Will We Be Part of the Solution or Part of the Problem? - Second Book of Nephi, Chapter Six (2 Nephi 6)

Nephi decides now to include a sermon to the people from his brother Jacob, whom he had recently ordained as a priest. It once again shows Nephi’s understanding of the power of multiple witnesses. Earlier, he had previously relied heavily on the words of their father Lehi to bolster his own, and now turns to Jacob for this help. At the same time, we imagine Jacob growing into this role as another strong representative of God to the Nephite people.

A few things tell us of how closely Jacob has paid attention to Lehi and Nephi. In verse 3, Jacob mentions that he has taught the people his father’s (Lehi’s) words. And, in verse 4, he indicates that he is going to share the words of Isaiah because Nephi has instructed him to do so. Here, we learn that Jacob is deferring to Nephi as the overall spiritual leader. Jacob’s use of Isaiah’s teachings adds yet another powerful witness to his message to the people, and builds upon the pattern we have already seen Nephi use of going back to Isaiah again and again to reinforce important points about the coming of the Messiah (Jesus Christ) and the scattering and gathering of different branches of the house of Israel as part of God’s plan under Christ.

The specific teaching Jacob shares (in verses 7-8) is from Isaiah 49:22-23, which is something Nephi previously shared with his family just after their arrival in the New World (in 1 Nephi 21:22-23). This shows us the importance of periodic repetition in our teaching. Just because we’ve already heard something before doesn’t mean that we don’t need to hear it again. Sometimes we don’t catch the full meaning the first time we hear it. Other times, the meaning changes for us depending on where we are in our lives. In any event, important truths bear repeating because we need to recognize that they don’t change. Here, Jacob is teaching the people of a new generation, about 30 years on from Nephi’s earlier mention of the teaching, and much has happened in the intervening time.

In this case, Jacob shares and expounds upon Isaiah’s prophecy that the Gentiles will play an important role in helping scattered portions of the people of Israel regather and regain their strength. It seems pretty clearly to refer to the days in anticipation of the Lord’s Second Coming. We sense that whatever the prophecy’s significance to the Nephites 2,600 years ago, it is very significant to those of us who read it today with the perspective of events that have taken place since then. For this reason, I surmise Nephi felt inspired to include this chapter in his record, knowing it would come forth to the people of our time.

As referenced in earlier chapter summaries, the whole story of the discovery and colonization of America, and the coming forth of the Book of Mormon and restored gospel out of these historical events, are directly responsible for opening the door to the gathering of scattered Israelites. Particularly the descendants of the Nephites and Lamanites on the American continent, who have in all likelihood forgotten their heritage.

The imagery of Isaiah’s words is meant to show how the Lord’s power eclipses that of what men and women can do by themselves. It is interesting that Jacob alludes to the fact that the Nephites now look upon his brother Nephi as a king or protector (verse 2), and just a few verses later uses Isaiah to demonstrate that earthly kings and queens will be nursing fathers and mothers to the lost people of Israel when they are rediscovered. The message seems undeniable: a person’s earthly title and power (including Nephi’s) are much less important than the roles they play in carrying the Lord’s plan forward.

In expounding upon Isaiah’s words, Jacob is not merely interpreting them based on conjecture. He boldly states that the Lord has shown him in vision how the prophecy will be realized. Having demonstrated that he has sought a direct witness from the Lord of the truth of these things, Jacob shows himself to be very much a kindred spirit with Lehi and Nephi. In fact, you may remember that Lehi alluded to Jacob’s direct experience with revelation in the parting words he shared with him in 2 Nephi 2:3-4. With the forceful authority of this direct knowledge, Jacob talks of the capture of Jerusalem, the eventual return of its people, the coming of the Messiah and His rejection and crucifixion, and another scattering and eventual regathering of Israel.

Jacob goes on to describe the role of the Gentiles in this process. The implication is that once Israel (the Lord’s covenant people) is scattered, the Gentiles exercise a certain degree of control and dominion over these covenant people. But lest the Gentiles mistakenly think that their control over Israel is permanent, Isaiah and Jacob warn them that the Lord will look after his people and regather them. The Gentiles can choose whether to aid this process or to resist it. Aiding it means to be able to partake in the very same blessings that the Israelites are entitled to. Resisting it is a dead end that leads to frustration and misery. The key here seems to be humility and openness to the idea that we don’t know everything and should look for ways to help our fellow men and women, especially the downtrodden.

