Abish and Spiritual Strength
Filed under: Book of Mormon Stories, People in the Book of Mormon
Abish was a woman who worked in the palace where Ammon, a popular Book of Mormon missionary, was temporarily serving the king as a shepherd. She had been converted but no one else in her community believed in the church and she had to keep her own testimony private. Despite having no friends who were members of the church, despite not having scriptures to read or a congregation to attend, she held on to her testimony and grew it. One day, after Ammon had saved the king’s flocks, the king called Ammon to him, and after being taught the gospel he was so overcome by the spirit he lost consciousness for several days. It was believed by everyone but his wife that he was dead and must be buried. The queen called Ammon to her and told him she believed her husband was still alive.
Ammon went to see the king and then told the wife her husband would rise the next day. He asked her if she believed him. Despite the fact that she’d not been a member of the church, she did believe, gaining an instant testimony. Ammon praised her great faith. The spirit was so strong, the queen and Ammon also lost consciousness. This was Abish’s great moment in history. She knew what was happening. She knew the Holy Ghost was present and that miracles were about to happen. Having so much faith, she wanted others to witness the miracle, so they would also be converted, so she ran to spread the word.
Things didn’t go quite as she planned, however. The people who gathered began to shout horrible things about Ammon, calling him a Nephite monster. Abish’s heart was broken and she cried. She went to the queen and took her hand. As she hoped, the queen awakened. The queen immediately began to call on the Savior to have mercy on her people, who were wicked. Then she took her husband’s hand and he awakened, and began to teach the gospel to the people. Then the real miracles began. Some people stopped shouting and listened. Some were converted and those who weren’t left the palace. Ammon eventually rose and also began teaching the gospel. Those who had stayed to hear the preaching asked to be baptized.
Many, many people were converted that day because a servant girl had maintained her testimony under difficult circumstances and had had enough faith to gather a crowd for the miracles she knew were to come. Abish, although not considered one of the major heroes of the Book of Mormon, is an amazing example of what can happen when only one person has faith and spiritual courage.
The Story of Sherem
Filed under: Book of Mormon Stories, People in the Book of Mormon
The Nephites were a group of people who left Jerusalem in 600 BC. Most were members of the family of Lehi, and the family of a friend whose children married into Lehi’s family. After Lehi died, the people, now settled in the Americas, split into two opposing groups, those who wished to follow God and were known as Nephites, after Lehi’s fourth son, and those who did not. This latter group was known as the Lamanites, followers of Lehi’s oldest son.
By the time Nephi had died and his younger brother Jacob had taken on leadership of the church, the Nephites were losing their way. Many of them were ignoring the teachings of their childhood and were filled with pride, which led to a variety of other sins.
At this time, when their faith was weakened, a man named Sherem came to the city. We don’t know where he came from, whether he was a Lamanite, or whether he was one of the many people already on the American continent, today known often as Native Americans. He spoke and understood their language fluently, however, which gave him greater access to the people, and made it easier to win them over.
Sherem turned on the charm, using flattery to win people over to his message—that there was no Christ. Christ had not yet been born, but the prophets of the Book of Mormon taught of His coming regularly. Anyone who knew the Nephite language most certainly had heard these teachings.
He was particularly anxious to meet Jacob. I’m sure he felt it would be quite an accomplishment to win the prophet over to his teachings. When he finally had an opportunity to talk with Jacob, Sherem went right to the heart of his false doctrine:
6 And it came to pass that he came unto me, and on this wise did he speak unto me, saying: Brother Jacob, I have sought much opportunity that I might speak unto you; for I have heard and also know that thou goest about much, preaching that which ye call the gospel, or the doctrine of Christ.
7 And ye have led away much of this people that they pervert the right way of God, and keep not the law of Moses which is the right way; and convert the law of Moses into the worship of a being which ye say shall come many hundred years hence. And now behold, I, Sherem, declare unto you that this is blasphemy; for no man knoweth of such things; for he cannot tell of things to come. And after this manner did Sherem contend against me.” (Jacob 7)
Notice that right away, Sherem is contradicting himself. He suggests Jacob can’t know Christ will be born because no man can know the future. However, he, Sherem, apparently considers himself an exception to the rule that you can’t see the future, since he claims to “know” Christ isn’t going to be born.
