Book of Mormon Lesson 2: "All Things According to His Will"

My intent is to begin each lesson this year with a useful quote about the Book of Mormon from the prophets. Here is the first one.

Quote of the week:

What we are reading in 1st Nephi is a journal. The Lord intends to do miraculous things with this journal, and Nephi prepares it in such a way that it can be preserved, but it is nevertheless a journal. Nephi calls it a record "of my proceedings in my days" (1 Nephi 1:1). He later tells us that it is a journal of his spiritual experiences. He says, “And it mattereth not to me that I am particular to give a full account of all the things of my father, for they cannot be written upon these plates, for I desire the room that I may write of the things of God” (1 Nephi 6:3, emphasis added).

Knowing by inspiration that the record he was creating would be preserved for us, he gave instructions to his seed about the nature of the things that should be included. He said, “Wherefore, I shall give commandment unto my seed, that they shall not occupy these plates with things which are not of worth unto the children of men” (1 Nephi 6:6).

Like Nephi, we ought to keep a journal.

President Kimball taught:

The brethren have spoken about this often. This note from the records of Oliver Huntington is interesting.

Nephi did not begin this record when he was in Jerusalem, nor did he write it while he was journeying in the wilderness. Lehi kept a record of the events of the journey of his family, but Nephi did not. The account on the small plates was begun about 570 BC. (See 2 Nephi 5:28-31) In this regard it might be entertaining to note that I saw a personalized license plate in Arizona many years ago that looked like this: 2NE5-31. I suspected when I saw it that it was a Book of Mormon reference, and so I looked and it was.

The large plates were begun about 590 BC, according to 1 Nephi 19:1.

Lehi lived in or near to Jerusalem. In the first year of the reign of Zedekiah, “there came many prophets, prophesying.” (1 Nephi 1:4) We know from Old Testament chronology studies that Ezekiel, Zephaniah, and Jeremiah were contemporaries of Lehi. Their message was that “the people . . . must repent or the great city Jerusalem must be destroyed” (1 Nephi 1:4). The book of Jeremiah suggests something about the iniquity of Jerusalem and the imperative need they had for repentance:

The Lord was apparently willing to pardon Jerusalem if one righteous man could be found, one just and truth-seeking man. It is difficult not to think of the Lord’s willingness to spare Sodom for ten righteous (see Genesis 18:32).

From this account we learn that Lehi believed the prophets and that he loved his people, for when he heard of the impending destruction of the city (1 Nephi 1:4), he “prayed unto the Lord, yea, even with all his heart, in behalf of his people” (1 Nephi 1:5). What happened next seems to be a common experience among those called to teach and prophesy, particularly among those who are the leaders of dispensations and restorations. Hugh Nibley explained it this way:

In many respects this is the experience of Moses (Moses 1) and Abraham (Abraham 3) and a multitude of other prophets who are shown the plan in conjunction with their calling. Jeremiah refers this experience in this way:

After his vision, Lehi “went forth among the people, and began to prophesy and to declare unto them concerning the things which he had both seen and heard” (1 Nephi 1:18). The people mocked him (1 Nephi 1:19). When he continued preaching, they were angry with him and they sought to kill him (1 Nephi 1:20). Their attempt, however, and Lehi’s escape cause Nephi to promise to “show . . . that the tender mercies of the Lord are over all those whom he hath chosen, because of their faith, to make them mighty even unto the power of deliverance” (1 Nephi 1:20). Nephi will show us this truth about 30 times in 1st and 2nd Nephi. This is a great promise and a true principle, one that we must teach our children and each other again and again. The “tender mercies of the Lord are over us” and will make us “mighty even unto the power of deliverance.”

Like Nephi his son, Lehi was determined to “go and do the thing the Lord had commanded him,” knowing that the Lord would prepare a way. He took his family and left all else behind, departing into the wilderness. He led his family to the shores of the Red Sea, and three more days after that, until he found a river of water (1 Nephi 2:5, 6). It is here that we get the first hint that all is not well in the family of Lehi.

Read 1 Nephi 2:11-13 carefully. Laman and Lemuel had three problems according to these verses.

Now this he spake because of the stiffneckedness of Laman and Lemuel; for behold they did murmur 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.

Can you see the attitudes that impede their spirituality?

1. They are worldly. They murmured because they had to leave their land and their gold and their silver and their precious things.

2. They don’t know the dealings of God. “They did murmur because they knew not the dealings of that God who had created them.”

3. They don’t believe the prophets. “Neither did they believe . . . the words of the prophets.”

It is worth a note here that Nephi does believe the prophets, including his father. It cannot have been any easier for him to say goodbye to Jerusalem than it was for his brothers, but he had “great desires to know the mysteries of God” and cried unto the Lord who did “visit [him], and did soften [his] heart that [he] did believe all the words which had been spoken by [his] father; wherefore, [he] did not rebel against him like unto [his] brothers” (12 Nephi 2:16).

