Thoughts on Joseph, part 1

You meant to hurt me, but God turned your evil into good to save the lives of many people, which is being done. (Genesis 50:20, EXB)

Image by Robert T. Barrett (source)

My personal study of the Old Testament this year has been richly rewarding. The story of Joseph has taken on multiple layers of deeper meaning in light of recent topics we've posted here.  Today's post will be a summary and review of various ideas about one of the deeper meanings of the story of Joseph -- specifically how this story teaches us about the grand arc of the House of Israel.  What began with a small group of people in the land of Canaan culminates in the latter days with the gathering of all of God's children who have ever or will ever live on the earth!

Back to 'the fulness of the Gentiles'

I'm revisiting the phrase "fulness of the Gentiles" in Genesis 48:19.  In studying this important phrase, I came across Romans 11:25, where Paul states something remarkable about the future of the House of Israel:

So that you may not claim to be wiser than you are, brothers and sisters, I want you to understand this mystery: a hardening has come upon part of Israel, until the full number of the Gentiles has come in. (NRSV)

The whole chapter is remarkable.  Having just read the five books of Moses, this passage really stands out:

13 I’m speaking to you Gentiles. Considering that I’m an apostle to the Gentiles, I publicize my own ministry 14 in the hope that somehow I might make my own people jealous and save some of them. 15 If their rejection has brought about a close relationship between God and the world, how can their acceptance mean anything less than life from the dead? 16 But if part of a batch of dough is offered to God as holy, the whole batch of dough is holy too. If a root is holy, the branches will be holy too.  (CEB)

 

He's making reference to firstfruits in verse 16. Recall that the holiness of the Levites allows the whole company to be(come) holy.  In a similar manner, Paul is saying here that when the Jews began rejecting the Gospel, God saw fit to have it preached to the Gentiles. In verse 15, he compares this miraculous opening up of the Gospel to the whole world to raising someone from the dead.

Parallels in the story of Joseph

All of this brings me back to Joseph, Ephraim, and Manasseh. Genesis 48:19 tells us that Jacob prophesies that Manasseh will be a great nation, but Ephraim will be the 'melo hagoyyim' -- 'a multitude of nations.'  This phrase could also be rendered 'fulness of the Gentiles.' It's no wonder Paul says in Romans 11:25 that a mystery of God is that the Jews were hardened so that and until the 'fulness of the Gentiles' has come in. This seems to me to be a clear reference to the latter-day restoration, which comes to the world through Ephraim.

Can you see the parallel to Joseph? He was stripped of his robe (a symbol of his authority/divine favor) and sold into slavery, but he prospered nonetheless.  The hand of God was over him, and he recognizes this when he tells his brothers years later:

You meant to hurt me, but God turned your evil into good to save the lives of many people, which is being done. (Genesis 50:20, EXB)

Likewise, the seed of his two sons each play key roles in the latter-day gathering.  Manasseh (through Lehi) gives us the Nephites, whose record has become the instrument of the gathering.  The seed of Ephraim (scattered to the Gentile nations) becomes the nursing father who carries the house of Israel, spoken of by Isaiah.  Nephi expounds on this when he says:

11 Do ye not remember the things which the Lord hath said?—If ye will not harden your hearts, and ask me in faith, believing that ye shall receive, with diligence in keeping my commandments, surely these things shall be made known unto you.
12 Behold, I say unto you, that the house of Israel was compared unto an olive tree, by the Spirit of the Lord which was in our father; and behold are we not broken off from the house of Israel, and are we not a branch of the house of Israel?
13 And now, the thing which our father meaneth concerning the grafting in of the natural branches through the fulness of the Gentiles, is, that in the latter days, when our seed shall have dwindled in unbelief, yea, for the space of many years, and many generations after the Messiah shall be manifested in body unto the children of men, then shall the fulness of the gospel of the Messiah come unto the Gentiles, and from the Gentiles unto the remnant of our seed—
14 And at that day shall the remnant of our seed know that they are of the house of Israel, and that they are the covenant people of the Lord; and then shall they know and come to the knowledge of their forefathers, and also to the knowledge of the gospel of their Redeemer, which was ministered unto their fathers by him; wherefore, they shall come to the knowledge of their Redeemer and the very points of his doctrine, that they may know how to come unto him and be saved. (1 Nephi 15)

Christ speaks of it in 3 Nephi 16:

