Lesson 2: "All Things According to His Will"

8/3/2019 Lesson 2: "All Things According to His Will"

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Gospel Doctrine, Lesson 2: All Things According to His Will,1 Nephi 1-7#1 J. W. Jack noted in 1938 that excavations have shown a closer connection with th

land of the Pharaohs that was suspected.Recently found ivories, seals, inscriptions,

and the preliminary study of mounds throughout the land all tell the same story: over-whelming and unexpected preponderance of Egyptian influence, to the equally surprising exclusion of influences from Babylonia and Assyria...Elephantine papyri tell us an

other thing that scholars never dreamed of and which they were at first most reluctant believe, namely, that the colonies of Jewish soldiers and merchants were entirely at home in upper

Egypt, where they enjoyed free practice of their religion. The ties between Palestine and Egypt wermoreover, of a very long standing, centuries of a common Hebrew-Egyptian environment being

necessary to produce the permeation of Egyptian modes of thought and expression into Hebrew[A] near contemporary of Lehi can boast, behold, are not the Ethiopian, the Syrian, and all foreign

ers alike instructed in the language of Egypt? For centuries it was the custom of the princes of Syri

to send their sons to Egypt to be educated. (Hugh Nibley,Lehi in the Desert, 9-11)

#2 The discovery of the Elephantine documents in 1925 showed that colonies of Jews actually di

flee into the desert in the manner of Lehi, during his lifetime, and for the same reasons; arriving intheir new home far up the Nile, they proceeded to build a replica of Solomons Temple, exactly as

Lehi did upon landing in the New World. Both of these oddities, especially the latter, were once co

sidered damning refutations of the Book of Mormon. (Hugh Nibley, The Prophetic Book of Mormon, 388)

#3 The first three verses of 1 Nephi, sharply set off from the rest of the text, are a typical colophoa literary device that is highly characteristic of Egyptian compositions. Typical is the famous Brem

-Rhind Papyrus, which opens with a colophon containing (1) the date, (2) the titles of Nasim, the a

thor, (3) the names of his parents and a word in praise of their virtues, with special mention of his fthers prophetic calling, (4) a curse against anyone who might take the book away,.Compare th

with Nephis colophon: (1) his name, (2) the merits of his parents, (3) a solemn avowal(corresponding to Nasims curse) that the record is true, and the assertion, I make it with mine ow

handan indispensable condition of every true colophon, since the purpose of a colophon is to es

tablish the identity of the actual writer-down...of the text. Egyptian literary writings regularly close

with the formula iw-f-pw thus it is, and so it is. Nephi ends the main sections of his book with tphrase, And thus it is, Amen. (Hugh Nibley,Lehi in the Desert, 17)


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#4 Why doesnt it come right out and say that Lehi saw God, rather than saying that he thought hsaw God? The answer is simple. In order to avoid even the slightest chance of using the name of G

inappropriately, ancient prophets sometimes used the polite indirect reference rather than using

God outright. (David Ridges, The Book of Mormon Made Easier book 1, 11)

#5 [I] was once greatly puzzled over the complete absence ofBaalnames from the Book of Mor-mon. By what unfortunate oversight had the authors...failed to include a single name containing the

elementBaal, which thrives among the personal names of the Old Testament?...It happens that for

some reason or other the Jews at the beginning of the 6th century B.C. would have nothing to do

withBaalnames. An examination of Elephantine name lists shows that the change of Baal names,by substitution, is in agreement with Hoseas foretelling that they should be no more used by the Is

raelites, and consequently it is most interesting to find how the latest archaeological discoveries cofirm the Prophet, for out of some four hundred personal names among the Elephantine papyri not o

is compounded ofBaal. Since Elephantine was settled largely by Israelites who fled from Jerusalem

after its destruction, their personal names should show the same tendencies as those in the Book of

Mormon. (Hugh Nibley,Lehi in the Desert, 33-34)

#6 One serious objection to using Book of Mormon names as philological evidence must not bepassed by without an answer. Upon seeing these strange words before him, how could the illiterate

