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
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