Tuesday, August 7, 2012

Jarom



verses 3-4 - "...God is exceedingly merciful unto them..."
God had not swept the people off the earth because He is merciful.  He knew that there were righteous and faithful people among them.  Sometimes the power of faith is enough to save others.  Just like some people receive the consequences of another person's sins, even though they aren't guilty...sometimes people receive the benefits of somebody else's faith, even if they don't have that same faith.

verse 4 - "...and there are many among us who have many revelations, for they are not all stiffnecked..."
We receive revelation when we are not stiffnecked - which entails having faith, and having communion with the Holy Spirit.  With those prerequisites, you are leaving your pride and opening yourself to recieve more revelation, according to your faith and willingness to apply it.

verses 9-10 - "...inasmuch as ye will keep my commandments ye shall prosper in the land..."
When we keep the commandments, we prosper in the land; conversely, when we do not keep the commandments, we are ripened in iniquity and are destroyed from off the face of the land.  We need to know the commandments first, then keep them!

verses 11-12 - "...persuading them to look forward unto the Messiah, and believe in him to come as though he already was..."
This refers back to Enos 1:23 - because here in Jarom, the prophets and teachers are teaching that the people should believe in Christ as though He already was, pricking the people's hearts with the word of God.
In Enos, apparently nothing helped the people except extreme harshness.  People can change, and so should our methods/modes/theories of teaching...based on what is needed, but also upon revelation.  When we have the Holy Ghost with us, we will know what needs to be taught...and how to teach it in the most effective manner, even if it may seem counter-intuitive.

1 comment:

  1. Love the insight about how "some people receive the consequences of another person's sins, even though they aren't guilty...sometimes people receive the benefits of somebody else's faith, even if they don't have that same faith." Other great insights too!

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