1 Nephi 5:8

8  And she spake, saying: Now I know of a surety that the Lord hath ^acommanded my husband to ^bflee into the wilderness; yea, and I also know of a surety that the Lord hath protected my sons, and delivered them out of the hands of Laban, and given them power whereby they could ^caccomplish the thing which the Lord hath commanded them. And after this manner of language did she speak.

     “Now I know…”

            -this experience became, for Sariah, an opportunity to grow and have a more sturdy testimony.  Yes, her faith was weak, but if taken correctly, this trial was a manifestation to her that God was in this endeavor.  This is exactly what happened through this trial –where her weakness was very evident.  Her faith was enlarged and she became convinced and strong. Of course, only future trials would prove her dedication, integrity and constancy to the declaration.

            -this experience is a wonderful study of how faith might develop and be strengthened. A number of questions arise:

            1.  can sure knowledge grow where, at one point, there was no faith?

            2.  when faith is absent what is the personal price to be paid?

            -Sariah pays a high price for her uncertain conviction.  In other words, her faith is bought at the price of pain, anxiety and heartache.

            -Her faith is only made strong after it is tried and broken.  The resulting witness is, even though her words at the moment are sure and valiant, not supreme or unmovable.  Through more difficult trials her faith would slip in its surety and yet be made stronger (i.e. the forthcoming broken bow trial).

       “give them power”

            -I am extremely interesting in the reality of receiving power from the Lord.  I am weak and if I am ever to do anything of consequence it will be because I am made strong, given ability and prospered from a source much more able and powerful than I.  If I were to rely upon my own strength I would not only fail in a miserable way but I would look like an idiot in the process.  I need to have the Lord’s empowering influence.  When our ways are aligned with His, we qualify for that power.  And when we are qualified and have done all that we know how to do He will prosper us so we may “accomplish the things which the Lord commanded us.”

            -There are numerous and unlimited ways that we are given power.  Most, I suppose, are subtle and easily overlooked –like increased mental understanding, a way opening up so that a problem that was insurmountable now has an open door- but some are rather dynamic:  physical strength, outpouring of hope, etc.

Verse 8 is nothing but a restatement, a second lesson if you will, of what Nephi already said in chapter 3, verse 7.  Why is this recorded for us twice?  Why the reiterations?  What should we learn?  What are we being shown?

      “whereby they could"

            -these three words are essential to understanding how God works with mankind.  He does not give them power that “would” guarantee accomplishment.  The Lord gives just the added amount of power necessary for the accomplishment of a righteous endeavor.  If Nephi had not acted, all the power in the world given him from God would not have brought about the accomplishment of their mission.

1 Nephi 5:7

7  And when we had returned to the tent of my father, behold their joy was full, and my mother was comforted.
    "my mother was comforted."
           -a mother's concern about her children (especially when out of sight and out of her ability to directly affect their situation) is difficult to overstate.  It is a gift (and a burden) of motherhood.  The departure of a child on a mission is felt differently by a mother and a father. This is a male-female difference and this appears to have been a part of the reason why Sariah reacted differently than did Lehi. 
         -at the same time, we can see shades of Thomas the apostle at play here.  When Thomas did not physically see the resurrected Lord he refused to receive the same comfort as the other apostles.  He was not comforted nor did he have the same belief in the reality of the resurrection until he, like Sariah, physically saw and held. 

1 Nephi 5:6

6  And after this manner of language did my father, Lehi, ^acomfort my mother, Sariah, concerning us, while we journeyed in the wilderness up to the land of Jerusalem, to obtain the record of the Jews.

     “my father, Lehi, comfort my mother…”

            -I wonder if she became comforted?  Did Lehi’s testimony bring peace to her soul?  There is peace in a declaration of truth.  When we have an understanding (definitely better than the world at large) of truth we should be more filled with peace.

            -Truth:  an understanding of truth will be accompanied by peace.  This is true for the individual as well as for the community.

      “while we journeyed up to … Jerusalem.”

            -perhaps it is just a coincidence of word tense, but if taken as written, we must suppose that Sariah’s faith waned early.  Her concern and subsequent murmuring began even as her sons were still journeying up to Jerusalem.  This means that she did not lose faith because the boys were slow or delayed in their return, but because of a more fundamental lack of confidence in the Lord and her husband’s position (as spokesperson for the Lord).

