O, To Have More Righteous Men
I’ve been thinking a lot about men.
Righteous men.
Men who are not afraid of God.
Men who are not afraid to connect deeply with others.
Men who know what their purpose is and work everyday to fulfill it.
Men who honor, protect, and defend their families.
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Righteous Men
Jarom
When my scriptures opened to the Book of Jarom this morning, I was delighted to read the words of this great man, Jarom, who was dealing, in his day, with the same kind of wickedness that has permeated our society:
3 Behold, it is expedient that much should be done among this people, because of the hardness of their hearts, and the deafness of their ears, and the blindness of their minds, and the stiffness of their necks; nevertheless, God is exceedingly merciful unto them, and has not as yet swept them off from the face of the land.
4 And there are many among us who have many revelations, for they are not all stiffnecked. And as many as are not stiffnecked and have faith, have communion with the Holy Spirit, which maketh manifest unto the children of men, according to their faith.
5 And now, behold, two hundred years had passed away, and the people of Nephi had waxed strong in the land. They observed to keep the law of Moses and the sabbath day holy unto the Lord. And they profaned not; neither did they blaspheme. And the laws of the land were exceedingly strict.
6 And they were scattered upon much of the face of the land, and the Lamanites also. And they were exceedingly more numerous than were they of the Nephites; and they loved murder and would drink the blood of beasts.
7 And it came to pass that they came many times against us, the Nephites, to battle. But our kings and our leaders were mighty men in the faith of the Lord; and they taught the people the ways of the Lord; wherefore, we withstood the Lamanites and swept them away out of our lands, and began to fortify our cities, or whatsoever place of our inheritance.
8 And we multiplied exceedingly, and spread upon the face of the land, and became exceedingly rich in gold, and in silver, and in precious things, and in fine workmanship of wood, in buildings, and in machinery, and also in iron and copper, and brass and steel, making all manner of tools of every kind to till the ground, and weapons of war—yea, the sharp pointed arrow, and the quiver, and the dart, and the javelin, and all preparations for war.
9 And thus being prepared to meet the Lamanites, they did not prosper against us. But the word of the Lord was verified, which he spake unto our fathers, saying that: Inasmuch as ye will keep my commandments ye shall prosper in the land.
10 And it came to pass that the prophets of the Lord did threaten the people of Nephi, according to the word of God, that if they did not keep the commandments, but should fall into transgression, they should be destroyed from off the face of the land.
11 Wherefore, the prophets, and the priests, and the teachers, did labor diligently, exhorting with all long-suffering the people to diligence; teaching the law of Moses, and the intent for which it was given; persuading them to look forward unto the Messiah, and believe in him to come as though he already was. And after this manner did they teach them.
12 And it came to pass that by so doing they kept them from being destroyed upon the face of the land; for they did prick their hearts with the word, continually stirring them up unto repentance. (Enos 1: 3-12)
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Enos
Jarom’s father, Enos, was also a faithful disciple of Jesus Christ. In the Book of Enos we read of the preparation that took place for restoring the Laminates to the truth in the last days:
16 And I had faith, and I did cry unto God that he would preserve the records; and he covenanted with me that he would bring them forth unto the Lamanites in his own due time.
17 And I, Enos, knew it would be according to the covenant which he had made; wherefore my soul did rest.
18 And the Lord said unto me: Thy fathers have also required of me this thing; and it shall be done unto them according to their faith; for their faith was like unto thine. (Enos 1: 16-18)
Enos ends his record with with a bold assurance that he would stand with confidence at the throne of God. This is the same confidence our modern-day prophet, President Russell M. Nelson, is pleading with us to obtain through our righteousness.
27 And I soon go to the place of my rest, which is with my Redeemer; for I know that in him I shall rest. And I rejoice in the day when my mortal shall put on immortality, and shall stand before him; then shall I see his face with pleasure, and he will say unto me: Come unto me, ye blessed, there is a place prepared for you in the mansions of my Father. Amen. (Enos 1:27)
Jacob
Yet another great man, Jacob, the father of Enos, spent his days in the service of God, pointing others to Jesus Christ:
7 Wherefore we labored diligently among our people, that we might persuade them to come unto Christ, and partake of the goodness of God, that they might enter into his rest, lest by any means he should swear in his wrath they should not enter in, as in the provocation in the days of temptation while the children of Israel were in the wilderness.
8 Wherefore, we would to God that we could persuade all men not to rebel against God, to provoke him to anger, but that all men would believe in Christ, and view his death, and suffer his cross and bear the shame of the world; (Jacob 1: 7-8)
These righteous men devoted their lives to their God, their family, and their fellow men. Within their records lie the answers to the problems that have enveloped our nation; problems that stem from an inner rotting. This inner rotting began when we, as a nation, stopped heeding the commandments of God.
“…according to the word of God, …if they [do] not keep the commandments, but… fall into transgression, they [will] be destroyed from off the face of the land.”
Great Men
The wise will ponder the words of these great men, and will heed their counsel.
I am grateful to have read today about men.
Righteous men.
Men who are not afraid of God.
Men who are not afraid to connect deeply with others.
Men who know what their purpose is and work everyday to fulfill it.
Men who honor, protect, and defend their families.
Men who spend their days in the service of God, pointing others to Jesus Christ.
God’s Providence brought us here to this great nation, and, in the end, God’s Providence will be what saves us.
Nephi
Would that we could have an army of righteous men prepared to lead us in our day, men “armed with righteousness and with the power of God in great glory.”
Jarom’s grand-uncle, Nephi, explained:
“14 And it came to pass that I, Nephi, beheld the power of the Lamb of God, that it descended upon the saints of the church of the Lamb, and upon the covenant people of the Lord, who were scattered upon all the face of the earth; and they were armed with righteousness and with the power of God in great glory.” (1 Nephi 14:14)
Oh, to have more men like Jarom, Enos, Jacob, and Nephi.
