Rejoice In It Above that of the World

The Psalmist wrote, “I rejoice at thy word” (Psalms 119:162).  I think we see this same attitude of rejoicing over the word of God throughout the scriptures.  One example of this was King Limhi when he learned from Ammon that there would be a way to translate the Jaredite record that his people had found.  After Ammon explained that King Mosiah was a seer and had the gift from God to translate records, we read that “The king rejoiced exceedingly, and gave thanks to God, saying: Doubtless a great mystery is contained within these plates, and these interpreters were doubtless prepared for the purpose of unfolding all such mysteries to the children of men.  O how marvelous are the works of the Lord!” (Mosiah 8:19-20).  King Limhi was overjoyed to find out that he would at last be able to read what was on the Jaredite record.  That kind of reverence and desire for the scriptures is evident in the lives of many of the scriptural prophets. 

                Enos wrote this towards the end of his life: “And I saw that I must soon go down to my grave, having been wrought upon by the power of God that I must preach and prophesy unto this people, and declare the word according to the truth which is in Christ. And I have declared it in all my days, and have rejoiced in it above that of the world” (Enos 1:26).  I love that declaration that he rejoiced in the word of God more than the things of the world.  I think it gives cause for reflection in our day as we consider how much effort and devotion we put into the scriptures as compared to other things of the world.  Nephi invited us to have this same kind of attitude: “And now I write some of the words of Isaiah, that whoso of my people shall see these words may lift up their hearts and rejoice for all men. Now these are the words, and ye may liken them unto you and unto all men” (2 Nephi 11:8).  In another place he said, “For my soul delighteth in the scriptures, and my heart pondereth them, and writeth them for the learning and the profit of my children.  Behold, my soul delighteth in the things of the Lord; and my heart pondereth continually upon the things which I have seen and heard” (2 Nephi 4:15-16).  His brother Jacob clearly did have this kind of love and desire for the scriptures.  Jacob told us, “We can write a few words upon plates, which will give our children, and also our beloved brethren, a small degree of knowledge concerning us, or concerning their fathers—Now in this thing we do rejoice; and we labor diligently to engraven these words upon plates, hoping that our beloved brethren and our children will receive them with thankful hearts, and look upon them that they may learn with joy and not with sorrow, neither with contempt, concerning their first parents” (Jacob 4:2-3).  He rejoiced in being able to pass along the scriptures to future generations, and he hoped that those readers of the Book of Mormon would “rejoice” likewise in his words.  In the days of the Nephites and Lamanites, Alma declared to his son regarding the scriptures: “Yea, these records and their words brought them unto repentance; that is, they brought them to the knowledge of the Lord their God, and to rejoice in Jesus Christ their Redeemer” (Alma 37:9).  The scriptures brought the former Lamanites to the truth about the Savior and in that they rejoiced. 

                Perhaps one of the most poignant examples of a prophet showing great love for the scriptures is this verse from Jeremiah: “Thy words were found, and I did eat them; and thy word was unto me the joy and rejoicing of mine heart: for I am called by thy name, O Lord God of hosts” (Jeremiah 15:16).   Even though Jeremiah suffered greatly because of his devotion to the Lord, he still rejoiced and had joy over the words of the Lord that he had because they were a part of him.  His and all of these examples invite us to spend more time in the words of the scriptures that we have so readily available to us.  If we do that then we too can rejoice at His word more than all the things of the world.