Jacob 5

The Fifth Chapter of the Book of Jacob is one of the longest (if not the longest) in the Book of Mormon. I always used to kind of just make a cursory pass through this section, but in seminary a few years ago, I started looking at this chapter more closely. We watched a video that explained that this chapter is about missionary work and the different eras, or dispensations, of Christ’s Gospel on the earth, and also the times when the faith of the human race has been diminished – times of apostasy and darkness. Ultimately, it concludes with the Second Coming of the Savior.

            Chapter five is quotation by Jacob of the “allegory of the tame and wild olive trees” given by an ancient prophet named Zenos. There are actually many references to Zenos and other prophets in the Book of Mormon. We assume that these were Hebrew prophets whose teachings were known before the fall of Jerusalem, but whose writings have since been lost or forgotten. He describes a grove or vineyard of olive trees, and the master of the vineyard’s attempts to cultivate the best harvest possible. At various points, the branches of the main tree are strong or weak, and the master and his servants seek to do all that they can in order to keep it healthy.

            The main tree of the vineyard represents the House of Israel, the Lord’s chosen people. The Master of the vineyard is generally considered to be an allegory of Jesus Christ, but a few people also think that it could be Heavenly Father (personally I think it is Christ). The Master chooses servants to help him during the story, and these represent the prophets and missionaries who help care for the Master’s garden. One thing that has helped me to appreciate this section more fully is that I will be going on a mission in a few months. I will be one of the Lord’s servants bringing His scattered children back into His presence. I cannot wait to be able to devote all of my time to His service.

Basically, the verses within the chapter fall into these categories:

·         Verses 1 – 15: The Scattering of Israel before the time of Christ.

o   This section starts with a “tame,” or domesticated, olive tree that has started to decay. The Master is saddened by this, so he decides to give it a little extra care (“I will prune it, and dig about it, and nourish it”).

o   The tree develops some “young and tender branches,” but “the main top thereof began to perish.”

o   Seeing this, the Master calls his servant and asks him to cut the dying branches off and burn them; and then to graft on branches from a wild olive tree. Meanwhile, the Master takes the young branches and plants them in various locations throughout the vineyard.

o   Explanation/Translation:

§  The House of Israel (before the birth of Christ) is growing weak. The Lord decides to nourish His people, and some of them are more righteous, but others are still wicked.

§  He decides to move, or scatter the branches of the House of Israel – all of the other Israelite groups except for the House of Judah, which is from where the modern days Jews are descended.

§  The Gentiles, or non-Israelites, are brought in to the remaining main tree (House of Judah) in an attempt to give it strength and to help it grow.

·         Verses 16 – 28: The time of Christ

o   After a time, the Master and His servant go to inspect the progress that the garden has been making.

o   The root of the main tree has been strengthened by the addition of the new, wild branches, and the it has started to produce good fruit. In the context of this chapter, fruit symbolizes the blessings of salvation.

o   The branches that have been scattered, however, are having mixed results. Most of them are doing okay, and the ones in the poorest soil are doing the best.

o   However, the branch that was placed in the best soil has brought forth mixed fruit. Some of it is good, and some is evil.

o   When the Master suggests that they should just cut off and burn the branches that are evil, the servant suggests that they wait a little longer before destroying it. The master agrees, and they turn to giving the limb more attention.

o   Explanation/Translation:

§  The addition of Gentiles to the contact with the Israelites has helped them grow stronger, and they are able to have the Lord with them to guide them.

§  Most of the tribes scattered by the Lord are doing all right. The one tribe that is not having as much success is a representation of the people of Nephi and of Laman. They have been given the promised land of the New World, yet the people of Nephi have the blessings of salvation, and the people of Laman do not.

§  Always merciful, the Lord lets His people have an extra chance to repent and become better.

§  I find it interesting that the branches that are the most ‘fruitful’ are those which are found in the worst soil. I see this as a confirmation that adversity can help us to take hold of what nourishment we do receive, and grow stronger despite of/or because of it. Also, the Lord will never forget us in our times of need. About the branch in the worst soil, He says, “I have nourished it this long time, and it hath brought forth much fruit.”