Jacob goes back to Isaiah’s own words to put an exclamation point on the message in the chapter’s final verses (verses 16-18, which are very similar to Isaiah 49:24-26). In addition to words of woe for those who oppose God, Isaiah powerfully insists that the Lord can deliver His people out of any plight in which they find themselves. It doesn’t matter how strong their captors or tormentors may seem. This is both abundantly hopeful to those of us who at times feel lost or burdened, and a warning to those of us who may be tempted to get ahead in life on the backs of others. There’s a good chance that each of us has found himself or herself in both situations at different times in our lives.

You can read the entire chapter at the following link: https://abn.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/scriptures/bofm/2-ne/6?lang=eng

The Nephites Start Anew, and the Lamanites Are Cursed - Second Book of Nephi, Chapter Five (2 Nephi 5)

Before we get started, I wanted to share that there are two pretty fascinating documentaries that provide some scholars’ views on (1) the journey  Lehi and his family took before sailing to the New World, and (2) the places where they might have settled after they arrived.

This chapter represents a significant turning point in the story we’ve followed up to now. Lehi’s family, which has bent but not broken over and over again, finally ruptures permanently. There’s tragedy as we see the Lamanites (those who are in Laman’s camp – including the families of Lemuel and the sons of Ishmael) choosing to cut themselves off from not only their flesh and blood, but more importantly, the Lord’s presence. The warning from the Lord that Lehi had shared with them many times, and had just reiterated before he died (“Inasmuch as ye shall not keep my commandments…”) comes to pass, in that the Lamanites harden their hearts against God’s will, and suffer the consequences. Apparently, with Dad (Lehi) no longer around to smooth things over, the wounded pride of having a younger brother superior to them in wisdom and spiritual power is just too much for the older brothers to take.

Many of us can probably relate to this from situations in our lives or the lives of friends or family members who have fallen out with someone close to them. Often, we say that two people have personality clashes like “oil and water,” and there’s a moment where all the accumulated resentment and frustration finally boil over. In this case, though, it’s not simply a family squabble, it’s also a question of breaking with a prophet of God at a critical moment when everyone is still finding their bearings in a new land and environment (as I’ve said before) half a world away from the old one in Jerusalem.

The particularly heartbreaking part of this tragedy is that the Lamanites themselves choose to be cursed by voluntarily severing their ties with the Lord’s spokesman. Nephi and those “Nephites” who join with him (the families of Sam, Jacob, Joseph, Zoram and Nephi’s sisters) are protected in two very specific ways.

First, they are warned of danger and have the courage and humility to act, and act quickly. Nephi doesn’t get into specifics about the signs of danger, other than to say there were harsh words from his older brothers, and it was clear that they sought to kill him. So a warning came—again, we don’t know exactly how—and Nephi and his followers left their initial settlement for a new place in the wilderness. They took some belongings, and (crucially) they took the brass plates, the records of their faith and heritage. Nephi says that they kept the law (of Moses), and that they were blessed of the Lord and did prosper. By “prosper,” he may mean in a material sense to some extent, but perhaps also in a general sense of being busily engaged in worthwhile pursuits.

Indeed, for those of you who are familiar with board games or video games that simulate different aspects of a society or civilization, this chapter seems very familiar. Agriculture, industry, learning, communal defense. Nephi’s discussion of these pursuits make me think of some of the key phrases from the Preamble of the U.S. Constitution: “…in order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defence, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity.”  

But what is strikingly different from the board game world is also what is most significant about the Nephite civilization—their worship of God. And we get a taste of some of the challenges for them in maintaining their worship. Just like the people of Israel, the Nephites call for a king, even though they have every reason to know that subjecting themselves to the arbitrary authority of men was one of the things that led to the downfall and captivity of their people in the Old World. And just like the prophets in Israel, Nephi resists this popular impulse. Because the people want him to be the king, Nephi has some leverage with them, and he prevails upon them to accept Nephi as their “ruler and teacher” (and here’s the important part) “according to the commandments of the Lord.” As a prophet, Nephi is blessed with authority to speak for the Lord, and he shares some authority with his younger brothers Jacob and Joseph (both of whom featured prominently in Lehi’s final blessings to his children earlier in this Book of Second Nephi) to preach and minister to the Nephites.

