3 - And it came to pass that there came a voice again unto the people, and all the people did hear, and did witness of it, saying:
Once again, what does it signify to hear the voice of Christ and to witness of it? What do witnesses do? Do gospel ordinances make use of witnesses? Is this the same context?
4 - O ye people of these great cities which have fallen, who are descendants of Jacob, yeah, who are of the house of Israel, how oft have I gathered you as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and have nourished you.
Why is the Lord referencing their ancestor Jacob? Didn't they know that they were descendents of Jacob/Israel? What was Jacob promised by the Lord? How could that relate to "the house of Israel"? Who lives in houses? What do the promises made to the Fathers (ancient patriarchs) have to do with the Nephites at this time? Do they have anything to do with us? Is Christ reminding them of these promises? How does one qualify to have these same promises extended to them? Can we do it of ourselves, by ourselves? Is it necessary that we be "gathered" and "nourished"? Look up the footnote for "gathered" ( Helaman 7:19 ). What must be done to qualify to be gathered? What qualifies for scattering? Look up the second footnote for "nourished" ( 1 Nephi 17:3 ). What must one do to be qualified to be nourished? Have we been commanded to seek and receive the promises made to the Fathers? What is the way to have the means provided to us to accomplish that as outlined in 1 Nephi 17:3?
5 - And again, how oft would I have gathered you as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, yea, O ye people of the house of Israel, ye that dwell at Jerusalem, as ye that have fallen; yea, how oft would I have gathered you as a hen gathereth her chickens, and ye would not.
How many times does Christ use the analogy of a hen gathering her chickens under her wings in verses 4, 5, and 6? If Christ says it that many times, is it important to pay attention? If Mormon caused the same thing to be written in his compilation that many times, is it important to pay attention? Did Mormon understand what Christ meant by that analogy? Do we? If not, is Mormon trying to get our attention? Was Christ trying to get the attention of the Nephites here? The Lord repeats the phrase "the house of Israel" again. Why? Is he drawing attention to something? Why does Christ mention those that dwell at Jerusalem to those who are hearing his voice on the American continent? Is he trying to tell the Nephites something about the state of the people from whence they came? Is he trying to tell the Nephites something about themselves? (1 Nephi 19:11).
6 - O ye house of Israel whom I have spared, how oft will I gather you as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, if ye will repent and return unto me with full purpose of heart.
Do you want to be gathered by Him as a hen gathereth her chickens? What two things must each individual do to have this happen to them? What does "full purpose of heart" mean? Something similar to "eye single to his glory"? Something similar to "a broken heart and a contrite spirit"? If one doesn't doe these things with a "full" purpose of heart, but with a "partially full" purpose of heart, is this mocking God? What happens to those who do that? How do you get your heart more "full" of purpose? Is the second of the two things mentioned above dependent on the first? Do "listening" and "doing" have a place in that process as well?
7 - But if not, O house of Israel, the places of your dwellings shall become desolate until the time of the fulfilling of the covenant to your fathers.
What does it mean to have "places of your dwellings shall be come desolate"? Is this purely physical, or is there also a spiritual component of this as well? What is implied by a spiritual dwelling to become desolate? What does that mean when associated with the "house of Israel"? Does it have something to do with promises extended to the Fathers? To descendents of Israel? Which covenant(s) that were made to their fathers is Christ referring to? Have they been fulfilled? Are they in the process of being fulfilled? Is that fulfillment still a future event from now?
8 - And now it came to pass that after the people had heard these words, behold, they began to weep and howl again because of the loss of their kindred and friends.
Why would the people start to weep and howl now? They had heard things that caused them to stop that and be silent for many hours. Did it have something to do with the fact that they understood the relationships between being "gathered" and "nourished" by Christ, the promises extended by God to the fathers/patriarchs, and being of the "house of Israel". Once they understood this and heard the voice of Christ lamenting that those who were destroyed ( their kindred and friends ) in the recent upheaval of nature at the time of his death had refused to be qualify themselves to be gathered and nourished by Him, were they lamenting the eternal consequences of that refusal that were going to be laid upon those that had perished?
... Great things 2 ponder upon.
