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FAIR Resources for Come, Follow Me – Book of Mormon
2 Nephi 6–10
Week 8: February 19-25, 2024
“O How Great the Plan of Our God”
“O How Great the Plan of Our God”
FAIR Faithful Resources for Come, Follow Me 2024 February 19-25. 2 Nephi 6-10: “O How Great the Plan of Our God”. These trusted sources can help you find answers to difficult questions and help you in your learning and teaching.
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Main Points to Ponder
The lesson invites us to challenge our assumptions about the “curse that came upon the Lamanites”(see 2 Nephi 5:20–21). As you ponder this question, the following questions and sources may be helpful:
- What does it mean to be cut off from the Lord’s presence? 2 Nephi 5:20–21
- What does the word “curse” mean in this context? See Curse, Curses in Guide to the Scriptures.
- The lesson states of the “mark” or “skin of blackness” that came upon the Lamanites: “The nature and appearance of this mark are not fully understood…Prophets affirm in our day that dark skin is not a sign of divine disfavor or cursing.”
- President Russell M. Nelson declared: “I assure you that your standing before God is not determined by the color of your skin. Favor or disfavor with God is dependent upon your devotion to God and His commandments and not the color of your skin” (“Let God Prevail,”).
- 2 Nephi 26:33
This Gospel Topic essay may also prove useful: Race and the Priesthood
Faithful Answers to Difficult Questions
- Bible passages in the Book of Mormon
- Question: What is the nature of “endless” or “eternal” punishment?
- Question: Does the Book of Mormon support the idea that “eternal” or “endless” punishment can be temporary?
- Nephi and Isaiah: Some Suggestions for Study
- Question: Was the Liahona simply a magnetic compass that was out of place in 600 B.C.?
- Robert L. Bunker, “The Design of the Liahona and the Purpose of the Second Spindle”
- Question: What “plain and precious” teachings does the Book of Mormon provide regarding the Savior and His mission?
Chapter Summaries
2 Nephi 6
2 Nephi 7
2 Nephi 8
2 Nephi 9
2 Nephi 10
2 Nephi 6
1-5: Nephi shares one of Jacob’s sermons, in which he quotes Isaiah and speak of things to come. He is concerned about the trajectory the Nephites seem to be traveling on.
6-18: In verses 6-7 of 2 Nephi 6, Jacob quotes Isaiah 49:23-24 and verses 16-18 are Isaiah 24-26. Jacob states that though Jerusalem was destroyed, the Jews will return. However, they will reject the Messiah when he comes and be scattered again. However, the Lord will not forget His covenant people. They will have the opportunity to accept the Savior, reject wickedness and be redeemed.
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2 Nephi 7
(compare to Isaiah 50:1-18)
1-3: Due to their sins, the children of Israel have distanced themselves from God, though He yet is willing to use His power to save and redeem.
4-9: The Savior references some of the hardships of His coming mission. However, he will be victorious.
10-11: If we try to walk in our own light we will be unsuccessful. Our efforts will not create lasting light.
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2 Nephi 8
(compare to Isaiah 51:1-23 and Isaiah 52:1-2)
1-10: The Lord asks His covenant people to remember His love, His constancy, His power and His ability to redeem.
11-23: Though Israel has at times rejected the Lord, they will be brought back from exile. Though the Lord has allowed them to suffer at times (drink the dregs . .), He is anxious to offer help and redemption and fight their enemies.
24-25: A final call for Israel to awaken, shake off those things that impede their spiritual progress and clothe themselves in the strength and righteousness of God.
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2 Nephi 9
1-3: Jacob continues preaching, explaining and expounding on the words of Isaiah. Israel should rejoice, confident that they will be gathered and receive their promised inheritance.
4-13: Jacob’s powerful sermon on the mission of the Savior – His infinite atonement. He saves us from both physical and spiritual death, the one brought about by the fall and the other due to our sins.
14-38: Jacob speaks of the final judgment. The Savior’s atonement and our subsequent faith, covenants and ordinances enable us to live with Him and the Father eternally. However, woe unto those who reject His teachings and are led astray by Satan. The atonement satisfies the demands of justice.
39-54: Jacob pleads with his people to give heed to the message just shared. Though hard to hear and implement, it is the way of happiness and salvation.
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2 Nephi 10
1-2: Jacob continues preaching, possibly the next day, emphasizing that though they are a “broken branch” of the House of Israel, and though many will perish due to unbelief, they will one day be restored as a covenant people.
3-9: This will come as they accept Jesus, the Christ. When He comes to Jerusalem, He will be rejected by the Jews, causing their additional scattering. When they accept Jesus as the Messiah, their promised blessings will come to pass. Until that time, the Gentiles shall be like a parent to scattered Israel.
10-19: Those living in the Americas, both Gentile and the descendants of Lehi, will be blessed, particularly as they give heed to the word of God.
20-25: Jacob pleads that the Nephites will joyfully choose to follow God and walk in His ways. Great blessings are in store for them if they do.
