Book of Mormon Lesson Plan 45

Introduction

While residing in Kirtland Elder Reynolds Cahoon had a son born to him. One day when President Joseph Smith was passing his door, he called the Prophet in and asked him to bless and name the baby. Joseph did so and gave the boy the name of Mahonri Moriancumer. When he had finished the blessing he laid the child on the bed, and turning to Elder Cahoon he said, ‘The name I have given your son is the name of the brother of Jared; the Lord has just shown [or revealed] it to me.’ Elder William F. Cahoon … heard the Prophet make this statement to his father; and this was the first time the name of the brother of Jared was known in the Church in this dispensation” (George Reynolds, “The Jaredites,” Juvenile Instructor, 1 May 1892, 282).

The brother of Jared’s example teaches us a great deal about prayer and faith.

Background

The prophet Ether wrote the record of the Jaredites, who left Babylon when the Lord confounded the language of the people attempting to build the tower of Babel (Ether 1:33–43; see also Genesis 11:1–9). Ether wrote this record on 24 gold plates, which were later found by the people of Limhi (Mosiah 8:7–11). The book of Ether contains Moroni’s abridgment of Ether’s record.

The brother of Jared prays for the Lord to be merciful

As the language of the people began to be changed, Jared asked his brother to pray to the Lord for blessings for themselves, their family, and their friends.  Ask class members to review Ether 1:34-43 and identify words that are important.

• Cry unto the Lord – What is the difference between “saying prayers” and “crying unto the Lord”?
• The Lord had compassion – Each time the brother of Jared prayed, the Lord had compassion on the people he was praying for.  What does compassion mean?

o       compassion (uncountable) – Deep awareness of the suffering of another, coupled with the wish to relieve it

• How have you felt the Lord’s compassion in response to your prayers?
• Because this long time you have cried unto me – The brother of Jared and his family received great blessings because of his persistence in prayer.  How can we be appropriately persistent in our prayers?  (See Enos 1:2, 4, 8-9, 11-12). 
• Notice the words used to describe Enos’ wrestle and struggle. 
• Point out that Enos’ greatest blessings came as a result of continued prayer after the Lord said to him, “…go to, thy faith hath made the whole.”

The Lord describes the Promised Land

During their travels, the Jaredites arrived in a land where people had never been.  But this wasn’t good enough.  Read Ether 2:7-8 and 9-12.

Given that we can’t repent for another person, what can we do to avoid bringing down God’s wrath upon ourselves as a nation?

The brother of Jared neglects to pray

After living in tents by the seashore for four years, the Lord visited the brother of Jared.  Read Ether 2:14.  Why was the brother of Jared in trouble?  I think a possibility may be that he may have reverted to “saying his prayers” instead of “calling upon the Lord” as he had previously done.  He knew how to communicate with God rather than just talking to him.  In verse 15 the brother of Jared repents, and the Lord warns him against continued sin.  What other scriptural accounts of chastening can you think of, and what similarities do they include?

• Lehi murmuring after Nephi’s bow broke (1 Ne. 16: 25)
• Joseph Smith after losing the 116 page manuscript (see D&C 10:1-5)
• Ziba Peterson (D&C 58: 60) for seeking to hide his sins
• Everyone the Lord loves (D&C 95: 1-2)
• Chasten: To make chaste; To punish or reprimand for the sake of improvement

The Lord answers the brother of Jared’s prayers

After building the barges, the brother of Jared presents the Lord with some problems that he needs help with.  Read Ether 2:19.  The Lord answers prayers in three distinct ways:

1. The Lord solves the problem – Read Ether 2:24-25.  The Jaredites were not responsible to navigate or provide propulsion.  God had taken care of that issue.
2. The Lord tells them how to solve the problem – Read Ether 2:20.  The Lord explained how to solve the problem, and then the brother of Jared simply had to follow his instructions.
3. The Lord gives guidelines and then asks the brother of Jared to propose a solution - Read Ether 2:21-21.  Imagine the enormity of this response!  The God who made the universe, who designed our bodies, and who has infinite wisdom and love asks you for a suggestion!

How do you think this experience built the faith of the brother of Jared and helped him grow?  How does this do the same for you?

The brother of Jared sees Jesus Christ

How did the brother of Jared propose to solve this problem?  Read Ether 3:1-5 and look for words or phrases that indicate the faith and the humility of the brother of Jared.

In response, Jesus Christ touched the stones with his finger, and the brother of Jared saw this.  While he had full confidence that the Lord would touch the stones and make them shine, he did not actually expect to witness this happen.  Jesus Christ explained why this happened; read Ether 3:9-14 and note the following:

·         Jesus Christ did not reveal himself completely until the brother of Jared asked him to (verses 9-10).

·         Before doing so, Jesus asked him preemptively if he would believe the words he was about to speak (verse 11).  It wasn’t enough to believe what Jesus had already spoken; the brother of Jared had to commit to believe everything Jesus was about to speak.

·         Being brought back into the presence of Jesus is an integral part of being redeemed from the Fall.  Since this will happen to everyone, we had better all be prepared for the experience!

·         Jesus testifies of himself and his mission.  This is the theme that Jesus emphasizes every time he reveals himself to his people.

The Lord then revealed to the brother of Jared all the inhabitants of the earth and withheld nothing from his sight.

Moroni seals up the writings of the brother of Jared

Moroni was commanded to seal up the writings of the brother of Jared that they should not come forth among the children of men…yet.  Read Ether 4:6-7, 11.  It is our privilege to develop faith like the brother of Jared and to receive revelations as he did.

The Jaredites travel prayerfully to the Promised Land

Read Ether 6:4 – Having done everything that God asked them to do, the Jaredites then trusted him to do everything he had promised to do.

Read Ether 6:8–9 – Remember the trouble the brother of Jared got into for not remembering to call upon the Lord?  Now they all remember and continually do so.  Imagine what it must have been like on these barges.  They were “light like unto a fowl” meaning they probably rode high on the water.  They were driven by the waves and the wind, but didn’t even have a sail to harness the wind.  That probably means this was a bumpy, sometimes violent ride.  And yet they didn’t complain.

Read Ether 6:12 – Their confidence in God was rewarded, and they continued to praise and thank God.

Conclusion

Elder Russell M. Nelson said that he has often heard President Gordon B. Hinckley say, “I don’t know how to get anything done except getting on my knees and pleading for help and then getting on my feet and going to work” (in Conference Report, Oct. 1997, 18; or Ensign, Nov. 1997, 16).