·         Verses 29 – 50: The Great Apostasy

o   The season for gathering in fruit is growing short, so the Master and His servant decide to go and check on the vineyard.

o   By this time, all of the fruit has become corrupt and bad. The Master is very sad that the wild branches that He so carefully grafted in have overpowered His precious tree. When He looks at the branches He scattered throughout the vineyard, these too have become corrupt.

o   “And it came to pass that the Lord of the vineyard wept, and said unto the servant: What could I have done more for my vineyard?” This scripture reminded me of John 11:35, which says, “Jesus wept.” Even though it is almost incomprehensible for me to think of  someone as perfect as Christ weeping, I know that when He does, it is because it makes Him so sad to see His brothers and sisters stray from the path of righteousness, and turn away from those things that would lead them back to their Father.

o   Explanation/Translation:

§  The word “apostasy” in the section title means a falling away from the truth that was previously known. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints had to come forth because there had been an apostasy, the Great Apostasy, after the death of Christ and His Apostles. It was foretold in many places in the Bible, including Amos 8:11, which says that in “the days to come, saith the Lord God, that I will send a famine in the land, not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of the Lord.” During the Apostasy, the full extent of the Lord’s truth and church were not on the earth. Most of the churches that did exist had pieces of the truth, but a complete restoration was needed, not just a reformation.

§  At the time of apostasy, the nations of the Gentiles had overpowered the Jews, and led them to corruption. Darkness spread throughout the earth (i.e., the Dark Ages), and none of the nations, or branches in the vineyard of the Lord, had the fullness of Christ’s gospel, which brings out good fruit – the blessings of eternal salvation.

§  I liked verse thirty-three, where the Lord says to His servant, “What shall we do unto the tree, that I may preserve again good fruit thereof unto mine own self?” This shows that the Lord desires our input, and does not give us the answers immediately all the time. We must learn and grown for ourselves. However, even though the Lord knows what will happen in the end, and allows us to choose what is best for us, He still allows moments such as verse forty-one where we can see that He has compassion on us.

·         Verses 51 – 76: The Gathering of Israel and Spreading of the Gospel to all the World

o   The Master declares, “Yea, I will spare it a little longer, for it grieveth me that I should lose the trees of my vineyard.” He wants to try one last time to spare His beloved tree, so He is willing to remove some of the wild branches and re-graft in the original branches that had been scattered.

o   The Master calls many other servants to assist in the last push before the harvest. “Wherefore, go to, and call servants, that we may labor diligently with our might in the vineyard, that we may prepare the way… let us go to and labor with our might this last time.”

o   With the help and care of the extra servants, the main tree starts to grow stronger, and brings forth good fruit again. “The trees [became] again the natural fruit; and they became like unto one body; and the fruits were equal; and the Lord of the vineyard had preserved unto himself the natural fruit, which was most precious unto him from the beginning.”

o   Explanation/Translation:

§  God is willing to allow time for His children to repent, but He will not hold off forever. Christ will come, and we must be ready for when He does. We are only in this life for a short time, so we must do all that we can now.

§  “Go to, and labor in the vineyard, with your might. For behold, this is the last time that I shall nourish my vineyard; for the end is nigh at hand.” In the Church, we often call missionary work ‘laboring in the vineyard’ for this very reason. We are called to go and work as hard as possible so that we may prepare the Garden of the Lord for His last coming.

§  As the Gospel of Jesus Christ is spread throughout the world, His chosen people will naturally tend to come to Him. Those who are ready to receive the message will be found, and grafted into the Tree of the House of Israel.

