Table of Contents
1. Introduction, Abstract, Literature Review
2. Joel 2:28-29
3. Amos 3:7
4. Hosea 2:2
5. Micah 4:1-2
6. Zephaniah 2:2-3
7. Daniel 2:44-45
8. Ezra 7:10
9. Haggai 1:6
10. Conclusion
11. Bibliography
Introduction and Abstract
I attended the “Minor Prophets” course taught by Richard Gordon at the Logan Institute
from March 6 to May 15, 2012. There are a few purposes for this project. One is to increase my
gospel scholarship in an area of the scriptures that is often taught briefly or even skipped in the
seminary class room. Another purpose is to research verses of scriptures that seminary students
often have questions about. I’ve attempted to help provide answers to these common questions
using words of the Brethren, cross-references, and my own thoughts. I also hope that this
portfolio will be a useful reference for me and other S & I collegues in teaching the minor
prophets in the Old Testament in the coming years.
After attending each class session, I chose a section of scripture to focus on that 1) I
wanted and needed to learn more about, or 2) verses that my students in the past have had
questions about. To write these papers, I used thoughts from my own experiences teaching and
studying over the years. I also spent time on lds.org and scriptures.byu.edu to find quotes from
the prophets that help provide clarity to the topic being researched. One of my goals for each
paper was to find at least two quotes from the Brethren over the years that support each other in
providing insight into the topic being researched.
Literature Review
According to the standards of an Area Certification class, the ten classes (15 hours of class time)
count as the literature review.
Joel 2:28-29
On the evening of September 21, 1823, the angel Moroni appeared multiple times to the
Prophet Joseph Smith. Joel 2:28-32 was among the many verses that Moroni quoted to Joseph
during that evening. He said “that this was not yet fulfilled, but was soon to be (see Joseph
Smith-History 1:41). On October 5, 2001 in General Conference President Gordon B. Hinckley
declared, “the vision of Joel has been fulfilled” and then proceeded to quote these same verses. 1
Since that time, there has been much speculation about President Hinckey’s statement. While it
was an exciting declaration, it is similar to what the Brethren have been saying for over 50 years
now. Since the First Vision in 1820, the spirit of the Lord has been poured out upon all flesh.
In the April General Conference of 1961 President Hinckley stated: “I think we are living
in the day of the fulfillment of the word of the Lord given through the Prophet Joel, and repeated
by Moroni in his first visitation to the Prophet Joseph. ‘And it shall come to pass afterward, that I
will pour out my Spirit upon all flesh’ (Joel 2:28). I believe, my brethren, that we are living in
the day when the Spirit of the Lord is being poured out upon all flesh.” 2 In the October General
Conference of that same year, Elder Franklin D. Richards said, “When the angel Moroni first
visited the Prophet Joseph, he quoted from the second chapter of Joel: ‘And it shall come to pass
afterward, that I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh’ (see Joel 2:28; JS—H 1:41). Moroni told
the Prophet that this was not yet fulfilled but would be soon. I am confident, my brothers and
sisters, that this prophecy is now being fulfilled.” 3
In General Conference five years later, Elder LeGrand Richards made the statement:
“When I went on my first mission to Holland, they were still cutting grain with a scythe and a
sickle; they had no electric lights or modern homes, and the streetcars were drawn by horses. Just
think how the world has changed, because the Lord not only foretold through his prophets that
darkness would cover the earth but said: ‘I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh; and your sons
and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see
visions’ (Joel 2:28). And I could give you many illustrations of how this has been fulfilled.” 4 In
1973, after quoting Joel 2:28-30, Elder James A. Cullimore said, “The Lord has already
commenced to pour out his spirit upon all flesh. Since the restoration of the gospel, the Spirit of
the Lord has inspired men in the world to accomplish things almost unbelievable to those who
behold them. We are able to travel all over the world at incredible speed. Inventions too
numerous to mention bless the lives of the inhabitants of the world.” 5
In 1990, Elder Russell M. Nelson said that “the Lord’s Spirit is being poured out upon all
inhabitants of the earth, precisely as the Prophet Joel foretold. His prophecy was of such
significance that the angel Moroni reaffirmed it to the Prophet Joseph Smith (see Joel 2:28–32;
Joseph Smith-History 1:41). For millennia, methods of farming, travel, and communication were
largely unchanged from ancient techniques. Developments since the birth of Joseph Smith,
however, have risen in remarkable contrast.” 6 Many signs of the last days have been already
fulfilled and many other signs are in the process of being fulfilled, including the Lord’s spirit
being poured out upon all flesh.
