#23 FEBRUARY 10-16, 2 NEPHI 6-10

February 15, 2020

#23 FEBRUARY 10-16, 2 NEPHI 6-10

Introduction

            It’s been over 40 years since Lehi and his family left Jerusalem and nearly 30 years or more since they landed in the promised land. Lehi and (presumably) Sariah have long since passed away. The family has been split apart for probably 20 years or more. Nephi is in his late 50s or early 60s. His older brothers as well as Zoram and their wives are even older than he is. The Nephites and Lamanites have already had wars between them. It is probably the 3^rd and 4^th generations that are fighting, the grandchildren and great grandchildren of Lehi and Sariah and of Ishmael and his wife. Nephi knows that he won’t be alive to lead his people for much longer. As commanded (Nephi is always obedient!), he is writing on his Small Plates. After telling of how he led his faithful followers to safety after the death of his father and how they established a righteous colony in the Land of Nephi, including the building of a temple, Nephi is now up-to-date in his history. To this point on the Small Plates, Nephi has been writing about things in the past. He has covered over 40 years of history for him and his family. For the remainder of his writing on the Small Plates, Nephi will devote himself to doctrine and prophecy. We would need his Large Plates to get any more history from Nephi. Someday, maybe!

            A good friend and student of the Book of Mormon, Merrill Norman, pointed out to me in conversation recently something interesting in this regard. The phrase “it came to pass”, which is an English translation of the Hebrew word wayehi, often used in the Bible to connect two ideas or events, is also used frequently in the Book of Mormon by its different authors to indicate a passage of time between events or thoughts in the record. If I’ve counted correctly, Nephi uses the phrase “it came to pass” 214 times to this point in the Small Plates, i.e. through 2 Nephi chapter 5. He has been writing about the past during all that time. Interestingly, the phrase only occurs once more in the book of Second Nephi, in chapter 17 where Nephi is quoting Isaiah. This makes sense! Nephi is now up-to-date in his record and is current to the time that he is writing on the Small Plates. The remainder of what he will write on these plates will be in “real time”, i.e. contemporaneously with the time in which he is living, so there is no need to use the phrase “it came to pass” to indicate a passage of time. It may be a small thing, but you have to wonder how did Joseph Smith know to stop using the term “it came to pass” at this point in the record after using it literally hundreds of times just since the beginning of the writings of Nephi? It’s hard to believe that just happened or that he figured it out “on the fly” as he was translating more than 10 pages of the Book of Mormon per day. This is just one of many internal evidences of the truth and authenticity of the Book of Mormon. (By the way, as you might predict, the phrase “it came to pass” is not found at all in the Book of Moroni, which was written by Moroni contemporaneously 20 years after he originally buried the plates and thought that his record was finished. Like Nephi, he has finished his historical account at that point and adds only doctrine, exhortation and testimony.)

            The remainder of Nephi’s writings on the Small Plates is divided into three sections: (1) Jacob’s two-day sermon at the temple (chapters 6-10); (2) Quoting Isaiah from the Plates of Brass (chapters 12-24); and (3) Comments on the words of Isaiah as well as teaching, exhortation and testimony of his own (chapters 25-33). The chapters for this week’s Come, Follow Me reading are the 5 chapters that tell of Jacob’s powerful sermon.

Why does Nephi quote his younger brother Jacob?

            Nephi is the prophet and leader of the people of Nephi. He is a powerful writer (despite his feelings of weakness in writing). Making plates is not easy and writing on them is difficult. So why does Nephi take the time and give precious room on the plates to write the words of his younger brother, Jacob? Interesting question! Here are four possible answers:

            First, Jacob is now a prophet in his own right. He has seen the Lord, has been taught by angels and has been consecrated a priest and teacher by his brother Nephi. He has plenty to share.

            Second, Jacob gives an incredibly powerful sermon. He talks, among other things, of the scattering and gathering of Israel and the first and second coming of the Messiah. Both of these subjects are important to Nephi, who has already written about these things on the Small Plates and taught his family about them. So Jacob’s words resonate with Nephi – a second witness of what he has already written and taught.

            Third, Jacob introduces some powerful teachings about the Atonement of Jesus Christ in this sermon. I think Nephi sees the value of those teachings and wants them in his record. Nephi and other prophets will build on what Jacob says.

            Fourth, perhaps because Nephi loves his young brother and is proud of him. Nephi knows what it feels like to be despised by his older brothers. He doesn’t want Jacob to have that feeling, but instead to feel loved and supported by his older brother Nephi.

Book of Mormon video

            The nearly 8-minute Book of Mormon video for these five chapters is very interesting. Nephi is considerably older with graying hair. Even his wife looks older, but she wouldn’t appreciate my pointing that out. Jacob is now a grown man with some gray in his beard. He is teaching on the steps of the temple. I’ve always thought of Jacob as stern and scary, but, in the video, he has a warm smile (partially obscured by his beard) and he is really tender with a young child who comes up to him while he is speaking. Missing from his audience are Laman, Lemuel and the sons of Ishmael who were there in early videos as Lehi and Nephi tried to teach their family. They were always cynical and disbelieving, rolling their eyes and looking away, but this audience is supportive and engaged. Teachers and leaders know that they are limited in what they can teach by the faith and willingness to learn of their audience. Jacob has a receptive audience for this sermon, so he can teach profound doctrines. A young woman asks how our flesh can waste away and yet we will see God in the flesh. Jacob demonstrates the concept of the resurrection by removing his outer cloak and laying it on the ground, as if it were his dead body, and then taking it up again. It is quite dramatic! He teaches well. And Nephi is standing behind him nodding approvingly. They are a good pair of prophets and brothers! The video is definitely worth seeing.

2 Nephi Chapter 6

Jacob held the Melchizedek Priesthood

            Nephi is writing the words of a sermon given by Jacob. After one verse of introduction, Jacob speaks in the first person. He says, I, Jacob, having been called of God, and ordained after the manner of his holy order (v. 2). What is that holy order? We learn from the Doctrine and Covenants that, before the days of Melchizedek, the priesthood was called the Holy Priesthood, after the Order of the Son of God. But out of respect or reverence to the name of the Supreme Being, to avoid the too frequent repetition of his name, they, the church, in ancient days, called that priesthood after Melchizedek, or the Melchizedek Priesthood (D&C 107:3-4, emphasis added). The “holy order” to which Jacob has been called is the Melchizedek Priesthood.