·         Verses 75 – 77: The Second Coming of Christ

o   The days of preparation are over, and the Master of the vineyard calls all of the servants together to thank them for their diligence and explain a little bit about what will happen next.

o   The Master explains that the work of gathering His people together is over, and that He will be collecting the harvest soon. Once the good and bad fruit are separated, the bad will be cast away, “And then cometh the season and the end; and my vineyard will I cause to be burned with fire.”

o   Explanation/Translation:

§  I really liked the quote that is in verse 75, “And blessed are thou; for because ye have been diligent in laboring with me in my vineyard, and have kept my commandments… behold ye shall have a joy with me because of the fruit of my vineyard.” I hope to work hard enough and with enough diligence that I will be able receive a fraction of this praise from my Master.

§  The Second Coming of Christ should be something for the righteous to look forward to, and for the wicked to take as a wake-up call. We need to prepare so that we are not cast away with the wicked. 

Jacob 1-4

After 2 Nephi ends, the next few books are fairly short. The Book of Jacob, written by Nephi's younger brother Jacob, is only 7 chapters long (although chapter 5 is one of the longest in the entire Book of Mormon); and the Books of Enos, Jarom, and Omni are each only 1 chapter long.

THE BOOK OF JACOB

I am going to summarize chapters 1 – 4, and then dedicate an entire post to chapter 5.

·         Jacob and his brother Joseph teach the people about Christ, but they start becoming wicked anyways. I really liked some of the verses in this chapter, including:

o   Jacob 1:6-8 : “We knew of Christ and his kingdom, which should come. Wherefore we labored diligently among our people, that we might persuade them to come unto Christ, and partake of the goodness of God, that they might enter into his rest, lest by any means he should swear in his wrath they should not enter in, as in the provocation in the days of temptation while the children of Israel were in the wilderness. Wherefore, we would to God that we could persuade all men not to rebel against God, to provoke him to anger, but that all men would believe in Christ, and view his death, and suffer his crass and bear the shame of the world”

o   Jacob 1:17 : “Wherefore, I… taught them… having first obtained mine errand from the Lord.” I thought that this verse really applied to me, especially after I got my mission call. My errand from the Lord is to teach His Children in Honduras!

·         Jacob then takes a few chapters to preach to the people, and hopefully get them to repent. He says, “Yea, it grieveth my soul and causeth me to shrink with shame before the presence of my Maker, that I must testify unto you concerning the wickedness of your hearts.” He is not even talking about sins that have been committed (yet), but he is preempting things that the Lord has warned him are in the hearts of the people, that they might/will commit in the future.

o   Some of the things that Jacob talks to the people about are greed, pride, and especially unchastity

§  Jacob teaches that, “Before ye seek for riches, seek ye for the kingdom of God.”

§  He also says that the Lord, “delight(s) is the chastity of women. And whoredoms are an abomination before me; thus saith the Lord of Hosts.”

·         “For behold, I, the Lord, have seen the sorrow, and heard the mourning of the daughters of my people… And I will not suffer… that the cries of the fair daughters of this people… shall come up unto me against the men of my people.

·         Jacob then spends a few verses talking to the people in his flock who are doing the things that they are supposed to. He says, “Look unto God with firmness of mind, and pray unto him with exceeding faith, and he will console you in your afflictions, and he will plead your cause… lift up your heads and receive the pleasing word of God, and feast upon his love, for ye may, if your minds are firm, forever.”

·         Jacob uses chapter 4 to teach about the knowledge that his people have of Christ, and the knowledge that the more ancient prophets did as well. Some of the verses I liked most include:

o   Jacob 4:4 : “For, for this intent have we written these things, that they may know that we knew of Christ, and we had a hope of his glory many hundred years before his coming; and not only we ourselves had a hope of his glory, but also the holy prophets which were before us.”

o   Jacob 4:12-13 : “Why not speak of the atonement of Christ, and attain to a perfect knowledge of him, as to attain to the knowledge of a resurrection and the world to come? Behold my brethren, he that prophesieth, let him prophesy to the understanding of men; for the Spirit speaketh the truth and lieth not. Wherefore it speaketh of things as they really are, and of things as they really will be; wherefore, these things are manifested unto us plainly, for the salvation of our souls. But behold, we are not witnesses alone in these things; for God also spake them unto prophets of old.”

