1st Nephi Chapter 3
1 Nephi 3:1-6 Another dream – go back for the Brass Plates!
Nephi comes back from his amazing experience with the Lord speaking to him in the last 6 verses of Chapter 2 to find out that his father has dreamed another dream! The Lord has told him that he needs to send his sons back to Jerusalem to get the plates of brass from their kinsman, Laban. As you might guess, Nephi’s brothers Laman and Lemuel are not wild about this idea. They probably wonder why Lehi doesn’t just go for the plates himself, but Lehi is a wanted man in Jerusalem because of his prophecies of its destruction. He can’t go back or he may be killed, as other prophets have been. On the other hand, maybe if they go back to Jerusalem, maybe they can just stay there and forget this crazy idea of their father’s of trekking off into the desert in search of some land of promise. In any case, Laman and Lemuel do what they do best – they just murmur! Their father reminds them that this wasn’t his idea but that it is the Lord that has required this of them, but they are not convinced.
1 Nephi 3:7 “I will go and do”
Nephi’s response to his father’s request from the Lord is a classic! It ranks up there with some of the greatest responses in scripture when the Lord has asked someone to do hard things. Mary said, “Behold the handmaiden of the Lord; be it unto me according to thy word” (Luke 1:38) when Gabriel told her of her life’s mission. Joshua, when chosen to fill the shoes of Moses and lead the Children of Israel across the River Jordan into the Promised Land, responded “as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord!” (Joshua 24:15).
Now Nephi responds:
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 commandeth them. (1 Nephi 3:7)
Nephi is the poster child of obedience! He will go and do! He doesn’t know how he will do it (See 1 Nephi 4:6), but he knows that the Lord wouldn’t ask him to do something difficult unless He prepares a way that it can be accomplished. It is no accident that the last recorded words of Nephi in the Book of Mormon reflect his obedience.
. . . for thus hath the Lord commanded me, and I must obey. (2 Nephi 33:15)
This scripture and this response by Nephi is the theme for the Young Men and Young Women of the Church for this year of 2020. Here is a link to a song written about this theme.
https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/youth/childrenandyouth/youth-theme-2020?lang=eng
(The video was filmed in New Zealand!)
https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/youth/childrenandyouth/youth-theme-2020?lang=eng
(The video was filmed in New Zealand!)
This is one of the first scriptures I ever memorized. I used this scripture in one of the first talks I ever gave in church. I have loved this scripture and loved Nephi for this remarkable response to the Lord’s request all my life.
How do we respond when the Lord or His servants ask difficult things of us? Do we murmur and dig in our heels like Laman and Lemuel, or do we trust in the Lord and agree to “go and do” like Nephi? I suspect we all have a little of both in us. Let’s work on the Nephi part of us and try to overcome the Laman/Lemuel part.
Remember the story of two wolves? A wise Native American father was teaching his headstrong young son. The father told the new brave that he had two wolves fighting inside of him – a courageous, kind and good wolf and a cowardly, angry and evil wolf. They were fighting inside of him to see which one will be in control. His son asked him, “Which wolf will win?” His wise father replied, “The wolf you feed!”
We need to feed the Nephi inside of us by being obedient, humble, teachable and doing what we are asked to do, starting with the simple things – meaningful daily prayer, serious daily scripture study, weekly worship in sacrament meeting, honoring the whole Sabbath Day, regular temple attendance, selfless service to others, and strict obedience the commandments of the Lord, particularly to the law of chastity. If we will do these things, the Nephi inside of us will win over the Laman and Lemuel who try to drag us down. It’s a life-long battle, but one that is worth fighting every day!
1 Nephi 3:11 First attempt for the plates - “we cast lots”
So the brothers went off to Jerusalem, a 3 day journey in the desert. When they got there, they decided to cast lots (whatever that means. Today we draw straws, cut the cards, roll the dice, play “rock, paper, scissors”, etc.). However they did it, they let luck (or lack of luck) determine who should go ask Laban for the plates.
Notice that the brothers will end up trying three different ways to get the plates. The first way they try is to leave it to chance, just see what happens, just go with “whatever”. How often do we go through life just letting whatever happens happen? Is this how we approach school, preparing for a mission, our career, finding our eternal companion, homemaking, raising our family, serving in the Church, fulfilling our calling as a ministering brother or sister, or following the Prophet? If so, maybe we can learn from the experience of this “band of brothers.”
