Feasting on the Word

The great prophet Nephi encouraged us to “feast upon the words of Christ” (2 Nephi 32:3). Obviously the first step to feasting is to read the words of scripture, but reading is more comparable to preparing the feast than it is to actually eating the feast. The word feast means, “an elaborate and usually abundant meal often accompanied by a ceremony or entertainment” or “something that gives unusual or abundant enjoyment.” 

To have an” abundant meal” you prepare many, many different dishes and then sit down and take time to enjoy eating them. This bringing together of many different foods is what gives the “abundant enjoyment.” When we put mashed potatoes on our plate alongside the broccoli and the cranberry jelly, we not only enjoy the tastes of each one, but we enjoy the aromas, the color contrasts, and the difference in texture.

Likewise when we read scripture we are preparing the mind by putting the foods on the table where they can be acknowledged and chosen from. When we feast upon the scriptures we “eat” by pondering and meditating on comparisons and contrasts in all that we have read. We savor the delicate nuances of meanings and benefit from the “nutrients” that are available. 

“Unusual and abundant enjoyment” can happen when we eat a simple peanut butter sandwich. But it is much more likely to happen at a Thanksgiving dinner with all the trimmings filling the table.