Words of Mormon & Mosiah 1
READING ASSIGNMENT FOR CLASS ON MON. NOV. 20: Words of Mormon & Mosiah 1
The Words of Mormon serves as a bridge between the small plates of Nephi and Mormon’s abridgement of the large plates of Nephi. Written almost 400 years after the birth of Jesus Christ, this book contains a short explanation of what the small plates of Nephi are and why Mormon felt they needed to be included with the other sacred writings. The Words of Mormon also provides valuable insight into why King Benjamin had such great influence with his people.
The small plates of Nephi were mainly devoted to the spiritual matters and the ministry and teachings of the prophets. The large plates of Nephi contained mostly a secular history of the people written by the kings, starting with Nephi. (See 1 Nephi 9:2–4.) From the time of Mosiah, however, the large plates also included items of major spiritual importance.
The plates of Mormon, or the gold plates delivered to Joseph Smith, contained an abridgment by Mormon from the large plates of Nephi, with many commentaries. These gold plates also contained a continuation of the history by Mormon and additions by his son Moroni.
Mosiah 1 is a record of King Benjamin’s teachings to his sons. He taught them that the scriptures help us remember God and keep His commandments. As King Benjamin approached the end of his life, he desired to speak to his people about his service as king and to encourage them to be obedient to God.
As you read Words of Mormon, think about a time you have been prompted to do something but you weren't sure why. What can you learn from this chapter about how to respond to those promptings?
What did you learn from Mosiah 1 about the importance of scriptures?
Want more?
Mosiah 1:5.“That we might read and understand”
Elder Richard G. Scott (1928–2015) of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles emphasized the importance of daily scripture study:
“Don’t yield to Satan’s lie that you don’t have time to study the scriptures. Choose to take time to study them. Feasting on the word of God each day is more important than sleep, school, work, television shows, video games, or social media. You may need to reorganize your priorities to provide time for the study of the word of God. If so, do it!” (Richard G. Scott, “Make the Exercise of Faith Your First Priority,” Ensign or Liahona, Nov. 2014, 93).
