Commentary for Book of Mormon: Enos - Words of Mormon

The Book of Enos 

Intro to the Book of Enos

Throughout this blog series, I've sought to show how the Book of Mormon teaches us how to come unto God. This is not to discount the Bible. But the Bible's weakness comes through its alterations that has removed the plainness of the gospel from its pages. The Book of Mormon's value comes by how plainly and clearly it teaches the principles of the gospel. This is why a careful study of it is so crucial.

Although we read and discuss it in church, many of the discussion are either too superficial (e.g., focusing one verse out-of-context) or the interpretation of the passage is incorrect. And because we haven't taken a deep study of the Book of Mormon, we ignore these mis-readings and often adopt the interpretation into our own understanding. Thus as time progresses, we continue to adopt misinformation into our understanding of the gospel, thereby missing out what the Book of Mormon is trying to really teach us.

The writers of the Book of Mormon have a different status from the vast majority of us -- they saw and interacted with God. Thus their writings come from their experience with the divine. Their writings strive to teach us how we can have the same relationship as they did. But we can only do that if we correctly understand what they are saying. If we misinterpret, we may miss the necessary principles that will give us greater access to the divine.

The Book of Enos is one of those books which we misinterpret time and time again. Most interpretations I've heard tend to gloss over the significance of Enos' experience. They read about his receiving a remission of his sins and assume that he simply asked for forgiveness. The interpretations then lightly touch on Enos' change of heart after his experience -- never getting past the surface.

Thus the purpose of this commentary of the Book of Enos is an attempt to dig deeper into what Enos is trying to teach us. By doing so, hopefully we can better comprehend our attitude as we seek to walk back into God's presence.

Verse 1: My Father Was A Just Man. Enos explains to his reader that his father is a just man.

Verse 2: The Wrestle With God

Enos teaches us about how he received a remission of his sins. He writes,

2 And I will tell you of the wrestle which I had before God, before I received a remission of my sins.
3 Behold, I went to hunt beasts in the forests; and the words which I had often heard my father speak concerning eternal life, and the joy of the saints, sunk deep into my heart.
4 And my soul hungered; and I kneeled down before my Maker, and I cried unto him in mighty prayer and supplication for mine own soul; and all the day long did I cry unto him; yea, and when the night came I did still raise my voice high that it reached the heavens.

Let's break down what Enos is teaching us.

The Wrestle and Hunger 

Enos tells us that he had to wrestle with God before he could receive a remission of his sins. Recall the post on the Doctrine of Christ. In that post, we learned that the remission of sins occurs when a person has been baptized of fire.

17 ... For the gate by which ye should enter is repentance and baptism by water; and then cometh a remission of your sins by fire and by the Holy Ghost. (2 Nephi 31)

Enos describes this experience as a wrestle. Of course Enos is using this term metaphorically. But it's a worthwhile term to explore. To wrestle implies a struggle. It implies work and effort. It also  suggests for Enoch that the thing he was wrestling with God for was not easy to obtain. And so it is when we seek after God. Many people are under the impression that they're saved because they keep the commandments and try and do good things. But Enos' account suggests that seeking after God requires much effort and work. It requires us to serve him with our "heart, mind, and strength", leaving nothing on the table.

Enos sought for his baptism of fire. In order to receive it, he had to struggle through it. This is because the only way to receive one's baptism of fire and thus a remission of sins, is to exercise complete and absolute faith in the Lord. We have to be willing to give our entire lives to him. Showing to God that we are willing to give up our lives is not easy. And God will not be mocked. Instead, he will see how badly we want it.

Do we want God as much as we want air? That's the question we must ask ourselves. Are we really committed to serve God in all things? Our we willing to have his Spirit enter us and radically shape how we view the world? Are we ready for our false reality to be expose -- piece by piece? This is what is required. And to get there is a wrestle.

In verse 4, Enos describes his desire as a hunger. This description is apt. His hunger for the Lord was accompanied by dedicated action. He "cried...in mighty pray and supplication for his own soul...all the day long" even until night.

