Believe in Revelations

One of the themes of the four small books which finish the small plates of Nephi is the importance and reality of revelations from God. In the book of Enos, he recounted how he received revelations from the Lord. After much prayer, “there came a voice unto [him], saying: Enos, thy sins are forgiven thee, and thou shalt be blessed” (v5). He heard the voice of the Lord speak unto him directly, saying further, “Because of thy faith in Christ, whom thou hast never before heard nor seen. And many years pass away before he shall manifest himself in the flesh; wherefore, go to, thy faith hath made thee whole” (v8). After much prayer the Lord spoke to him again saying, “I will grant unto thee according to thy desires, because of thy faith” (v12). The testimony of Enos was that the Lord truly will speak to us as we reach out to him earnestly for revelations. Jarom did not record his own revelations but highlighted how the Lord had spoken to his people. He wrote, “I shall not write the things of my prophesying, nor of my revelations. For what could I write more than my fathers have written? For have not they revealed the plan of salvation? I say unto you, Yea; and this sufficeth me” (v2). He recognized that there were indeed great revelations written on the plates by those who had gone before him. He also added, “And there are many among us who have many revelations, for they are not all stiffnecked. And as many as are not stiffnecked and have faith, have communion with the Holy Spirit, which maketh manifest unto the children of men, according to their faith” (v4). Though he didn’t record them, the righteous among his people had many revelations and much communication with God through their faith. From Enos we learn that revelations are given through earnest prayer, and Jarom emphasized that we need faith and humility to commune with the Lord.

                The next two books similarly highlighted the importance of revelation. Abinadom, similar to Jarom, wrote in the book of Omni, “The record of this people is engraven upon plates which is had by the kings, according to the generations; and I know of no revelation save that which has been written, neither prophecy; wherefore, that which is sufficient is written” (v11). He recognized the great revelations which had already been recorded on the small plates of Nephi and was content to let those speak for themselves without adding anything to them. His son Amaleki highlighted a very important revelation that Mosiah (father of Benjamin) received: “Behold, I will speak unto you somewhat concerning Mosiah, who was made king over the land of Zarahemla; for behold, he being warned of the Lord that he should flee out of the land of Nephi, and as many as would hearken unto the voice of the Lord should also depart out of the land with him, into the wilderness” (v12). This small group of Nephites was preserved as they fled into the wilderness because they hearkened to a revelation from the Lord. They were “admonished continually by the word of God; and they were led by the power of his arm, through the wilderness until they came down into the land which is called the land of Zarahemla” (v13). Their faith in these revelations from the Lord undoubtedly saved their lives, just as Lehi’s adherence to his revelation preserved his family from being destroyed in Jerusalem. As he finished his record, Amaleki urged us to “believe in prophesying, and in revelations, and in the ministering of angels, and in the gift of speaking with tongues, and in the gift of interpreting languages, and in all things which are good” (v25). We see from the text how important it was for the Nephites to heed the revelations of God, and Amaleki’s invitation for us is to likewise hearken to and seek after revelations from the Lord. We can start by cherishing these revelations that we have in the small plates of Nephi. In the Words of Mormon, he described these words of Nephi, Jacob, and their descendants this way: “But behold, I shall take these plates, which contain these prophesyings and revelations, and put them with the remainder of my record, for they are choice unto me; and I know they will be choice unto my brethren” (v6). The scriptures that contain the revelations of God should likewise be choice unto us, and they will hep us to seek our own revelations for our lives from the Lord.