Caused to be Read

After the groups of Alma and Limhi made it back to Zarahemla, King Mosiah gathered all the Nephites and people of Zarahemla together and read the history of these groups to them. Mormon recounted, “And it came to pass that Mosiah did read, and caused to be read, the records of Zeniff to his people; yea, he read the records of the people of Zeniff, from the time they left the land of Zarahemla until they returned again. And he also read the account of Alma and his brethren, and all their afflictions, from the time they left the land of Zarahemla until the time they returned again.” This had a powerful effect on the people who listened to these true stories: “His people who tarried in the land were struck with wonder and amazement. For they knew not what to think; for when they beheld those that had been delivered out of bondage they were filled with exceedingly great joy. And again, when they thought of their brethren who had been slain by the Lamanites they were filled with sorrow, and even shed many tears of sorrow.” The telling of these stories of faith, wickedness, conversion, and ultimately deliverance moved the people to experience both joy and sorrow at what had happened to their brethren. They organized into churches and “were called the people of God. And the Lord did pour out his Spirit upon them, and they were blessed” (Mosiah 25:5-9, 24). There is power in the stories of the Lord’s people.   

This scene is similar to what happened in the days of King Josiah. After the book of the law which had been neglected for many years was found, King Josiah was determined that his people would understand and live by it. “And the king sent, and they gathered unto him all the elders of Judah and of Jerusalem. And the king went up into the house of the Lord, and all the men of Judah and all the inhabitants of Jerusalem with him, and the priests, and the prophets, and all the people, both small and great: and he read in their ears all the words of the book of the covenant which was found in the house of the Lord.” After hearing the words of the law, containing both the history of the children of Israel and the commandments of the Lord to them, the people were ready to similarly make a covenant like their ancestors of old: “And the king stood by a pillar, and made a covenant before the Lord, to walk after the Lord, and to keep his commandments and his testimonies and his statutes with all their heart and all their soul, to perform the words of this covenant that were written in this book. And all the people stood to the covenant” (2 Kings 23:1-3). The words of the sacred texts brought them to a knowledge of God and helped them exercise faith to covenant with Him. There is power in the stories of the Lord’s people. 

These two experiences are similar to what happened to some of the children of Israel after they returned from Babylon to build up Jerusalem. We read, “And Ezra the priest brought the law before the congregation both of men and women, and all that could hear with understanding, upon the first day of the seventh month. And he read therein before the street that was before the water gate from the morning until midday, before the men and the women, and those that could understand; and the ears of all the people were attentive unto the book of the law.” He read “distinctly, and gave the sense, and caused them to understand the reading.” Ezra did this “in the sight of all the people” and they were so moved that “all the people answered, Amen, Amen, with lifting up their hands: and they bowed their heads, and worshipped the Lord with their faces to the ground.” The history of the Lord’s covenant people found in the books of Moses, along with the teachings and commandments they contained, moved the people to worship the Lord and to have “great mirth, because they had understood the words that were declared unto them” (Nehemiah 8:2-3, 6, 8, 12). Once again, we see that the words of holy writ and its ancient stories moved the people deeply and helped bring them to faith on the Lord. There is power in the stories of the Lord’s people.

                And so, we too should value the stories of the Lord’s people and use them to strengthen our faith and the faith of others. These are found first and foremost in the words of scriptures that we too should read distinctly and cause to be understand. They are also found in modern histories, and the Church is doing much to bring these stories to us. We have now three marvelous historical accounts in the Saints series, and we are awaiting the fourth and final volume soon. We also have an incredible compilation of short true histories of members of the Church all across the world published online as the Global Histories. The Church also published a brief history of the Relief Society outlining its founding and growth and mission along with a more detailed account of The First Fifty Years of Relief Society. We have many other sources of history to inspire and teach us recently produced by the Church including Revelations in Context and of course the monumental work of the Joseph Smith Papers. All of these highlight the invitation to us to understand the stories of the Lord’s people from the past so that we too, like the people of Mosiah, can be moved and changed and united by the faith and experiences of the people of God who have gone before us.