Laman goes unprepared to meet Laban and fails. He is accused of being a robber and barely escapes with his life. He’s ready to head back to camp and tell his father they couldn’t get the plates. He is not happy about this whole “plates” thing!
1 Nephi 3:15-21 Nephi’s oath - “as the Lord liveth, and as we live”
Nephi, true to form, responds with courage and faith. He pledges with an oath that they will get the plates or die trying. He is not going to give up and he is not going to fail.
Thus Nephi made God his partner. If he failed to get the plates, it meant God had failed. And because God does not fail, it was incumbent upon Nephi to get the plates or lay down his life in the attempt. Bruce R. McConkie, Conference Report, April 1982
1 Nephi 3:22-27 Second attempt for the plates – “gold, silver and precious things”
His brothers aren’t excited, but they agree to try to induce Laban to give them the plates by making a gift to him of their wealth. So “we did gather together our gold, and our silver, and our precious things.”
We learn from this that Lehi was prosperous. Some have suggested that he was a trader who bought and sold merchandise from far away places or maybe he traveled to some of those places because he was ready to head out into the desert at the command of the Lord. Others have suggested that he (or his son Nephi, perhaps his apprentice) was a metal worker, i.e. a jeweler because of his ability to make plates and tools out of metal. In any event, he had gold, silver and precious things.
The brothers gather up their wealth and take it to Laban as a gift in hopes that he will respond with a gift of the plates. This is the oriental way – a gift for a gift. They weren’t really trying to buy the plates. There is no mention of bartering for a price. But Laban doesn’t play the game. Consumed by greed, he takes their treasure and sends his servants (was Zoram one of them?) to slay them. Once again, they barely escape with their lives.
The second method of trying to do something hard is to rely on the “arm of flesh”, i.e. to use the things of the world to try and accomplish something difficult. They tried to get the plates with their wealth. We often rely on our own strengths, knowledge, experience, talents, abilities to do hard things. It’s not that these things are bad, but, in the service of the Lord, we need to rely on Him not on ourselves. The Savior told his disciples shortly before His death,
I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing. (John 15:5)
In the work of the Lord, without Him we can do nothing. We may be tempted to rely on our own strength and brilliance, but we will only be successful as we rely on the Lord, whose servants we are.
The second method (relying on the arm of flesh) doesn’t work either. There must be another way.
1 Nephi 3:27-28 “They did smite us even with a rod”
Laman and Lemuel are really angry now! Not only did they not get the plates and were nearly killed, but now they are poor! There is no going back to Jerusalem because their wealth is gone. They might have to work for a living! They have burned their bridges. So they start to beat up on their younger brothers Sam and Nephi. (Note that Sam is standing with his younger brother Nephi. As far as I can tell, he always did. Good for Sam!)
1 Nephi 3:29-31 Saved by an angel!
While Laman and Lemuel are beating up on their younger brothers, an angel appears to them and tells them to stop. The angel tells them that Nephi will be a ruler over them because of their iniquities. And he tells them to go back to Jerusalem and the Lord will deliver Laban into their hands. (Notice that the angel didn’t say the Lord would deliver the plates into their hands, but He would deliver Laban.)
Who was that angel? We don’t know. We can only guess. It’s something we like to do as a family when reading the scriptures. When we get to the story of the angel appearing to Alma, the Younger, and the sons of Mosiah, I’ll tell you who we think that angel was. But we don’t know who this angel is. If you’ll allow a little speculation, we can suggest some possibilities.
Angels come in three varieties: (1) resurrected personages (like Moroni or John the Baptist appearing to Joseph Smith); (2) translated beings (like Moses and Elijah appearing on the Mount of Transfiguration); and (3) “just men made perfect”, i.e. messengers from the spirit world who have lived on this earth and have died but are not yet resurrected. Probably most of the messengers who minister to mortal men and women are in this category. Joseph F. Smith said:
In like manner our fathers and mothers, brothers, sisters and friends who have passed away from this earth, having been faithful, and worthy to enjoy these rights and privileges, may have a mission given them to visit their relatives and friends upon the earth again, bringing from the divine Presence messages of love, of warning, or reproof and instruction, to those whom they had learned to love in the flesh. Gospel Doctrine, 5th ed. (1939), 436
Obviously, there were no resurrected beings in 600 BC, so this angel was either a translated being (Moses? Elijah? Enoch? Someone else?) or a messenger from the spirit world. I like to think it might have been Joseph, son of Jacob (Israel) who was sold into Egypt by his brothers. He is one of Nephi’s ancestors and he knew what it was like to have his brothers beat up on him. And he is very concerned with the success of the Lehi colony because they are going to his land, the Land of Promise, which was promised to him (See Genesis 49:22). We don’t know, but it is interesting to wonder.