Jacob is neither amused nor shaken. He sets out to calmly undo Sherem’s slick arguments. He directly asks Sherem if he denied Christ. Sherem openly admitted to denying Christ.
Sherem says if there were a Christ, he would believe in Him, but since there isn’t, he doesn’t. Jacob then asks Sherem if he believes the scriptures and Sherem says he does. Jacob responds that if he truly believes the scriptures, he misunderstands them, because the prophets have clearly stated that Christ will come.
Then Jacob does what every good missionary must do. He shares his testimony of Christ, saying that this testimony came to him through the witness of the Holy Ghost. Sherem now goes for what he fully expects to be the big finish: he demands a sign.
Jacob refuses to promise him a sign.
14 And I said unto him: What am I that I should tempt God to show unto thee a sign in the thing which thou knowest to be true? Yet thou wilt deny it, because thou art of the devil. Nevertheless, not my will be done; but if God shall smite thee, let that be a sign unto thee that he has power, both in heaven and in earth; and also, that Christ shall come. And thy will, O Lord, be done, and not mine.
15 And it came to pass that when I, Jacob, had spoken these words, the power of the Lord came upon him, insomuch that he fell to the earth. And it came to pass that he was nourished for the space of many days.
Certainly Sherem was hoping Jacob would try to move a mountain or something harmless—to Sherem—unsuccessfully, in order to “prove” his point. Instead, Jacob, while refusing to promise anything, selected a sign that would penalize the sinner, should God choose to act on it.
Sherem understood that he was dying and asked to have the people brought to him. He made a death bed effort to undue what he had done, fearing, he said, that he had committed the unpardonable sin of lying to God and denying Jesus. He asked forgiveness and admitted to the people he had indeed lied and had been deceived by Satan. Shortly after making this confession and sharing his true testimony, he died.
The people were astounded and were shocked back into spirituality. The spirit was able to touch their hearts and they returned to the gospel and repented as well. The tide of wickedness beginning to take over the city came to a rapid end.
Jacob, Brother of Nephi
If you’ve been reading the Book of Mormon along with me, you’re now ready to start the Book of Jacob. Jacob was the brother of Nephi, the second Book of Mormon prophet. Let’s take a look back at his background.
Jacob’s father was Lehi, a prophet in Jerusalem around 600 BC. Lehi had been a successful man of wealth when he was called to be a prophet in a time when there were many prophets warning the people to repent or Jerusalem would be destroyed. When the people threatened his life, God instructed him to take his family and flee. They were later joined by another family and a man who would become a friend. Eventually, God led them across the water to a promised land of their very own.
Lehi and his wife Sariah had four sons when they fled Jerusalem. The oldest two broke their parents’ hearts by being disobedient and rebellious. They cared nothing for the faith of their parents or the well-being of their family. Over time, their wickedness increased until they were periodically trying to murder their younger brother Nephi, and sometimes other family members as well.
These wicked older brothers, Laman and Lemuel, had a particular animosity toward Nephi, whom God had designated to become the family’s leader when their father died. This call to leadership came from angels while Nephi was still a teenager.
After the family began their travels, two more sons, Jacob and Joseph, were born. Jacob was the oldest of the two, and he is the author of the next book in the Book of Mormon.
He had a very challenging childhood. He’d never known a real home, since he was born in the wilderness to a homeless, traveling family. He’d never known the relative stability that might have existed when Laman and Lemuel were merely badly behaved teens. Instead, he came into the world with two older brothers who were cruel and uncaring, bent on destroying those who were good. By then the older brothers had married into the other family journeying with them. This family had some children who were also wicked. Think how frightening his childhood must have been, with the constant violence or threat of violence, never having a home or the security of stability.
In spite of all this, Jacob grew to be a good man. His father had designated Nephi to care for the two youngest upon his death. After Lehi died, Nephi was forced to take his family, including Jacob, and those who wanted to live the gospel, to find a new homeland. The violence of the two oldest sons placed the others in too much danger. Jacob grew up in his brother’s care and soon took on important leadership roles in the church.