Like a person who is hungry and who will not stop until his hunger is satisfied, so too is the person who is seeking after God. David's statement in the Pslams is worth considering:

“O God, thou art my God; early will I seek thee: my soul thirsteth for thee, my flesh longeth for thee in a dry and thirsty land, where no water is.” (Pslams 62: 1) 

Despite David’s own shortcomings, the imagery of thirst in a desert is a fitting one. When one is thirsty, satisfying one's thirst is the primary objective--every other concern falls to the wayside.  Thirsting for God is the same thing: our sole objective, pun intended, is to seek after God with all effort until our thirst is satisfied. For he as promised, all who seek after him shall find him.

Until we have this attitude and this kind of desire, we will never find him and receive what he has promised to give.

To further stress this point, consider Psalm 42

1 As the hart [deer] panteth after the water brooks, so panteth my soul after thee, O God.
2 My soul thirsteth for God, for the living God: when shall I come and appear before God?
3 My tears have been my meat day and night, while they continually say unto me, Where is thy God? (Pslams 42: 1-3)

The duration of the wrestle depends on the person. Some, like Enos, had the endurance to pray all night until he received a remission of his sins. Alma's took about 3 days. Others might take longer. And the reason for this is that God has to change your character first, before you can receive him. It might be that your desires are too much on the world and not on him. If so, God may first have to remove your stumbling block before he can grant you a remission of sins. But regardless of the reason, the key is to push forward until you receive it.

This is what Enos did. And according to the Lord's promise, he received a remission of his sins. The same conditions apply to you.

Verse 5: There Came A Voice to Me

Enos' knew that he received a remission of his sins, because he received a witness of it. This is how God works. There is no guessing. Although the experience for each person will vary, the person who is baptized by fire and receives a remission of sins will know that something has happened. For some, the experience might be like the Lamanites in Helaman 5 who were literally surrounded by fire. For others, it could be more akin to Enos who hears the voice of the Lord.

Joseph Smith taught:

The Holy Ghost has no other effect than pure intelligence. It is more powerful in expanding the mind, enlightening the understanding, and storing the intellect with present knowledge, of a man who is of the literal seed of Abraham, than one that is a Gentile, though it may not have half as much visible effect upon the body; for as the Holy Ghost falls upon one of the literal seed of Abraham, it is calm and serene; and his whole soul and body are only exercised by the pure spirit of intelligence; while the effect of the Holy Ghost upon a Gentile, is to purge out the old blood, and make him actually of the seed of Abraham. That man that has none of the blood of Abraham (naturally) must have a new creation by the Holy Ghost. In such a case, there may be more of a powerful effect upon the body, and visible to the eye, than upon an Israelite, while the Israelite at first might be far before the Gentile in pure intelligence. (TPSJ, pg 149-150). 

 The Encyclopedia of Mormonism teaches

The baptism of fire, ministered by the Holy Ghost, is manifested through a set of personal sensations, impressions, and insights that constitute a spiritual witness from deity that one has received a remission of sin https://eom.byu.edu/index.php/Baptism_of_Fire_and_the_Holy_Ghost 

Verse 9 - 10: When I Heard These Words 

One of the greatest indicators of knowing that one has been baptized of fire is that one's desires for the welfare of others increases. After Enos received a remission of his sins, his heart turned towards the Nephites and did pray for them, struggling in spirit.  Enos does this because this is the natural result of being born again.  When we are born again, we receive of God's spirit, which Spirit is love.  This infusion of love fills us with God's love and in turn we desire for other's to experience it as well.  After all, love must be shared for it to be truly enjoyed. 

As a side note: notice how Enos' has described his interactions with the Lord thus far. Each interaction is a struggle. A wrestle of some sorts.

Verses 11-15: Prayed With Many Long Strugglings

Progressive Change of Heart 

As Enos' desire for the Nephites increases and as he prays for them, he then turns to pray for the Lamanites -- his enemy. A careful reading of this passage shows that Enos' praying for the Lamanites didn't happen overnight. Instead, it was a growth and process. He first prayed for the Nephites and received a promise from the Lord, making his faith unshakable. And after some time of praying for the Lamanites with many long struggling, he received further answers from the Lord according to his desire.

Enos explains that his desire was for the Lord to preserve a record of the Nephites so that the Lamanites might receive it and be saved.