I learned years ago when I become aware of the presence of someone from the other side of the veil (I’ve never seen anyone or heard a voice, but sometimes I can definitely tell they are there.) to ask, “Who is it?” Sometimes it is immediately made known who it is, usually a deceased family member. Sometimes, it’s not clear. No particular person is made known. Since “angels speak by the power of the Holy Ghost” (2 Nephi 32:3), when a messenger comes from beyond the veil, it feels like the “Spirit”, like the Holy Ghost. I wonder if we can turn that verse around and say, “the Holy Ghost speaks to us through angels.” I suspect that many times when we feel “the Spirit” and receive a message from the Lord it is actually delivered by an angel, probably a deceased family member, sent under the direction of the Holy Ghost. Someday we’ll know.
1 Nephi 3:32 How many times does it take?
The angel departs and Laman and Lemuel immediately start murmuring again. What does it take? In the last chapter, the Spirit caused their frames to shake and now they have seen an angel. But they still don’t get it! They still doubt and murmur. What will it take to finally get them to quit murmuring and get on board with this mission from the Lord? Unfortunately, they never do. They have their moments of humility and repentance, but sooner or later they go back to murmuring. What a shame! What great men they could have been! It makes us wonder what the story of the Book of Mormon would have been like if they had been faithful. On the other hand, maybe the story wouldn’t be as valuable to us without the contrast between Laman and Lemuel and their brothers Nephi and Sam and the contrast and conflict between Nephites and Lamanites that follows all through the Book of Mormon. It is a good example of “opposition in all things”! (2 Nephi 2:11)
1st Nephi Chapter 4
1 Nephi 4:1-3 “Let us be strong like unto Moses”
Laman and Lemuel know that Laban is a “mighty man” and can command 50 men (suggesting that he may be some sort of a military officer in Jerusalem) and could slay 50 men, so why can’t he slay them? How quickly they forget the words of the angel! But as Chapter 4 begins (Remember that the Book of Mormon was not divided into chapters and verses when it was first translated, so this is an artificial break in the story.), Nephi again shows his courage and trust in the Lord and reminds his faithless older brothers that the Lord “is mightier than all the earth” so He is mightier than Laban or his fifty or even 10,000.
Nephi then does something that inspired prophets and leaders often do in the Book of Mormon, he calls on the memory of a courageous and faithful hero of the past as a reminder of what the Lord had done through them in order to strengthen those in the present. In this case, he calls on the memory of the great prophet Moses and reminds his brothers how the Lord brought the Children of Israel out of Egypt, through the Red Sea on dry ground and drowned the armies of Pharaoh. If the Lord could do that for Moses, why can’t he help them get past Laban and obtain the plates as the Lord had told his father in a dream was necessary?
Interestingly, throughout the rest of the Book of Mormon, the prophets and leaders will use Nephi as a prime example of faith and courage, his getting the plates, building a ship, crossing the ocean, etc. in trying to inspire others to be strong and trust in the Lord. In our day, don’t we do the same? We tell the stories of courageous pioneers and of faithful ancestors who joined the Church and made great sacrifices so that we can have the Gospel today. Someday, maybe some of our grandchildren or their children will point to our picture on the mantel and tell stories of our courage and faithfulness (though we would be the first to deny that we did anything special.) I think this is especially true for those who are first generation members of the Church. I think of one lovely young lady who lives in Wales. She was baptized less than two years ago, the only member of our church in her family. She will leave on a mission for 18 months next week. When she first told her mother of her desire to serve a mission, her mother wouldn’t speak to her for weeks, but gratefully is now supportive. One day, her grandchildren or great grandchildren will point to a picture of “Grandma Emily” and tell the story of her faith and courage. Hopefully, they will want to be better and stronger because of her example. Each of us can be someone else’s inspiration and give them hope, if we will just stay on the Covenant Path and do the best we can to do the things we’ve been asked by our Prophet to do. It’s not rocket science. But it is the stuff that eternity is made of!
1 Nephi 4:4-5 Nephi is on his own
His brothers were still angry, but they went with him back to Jerusalem, hiding outside the walls. That’s as far as they were willing to do. Nephi was now on his own. But he was not alone. Just as young David went up against a massive Goliath (“for the battle is the Lord’s, and he will give you into our hands” 1 Samuel 17:47), Nephi left his brothers outside the walls of Jerusalem and went alone to find Laban.
