The Book of Mormon: A Gift of Many Mercies

Most members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints are familiar with the verses in the Book of Mormon known as Moroni’s promise. Most of us see these verses as a way to verify that the Book of Mormon is true, that the book is of God.

Before Moroni urges us to ask God about the truthfulness of the book, he urges us to “remember how merciful” the Lord is to His children and to ponder this mercy.

It is so natural to focus on the promise of verification that we may miss the purpose of knowing the truth — the promise of mercy. Before Moroni urges us to ask God about the truthfulness of the book, he urges us to “remember how merciful” the Lord is to His children and to ponder this mercy.

Moroni 10:3-5

Behold, I would exhort you that when ye shall read these things, if it be wisdom in God that ye should read them, that ye would remember how merciful the Lord hath been unto the children of men, from the creation of Adam even down until the time that ye shall receive these things, and ponder it in your hearts.

And when ye shall receive these things, I would exhort you that ye would ask God, the Eternal Father, in the name of Christ, if these things are not true; and if ye shall ask with a sincere heart, with real intent, having faith in Christ, he will manifest the truth of it unto you, by the power of the Holy Ghost.

And by the power of the Holy Ghost ye may know the truth of all things.

When we ask “with a sincere heart, with real intent, having faith in Christ” we will receive not only a testimony of the truthfulness of the Book of Mormon, but also a witness that God’s mercy is personally extended to each of us. “These things” refer first to the words of the record, and second to the message those words convey. That message is one of infinite mercy.

It is the plain and precious truth of Christ’s atonement of which the Book of Mormon constantly testifies. First, we need to know the truth of the extent and degree of Christ’s mercy. Then we must learn how to access that mercy. The mission of the Book of Mormon is not only to instruct and testify of these two things, but also to restore a fuller understanding of these two purposes to the Bible.

If we fail to remember the Lord’s great mercy towards men we miss a primary purpose of the Book of Mormon. The title page of the Book of Mormon states that a prime purpose of the record is, “to show unto the remnant of the House of Israel what great things the Lord hath done for their fathers. . . .”

I recently began reading the Book of Mormon again and decided to focus on the mercies that it records. I expected to find references to the atonement, but what I have found has far exceed my expectations.

In the book of 1 Nephi alone, I found 165 verses that help me remember God’s mercy. That’s not just a few or even quite a few. That’s more than 25 percent of the verses of 1 Nephi that directly talk about God’s mercy.

Nephi’s prophecy of Christ’s advent in 1 Nephi 19 makes clear the purpose of His coming — mercy. Fifty percent of the verses in this chapter refer to it. In 1 Nephi 21, Isaiah’s prophecy of the gathering of Israel in the last days exceeds that, with 58 percent of its 26 verses relating to the mercy of God.

The book of 1 Nephi describes more than 50 ways that God extends mercy to us. Here’s just a few of the reoccurring ones:

• Deliverance from captivity and destruction
• Strength and the power to make us mighty in doing God’s work
• Obtaining promises, including promised lands
• No longer being confounded
• Restoring plain, pure, and precious things
• Various names of God that remind us of His role as the Savior
• Anger turned away
• Loving kindness and long suffering
• Doing all things that are expedient for us
• Preservation

There are many more. For more on the mercies of God found in the Book of Mormon, see my post on The Mercies of First Nephi >;>;>;

We gain confidence to ask for the mercy and strength we need as we become aware of the depth and breadth of the mercies extended to all men and women, past present, and future. I am awed by the evidence of God’s love for us as I study. I am better able to comprehend the Lord’s statement in the Pearl of Great Price in Moses — “This is my work and my glory, to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man.”

Glory means praise, honor, splendor, and achievement. It also means a distinguished quality or asset. The evidence of His mercy found in the pages of the Book of Mormon demonstrates again and again and again that each of us, known by name, are his assets. As we come to understand His love and then ever-increasingly walk in His path be become His achievements. Each of us literally become His glory. What a beautiful truth it is to know that the God of Heaven cares individually and continually about each of us: you and me. The Book of Mormon helps us do that. It is a gift of many mercies.