There is some speculation among scholars of the Book of Mormon about the number of people among the Nephites at this point, since even a high reproduction rate over a couple of decades among the people they had would likely leave their numbers fairly small. Some wonder if it is possible that they have joined with other people who were already living on the American continent. I won’t go down that speculative road any farther, other than to say that it’s clear the Nephites have a growing, thriving society.

As a sign of a faithful people, Nephi builds a temple as close to after the manner of Solomon as is possible in his current environment. The key line is verse 27: “And it came to pass that we lived after the manner of happiness.” Something to strive for in any day and age—especially in the 21^st century. I find it noteworthy that this is the point when the Lord instructs Nephi to make the second set of gold plates, which are the plates that Joseph Smith later translated to give us this chapter and the entire first part of the Book of Mormon (through the Book of Omni). Perhaps the Lord has waited for a time when Nephi and his people are sufficiently spiritually prepared to more properly understand how the experiences of the past have led them to where they are, and to express insights with great power for future generations. 

The second protection for the Nephites is the sign that comes upon the Lamanites as a result of the curse. Nephi tells us that the Lamanites’ skin was darkened and they became loathsome to the Nephites, because the Lord wanted to discourage the God-fearing Nephites from mixing with the unbelieving and idle Lamanites, who dwindled into “mischief and subtlety” (verse 24). The principle of keeping families and their future generations within the bounds of faith is a very old one and found throughout the Old Testament. Don’t underestimate the impact that losing access to the brass plates had on the Lamanites. Because they had forced the Nephites to flee, they now no longer had access to the great repository of wisdom and continuity that the Israelite record provided.

It is very important to recognize that the Lamanites’ darkened skin is not the curse they brought upon themselves. Our Church’s leaders have emphasized this point. The curse is their separation from God because of their disobedience, while the change in appearance is merely a sign that tells the Nephites to avoid mixing with them. I think it is logical to consider (even though the Church is silent on this next point) that had the Nephites been of a dark skin color to begin with, the Lamanites might have ended up with lighter skin to highlight the difference.

And so, it is from this time (starting probably a little before 570 B.C., based on the references in this chapter) that we can trace the very different trajectories of the two civilizations whose history we’ll follow for the rest of the entire Book of Mormon. One final point to emphasize is that even in their pitiable state, the Lord has a plan for the Lamanites. He will give them chances at redemption through the generations, as Lehi foresaw in the previous chapter, and he will also make them a “scourge” (verse 25) to the Nephites. This means that the Lamanites will act as a means to remind the Nephites, when they stray from the right path, of their need to constantly repent and be humble before the Lord. How so? Well, the “wars and contentions” Nephi mentions in verse 34 at the end of the chapter provide a pretty big clue. It is the very real military threat the Lamanites pose to the Nephite way of life throughout the narrative—and most importantly the true religion the Nephites practice—that helps turn the Nephites back to God time and again and prepares them to receive Christ in the New World. 

You can read the entire chapter at the following link: https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/scriptures/bofm/2-ne/5?lang=eng

Lehi Softens the Curse: His Descendants (and We) Will Awaken! - Second Book of Nephi, Chapter Four (2 Nephi 4)

Even though Lehi has already delivered words of parting and blessing to his sons Laman and Lemuel as he approaches death, he feels compelled to separately address their sons and daughters. The first thing Lehi does (in verse 4) is to bluntly repeat the same promise he shared with Laman and Lemuel in 2 Nephi 1:20:

Inasmuch as ye shall keep my commandments ye shall prosper in the land; and inasmuch as ye will not keep my commandments ye shall be cut off from my presence.

Why the repetition? From what follows in the chapter, it appears as though Lehi is determined to do whatever he can to soften the consequences for his grandchildren of their parents’ hard-heartedness. As we’ve seen in a number of places throughout Nephi’s account so far, Lehi has received divine revelation showing him that Laman and Lemuel will fall short of the Lord’s standard for obedience.

There are unavoidable natural consequences that Lehi senses will come upon these grandkids as a result of their fathers’ disobedience, including being cut off from regular communication with the Lord and being brought up in such a way that conditions them more toward bad choices than good ones. Lehi shares with the grandkids his conviction that “if ye are brought up in the way ye should go ye will not depart from it” (verse 5), probably with the understanding that most of them will be brought up in a way they’d be better off not going.

