Benjamin Wilcox

Nov 1735 min read

Ether 12-15

Watch the video presentation on YouTube at: Ether 12-15 Video

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LESSON #1 AN ANCHOR TO THE SOUL (ETHER 12)

OBJECT

The perfect object to have for this lesson would be to get an actual anchor to display. But you know, that’s not really practical unless you have a boat of your own and you wanted to use the anchor from it. Instead of actually having the object, this time I just suggest you show the following pictures of anchors.

ICEBREAKER

And then for the icebreaker you simply ask: What is the purpose of an anchor?

And in nautical terms, an anchor is a large solid hunk of metal that holds a ship steady in shifting waters. When stability is needed, an anchor can be dropped into the unseen realm below the surface of the water to secure the ship to a fixed point. And even though you can’t see what the anchor is connecting to, it has a very visible and real effect on the vessel floating above it. An anchor is absolutely critical to the safety of those on board, especially in rough waters.

Now boating is not the only sphere where that word is used. It’s not just a nautical term. In rock climbing, rappelling, canyoneering, the word anchor brings up quite a different connotation. As someone who enjoys those activities, we use that term all the time. The anchor is what secures you to the rock. It’s what you connect your ropes to and place all your weight on as you climb or rappel. The anchor could be a large boulder, a tree, or a bolt drilled into the rock wall. And in those sports, your life literally depends on the quality and the stability of the anchor and your connection to it.

Now for the metaphor. If your life was likened to a boat on the water or a climber on her rope, what’s your anchor? What’s something that keeps you grounded, steady, or safe in the choppy waters of life? Or something you can hang your weight on, that you can trust to support you, and hold you up?

And that question is deliberately open-ended. There are many different facets of the gospel that could be compared to an anchor. Just allow your class to share examples of their anchors.

In the Book of Mormon, the prophet Ether drew on the image of an anchor to teach us something about navigating the stormy waters or the cliffs of life. Can you find the word “anchor” somewhere in Ether chapter 12. And it shouldn’t take them too long to locate it in verse 4. There Ether introduces us to what he considered to be an anchor to our souls. The importance of this anchor becomes even more pronounced when you consider the setting of the chapter. Actually, the double setting. You have the Jaredite setting, and you have the Nephite setting as Moroni translates and comments on the Jaredite record. Both Ether and Moroni’s societies are on the brink of total collapse. Both prophets have been compelled to witness the absolute worst of humanity.

A few weeks ago I told you that the two themes that seem to dominate the final three books of the Book of Mormon are “The fullness of iniquity", and "living righteously in a wicked world”. Ether 12-15 fits nicely into that framework. Shining out of this bleak setting comes the ray of light that is Ether chapter 12. These two prophets are going to teach us additional ideas on what we can do to get through turbulent and wicked times. What is the anchor that we can hold to through the worst of spiritual conditions?

We’re going to label that word in verse 4 with two words actually. These two words, or ideas, really dominate the chapter. See if you can find them. The first word is going to be the most obvious. It shows up 35 times in the chapter. You’ll see it in the following verses:

(And be aware that in a number of these verses it appears more than once) 3,4,6,7,8,9,10,11,12,13,14,15,16,17,18,19,20,21,22,23,27,28,29,30,31,37

And the word is faith.

And then we have word #2. Can you find it in these verses:

4, 6, 8, 9, 32. It doesn’t appear as much as the word faith, but I feel it's equally significant.

That word is hope.

Faith and hope are the backbone of this chapter. For the purposes of this lesson, I’m going to use these two terms interchangeably as I believe that they are basically synonymous. I’m sure that somebody much smarter than I am could probably really parse out and separate the two definitions well. But certainly the two are deeply connected. Faith is almost always defined in terms of hope. In fact, here in Ether 12:6, Moroni gives his definition of faith

6 And now, I, Moroni, would speak somewhat concerning these things; I would show unto the world that faith is things which are hoped for and not seen; wherefore, dispute not because ye see not, for ye receive no witness until after the trial of your faith.

So, there is more to faith than just belief. It’s also hope. There’s a chronological aspect to it. It’s hope in future things. Future blessings, future promises, future prophecies. And in the scriptural sense, hope is more than just wishful thinking or desire. Real hope is something that drives you and motivates you to action. We act on that hope. I hope and expect things in my future if I maintain my current course of righteousness.

With that in mind, we’re going to read Ether chapter 12 looking for what I call “The Three Hopes”. And you could just as easily call them, “The Three Faiths” if you’d like. These three hopes together constitute the anchor of the soul. Each hope will help us to remain fixed and steady in the turbulent waters of the last days. Or if you prefer the climbing anchor metaphor, the three things that will hold you fast and safe to the rock of our Redeemer. Over the years I’ve taken many youth groups rappelling and the church’s standard of safety requires a three-point anchor when I normally would only use two. The church wants us to be extra safe. Well, these hopes will keep our souls extra safe as well. They got Moroni and Ether through their stormy and dangerous era, and they can do the same for us as well. You could very easily cross reference Ether 12:4 with something that Mormon said earlier in Mormon 5:18.