This is the purpose of the baptism of fire. Having received his baptism of fire, he received the Holy Ghost, which cleansed his spirit allowing him to receive a remission of sins. Being a clean vessel, the Holy Ghost is able to dwell with him. As the Holy Ghost dwells with him, he changes Enos' heart overtime, making him more compassionate and interested in the welfare of others. Enos' first desire was for the Nephites. But over time, as Enos' prayed and sought for more, the Spirit changed his heart to turn his attention to the Lamanites. Enos is now beyond most people. He is now praying earnestly for his enemies and their welfare.

Increase of Faith 

In addition to his progressive change of heart, Enos also grows in faith. Enos' faith grows through these verses as he receives more promises from the Lord.

Enos' faith becomes unshaken after he prayed to the Lord in behalf of the Nephites (verse 10). He received a promise that the Lord will visit the Nephites according to their diligence. Having this promise, Enos now has greater confidence that the Lord will respond to him. Based on this confidence, he beings to pray and labor diligently so that he might receive more promises. And this he gets in verse 12. The promise in verse 12 is that the Lord will grant unto Enos according to his desires.

Having this promise, Enos then knows that the Lord will grant him according to Enos' desire. Knowing this and having an assurance, he then desires for the wellbeing of the Lamanites. He prays "that the Lord God would preserve a record of my people, the Nephites; even if it so be by the power of his holy arm, that it might be brought forth at some future day unto the Lamanites, that, perhaps, they might be brought unto salvation..."

Enos knows that the Lord can do preserve the records because he knows that the Lord will grant him whatever he desires. And Enos desires the records of his people to be preserved. Praying unto the Lord, Enos now receives a covenant (not a promise) the Lord would bring the records forth to the Lamanites in "his own due time."

And because the Lord covenanted with Enos, Enos could rest. For the covenant would be honored.

Verse 19: Testifying of the Things Which I Had Heard and Seen. Those who are converted and receive witnesses from the Lord are then expected to testify of what they've witnessed.

Verse 22: Exceedingly Many Prophets Among Us.

Today we believe that there are 15 prophet, seers, and revelators. But can/are there be more? Remember that those who are witnesses of Christ are prophets. The answer then is yes. Those who are witnesses of Christ are prophets. They might not be leaders of the Church, but being a prophet doesn't necessarily mean that one is a leader or General Authority. It simply means that one bears witness of his or her [Deborah, the flame bearer from  Judges, was a prophetess; same with Isaiah's wife] actual knowledge of Christ.

Moreover, if there were only to be 15 prophets, and nothing more, then why does Enos' say "exceedingly many prophets"? 15 is clearly not an exceedingly high number. For an amount to be exceedingly means "to a very great degree; in a degree beyond what is usual; greatly; very much." Exceedingly many then would have to be more than 15.

Enos is telling us that there were many during his time who were witnesses of Christ. If so, what blessing it was to have been alive in this period. I imagine that many prophets went about teaching and testifying of Christ, sharing their witness of him and helping others to receive the same.

The Book of Jarom 

Jarom, Enos' son, is the next person in line to record his account.

Verses 3-4: This people.

Jarom discussed two different categories of people. The first category, mentioned in verse 4, are those who have a stiff neck and blind mind. The second are those who receive many revelations and do not have a stiff neck. It's worthwhile to explore these two groups in depth. Below I break them down

The Stiffnecked Group

Let's track each description that Jarom uses. Each description he uses is intentionally done to point out a defect in their spiritual character.

• Heard heart: In 1 Nephi 12, we learned that hardness of heart comes from succumbing to temptation. Succumbing to temptation darkens one's spirit, making it harder to accept light. Having a hard heart means that one is resistant to the light God communicates. 
• Deaf Ears: Ears in the scripture are associated with obedience. In fact, the Hebrew word "ear", as in give ear to the word of the Lord, often refers to obedience. One obeys the Lord by giving "ear" to his instructions. Those with deaf ears disobey the Lord. 
• Blind minds: The mind is the gateway to accessing and acquiring light and truth. For one's mind to be blind means that they can't perceive the light. Paul taught that the Satan kept the people from seeing the light because he "blinded" their mind. When Jarom using this expression, he is saying that some of the Nephites could not perceive the light. 
• Stiff necks: To have a stiff neck means that you are not willing to turn you head. A person with a stiff neck is stubborn, unwilling to yield to a different perspective; unwilling to listen -- to turn--to others. 