1 Nephi 4:6 Third attempt for the plates - “I was led by the Spirit”
The next verse ranks with chapter 3 verse 7, “I will go and do” in importance in this story. In fact, the two verses are best quoted together. Nephi now gives us the third and only sure way to face the challenges in life (not leaving it to chance or relying on the arm of flesh) but to trust in the Lord and do it His way. Telling his own story, he writes, “And I was led by the Spirit, not knowing beforehand the things which I should do.”
We all face difficult situations – crucial conversations, new challenges, difficult relationships, critical interactions – usually with people we love, often with some of those closest to us, when we don’t know how it will come out and we aren’t scripted; we just trust the Lord that He will guide us by the Spirit. As a priesthood leader, I have listened to people with challenging problems and perplexing questions not having a clue how to respond or what to suggest, only to be taught by the Spirit as the words came out of my mouth. It doesn’t always work that way, but it has often enough to know that the Lord is in charge, if I am humble enough to get out of the way and let Him lead the way.
Nephi is not alone. The Lord is with him because he is being led by the Spirit.
1 Nephi 4:7-18 “I did obey the voice of the Spirit
The next several verses tell the story of Nephi’s encounter with a drunken Laban. The first thing he notices is Laban’s remarkable sword. The hilt was of gold with “exceedingly fine” workmanship and the blade was of “most precious” steel. Sounds like Nephi knows metal. As we’ve suggested, he may have been a metal worker by trade, or learning the trade from his father. This sword plays an important role all through the Book of Mormon. Nephi will later use this sword as a pattern to make swords to defend themselves against the Lamanites. This sword is passed through a line of successive kings. We see King Benjamin give the sword of Laban to his son Mosiah in Mosiah 1:16. The next time we read of the sword of Laban in the scriptures is in D&C 17:1 when the Lord tells the Three Witnesses that they will not only see the plates and the interpreters, but they will also see the sword of Laban. It’s not in the scriptures, but in Brigham Young’s description of the vision of “Cumorah’s Cave” he also describes the sword of Laban which he says Joseph and Oliver saw. I’ve already quoted this once, but for those of you who missed it, here is the quote by Brigham Young:
I believe I will take the liberty to tell you of another circumstance that will be as marvelous as anything can be. This is an incident in the life of Oliver Cowdery, but he did not take the liberty of telling such things in meeting as I take. I tell these things to you, and I have a motive for doing so. I want to carry them to the ears of my brethren and sisters, and to the children also, that they may grow to an understanding of some things that seem to be entirely hidden from the human family. Oliver Cowdery went with the Prophet Joseph when he deposited these plates. Joseph did not translate all of the plates; there was a portion of them sealed, which you can learn from the Book of Doctrine and Covenants. When Joseph got the plates, the angel instructed him to carry them back to the hill Cumorah, which he did. Oliver says that when Joseph and Oliver went there, the hill opened, and they walked into a cave, in which there was a large and spacious room. He says he did not think, at the time, whether they had the light of the sun or artificial light; but that it was just as light as day. They laid the plates on a table; it was a large table that stood in the room. Under this table there was a pile of plates as much as two feet high, and there were altogether in this room more plates than probably many wagon loads; they were piled up in the corners and along the walls. The first time they went there the sword of Laban hung upon the wall; but when they went again it had been taken down and laid upon the table across the gold plates; it was unsheathed, and on it was written these words: "This sword will never be sheathed again until the kingdoms of this world become the kingdom of our God and his Christ.” Journal of Discourses 19:38.
Note that the sword appears to be protecting the plates and has new writing on it (like the Liahona) in this vision. Very interesting! Someday, we’ll get to see that sword and the plates!
