. Amulek also taught us what we should pray about: 'Therefore may God grant unto you, my brethren, that ye may begin to exercise your faith unto repentance, that ye begin to call upon his holy name, that he would have mercy upon you; Yea, cry unto him for mercy; for he is mighty to save. Man cannot negotiate successfully the path of life without direction from the Spirit himself. 2 Nephi 32: 9: “But behold, I say unto you that ye must pray always, and not faint; that ye must not perform any thing unto the Lord save in the first place ye shall pray unto the Father in the name of Christ, that he will consecrate thy performance unto thee, that thy … Continue reading 2 Nephi 32: 9 → Prayer is the one thing we can do to elevate ourselves in God's eyes. He offers this observation as evidence of the Holy Ghost's presence. Most members of the church are all too familiar with this principle. 'Yea, and cry unto God for all thy support; yea, let all thy doings be unto the Lord, and whithersoever thou goest let it be in the Lord; yea, let all thy thoughts be directed unto the Lord; yea, let the affections of thy heart be placed upon the Lord forever. "I perceive that ye ponder still in your hearts". This is the food he is prepared to give them; it is the everlasting word, the word of truth, the gospel of salvation. The Lord withholds much that he would otherwise reveal if the members of the Church were prepared to receive it. Chapter 32. Prayer may be defined as yearning for spiritual directions and spiritual intervention. verse 8 "I perceive that ye ponder still in your hearts" Nephi apparently perceives that some of those listening to him are puzzled by his sayings. If we do this, we have the promise that He will show us all things that we should do, ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you (Matt 7:7). "Why not? Counsel with the Lord in all thy doings, and he will direct thee for good; yea, when thou liest down at night lie down unto the Lord, that he may watch over you in your sleep; and when thou risest in the morning let thy heart be full of thanks unto God; and if ye do these things, ye shall be lifted up at the last day.' It may be difficult to execute over the course of a lifetime, but the concept is simple enough that anyone can do it. (Mormon Doctrine, p. 581-2), "We would say to the brethren, seek to know God in your closets, call upon him in the fields. The restoration of the gospel in its fulness in this dispensation has brought us a more complete understanding of the Lord's plan of salvation and the precious ordinances of the temple. Scriptures are of little value unless they are feasted upon and searched. "ye are not brought into the light" What does it mean to be "brought into the light"? (1 Ne 15:8-11). "...We have little occasion to clamor for more revelation when we refuse to heed what the Lord has revealed for our salvation. Do ye not remember the things which the Lord hath said?--If ye will not harden your hearts, and ask me in faith, believing that ye shall receive, with diligence in keeping my commandments, surely these things shall be made known unto you.' For his purposes to be fulfilled, the devil only need separate a man from his God. 5 For behold, again I say unto you that if ye will enter in by the way, and receive the Holy Ghost, it will show unto you all things what ye should do. 2 Nephi 32. He was obviously restrained by the Spirit. . This means not just receive the gift of the Holy Ghost but to receive the companionship of the Holy Ghost through righteous living and frequent involvement in activities which give the opportunity for the Holy Ghost to whisper in his still, small voice. Search them diligently. An important prerequisite step to being brought into the light is to "knock." After the baptism of water and the baptism of the Spirit (receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost), we "enter in by the way," and we set our foot on life's strait and narrow path where we depend heavily on the Spirit of the Lord to provide us direction. 2 Ne 32:5 For behold, again I say unto you that if ye will enter in by the way, and receive the Holy Ghost, it will show unto you all things what ye should do. They shut their hearts against it, and refuse to search and to find that which the Lord has declared, which is for their eternal salvation and the salvation of all the world. And what was the limiting factor? Daniel L. Belnap, Gaye Strathearn, and Stanley A. Johnson (Provo, UT: Religious Studies Center, Brigham Young University; Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 2011), 161–78. Nephi has told us that his “soul delighteth in the scriptures” and that he “pondereth continually upon the things which [he has] seen and heard” (2 Nephi … The Septuagint and Syriac both read the same as the Book of Mormon. Are we regularly importuning the Lord to know what we "should do?". In the very same chapter, and in the verse preceding...Nephi says this: "'Behold, this is the doctrine of Christ, and there will be no more doctrine given until after he shall manifest himself unto you in the flesh...When he shall manifest himself unto you in the flesh, the things which he shall say unto you ye shall observe to do. Perhaps he was constrained by the fact that those whom he was teaching (1) did not seek diligently for new understanding; (2) did not strive to understand what he had already taught; and (3) did not qualify for the ministration of the Spirit of God to enable them to understand what they had already heard preached in plainness. "ye ponder somewhat in your hearts concerning that which ye should do after ye have entered in by the way" Nephi intends: "You are wondering what you should do next, after you have passed through the gait that leads to the strait and narrow path.". Be virtuous and pure; be men of integrity and truth; keep the commandments of God; and then you will be able more perfectly to understand the difference between right and wrong-between the things of God and the things of men; and your path will be like that of the just, which shineth brighter and brighter unto the perfect day." One of the most significant happenings in recent Church history is the publication of the new editions of the standard works with the new