4 And I command you that ye shall write these sayings after I am gone, that if it so be that my people at Jerusalem, they who have seen me and been with me in my ministry, do not ask the Father in my name, that they may receive a knowledge of you by the Holy Ghost, and also of the other tribes whom they know not of, that these sayings which ye shall write shall be kept and shall be manifested unto the Gentiles, that through the fulness of the Gentiles, the remnant of their seed, who shall be scattered forth upon the face of the earth because of their unbelief, may be brought in, or may be brought to a knowledge of me, their Redeemer.
5 And then will I gather them in from the four quarters of the earth; and then will I fulfil the covenant which the Father hath made unto all the people of the house of Israel.
6 And blessed are the Gentiles, because of their belief in me, in and of the Holy Ghost, which witnesses unto them of me and of the Father. (3 Nephi 16)

(Stisa's post here is one of the key sources of inspiration for me to make many of these connections. I recommend you go back an re-read that post if this concept interests you.) 

The story of Joseph is a parable of the history of the house of Israel, with Ephraim and Manasseh's roles playing out precisely as defined by Jacob himself in Genesis 48:19. This is re-affirmed repeatedly throughout the scriptures. It brings clarity and importance to the Book of Mormon Title Page:

Written by way of commandment, and also by the spirit of prophecy and of revelation—Written and sealed up, and hid up unto the Lord, that they might not be destroyed—To come forth by the gift and power of God unto the interpretation thereof—Sealed by the hand of Moroni, and hid up unto the Lord, to come forth in due time by way of the Gentile ... Which is to show unto the remnant of the house of Israel what great things the Lord hath done for their fathers; and that they may know the covenants of the Lord, that they are not cast off forever—And also to the convincing of the Jew and Gentile that Jesus is the Christ, the Eternal God, manifesting himself unto all nations...

The meaning of 'Ephraim' and the connection to Genesis 1:22 and 28

Several Bible commentaries teach that the name 'Ephraim' means 'double fruitfulness' or 'increasing.' We know that Biblical names often contain wordplay.  'Ephraim' is no exception. There is a connection to the Hebrew word for 'fruitful' ('parah'). The '-aim' ending indicates a pairing or doubling. 

52 Joseph named the second son Ephraim [related to the Hebrew word for “fruitful”; 1:22] and said, “God has ·given me children [made me fruitful] in the land of my ·troubles [afflictions].” (Genesis 41, EXB)

Joseph recognized that God had blessed him with fruitfulness even in the land of his afflictions, hence the name of his second son. The connection to Genesis 1 is also fascinating.  It seems that the commandment given to Adam and Eve to be fruitful and multiply and replenish/fill the earth is fulfilled in the posterity of this 'doubly fruitful' branch of the House of Israel.

Jacob later blesses Ephraim (not his older brother) with the right hand and tells Joseph his seed will become 'a multitude of nations.' 'The fulness of the Gentiles' would be a perfectly acceptable alternative translation of the same words, as indicated above. At a time when the Gospel was nowhere to be found on the earth, God restored His covenant and ushered in the gathering by calling a descendant of that same Joseph to begin the latter-day work. 

5 Wherefore, Joseph truly saw our day. And he obtained a promise of the Lord, that out of the fruit of his loins the Lord God would raise up a righteous branch unto the house of Israel; not the Messiah, but a branch which was to be broken off, nevertheless, to be remembered in the covenants of the Lord that the Messiah should be made manifest unto them in the latter days, in the spirit of power, unto the bringing of them out of darkness unto light—yea, out of hidden darkness and out of captivity unto freedom.

6 For Joseph truly testified, saying: A seer shall the Lord my God raise up, who shall be a choice seer unto the fruit of my loins.

7 Yea, Joseph truly said: Thus saith the Lord unto me: A choice seer will I raise up out of the fruit of thy loins; and he shall be esteemed highly among the fruit of thy loins. And unto him will I give commandment that he shall do a work for the fruit of thy loins, his brethren, which shall be of great worth unto them, even to the bringing of them to the knowledge of the covenants which I have made with thy fathers. (2 Nephi 3)

The angel Moroni mentioned this principle to Joseph Smith during his visits in 1823:

41 He also quoted the second chapter of Joel, from the twenty-eighth verse to the last. He also said that this was not yet fulfilled, but was soon to be. And he further stated that the fulness of the Gentiles was soon to come in. He quoted many other passages of scripture, and offered many explanations which cannot be mentioned here. (Joseph Smith -- History)

Conclusion

So there you have my attempt at a summary of this really big set of ideas.  The story of Joseph is far more than just a tale of one man forgiving his brothers for selling him into slavery in a fit of jealousy.  It contains symbolism with far-reaching ramifications laying out God's plan to remember His covenant.

