With a Loud Voice

In Lehi's vision of the tree of life in the Book of Mormon, he first partook of the fruit, found that it filled him with exceedingly great joy, and then he desired that his family might partake of it also.  He cast his eyes around and found them, and he described what he did in these words, "And it came to pass that I beckoned unto them; and I also did say unto them with a loud voice that they should come unto me, and partake of the fruit, which was desirable above all other fruit" (1 Nephi 8:15).  I don't know that I'd ever really noticed before the description "loud voice" used to tell how he called to his family.  He wasn't subtle and he didn't simply give them a suggestion to come partake of the fruit, but he boldly called to them with a loud voice.  He didn't worry about others hearing him and criticizing him—he spoke with conviction and essentially shouted a fervent plea to his wife and children to come and partake of the goodness of God.  To me that is certainly a symbolic example to follow of how we ought to teach our children.  Not that we need to actually yell or speak loudly, but that we should conspicuously and conscientiously teach and testify to our children of the principles of the gospel and invite them also to partake of the fruit of the tree of life.

               There is another verse of scripture that uses the same phrase in connection with teaching the gospel.  Speaking, we believe, of the advent of the angel Moroni to Joseph Smith in our day, John the Revelator wrote, "And I saw another angel fly in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach unto them that dwell on the earth, and to every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people, Saying with a loud voice, Fear God, and give glory to him; for the hour of his judgment is come: and worship him that made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and the fountains of waters" (Revelation 14:6-7).  This to me suggests that Moroni's message given to Joseph Smith was given "with a loud voice"—not necessarily that he physically spoke loudly but that it was given with the utmost importance and meant to be sent throughout the world for all to hear.  At least one way this has been accomplished has been in the spreading of the Book of Mormon—literally the words that Moroni gave to Joseph Smith—throughout the world.  The Book of Mormon itself described the way its message would speak in our day.  Nephi said with boldness as he bore a final testimony inviting us to "partake of the goodness of God," saying, "All ye ends of the earth, I speak unto you as the voice of one crying from the dust" (2 Nephi 33:13-14).  Nephi's words "cry" to us to partake of God's goodness and come unto Him—they don't whisper softly or quietly suggest but rather speak with a "loud voice" to us in our day.  Lehi quoted Joseph of Egypt with similar words, "And it shall be as if the fruit of thy loins had cried unto them from the dust; for I know their faith. And they shall cry from the dust; yea, even repentance unto their brethren, even after many generations have gone by them" (2 Nephi 3:19-20).  The words of the Book of Mormon writers cry to us to repent in our day—again we might say in a "loud voice", such as this voice from Nephi the son of Helaman, calling to us: "O repent ye, repent ye! Why will ye die? Turn ye, turn ye unto the Lord your God." 

               Moroni himself also wrote with similar language in the Book of Mormon.  He said directly to us in his final message, "And I exhort you to remember these things; for the time speedily cometh that ye shall know that I lie not, for ye shall see me at the bar of God; and the Lord God will say unto you: Did I not declare my words unto you, which were written by this man, like as one crying from the dead, yea, even as one speaking out of the dust?"  And what was his message that he left which “cries” to us?  It was in essence the same as Lehi's to his children—to come unto the tree of life and partake of the goodness of the Savior: "I would exhort you that ye would come unto Christ....  And awake, and arise from the dust.... Come unto Christ, and be perfected in him... and love God with all your might, mind and strength, then is his grace sufficient for you, that by his grace ye may be perfect in Christ" (Moroni 10:27, 30-32).  And, like Lehi, that is the loud voice we must likewise use to teach our families to come unto the Savior.