2nd Nephi (Summary)

            Again, I’m going to quickly summarize a whole book. I really don’t like condensing something I like so much into such a short blog post, but I guess this is kind of what Mormon must have felt when he was compiling all of the records of the Nephites, spanning a thousand years, into one book of only 531 pages. Also again, if you want to get “the rest of the story,” you should read the Book of Mormon and find out for yourself.

THE SECOND BOOK OF NEPHI

Here is what happens in 2^nd Nephi:

·         Lehi gives counsel and blessings to his children and grandchildren. These scriptures are very enlightening, and I highly recommend them. Here are some of the passages that I liked best:

o   Verse 5 of Chapter 1 says, “Notwithstanding our afflictions, we have obtained a land of promise, a land which is choice above all other lands.” I decided to apply this scripture to myself, and insert my name, and it came out as, “notwithstanding MY afflictions, I have obtained a land of promise.” I read this right after I had hernia surgery, and I realized that this is VERY true. I had been afflicted, but I had obtained a figurative land of promise – the love of my family – and also I literal land of promise, at least to me, of being able to go to BYU. I have so many blessings in my life, but I need to realize what the Lord has given me.

o   Lehi goes on to describe the blessings and safety that come from being led to the promised land of America, but he also gives some warnings for those who live in this land, but do not keep the commandments. He knows that his descendents will be destroyed because of iniquity (iniquity taught to them by their fathers Laman and Lemuel and also by the devil), despite everything he has taught them.

o   Many verses talk about our need to “awake from a deep sleep” and “shake off the awful chains by which [we] are bound.” If only we were not asleep, then we could do much more good work!!!!

o   “BE MEN.” I really like the description that it gives for real men. Some of the things that it talks about in this verse, and in others linked to it in the footnotes include determination, strength (mental and spiritual, as well as physical), and unity. One also says that Captain Moroni (a person who lived later in the Book of Mormon) was such an incredible man that if everyone were like him, “the very powers of hell would shake would have been shaken forever; yea and the devil would have no power over the hearts of the children of men.”

o   Lehi says that his oldest sons (Laman and Lemuel) have avoided what he has said to them because they find it angry and ‘sharp;’ however, that is not the real case. The words are truth, and the wicked take the truth to be hard.

o   “He shall consecrate thine afflictions for thy gain.” I read this statement shortly after my surgery, and I was really touched me that the Lord saw to put this as the second verse of the chapter, because I was guaranteed to see it. Although I really don’t like trials while they are occurring, I can look back and know that I have been strengthened through them.

o   “And men are instructed sufficiently that they know good from evil.” But they who choose wrong can be saved through the Atoning sacrifice of Jesus Christ.

§  THIS IS SUCH AN IMPORTANT IDEA!!!!!!!!! The fact that we can return and live with our Father in Heaven is amazing, and the choice by our Older Brother to give of his life so that we can live with our Father forever is incredible

o   “For it must needs be, that there is an opposition in all things.” I liked this scripture in context of my surgery, and the fact that I must have the opposition of a surgery and the resulting pain and soreness in order to appreciate the blessings that I do have, such as my family and friends who help support me, but also just the appreciation of the very healthy life that I have had so far. If I hadn’t had this experience, I would never be able to sympathize with others who have larger illnesses, even if my weakness was just for a few weeks. We need opposition in all things in order to appreciate that which we do have.

o   The idea of agency – basically, the ability and blessing that people have in this life to choose for themselves – is expanded in chapter two. “Wherefore, men are free according to the flesh… And they are free to choose liberty and eternal life through the great Mediator of all men, or to choose captivity and death, according to the captivity and power of the devil.”

o   The third chapter explains that Joseph of old (Coat of many colors, son of Israel, etc. – that Joseph) foresaw the coming forth of the Bible and of the Book of Mormon. In fact, he says that they “shall grow together, unto the confounding of false doctrines and laying down of contentions…” The reason we need the Book of Mormon is to clarify things that are taught in the Bible. Ordinances like Baptism, which included full immersion (burying under the water) in Christ’s day (see Mark 1:9-11), have been diluted throughout the ages, and it took the Book of Mormon to allow people to look back clearly and see the correct interpretation of various aspects of Christ’s Gospel.

