Wednesday, March 27, 2013

1 Nephi 1:16-20


As I ponder this morning, prior to writing today’s post, I can’t help but feel awestruck by everything that has happened in the past 1000 years. It seems overwhelming to consider the many interactions God has had with his children since the year 1013. If I had access to the many spiritual interactions people have had with God in the past 1000 years, and was asked to abridge the most important ones into a single volume, how could I possibly pick the right ones? What about 100 years? What about just my lifetime? How was Mormon able to do it? Why did he choose to include the stories he did? Of importance in today’s post, why did Nephi include the stories of his father’s life that he did? What made them stand out over the others? In his own words he wrote:

16 And now I, Nephi, do not make a full account of the things which my father hath written, for he hath written many things which he saw in visions and in dreams; and he also hath written many things which he prophesied and spake unto his children, of which I shall not make a full account. 17 But I shall make an account of my proceedings in my days. Behold, I make an abridgment of the record of my father, upon plates which I have made with mine own hands; wherefore, after I have abridged the record of my father then will I make an account of mine own life.

We know that the Lord knew and prepared for the lost 116 pages, so why was Nephi inspired to write the things he did about his father’s life? This is a topic I will be discussing multiple times throughout the coming months.

Verse 18 seems to be where Lehi is called to be a prophet. It is here that he begins to go among the people and tell them of the pending destruction of their city. He testifies of the things that he has “seen and heard.” The people are angry with him and “mocked him” because of the things he had seen and heard. Verse 19 states that they were angry with him “yea, even as with the prophets of old, whom they had cast out, and stoned, and slain.”

I want to point out here that Jeremiah was THE prophet in Jerusalem at this time. The people Lehi was prophesying to were members of “the church.” They thought they were righteous, they thought they were obeying the law of Moses. Why did the Lord send another prophet? Were the people not listening to THE prophet? How would this happen today… among members of our church? Would we listen to someone who wasn’t THE prophet? Would we mock the things they said they “saw and heard?”  Would we be like the Jews and say “we’re fine!!! We’re righteous and doing all the things we’re supposed to. I have 100% home teaching after all. I’m the Elders quorum president… the Lord wouldn’t have called me to this calling if I wasn’t righteous! Of course all is well in Zion?”

Nephi  concludes his thoughts here by stating something at the beginning of the book that is found at the end… that he will “show us the tender mercies of the Lord.” Both the first and last chapters of the Book of Mormon comment on the tender mercies of the Lord.

“that ye would remember how merciful the Lord hath been unto the children of men, from the creation of Adam even down until the time that ye shall receive these things,” Moroni 10:3
May we all remember the tender mercy of our Father!

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