#21 FEBRUARY 3-9, 2 NEPHI 2-3

February 7, 2020

#21 FEBRUARY 3-9, 2 NEPHI 2-3

Powerful chapters!

            In this blog post, we will consider two powerful chapters, 2 Nephi chapters 2 and 3. To use a favorite phrase of Elder Maxwell’s, these chapters are doctrinally drenched! Lehi, the patriarch of his family, with Sariah, the matriarch of her family, at his side, is still giving counsel, instruction, prophecy and blessings to his posterity. He has spoken specifically to Laman, Lemuel, Sam and Zoram in chapter 1. He will now speak specifically to Jacob in chapter 2 and to Joseph in chapter 3. These are his youngest sons, born since he left Jerusalem. We don’t know exactly how old they were when Lehi gave them these blessings. We know they were born after the family left Jerusalem but before they made the voyage to the land of promise. The family has probably been in the promised land for at least a few years when these blessings occur because not long after Lehi speaks to his family, he will “wax old” and then die. And not long after his death Nephi will lead those who are willing to follow him away from the rest of the family and they will establish a new place to live (2 Nephi chapter 5) and construct buildings and a temple. After all that has happened and Jacob and Joseph are ordained to the priesthood, Nephi will tell us that thirty years had passed away from the time we left Jerusalem (2 Nephi 5:28). So the boys are most likely teenagers, though Joseph could still be only 10 years old or so and Jacob could be in his early 20s.

Chapter 2

Initial words to Jacob

            Lehi reminds Jacob that Thou art my firstborn in the days of my tribulation in the wilderness (v. 1). It is significant that Lehi calls Jacob his “firstborn.” Since the days of Moses, the 10th plague and the Exodus from Egypt, the first born male in each Israelite family was to be given to the Lord for temple service. This responsibility later shifted to the tribe of Levi, but first born males from each tribe had to be “redeemed” from temple service by the payment of a specific offering. That’s why Mary and Joseph took Jesus, a firstborn of the tribe of Judah, to the temple in Jerusalem at 40 days of age – to make the required offering to fulfill this law. Laman, Lehi’s firstborn, is not fit for temple service because of his hard heart and hatred for his father and righteous younger brother. So Lehi is here presaging the fact that Jacob will effectively take Laman’s place as the “firstborn” giving his life to temple service, as we will see later. Lehi also says to Jacob, thy days shall be spent in the service of thy God (v.3). But that doesn’t mean that Jacob will be celibate and have no family. If not already married, he eventually will marry and have at least one son, Enos, who has a great experience with the Lord which we’ll consider later. Lehi’s counsel and teaching to Jacob have strong temple overtones, as we will see.

            Lehi reminds Jacob that his life has not been easy. In thy childhood thou hast suffered afflictions and much sorrow, because of the rudeness of thy brethren (v. 1). Lehi goes on to tell Jacob, thou knowest the greatness of God; and he shall consecrate thine afflictions for thy gain (v. 2). Jacob has known significant opposition in his young life – crossing the desert wilderness, nearly being drowned at sea, establishing himself with his family in a new land and, most difficult of all, seeing his older brothers rebel against their parents and against Nephi, causing significant family discord. The role of adversity and the importance of opposition in our lives will be an important part of Lehi’s counsel to Jacob.

            Perhaps this adversity has caused Jacob to mature more quickly than most and, in his case, has turned him to the Lord. Lehi bears testimony to his son of the Redeemer in these words: thou art redeemed, because of the righteousness of thy Redeemer; for thou hast beheld that in the fulness of time he cometh to bring salvation unto men (v.3). He then goes on to make the astounding statement: thou hast beheld in thy youth his glory; wherefore, thou art blessed even as they unto whom he shall minister in the flesh (v.4). We have no detail about this experience of Jacob’s in which he sees the Lord. There is nothing in the words of Lehi or Jacob that tells us more, though we’d love to know more about what must have been a wonderful experience. Though Nephi does one time write, my brother, Jacob, also has ​​​seen​ him as I have seen him (2 Nephi 11:3) though he doesn’t supply any details either. Someday, we’ll know more.