Joseph Smith have known how to pronounce them? And upon hearing them, how could his half-

educated scribe have known how to write them down phonetically? Remember, these names are no

translations into English like the rest of the book but remain bits of the authentic Nephite languageBetween them, the guesses of the prophet as to pronunciation and the guesses of Oliver Cowdery a

to transcription would be bound to make complete havoc of the original titles. Only there was noguessing. According to David Whitmer and Emma Smith...Joseph never pronounced the proper

names he came upon in the plates during the translation but alwaysspelled them out. Hence there cbe no doubt that they are meant as they stand to be as accurate and authentic as it is possible to ren

der them in our alphabet. (Hugh Nibley,Lehi in the Desert, 31)

#7 Elder H. Ross Workman of the Seventy explained that murmuring consists of three

steps, each leading to the next in a descending path to disobedience. First, when peoplemurmur they begin to question. They question first in their own minds and then [plant]

questions in the minds of others. Second, those who murmur begin to rationalize and ex-cuse themselves from doing what they [have] been instructed to do...Thus they [make] an

excuse for disobedience. Their excuses lead to the third step: Slothfulness in following the com-

mandment.The Lord has spoken against this attitude in our day. But he that doeth not anything until h

is commanded and receiveth a commandment with doubtful heart, and keepeth it with slothfulness

the same is damned (D&C 58:29)I invite you to focus on the commandment from living prophets that bothers you the most. D

you question whether the commandment is applicable to you? Do you find ready excuses why youcannot now comply with the commandment? Do you feel frustrated or irritated with those who re-

mind you of the commandment? Are you slothful in keeping it? Beware of the deception of the ad-versary. Beware of murmuring. (CR, Oct. 2001)


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Some other interesting tid bits:

What astonishes the western reader is the miraculous effect of Nephis oath on Zoram, who upon hearing a

few conventional words promptly becomes tractable, while as for the brothers, as soon as Zoram made an oath untus that he would tarry with us from that time forth.our fears did cease concerning him. (1 Ne 4:35,37)

The reaction of both parties make sense when one realizes that the oath is the one thing that is most sacred

and inviolable among the desert people and their descendants: Hardly will an Arab break his oath, even if his life b

in jeopardy, for there is nothing stronger, and nothing more sacred than the oath among the nomads, and even thecity Arabs, if it be exacted under special conditions.But not every oath will do. To be most binding and solemn an

oath should be by the life of something, even if it be but a blade of grass. The only oath more awful than that by mlife or (less commonly) by the life of my head is the wa hayat Allah by the life of God, or as the Lord liveth,.

Today it is glibly employed by the city riff raff, but anciently it was an awful thing, as it still is among the desert pe

ple.So we see that the only way that Nephi could possibly have pacified the struggling Zoram in an instant was

utter the one oath that no man would dream of breaking, the most solemn of all oaths to the Semite: As the Lord li-

veth, and as I live! (1 Ne 4:32) (Hugh Nibley,An Approach to the Book of Mormon, 104-5)

To an Arab, My father dwelt in a tent says everything. The present inhabitants of Palestine, writes Canalike their forefathers, are of two classes: dwellers in villages, and cities, and the Bedouin.. An ancient Arab po

boasts that his people are the proud, the chivalrous people of the horse and camel, the dwellers-in-tents, and no misable ox-drivers. Casual travelers in the Orient, who have seen only the filthy, wretched tents of the tribelessgypsy Bedouins...would be surprised, perhaps, at the spaciousness and simple luxury in the tent of a great desert

sheikh.

So with the announcement that his father dwelt in a tent, Nephi serves notice that he had assumed the desway of life, as perforce he must for his journey. Any easterner would appreciate the significance and importance of

statement, which to us seems almost trivial. (Hugh Nibley, Lehi in the Desert, 51-2)

As to the direction taken by Lehis party the Book of Mormon is clear and specific. He took what we now know to

have been the only possible way out, what with immediate danger threatening from the north, and the eastern andwestern lands held by opposing powers on the verge of war. (Ibid., 49)

Though it sounds simple enough when we read about it, it was almost as great a feat for Nephi to make a b

as it was for him to build a ship, and he is justly proud of his achievement.