Notes
1. Gordon B. Hinckley, Conference Report, October 2001, 5.
2. Gordon B. Hinckley, Conference Report, April 1961, pp. 87-90.
3. Franklin D. Richards, Conference Report, October 1961, pp. 117-120.
4. LeGrand Richards, Conference Report, October 1966, pp. 41-44.
5. James A. Cullimore, To Be in The World but Not of the World, Ensign, January
1974.
6. Russell M. Nelson, “Thus Shall My Church Be Called, Ensign, May 1990.
Amos 3:7
Amos 3:7 [JST] teaches that “surely the Lord God will do nothing, but [until] he
revealeth his secret unto his servants the prophets.” In the very next verse we learn that “the lion
[Savior] hath roared [spoken], who will not fear? The Lord GOD hath spoken, who can but
prophesy?” The Lord speaks to his prophet, Thomas S. Monson, in our day, as he has to the 15
prophets of this dispensation before President Monson. The ninth Article of Faith states: “We
believe all that God has revealed, all that He does now reveal, and we believe that He will yet
reveal many great and important things pertaining to the Kingdom of God.” The Lord has made
clear in Doctrine and Covenants 1:38 that “whether by mine own voice or by the voice of my
servants, it is the same.”
If a person wants to know what direction God has for him at this very moment in time,
that person need only look in the most recent conference edition of the Ensign, specifically at
President Monson’s addresses. President Harold B. Lee taught that the conference talks should
“be the guide to [our] walk and talk during the next six months. These are the important matters
the Lord sees fit to reveal to this people in this day.” 1 Following is a list of some of the
highlights from one of Thomas S. Monson’s talks in the October 2011 General Conference of the
Church:

He announced new temples being built in Utah, Colombia, South Africa, Democratic
Republic of the Congo, and Wyoming. 2

He invited members to contribute, if they wish, to the General Temple Patron Assistance
Fund. 3

He reminded priesthood holders that the priesthood “brings with it not only special
blessings but also solemn responsibilities” and that “we must have determination and
courage to avoid walking into destructive paths.” He said, “As holders of the priesthood
of God, it is essential that we are able to face—with courage—whatever challenges come
our way.” 4

He counseled the brethren to make sure our testimonies are rooted deeply enough that we
don’t doubt ourselves or waver in our resolves when criticisms from others come. When
we have a testimony, we are to share it with others. 5

In his Sunday morning address, the Prophet declared that “the Ten Commandments are
just that—commandments. They are not suggestions. They are every bit as requisite
today as they were when God gave them to the children of Israel.” He taught that the Ten
Commandments and the Sermon on the Mount should determine our code of conduct. 6

He spent a good amount of time teaching about the importance of prayer and how it is
necessary for us to weather the storms of life. 7

At the end of the Conference, he invited all members to pray for him and the other
leaders of the Church: “I love you; I pray for you. I would ask once again that you would
remember me and all the General Authorities in your prayers.” 8
After studying the most recent words of the Lord’s Prophet on the earth today, it is clear what
the Lord would have us know and focus on such as the blessings of temple worship, the
necessity of priesthood brethren to be worthy of the priesthood they hold, the validity of the
Ten Commandments in our day, the importance of communication with Heavenly Father,
and the need for us to sustain and pray for the Lord’s servants. The Lord will always make
known his will to his children through personal revelation and through his prophet, just as
Amos taught.