It might be that a childhood spent wandering gave Jacob a special understanding of the Israelites, and their long journey through the wilderness. This was a favorite theme for him, as was the atonement, which promised joy however challenging his life on earth had been.
He grew up with both the best and worst examples and had a clear understanding of the price of sin and of the blessings of obedience. His trials, rather than making him bitter, made him spiritually strong, and he was permitted to see the Savior in a vision. In fact, Jacob was the first of the Nephites to know what Jesus’ name would be. Although someone else was named king, he appears to have become the head of the church after his brother’s death.
Near the end of his life, he wrote:
“And it came to pass that I, Jacob, began to be old; and the record of this people being kept on the other plates of Nephi, wherefore, I conclude this record, declaring that I have written according to the best of my knowledge, by saying that 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)
Despite this sad summary of his life, we see throughout Jacob’s story that he made the most of a challenging life, to become a devoted servant of God, and the father of prophets. He is a lesson to us about how to cope with lives that don’t go as they ought to. Jacob, while accepting that he’d had a hard life, made good use of his trials to bless and teach others.
Moroni–More Than a Statue
Filed under: Frequently Asked Questions, People in the Book of Mormon
Moroni is most often known to people outside the church as the figure on the statue topping most of the Mormon temples. Have you ever wondered who he is and why he’s on our temples?
Moroni was a prophet who lived in the time when the events of the Book of Mormon happened. He was the son of Mormon. It is Mormon whose name is on the Book of Mormon. Mormon abridged the plates (records), written by numerous prophets over many generations, to make them a manageable size.
The Book of Mormon chronicles the history of two groups of people, all descendants of the same prophet. The Lamanites, descendants of Laman, a man who chose to turn his back on God, had always wanted to destroy the Nephites. The Nephites were the descendants of Nephi, Laman’s younger brother. God promised the Nephites they couldn’t be destroyed as long as they lived the gospel, but there came a time when the Nephites turned away from God and the Lamanites were able to fulfill their wicked goal. A terrible battle ensued, killing Nephites in huge numbers. In chapter 8 of the Book of Mormon (a section of the larger Book of Mormon, much as Revelations is a book in the Bible), Moroni takes over the records:
And my father also was killed by them, and I even remain alone to write the sad tale of the destruction of my people. But behold, they are gone, and I fulfil the commandment of my father. And whether they will slay me, I know not. Therefore I will write and hide up the records in the earth; and whither I go it mattereth not. Behold, my father hath made this record, and he hath written the intent thereof. And behold, I would write it also if I had room upon the plates, but I have not; and ore I have none, for I am alone. My father hath been slain in battle, and all my kinsfolk, and I have not friends nor whither to go; and how long the Lord will suffer that I may live I know not.
Moroni’s purpose was to deliver the final messages of this sacred record and then to put it where it would be kept safe until a later time. However, his personal life story is one of the most powerful in the Book of Mormon. Some scholars believe Moroni was only a teenager when he took over responsibility for the remains of the church, and the scriptures. As a teenager, then, he soon became the only good person remaining in the world he knew. His life was constantly in danger, because the goal was to ensure no Nephites remained. He stayed hidden and alone, coming out only when it was safe, to find food, ministered to on occasion by angels, but otherwise, alone and hunted. His only purpose for being kept alive was to preserve this book so the people of our time could have it. What did he think about in those long hours as he worked to finish the book, or in the lonely hours before sleep? How many people had he loved were lost in the battle?
Moroni is an extraordinary example of faith in the face of sorrow and hardship. After safely hiding the book in the Hill Cumorah in upstate New York, he slipped away. Many years later, he returned, surprised to still be alive. Again in secret, he retrieved the book and added to it, but he remained in great danger. “And I, Moroni, will not deny the Christ; wherefore, I wander whithersoever I can for the safety of mine own life.” (Moroni 1:3) Despite the terrible sacrifices he had made, he was unwilling to compromise his faith, serving as a model for all who are asked to sacrifice or compromise their own faiths.