According to the ancient Arab writers, the only bow-wood obtainable in all Arabia was nab wood that grew

only amid the inaccessible and overhanging crags of Mount Jasum and Mount Azd, which are situated in the very

region where, if we follow the Book of Mormon, the broken bow incident occurred. How many factors must be correctly conceived and correlated to make the apparently simple story of Nephis bow ring true! The high mountain n

the Red Sea at a considerable journey down the coast, the game on the peaks, hunting with bow and sling, the findin

of bow-wood viewed as something of a miracle by the partywhat are the chances of reproducing such a situation

mere guess work? (Ibid., 61)

As his first act once his tent had been pitched for his first important camp, Lehi built an altar of stones, and

made an offering unto the Lord, and gave thanks to the Lord (1 Ne 2:7). ...This is what the Arabs call a dhavihat-a

kash, a sacrifice to celebrate the successful return of warriors, hunters, and raiders to the camp. This sacrifice, wriJaussen, is always in honor of an ancestor, and Nephi twice mentions the tribal ancestor Israel in his brief account

the best desert manner Lehi, immediately after the thanksgiving rites, fell to examining the spoils (1 Ne 5:10)

St. Nilus, in the oldest known eyewitness account of life among the Arabs of Tih, says, they sacrifice on atars of crude stones piled together. ...Lehis was such an altaran altar of stones, which is not the same thing as

stone altar. Such little heaps of stones, surviving from all ages, are still to be seen throughout the south desert. (Ibi62-3)


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It was only after they reached the seashore, [Nephi] says, that his people were able to make fires without dger, for the Lord had not hitherto suffered that we should make muchfire. I remember well, writes Bertram

Thomas, taking part in a discussion upon the unhealthiness of campfires by night; we discontinued them forthwith

spite of the bitter cold. Major Cheesmans guide would not even let him light a tiny lamp in order to jot down star

reading, and they never dared build a fire on the open plain where it would attract the attention of a prowling raidinparty over long distances and invite a night attack.

A lonely life it is, writes Philby, ...a life of constant fear;...hunger is the rule of the desert. Hunger, dang

loneliness, fearLehis people knew them all. (Ibid., 63-5)

Is it any wonder that Laman and Lemuel worked off their pent-up frustration by beating their younger brot

with a stick when they were once hiding in a cave? Every free man in the East carries a stick, the immemorial badg

of independence and of authority; and every man asserts his authority over his inferiors by his stick, which shows tthe holder is a man of position, superior to the workman or day-labourers. The government officials, superior office

tax-gatherers, and schoolmasters use this short rod to threatenor if necessary to beattheir inferiors, whoever the

may be. The usage is very ancient. (Ibid., 69-70)

All that saved Nephis life on one occasion was the pleading of a daughter of Ishmael and her mother

another authentic touch, since the proud Semite may yield only to the entreaties of a woman without losing face. Bu

ton recalls how even robbers will spare a victim who appeals to them in the name of his wife, the daughter of his un

cle. Through it all, Laman, as the eldest son, is the nastiest actor: When only one boy is in the family he is the tyranand his will dominates over all. So we see Laman still thinking to dominate over all and driven mad that a younger

brother should show superior talents. The rivalry between the sons of a sheikh often leads to bloody tragedies in thsheikhs household, and Nephi had some narrow escapes. (Ibid., 70)

Why...if there was no power to compel them, did not Laman and Lemuel simply desert the camp and go of

on their own?... Fear and greed. To be without tribe or family is to forfeit ones identity in the earth; nothing is

more terrible than to be cut off, and that is exactly the fate that is promised Laman and Lemuel if they rebel (1 Ne2:21). Within his own country, says an Arab proverb, the Bedouin is a lion; outside of it he is a dog. (Ibid., 71)

Hebraisms: sets of words or phrases that appear in English but with Hebrew-like construction One of the

most common Hebraisms is the cognate accusative, in which Hebrew verbs and their related nouns are used in the

same phrase, something writers try to avoid in English. Old Testament examples...are bloom blossoms (Numbers17:8); sacrificed sacrifices (1 Samuel 11:15); ...and preach the preaching (Jonah 3:2).

Book of Mormon examples include curse...with a curse (1 Nephi 2:23); dreamed a dream (1 Ne 3:2); work a...work (1 Ne 14:7); build buildings (2 Ne 5:15); die a death (Alma 12:16).

