1 Nephi 7:16

16  And it came to pass that when I, Nephi, had spoken these words unto my brethren, they were angry with me.  And it came to pass that they did lay their hands upon me, for behold, they were exceedingly wroth, and they did ^abind me with cords, for they sought to take away my life, that they might leave me in the wilderness to be devoured by wild beasts.

     “were angry with me..”  “were exceedingly wroth…”

            -another example of anger being expressed by those whose hearts are contrary to God.  Anger is a trait of the weak and those who stand against Godly things.  It is a manifestation of one who is challenged in their pursuit of selfish goals (CR:  D&C 3:1-4).

            -they were angry because of the words Nephi spoke… and what was it that he said?  He actually gave them permission –pointed out that they could exercise their agency- to go back to Jerusalem.  This was the thing Laman and Lemuel had been complaining about since their original departure. So why would they be angry?  If they desired they could go back now.  Their anger, as does the anger of all who find themselves on the wrong side of truth, came because they were brought face to face with the consequences of truth and they do not like it.  They want their cake, to eat it and to not get fat.  They want to return to Jerusalem and a life of leisure and to wallow in self-indulgence without the threat of destruction.  The potential destruction ruins everything and they do not like it.  They especially don’t like someone telling them about it.  At least they can enjoy themselves during their their naivete or put it out of their minds until it happens.  Truth, morality and virtue always angers the natural man.

     “did lay their hands upon me… did bind me… sought to take away my life”

            -when we reject truth, morality, God and/or righteousness we become antagonistic to it and the distance between mental antagonism and physical antagonism is very short.Violence is the inevitable destination of those who reject the doctrines and the beliefs established by the Prince of Peace. 

            -why did Laman and Lemuel’s response elevate to violence –to assault, battery, kidnapping and attempted murder?  Obviously they subscribed to a different perspective than Nephi but they were not being physically coerced or threatened.  When right (the objectives of God) and wrong (the objectives of the devil or man’s whims) confront each other within a person, between indivduals or amongst groups of people there will be a struggle.  In this mortal-physical world that struggle will often become violent in nature.  There is a period of strained coexistence but the differences will escalate until one or the other is established triumphant.  God’s power and dominion is eternal in nature; Satan’s power and dominion are temporal –that is relegated to this mortal existence- in nature.  On earth then, we should not be surprised at the proliferation and success of Satan.  Good and evil cannot coexist any more than water and oil.  A house divided against itself cannot stand.

      “they sought to take away my life…”

            -this is the first time Laman and Lemuel make an attempt to murder Nephi.  Their degree of rejection of the Lord has already grown to this extent.

            -why don’t Laman and company just do as Nephi invited, that is, go back to Jerusalem?  But no, they became violent and attacked Nephi.  Why?  He did not try to stop them.  Because once we enlist to serve Lucifer and fight against God we want to extinguish all that is good and godly.  Hence Lucifer’s plan is not to simply get his own way, but to destroy all those who will not embrace his cause (every social and political cause authored by Satan and carried out by his, often unwary, pawns operates in the same manner).  It is slavery, absolute and uncompromising.  For those who don’t join, it is death.  Evil cannot endure the existence of goodness.

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.