They Shall Be A Scourge Unto Thy Seed, To Stir Them Up In The Ways Of Remembrance

And if it so be that they rebel against me, they shall be a scourge unto thy seed, to stir them up in the ways of remembrance. (1 Nephi 2:24)

One thing the reader of the Book of Mormon is never allowed to forget is that the Nephites lived in a polarized world, in which they were perpetually engaged either in hot or cold wars with the Lamanites. Their basic problem was one of survival; security was an obsession with them...the Nephites had by all human standards ample cause for alarm. Yet from the beginning they received full assurance that God had purposely arranged things that way, and that they had absolutely nothing to fear as long as they behaved themselves. God intended that the Nephites should have hostile Lamanites breathing down their necks: 

'I will curse them even with a sore curse, and they shall have no power over thy seed except they shall rebel against me also. And if it so be that they rebel against me, they shall be as a scourge unto thy seed, to stir them up in the ways of remembrance' 

(1 Nephi 2:23-24).

So it was a blessing to the Nephites after all to have the Lamanites on their doorstep to 'stir them up to remembrance' - 'Happy is the man whom God correcteth' (Job 5:17). No matter how wicked and ferocious and depraved the Lamanites might be (and they were that!), no matter by how much they outnumbered the Nephites, darkly closing in on all sides, no matter how insidiously they spied and intrigued and infiltrated and hatched their diabolical plots and breathed their bloody threats and pushed their formidable preparations for all-out war, they were not the Nephite problem. They were merely kept there to remind the Nephites of their real problem, which was to walk uprightly before the Lord. 

(Hugh Nibley, Since Cumorah, 2nd ed., pp. 338-9.)

Inasmuch As Ye Shall Keep My Commandments... Ye Shall Prosper....

And inasmuch as ye shall keep my commandments, ye shall prosper, and shall be led to a land of promise; yea, even a land which I have prepared for you; yea, a land which is choice above all other lands. 

And inasmuch as thy brethren shall rebel against thee, they shall be cut off from the presence of the Lord. (1 Nephi 2:20-21)

The promise contained in verses 20 and 21 came to Nephi because of his faith, diligence and humility (verse 19). It represents a motto, a promise, and a charge to the Nephites. It becomes the great law by which Nephite nations are prospered or destroyed. This law is so important that it is repeated at least 10 times in the Book of Mormon. (1 Nephi 2:20, 2 Nephi 1:20, 2 Nephi 4:4, Jarom 1:9, Mosiah 2:31, Alma 9:13, 36:1, 36:30, 37:13, 38:1) 

This promise is still in force in our day.

Spencer W. Kimball 

"This America is no ordinary country. It is a choice land, 'choice above all other lands' (1 Nephi 2:20). It has a tragic and bloody past, but a glorious and peaceful future if its inhabitants really learn to serve their God. It was consecrated as a land of promise to the people of the Americas, to whom God gave these great promises:

'It will be a land of liberty to its people' (2 Nephi 1:7).

'They shall never be brought down into captivity' (2 Nephi 1:7).

'And there shall be none to molest them' (2 Nephi 1:9).

'It is a land of promise' (1 Nephi 2:20).

'It shall be free from all nations under heaven' (Ether 2:12).

'There shall be no enemies come into this land' (Ether 2:12).

'It shall be free from bondage' (Ether 2:12).

'There shall be no kings upon the land' (2 Nephi 10:11).

'I will fortify this land against all other nations' (2 Nephi 10:12).

'He that fighteth against Zion shall perish' (2 Nephi 10:13).

"But these promises, glorious though they be, desirable as they are, can come only '...if they will but serve the God of this land who is Jesus Christ...' (Ether 2:12). There is only one way. That infallible cure is simply righteousness, obedience, Godliness, honor, and integrity. There is no other cure. Mountains of arms and ammunition's will not guarantee safety, for enemies can also build fortifications and missiles and bomb shelters. If we would but believe the prophets! For they have warned that if the 'inhabitants of this land are ever brought down into captivity and enslaved, it shall be because of iniquity; for if iniquity shall abound cursed shall be the land' (See 2 Nephi 1:7)." (Conference Report, Oct. 1961, pp. 30-31 as taken from Latter-day Commentary on the Book of Mormon compiled by K. Douglas Bassett)

Having Great Desires To Know Of The Mysteries of God

And it came to pass that I, Nephi, being exceedingly young, nevertheless being large in stature, and also having great desires to know of the mysteries of God, wherefore, I did cry unto the Lord; and behold he did visit me, and did soften my heart that I did believe all the words which had been spoken by my father; wherefore, I did not rebel against him like unto my brothers (1 Nephi 2:16).