These and many other examples corroborate the fact that the Book of Mormon originated from ancient Se-

mitic cultures and languages.

The phrase a river of water is another internal evidence that the Book of Mormon account is a translation of an

ancient record which originates in the area of the Holy Land. In that arid country, there are many rivers which are

usually dry river beds and are commonly called wadis. Here, Nephi indicates that the river actually has water flo

ing in it at the time they camp by it. (See 1 Ne 2:6) (Ridges, The Book of Mormon Made Easier, 15)

Nicholson notes that the very best oriental poetry contains much that to modern taste is absolutely incongruous w

poetic style. Their finest pictures...often appear uncouth or grotesque, because without an intimate knowledge of the

land and people it is impossible for us to see what the poet intended to convey, or to appreciate the truth and beauty its expression. One is constantly coming upon strange little expressions that recall the Book of Mormon. Thus the

non-biblical use ofwhite as the equivalent ofdelightsome in the Book of Mormon strongly suggest the Arabic al-

hasan waI-biyada very early expression, while the designation of the sea by the earliest Arab poet as the oceanspring or fountain immediately recalls the term used by Lehis wanderers, the fountain of the Red Sea, and solv

a knotty problem with a single cut. (Hugh Nibley, The Prophetic Book of Mormon, 105)


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(Cha

rtsfrom:ChartingtheBookofMormon,byWelch)


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MURMURINGS OF LAMAN & LEMUEL

Target of

Complaint Reference Reason for Complaint

Lehi 1 Nephi 2:11-12 commandment to leave Jerusalem

1 Nephi 3:5,28 commandment to return for plates of bras

1 Nephi 17:20-21,49 hardship

Nephi 1 Nephi 16:3 Nephi explains Lehis vision and condem

wickedness

1 Nephi 16:18-20 Nephi breaks bow

1 Nephi 17:17-18 Nephi builds a ship

2 Nephi 1:26 Nephi rebukes them

2 Nephi 1:25; 5:3-4 Nephi rules over them

Lord 1 Nephi 3:31 difficulty in obtaining the plates of brass

1 Nephi 4:4 difficulty in obtaining the plates of brass

COMPARISON OF RESPONSES TO CHALLENGES

Nephi Laman and Lemuel

1:1 Knew he had goodly parents 2:11 Murmured against their father

2:16 Believed all the words spoken 2:13 Did not believe all of Lehis words

by his father

2:16, 19 Went to the Lord for 2:12 Knew not the dealings of...God

understanding

3:7 Was determined to go and do 3:5 Complained that the Lord had askedwhat the Lord commanded a hard thing

3:15 Refused to return without the 3:14 Wanted to give up after one try

records

4:1,3 Knew that the Lord was 3:31 Doubted that the Lord could deliver

mightier than Laban Laban to them

See Charting the Book of Mormon, by Welch See Gospel Doctrine Teachers Manual


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October 2009 General Conference

Safety for the SoulJeffrey R. Holland

Of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles

I want it absolutely clear when I stand before the judgment bar of God th

I declared to the world that the Book of Mormon is true.

Prophecies regarding the last days often refer to large-scale calamities such as earthquakes or famines or floods. These in turn may be linked to widespread economic orpolitical upheavals of one kind or another.

But there is one kind of latter-day destruction that has always sounded to me morepersonal than public, more individual than collectivea warning, perhaps more appcable inside the Church than outside it. The Savior warned that in the last days eventhose of the covenant, the very elect, could be deceived by the enemy of truth.1If we

think of this as a form of spiritual destruction, it may cast light on another latter-dayprophecy. Think of the heart as the figurative center of our faith, the poetic location our loyalties and our values; then consider Jesuss declaration that in the last daysmens hearts [shall fail] them.2

The encouraging thing, of course, is that our Father in Heaven knows all of these latter-day dangers, these troubles of the heart and soul, and has given counsel and pro-tections regarding them.

In light of that, it has always been significant to me that the Book of Mormon, one ofthe Lords powerful keystones3in this counteroffensive against latter-day ills, beginswith a great parable of life, an extended allegory of hope versus fear, of light versusdarkness, of salvation versus destructionan allegory of which Sister Ann M. Dibbspoke so movingly this morning.