Pres. Joseph Fielding Smith wrote,

The Nephites did not officiate under the authority of the Aaronic Priesthood. They were not descendants of Aaron, and there were no Levites among them. There is no evidence in the Book of Mormon that they held the Aaronic Priesthood until after the ministry of the resurrected Lord among them, but the Book of Mormon tells us definitely, in many places, that the priesthood which they held and under which they officiated was the Priesthood after the holy order, the order of the Son of God. This higher priesthood can officiate in every ordinance of the gospel, and Jacob and Joseph, for instance, were consecrated priests and teachers after this order.   (Doctrines of Salvation, 3:86)

Nephi is now king

            Referring to his ordination by Nephi, Jacob says he has been consecrated by my brother Nephi, unto whom ye look as a king or a protector (v. 2). Nephi is now king over the people. Even though he is modest in his record and never refers to himself as king, that’s what he is. Prophecy has been fulfilled. He is a ruler and teacher of his people. Jacob will teach the words which Nephi has instructed him to teach. He will also teach the words of his father, Lehi. Some have suggested that the sermon which Jacob will now give is a “coronation sermon”, i.e. given at the time when Nephi was crowned. Or, more likely, it may have been given on an anniversary of the coronation. 9

Jacob will quote Isaiah

            Isaiah’s words are instructive and timeless. So Jacob, with the encouragement of Nephi, will teach his people from Isaiah. His rationale is thus:

I would speak unto you concerning things which are, and which are to come; wherefore, I will read you the words of Isaiah. And they are the words which my brother has desired that I should speak unto you. And I speak unto you for your sakes, that ye may learn and glorify the name of your God. And now, the words which I shall read are they which Isaiah spake concerning all the house of Israel; wherefore, they may be likened unto you, for ye are of the house of Israel. And there are many things which have been spoken by Isaiah which may be likened unto you, because ye are of the house of Israel (v. 4-5).

Jacob only reads two verses from Isaiah (49:22-23) at this point in his sermon and then spends the rest of the chapter explaining them. These verses are familiar to us because Nephi quoted them in 1 Nephi chapter 21 and then commented on them in the next chapter. Isaiah quotes the words of the Lord:

Thus saith the Lord God: Behold, I will lift up mine hand to the Gentiles, and set up my standard to the people; and they shall bring thy sons in their arms, and thy daughters shall be carried upon their shoulders. And kings shall be thy nursing fathers, and their queens thy nursing mothers; they shall bow down to thee with their faces towards the earth, and lick up the dust of thy feet; and thou shalt know that I am the Lord; for they shall not be ashamed that wait for me (vs. 6-7).

We should be familiar with these words and what they refer to by now. Jacob proceeds for the remainder of the chapter to speak, as did his father Lehi and his brother Nephi before him (no wonder Nephi likes this sermon!), of the scattering of Israel, of how the children of Lehi are a branch that is broken off, of the mission of the Messiah, of the role of the Gentiles in gathering Israel and how the Messiah will:

set himself again the second time to recover them; wherefore, he will manifest himself unto them in power and great glory, unto the destruction of their enemies, when that day cometh when they shall believe in him; and none will he destroy that believe in him. And they that believe not in him shall be destroyed, both by fire, and by tempest, and by earthquakes, and by bloodsheds, and by pestilence, and by famine. And they shall know that the Lord is God, the Holy One of Israel.  . . . for the Mighty God shall deliver his covenant people. For thus saith the Lord: I will contend with them that contendeth with thee— and all flesh shall know that I the Lord am thy Savior and thy Redeemer, the Mighty One of Jacob. (vs. 14-15, 17-18)

The People of the Lord

Jacob gives an interesting definition of “the people of the Lord.” . . . the people of the Lord are they who wait for him; for they still wait for the coming of the Messiah. In the days of Jacob and Nephi, to wait for the coming of the Messiah referred to His first coming which was prophesied to be 600 years after Lehi and his family left Jerusalem. At the time Jacob is speaking, the coming of the Messiah is still about 550 years away. So waiting meant to keep the laws, ordinances and covenants of the Law of Moses until the One who gave the law comes to fulfill the law. What does it mean in our day to “wait for the coming of the Messiah”? I think it is the same as for the children of Israel before His first coming except that we don’t keep the Law of Moses as we wait. Instead we live the Doctrine of Christ, which Nephi will go on to explain in some of his last chapters, and strive to keep all the principles and commandments of the Restored Gospel. We believe that we are closer to the Savior’s Second Coming than these Nephites were to His First Coming, but maybe not. Regardless, we watch for Him and hope to be found standing in “holy places” when He comes. But my disciples shall stand in holy places, and shall not be moved; (D&C 45:32). We will take our stand in “holy places” – our homes, our chapels, our temples – and we will make everywhere that we “stand” holy by our obedience to the laws and ordinances of the gospel and by our love of others and service to them.

Chapters 7 & 8, quoting Isaiah 50 and 51

             In chapter 7, Isaiah speaks as if he were the Messiah. Notice that the Lord speaks through Isaiah in the first person. I gave my back to the smiter, and my cheeks to them that plucked off the hair. I hid not my face from shame and spitting (v. 6) It’s interesting how obscure passages, several of them in chapters of Isaiah which we will read in next week’s reading assignment, preserve important understanding of the mission of the Savior, understanding which might have otherwise been lost by careless or malicious translation of the Bible if the passages were more obvious. The Lord has hidden, as it were, nuggets of truth and understanding about His mission scattered through the Old Testament. If you want to read a whole book on this subject, I recommend The Hidden Christ: Beneath the Surface of the Old Testament by James L. Ferrell. It is very good! Some of you may have read The Peacegiver and enjoyed it. This is the same author. In fact, Bro. Ferrell wrote The Hidden Christ before he wrote The Peacegiver and it was inspiration for the later book, even though The Peacegiver was published first.

            In chapter 8, Isaiah speaks of the Lord gathering Israel and redeeming Zion.

Therefore, the redeemed of the Lord shall return, and come with singing unto Zion; and everlasting joy and holiness shall be upon their heads; and they shall obtain gladness and joy; sorrow and mourning shall flee away. I am he; yea, I am he that comforteth you (vs. 11-12).

Chapter 9

            Jacob concludes the first day of his sermon with chapter 9. It is a long chapter (54 verses!) and is doctrinally saturated. As an indication of how much doctrine is in this chapter, I’ll give you one small piece of trivia. If you look through the latest printed copy of the Book of Mormon and look for the page with the most footnotes at the bottom, meaning that the horizontal line separating the text from the footnotes is the farthest up on the page, that page is in the middle of this chapter, this sermon by Jacob. The material is so doctrinally dense that there are more footnotes (connections) per page to other places in the scriptures in this chapter than any other chapter in the Book of Mormon. It’s no surprise that there is way too much to hope to write about here. I’ll make just a few comments.

