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Faithful Study Resources for Come, Follow Me

FAIR Resources for Come, Follow Me – Book of Mormon

Ether 1-5

Week 46: November 11–17, 2024

“rend that veil of unbelief”

“We Rejoice in Christ”

Supplemental Resources
Lesson Devotional

Scripture Focus

Book of Mormon Chapters: Ether 1–5
Rend That Veil of Unbelief

Historical Context: The record of the Jaredites begins, detailing their journey to the promised land and the miraculous guidance they received from the Lord.

Discussion Questions

  • – How can we exercise the faith necessary to receive personal revelation?
  • – What lessons do we learn from the brother of Jared about approaching God in faith?
  • – How can the faith of the brother of Jared inspire us to seek greater personal revelation in our own lives?
  • – What does the story of the Jaredites teach us about God’s guidance and the importance of covenant lands?

Doctrinal Focus

  • Key Doctrinal Points: Repentance, the consequences of rejecting God’s teachings, and the role of prophets in warning people of impending destruction.
  • Potential Doctrinal Challenges:
  • The veil of unbelief is often self-imposed through doubt, fear, or a lack of trust in God’s promises. To rend this veil, we must exercise faith, seek personal revelation, and trust in God’s ability to make His will known to us. The brother of Jared’s example shows that when we approach God with faith, He is willing to reveal Himself and guide us.

Historical & Doctrinal Challenges

  • The genealogies in Ether demonstrate remarkable internal consistency. Ether 1 provides a lineage that spans dozens of generations, which is later unpacked in chapters 9–11 in a more detailed narrative. The intricate structure reflects a sophisticated literary form. Critics who claim Joseph Smith simply made it up overlook the fact that such a complex and interwoven genealogical narrative would be extremely difficult to produce without extensive notes or prior preparation—neither of which Joseph Smith reportedly used during the translation process.
  • Faking the Book of Mormon
  • Exploring the Complex Book of Mormon
  • How the Book of Mormon’s Complexity Shows its Authenticity

Transporting bees would have been feasible for the Jaredites. Historical records show that beekeeping was practiced in ancient Egypt, Mesopotamia, and other early civilizations. Ancient Egyptian art from as far back as 2400 BCE depicts beekeeping activities, including hives designed for transport. They used clay or woven hives and could relocate them, allowing for migration and even cross-regional trade of bees and honey.

In ancient Sumer, early beekeepers likely understood the need to sustain bees during journeys by sealing hives with some ventilation. The Jaredites, being familiar with animal husbandry and agriculture, would have had the know-how to transport bees for pollination and honey production.

Ether 5 references the testimony of three witnesses who would verify the truthfulness of the Book of Mormon. This prophecy aligns with the account of the Three Witnesses—Oliver Cowdery, David Whitmer, and Martin Harris—who testified to having seen the plates and an angel. This alignment between Ether’s prophecy and the Book of Mormon witnesses suggests a divine orchestration that would strengthen the book’s authenticity.

Historically, having multiple witnesses was a principle established in Mosaic law (Deuteronomy 19:15), emphasizing the importance of corroborated testimony. The consistency between Ether’s prophecy and the events surrounding the Book of Mormon witnesses supports the integrity and divine purpose of the record’s coming forth.

If you have questions on this week’s reading, please email your questions to us here.

Application for Today

There are many principles to find in Ether 1–5. Some are highlighted in the lesson outline, but you will find others. Let Heavenly Father, through His Spirit, teach you what you need right now.

  • We can rend the veil of unbelief through faith in Jesus Christ and seeking personal revelation. The brother of Jared’s story encourages us to trust that God will reveal His will to us as we approach Him with faith and humility.

  • “There is a way by which persons can keep their consciences clear before God and man, and that is to preserve within them the Spirit of God, which is the spirit of revelation to every man and woman. It will reveal to them, even in the simplest of matters, what they shall do, by making suggestions to them. We should try to learn the nature of this Spirit, that we may understand its suggestions, and then we will always be able to do right. This is the grand privilege of every Latter-day Saint. We know that it is our right to have the manifestations of the Spirit every day of our lives.”

    Lorenzo Snow, Teachings of the Presidents of the Church: Lorenzo Snow

Chapter Summaries

  • 1-5:  After writing what Moroni believed to be the end of Mormon’s record (Mormon 9) he decides to include in the brass plates the record of the Jaredites as recorded by Ether.  This record comes from the 24 plates found by the people of Limhi. 

    6-33:  Ether, the last Jaredite scribe, begins by listing his genealogy from himself back to Jared.  Jared and his family lived back when the Lord confused the languages and scattered the people.  The Book of Ether begins with their story.

    34-43:  The brother of Jared, a righteous man, petitions the Lord for two things; that their language will not be confounded and that their “scattering” will be to a choice location.  The Lord blesses both requests.  Jared, along with his family and friends, prepare for the journey to their new home.

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  • 1-3:  The Jaredites make preparations for their journey. 

