The First Book

To my daughter, 

                 Have you ever wondered what the very first book ever written was? We have the answer in the Pearl of Great Price in the account of Adam and Eve and their family. We read this, “And a book of remembrance was kept, in the which was recorded, in the language of Adam, for it was given unto as many as called upon God to write by the spirit of inspiration.” As far as we know this was the very first book written on the earth, and it contained a record of Adam and Eve and their family after they were cast out of the Garden of Eden and started a family. You might wonder what their language was like or where it came from. Enoch taught the people, “For a book of remembrance we have written among us, according to the pattern given by the finger of God; and it is given in our own language” (Moses 6:5). This seems to suggest that their written language was given by God—they wrote that first book with words according to the pattern they received from the Lord. Elder Bruce R. McConkie said this about this book and language: “From the beginning, the Lord provided a language and gave men the power to read and write. … The thing which they first wrote, and which of all their writings was of the most worth unto them, was a Book of Remembrance, a book in which they recorded what the Lord had revealed about himself, about his coming, and about the plan of salvation, which plan would have force and validity because of his atonement. This was the beginning of the Holy Scriptures.” Though of course we don’t know this language that Adam spoke, Joseph Smith did reveal that the name of God in this language is Ahman and means Man of Holiness. In the Doctrine and Covenants the Savior is called “the Son Ahman” and the place were Adam dwelt is called Adam-ondi-Ahman (78:20). What is most important I think for us to understand is that language and the written word are very important to our Father in Heaven. They are a gift to us that we should use to draw close to Him in this life.

                To use language and the written word most effectively, one of the commandments that the Lord has given us is to read the holy scriptures that He has given us. Isaiah gave us this straightforward invitation: “Seek ye out of the book of the Lord, and read” (Isaiah 34:16). We are first and foremost to read the scriptures just as Moroni also exhorted us at the end of the Book of Mormon to “read these things” and ponder them, meaning that we should study this book given to us through ancient prophets (Moroni 10:3). When the Savior was among the people of Jerusalem He invited them, “Search the scriptures,” which meant that they should read and study them carefully (John 5:49). When He was with the Nephite, Jesus also said this after reading scriptures to them: “Ye ought to search these things” (3 Nephi 23:1).  In our day the Savior said this to the Prophet Joseph Smith on one occasion: “Behold, I say unto you that you shall let your time be devoted to the studying of the scriptures” (Doctrine and Covenants 26:1). Surely that applies to us today as well. I want to encourage you to continue to learn to read so that you can one day read the scriptures on your own, which is the greatest book that you can learn to read in this life. I know that reading in the scriptures every day will help you to have the Spirit of the Lord with you always.

 

Love,

Dad