2 Nephi Chapter 32

Scripture Mastery

2 Nephi 32:3 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 32:5 For behold, again I say unto you that 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 32:8-9 And now, my beloved brethren, if ye would hearken unto the Spirit which teacheth a man to pray ye would know that ye must pray; for the evil spirit teacheth not a man to pray, but teacheth him that he must not pray. Ye must pray always, and not faint; that he will consecrate thy performance unto thee, that thy performance may be for the welfare of thy soul.

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?

verse 1 Nephi is still addressing his "beloved brethren" who are his people (2 Nephi 25:2-3) living with him in the land of Nephi.

"ye ponder somewhat in your hearts concerning that which ye should do after ye have entered in by the way" Nephi intends: "You are wondering what you should do next, after you have passed through the gait that leads to the strait and narrow path."

"why do ye ponder these things in your hearts" Nephi felt that by now the answer should be obvious to his people. In verses 2 through 6 he will re-emphasize the profound truth that all spiritual knowledge and direction comes through the ministrations of the Holy Ghost. Man cannot negotiate successfully the path of life without direction from the Spirit himself.

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?

verse 2 Here Nephi implies that he has observed some inspired teaching being done by his people. He offers this observation as evidence of the Holy Ghost's presence.

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.

verses 2-3 "Angels . . . speak the words of Christ." Through the influence of the Holy Ghost, angels, who are nothing more nor less than people who have passed through this mortal phase and are on special assignment, are able to do and say the same things that Christ would do and say under any given circumstances. This blessing of the Holy Ghost applies entirely also to mortal men and women. The power and authority of angels does not exceed in the slightest that of the Lord's mortal servants.

For further discussion of angels, see the commentary for Alma 29:1.

verse 3 "feast upon the words of Christ" To "feast" upon the words of Christ is to have the daily guidance of the Holy Ghost. Nephi will also teach in verse 5 below that the Holy Ghost will "show unto you all things what ye should do." Thus, feasting upon the words of Christ is primarily to do all things the Holy Ghost inspires you to do. This feasting comprehends all the activities of our lives, and is not restricted to our time spent studying the scriptures, though a secondary meaning of this expression is to proactively, diligently, and enthusiastically study the scriptures or to vigorously search out the Lord's servants and hearken unto their words.

4 Wherefore, now after I have spoken these words, if ye cannot understand them it will be because ye ask not, neither do ye knock; wherefore, ye are not brought into the light, but must perish in the dark.

verse 4 "if ye cannot understand them" "Them" refers to the words of which Nephi had just spoken.

"ye are not brought into the light" What does it mean to be "brought into the light"? A careful reading of this verse suggests that we cannot "come," of our own volition, into the light. Rather we have to be "brought" in by some person or power outside ourselves. This person and power is the Holy Ghost. Even the plainest teachings that man can receive regarding the principle of the "doctrine of Christ," the words of Christ, cannot, by themselves, make him understand this vital doctrine or "bring him into the light." The Spirit of the Lord must participate.

An important prerequisite step to being brought into the light is to "knock." What does it mean to knock? It means to proactively, prayerfully, and with earnest effort seek understanding. In other verses in this chapter this prerequisite step is referred to as: "search knowledge [and] understanding" (verse 7), and "feast upon the words of Christ" (verse 3).

5 For behold, again I say unto you that if ye will enter in by the way, and receive the Holy Ghost, it will show unto you all things what ye should do.

verse 5 After the baptism of water and the baptism of the Spirit (receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost), we "enter in by the way," and we set our foot on life's strait and narrow path where we depend heavily on the Spirit of the Lord to provide us direction.

"it will show unto you all things what ye should do" Here the Holy Ghost is referred to by the impersonal pronoun "it." This seemingly uncongenial habit has arisen because we often refer to the Holy Ghost by referring to his influence rather than to the man himself.

This particular phrase refers to an important function of the Holy Ghost that we often fail to recognize. As we grow spiritually, each individual does so in his or her own particular and unique way and sequence. One might well ask the question of the Lord, "In my spiritual growth, what specific area should I be working on now or next?" Here in this phrase we learn that one of the important functions of the Holy Ghost is to reveal to us or prompt us concerning the very area or item we should be concentrating on at the moment. Ideally, as we partake weekly of the sacrament, it would be this specific item we would choose as the subject of our covenanting with the Lord for the upcoming period of time.

