 6:111)

Accordingly, the three witnesses were not just shown the plates. Instead, they were shown a vision from God in which they saw an angel, saw a light from heaven, and heard a voice. Appropriately, Moroni himself appeared to them and showed them the gold plates, the sword of Laban, the Liahona, the breastplate, and the Liahona (see commentary on the three witnesses and DC 17:1).

Joseph Smith
“…we beheld a light above us in the air, of exceeding brightness; and behold, an angel stood before us. In his hands he held the plates which we had been praying for these to have a view of. He turned over the leaves one by one, so that we could see them, and discern the engravings thereon distinctly. He then addressed himself to David Whitmer, and said, ‘David, blessed is the Lord, and he that keeps His commandments;’ when, immediately afterwards, we heard a voice from out of the bright light above us, saying, ‘These plates have been revealed by the power of God, and they have been translated by the power of God. The translation of them which you have seen is correct, and I command you to bear record of what you now see and hear.’” (History of the Church, 1:54-55)

Testimony of the Three Witnesses
“…we…have seen the plates…And we also know that they have been translated by the gift and power of God, for his voice hath declared it unto us; wherefore we know of a surety that the work is true. And we also testify that we have seen the engravings which are upon the plates; and they have been shown unto us by the power of God, and not of man. And we declare with words of soberness, that an angel of God came down from heaven, and he brought and laid before our eyes, that we beheld and saw the plates, and the engravings thereon; and we know that it is by the grace of God the Father, and our Lord Jesus Christ, that we beheld and bear record that these things are true. And it is marvelous in our eyes…”

Orson Pratt
“…the Lord confirmed the truth of the Book of Mormon unto many witnesses in such a way, and by such means, that it was impossible for them to have been deceived;…the testimony of these witnesses stands good until it can be refuted; [and] no man can be justified in rejecting this testimony until he can show that it is false…Now, no one has ever attempted to bring any direct negative testimony; this, indeed, would be impossible, unless the witnesses themselves should deny their former testimony, and this they have not done. And those who have attempted to condemn their testimony from the nature of the message itself, have only exhibited their own weakness and folly. Upwards of twenty years (now 170 yrs.) have passed away, and no man has, as yet, been found able to prove the Book of Mormon or the testimony of its witnesses false.” (Pamphlet: “Divine Authenticity of the Book of Mormon,” p. 65)

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Ether 6:7 they were tight like unto the ark of Noah

There are more similarities between Noah’s ark and the Jaredite barges than one might think. Both had to be built to withstand torrential rains and tidal waves. Therefore, they were both built “tight,” in other words, completely sealed when the hatch was closed. For the Jaredites, we know that this design meant that extraordinary means would be needed to provide light. Well then, what did Noah and family do in order to see when they were sealed up in their “tight” ark? By rabbinical and ancient Oriental tradition, they also were given lighted stones to illuminate the ark.

Hugh Nibley
“Truly remarkable is the statement in Ether that the submarine nature of Jared's ships made them ‘like unto the ark of Noah,’ since that aspect of the ark, perhaps its most characteristic, is not specifically mentioned in the Bible, and has led to great confusion among Bible illustrators, ancient, medieval, and modern…They lead us directly to the most puzzling problem of all-that of the illumination of the ark, for while the window is called a zohar (more properly tsohar), i.e., shiner or illuminator…in a boat equipped to go under water other sources for both [light and ventilation] would have to be found, and it is in the lighting department that the Jewish sources are most specific. For the Rabbis do not settle for the zohar-the lighter of the Ark-as being simply a window: for some of them it was rather a miraculous light-giving stone…Rabbi Akiba ben Kahmana, for example, says it was a skylight, while Rabbi Levi said it was a precious stone. He quotes R. Phineas as saying that ‘during the whole twelve months that Noah was in the Ark he did not require the light of the sun by day or the moon by night, but he had a polished gem which he hung up; when it was dim he knew that it was day, and when it shone he knew it was night.’” (A Book of Mormon Treasury, p. 140)

Hugh Nibley
“The oldest accounts of the ark of Noah, the Sumerian ones, describe it as a ‘magur boat,’ peaked at the ends, completely covered but for a door, without sails, and completely covered by the waters from time to time, as men and animals rode safe within. But the remarkable thing about Jared's boats was their illumination by stones which shone in the dark because they had been touched by the finger of the Lord (Ether 3:6, 6:3).