            Jacob must have been a man of great faith. Not only did he see the Lord in his youth, but his sermons and writings are powerful. For instance, his two-day sermon in 2 Nephi 6-10 is one of the most elucidating sermons in all scripture on the Atonement of Jesus Christ. It includes this profound revelation: it must needs be expedient that Christ—for in the last night the angel spake unto me that this should be his name—should come among the Jews, among those who are the more wicked part of the world; and they shall crucify him (2 Nephi 10:3). This is the first instance of the use of the name-title Christ in the Book of Mormon.

The Holy Messiah

            Anyhow, Lehi knows that Jacob is spiritually mature and acquainted with the Lord, so he feels comfortable talking to his son about the Holy Messiah and His mission. (By the way, as far as I can tell, Lehi is the only prophet or writer in the scriptures to use the term Holy Messiah to describe the Lord, Jesus Christ.) Lehi makes the powerful statement that redemption cometh in and through the Holy Messiah; for he is full of grace and truth (v.6). In discussing the law and justification, Lehi tells Jacob, that the Holy Messiah offereth himself a sacrifice for sin, to answer the ends of the law, unto all those who have a broken heart and a contrite spirit (v.7). Further, there is no flesh that can dwell in the presence of God, save it be through the merits, and mercy, and grace of the Holy Messiah (v.8) (emphasis added).

            Grace is a subject that can be confusing to some as they learn about the gospel. The great Christian debate of the Reformation was about grace vs works. The protestors (Protestants) asserted that we are saved by grace and not by any works of our own. For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: (Ephesians 2:8). The traditional (Catholic) viewpoint was that it was by obedience to sacred ordinances, the sacraments, that we are saved. In their Commentary, Millet and McConkie have written:

No doctrine has been more confused by modern Christianity than that of salvation by grace. This popular Christian doctrine—in which the grace of Christ is made to appear the summum bonum of the whole matter of salvation, ignoring all other principles of the gospel—is dependent on an extremely selective reading of verses from the epistles of Paul. The position is such a distortion of truth that even Christ cannot be quoted to sustain it. To our everlasting blessing, the Book of Mormon teaches the doctrine of salvation by grace in plainness and clarity. In the instance of this chapter Lehi discourses with marvelous power on the matters of obedience to the law and of the saving grace of Christ.

As the perfect resolution to this grace vs works dilemma, Nephi later gives us the inspired reconciliation: for we know that it is by grace that we are saved, after all we can do (2 Nephi 25:23). We must do all we can do by keeping the commandments and ordinances of the gospel in order to be in the covenant relationship with the Savior (i.e. to be justified). If we do, or as we do, He saves us. We will talk more about this later when we get to 2 Nephi 25.

Opposition in all things

            Lehi goes on for several verses speaking to Jacob about the role of the Holy Messiah to make intercession for all (v.10). It is a complicated argument. The crux of appreciating what Lehi wants Jacob to understand is: For it must needs be, that there is an opposition in all things (v.11). This is a profound statement which unravels much of the mystery of life and answers the difficult question, “Why do bad things happen to good people?” In addressing this question previously, I have written:

The question for today is one of the most often asked questions by the faithful and especially by those who don't believe in God and want to argue against His existence using "logic" such as, "If there were a God, he wouldn't allow . . ." and then mentioning some tragedy, natural or man-caused. It is one thing to argue against this logic in theory, but it is quite another to argue against it when the tragedy or effect of opposition happens in our own life or that of someone we love. Then the question becomes very real - why does God allow evil and suffering?

Lehi gives the most cogent doctrinal answer to this question found in the scriptures - because "it must needs be, that there is an opposition in all things" (v. 11) If it were not so the wisdom, eternal purposes, power, mercy and justice of God would be destroyed. (v. 12)

Opposition is necessary for God's children to act independently in this life, to exercise their agency rather than to be acted upon and in order for them to be truly tested and to grow and develop. But agency and opposition come at a dear cost - not everything in life will be good or easy.

