The Covenants to Israel

In its Title Page, Moroni wrote that one of the purposes of the Book of Mormon is “to show unto the remnant of the house of Israel what great things the Lord hath done for their fathers; and that they may know the covenants of the Lord, that they are not cast off forever.”  The covenants of the Lord to the House of Israel is one of the recurring themes of the Book of Mormon.  Again and again the text reminds us of the covenants that the Lord has made to the House of Israel and how those will be fulfilled in the last days—in fact the Book of Mormon itself is “a sign unto them, that they may know that the work of the Father hath already commenced unto the fulfilling of the covenant which he hath made unto the people who are of the house of Israel” (3 Nephi 21:7). 

                One of the covenants to the House of Israel that will be fulfilled, according to that the Book of Mormon, is the physical restoration to the lands of their inheritance.  Mormon told us, “And now behold, I say unto you that when the Lord shall see fit, in his wisdom, that these sayings shall come unto the Gentiles according to his word, then ye may know that the covenant which the Father hath made with the children of Israel, concerning their restoration to the lands of their inheritance, is already beginning to be fulfilled” (3 Nephi 29:1).  The Book of Mormon coming forth to the Gentiles is a sign that the children of Israel would be restored to their lands.  He said again on another occasion, “The Father may bring about, through his most Beloved, his great and eternal purpose, in restoring the Jews, or all the house of Israel, to the land of their inheritance, which the Lord their God hath given them, unto the fulfilling of his covenant” (Mormon 5:14).  Nephi similarly wrote after his quoting of Isaiah—who was very concerned with the future of the House of Israel—“Wherefore, the Lord God will proceed to make bare his arm in the eyes of all the nations, in bringing about his covenants and his gospel unto those who are of the house of Israel.  Wherefore, he will bring them again out of captivity, and they shall be gathered together to the lands of their inheritance; and they shall be brought out of obscurity and out of darkness; and they shall know that the Lord is their Savior and their Redeemer, the Mighty One of Israel” (1 Nephi 22:11-12).  Jacob likewise told us as a preface to his great sermon on the plan of salvation, “And now, my beloved brethren, I have read these things that ye might know concerning the covenants of the Lord that he has covenanted with all the house of Israel—That he has spoken unto the Jews, by the mouth of his holy prophets, even from the beginning down, from generation to generation, until the time comes that they shall be restored to the true church and fold of God; when they shall be gathered home to the lands of their inheritance, and shall be established in all their lands of promise” (2 Nephi 9:1-2).  Jacob and Nephi both wrote about the covenant of the House of Israel being restored physically to their lands, but they also mentioned another key aspect of these covenants to Israel: “they shall be restored to the true church and fold of God” and shall “know that the Lord is their Savior.”

                Part of the fulfilling of the covenant to the House of Israel in the latter days, as taught by the Book of Mormon, is that they will be brought the gospel.  The Savior probably said it most clearly in his teachings to the Nephites: “And then will I remember my covenant which I have made unto my people, O house of Israel, and I will bring my gospel unto them.  And I will show unto thee, O house of Israel, that the Gentiles shall not have power over you; but I will remember my covenant unto you, O house of Israel, and ye shall come unto the knowledge of the fulness of my gospel” (3 Nephi 16:11-12).  Moroni wrote this wish of his heart concerning the prayers of all of his faithful predecessors concerning the future of Israel: “And may the Lord Jesus Christ grant that their prayers may be answered according to their faith; and may God the Father remember the covenant which he hath made with the house of Israel; and may he bless them forever, through faith on the name of Jesus Christ” (Mormon 9:37).  Thus the covenant of the Father would include the house of Israel coming to “faith on the name of Jesus Christ” in the last days.  In his summary of the Jaredite record he similarly said to the House of Israel, “Yea, when ye shall call upon the Father in my name, with a broken heart and a contrite spirit, then shall ye know that the Father hath remembered the covenant which he made unto your fathers, O house of Israel” (Ether 4:15).  That covenant would be fulfilled precisely when the House of Israel was able to call on the Father in the name of Christ with a broken heart.  In other words, the covenants of God to the House of Israel include that they will one day be able to come unto Christ though His gospel. 

                There are many other references to the covenants of the Lord to the House of Israel in the last days in the Book of Mormon.  To those prophets who saw that their own people dwindled in unbelief and were ultimately destroyed, they looked forward with great anticipation to the day when these covenants of the physical and spiritual gathering of Israel would be fulfilled.  True to his introduction of the book in the title page, the Moroni wrote near the very end of the Book of Mormon a heartfelt prayer that these promises would indeed come to pass: “And awake, and arise from the dust, O Jerusalem; yea, and put on thy beautiful garments, O daughter of Zion; and strengthen thy stakes and enlarge thy borders forever, that thou mayest no more be confounded, that the covenants of the Eternal Father which he hath made unto thee, O house of Israel, may be fulfilled” (Moroni 10:31).