1 Nephi 7:15

15  Now behold, I say unto you that if ye will return unto Jerusalem ye shall also perish with them.  And now, if ye have choice, go up to the land, and remember the words which I speak unto you, that if ye go ye will also perish; for thus the Spirit of the Lord constraineth me that I should speak.

            -We never have the right to remove a person’s agency from them (thus Nephi does not stop them) but we sure can illustrate the consequences that certain decisions will result in.  We can also bring up the situation where the decision must be made and the vacillation cease!  This is what Nephi does:  “if ye have choice” it is also what Joshua did:  “choose ye this day…”.  This has an interesting effect:  those who are pushing for a path contrary to God’s,  infrequently have the courage to follow through with their ways because a person who does not follow the Lord is deficient of courage.  It takes great courage and integrity to follow God.  To be sure, Satan’s hosts will be those of weak character and whose strength is placed upon unsure foundations.

     “if ye will return unto Jerusalem ye shall also perish with them.”

            -Nephi is simply stating the consequence of an action.  Laman and Lemuel have complete freedom to return to Jerusalem…  deep inside they are not sure if they are correct or if Jerusalem is, in fact, going to be destroyed.  They are in hell:  they cannot believe but neither can they disbelieve. 

     “if ye have choice, go up to the land”

            -Nephi is saying, in essence:  choose already, choose ye this day!  You have your agency.  Stop whining and go back to Jerusalem.  You will see that what I have told you is true.  Here is their opportunity.  Why didn’t they seize it?  Nothing was keeping them…

1 Nephi 7:14

14  For behold, the ^aSpirit of the Lord ^bceaseth soon to strive with them; for behold, they have ^crejected the prophets, and ^dJeremiah have they cast into prison.  And they have sought to take away the ^elife of my father, insomuch that they have driven him out of the land.

            -can we expect anything less than a similar sequence of events?  A people who reject God’s messengers and God’s standards will soon be without the prospering, protecting and refining influence of the Holy Spirit.  Such a people will soon experience destruction, not necessarily at the hand of God’s wrath but because they have chosen lawlessness.  We know that we are living in such a day.  Should not we expect the precursors of destruction as identified here?  Not a plesant time to be a prophet…

     “the Spirit of the Lord ceaseth soon to strive with them”

            -there comes some point when the invidivual and collective actions/behaviors of a people have become so onerous to God, have become so contrary to His standards of righteousness that they cannot coexist with the Holy Ghost.  This is a point that is not alltogther clear to the people of that society because they have lost the ability to measure their moral temperature.  They have become too desensitized and have rationalized so much that their self-awareness is a fiction.  Good has become evil and evil has become good.  They think they are engaged in virtuous things but virtue has been redefined often in the name of causes and movements like equal rights (same sex marriage), feminism, tolerance, sexual freedom, right of choice (to have an abortion).  Real virtual –living with integrity, moral purity, and reverence for the sacred- are denigrated, mocked and ridiculed.

            -when the point comes when the spirit ceases to stive with a person or a society they are left to their own sustenance and devices.  Self-desctruction –individual and civil- is the unavoidable and natural antecedent.  There is a pattern and progression in these things.  First the people discount the presence of the Holy Ghost in their own lives, then they expel the prophets from their society and finally the Spirit of the Lord cannot remain to propser, protect and inspire the communal or social cohesion (civility) of the people.  Their life literaly falls apart, civil society ceases to exist.  This condition is not surprising nor is the rapid descent into desctruction.  A society that has expelled God, His standards and morality is, by definition, one that is on the brink of lawlessness, of violence and deterioration.  It is made up of people who love themselves, who have no sense of reverence, who view themselves as little more than advanced animals and thereby adopted animal-like behaviors. This is a ruthless and base level of morality.  Civil society cannot long be maintained in such a situation.  

            -Scary Time: how long the Spirit works on a people even amidst their wickedness.

     “they have driven him out of the land”

            -interesting that the Lord can take a man violently driven from his homeland and make the circumstance into a man being given a promised land as an inheritance forever!  Hence we see how the Lord takes lemons and makes lemonade!  Not only do we see how He works with the designs of Satan (which are directed to frustrate man and God) but also with his children.  If we are to be as God, we would do well to achieve this talent!

