Friday,
January 31, 2020
#19
JANUARY 27 – FEBRUARY 2, 1 NEPHI 19-22
Introductory
Comments
How
did they make the Book of Mormon videos?
One of our daughters, Carrie, sent
me an email today after reading the last blog post in which I expressed
amazement at the Book of Mormon videos and wondered how they created the storm
scene on the ocean from Chapter 18. I posted this as a comment to the last
blog, but I’ll copy it here.
I
also noticed from your blog that you were wondering about how they made the
ship and storm at sea for the BOM videos. I love those videos and have gotten
really into them! If you look at “Additional Videos” in the “Book of Mormon
Videos” section of the Gospel Library app., there is a behind-the-scenes video
that shows how they did that. It’s pretty incredible! It also interviews one of
the directors of the videos, a woman, who talks about the deliberate attempts
in this project to make the women more visible and vocal. I’ve really noticed
that—even if you look ahead to Jacob and Enos, every prophet has a strong,
supportive wife standing by his side as he preaches. And the women in Lehi’s
and Ishmael’s families are certainly more major figures in these videos than
they seem to be in the text. I really appreciate that focus!
Thanks, Carrie, for those good
observations! I just watched the video about the making of the Book of Mormon
videos for First Nephi. It was really interesting! You may want to take time to
look at it yourself. Here is the link: https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/video/additional-videos/2019-09-0100-book-of-mormon-videos-behind-the-scenes-1-nephi-1080p-eng?lang=eng
Carrie is right about the videos
portraying the strength of the women. I really noticed it when they were traveling
through the desert. That is consistent with what Nephi wrote in 1 Nephi 17:2 And
so great were the blessings of the Lord upon us, that while we did live upon
raw meat in the wilderness, our women did give plenty of suck for their
children, and were strong, yea, even like unto the men; and they began to bear
their journeyings without murmurings.
You also see the strength of the women
confronting the rebellious brothers in the desert and on the ship. And you see
the strength of Sariah on a number of occasions. One time she says to rebellious
Laman, “This isn’t who you are!” That’s not a scripture quote but consistent
with the strength we know she had. These women are good models for women (and
men) of today for their strength, courage and determination to do the Lord’s
will.
Not
much more history from Nephi
In 18 chapters, Nephi has gotten
his family from Jerusalem to the land of promise in the Americas. There won’t
be much more history in the book of First Nephi, just a little in the next
chapter about making the plates. And in the book of Second Nephi, there are
only two chapters (4 and 5) that deal with history at all. Other than that, it
will be doctrine, prophecy and exhortation. Nephi told us that his history is written
in his “other plates”, so it’s not surprising that we won’t get much more
history from him in the Small Plates. The Book of Mormon is not intended to be
a history book. It is a book of scripture written with the intent to invite us
to Christ and His gospel. The historical content is just the framework on which
the doctrine and gospel are built. When I was a younger reader, I liked the
history best, including the wars, and was bored with the sermons and doctrinal
chapters. Now it is just the opposite. Even though it is easier (and a little
more fun) to write in this blog about the historical stuff, it is the doctrine,
testimony, prophecy, exhortation, etc. that keep me coming back to the Book of
Mormon.
For those of you who are new to the
Book of Mormon or teaching it to others who are, it is ok to concentrate on the
history. There are good life lessons in the historical events from which to
learn. And understanding the history will help you and them put the doctrines
in context and remember how to find them in the book for future reference. The new
Book of Mormon videos are especially good for teaching the history. Lori and I
have said many times when reading stories like getting the Plates of Brass from
Laban or the storm at sea, “This really needs to be made into a movie!” And now
it has! What a blessing!