But the love of a grandfather desperately wants to take away as much undeserved suffering as possible. So we have this remarkable blessing where Lehi prays that any curse be taken from the grandkids and answered upon the heads of the parents, followed by the promise that God will not let them perish, but will be merciful to them and their descendants forever (verse 7).

As the later history of the Nephites and Lamanites unfolds throughout the rest of the Book of Mormon, we will witness through the centuries how the Lord repeatedly inspires a number of Nephi’s descendants (Enos, the sons of Mosiah, and two brothers named Lehi and Nephi) to pray for and actively work toward reclaiming the descendants of Laman and Lemuel to the Lord’s side. Ultimately, many of these Lamanites will play a critical role in inspiring the Nephites to overcome their weaknesses or in waking them up to their own wickedness (as seen most vividly in the stories of the stripling warriors commanded by the prophet Helaman and the prophecies a Lamanite named Samuel will share of Christ a few short years before His birth).

Even more significantly, the blessing Lehi leaves with his grandchildren is soaked through with the great faith, hope, charity and grace represented by the redeeming promise that comes from the Atonement of Jesus Christ. Lehi wants the grandkids to know that despite one generation’s wickedness, all is definitely not lost.

Lehi’s inspired ability to work with the Lord to use time to his family’s advantage reminds me of the story of Sleeping Beauty, even though Lehi’s story is real and Sleeping Beauty is myth. You may remember that the evil sorceress Maleficent cursed the Princess Aurora for her father the king’s failure to invite Maleficent to the celebration of Aurora’s birth. As the curse went, when Aurora turned 16, she would prick her finger on a spinning wheel and die, not for anything she had done, but because of something done by the previous generation (her father). If the story ended there, we would be overwhelmed by the injustice involved. But a final good fairy’s blessing awaited after Maleficent’s curse, and that fairy devised a way out for Aurora. She said that after a certain number of years, true love’s kiss would have the power to awaken Aurora after she pricked her finger. And so the story proceeded with the inevitable drama of Aurora pricking her finger, falling into a deep sleep, and waiting…waiting, until a courageous prince emerged from the world to awake Aurora and all the others from the kingdom who had been encased in years of slumber.

So it is with Lehi’s descendants. The prick of the finger for them is the consequences of disobedience that began with Laman and Lemuel. They endure a long separation from their true heritage as covenant children of the Lord, as if they were lost in a sleep-like state. But Lehi assures us that the story doesn’t end there. A courageous true love’s kiss, in the form of the restoration of the gospel of Christ through Joseph Smith, will give them the great opportunity of revival, of which countless numbers of them will take hold through faith, repentance, baptism, and continued obedience.

That pattern of “falling asleep” in life and being tempted to lose heart, but later realizing that we are not to give up and can turn to the Lord for restorative power and energy, is a powerful pattern we should all be able to relate to and find instruction from.

And not long after Lehi finishes blessing his grandchildren and a few others “according the feelings of his heart and the Spirit of the Lord,” Nephi records that Lehi dies. And then the pattern Lehi had pointed to in his last words of blessing begins to play itself out. It takes Laman, Lemuel and the sons of Ishmael only a few days to get angry at Nephi for counseling them about obedience to the Lord’s way. With Lehi now gone, we sense that a new chapter has begun in the lives of his children. The old bonds that kept them together are fraying.

Nephi no longer has a wise patriarch to turn to, so he becomes even more dependent on the Lord. The final 21 verses of the chapter (15-35) are often known as the “Psalm of Nephi,” as these verses are reminiscent of the Psalms of the Old Testament (many of which are attributed to King David) in the eloquent way they express Nephi’s recognition of (1) the importance of his experience in turning to God in constant prayer and in scripture study, (2) the gratitude he feels for the Lord’s miraculous blessings in his life (most importantly being filled with the Lord’s own love – verse 21), and (3) the goodness, greatness and absolute reliability of the Lord (the “rock of my righteousness” – verse 35) in compensating for Nephi’s own weaknesses and in offering salvation.

It is a great lesson to us about the type of attitude we need to have as we face the adversity and the great unknown of this life. Never lose heart, because the promises the Lord extends to us are true and sure, even if they sometimes seem elusive and remote.

