Remembering and the Book of Ether

One of the themes of the book of Ether is our need to remember the Lord and what He has done for us.  For example, near the beginning of the book the brother of Jared was chastened because “he remembered not to call upon the name of the Lord.”  This was a defining moment for the brother of Jared who was told by the Lord to remember Him while it was still in his power to do so: “I will forgive thee and thy brethren of their sins; but thou shalt not sin any more, for ye shall remember that my Spirit will not always strive with man” (Ether 2:14-15).  Later other Jaredite leaders were blessed because they remembered how the Lord had saved their people in bringing them to the promised land.  We read this of the first king after Jared died: “And it came to pass that Orihah did walk humbly before the Lord, and did remember how great things the Lord had done for his father, and also taught his people how great things the Lord had done for their fathers” (Ether 6:30).  Because he did remember how the Lord had preserved his fathers, “Orihah did execute judgment upon the land in righteousness all his days” (Ether 7:1).  If we truly remember the Lord and what He has done for our family, it leads us to righteousness.        

                Later the grandson of Orihah similarly was righteous and remembered what had been done by the Lord: “And there were no more wars in the days of Shule; and he remembered the great things that the Lord had done for his fathers in bringing them across the great deep into the promised land; wherefore he did execute judgment in righteousness all his days” (Ether 7:27).  Here we see that again that Moroni connected Shule’s ability to lead the people in righteousness with the fact that he remembered what had been done for their fathers.  Many generations later the king Shez also remembered his fathers and because of this was able to “build up again a broken people.”  We read, “And it came to pass that Shez did remember the destruction of his fathers, and he did build up a righteous kingdom; for he remembered what the Lord had done in bringing Jared and his brother across the deep; and he did walk in the ways of the Lord; and he begat sons and daughters” (Ether 10:1-2).  Orihah, Shule, and Shez all remembered how the Lord had brought their people across the ocean, and that remembrance helped them to turn to the Lord in righteousness in their own day. 

                There is one more Jaredite king who likewise did some remembering, but he was not righteous.  Coriantumr, the last Jaredite besides Ether himself, remembered the Lord’s words when it was too late.  After having fought much, “began to remember the words which Ether had spoken unto him.”  He “began to remember the words which had been spoken by the mouth of all the prophets” (Ether 15:1, 3).  He remembered the Lord’s message to him when the terrible events were set in motion such that they could not be stopped.  At least one of the messages for us from the book of Ether is that we need to remember the Lord and what He has done for us and our fathers.  And we must not wait too long to remember Him, or it may be too late, for the “Spirit will not always strive with man.”