The extent of his belief is indicated by his language throughout his writings. Nowhere in his written record does Nephi ever question his father. He does not even write “my father said the Lord spake unto him in a dream.” He writes “The Lord spake unto my father in a dream” (1 Nephi 2:1; see also 1 Nephi 11:5).

Notice what Nephi does after his encounter with the Lord in 1 Nephi 2:16. He does the same thing Lehi did after his vision in 1 Nephi 1. He bears testimony to his brothers of the things he has seen and heard, and he prays for them.

I have come to believe in the truthfulness of this sequence. If the Lord knows of our willingness to teach and testify of anything he lets us see and hear, he will let us see and hear many things. Notice as you study this record how often in the Book of Mormon the Lord shows his will and his purposes to his prophets and they immediately begin to share what they have learned with those around them.

There is another great principle alluded to in 1 Nephi 2. I call it the “Recognition of the Real Problem” principle. So many times we go before the Lord asking for help solving our problems when we have not yet identified what the problem really is. For example, the Israelites wanted Moses to get rid of the poisonous serpents (Numbers 21:7). But the serpents were not the problem. The problem was that the Israelites had not been willing to keep the promise they made at Mt. Sinai (see Exodus 24:3, 7). The serpents were a reminder. Certain Jews wanted to make Christ a king, probably because he had the ability to solve any and all social problems. “When Jesus therefore perceived that they would come and take him by force, to make him a king, he departed again into a mountain himself alone” (John 6:15). Jesus knew that the problems of the Jews were not social: they were spiritual, and he refused the throne.

Here in 1 Nephi 2, the Lord explains the relationship between the Nephites and the Lamanites. I wonder how many prayers were offered by Book of Mormon people pleading with the Lord to solve the problem of the Lamanites. But the Lamanites were never the problem. The scriptures teach it in this way:

Hugh Nibley explained it this way:

Somewhere in these lessons we will discuss the divergence of Laman and Nephi. While Nephi is walking in a brighter and brighter light, Laman is descending into deeper and deeper darkness. One example of that appears when Lehi commands his sons to return to Jerusalem for the plates of Brass. Laman and Lemuel murmured (what a shock!) “saying it is a hard thing” . . . Well, it was hard. We are talking about a distance of around 250 miles through some pretty desolate country. And at the end of the journey they must convince a greedy, wicked, drunken, violent man to give them something incredibly valuable. Lehi knew it was a hard thing, and so did Nephi. The difference is in their responses to the difficulty. Laman and Lemuel seem to say, “The prophet has spoken, however . . .” But Nephi says, “The prophet has spoken, therefore . . .” What kind of a response are you most likely to give when President Monson or your Stake President or your Bishop asks you to do something difficult?

The importance of the plates of brass is described in several places.

- They contain a record of the Jews (1 Nephi 3:3)

- They contain Lehi’s genealogy (1 Nephi 3:3)

- They will enable this colony to preserve their language (1 Nephi 3:19)

- They contain the words of the prophets (1 Nephi 3:19)

- They contain the commandments of the Lord (1 Nephi 5:21)

- They contain the mysteries of God (Mosiah 1:3)

- Those who studied them would “profit thereby” (Mosiah 1:7)

Following the request of his father, Nephi made the statement that has become the most familiar of all Book of Mormon scriptures.

Sometimes we focus so much on Nephi’s obedience that we miss the reaction of his father. I identify with Lehi here. “And it came to pass that when my father had heard these words he was exceedingly glad, for he knew that I had been blessed of the Lord” (1 Nephi 3:8, emphasis added). How great to have a son like Nephi! We would all be “exceedingly glad” to have a son with such faith.

Following Laman’s failure to secure the plates (and remember that Laman is the only source for this account), the older brothers are ready to return to the valley of Lemuel. “We tried. We failed. Let’s get out of here before someone gets hurt.” Nephi will have none of it, of course. He swears an oath “But behold I said unto them that: As the Lord liveth, and as we live, we will not go down unto our father in the wilderness until we have accomplished the thing which the Lord hath commanded us” (1 Nephi 3:15).

The words of the oath are significant as well.

The second attempt is an effort to purchase the plates with the wealth of Lehi, who had enough of it to tempt Laban to commit four murders. “And it came to pass that when Laban saw our property, and that it was exceedingly great, he did lust after it, insomuch that he thrust us out, and sent his servants to slay us, that he might obtain our property” (1 Nephi 3:25). The loss of the property made Laman and Lemuel angry with Nephi, whose plan had failed so miserably, and with their father, who had initiated the enterprise. That anger may have come from fear and a brush with death, but it probably also derived from the fact that if they should return now to Jerusalem, they have much less to return to. They begin to beat their little brothers with a rod (1 Nephi 3:28).

