“the Spirit … said again”
-in such
an unusual situation we can feel secure that the Lord will be patient with
us. This is command number 2 (the second
time Nephi is told to slay Laban).
“Behold the
Lord delivered him into thy hands.”
-The
Spirit didn’t simply say “slay him” but addressed Nephi’s concern by teaching
him more. It is significant that the
Spirit, here, gave the command in almost exact words that he was told earlier
by an angel (Chapter 3, verse 29). Thus,
he was told that this was the culmination of what had been promised to him
previously. In other words “this is what
the Lord told you would happen.” But it
is obvious from Nephi’s surprise/resistance that these are not the events he
expected. Should we be so strict in our
imaginations so to expect something to turn out in a particular fashion,
according to our own expectations. We should not be surprised when the Lord
takes our life in a direction other than what we expected. There will come a time when hindsight proves
that the Lord’s way was not only higher than our preconceived way but also a
way that is more glorious, leads to greater happiness and exalts us more than
our way ever had the capacity to.
“yea, and I
also knew”
-Nephi’s
reluctance is very understandable and not a sign of weakness. He does, rather, by these words give us
insight as to the strength of his obedience and righteousness. In his deliberations with the Spirit he is
not antagonistic or otherwise combative; he does not use his energy to prove
the Spirit wrong or to persuade him to do otherwise but he argues in support of
the Spirit’s command. Instead of seeking
to change God he seeks to change his views and bring himself into line with
God. There is great significance in this
rather subtle point. The little things
that we think and do manifest the position of our heart.
“he had sought
to take away mine life, would not hearken unto (the commandments of) God, he
also had taken our property.”
-Why is
Nephi weighing Laban’s character? For
one, he might be trying to muster, within him, evidence that supports the
command of the Spirit. We should also
understand that God speaks to the wicked as He speaks to the righteous but they
(of course) are unable to hear. I don’t
doubt that the Spirit directed Laban to give the plates to Nephi and his
brothers but Laban refused to hear. By
so doing Laban became an enemy to God and declared war on God’s purposes. If he complied with God’s directives he would
have lived but he did not and we must confess that his punishment (death) was
just and justly brought about by his own actions (does the word of the Lord not
tell us that those who do not obey his commands will die? That was the warning given to Adam and Eve
and to every one of their children down through Laban’s day and to our own
time).
10-17. -Nephi
contemplates the reasons for slaying Laban.
Usually Nephi obeys instantly, but
on this one he hesitates and needs to be
convinced/persuaded by the Spirit of the Lord to do
something that appears contrary to everything he had been
taught about God and how he
should behave.
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