“Words of Mormon: ‘For a Wise Purpose,’” Book of Mormon Student Manual (2024)
“Words of Mormon,” Book of Mormon Student Manual
Words of Mormon
“For a Wise Purpose”
Have you ever been blessed by someone else’s advance preparation? How did their preparation affect your experience? Mormon discovered the small plates of Nephi after he had already made an abridgment of part of the Nephite records. Guided by the Spirit of the Lord, Mormon included the small plates “for a wise purpose,” according to the Lord’s will (see Words of Mormon 1:3–7). This lesson can help you feel reassured that the Lord knows all things and that His work will be accomplished.
Beliefs about God
Using a scale of 0–5 (0 = I do not believe, 5 = I have a strong belief), take a moment to honestly rate your level of belief for each of the following statements:
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I believe in God.
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I believe that He knows all things and has all power.
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I believe that He prepares a way for me to succeed in my life.
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I feel I can trust the counsel and promptings He gives me through the Holy Ghost.
It may be helpful to ponder why you believe the way you do.
As you study today, look for truths that may increase or reassure you of your belief and trust in God, His power, and how He accomplishes His work.
Mormon’s abridgment of the plates
Imagine what it might have been like to be the prophet Mormon, who lived nearly 1,000 years after Lehi’s family left Jerusalem. He was one of the last keepers of the Nephite records and worked to condense a millennium of Nephite history into a single set of plates. How would you decide which events to include and which to leave out?
When his work on the abridgment of the Nephite plates reached King Benjamin’s time, Mormon made an important discovery. He inserted a short explanation of his experience in the book titled Words of Mormon.
Read Words of Mormon 1:3–6, looking for what Mormon found and what he did because of it.
It may be helpful to know that the phrase “these plates” (Words of Mormon 1:3–4) refers to the small plates that Nephi was commanded to make (see 1 Nephi 9:2–4). The small plates recounted much of the same time period as the large plates of Nephi that Mormon had already abridged, but they focused on the spiritual events that occurred. If you want to understand more about these records, consider reading “A Brief Explanation about the Book of Mormon,” found at the beginning of the Book of Mormon.
Both Mormon and Nephi received specific promptings from the Lord regarding the small plates. Read 1 Nephi 9:5–6 and Words of Mormon 1:7–8, looking for similarities between what these two prophets experienced.
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Which words or phrases stood out to you?
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What do these verses tell us about Nephi and Mormon?
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What truths can their words teach us about the Lord?
Among other truths, you may have noted that the Lord knows all things, has all power, and prepares a way to accomplish His works.
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Answer two of the following questions:
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Why is it important for you to know that the Lord knows all things and has all power?
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How might this knowledge help you in your life?
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How might understanding these truths influence your willingness to follow the Lord’s promptings?
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The Lord prepared the way
Evidence of the Lord’s foreknowledge and power can be seen in His commanding Nephi to prepare the small plates and prompting Mormon to include those records in his abridgment.
Hundreds of years later, when Joseph Smith was translating the Book of Mormon plates, he began with Mormon’s abridgment of the large plates of Nephi. Martin Harris, who was assisting as Joseph’s scribe, repeatedly asked to show the translated pages to his wife and other family members. Although the Lord had denied Martin’s request, Joseph continued asking for the Lord’s permission. Finally, with strict instructions and warnings, Martin was allowed to take the 116 manuscript pages back to his home in Palmyra, New York. He committed to return the manuscript to Joseph in Harmony, Pennsylvania, in two weeks.
You may want to watch the video “The Work of God” from time codes 6:52–11:30, looking for how the Lord had prepared the way before these events took place. The video can be found on ChurchofJesusChrist.org. Or you could read the following points describing what Joseph and Martin experienced. (See also Saints: The Story of the Church of Jesus Christ in the Latter Days, vol. 1, The Standard of Truth, 1815–1846 [2018], 51–53.)
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Joseph’s wife Emma gave birth to their first child, who died after only a few hours. Joseph spent two weeks caring for Emma, then traveled to Palmyra when Martin did not return to Harmony.
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Martin confessed that he had lost the Book of Mormon manuscript. Joseph was chastised by the Lord and was not permitted to continue the translation.
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After Joseph completed a period of sincere repentance and pleaded for forgiveness, the Lord allowed Joseph to continue translating the plates. However, he was instructed not to retranslate the portion that was lost.
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The Lord revealed that, under the influence of Satan, wicked individuals had stolen the manuscript. They intended to change the words and make it appear that Joseph only pretended to translate, thus destroying the Lord’s work (see Doctrine and Covenants 10:10–19, 29–33).
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The Lord commanded Joseph to translate Nephi’s record on the small plates, which Mormon had included with his abridgment and recounted much of the same time period and events in the lost portion. The Lord testified, “My wisdom is greater than the cunning of the devil” (Doctrine and Covenants 10:43).
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Answer at least two of the following questions:
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In what ways does this example from Church history demonstrate the Lord’s knowledge and power?
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How could this incident reassure you that the Lord can prepare the way in your life?
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When has responding to a spiritual prompting helped you or someone you know accomplish the Lord’s work?
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How could the truths you learned today influence your relationship with Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ?
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Following promptings
All the writings you have studied so far this year in the Book of Mormon (1 Nephi–Omni) are available to you because Mormon believed the Lord knew all things and he followed the spiritual impression to include the small plates.
Like Nephi, you may want to create a section of “small plates” in your study journal to record experiences that are sacred to you. You may want to ponder and record what you know and believe about God and how He could help you act in faith to accomplish His work.