            -the wicked are intolerant of those things, people and symbols of righteousness.  They drive them out of their presence.  Any representation of God, morality and righteousness becomes a target of their hostility.  In a day where wickedness permeates society we should hope that our lives are a target of social derision.  We had better not fit too comfortably with or be honored by society. 

 

1 Nephi 7:13

13  And if it so be that we are faithful to him, we shall obtain the ^aland of promise; and ye shall know at some future period that the word of the Lord shall be fulfilled concerning the ^bdestruction of ^cJerusalem; for all things which the Lord hath spoken concerning the destruction of Jerusalem must be fulfilled.
            -In verse 12, Nephi preaches faith and faithfulness, verse 13 is evidence that he is faithful and lives with faith.  Look at the surety of his speech when speaking of things to come:  “if we… we shall obtain…” and “ye shall know… at a future time…” and “the word of the Lord shall be fulfilled…” and “all things which the Lord has spoken … must be fulfilled.”

1 Nephi 7:12

12  Yea, and how is it that ye have forgotten that the Lord is able to do all ^athings according to his will, for the children of men, if it so be that they exercise ^bfaith in him?  Wherefore, let us be faithful to him.

      “how is it that ye have forgotten"

            -three consecutive verses start with this interrogative.  It is a key insight to Laman and Lemuel’s spiritual lethargy.  Could it be that the reason they have forgotten is that they never learned it in the first place.  It is impossible to forget something if it was never within our mental repetoir to begin with.  Sure, they experienced the same events as Nephi –events that had profound spiritual impact on Nephi- but the lessons of those events seems to have entirely escaped Laman/Lemuel.  So, initially, they never had a conviction that “the Lord is able to do all things for the children of men”.  Hence, how could they forget something for which they never had a conviction?  This is not to make an excuse for them.  It is, in fact, a more desperate condition than to have had it and forgotten.  They have seen things and yet refuse to see them. How do you see an angel from heaven who instructs you as to the course you should be pursuing and not be changed?  What are the forces countering and minimizing such an experience?

     “the Lord is able to do all things…”

            -this is a spiritually universal theme that runs through all scripture and permeates God’s experience with man.  This is a fundamental divine truth that forms the foundation of our belief in, relationship to and dependence on God.  A person who does not have this personal conviction  walks through this life very differently than one with it.

            -the truth of this statement is contrasted against a related one:  man is not able to do all things.  Here, clear as day, is one of the great differences between God and man.  God is omnipotent; man is impotent. In moments of quiet reflection and absolute self-awareness we recognize that we can do nothing of merit without God.   He provides us the very air we need to breath, he is the architect of the marvelous heart that pushes life through our bodies.  Its perpetual beating is a mystery to us.  This is a source of much anger and vexation to many people.  The resent it and reject it.  In fact, if they were truthful they would admit that they hate God for it.  Mostly, however, their defense mechanism is to deny and dismiss its veracity.  The contrast ceases to exist if we dismiss God from the equation.  A being who is able to do all things can’t really do all things if He does not exist!

            -compare with Alma 26:12 --> “I can do all things”.  When we are in concert with the Lord there is nothing that is beyond our capabilities.

       “according to his will…”

            -the critic of God will ask “Can God do anything?” To which we must answer –to defend the omnipotence of God- “Yes!” The trap is tightened by the critic tempting something like, “Can he commit sin?”  or “Can he make a boulder so big that he cannot lift it?”  Well, the answer is “neither.”  He does what He does as that thing is according to His will.  It is good to realize that his will/work is to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man.  He does not trifle with “feats of strength” nor is he concerned with impressing mortal men.  To consider whether God can create a boulder big enough that he cannot lift is to manifest a logic of thinking that is so trivial and so far below godliness as to prove nothing but the natural man’s utter incongruity with diety.