In these final writings, he recorded the words that have changed millions of lives. He explained how to know if the book contained the truth:
Behold, I would exhort you that when ye shall read these things, if it be wisdom in God that ye should read them, that ye would remember how merciful the Lord hath been unto the children of men, from the creation of Adam even down until the time that ye shall receive these things, and ponder it in your hearts. And when ye shall receive these things, I would exhort you that ye would ask God, the Eternal Father, in the name of Christ, if these things are not true; and if ye shall ask with a sincere heart, with real intent, having faith in Christ, he will manifest the truth of it unto you, by the power of the Holy Ghost.
And by the power of the Holy Ghost ye may know the truth of all things. (Moroni 10: 3-5)
When it was time for the gospel to be restored, it was Moroni, now an angel, who came to Joseph and who would eventually lead him to the plates Moroni had hidden so long ago. Moroni trained Joseph for the initial work, teaching him what he needed to do to prepare to participate in restoring the gospel to the earth.
He is shown as an angel proclaiming the restoration of the gospel in statues and pictures in honor of the great work he did in his lifetime on earth, and later in his continuing work as an angel.
What Sam Teaches About Humility
Filed under: Inspirations, People in the Book of Mormon
The first few books of the Book of Mormon focus on Lehi, a prophet, and his family. Lehi’s life was endangered due to his service as a prophet, and so he was commanded by God to leave their very comfortable home and travel to a land God would provide. Many hardships came upon the family as a result—living in a tent instead of a fine home, having no real material possessions, periodic challenges finding food, and so forth.
The greatest challenges, however, came from within their own family. Lehi and his wife Sariah had six children, four born prior to their exodus. The two oldest were Laman and Lemuel. They were every parent’s nightmare. They complained constantly about the changes in their lives. They found it difficult—by choice—to understand or respect the gospel. And worst of all, they eventually began trying to kill their younger brother, Nephi, and even abused their own parents.
Nephi was the fourth son, the last born in their old life in Jerusalem. In a culture that made birth order the source of power, this put him low on the list of powerful people. However, God chose him to become the leader of the family and church once their father died. Laman and Lemuel completely resented this, even when angels came in person to explain it to them—they lost their place due to wickedness and lack of faith.
There was one other son between the wicked older brothers and Nephi. This was Sam, the third son. He also chose to follow his father’s teachings. He was, from all we can see, obedient and with faith. There were times when he struggled more than Nephi, but overall, he was a faithful servant.
Why did God skip Sam and choose Nephi? The Book of Mormon doesn’t say. It’s likely Sam himself didn’t know why, but he was present when the angels lectured his older brothers, so he knew it was true.
Laman, Lemuel, and Sam all heard what the angels said:
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.
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. (1 Nephi 3)
Laman and Lemuel reacted to this startling news by becoming even more angry, and attempting again and again to kill Nephi, and sometimes Sam as well, so they could be the rulers.
Sam seems to have chosen a different path. He quietly accepted Nephi’s leadership and in times when their father was unable to lead for any reason, he did as Nephi asked. We have no record of him complaining, or saying that it wasn’t fair. After all, it was easy to see why Laman and Lemuel weren’t chosen, but Sam was valiant. It might have been easy for him to become angry and leave “the church” and turn against God and his family. He didn’t, however.
When Lehi died, the abuse became so powerful that it was no longer safe for Nephi and those who accepted his leadership to stay in the family group. Lehi, his wife and children, and others in the group who loved the Lord gathered what they could and once again, headed into the wilderness. A safe distance away, they set up a new home. Sam was among those who followed Nephi and allowed him to take over leadership of the group.
Sam is a model of humility. He didn’t seek the role of leader, and when it wasn’t offered, he didn’t rebel. He quietly accepted it and went about his life, following his younger brother’s lead and continuing to do those things he should. He was a friend and a support to his brother all his life. Leadership never did pass over to him. When Nephi died, one of the sons born in the wilderness, Jacob, was chosen as the new leader.
Sam often gets overlooked when we name the heroes of the scriptures, but his quiet example of humility, obedience, faith, and service is one worthy of honor.