18 But now, behold, they are led about by Satan, even as chaff is driven before the wind, or as a vessel is tossed about upon the waves, without sail or anchor, or without anything wherewith to steer her; and even as she is, so are they.

Moroni knew and had seen what happens to anchorless people and anchorless societies. He doesn’t want us to suffer the same fate. So he’s going to help us here to secure our lives to something sturdy and steadying. You can see the three hopes interwoven, overlapped and linked together throughout the entire chapter. As you study, imagine that each hope is like a lens through which you study the chapter. Each pair of lenses will bring a slightly different message into focus. Let’s begin with lens or Hope #1.

Hope #1-Hope for a Better World

I’d like to introduce the first hope in verse 4. Let’s really dig deeply into this verse now. To me, it is the crux, the key verse that establishes the message of the rest of the chapter. What hope do you see there?

4 Wherefore, whoso believeth in God might with surety hope for a

better world, yea, even a place at the right hand of God, which

hope cometh of faith, maketh an anchor to the souls of men, which

would make them sure and steadfast, always abounding in good

works, being led to glorify God.

The first hope is hope for a better world. The world being referred to here is the Celestial world. “Even a place at the right hand of God”. One of the things that will help us most to remain steadfast through difficult and turbulent times is the assurance that they won’t last. There is a better world waiting for us out there in the future. You can see why this would have been a meaningful message for both Ether and Moroni as they surveyed the conditions of their own worlds. This fallen world has an expiration date and at some point it will undergo a glorious transformation. Article of Fatih #10 says we believe that one day “the earth will be renewed and receive its paradisiacal glory”. That’s quite the word, isn’t it? It means, this world will become a paradise. It will be become like one big Garden of Eden. And that hope for a better world is capable of keeping us steady through the most difficult of experiences. Something that can help us get through a really tough week of work is the knowledge of an approaching weekend. Something that helps us to get through a demanding semester of school is the knowledge that summer vacation awaits just around the corner. We can stand the pain and discomfort of the dentist’s chair because eventually the appointment will end—and our teeth will feel better because of it. And something that helps us to get through the challenges of life is a belief in a spirit paradise, a future millennial reign of Christ, and hopefully, Celestial glory. Those future realms are things that we can’t see. We can’t behold those worlds yet with our natural eyes. We have to have faith in them. We “hope” for a better world.

In that light, now read Ether 12:6

In this sense, the trial of faith is life. It’s mortality. The witness of a better world will come after that trial. Therefore, we should not dispute the existence of a spirit paradise, a millennial reign, or a Celestial glory because we can’t see it. If we have hope for those worlds that aren't seen, one day the witness of them will come after our trial.

Now skip ahead to verses 32-38. Where do you see the hope for a better world in these verses?

In 32: thou hast said that thou hast prepared a house for man, yea, even among the mansions of thy Father, in which man might have a more excellent hope; wherefore man must hope, or he cannot receive an inheritance in the place which thou hast prepared.

What did you see there? Moroni speaks of a house that is prepared for us. And not just any house, a mansion, among the mansions of the Father. And he speaks of an inheritance in a prepared place for the righteous. Sounds like a better world to me. But also in that verse, there is a phrase that I deeply love. The prophet speaks of a more excellent hope. This hope for a better world isn’t just a good hope, it’s not just an inspiring hope, it’s not just an excellent hope, it’s a more excellent hope. As far as HOPES go, this one is vital. We MUST have that hope if we wish to weather the storm. God has prepared a place for us that is better than this one.

Verses 33-35 speak of Christ’s role in preparing that place. He laid down his life to make it possible. He did that because he had charity. We're going to speak much more deeply about the role of charity in all of this when we get to Moroni 7. There, Moroni is going to return to that idea and really flesh it out. So I’m going to wait until then to dig deeper into that incredibly critical topic.

Now you have 36-38. These three verses are going to have great significance in Church History. This is the Lord’s response to Moroni’s pleas that the Gentiles would have charity. God’s comfort to him is that it wouldn’t matter as long as HE was faithful. His garments would be made clean, and he would one day sit down in that glorious PLACE that had been prepared. These same three verses will provide somebody else with comfort hundreds of years later in a very significant Church History setting. I would ask my class if anybody knew what situation that was? The year was 1844 when two brothers would find themselves sitting in a jail cell in Carthage Illinois awaiting, what they knew to be, their impending deaths. Those two brothers? Joseph and Hyrum Smith. And in that very dark and discouraging moment, in that tempest, where did Hyrum turn to find solace and comfort? Ether 12:36-38. Doctrine and Covenants 135:4-5 tells us that Hyrum read these three verses and turned down the leaf of the page.

VIDEO

You might remember Elder Holland’s dramatic use of that moment in his talk defending the truthfulness of the Book of Mormon as he held that very copy of Hyrum's in his hands. If you wished to show that particular clip I’ll include a link to it in the video description. (https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/media/video/2010-03-0008-testimony-of-the-book-of-mormon?lang=eng) You could say that part of the comfort of that verse comes in the knowledge that his garments were clean from the blood of his generation, but another part of that comfort could come from the promise of being able to sit down in the place prepared for him in the mansions of the Father. Hyrum found hope in the promise of a better world than this one. That promise comforted him in his darkest hour.

