King Benjamin's Last Words~Scripture Study

Mosiah 1

I haven't realized before just how often scripture study is mentioned in The Book of Mormon; however, as I have studied this past little while I have noticed the theme. Today in my scriptures study King Benjamin taught his children the importance of scripture study when he said, "My sons, I would that ye should remember that were it not for these plates, which contain these records and these commandments, we must have suffered in ignorance, even at this present time, not knowing the mysteries of God...I say unto you, my sons, were it not for these things, which have been kept and preserved by the hand of God, that we might read and understand of his mysteries, and have his commandments always before our eyes, that even our fathers would have dwindled in unbelief...O my sons, I would that ye should remember these sayings are true, and also the records are true" (Mosiah 1:3,5,6).

King Benjamin's final words to his children was an admonition for them to search the scriptures. He explains to his sons that had that not had the scriptures, they would have been left to their own ignorance. So it is with us--if we stop using the tool (scriptures) that we have, we will become ignorant. We will forget what we have known. We will lose our testimonies. Does it really surprise us that King Benjamin's last words were to counsel his children to study the scriptures?

Words of God

I felt instructed as I read the words of Jarom this morning. Jarom spoke of the importance of studying the words of God. In verse seven, he said, "...our kings and our leaders were mighty men in the faith of the Lord; and they taught the people the ways of the Lord said; wherefore, we withstood the Lamanites and swept them away out of our lands....", and then in verse nine he said that the Lamanites did not prosper against them, and that "the word of the Lord was verified, which he spake unto our fathers, saying that: Inasmuch as ye will keep my commandments ye shall prosper in the land." This theme of reading the scriptures, and keeping the commandments continues in verse ten and eleven, when it says, "the prophets of the Lord did threaten the people of Nephi, according to the word of God, that if they did not keep the commandments, but should fall into transgression, they should be destroyed from off the face of the land." And in verse ten, "Wherefore, the prophets, and the priests, and the teachers, did labor diligently, exhorting with all long-suffering the people to diligence..." And finally verse twelve states, "And it came to pass that by so doing they kept them from being destroyed upon the face of the land; for they did prick their hearts with the word, continually stirring them up unto repentance. These scriptures verify the importance of "holding to the rod", or in other words, "studying our scriptures". We have been promised in 1 Nephi that as we study our scriptures, we will be safe from the temptations of Satan (1Nephi 15:24). I love promises like these. My minds thinks in formula's, and herein lies a formula for success. If I read my scriptures, then I will have eternal life, because I will be protected from Satan and his temptations.