An Infinite Atonement

            Remember the words of Lehi to Jacob in 2 Nephi chapter 2? Of course you do! Well, Jacob remembers, too! Those words of his father had great impact on him and still ring in his ears. So Jacob, like his father, speaks of the Fall, the Resurrection and the Atonement. Jacob uses a phrase that is found only one other place in the scriptures. He speaks of an Infinite Atonement (v. 7). He uses that term twice in this verse. (The only other place in the scriptures where you will find that term is in the words of Amulek, a former less-active church member now missionary companion of Alma the Younger, while speaking to the poor among the Zoramites. (Alma 34:12).)

            The Book of Mormon is the “handbook of the Atonement.” There is no book, scripture or otherwise, that compares with the Book of Mormon in giving understanding to and application of the atonement of Jesus Christ. And this chapter, this sermon by Jacob, is one of the most helpful places in the Book of Mormon to learn about the atonement.

            In what ways is the Atonement infinite? The Millet and McConkie Commentary lists the following ways in which the Atonement is infinite:

First, it is infinite in the sense that it is timeless—embracing past, present, and future.

Second, the atonement of Jesus Christ is infinite in the sense that it conquers the most universal reality in mortal existence—death.

Third, the Atonement is infinite in that it encompasses all the worlds Christ created.

Fourth, the atonement of Jesus Christ is infinite because Christ himself is an infinite being.

I would add that the Atonement of Jesus Christ is not only infinite on the “horizontal axis”, i.e. in time, space and numbers of persons affected by it. But the Atonement is also infinite on the “vertical axis”, i.e. in its depth in each of our lives personally and intimately. Because The Son of Man hath descended below them all (D&C 122:8), there is no depth to which we can descend that is below the experience of Christ or that He has not personally overcome. He is there for us in all of our trials because He has already experienced and overcome them for us.

My cousin and respected former Church leader, Tad Callister, has written a classic text about the Atonement of Jesus Christ, The Infinite Atonement. It is one of the foundational books by Church leaders of our dispensation. I believe it should be read by every church member who wants to better understand and appreciate the scope and depth of the atonement. Tad has 8 chapters in his book on the ways in which the Atonement is infinite and examining them each in depth. If not this year while you are spending a lot of time in the Book of Mormon and all the resources available for understanding it, sometime you have got to read The Infinite Atonement, if you haven’t already. It is available in print or e-book versions or as an audio book read by the author.

O how great the goodness of our God!

            Jacob now launches into a profound treatise of the infinite wisdom, grace, mercy, knowledge and goodness of our God. He begins each new thought with a parallel exclamation O how … or O the … . Here is a headline list of this series of parallel exclamations:

            O the wisdom of God, his mercy and grace! (v. 8)

            O how great the goodness of our God! (v. 10)

            O how great the plan of our God! (v. 13)

            O the greatness and the justice of our God! (v. 17)

            O the greatness of the mercy of our God, the Holy One of Israel! (v. 19)

            O how great the holiness of our God! (v. 20)

            After each “headline” follows profound doctrine. I highly recommend a careful reading of this section of verses. These verses and Jacob’s parallel exclamations prompted me to write a “psalm” several years ago. I’ll share that with you at the end of this blog. See below.

           

Woes pronounced

            After teaching of the greatness and goodness of God, Jacob uses a similar parallel construction in pronouncing the woes that will befall on those who fall prey to that cunning plan of the evil one! O the vainness, and the frailties, and the foolishness of men! (v. 28)

            Wo unto him . . . that wasteth the days of his probation!

            Wo unto the deaf that will not hear!

            Wo unto the blind that will not see!

            Wo unto the uncircumcised of heart!

            Wo unto the liar!

            Wo unto the murderer!

            Wo unto them who commit whoredoms!

            Wo unto those that worship idols!

            Wo unto all those who die in their sins (vs. 27-38)

            These ten warnings have a parallel in the Ten Commandments given to Moses on Mt. Sinai. If you want to learn more about that, here is a link from Book of Mormon Central: https://archive.bookofmormoncentral.org/content/jacobs-ten-woes-and-ten-commandments

           

Who is the “Keeper of the Gate”?

            In traditional secular Christianity, Peter is the keeper of the gate of heaven. Maybe that is because of the statement of Christ to Peter in Matt 16:18-19 Thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: The notion that Peter is the keeper of the gate is an incorrect understanding of this statement by the Savior to Peter. But that is a discussion for another day.

            Jacob tells us who is the keeper of the gate of heaven in these words:

. . . come unto the Lord, the Holy One. Remember that his paths are righteous. Behold, the way for man is narrow, but it lieth in a straight course before him, and the keeper of the gate is the Holy One of Israel; and he employeth no servant there; and there is none other way save it be by the gate; for he cannot be deceived, for the Lord God is his name. And whoso knocketh, to him will he open; and the wise, and the learned, and they that are rich, who are puffed up because of their learning, and their wisdom, and their riches—yea, they are they whom he despiseth; and save they shall cast these things away, and consider themselves fools before God, and come down in the depths of humility, he will not open unto them (vs. 41-42).

Christ is the keeper of the gate of heaven. He said to His apostle Thomas, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me (John 14:6). There is no other way into heaven and back into the presence of our heavenly parents than through Christ. (In holy places, we symbolically enter the presence of our Father in Heaven through a veil which represents Christ. See Hebrews 10:19-20). He is our judge but also our Advocate. We will all be found unworthy, coming up short when we arrive at the gate, the judgment bar of Christ. None of us is perfect and none of us can earn our way into heaven. So when we get to the gate, we will be unworthy to enter and would be turned away, if not for Him. But for those of us who have done our best to stay in the covenant relationship with Him by trying to keep the commandments, repenting daily because none of us, despite our best efforts, can live even a single day without regrets, having been baptized by one with proper authority, having done our best to receive the Holy Ghost and follow His promptings and striving daily to endure cheerfully with a perfect brightness of hope (2 Nephi 31:20), the Savior will step in and apply His atoning blood in our behalf and we will become worthy, not because of our own actions but because of His goodness, mercy and perfection. He will claim of the Father his rights of mercy (Moroni 7:27) in our behalf and we will enter heaven. It is as if we went to court to pay a fine but didn’t have the money to pay the penalty. So the kindly judge opens his wallet and pays our fine so we can go free. He then pronounces the debt discharged; we are judged not guilty and are released. In our case, Christ, the Holy One of Israel, is judge, jury and the One who pays our fine so we can go free (satisfies the Law of Justice) and we enter heaven. That’s why only He, the perfect judge, the One who paid the price in full, our Advocate with the Father, can be the keeper of the gate and that’s why He employeth no servant there. No one else could do for us what He will do when we get there. No wonder, we “stand all amazed” at the love Jesus offers us!