Now for all of us, this hope for a better future world can help to keep us afloat in the choppy seas of life. Whenever we find ourselves tempted to give up or sink into despair, may this promise of future glory and rest make our vessel sure and steadfast.

Hope #2: Hope for a Better Terrestrial World

Now as wonderful and comforting as that hope is, there is another, related one. And we mustn’t cling to one at the expense of the other. What happens if all I do is hope for a better world in the next life? Does this life just become pointless drudgery? A thing to be endured? Do we walk pessimistically through mortality just getting by, hoping and dreaming for another world in the next life? To my understanding, that was the mentality of the dark ages of western civilization. Nobody was living for this world, or hoping for this world, or trying to make this world any better. It was all about looking forward to the heaven of the next life—some future bliss and blessing—or the very least, avoiding hell. Earth was fallen, miserable, and beyond repair. There was no vision, no optimism. It wasn’t until the Renaissance that mankind decided to begin trying to make THIS life better— to make THIS world meaningful and worth living in.

Hope #2 then is hope for a better world, here, a better terrestrial world.

In Ether 12:4, those that hope for a better world in the next life and in this life will live a certain way. It makes them sure and steadfast, always abounding in good works, being led to glorify God. That hope for a better world HERE will lead us to good works HERE. And starting in verse 7 and proceeding until verse 31 we have a really fun section. We’re given a myriad of examples of people who demonstrated that faith and hope for a better world. You’ve heard of the Hall of Fame right? Well here we have what I call the Hall of Faith. Example after example of individuals who had the faith to act on their hope for something better and the miracles they experienced because of it.

In 12:7-22 find all the examples of the miraculous things people were able to do and experience in THIS life because of their faith and hope for a better world here. In 7, the faith and hope of the Nephites made it possible for them to receive the visit of the Savior, allowing them to experience that amazing 4th Nephi type world of great happiness in THIS LIFE. In 10, faith brings the priesthood into our lives, making THIS world a better place. Alma and Amulek, Nephi and Lehi, Ammon all believed in making THIS world better through the teaching of the gospel and made a better world for thousands in the Book of Mormon. They had the, some would say foolhardy, notion that even the hardened Lamanites could be changed by the gospel of Jesus Christ, and they found success in it! In 17, the three disciples believe so much in the positive destiny of this world that they wished to live forever on it until its miraculous future change. In 20-21 we see that the brother of Jared was able to see Christ in THIS life as a mortal. In v. 22 we see that the very Book of Mormon itself was brought forth in the latter-days as a result of the collective faith of many Nephites prophets believing that it could make this world better for future generations.

And then, the portion of Ether that really got me thinking about this second kind of hope for a better world actually comes in chapter 13. I always thought these first 12 verses seemed a little out of place, a little tangential. But in light of this second hope, it makes perfect sense. Moroni starts commenting on Ether’s prophecies of the New Jerusalem. The holy city of the Lord that would be built up in the last days. Article of Faith #10 again. We believe that “Zion, the New Jerusalem will be built upon the American Continent”. Now both hopes are expressed in these prophecies. The New Jerusalem will not be perfected until the millennium when (verse 3) it “should come down out of heaven, and the holy sanctuary of the Lord”. But, there is work to do before that perfecting and finishing act. Verse 6:

6 And that a New Jerusalem should be built upon this land, unto the remnant of the seed of Joseph, for which things there has been a type.

And even more particularly in verse 8

8 Wherefore, the remnant of the house of Joseph shall be built upon this land; and it shall be a land of their inheritance; and they shall build up a holy city unto the Lord, like unto the Jerusalem of old; and they shall no more be confounded, until the end come when the earth shall pass away.

So there is building to be done before the end cometh and the earth shall pass away.

This idea of building Zion, or the New Jerusalem, or an ideal society is going to inspire Joseph Smith and the early Saints and motivate much of their sacrifices and work. It was something that kept them going even under the most trying of circumstances. Throughout the Fall of Kirtland, the horrors of Missouri, the collapse of Nauvoo, and the toils of the Westward Trek, they saw themselves as the builders of Zion. Once Joseph received the revelations we find in Moses 6-7 that describe the city of Enoch, the church became intently focused on doing the same in their time. The Enoch story looms large for Joseph. This is where we see the establishment of the United Order as an attempt to implement the law of consecration. This is where we see the purchase of lands in Jackson County Missouri and plans drawn up for a city of God. They called it Zion. We, as modern members of the church still believe that Jackson County Missouri holds an important place in the future of the Church. However, we also see the fulfillment of those prophecies in the building up of Zion worldwide through the stakes of Zion. The missionary work we do, the chapels and temples we build, the activities we plan, and the example we set are all done in the spirit of making this world a better place. In a sense, we are still building the New Jerusalem.