My next post will stay of the Joseph theme, looking in more detail at Joseph's coat and what it symbolizes.

Land of our inheritance -- Part 1

Reading the Bible cover to cover during 2022, I have just finished the five Books of Moses or the Torah as the Jews would say. Torah means instruction and it is a fitting name. Reading these books also makes it very clear that the instructions are given in a covenant setting. The language often resembles other Near Eastern treaties that have survived to this day. Covenants were an integral part of society. On this blog we have identified and discussed several covenant terms. "Land of our/his/her/their inheritance" is another one of those. The Hebrew words, yeresh and yereshah mean to inherit/possess and possession, respectively. It is very likely that the name, Jershon in the Book of Alma is derived from this root, with the suffix -on denoting a place name according to Ricks and Tvedtnes. I will get back to that.

The first use of this Hebrew word in the Bible is in Genesis 15 where the Abrahamic covenant is established. Interestingly, the word yeresh (inherit/possess) is used both about his promised heir (as in "son") and the land that he is granted as inheritance for his posterity, two "yeresh" aspects of the same covenant. Later, the terms is used very frequently during the Exodus and upon entering into the promised land. This is the fulfillment of the promise given to their father, Abraham. The land promised as their inheritance by covenant is not just any land. It is:

• A land "flowing with milk and honey". This was language that would invoke the image of a prosperous land. (See e.g. Exodus 20:6, Leviticus 20:24, Deuteronomy 26:9)
• A land of rest. The Hebrew word, nuach, that we have written about on this blog extensively, is often used to describe the promised land. (See e.g. Numbers 10:33, Deuteronomy 3:20, Deuteronomy 28:64-65, Joshua 1:13)
• A land where they have to sanctify themselves to enter into and that they are obliged to keep undefiled. Most of Deuteronomy is Moses' sermon to the Israelites with covenant conditions and instructions before they enter into the promised land. The expression "purge the evil from your midst/Israel" is used 10 times in that sermon (e.g. in Deuteronomy 13:5, 17:7, 19:19)

I will not go into the details of each bullet point, but make a note on the second before focusing on the third. One of the scriptures listed in the second bullet point differs a bit from the others that describe the promised land as a place of rest for Israel. Deuteronomy 28:64-65 contrasts that with the unrest that Israel will experience when they break the covenant and are scattered among other nations. By the way, Lord Wilmore just posted about another prophecy of the scattering of Israel in Deuteronomy. 

64 And the Lord shall scatter thee among all people, from the one end of the earth even unto the other; and there thou shalt serve other gods, which neither thou nor thy fathers have known, even wood and stone.

65 And among these nations shalt thou find no ease, neither shall the sole of thy foot have rest: but the Lord shall give thee there a trembling heart, and failing of eyes, and sorrow of mind (Deuteronomy 28)

You can only find rest when worshiping Yahweh in the promised land, and not by worshiping idols among other nations. The phrasing is a bit different in English, but in Hebrew the bold part "rest for the sole of your foot" is exactly the same as in Genesis 8:9 where Noah sent out the dove. The wording is so specific that I wonder if this parallel is intentional. Perhaps the intention would be to compare the worship of idols in foreign lands with the chaos that water represents that gives no rest as long as it covers the earth. Separating water from land is the creation motif that we find in Exodus as they set out on the journey to the promised land crossing the red sea and again in Joshua when they cross the river Jordan to enter into the promised land of rest.