            -this fundamental statement of truth can be broken down into two parts:
                                    “the Lord is able to do all things   according to his will”

                                                                 

Our problem with faith in God is often not in the first part of Nephi’s declaration.  Many of us believe that “the Lord is able to do all things”.  Our point of departure is in the second part, “according to his will” since that is often at odds with what we really want:  “the lord is able to do all things according to OUR will…”  That, in perfect honesty, is what drives our prayers and our faith.  And when our will is not realized we are more often likely to question the Lord’s ability rather than face the possibility that our will might not be His will.  To question the latter is to summon a level of humility and submissiveness that is more difficult and painful than the crisis of faith that is brough to bear when we think that God may not be able because he may not even be there.  If he is not really there then we are free to pursue our own will and desires.  The real “problem” is if He is there and expects something different of us than we want for ourself;  a situation that is not only a possibly but is an eternal verity. 

     “for the children of men”

            -like a good earthly parent, God does all with the motivation that it is for His children’s well being and happiness.  From the perspective of the child, however, there are certain lessons that, in their immaturity and lack of sophistication, appear to be painful or senseless.  A parent, not a child, is able to judge what is best in a perspective that contemplates the full course of life.  How much more this must be the case when considering eternal life.

-There are three qualifications Nephi puts here on the Lord’s ability to do “all things”:

            1.  it has to be according to His will.

            2.  it (as is His will) is for the children of men.

            3.  the children of men have to exercise faith in God.

      “if it so be that they exercise…”

            -here the Lord lets us “call some of the rules”.  We control, to some degree, the extent of His hand in our lives.  It is a blessing and a burden.  By being “partners” we are expected to learn what “all things” are (righteous vs. unrighteous desires) and the process of achieving all things.  In short, we are expected to become familiar with God’s ways.  Although this might appear intimidating, all we are asked to do in the beginning is to “have faith in him” –to believe that He can do what He says He can do.  Here we come full circle to the truth:  we cannot do anything of ourselves.  We are succored, leaning on His strength until we begin to grow in understanding, ability and righteousness.

      “exercise faith”

            -this is active, engaged faith.  It is not merely a cerebral or passive thing.  The faith required here and in all instances where great/high things are promised, is a moving thing.  It is shown in our actions. “Exercising faith” is spoken of here as being synonymous with “be(ing) faithful”.  “Be” is an action word!

    “exercise faith in him”

            -the exercise of our faith must always be based on, grounded in, built upon Jesus Christ.  It is not enough simply to have faith;  that faith must be in Him.  Who or what are the potential alternatives for our faith?  Ourselves:  we can easily rely upon our own strength especially against the backdrop of the doctrine of self-reliance.  We can have faith in science, in systems, in others… all of which are important but all these root back to Jesus Christ and can very easily grown inappropriately larger than faith in Christ.  Coincidentally, as we have greater faith in Christ our faith in others –so long as those things are based in truth- will also become greater.

      “Wherefore, let us be faithful to him”

-Now, you tell me, who has the power here?  Can we doubt that God can do all things?

-to be faithful to another is most oftenused in the context of a married couple, of one spouse being faithful to the other.  In that case we mean to be loyal, to be chaste, to be devoted particularly in the most intimate expression of love and affection.  It might be useful to consider our relationship to God in exactly the same way.  This being said, what does being faithful to a spouse have to do with the usual way we conceive of faith?  That is belief that moves us to action in something we cannot see but hope to be true.  To be faithful to a spouse is all about discipline of our own behaviors, thoughts and actions.  To have faith in God is usually about things exernal to us that we believe in but cannot see.  Perhaps we should internalize faith to be more like being faithful…

1 Nephi 7:11

11  Yea, and how is it that ye have forgotten what great things the Lord hath done for us, in ^adelivering us out of the hands of Laban, and also that we should obtain the record?

   9 – 12.  Nephi identifies some important weaknesses that are intimate ingredients to Laman and Lemuel’s character:

            1.  “have not hearkened”

                        -they didn’t listen/give heed to the word of the Lord.

            2.  “have forgotten”

                        -they must have felt that it was not important or worth remembering.

                        a.  have seen an angel

                        b.  great things the Lord had done for them (delivered them from Laban)

                        c.  the Lord is able to do  (bring to being) all things.

            -I have often struggled with what makes one person align themselves with the Lord and another completely fight against him.  Did one have some kind of advantage over the other?  Did the one receive preferential treatment?  Verses 9-12 illustrate that both were given the same experiences, the difference is that each deals with or accepts them in different manners.

