Remember Thou the Covenants of the Father?

1 Nephi 14:8 - 10, NC 1 Nephi 3 par. 27

And it came to pass that when the angel had spoken these words, he said unto me, Remember thou the covenants of the Father unto the house of Israel? I said unto him, Yea. And it came to pass that he said unto me, Look and behold that great and abominable church, which is the mother of abominations, whose foundation is the Devil. And he said unto me, Behold, there are save two churches only: the one is the church of the Lamb of God, and the other is the church of the Devil. Wherefore, whoso belongeth not to the church of the Lamb of God belongeth to that great church which is the mother of abominations, and she is the whore of all the earth.

The Stick of Joseph in the Hand of Ephraim 1 Nefi 3 par. 27

And it came to pass that when the angel had spoken these words, he said unto me, Do you remember the covenants of the Father unto the house of Isra’el? I said unto him, Yes. And it came to pass that he said unto me, Look and behold that great and abominable church, which is the mother of abominations, whose foundation is HaSatan. And he said unto me, Behold, there are only two assemblies: the one is the assembly of the Lamb of Elohim, and the other is the assembly of HaSatan. Wherefore, whoever belongs not to the assembly of the Lamb of Elohim belongs to that great assembly which is the mother of abominations, and she is the whore of all the earth.

For the first part of this next paragraph I would like to insert part of a blog talking about this part of Nephi's vision.  The post was produced in 2010.

I would encourage everyone to go to this blog and read this whole post and all the other posts dealing with Nephi's vision.  You will find great light in those recorded words.  

After that I would encourage anyone who would really like to learn something about the scriptures and about what is happening right now to read all of the posts in that blog from 2010 to the present.

“And it came to pass that when the angel had spoken these words, he said unto me: Rememberest thou the covenants of the Father unto the house of Israel? I said unto him, Yea. And it came to pass that he said unto me: Look, and behold that great and abominable church, which is the mother of abominations, whose founder is the devil.”

The dialogue between Nephi and the angel is interrupted. Nephi is brought into the dialogue as the angel interrupts and asks Nephi a question. You should ask yourself why an angel behaves in this manner? Why interrupt the teaching by asking Nephi questions?

And what a question it is: ” Rememberest thou the covenants of the Father unto the house of Israel?” Once again, it is the “covenants of the Father” that is important and controls what is being taught and all history involved. It remains not only “in the beginning” but throughout “is the Word of God.” Consider how broadly the “Word” of God may be applied:

-Christ is the “Word of God” because He lived and did all in conformity with the will of the Father. ( 3 Nephi 11: 11.)
-All of creation came into being because of the Father’s Word, or power. (Mormon 9: 17.)
-Christ’s spoken Word had such power as to astonish onlookers. (Luke 4: 32, 36.)
-Nothing of power hereafter will exist unless obtained by the Father’s Word. (D&C 132: 13.)
-Moses made water come forth from the rock by the Father’s Word. (1 Nephi 17: 29.)
-Joseph Smith was able to bring the Book of Mormon forth because of the Father’s word. (Mormon 8: 16.)
-His Word is “quick” and “powerful” and can cut like a two-edged sword. (D&C 11: 2.)
-It was by this Word of God that Enoch had power to hold at defiance the armies of nations. (Moses 7: 13.)

Without the “covenants of the Father” the best laid plans, the most noble aspirations, the desire to have Zion return, will all fail. It will return by a covenant or not at all. It will return in strict conformity with His covenant, His Word, and not according to the vain desires of men.

The angel is setting up a contrast for Nephi. First he asks if Nephi remembers the Father’s covenants, to which Nephi responds that he does remember them. Now, often in the Book of Mormon the word “remember” is used to mean “keep.” If that is the way it is used here, then Nephi is being asked if he keeps the covenants of the Father, so far as they apply to him. Using that meaning, the angel is inquiring about Nephi’s worthiness to receive more. Or, in other words: “Do you follow the Father’s commandments?” “Yes.” “Then I will show you more.” Reminding Nephi that the only reason he is beholding these things is because of his obedience and sacrifice. Or, to put it more plainly, reminding US that this kind of information and learning from angelic ministers comes as a consequence of following everything taught to you before. You receive more because you follow what you already have. ("1 Nephi 14:8 - 9", Denversnuffer.com, 08/July/2010)

These words from 2010 ring in my ears as if they were written today.

As I have testified to in a recent previous post, the Father has begun a great and a marvelous work and as part of His work He has restored a covenant and given commandments to those who have received this covenant.

Here is what the Lord said concerning His willingness to work with a people and extend to them a covenant.

For the sake of the promises to the fathers will I labor with you as a people, and not because of you, for you have not yet become what you must be to live together in peace. If you will hearken to my words, I will make you my people and my words will give you peace. Even a single soul who stirs up the hearts of others to anger can destroy the peace of all my people. Each of you must equally walk truly in my path, not only to profess, but to do as you profess. (T&C 157 par. 19)

It is the Father's promises or covenants with the ancient Fathers that are driving this current event.