The importance of Nephi's desires cannot be underestimated. Nephi was successful in his petitions to the Lord because of his great faith (verse 19) and desire. For the Lord, granteth unto men according to their desire (Alma 29:4). The other important lesson from this verse is that Nephi did not follow his father with blind faith. He asked the Lord for help and it was necessary that his heart was softened. Thus, he had obtained a witness for himself which helped him not to rebel like unto his brothers. In our moments of rebellion, we should follow Nephi's example and ask the Lord to soften our hearts.

"I did cry unto the Lord; and behold he did visit me, and did soften my heart"

The great authors of the Book of Mormon were all called in their youth. In this verse, Nephi intimates that he received a personal visitation from Jehovah. This great blessing was also given to Jacob, Mormon, and presumably Moroni. Lehi said of Jacob, 'thou hast behold in thy youth his glory; wherefore, thou art blessed even as they unto whom he shall minister in the flesh' (2 Nephi 2:4). Mormon declared, 'being fifteen years of age...I was visited of the Lord, and tasted and knew of the goodness of Jesus' (Mormon 1:15, see also Moroni 8:2). In this respect, the authors of the Book of Mormon were like the translator, Joseph Smith who 'tasted and knew of the goodness of Jesus' at the age of 14.

M. Russell Ballard declared:

"Vision makes all the difference in the world. Why was Nephi's reaction to his father's willingness to follow the Lord's direction and lead his family into the wilderness so different from that of his elder brothers, Laman and Lemuel? Could it be because Nephi went to the Lord privately and asked for his own witness or vision of the Lord's directive to his father? 'And it came to pass that I, Nephi, being exceedingly young, nevertheless being large in stature, and also having great desires to know of the mysteries of God, wherefore, I did cry unto the Lord; and behold he did visit me, and did soften my heart that I did believe all the words which had been spoken by my father; wherefore, I did not rebel against him like unto my brothers' (1 Nephi 2:16). Nephi sought his own vision, and the result was that his heart was softened. He had a clearer view of where his family was headed, and he was able to commit to follow the Lord. As Solomon explained, 'Where there is no vision, the people perish' (Proverbs 29:18)." (Counseling with Our Councils: Learning to Minister Together in the Church and in the Family, p. 23.)

The Shortest Verse in the Book of Mormon

And my father dwelt in a tent (1 Nephi 2:15)

This is the shortest verse in the Book of Mormon. It may seem to carry little meaning. However, Hugh Nibley writes:

"The editors of the Book of Mormon have given a whole verse to Nephi's laconic statement, 'And my father dwelt in a tent' (1 Nephi 2:15), and rightly so, since Nephi himself finds the fact very significant and refers constantly to his father's tent as the center of his universe. To an Arab, 'My father dwelt in a tent' says everything. 'The present inhabitants of Palestine,' writes Canaan, 'like their forefathers, are of two classes: dwellers in villages and cities, and the Bedouin [tent-dwellers]. As the life and habits of the one class differ from those of the other, so do their houses differ. Houses in villages are built of durable material; . . . on the other hand, Bedouin dwellings, tents, are more fitted for nomadic life...'"

"So with the announcement that his 'father dwelt in a tent,' Nephi serves notice that he had assumed the desert way of life, as perforce he must for his journey: any easterner would appreciate the significance and importance of the statement, which to us seems almost trivial. If Nephi seems to think of his father's tent as the hub of everything, he is simply expressing the view of any normal Bedouin, to whom the tent of the sheikh is the sheet anchor of existence." (Lehi in the Desert and the World of the Jaredites, pp. 57-58)

They Knew Not The Dealings Of That God Who Created Them

"And thus Laman and Lemuel, being the eldest, did murmur against their father. And they did murmur because they knew not the dealings of that God who had created them." (1 Nephi 2:12)

Instead of gladness, murmuring seems to come so naturally to the natural man. It crosses the spectrum of complaints. We need bread. We need water. (See Numbers 21:5.) The needed military reinforcements did not arrive (see Alma 60). 'Why did we ever leave Egypt?' (See Numbers 11:20.) 'Why did we ever leave Jerusalem?' (See 1 Nephi 2:11.) On and on goes our murmuring, and, it is significant that it almost always focuses on our tactical frustrations.

Too many of us seem to expect that life will flow ever smoothly, featuring an unbroken chain of green lights with empty parking places just in front of our destinations.

In its extremity, despair not only reflects immediate discontentment but also incorporates feelings of very deep ambivalence and/or confusion about the nature of life: 'Their sorrowing was . . . the sorrowing of the damned, because [they could not] take happiness in sin' (Mormon 2:13, 14).

By knowing that the everlasting and ultimate things are firmly in place, can we not then better endure irritations such as a dislocated travel schedule? Besides, how can it rain on the just and the unjust alike without occasionally raining on our personal parades? (See Matthew 5:45.) 