            Jacob has been speaking for four chapters. He tells the people I would speak unto you more; but on the morrow I will declare unto you the remainder of my words. He needs a rest and so do the people. Little does he know that an angel will visit him this night and tell him important things to share with the people the next day. Sometimes a church leader, based on the experience of the first day of a conference, such as a stake conference or a mission tour, or the impressions that come over night, will significantly change what they give to the people the next day. That’s how revelation works.

Chapter 10

            Though only half as long as chapter 9 which precedes it, chapter 10, the second day of Jacob’s sermon to his people, is equally saturated in doctrine. We only have time to consider a small portion.

His name will be Christ

            Overnight Jacob is visited by an angel who declares to him that the name of the Holy One of Israel who will come shall be Christ. Amazing! More than 5 centuries before the Savior comes, an angel tells Jacob that His name shall be Christ. It’s interesting to wonder what the name was that the angel gave to Jacob which was recorded on the plates and translated into English by Joseph Smith as Christ. Christ means “anointed one” as does Messiah. Both mean the same thing, but one is Greek and the other is Hebrew. Did the angel give Jacob the Greek name for “the anointed one”? Or did Joseph Smith, translating “by the gift and power of God” chose the name Christ to represent what was on the plates? For me, it’s a fascinating question and further evidence of the truth of the Book of Mormon.

            Not surprisingly, the name Christ is not found in the text of the Old Testament. It is found in several chapter summaries, but no where in the text. Was it once there and removed during the translation and transcription process? We don’t know. But the name Christ is found 118 times in the Book of Mormon (some of them in the chapter summaries but most of them in the text) and this is the first instance where it is found. From now on through the Book of Mormon, the name Christ will be frequently used to refer to the Messiah, the Son of God, who will come. And it will be used while He ministers to the people and after His ministry. Truly, the Book of Mormon is “Another Testament of Jesus Christ.”

“I will fulfil my promises which I have made unto the children of men”

            Jacob goes on for the remainder of this sermon to intermix the words of the angel with direct quotes from the Lord and with his own words in showing how Christ will fulfill His promises to the house of Israel, including to those who are upon the isles of the sea (v. 21). That is where Jacob and his people believe they are, on an island of the sea. Little do they know that this “isle” is actually two continents! They are not the only branch broken off from the house of Israel who have been led away. The Lord God has led away from time to time from the house of Israel, according to his will and pleasure. And now behold, the Lord remembereth all them who have been broken off, wherefore he remembereth us also (v. 22). Someday we will have the records of the others who have been led away. Jacob will revisit this theme in his own book when he recounts in chapter 5 the Zenos allegory of the Olive Tree and how the Lord of the vineyard and His servant transplanted branches of the olive tree in multiple far away places to preserve the tree.

Cheer up your hearts

            Hearkening back to the words of his father, Lehi, Jacob concludes with this admonition:

Therefore, cheer up your hearts, and remember that ye are free to act for yourselves—to choose the way of everlasting death or the way of eternal life. Wherefore, my beloved brethren, reconcile yourselves to the will of God, and not to the will of the devil and the flesh; and remember, after ye are reconciled unto God, that it is only in and through the grace of God that ye are saved (vs. 23-24).

His final blessing and prayer on his people is:

May God raise you from death by the power of the resurrection, and also from everlasting death by the power of the atonement, that ye may be received into the eternal kingdom of God, that ye may praise him through grace divine. Amen.

What a remarkable sermon! What an amazing prophet! How blessed we are to have his words preserved for us. Thank you, Jacob! And thank you, Nephi! Lord bless you both!

O the goodness of our God

            When teaching these chapters in a gospel doctrine class in our home ward (the Salt Lake Holladay 3^rd Ward) in 2004, I was inspired by the parallel exclamations of Jacob in proclaiming the goodness of God and so I wrote a poem (of sorts). I’m not a poet and not very artful, but it was a way for me to give expression to my feelings of love and gratitude. At that time, I gave it the title “A Psalm of Grateful Praise”, but I have since learned that this does not follow the proper pattern of a true psalm, so instead I will call it, O the Goodness of our God!

O the greatness of our Father!

            Who, loving His children and desiring our eternal joy,

            Set forth the Plan of Happiness and Salvation,

            That we may return to be with Him and dwell in Eternal lives!

O the goodness of our Savior!

            Who, offering Himself a sinless sacrifice to put into effect the Father’s Plan,

            Was perfectly obedient to the will of His Father,

            Including the shedding of His righteous blood and the giving of His sinless life!

O the blessing of the Gift of the Holy Ghost!

            The third divine member of the Eternal Presidency of Heaven,

            Who is our constant companion in the Spirit as we walk by faith in this life,

            To guide, protect and comfort us and to bring us to the Savior!

O the wonder of the Creation!

            Eternal elements organized during divinely-directed creative periods,

            Giving them form, order, purpose and beauty,

            Providing a lovely Earthly home for the children of God!

O the wisdom of the Fall!

            Obedient son and daughter of God

            Honor their foreordained parental mission

            And make possible the mortality and progression of their family!

O the miracle of the Resurrection!

            That we will rise from the grave, after a season in the world of spirits,

            Tabernacled forever in perfectly restored bodies

            Of immortal flesh and Celestial glory!

O the mercy and grace of the Atonement of Christ!

            That our follies, weaknesses and sins may be compensated and forgiven,

            Enabling us to be justified and sanctified, becoming worthy to stand again

            In the presence of the Father, the Son and the Holy Ghost and to live with Them forever!

O the greatness, the wisdom, the power, the mercy and the love of our Eternal Father!

            Praise be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Ghost – now and forever!

            Hallelujah! All God’s children, praise ye the Lord!

            Amen and Amen!

Richard S. Boyer

April 18, 2004

Thanks for reading!

Richard

#22 FEBRUARY 3-9, 2 NEPHI 4-5

February 9, 2020

#22 FEBRUARY 3-9, 2 NEPHI 4-5

Comments

            Sorry that I’m a little late with the last blog post for this week (not that I expect any of you have been holding your breath waiting for it). It’s been a busy few days. I hope to finish this and post/email it before the end of today, Sunday, February 9. I’ve learned from the stats that come to me from Google that more people read the blog on Sundays than any other day. I always try to finish posting for the week before Sunday when we have Sunday School to help you prepare. But today was a Priesthood/Relief Society/Young Women Sunday, so I didn’t feel the same urgency.

