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We interrupt this dream to interject some personal commentary.  That is exactly what Chapter 9 of 1 Nephi is.  It is the personal touch Nephi adds to his record to make sure we understand that it is HIS record, and that he was commanded to make the account according to HIS perspective.  I know that I keep hammering that idea home, but it is a very important one to understand.  Just like Mormon interjects his own personal commentary in the parts of The Book of Mormon he abridged, in chapter 9 Nephi has done the same.   Then beginning in Chapter 10, as Nephi continues recording what his father saw in his vision, Nephi makes sure we understand that  the need for relating the dream to us  is because it effects the details of his own account which is to follow.   Part of Lehi’s visionary history that is often overlooked is the fact that he probably saw everything from the “beginning to the end” concerning his posterity, much like the... Read the rest of this entry »

Looking back over Nephi’s life, through his record, we discover that he deliberately “hits the mountain tops”. This means he outlines wonderfully a pattern, or path, that must be followed to gain “power in the priesthood”. Here is an “abridgment” of that path as I have observed so far. His father taught him and testified of God. (1 Nephi 1:1) He had a desire to know the “mysteries of Godliness” for himself. (1 Nephi 2: 16) He “cried” unto the Lord which resulted in the Lord visiting him and he believed. (1 Nephi 2:16) He entered into the same covenant as Abraham did. (1 Nephi 2, 1 Nephi 3:15) He testified of this truth to others in the spirit of prophecy. (1 Nephi 2:17) He cried unto the Lord on behalf of others or ministered in the office of a priest. (1 Nephi 2:18) He learned the blessings that are given by obedience to the covenant he entered into, namely: Land inheritance (1 Nephi 2:20), prosperity in the form of posterity (1 Nephi 2:20), and priesthood power... Read the rest of this entry »

My last post contained a record of my observations regarding Nephi’s character as I have observed it. It was as follows: “At this point I would like to interject a possible concern. There have been times when I have wondered how the same incidence, if told in the perspective of Laman and Lemuel, might have differed. Since this record is that of Nephi, I have felt at times that he seems to make sure the record is really slanted in his favor. This perspective changed for me when I realized that Nephi had, I believe, already at this point in his history, progressed to the point that he had received the sealing power. The understanding that I have of this power allows me to now view Nephi quite differently. Suddenly every word that Nephi speaks is as if the Lord himself were speaking. No longer do I view Nephi as boastful, but as a representative of God in every word and deed. This exchange between Nephi and his brothers, or the rebellious, has become a way for me to understand the... Read the rest of this entry »

The next important event that Nephi records is the requirement, made by the Lord, for he and his brothers to return to Jerusalem to the house of Ishmael to persuade him to join them in their journey to a land of promise. This assignment was important for the propagation of the posterity of Lehi because Ishmael provided daughters for his sons to marry. Although Nephi does not record any rebellion by his brothers concerning the charge to get the wives, he does discuss their reluctance to return back to Lehi in the wilderness and their desire instead to stay in Jerusalem, which was ripe for destruction. It is interesting to watch the interaction of Nephi with his brothers as they seek to rebel against the Lord and disobey his command. Nephi, who has power in the priesthood, and displays power in his very word, uses a pattern of teaching that is typical of how the Savior taught, speaking as if the Lord himself is speaking. Look for what the brothers desired. 1 Nephi 7:6 And it came... Read the rest of this entry »

Lehi and Nephi were both diligent record keepers. They had a great testimony of the worth of the record. I believe they continually wrote down the events of their daily lives, especially regarding the time period after they were commanded to leave Jerusalem. Nephi himself records, that the records that he and his father kept contained not only their genealogical records but an extensive account of their “proceedings in the wilderness”. I like to think that the records they were keeping were more of a daily journaling experience. It was this type of record that Mormon used when he proceeded to create his volume of scripture called The Book of Mormon, which he abridged from all the records he had received. These were the large plates, given to Joseph Smith by Moroni. We no longer have an account of these records I make mention of, due to the lost manuscript fiasco of Martin Harris. The record we do have today for the first part of the Book of Mormon is not one that was kept on... Read the rest of this entry »

Throughout the record of 1 Nephi, Nephi refers to his duty of keeping the record. I think, that for the first time ever, I have come to really understand how important that duty actually was. As an overview, when Nephi received his vision of the history of the world just like other prophets before him did, he learned about the Lord’s plan of redemption for His children, and the part that he, Nephi, was to play in that plan. I believe we are shown a pattern in the accounts given in the scriptures whereupon each person who is visited by the Lord is given an understanding of their calling, or job, in this grand scheme of things. It is probably most evident in the account given in Moses wherein the Lord explains to Moses that “I have a work for thee, Moses, my son.” Nephi too was shown what his calling, or work, was that was required of him by the Lord. In the vision Nephi was shown a book: 13: 23 And he said: Behold it proceedeth out of the mouth of a Jew. And I, Nephi, beheld... Read the rest of this entry »

