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 11th 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
