Scripture Study

Cover image via Gospel Media Library. 

The Book of Mormon is bookended by mercy. Fourteen verses in, the prophet Lehi exclaims: “Great and marvelous are thy works, O Lord God Almighty! Thy throne is high in the heavens, and thy power, and goodness, and mercy are over all the inhabitants of the earth; and, because thou art merciful, thou wilt not suffer those who come unto thee that they shall perish (1 Nephi 1:14)!” Six verses later Nephi states his purpose: “But behold, I, Nephi, will show unto you that the tender mercies of the Lord are over all those whom he hath chosen, because of their faith, to make them mighty even unto the power of deliverance” (1 Nephi 1:20). The message of this father and son is clear, because of the Lord’s mercy, the believing will not perish but will be made mighty by the power of deliverance. (Whenever I see the word power, I think priesthood.)

At the end of the Book of Mormon, another father and son testify of the same thing. Mormon said: “Have miracles ceased because Christ hath ascended into heaven, and hath sat down on the right hand of God, to claim of the Father his rights of mercy which he hath upon the children of men” (Moroni 7:27)? And Moroni said: “Behold, I would exhort you… that ye would remember how merciful the Lord hath been unto the children of men, from the creation of Adam even down until [this] time” (Moroni 10:3).

The fact that Lehi and Nephi open the Book of Mormon with mercy/merciful and Mormon and Moroni close it the same way, the fact that our merciful Father in Heaven provided the world with another testament of his Beloved Son, the fact that the Book of Mormon is filled with countless accounts of the Lord’s mercy to prophets and ordinary people, and because I personally experienced God’s mercy through the Book of Mormon, I know it to be a book of mercy.

About three years ago, I had back surgery to remove a cyst and fuse vertebrae L4 and L5. All went well for about six months when I started to break vertebrae up and down my spine. I broke ten in three months and had two more surgeries. I was homebound for about two years. Before the first surgery, I was a Relief Society teacher. Obviously, that was no longer possible. While I was still in a brace, on painkillers, oxygen, and unable to get out of bed, sit, or walk without help, my Relief Society president, Becky, came for a visit. She had visited many times. This time she told me that she had been mowing her lawn and a clear message came into her mind. She called the bishop and told him. He agreed she should act on the prompting, which was that I should be invited to teach a once-a-week Book of Mormon class on Zoom. I told her it seemed impossible but that I would pray about it.

The answer came not with a yes or no, but with two instructions: start chronologically and go slowly. So, I began with the book of Ether, because it is the first chronologically, and I did go slowly. It took 70 weeks to get through the Book of Mormon. At my slow pace, the people’s lives and challenges became real to me. I was tutored by the Spirit as never before, and my testimony grew as I presented evidences and bore testimony week after week. At first, I could hardly sit at the computer, but with abundant heavenly and earthly help from my husband, daughters, and Becky, I was able to build strength and endurance. The idea came to call the class BookofMormon4us. Kind sisters in the ward got on Zoom every Wednesday to support my effort. By and by, I got stronger.

After the first month, Becky decided we should start recording the lessons and get a YouTube channel, so those who couldn’t listen live could still participate. Never in my life have a felt the Spirit more than when I was preparing these lessons. Although on a much lesser scale, it reminded me of Oliver Cowdery’s words describing his feelings when Joseph Smith dictated the words that appeared on the Urim and Thummim for him to write: “These were days never to be forgotten—to sit under the sound of a voice dictated by the inspiration of heaven, awakened the utmost gratitude of this bosom! Day after day I continued, uninterrupted, to write from his mouth, as he translated with the Urim and Thummim, or, as the Nephites would have said, ‘Interpreters,’ the history or record called ‘The Book of Mormon’” (https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/scriptures/pgp/js-h/1?lang=eng&id=71#70). Week-by-week, I was mercifully filled with the Spirit and healed.

I felt this mercy in His power to forgive: Alma, a former high priest of wicked king Noah; Alma and the sons of King Mosiah who were going about trying to destroy the Church; Zeezrom; Corianton; King Lamoni; Enos; and many others.

I felt His mercy in His power to heal. He said to the Nephites gathered at the temple in Bountiful: “Have ye any that are sick among you? … Bring them hither and I will heal them, for I have compassion upon you; my bowels are filled with mercy” (3 Nephi 17:5-7).

I felt His mercy in His doctrine: “Little children cannot repent; wherefore, it is awful wickedness to deny the pure mercies of God unto them, for they are all alive in him because of his mercy” (Moroni 8:19).

I felt His mercy in His miracles: “Yea, verily I say unto you, if ye will come unto me ye shall have eternal life. Behold, mine arm of mercy is extended towards you, and whosoever will come, him will I receive; and blessed are those who come unto me. Behold, I am Jesus Christ the Son of God” (3 Nephi 9:14-15).

Because of the mercy I experienced, I began to study mercy in more depth. The Father’s mercy is eternal, all encompassing—broader than broad and deeper than deep, and I thought I understood it. But wherever I read, I kept bumping into the concept of grace and became confused. Was my ability to do what I thought was impossible because of our Heavenly Father’s grace? I looked up grace in the Bible Dictionary. The first sentence defines grace as “divine help or strength given through the bounteous mercy and love of Jesus Christ.”