NOTES
1. Harold B. Lee, Conference Report, Apr. 1946, 68.
2. Thomas S. Monson “As We Meet Again,” Ensign, Nov. 2011, 4-5.
3. Thomas S. Monson “As We Meet Again,” Ensign, Nov. 2011, 5.
4. Thomas S. Monson “Dare to Stand Alone,” Ensign, Nov. 2011, 60.
5. Thomas S. Monson “Dare to Stand Alone,” Ensign, Nov. 2011, 60, 62, 67.
6. Thomas S. Monson “Stand in Holy Places,” Ensign, Nov. 2011, 83.
7. Thomas S. Monson “Stand in Holy Places,” Ensign, Nov. 2011, 84, 86.
8. Thomas S. Monson “Until We Meet Again,” Ensign, Nov. 2011, 109.
HOSEA 2:2
In Hosea 2:2, Hosea asks Israel to have a change of heart: “Plead with your mother,
plead: for she is not my wife, neither am I her husband: let her therefore put away her
whoredoms out of her sight, and her adulteries from between her breasts;” In Jeremiah 3:10, the
Lord says of Judah: “And yet for all this her treacherous sister Judah hath not turned unto me
with her whole heart, but feignedly, saith the Lord.” Judah’s change of heart was fake. During
the First Vision, Joseph Smith asked which of the denominations he should join. The Lord
replied that “those professors were all corrupt; that: ‘they draw near to me with their lips, but
their hearts are far from me’” (Joseph Smith-History, 1:19). In order to experience change that
will last, individuals and societies must feel a mighty change of heart (see Mosiah 5:2, Alma
5:14). The question might be asked, “How do we experience a real, powerful change as
described by Alma”?
One of the greatest examples of an individual experiencing a mighty change of heart is
Alma the Younger. In Mosiah 27, we learn that Alma was a very wicked and idolatrous man and
that he led many of the people into sin (verse 8). Among other evil practices, he tried to stop the
work of the church and caused much dissension (verse 9). Contrast these verses with what Alma
became in Mosiah 28:3: “Now they [Alma and the sons of Mosiah] were desirous that salvation
should be declared to every creature, for they could not bear that any human soul should perish;
yea, even the very thoughts that any soul should endure endless torment did cause them to quake
and tremble.” They pled with their father to go declare the word among the Lamanites. What
happened between chapter 27 and chapter 28? How does a person go from trying to destroy the
church of God to shaking at the thought of a single soul perishing? Alma and the sons of Mosiah
truly experienced a mighty change of heart.
Alma taught us how this happened in Mosiah 27, verses 24 through 26. The first step he
mentioned was repenting of their sins. This allowed them to be redeemed of the Lord and born
of the Spirit. Being born of God changed them from carnal to righteous, from being fallen to
being redeemed. They became the sons of God. Verse 26 says: “And thus they become new
creatures; and unless they do this, they can in nowise inherit the kingdom of God.” Repentance
is not easy. Alma said they “waded through much tribulation, repenting nigh unto death (verse
28). But repentance is real, and it is the mercy of Christ that allows us to be born of God.
It is important to go to church, to pay our tithing, and to partake of the sacrament.
These things and all the other commandments of God are critical for our improvement and
progression. However, the purpose of these commandments is to help us experience a mighty
change of heart and become new creatures, an experience which can and must happen many
times throughout our lives if we are to “inherit the kingdom of God (Mosiah 27:26). The change
of heart Hosea was asking Israel to experience was the REAL change of heart that Alma and the
sons of Mosiah experienced, a change that lasted.
Micah 4:1-2
When teaching Micah this past trimester, I focused on the first verse of chapter 1. I asked
the students to write “Salt Lake Temple” in the margin, along with Isaiah 2:2 as a crossreference. We turned to both references and read them as a class. In one of my classes, a girl
asked how we know for sure that these verses are talking specifically about the Salt Lake temple,
since it doesn’t mention that in the text. This segment of this paper is an effort to answer that
question.