Agency and choice

The flip side of the coin of opposition is agency. Next to life itself (including the gift of His Son), the greatest gift that our loving Father has given to us is our agency, the power to make choices for ourselves. Opposition is necessary to create the opportunity to make real choices. Hence, agency (choice) and opposition (including adversity) are closely linked together and essential for our progress in this earthly estate.

There is no such thing as “free agency” (though you will find that term in LDS literature but not in the scriptures). Agency comes at a great cost. Agency is anything but “free”! In the pre-earthly existence, the cost of agency was that our Heavenly Parents lost one third of Their spirit children over the issue of whether agency would be operative in this world. Further, in order for agency to actually be operative in this world, there needed to be a plan for the other two thirds of Their children (ourselves included) who earned the right to come to this earth to be able learn the lessons of this life in order to return to Their presence. The dilemma is that, with agency – the ability to choose – come the consequences of wrong choices. None of us (except the Savior) chooses perfectly. We all make mistakes and transgress commandments of God. But since we can’t on our own accord escape the consequences of our wrong choices, none of us would be worthy to return to the presence of God where no unclean thing can dwell with God (1 Nephi 10:21). The solution to this dilemma is the Plan of Redemption, that our Father would provide a Savior to atone for the effects of our choices. Therefore, the price of agency is also the price of the atonement of Jesus Christ, the infinite sacrifice of the Lamb of God. No, agency is definitely not free! It was bought at a dear price, the sacrifice of the Son of God. But, yes, we are free to choose. Though we cannot choose the consequences of our choices, the consequences being fixed by law, we can escape the consequences of our own wrong choices and the negative effects on us of others’ wrong choices through the “merit, mercy and grace of the Holy Messiah”. In order for us to choose, there need to be alternatives from which to choose – thus the need for opposition in all things. No opposition, no choices. No choices, no agency. No agency, no growth. No growth, the plan for this life fails. So we need opposition, as difficult as it may be.

            This is such an important doctrinal concept that I’d like to give you two good quotes from trusted sources on this subject. First from the Millet and McConkie Commentary:

No virtue can exist without its corresponding evil: without the evil of danger there could be no courage, without suffering there could be no sympathy, without poverty there could be no generosity, and so forth. Without darkness there could be no light, without cold there could be no hot, without depths there could be no heights. Thus there must be wickedness so there might be righteousness, death so there might be life, that which is satanic so there might be that which is godly. Were there no opposites, all things must remain “a compound in one.” Imagine a world in which all things were the same color, were the same size, and had the same function—a world in which one could neither have nor be without; a world with neither sound nor silence; a world in which there was no beauty or lack of it; a world without love or hate, the sweet or the sour, virtue or vice.

It is the existence of opposites coupled with the agency of man that gives meaning and purpose to our moral probation. Laws are essential to the purposeful life, as is a clear distinction between good and evil. Any therapy that purports to free men from the burden of sin by denying the existence of sin also denies to its adherents that joy and peace which can only be known by obedience to the laws of God. Any religious system in which a profession of faith is accepted as a substitute for true repentance denies its practitioners not only relief from the burden of sin but also the very knowledge of how one obtains God’s favor and progresses in the direction of the divine presence.

And from A Companion to your study of the Book of Mormon by Daniel Ludlow:

Notice the major points in Lehi's argument as to why there must be opposition before a man can be truly free and before he can experience real joy: (1) Every law has both a punishment and a blessing attached to it. (2) Disobedience to law requires a punishment which results in misery. (3) Obedience to law provides a blessing which results in happiness (joy). (4) Without law there can be neither punishment nor blessing, neither misery nor happiness—only innocence. (5) Thus happiness (or joy) can exist only where the possibility of the opposite (unhappiness or misery) also exists. (6) In order to exercise free agency a person must have the possibility (and the freedom) of choice; in a world without law—and thus without choice—there could be no freedom of choice and thus no true exercise of free agency. (2 Nephi 2:15-16; see also Alma 12:31-32 and Alma 42:17-25.)