This hope for a better world seems to be almost inherent in the souls of men and women. Even in the worst of situations, there is something in the human soul and heart that hopes for and believes in the possibility of something better. It’s part of who we are. You would think that after thousands of years of war, and violence, and crime, and abuse, and holocausts, and slaughters, and wickedness that we would have this idealism beaten out of us, and we would all become pessimistic skeptics that just accepted the reality of a miserable world. But we just can’t seem to collectively shed this belief in, and hope for a better world. There’s ample evidence of that spirit all throughout history. Sir Thomas More even gave that idea of creating an ideal society a name. Utopia. Many groups, religious and secular, have aimed to create such a place, the Shakers and the Amish for example. Out of English literature you have the myth of King Arthur and the founding of Camelot. This idea will inspire the Kennedy administration as they saw themselves as the creators of a new Camelot in American Society. In fact, politicians have often drawn on this spirit of idealism to boost their campaigns. The New Deal, the Great Society, even Make America Great Again are all examples of politicians attempting to tap into that spirit. And then, think of popular culture. What are some of the biggest and most popular movie franchises of the last 30 years? Star Wars, Harry Potter, and the Lord of the Rings. What is the major iconic theme behind all of them? They’re all set in a dark and foreboding time when the forces of evil are dominating and winning. But then, a small group of determined and good people that are dedicated to each other and their cause, band together to fight it. And through great sacrifice and against all odds, they triumph in the end, overcoming evil, and establishing an idealistic time period. The Defeat of Sauron and the Return of the King. The vanquishing of Voldemort in Harry Potter, and (even though it ends like 6 different times), the overthrow of the Emperor in Star Wars. In fact, the name of the very first Star Wars movie is “Star Wars: A New Hope”. It’s evident that humanity believes in and connects deeply with this idea.

For members of the Church of Jesus Christ, our manifestation of that belief isn’t fiction, and it isn’t out of reach. We believe in the reality of the creation of that kind of society. We strive to build it now, and we look forward to its completion, in the millennium, and the transformation of this earth into the future Celestial Kingdom. This desire acts as an anchor to our souls—keeps us sure and steadfast and always abounding in good works. We need that spirit of progress and idealism. Both societies and individuals. Heaven help us if we ever lose that hope of creating a better world.

Hope #3: Hope for a Better You (HANDOUT)

Hope #3. So far we’ve talked about hope in collective terms. Societies, nations, the church. But what about you as an individual? You could read this chapter through the lens of your own personal life. What can YOU hope for?

For this section, I’ll give you a number of verses to examine. And you could approach this with a handout as well. I’ll make it available for download. Your students will read the following verses looking for things that they as individuals can hope for and exercise faith in. Each verse holds a key to that hope. Each is a part of the anchor.

Ether 12:4 I know we’ve looked at this verse already but now read it through the lens of our own personal lives. We can find hope for a better world for ourselves in the next life and in this one. If we can connect ourselves with that anchor of faith and hope then it will make us sure, and steadfast, and always abounding in good works, and will lead us to glorify God.

Ether 12:6 We can find hope in receiving a witness, as an individual after the trial of our faith. Rest assured that if we are seeking an answer to a prayer, a witness of a gospel truth, or heavenly guidance, at some point, according to God’s wisdom, it will come. They who ask, receive, they who seek, find, and they who knock, have the door of God’s witness opened to them.

Ether 12:8-9 We can find hope in the heavenly gift. What’s the heavenly gift? Take a look in verse 11. The gift of his Son. How do we partake of that gift? That’s a worthwhile question to ponder. Is it by emulating Christ? Is it by applying the atonement in our lives? Is it by living his teachings? Any way you see it, we would do well to ask ourselves if we’ve PARTAKEN of that gift. It will certainly yield great heavenly blessings.

Ether 12:11 And speaking of verse 11. We can find hope in the more excellent way. Do you remember how earlier we talked about a more excellent hope in verse 32? Pair that idea with verse 11. What brings us a more excellent hope? Following a more excellent way. It’s more excellent than the law of Moses. The higher law. The way of Christ. Jesus once said, "I am the way". Christ’s way is the more excellent way. His way provides us with a more excellent hope. And traveling his excellent way with that more excellent hope, I’m certain will lead us to a more excellent place. A place on the right hand of God.

Ether 12:18 We can find hope in miracles. We, as a church, do believe in miracles. God manifests his power in special ways to those who exercise hope and faith in him. I've seen miracles before. Things that cannot be explained away as coincidences. If what we desire seems impossible, we are still allowed to have hope in it, because miracles can happen.

Ether 12:19 We can find hope in one day actually beholding the things that now we only see with the eyes of our faith. Isn’t that a beautiful promise. There are things we can’t see with our natural eyes. They exist only in the realm of our anticipation and the eyes of our spirit. But one day we will see those things in reality. We will actually see Christ standing in front of us inviting us to touch the tokens of his sacrifice. One day we will actually see the loved ones we have lost and hold them in our arms once again. One day we will actually be clasped in the arms of our heavenly parents. One day we will have all that we have believed in gloriously confirmed with our actual eyes. And we will be glad. We can find hope in that future happiness.

Ether 12:27 We can find hope in overcoming our weaknesses. We all have areas where we wish we could be better. There are talents and gifts we desire that seem to come so easily to others. There are temptations that we wish we were stronger in denying. We have imperfections that seem to continually nag at us no matter how hard we try. We can have hope in the fact through our humility and faith in God that those weaknesses can not only be eliminated, but actually made into our strengths. We can find hope in that future better version of ourselves.