Micah 4:1 states: “But in the last days it shall come to pass, that the mountain of the
house of the LORD shall be established in the top of the mountains, and it shall be exalted above
the hills; and people shall flow unto it.” In the October session of the 2003 General Conference,
President Hinckley added some insight to these verses when he said, “Ever since the Salt Lake
Temple was dedicated, we have interpreted that scripture from Isaiah, repeated again in Micah
(see Micah 4:1–2), as applying to this sacred house of the Lord. And of this place, since the day
of its dedication, an ever-increasing number from across the world have said in effect, ‘Come ye,
and let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob, that He might
teach us of His ways, that we might walk in His paths.’” 1
Other apostles have also taught that Micah and Isaiah were referring to the Salt Lake
temple in these verses. Soon after the 2002 winter Olympics were held in Salt Lake City, Elder
Robert D. Hales declared, “As Salt Lake City has hosted the 2002 Winter Olympic and
Paralympic Games, we have seen a partial fulfillment of many prophecies. The nations of the
earth and many of their leaders have come. They have seen us serving alongside our friends in
this community and our neighbors of other faiths. They have seen the light in our eyes and felt
the clasp of our hands. ‘The mountain of the house of the Lord,’ with its brightly lit spires, has
been witnessed by 3.5 billion people around the world.” 2
Almost sixty years ago in the April 1954 General Conference, Elder LeGrand Richards
said this: “Think of it! Some three thousand years ago, the Lord permitted Isaiah and Micah to
see this temple, and they declared: (he then quoted Micah 4:1-2 and Isaiah 2:2-3). He then said,
“Do we need any better evidence of the fulfillment of this prophecy than these great
congregations that are assembling here to worship the Lord and to listen to the words of his
prophets of this dispensation.” 3 Years later, Elder Richards yet again in General Conference
reiterated what he had previously taught when he said, “There isn't time today to go into these
other wonderful things that the Lord has created in a way that is mysterious to the world. You
just take this temple standing here on this block. Isaiah and Micah were both permitted to look
down through the stream of time (3,000 years) to the latter days (Micah 4:1-2), and they named
the latter days when the mountain of the Lord's house would be established in the top of the
mountains and all nations would flow unto it; and they would say, ‘Come ye, and let us go up to
the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob; and he will teach us of his ways, and
we will walk in his paths.’ (Isa. 2:2-3) As far as I know there is no building in the history of this
world that has gathered people from all nations like this temple, and many of you who are here
today are no doubt descendants of some of those who have been gathered to this land.” 4
It is quite clear that not only were Micah and Isaiah referring to the Salt Lake temple in
these verses, but that the prophecies that “all people shall flow unto it” (Micah 4:1) has partially
been fulfilled in the building and use of the Salt Lake Temple and will continue to be fulfilled in
the coming years.
Notes
1. Gordon B. Hinckley “An Ensign to the Nations, A Light to the World,” Ensign,
November 2003.
2. Robert D. Hales “Out of Darkness into His Marvelous Light,” Ensign May 2002.
3. LeGrand Richards “The Word of God Will Stand,” Conference Report, April 1954, pp.
52-56.
4. LeGrand Richards “God Moves in a Mysterious Way,” Conference Report, Oct. 1970,
pp. 59-62.
Zephaniah 2:2-3
Two different verses in the second chapter of Zephaniah mention the “Lord’s anger”
(Zephaniah 2:2-3). With even more description, Zephaniah 3:8 says that the Lord’s
“determination is to gather the nations, that I may assemble the kingdoms, to pour upon them
mine indignation, even all my fierce anger: for all the earth shall be devoured with the fire of my
jealousy.” Students are often surprised when they come across verses like these and wonder how
a perfect Being could show this emotion. Many verses in scripture mention the anger of the Lord
(see, for example, “God, Indignation of” on page 175 of the Topical Guide for more references).
