Gathering the Children

At the end of the book of Genesis, Jacob gathered his sons together to teach them before his death.  We read, “And Jacob called unto his sons, and said, Gather yourselves together, that I may tell you that which shall befall you in the last days. Gather yourselves together, and hear, ye sons of Jacob; and hearken unto Israel your father.”  He then spoke to each of them individually, giving both words of rebuke for their sins (“Cursed be their anger, for it was fierce”) and of prophecy of days to come (“the sceptre shall not depart from Judah”).  He “spake unto them, and blessed them; every one according to his blessing he blessed them. And he charged them” (Genesis 49:1-29).  The account that we have is very brief, and surely Jacob spake many more things to them (and on many other occasions) than what we now have written thousands of years later.  He gave us an example, though, of an important responsibility of parents: to gather our children together to be taught, warned, and blessed.  Other fathers in the scriptures followed suite in gathering their children together to be taught of the Lord. 

               The Book of Mormon records at least four such instances in which a father gathered together his children to be taught.  Lehi provided perhaps the most comprehensive example.  He gathered some or all of his children on many occasions to teach and warn them.  At the start of their journey he took Laman and Lemuel into nature and used it to instruct them: “He spake unto Laman, saying: O that thou mightest be like unto this river, continually running into the fountain of all righteousness! And he also spake unto Lemuel: O that thou mightest be like unto this valley, firm and steadfast, and immovable in keeping the commandments of the Lord!” (1 Nephi 2:9-10).  He later gathered his children together to teach them about his vision of the tree of life in 1 Nephi 8 and the coming of the Messiah in 1 Nephi 10.  And of course at the end of his life, like Jacob, he gathered them together to teach them, speaking to Laman and Lemuel, Jacob, Joseph, and his grandchildren in 2 Nephi 1-4.  Nephi recorded, “And it came to pass after my father, Lehi, had spoken unto all his household, according to the feelings of his heart and the Spirit of the Lord which was in him, he waxed old. And it came to pass that he died” (2 Nephi 4:12).  His last great work on earth was to teach his children, and only after he had done that did he pass away. 

Later in the Book of Mormon others similarly gathered their children for instruction.  King Benjamin brought together his three sons together and taught the about the importance of scriptures, exhorting them to search the word of God.  Mormon recorded, “And many more things did king Benjamin teach his sons” (Mosiah 1:8).  Before he taught his people in the great sermon recorded in Mosiah 2-5, he gathered his sons and instructed them.  Many years later Alma also instructed his three sons, and we now have seven full chapters of the teaching and encouragement that he gave to Helaman, Shiblon, and Corianton.  Mormon recorded, “He caused that his sons should be gathered together, that he might give unto them every one his charge, separately, concerning the things pertaining unto righteousness” (Alma 35:16).  Alma’s grandson Helaman also gathered his sons Nephi and Lehi to teach them the gospel and it is in that account that we have the famous instruction to build our foundation upon the rock of our Redeemer.  Mormon commented, “And it came to pass that these were the words which Helaman taught to his sons; yea, he did teach them many things which are not written” (Helaman 5:13).  Lehi, King Benjamin, Alma, and Helaman—perhaps seeking to follow the example of Jacob on the brass plates—all gathered their children together to teach them the gospel and exhort them to walk in the ways of truth.  These were undoubtedly not one time events, and their examples provide a model for us to follow as we seek to gather often our own children to teach them the gospel.