How be it that ye have not written this thing?

Lou’s Baby tales When Lou was little, his mother asked what he had learned in Primary. “Well, Mom,” he replied, “our teacher told us how God sent Moses behind enemy lines on a rescue mission to lead the Israelites out of Egypt. When he got to the Red Sea, he had his engineers build a pontoon bridge, and all the people walked across safely. Then he used his walkie-talkie to radio headquarters and call in an air strike. They sent in bombers to blow up the bridge and all the Israelites were saved.” "Now, Louis, is that REALLY what your teacher taught you?" his mother asked. "Well, no, Mom, but if I told it the way the teacher did, you'd never believe it!"

Lesson One: Joseph Smith’s Gospel Doctrine Class Trivia question: What scripture did the Prophet Joseph Smith quote more than any other? Malachi 4: 5,6

Different Layers of Meaning 5 ¶ Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the LORD: 6 And he shall turn the heart of the fathers to the children, and the heart of the children to their fathers, lest I come and smite the earth with a curse. 3 Nephi 25: 5,6 1 Behold, I will reveal unto you the Priesthood, by the hand of Elijah the prophet, before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord. 2 And he shall plant in the hearts of the children the promises made to the fathers, and the hearts of the children shall turn to their fathers. 3 If it were not so, the whole earth would be utterly wasted at his coming. D&C 2 16 Therefore, renounce war and proclaim peace, and seek diligently to turn the hearts of the children to their fathers, and the hearts of the fathers to the children; 17 And again, the hearts of the Jews unto the prophets, and the prophets unto the Jews; lest I come and smite the whole earth with a curse, and all flesh be consumed before me. D&C 98: 16,17 Now- why was this quoted to Joseph, by Moroni, while revealing the location of the plates?

The Title Page of the Book of Mormon “Which is to show unto the remnant of the House of Israel (the children) what great things the Lord hath done for their fathers; …and that they (the children) are not cast off forever.”

Question: So, for the Children of Israel (Jews, “remnants”, and adoptees), what additional spirit attends the Book of Mormon and touches their hearts? The Spirit of Elijah

Lesson 2: The Savior as Editor in Chief… And now it came to pass that when Jesus had said these words he said unto them again, … Behold, other scriptures I would that ye should write, that ye have not. And it came to pass that he said unto Nephi: Bring forth the record which ye have kept. And when Nephi had brought forth the records, and laid them before him, he cast his eyes upon them and said: Verily I say unto you, I commanded my servant Samuel, the Lamanite, that he should testify unto this people, that at the day that the Father should glorify his name in me that there were many saints who should arise from the dead, and should appear unto many, and should minister unto them. And he said unto them: Was it not so? And his disciples answered him and said: Yea, Lord, Samuel did prophesy according to thy words, and they were all fulfilled. And Jesus said unto them: How be it that ye have not written this thing, that many saints did arise and appear unto many and did minister unto them?

Sobering Thought Prophet Joseph Smith: "if I now had in my possession, every decision which had been had upon important items of doctrine and duties since the commencement of this work, I would not part with them for any sum of money. But this has been neglected, and now we cannot bear record to the Church and to the world, of the great and glorious manifestations which have been made to us with that degree of power and authority we otherwise could, if we now had these things to publish abroad…. Perhaps, for neglecting to write these things when God had revealed them, not esteeming them of sufficient worth, the Spirit may withdraw, and God may be angry; and there is, or was, a vast knowledge, of infinite importance, which is now lost (Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, 72-73).

Brigham Young How many thousands have been miraculously healed in this Church and yet no one has recorded the circumstances. Is this right? Should the miraculous manifestations of the power of God be forgotten and pass into oblivion? Should the knowledge of these things slumber in the hearts of those who witnessed them, and extend no further than their verbal reports will carry them?... We should keep a record because Jesus commanded it. We should keep a record because the same will benefit us and the generations of our children after us. We should keep a journal because it will furnish many important items for the general history of the Church which would otherwise be lost. (Millennial Star: 11:153)

President Hinckley "And perhaps, out of all we have heard, there may be a phrase or a paragraph that will stand out and possess our attention. If this occurs, I hope we will write it down and reflect on it until we savor the depth of its meaning and have made it a part of our own lives" Oct 2000 Conference

Questions: Has the Lord done great and marvelous works for you and your family? Has He answered your prayers, letting you know that He knows and loves you? Have you written those things down, that your children may know “what great things the Lord hath done for their fathers; and that they may know the covenants of the Lord”? (title page, BoM)