1 Nephi 5:5

5  But behold, I have ^aobtained a ^bland of promise, in the which things I do rejoice; yea, and I ^cknow that the Lord will deliver my sons out of the hands of Laban, and bring them down again unto us in the wilderness.

     “… I do rejoice…”

            -here is a wonderful, diametrical contrast between the spiritual states of Lehi and Sariah at the time of this trial.  Lehi has an understanding of God while Sariah is without that personal confidence.  An understanding of God brings a much more desirable peace/mental and emotional state.  For example “I do rejoice” whereas fear and anxiety are the companions when the ways of God (an understanding and faith in his ways) are missing.  He rejoiced, she mourned.

     “I know”

            -these two words seem to be the verbal measurement of the degree of conversion and knowledge of God’s hand.  Nephi has already spoken them (Nephi 3:7); Lehi speaks it here and Sariah will soon speak it (see verse 8).

            -what can be more wonderful than a personal conviction –“I know”- of the Lord’s hand or the Lords purpose in a thing?  It is what sustains every person and every group through the most difficult trials.

1 Nephi 5:3-4

3  And after this manner of language had my mother complained against my father.
4  And it had come to pass that my father spake unto her, saying: I know that I am a ^avisionary man; for if I had not seen the things of God in a ^bvision I should not have known the goodness of God, but had tarried at Jerusalem, and had perished with my brethren.

     “known the goodness of God….”

            -we come to know the goodness (gospel, plan, will, etc.) of God by having spiritual experiences and witnesses.  Hence the person unacquainted with God has most probably not had any spiritual experiences.  This is how some people see certain things as the welcome workings of God while others see the very same circumstance as foolishness, danger, ill motivated, or with fear.  Sariah had not had a spiritual witness and thereby had not come to know the goodness of God so she greatly feared for her son’s lives.  We must come to know that God’s hand is directing our lives and he gives sanction to the course we are on.  With such knowledge all hell can combine against us and we can yet retain our resolve and peace in our cause, irregardless of the temporal pressures (some of which may be extremely grave) brought to bear on every side.

1 Nephi 5:2

2  For she had supposed that we had perished in the wilderness; and she also had ^acomplained against my father, telling him that he was a ^bvisionary man; saying: Behold thou hast led us forth from the land of our inheritance, and my sons are no more, and we perish in the wilderness.

      “she supposed that we had perished…”

            -once again:  fear is the enemy of faith.

            -why had she supposed this?  She had no evidence one way or another.  Perhaps her sons had been gone an extraordinary amount of time thus providing some rational that they were never coming back… The truth of the matter is that fear is irrational but it can be very real.  We can be carried away  -completely out of the realm of the rational or even the probable- when we stray from a perspective anchored in faith.  The natural man, the mortal man is given to irrationalities and emotional imbalance.  The strong emotions of fear, anger and despair are tools that Satan peddles to the mortal man.  These can overwhelm rationality and sober judgement.  They are destructive to our peaceful lingering in the Spirit as mush as many base behaviors.  We do not think correctly.  It is almost impossible to “be still”.

Sariah is severely tried.  She fails (in the short-term but is also built up by this test and grows to overcome later trials).  Tests of faith can take so many forms that it is impossible to know what we personally will face except that we can be sure that our weakest, most vulnerable point will be the focus of the trial.  She lists them: 

            1.  losing her home à “you led us out of the land of our inheritance.”

            2.  losing her children à  “my sons are no more.”

            3.  losing her own life à  “we perish in the wilderness.”

What, in your imagination, would be the most difficult thing to endure? Financial difficulty, losing a child, a physical handicap, not having a constant home, etc.?  You can bet that God will use that weakness as leverage on your soul to bring you unconditionally and absolutely to him. Entrance into his kingdom requires a broken heart and contrite spirit.  I know of no mortal who has the ability to break his or her own heart and achieve a submissive spirit without a lot of help.  The process to a broken heart is not a journey void of pain, anguish and sorrow.  Sariah’s murmuring was the result of a love for her boys but was without the necessary recognition that “God’s will be done”.

            -Because we know the result we are too quick to judge Sariah’s weakness.  It was no easy thing to endure –it tried her soul to the core.  When ours is engaged in an equally agonizing moment, I think we will want onlookers to be generous in their estimation and reserved in their judgment.