Ether 12:30 You can find hope in our ability to move mountains. And here is a literal fulfillment of Christ’s teaching that man can move mountains with faith the size of a mustard seed. Now, if you take that teaching literally, it really won’t do you much good. How many people in this world are going to find themselves in situations where they are going to actually need to move a mountain. But if you interpret it symbolically, which is how I believe he intended us to interpret it, we all have mountains in our lives. Mountains of responsibility, challenge, doubt, work, and hardship. But with our anchor of faith and hope, we can move those mountains. We can overcome that massive trial, we can climb over that challenge, we can dig down that doubt, we can accomplish that colossal task.

Ether 12:37 We can find hope in Christ’s power to make us clean. It mattereth not what other people think, or say, or do. Christ’s atonement, and mercy, and love, can make us clean. God promises that he will remember our sins no more if we repent. It will be as if we never committed them. If we are willing to turn fully to Christ, we can and will stand before God pure and perfected.

Now just look at that list! We have a lot to hope for, don’t we. We need not despair nor become discouraged with ourselves. This life is a journey, a process, a progression, a learning experience. We are not meant to have it all, and be all, and attain all right now. So let’s be patient with ourselves, and with life, and with God. We must do as Nephi taught back in 2 Nephi 31:20. We must press forward with a steadfastness in Christ, having a perfect brightness of hope. I believe with all my heart that if we do this, all that hope we for, all that we desire, all that we believe in, will be brought to fruition.

TRUTH

If I develop and nurture a hope for a better future world, a hope for a better terrestrial world, and a hope for a better future me, then I will we be able stand sure and steadfast in the most tumultuous of times. They will act as an anchor to my soul.

TAKING IT TO HEART

A question to consider for each of the three hopes:

What aspect of spirit paradise, the millennium, or Celestial glory gives you the most hope?

What can you do now to make this world a better place?

Which of the personal hopes inspires you? How?

THE TAKEAWAY

So yes my friends. We live in dark, stormy and perilous times. But we need not be overcome by them. This 3-pointed anchor can hold us firm—can keep us from being swept away or capsized. It can allow us to navigate and progress through the canyons and cliffs of life with confidence and safety. May we never despair. There is no need to. We have so much to hope for. There will be a better world than this one in the future. A world without pain, or death, or sorrow, or wickedness. There will be a better world in this life as we build Zion and separate ourselves more and more from the wicked. There will be a better US in the future. If we maintain our hope, WE will be filled with good works, with a strong testimony, having experienced many miracles, with weaknesses that have become strengths, and with an unspotted soul. And though it’s strange to say it this way, in the end, the Sauron’s, the Voldemort’s, the Emperor Palpatine’s, the Satan’s will all be defeated, their dark kingdoms destroyed, and those dedicated, faithful, hopeful few that were willing to fight for goodness and light will enjoy their Utopia, their Camelot, their Millennium. And it won’t just be fiction anymore. It won’t be “hope” anymore, it will be a remarkable reality.

LESSON #2 FAITH FIRST (ETHER 12)

Now, there is another idea that you may wish to emphasize even more in Ether chapter 12 than I have here. I’ve keyed much more off the idea of hope than the idea of faith as far as faith is defined as believing in things that you can’t see. Now faith and hope are very connected. But if I wanted to focus more on the faith aspect. Here’s a brief idea on how to cover that.

ICEBREAKER

For an icebreaker, I would show the following sequences of pictures and ask my students to put them in the proper order. What comes first.

For example. With the following. Baking a cake. Here’s the proper order. Placing the ingredients into a bowl. Mixing the ingredients. And placing the ingredients in the oven. But what would happen if you did any of those steps in a different order? You would end up with a very different result.

How about putting your shoes on. The proper order would be. Put your socks on. Put your shoes on. Then tie your shoes. What would happen if you did these steps out of order. Can you imagine putting your socks over your shoes? Or trying to get your shoes on with them already tied?

One more example. Driving a car. Put the key in the ignition. Place the car in gear. Press down on the gas pedal. What would happen if you did those steps out of sequence? You probably wouldn’t get where you wanted to go.

In the gospel, there is a similar dynamic at play. For most things, there is a principle that absolutely must come first. And that principle is what?

Turn to Ether 12 and scan the chapter and see if you can find the principle. Or, you could turn to the fourth article of faith for help. Which says: We believe that the first principles and ordinances of the gospel are FIRST, FAITH IN THE LORD JESUS CHRIST. Faith comes first.

With that in mind. In Ether chapter 12 I would like to point out four things that faith can lead to. Four things where faith must come first. If we try to do these things out of order we are sure to be disappointed. What are they? Read the following verses and then, with them, complete the following sentence. Faith comes before _____________.

See if you can find them in:

Ether 12:4

Ether 12:6

Ether 12:12

Ether 12:27

And then as a teacher, give your students some time to ponder those verses and share what they find. Write their answers on the board. And with each of their answers, you should ask the question. Why? Why do they think that principle must come first?

In Ether 12:4

4 Wherefore, whoso believeth in God might with surety hope for a better world, yea, even a place at the right hand of God, which hope cometh of faith, maketh an anchor to the souls of men, which would make them sure and steadfast, always abounding in good works, being led to glorify God.

