“Feasting upon the word of Christ” (2 Nephi 31:20) compares our willingness to receive the words of Christ with eating a sumptuous meal. Elder Russell M. Nelson of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles taught that we feast upon Christ’s words when we desire and obey them: “To feast means more than to taste. To feast means to savor. We savor the scriptures by studying them in a spirit of delightful discovery and faithful obedience. When we feast upon the words of Christ, they are embedded ‘in fleshy tables of the heart’ [2 Corinthians 3:3]. They become an integral part of our nature” (in Conference Report, Oct. 2000, 19; or Ensign, Nov. 2000, 17).Where can we find the “word of Christ” to feast upon? President Ezra Taft Benson (1899–1994) clarified: “In Book of Mormon language, we need to ‘believe in Christ and deny him not.’ (2 Nephi 25:28.) … We need to ‘come unto Christ, and be perfected in him.’ (Moroni 10:32.) … We need to come ‘feasting upon the word of Christ’ (2 Nephi 31:20), as we receive it through His scriptures, His anointed, and His Holy Spirit” (A Witness and a Warning [1988], 51).
Elder Robert D. Hales explained that to feast upon the words of Christ, one must absorb and incorporate His teachings, just as one absorbs and incorporates a meal: “If you and I are to feast upon the words of Christ, we must study the scriptures and absorb His words through pondering them and making them a part of every thought and action” (in Conference Report, Oct. 1998, 16; or Ensign, Nov. 1998, 15).
More recently, Elder Hales spoke of feasting upon the scriptures as the means of hearing the voice of the Lord in our lives:
“If we don’t have the word of God or don’t cling to and heed the word of God, we will wander off in strange paths and be lost as individuals, as families, and as nations.
“As with voices from the dust, the prophets of the Lord cry out to us on earth today: take hold of the scriptures! Cling to them, walk by them, live by them, rejoice in them, feast on them. Don’t nibble. They are ‘the power of God unto salvation’ [D&C 68:4] that lead us back to our Savior Jesus Christ.
“If the Savior were among us in the flesh today, He would teach us from the scriptures as He taught when He walked upon the earth. … His words ring out: ‘Search the scriptures; for … they are they which testify of me’ [John 5:39]—a testimony borne by the Holy Ghost, for ‘by the power of the Holy Ghost ye may know the truth of all things’ [Moroni 10:5]. …
“What a glorious blessing! For when we want to speak to God, we pray. And when we want Him to speak to us, we search the scriptures; for His words are spoken through His prophets. He will then teach us as we listen to the promptings of the Holy Spirit” (in Conference Report, Oct. 2006, 26–27; or Ensign, Nov. 2006, 26–27).