Regarding the third bullet point, when reading about the tabernacle in Exodus, Leviticus and Numbers, I notice what can almost be characterized as an obsession with creating and preserving sacred space. The same seems to be the case for the promised land in Deuteronomy with the repeated admonition to purge the evil from their midst, and make absolutely sure to not defile the promised land by breaking the commandments. The promised land acts as a giant tabernacle of sorts, a pure, undefiled place of rest, where God dwells, even though God cannot find complete rest there until the temple is built. The need to purge the land from evil leads to drastic measures. This was meant to show the Israelites that 

this is no trifling matter for you, but rather your very life (Deuteronomy 32:47, NRSV translation)

As a result, the imagery and language may seem a bit over the top to the modern Westerner, like this passage in Deuteronomy 13, explaining what to do if the people of a city start worshiping idols:

15 you shall put the inhabitants of that town to the sword, utterly destroying it and everything in it— even putting its livestock to the sword. 16 All of its spoil you shall gather into its public square; then burn the town and all its spoil with fire, as a whole burnt offering to the LORD your God. It shall remain a perpetual ruin, never to be rebuilt. 17 Do not let anything devoted to destruction stick to your hand, so that the LORD may turn from his fierce anger and show you compassion, and in his compassion multiply you, as he swore to your ancestors (Deuteronomy 13, NRSV translation)

I still find it very interesting, though. The defiled city in the promised land shall be burnt as a burnt offering to the Lord, as would usually be done in the tabernacle. Like the priests in the tabernacle, who literally could not touch anything unclean (like a corpse), the people in the promised land should not let anything devoted to destruction stick to their hand. Here is another scripture drawing parallels between the promised land and the tabernacle.

33 So ye shall not pollute the land wherein ye are: for blood it defileth the land: and the land cannot be cleansed of the blood that is shed therein, but by the blood of him that shed it.

34 Defile not therefore the land which ye shall inhabit, wherein I dwell: for I the Lord dwell among the children of Israel. (Numbers 35)

This is getting too long for one post, so I will get to the Book of Mormon and more about the Hebrew yeresh in the next part. But to briefly summarize this part, the land of inheritance has a covenant connotation in the scriptures. It is a land of (covenant) promise and must be kept pure and undefiled, reserved for a nation who is holy as God is.

"...in time to come, you will return to the LORD your God and heed him."

26 I call heaven and earth to witness against you this day, that ye shall soon utterly perish from off the land whereunto ye go over Jordan to possess it; ye shall not prolong your days upon it, but shall utterly be destroyed.

27 And the Lord shall scatter you among the nations, and ye shall be left few in number among the heathen, whither the Lord shall lead you.

28 And there ye shall serve gods, the work of men’s hands, wood and stone, which neither see, nor hear, nor eat, nor smell.

29 But if from thence thou shalt seek the Lord thy God, thou shalt find him, if thou seek him with all thy heart and with all thy soul.

30 When thou art in tribulation, and all these things are come upon thee, even in the latter days, if thou turn to the Lord thy God, and shalt be obedient unto his voice;

31 (For the Lord thy God is a merciful God;) he will not forsake thee, neither destroy thee, nor forget the covenant of thy fathers which he sware unto them. (Deuteronomy 4)

It's exciting to find prophecies about the "latter days" in the Old Testament like the one above.  In a speech to the Israelites near the end of his life, Moses prophesies of the scattering of Israel followed by a period of serving false gods, and finally culminating in a gathering in through obedience. The title of the post comes from the NRSV translation of verse 30.

It strikes me how similar this voice of prophecy and warning is compared to the vision given to Nephi about the fate of his seed, which was given to him after his family left Jerusalem. I'll have more to say about that below.

Notice the promise underpinning the entire arc of Israelite history: God will not forget the covenant made to their fathers.

This is also a major theme of the Book of Mormon. For example, we see similar themes in 1 Nephi 22:

3 Wherefore, the things of which I have read are things pertaining to things both temporal and spiritual; for it appears that the house of Israel, sooner or later, will be scattered upon all the face of the earth, and also among all nations. ...

8 And after our seed is scattered the Lord God will proceed to do a marvelous work among the Gentiles, which shall be of great worth unto our seed; wherefore, it is likened unto their being nourished by the Gentiles and being carried in their arms and upon their shoulders.

9 And it shall also be of worth unto the Gentiles; and not only unto the Gentiles but unto all the house of Israel, unto the making known of the covenants of the Father of heaven unto Abraham, saying: In thy seed shall all the kindreds of the earth be blessed.

10 And I would, my brethren, that ye should know that all the kindreds of the earth cannot be blessed unless he shall make bare his arm in the eyes of the nations.

11 Wherefore, the Lord God will proceed to make bare his arm in the eyes of all the nations, in bringing about his covenants and his gospel unto those who are of the house of Israel.