      “she supposed that we had perished and she had also complained”

            -fear leads to a deterioration of faith.  Waning faith leads us to complain against the representatives of God (and God himself).  One who is filled with fear cannot have faith and their actions will surely be as those who do not have faith.  The antidote to fear is faith.  The antidote to one who is complaining is to fill them with faith.  Unfortunately we cannot give our faith to another but we can allow them to lean on us for support until they can stand on their own.  This means

sharing our faith with others.

     "my sons are no more"

            -why did Sariah murmur?  For fear that she lost her beloved boys, her children.  Out of a love but with out a recognition that "Gods' will be done."  In a harsh statement of fact, Sariah loved her children more than she loved God.  What if God had required the martyrdom of one of her children during this “mission” to secure the brass plates?  Would that have been too much and would it have broken Sariah? Fortunately for her God did not require the “sacrifice of all things”.  This being said, the degree of Sariah’s sacrifice was far beyond what God has required of me so I am loath to find fault with this woman.  I would likely have complained much earlier about the inconvenience of leaving a very comfortable life for an unknown future that presented only a few realities:  hardship, sacrifice and difficulty.  If I am brutally honest with myself I must admit that I see my reaction being more similar to Laman and Lemuel’s than to Nephi’s.

1 Nephi 5:1

Chapter 5

The question had never crossed my mind before, but why didn’t Lehi go with His sons back to Jerusalem?  He was obviously told not to go back but only to send his sons.  Still, though, the question remains:  why did the Lord only send the boys instead of the prophet who would be more capable and knowledgeable as to the obtaining of the plates?  I think, at least in part, that there comes a time when the youth must be proven and taught thereby preparing them for things to come.

1  AND it came to pass that after we had come down into the wilderness unto our father, behold, he was filled with joy, and also my mother, Sariah, was exceedingly glad, for she truly had mourned because of us.

     “she truly had mourned”

            -even though it was a sign of weak faith, it is difficult to charge a mother with tender motherly feelings of concern.  These were her boys, they were sent on  a very difficult assignment.  The degree of faith required by her and Lehi might have surpassed that which was required by their sons.  At least the boys had some control over their situation whereas the physically detached observers had only faith and mental energy to rely on.  Often it is the ones acquainted with those who are in the storm of the trial whose faith is most severely strained  -those who have no direct control on the outcome.  Like Lehi, Sariah and our heavenly parents, parenthood demands a sizeable reserve of faith.

            -one of the primary burdens of parenting is the emotional and mental anguish of watching as your children are put through difficult, unfair and painful uncertainties.  These come with a level of knowing that life is frought with uncertainty, with injustice and with sadness.  As much as a parent would like, they cannot guarantee that all will be well; they cannot remove the discomfort or dispatch the adversity.  To watch your child in pain and be entirely impotent to relieve, remove or comfort is one of the darkest places to walk in mortality or in eternity.

1 Nephi 4:38

38  And it came to pass that we took the plates of brass and the servant of Laban, and departed into the wilderness, and journeyed unto the ^atent of our father.

            -Mission accomplished!  The plates were secured.  While they had been threatened and had to act to preserve their lives, they were safe and unharmed.  The Lord had intervened on their behalf.  They had seen an angel.  Certainly the mission had developed differently than they supposed.  To be sure, in their own minds it would have unfolded in a very different manner.  But such are the operations of God in contrast to the operations of man. God’s ways are usually more simple, more understated and ultimately more effective.  He works by small and simple.  He delivered a drunken Laban right into Nephi’s path –no need to battle fifty of Laban’s guard.  He makes the walls of Jericho crumble.  He shuts the mouths of lions in a den.  He kills a mighty warrior with a single rock.  He causes a fog to shroud the enemy so an army can escape. 

            -How long did this endeavor take?  The journey itself is estimated to take about two weeks both ways.  In addition, how much time did the three plans take to execute?  At minimum, the sons of Lehi were gone for a month.  Their travel and objective was nothing short of perilous.  Analyzed from a temporal perspective, the odds of their success were very low.  Laban, we have learned, was a man of means, a man of social status and power.  He was not naïve to the craftiness of man… this was their opponent.