The angel who called a halt to these activities made two announcements: (1) The Lord has chosen Nephi to be your ruler, and (2) Go back again; the Lord will deliver Laban into your hands. As soon as the light of this angelic presence began to dim, Laman and his sidekick were back at it. “How is it possible that the Lord will deliver Laban into our hands? Behold, he is a mighty man, and he can command fifty, yea, even he can slay fifty; then why not us?” (1 Nephi 3:31). This is an interesting insight into the character of these two, and also into the character of those who have demanded positive proof of the plates and of the restoration. Luke 16:31 says it this way:

The Doctrine and Covenants says it like this:

Those who do not believe Lehi are not likely to believe, even when they have seen an angel. Those who do not believe Joseph’s account of the Book of Mormon and the restoration are not likely to believe Moroni himself declaring the truth in glory and thunder. The response of Laman and his brother to the angel is powerful evidence that miracles do not convert people.

We do find a moment here when Nephi and his brothers are in complete agreement. As Nephi prepares to make a third attempt to secure the plates he tells us that he “caused that they should hide themselves without the walls” (1 Nephi 4:5). No arguments here at all. If they had to make another attempt to separate the murderous Laban and this sacred record, this is just the way they wanted to make it.

What happened next is spectacular. “And after they had hid themselves, I, Nephi, crept into the city and went forth towards the house of Laban.” This is faith and courage of the highest order. Nephi does not know how he will get the plates. But he knows that he is under divine command to get them and he knows where they are. He goes, therefore, toward the house of Laban. Laman and Lemuel were unsure about how the Lord could deliver Laban into their hands (1 Nephi 3:29). Nephi wasn’t sure either. But Nephi was sure that the Lord could deliver Laban, and so he went. He crept. His life had been threatened already by Laban. And he went, he said, being “led by the Spirit, not knowing beforehand the things which I should do” (1 Nephi 4:6).

There is a principle of revelation here as well. Sometimes the Spirit leads us, step by step, without revealing the end until we are upon it.

Many years ago, a young man walked into our garage early in the morning and rode off on my son’s bicycle. Mike, a 12-year-old, had worked hard and for a long time for the money to buy that bike. It was his most precious possession. A small child from the bus stop came to tell my wife what had happened. She was in a house coat, just up from bed. She got the kids out the door for school, then dressed, and got in the car. Sitting there she told the Lord how much the bike meant to our son and asked for help in finding it. She then drove to a busy thoroughfare, turned west, traveled half a mile, turned right, then right and left and into a cul-de-sac where she found the bike and the young man, who was waiting for a friend. “She went, being led by the Spirit” from corner to corner and street to street.

What in the world was Laban doing drunk in full ceremonial armor in the middle of the night on the streets of Jerusalem? We know that he had been out by night among the “elders of the Jews” (1 Nephi 4:22), perhaps in secret meetings concerning the alliance of Judah with Egypt. Jeremiah talks a great deal about the elders and their animosity towards him because of his insistence that Judah maintain its relations with Babylon rather than changing allegiance and trusting in Egypt.

And Nephi kills Laban; reluctantly, of course. He said in his heart, “Never at any time have I shed the blood of man.” This is the only time I have found in the records of this young man when he showed any trace of reluctance to obey the Lord instantly. His hesitation says much for his character and for the truthfulness of the story. Some have been troubled by this act, even considering it immoral. If you have an inclination to read an excellent piece on this matter, read “I Have a Question” in the Ensign, September 1976, pp. 83, 84, wherein Jeffrey R. Holland answers the question, “How can I explain Nephi’s killing Laban to my non-member friends? Some really reject it as scriptural.”

The final quote of that article is excellent:

On this matter of obeying God regardless of the nature of his instruction, Joseph Smith said,

After securing the plates, Nephi insisted that Zoram accompany the family into the wilderness, and made an oath that he should be a free man if he would (1 Nephi 4:33). It was probably important for Zoram to come along for a couple of reasons. First, with the plates gone from the treasury, and Laban dead, the keeper of the treasury would be the prime suspect, keys and all. In addition, Zoram would have known enough to point pursuit after the right family, and perhaps even in the right direction. “Now we were desirous that he should tarry with us for this cause, that the Jews might not know concerning our flight into the wilderness, lest they should pursue us and destroy us” (1 Nephi 4:36). I suspect that it was for this reason that the Lord did not command the family to take the plates when they first left the city. With a base camp over 200 miles away, they were able to flee to safety after obtaining the record. Such a flight might not have been possible with the whole family along.

Notice that after Nephi made his oath to Zoram, Zoram made one of his own. Following that, Nephi wrote, “our fears did cease concerning him.”