Doing the Impossible
Filed under: Book of Mormon Stories, God in the Book of Mormon, People in the Book of Mormon
We have been following the progress of Lehi and his family in our previous posts. Lehi was a prophet who was instructed by God to flee Jerusalem. After he preached repentance to them, his life was in danger. He took his family and only the most essential items and went into the wilderness, eventually joined by another family chosen by God to provide spouses for his children.
After eight years of travel, the family reached the sea. The place they found was beautiful and filled with wonderful foods to eat. However, this was not the place God had chosen for them to settle, as much as the family loved it. Instead, God commanded Nephi, who was now a young adult and the future prophet, to go to a mountain top to speak with the Lord. He did so, and received some rather astonishing news: He was to build a boat.
Nephi’s mind must have gone to his ancestor, Noah, who was also commanded to build a boat. They were both products of the desert and unfamiliar with boats. In fact, it’s likely Nephi had never even seen an ocean. However, Nephi, as we’ve seen, was a young man with extraordinary faith. He certainly knew Noah had built a boat despite his lack of training, and he knew he could build a boat as well—as long as God helped him. And Nephi had said long ago, as a teenager, “I will go and do the things which the Lord hath commanded, for I know that the Lord giveth no commandments unto the children of men, save he shall prepare a way for them that they may accomplish the thing which he commandeth them.” –1 Nephi 3:7 Over the next eight years, Nephi had been given many opportunities to see even more clearly this was true.
And so, Nephi set out to build a boat. Since he didn’t know how to proceed, he sought God’s help in the project. First he asked God where to find the ore to make the tools. Of course, before he could make the tools, he had to make the tools needed to make the tools.
Eventually all of that was accomplished, however, and then he faced a task that must have seemed even more impossible than making tools and a boat. He had to deal with his two oldest brothers, who, from the start, had been resentful at leaving their wealth and had been perfecting a bad attitude about everything. They lacked faith.
Nephi could build a boat, but he couldn’t build it alone. He was going to need the help of the other men in the party. This meant convincing Laman, who was developing his role as the leader of the opposition, to assist. Unfortunately, the moment the two oldest brothers figured out what Nephi was up to, they went into their usual routine:
17 And when my brethren saw that I was about to build a ship, they began to murmur against me, saying: Our brother is a fool, for he thinketh that he can build a ship; yea, and he also thinketh that he can cross these great waters.
18 And thus my brethren did complain against me, and were desirous that they might not labor, for they did not believe that I could build a ship; neither would they believe that I was instructed of the Lord.
19 And now it came to pass that I, Nephi, was exceedingly sorrowful because of the hardness of their hearts; and now when they saw that I began to be sorrowful they were glad in their hearts, insomuch that they did rejoice over me, saying: We knew that ye could not construct a ship, for we knew that ye were lacking in judgment; wherefore, thou canst not accomplish so great a work. (1 Nephi 17)
They went on to complain about their favorite gripe—leaving their wealth. They insisted the people in Jerusalem had been righteous and the city was not destroyed. They were certain that if they’d stayed home they would now be happy, not dead, and that Nephi was just like their judgmental father.
Nephi withstood their harassment and then delivered a powerful sermon on God’s power. The brothers responded, as they often did now, by trying to kill him. With God’s help, Nephi was able to withstand his brothers and secure their promise of help. The boat was built and proved seaworthy.
What might have seemed an impossible task was successfully accomplished, but only because Nephi entirely trusted and relied on God for help. Nephi teaches us that anything is possible when we let God in on the project.
And I said unto them: If God had commanded me to do all things I could do them. If he should command me that I should say unto this water, be thou earth, it should be earth; and if I should say it, it would be done. -1 Nephi 17:50
Respect for Authority
Filed under: Book of Mormon Stories, People in the Book of Mormon, Teachings
Members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints have a strong respect for authority. We believe in obeying the law. Within our church organizations, we show respect for our leaders and follow the chain of command.
When Nephi, a Book of Mormon prophet, was a young man, his family fled Jerusalem after his father, the prophet Lehi, was threatened with death for calling the people to repentance. While traveling in the wilderness, Nephi, the family’s hunter, broke his bow and the family was threatened with starvation. You can read a complete summary of the events in Nephi and the Broken Bow.
