Verse: ‘And it came to pass that when they were buried in the deep there was no water that could hurt them, their vessels being tight like unto a dish, and also they were tight like unto the ark of Noah; therefore when they were encompassed about by many waters they did cry unto the Lord, and he did bring them forth again upon the top of the waters’, (Ether 6:7).
As mentioned in a post from a while ago now, the Book of Ether is one of my favourite books within the Book of Mormon; quite possibly my most favourite. I think that this relatively small book deserves a chapter of its own for two reasons. The first being that is can often be ignored by readers, especially those starting out with the Book of Mormon, as it may at first glance not seem to be particularly relevant to the main story line of the wider works. The second is that it is a perfect, and tiny, encapsulation of the important teaching that can be found within the Book of Mormon and is therefore vital to understanding the importance of key doctrines within the Latter-day Saint tradition. The story itself appears to be a miniature version of the story contained in the wider Book of Mormon. In the Book of Ether, the Jaredites leave a sinful community and go to a promised land, in the same manner that the Nephites did. One of my favourite parts of this text is their journey across the ocean.
This story is interesting as, like the Book of Mormon, the fate of the inhabitants of this promised land is reliant on their following of God’s commandments and laws revealed to them. This is a resounding theme within the Bible as well as the Book of Mormon. Like the wider Book of Mormon wickedness does ultimately come forth and spread and the nation of the Jaredites is indeed destroyed. The story of the Jaredites travelling over the oceans in their boats always intrigued me, and was a fantastic example of faith prevailing over worldly fears – in this case the vast fathoms of ocean and colossal waves. This seemingly impossible journey can be translated into the issues we find in our own lives and the ultimate success of the Jaredites in reaching the shore safely can fill us with hope too that our own fears may be eased and we too may reach these shores of safety.
The Book of Ether is small, and while there are many lessons contained within its pages, I think that it is best to conclude that the best thing about it is that it is a short summary of the basic teachings of the Book of Mormon. For me, when I first started reading the Book of Mormon, I found the Book of Ether to be a nice segue into the wider story line and a simple book to begin my explorations. It is a mirror copy, albeit far less detailed, to such an extent that it is placed as being set before the Nephites even set foot in the Americas, so in this regard can be seen as a failed nation already having had a go at what the Nephites are setting out to achieve, and now what we are setting out to do in the name of Zion.