Lay Hold Upon the Records

From the little that we know about the life of Mormon, one thing that does stand out is the focus that his life had on sacred records.  When he was just ten years old Ammaron, who kept the Nephite records, came to him with these instructions: “Therefore, when ye are about twenty and four years old I would that ye should remember the things that ye have observed concerning this people; and when ye are of that age go to the land Antum, unto a hill which shall be called Shim; and there have I deposited unto the Lord all the sacred engravings concerning this people.  And behold, ye shall take the plates of Nephi unto yourself, and the remainder shall ye leave in the place where they are; and ye shall engrave on the plates of Nephi all the things that ye have observed concerning this people” (Mormon 1:2-4).  Mormon spoke of his fulfillment of that instruction in these words, “And now, the city of Jashon was near the land where Ammaron had deposited the records unto the Lord, that they might not be destroyed. And behold I had gone according to the word of Ammaron, and taken the plates of Nephi, and did make a record according to the words of Ammaron” (Mormon 2:17).  Besides the many wars in which he was involved, Mormon’s life was devoted to preserving, abridging, and writing on sacred records for the benefit of future generations.    

               Other passages in the Book of Mormon show the focus Mormon had on sacred records.  In the midst of the war he wrote, “And now I, Mormon, seeing that the Lamanites were about to overthrow the land, therefore I did go to the hill Shim, and did take up all the records which Ammaron had hid up unto the Lord” (Mormon 4:23).  He clearly was very concerned about protecting the records in such a chaotic time.  Near the end of the destruction of the Nephites he wrote, “Knowing that these things must surely be made known….  Therefore I write a small abridgment, daring not to give a full account of the things which I have seen” (Mormon 5:8-9).  As he neared the completion of his abridgment and record of his own time he told us, “I, Mormon, began to be old; and knowing it to be the last struggle of my people, and having been commanded of the Lord that I should not suffer the records which had been handed down by our fathers, which were sacred, to fall into the hands of the Lamanites, (for the Lamanites would destroy them) therefore I made this record out of the plates of Nephi, and hid up in the hill Cumorah all the records which had been entrusted to me by the hand of the Lord” (Mormon 6:6).  He made sure that he passed along the records safely to Moroni, telling us, “And it is many hundred years after the coming of Christ that I deliver these records into the hands of my son” (Words of Mormon 1:2).  He wrote to his son near the end of his life with seemingly more concern about the records than his own life, “Wherefore, write somewhat a few things, if thou art spared and I shall perish and not see thee; but I trust that I may see thee soon; for I have sacred records that I would deliver up unto thee” (Moroni 9:24).  Mormon’s last words to us were also a plea to read the records that we have been given: “Therefore repent, and be baptized in the name of Jesus, and lay hold upon the gospel of Christ, which shall be set before you, not only in this record but also in the record which shall come unto the Gentiles from the Jews, which record shall come from the Gentiles unto you” (Mormon 7:8).  Mormon lived and died for the preservation of sacred records, and we are blessed to have the Book of Mormon because of his sacrifice.  His devotion to sacred text should serve as a reminder to us of the incredible gift the scriptures really are and inspire us to truly lay hold on them in our lives.