Faith comes before hope. Why? Like we said earlier. Hope is based on things that you can’t see. Things that haven’t happened yet, but that you hope will happen. You believe they will happen; you just haven’t experienced those things yet. And then I might ask. What are some of the things that faith can cause us to hope for? Possible answers: Hope for forgiveness and mercy through the atonement. Hope in the resurrection. Hope in our potential to become like God. Hope to endure our challenges and discouragements. And like we talked about earlier, hope for a better world, in this life and in the next. But faith comes first. We must believe in those things without seeing them before we experience the hope that they provide.

Ether 12:6

Faith comes before a witness. The witness comes after our faith has been tried. Sadly, many wish to do these steps out of order. They say, I’ll have faith, when you send me a witness. Give me a sign. Prove to me it’s true. Show me the evidence, and then I’ll believe. And God just shakes his head and says, “That’s backwards”. Faith first. Believe, and then I’ll send you a witness. You won’t gain a testimony of the Book of Mormon until you study it and act on its teachings, then the witness will come. You will gain a testimony of tithing, after you’ve paid it. You will gain a testimony of the commandments as you live them. You will discover the reality of God, and Jesus Christ, and the Holy Ghost, as you believe in them and reach out to them in prayer. And I know we’ve talked a lot about this principle before, especially in Alma 30-32, so I’m not going to go into great detail, but we know that that was one of the great purposes of our mortal lives. To live by faith, not a perfect knowledge. This test of faith gives us experience, allows us to truly exercise our agency, develops our character, strengthens our relationship with deity, and helps us to learn something about ourselves. God could very easily just give everybody knowledge; he could just come down and prove his existence and his truth. He could compel us to believe, or to know. But where would that leave us? Where’s the growth? No, things that are tried are strengthened. Things that are put to the test, grow. The witness WILL come AFTER the trial of our faith. So when you feel like your faith is being tried, when you face questions and doubts and when you feel like you’re being asked to act without knowing the final outcome, remember that you are fulfilling the purpose of our mortal lives. It’s what God intended for us. And he will send a witness AFTER the trial.

Ether 12:12

12 For if there be no faith among the children of men God can do no miracle among them; wherefore, he showed not himself until after their faith.

Faith comes before miracles. At certain times, God can and does intervene in the affairs of men for their benefit after people exercise faith. I believe in miracles, and I even feel that I’ve seen a few in my lifetime. But faith precedes the miracle, as Spencer W. Kimball reminded us. It is after verse 12 where Moroni starts in on all the great examples of individuals from the Book of Mormon that demonstrated faith and then highlights the miracles that these people experienced AFTER they exercised that faith. Alma and Amulek saw the prison walls tumble to the earth. Nephi and Lehi (the brothers) saw the conversion of the Lamanite nation. Ammon saw the conversion of the Lamanites, the three disciples were given power over death, the Brother of Jared saw the finger of God, but all of these miracles took place AFTER they exercised faith in God.

And then we have Ether 12:27

27 And if men come unto me I will show unto them their weakness. I give unto men weakness that they may be humble; and my grace is sufficient for all men that humble themselves before me; for if they humble themselves before me, and have faith in me, then will I make weak things become strong unto them.

Faith comes before strength. Or only after I have faith can my weaknesses be made strengths.

And maybe a little warning to consider here in interpreting this verse. I’m not so sure that the weaknesses Moroni is referring to here are moral weaknesses. I don’t think God purposely gives us moral weaknesses to overcome other than the desires and passions of the natural man that are given to all of us as a part of living in a fallen, mortal world. The specific weakness that Moroni is referring to here is his own perception of his writing ability. He doesn’t feel like he can write about these gospel principles as powerfully as he would like to. He compares himself to the Brother of Jared who he says could write words “unto the overpowering of man to read them”. But Moroni feels inadequate in his ability to express what he feels on the plates. A couple of weeks ago we looked at a number of verses where Moroni expressed his worries about the faults, and mistakes of men that the Gentiles might find in the Book of Mormon. So perhaps “weaknesses” here refers more to gifts and abilities that we wish we possessed in greater measure. Maybe we wish we were better speakers, better administrators, better teachers, better with the youth, more kind, more able to recognize the promptings of the Spirit. Just as each of us has been given gifts of the Spirit, special abilities and strengths that are our own, we also have weaknesses. But they don’t have to remain that way. So we come unto Him, and ask for help, and we work for those gifts, and show our desire for them. Then, his grace is sufficient to take those weaknesses of ours and make them strengths.

TRUTH

Faith comes before hope, a witness, miracles, and my weaknesses becoming strengths.

TAKING IT TO HEART

When have you seen or experienced any of those outcomes as a result of exercising your faith?

THE TAKEAWAY

I’ll conclude with a statement of Ether’s that Moroni began his whole treatment of this topic with back in verse 3. He said, “by faith ALL things are fulfilled”. Faith is the fuel on which the gospel runs. It’s always the first step in the sequence. Let’s be sure to do all things in the correct order. Remember faith first!

