1 Nephi 7

(All of my own thoughts are in blue type. red 4/20 Green 1/2021 Orange 4/22 Brown 2023) 

CHAPTER 7

Lehi’s sons return to Jerusalem and enlist Ishmael and his household in their cause—interesting....what is the "cause" they were "enlisted" in? Those are words used in a battle...Laman and others rebel—Nephi exhorts his brethren to have faith in the Lord Oh what things we could do/have/become if we truly understood what it means to have “faith in the Lord”!—They bind him with cords and plan his destruction Evil is always trying to enslave us and planning for our destruction—He is freed by the power of faith You too, can be “freed” from what “binds” you…by the “power of faith”.  Learn how to exercise that power—His brethren ask forgiveness—Lehi and his company offer sacrifice Mentioned previously…I have thought of offering sacrifice “before” receiving a blessing…but not about offering one “after”…hmmm… and burnt offerings. It says sacrifice AND burnt offerings. I always read it sacrifice OF burnt offerings. Is there a difference? Between 600 and 592 B.C.

  1 And now I would that ye might know, that after my father, Lehi, had made an end of ^aprophesying concerning his seed, it came to pass that the Lord spake unto him again, When we obey…the Lord gives us “more” light….you can expect that, I think saying that it was not meet for him, Lehi, that he should take his family into the wilderness alone; but that his sons should take ^bdaughters to ^cwife, that they might raise up ^dseed unto the Lord in the land of promise. The Lord is giving him another “line”.  First there was “leave Jerusalem”, then “go back and get the plates”, then “go back and get wives for your sons”.  Lehi surely would have appreciated knowing all this up front, but “undaunted still he trusted in his Heavenly Father’s care”. Instead of murmuring about why it was being laid out to him this way, he trusted that the Lord had a “plan” for all this – timing, for Laban, Ishmael.... experiences, building faith, testing trust, etc. Remember “mans ways are not God’s ways”.  Also, Joseph Smith taught that a person can fully exercise faith when he has, "First, the idea that he actually exists; Second, a correct idea of his character, perfections and attributes; Third, an actual knowledge that the course of life which he is pursuing, is according to his [God's] will." Lehi could exercise complete faith in “how” the Lord was having his family proceed because He had those three things covered. Also, Lehi is reinforcing the fact that they are being led to a Promised Land. They have no idea where that is, but apparently there will be no other people there for them to marry, or they won't be of the same beliefs. Or he doesn't know how long it will take and his boys are of marrying age
  2 And it came to pass that the Lord ^acommanded him that I, Nephi, and my brethren, Since he phrased it this way, it sounds like Nephi was in charge… should again return unto the land of Jerusalem, and bring down Ishmael and his family into the wilderness.

  3 And it came to pass that I, Nephi, did ^aagain, with my brethren, go forth into the wilderness to go up to Jerusalem. No complaining about this assignment! Was it the “girls”? or increased faith from their first experience??? I can see Laman saying…”We don’t need the Lord on this one…one look at me and these girls will WANT to come”…haha

  4 And it came to pass that we went up unto the house of Ishmael, and we did gain favor in the sight of Ishmael,  insomuch that we did speak unto him the words of the Lord. Did they “gain favor” first and then speak the words of the Lord? Is there something important about that order in trying to persuade someone? I think so. The question is, how do you "gain favor"? What "words of the Lord" did they share? The same ones Nephi has shared with us? Was there more?

  5 And it came to pass that the ^aLord did soften the heart of Ishmael, and also his household,  Sorry, boys…it wasn’t your good looks after all… I have often wondered about this statement and agency.  If the Lord can soften hearts, why doesn’t he soften everyone’s hearts? How does He do it? Is there something I can do to qualify for that help in softening the heart of another?  Maybe it has something to do with hearing the word of the Lord and the Holy Ghost insomuch that they took their journey with us down into the wilderness to the tent of our father.  This is no small thing for ALL of them to hear and understand and leave all to journey into the unknown. I am thinking, at this point, they could share they were going to "a land of promise" and that Jerusalem was going to be destroyed. If I was convinced of that, I think I would go to:) Was there any temptation to find out if there was any investigation into Laban’s death and Zoram’s disappearance? Did they just assume Zoram had done it and fled? End of story? Makes sense...