footnotes and other helps. What does it mean to be "brought into the light"? When we feast on the words of Christ, the words of Christ will guide us in ALL the things that we should do. We are familiar with the phrase “feast upon the word” and we automatically think of the written word of Christ. Do we have available to us today a complete definition of the doctrine of Christ? Now that applies in our day. For further discussion of angels, see the commentary for Alma 29:1. verse 3 "feast upon the words of Christ" To "feast" upon the words of Christ is to have the daily guidance of the Holy Ghost. Nephi will also teach in verse 5 below that the Holy Ghost will "show unto you all things what ye should do." Nephi will also teach in verse 5 below that the Holy Ghost will "show unto you all things what ye should do." Although short, there are quite a few ideas from 2 Nephi 32 that we could spend on, e.g. Angels speak by the power of the Holy Ghost; wherefore, they speak the words of Christ. 2 Ne 32:5 the Holy Ghost...will show unto you all things what ye should do. The power and authority of angels does not exceed in the slightest that of the Lord's mortal servants. "Them" refers to the words of which Nephi had just spoken. Naturally such people are in darkness. I think we can say without exaggeration that never before in any dispensation have the Saints been so abundantly blessed with the words of the Lord and His prophets. 6 Behold, this is the doctrine of Christ, and there will be no more doctrine given until after he shall manifest himself unto you in the flesh. The Lord has instructed us not only in the method of prayer (to pray to the Father in the name of Christ) but to pray regarding every endeavor in which we perform any thing unto the Lord. 2 Nephi 32 (Below is a list of questions and quotes that help me think about each verse as I read it. The manual describes the doctrine of Christ this way – “faith in Christ, rep… Cry unto him over the crops of your fields, that ye may prosper in them. Angels speak by the power of the Holy Ghost—Men must pray and gain knowledge for themselves from the Holy Ghost. "it will show unto you all things what ye should do" Here the Holy Ghost is referred to by the impersonal pronoun "it." This blessing of the Holy Ghost applies entirely also to mortal men and women. Why did he not teach more? About 559–545 B.C. Ye must pray always, and not faint; that he will consecrate thy performance unto thee, that thy performance may be for the welfare of thy soul. We cannot afford to do that." **2 Nephi 32:8-9** "And now, my beloved brethren, I perceive that ye ponder still in your hearts; and it grieveth me that I must speak concerning this thing. ", "why do ye ponder these things in your hearts". .for when a man speaketh by the power of the Holy Ghost the power of the Holy Ghost carrieth it unto the hearts of the children of men." The promise is given to them that they will be filled with the Holy Ghost (3 Ne 12:8). 2 Nephi 32. The spiritual food is internalized and becomes a part of the individual. For if ye would hearken unto the Spirit which teacheth a man to pray ye would know that ye must pray; for the evil spirit teacheth not a man to pray, but teacheth him that he must not pray. Ideally, as we partake weekly of the sacrament, it would be this specific item we would choose as the subject of our covenanting with the Lord for the upcoming period of time. Parting is such sweet sorrow for Nephi as he laments "the unbelief, and the wickedness, and the ignorance, and the stiffneckedness of men." (The Mortal Messiah, Book 2, p. 371), "More than at any time in our history we have need for greater spirituality. verse 4 "if ye cannot understand them" "Them" refers to the words of which Nephi had just spoken. To Isaiah 29:21 the Book of Mormon in 2 Nephi 27:32 adds the phrase "and they" to the beginning of the verse. February 2, 2009 by joespencer. It implies that the scriptures are satisfying a powerful spiritual hunger and quenching a thirst for the things of the Spirit. 2. verse 5 After the baptism of water and the baptism of the Spirit (receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost), we "enter in by the way," and we set our foot on life's strait and narrow path where we depend heavily on the Spirit of the Lord to provide us direction. We expect the Holy Ghost to show us what to do without immersing ourselves in the things of the spirit-searching the scriptures, attending the temple, prayer and fasting, etc. They are not here; they do not come to conference. But this is not all; ye must pour out your souls in your closets, and your secret places, and in your wilderness. The other verb that the scriptures use to describe our approach to scripture study is "to search.". The directive in this verse is that we must receive the Holy Ghost. He offers this observation as evidence of the Holy Ghost's presence. "it will show unto you all things what ye should do". 2 Nephi 32 Read online here This chapter says some pretty powerful things about the Holy Ghost, angels and prayer, but what caught my eye was verse four and my new favorite word: "IF" In bold letters I have written below this verse, "It is our responsibility!" What does it mean to knock? Learn the doctrine. But, behold, why do ye ponder these things in your hearts? 2 Nephi 32: 7: “And now I, Nephi, cannot say more; the Spirit stoppeth mine utterance, and I am left to mourn because of the unbelief, and the wickedness, and the ignorance, and the stiffneckedness of men; for they will not search knowledge, nor understand great knowledge, when it is given unto them in plainness, … Continue reading 2 Nephi 32: 7 → Through the influence of the Holy Ghost, angels, who are nothing more nor less than people who have passed through this mortal phase and are on special assignment, are able to do and say the same things that Christ would do and say under any given circumstances. Chapter 32: "Warm and Fuzzy, Was He?" verses 2-3 "Angels . verse 1 Nephi is still addressing his "beloved brethren" who are his people (2 Nephi 25:2-3) living with him in the land of Nephi. They are useful if they are "read," but the term "search" implies something totally different. 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