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2 Nephi Chapter 4

Not many greater prophecies

            Nephi is coming to the conclusion of his father’s last words to his family. The last three chapters have contained powerful counsel and admonition, stunning doctrine and remarkable prophecy. Nephi is almost finished with what he will share of his father’s words. But first, Nephi makes some comments about what he has just written. Speaking of the prophecies of Joseph who was sold into Egypt (Joseph #1), Nephi says: the prophecies which he wrote, there are not many greater.(v.2) Much of what Joseph wrote is lost to the world. Fortunately, we have two Latter-day sources for the words and the prophecies of our ancestor, Joseph. The first source is 2 Nephi chapter 3, which we have just considered, the words of Lehi to his son Joseph quoting Joseph of Egypt from the Plates of Brass. The other source is from the Joseph Smith Translation (JST) of the Bible. The reference is in footnote 5a in the last chapter (v. 3.5) which is a link to the JST in the Bible Appendix. Here is a link: https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/scriptures/jst/jst-gen/50

            These are verses revealed to the Prophet Joseph Smith as he was performing his inspired revision of the Bible soon after the Book of Mormon was published. In these verses, the great Patriarch Joseph prophecies of his posterity, of the branch that was broken off and of the “choice seer” who would be instrumental in bringing the gospel to them. These prophecies are similar to those in chapter 3 when Lehi quoted from the Plates of Brass in teaching his young son Joseph. You may want to review the JST reference. Joseph of Egypt was a remarkable patriarch and prophet about whom the world knows very little. The following statement about Joseph in the Millet and McConkie Commentary is instructive and should be of interest to those of us who descend from him through Ephraim or Manasseh, which is probably everyone or nearly everyone reading this blog.

The stature of Joseph of Egypt as a prophet remains little known even to Latter-day Saints. From the text restored by Joseph Smith to the book of Genesis we learn that Joseph enjoyed the personal presence of the Lord Jehovah, who covenanted with him relative to his posterity by way of an immutable oath (see JST, Genesis 50:24, 34, 36). In this prophecy, quoted in part by Lehi to his son Joseph in the preceding chapter, we learn that he knew of the destiny of Lehi and his family and of the destiny of Joseph Smith. The detail of the knowledge had by the ancient Joseph is remarkable. As an illustration, Joseph Smith, in blessing Oliver Cowdery, said that Oliver would be blessed “according to the blessings of the prophecy of Joseph in ancient days, which he said should come upon the seer of the last days and the scribe that should sit with him, and that should be ordained with him, by the hands of the angel in the bush, unto the lesser priesthood, and after [he should] receive the holy priesthood under the hands of those who had been held in reserve for a long season, even those who received it under the hands of the Messiah, while he should dwell in the flesh upon the earth, and should receive the blessings with him, even the seer of the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, saith he, even Joseph of old.” (Joseph Fielding Smith, “Restoration of the Melchizedek Priesthood,” Improvement Era, October 1904, p. 943.)

Thus we see that Joseph of Egypt knew not only of Joseph Smith and his role as the great prophet of the Restoration but also of Oliver Cowdery’s role as Joseph’s scribe in bring forth the Book of Mormon, and that Oliver would be Joseph’s companion when the Aaronic and the Melchizedek priesthoods were restored. It may well be that the ancient Joseph knew more of our day than we do. Further, we are aware that Joseph of Egypt was the author of a scriptural record which will some day be restored to those of the house of faith (see Messenger and Advocate, Winter 1835, p. 236). We anticipate that the prophecies of Joseph contained therein will have much to say about the roles of Ephraim and Manasseh in the gathering of Israel in the last days. (Emphasis added)

Blessings for the children of Laman and Lemuel

            Lehi, the loving grandfather that he is, now has blessings and counsel for his grandchildren who are children of Laman and Lemuel. He begins by reminding them of one of the central themes of the Book of Mormon: Inasmuch as ye shall keep my commandments ye shall prosper in the land; and inasmuch as ye will not keep my commandments ye shall be cut off from my presence (v. 4). He then leaves them this remarkable blessing: if ye are cursed, behold, I leave my blessing upon you, that the cursing may be taken from you and be answered upon the heads of your parents. Wherefore, because of my blessing the Lord God will not suffer that ye shall perish; wherefore, he will be merciful unto you and unto your seed forever (v. 6-7).

            Our 2^nd Article of Faith reads We believe that men [and women] will be punished for their own sins and not for Adam’s transgression. And we would add “and not for their parents’ transgressions either.” Children may be disadvantaged, seriously hurt physically or emotionally or even killed by the transgression of a parent, such as in the case of physical, mental or sexual abuse or homes and marriages broken by transgression of one or both parents. But children are not punished, meaning not accountable to God in their eternal progression, for those transgressions. If Laman and Lemuel choose to rebel against their father and brother Nephi and even want to kill them and if they harden their hearts such that the Lord and His teachings are not a part of their lives, their children are not responsible for those transgressions of their parents. Yes, the children will suffer. Their parents are choosing for them and they will pay a price, but they will not be condemned because of their parents’ choices. The Lord will be merciful, as Lehi promised to his grandchildren, to them and give them adequate opportunity to choose for themselves. Unfortunately, as Elder Maxwell once pointed out:

All are free to choose, of course, and we would not have it otherwise. Unfortunately, however, when some choose slackness, they are choosing not only for themselves, but for the next generation and the next. Small equivocations in parents can produce large deviations in their children! Earlier generations in a family may have reflected dedication, while some in the current generation evidence equivocation. Sadly, in the next, some may choose dissension as erosion takes its toll.

“Settle this in your Hearts”, General Conference, October 1992, emphasis added

And this was the case with the children of Laman and Lemuel, they followed the footsteps of their parents away from the covenant path. In their case, only now in our dispensation are they beginning to return to the path that leads to the Tree of Life. But the Lord has promised that because of the blessings and prayers of righteous fathers, mothers, grandfathers and grandmothers, like Lehi and Sariah, He will watch over them. Lehi promised the children of Lemuel wherefore, thou shalt not utterly be destroyed; but in the end thy seed shall be blessed. (v.9) 

Blessing for Sam

            Even though Lehi included Sam in counsel in chapter 1, he now turns to his third son and blesses him with these words: Blessed art thou, and thy seed; for thou shalt inherit the land like unto thy brother Nephi. And thy seed shall be numbered with his seed; and thou shalt be even like unto thy brother, and thy seed like unto his seed; and thou shalt be blessed in all thy days (v. 11).

            I’ve often wondered about Sam. He is senior in the family to Nephi and he remains faithful. Why do we hear so little about him? And yet, as I’ve pointed out before, Sam is a good model for us. Not many of us will be like Nephi – leader, prophet and king – but we can all be like Sam – obedient, loyal, faithful, humble, not needing to be in the spotlight, but always supportive. Good for Sam! We will never read about the “Samites” because his posterity are numbered with those of Nephi. From all we know, Sam remains faithful for the rest of his life and so do his children. One small insight from the Book of Mormon videos is when in chapter 5 the followers of Nephi name their new home “Nephi”, in the movie it is Sam who suggests the name. It is a really humble gesture on his part and a nice touch by the director! Nephi modestly agrees.