In Lehis dream an already difficult journey gets more difficult when a mist of dark-ness arises, obscuring any view of the safe but narrow path his family and others areto follow. It is imperative to note that this mist of darkness descends on allthe traveersthe faithful and the determined ones (the elect, we might even say) as well as thweaker and ungrounded ones. The principal point of the story is that the successfultravelers resist all distractions, including the lure of forbidden paths and jeeringtaunts from the vain and proud who have taken those paths. The record says that thprotected did press their way forward, continually [and, I might add, tenaciously]holding fast to a rod of iron that runs unfailingly along the course of the true path.4

However dark the night orthe day, the rod marks the way of that solitary, redeemintrail.
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I beheld, Nephi says later, that the rod of iron was the word of God, [leading] to the tree of life; a representation of the love of God. Viewing this manifestation Gods love, Nephi goes on to say:

I looked and beheld the Redeemer of the world, [who] went forth ministering untthe people.

And I beheld multitudes of people who were sick, and who were afflicted with allmanner of diseases, and with devils and unclean spirits; and they were healed bythe power of the Lamb of God; and the devils and the unclean spirits were cast out.

Love. Healing. Help. Hope. The power of Christ to counter all troubles in all timesincluding the end of times. That is the safe harbor God wants for us in personal orpublic days of despair. That is the message with which the Book of Mormon begins,and that is the message with which it ends, calling all to come unto Christ, and beperfected in him.6That phrasetaken from Moronis final lines of testimony, writte

1,000 years after Lehis visionis a dying mans testimony of the only true way.May I refer to a modern last days testimony? When Joseph Smith and his brotherHyrum started for Carthage to face what they knew would be an imminent martyr-dom, Hyrum read these words to comfort the heart of his brother:

Thou hast been faithful; wherefore thou shalt be made strong, even unto the sittidown in the place which I have prepared in the mansions of my Father.

And now I, Moroni, bid farewell until we shall meet before the judgment-seat ofChrist.7

A few short verses from the 12th chapter of Ether in the Book of Mormon. Before cloing the book, Hyrum turned down the corner of the page from which he had read,marking it as part of the everlasting testimony for which these two brothers wereabout to die. I hold in my hand that book, the very copy from which Hyrum read, thesame corner of the page turned down, still visible. Later, when actually incarcerated the jail, Joseph the Prophet turned to the guards who held him captive and bore apowerful testimony of the divine authenticity of the Book of Mormon.8Shortly thereafter pistol and ball would take the lives of these two testators.

As one of a thousand elements of my own testimony of the divinity of the Book ofMormon, I submit this as yet one more evidence of its truthfulness. In this their greaestand lasthour of need, I ask you: would these men blaspheme before God bycontinuing to fix their lives, their honor, and their own search for eternal salvation oa book (and by implication a church and a ministry) they had fictitiously created outof whole cloth?

Never mind that their wives are about to be widows and their children fatherless.
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Never mind that their little band of followers will yet be houseless, friendless andhomeless and that their children will leave footprints of blood across frozen riversand an untamed prairie floor.9Never mind that legions will die and other legions livdeclaring in the four quarters of this earth that they know the Book of Mormon andthe Church which espouses it to be true. Disregard all of that, and tell me whether inthis hour of death these two men would enter the presence of their Eternal Judge

quoting from and finding solace in a book which, ifnotthe very word of God, wouldbrand them as imposters and charlatans until the end of time? They would not dothat! They were willing to die rather than deny the divine origin and the eternal truthfulness of the Book of Mormon.