Lehi does not say it is necessary to choose evil in order to recognize good from evil, but he does make it quite clear that a choice of opposites is necessary for growth.

The Garden and the Fall

Lehi now shifts in verse 14 and addresses my sons. It’s not clear if the earlier words were spoken only to Jacob and not heard by the others or if the other brothers were listening and now he wants to include them in the discussion. Regardless, to further explain the concepts of choice and opposition in all things, Lehi goes on now to recount the story of Adam and Eve, their placement in the Garden of Eden, the role of the devil and their choice whether or not to take of the forbidden fruit. This story is familiar to each of you. There is much that I could write about this subject and much more I could say if we were in the temple together. Even in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, where we have through the Restoration an enlightened understanding of the roles of Adam and Eve and of the Fall, there is much written about this subject including some disagreement in understanding of some of the elements of the story.

In order for agency to be operative in the Garden, Adam and Eve needed to have choices – real choices with real consequences. The two real choices were signified by two trees, the Tree of Life and the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil. Whether there really were two trees or if the story is figurative in that respect, I don’t know. Personally, I believe there were, in fact, two trees. Just as partaking of a small piece of broken bread and drinking a small cup of water has great meaning for us in remembering our Savior’s sacrifice and signifies to our Father in Heaven that we choose to follow His Son, partaking of fruit from one of the two trees may have been used by the Father as a way for Adam and Eve to indicate to Him their choice in this matter. They also needed some opposition in the choice. Father had already instructed them not to eat of the fruit of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil telling them that death would eventually follow, if they did. But He still allowed them their agency and told them that they had the freedom to choose. Father had already instructed them to multiply and replenish the earth. They couldn’t do that in their current state in the Garden. So they had to choose – don’t eat the fruit, stay in the Garden, live forever, but no children – or – eat the fruit, leave the Garden, have children, but eventually die. They couldn’t keep both commandments, so they had to choose. Further, to allow for real opposition to exist, our Father allowed Satan, one of His noble spirit sons who was cast out of heaven for rebellion, to entice Adam and Eve to eat of the forbidden fruit. Satan, even that old serpent, who is the devil, who is the father of all lies (v.18) could not persuade Adam to take the fruit but was able to successfully entice Eve by lying to her. And she was then successful in persuading Adam to follow her example and take the fruit. Thus occurred the Fall.

The role of Eve

Herein lies what is the most controversial element of the story for many. Many struggle with the role of Eve, whether or not she was, as Paul wrote, beguiled by the serpent (2 Cor 11:3) and, if so, what that means. I’ve read articles and even books on this issue. There is no shortage of opinions and analyses of this question. (If you want to read a summary of the arguments by LDS scholars from a trusted source which I found to be very good, here is a link to follow: https://interpreterfoundation.org/did-satan-actually-deceive-eve/

 Until we know more about how it all really happened, I’ll take Eve at her word when she says, The serpent beguiled me and I did eat (Moses 4:19). I have great respect and love for our noble Mother Eve. Even if she was temporarily deceived by Satan’s lies and half truths, she figured it out before Adam did and courageously led the two of them forward from the Garden to have children and to learn by their own experience good from evil and thus fulfill the purpose of their creation. I picture us, her future posterity, watching from our pre-earthly existence cheering her on for her courage. As one author suggested, we may have been “up there” chanting, “Eat the fruit! Eat the fruit!” Until she, actually until both of them, partook of the fruit, we were stuck in the pre-earthly existence and the Plan was on hold. My very bright and insightful cousin, Doug Callister, suggested once that, if Satan had really understood God’s plan, instead of enticing Eve to take the fruit, he would have said to her, “Whatever you do, don’t you dare partake of the fruit of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil.”