Don’t be overwhelmed by the
doctrinal chapters. It is the curriculum for a lifetime to plumb the depths of
doctrine found in the pages of the Book of Mormon. No one gets it all the first
time, or the tenth or the fiftieth. Like the temple, I don’t think anyone gets
it all in this life. But don’t stop trying. The Book of Mormon will reward you each
time you come back to it. Each page has new treasures to discover. As you go
through life, encounter new challenges and gain new maturity and wisdom, the
Book of Mormon will, like the Rod of Iron faithfully following the Strait and
Narrow Path, always be there with you and for you to teach, testify, edify,
comfort and bless you. If it hasn’t already, it can become your faithful,
cherished friend. So, keep reading!
1
Nephi Chapter 19
19:1-5 Two sets of plates
In 1 Nephi Chapter 9, Nephi told us
that he had been commanded to make a second set of plates for the special
purpose that there should be an account engraven of the ministry of my people. And
that the Lord hath commanded me to make these plates for a wise purpose in
him, which purpose I know not. (1 Nephi 9:3, 5) Now he is going to
basically tell us that same thing again in this chapter. Why tell us twice? These
two chapters and these explanations of the two sets of plates serve as
“bookends” to this part of his history, the part contained in the book of First
Nephi. Chapter 9 came after telling some of the history of his father including
his father’s dream of the Tree of Life. Nephi begins telling his own history in
Chapter 10. He has now told his history up to the time the family arrives in
the promised land. So he reminds us again that there are two sets of plates,
sort of as an explanation and apology that he isn’t giving us more detail of
the history. After this explanation, he will give some doctrine and prophecy,
quote two chapters from Isaiah, explain those chapters and then end his book of
First Nephi.
Notice that there are two books of
Nephi, the same person Nephi, First Nephi and Second Nephi. None of the other
prophet-writers of the Book of Mormon get two books named after them. (Third
and Fourth Nephi were different Nephi’s – father and son). It wasn’t some
Latter-day church leader or scholar or even Joseph Smith who divided Nephi’s
writings into two books; he did it himself. It sounds like he wanted to
separate his story in the “old world” and when the family was together into one
book and his story in the “new world” and after the family became divided into
a second book.
Nephi explains that when he wrote
the history on the first set of plates, the Large Plates, he didn’t know that
the Lord would command him to make another set of plates, the Small Plates. He
explains about these Small Plates that the ministry and the prophecies, the
more plain and precious parts of them, should be written upon these plates
and that the things which were written should be kept for the instruction of
my people, who should possess the land and also for other wise purposes, which
purposes are known unto the Lord. Further, he explains that these plates
should be handed down from one generation to another, or from one prophet to
another, until further commandments of the Lord. That’s just what happened
– the Large Plates were passed down through the line of the kings but the Small
Plates were passed down through the line of the prophets. It wasn’t until Mosiah
and Benjamin, both kings and prophets, that the Large Plates were kept by a
prophet (as far as I can tell.) By that time the Small Plates were full. They
were given to Benjamin, but he didn’t write on them because there was no room. The
last writer of these Small Plates was Amaleki. Writing in the Book of Omni, he
wrote in his last verse, these plates are full. (Omni 1:30) The Small
Plates were then handed down by the prophets until they came into the
possession of Mormon, who didn’t use them for his abridgment. He used the Large
Plates, but, after making an abridgment of the Book of Lehi from the Large Plates,
he found the Small Plates and added those to the Book of Mormon record. So we
have been reading the words of Nephi, not Mormon. This is not an abridgment.
These are the things Nephi specifically selected to write because they are plain
and precious. What a treasure!
19:6.
Because of the weakness which is in me
Nephi goes on to say that he won’t
write anything on these plates unless he thinks it is sacred. And then he makes
an apology, if I do err, even did they err of old; not that I would excuse
myself because of other men, but because of the weakness which is in me,
according to the flesh, I would excuse myself. Nephi is doing his best, but
he knows that he is just a man, though an inspired prophet, so he apologizes
for any errors of judgment as to what is sacred and should be included.
