1. Enos, Jarom, Omni, and Words of Mormon
“For a Wise Purpose”
Enos, Jarom, Omni, and Words of Mormon

2. Words of Mormon and record keeping 1:3-7

4. Made about 590 BC soon after arrival at Promised Land
Made about 590 BC soon after arrival at Promised Land. This is the first set of plates the prophet Nephi, son of Lehi, made upon which he kept a general history of the people of Nephi. Became a generic term for all the records of the Nephites kept from the time ofNephi to the time of Mormon and Moroni. Probably consisted of of many plates referred to collectively.(1 Nephi 9:2,4.)
The small plates were made by Nephi thirty years after he and his family had left Jerusalem (about 570 B.C.). A “best of” collection made by commandment.(2 Nephi 5:30,32,33).
The Gold Plates
Record of the Jaredites on 24 Gold Plates telling how they were led by God to the Americas shortly after the confusion of tongues and the destruction of the Tower of Babel

5. Original Source
Contents
Current Form
Large Plates of Nephi
Book of Lehi
Lost 116 pages
Mosiah, Alma, Helaman, 3 Nephi, 4 Nephi
Abridged by Mormon and included in the Book of Mormon
Small Plates of Nephi
1 Nephi, 2 Nephi, Jacob, Enos, Jarom, Omni
Included by Mormon in the Book of Mormon
Plates of Ether
Book of Ether
Abridged by Moroni and included in the Book of Mormon

6. Engravers of Gold Plates

7. The engravers of the Gold Plates
Nephi
Jacob
Enos
Jarom
Omni 3
Amaron 4 Chemish 1 Abinadom 2 Amaleki 18
Mormon
Moroni
Less than 8 pages
350 years of history

8. Record Keepers
If all the thousand year history of Lehi’s posterity were written so succinctly, the Book of Mormon would be a 20 page pamphlet instead of a 531 page book.
Victor Ludlow, Studies in Scripture, 196

9. Words of Mormon 1:2,6-7,11 What do we learn about records?
Wrote the things of Christ, that they may profit us
Wrote the things which were choice unto me and my brethren
For a wise purpose
He worketh in me to do his will
Preserved by God
Judged according to the word of God which is written

10. Enos Record
A record written for a wise purpose and choice teachings given that we may profit from in each verse

11. ‘nurture and admonish’ or ‘provoke to wrath’?
Enos 1:1 x Eph 6:4
Do I
‘nurture and admonish’ or ‘provoke to wrath’?
Nurture: that which nourishes and encourages growth
Admonition: gentle reproof’, instruction, counsel, caution
Why is the opposite of ‘nurture and admonition of the Lord’, wrath?
What would ‘nurture and admonition’ look like in a family?

12. Parents like Enos’ parents
President Gordon B. Hinckley counseled parents to be righteous examples for their children, as Enos’s father was for him: “Treat your children as sons and daughters of God. Be kind. Love them. Respect them. Counsel with them. Teach them. Pray for them. Guide them and God will bless both them and you” (in Church News, 1 Nov. 1997, 2).

13. Enos 1:2 Wrestle?
X Gen 32:24-32
Wickipedia picture

14. Pattern for faith
We cannot find Enos-like faith without our own wrestle before God in prayer. I testify that the reward is worth the effort. Remember the pattern:
(1) hear the word of God, spoken and written by His servants;
(2) let that word sink deep into your heart;
(3) hunger in your soul for righteousness;
(4) obediently follow gospel laws, ordinances, and covenants; and
(5) raise your voice in mighty prayer and supplication, asking in faith to know that Jesus Christ is our Savior.
I promise that if you do these things sincerely and unceasingly, the words Christ spoke to His disciples will be fulfilled in your life: “Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you.” 29 [29.  Matt. 7:7.]
Robert D. Hales, “Finding Faith in the Lord Jesus Christ,” Ensign, Nov. 2004, 70