12 Wherefore, he will bring them again out of captivity, and they shall be gathered together to the lands of their inheritance; and they shall be brought out of obscurity and out of darkness; and they shall know that the Lord is their Savior and their Redeemer, the Mighty One of Israel. (1 Nephi 22)

Comparison to Nephi

I can't help but see a parallel between Moses and Nephi.  It strikes me as odd that Moses would predict a scattering during this momentous occasion shortly before Israel occupies the promised land, but that's exactly what he does. Similarly, just after his family departs from Jerusalem, Nephi sees in vision that his seed will eventually be overcome by wickedness and will be overtaken by the seed of his brethren (see 1 Nephi 12:14-23).

In another parallel to Moses, Nephi also sees that in the latter days, this mighty work would bring about a grand gathering of Israel and would bring redemption to the house of Israel:

2 And harden not their hearts against the Lamb of God, they shall be numbered among the seed of thy father; yea, they shall be numbered among the house of Israel; and they shall be a blessed people upon the promised land forever; they shall be no more brought down into captivity; and the house of Israel shall no more be confounded. (1 Nephi 14).

Weeping/mourning/sadness becomes joy through Jesus Christ

Here is a very short note showing an intriguing connection between the New Testament and the Book of Mormon.

Here are Christ's words from John 16:

20 Verily, verily, I say unto you, That ye shall weep and lament, but the world shall rejoice: and ye shall be sorrowful, but your sorrow shall be turned into joy.

And here are Mormon's words from 3 Nephi 10:

10 And the earth did cleave together again, that it stood; and the mourning, and the weeping, and the wailing of the people who were spared alive did cease; and their mourning was turned into joy, and their lamentations into the praise and thanksgiving unto the Lord Jesus Christ, their Redeemer.

This is really interesting to me. I can't help but assume that but accounts are based off of an earlier scripture. I looked for some possible candidates, though we may not have it in our current scriptures. Here are some possibilities:

5 For his anger endureth but a moment; in his favour is life: weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning. (Psalm 30)

2 To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all that mourn;

3 To appoint unto them that mourn in Zion, to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they might be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, that he might be glorified. (Isaiah 61) 

13 Then shall the virgin rejoice in the dance, both young men and old together: for I will turn their mourning into joy, and will comfort them, and make them rejoice from their sorrow. (Jeremiah 31) 

"Teach them diligently unto thy children"

In the Book of Deuteronomy, when the Israelites are about to enter into the promised land, they are admonished over and over to keep the judgments, statutes and commandments of the Lord. They are informed about the blessings that await if they do and warned about the curses that inevitably follow if they don't. This passage is particularly well-known 

4 Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God is one Lord:

5 And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might.

6 And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart:

7 And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up.

8 And thou shalt bind them for a sign upon thine hand, and they shall be as frontlets between thine eyes.

9 And thou shalt write them upon the posts of thy house, and on thy gates. (Deuteronomy 6)

The Savior quotes verse 5 when he answers the famous question about the greatest commandment. But I wanted to focus on verse 7 about teaching the children. The NRSV Cultural Backgrounds Study Bible comments on this verse: 

The inculcation of moral principles and wisdom in youth was practiced widely in the ancient Near East. In Egypt, teaching and instruction were used from at least 2500 BC up until the time of the Ptolemies (c. 300 BC). Rules of conduct and learning were prepared for sons. From moral issues to royal protocol, children were trained in the home or in the king’s palace. Order, truth and justice were important. In Mesopotamia, Sumerian literature includes the advice of a father to his son. Several famous works of a didactic nature come from Mesopotamia. Repetition by mouth, copying texts and strict discipline (the rod!) were the main pedagogical means of “impressing” a desired curriculum on a student or child. This was done both in the home and in any place of learning available. Covenantal conditions and stipulations were passed on so that following generations would know and pursue them diligently

This is not the first time I read about ancient Israelite customs and see how well the Book of Mormon fits into that cultural framework. Especially the bolded parts are easily recognized in several Book of Mormon passages. Here are some examples:

Lehi's teachings to his sons

This is perhaps the best example of Near Eastern fatherly inculcation in the Book of Mormon. There are too many examples to go through in detail, but despite mixed outcomes, Lehi is quite clear about his objectives. 

28 And now, my sons, I would that ye should look to the great Mediator, and hearken unto his great commandments; and be faithful unto his words, and choose eternal life, according to the will of his Holy Spirit;

29 And not choose eternal death, according to the will of the flesh and the evil which is therein, which giveth the spirit of the devil power to captivate, to bring you down to hell, that he may reign over you in his own kingdom.