At this time, Lehi, who had never before faltered, momentarily lost faith and complained to God. He was an elderly man, tired, and hungry, and just for a brief moment in time, he lost faith and became upset. In the world, Nephi might have seen this as an opportunity to wrest leadership from the next person up the ladder. After all, he was ready. He had already, even though he was very young, seen a vision and talked with angels. He had been working hard to try to reform his wayward brothers. During times when Lehi wasn’t present, such as their journeys back to Jerusalem for various things, it was Nephi who had needed to take charge and keep things under control, even though he was the youngest son. In the corporate world, Nephi would have been poised for a power struggle.
But this was not the world. It was a family, but more importantly, it was the church. Lehi was not just Nephi’s father, but his spiritual leader, the prophet. Prophets are only human, as the Bible frequently makes clear. They aren’t perfect. They have their bad days just as anyone else does.
Nephi did not set up a power struggle or take over. He made a new bow and then gently, respectfully, went to his father and asked where to hunt. He demonstrated that he still saw Lehi as the prophet and leader of the family. He showed a powerful respect, and as a result, he helped Lehi turn back to his faith and carry on.
Elder Marion D. Hanks said,
“I count this one of the really significant lessons of life in the book, and, I repeat, the pages are full of them. A son who had strength enough, and humility enough, and manliness enough to go to his wavering superior and say, ‘You ask God, will you?’ because somehow he knew this is how you make men strong, that wise confidence in men builds them. Lehi asked God and God told him, and Lehi’s leadership was restored” (Steps to Learning, Brigham Young University Speeches of the Year [Provo, 4 May 1960], p. 7).
It was quite possibly Nephi’s request that reminded Lehi of his responsibilities to the leadership of the family and the church. He approached God, repented, and returned to his role as the leader. Only when he died did Nephi take over church leadership, and begin taking full responsibility for those in the group who wanted to follow God. Until that moment, Nephi allowed his father to stay in charge, just as God had chosen.
Lehi and Humility
Filed under: Book of Mormon Stories, Inspirations, People in the Book of Mormon
People familiar with the Book of Mormon usually refer to the story of the broken bow as Nephi’s story, because he was the hero of it all. You can read the entire story summarized in Nephi and the Broken Bow.
As you read the story, note that although it’s told by Nephi from his own point of view, there are many other people in the story, and each of them have their own story-within-the-story. For Nephi, it is a story of solving problems. For Laman and Lemuel, it is a story of murmuring—again. For Lehi, however, it was a story of learning humility.
Lehi was a great prophet. He was called from a life of privilege to warn the people of Jerusalem to repent. He accepted this call from God and risked, and eventually sacrificed, everything to carry it out. When the preaching was done, his life was in danger, and God was instructing him to leave behind his home and possessions and head for a yet unknown destination.
Through all of this, Lehi never complained or lost faith. He didn’t complain when asked to give up a comfortable life to try to reform people who didn’t want reforming. He didn’t complain when they didn’t listen. He didn’t complain or lose faith when they tried to kill him. Even having to leave his entire lifestyle behind didn’t cause him to complain or to lose faith. He kept right on doing whatever God asked of him, however hard it might be.
But now, for the first time, Lehi struggled. His family was facing starvation. Nephi, the skilled hunter, broke his bow. They were unable to obtain food and there was certainly nowhere to go buy food or a new bow. For the first time ever, Lehi found himself complaining at and about God.
Only his teenaged son Nephi refused to lose faith. Nephi trusted God and set out to do what needed to be done. But first, he went to work trying to restore the faith of his family.
We learn a great deal about Lehi from his reaction to this event. Although Nephi spoke only to his brothers about what the proper attitude should be, clearly Lehi heard or was aware of what was happening. He didn’t get angry at Nephi for refusing to despair with the others. This is probably remarkable. We’ve all seen that people have a tendency to resent positive people when they are feeling discouraged. Lehi, however, didn’t get upset. It’s likely he paid attention and allowed Nephi’s words to soften his own heart,which prepared him for what came next.