Death of Lehi

            In one verse (v.12) Lehi waxes old, dies and is buried. Isn’t that how end of life is? After a remarkable life, Lehi modestly and quietly bows out of mortality. We don’t know how long it took the process to happen, but it doesn’t sound like it took very long. I wonder if it was hard for Lehi to realize that his time was over and others would need to carry on. That can be hard for some of us. I wonder if sometimes he felt useless or like he wasn’t carrying his share of the weight in the family. Even prophets “wax old”, decline and pass away. We have seen great prophets in our lifetime suffer from Parkinson’s Disease, senility, complications of treatment for heart disease and other effects of old age. None of us is immune. If something else doesn’t get us first, old age eventually will. It doesn’t look fun.

            Lori and I visited with our good friend, Joe Brubaker, last Sunday. Joe will be 102 years old next month and lives alone in the independent living area of a nearby retirement facility.  (His second wife is in a memory care center nearer to her daughter.) That day, it being Sunday, Joe had been to church services held in the LDS branch in his facility, had blessed the sacrament and greeted other members. He spoke fluently and comfortably about his life and activities. His only complaint about aging was that he had trouble sometimes getting nouns off the end of his tongue and that his legs “gave out” a year or so ago so it’s harder now for him to walk his dog three times a day. He is amazing! But “waxing old” will not be like that for all of us. Good for you, Joe! Keep going!

“Upon these [plates] I write the things of my soul”

            Soon after his father dies, Nephi’s world falls apart. It didn’t take long. Not many days after his death, Laman and Lemuel and the sons of Ishmael were angry with me because of the admonitions of the Lord. (v. 13) We will soon see that his older brothers want to kill him and so the Lord tells him to leave. But first Nephi, writing years later, allows himself a reflective few moments in the plates. After referring to his “other plates” on which he records some of the things he’s had to say to his older brothers, he tells us that on these plates he writes “the things of my soul.” He will shortly go on to bare his soul on the plates. With his father gone, this is the best place for him to open his heart and share what is happening inside.

Referring to the scriptures, Nephi says: my soul delighteth in the scriptures, and my heart pondereth them, and writeth them for the learning and the profit of my children. Behold, my soul delighteth in the things of the Lord; and my heart pondereth continually upon the things which I have seen and heard.(v. 15-16) Notice the role of pondering in Nephi’s love for the scriptures, a good example to us. The scriptures aren’t just to be read or listened to, but we need to let them inside of us. The Children of Israel were told by the Lord to:

Therefore shall ye lay up these my words in your heart and in your soul, and bind them for a sign upon your hand, that they may be as frontlets between your eyes. And ye shall teach them your children, speaking of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, when thou liest down, and when thou risest up. And thou shalt write them upon the door posts of thine house, and upon thy gates: That your days may be multiplied, and the days of your children, in the land which the Lord sware unto your fathers to give them, as the days of heaven upon the earth. Deuteronomy 11:18-21.

How many of us feel that way about the scriptures? Perhaps, if we gave as much time to the scriptures as we do to social media, watching sports or TV, maybe they would come to mean more to us. Don’t miss in this quote the part about teaching them to our children.

The Psalm of Nephi

            We’ve talked about how Sariah “lost it” when she thought she’d lost her boys on their errand to get the plates and complained against her husband. We’ve also talked about how Lehi “lost it” when Nephi’s bow broke and he couldn’t feed his family. Lehi joined others in murmuring against the Lord and had to sorely repent. We have no record that Nephi ever “lost it” in the same way. We never read of his murmuring or complaining against his father or the Lord. But the death of his father is Nephi’s greatest test. Lehi was such a strength to Nephi. And as long as Lehi was alive, his older brothers were held somewhat in check. Now that Lehi is out of the way, Nephi is in real danger from his brothers, as we will see. As strong as he is, Nephi really struggles at this time. In a masterful piece of literature which is masterfully written in the well-established tradition of ancient psalms (see https://knowhy.bookofmormoncentral.org/knowhy/is-nephis-psalm-really-a-psalm)

(a tradition of which Joseph Smith could have had no knowledge) Nephi bares his soul in one of the most powerful, tender and moving passages in the whole Book of Mormon.

            This has been called “The Psalm of Nephi”. It is found in chapter 4 verses 17-35. These verses are wonderful and must be read or listened to without interruption. I suggest you take time to read them in a quiet place, maybe even read them out loud or to each other, if you are studying with someone. Or touch the audio icon in Gospel Library app and let the brother or sister there read to you in their lovely male or female voice. I’d like to make a few comments (actually not many) about these verses but not until you have had time to read them for yourselves.

            When we came to this point in the Book of Mormon in our reading group in the Chester Ward of the Chester England Stake in North Wales where Lori and I served as missionaries for 18 months, I asked one of the members of our reading group, a relatively new convert and a former stage entertainer and singer with a rich Welsh voice to read this passage for our group. He could hardly get through it because of emotion and neither could the rest of us in the group. I hope to never forget that moment. In anticipation of this blog post, I asked him, our good friend and brother, Christopher Deponeo, if he would record Nephi’s Psalm and send it to me so that you can hear it with his Welsh accent and lovely voice. I’ll attach his recording to this blog post. I hope it works for you. There is a slight pause near the middle. Don’t quit listening. He reads all of the way to the end. Thanks, Chris! This is a treasure!

O wretched man that I am!

            In his feelings of despair, Nephi exclaims:

Notwithstanding the great goodness of the Lord, in showing me his great and marvelous works, my heart exclaimeth: O wretched man that I am! Yea, my heart sorroweth because of my flesh; my soul grieveth because of mine iniquities. I am encompassed about, because of the temptations and the sins which do so easily beset me.

How can Nephi, this great prophet who has seen angels, visions and the Lord Himself, call himself wretched? If he is wretched, then what am I? Nephi was not wretched by the world’s standards.The nearer a man or woman gets to God, the more sensitive he or she becomes to temptations and minor indiscretions. Actually, the closer he came to becoming like the Savior, the more he was aware of his faults. The Prophet Joseph Smith said:

We consider that God has created man with a mind capable of instruction, and a faculty which may be enlarged in proportion to the heed and diligence given to the light communicated from heaven to the intellect; and that the nearer man approaches perfection, the clearer are his views, and the greater his enjoyments, till he has overcome the evils of his life and lost every desire for sin; and like the ancients, arrives at that point of faith where he is wrapped in the power and glory of his Maker, and is caught up to dwell with Him. But we consider that this is a station to which no man ever arrived in a moment.

