“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.
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