Verse 4: Note that of the things Lehi leaves behind on his journey are valuable things, but things which can be afforded to be left. Lehi is, in a sense, re-prioritizing. He takes only his family and the things they need to survive. While many of the things he leaves behind are beautiful and precious, they can't come along because of the weight. Lehi forsakes them, and becomes richer for it.
I think that we sometimes mistake how precious some things are. There's a story out there about a very righteous man, who also happens to be very rich, and who convinced the Lord that he should be able to take some of his riches with him to the next life. To prepare for his death, the righteous man packed a suitcase full of gold bullion, worth about $1 million. When he arrived at the pearly gates, he reminded St. Peter of his deal. Peter acknowledged that such was his right, and asked to see what was inside the suitcase. The righteous man obliged, very proud of owning something so valuable. Peter looked in, smiled a little, then said: "Why in heaven would you bring pavement?"
Later in the Book of Mormon, the Lord acknowledges that he blesses the righteous with beautiful and precious things; as examples, he specifically mentions gold and silver. So their possession by the righteous isn't a problem. Yet when a person or nation is embarking on the type of journey that Lehi is undertaking, such precious things become less useful, and thus less valuable. When we engage in the sacred journeys the Lord sends us on, what do we have to give up? Do we have to give up possessions only, or do we also have to forsake habits and behaviors?
Verses 9-14: Laman and Lemuel's reaction to this journey (Lehi's sacrifice of the good for the best) is ambivalent at best and hostile at worst. They recognize, rightly, that the things they've left behind are good and valuable, but because they don't understand the current situation as well as Lehi, they don't see how the value of gold has changed. With the destruction of Jerusalem looming, the treasures aren't worth as much; from Laman and Lemuel's point of view, however, there is no destruction coming.
What Lehi does in these verses is try to convince Laman and Lemuel to move past the good and accept the best, to sacrifice as he is sacrificing. Again, we're talking about behaviors here and not just things--sacrificing things is hard, but sacrificing behaviors is both harder and more rewarding.
Verse 15: Initially, this verse may seem rather incongruous with the rest of the chapter. Because of our cultural background, it seems to come out of left field. Yet the fact that Lehi dwelt in a tent shows a significant humility on the part of Lehi. It may seem obvious-what else would Lehi dwell in while he was in the wilderness?-but to Nephi, this had some significance beyond the type of dwelling Lehi abode in.
Verse 16: Here Nephi had a choice. He could have sided with Laman and Lemuel and focused so much on the good things he was missing out on rather then on the best things he could be achieving. Instead Nephi chose to ask of the Lord.
Verse 17-18: Once again, we see Nephi choosing to follow what he feels is his duty. Upon feeling the Spirit and being converted, Nephi felt it was incumbent upon him to share his experiences with his brothers. Sam accepted his testimony, but Laman and Lemuel did not.
Verses 19-24: Remember, these promises come because Nephi is crying out to the Lord on behalf of his brothers Laman and Lemuel. Like so many prophets in the Book of Mormon, the Lord truly opens the windows of heaven once his son begins praying for his "enemy." Only then does the Lord grant these blessings, and explain the larger context behind Laman and Lemuel's rebellion.
Laman and Lemuel weren't bad people at the start of all of this. Instead, they simply concentrated on pavement too much. The consequences of that didn't just affect Laman and Lemuel's salvation but made their entire posterity to be a scourge and be cursed. Cursed with what? A mark (a setting apart as less spiritual than the Nephites). Thus does materialism work to separate us from God: it makes us jealous, spiteful, removes the knowledge of God from among the materialists, and makes a wholesome and delightful people into a grasping, petty nation.
Great insight!
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