The Non Stiffnecked Group

The next group are those who receive many revelations. Notice that Jarom says those who are in this category are those who don't have stiff necks. Thus, like Jacob and others, Jarom sees an either or distinction. You either have a stiffneck or you don't. There is no middle ground. For those who don't have a stiffneck, they receive many revelations according to their faith. And this is because they have communion with the Holy Spirit. To have communion is to have a "fellowship; intercourse between two person or more." To be in a state of "state of giving and receiving."

Verse 8: Might Men of Faith. 

Jarom attributes the Nephites ability to withstand the Lamanites to have their having righteous kings and leaders who were able to teach the Nephites the ways of the Lord.

The importance of having righteous leaders is illustrated in the Old Testament. Consider the following verses

2 And it shall come to pass, if they say unto thee, Whither shall we go forth? then thou shalt tell them, Thus saith the Lord; Such as are for death, to death; and such as are for the sword, to the sword; and such as are for the famine, to the famine; and such as are for the captivity, to the captivity.
3 And I will appoint over them four kinds, saith the Lord: the sword to slay, and the dogs to tear, and the fowls of the heaven, and the beasts of the earth, to devour and destroy.
4 And I will cause them to be removed into all kingdoms of the earth, because of Manasseh the son of Hezekiah king of Judah, for that which he did in Jerusalem. 

The Lord tells Jeremiah that he will remove the Jews because of the unrighteousness of their king, Manasseh. The thing that Manasseh did in Jerusalem was re-instituted idol worship, removing the reform and efforts made by his father Hezekiah. The wickedness brought by Manasseh is imputed to the people.

It's also illustrated in the example of King Noah

1 And now it came to pass that Zeniff conferred the kingdom upon Noah, one of his sons; therefore Noah began to reign in his stead; and he did not walk in the ways of his father.
2 For behold, he did not keep the commandments of God, but he did walk after the desires of his own heart. And he had many wives and concubines. And he did cause his people to commit sin, and do that which was abominable in the sight of the Lord. Yea, and they did commit whoredoms and all manner of wickedness.
...
5 For he put down all the priests that had been consecrated by his father, and consecrated new ones in their stead, such as were lifted up in the pride of their hearts.
6 Yea, and thus they (the priests) were supported in their laziness, and in their idolatry, and in their whoredoms, by the taxes which king Noah had put upon his people; thus did the people labor exceedingly to support iniquity.
7 Yea, and they (the people) also became idolatrous, because they were deceived by the vain and flattering words of the king and priests; for they did speak flattering things unto them.

We'll break these verse down when we come to King Noah. For now, it's worth considering Mormon's account. King Noah's wickedness spread out and infected his people. It's worth pondering why this happens.  

Verses 10-12: Did Labor Diligently.

The work of saving souls requires an all out effort. Often this effort will force us to sacrifice our own interests for the benefit of others. This may mean having to decline a promotion, which although leading to more pay, may lead to more work and less time teaching others. It may mean giving up on a career path so that you can serve others more. As we learn from Sherem's account, the Devil works and labor diligently to lead souls astray. If we expect to have any success, we must do at least what he does if we expect to have any success.

Verses 5 - 12: 238 Years Had Passed Away. Verses 5 through 12 encompass a span of 38 years.

The Book of Omni 

Verse 1: Commanded by my father. Jarom is Omni's father. Jarom gave commands to Omni to record in the plates. As a reminder, records we are readings are recorded on the small plates of Nephi. After Nephi passed, Jacob recorded his account. Enos was next, followed Jarom and Omni. 

Verse 2: Wicked Man. Omni's account is interesting because unlike his progenitors, who were just and holy men, Omni was wicked. Omni further remarks that his life there were "seasons of peace" and "seasons of serious war and bloodshed." Omni passes the record to his son, Amaron. At this time, 282 years had passed away since Lehi left Jerusalem. 

Verses 5-6: More Wicked Were Destroyed. 

Amaron's account that the more wicked part of the Nephites were destroyed is the fulfillment of the Lord's promise to Nephi that those who would not keep the Lord's commands would be destroyed. Further note, that those who were destroyed were the "more wicked part of the Nephites." 

