“And it came to pass that as we journeyed in the wilderness, behold Laman and Lemuel, and two of the daughters of Ishmael, and the two sons of Ishmael and their families, did rebel against us; yea, against me, Nephi, and Sam, and their father, Ishmael, and his wife, and his three other daughters.
And it came to pass in the which rebellion, they were desirous to return unto the land of Jerusalem.”
“And it came to pass that when I, Nephi, had spoken these words unto my brethren, they were angry with me. And it came to pass that they did lay their hands upon me, for behold, they were exceedingly wroth, and they did bind me with cords, for they sought to take away my life, that they might leave me in the wilderness to be devoured by wild beasts.”
While we don’t have the reasoning behind the rebellion, if we assume similar concerns as their original rebellion on leaving Jerusalem, we know they were very anxious about having lost their inheritance and comfortable lifestyle.
Now, they’ve been back to Jerusalem after a while in the wilderness and have once again enjoyed the comforts of home, more-so as guests in Ishmael’s house. They have spent some time with their future wives and the longing to remain and enjoy a comfortable life brings them to a violent uprising against Nephi, who seems to be very single-minded in obeying his fathers wishes (the Lord’s commandments).
Have you ever had money seemingly free-flowing? How about an abundant time in the economy, and then a downturn where you didn’t have those things you became accustomed to. Many of us are experiencing the loss of some comforts as we deal with a weakening economy and hard times. In those times, our desire to return to the original comforts we feel we deserve, that we *just* had a short while ago, can be very strong. For some that desire is strong enough to cause us to lie, cheat and steal in order to attain those comforts. For the humble followers of God, its enduring the hard times and sacrificing. Nephi is a great example of this. He truly puts the kingdom of God and His righteousness first and lets the rest fall in place.
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