Nephi, who had gone on to make a new, simpler bow and arrows, came to his father. Ignoring Lehi’s temporary lapse of faith, Nephi sought his father’s advice in deciding where to hunt with the new equipment. Lehi, probably feeling a bit embarrassed, went to God to ask what to do.
25 And it came to pass that the voice of the Lord came unto my father; and he was truly chastened because of his murmuring against the Lord, insomuch that he was brought down into the depths of sorrow.–1 Nephi 16
Nephi is telling the story and so, doesn’t discuss, if he even knew, what process his father had to go through to repent and to put his faith back in order. What is clear, however, is that Lehi was willing to learn from any worthy source, even a young adult son. We also see that he was not willing to allow a brief moment of weakness destroy a lifetime of faith. When given the opportunity to return to leadership by Nephi, he accepted and humbly asked the Lord for help in solving the family emergency.
Lehi serves as a model for humility in life, parenting, and leadership.
Solving Problems God’s Way
Filed under: Book of Mormon Stories, Inspirations, People in the Book of Mormon, Teachings
In the previous post, I outlined the story of the teenaged Nephi, a future prophet, who went into the wilderness with his family at God’s command. In the course of the journey to a new home, Nephi, the family hunter, broke his bow and the family faced potential starvation. You can read the entire summary in Nephi and the Broken Bow.
One of the lessons we learn from this story is how God expects us to handle challenges. While the rest of the family whined and complained, Nephi went to work. First he tried to soothe his family’s nerves by reminding them of essential gospel principles. Then he set out to solve the problem as far as he was able to do so without help. He didn’t rush to God and say, “Make my broken bow whole again,” or “Leave a brand new bow lying over there in the bushes, please.” No, Nephi was self-reliant. He quietly went to work making a new bow. It wasn’t as elegant as the steel bow he’d broken. It was only made of wood, with a few sticks to use as arrows, but it would work and was a solution. For good measure, he also made a slingshot that could use rocks as weapons. Nephi took responsibility for his own well-being to the extent of his ability.
Next, Nephi went to his father for advice. This demonstrated his understanding of leadership chain of command and also showed respect for the man who was both his father and his church leader. He asked his father where he should go to do his hunting with his new, less powerful bow. Lehi then showed his own understanding of proper problem solving technique. Because he was probably unfamiliar with this new wilderness area, he went to the Lord. This was not something he could do on his own, but he knew God knew where prey was to be found.
Finally, Nephi accepted the spiritual guidance given to him by God and through his father and did exactly as God told him to do. This was Nephi’s normal pattern—he was an obedient and respectful young man.
It can seem easy to simply turn to God for everything we need, trusting in the adage, “God will provide.” However, if God were to simply hand us everything without any effort on our own part, He would be a poor parent, and God is perfect. Therefore, He parents perfectly. He expects us to do our part in order to help us to grow, develop our skills, and become self-reliant.
This is clearly a concept Nephi understood. He knew how to make a bow, so he made one without going to God for advice. Later in the narrative, he would be commanded by God to make a boat. As a desert child, he certainly had no experience with boats, so this time he would turn to God for advice on how to proceed. But when it came to bows, something Nephi, a skilled hunter understood, he took care of himself and sought advice only when he could no longer resolve the problems on his own.
Mary Ellen W. Smoot, a former General Relief Society President, taught,
From His prophets on down, the Lord has empowered His servants to come unto Him, to repent, and to seek for solutions. Not alone, but with God’s inspiration and support, prophets have had to solve enormous problems. Think of Nephi with his broken bow. Think of the brother of Jared with his dark boats. Think of Captain Moroni in the heat of battle. Any and every Church leader has had to “study it out” (D&C 9:8), humbly present a solution to the Lord, and then faithfully act upon it as guided by the Spirit. The Lord perfectly sustains, but He usually does not solve problems for us. Surely He could have given Nephi a new bow. He could have just commanded the brother of Jared to bring Him some rocks. He could have won all of Moroni’s battles for him. But higher laws were at stake. Learning and growing had to take place.