Interestingly, the last writer of the Book
of Mormon, Moroni, writing nearly 1000 years later makes a similar apology. The
Lord has commanded him to write about the experience of the Brother of Jared
and other sacred things. Moroni protests saying:
Lord,
the Gentiles will mock at these things, because of our weakness in writing; for
Lord thou hast made us mighty in word by faith, but thou hast not made us
mighty in writing; for thou hast made all this people that they could speak
much, because of the Holy Ghost which thou hast given them;
And
thou hast made us that we could write but little, because of the awkwardness of
our hands. Behold, thou hast not made us mighty in writing like unto the
brother of Jared, for thou madest him that the things which he wrote were
mighty even as thou art, unto the overpowering of man to read them.
Thou
hast also made our words powerful and great, even that we cannot write them;
wherefore, when we write we behold our weakness, and stumble because of the
placing of our words; and I fear lest the Gentiles shall mock at our words.
Moroni is a soldier. He has big,
battle-worn hands that aren’t made for artfully writing on the metal plates.
And he feels that his words are awkward compared to the writing of the Brother
of Jared, which he has read on the 24 Gold Plates. But the Lord responds with a
profound truth:
And
when I had said this, the Lord spake unto me, saying: Fools mock, but they
shall mourn; and my grace is sufficient for the meek, that they shall
take no advantage of your weakness;
And
if men come unto me I will show unto them their weakness. I give unto men
weakness that they may be humble; and my grace is sufficient for all men
that humble themselves before me; for if they humble themselves before me, and
have faith in me, then will I make weak things become strong unto them.
Ether 12:23-27
The Lord’s grace is sufficient for our
weaknesses. We don’t have to repent for our weaknesses! We repent for our sins
and transgressions and we may be forgiven through the Atonement of Christ. The
Atonement is also for our weaknesses, but not so that we can be forgiven for
them, but that so, through His grace, if we are meek, humble and have faith in
Christ, our weaknesses will be made strong. Profound! We’ll talk more about
this when we get to Ether 12 later this year.
On a much smaller scale, as I write about
the Book of Mormon in this blog, I can relate to both Nephi and Moroni. Even
though I don’t have to inscribe on metal plates as they did, I feel that I
stumble over my words as I write. I’ve always been fairly comfortable at the
pulpit or teaching a class, but writing is different. To paraphrase Moroni, “when
[I] write [I] behold [my] weakness, and stumble because of the placing of [my]
words.” Thanks for being a sympathetic and understanding audience. I appreciate
your patience as I try to put into writing the things that are in my mind and
in my heart about the Book of Mormon. It never seems to come out quite right on
the page. I just hope the Spirit I feel and my love for the book come through
to each reader.
19:7-21
Prophecies of the Savior
Following this apology, Nephi makes
a transitional observation that some things which are precious to one person
both body and soul are set at naught by others. Even the very
God of Israel do men trample under their feet; I say, trample under their feet
but I would speak in other words—they set him at naught, and hearken not to the
voice of his counsels.
Having shifted the focus from
himself to the “God of Israel”, Nephi now goes on to prophesy about Him. Much
of what he says must have come from his profound vision, which is contained in
Chapters 11-14. He begins by affirming again that Christ (he doesn’t use that
term) will come 600 years after his father left Jerusalem. Referring to his
father, this prophecy was already recorded in 1 Nephi 10:4. But he doesn’t
attribute the prophecy to his father but to “the angel.” It sounds like Nephi
learned of the timing of the coming of the Messiah in his vision, just like his
father learned it in his. They are both witnesses of this prophecy of the
coming of the Savior. In the mouth of two or three witnesses shall every
word be established. (2 Cor 13:1)
Nephi then proceeds to reiterate
prophecies about the life and ministry of the Savior calling upon the words of
three prophets presumably from the Plates of Brass (of which we have no record)
Zenock, Neum and Zenos. Nephi refers to
their prophecies about the Savior, His ministry and the events surrounding His
death. Staying with the prophecies of Zenos, Nephi speaks of the Jews, their sufferings
and dispersion, and then of the gathering of the house of Israel including
those who are on the isles of the sea. This must have been a great comfort to
him because he and his family have come across the ocean to an “isle” in the
sea. It is a comforting promise that they won’t be forgotten by the Lord.