6 For the Lord would not suffer, after he had led them out of the land of Jerusalem and kept and preserved them from falling into the hands of their enemies, yea, he would not suffer that the words should not be verified, which he spake unto our fathers, saying that: Inasmuch as ye will not keep my commandments ye shall not prosper in the land. (Omni 1) 

When the Lord judges a people, his judgment is typically reserved for the more wicked part. Why? Because they are past the point of repenting. This doesn't mean that they can't repent. It means that they won't repent. For this group, there is nothing that the Lord can do to help them. Therefore, he must remove them. 

Zeno's allegory in Jacob 5 is helpful for understanding why the Lord does this. It's because wickedness is contagious. And gross wickedness, left without correction, will poison all the other fruit in the vineyard. The Lord's act then of removing the more wicked (those who are ripe in iniquity) is, in all reality, and act of love. After all, if the Lord permitted the more wicked to remain, they would affect the righteous and also affect the wicked population. They would be a cancer to the body of Christ. And just like physicians seek to eradicate malignant cancer from one's body, so it is with the more wicked in society. Allowed to stay, their influence will metastasize and destroy the body. The Lord can't allow this. 

And the reason why the Lord will preserve the righteous, is because the Lord wants righteousness to flourish. Removing the righteous, would allow wickedness to flourish. Nevertheless, this is not to say that the righteous are always preserved on the earth (a la City of Enoch), but the generally approach of the Lord is to preserve the righteous on the earth so that goodness can flourish. 

Verses 8-12: I did deliver the plats unto.... 

Amaron delivers the small plates of Nephi to his brother Chemish. And in verse 12, Chemish delivers to plates to his son, Abinadom. And Abinadom passed them on to his son Amaleki. Amaleki dedicates his portion of the record to Mosiah. 

Verse 13: The People of Mosiah. 

The Lord commands Mosiah to flee "out of the land of Nephi" into the wilderness. Only those who obeyed the Lord followed Mosiah into the wilderness. In the scriptures, the wilderness appears to serve a metaphor for God's testing. To avoid being killed by Saul, David fled into the wilderness. Lehi and his family fled into the wilderness. Likewise, after being baptized by John the Baptist, Jesus went into the wilderness, where he was tempted. 

In each of these instances, the wilderness served as testing ground. David's character was shaped while living in exile from Jerusalem. Likewise, the character of Lehi and his righteous sons were shaped during their time in the wilderness. And Jesus passed one his hardest test in the wilderness. 

With this in mind, it appears that Amaleki is carrying on that pattern. Mosiah and his people fled into the wilderness. They entered into their moment of testing. Important for us, it that Amaleki explains how the people passed their test in the wilderness -- they were lead by preaching, prophesying, and the admonished by the word of God. 

Each of us with face his or her own wilderness. Some may already have. The way we pass our test in the wilderness is by adhering to God's word. This word will lead us by admonishing us. Scriptures are God's word. Our reading of the scriptures and study of God's word should inevitably lead to correction. 

16 All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:
17 That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works

Paul teaches that all scriptures is given for
1. Doctrine
2. Reproof
3. Correction
4. Instruction 

Scriptures then should challenge us. They should challenge our understanding. They should cause us to revaluate what we thought we knew. Moreover, the teachings we hear every Sunday should do the same. All fall short of God's glory. Because we do, we should seek into God's word to see where we fall. It is by correcting our shortcomings that we are able to pass the tests God places in our lives. Using the word of God allows us to do this.

Verses 14-17: Discovered a people.

At the end of the journey through the wilderness, the people of Mosiah discover another group of Jews who had been living in the Americas. This group had been lead out after Lehi and his family. Where Lehi and his family were led out of Jerusalem before Babylon's took over, this group were lead out of Jerusalem after the Babylon's took over ("the time that Zedekiah...was carried away captive into Babylon).

This group refers to themselves as the people of Zarahemla. And like Lehi and his family, they journeyed through the wilderness and were lead by the "hand of the Lord" across the great waters and settled in the land of Zarahemla.

However, unlike Lehi and his family, the people of Zarahemla had no records and their language (Hebrew) had been corrupted. They also denied God's existence and the people of Mosiah couldn't understand them.