§  Joseph also said that the person who would bring forth the record (the Book of Mormon) would be after his name (Joseph) and also after the name of his father (Jr.). Joseph Smith Jr. was the man who received and translated the Book of Mormon.

o   I get the title of my study journal from 2 Nephi 2:15, which says “And upon these I write the things of my soul and many of the scriptures.”  I use my journal to write things that touch my heart, and I too write down scriptures that I find especially meaningful.

o   After blessing his posterity, Lehi dies. Nephi gives a section of scripture denouncing the wretchedness of man, but glorying in the Lord and the strength that he has received from Him.” This passage is often called the Lamentations or Psalms of Nephi. Some of the scriptures that I like most from this section are below:

§  “Behold, my soul delighteth in the things of the Lord; and my heart pondereth continually upon the things which I have seen and heard.”

§  “Awake, my soul! No longer droop in sin. Rejoice, O my heart, and give place no more for the enemy of my soul. Do not anger again because of mine enemies. Do not slacken my strength because of mine afflictions.”

o   Nephi receives a warning from the Lord to take his family and all who will go with him and flee into the wilderness, because his brothers (Laman and Lemuel, again) are going to keep trying to kill him. Thus begins the separation of the people for the majority of the rest of the Book of Mormon. Those who choose to follow Nephi (Sam, Zoram [the servant of Laban who helped Nephi get the plates of brass], Jacob and Joseph [Nephi’s little brothers who were born during the journey from Jerusalem], and their families) are collectively called Nephites, and their enemies are called Lamanites.

o   The Nephites are industrious, and they start building cities, but the most important buildings in the entire city is the temple. It is built similar to the temple of Solomon because as members of the House of Israel, the people of Nephi still practice the Law of Moses. However, the Nephites know that the focus of the symbolism in the Mosaic Law is Jesus Christ, and the purpose of the rituals is to prepare the people for the Last and Great sacrifice of their Savior.

o   Nephi then hands over much of the responsibilities of teaching and record keeping to his younger brothers, Jacob and Joseph. Jacob and Nephi both really like the teachings of Isaiah. Isaiah mainly tells us of things to come, especially the life of the Savior (still a future event for him and the Nephites), and the times before His Second Coming.

o   Chapters 6 – 10 are from a sermon that Jacob gave to the people, in which he quotes Isaiah. Chapters 11-24 are quotes from Nephi from Isaiah, and chapters 25-30 are Nephi expounding on and clarifying the words of Isaiah. I do not claim to understand all of Isaiah, but I think that as I read his words more and more, I am able to find meanings I never knew. I will share some (but not all for the sake of space) of my favorite scriptures from this section of chapters 6 – 30.

§  “For the Lord shall comfort Zion… Joy and gladness shall be found therein, thanksgiving and the voice of melody.”

§  “Hearken unto me, my people; and give ear unto me, O my nation; for a law shall proceed from me, and I will make my judgment to rest for a light for the people.”

§  “My salvation shall be forever, and my righteousness shall not be abolished.”

§  “Awake, awake! Put on strength, O arm of the Lord.”

§  “But I am the Lord thy God, whose waves roared; the Lord of Hosts is my name.”

§  “Awake, awake, put on thy strength, O Zion; put on thy beautiful garments, O Jerusalem, the holy city; for henceforth there shall no more come into thee… the unclean. Shake thyself from the dust; arise, sit down, O Jerusalem; loose thyself from the bands of thy neck, O captive daughter of Zion.”