19:22-24
I did liken all scriptures unto us, that it might be for our profit and
learning.
Nephi concludes
the chapter by telling us that he taught these things to his brethren and that
he read to them from the Plates of Brass. He read from the writings of Moses,
but that I might more fully persuade them to believe in the Lord their
Redeemer I did read unto them that which was written by the prophet Isaiah.
Nephi is going to teach his brethren
(and us) from the words of the prophet Isaiah as contained on the Plates of
Brass. Books have been written about how to understand Isaiah. I am certainly
no Isaiah expert. But I will try to help you with it a little. Many readers,
especially those fairly new to the Book of Mormon, “hit the wall” when they get
to Isaiah in this book and the next. Don’t let that happen to you. You can do
it! Keep reading.
1
Nephi Chapter 20 – Isaiah 48
Isaiah lived about 100 years before
Lehi. Many times when the Book of Mormon, especially Nephi, uses the phrase
“the prophet”, it is referring to Isaiah. There were many prophets in ancient
Israel, but Isaiah was one of the greatest and perhaps the greatest in his
prophecies of the Savior and the future of Israel. Nephi had been forbidden to
write about some of the things he saw in his vision, but Isaiah saw and wrote
about the same things. So Nephi can “get around” being forbidden to write about
the last days and events leading up to the Second Coming by quoting Isaiah and
then commenting on what Isaiah wrote.
It helps that Nephi and his brethren
were from Jerusalem and understood poetic writing of the prophets of Israel.
They understand the references, allegories and idioms much better than we do. But
with all our limitations, there is still much to be gleaned from the Isaiah
chapters.
Let me make one simple suggestion
for you to try with these two chapters of Isaiah. Try listening to them as you
read. On the Gospel Library app, when you open to 1 Nephi 20, you will see a round
orange circle in the right lower corner of the page with a pair of headphones
in the circle. Touch that icon and it will open for you an audio player to play
a voice recording of this chapter. Over to the far right of the time line on
the audio player, you will see three vertical lines. Touch on those and you can
chose the speed of playback, whether to have Continuous Play and whether the
main voice is male or female. If you choose the male voice as the main voice,
the female reader will read the chapter summary and the male reader will read
the chapter. Try listening to the female read this chapter to you. Follow along
on your device to read the words. Listen to the beauty of this ancient,
prophetic poetry translated into English. Even if you understood nothing, just
listening is soothing and uplifting. Then watch for words or phrases that you
recognize. In some ways, like music, we “feel” Isaiah as much or more than we
“understand” it. At least, that is true for me. Try it. Maybe try the female
reading this chapter and the male the next to see which you prefer.
The Lord begins by chastising Israel
for being obstinate, for rejecting Him and following idols. As in other
chapters we have seen with chiastic form, look at the middle verses in the
chapter for the most important thought. In this chapter, they are verses 12 and
13.
Hearken
unto me, O Jacob, and Israel my called, for I am he; I am the first, and I am
also the last.
Mine
hand hath also laid the foundation of the earth, and my right hand hath spanned
the heavens. I call unto them and they stand up together.
1
Nephi Chapter 21 – Isaiah 49
Isaiah prophecies that Israel will
be gathered in the latter days, that the Gentiles and kings and queens will
help to gather Israel.
Messiah tells Israel that He will
never forget her with these tender words:
For
can a woman forget her sucking child, that she should not have compassion on
the son of her womb? Yea, they may forget, yet will I not forget thee, O house
of Israel.
Behold,
I have graven thee upon the palms of my hands; thy walls are continually before
me.
We are engraven on the palms of His hands.
He still bears the tokens of His atoning sacrifice in His hands to remind us,
when we see Him what He did for us, and perhaps to remind Him that He will
always be our Savior. Elder Holland has spoken about this eloquently (as have
others). In a 1995 General Conference talk speaking of the sacrament and of the
Savior, he said:
In
fact, in a resurrected, otherwise perfected body, our Lord of this sacrament
table has chosen to retain for the benefit of his disciples the wounds in his
hands and his feet and his side—signs, if you will, that painful things happen
even to the pure and perfect. Signs, if you will, that pain in this world is
not evidence that God doesn’t love you. It is the wounded Christ who is the
captain of our soul—he who yet bears the scars of sacrifice, the lesions of
love and humility and forgiveness.