I did some wordcounts and found that grace is more a New Testament word, especially in Paul’s writings, and that there is a lot more mercy in the Book of Mormon.

Grace/gracious are found about 274 times in all scripture:

• 71 times in the Old Testament;
• 134 times in the New Testament (100 times in Apostle Paul’s letters, including Hebrews).
• 30 times in Book of Mormon.

Mercy and its variants are found about 551 times in all scripture:

• 252 in the Old Testament, including 117 times in Psalms,
• 65 times in the New Testament,
• Mercy, mercies, and merciful are found about 150 times in the Book of Mormon.

I looked up where grace and mercy come together in scripture. Here is a sampling. The Apostle Paul used both words twice as a greeting: “Grace, mercy, and peace, from God our Father and Jesus Christ our Lord” (1 Timothy 1:2; Titus 1:4). Hebrews 4:16 reads: “Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.” In 2 Nephi 2 Lehi said: “No flesh that can dwell in the presence of God, save it be through the merits, and mercy, and grace of the Holy Messiah.” Jacob, Lehi’s son, said in 2 Nephi 9:8: “O the wisdom of God, his mercy and grace!” Jacob uses both words again in the same chapter, verse 53: “because of his greatness, and his grace and mercy.” In Alma 4:48, Alma testifies to the people: “I know that Jesus Christ shall come, yea, the Son, the Only Begotten of the Father, full of grace, and mercy, and truth.”

My present understanding of mercy and grace is pretty simple. I know they are undeserved gifts of God given to His flawed children. I know they help us navigate an unmerciful and ungracious world and beyond. I know both are available because of the Atonement of Jesus Christ as the Book of Mormon explains: “Wherefore, how great the importance to make these things known unto the inhabitants of the earth, that they may know that there is no flesh that can dwell in the presence of God, save it be through the merits, and mercy, and grace of the Holy Messiah, who layeth down his life according to the flesh, and taketh it again by the power of the Spirit, that he may bring to pass the resurrection of the dead, being the first that should rise” (2 Nephi 2:8). I know that mercy mitigates the demands of justice through repentance and that grace enables us to enter God’s presence. Knowing that much, I am going to stop trying to identify their separateness and think of them as a team in the same way I think about faith and hope.

My son, Matt shared an experience that gave me insight into another aspect of God’s mercy and grace. At his workplace, the employees celebrated Halloween by inviting their children and grandchildren to trick-or-treat office-by-office. Matt brought a large bag of individually wrapped candies—Life Savers, Airheads, Swedish Fish, Skittles, Starbursts, and Sour Punch. He had never tasted Airheads and Sour Punch. He tried them and found them very bitter to his taste.

As the children started coming, he enjoyed hearing little voices call “trick or treat” in what is usually a very quiet work area. A brother and sister were the last to come to his door. When he saw these were the last, he realized there was going be a lot of candy left over. The little girl was surprised when Matt said, “Open your bag.” He put a brimming handful into her bag. The little brother eagerly opened his bag and also received a generous handful.

When we call at heaven’s door, Heavenly Father figuratively puts handfuls of grace and mercy into our bags of life experiences. Some are blessings like candies we crave and others are bitter. Why the bitter? In His eternal perspective, He knows both sweet and sour will teach us, mold us, and prepare us for our futures.

This describes my experiences in the past three years. The handful of gifts I received include surgeries, pain, isolation, depression, ability to prepare PowerPoint lessons, skills to use Zoom, create and manage a YouTube channel, and receive more knowledge and testimony of the Book of Mormon that I could have ever imagined. Mercy and grace came in abundance, some sweet and some sour, through the omniscience of our Heavenly Father and our Savior Jesus Christ.

As we turn the calendar to 2024, we are invited to open our bags and receive one of Their most gracious and merciful gifts—an entire year to partake of the Book of Mormon. Whatever happens in 2024 will be made better by the Book of Mormon.

• Ancient people will step out of the pages and share some life experiences with you.
• The doctrine of Christ—His Atonement, the plan of salvation, the power of covenants, and so much more will become clearer and dearer to you.
• You will find evidences of the truthfulness of the Book of Mormon as you watch prophecy upon prophecy fulfilled.
• And by the power of the Holy Ghost, you will find custom-designed treasures.

If you have prayerfully studied The Book of Mormon throughout your life, there is still more to glean. Consider purchasing a three-dollar copy and read it as though it were your first time. Another idea is to read the 1830 edition, which is in paragraphs rather than chapters and verses. Without chapter and verse interruptions, you will find it a different read. If you have never read the Book of Mormon, make 2024 the year to do so. If you have read it throughout your life but not regularly, apply President Nelson’s promise: “My dear brothers and sisters, I promise that as you prayerfully study the Book of Mormon

every day, you will make better decisions—every day. I promise that as you ponder what you study, the windows of heaven will open, and you will receive answers to your own questions and direction for your own life. I promise that as you daily immerse yourself in the Book of Mormon, you can be immunized against the evils of the day, even the gripping plague of pornography and other mind-numbing addictions” (“The Book of Mormon: What Would Your Life Be Like without It?” Ensign or Liahona, Nov. 2017, 62–63).

The Book of Mormon is a book of merciful grace and gracious mercy.