The Father declared here that this group of people He is working with at present is still deficient.

As deficient as they are, they are promised by the Father that if they hearken to His words, (ie. walk truly in His path),  He will make them His people and and give them peace.

What is happening now is occurring because of His covenant and His word and not because of any vain desires of men.

As part of all of this there are things that must be "remembered" or in other words as explained above in this example given by Nephi "kept" as part of the covenant in order for those who have received what they have received to this point to receive more.

As example:

It is not enough to receive my covenant, but you must also abide it. And all who abide it, whether on this land or any other land, will be mine, and I will watch over them and protect them in the day of harvest, and gather them in as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings. I will number you among the remnant of Jacob, no longer outcasts, and you will inherit the promises of Israel. You shall be my people and I will be your God, and the sword will not devour you. And unto those who will receive will more be given, until they know the mysteries of God in full.  But remember that without the fruit of repentance, and a broken heart and a contrite spirit, you cannot keep my covenant; for I, your Lord, am meek and lowly of heart. Be like me. You have all been wounded, your hearts pierced through with sorrows because of how the world has treated you. But you have also scarred one another by your unkind treatment of each other, and you do not notice your misconduct toward others because you think yourself justified in this. You bear the scars on your countenances, from the soles of your feet to the head, and every heart is faint. Your visages have been so marred that your hardness, mistrust, suspicions, resentments, fear, jealousies, and anger toward your fellow man bear outward witness of your inner self; you cannot hide it. When I appear to you, instead of confidence, you feel shame. You fear and withdraw from me because you bear the blood and sins of your treatment of brothers and sisters. Come to me and I will make sins as scarlet become white as snow, and I will make you stand boldly before me, confident of my love.  I descended below it all, and know the sorrows of you all, and have borne the grief of it all, and I say to you, Forgive one another. Be tender with one another, pursue judgment, bless the oppressed, care for the orphan, and uplift the widow in her need, for I have redeemed you from being orphaned and taken you that you are no longer a widowed people. Rejoice in me, and rejoice with your brethren and sisters who are mine also. Be one.  You pray each time you partake of the sacrament to always have my spirit to be with you. And what is my spirit? It is to love one another as I have loved you. Do my works and you will know my doctrine, for you will uncover hidden mysteries by obedience to these things that can be uncovered in no other way. This is the way I will restore knowledge to my people. If you return good for evil, you will cleanse yourself and know the joy of your Master. You call me Lord, and do well to regard me so, but to know your Lord is to love one another. Flee from the cares and longings that belong to Babylon, obtain a new heart, for you have all been wounded. In me you will find peace, and through me will come Zion, a place of peace and safety. (T&C 157 pars. 48 - 51)

And also this.

First: Do you believe all the words of the Lord which have been read to you this day, and know them to be true and from the Lord Jesus Christ, who has condescended to provide them to you, and do you covenant with Him to cease to do evil and to seek to continually do good?  Second: Do you have faith in these things and receive the scriptures approved by the Lord as a standard to govern you in your daily walk in life, to accept the obligations established by the Book of Mormon as a covenant, and to use the scriptures to correct yourselves and to guide your words, thoughts, and deeds?  Third: Do you agree to assist all others — who covenant to likewise accept this standard to govern their lives — to keep the Lord’s will, to succor those who stand in need, to lighten the burdens of your brothers and sisters whenever you are able, and to help care for the poor among you?  Fourth: And do you covenant to seek to become of one heart with those who seek the Lord to establish His righteousness? ....  Teach your children to honor me. Seek to recover the lost sheep remnant of this land and of Israel and no longer forsake them. Bring them unto me and teach them of my ways, to walk in them. (T&C 158 pars. 2 - 5 and par. 10)

Aren't these all specific commandments from the Father to whoever accepts His covenant?

Aren't these commandments a critical part of any individual being able to be obedient to the Father's covenants so far as they apply to them?

If I understand the principle correctly, if an angel were to ask me if I "remember" the covenants of the Father with the House of Israel like the angel asked Nephi, then I would have to answer "yes" or "no" as to whether I have "kept" what I have received as a covenant from the Father.

Shouldn't I be asking myself constantly if I am living obedient to the Father's covenants, so far as they apply to me?

If it is only by my personal obedience and sacrifice, according to the covenant that I have now received from the Father, that I am able to obtain more then would it be very important for me to ponder upon, carefully and thoughtfully consider, and in all of my life experiences keep what I have covenanted to do in my sphere of influence in life?

Does the Father allowed me sufficient interaction with people in my own little sphere of influence to be able to accomplish what He has commanded me to accomplish in His covenant as far as it applies to me?

How big was Nephi's sphere of influence while he was living in the wilderness with his family and Ishmael's family?

Wasn't Nephi well able to do what needed to be done for him to keep "the covenants of the Father, so far as they apply(ied) to him"?

Shouldn't I consider that it is more than coincidence that what is occurring to Nephi over 2600 years ago now applies to me personally in a very real way today?

Is it any wonder why I should be looking at the Book of Mormon as God's personal message to me today?