Webster’s dictionary defines indignation as “righteous anger.” This paper is not an attempt to
make any interpretations on whether or not God feels anger. The Prophets have made many
comments and clarifications on this topic.
In the October 2009 General Conference, Elder Dallin H. Oaks commented that “we read
again and again in the Bible and in modern scriptures of God’s anger with the wicked (see, for
example: Judges 2:12-14, Psalm 7:11, D&C 5:8, D&C 63:32) and of His acting in His wrath
(see, for example, 2 Kings 23:26-27, Ephesians 5:6, 1 Nephi 22:16-17, Alma 12:35-36, D&C
84:24) against those who violate His laws. How are anger and wrath evidence of His love?
Joseph Smith taught that God “institute[d] laws whereby [the spirits that He would send into the
world] could have a privilege to advance like himself.” 1 Elder Dallin H. Oaks taught that
“God’s
love is so perfect that He lovingly requires us to obey His commandments because He
knows that only through obedience to His laws can we become perfect, as He is. For this reason,
God’s anger and His wrath are not a contradiction of His love but an evidence of His love. Every
parent knows that you can love a child totally and completely while still being creatively angry
and disappointed at that child’s self-defeating behavior.” 2 When teaching about the many
attributes of the Lord, Brigham Young taught that “He loves the good, and is angry with the
wicked every day as it is written in the Scriptures. He hates the evil that is done by evildoers, and
is merciful to the repenting sinner.” 3
After reminding members of the Church in General Conference years ago to refrain from
wickedness, President Joseph Fielding Smith counseled, “Let us not forget that the Lord said it
should be in this day as it was in the days of Noah. We should remember also that he is still a
‘God of wrath’ (D&C 1:9) as well as a ‘God of love’ (2 Cor. 13:11), and that he has promised to
pour out his wrath upon the ungodly and to ‘take vengeance upon the wicked’ who will not
repent (D&C 29:17).” 4 On another occasion in General Conference, President Marion G.
Romney quoted 1 Nephi 22:16-17 where the Lord promises to protect the righteous. He then
said, “The Lord renewed this same promise of protection to the righteous in 1831 when he said
he was angry with the wicked, that he was withholding his Spirit from the inhabitants of the earth
(D&C 63:32), that he had decreed wars upon the face of the earth, and that the wicked should
destroy the wicked.” 5 These are some of the many, many references in scripture where we see
the anger of the Lord displayed and what the Brethren have said about this issue.
Notes
1. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Teachings of Presidents of the Church:
Joseph Smith (Salt Lake City: The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 2007),
210.
2. Dallin H. Oaks, “Love and Law,” Ensign, November 2009.
3. Brigham Young, in Journal of Discourses, (London: Latter-day Saints’ Book Depot,
1854-86),11.
4. Marion G. Romney, “Judgments of the Lord to Pour Forth,” Conference Report, October
1966, 58-61.
5. “A Message of Hope and Courage,” Conference Report, April 1951, 19-24.
Daniel 2:44-45
Some of the most inspiring verses for Latter-day Saints to read are a prophecy by Daniel
in chapter 2, verses, 44 and 45. Daniel prophesied of a kingdom that will be set up in the last
days, “which shall never be destroyed” that “shall stand forever.” He also said that it would
“consume all other kingdoms.” At the end of verse 45, he declared that “the dream is certain,
and the interpretation thereof sure.” We know through latter-day prophetic declaration that
kingdom is The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The “stone cut out of the mountain
without hands” started with six members in 1830 and now numbers more than 14 million. This
Kingdom shall stand until the Savior of the world comes again to “reign personally upon the
earth” (10th Article of Faith).
