Despise Not the Revelations of God

     Despise Not the Revelations of God

As discussed in earlier posts, The Book Of Mormon is the story of a family who travels from Jerusalem to ancient America and eventually divides into two nations, the Nephites and the Lamanites. About 12 years into this family's story (roughly 588 BC), Lehi, the father, dies. The siblings of the family don't get along and Nephi, Sam, Jacob, Joseph, some of the sisters, and their families separate themselves from the rest of the family (older brothers Laman and Lemuel and their families). Laman and Lemuel were planing to kill Nephi so the Lord warned Nephi to flee into a different land.

Wherefore, it came to pass that I, Nephi, did take my family, and also Zoram and his family, and Sam, mine elder brother and his family, and Jacob and Joseph, myyounger brethren, and also my sisters, and all those who would go with me. And all those who would go with mewere those who believed in the warnings and therevelations of God
(2 Nephi 5:6)

     Notice here that the main difference between the Nephites and the Lamanites is that the Nephites believed in the "warnings and the revelations of God".

     After the family separates, Nephi and his people travel for many days until they settle in a land they call Nephi and they make Nephi their ruler. Nephi appoints his younger brothers Jacob and Joseph as teachers over the people. After Nephi dies he passes the records to his younger brother Jacob and asks him to write on them "a few of the things which I considered to be most precious... and if there were preaching which was sacred, or revelation which was great, or prophesying, that I should engraven the heads of them upon these plates (records made from thin sheets of metal), and touch upon them as much as it were possible, for Christ's sake, and for the sake of our people" (Jacob 1:2-4).
     In one of the Jacob's recorded sermons to his people he counsels them to:
"despise not the revelations of God."
(Jacob 4:8)

     As members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints "We believe all that God has revealed, all that He does now reveal, and we believe that He will yet reveal many great and important things pertaining to the 
Kingdom of God."
(Articles of Faith 1:9)

      I believe that God revealed truths to his prophets in the old testament like when God told Noah that the earth would be flooded. I believe that Jesus Christ restored many important truths to the earth when he established his church in the meridian of time. The prophets in The Book of Mormon like Jacob also received revelations from God. I believe that we have a living prophet on the earth today that receives revelation from God for the people of the earth.
     

     We may not always like what the prophets have to say. When Noah told people to prepare for a flood only a handful of people would listen. The revelations of God are not always popular but they are always right. In the second book of Chronicles in the Old Testament we read of king Ahab who wanted to seek the Lord's council during a time of war. The problem is that he didn't always want to listen to what the Lord had to say. When looking for someone who could give such a revelation "the king of Israel said unto Jehoshaphat, There is yet one man, by whom we may 
inquire of the Lord: but I hate him; for he never prophesied good unto me, but 
always evil: the same is Micaiah the son of Imla" (2 Chronicles 18:7).   In the old testament the word "evil" is often synonymous with "bad". So in other words the king didn't want to listen to the revelations of the prophet because sometimes the truth hurts. 

     I am grateful that we have a living prophet on the earth today. He is the president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. His name is Thomas Monson. He has spent the majority of his life in the service of his fellow men and in the service of God. I have listened to his words and I know he receives revelation from God. What he teaches may not always be popular but it is always right. 
     

     Jacob in The Book Of Mormon knew that because of the wickedness of human kind people would struggle to believe the revelations of God. I am grateful for his counsel to "despise not the revelations of God".