Study Questions and Items of Interest
- On Ether 2:3 — After what did Brigham Young name the territory of Deseret? Hugh Nibley wrote, “The founders of the Second Civilization of Egypt [ca. 1550–1070 BC] had the bee as the symbol of their land, their king, and their empire, to all of which they applied the designation deseret, or something [dsrt] very close to it.” How could the Egyptians and the people of Jared have had the same word? Maybe ancient peoples got around a lot more than modern people have typically thought they could have or would have. Does the honeybee symbol provide inspiration to you? It has been a symbol of industry and unity in many cultures around the world.
- On Ether 2:7–12 — How did the Lord describe the land of promise? He provided conditions for prospering in the new Western Hemisphere land. What were they? How would the inhabitants be able to avoid bondage and captivity? Why did Moroni record the reasons for the downfall of the Jaredite civilization?
- Ether 2:14 — When the people of Jared got to the shore, they were busy for four years, and the brother of Jared had neglected to “call upon the Lord” in all that time. How serious was that sin? How did the Lord respond? Would it be better for you to go on forgetting, or for the Lord to chastise you for three hours?
- Ether 2:23, 25 — When the brother of Jared prayed for help in the preparation of the barges, the Lord encouraged him to propose a solution to the lighting problem. Why did the Lord do that? Does he still do that sometimes with us? Why did Moroni incorporate this in his text? What can we learn from these experiences?
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