I don’t know how many people liked the first one, but one person requested more, so I did chapter 2. Download MP3: 1 Nephi 2 And in case you missed the first one, here it is: Download MP3: 1 Nephi 1  Read More →

“When a man has offered in sacrifice all that he has for the truth’s sake, not even withholding his life, and believing before God that he has been called to make this sacrifice, because he seeks to do his will, he does know most assuredly that God does and will accept his sacrifice and offering, and that he has not nor will not seek his face in vain. Under these circumstances then, he can obtain the faith necessary for him to lay hold on eternal life. It is in vain for persons to fancy to themselves that they are heirs with those, or can be heirs with them, who have offered their all in sacrifice, and by this means obtained faith in God and favor with him so as to obtain eternal life, unless they in like manner offer unto him the same sacrifice, and through that offering obtain the knowledge that they are accepted of him.” Lectures on Faith There are many reasons why Nephi was justified in killing Laban. The first and foremost reason is that the Lord commanded... Read the rest of this entry »

Right after Nephi had been “blessed” by the Lord because “he had sought Him diligently, with lowliness of heart”, the Lord provided a way to prove him to see if he would truly “keep His commandments”. What is the assignment given from the Lord? 1 Nephi 3:1 And it came to pass that I, Nephi, returned from speaking with the Lord, to the tent of my father. 2 And it came to pass that he spake unto me, saying: Behold I have dreamed a dream, in the which the Lord hath commanded me that thou and thy brethren shall return to Jerusalem. 3 For behold, Laban hath the record of the Jews and also a genealogy of my forefathers, and they are engraven upon plates of brass. 4 Wherefore, the Lord hath commanded me that thou and thy brothers should go unto the house of Laban, and seek the records, and bring them down hither into the wilderness. 5 And now, behold thy brothers murmur, saying it is a hard thing which I have required of them; but behold I have not required it of... Read the rest of this entry »

Like I previously stated, I believe that 1 Nephi, Chapter 2 establishes the groundwork for the entire rest of the Book of Mormon. We have seen how Nephi recorded the pattern for gaining a sure testimony from the Lord, through his Holy Spirit, by his righteous desire and humble request. We have also been shown the progression of prophet, priest, and king, needed to arrive at a “blessed” position from the Lord. We have been given the definition of “blessed” as that of the Abrahamic Covenant, or the PPL, eternal priesthood, eternal posterity and a land inheritance. And finally, we are shown specifically that Nephi’s posterity are the ones who are given this land of promise because of Nephi’s righteous actions. (We will explore this further in the next few chapters.) Let me explain that last statement. Through the blessing that Nephi received from the Lord, he is led to a land of promise that was prepared for him above all other lands, for his posterity for eternity. ... Read the rest of this entry »

In some of my previous posts I have discussed the ascension pattern that can be seen when one progresses in the gospel of Jesus Christ. I believe that the steps, or rungs on the ladder, include a noticeable progression of passing from prophet, to priest, and ultimately to king. To summarize, I believe that a simple way to think of this progression is: a prophet is one who has been given the testimony of Jesus Christ and can testify of Him, a priest is one who administers to others on behalf of Jesus Christ (such as the priests in the tabernacle and temple), and a king is when one has reached a level to be given all that the Father hath. With each level of progression there are more covenants made and, consequently, blessings given. In the language of priesthood ascension it can be termed, Aaronic, Melchizedek, and finally, Patriarchal. That said, I believe that these certain patterns can be seen in the accounts we have of the lives of the prophets in not only Old and New Testament... Read the rest of this entry »

I debated on when I would post this information…I thought it would be a good follow up in understanding the process Nephi shares with us about receiving the Second Comforter and the sealing power from Him, however, I believe it might be better to post it first so that you might know what to look for as we study this process. Consequently, I decided to insert this post in the middle of our study of Nephi so that we can be aware of what is about to come. Make sure you apply this information to the recorded experiences that Nephi gives us. One of my favorite authors is Denver Snuffer. Using Alma 12: 28-30 as his reference, he discussed the process of knowing the mysteries of God in his Blog. Alma 12:28 And after God had appointed that these things should come unto man, behold, then he saw that it was expedient that man should know concerning the things whereof he had appointed unto them; 29 Therefore he sent angels to converse with them, who caused men to behold of his glory.... Read the rest of this entry »