(https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/manual/teachings-joseph-smith/chapter-17)

Even Joseph Smith struggled with “the natural man” (Mosiah 3:19). He wrote in his history about the period of approximately 3 1/2 years between his First Vision and the first appearance of Moroni:

I was left to all kinds of temptations; and, mingling with all kinds of society, I frequently fell into many foolish errors, and displayed the weakness of youth, and the foibles of human nature; which, I am sorry to say, led me into divers temptations, offensive in the sight of God. In making this confession, no one need suppose me guilty of any great or malignant sins. A disposition to commit such was never in my nature. But I was guilty of levity, and sometimes associated with jovial company, etc., not consistent with that character which ought to be maintained by one who was called of God as I had been. But this will not seem very strange to any one who recollects my youth, and is acquainted with my native cheery temperament. In consequence of these things, I often felt condemned for my weakness and imperfections; (Joseph Smith History 1:28-29)

            Joseph wasn’t perfect and never claimed to be. Even in his First Vision, he was tempted. In one of the accounts, he records in describing the attack by the Adversary on him before the vision occurred: my mind filled with doubts and all manner of inappropriate images (See 2017 film Ask of God: Joseph Smith’s First Vision. Here is the link: https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/media-library/video/2017-01-0100-ask-of-god-joseph-smiths-first-vision?lang=eng) Even (and perhaps especially) prophets are tempted. Is it any surprise then that the closer we draw to the Lord the more we are tempted and the more we become aware of our failings?

            But Nephi doesn’t wallow in despair. He exclaims: nevertheless, I know in whom I have trusted (v. 19). He then goes on to list examples of how the Lord has blessed him and witnesses his trust in the Lord with words like:

O Lord, I will praise thee forever; yea, my soul will rejoice in thee, my God, and the rock of my salvation.(v. 30)

O Lord, I have trusted in thee, and I will trust in thee forever. (v. 34)

I will cry unto thee, my God, the rock of my righteousness. Behold, my voice shall forever ascend up unto thee, my rock and mine everlasting God. Amen (v. 35).

Thank you, Nephi, for opening your heart and soul to us so that we can see you as a real person with real feelings and real struggles, not just as an icon of obedience and strength. You inspire and comfort us. You give us hope in our trials and in our “wretchedness.” Thank you for showing us the path.

2 Nephi Chapter 5

           

Let us slay him!

            Because of his admonitions to them, Nephi’s older brothers Laman and Lemuel want to kill him. The spirit of Satan, the same spirit that inspired Cain to kill his brother Abel, has entered into their hearts. They breathe out threatening against their brother with words such as: Our younger brother thinks to rule over us; and we have had much trial because of him; wherefore, now let us slay him, that we may not be afflicted more because of his words. For behold, we will not have him to be our ruler; for it belongs unto us, who are the elder brethren, to rule over this people (v. 3). This is their all-too-familiar lament. Once again, they are more worried about power and authority than about keeping the commandments of God.

            Nephi is warned of the Lord to leave and to take with him those who will follow him. With his father gone, Nephi is now the leader of the family. When the Lord needs something done, He gives the message to Nephi, just as He did to his father Lehi before him. Notice the similarities between Nephi’s situation and that of his father who was warned of the Lord to leave Jerusalem to avoid being killed by the wicked Jews. Laman and Lemuel have now taken the place of those wicked Jews with the same murderous apostate spirit. They are definitely “past feeling” so the Lord can’t work with them. Instead He commands Nephi to leave and save his life.

            The Book of Mormon video for this chapter is excellent! I highly recommend you take time to watch it. You can click on the icon at the first of Chapter 5 in the Gospel Library app or follow this link: https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/video/2-nephi-5/2019-10-0200-the-nephites-separate-from-the-lamanites-2-nephi-5-1080p-eng.

The video is about 8 minutes. Don’t miss elderly Sariah leaving with the group and being helped by her family or Sam (as I previously mentioned) suggesting that they name their new home “Nephi.”

Notice those who go with Nephi: it came to pass that I, Nephi, did take my family, and also Zoram and his family, and Sam, mine elder brother and his family, and Jacob and Joseph, my younger brethren, and also my sisters, and all those who would go with me. And all those who would go with me were those who believed in the warnings and the revelations of God; wherefore, they did hearken unto my words (v. 6).

Nephi, Zoram and Sam each have wives and children who go with them. There is no mention of Sariah, but it is presumed that she also goes, unless she has also “waxed old and died.” The Book of Mormon video shows Sariah with the family. Jacob and Joseph don’t have wives or children. Nephi says that “my sisters” were also in the group. Did he have sisters who hadn’t yet married? But I thought they were older sisters and were married to sons of Ishmael. If so, did their husbands and children go with them? If that were the case, why didn’t Nephi say “my sisters and their families?” Did they have to leave their husbands who were now also possessed of murderous spirits toward Nephi? I ask these questions so you will see these people, not as names on a page, but as real people. This was a very painful parting for them. The wives of Nephi, Zoram and Sam had to say goodbye to their sisters and brothers and, perhaps, their mother. Cousins had to say goodbye to cousins. The video shows some touching goodbyes even among the children. These are real people and this was their real life.

Notice the most important defining characteristic of those who followed Nephi – they “believed in the warnings and revelations of God; wherefore, they did hearken unto my words.” They accepted and followed Nephi as a prophet. This becomes the operational definition of a “Nephite.” It is more than just lineage; it is faith and obedience. Can the same be said of us? Are we “Latter-day Saints” because of lineage or tradition? Or do we believe the warnings and revelations of the Lord and follow His prophet? Regardless of the sacrifices required, sometimes even painful separations, do we follow the Lord’s prophet? This is the only path of safety in this wicked world, as we will see with this family.

The Land of Nephi

            The people leave the land of their first inheritance, as it will come to be known, and travel “many days” in the wilderness. They come to a good place to establish themselves and call it “Nephi” and they become known as “the people of Nephi.” This will be their home until hundreds of years later when Mosiah I is commanded of the Lord to leave with those who will follow him to save his life and go from there to the land of Zarahemla. (See Omni 1:12). This is also the land that Zeniff will try to reclaim beginning in Mosiah 9. It later becomes known as the land of Lehi-Nephi, presumably lumping the land of their first inheritance (the land of Lehi) with this new location (the land of Nephi.) Even though they are “many days” apart, they must be close enough to each other relative to other distances to be called by one hyphenated name, the land of Lehi-Nephi.

The people of Nephi were industrious, obedient and hard working. Notice the different characteristics of a successful family and society represented by these people. In the Come, Follow Me For Individuals and Families this week, there is a good suggestion for a family discussion.