  6 And it came to pass that as we journeyed Some people have a short attention span after feeling the spirit… in the wilderness, behold Laman and Lemuel, and two of the ^adaughters of Ishmael, and the two ^bsons of Ishmael and their families, (were they married with children? The sons of Ishmael? First mention of the “sons” of Ishmael and their families. If they were married, how hard would it have been for their wives to leave their own family and relatives? Did this play in to their rebellion? did ^crebel against us; yea, against me, Nephi, and Sam, and their father, Ishmael, and his wife, and his three other daughters. That makes 5 girls for Lehi’s 5 boys…if you count Jacob, but he wasn't born yet. Maybe one of the daughters was married with family. 

  7 And it came to pass in the which rebellion, they were desirous to return unto the land of Jerusalem. Don’t look back!  The Spirit is willing….but the flesh is weak….

  8 And now I, Nephi, being ^agrieved The "natural man" in most of us would be frustrated, angry, intolerant, etc at this behavior, but Nephi grieved, which the dictionary defines as stronger than sadness, implying deep mental suffering often endured alone and in silence but revealed by one's appearance or look.  for the hardness of their hearts the opposite of a “soft” heart. God can soften hearts, but he cannot force them to stay that way…therefore I spake unto them, saying, yea, even unto Laman and unto Lemuel obviously the “ring leaders” here…Now be sure and read this with a tone of grief not anger...it changes things.: Behold ye are mine elder brethren, and how is it that ye are so hard in your hearts, and so blind in your minds, that ye have need that I, your ^byounger brother, should speak unto you, yea, and set an ^cexample for you? Ouch…that would put them on the defense…yet he’s begging them to lead out IN RIGHTEOUSNESS!

    9 How is it that ye have not hearkened unto the word of the Lord?

  10 How is it that ye have ^aforgotten that ye have seen an angel of the Lord?

  11 Yea, and how is it that ye have forgotten what great things the Lord hath done for us, in ^adelivering us out of the hands of Laban, and also that we should obtain the record?

  12 Yea, and how is it As Nephi keeps saying this phrase, it seems to underscore how utterly frustrated he was with his brother’s inability to process all that has happened to them; that they have "forgotten". As Nephi keeps using this word, he is teaching us how important and influential the word “remember” is to our faith.  If you are feeling “weak” just “REMEMBER” that the Lord is able to do all ^athings according to his will, for the children of men, if it so be that they exercise ^bfaith in him? Write this one and put it on your wall, and write it in your heart! I just printed this out and put it on my wall:) Now read it daily! Wherefore, let us be faithful to him. So He can do ALL things, according to His will…and that power is activated by our faith. It leads me to believe, that something can be His will, but it is not manifest because we did not activate His power by our faith. Therein lies the motivation for us to understand true faith and to learn how to discern His will. How many times do we say something didn't happen just because it must not have been His will, when it really may have just been that we didn't have the faith? In fact, if you KNOW something is His will, then the faith part shouldn't be as hard. I think the real task is to know whether or not something is in fact, His will. My question is, will He make His will known just if you ask or does He sometimes withhold that knowledge so that we will exercise faith, not knowing, and then still trust Him if we do not receive what we want. This is a BIG thing in our lives...REALLY BIG!!!

  13 And if it so be that we are faithful to him, we shall obtain the ^aland of promise this is the image that Nephi could hold in his mind to keep him going…; and ye shall know at some future period (even though Nephi “knows” now, because he’s seen it…) we will all know “at some future period” that the Lord was guiding us along… that the word of the Lord shall be fulfilled concerning the ^bdestruction of ^cJerusalem; for all things which the Lord hath spoken concerning the destruction of Jerusalem must be fulfilled. I just had this awareness come to me the other day. Back in January (it's April now), I was deciding what to have my students do for the Spring recital. I have never done this before, but I decided to have them play the last song they passed off right before the recital and then play one song of my choosing of all the songs they've learned this semester. I really want them to be able to open the book anywhere and just play it. It will really help them feel like they know how to play without practicing. Plus, it seems like we have to put their regular progress on hold for the last two months to get their "special" recital songs ready. I've never done this before, but it felt like a good idea. Little did I know we'd have a pandemic shut the world down and that I'd be teaching piano lessons over the internet for 4 weeks (still going on). My decision about the recital is perfect for this situation, since we may not be able to have a recital, or if we did, there's been no pressure to try to get ready for one in the current situation. Truly I can look back and see that I was led to that decision. So grateful!