For 179 years this book has been examined and attacked, denied and deconstructed,targeted and torn apart like perhaps no other book in modern religious historyperhaps like no other book in any religious history. And still it stands. Failed theorieabout its origins have been born and parroted and have diedfrom Ethan Smith to

Solomon Spaulding to deranged paranoid to cunning genius. None of these franklypathetic answers for this book has ever withstood examination because there is noother answerthan the one Joseph gave as its young unlearned translator. In this Istand with my own great-grandfather, who said simply enough, No wicked mancould write such a book as this; and no good man would write it, unless it were trueand he were commanded of God to do so.10

I testify that one cannot come to full faith in this latter-day workand thereby findthe fullest measure of peace and comfort in these, our timesuntil he or she embracthe divinity of the Book of Mormon and the Lord Jesus Christ, of whom it testifies. Ianyone is foolish enough or misled enough to reject 531 pages of a heretofore un-known text teeming with literary and Semitic complexity without honestly attemptinto account for the origin of those pagesespecially without accounting for their powerful witness of Jesus Christ and the profound spiritual impact that witness has hadon what is now tens of millions of readersif that is the case, then such a person, eleor otherwise, has been deceived; and if he or she leaves this Church, it must be doneby crawling over or under or around the Book of Mormon to make that exit. In thatsense the book is what Christ Himself was said to be: a stone of stumbling, a rock

of offence,11

a barrier in the path of one who wishes not to believe in this work. Wit-nesses, even witnesses who were for a time hostile to Joseph, testified to their deaththat they had seen an angel and had handled the plates. They have been shown untus by the power of God, and not of man, they declared. Wherefore we know of asurety that the work is true.12

Now, I did not sail with the brother of Jared in crossing an ocean, settling in a newworld. I did not hear King Benjamin speak his angelically delivered sermon. I did noproselyte with Alma and Amulek nor witness the fiery death of innocent believers. I
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was not among the Nephite crowd who touched the wounds of the resurrected Lord,nor did I weep with Mormon and Moroni over the destruction of an entire civilizatioBut my testimony of this record and the peace it brings to the human heart is as binding and unequivocal as was theirs. Like them, [I] give [my name] unto the world, towitness unto the world that which [I] have seen. And like them, [I] lie not, Godbearing witness of it.13

I ask that my testimony of the Book of Mormon and all that it implies, given today uder my own oath and office, be recorded by men on earth and angels in heaven. I hopI have a few years left in my last days, but whether I do or do not, I want it abso-lutely clear when I stand before the judgment bar of God that I declared to the worldin the most straightforward language I could summon, that the Book of Mormon istrue, that it came forth the way Joseph said it came forth and was given to bring happiness and hope to the faithful in the travail of the latter days.

My witness echoes that of Nephi, who wrote part of the book in hislast days:

Hearken unto these words and believe in Christ; and if ye believe not in these wordbelieve in Christ.And if ye shall believe in Christ ye will believe in these words, forthey are the words of Christ, and they teach all men that they should do good.

And if they are not the words of Christ, judge yefor Christ will show unto you, witpower and great glory, that they are his words, at the last day.14

Brothers and sisters, God always provides safety for the soul, and with the Book ofMormon, He has again done that in our time. Remember this declaration by Jesus

Himself: Whoso treasureth up my word, shall not be deceived15and in the last daneither your heart nor your faith will fail you. Of this I earnestly testify in the name oJesus Christ, amen.

. See Matthew 24:24; see also Joseph SmithMatthew:22.

2. Luke 21:26.3. SeeHistory of the Church, 4:461.4. 1 Nephi 8:30.5. 1 Nephi 11:25, 2728, 31.6. Moroni 10:32.

7. Ether 12:3738; see also D&C 135:5.8. SeeHistory of the Church, 6:600.9. Joseph Smith, inHistory of the Church, 4:539.0. George Cannon, quoted in The Twelve Apostles, in

Andrew Jenson, ed., The Historical Record, 6:175.1. 1 Peter 2:8.2. The Testimony of Three Witnesses, Book of Mormon.3. The Testimony of Eight Witnesses, Book of Mormon;

emphasis added.4. 2 Nephi 33:1011; emphasis added.5. Joseph SmithMatthew 1:37.
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LESSON OUTLINEId like to begin today by painting a picture of Lehis world. Prior to 605 BC, Judah prospered greatly, mostldue to trade with Egypt. Hugh Nibley points out that most of what we know about Lehis world was discoveredthe 20th century, and so obviously Joseph Smith, even if he had been highly educated, couldnt have known wwe know today about Egypt and Judah.

