1 Nephi 5

1 Nephi 5

Vs 1-3
I wonder how long this trip took Nephi and his brothers. We know that the family was three days in the wilderness before commanded to return. It apparently took longer than Sariah had anticipated because she really began to complain to Lehi. I can imagine the tension between them prior to the boys returning.

Vs. 4-7
Lehi defends his position and tries to comfort his wife. He testifies of his calling and exercises great faith.

Vs. 8
When the sons arrive, Sariah gains a witness that her husband is following the Lord.

Vs. 9
To rejoice, they offer sacrifices to the Lord. What would be an equivalent today? Perhaps attending the temple or making a bigger commitment to obeying the commandments.

Vs. 10
Lehi delves in to studying the record. It is obviously the first time he has seen it. I ask the same question that I did a few days ago… how did Lehi know about the record? We know that Laban and Lehi were related… but how? Why wouldn’t it have been easier for Lehi to get the plates than for the sons?

Lehi was obviously already well acquainted with the scriptures. He probably had his own copy he had been studying over his lifetime. It was typical for the scriptures in that day to be written on scrolls. Did they need the brass plates simply because they were brass that would endure?

Vs 12
The brass plates were a current record… meaning they contained the history all the way up to the current king. They contained writings of Jeremiah who was still alive! Was Laban the record keeper?? He did seem to be some kind of official.

Vs 14
There is a fantastic book called The Hidden Christ by James Ferrell that goes into detail about Lehi being a descendant of Joseph is key to the fulfilling of Joseph’s dream of the sun, and moon, and stars bowing to him (see Genesis 37). I encourage all to read it. It is one of my favorite books of all time.

Through Patriarchal blessings we learn that most of us are descendants of Joseph as well. This may be by blood or adoption.

Vs 18
Again, a key element to Joseph of Egypt being an ancestor of Lehi. Joseph was promised that the gospel would be spread to the world by his seed (see Joseph in the Bible Dictionary to learn more about this).