1 Nephi 4:37

37  And it came to pass that when Zoram had made an ^aoath unto us, our ^bfears did cease concerning him.

     "made an oath unto us our fears did cease concerning him."

            -evidence of the binding power of an oath. Many scholars of ancient middle-eastern societies have written about the binding nature of an oath  -even those oaths made by enimies or strangers.  Here, Zoram makes an oath and immediately the brother’s fears cease concerning his potential flight.

1 Nephi 4:36

36  Now we were desirous that he should tarry with us for this cause, that the Jews might not know concerning our flight into the wilderness, lest they should pursue us and destroy us.

     "lest they should pursue us and destroy us."

            why would they?

1 Nephi 4:35

35  And it came to pass that ^aZoram did take courage at the words which I spake.  Now Zoram was the name of the servant; and he promised that he would go down into the wilderness unto our father.  Yea, and he also made an oath unto us that he would tarry with us from that time forth.

     “he would tarry with us from that time forth.”

            -talk about a monumental change in direction!  But this is what should happen to a person after they come into contact with the truth/prophet.  Not only should their life course dramatically change, but their commitment should be 100% and non-regressive.  Zoram “oathed” or we could say “covenanted” to be committed to his new found life.  He never turned back or faltered.  This is how we should react to the gospel/truth in our lives once we have discovered it to be the thing that “surely God hath (given) us.”

 

1 Nephi 4:34

34  And I also spake unto him, saying: Surely the Lord hath ^acommanded us to do this thing; and shall we not be diligent in keeping the commandments of the Lord?  Therefore, if thou wilt go down into the wilderness to my father thou shalt have place with us.

            -What a tremendous blessing and change in the life of Zoram.  What had he done to merit

such a blessing?  Why did the Lord arrange for the freedom of this obscure person?

     “surely the Lord hath commanded us to do this thing, shall we not be diligent in keeping the commandments of the Lord?”

            -Nephi was once the individual involved in a conversation where he was the one being convinced of an action (i.e. to slay Laban), now the roles have changed and he is the one playing the part of the convincer.  And he has learned very perceptively.  The best way to convince is by appealing to the Spirit of the Lord by bearing testimony of truth.  Yes, the Lord had commanded “this thing” just as “the Lord hath delivered him (Laban) into his hands” and commanded that thing.  He knew more than any other that we should be diligent in keeping the commandments of the Lord.  That’s a righteous servant, always inviting others to keep commandments.

            -Consider the “contagious righteousness” of one man.  From Nephi springs a whole nation (sometimes righteous, sometimes not), they even identify themselves by his name:  Nephites- and thereby bestow upon him the honor his righteousness deserves.  The point is, a righteous person’s actions spread across humanity like ripples on a lake.  They affect the lives of countless others for good.  Zoram is only one example of a life touched and changed by Nephi’s goodness.  He was not to be taken as a servant or a slave, not even as an unwanted outsider or tagalong, but was to “have place with us”, as a part of the family.  Zoram’s life unalterably changed for the better because Nephi came into it (this is the GENIUS of NEPHI and every other Christ-like man or woman).  We can also, in like manner, impact the lives of the human family.

1 Nephi 4:33

33  And I spake unto him, even with an ^aoath, that he need not fear; that he should be a ^bfree man like unto us if he would go down in the wilderness with us.

     “… need not fear…”

            -in other words, he could have faith in what Nephi said and promised.  Fear is the antithesis of faith.  It is interesting to compare this phrase to the fear that Laman felt just verses earlier.  To have a conscience free from fear is certainly a great blessing and a manifestation of faith!

        "should be a free man..."

            -this was a most desirable thing.

            -what a huge blessing for Zoram!  We often consider how blessed Lehi (and family) was to be brought out of Jerusalem and sent to the promised land, what manner of man must Zoram have been to be led by the Lord to this situation?  No greater thing could have happened to him. Were it not for Nephi (and God's plan), Zoram most likely would have been killed during the Babylonian conquest or, in the best case scenario, would have been captured and made a slave to a conquering army. Of all the thousands of inhabitants in Jerusalem, he was given a new life (in the promised land with a righteous people) which would be an unmeasured blessing for his posterity.

            -the freedom Zoram was given consisted of at least two dimensions:  his political/social freedom, but more importantly, his spiritual freedom.  His earlier choice to “follow me” as Nephi requested led to this point of increased freedom.  How desirable was it for Zoram, a servant, to be made free?