  14 For behold, the ^aSpirit of the Lord ^bceaseth soon hadn’t happened yet? to strive with them; for behold, they have ^crejected the prophets, and ^dJeremiah have they cast into prison. And they have sought to take away the ^elife of my father, not “our” Father? …insomuch that they have driven him out of the land. Laman and Lemuel twist this phrase as they teach their children to hate their brethren the Nephites, saying that Lehi and Nephi drove their family out of Jerusalem so they could rule over them. You could also read this to mean that the Jews “made” him leave Jerusalem; kicked him out…but the fact is he was “driven” out, or I would say “led out” by the Lord because if he stayed, they would kill him like the other prophets. So in that respect they “drove” him out, or caused him to “have” to leave. There is also something very significant about a people being considered "ripe in iniquity" and their killing and rejecting prophets. The whole Jaradite record only talks about the people rejecting prophets. The brother of Jared was not allowed to share with his own people that He had seen the Lord. Most of the prophets, it seems, just were telling the people to repent and walk in the ways of righteousness. How much of the gospel did they have/know/understand? There is no talk of baptism, or churches. But they were accountable for what they were given, and clearly the Lord sent prophets, which they rejected and it proved their utter destruction. Will the killing of our prophets also be a sign that we are in a fullness of iniquity? Will it be outright murder or murder through the secret works of darkness (vaccines, weather manipulation, HAARP - manmade earthquakes, wars)

  15 Now behold, I say unto you that if ye will return unto Jerusalem ye shall also perish with them. And now, if ye have choice the Lord never forces us to be saved, go up to the land, and remember this is KEY! the words which I speak unto you, that if ye go ye will also perish; for thus the Spirit of the Lord constraineth me that I should speak. In other words…don’t be angry with me…these aren’t my words; in fact, I wouldn't speak them unless the Spirit told me to because I know you aren't going to hear me...

  16 And it came to pass that when I, Nephi, had spoken these words unto my brethren, they were angry with me No softening going on here...they didn’t even have a debate, or show any sign of even trying to understand….So there goes my theory that hearing the word of the Lord (which Nephi just reviewed with them) is what softens hearts. It must have more to do with the person hearing And it came to pass that they did lay their hands upon me, for behold, they were exceedingly dictionary defines as “to an extreme degree” wroth - “vehemently incensed and condemnatory”…(got to look up those words now…)”vehemently” means fierce: marked by extreme intensity of emotions or convictions; “incensed” means - angered at something unjust or wrong; and “condemnatory” means - Declaring an evildoer to be guilty; a final judgment of guilty – (thinking of the Savior saying to the woman caught in adulty "Neither do I condemn thee. Does this mean He didn't see her as "evil", knowing her past perhaps, and that she was not ready for a "final" judgment.) So in other words, they were extremely, with a fierce intensity of emotion, angry with Nephi, from a place of feeling they had been unjustly accused and wronged and were ready to declare Nephi guilty of evildoing.  Wow!, and they did ^abind me with cords, for they sought to take away my life, that they might leave me in the wilderness to be devoured by wild beasts. Yep…they were exceedingly wroth alright…. Where else in scripture did brothers want to leave their younger brother in the wilderness to die? (Joseph) I am sure Laman and Lemuel were familiar with this story. Could they not see themselves in it? Maybe they arrogantly thought, "If he's so special, let God save him, like he did Joseph, and he can save us later and we'll be forgiven. Maybe God will mean it for good in the end. Nah...I don't think they thought that deeply. Too reactive and controlled by the immediate circumstances!