§  “For as death hath passed upon all men, to fulfill the merciful plan of the great Creator, there must needs be a power of resurrection, and the resurrection must needs come unto man by reason of the fall; and the fall came by reason of transgression; and because man became fallen they were cut off from the presence of the Lord. Wherefore it must needs be an infinite atonement.”

§  “O the wisdom of God, his mercy and grace!”

§  “O the greatness and the justice of our God! For he executeth all his words, and they have gone forth out of his mouth, and his law must be fulfilled.”

§  “O how great the holiness of our God! For he knoweth all things, and these is not anything save he knows it.”

§  And he cometh into the world that he may save all men if they will hearken unto his voice; for behold, he suffereth the pains of all men.”

§  “And he commandeth all men that they must repent, and be baptized in his name, having perfect faith in the Holy One of Israel, or they cannot be saved in the kingdom of God.”

§  “For the atonement satisfieth the demands of his justice upon all those who have not the law given to them.”

§  O the vainness, and the frailties, and the foolishness of men! When they are learned they think they are wise, and they hearken not unto the counsel of God, for they set it aside, supposing they know of themselves.”

§  “But to be learned is good if they hearken unto the counsels of God.”

§  “Remember the words of your God; pray unto him continually by day, and give thanks unto his holy name by night. Let your hearts rejoice.”

§  “And also my soul delighteth in the covenants of the Lord which he hath made to our fathers; yea, my soul delighteth in his grace, and in his justice, and power, and mercy in the great and eternal plan of deliverance from death.”

§  “And many people shall go and say, Come ye, and let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob; and he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths; for out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.”

§  “Come ye, and let us walk in the light of the Lord”

§  “For the vineyard of the Lord of Hosts is the house of Israel, and the men of Judah his pleasant plant.”

§  “And he will lift up an ensign to the nations from far, and will hiss unto them from the end of the earth; and behold, they shall come with speed swiftly; none shall be weary nor stumble among them.”

§  “I will wait upon the Lord… and I will look for him.”

§  “The people that walked in darkness have seen a great light; they that dwell in the land of the shadow of death, upon them hath the light shined.”

§  “For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder; and his name shall be called, Wonderful, Counselor, The Mighty God, The Everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace”

§  “His hand is stretched out still”

§  “And the light of Israel shall be for a fire, and his Holy One for a flame, and shall burn and shall devour his thorns and his briers in one day.”

§  “Behold, God is my salvation; I will trust, and not be afraid; for the Lord Jehovah is my strength and my song; he also has become my salvation.”

§  “Cry out and shout, thou inhabitant of Zion; for great is the Holy One of Israel in the midst of thee.”

§  “I will make a man more precious than fine gold.”

§  “And it shall come to pass in that day that the Lord shall give thee rest, from thy sorrow, and from thy fear, and from the hard bondage wherein thou wast made to serve.”

§  “In the days that the prophecies of Isaiah shall be fulfilled men shall know of a surety, at the times when they shall come to pass.”

§  “And the Lord will set his hand again the second time to restore his people from their lost and fallen state. Wherefore, he will proceed to do a marvelous work and a wonder among the children of men.”

§  “I have spoken plainly that ye cannot err.”

§  “For we labor diligently to write, to persuade our children, and also our brethren, to believe in Christ, and to be reconciled to God; for we know that it is by grace that we are saved, after all we can do.”

§  “And we talk of Christ, we rejoice in Christ, we preach of Christ, we prophesy of Christ, and we write according to our prophecies, that our children may know to what source they may look for a remission of their sins.”

§  “And after Christ shall have risen from the dead… the words which he shall speak unto you shall be the law which ye shall do.”

§  “And the Gentiles are lifted up in the pride of their eyes, and have stumbled, because of the greatness of their stumbling block, that they have built up many church; nevertheless, they put down the power and miracles of God, and preach up unto themselves their own wisdom and their own learning, that they may get gain.”