     “what great things the Lord hath done for us”

            -this statement can be, for us, a rich point to ponder.  It is a point of departure that illustrates the difference between Nephi and his brothers.  Our answer to the question (what great things has the Lord done for us?) is a valid measure of who we more resemble in our spiritual character.  How are we able to respond:  What are the great things the Lord hath done for us?  When we contemplate and examine our lives, do we see his hand or does it appear that we are the architects of our own situation?  Is there divine direction in the path our lives have pursued?  If there is not, or if we do not see it, we can be sure of one thing:  heaven is willing to be our guide through this wilderness of mortality but are we willing to follow?  The absence of God in our lives is entirely up to our disgression.  He will not intervene without our permission, that is one of the groundrules of mortality.

       “in delivering us out of the hands of Laban”

            -from Laman and Lemuel’s perspective, how was it that they obtained the brass plates and escaped unscathed from Laban’s fifty?  Did they attribute this unlikely achievement to the Lord?  What seemed impossible to them became reality….  How would they explain this?

1 Nephi 7:10

10  How is it that ye have ^aforgotten that ye have seen an angel of the Lord?

            -what would they answer to this question?  Surely they admit to have seen an angel.  How would they dismiss this experience?  They have NOT been denied spiritual experiences.  They have had significant experience with the spirit from hearing the testimony of a prophet (their father), to reading the scriptures, to seeing an angel…  while ours may have been different in type and intensity, we have also had a multitude of experiences with the Spirit and have evidence that God is real and that he is directing his work in our lives.

 

1 Nephi 7:9

9  How is it that ye have not hearkened unto the word of the Lord?

            -Up to this point Laman and Lemuel have heard or been in the presence of the same divine communications (their father/the prophet, an angel, the scriptures, etc.) as Nephi but they had not listened!  Hence Nephi’s growth and their stagnation (actually their increased hostility).  We will see, from this point on, Nephi begins to accelerate beyond his older brothers.  He will understand more, hear more, be given more and see more and be called apart and chosen more!

1 Nephi 7:8

8  And now I, Nephi, being ^agrieved for the hardness of their hearts, therefore I spake unto them, saying, yea, even unto Laman and unto Lemuel: Behold ye are mine elder brethren, and how is it that ye are so hard in your hearts, and so blind in your minds, that ye have need that I, your ^byounger brother, should speak unto you, yea, and set an ^cexample for you?

            -Here Nephi seems so disgusted, grieved, sick and tired with Laman and Lemuel that all gentleness and tact is abandoned for a strait forward accusing reproof!

       “ye are so hard in your hearts and so blind in your minds…”

-Nephi, by this point, understands the method of divine communication.  He knows the role of the heart and the mind and how the Spirit touches each.  His adjective associated with each sensor organ gives us an understanding of how to hear. The heart is penetrated (unless of course it is too hard) and is a function of feeling (emotion) while the mind/brain “sees” or understands intellectually (unless of course it is unable to see/it is turned into darkness and blind to the light).  Conversely, we know how a person is void of spiritual communication:  the heart becomes unfeeling and the mind becomes unable to see/recognize/understand or to perceive light and truth.

8-12.  Nephi’s accusation and evidence against his rebelling brothers:

1.      ye are so hard in your hearts

2.      so blind in your minds

3.      ye have not hearkened unto the word of the Lord

4.      ye have forgotten that ye have seen an angel

5.      ye have forgotten the great things the Lord has done for us

6.      ye have forgotten that the Lord is able to do all things.

      “ye are so hard in your hearts”

            -this is to be unpenetrable in feeling or is spiritual sensitivity.  These have shut off all opportunity for the truth to “soften” them up.  We see people like this frequently.  These are so closed off from any possibility of accepting or considering something different than what they want or what they believe.  The gospel, on the other hand, invites us to experiment. To plant a seed and see if it takes root and grows or if it yields poor results/bad fruit.  An oft-stated prerequisite to spiritual development and learning is humility.  At its core, humility is a personal admission that we do not know all things, that we may be wrong and that God knows MUCH more than I do.  The gospel requires us to be open, to be humble.  If some unknown idea, belief or supposition is true, it will be made manifest because truth attracts truth.  The source of truth will confirm it.

