Book of Mormon - Old Testament connection series: Origins

This is the last post in this series. We are now at the beginning of the Old Testament (the book of Genesis) and the end of the Book of Mormon (Mormon and Ether). That is, not quite, since Moroni is excluded. It was not originally intended (see Moroni 1:4) and does not really fit into the combined chiastic structure of the Old Testament and the Book of Mormon. Just as a clarification, whenever the "Book of Mormon" is used from now on in this post, it is the book within the book we are talking about.,

In what way are the books of Mormon and Ether connected to Genesis and how can this combined study enhance learning? Bradley Kramer argues that the Book of Mormon is an antithetic parallel to the beginning of Genesis, the creation and Garden of Eden. In the creation, God makes order out of chaos. In the Book of Mormon, Mormon's world becomes more and more chaotic after a peaceful period in the Nephite society. By chapter 8, "the whole face of the land is one continual round of murder and bloodshed". We find similar descriptions in Ether.

The Book of Ether also connects to Genesis and even does so chiastically. It starts out with the tower of Babel, followed by a sea journey with parallels to Noah and the flood. Eventually, the Jaredite nation connects to "Cain, who was a murderer from the beginning" (Ether 8:15) through secret combinations and it ends in chaos and destruction, much like the Book of Mormon. This is certainly a gloomy ending and one would think there is not much positive to draw from this connection. But the exact opposite is true. 

In the Jewish rabbinic tradition, there are many ways in which parasha- haftarah can connect. We have seen some examples in this series of posts. One way is that it can provide hopeful ties to offer an optimistic outlook for Israel and the world, despite historical setbacks. This is in fact the case here. Quoting Kramer:

Just as the Book of Mosiah shows how God can rescue the ancient concept of kings from the charge of irrelevance by translation it into principles modern readers can implement, so the book of Mormon similarly asserts that God can yet salvage something salvific from Moroni's dark situation. Echoing the way God brings light to the premordial darkness - powerfully and miraculously - the Book of Mormon shows how Mormon and Moroni's bleak account will eventually enlighten future generations and save them from a similar fate.

Using metaphors from the creation account, Mormon and Moroni express their conviction that even in their dark world, they will be able to leave a record that will cry from the dust (Mormon 8:23) and bring their words "out of darkness unto light" (Mormon 8:16). This provides hope. There is an implicit message in both Mormon and Ether that this destruction can be avoided. Mormon and Moroni offer plenty of advise on how to achieve it (even in the Book of Ether where he frequently interrupts the narrative with his counsel). Moroni even sees his future readers and address them directly, both in Mormon and Ether.

By hearkening to the voice from the dust we can be "more wise than [they] have been" (Mormon 9:31) and avoid the same fate. It is a message of prophetic hope.