“This do in
Remembrance of Me”, Ensign, November 1995
1
Nephi 22 What meaneth these things which ye have read?
After reading to them the words of
Isaiah from the Plates of Brass, Nephi’s brethren ask him to explain what these
things mean. They want to know if these prophecies are just “spiritual”,
probably meaning allegorical, or will they come to pass “in the flesh”, meaning
“will these things really happen?” Nephi tells them that they are both. It
sounds like their questions are sincere. They don’t seem to be reviling against
Nephi (for once) or against Isaiah so Nephi goes ahead to give them good
answers.
Compared to reading Isaiah, reading
Nephi is a “piece of cake!” I don’t claim to understand everything he writes,
but the rest of this chapter is so clear. The best commentary on prophets comes
from other prophets. Nephi “glories in plainness” (2 Nephi 33:6). His writing
is much easier to understand than that of Isaiah.
Nephi uses the words of Isaiah to go
back to his great vision. He speaks again of the gathering of Israel, of the
role of the Gentiles, of kings and queens helping to foster the gathering, of a
“mighty nation among the Gentiles” and “a marvelous work” which the Lord will
do among the Gentiles, of the restoration of the gospel and the true church.
When writing about his vision, Nephi
was stopped by the Spirit at this point from writing more, but using Isaiah as
his cover, he goes on to tell us more of what he saw in his vision – wars and
destruction, the fall of the Great and Abominable Church, the binding of Satan
by the righteousness of the people and “the fullness of the wrath of God” being
poured out. The promise to the righteous is that he will preserve the
righteous by his power, and the righteous need not fear; for thus saith
the prophet, they shall be saved, even if it so be as by fire. That sounds
pretty scary! But the promise is For behold, the righteous shall not perish;
but all they who fight against Zion shall be cut off. And again he
promises the righteous need not fear. It is the wicked who need to be
afraid.
The Savior will come! The Holy
One of Israel must reign in dominion, and might, and power, and great glory. He
gathereth his children from the four quarters of the earth; and he numbereth
his sheep, and they know him; and there shall be one fold and one shepherd; and
he shall feed his sheep, and in him they shall find pasture. All nations,
kindreds, tongues, and people shall dwell safely in the Holy One of Israel if
it so be that they will repent.
Nephi has seen all of this and
more. He’d like to tell it all to us, but I durst not speak further as yet
concerning these things. He has said all that he dares. But he has given us
so much!
Return
to obedience
In the last two verses of this
chapter, Nephi returns to his favorite subject – obedience! Remember, he is the
“poster child” of obedience in the Book of Mormon. Referring to the Plates of
Brass, he says they testify that a man must be obedient to the commandments
of God. . . . Wherefore, if ye shall be obedient to the commandments,
and endure to the end, ye shall be saved at the last day. And thus it is.
This is Nephi’s great plea and
promise – be obedient to the commandments and endure to the end and you will
find your land of promise.
Amen
Notice that he closes with an Amen.
This is the 4th “Amen chapter” in the Book of Mormon. The first
three were 1 Nephi 9, 14 and 15. Three of the chapters close (like this one
does) And thus it is. Amen. Nephi is saying, “This is how it is. I’m not
lying. These things are true. I hope you are listening!”
I join my testimony with Nephi’s,
though puny compared to his; these things are true. This book is true. The
Restoration of the gospel and church is true. Jesus is the Christ, the literal
Son of God. The truth is the truth – regardless of where we stand in relation
to it. And thus it is. Amen.
Enjoy Sunday School this week. I hope I’ve
given you something to think about as you prepare to share with your family and
ward members.
Thanks
for reading!
Richard