   “so blind in your minds”

            -to be hard in heart and blind in mind are correlates.  One hardly exists without the other.  Is this a causal or correlate relationship?  Does hardness of heart lead to and create blindness in the mind or vice-versa.  Different still, are these covariate?  Certainly it seems that the two are almost always together in a spiritually morbid person.  Both conditions make it impossible for a person to see/recognize the ways of God. 

    “ye have need that I, your byounger brother, should speak unto you”

            -not only did Laman and Lemuel need their younger brother to correct them but they needed an angel from God’s presence to correct them.  These two are nearly past correction.  They have no remorse nor any internal impulse toward truth and right.  They are entirely consumed with what they want –all else is an affront and a threat to them.  They are driven by their fears and their temporal desires.  Anger is their modal motivator.

1 Nephi 7:7

7  And it came to pass in the which rebellion, they were desirous to return unto the land of Jerusalem.

            -The purpose of the rebellion was a desire to return to Jerusalem.  For Laman and Lemuel (who were, incidentally, the instigators of the rebellion) this was a decision they should have come to terms with long ago.  Their indecision to act boldly one way or another proves to be a source of continual grief and trouble.  Until we finally decide to align ourselves with the Lord 100% we will not be content and our lives will reflect such vacillation and the troubles and wickedness we bring upon ourselves.

1 Nephi 7:6

6  And it came to pass that as we journeyed in the wilderness, behold Laman and Lemuel, and two of the ^adaughters of Ishmael, and the two ^bsons of Ishmael and their families, did ^crebel against us; yea, against me, Nephi, and Sam, and their father, Ishmael, and his wife, and his three other daughters.

            -There seems to have been no mentionable opposition from Laman and Lemuel about going to get potential wives, but it is not due to a change of heart on the part of our two trouble-makers as is evidenced by their little escapade on the way back to Lehi’s camp.  This manifestation of rebellion was most likely preceded by gentle complaining, spreading of dissention and a rallying of support for their cause.  Laman was as active in his opposition to the Lord as Nephi was active in his support.

            -the lines are drawn here.  How much of the future state of affairs is cast by the lines drawn and taken here?  The brothers, sisters and family of Ishmael that sided with Laman and Lemuel cannot begin to imagine the consequences and tremendous chasm that their decision would lead to.  These who might have, at this first choice, sided with Nephi would come to be known, their ensuing generations at least, as Lamanites and be defined by all the practices, beleifs, culture and lifestyle that is characterized by being a member of the group known as Lamanites.  How different it could have been for some of these families if, at this first moment, they would have chosen differently.

            -How fascinating to uncover the Lord’s infallible foreknowledge and wisdom.  Let’s take a look at how perfectly Ishmael’s family is equipped to fit Lehi’s (this was no cosmic coincidence or accident):

            Lehi’s family and individual’s demeanor         Ishmael’s family and individual’s demeanor

                       Laman à   anti God’s will             =        Ishmael’s daughter #1 à  anti God’s will

                       Lemuel à  anti God’s will             =        Ishmael’s daughter #2 à  anti God’s will

                       Sam     à  pro-God                        =        Ishmael’s daughter #3 à  pro-God

                       Nephi  à  pro-God                        =        Ishmael’s daughter #4 à  pro-God

                       Jacob  à  pro-God                         =        (unknown, very young)      à  pro-God

1Nephi 16:7    Zoram à  pro-God                       =        Ishmael’s oldest daughter #5 à  pro-God

                                                                                       Ishmael’s son & family à  anti God’s will

                                                                                       Ishmael’s son & family à  anti Gods’ will

                      Lehi & Sariah  à pro-God                       Ishmael & wife  à  pro-God

            The two families have a male to match up with a female or vice-versa that has the same tendency towards righteousness or wickedness. Each of Lehi’s sons has a possible spouse that perfectly reflects their won spiritual tendency toward the Lord.  Amazing!