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Digging Deeper
Lesson Devotional
O How Great the Plan of Our God
By Michelle Pack, Contributor
In 2 Nephi 9, the Book of Mormon prophet Jacob explained the plan of salvation, central to which is the Atonement of Jesus Christ. In verse 7 he called it the “infinite atonement.” The word “infinite” brings up the idea of something that has no limits, that is too great to count, like the sands of the sea—something that can never end.
The opportunity to gain experience from our mistakes, grow closer to God through repentance, and move forward on the covenant path is given to us through the sacrifice, or Atonement, of Jesus Christ. It doesn’t matter to Christ the number of times we make mistakes or if we make the same mistake repeatedly. What matters is that we continue to repent, to learn, and to walk the covenant path back to our Father in Heaven.
Elder David A. Bednar said, “Most of us clearly understand that the Atonement is for sinners. I am not so sure, however, that we know and understand that the Atonement is also for saints—for good men and women who are obedient, worthy, and conscientious and who are striving to become better.”1
I came to understand the truth of Elder Bednar’s words during a challenging time in my life. The trial was not a consequence of my actions but, as I turned to Heavenly Father, I realized that Christ understood how I was feeling because of His infinite Atonement. Christ didn’t live an easy life. He knew disappointment, hardship, rejection, betrayal, and pain. He learned those lessons the way we do—by living life.
Because He lived in the fallen world, as we do, He knows exactly how we feel in our times of trial. He performed the Atonement so that “he may know according to the flesh how to succor his people according to their infirmities” (Alma 7:12).
I have felt His love frequently as I have not only repented of my sins but passed through challenging times. I feel the love of my Savior when I think of His infinite Atonement and the plan of the Father to help us return to Him again. President Wilford Woodruff once said, “I believe that the Almighty knew what He was going to do with this world before He made it.”2 As we come to know more about Christ’s Atonement and apply it in our lives, we can echo the words of Jacob: “O how great the plan of our God!” (2 Nephi 9:13).
The opportunity to gain experience from our mistakes, grow closer to God through repentance, and move forward on the covenant path is given to us through the sacrifice, or Atonement, of Jesus Christ. It doesn’t matter to Christ the number of times we make mistakes or if we make the same mistake repeatedly. What matters is that we continue to repent, to learn, and to walk the covenant path back to our Father in Heaven.
Elder David A. Bednar said, “Most of us clearly understand that the Atonement is for sinners. I am not so sure, however, that we know and understand that the Atonement is also for saints—for good men and women who are obedient, worthy, and conscientious and who are striving to become better.”1
I came to understand the truth of Elder Bednar’s words during a challenging time in my life. The trial was not a consequence of my actions but, as I turned to Heavenly Father, I realized that Christ understood how I was feeling because of His infinite Atonement. Christ didn’t live an easy life. He knew disappointment, hardship, rejection, betrayal, and pain. He learned those lessons the way we do—by living life.
Because He lived in the fallen world, as we do, He knows exactly how we feel in our times of trial. He performed the Atonement so that “he may know according to the flesh how to succor his people according to their infirmities” (Alma 7:12).
I have felt His love frequently as I have not only repented of my sins but passed through challenging times. I feel the love of my Savior when I think of His infinite Atonement and the plan of the Father to help us return to Him again. President Wilford Woodruff once said, “I believe that the Almighty knew what He was going to do with this world before He made it.”2 As we come to know more about Christ’s Atonement and apply it in our lives, we can echo the words of Jacob: “O how great the plan of our God!” (2 Nephi 9:13).
Endnotes
1 David A. Bednar, “The Atonement and the Journey of Mortality,” Ensign, April 2012, ChurchofJesusChrist.org.
2 Discourse by Wilford Woodruff, July 29, 1889, p. 1, The Wilford Woodruff Papers, wilfordwoodruffpapers.org/discourse/1889-07-29.
Michelle Pack
Michelle graduated from Utah State University–Eastern in 1995 with an associate degree in Graphic Design. After serving in the Guatemala, Guatemala North Mission from 1996 to 1998, she continued her education at Utah Valley University, graduating in 1999 with an associate degree in Paralegal Studies and in 2000 with a bachelor’s degree in Technology Management and an emphasis in Graphic Design. She worked as a paralegal for two years before having her children and becoming a full-time stay-at-home mom. Her two children are now in college. Not wanting to let her children suffer through college alone, Michelle went back to school and is now attending Utah Tech University, working on her master’s in Technical Writing and Digital Rhetoric. Michelle loves the gospel, family history, and the temple. She and her husband enjoy camping, hiking, and spending time together. She is excited to be a volunteer with the Wilford Woodruff Papers.
Lesson devotionals are provided by the Wilford Woodruff Papers Foundation. Its mission is to digitally preserve and publish Wilford Woodruff’s eyewitness account of the Restoration of the gospel of Jesus Christ from 1833 to 1898. It seeks to make Wilford Woodruff’s records universally accessible to inspire all people, especially the rising generation, to study and to increase their faith in Jesus Christ. See wilfordwoodruffpapers.org.
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