“The Rabbis tell of a mysterious Zohar that illuminated the ark, but for further instruction we must go to much older sources: the Pyrophilus is traced back to the Jalakanta stone of India, which shines in the dark and enables its owner to pass unharmed beneath the waters; this in turn has been traced back through classical and Oriental sources to the Gilgamesh Epic, where Alexander's wonderful Pyrophilus stone turns up as the Plant of Life in the possession of the Babylonian Noah.

“A large number of ancient traditions, first brought together in the present century, justify one in assuming some sort of legendary shining stones in the ark of Noah. Whether or not there is any historical reality behind it, the fact is that we now know, from sources completely inaccessible to the world of Joseph Smith, that such a tradition actually did exist in very ancient times. It is nothing to laugh at after all.” (The Prophetic Book of Mormon, p. 244)

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Ether 6:9 they did sing praises unto the Lord

One can only imagine what it would have been like to be cooped up in one of those Jaredite barges for 344 days with furious winds, terrible tempests, and mountain waves which buried them in the deep (v. 5-7). The reader gets seasick just thinking about it! Yet their difficult journey was not marred by murmuring and mayhem as it was with Laman and Lemuel (1 Ne 18:9-13). In retrospect, this is truly amazing! The Jaredite journey was no pleasure cruise but it lacked nothing for joy and gratitude for they did thank and praise the Lord all the day long. By comparison, we often complain if our plane-ride or car-ride lasts longer than 344 minutes, let alone 344 days.

Music has the power to lift people in the most trying of circumstances. Michael F. Moody said, “Music has the power to transport us from the hard realities of day-to-day living, to a peaceful, beautiful realm in which we can find a renewed perspective of life.” (Church News, 11/16/91) It was this peaceful, beautiful realm to which the Jaredites were transported by their songs of praise. Furthermore, the Lord has declared, my soul delighteth in the song of the heart; yea, the song of the righteous is a prayer unto me (DC 25:12). The parallelism between the song of the righteous and the prayer of the righteous is seen in the language used by Moroni and Enos. The Jaredites did thank and praise the Lord all the day long; and when the night came, they did not cease to praise the Lord. Enos records, 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. (Enos 1:4)

Gordon B. Hinckley
“We recognize the universal power of music to touch the hearts of men and women everywhere and in all generations--to inspire and encourage, to sustain and lift, to comfort and bring peace.” (Teachings of Gordon B. Hinckley, “Music”)

Neal A. Maxwell
“I’m continually impressed with the power of music to comfort and counsel in a way that often exceeds the power of the spoken word.” (Church News, 11/16/91)

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Ether 8:19-21 secret combinations…have cause the destruction of this people

Ezra Taft Benson
“But the greatest handbook for freedom in this fight against evil is the Book of Mormon…This most correct book on earth states that the downfall of two great American civilizations came as a result of secret conspiracies whose desire was to overthrow the freedom of the people. ‘And they have caused the destruction of this people of whom I am now speaking,’ says Moroni, ‘and also the destruction of the people of Nephi.’ (Ether 8:21.)

“Now undoubtedly Moroni could have pointed out many factors that led to the destruction of the people, but notice how he singled out the secret combinations, just as the Church today could point out many threats to peace, prosperity, and the spread of God’s work, but it has singled out the greatest threat as the godless conspiracy. There is no conspiracy theory in the Book of Mormon —it is a conspiracy fact.

“Then Moroni speaks to us in this day and says, ‘Wherefore, the Lord commandeth you, when ye shall see these things come among you that ye shall awake to a sense of your awful situation, because of this secret combination which shall be among you’ (Ether 8:14.)

“The Book of Mormon further warns that ‘whatsoever nation shall uphold such secret combinations, to get power and gain, until they shall spread over the nation, behold they shall be destroyed. …’ (Ether 8:22.)

“This scripture should alert us to what is ahead unless we repent, because there is no question but that as people of the free world, we are increasingly upholding many of the evils of the adversary today. By court edict godless conspirators can run for government office, teach in our schools, hold office in labor unions, work in our defense plants, serve in our merchant marines, etc. As a nation, we are helping to underwrite many evil revolutionaries in our country.” (Ensign, July 1972, “Civic Standards for the Faithful Saints”)