When you give your word, can fear cease? Do people who know you know that your integrity is absolute. Abraham Lincoln once made a promise that, on reflection and examination, turned out to have been a mistake. He pondered over the matter. “Well,” he thought, “I have said it, and be the consequences what they may, it shall not be my fault if I fail to do it” (Lincoln and the Lady, by Ted Gibbons, p. 16-from a letter by Abraham Lincoln written in April, 1838).

Sariah mistakenly thought that the greatest danger to her sons was the wilderness through which they were required to travel for the plates of brass (see 1 Nephi 5:2). She may not have known much about Laban. But her concerns were legitimate. She had mourned for her sons, believing them dead, and had accused her husband of being a “visionary man” and of leading the entire family to destruction (1 Nephi 5:2). But Lehi was not worried. He had received a promise, much like the one given to King Mosiah in Mosiah 28:7. Lehi told his wife, “I know that the Lord will deliver my sons” (1 Nephi 5:5). This reminds us of the declaration of the Lord that “A prophet is not without honor, save in his own country, and among his own kin, and in his own house” (JST Mark 6:6). Sariah did not believe him. But when she saw her husband’s words fulfilled in every respect; when her sons returned safely to her, she bore her own testimony:

I admire Sariah a great deal for having come so far on the basis of faith in, and love and respect for, her husband. It is easy to understand why the conditions in the valley and the extended absence of her sons should have caused her to murmur. All of us have a tendency to respond to discouragement and discomfort and danger with dread. But if she had followed Nephi’s example in 1 Nephi 2:16, the journey of her sons to Jerusalem might have been less traumatic. At any rate, there is no indication that she every murmured again.

Lehi examined the plates when he had received them, and gave us a brief accounting of the contents: They contained (see 1 Nephi 5:12-16)

- The five books of Moses

- And also a record of the Jews

- And prophecies of the holy prophets

- And many prophecies of Jeremiah

- A genealogy of the family of Lehi in which he learned that he was a descendant of Joseph and therefore related to Laban.

Lehi prophesied three things about these plates.

1. “These plates of brass should go forth unto all nations, kindreds, tongues, and people who were of his seed” (1 Nephi 5:18).

2. “These plates of brass should never perish” (1 Nephi 5:19).

3. “Neither should they be dimmed any more by time” (1 Nephi 5:19).

No mention is made of any objection by Laman and Lemuel when Lehi sent them back to Jerusalem again. Like some of the youth in our own day, they may have preferred romance to reading the scriptures. They were not sent to find a willing family with many daughters, but to get a specific family—the family of Ishmael. In the Journal of Discourses, Erastus Snow reported that Ishamel’s sons had married Lehi’s daughters (See JD, Vol. 23. p. 184). The married sons of Ishmael are mentioned first in 1 Nephi 7:6. Hugh Nibley said of Ishmael and Lehi:

The rebellion in the wilderness by “Laman and Lemuel, and two of the daughters of Ishmael, and the two sons of Ishmael and their families” came because they were “desirous to return unto the land of Jerusalem” (1 Nephi 7:6, 7). Nephi preached to them, and warned them, as he did every time they rebelled. And every time he did, they beat the stuffings out of him for his trouble. They were not anxious to hear a sermon from Nephi, but when he gave them one, they did not kill him. Like the brothers of Joseph in Genesis 37, they tried to place him in a condition from which he could not escape, thus, perhaps, escaping direct responsibility for his demise. It is possible that the memory of the angel in the cave prevented Laman and Lemuel from taking more drastic action against their brother.

They bound him and planned to leave him to be devoured by wild beasts.

Nephi in 1 Nephi 7 was a much different man from the Nephi of 1 Nephi 2. Laman and Lemuel had not changed at all. “And it came to pass that they were angry with me again, and sought to lay hands upon me . . .” They experienced no conversion from this miracle either (1 Nephi 7:19).

Convinced that they had erred, they asked Nephi for forgiveness. And it came to pass that I did frankly forgive them all that they had done, and I did exhort them that they would pray unto the Lord their God for forgiveness. And it came to pass that they did so. And after they had done praying unto the Lord we did again travel on our journey towards the tent of our father.

It is one thing to forgive, but perhaps it is another to forgive just moments following an attempt to murder you. But Nephi went a step beyond that. He directed them to the true source of forgiveness.

I stand in reverent awe of Nephi. He is a hero worthy of all emulation. We have been commanded to hold up the light of Christ.

No one ever did that better than Nephi, who was almost perfect is his emulation of his Savior. That commitment came from his love, of course. And it was manifest in his attitude about every experience in his life. I am pleased beyond measure by the final three words of this great man preceding his final “Amen” in the Book of Mormon. They are found in 2 Nephi 33:15.

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