Study of 1 Nephi 1

While at BYU, I had a religion instructor who had us write a 10 page research paper on a single chapter of scripture at the end of each course.  I must have been a glutton for punishment, because I took three of this professor's classes.

While the following series of posts won't be ten pages long, I do think it might be helpful for me to write about each chapter of scripture as I read them.  The purposes would align with those of the larger blog: to give me writing practice about gospel topics, expose me to the gospel more, and possibly help someone else in their day.

1 Nephi 1

This is probably the most often read chapter in the Book of Mormon; it is also one of the most profound.  This was one of the chapters I did the famed 10-page reports on for my Book of Mormon class with Prof. Gaskill.  I won't go into the same depth I did for his paper, but I just wanted to write some notes about what I thought while rereading it this morning.

Verse 1:  10 pages could be written about this verse alone.  First, Nephi's penchant for seeing the silver lining is obvious here.  Yes, he had a rather dysfunctional family, yes he was forced to flee his home for his life (several times), yes he suffered in the wilderness, but he chose to recognize the blessings of the Lord rather than harp on how difficult it was.  Second, Nephi notes that because he had goodly parents, he had been instructed in the learning of his father, and that because he had been instructed in learning, he had an obligation to record the proceedings of his days.  What sort of obligation does this teach that we have?  First, if we would be goodly parents, we have a duty to teach our children (or at least see that they are taught) about all that we know.  Second, when we have learning and skills, we also have an obligation to use them.  Third, part of the reason for writing is to pass information from one generation to another; journaling, evidently, is more important that I had realized.

Verse 3:  Why does Nephi include this verse?  Maybe to provide a certificate of authenticity, and allow the reader to know where the text is coming from.

Verse 5-7:  What started Lehi's prophetic career was concern for his people.  Lehi prays on behalf of his people; evidently he had believed the prophets who had come before him.  In response to his selfless prayer, Lehi receives a vision on the rock in front of him, then goes home and receives another vision.

Verse 11-14:  This book intrigues me.  In it is written the judgments of God about Jerusalem--that it should be destroyed, and the denizens of that city either killed or carried away captive.  Yet right after he reads these things, Lehi praises God for being merciful.  I think the reason for this is because Lehi rightly saw the reasons behind the destruction of Jerusalem.  Here on earth, surrounded by our mortal environment, and enveloped in a finite, time-bound point of view it can seem unfair, unjust, or even petty for the Lord to condemn an entire city as He did Jerusalem.  In reading this book of the Lord, however, Lehi overcame (through the grace of God) his own mortal constraints and saw a portion of what God intended.  Lehi saw Jerusalem as it actually was, and Lehi saw the destruction of Jerusalem for what it actually accomplished.

I think the Lord has a longer view on death and destruction than we do.  When we see such tragedy, we mourn, but I think the Lord doesn't always make as big a deal of it, simply because He sees the eternal consequences of such acts.

One such consequence that Lehi infers is made evident when Lehi praises God by saying "because thou art merciful, thou wilt not suffer those who come unto thee that they shall perish!"  Might one reason the Lord destroyed Jerusalem be because they were willing to kill, either physically or spiritually, any trying to come closer to the Father?  At what point does  culture become so anti-religion that God needs to set things right with such disruptions?

Verse 18-19:  Once again, we see the obligation of the learned.  Because Lehi had seen such great and marvelous things, he was obligated to warn those who surrounded him.  This obligation, I think, is equally incumbent upon ourselves.

Verse 20:  Finally, Nephi's unflagging optimism comes to the fore.  Yes, the Jews wanted to kill Lehi, but Nephi sincerely believes that Lehi is better off now than before.  Some might say the Lord's tender mercies might be put to better use if they were to prevent the threats to Lehi's life.  Yet Nephi recognizes that it's better to be involved in the Lord's work and be persecuted, than to be uninvolved.  The Lord' tender mercies, in fact, simply allow Lehi to better serve Him, and to accomplish His work.  These tender mercies (a protected flight into the wilderness, and a promised land) don't exist to make Lehi comfortable, but to bless Lehi.  Blessings, sometimes, are difficult pills to swallow.