“were
angry with me again…”
-here is
the anti-godly characteristic of anger again!
-in the
face of a miracle –which was entirely overlooked by Laman and Lemuel- there is
absolutely no change in behavior or outlook.
Laman and Lemuel are actually more angry. They are becoming more steeped in their
wickedness. With every wrong action or
decision they are becoming more entrenched in their position against God.
“one of the
daughters… her mother… one of the sons… did plead with my brethren”
-what is
the power of a righteous woman? Where is
their influence and contribution in the scriptures? It is right here! Consider the reality of this situation: Nephi’s life is in the balance. The founder of a great civilization (although
it has not yet, at this point, come about) and the archtype of righteousness
for that people may have been killed at the hands of his brothers if a daughter
and a mother had not stood up in this critical moment to change the course of a
bad situation. This expedition which
would eventually journey to the new world and establish a Christian
civilization –including writing a spiritual record that would change the world
several millennia in the future- balanced on the edge of a knife and was
seriously threatened before it ever began.
And in this moment, a daughter of God and a mother stood up and saved it
all. That is the power of women.
-why a
strong stance taken here and now? I
guess the most important thing is that a bad situation was changed because a
few people –who before might not have been participants in the evil/wrong)
chose to stand up and take a position for righteousness.
-God’s
intervention in the affairs of man rarely solves our problems outright. It provides an opportunity for man to
act. God opens doors that requires us to
exercise significant faith and courage to act.
It is this action that becomes a turning point and the trajectory of a
situation changes. Usually these are
very small, simple, straightforward actions.
They, however, are attended by the imposition of God. He blesses and prospers them and his power is
unleashed by the actions of man. It is
as if He magnifies his influence through these actions. In this case Laman and Lemuel’s hearts are
touched and they back off; they take a
different stance almost inexplicably.
-what
could they have said that was more powerful than an angel?
“they (Laman and Lemuel) did soften their hearts…”
(vs. 20) “they were sorrowful…”
-I don’t
know what was so powerful and convincing to turn the anger to (some level of)
humility, but the influence of a few is undeniable. In prior instances God had intervened, here
mortals acted and were as tools of righteousness. We often do not recognize our power to bring
about the purposes of God. The work/persuasion
of these there was as powerful as the angel who had earlier come to change the
actions of Laman and Lemuel; they
brought about results as great as were accomplished by angels. Such is the power often dormant in us.
“they did cease striving to take away my
life.”
-can
people change? Can a desperate situation
where wickedness has a grasp on the heart, the thoughts and the objectives of
man be turned? It may appear unlikely if
not improbable, but it can. There is no
way to tell about the passage of time from verse 18 to verse 19, but in one
moment Laman and Lemuel were so enraged that they were about to take their
brother’s life and not too long afterwards, their disposition changed. This is as mighty a change in the hearts of men
as anything we read about.
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