  17 But it came to pass that I prayed Our first attempts for help should always be to the Lord in prayer! unto the Lord, saying: O Lord, according to my faith Nephi was “remembering” all that he had been told, had seen, and had done. which is in thee the only kind of faith that produces salvation is IN Jesus Christ, wilt thou deliver me from the hands of my brethren; yea, even give me ^astrength that I may ^bburst these bands with which I am bound. Nephi asked for something specific, not leaving the “how” this time up to the Lord.

  18 And it came to pass that when I had said these words, behold, the bands were loosed from off my hands and feet, The Lord said “yes” to the request to be delivered from being bound, but he said “no” to the request to be given strength to “burst” them. Hmmm….interesting.  What are the possible reasons for this? and I stood before my brethren, and I spake unto them again I think right about now I would feel like running….

  19 And it came to pass that they were angry with me again, surprise….Nephi would be tempted here to say to the Lord, "See! I really needed to "burst" those bands off to show them your power. You should have done it the way I asked. Now they think they didn't tie it tight enough and I just got them loose." and sought to lay hands upon me; but behold, one of the ^adaughters of Ishmael, yea, and also her mother, and one of the sons of Ishmael Second time the sons of Ishmael are mentioned, If there were only two sons, one softened his heart. Or perhaps there were two that rebelled and one more, not mentioned earlier that did not go along with the other two. If there were only two and one softened his heart, then this could give Lemuel courage to not always go along with Laman did plead with my brethren, insomuch that they did soften their hearts; I wonder what they could have possibly said to sway Laman and Lemuel at this point, but maybe this is the reason there was no show of power in Nephi's bands being loosed. God was giving those who looked on a chance to "stand for truth and righteousness". The effects of that were profound. Lesson for us: God can do all things, but He also knows all things. Nephi had to have the courage to speak the words given to him by the Spirit, probably knowing his brothers wouldn't hear him and not just become angrier but he knew they were violent when angry. What he may not have known is the effect those words would have on those who were watching. Did those watching have a responsibility to step forward and stand up for Nephi? What if you were Nephi? Could you speak? What if you were watching? Could you speak? Laman and Lemuel could have just as easily turned on those who spoke up for Nephi. Here is the lesson for me..."Do what is right...let the consequence follow"  In other words, my job is to do what is right. Then I just have to "let" the consequence happen and trust the Lord no matter what the outcome. and they did cease striving to take away my life. It sounds like no change of heart, but a small concession to at least let Nephi live and no turning on those who stood up for him. I still don’t know why they didn’t just go back to Jerusalem and leave Nephi to “die” naturally in the wilderness, since they believed that was going to happen anyway….

  20 And it came to pass that they were sorrowful, because of their wickedness, Really? A change of heart after all? insomuch that they did bow down before me, and did plead with me that I would ^aforgive them of the thing that they had done against me. Was this just for “show”?  Or did they see there was no way for them to take the life of their brother and return to Jerusalem or go forward to Lehi without being “caught” in their sin. If they were sincere, then I really want to know what the daughter, son and wife of Ishmael said that had such effect on them!

  21 And it came to pass that I did frankly defined as “honestly” ^aforgive them all that they had done, Laman and Lemuel may have been feigning repentance, but it didn’t matter to Nephi. Even though they had just threatened his life he honestly forgave them.  A lesson for us as we forgive others…and I did exhort them that they would pray unto the Lord their God for ^bforgiveness. This is all we should care about when someone asks us for forgiveness, that they clear it with the Lord for their own sakes, not ours.  We just forgive regardless…that is for our own sakes. And it came to pass that they did so. Wow…so quick to do what Nephi says after being “exceedingly wroth”…I’m still suspicious…. And after they had done praying unto the Lord we did again travel on our journey towards the tent of our father. See…we’re on the right track…we’re looking forward, not back!

  22 And it came to pass that we did come down unto the tent of our father. And after I and my brethren and all the house of Ishmael had come down unto the tent of my father, they did give ^athanks unto the Lord their God; and they did offer ^bsacrifice and burnt offerings Another “thank” offering…hmmm unto him. Also, no record of Nephi saying, "And I did tell my father Lehi all the wrongs my brothers had committed on our journey," because he only recorded that which was of "great worth" to you and me. I am really trying to be cleansed of the desire to speak of other people's wrongs. Nephi is a great example to me.