You can read the entire chapter at the following link: https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/scriptures/bofm/2-ne/4?lang=eng

The Name of "Joseph": Kinship and Salvation Through the Generations - Second Book of Nephi, Chapter Three (2 Nephi 3)

In the same vein of giving final words of blessing to his other sons, Lehi now turns to his youngest son Joseph. We can sense the special affection Lehi has for his “last-born.” As Lehi tells it, Joseph was born at a particularly traumatic time for Lehi during his family’s journey in the wilderness. It’s not hard to imagine that he and his wife Sariah chose the names Jacob and Joseph for their two youngest sons because their own travels reminded them of the wanderings of the Old Testament patriarchs. Remember, other than each other and their immediate surroundings, what was the only thing Lehi and his family had during their journeys to provide education and entertainment? The brass plates, which seem to have contained versions of the stories of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, and their descendants that are more complete than what we currently have in the Old Testament.

So it makes sense that Lehi would strongly identify with Joseph (we’ll call him Joseph of Egypt, to avoid confusion with Lehi’s son Joseph and the Prophet Joseph Smith). Wouldn’t you do the same if the only book you had in your possession was an account of your direct ancestor, who happens to be one of the most important leaders in your nation’s history? And there’s even more to it. For Lehi and his family, as descendants of Joseph’s son Manasseh, represent a branch that has been broken off from Israel. And in these last words to his son Joseph, Lehi reveals some key prophecies of Joseph of Egypt that have direct relevance for their family’s broken-off branch. The two most significant prophecies are:

1.       The Messiah (Jesus) will manifest himself in power to a broken-off branch of Israel in the latter days, to bring them out of darkness and captivity to light and freedom (verse 5).

2.       The Lord will raise up a “choice seer” out of Joseph of Egypt’s descendants (the “fruit of his loins”) to bring these descendants to a knowledge of the promises (or covenants) the Lord has made with Israel and the blessings that can flow from these promises (verse 6).

As the chapter continues, it becomes clear that the “choice seer” refers to the Prophet Joseph Smith, as the prophecy from Joseph of Egypt says (in verse 15) that the seer will share his name and that the name of the seer’s father will also be Joseph (The Prophet Joseph Smith is actually Joseph Smith, Jr.; his father is Joseph Smith, Sr.). As with previous Book of Mormon references to Joseph Smith’s important role in spreading the gospel in the latter days, it is interesting to ponder how Joseph Smith felt and what he thought as he translated these words and considered both the great weight of responsibility and glorious opportunity to exercise faith that lay before him.

For there are truly magnificent promises applying to him that are set forth in this chapter. These include: “out of weakness he shall be made strong” (verse 13), “they that seek to destroy him shall be confounded” (verse 14), and—maybe most significantly—“he shall be like unto me [Joseph of Egypt]” (verse 15). To be considered in the same class as Joseph of Egypt is a pretty serious thing.

As Lehi transitions between Joseph of Egypt’s words and his own final benediction to his son Joseph, he testifies that the written record of their own family will “cry from the dust” to their descendants, and that a mighty one (a reference to the seer, Joseph Smith) will “work mighty wonders…unto the bringing to pass much restoration” to those descendants.

And to top off the centuries-long process by which the Lord in his wisdom finds a way to use members of Joseph of Egypt’s family to help one another find redemption and salvation, Lehi shares other words from Joseph of Egypt. These words (verse 12) assure Lehi’s son Joseph that the written record of their broken-off branch, now halfway around the world, will “grow together” with the written record of the “fruit of the loins of Judah”—a reference to the Bible, or the record of the Jews—to confound false doctrine and contention and bring peace to all of Israel. This prophecy from Joseph of Egypt was also shared by the prophet Ezekiel in the Old Testament (Ezekiel 37:15-20).

So even though they may seem cut off, the mission of Lehi’s family remains vital to the overall mission of bringing salvation to the world, though it may take centuries and even millennia to accomplish. There’s an extra sense of poignancy in the promise that the legacies of Joseph of Egypt and Judah will grow together because it was the fracturing of the original Israelite kingdom along those lines after Solomon’s death that contributed to the deterioration of Israel’s strength and its ultimate vulnerability to captivity at the hands of other peoples.    

You can read the entire chapter at the following link: https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/scriptures/bofm/2-ne/3?lang=eng