The role of Adam

            I also have great love and respect for our noble Father Adam. Even though Eve was the first to eat of the fruit, if he had not done so, the Plan would have been void. He also needed to be sufficiently wise and courageous to see the importance of taking the harder path in order to move forward.

            An interesting question is, when did the Fall occur? Did it occur when Eve partook of the fruit? I don’t think so. What she did, as described above was pivotal and courageous, but I personally don’t believe that the Fall actually occurred until Adam partook of the fruit. Perhaps the Fall is in a sense a priesthood ordinance that needed to be performed by an authorized priesthood holder, the patriarch of the race. Eve would play her essential role as the mother of all living (Moses 4:26), but Adam had a role to play as the patriarch. In the same way as the Atonement may be a priesthood ordinance which could only be performed by the Only Begotten Son of God, perhaps the Fall could only be initiated by the father of the the race of men and women, Adam, the first man. Regardless, Eve and Adam both played their roles perfectly with vision and courage and paved the way for the Plan of our Father to move forward. We will be forever grateful to them and will forever honor their names.

They would not have had children

            A great contribution of the Book of Mormon to our understanding of the Fall is in these two verses:

. . . if Adam had not transgressed he would not have fallen, but he would have remained in the garden of Eden. And all things which were created must have remained in the same state in which they were after they were created; and they must have remained forever, and had no end. And they would have had no children; wherefore they would have remained in a state of innocence, having no joy, for they knew no misery; doing no good, for they knew no sin (vs. 22-23)

In summary of his teachings about Eve, Adam and the Fall, Lehi says to his sons these immortal words:

. . . all things have been done in the wisdom of him who knoweth all things. Adam fell that men might be; and men are, that they might have joy. And the Messiah cometh in the fulness of time, that he may redeem the children of men from the fall. And because that they are redeemed from the fall they have become free forever, knowing good from evil; to act for themselves and not to be acted upon (vs. 24-26)

Because Adam (meaning Adam and Eve) chose to leave the Garden so we could be born and because the Messiah came to redeem us from the effects of the Fall (physical and spiritual death), we are free to choose as accountable agents and not to be controlled by anyone else. And, most importantly, even though we have to make some wrong choices and experience opposition in this life in order to learn, the Atonement of the Savior Jesus Christ is sufficient for all of the effects of the Fall in our lives, including physical and spiritual death and our wrong choices. Because of Him, we can come back into the presence of our loving Father and inherit all of the blessings He intends for His obedient children. Life is good!

Understanding this marvelous plan prompted Adam and Eve to exclaim:

(Adam) Blessed be the name of God, for because of my transgression my eyes are opened, and in this life I shall have joy, and again in the flesh I shall see God.

(Eve) Were it not for our transgression we never should have had seed, and never should have known good and evil, and the joy of our redemption, and the eternal life which God giveth unto all the obedient. (Moses 5:10-11)

Look to the great Mediator

            In his final words (in this chapter) to Jacob and his brothers, Lehi pleads for them in these words:

. . . my sons, I would that ye should look to the great Mediator, and hearken unto his great commandments; and be faithful unto his words, and choose eternal life, according to the will of his Holy Spirit; And not choose eternal death, according to the will of the flesh and the evil which is therein, which giveth the spirit of the devil power to captivate, to bring you down to hell, that he may reign over you in his own kingdom (vs. 28-29)

Each of us, like Lehi’s sons, has the opportunity because of Agency, Adam, Eve, Opposition and the Atonement of Jesus Christ to choose “eternal life” by following the commandments and ordinances given by our Father which define the Covenant Path that will eventually bring us home. But we can also choose “eternal death” by rejecting the commandments and ordinances of the gospel, leaving the Covenant Path and thus forfeiting our access to all the blessings of the Atonement of Christ, which, as Eve said above, are predicated on our obedience. It is of eternal importance for us to learn to choose well!

