THREE TREASURES OF INFO

I. A deceased member of the BYU faculty with the last name of Peterson conducted an American survey years ago. In order to answer the query, the person questioned was required to have at least a 7th grade education and be at least 21 years old. The question was a real puzzler.

What are the first four books of the New Testament called? 36% answered correctly, 4% named three out of the four, 4% named two out of the four and 56% did not know even the names of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. I fear that the average American knows very little about the Bible and yet this is the information age.

As members, we may know that the Gospel is true, but do we know the Gospel? We say every member a missionary, but as Jeffrey R. Holland says, he’d be thrilled if every member were a member. There are many inactives among us.

II. Next example: For you Book of Mormon experts out there, you probably already know the answer to this one. How did the brother of Jared come up with the idea of bringing 16 molten stones for the Savior to touch? It was then that there could be light in the eight barges for the 344 day journey across the ocean. (Ether, Chapters 2 & 3)

So…how did the brother of Jared come up with this suggestion? Did he just stumble over a rock and get this idea? Have you ever tried to molten anything? It takes a lot of heat. A simple campfire will never do. That would be a lot of work if he were just guessing.

Also, remember that the people of the brother of Jared were trying to build the Tower of Babble (Babble means Heaven’s Gate) so they could get to Heaven their own way and not God’s way and then they were going to send Nimrod, the mighty hunter, to hunt down God and find out why He flooded the earth. You know that God confounded the language before they got that far.

If you look in the book of Genesis, Chapter 6, verse 16, in the KJV of the Bible, God is talking to Noah about the Ark, and says:

16. A window shalt thou make to the ark, and in a cubit shalt thou finish it above; and the door of the ark shalt thou set in the side thereof; with lower, second, and third stories shalt thou make it.

The footnote below that verse for 16a says the following, referring to the word, “window,” which has an alternate translation.

16a. “HEB tsohar; some rabbis believed it was a precious stone that shone in the ark.”
Since the Noah’s flood experience happened before the ocean voyage of the brother of Jared, it may be that he got the idea from Noah. How about that?

III. Final Example: Have you ever wondered about the wording in Luke 6:29 and 30.? It reads:

29. And unto him that smiteth thee on the one cheek offer also the other; and him that taketh away thy cloak forbid not to take thy coat also.
30. Give to every man that asketh of thee; and of him that taketh away thy goods ask them not again.

When I read that I always thought it must be talking about using a lot of self control when you are mistreated or perhaps, the thief that takes your coat needs it worse than you do. Is that what it means?

Did you know that the JST covers those verses in the Appendix of the JST, page 806?
Here’s what it says in the JST version of Luke 6:29 & 30:

29. And unto him who smiteth thee on the cheek, offer also the other; or, in other words, it is better to offer the other, than to revile again. And him who taketh away thy cloak, forbid not to take thy coat also.

30. For it is better that thou suffer (today we might say allow) thine enemy to take these things, than to contend with him. Verily I say unto you, Your Heavenly Father who seeth in secret, shall bring that wicked one into judgment.

Does that help your understanding of those verses? It does me. God wants us to avoid contention even if it means we lose possessions.

So there you are; three different examples of information that we may have been unaware of…