Other prophets, both ancient and modern, have prophesied of this kingdom to be set up in
the last days. Isaiah and Micah both spoke of “the mountain of the Lord’s house shall be
established in the top of the mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills; and all nations shall
flow unto it” (Isaiah 2:2-3; Micah 4:2). Peter reaffirmed what Daniel saw with this statement
made in Acts 3:19-21: “Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out,
when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord; And he shall send Jesus
Christ, which before was preached unto you: Whom the heaven must receive until the times of
restitution of all things, which God hath spoken by the mouth of all his holy prophets since the
world began.” Speaking of our day, Paul said “that in the dispensation of the fulness of times he
might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven, and which are on
earth; even in him” (Eph. 1:10). Paul also talked about the day of restoration and then added this
caution: “Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a
falling away first” (2 Thessalonians 2:3). Isaiah saw the restoration of the gospel as “a
marvelous work and a wonder” (Isaiah 29:14).
Latter-day prophets have helped us understand the important role we play in the history
of the world and how excited, blessed and humbled each member of the Church should feel to be
a part of this great latter-day work. God the Father and Jesus Christ visited 14-year old Joseph
Smith in 1820, commencing the restoration of all things. Speaking of this event, President
Gordon B. Hinckley said: “All of the history of the past had pointed to this season. The centuries
with all of their suffering and all their hope had come and gone. The Almighty Judge of the
nations, the Living God, determined that the times of which the prophets had spoken had
arrived.” 1 In the early days of the Church President John Taylor said: “There is one thing very
certain, … and that is, whatever men may think, and however they may plot and contrive, that
this Kingdom will never be given into the hands of another people. It will grow and spread and
increase, and no man living can stop its progress.” 2 President Joseph F. Smith later described
the growth of the Church like this: “We have passed through the stages of infancy … , and are
indeed approaching … manhood and womanhood” 3
It is a great time to be alive and a part of the restored gospel of Jesus Christ. The stone
that Daniel foresaw is steadily filling the earth. President Hinckley helped us understand our
opportunity when he said: “My brethren and sisters, do you realize what we have? Do you
recognize our place in the great drama of human history? This is the focal point of all that has
gone before. This is the season of restitution. These are the days of restoration. This is the time
when men from over the earth come to the mountain of the Lord’s house to seek and learn of His
ways and to walk in His paths. This is the summation of all of the centuries of time since the
birth of Christ to this present and wonderful day.” 4
Notes
1. Gordon B. Hinckley “At the Summit of the Ages,” Ensign, November 1999.
2.
John Taylor, in Journal of Discourses, (London: Latter-day Saints’ Book Depot, 185486) 25:345.
3. Joseph F. Smith, Conference Report, April 1909, p. 2.
4. Gordon B. Hinckley “At the Summit of the Ages,” Ensign, November 1999.
Ezra 7:10
The tenth verse of Ezra chapter 7 says: “For Ezra had prepared his heart to seek the law
of the Lord, and to do it, and to teach in Israel statutes and judgments” (italics added). In the
Saturday afternoon session of the April 1990 General Conference, Elder Spencer J. Condie said:
“One of the great teachers and prophet-leaders in Israel was Ezra, who ‘had prepared his heart to
seek the law of the Lord, and to do it, and to teach in Israel statutes and judgments’ (Ezra 7:10).
As Saints of the latter days, we are grateful for a modern-day Ezra, even our beloved prophet,
Ezra Taft Benson, who, like Ezra of old, has prepared himself to receive the word of the Lord
and is prepared to do the Lord’s will. I bear you my witness that there is a living prophet in Israel
today.” 1 Like Ezra, true disciples of Jesus Christ not only have hearts that are prepared to hear
and learn the word of the Lord, but they have desires to do and act upon what they have learned.
Obedience is a key element of having a “prepared heart.” We are counseled and
invited in the scriptures over and over again to be obedient to the commandments of the Lord. In
3 Nephi 17:3, the Savior invites the people to prepare for the next day by going home and
pondering the things that He had taught them, and to ask for understanding from Heavenly
Father. Even though the Nephites were being taught by the greatest Teacher who ever lived,
they were still required to put forth effort to benefit from His teachings. The Lord gave this
counsel to Joseph Smith and to other elders of the Church in 1831: “Behold, verily I say unto
you, for this cause I have sent you—that you might be obedient, and that your hearts might be
prepared to bear testimony of the things which are to come; (see Doctrine and Covenants 58:6,
italics added). The following spring (March 1832), the Lord again taught Joseph and the early
saints: “For if you will that I give unto you a place in the celestial world, you must prepare
yourselves by doing the things which I have commanded you and required of you” (see Doctrine
and Covenants 78:7).
