14 For at the present our
strugglings were vain in restoring them to the true faith. And they swore in their wrath that, if it
were possible, they would destroy our records and us, and also all the
traditions of our fathers.
15 Wherefore, I
knowing that the Lord God was able to preserve our records, I cried unto him
continually, for he had said unto me: Whatsoever thing ye shall ask in faith,
believing that ye shall receive in the name of Christ, ye shall receive it.
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 1:14-18
After receiving a promise from the Lord that the records
would be preserved to go forth to the Lamanites at some future date, Enos
discusses the Lamanites. They had been
preaching to the Lamanites, with no success.
Jacob had written about the effort to preach to the Lamanites. “And it
came to pass that many means were devised to reclaim and restore the Lamanites
to the knowledge of the truth; but it all was vain, for they delighted in wars
and bloodshed, and they had an eternal hatred against us, their brethren. And they sought by the power of their arms to
destroy us continually” (Jacob 7:24).
We are informed the Lamanites are desirous to destroy the
records. This desire continues
throughout Book of Mormon history. As
the final fight begins, Mormon wrote, “And
it came to pass that when we had gathered in all our people in one to the land
of Cumorah, behold I, Mormon, began to be old; and knowing it to be the last
struggle of my people, and having been commanded of the Lord that I should not
suffer the records which had been handed down by our fathers, which were sacred,
to fall into the hands of the Lamanites, (for the Lamanites would destroy them)
therefore I made this record out of the plates of Nephi, and hid up in the hill”
(Mormon 6:6).
Enos 1:14 notes that the
Lamanites wanted to destroy the Nephites, their records, and their traditions.
King Benjamin later noted that had it not been for the written records they
possessed, the Nephites would have "dwindled in unbelief" like the
Lamanites because of the false traditions passed down by their Lamanite
ancestors (Mosiah 1:5). Alma believed that the Nephite records would someday
convince the Lamanites of the falsity of those traditions (see Alma 9:16–17).
His friends, the sons of Mosiah, hoped to convince the Lamanites of this very
thing by using the scriptures they possessed (see Alma 17:9; 18:34–40; 21:9,
17; 23:3; 24:7; 25:6; 26:24).[1]
The Lamanite hatred of the Nephites was based on events that
had during their departure from Jerusalem to the time the family
separated. The Lamanites believed they
were robbed of their proper heritage.
Laman, as the oldest son, should have ruled. He was entitled to the sword of Laban and the
brass plates. Hatred of the Nephites,
based on these occurrences will be seen through the entire record.[2]
The Lamanites also wanted to destroy the records kept by the
Nephites. This is why we see constant
requests of the Lord that these records will be preserved for future
generations.
Methods of handling sacred writings
are conditioned by the hostile world in which they find themselves. There are
those who have sworn "in their wrath that, if it were possible, they would
destroy our records and us, and also all the traditions of our fathers."
(Enos 1:14.) Failing that, they can damage and corrupt them: "They have
taken away … many parts which are plain and most precious; and also many
covenants of the Lord have they taken away," with the disastrous effect
that "an exceeding great many do stumble." (1 Nephi 13:26, 29.) Why should anyone want to do that? For
whatever reason, the burning of the books is a stock motif of real history.[3]
Enos knew the Lord would preserve their records;
nevertheless, he continued to cry unto the Lord, asking for their
preservation. He did so because the Lord
had told him, “Whatsoever thing ye shall
ask in faith, believing that ye shall receive in the name of Christ, ye shall
receive it.”
Enos placed his faith in God. He knew the records would be preserved and
the day would come when they would go forth to the Lamanites. A covenant had been made and Enos was satisfied.
Referring to the records, Mormon would write, “Now these things are written unto the remnant
of the house of Jacob; and they are written after this manner, because it is
known of God that wickedness will not bring them forth unto them; and they are
to be hid up unto the Lord that they may come forth in his own due time” (Mormon
5:12)
Abridging the book of III Nephi, Mormon would
break into the record and write,
13
Behold, I am a disciple of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. I have been called of him to declare his word
among his people, that they might have everlasting life.
14
And it hath become expedient that I, according to the will of God, that the
prayers of those who have gone hence, who were the holy ones, should be
fulfilled according to their faith, should make a record of these things which
have been done—
15
Yea, a small record of that which hath taken place from the time that Lehi left
Jerusalem, even down until the present time.
3 Nephi 5:13-15
In this dispensation, speaking of the Book of Mormon, the
Lord would tell Joseph Smith,
46
And, behold, all the remainder of this work does contain all those parts of my gospel
which my holy prophets, yea, and also my disciples, desired in their prayers
should come forth unto this people.
47
And I said unto them, that it should be granted unto them according to their faith
in their prayers;
48
Yea, and this was their faith—that my gospel, which I gave unto them that they
might preach in their days, might come unto their brethren the Lamanites, and
also all that had become Lamanites because of their dissensions.
49
Now, this is not all—their faith in their prayers was that this gospel should
be made known also, if it were possible that other nations should possess this
land;
50
And thus they did leave a blessing upon this land in their prayers, that
whosoever should believe in this gospel in this land might have eternal life;
D&C 10:46-50
The Lord reminded Enos that He had been asked by his
ancestors to preserve the record for the Lamanites in some future day. According to their faith, as well as Enos’s,
the record will be preserved.
[1]
Hidden
Record, Maxwell Institute, accessed May 24, 2014.
[2]
The
Book of Mormon as a Mesoamerican Record, John L. Sorenson, Maxwell
Institute, accessed May 24, 2014.
[3]
A
Strange Thing in the Land: The Return of the Book of Enoch, Maxwell Institute,
accessed May 24, 2014.
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