2 Therefore let us go up; let us be strong like unto Moses; for he truly spake unto the waters of the Red Sea and they divided hither and thither, and our fathers came through, out of captivity, on dry ground, and the armies of Pharaoh did follow and were drowned in the waters of the Red Sea.
Nephi continues to encourage his brothers by reminding of the story of Moses and the parting of the Red Sea. The story illustrates several points that directly relate to Nephi and his brothers returning to Jerusalem to get the brass plates from Laban.
First, that God was able to defeat the army of Pharaoh. Laman and Lemuel were justifiably frightened of Laban's guards. They were just 4 young men against trained soldiers. They really would not stand a chance of overcoming by force. Laban had also proved that he was greedy and bloodthirsty and had no problem ordering their death.
In many ways Laban's actions paralleled those of Pharaoh. Both were greedy, bloodthirsty and had little regard for human life. Both commanded an overwhelming army. Both were acting against the will of the Lord. Both armies were defeated without a sword needing to be raised. God did the fighting.
The story reminded the brothers that God will fight the battles of his servants.
Second, God commands the elements. Laban was able to command many men, but he had no control over the elements. Laban might command an army, yet god could destroy that army. The arm of God is mightier than the arm of man. We should put out trust in the arm of God.
Lastly, that they should have faith.
posted by Matt 9:00 AM
1 And it came to pass that I spake unto my brethren, saying: Let us go up again unto Jerusalem, and let us be faithful in keeping the commandments of the Lord; for behold he is mightier than all the earth, then why not mightier than Laban and his fifty, yea, or even than his tens of thousands?
4 Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up, 5 Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil; 6 Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth; 7 Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things. 8 Charity never faileth: but whether there be prophecies, they shall fail; whether there be tongues, they shall cease; whether there be knowledge, it shall vanish away
If you recall from the last few verses, Nephi has been beaten with a stick. Then an angel comes and commands the brothers to return to Jerusalem. Nephi's brothers balk at the idea and start complaining about the strength of Laban and his men.
The natural thing for Nephi to do would have been to start railing on his brothers. And he had a lot to be angry about, so why not? It is the most natural thing to answer railing for railing, and eye for an eye. When people yell, the natural response is to yell back. When people resort to violence, to answer with violence.
But Nephi had charity, even for those who despitefully used him. First Nephi suffered long. He suffered from the much murmuring and complaining of his brothers. They insulted their father, complained at every turn and even turned to threats. As difficult as this would be bare, Laman and Lemuel did not stop there. They also used sticks to beat their brothers. Nephi indeed suffered a lot at the hands of his brothers.
Nephi endured all those things without complaint. How can you explain how he was able to endure such verbal and physical assaults? It is through the pure love of Christ, or charity.
Nephi was not easily provoked. It is so easy to become angry at the slightest insult. Yet Nephi endured such provoking and yet still held his peace.
This verse teaches a lot about how to answer railing with patience, insult with charity. First, he encourages then to be obedience. It is important to be obedient, to go and do what the Lord commands. Sometimes the reason for obedience is not known, but it is still good to obey. Besides, it was what their father and an angel expected them to do.
Then, encourage them to faith. Faith in the Lord is the first principle of the gospel. Nephi attempts to build their faith by reminding his older brothers that the Lord is mightier than one man or even 50 men.
By having charity and love for his brothers, even if they did not particually deserve it, Nephi is able to answer them in a way that encourages them to action, faith and obedience. A fine example for us all.
posted by Matt 8:25 AM
31 And after the angel had departed, Laman and Lemuel again began to murmur, saying: How is it possible that the Lord will deliver Laban into our hands? Behold, he is a mighty man, and he can command fifty, yea, even he can slay fifty; then why not us?
Laman and Lemuel had been told by an angel to go back to Jerusalem. Yet, even though the message had been delivered by an angel, they doubted. Lehi was all too real, with men to command. Laman and Lemuel understood this, yet they did not understand the power of god. All of this in spite of having seen an angel.
How many people have demanded signs, claiming that the sign would then convince them. In Doctrine and Covenants 63:6-12 we read
6 Wherefore, verily I say, let the wicked take heed, and let the rebellious fear and tremble; and let the unbelieving hold their lips, for the day of wrath shall come upon them as a whirlwind, and all flesh shall know that I am God. 7 And he that seeketh signs shall see signs, but not unto salvation. 8 Verily, I say unto you, there are those among you who seek signs, and there have been such even from the beginning; 9 But, behold, faith cometh not by signs, but signs follow those that believe. 10 Yea, signs come by faith, not by the will of men, nor as they please, but by the will of God. 11 Yea, signs come by faith, unto mighty works, for without faith no man pleaseth God; and with whom God is angry he is not well pleased; wherefore, unto such he showeth no signs, only in wrath unto their condemnation. 12 Wherefore, I, the Lord, am not pleased with those among you who have sought after signs and wonders for faith, and not for the good of men unto my glory.
Laman and Lemuel are an example of faith not coming from signs. Jesus healed the sick, the lame, the blind and so forth. He even raised a man from the dead. Yet, even with so great a miracle, there were still those who hardened their hearts and sought to destroy him. Faith does not come from signs and wonders.