LESSON #3 A DIVIDED SOCIETY (ETHER 13-15)

Well, Ether 12 is definitely where I would spend the majority of my time in this block of scripture. However, there is one final insight I might point out from the remainder of the Book.

OBJECT

A chess set. And I would have that displayed at the front of the room. If you don’t have a chess set at home and would like to purchase one. I’ll include a link to a decent one in the video description below.

https://amzn.to/3O5yu2C

ICEBREAKER

And my icebreaker would be quick and simple. I’d ask this question. In chess, what ends the game?

Answer: When you capture your opponent’s king. Once you have the king, it doesn’t matter how many other pieces are on the board. It’s over. On the other hand, a game between two very evenly matched players will often come down to just the two kings and a few pawns left on the board. The challenge is to see who can get one of their pawns to the other side of the board to be promoted first. This is a very common situation in chess and is called the endgame. But the point is this. You fight until you take the king.

What we find in the final chapters of Ether represents the endgame for the Jaredites. And the rule that you keep fighting until you capture the king certainly applies here.

GAME

As a teacher you may want to explain what happens to the Jaredites by summarizing these final chapters. You could do that just by having members of your class read the chapter headings of those final three chapters, or you could summarize the story yourself, or if you’re teaching the youth, you could play a little game to help them grasp the narrative of these chapters.

One idea would be to play a little game called trashketball. All you really need for this activity is a trashcan, which most rooms are going to have already, and some paper that the students can use to create trashketballs. To conserve paper, I usually cut 11 by 8 pieces of paper into four equal pieces and give each student a little stack of them. I’ll provide a template for you with the lines on the paper that show you where to cut them. I’ve even given the paper the look of a basketball just for fun. Also, I’ll provide you with a little poster of a basketball hoop that you can tape to the front of the trash can if you like. And when it comes time for them to try and make a basket, they crumple up one of the pieces of paper into a little ball and try to toss it into the basket.

What you’ll do first though is divide you class into teams. Teams of 5 to 6 seem to work well with this activity, but really, you could have as many or as few teams as you like. Then, you tell them that you will be asking them questions from Ether chapters 13-15 that will go in order, to help them get a sense of the story. If anybody thinks they know the answer, they should raise their hand. If they get the answer wrong. Somebody on the other team will get a chance to answer before anybody on the initial team gets a chance to guess again. And you just go back and forth between the teams until somebody answer correctly.

The team that answers correctly gets a chance to make baskets. Where and how far away you wish to place the trashcan is entirely up to you and the dimensions of your classroom. But everybody on that team gets a chance to throw one trashketball into the wastebasket. And to expedite the time, I just let them throw them all at once if they like. Every person on the team gets one shot. And however many baskets are made, the team is awarded that many points.

Here are the questions. And they begin starting in verse 13 of chapter 13, since we already kind of covered the first 12 verses of that chapter in our previous lesson:

Where did Ether go when he was cast out by the people? 13:13 The cavity of a rock (a cave, he becomes a caveman basically )

Who was the King of the Jaredite nation at the time of Ether? 13:15 Coriantumr

True/False Coriantumr was a very popular and righteous king that everybody loved. Ether 13:15-18 False (He was wicked, verse 16 tells us that he was studied in all the arts of war and all the cunning of the world. And verse 17 tells us that he repented not. Also, he was not universally loved. There were many who rose up against him to try and take the kingship from him. And that’s what precipitates the nation into war)

The Lord sent Ether personally to Coriantumr to tell him what? Ether 13:20-21 To tell him that if he would repent, the Lord would keep him in power and spare his people.

How did Coriantumr react to that prophesy? Ether 13:22 He doesn’t repent, and they try to kill Ether, but he runs away and hides in his cave again.

What was the name of the man who led a rebellion against Coriantumr? Ether 13:23-31 Shared

The advantage in the battles between Shared and Coriantumr swings back and forth until Shared is finally killed by Coriantumr. However, before this, Coriantumr is injured, where? Ether 13:31 In his thigh. It’s a serious enough wound that it keeps him out of battle for two years while he recovers.

Well, the wars and iniquity continue to worsen, which brings a curse upon the land. What was that curse? Ether 14:1 That nobody could keep a hold of anything. I imagine that’s because there’s so much thievery and dishonesty and lack of trust among the people.

Name two of the 4 men that were trying to gain power over Coriantumr? Shared, Gilead, Lib, Shiz.

How did Gilead die? Ether 14:9 He was murdered by his high priest.

What do we know about Lib physically? Ether 14:10 He was a man of great stature, more than any among all the people. He was a big guy.

What was the great cry that went throughout the land near the end of the Jaredite destruction? Ether 14:18 Who can stand before the army of Shiz? Behold he sweepeth the earth before him!

Now in the entire first half of chapter 14, you have these men who are trying to take power from Coriantumr. Shared already died in the previous chapter, but his brother Gilead takes the reigns, but Gilead is murdered. Then Lib takes over, and Lib and Coriantumr fight and Coriantumr is wounded on his arm this time, but eventually Coriantumr kills Lib as well. Then Lib’s brother Shiz takes over and he’s the one that really begins to get the upper hand, and it seems like all the different factions that are left in the land gravitate to one side or the other. They divide into the armies of Coriantumr vs the armies of Shiz.