    4-7:  The Lord visits the brother of Jared and directs him how to complete the first leg of their journey. 

    8-12:  Those who are brought to the promised land, must obey God or be swept off.  Moroni foreshadows the eventual Jaredite destruction, and warns the Gentiles that they must remain faithful or face a similar fate. 

    13-25:  The brother of Jared is chastised for not having sufficiently remembered to call upon God.  He is given instructions for building the barges that will carry them to the promised land.  The barges are described, along with how the Jaredites solved the problem of not having enough air in their barges, which were tight, like unto a dish. 

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  • 1-6:  The Jaredites now need to also solve the problem of not having light in their barges.  The brother of Jared prepares small glass stones and asks the Lord to touch them and make them luminous. The Savior does, and in the process the brother of Jared sees His finger.  

    7-20:  Because of his faith, Jesus Christ shows His entire spirit body to the brother of Jared. He learns that we are created in the image of God and that our faith in Him enables us to be redeemed and brought back into His presence. 

    21-28:  Not only did the brother of Jared see the Lord, but because of his faith he was able to see a vision of the whole world and all of God’s creations.  Though the brother of Jared will record what he has seen and learned, his record will not be able to be read and interpreted until after the Savior’s mission on Earth is complete. 

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  • 1-7:  After the brother of Jared’s experience seeing the Lord, he was commanded to write about his experience.  However, his record will not be made known to the Nephites until after Christ visits them after His resurrection.  This record will not be made known to us in our day until we have sufficient faith and works of righteousness. 

    8-19:  The Savior promises both the Gentiles and the House of Israel of the latter days that those who come unto Him will be blessed to see the manifestations of the Spirit and receive all the covenant blessings in store for the House of Israel.  Those who have rejected Christ need only repent and have a change of heart in order to receive the same blessings. 

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  • 1-6:  Moroni references the plates he is compiling.  They will one day come forth, and be translated. Three witnesses will bear testimony of the truthfulness of their message.

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Devotional: “Rend That Veil of Unbelief”

Receiving personal revelation is not always an easy process, but it is crucial …

Now more than ever we must rely on God through revelation, and there are so many amazing blessings that await us when we commune with our Heavenly Father! Wilford Woodruff said, “The Lord has a great many things to reveal in the latter days, when we are prepared as a people to receive them.”¹ One of the best ways to prepare to receive revelation is to learn how the process works.

The brother of Jared’s story in Ether exemplifies important principles about revelation. As the religious leader for his people, he was instructed by the Lord to build barges to bring his people to a new land. Throughout the process, the brother of Jared frequently relied on the Lord for direction and received instruction.

First, the brother of Jared showed that asking God in faith is an important principle of receiving revelation. After building the barges, he said, “O Lord, I have performed the work which thou hast commanded me, and I have made the barges according as thou hast directed me. And behold, O Lord, in them there is no light; whither shall we steer?” (Ether 2:18–19). Instead of assuming that they would have to live in darkness or trying to come up with a solution on his own, the brother of Jared had faith to ask God for help. In Ether 4:15, the Lord instructs us, “Call upon the Father in my name, with a broken heart and contrite spirit.” Humbly asking for specific help has blessed my life and has led to many intimate experiences with God. While answers don’t always come when I expect or how I hope, I am often overwhelmed by the goodness and mercy of God when they do come.

Second, the brother of Jared demonstrated the need for us to exercise faith to receive revelation. After he asked the Lord how they could steer without any light, he requested that the Lord light 16 stones with His touch. In Ether 3:5, he said, “O Lord, thou canst do this.” When we believe and act, knowing that the Lord is able to do anything according to His will, we will receive guidance.

Finally, the brother of Jared received instructions line upon line, “being directed continually by the hand of the Lord” (Ether 2:6). Throughout the process of building the barges and traveling across the sea to the promised land, the Lord revealed more, little by little, to guide the brother of Jared and his people step by step. In his October 2022 general conference address, Elder Dale G. Renlund extended the invitation to “recognize what God has already revealed to you personally, while being open to further revelation from Him.”²

Receiving personal revelation is not always an easy process, but it is crucial for maintaining our relationship with God and following His will throughout our life. Similar to the brother of Jared, as I have done my best to ask God for direction, with faith in the Savior and an understanding that knowledge comes gradually, I have been blessed with insights that guide my life and discipleship.

  • [1] Discourse by Wilford Woodruff, December 12, 1880, The Wilford Woodruff Papers, wilfordwoodruffpapers.org/discourse/1880-12-12.

  • [2] Dale G. Renlund, “A Framework for Personal Revelation,” October 2022 general conference, ChurchofJesusChrist.org.

Kamryn Maughan is studying Family Life at Brigham Young University. She joined the Wilford Woodruff Papers because she was drawn to its mission to deepen and strengthen faith through President Woodruff’s documents and history. Kamryn has a big, loving family who she recently reunited with after serving in Oklahoma as a missionary for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. She loves hiking, playing card games, and watching movies with her family and friends.

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