The other night my wife and I were reading scriptures, finally finishing up First Nephi (only took a month)! It’s kind of amazing to think that Joseph Smith translated the entire Book of Mormon in the same amount of time it took us to read the first book, while at the same time suffering severe persecution.
Anyways, while we were reading, there was a phrase that stood out to me that initially didn’t make sense at all.
“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.”
“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.” –1Nephi 22:10-11
Make bare his arm. I had literally no clue what this metaphor meant. So I thought that I would ask my wife what her thoughts were. Her answer made complete sense!
She said that it was a sign of the Lord’s physical power, as if he were symbolically “showing off his muscles.”
I love my wife. It made me so happy to hear her explain to me in such a simple way, an answer that was not only sensible, but honest.
No matter how much we think we know about gospel topics, it never hurts to ask questions. There is always more to learn. The scriptures are full of tiny details that describe great things. All we need to do is read into them a little more.
The Lord’s arms are described in many different ways throughout the scriptures. He has power to do all things. Here is one of my favorites:
“But behold, the Lord hath redeemed my soul from hell; I have beheld his glory, and I am encircled about eternally in the arms of his love.”
More than anything, God loves all of His children. That includes all of us. He wants us to be happy, and he wants us to recognize His influence in our lives. Sometimes that influence comes through others, like my sweet wife.
Keep an eye out for God. See what He does to influence your life for good.
“The Lord hath made bare his holy arm in the eyes of all the nations; and all the ends of the earth shall see the salvation of our God.” –Isaiah 52:10
The Latter-day Life 
Thank you for the post. I admire your quest for learning. I also appreciate the words of Isaiah — especially this time of year when he points to the coming Messiah. He brought salvation and through His life and death — He is salvation. He becomes my strength and my song — and it brings me great joy and peace in knowing that by trusting His promises I’m already perfect in Christ and worthy of full forgiveness. What a promise and cause for celebration for this Advent season. Blessings.