Enduring 'well' means passing the breaking point without breaking, having cause to be bitter - as men measure cause - without being bitter. Enduring 'well' means the disciple in the very trough of his difficulties avoids, as Job wisely did, having 'charged God foolishly.' The 'murmuring' so often mentioned in the Book of Mormon is kindred to the feelings we may sometimes have when we do not really question God's existence but rather his fair play, and we wrongly begin to make demands of him. (Helaman 16:17-20.) A brighter time will come when they that murmured 'shall learn doctrine,' (Isaiah 29:24) suggesting that conceptual inadequacy can cause us to murmur and complain.

Conclusion

Be free of criticism and murmuring. Build and lift in your words and conversations as you sustain and support. Murmuring and criticism lead to inactivity and apostasy from the Church. Do not allow yourself the dangerous luxury of criticism and murmuring. When I think of those who are prone to murmur, I think of Laman and Lemuel. 'And thus Laman and Lemuel, being the eldest, did murmur against their father. And they did murmur because they knew not the dealings of that God who had created them.' (1 Nephi 2:12.) Often murmuring is an outward evidence of disobedience.

Neal A. Maxwell, One More Strain of Praise, p. 26; A Time to Choose, P. 42

Marvin J. Ashton, Ye Are My Friends, p. 3 - 4.

The Character of Laman and Lemuel

8 And it came to pass that he called the name of the river, Laman, and it emptied into the Red Sea; and the valley was in the borders near the mouth thereof.

9 And when my father saw that the waters of the river emptied into the fountain of the Red Sea, he spake unto Laman, saying: O that thou mightest be like unto this river, continually running into the fountain of all righteousness!

10 And he also spake unto Lemuel: O that thou mightest be like unto this valley, firm and steadfast, and immovable in keeping the commandments of the Lord!

11 Now this he spake because of the stiffneckedness of Laman and Lemuel; for behold they did murmur in many things against their father, because he was a visionaryman, and had led them out of the land of Jerusalem, to leave the land of their inheritance, and their gold, and their silver, and their precious things, to perish in the wilderness. And this they said he had done because of the foolish imaginations of his heart.

12 And thus Laman and Lemuel, being the eldest, did murmur against their father. And they did murmurbecause they knew not the dealings of that God who hadcreated them.

13 Neither did they believe that Jerusalem, that great city, could be destroyed according to the words of the prophets. And they were like unto the Jews who were at Jerusalem, who sought to take away the life of my father. (1 Nephi 2:8-13)

Nephi recounts Lehi's concern for his two eldest sons. Nephi also suggests the reason for their murmuring, they did murmur because they knew not the dealings of that God who had created them. Neither did they believe that Jerusalem, that great city, could be destroyed (verses12-13). Had they known the dealings of their creator, they would have remembered the flood, the tower of Babel, Sodom and Gomorrah, the Lord's dealings with Egypt in the days of Moses, and the destruction of the Northern Kingdom by the Assyrians. They would have understood a pattern in which the Lord preserves the righteous and destroys the wicked when they are fully ripe for destruction. They would have seen the similarities between the Lord's dealings with the righteous in these situations and with the commandment of the Lord to Lehi to leave Jerusalem before its destruction.

Laman and Lemuel's belief that Jerusalem was too great a city to be destroyed shows the shortsightedness of their perspective. By the time Zedekiah becomes king, Jerusalem has already began to lose some of its strength and independence. In the thirty years prior to Lehi's departure, 

1) the kings of Judah had been controlled by Pharaoh-nechoh, king of Egypt, 

2) the Jews had been paying tribute to the Egyptians, 

3) Jehoahaz, king of Judah, had been imprisoned by Pharaoh-nechoh, 

4) when Jehoiakim was king, the Lord had sent armies of Babylonians, Syrians, Moabites, and Ammonites against the city of Jerusalem to partially sack and destroy it, and 

5) the Babylonians had already established political superiority to the Jews as it was Nebuchadnezzar himself that made Zedekiah king in Jerusalem (see 2 Kings 23-25).

It was the rebellion of Zedekiah against Nebuchadnezzar in the ninth year of Zedekiah's reign that brought the final destruction of Jerusalem, but a familiarity with the politics of Lehi's day makes it clear that Jerusalem was anything but invincible.

Not only were Laman and Lemuel spiritually and politically shortsighted, their wickedness was such that they had a murderous heart. They had considered killing Lehi and later, Nephi. Their concerns were always worldly. 

Reynolds and Sjodahl wrote, 

"Note the character of the rebellious sons. Their stubbornness (they were 'stiff-necked' v. 11); their love of money (they regretted the treasure that had been left behind, v. 11); their lack of faith (they were sure they would perish in the wilderness, v. 11); their ignorance (they knew not the dealings of God, v. 12 and they rejected his word through the prophets, v. 13); and finally, their weakness in the presence of the manifestations of the Spirit of the Lord, (v. 14)." 