15. The wrestle Enos had before God was with himself
(see Enos 1:2). Sometimes the greatest effort is put forth when a person contends with himself before the Lord. Such wrestling is the struggle to find and express one’s real desires which are sometimes hidden behind sin, evasion, and cover-up. Wrestling with oneself involves deep thought, meditation, and concentration. It means going beyond the cliche level of prayer to the point that one truly pours his soul into words and offers them to God. Repetitions cease to be vain, trite, or unfelt. Instead, each phrase is an expression of a yearning desire to do God’s will. Such prayers are assisted and guided by the Holy Spirit, “for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered” (Romans 8:26).
Book of Mormon Student Manual, Religion 121 and 122; p. 55

16. Enos 1:3 he was going about his daily work his father had taught him
he remembered learning of joy and life, not negatives
Enos was pondering
he wasn’t ready until now

17. The words which I had often heard my father speak sunk deep into my heart…
One widely recognized expert in helping troubled youth said that the young people who most readily and completely come back after losing their way are those who have a foundation of standards and spirituality to which they can return. They are strengthened by their spiritual memories, and for them, repentance feels like coming home.
Susan L. Warner, “Remember How Thou Hast Received and Heard,” Ensign, May 1996, 78

18. Enos 1:3 When does it sink deep?
In our family we have tried to hold early-morning scripture study. But we were often frustrated when one son complained and had to be coaxed out of bed. When he finally came, he would often put his head right down on the table. Years later, while serving his mission, he wrote home in a letter: “Thank you for teaching me the scriptures. I want you to know that all those times I acted like I was sleeping, I was really listening with my eyes closed.”
Susan L. Warner, “Remember How Thou Hast Received and Heard,” Ensign, May 1996

19. Slow growing seeds
Parents and teachers, our efforts to help our children establish a heritage of rich spiritual memories are never wasted. Sometimes, the seeds we plant may not bear fruit for years, but we may take comfort in the hope that someday the children we teach will remember how they have “received and heard” the things of the Spirit. They will remember what they know and what they have felt. They will remember their identity as children of Heavenly Father, who sent them here with a divine purpose.
Susan L. Warner, “Remember How Thou Hast Received and Heard,” Ensign, May 1996

20. Enos 1:3 D&C 128:19-23 Joy!
What about our children? Do they hear exclamations of joy and hope in the gospel? After a Primary lesson about Joseph Smith’s First Vision, the class was asked to draw pictures to take home and share with their families. The children had been taught about the darkness Joseph experienced before the appearance of the Father and the Son. A six-year-old girl picked up a black crayon and started to draw. She colored the bottom and up one side of the page as dark as she could. When her teacher asked her about the picture, she said she was drawing Joseph Smith in the darkness.
Her teacher inquired: “Do you know that when Heavenly Father and Jesus appeared, all the darkness had to leave? Heavenly Father and Jesus are always more powerful than Satan, and They will protect you.” The child turned back to her paper. In the top corner, she drew an outline of two figures; and then, trading her black crayon for a bright yellow one, she filled the rest of the page with light.
It is this light, the light of the restored gospel—a “voice of gladness”—that parents can help their children come to know. The adversary is real, but children can feel the peace and the joy that come as they exercise faith in Jesus Christ. Our children will not experience this light unless we teach them the gospel.
Coleen K. Menlove, “A Voice of Gladness for Our Children,” Ensign, Nov. 2002, 13

21. Several years ago, I had an unforgettable conversation with a friend who listened patiently while I whined about all the pressure I was under. Finally he said, “Sheri, you always take on more than you have time for. You must want to live this way.” You should have heard my rebuttal. I had to work. I was stake Relief Society president. And I was consumed by a huge project that was demanding every spare minute. He countered: “But you don’t have to do any of those things. You must want to do them.”
It was several days before I admitted to myself that he was right. But coming to the realization that I did indeed want to do everything I was doing was liberating, and it made the burden lift. By the same token, once we have turned our hearts over to the Lord and decided we want to be like Him and are willing to pay the requisite price, the process of following Him becomes one of joy rather than white-knuckled endurance.
Sheri Dew, No Doubt About It, 222
Joy of the Saints