And so, after many years of bloodshed and war, what did the land look like: Ether 14:21 The whole face of the land was covered with the bodies of the dead.

What happens to Coriantumr at the end of chapter 14? 14:30-31 He’s, once again, wounded in battle. So badly that he faints for the loss of blood. Man, this guy must have been just covered in battle scars.

How many people had to die before Coriantumr finally decided to repent? Ether 15:2 2 million people.

Well this prompts Coriantumr to offer a truce to Shiz. Let’s stop the fighting and I’ll give up the kingdom. This isn’t worth the loss of life we’re experiencing. And Shiz says sure, as long as you let me kill you! Well that makes Coriantumr’s people angry, and they decide to continue fighting. The bloodshed continues until finally they decide that both captains are going to gather all their people up into one place and have it out. It takes four years to get everyone together into one place. And that place is called Ramah. That’s what the Jaredites called it, what was that same location called to the Nephites? 15:11 That verse tells us that this is the same hill where Mormon hid the records up. And although it doesn’t say it by name, we can conclude that the hill was named what in Nephite? It’s the hill Cumorah.

What would the people do to pass the time at night? Ether 15:15-17 They would mourn and lament their dead.

In verse 23 we learn that during the last days of battle, the number of men left on Coriantumr’s side was 52 and on Shiz’s, 69. What was the score at the end of the next day? Ether 15:25 Shiz 32, and Coriantumr 27

What was the final score? Ether 15:29 1 to 1. Everybody is dead except the two kings.

How does Shiz die? Ether 15:30-31 For some reason, the story of Shiz’s demise is a favorite among my male teenage seminary students. Go figure. But Coriantumr decapitates him and then, this gory detail, Shiz raises up on his hands after that, struggles for breath and dies.

How does Ether die? Ether 15:34 We don’t know. Either he was translated, or he just eventually died. As for Coriantumr, we know that he is going to wander off alone in the land and stumble upon a city by the name of Zarahemla that is peopled by descendants of Mulek. The Mulekites. And he’ll live with them for a short time before he dies. And this is long before King Mosiah’s people unite with the Mulekites, but they have record of this story engraven on a large stone. We see that in the book of Omni (Omni 1:19-22)

And that’s the end of the questions, but don’t feel like you need to ask all of them, just judge how many to ask depending on the time. And you know, after going through this story, I often get asked why they would fight all the way down to just two people left. You would think that before that happened they would come to the realization how pointless their war was becoming. Fighting until victory of what? There was nothing left to win. No society to fight for. You kind of wonder what Coriantumr was thinking when he finally killed Shiz. Was it, “Yay, We won the war!” And then he looks around and all that’s left are bodies, and he’s like, “Um, wait, I won the war? Well, now what am I going to do?”

But maybe it makes more sense in terms of chess. You don’t win until you take the king. That was their philosophy of victory. So they fight all the way until only the kings are left. On the other hand, that may make sense in chess, but in real life, it certainly was pointless. They weren’t thinking and they weren’t feeling at that point. And maybe that’s the lesson. Something shuts down their minds and their hearts. What is it that has the power to do that to people?

I invite you to examine the following verses to discover what caused this total waste of human life and the effect that it had. What can motivate a people to continue fighting when it is obvious that they are completely destroying their world and themselves?

The Cause: 13:27/15:6/15:22

The Effect: 15:19

The answer is anger. Anger and the emotion that so often accompanies it, hatred.

What effect does anger and hatred have on the human soul? 15:19

The Spirit of the Lord ceases to strive with you, you give Satan power, it hardens your heart, and blinds your minds. Nothing shuts down the heart from feeling and the mind from thinking quite as effectively as anger and hate.

It can lead to Ether 15 type situations, where the only thing that matters is revenge and destroying the other side. Who cares if it ruins lives, who cares if it destroys your peace and happiness, who cares if it leads to the complete destruction of everything you know and love, at least you stuck it to the other side. I’ve seen and heard of this kind of thing destroy nations, workplaces, organizations, friendships, families, and marriages. Hopefully we can learn from the Jaredites mistake. What happens in Ether chapters 13-15 is the antithesis of the messages of Ether chapter 12. This is what happens when you lose faith and hope and charity.

TRUTH

Anger and hate destroy (but I never like to just focus on the negative, every principle comes in twos. If that’s true, what’s the other side of that coin? If anger and hate destroy, what else must be true?) but patience and love can build.

TAKING IT TO HEART

When have you seen anger and hatred cause problems in your world?

What helps you to hold back anger and resist hatred?

THE TAKEAWAY

The Jaredites lived in a deeply divided society. If you live in a deeply divided society, or you find yourself in disagreement with somebody in your world, please don’t let anger and hatred enter the equation. Letting these things dominate or control our actions when we’re divided can only lead to suffering and ruin. Instead, we can try compromise, we can try reaching across the aisle, we can try examining things from the other persons point of view, or at the very least, we can learn to disagree without being disagreeable. I’m afraid that once we let hatred and anger into our lives or society, we’re setting ourselves up for a pointless and tragic end.

Ether 12-15

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