§  “Behold, hath the Lord commanded any that they should not partake of his goodness?”

o   Chapter 28 is what my Book of Mormon teacher called the Devil’s Playbook. It tells of many of his tricks and things that he will do to try to get us to turn away from our Father, and think that we can never turn back.

o   Chapter 29 is a good explanation for why we need the Book of Mormon as well as the Bible. One of my favorite reasons (although many others are included) is that the Lord loves his children all over the world equally, and the Book of Mormon proves that he loves his children in the Americas as well as in Israel.

o   Chapter 30 talks about the conversions that will come as “the Lord God shall commence his work among all nations, kindreds, tongues, and people, to bring about the restoration of his people upon the earth.”

o   Chapters 31 – 33 are the final teachings of Nephi. There are many wonderful teachings in this section, including why Christ was baptized, the steps for Eternal Life, the purpose of the Holy Ghost, and his final testimony of Christ.

o   The last recorded words of Nephi are in the last verse of the 33^rd chapter. He says, “For thus hath the Lord commanded me, and I must obey.” Obedience pretty much sums up his entire life, so it is fitting that these are Nephi’s parting words to us.

1st Nephi (summary)

               Well, because I am so far into the semester, and I need to get this blog up to speed with where I currently am reading, I am going to give a more brief look at the chapters that I have read so far, and mention far fewer details than I will once I am doing this every week. To really understand what is going on in this chapter, and to see the parts that I am omitting in the interest of time, I suggest that you read this book and the whole Book of Mormon for yourself. I hope to be able to return and add to my thoughts on this section in more detail later. This is a great section of the Book of Mormon, and a lot happens that I unfortunately have to leave out.

THE FIRST BOOK OF NEPHI

    

        Here is a summary of what happens in this book:

·            Lehi, a man living with his family in Jerusalem around the time of Jeremiah in the Bible, and shortly before the destruction of Jerusalem by Babylon (circa 600 B.C), has a dream in which the Lord tells him to tell the people to repent or else they will be destroyed. Lehi might have been a community leader, as he was fairly wealthy, and he was concerned for his people. The Lord knew that Lehi would be an obedient instrument in His hands, despite the problems that arise because of this unpopular message

·            When the people continue to refuse to listen, the Lord instructs Lehi to take his family – including his wife, Sariah, his sons (from oldest to youngest) Laman, Lemuel, Sam, and Nephi, and his daughters – and leave Jerusalem before it is destroyed. The oldest sons do not believe that Jerusalem will be destroyed, but (for some reason I have yet to discover, maybe they know deep down that it is right) they decide to come with the family anyways. Soon, they start complaining, but Lehi “did speak unto them… with power, being filled with the Spirit… that they durst not utter against him, wherefore, they did as he commanded them.” What a great example this is of the power that the Lord gives to His prophets, but it can also be applied to my life. If I am doing the things that the Lord wants me to do, I can have His Spirit to be with me, and I can be fortified and strengthened by it.

·            Nephi, the youngest son, decides to find out for himself if the things that his father has been saying are true. He prays to the Lord, and is shown the same visions that his father saw. He tries to tell his brothers about the truth of their father’s words, but they refuse to listen. As I look at these verses, I wonder where was the disconnect between Laman and Lemuel, and Sam (who believes Nephi) and Nephi? They obviously had the same parents, and would have been raised the same way, but their response to spiritual matters, and matters beyond normal understanding is the polar opposite to Nephi’s. Did they choose bad friends? Are they just lazy? What caused such a dichotomy? In my life, I need to be like Nephi and look to the Lord when I have problems and questions, and not just sit around like Laman and Lemuel.

·            In Chapter Three, the Lord commands Lehi to tell his sons that they need to go back to Jerusalem and bring back a record of Lehi’s ancestors that is in the possession of a (local?) Jewish leader named Laban, who is not the best person in the world. Laman and Lemuel whine and complain that the task that their father has given them is too hard, but Nephi recognizes that the commandment is from the Lord, not their father, and is meant to test their obedience. Nephi says, “I will go and do the things which the Lord hath commanded, for I know that the Lord giveth no commandments unto the children of men, save he shall prepare a way for them that they may accomplish the thing which he commanded them.” What a response. If I can just apply that lesson in my life, that if I do the things which the Lord commands, no matter how hard they are, he will prepare a way for them to be accomplished, and I will be blessed for following his commandments.