Showing posts with label Invitations. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Invitations. Show all posts
February 22, 2012
February 17, 2012
3 Nephi 10:1-2 Initial Nephite Silence
1 - And now behold, it came to pass that all the people of the land did hear these sayings, and did witness of it. And after these sayings there was silence in the land for the space of many hours;
Who was it that heard the voice of Christ and what he had testified about? Look up the footnote for the word 'hear' ( 1 Nephi 19:11 ). What was the manner of visitation of the Lord promised by Zenos for the righteous? What was the manner of visitation of the Lord promised by Zenos for those who were not righteous? Which ones happened on the American continents? Which ones did those who heard his voice from the heavens in the Americas experience? Why? What can that mean in other instances when the Lord has made know that there will be different things happening based on the righteousness of the people? What do the words 'did hear these sayings' mean? What does it mean to 'witness of it'? What does hearing and witnessing of the words which they had heard imply? Why was there silence in the land? Why weren't they talking to each other about what they had just heard? This verse says that everyone heard it, so why weren't they talking?
2 - For so great was the astonishment of the people that they did cease lamenting and howling for the loss of their kindred which had been slain; therefore there was silence in all the land for the space of many hours.
What astonished the people? What could cause them to stop mourning the violent deaths of their relatives? Go back to Chapter 9 and look at what the voice of the Lord said:
9:13 - 1st invitation given by the Lord.
9:14 - 2nd invitation from the Lord. Did they think they had been forgotten by the heavens?
9:15 - The Lord identifies himself in a context (1st) for the people to recognize.
9:16 - The Lord identifies himself in another context (2nd) for the people to recognize.
9:17 - 3rd invitation from the Lord. Is the same invitation as in 9:14? How many times in the scriptures is the term 'sons of God' used? The Lord identifies himself in another context (3rd ) for the people to recognize.
9:18 - The Lord identifies himself in another context (4th) for the people to recognize.
9:19, 20 - The Lord gives new doctrine given and ties it in to a grand spiritual experience that was well-known to the people so that they would know what to expect as a result of obedience to this new direction. This blessing had happened before as a result of obedience and will continue to happen as a result of obedience to the new doctrine given them by the Lord.
9:21 - The Lord identifies himself again in the same context that he did the 3rd time. If the Lord repeats himself, is that important? Should we pay attention? Should we ponder as to why?
9:22 - 4th invitation given from the Lord.
There is a lot there to ponder. Wouldn't you if you were suddenly given instruction and invitations by the voice of the Lord after passing through what must have seemed almost unbearable experiences just prior? In the experiences that these Nephites went through, is there a type that we should be aware of? Lots to ponder, maybe even for the 'space of many hours'?
... Great things 2 ponder upon
Who was it that heard the voice of Christ and what he had testified about? Look up the footnote for the word 'hear' ( 1 Nephi 19:11 ). What was the manner of visitation of the Lord promised by Zenos for the righteous? What was the manner of visitation of the Lord promised by Zenos for those who were not righteous? Which ones happened on the American continents? Which ones did those who heard his voice from the heavens in the Americas experience? Why? What can that mean in other instances when the Lord has made know that there will be different things happening based on the righteousness of the people? What do the words 'did hear these sayings' mean? What does it mean to 'witness of it'? What does hearing and witnessing of the words which they had heard imply? Why was there silence in the land? Why weren't they talking to each other about what they had just heard? This verse says that everyone heard it, so why weren't they talking?
2 - For so great was the astonishment of the people that they did cease lamenting and howling for the loss of their kindred which had been slain; therefore there was silence in all the land for the space of many hours.
What astonished the people? What could cause them to stop mourning the violent deaths of their relatives? Go back to Chapter 9 and look at what the voice of the Lord said:
9:13 - 1st invitation given by the Lord.
9:14 - 2nd invitation from the Lord. Did they think they had been forgotten by the heavens?
9:15 - The Lord identifies himself in a context (1st) for the people to recognize.
9:16 - The Lord identifies himself in another context (2nd) for the people to recognize.
9:17 - 3rd invitation from the Lord. Is the same invitation as in 9:14? How many times in the scriptures is the term 'sons of God' used? The Lord identifies himself in another context (3rd ) for the people to recognize.
9:18 - The Lord identifies himself in another context (4th) for the people to recognize.
9:19, 20 - The Lord gives new doctrine given and ties it in to a grand spiritual experience that was well-known to the people so that they would know what to expect as a result of obedience to this new direction. This blessing had happened before as a result of obedience and will continue to happen as a result of obedience to the new doctrine given them by the Lord.
9:21 - The Lord identifies himself again in the same context that he did the 3rd time. If the Lord repeats himself, is that important? Should we pay attention? Should we ponder as to why?
9:22 - 4th invitation given from the Lord.
There is a lot there to ponder. Wouldn't you if you were suddenly given instruction and invitations by the voice of the Lord after passing through what must have seemed almost unbearable experiences just prior? In the experiences that these Nephites went through, is there a type that we should be aware of? Lots to ponder, maybe even for the 'space of many hours'?
... Great things 2 ponder upon
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