Quote #1 (Hugh Nibley)~What happens after a society has prospered for awhile? (pride, wickedness, fall)~Who was the great world-dominator in 600 BC? (Babylon)~Where was Babylon located? (approximately present-day Iraq)

So Babylonian world domination took control of the kingdom of Judah about 605 BC, when Jehoiakim was kiHe attempted a revolt, so the Babylonian forces took Jerusalem under siege. Jehoiakim was either killed or cap-tured.

~Who was appointed by Babylon to the throne? (Zedekiah)~Was Zedekiah a righteous king? (wicked, 21 yrs old, reigned 11 years, he imprisoned Jeremiah, sons kil

before his eyes, then he was blinded, one son survived Mulek)

t was a time of great wickedness immorality and corruption were rampant. They were ripe for destruction.~How do we know that? (They were killing the prophets sent to warn them theyd be destroyed if they

didnt repent)~Was Lehi the only one to flee Jerusalem?

Quote #2 (Hugh Nibley)And remember last week we briefly touched on the Lachish letters, discovered in 1935, that were written inJeremiahs time, about Zedekiahs seeking of a prophet who had fled to Egypt.

One more bit of background before we delve into 1 Ne. 1. As we study the words of the Book of Mormonprophets, and are inspired by the beautiful doctrines, Id like to point out what scholars call internal evidencesthe fact that it is an ancient record, that Joseph Smith couldnt have made it all up. But I want to emphasize tham not out to prove anything.

~What is the only way to know for sure that the Book of Mormon is true? (pray, power of the HolyGhost)

Quote #3 (Hugh Nibley)Turn to 1 Ne 1:1-3

Now, weve read these verses, likely, more than any others in the whole book. Dont they mean a lot more whewe understand the culture and history behind them? And theres much more that I just dont have time to covehere. I highly recommend Hugh Nibleys books.

Next Nephi talks about his fathers vision and being called as a prophet.Read 1 Ne 1:8

This verse contains an internal evidence:Quote #4

Read 1 Ne 1:11Does this remind you of a scripture in Revelation we studied just last month? Chapter 5, about the council inheaven, God holds a book in his right hand? What did the book symbolize? (Christs mission to be the Savior othe world.


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~What does this book represent? (Lehis mission)~What was Lehis mission? (To preach repentance to the Jews in Jerusalem)~Did the Jews accept his message?

Read 1 Ne 1:20 (here Nephi tells us one of his purposes in writing)~So if we have faith, what will we always be blessed with? (tender mercies this is a major them throug

out the Book of Mormon)

On to Chapter 2!~We know Lehis life is sought. What does the Lord tell him to do? (take family into wilderness)

Read 1 Ne. 2:4 (note the number of times and is used)~Do we see this kind of language with lots of ands throughout the book? (according to my sources, t

is another internal evidence that it was translated from a Near-Eastern, or Semitic language.)~They left everything but what they needed to survive. Would you and I do the same?~Can the Lord ever be in our debt? (no, He always blesses us for our obedience and sacrifices.)~What were some of the blessings Lehis family received, eventually? (saved from destruction of Jerusa

lem, promised land, brass pl;ates.)

In verse 5 Nephi names his family, and so I must digress one more time. When Judah fell in 587 BC, and Jersalem was destroyed, those who were not killed were taken prisoner and sent to Babylon to be slaves. Well, in t20th century they found Babylonian lists of the names of those prisoners. Many of those names were Egyptianust like in the Book of Mormon. We could spend hours discussing the names in the Book of Mormon! But we

have to condense it to:Quote #5Quote #6

Once Lehis family has traveled about 200 miles, to the Red Sea,

~What does the Lord command Lehi? (send boys to get brass plates)~What did Laman and Lemuel do in response? (murmur)Quote #7

~But what was Nephis response? (1 Ne 3:6-7)~Why was Nephis response so different?Lets go back to 1 Ne. 2:16~What did Nephi do that his brothers did not?

-Desired to know honest heart-Prayed mightily great desire-Heart softened by the Lord open-minded

-Determined to obey at all costs Read 1 Ne. 3:14~Who was sorrowful? (all)~What was Laman & Lemuels response? (to give up)~What was Nephis response?

Read 1 Ne. 3:15Bear testimony...

Documents

Lesson 2: "All Things According to His Will"