·            After a very difficult time (which includes Laban trying to kill all of them; and Laman and Lemuel being stopped by an angel from killing Nephi and Sam), they convince a servant of Laban to join them and bring the plates back to Lehi.

·            The sons of Lehi are then commanded to turn around and convince Ishmael, presumably an old friend of Lehi’s, and his family to join then on their journey. Eventually, Ishmael’s daughters marry Lehi’s sons, and vice versa, but not before Laman and Lemuel and some of the sons of Ishmael try to leave Nephi in the wilderness and turn back to Jerusalem. Nephi, through the strength of the Lord, is able to get free of his bonds, and they all return to Lehi.

·            Lehi has a vision in which he sees many different things. Later, Nephi asks the Lord to show him the same vision, and Nephi records the interpretations of the various aspects of the dream. Basically, Lehi sees a straight and narrow path leading to a brilliant tree, the tree of life. There is a rod of iron, which people hold to as they travel on the path. A great mist of darkness arises and obscures the path, but those who hold to the rod are secure, and make it to the tree to partake of its sweet fruit. Lehi also sees that the path runs parallel to a great chasm and swift river of water. On the other side of the river is a giant building floating in the air, with many people inside, pointing and laughing at those eating the fruit. Some people eating the fruit are embarrassed by the mocking of those in the building, and they wander away from the tree.

o   The straight and narrow path represents the path to eternal life with God

o   The Tree of Life represents the Love of God

o   The fruit of the Tree represents eternal life, or partaking of the ordinances that will help men live with God forever

o   The rod represents the Word of God, or the scriptures and words of the prophets

o   The mist represents the temptations of the devil

o   The river represents filthiness, and “the depths of hell”

o   The building represents the “vain imaginations” and pride of the world

·            During Nephi’s vision, he is shown the birth and life of Christ, and His crucifixion. He is also shown the future internal destruction of his people, the exploration and colonizing of the Americas, the American Revolutionary War, and many other events leading up to the Second Coming of the Savior. However, he is told not to share everything that he learns about the end of days because another will do so, this other person is John the Revelator, who wrote the Book of Revelations in the New Testament.

·            After many afflictions and trials in the wilderness, Lehi’s family arrives at the edge of the ocean (Atlantic probably, but not for certain). Nephi is commanded by the Lord of build a ship to carry them across the great waters. In typical fashion, he immediately goes to work using the ideas that the Lord provides for him to accomplish the things which the Lord has commanded. Also true to form, Laman and Lemuel try to get out of working, but after the Lord works through Nephi to literally shake them (without touching them), they join in the project. In this section, we also learn that Lehi and Sariah have had two more sons, Jacob and Joseph.

·            Eight years after leaving Jerusalem, the people of Lehi depart for the land that the Lord has given as a “promised land” for them and their descendents. While on the sea, an instrument, which Lehi found outside his tent door one morning (which came from the Lord and led them through the wilderness), called the Liahona, points the way in which they should steer the ship – as long as they are faithful. After spending a lot of time dancing and partying, Laman, Lemuel, and some of the sons of Ishmael decide to tie up Nephi and steer the ship themselves. Because they are not righteous, the Liahona does not work, and they do not know where to go. A giant storm arises, and they are about to be destroyed when Laman and Lemuel decide to let Nephi go. He instantly drops to his knees and thanks the Lord for his blessings and for the storm to abate. I hope that I can have the faith and strength of Nephi to remember to thank the Lord first, and praise Him while I am going through trials, and not complain when they are over.

·            The people of Lehi land in the Promised Land, and start to settle into their new home. Nephi proceeds to record many great teachings on various aspects such as the scattering of Israel, and the eventual return of the lost tribes of Israel in the last days.