30 I have spoken these few words unto you all, my sons, in the last days of my probation; and I have chosen the good part, according to the words of the prophet. And I have none other object save it be the everlasting welfare of your souls. Amen. (Nephi 1-4)

The way of life and the way of death is the essence of Deuteronomy and this is what Lehi lays out in this chapter. "I have none other object save it be the everlasting welfare of your souls" is really strong language. All of 2 Nephi 1-3 and some of chapter 4 is Lehi's "advice of a father to his son" with "covenantal conditions and stipulations...passed on so that the following generations would know and pursue them diligently"

5 But, said he, notwithstanding our afflictions, we have obtained a land of promise, a land which is choice above all other lands; a land which the Lord God hath covenanted with me should be a land for the inheritance of my seed. Yea, the Lord hath covenanted this land unto me, and to my children forever, and also all those who should be led out of other countries by the hand of the Lord. (2 Nephi 1)

3 Wherefore, after my father had made an end of speaking concerning the prophecies of Joseph, he called the children of Laman, his sons, and his daughters, and said unto them: Behold, my sons, and my daughters, who are the sons and the daughters of my firstborn, I would that ye should give ear unto my words.

4 For the Lord God hath said that: Inasmuch as ye shall keep my commandments ye shall prosper in the land; and inasmuch as ye will not keep my commandments ye shall be cut off from my presence.

5 But behold, my sons and my daughters, I cannot go down to my grave save I should leave a blessing upon you; for behold, I know that if ye are brought up in the way ye should go ye will not depart from it.

6 Wherefore, if ye are cursed, behold, I leave my blessing upon you, that the cursing may be taken from you and be answered upon the heads of your parents.

7 Wherefore, because of my blessing the Lord God will not suffer that ye shall perish; wherefore, he will be merciful unto you and unto your seed forever. (2 Nephi 4) 

We could go on but this sample is sufficient to illustrate the point. 

King Benjamin's teachings to his sons

This account is much briefer but sufficient to see the ancient Near Eastern cultural heritage

2 And it came to pass that he had three sons; and he called their names Mosiah, and Helorum, and Helaman. And he caused that they should be taught in all the language of his fathers, that thereby they might become men of understanding; and that they might know concerning the prophecies which had been spoken by the mouths of their fathers, which were delivered them by the hand of the Lord.

3 And he also taught them concerning the records which were engraven on the plates of brass, saying: My sons, I would that ye should remember that were it not for these plates, which contain these records and these commandments, we must have suffered in ignorance, even at this present time, not knowing the mysteries of God.

4 For it were not possible that our father, Lehi, could have remembered all these things, to have taught them to his children, except it were for the help of these plates; for he having been taught in the language of the Egyptians therefore he could read these engravings, and teach them to his children, that thereby they could teach them to their children, and so fulfilling the commandments of God, even down to this present time.

7 And now, my sons, I would that ye should remember to search them diligently, that ye may profit thereby; and I would that ye should keep the commandments of God, that ye may prosper in the land according to the promises which the Lord made unto our fathers.

8 And many more things did king Benjamin teach his sons, which are not written in this book.

Apparently, this account is very abbreviated, and King Benjamin taught his sons "many more things". In verse 4, King Benjamin seems to refer to Deuteronomy 6:7, probably among other things, where the commandment to teach the word of God to your children is given.

Alma-II to his sons

I am sure that all the righteous record keepers in the Book of Mormon had similar teaching sessions to their sons, even though not all have been recorded. But Mormon decided to include Alma's word to his sons and take them directly from his own record. Here we see the same pattern, especially with Helaman who is the oldest and the next record keeper.

13 O remember, remember, my son Helaman, how strict are the commandments of God. And he said: If ye will keep my commandments ye shall prosper in the land—but if ye keep not his commandments ye shall be cut off from his presence...

17 For he will fulfil all his promises which he shall make unto you, for he has fulfilled his promises which he has made unto our fathers...

20 Therefore I command you, my son Helaman, that ye be diligent in fulfilling all my words, and that ye be diligent in keeping the commandments of God as they are written....

35 O, remember, my son, and learn wisdom in thy youth; yea, learn in thy youth to keep the commandments of God. (Alma 37)

The bold parts are directly linked to the quoted description of the ancient Israelite practice of fathers teaching their sons.