As your family reads 2 Nephi 5, you could discuss the things the Nephites cared about: family (verse 6), the commandments (verse 10), the scriptures (verse 12), education (verse 15), temples (verse 16), work (verse 17), and Church callings (verse 26). One way to do this is to find objects that represent some of these things and talk about how we show that we, like the Nephites, value these same things.

https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/manual/come-follow-me-for-individuals-and-families-book-of-mormon-2020/06?id=p21#p21

Symbols of authority

Notice three symbols of authority which Nephi brings with him – the Liahona, the Plates of Brass and the Sword of Laban. He is definitely their leader. They want to make him their king. He will never refer to himself as king, even though it was prophesied that he would be their “teacher and ruler.” He is too modest to call himself a king. But after he dies, the next king is called “Second Nephi” in his honor. (See Jacob 1) The most that Nephi will admit is: I, Nephi, was desirous that they should have no king; nevertheless, I did for them according to that which was in my power (v. 18).

Steel swords

Nephi says that they made swords out of steel after the pattern of the Sword of Laban (v. 14-15), which was also made of steel. Critics of the Book of Mormon have claimed that Joseph Smith was wrong because, they say, there have been no steel implements found in pre-Columbian America. Hardened steel implements have been found in the region of Jericho, near Jerusalem from where the Lehi colony came, dating to 648 BC. The Sword of Laban was made of steel (see 1 Nephi 4:9). There is no reason that the Lehi colony could not have brought with them the knowledge of how to make steel. It’s clear that Nephi is skilled in metal work. I’m confident that it is only a matter of time until steel implements will be recovered from archeological sites in America dating from the period when these people came to America.

Temple

Just as the Children of Israel in the desert of Sinai had the tabernacle and would later build a temple in Jerusalem and just as the Latter-day Saints would build temples in Kirtland, Nauvoo, St. George, Logan, Manti and Salt Lake City, the people of Nephi build a temple in the place of Nephi. They were industrious, had abundant natural resources and the ability to use them and built a temple the manner of the construction was like unto the temple of Solomon; and the workmanship thereof was exceedingly fine (v. 16). They will later go on to build temples in Zarahemla and Bountiful.

What ordinances did they perform in those temples? We know from Exodus 40 that they performed washings, anointing and that they were clothed in “holy garments.” Since their temple was built like the temple of Solomon, it would have three levels of sanctuary, representing three degrees of glory, with the inner holy of holies separated from the holy place by a curtain or veil. These people had the Melchizedek Priesthood but we did observe to keep the judgments, and the statutes, and the commandments of the Lord in all things, according to the law of Moses (v. 10). Jacob and Joseph were ordained priests and teachers (v. 26), but these were not offices in the Aaronic Priesthood, as they are today. They held the Melchizedek Priesthood, so these terms describe their ministerial roles.

A cursing on the Lamanites

            The Lamanites degenerated and become an idle people, full of mischief and subtlety, and did seek in the wilderness for beasts of prey (v. 24). In order that they might not be enticing unto my people the Lord God did cause a skin of blackness to come upon them (v. 21). This appears to have been an autosomal dominant trait as cursed shall be the seed of him that mixeth with their seed; for they shall be cursed even with the same cursing (v. 23).

            This is hard for us to read about in our day when we esteem all men and women the same regardless of race, skin color or ethnicity. These two paragraphs from the Gospel Library app version of Come, Follow Me are instructive:

            The Book of Mormon also states that a mark of dark skin came upon the Lamanites after the Nephites separated from them. The nature and appearance of this mark are not fully understood. The mark initially distinguished the Lamanites from the Nephites. Later, as both the Nephites and Lamanites each went through periods of wickedness and righteousness, the mark became irrelevant as an indicator of the Lamanites’ standing before God.

Prophets affirm in our day that dark skin is not a sign of divine disfavor or cursing. The Church embraces Nephi’s teaching that the Lord “denieth none that come unto him, black and white, bond and free, male and female” (2 Nephi 26:33). President Russell M. Nelson declared: “The Lord has stressed His essential doctrine of equal opportunity for His children. … Differences in culture, language, gender, race, and nationality fade into insignificance as the faithful enter the covenant path and come unto our beloved Redeemer” (“President Nelson Remarks at Worldwide Priesthood Celebration” [June 1, 2018], newsroom.ChurchofJesusChrist.org).

Note that these two paragraphs are a revision of that which is written in the paper copy of Come, Follow Me and should be used in discussing this principle.

There is also an excellent video in the online version of Come, Follow Me with an African-American brother discussing this issue. The link is:

https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/manual/come-follow-me-for-individuals-and-families-book-of-mormon-2020/06

We lived after the manner of happiness

            Nephi concludes this portion of his record by saying that thirty years had passed away and the Lord commanded him to make these Small Plates, as we have previously discussed. And forty years had passed away (he must be nearly 60 years old) and they have already had wars with the Lamanites.

            Despite all his trials, Nephi says we lived after the manner of happiness (v. 27) What an interesting phrase! Were they really happy? Or did they just live like they were? Interesting question!

            At the conclusion of his record, Nephi’s brother Jacob writes: the time passed away with us, and also our lives passed away like as it were unto us a dream, we being a lonesome and a solemn people, wanderers, cast out from Jerusalem, born in tribulation, in a wilderness, and hated of our brethren, which caused wars and contentions; wherefore, we did mourn out our days (Jacob 7:26). It doesn’t sound like they were very happy in his day.

            What did Nephi mean? I’m not sure, but I think he meant something like, “Life was tough and we had many afflictions, but we tried to be faithful to our covenants and do the things that bring happiness into our lives. The Lord was good to us. Despite our trials and heartaches, life is good.” Perhaps, we could say the same today. Life is not always easy or fun. We are not always happy. Life has good days and bad days. As Lehi told Jacob, there is opposition in all things. But, if we “live after the manner of happiness”, meaning if we do the things that bring happiness into our lives, life will be fulfilling and good. We will learn the lessons we came to this life to learn and we will move forward on the covenant path. One thing of which we can be certain is that wickedness never was happiness (Alma 41:10). Happiness is found in trying to be good, not perfect, but doing our best to follow the commandments and live a life as much as possible like that of our perfect example, Jesus Christ. Happiness is found in obedience, loving relationships, service, forgiveness, repentance, patience and trusting in our loving Father in Heaven, in the Atonement of His Beloved Son and in Their promises to the faithful. Life is good for those who sincerely try to live after the manner of happiness. May the Lord bless us as we endeavor to do so.

Thanks for reading!

Richard

I'm having trouble uploading the audio file of Christopher Deponeo reading the Psalm of Nephi. Until I figure it out, if you'd like to listen to the file, send me an email address and I'll send it to you. rsboyer46@gmail.com. Thanks!

2/20/2020
PS
I was able to upload the voice file of Christopher Deponeo reading the Psalm of Nephi to our group page on FaceBook. The link is: https://www.facebook.com/groups/722078864986795/
If you aren't a member of that group but are on FaceBook, send me a message or email (rsboyer46@gmail.com) and I'll send you an invitation to the group.
Thanks!