This process is vital to our spiritual growth and cannot take place as long as we look to other people, circumstances, programs, or institutions to solve problems for us. President Brigham Young (1801–77) taught, “Instead of searching after what the Lord is going to do for us, let us inquire what we can do for ourselves” (Discourses of Brigham Young, sel. John A. Widtsoe [1954], 293). Then we can take it to the Lord for confirmation.– Mary Ellen W. Smoot, “Seeking Solutions,” Ensign, Feb 2002, 42
Nephi exactly demonstrated the proper procedures for coping with challenges—soothe others if needed, solve as much of the problem as you can alone, seek counsel when you are no longer able to continue alone (through a leader, advisor, or prayer) and then follow the counsel.
Staying True to Your Faith
Filed under: Book of Mormon Stories, Inspirations, People in the Book of Mormon, Written for Our Day
Lehi was the first prophet of the Book of Mormon. Early in the timeline of the story of his life as a prophet, about 600 B.C., we learn of an extraordinary vision he received, known today as the Vision of the Tree of Life. In this vision, Lehi saw the Savior’s birth, ministry, and crucifixion, and also saw Satan’s efforts to undermine the Savior’s critical work on earth.
In this vision, he saw a tree, also called the Tree of Life, representing the love of God. A river of water ran near the tree, referred to as filthy water and representing Satan and all he stands for. Along the bank of the river, leading to the tree, was an iron rod, representing God’s word. A straight and narrow path led alongside the rod and to the tree. The tree held a fruit that was highly desirable, but you had to follow that very narrow, straight path to reach the tree. It might seem an easy thing to do, but as Lehi watched, many people intentionally left the path or wandered off of it, sidetracked by various distractions.
Lehi watched four groups of people start off on the path. The first started off well, but then encountered an intense mist of darkness. This mist represents temptation. The mist caused the people to fall off the path and wander away, because it was no longer easy to see the path and remain on it. Once off, they likely became distracted by all the temptations and neglected to return, and so they never obtained the desirable fruit.
The second group pushed on through the mist until they found the iron rod. They took hold of it and kept going, not allowing the mist to distract them from their goal. Regardless of the challenges, the iron rod—the word of God—kept them focused on the rewards at the end of the path. All was not well with this group, however. Even though they made it to the tree and tasted of the magnificent fruit, they quickly began looking around, checking out the reactions of others. There was a “great and spacious building” nearby, representing pride. The people in this building, dressed in elegant clothing, taunted the people who were eating the fruit. The people who had been enjoying the rewards of their journey suddenly found themselves embarrassed by the taunts, and quickly rushed off the path and joined those who felt that following the path was foolish or silly.
A third group found the path, stayed on it through the challenges, ate of the fruit and didn’t look around to collect opinions on their decision. Those people stayed to collect the rewards of their journey without any distractions at all. They received the fullness of the promised blessings.
The final group frequently fell into the river and drowned, or tried to find their way to the building with the rich and mocking people, but instead got lost and wandered aimlessly on strange paths.
This vision clearly outlines all the things that can happen to us as we seek out the path the Savior wants us to follow. Finding it isn’t enough. We have to have the focus and concentration to stay on it to the end, regardless of the temptations and distractions offered along the way. Certainly the world, led by Satan, offers many of those. He has gone out of his way to disguise sin as pleasure. Those sins can keep us from reaching a joy far greater than any temporary, worldly pleasure Satan might have to offer.
There are many people who do not have our best interests at heart. Unfortunately, it is easy to listen to them and to back down when it gets challenging. Teenagers, for instance, often care deeply about the opinions of their peers, and the teasing they receive for dressing modesty, practicing chastity, or spending the Sabbath doing the Lord’s will can push them off the path and onto one that seems easier, but robs them of true joy.
Many people wander aimlessly through life, playing games, watching television, and functioning without any purpose at all. They can spend their entire lives wandering around, never remembering the goal they once set for themselves, perhaps at baptism or other critical moments in their lives. When their lives end, they have nothing to show for the time they put into their lives.
The only way to return to our Father in Heaven is to get on the straight and narrow path, hold on to the iron rod (God’s word) and ignore the efforts of Satan and the world to distract you. Heaven matters. God matters. Don’t let anyone or anything distract you from enjoying the fruits of the Gospel and God’s love for you.