1 Nephi 4:32

32  And it came to pass that I spake with him, that if he would hearken unto my words, as the Lord liveth, and as I live, even so that if he would hearken unto our words, we would spare his life.

      “as the Lord liveth, and as I live…”

            -to Nephi the reality of the Lord’s existence was as real to him as was his own life.  That is certainty!  He knew the reality of God and in no way was it abstract or foreign or even a second hand thing.  God was tangible and real; as real as he himself was.  What a beautiful thing it would be to know in such a way.

            -faith in God is an essential and a fundamental component of one's spiritual condition as well as ones continuing spiritual development.  Closely related to possessing faith in God and Jesus Christ is possessing faith in ones self.  Knowing for certainty the nature of God is the surest way we can really know who we are.  And once we know God (that we can trust him, love him, rely on him, turn to I'm, that He desires our happiness and development), we then better know our own purpose and the path we should pursue.  Understanding, therefore, the relationship between having faith in God and having faith in ourself we can engage in sober introspection:  what accounts for the gap between the level of faith we have in God and the level of faith we have in ourself?  How do the two inform each other?  How do limits or weaknesses in our level of faith in the one affect the other? 

 

1 Nephi 4:29-31

29  And it came to pass that I called after them, and they did hear me; wherefore they did cease to flee from my presence.

30  And it came to pass that when the servant of Laban beheld my brethren he began to tremble, and was about to flee from before me and return to the city of Jerusalem.

31  And now I, Nephi, being a man large in stature, and also having received much ^astrength of the Lord, therefore I did seize upon the servant of Laban, and held him, that he should not flee.

      “also having received much strength of the Lord…”

            -the descriptions “large in stature” (which appears to mean having much physical strength) and “strength of the Lord” are used here to indicate approximately the same thing.  It doesn’t often happen that the Lord gives physical blessings like he gives spiritual gifts, but in this case, perhaps, it was needed.  There is, then, reason to suppose that God could grant the same in our day when and if a situation arose where it was necessary.

      “I did seize upon the servant …”

            -often we think of the dealing and directions of God as being meek, calm, peaceful and gentle… it is not always so.  There are times when we must act  -if we are to act correctly- quickly and with decisiveness and strength.

1 Nephi 4:28

28  And it came to pass that when Laman saw me he was exceedingly frightened, and also Lemuel and Sam.  And they fled from before my presence; for they supposed it was Laban, and that he had slain me and had sought to take away their lives also.

     “Laman… was… frightened…”

            -it seems as if the unfaithful and the wicked spend most of their time being angry or frightened.  That’s enough reason, by itself, to be righteous.  Belief in God brings with it a certain level of hope and peace.  There is a correlation.  Disbelief and sin are accompanied by despair, fear and pessimism. 

            -it is hard to fault the human reaction and flight due to fear in a very tense situation.  Twice their efforts had been frustrated and twice they had to flee for their lives.  Now a man dressed as Laban appears with a servant... who would think it was Nephi in disguise?

1 Nephi 4:26-27

26  And he, supposing that I spake of the ^abrethren of the ^bchurch, and that I was truly that Laban whom I had slain, wherefore he did follow me.

27  And he spake unto me many times concerning the elders of the Jews, as I went forth unto my brethren, who were without the walls.

     "And he spake unto me many times concerning the elders of the Jews."

            -Why are these two things mentioned?  What is Zoram's preoccupation with Laban's association with the Jewish elders?

1 Nephi 4:23-25

23  And I spake unto him as if it had been Laban.

24  And I also spake unto him that I should carry the engravings, which were upon the ^aplates of brass, to my elder brethren, who were without the walls.

25  And I also bade him that he should follow me.

     “I bade him follow me.”

            -I have to wonder why Nephi asked Zoram to continue with him.  The plates had been obtained and surly taking Zoram (and making the truth of the situation known to him) would only complicate things and make things difficult.  But what a blessing for Zoram this would be (more on that later).

       “follow me”

            -this has a very familiar sound to it.  The subsequent events of Zoram’s life, compared to what they might have been (both temporally and spiritually) had he stayed in Jerusalem, prove the wisdom and benefit of listening to a prophet’s counsel.