Nephi then relates in his own words his interaction with the Spirit and the struggle he had with the instruction from the Spirit to kill Laban. Remember, Nephi is the “poster child” of obedience. He wants to be obedient. But of all the challenges in his life, this is the time when his obedience appears to have been most severely tested. He says that he “shrunk and would that I might not slay him.” Even 30 years later, Nephi can remember how difficult this was for him. The Spirit has to tell him 3 times to kill Laban. He goes through in his mind the reasons why it is necessary to kill Laban, but Nephi still doesn’t want to do it. Did not Jehovah tell Moses on Mt. Sinai, “Thou shalt not kill”? (Exodus 20:13)
Nephi has never done anything like this before. This was “Abrahamic” for him. By 30 years later, he’s been through some tough times, like when his brothers tried to kill him when he told them he was going to build a ship, and again while they were on the water and a third time after his father died. But he doesn’t appear to have struggled with any of those tests like he is struggling with the instruction to kill Laban. And he knows that others will struggle with his decision to go through with it when they read his story in the Small Plates. Indeed, some people reading the Book of Mormon “hit the wall” only four chapters into the book and quit reading because of this episode. They can’t believe that a book written by someone who would kill a man could be the word of God. Some modern writers sympathetic to Nephi have pointed to provisions in the Levitical Law that justified Nephi in killing Laban. But that doesn’t seem to have been part of his decision process. He is struggling with the Spirit to reconcile what he has always been taught and known to be true (“Thou shalt not kill.) versus what he is being told by the Spirit (“I was constrained by the Spirit that I should kill Laban.”) Abraham must have struggled with the same dilemma. We don’t know how long it took, probably less than a minute or two, for Nephi to work through this and decide to be obedient. As cruel as it sounds, he did the right thing and used Laban’s sword to cut off his head. Joseph Smith said:
That which is wrong under one circumstance, may be, and often is, right under another. God said, ‘Thou shalt not kill’; at another time he said, ‘Thou shalt utterly destroy.’ This is the principle on which the government of heaven is conducted, by revelation adapted to the circumstances in which the children of the Kingdom are placed. Whatever God requires is right, no matter what it is, although we may not see the reason thereof till long after the events transpire. If we seek first the kingdom of God, all good things will be added. Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith (TPJS) p. 256
Whatever God requires is right, no matter what it is! Nephi’s experience with Laban is a dramatic example of this principle and the dilemmas that it may produce. What kinds of challenges will we face in our lives as we struggle between what we have always believed and what the Spirit is telling us to do?spa New converts face this dilemma when they have to decide whether to leave what they have always believed and follow the impression of the Spirit to believe the missionaries and be baptized into our church. Similarly, I’m glad I didn’t live in the period of time when the faithful Saints were asked by the Lord to practice polygamy. I don’t know if I could have passed that test. I’m grateful I don’t have to face that challenge! Whatever our test, our challenge is to find out from the Lord through His Spirit what He wants us to do and then to be like Nephi and do it! Thanks, Nephi, for your courageous, obedient example!
1 Nephi 4:19-38 Nephi and Zoram
The remainder of Chapter 4 tells the story of what happens after Nephi cut off Laban’s head. There are some interesting points to notice. Here are a few:
How did Nephi get Laban’s clothes off of him after cutting off his head without making a mess and getting blood all over the clothes? I guess he didn’t feel like it was important for us to know.
When Nephi spoke to Laban’s servant, “I spake unto him as if it had been Laban.” Was this an example of the Gift of Tongue in Nephi? Maybe so. Certainly, the Lord was with him and he was deserving of the gifts of the Spirit.
It’s good that Nephi was large and strong! You can picture the problem when his brothers thought it was Laban and his servant coming to get them, so they start to run. Nephi calls after them, but now Laban’s servant knows that he is not following his master, so he starts to run. Fortunately, Nephi was fast and strong enough to hold Laban’s servant until he could make an oath to him.
Notice again the power of an oath. Nephi makes an oath to the servant of Laban promising that, if he will go with them, he will be a free man. This servant is in a difficult situation. If he goes back to Jerusalem, he could be accused of the murder of Laban, his master, and stealing the Plates of Brass. That’s not a good option. But he doesn’t know these men who want them to follow him. Maybe they will kill him, too. It must have been Nephi’s oath and the prospect of becoming a free man that caused him to make an oath to Nephi that he would go with them. Once Laban’s servant makes an oath, he becomes a free man and for the first time Nephi calls him by name, Zoram. He is no longer a servant, he is now their brother and deserves to be called by his proper name. (It reminds me of the change that came over the house elf, Dobby, when he gets a sock – he was a changed elf!) Zoram is a changed man! They don’t have to worry about him any more. He goes with the Lehi colony, marries the oldest daughter of Ishmael and we hear of his descendants a number of times in the Book of Mormon, including when Alma, Amulek and others go on a mission to the Zoramites living in the land of Antionum to try to reclaim them.
Nephi and his brothers with their new “brother” Zoram can now return to the camp of their father and mother, 3 days away, taking with them the Plates of Brass, the sword of Laban and their new brother. They must be feeling pretty good, but it’s been a tough time for Sariah, as we will see in the next chapter.
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