The theme of family permeates everything in these chapters. The whole story is centered around the ups and down of Lehi and his family. The Lord had Lehi send his sons to Jerusalem to get records so that future generations would learn inspired lessons from the past and preserve their language. And now, in this chapter, the Lord tells Lehi that his sons should go back to Jerusalem one more time in order to make sure that they could start families of their own. As we shall see, the return trip will dearly test their family's unity,
The direction from the Lord through Lehi is very specific. His sons are instructed to bring Ishmael and Ishmael's family into the wilderness. Who is Ishmael? We don't know. But there seems to be a decent chance that Ishmael, Lehi, and their families had some prior acquaintance. It only takes two verses (4-5) for Lehi's sons to arrive at Ishmael's house, "gain favor" with him, and share the Lord's words (presumably about the errand they had been sent on, and the grim future for those who don't abandon Jerusalem) in such a way that the Lord softens the hearts of Ishmael and his family, and they join Lehi's sons for the return trip. There's a joke among Latter-day Saints that--unlike the first trip to get the plates--none of the sons murmured when sent to go get wives. There are also questions left unanswered. Why two separate trips? Why the plates first and the wives second? Perhaps it had to do with not complicating the already dangerous nature of the first mission, or with the sons having to prove themselves in procuring the generational heirlooms that the records represent before being blessed with families of their own. In any event, that was what the Lord required.
Then the plot thickens. We already have a sense of the shakiness of Laman and Lemuel. After going back to Jerusalem for the second time, and now having future wives in tow, after they begin journeying in the unforgiving wilderness, I imagine (but can't be sure) that they were tempted by the idea of returning to the comforts of the city and settling down, rather than struggling for their existence in an unpredictable way. The rebellion splits the family of Ishmael, with Ishmael and his wife on the side of Nephi and some of the others who are focused on joining Lehi's camp.
Again, Nephi proves himself unusually wise for a younger brother. He is direct with Laman and Lemuel but does not respond to their confrontational approach in kind. Instead of fighting back, he reminds them of something they already know, a promise of a new, bright future that--even with their rebellion--remains open to them, but only if they have enough good judgment to leave Jerusalem behind once and for all. To us, this seems like an inspired attempt by Nephi to resolve conflict constructively. But as things play out, we see a sad pattern recurring, where even though Nephi only has his brothers' well-being at heart, they (through willfullness, cluelessness, or a little of both) insist he is being an annoying, arrogant brat who doesn't know his place and is intentionally infuriating them with his holier-than-thou lectures.
Probably the biggest lesson for us is found in verses 10-12. Nephi asks three different times how it is that his brothers have forgotten the things the Lord has already shown them. If there's danger in forgetting, it's clear Nephi is communicating to us how crucial it is to remember those things that we receive from God.
And then there's this remarkable sequence. Laman and Lemuel escalate their response to such a degree that they tie Nephi up and are willing to leave him for dead in the desert. This is not just a brotherly scuffle, there are now serious consequences on the line. But Nephi has such great faith that the Lord literally bursts his bands. After initially getting even madder at their inability to get anything over on their little brother, Laman and Lemuel are calmed down by the others in their traveling party, and then realize that they've gotten carried away. And as irrefutable proof of Nephi's selfless charity, he immediately extends his forgiveness when they ask for it. The chapter then appropriately ends with everyone reunited at Lehi's camp displaying gratitude for their blessings and deliverance--with the theme of family again at the very center of things.
You can read the chapter here: https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/scriptures/bofm/1-ne/7?lang=eng.
No comments:
Post a Comment