 |
| Left to right- Lemuel, Sam, Nephi, Laman. |
I've been thinking about how I want to approach this project of reading through The Book of Mormon together.
It would be easy to dump truckloads of information, facts, interesting tidbits, and insights. In fact, I know right now that I'll have to take care to keep from totally overwhelming you.
Because that's not what I'm trying to do, here.
I don't want this to be overwhelming, for you (or for me, for that matter-- I have three kids! Time is limited)
Instead, I decided that I want to format these discussions a little.
A. I'll start by giving a quick description of the key players in each chapter.
B. Then we'll talk about the storyline. What were the main people doing, and why?
C. Then I'll give a few insights that I think are very important.
D. And finally, I might end with some questions for you to think about.
Does that still sound kind of overwhelming? Maybe. But this way, you can skim and pick out helpful things. It'll also give me some sanity. I was going a little crazy trying to cover EVERYTHING.
So-- here we go!
A. Who were the key players in this chapter?
(Note: these pronunciations are accurate in the USA, they will differ by region and language).Lehi (pronounced Lee-high)
He was Nephi's father and a prophet. He received revelation from God directing his family and (at least once) instructing the people in general.
Laman (pronounced Lame-en)
He was Lehi's eldest son.
Lemuel (pronounced Lem-you-el)
He was the second eldest son. He tended to follow Laman's lead in everything.
Sam (pronounced as you'd expect).
Sam was the third son. He had a gentler nature than his two older brothers.
Nephi (pronounced Nee-ff-aye).
Nephi was the youngest son and (at this point) possibly the youngest child.
(At one point, Nephi mentioned that he had sisters, but we don't know where they are in the lineup-- see 2 Nephi 5:6).
Nephi was chosen by the Lord to be a leader of his family, even though he was the youngest son.
B. What happened? What was the storyline?
Lehi had another dream.In this dream, the Lord instructed Lehi to pack up and leave Jerusalem. The family took some tents, provisions, and food.
It says in verse 5 that they traveled by the Red Sea.
After three days of travel, they stopped to offer sacrifices.
While there, Lehi exhorted Laman and Lemuel, his two eldest sons, to be righteous and to follow the commandments of the Lord.
"Now this [Lehi] spake because of the stiffneckedness (ie stubbornness) of Laman and Lemuel; for behold they did murmur (ie complain) in many things against their father, because he was a visionary man, and had led them out of the land of Jerusalem, to leave the land of their inheritance, and their gold, and their silver, and their precious things, to perish in the wilderness. And this they said he had done because of the foolish imaginations of his heart." (1 Nephi 2:11- parentheses added)
Laman and Lemuel DID NOT want to leave Jerusalem.
They complained against their father, telling him that he was a 'visionary man,' that he had taken them away from Jerusalem and away from their inheritances, and that they would now die in this awful wilderness.
Lehi then exhorted his sons, "with power, being filled with the Spirit, until their frames did shake before him." (2 Nephi 2:14). Laman and Lemuel were persuaded for the time being to continue on the journey.
Nephi wasn't sure about all this, just like his elder brothers.
But Nephi understood that if God really had instructed his dad to leave Jerusalem, then God would make it known to him, as well.
Nephi went off by himself and prayed.
"And it came to pass that I, Nephi,...having great desires to know of the mysteries of God, wherefore, I did cry unto the Lord; and behold he did visit me, and did soften my heart that I did believe all the words which had been spoken by my father; wherefore, I did not rebel against him like unto my brothers." (1 Nephi 2:16)
God did not visit Nephi in person. Instead, he sent the Holy Ghost to comfort Nephi and confirm His will.
A little later, Nephi taught Sam and tried to teach Laman and Lemuel, but the latter two would not listen.
Nephi was grieved because of their stubbornness and again prayed to God.
God communicated to Nephi again, but this time He really did speak. He also gave Nephi an incredible promise which is a main theme of The Book of Mormon.
The Lord said, "Blessed art thou, Nephi, because of thy faith, for thou hast sought me diligently, with lowliness of heart.
"And inasmuch as ye shall keep my commandments, ye shall prosper, and shall be led to a land of promise; yea, even a land which I have prepared for you; yea, a land which is choice above all other lands." (1 Nephi 2:19-20, underline added)
Here is a video produced by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints about 1 Nephi chapters 1-2.