6 Behold, this is the doctrine of Christ, and there will be no more doctrine given until after he shall manifest himself unto you in the flesh. And when he shall manifest himself unto you in the flesh, the things which he shall say unto you shall ye observe to do.

verse 6 "this is the doctrine of Christ" A reasonable summary of the "doctrine of Christ" is found in the introductory commentary for 2 Nephi 31. This verse suggests that perhaps this doctrine is incompletely summarized here in 2 Nephi, and that further light will be shed on this doctrine after the Lord's post-resurrection visit to the Nephites. It is certain that more specific light will be given to the earth when the fulness of the gospel is restored to the earth, but this fact does not invalidate the incomparable value of the principles of the doctrine of Christ discussed herein. Do we have available to us today a complete definition of the doctrine of Christ? The restoration of the gospel in its fulness in this dispensation has brought us a more complete understanding of the Lord's plan of salvation and the precious ordinances of the temple. Perhaps the understanding afforded us in this final dispensation is more complete than it has ever been in the history of our earth.

7 And now I, Nephi, cannot say more; the Spirit stoppeth mine utterance, and I am left to mourn because of the unbelief, and the wickedness, and the ignorance, and the stiffneckedness of men; for they will not search knowledge, nor understand great knowledge, when it is given unto them in plainness, even as plain as word can be.

verse 7 Apparently Nephi could have taught more! He could have provided us with more important doctrines, but the Lord did not allow him. And what was the limiting factor? Why did he not teach more? He was obviously restrained by the Spirit. But why? We can only speculate. Perhaps he was constrained by the fact that those whom he was teaching (1) did not seek diligently for new understanding; (2) did not strive to understand what he had already taught; and (3) did not qualify for the ministration of the Spirit of God to enable them to understand what they had already heard preached in plainness.

The following verse suggests that Nephi's hearers also were not praying diligently and sincerely. What about us today? Are we sufficiently diligent in our study of the scriptures? Have we mastered those truths we have been given, and do we yearn for new knowledge? Are we regularly importuning the Lord to know what we "should do?"

8 And now, my beloved brethren, I perceive that ye ponder still in your hearts; and it grieveth me that I must speak concerning this thing. For if ye would hearken unto the Spirit which teacheth a man to pray ye would know that ye must pray; for the evil spirit teacheth not a man to pray, but teacheth him that he must not pray.

verse 8 "I perceive that ye ponder still in your hearts" Nephi apparently perceives that some of those listening to him are puzzled by his sayings. They lack the spiritual sensitivity to understand.

"it grieveth me that I must speak concerning this thing" Nephi speaks as though the subject of prayer is so basic that he fears offending his hearers by counseling them on the subject.

"the Spirit . . . teacheth a man to pray" The Lord has taught us in the Doctrine and Covenants that if a man is properly influenced by the Holy Ghost, he will receive whatsoever he asks for in prayer (see D&C 46:30). The reason for this bold promise lies in the fact that such a man is taught the things for which he should pray by the Holy Spirit (see D&C 50:30; 3 Nephi 19:24).

"the evil spirit teacheth not a man to pray" Prayer may be defined as yearning for spiritual directions and spiritual intervention. What can be more devastating to the devil's cause than this. For his purposes to be fulfilled, the devil only need separate a man from his God.

9 But behold, I say unto you that ye must pray always, and not faint; that ye must not perform any thing unto the Lord save in the first place ye shall pray unto the Father in the name of Christ, that he will consecrate thy performance unto thee, that thy performance may be for the welfare of thy soul.

verse 9 One definition of the verb "to faint" is to lose one's courage, resolve, hope, or will.

"he will consecrate thy performance unto thee" The prayerful individual who is striving to be obedient will be justified and sanctified by the Spirit under the direction of the Lord. The individual will grow spiritually in response to his righteous "performance." See Ye Shall Know of the Doctrine, volume 1, chapter 17, Justification and Sanctification.

One truly exciting implication of this verse is that the Spirit is available to us continually if we can only stay in tune.