(Reynolds and Sjodahl, Commentary on the Book of Mormon, vol. 1, p. 27)

OUR MORTAL TRIBULATIONS ARE FOR OUR GROWTH AND EXPERIENCE

When the difficulties of mortality humble us and refine us and teach us and bless us, they can be powerful instruments in the hands of God to make us better people, to make us more grateful, more loving, and more considerate of other people in their own times of difficulty.

Yes, we all have difficult moments, individually and collectively, but even in the most severe of times, anciently or in modern times, those problems and prophecies were never intended to do anything but bless the righteous and help those who are less righteous move toward repentance. God loves us, and the scriptures tell us he “gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life” (John 3:16).

The great Book of Mormon patriarch, Lehi, spoke encouragingly to his son Jacob, a son born in the wilderness in a time of travail and opposition. Jacob’s life was not as he might have expected it to be and not as the ideal course of experience might have outlined. He had suffered afflictions and setbacks, but Lehi promised that such afflictions would be consecrated for his son’s gain (see 2 Nephi 2:2).

Then Lehi added these words that have become classic:

“For it must needs be, that there is an opposition in all things. If not so, … righteousness could not be brought to pass, neither wickedness, neither holiness nor misery, neither good nor bad” (2 Nephi 2:11).

I have taken great comfort over the years in this explanation of some of life’s pain and disappointment. I take even greater comfort that the greatest of men and women, including the Son of God, have faced such opposition in order to better understand the contrast between righteousness and wickedness, holiness and misery, good and bad. From out of the dark, damp confinement of Liberty Jail, the Prophet Joseph Smith learned that if we are called to pass through tribulation, it is for our growth and experience and will ultimately be counted for our good (see D&C 122:5–8).

Where one door shuts, another opens, even for a prophet in prison. We are not always wise enough nor experienced enough to judge adequately all of the possible entries and exits. The mansion that God prepares for each of his beloved children may have only certain hallways and banisters, special carpets and curtains that he would have us pass on our way to possess it. …

At various times in our lives, probably at repeated times in our lives, we do have to acknowledge that God knows what we do not know and sees what we do not see. “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the Lord” (Isaiah 55:8).

If you have troubles at home with children who stray, if you suffer financial reverses and emotional strain that threaten your homes and your happiness, if you must face the loss of life or health, may peace be unto your soul. We will not be tempted beyond our ability to withstand (see 1 Corinthians 10:13; Alma 13:28; 34:39). Our detours and disappointments are the straight and narrow path to Him.

Teachings of Presidents of the Church: Howard W. Hunter, 2015

Chapter 3: Adversity—Part of God’s Plan for Our Eternal Progress

WHAT PRIESTHOOD DID LEHI HOLD?

And it came to pass that he built an altar of stones, and made an offering unto the Lord, and gave thanks unto the Lord our God (1 Nephi 2:7).

What priesthood did Lehi hold when he built an altar of stones, and made an offering?

Lehi was raised under the tradition of the Law of Moses. There is no reason to think that his sacrifice was anything but an animal sacrifice. The Book of Mormon rarely describes the practice of animal sacrifice. Mosiah 2:3 records, "And they also took of the firstlings of their flocks, that they might offer sacrifice and burnt offerings according to the law of Moses." Although little is spoken of this practice, it would have been a consistent part of Nephite worship, especially in the temples that they built. The specific blessing the Lord promised with respect to this practice is found in Exodus 20:24, "I will come unto thee, and I will bless thee."

Secondly, in Lehi's day, those who offered sacrifice in the temple of Solomon held the Aaronic Priesthood. In order to hold the Aaronic or Levitical priesthood, one had to be a Levite by descent. Lehi was a Manassehite, and therefore would not have held the Levitical priesthood. He must have held the Melchizedek priesthood. However, as with the great prophet Elijah, there is no record of how he received it. Alma suggests that these prophets received the priesthood from the Lord based on their faith.

"And this is the manner after which they were ordained--being called and prepared from the foundation of the world according to the foreknowledge of God, on account of their exceeding faith and good works; in the first place being left to choose good or evil; therefore they having chosen good, and exercising exceedingly great faith, are called with a holy calling, yea, with that holy calling which was prepared with, and according to, a preparatory redemption for such." (Alma 13:3)

Alma also makes it clear that the Melchizedek priesthood was held by the Nephites prior to the coming of Christ, Alma...confined himself wholly to the high priesthood of the holy order of God. (Alma 4:20, see also Alma 13:1-19)

How Could Lehi Offer Sacrifices Outside Of Jerusalem?