C. Interesting Insights
"Inasmuch as thou [Nephi] shalt keep my commandments, thou shalt be made a ruler and a teacher over thy brethren." (1 Nephi 2:22, brackets added).
As far as I understand, Lehi's family lived in a patriarchal society, so Lehi was the head of his home and then Laman would have naturally been next in the line of authority.
This makes for some interesting dynamics because the Lord clearly did not choose Laman as a leader.
It's interesting to see who the Lord works through. Nephi was "exceedingly young" (1 Nephi 2:16) and his heart was soft, which means that he was willing to listen to God and be taught.
King David and Samuel were young when God chose them to do His work. Joseph Smith was, too.
God works with willing clay. He teaches those who will listen, learn, and follow God's promptings, even when those promptings seem difficult.
2. "Having great desires to know of the mysteries of God..."
Laman, Lemuel, Sam, and Nephi were dragged out of their beds at night and told to load the camels with tents and food.
They were told to leave their inheritances in the form of gold, silver, precious things, and land.
Then their father turned southwest and struck a trail into the wilderness, telling the family that this was for their own good and that Jerusalem would soon be destroyed.
Wouldn't that have seemed pretty drastic to you?
Laman and Lemuel certainly thought so.
They were "stiffnecked" (verse 11) which means stubborn. They "murmured" (verses 11-12) which means that they complained.
In this same circumstance, what would you and I have done?
Nephi shows us the correct reaction.
Nephi decided to ask God if He had indeed sent this direction to Lehi. Nephi trusted that if God could speak to Lehi, then God could speak to him, too.
"Wherefore, I did cry unto the Lord and behold he did visit me, and did soften my heart that I did believe all the words which had been spoken by my father..." (1 Nephi 2:16).
This precept (or general rule) is true today.
You can ask God yourself and receive your own answer.
Nephi even tells us how God will communicate to you. He will 'soften your heart that you will believe.' God will communicate through the still, small feelings from the Holy Ghost.
Pay attention to how you feel when you read this book and when you read the Bible. Do you feel peaceful? Do you feel love for God and love from Him?
In the New Testament, Jesus Christ often spoke of His gospel being living water.
When I read from The Book of Mormon, I feel like I'm drinking in that living water.
These feelings are hard to describe, aren't they? But its difficulty doesn't change its legitimacy. When I read The Book of Mormon, I feel that I am drinking in God's own words.
3. Keep the Commandments and Prosper
Near the end of the chapter, the Lord speaks to Nephi and gives him an incredible promise.
"Inasmuch as ye shall keep my commandments, ye shall prosper, and shall be led to a land of promise; yea, even a land which I have prepared for you; yea, a land which is choice above all other lands." (1 Nephi 2:20).
Keep God's commandments and prosper. Break His commandments and suffer. These promises ring through nearly every chapter of this book, colored by vivid real-life examples.
If I could stress one part of The Book of Mormon, this would be it.
God attaches promises to his commandments. In other words, if we keep God's commandments, we are entitled to His blessings.
However, if we break His commandments we have no promise (D&C 82:10).
Do you want to know why this is amazing? We can try this promise out, right now.
No matter who or where you are, you and I can always try a little harder to keep God's commandments.
You can try God at His word and see what happens. Keep the commandments and God promises to prosper you.
Remember, though, that God prospers us in His own way.
For example, I haven't found gold buried in the front garden. We haven't been blessed with a swimming pool filled with coins like Uncle Scrooge's.
But my family has been given the most incredible blessings of health and success.
We've succeeded when we should have failed.
My children are healthy and alive when they could have died (a story for another time).
We've been led where we otherwise would have been hopelessly lost.
We've been given heavenly aid and direction when we desperately needed it.
And, my friends, if that isn't being prospered, then what is?
What price wouldn't you pay to have not only God's help, but the assurance of His love for you and for your family?
What wouldn't you and I give?
So, here's my challenge to you.
Think of one of God's commandments and commit to obeying it. If you aren't sure what they are or if you need a refresher, I'll refer you to the 10 Commandments. This is a wonderful place to begin.
Here's a link to the 10 Commandments in the Bible (begins at verse 3).
Here's a link to a description of the 10 Commandments if you'd like to read more about them.
Next post will be 1st Nephi Chapters 3 and 4. Each chapter is roughly 30 verses. You've got this.
-Jenna