 

    “did rebel against us”

            -how we treat eachother is synonymous with how we treat God.  In reality, the rebellion was not against Nephi and his contingent but it was against God.  If Laman et al. understood that they were, in fact, rebelling against God would they have engaged thusly?  We think they would not but perhaps…  In any event, it becomes the greatest question we must be confident in:  is our course the one approved by God?  Are we on the right side of God?

1 Nephi 7:5

  And it came to pass that the ^aLord did soften the heart of Ishmael, and also his household, insomuch that they took their journey with us down into the wilderness to the tent of our father.
      "...That the Lord did soften the heart..."

            -Who did?  The Lord did.  It wasn’t , “the things we said did soften …”  Herein lies the answers to the questions begged in verse four. 

-Nephi gives credit where credit is due.  Not only is Nephi humble enough to give the credit to He who actually brought the end to pass (giving us a hint of one of the qualities that makes Nephi, and all people, a great man) but in doing so he teaches us a vital lesson:  The Lord is the journeyman in his own tasks.  We may be privileged to help out, even to be an instrument, but the one who brings about the substantive changes is God!  There is absolutely nothing Nephi could have done on his own or by his own power to soften a heart.

      “soften the heart”

            -the lord did not “convince the intellect of Ishmael” or anything else except for softening the heart.  It was not the most rational thing to do –leaving your safe, comfortable and established home… in fact it probably seemed foolish, crazy and stupid.  Are we willing to do similar things when required of the Lord?

      “insomuch that they did take their journey with us…”

            -Wow!  What kind of faith would it have required to drop your entire life and all society as you knew it and go with four young men into the wilderness (especially when two of the young men may have manifest some resistance to the idea)?  But they did!  What a tribute to the character of Ishmael.

            -Family of Ishmael:

                        5 daughters, 2 sons.

1 Nephi 7:4

4  And it came to pass that we went up unto the house of Ishmael, and we did gain favor in the sight of Ishmael, insomuch that we did speak unto him the words of the Lord.

     “and we did gain favor in the sight of Ishmael”

            -what does this mean?  How did they accomplish this?  What kind of time frame are we talking about?  This short phrase is just one example of a miracle that certainly encompassed some amazing details as those involved were led by the Lord in a very difficult task.  Just how does one go about gaining Ishmael’s favor?  And then, how to move from “favor” to convincing this man and his family to leave a comfortable life for the unknown?

            -consider how much faith Ishmael needed to have in the story told by Nephi.  Consider how crazy it must have sounded when the topic was first discussed.  “You are going to laught at this one, but we’ve left everything and moved into the wilderness because God told us to…  Strange times we live in.  And, by the way, Laban didn’t believe us so we killed him.  So, would you like to bring the Mrs. and join us on our grand pilgrimage into the unknown?”  How does a person react to that?  It could not have been done without God’s presence to soften Ishmael’s heart.  How else does this not sound completely crazy?

     “insomuch that we did speak unto him the words of the Lord.”

            -there appears to be a sequence here.  First they gained favor –they built some kind of relationship or trust enough so that they could do number two.  Secondly, they told him the wonderful truths and experiences they had come to know.  When a pure testimony might have frightened  off Ishmael, they took time and fostered the appropriate environment.  I suggest that during this preparation time the Spirit was hard at work preparing Ishmael for what he was to hear:  something that would all together change his life from where he then stood.

1 Nephi 7:3

3  And it came to pass that I, Nephi, did ^aagain, with my brethren, go forth into the wilderness to go up to Jerusalem.

      “did again… go forth… to go up to Jerusalem.”

            -it strikes me that the Lord is not so concerned about the most efficient use of time as I am.  It does not appear to be a big deal for him that his servants spend 14 days traveling as they attempt to obey his command. I would consider such an amount of time doing nothing but walking a big waste of time.  His prophets and servants have always been in situations where many days have been spent lingering or traversing in remote places (whether it be to get from here to there or in hiding or in waiting for certain events to happen)  During these periods it would seem that the only thing to do is to think.  And perhaps this is the reason the Lord sends them on errand where so much time is afforded them;  because a hidden genius of spiritual strength is a close communication with the Lord through the spirit that is only fostered by concerted mental effort, pondering and time.  To know God requires us to hear God which is a talent painstakingly developed over time and with singleness of heart (when there is not much else to distract our thoughts… like, for instance, on a fourteen day walk through the desert).