The more we are obedient and our hearts are softened to the word of the Lord, whether it
comes to us through scripture, the modern prophet, or the Holy Ghost, the more trust the Lord
will have in us, which will then lead to more inspiration. Speaking of the new and everlasting
covenant of marriage, the Lord reminded us of the importance of not only preparing our hearts
to receive His instructions, but also the importance of obeying His instructions once they were
received: “Therefore, prepare thy heart to receive and obey the instructions which I am about to
give unto you; for all those who have this law revealed unto them must obey the same” (see
Doctrine and Covenants 132:3, italics added). As we follow the pattern of Ezra in preparing and
doing the law of the Lord, we will qualify for the companionship of the Holy Ghost, which will
allow us to teach with more power in the classroom.
Notes
1. Spencer J. Condie “Some Scriptural Lessons on Leadership,” Ensign, May 1990
Haggai 1:6
The book of Haggai begins with Haggai the prophet exhorting the people to build the
temple. After asking the people to consider their ways (verse 5), the Lord rebukes their ways in
verse 6: “Ye have sown much, and bring in little; ye eat, but ye have not enough; ye drink, but ye
are not filled with drink; ye clothe you, but there is none warm; and he that earneth wages
earneth wages to put it into a bag with holes.” It is interesting to note that the footnote that goes
with the word “holes” is “waste.” Instead of building the temple, the people were putting their
time, efforts and money into things with no eternal significance. After Haggai teaches the
consequences of disobedience in verses 9-11, the work on the temple resumes.
After reciting Haggai 1:5-7 in General Conference, Elder L. Tom Perry said, “I have read
this great scripture and continue to be impressed with how clearly the Old Testament prophet
describes the conditions of today. Almost daily we read of those who invest for little return. We
eat food so refined that the nourishment is lacking. We witness the drink that can never satisfy
the thirst for those who drink; the dressing for style, rather than warmth, comfort, and modesty;
the high wages of the wage earner today which still do not satisfy or supply his needs.” 1 Elder
Perry made this statement in 1973! There are many other examples in the scriptures of people
laying up treasures on earth, “where moth and rust doth corrupt, and thieves break through and
steal” (see 3 Nephi 13:19). It never ends well for them. In Helaman 13, the riches of the
Nephites are cursed. They hide up treasures and then can’t find them; their treasures slipped
away from them (see verses 18, 20, 35). A modern day example of this is youth who spend
hours and hours, days and days playing video games. When the time comes to serve a mission,
all this investment in gaming will be of little use when proclaiming the gospel.
The Lord has given us many promises if we will be “anxiously engaged in a good cause”
(Doctrine and Covenants 58:27). Some of these blessing include salvation to our souls (D&C
4:4), we will reap “bountifully” (2 Corinthians 9:6), we will be granted according to our desires
(Alma 29:4), and the gift of eternal life (Helaman 5:8), “the greatest of all the gifts of God”
(D&C 14:7). Zechariah taught Judah that the Lord would do unto them according to their ways
and doings (Zechariah 1:6). As Latter-day Saints, we are commanded to “do many things of our
own free will, and bring to pass much righteousness” (D&C 58:27). As we do so, the Lord will
greatly bless and prosper us, both in this life and the next.
Notes
1. L. Tom Perry “Consider Your Ways,” Ensign, July 1973.
Conclusion
The eight papers in this portfolio came from questions seminary and institute students
often ask in class while studying the minor prophets. Therefore, included with each paper is a
conclusion specific to that topic.
Bibliography
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