He Saw the Son of Righteousness

The first king among the Jaredites was Orihah, the son (presumably the youngest) of Jared. He was a righteous king, and his son Kib took over the kingdom after him. He spent some of his life in captivity due to his wicked son Corihor, but when Kib was old he begat Shule. Shule was righteous and eventually regained the kingdom. Shule “did execute judgment in righteousness all his days” and eventually he passed along the kingdom to his son Omer, a great-great- grandson of Jared (Ether 7:27). Omer’s life was filled with challenges due to his son Jared’s rebellion and his granddaughter’s plot to kill him. But Omer was righteous like his father, and the Lord preserved his life by having him flee with the part of his family who was not trying to kill him. In his absence the kingdom passed to Jared and then to Akish (who murdered Jared, his father-in-law), but eventually it essentially disappeared as the wickedness of Akish and his sons caused nearly the entire destruction of the people. At that point Omer went back and regained the kingdom and his original land. Like Orihah who begat Kib in his old age, and Kib who begat Shule in his old age, and likely Shule—whose last reference was “he begat Omer, and Omer reigned in his stead” and so must have likewise been very old—Omer also brought forth a son in his old age. We read: “And it came to pass that Omer began to be old; nevertheless, in his old age he begat Emer; and he anointed Emer to be king to reign in his stead” (Ether 9:14). Emer, like his father and grandfather, was a righteous man and a great king among the Jaredites.

                We only have a few details about the life of Emer, but what we know confirms that he was just man and highly favored of the Lord. He likely began to reign at a very young age and shortly after nearly all of the Jaredites were destroyed. He “did fill the steps of his father” Omer. The Lord clearly prospered his people which was certainly in large part due to the righteous leadership of Emer: “And the Lord began again to take the curse from off the land, and the house of Emer did prosper exceedingly under the reign of Emer; and in the space of sixty and two years they had become exceedingly strong, insomuch that they became exceedingly rich—Having all manner of fruit, and of grain, and of silks, and of fine linen, and of gold, and of silver, and of precious things; And also all manner of cattle, of oxen, and cows, and of sheep, and of swine, and of goats, and also many other kinds of animals which were useful for the food of man. And they also had horses, and asses, and there were elephants and cureloms and cumoms; all of which were useful unto man, and more especially the elephants and cureloms and cumoms.” The Lord showed that He would indeed bless His people when they were righteous, and His promise of prospering the inhabitants in this land when they kept His commandments was fulfilled. Moroni summarized, “And thus the Lord did pour out his blessings upon this land, which was choice above all other lands; and he commanded that whoso should possess the land should possess it unto the Lord, or they should be destroyed when they were ripened in iniquity; for upon such, saith the Lord: I will pour out the fulness of my wrath. And Emer did execute judgment in righteousness all his days, and he begat many sons and daughters; and he begat Coriantum, and he anointed Coriantum to reign in his stead.” Like King Benjamin who would come upon the land centuries later, he did what very few kings choose to do: he gave up power before he passed away: “And after he had anointed Coriantum to reign in his stead he lived four years.” We then have this incredible statement about what happened to him after this humble act of turning the kingdom over to his son: “He saw peace in the land. Yea, and he even saw the Son of Righteousness, and did rejoice and glory in his day; and he died in peace” (Ether 9:15-22). In those final years of his life, after reigning in righteous for 62 years and transferring power to his son, he had a vision of or a visit from the Son of God. Like the brother of his great-great-great-grandfather, he saw the Savior and was highly favored of the Lord. His story and that of all the Jaredites highlights that the Lord indeed will bless His people, both physically and spiritually, when they choose righteousness and live according to His commandments.