 

1 Nephi 7:2

2  And it came to pass that the Lord ^acommanded him that I, Nephi, and my brethren, should again return unto the land of Jerusalem, and bring down Ishmael and his family into the wilderness.

     “the Lord commanded him…”

            -Lehi had just prophesied, now the Lord will help that righteous prophesy come to pass.

    “should again return unto .. Jerusalem…”

            -here we go again. Why?  The questions in reference to the  voyage back for the plates of brass are applicable here:  i.e. Why didn’t the Lord accomplish this in a more “convenient” manner (have them bring Ishmael’s family on one of the two earlier departures or visit Ishmael in a vision and lead him down to Lehi?  Perhaps the Spirit had tried to do so but Ishmael was not listening… what a lesson this could teach us about being in tune?!)?

            -the first voyage back to Jerusalem had supposedly taught different family members (Sariah, Laman and Lemuel, etc.) some lessons.  Here was a chance to redeem themselves and try again.  Let’s see how much they’ve grown.  To fail is OK, the question then becomes:  what degree of humility did we receive the previous lesson with?  Have we really grown or was the experience for naught?  I suppose the nature of this mortal experience and our triumph over it may be essentially broken down to an analysis of a similar kind/theme.

       “should… bring down Ishmael and his family into the wilderness.”

            -a very curious commandment since it directly deals with another’s agency.  Often we feel that our likelihood to succeed at some worthy endeavor is easily frustrated because of another’s agency.  Brigham Young was once faced with a similar dilemma.  Joseph commanded him to go to Canada and convert a man and his family and bring them back to Kirtland since it was determined that this man was the only one with the ability to build a structure as grand as the House of the Lord should be (Brigham was also commanded to bring back, with this man, a substantial amount of money to fund the construction –upwards of $1,000).  I suppose that there are at least two principles that come to bear in these situations: 

1.  success will be determined to a large degree on the amount of faith held by those engaged in the mission:  Does Nephi believe that the Lord will move or constrain Ishmael to come down into the wilderness;  Did Brigham believe that Joseph’s command held any degree or legitimacy or spark of divinity?  The faith required to convince a person to engage their agency in a direction they might not necessarily be inclined to go naturally must needs require a monumental demonstration including fervent and consistent prayer, great fasting, dedicated mental energy, unquestioned righteousness and other things I don’t assume to know about.

2.  The direct involvement of the hand of the Lord as a convincing agent to those whose agency is the focus of the efforts.  After all we can do to persuade others toward a desired course (short of physical coercion) the Lord must be the catalyst for changing hearts.  God is perfectly educated and situated  to convince a man or woman as to the way they should move.  When Alma the Younger would not be turned from his wickedness by the preaching and payers of his father (although this is not to say that his father’s efforts were not necessary or to no avail; on the contrary, the Lord may never have intervened had Alma Sr. not performed the sufficient preparatory sacrifice –in other words, step #1 above necessarily precedes step #2) the Lord was well able to provide sufficient cause for Alma to turn, even when that turning was the object Alma the Younger used his freedom to fight against most.

            -who as Ismael and family?  What was their prior relationship to Lehi’s family?  Were they neighbors, attendees at the same social or religious events?  Clearly this turn of events was known to God years and decades earlier.  The association of the two families –Lehi and Ishmael- was set in place at some time previous.

            -this situation also provides an interesting comparison to the object of the first journey back to Jerusalem (obtaining the plates).  It occurs to me that the Lord’s command:  “Bring down Ishmael… into the wilderness” could be considered with the question, “how?”  Should Ishmael be treated in the same manner that Laban ultimately was? Which would result in something to the effect of him being knocked out cold and drug  as captives down to Lehi?!  No, Ishmael’s circumstance would prove to be different.  He was to be convinced of the correctness of the proposition (unlike Laban who would not be convinced –thus showing to us the ultimate end of those who fight against God and those who align their lives to His design.  His designs will ultimately be fulfilled, the question is “where will we be when His will is accomplished”?).