But not everyone chooses well in this life. Some are blinded by the things of the world, embittered by the effects of opposition or the choices of others or enticed by the same “father of lies” who enticed Eve. Unfortunately some, despite the best efforts of those who love them, choose to leave the Covenant Path. Like those in Lehi’s Dream of the Tree of Life, they either let go of the Rod of Iron and get lost in the Mists of Darkness or they become ashamed after partaking of the fruit because of the scoffs and scorn of those in the Great and Spacious Building. They wander off in forbidden paths. In many good families with faithful parents who are doing their very best, some of their children will leave the Covenant Path, at least for a season, based on their choices in this life. But the story is not over. We will continue to love and pray for them in this life and we will hope and pray and trust in the promises of prophets that, if we are faithful to our covenants, they will be given opportunity to choose “eternal life” in the next world before the final judgment is rendered by the perfect Judge of all.

Chapter 3

Thanks for staying with me and reading this far. I promise to be much shorter in writing about 2 Nephi chapter 3, as important a chapter as it is.

These are the words of Lehi to his youngest son Joseph, who was also born in the wilderness after the family left Jerusalem. He is probably just a young lad maybe 10 or 12 years old or not much more than that. That’s about how old they cast him in the Book of Mormon video.

In this patriarchal blessing for his son Joseph, Lehi prays may the Lord consecrate also unto thee this land and promises him the inheritance of thy seed with thy brethren (v.2). I’ve always assumed that he meant that Joseph’s seed (posterity) would be mixed with that of Nephi, Sam and Jacob. But Lehi goes on to promise may the Lord bless thee forever, for thy seed shall not utterly be destroyed (v.3). It sounds like some of the seed of Joseph also mixed with that of Laman and Lemuel and thus were not “utterly destroyed” with the destruction of the Nephites.

Four Josephs

            In order to understand the rest of this chapter, you need to think about four “Josephs”, i.e. four scriptural persons named Joseph who figure into this chapter. Let’s give them numbers based on when they lived.

Joseph #1 – This is Joseph, the 11^th son of Jacob (Israel) who was sold by his brothers into Egypt, who was thrown in jail because Potiphar’s wife accused him of trying to seduce her when it was the other way around. This is the Joseph who interpreted the dreams of Pharaoh while in prison and ended up being Pharaoh’s chief minister to prepare for the great famine to come.   This is the Joseph brought his family to Egypt during the famine saving his father’s family. For those who know the musical Joseph and the Technicolor Dreamcoat, this is “go, go Joseph” from that fun musical. Finally, if you have received a patriarchal blessing and were told that you are of either the tribe of Ephraim or Manasseh, this is your very great grandfather, the father of Manasseh and Ephraim.

Joseph #2 – This is Joseph, the young son of Lehi, to whom Lehi is speaking, his sixth son. I can’t help but believe that Lehi and Sariah chose the name for their last son based on what Lehi learned in the Plates of Brass about his ancestry. It was common then (and with some today) to name children after ancestral parents. I suspect that is where Joseph, son of Lehi, got his name.

Joseph #3 – This is Joseph Smith, Senior, the first patriarch of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and the father of a large family, including his third son, who was named after him. (Why didn’t Joseph and Lucy name their first son after his father and call him “Joseph”? That would normally be the pattern. But instead, they had Alvin and Hyrum first and then had Joseph Jr..)  This Joseph (Joseph Sr.) was seen anciently by Joseph #1and prophesied of by him.

Joseph #4 – This is Joseph Smith, Junior, the Prophet of this Dispensation, the “choice seer” seen in vision by Joseph #1 thousands of years earlier. He would be one mighty among them, who shall do much good, both in word and in deed, being an instrument in the hands of God, with exceeding faith, to work mighty wonders, and do that thing which is great in the sight of God, unto the bringing to pass much restoration unto the house of Israel, and unto the seed of thy brethren (v.24).