Here, we can see why it was important for Lehi and his family to obtain the Brass Plates. According to Amaleki, he seems to see a relationship between having records of God's word and the preservation of language and belief in God. Thus for this example, we can see that the importance of the Brass Plates, and the scriptures in general, is to provide us an account of God so that we might remember and believe in him. The scriptures are a constant reminder of his existence. Having this reminder, we are able to build our belief and faith in Him.

Verses 20-22: Large Stone. 

The large stone contains the record of the Jaredites. Mosiah interpreted this writings by the "gift and power of God." Coriantumr was the last living among the Jaredite nation. Interestingly, he was discovered by the people of Zarahemla and lived with them for 9 months.

21 And they [the engraving on the large stone] gave an account of one Coriantumr [descendant of Brother of Jared] and the slain of his people. And Coriantumr was discovered by the people of Zarahemla; and he dwelt with them for the space of nine moons.
22 It [the large stone] also spake a few words concerning his fathers. And his first parents came out from the tower, at the time the Lord confounded the language of the people; and the severity of the Lord fell upon them according to his judgments, which are just; and their bones lay scattered in the land northward.

In Ether we learn that Coriantumr was not killed, but instead fainted from loss of blood. It appears that the Jaredite nation lived up until the time the people of Zarahemla inhabited the land. It's almost as though once the Lord destroyed the Jaredites for their wickedness, he brought another righteous group (or at least more righteous group) to settle in the Americas.

Verses 23-24;25. King Benjamin. Mosiah son, King Benjamin, reigns in his father's place. Verse 25 tells us that King Benjamin was a just man before the Lord. This means that as a just man, King Benjamin was righteous and his will was fully aligned with the Lord.

Verses 25-26: Come unto Christ.

Amaleki concludes his record by exhorting the reader to come unto Christ. And he explains how to do this:

• Believe in prophesying 
• Believe in revelations 
• Believe in the ministering of angels 
• Believe in the gift of speaking with tongues
• Believe in the gift of interpreting languages
• Believe in all good things  

The Words of Mormon 

After Amaleki concludes the Small Plates of Nephi, Mormon inserts his commentary many years after Amaleki. Thus at this point in the Book of Mormon, we are now reading Mormon's words, having skipped into the future. After Mormon provides his commentary, he will then start give the account of King Benjamin. Moreover, at this juncture, we have concluded the small plates of Nephi. What remains to be read are the abridged records of Mormon. 

Verses 3-9: A Wise Purpose. 

In verse 3, Mormon explains why he has included the small plates. Mormon explains that after he abridged Nephi's record from the larger plates, he discovered a set of small plates which contain the writings of Nephi, Jacob and down to King Benjamin [the writings that make up the first part of the Book of Mormon]. Mormon chooses to included these in the end of his record. He does this because the writings contained in them are worthwhile and according to the direction of the Spirit, for a wise purpose.

Verse 10-11: Plates Handed Down to King Benjamin. 

In verse 10, we learn from Mormon that Amaleki, conferred the plates to King Benjamin, Mosiah's son. King Benjamin stored the small plates from Amaleki with the other, larger plates, that contain a record of the kings, which were handed down generation to generation up until the time of King Benjamin. And those plates -- small and large -- were handed from generation to generation from King Benjamin until the Mormon obtained them.

Mormon tells us that our of these plates -- which includes the Book of Mormon -- the people of the world will be judged. Thus the Book of Mormon is the measuring stick God will use to judge the world. This is another reason why reading and understanding its message is so important, otherwise we run the risk of incurring God's judgment. God is merciful to the ignorant. But he won't be to those who have the Book of Mormon and don't take advantage of learning from it.

Verses 17-18: A Holy Man 

King Benjamin was a just and holy man. These adjectives are meaningful. First, to be just means that King Benjamin had fully reconciled himself to the Lord. To be fully reconciled means that one is obedient to the Lord in everything he is aware of. Second, to be holy means that King Benjamin has been sanctified. To sanctified means that one as ascended into the Lord's presence by separating himself from the world. A sanctified person is redeemed from the fall and now abides in the presence of God often and frequently.

We also learn that there were many holy men. Many men (humans?) alive testifying of their witness of Christ and through this witness having the power and authority to speak the word of God.