1 Nephi 9

This of course is a very short chapter.

Vs 1
“And all these things did my father see and hear…”
I am continually amazed at the number of visions, dreams, and voices that Lehi saw and heard. Nephi seems to be aware of all or most of them. This is an example to me of sharing special experiences with our children.

Vs 2-4
I am reminded by these verses of the talk Elder Henry B. Eyring gave in General Conference in the October 2007 Conference titled “O Remember, Remember.”

“I wrote down a few lines every day for years. I never missed a day no matter how tired I was or how early I would have to start the next day. Before I would write, I would ponder this question: “Have I seen the hand of God reaching out to touch us or our children or our family today?” As I kept at it, something began to happen. As I would cast my mind over the day, I would see evidence of what God had done for one of us that I had not recognized in the busy moments of the day. As that happened, and it happened often, I realized that trying to remember had allowed God to show me what He had done.”

In this talk he encourages us to keep a journal of how we have felt the hand of the Lord in our lives. This talk really touched me and I have done a pretty good job of this ever since.

Vs 5-6
Of course we know in hind sight that the Lord was covering for the fact that Martin Harris would lose the 116 pages of the Book of Lehi and the only record we would have would be Nephi’s version of it.

We then learn in “The Words of Mormon” that Mormon’s abridgement was written from the “Large Plates of Nephi”, and that he added this “small account of the prophets, from Jacob down to the reign of this King Benjamin, and also many of the words of Nephi.” I quote Words of Mormon verses 6 and 7.

“6 But behold, I shall take these plates, which contain these prophesyings and revelations, and put them with the remainder of my record, for they are choice unto me; and I know they will be choice unto my brethren.
7 And I do this for a wise purpose; for thus it whispereth me, according to the workings of the Spirit of the Lord which is in me. And now, I do not know all things; but the Lord knoweth all things which are to come; wherefore, he worketh in me to do according to his will.