22. Enos 1:4-6 Notice the verbs Why didn’t the voice come right away?
Vain and repetitious Prayers
Powerful Prayers
Wrestle
Hungered
Kneeled
Cried
Mighty prayer and supplication
All the day long I cried
Raise my voice high
Pour out my whole soul
Many long strugglings
Prayed and labored with all diligence

23. Luke 22:44
And being in agony he prayed more earnestly…

24. Enos 1:2,9,11,13 Prayer/Growth Pattern
Self
Others
Adversaries
Future Generations

25. This pattern tells us something about our conversion…
I once attended a fireside where a General Authority began by asking the question, “How can you tell if someone is converted to Jesus Christ? We gave dozens of answers about service and commitment and obedience, none of which satisfied him. Finally he said that although our comments were all good, he believed that the one sure measure of a person’s conversion was how he or she treated others.
I frankly expected something more profound, but his assertion so intrigued me that it drove me to the scriptures, where after much study I began to see how profound his message was: When we turn our hearts to the Lord, we instinctively open our hearts to others.
Sherri Dew, No Doubt About It, 223 I
This pattern tells us something about our conversion…

26. Light other souls?
“You cannot lift another soul until you are standing on higher ground than he is. You must be sure, if you would rescue the man, that you yourself are setting the example of what you would have him be. You cannot light a fire in another soul unless it is burning in your own soul”
Harold B Lee, Ensign, July 1973, 123

27. Enos 1:6 What did he mean by “guilt swept away’?
Can we be forgiven and still feel guilty?

28. Enos 1:5-8 Repentance
President Harold B. Lee said: “If the time comes when you have done all that you can to repent of your sins … and have made amends and restitution to the best of your ability … , then you will want that confirming answer as to whether or not the Lord has accepted of you. In your soul-searching, if you seek for and you find that peace of conscience, by that token you may know that the Lord has accepted of your repentance” (Stand Ye in Holy Places [1974], 185).

29. Guilt swept away
Forgive yourself of sins and imperfections. Heavenly Father is not expecting you to become completely perfect in this life. He knew His children would make mistakes as they learned from experience in mortality. But “God so loved the world” that His plan of happiness provided a merciful Savior.
Jesus said, “I, the Lord, will forgive whom I will forgive, but of you it is required to forgive all men.” Start with yourself, and forgive others as well. If God will not remember our repented-of sins, then why should we? Avoid wasting time and energy reliving the past.
To forgive yourself and others, you must trust the Atonement of Jesus Christ. The prophet Zenock prayed, “Thou art angry, O Lord, with this people, because they will not understand thy mercies which thou hast bestowed upon them because of thy Son.” (Alma 33:16)Our Father in Heaven is saddened when we limit the power of His Son’s atoning sacrifice. As you exercise faith in Jesus Christ, you can have your guilt “swept away. If guilt remains after sincere repentance, believe your priesthood leaders when they declare you to be worthy.
Anthony D. Perkins, “The Great and Wonderful Love,” Ensign, Nov. 2006, 76

30. Jarom 1:1-2
What did Jarom say was his purpose in adding to the records?

31. Jarom 1:3 Spiritual Diseases?
Hard hearts
Deaf ears
Blind minds
Stiff necks
What do these 4 things represent?
How do they prevent us from feeling the Spirit?

32. What blessings come from overcoming these conditions?
Jarom 1:4

33. Jarom 1:11
The Nephite leaders persuaded the people to “look forward unto the
Messiah, and believe in
him to come as though he
already was.”
Why should we follow this
counsel as we prepare for
the Savior’s Second
Coming?

35. Next Week: Mosiah 1-3
Eternally Indebted to Your Heavenly Father