Today's Favorite Verse: 1 Nephi 2:9-10

Today's Favorite Verse: 1 Nephi 2:9-10
" And when my father saw that the waters of the river emptied into the fountain of the Red Sea, he spake unto Laman, saying: O that thou mightest be like unto this river, continually running into the fountain of all righteousness!
And he also spake unto Lemuel: O that thou mightest be like unto this valley, firm and steadfast, and immovable in keeping the commandments of the Lord!"

I noticed those two exclamation points two verses in a row, one each for Laman and Lemuel. I don't often see that used in the scriptures. I tried to search on the "!" but one character searches are not fruitful. I could only find one other incident of an exclamation point used in scripture.

"And was called Perdition, for the heavens wept over him—he was Lucifer, a son of the morning.
And we beheld, and lo, he is fallen! is fallen, even a son of the morning!"
(Doctrine and Covenants 76:26-27)

Granted there maybe more but these are fascinating examples. Both are used over those that are fallen, or in danger of doing so. I know wo's are warnings, and the more wo's the sooner destruction will come upon the wicked. I wonder if the exclamation point for Laman and Lemuel are a sharp LISTEN! and do it NOW.

It reminded me of Elder Neil L. Andersen's “The Prophet of God" talk given in the April 2018 General Conference. It was about President Nelson use of the exclamation point. This is the full text from the article quoted.

"Obedience to a request from the president of the Church to pray for a people or to study a language is only one facet of Russell M. Nelson’s obedience to the maxim “Follow the prophet.” He is baffled when he hears people ask questions like, “Is it really the will of the Lord that we do everything that President Kimball says?”
“The Lord said, ‘Whether by mine own voice or by the voice of my servants, it is the same,’ he reminds us. “My experience is that once you stop putting question marks behind the prophet’s statements and put exclamation points instead, and do it, the blessings just pour.
“I never ask myself, ‘When does the prophet speak as a prophet and when does he not?’ My interest has been, ‘How can I be more like him?’”
(Lane Johnson, “Russell M Nelson: A Study in Obedience,” Ensign, Aug. 1982)

Things would have been so much different for Laman and Lemuel and their posterity if they had listened to their prophet father with exclamation marks, instead of replacing them with question marks.

Day 3351