            Now back to Lehi and his son Joseph. Lehi tells Joseph thou art the fruit of my loins; and I am a descendant of Joseph who was carried captive into Egypt (v.4) and that Joseph truly saw our day (v.5). Lehi learned from the Plates of Brass that the Lord would raise up a righteous branch of the House of Israel, not the Messiah, but a branch which was to be broken off (v.5). Don’t miss footnote 5a for this verse from the Joseph Smith Translation (JST) of Genesis chapter 50, the words of Joseph restored through Joseph Smith.

            Lehi now quotes directly from the words of Joseph #1 in the Plates of Brass for verses 6 through 15. He tells his son that Joseph #1 prophesied A seer shall the Lord my God raise up, who shall be a choice seer unto the fruit of my loins (v.6) and that his name [Joseph #4] shall be called after me; and it shall be after the name of his father [Joseph #3] (v.15). Incredible! Joseph (#1) in Egypt sees a Joseph (#4) who will live some 3400 years later on another continent, whose father’s name will also be Joseph (#3). The work which the Lord shall bring forth by his (Joseph #4) hand, by the power of the Lord shall bring my people unto salvation (v.15).

            In the intervening verses, Joseph (#1) prophesies of Moses, who will deliver his people out of Egypt and of the coming forth of the book from his posterity (the Book of Mormon) to be joined with the book to come forth from the loins of Judah (the Bible.) The two together, the Bible and Book of Mormon, will be unto the confounding of false doctrines and laying down of contentions, and establishing peace among the fruit of thy loins, and bringing them to the knowledge of their fathers in the latter days, and also to the knowledge of my covenants, saith the Lord (v.12)

            Lehi’s concluding words to his son Joseph are now, blessed art thou, Joseph. Behold, thou art little; wherefore hearken unto the words of thy brother, Nephi, and it shall be done unto thee even according to the words which I have spoken. Remember the words of thy dying father (v.25).

One more Joseph

            If you will forgive me, I’d like to make a personal reference before closing. Lori and I decided before our first child was born that we would name our children after ancestors. Our first five children were “Matthew” for nine months before each was born. (In those days, we didn’t know the gender of an unborn child. It was always a surprise in the delivery room.) Our first five children were girls. We were delighted with each daughter and each was given the names of two noble women in our ancestral lines – Lindsay Marie, Melissa Louise, Carrie Colista, Eliza Jane and Martha Phyllis. Obviously, we really liked the name Matthew, but we decided maybe the reason we couldn’t get a boy was the name, so we agreed that, if we got a son, he would be named Joseph Richard. Sure enough, along came a boy, much to everyone’s surprise and delight! As promised, we named him Joseph Richard.

The source for the name Richard is obvious, but where did the name Joseph come from? Our son Joseph was named for three different Josephs, two of whom we have been speaking. My boyhood nickname, given me by my older brother, was “Joe”. To this day, I still answer to that name and I have sisters who call me “Joe.” So our son was, in fact, named for an ancestor, his dad. But there are two other Josephs for whom he was named. The second is “go, go Joseph”, the Joseph #1 above, who is also our ancestor. We are his descendants through Ephraim, so Joseph was named for his very great grandfather. Finally, our son Joseph is named after Joseph Smith, my hero and the Prophet of this Dispensation. When our son Joe was just a young boy, we visited the Hill Cumorah pageant in New York. Before the performance, many of the company in the pageant mingled with the crowd. The actor who played the role of Joseph Smith came to the row where we were sitting. Introducing him to our son Joe, we said, “Joe, this is who your were named after!” Joe’s response, “Who was I named before?” Oh well, we try! If you can’t tell, I’m proud of my one son, Joseph, and his very special name. (By the way, we were blessed with two more daughters, Anna Lori and Jennie Catherine, who were also given ancestors’ names. Our oldest grandson is named Matthew.)

Conclusion

            Truly these are two powerful chapters drenched in doctrine and prophecy! What a blessing that righteous Lehi exercised his patriarchal prerogative by blessing his sons and that we have his words recorded! What a great example to all of us! What great understanding of eternal truths of the gospel is restored in just these two chapters! How grateful we should be!

Thanks for reading!

Richard