Nephi Invites Us to Feast upon the Words of Christ

John W. Welch

As Gerald Lund once commented, the difference between reading the scriptures and studying the gospel is the same as the difference between eating and dining. The middle of 2 Nephi 32:3 states, "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." Not know but do. When we begin to feast upon the words of Christ, we learn more about what to do, how to apply the principles taught in the scriptures, and how to move forward.

2 Nephi 32:4 is the other side of that two-sided coin of duty. We are being told that the second that we have been given a gift or power, we have a duty to get to work and put that gift and power to work. It is the continuation of and obliging of receiving the benefits of the feasting, and it begins with the asking and the knocking. What should I be doing next? Where have we heard Nephi talk about this principle before? Clear back in 1 Nephi 15, when Nephi basically said, "Why don’t you ask the Lord? He will explain it to you and tell you what it should mean in your life, but have you even asked?" What is their reply? "No. He won’t tell us. It doesn’t do any good, he only talks to you." (1 Nephi 15:8–9).

Nephi learned as a very young man the whole essence of 2 Nephi 32:2–4. As a young man, Nephi feasted upon the words of Christ, and when people feast upon the words of Christ, the quality of their prayers change. Their ability to get answers to those prayers change. And their resolve to thus "go and do the things that the Lord has commanded" turns to action.

Further Reading 

Book of Mormon Central, "How Can One ‘Feast upon the Words of Christ’? (2 Nephi 32:3)," KnoWhy 306 (April 28, 2017).

John W. Welch Notes

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