The Lord Will Remember His Covenant

The chapter heading for 3 Nephi 29 says this: “The coming forth of the Book of Mormon is a sign that the Lord has commenced to gather Israel and fulfill His covenants.” This short chapter emphasizes how the Lord will remember his covenant with Israel and teaches how we know this: the coming forth of the Book of Mormon itself. Mormon wrote, “when the Lord shall see fit, in his wisdom, that these sayings shall come unto the Gentiles according to his word, then ye may know that the covenant which the Father hath made with the children of Israel, concerning their restoration to the lands of their inheritance, is already beginning to be fulfilled” (v1). When the words of the Lord to the Nephites come forth to the Gentiles—i.e. when the Book of Mormon and its message are available to the world—then we can know that the Father is fulfilling His covenant to gather Israel. Mormon continued, “Ye may know that the words of the Lord, which have been spoken by the holy prophets, shall all be fulfilled; and ye need not say that the Lord delays his coming unto the children of Israel” (v2). One of the emphatic messages of the Book of Mormon is that the words of the Lord spoken through ancient prophets are true and will indeed be accomplished. The Lord will gather Israel again and bring them to Him—the very existence of the Book of Mormon is the proof as well as the means by which they will be gathered. As the Lord said to Enoch, “Truth will I send forth out of the earth, to bear testimony of mine Only Begotten; his resurrection from the dead; yea, and also the resurrection of all men; and righteousness and truth will I cause to sweep the earth as with a flood, to gather out mine elect from the four quarters of the earth” (Moses 7:62). In other words, the Book of Mormon has come forth with truth out of the earth to sweep the world and gather out the Lord’s elect—the house of Israel—unto Him. Mormon emphatically declared, “The Lord will remember his covenant which he hath made unto his people of the house of Israel” (v3). The Book of Mormon affirms again and again that the Lord remembers His covenant to gather His people in these last days.

                In case we missed the point, Mormon reiterated at the end of this chapter the Lord’s focus on fulfilling His covenant. He wrote, “Yea, and ye need not any longer hiss, nor spurn, nor make game of the Jews, nor any of the remnant of the house of Israel; for behold, the Lord remembereth his covenant unto them, and he will do unto them according to that which he hath sworn” (v8). The Lord remembers His covenant. Mormon continued, “Therefore ye need not suppose that ye can turn the right hand of the Lord unto the left, that he may not execute judgment unto the fulfilling of the covenant which he hath made unto the house of Israel” (v9). No one and no thing can stop the Father from fulfilling His covenant with the house of Israel to be physically and spiritually gathered in these last days. All of this may seem exclusive to a certain group of people that the Lord will gather, but the next two verses (in the next chapter) clarify how this is really an inclusive doctrine. Mormon highlighted that the invitation is open for all to become part of the house of Israel in these last days. He wrote, “Hearken, O ye Gentiles, and hear the words of Jesus Christ, the Son of the living God, which he hath commanded me that I should speak concerning you, for, behold he commandeth me that I should write.” That’s quite the introduction and an indication that the Lord is very serious about what Mormon is about to say: “Turn, all ye Gentiles, from your wicked ways; and repent of your evil doings, of your lyings and deceivings, and of your whoredoms, and of your secret abominations, and your idolatries, and of your murders, and your priestcrafts, and your envyings, and your strifes, and from all your wickedness and abominations, and come unto me, and be baptized in my name, that ye may receive a remission of your sins, and be filled with the Holy Ghost, that ye may be numbered with my people who are of the house of Israel” (3 Nephi 29:1-2). Thus anyone who will repent and reject the many sins and abominations of our world can become part of the house of Israel by making a covenant through baptism with Him. His covenant with Israel that the Father is determined to fulfill in these last days will bless all of His children—whether literal descendants of the ancient covenant people or not—if they will repent and come unto Him through the covenant of baptism.