“the
Jews heard…”
-these
are the covenant people who were upset, if this situation were to happen in our
day, it would read: “when the
Saints/members heard…” The point is, of
all people, it is often the members –the last who should- that reject the words
of the prophets.
“they were angry”
-I have
noticed that this word and emotion is almost always associated with iniquity
and sin. Those who are described as
“angry” or are possessors of this emotion are those who are contrary to the
will and purposes of God. As I read the
experiences related in the Book of Mormon I will identify this word when it
occurs and evaluate the situation of those whom it describes (see
appendix).
-Furthermore, this relationship
between anger and the wicked character of those who possess/manifest it should
be an alarm that causes us to examine
our own stance/behavior when we feel ourselves becoming or possessed of anger.
“even as
with the prophets of old..."
-"no
prophet in these days" attitude even held by the people in Nephi's day.
-it is
very curious that all people, within the context of their own day, seem to have
a notion that their era/generation is more advanced or somehow different than
those of the past, hence such phrases as:
“that stuff happened in ______ (sometime in the past)_____ , it
is 1995 (2007 or whatever the current year is) for crying out loud.” We egocentrically imagine that our day is
somehow more advanced, more progressive, more wise, more virtuous and we are
shocked when something uncivil happens in our time. All people have a contemporary cultural bias
that blinds them to the real condition of their times. We think this way, just as Nephi thought this
way. For example, making a comparison to
“prophets of old”. This seems kind of
silly to us because he is a prophet of old (to us of “modern” times). So what is there to learn from all this? That we are not very different from those who
came before us. The problems,
challenges, trials, and sins that Nephi and his people had to face are the same
ones that we face. Hence, the ways and
methods that ensured triumph, peace and prosperity to them are the mechanisms
by which we can achieve triumph, peace and prosperity. It is likewise logical to deduce that the
miraculous visions and powers that were given/handled by them can be handled by
us.
-another
curious generality of human behavior can be drawn from this account. Most people have a difficult time believing
in a prophet in their own time. It is
easy to believe that there were some in the past, but not today.
“whom they had
cast out, stoned, and slain.”
-I think
Nephi is very aware of the fate his father would have faced had they remained
in Jerusalem. Their departure as
directed by the Lord must have, therefore, been an object of much gratitude
from Nephi to the Lord.”
-As
cognizant as Nephi may have been of this fact, Laman and Lemuel were equally
clueless. In fact, they are frequently
apt to claim how their lives would have been so much easier and prosperous had
they remained at Jerusalem… when in most probability their father would have
been dead. But why should this concern
them or cross their mind? They have
never been too concerned about the welfare of anyone except themselves anyway. In fact, they would soon assume the role of
the Jerusalemites whose hearts were filled with murderous desires because of
the stinging words of this (and other) visionary man.
“and they also
sought his life”
-a
predictable characteristic of the natural man is the tendency to look outside
himself when there is blame, correction or chastisement. When God, prophets or others accuse us of
errant behavior we look everywhere but within.
The fault always exists externally.
The first question in these situations should be “is it I”, “did I do
something to merit this critique” or “is there some truth to the
accusation?”. It is easier to change
others than to change ourselves -or so
we think. In actuality the only person
we can change is ourselves. Agency
forbids any other course of action. When
we should be focusing internally we look externally. Conversely, in matters of service, station or
status we should be others focused. When
we should be focusing on others we look internally. We are “me” focused. We are fixated on the self when the teaching
is to loose ourself and to serve others.
Satan is expert about inverting things.
-here the
people were at a turning point. A
serious and weighty message was given by Lehi.
It demanded their attention and action in one way or another: they could either try and change themselves
(change their behavior) or they could seek to change Lehi -to shut him up. They chose to silence Lehi.
“I will
show… the tender mercies of the Lord are over all… he has chosen.”
-the
preceeding clause illustrates the dangerous condition Lehi is in. The community is looking to kill him. This is serious stuff. He is in grave danger. And against this backdrop Nephi makes one of
the most profound statements and establishes one of the memes of the book of
Nephi (if not the entire book of Mormon):
that against the troubles and dangers of mortality, the tender mercies
of the Lord will cover those He has chosen.
-What
beautiful language (“tender mercies”) and what a wonderful assurance to those
engaged in the Lord’s cause. Remember
that Nephi is writing in retrospect and we are also adequately familiar with
his life to know that yes, he did endure many trials and hardships but he also
made it through OK and often with some wonderful experiences (i.e. on the
mountain, power against his brothers, being taught from on high, etc.).
“because of
their faith”
-this is
a clause that reoccurs over and over in the Book of Mormon. People are privy to sacred things because of
their faith. They qualify for God’s
protection and power because of their faith.
I wish I understood this causal statement more thoroughly since, obviously,
if anyone desires increased spiritual experience/truth, large amounts of strong
faith is key. There is power in fully
understanding this phrase!
No comments:
Post a Comment