1 Nephi 10:13

13  Wherefore, he said it must needs be that we should be led with one accord into the ^aland of promise, unto the fulfilling of the word of the Lord, that we should be scattered upon all the face of the earth.

            -because of his knowledge (testimony, understanding, stuffy of scriptures, spiritual tutelage) Lehi was able to gain advanced perception as to their role in the plan.  He could answer the question, “why is this happening to us, why do we have to leave our homes?”  Contrast this with the many times that we find ourselves in the middle of a trial and we have no idea why these difficult experiences are befalling us.  Are there ways to better perceive and hence have a more peaceful heart when challenging situations cause us to ask:  why/what is this happening to me?

1 Nephi 10:8

8  Yea, even he should go forth and cry in the wilderness: ^aPrepare ye the way of the Lord, and make his paths straight; for there standeth one among you whom ye know not; and he is mightier than I, whose shoe's latchet I am not worthy to unloose. And much spake my father concerning this thing.

     “make his paths straight”

            -what  does this mean?  How is “his path” made straight?  How do we “make his paths straight”?  Is it fair to say that we are expected to straighten out our lives by walking the path he outlined?

            -John’s exhortation was largely ignored, at least by the prevailing culture shaping contingent of society.  The recognized Jewish leaders, the “in crowd” did not change the trajectory or the substance of their lives.  Perhaps the humble group of John’s disciples lived with a higher level of attention to righteousness and spiritual matters  -they more conscientiously walked the straight and narrow path.

    “there standeth one among you whom ye know not”

            -why did the people not know the Savior, the light of the world, when he stood right amongst them?

            -they were not looking           

            -they were not paying attention

            -the Savior was not abnormally noticeable

            -they were too busy

            -they were expecting something else (as the Messiah)

Is it, therefore, terribly odd that people don’t readily accept the gospel light today due to the very same reasons listed above.

            -we sometimes talk about “hiding in plain sight” or phrased as it often is in the scriptures, “having eyes to see, they see not”.  This mortal blindness to spiritual, ethical or moral things appears to be a common characteristic of the natural man and of the temporal estate.  Are we caught up in this same mortal condition?  Why is it that we cannot see the reality of things (things as they really are) even to the degree that if God stood among us, we would not recognize Him?  This is the most damning self-indictment there is.

    “he is mightier than I”

            -there is a beautiful testimony of the Aaronic priesthood buried in this declaration.  Clearly John is drawing attention to the superlative might or power of the Savior but he is also acknowledging that he is mighty, that he has legitimate and significant power.  We should never diminish the power held by a righteous man of the Aaronic priesthood.  He has power greater and more lasting than the kings and rulers of the Earth.  For that matter, a woman of virtue and faith possesses great power as she also connects herself into the powers of heaven.  Yes, the Christ is the mightiest, but John –as a legitimate bearer of the Aaronic priesthood- possesses mighty power.  This is the power to change the eternal trajectory of men and women, to open the gates of the father’s kingdom and set them on the road to their unfathomable eternal destiny.  This is might indeed!

1 Nephi 8:24

24  And it came to pass that I beheld others pressing forward, and they came forth and caught hold of the end of the rod of iron; and they did press forward through the mist of darkness, ^aclinging to the rod of iron, even until they did come forth and partake of the ^bfruit of the tree.

-why is it that “others” who were also “pressing forward” did not get lost from the mist of darkness?

     “came forth and caught hold”

            -it seems that this catching hold of the rod, even in the face of some very difficult circumstances, is something that set those who did not lose their way apart from those who became lost.

            -the rod is a sure guide and without it there appears to be little hope of achieving the goal.   The rod becomes the gospel, it is a concrete, actual guide to hold to.  But it does not pull you along or do the work, it is a tool to use.  It does not make the mist disperse either –although it does give a very nice sense of comfort while being surrounded by the mist.

            -not all (or any for that matter) started at the rod or iron.  Thy journeyed until they found it, then grabbed on and followed.

      “press forward”

            -there is a lot f “pressing forward” going on.  As if our constant improvement is necessary, and as if we should expect our journey here to be a lot of hard work marked by difficulty… should we expect anything less than an experience similar to previous groups whose own efforts to press forward are recorded in the scriptures and in the history books of this world. 

      “through the mist”

            -there is only one way to travel life’s journey:  it is “through”.  There is no around, under or other bypass.  We are to go through the difficult times, through the heartache, through the temptations and through trials.  It is the “going through” that is the object of this existence.

      "...clinging ..."

            -apply to locking your hands when wrestling.

            -an action word.  I don’t know if there is a more proactive or descriptive verb that would be used here to illustrate the way in which we must pursue this path.

            -what is the nature of our hold (our grip) to the rod?  Are we touching, holding, gliding, etc.?  How seriously do we live the gospel?  Do we let some things “slip through”?  Are we lax in our observance?  Are we a Sunday Mormon?  Do we obey and keep the rules or do we “live the gospel”?  Do we love its principles, laws and ordinances?

            -just having the gospel is not enough.  We cannot just “walk the path”.  We must be anxiously engaged in living and hold tight to the gospel.  We must let it posses us.

            -this verse describes people whose effort has been nothing short of commendable.  These are good hearted, anxiously engaged people.  They have pursued and endured many things in their effort to obtain the fruit of the tree.  If we were to stop at the conclusion of this verse –knowing nothing more of the people described here- we would conclude that these are choice people, valiant and good.  BUT all is about to be turned on its head with one factor:  see verse 25.