Chapter 32
Angels speak by the
power of the Holy Ghost—Men must pray and gain knowledge for themselves from
the Holy Ghost. About 559–545 B.C.
1 AND now, behold, my
beloved brethren, I suppose that ye ponder somewhat in your hearts concerning
that which ye should do after ye have entered in by the way. But, behold, why do ye ponder these things in
your hearts?
2 Do ye not remember
that I said unto you that after ye had received the Holy Ghost ye could speak
with the tongue of angels? And now, how
could ye speak with the tongue of angels save it were by the Holy Ghost?
3 Angels speak by the
power of the Holy Ghost; wherefore, they speak the words of Christ. Wherefore, I said unto you, feast upon the words
of Christ; for behold, the words of Christ will tell you all things what ye
should do.
2 Nephi 32:1-3
Nephi is continuing his discussion of what we should do
after we enter the strait and narrow way.
Why, he asks, “do ye
ponder these things in your hearts” (2 Nephi 32:1)? He remind us that he told us we could speak
with “the tongue of angels” after we
had received the Holy Ghost.
Talking to Helaman1, Alma2 told him, “Yea,
and from that time even until now, I have labored without ceasing, that I might
bring souls unto repentance; that I might bring them to taste of the exceeding
joy of which I did taste; that they might also be born of God, and be filled
with the Holy Ghost” (Alma 36:24).
The voice of Christ announced to those who survived the
devastation at His death, “And ye shall
offer for a sacrifice unto me a broken heart and a contrite spirit. And whoso cometh unto me with a broken heart
and a contrite spirit, him will I baptize with fire and with the Holy Ghost,
even as the Lamanites, because of their faith in me at the time of their
conversion, were baptized with fire and with the Holy Ghost, and they knew it
not” (3 Nephi 9:20).
Noel Reynolds emphasizes the importance of Nephi’s words.
In addition to the cleansing power
emphasized in the language of the Nephite prophets, the Holy Ghost brings
knowledge of spiritual truths and enables men to speak with the tongue of
angels, who also speak by the power of the Holy Ghost (see 2 Nephi 32:2).
And that which is spoken by the power of the Holy Ghost, whether by men or
angels, is the word of Christ, which "will tell you all things what ye
should do" (2 Nephi 32:3). Or in other words, as Nephi finally clarifies
without metaphor, "if ye will enter in by the way, and receive the Holy
Ghost, it will show unto you all things what ye should do" (2 Nephi 32:5).[1]
How do angels speak?
They “speak by the power of the
Holy Ghost” and therefore speak the words of Christ. This is why Nephi has told us to “feast upon the words of Christ.”
Jeremiah used the feast analogy when speaking to the
Lord. “Thy words were found, and I did eat them; and thy word was unto me the
joy and rejoicing of mine heart: for I am called by thy name, O LORD God of
hosts”
(Jeremiah 15:16).
We again turn to the wisdom of Noel Reynolds.
And again, it is only by trusting
in Christ that it is possible to endure to the end: "Ye must press forward
with a steadfastness in Christ ... feasting upon the word of Christ, and endure
to the end" (2 Nephi 31:20). Here, feasting on the word of Christ is
explained in terms of receiving the guidance of the Holy Ghost, which
"will tell you all things what ye should do" (2 Nephi 32:3; cf. 32:2,
4–5). The requirement of faith (trusting or relying on the Lord) is never
completed in the way that repentance and baptism are. It must become the
permanent mode of one's existence, or one will not be able to endure to the
end.[2]
Paul wrote to the Colossians, “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and
admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace
in your hearts to the Lord” (Colossians 3:16).
Neal Maxwell explains how this inspiration works, using the
example of the words of King Benjamin.
We have no biography of King
Benjamin; nevertheless, we have his words. These are what we most need for our
discipleship. The combined efforts of the angel who inspired King Benjamin,
King Benjamin himself, and the selectivity of editor Mormon have given us high relevancy
amid the paucity of the Benjamin pages. Of course, while a special portion of
King Benjamin's sermon was directed by an angel, angels, in turn, "speak
by the power of the Holy Ghost" in what is a seamless process (2 Nephi
32:3).[3]
[1]
The
True Points of My Doctrine, Noel B. Reynolds, Maxwell Institute, accessed
February 1, 2014.
[3]
King
Benjamin's Sermon: A Manual for Discipleship, Elder Neal A. Maxwell,
Maxwell Institute, accessed February 1, 2014.
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