Laman's faith and Lemuel's faith did not increase for seeing an angel. They still murmured and showed no faith. People must have faith before the miracle or the sign from heaven can increase faith. Otherwise, its too easy find some "rational explanation" for the wonder and diminish its importance.
posted by Matt 5:14 AM
The secret of a good sermon is to have a good beginning and a good ending; and to have the two as close together as possible.
The angel seems to have understood this principle wonderfully well. Studies show that people only remember the first and the last thing that is said. Everything else is easily forgotten. If you have something important to say, keep it short.
The proverbs a short, yet powerful and meaningful. People like Ben Franklin and Confucius are remembered for the lessons they taught with just a simple phrase or two. The Lord taught in short parables rather than long dissertations. There is a power in simplicity. It is through small and simple means that great things are brought to pass. A simple truth taught clearly can be more effective than a long winded lecture on the same subject.
If we look back at 1 Nephi 3:29, the angel uttered 3 sentences, as the text is rendered in English. Three simple, easy to understand, sentences.
In this verse, the angel then departs. The message is short and to the point. There is no lecture, not even a command to stop beating their brothers. Just an almost rhetorical question as to why they are beating their brother. Then another question to re-iterate a previous prophecy and then a statement of the Lord's will for them. Having delivered the message, the brothers are once again left alone.
It is interesting to note that even a visit from an angel did not remove the need for faith. The only command the brother received was to return to Jerusalem. They needed to work out for themselves how to do that and what to do there.
Now consider Saul on the way to Damascus in Acts 9:1-6:
1 And Saul, yet breathing out threatenings and slaughter against the disciples of the Lord, went unto the high priest, 2 And desired of him letters to Damascus to the synagogues, that if he found any of this way, whether they were men or women, he might bring them bound unto Jerusalem. 3 And as he journeyed, he came near Damascus: and suddenly there shined round about him a light from heaven: 4 And he fell to the earth, and heard a voice saying unto him, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me? 5 And he said, Who art thou, Lord? And the Lord said, I am Jesus whom thou persecutest: it is hard for thee to kick against the pricks. 6 And he trembling and astonished said, Lord, what wilt thou have me to do? And the Lord said unto him, Arise, and go into the city, and it shall be told thee what thou must do.
The Lord spoke three sentences to Saul. Again, no command to stop doing what he was doing, just a question about his motives for doing it. Then, same as with Nephi and his brothers, a command to act, but no description of what would happen or how it would turn out. Saul had to exercise his faith in the Lord and follow Him literally blindly, into Damascus to later learn the will of the Lord.
29 And it came to pass as they smote us with a rod, behold, an angel of the Lord came and stood before them, and he spake unto them, saying: Why do ye smite your younger brother with a rod? Know ye not that the Lord hath chosen him to be a ruler over you, and this because of your iniquities? Behold ye shall go up to Jerusalem again, and the Lord will deliver Laban into your hands.
11 And the angel of the LORD called unto him out of heaven, and said, Abraham, Abraham: and he said, Here am I. 12 And he said, Lay not thine hand upon the lad, neither do thou any thing unto him: for now I know that thou fearest God, seeing thou hast not withheld thy son, thine only son from me. 13 And Abraham lifted up his eyes, and looked, and behold behind him a ram caught in a thicket by his horns: and Abraham went and took the ram, and offered him up for a burnt offering in the stead of his son.
28 And the angel came in unto her, and said, Hail, thou that art highly favoured, the Lord is with thee: blessed art thou among women. 29 And when she saw him, she was troubled at his saying, and cast in her mind what manner of salutation this should be. 30 And the angel said unto her, Fear not, Mary: for thou hast found favour with God. 31 And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name JESUS.
But there are also other examples of angels visiting people who are not doing the Lord's will. Here I am thinking of Saul on the road the Damascus as well as Alma and the sons of Mosiah. All of these people experienced a change of heart and became repentant. They also dedicated themselves to serving the Lord.
Laman and Lemuel are different. Even after having been chastised by an angel, they still doubt.
28 And it came to pass that Laman was angry with me, and also with my father; and also was Lemuel, for he hearkened unto the words of Laman. Wherefore Laman and Lemuel did speak many hard words unto us, their younger brothers, and they did smite us even with a rod.
Nephi mentions or implies on several occasions that he is mistreated brothers. Here we see a rare example of Nephi writing what his brothers actually did to him.
Nephi left us a great example of who we should think of those would mistreat us. In Matthew 5:44 the Savour says:
44 But I say unto you, Loveyourenemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you;
Nephi, be not always complaining about his brothers but always praying for them give us a good example of loving our enemies.
Why did he do it in this verse then. It seems to explain the extraordinary visitation of the next verse.
posted by Matt 5:11 AM
27 And it came to pass that we fled into the wilderness, and the servants of Laban did not overtake us, and we hid ourselves in the cavity of a rock
The sons of Lehi are fleeing for their lives and the only mention is that they ran away and escaped. Nephi is focusing on just the "important" stuff, the gospel. Throughout his records, Nephi leaves out much of the suffering. The only time it is mentioned is when it leads to an increased understanding of some aspect of the gospel. Here, Laban has sent his servents to kill Nephi and his brothers. Later, we see where that act leads.
Moreover, thou son of man, take thee one stick, and write upon it, For Judah, and for the children of Israel his companions: then take another stick, and write upon it, For Joseph, the stick of Ephraim, and for all the house of Israel his companions:
EZEKIEL 37:16
