Eric Poulin

Posts Tagged ‘scriptures’

1 Nephi 7:6-7, 16

“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. Read the rest of this entry »

1 Nephi 5:21-22

“And we had obtained the records which the Lord had commanded us, and searched them and found that they were desirable; yea, even of great worth unto us, insomuch that we could preserve the commandments of the Lord unto our children.
Wherefore, it was wisdom in the Lord that we should carry them with us, as we journeyed in the wilderness towards the land of promise.”

It appears that Lehi has just learned of his genealogy. In the preceding versus it says that he discovered his genealogy, that he was a decedent of Joseph of Egypt. This is valuable information, given the patriarchal order and birthright of the blessings pronounced on the tribes of israel. Also the history of the creation and the commandments of the Lord. He calls these things of “great worth”. In addition to the spiritual and intellectual value, these brass plates were also the key to their temporal prosperity. Read the rest of this entry »

1 Nephi 5:14

“And it came to pass that my father, Lehi, also found upon the plates of brass a genealogy of his fathers; wherefore he knew that he was a descendant of Joseph; yea, even that Joseph who was the son of Jacob, who was sold into Egypt, and who was preserved by the hand of the Lord, that he might preserve his father, Jacob, and all his household from perishing with famine.”

Can a human soul have a price set to it? We know that Joseph was sold for 20 pieces of silver, (Jesus similarly is betrayed for 30 pieces of silver). Here Nephi reminds us that we cannot judge the value of a person with money. Joseph went on to save his entire family and all of Egypt from the famine. The Saviour saved the whole world, but his betrayal was judged to be worth only 30 pieces. Read the rest of this entry »

1 Nephi 5:10

“And after they had given thanks unto the God of Israel, my father, Lehi, took the records which were engraven upon the plates of brass, and he did search them from the beginning.”

Lehi has just had his sons return from their near escape from death from Jerusalem and their experience with Laban. Nephi delivers to his father the brass plates, the object of their design in returning to Jerusalem. These records, which had been the cause of such worry to Sariah and the subject of a revelation and commandment from the Lord that they must be brought with them… are set aside as Lehi first gives thanks unto the Lord.

How many of us would have picked up the plates and began to read through them almost immediately after ensuring everyone’s safety? But Lehi shows us a better way. Read the rest of this entry »

1 Nephi 5:9

“And it came to pass that they did rejoice exceedingly, and did offer sacrifice and burnt offerings unto the Lord; and they gave thanks unto the God of Israel.”

Keep in mind now… Lehi’s family had just fled from Jerusalem a short while ago and perhaps still had concerns about whether or not they were pursued by the Jews. Lehi’s once rich abundance is gone and all they have is what they brought with them. To take one of their precious animals and offer it as a burnt offering was truly a sacrifice for them. Read the rest of this entry »

1 Nephi 5:5

“But behold, I have obtained a land of promise, in the which things I do rejoice; yea, and I know that the Lord will deliver my sons out of the hands of Laban, and bring them down again unto us in the wilderness.”

Lehi here shows true faith. In fact, he has not yet obtained the land of promise, he has nothing tangible to show for his obedience, but he is so sure that the Lord will deliver on His promise that he counts those things as already fulfilled. Of course, he is comforting his wife who thinks her sons are dead, so I’m sure he’s laying out the good parts of the situation as plain as he can, but there’s a lot to be said about this kind of faith. Read the rest of this entry »

1 Nephi 5:2

“…she also had complained against my father, telling him that he was a visionary man; saying: Behold thou hast led us forth from the land of our inheritance, and my sons are no more, and we perish in the wilderness.”

Even Sariah was feeling the effects from the loss of the comforts Lehi’s wealth provided them. This reads like: ‘first we have to leave our wealth, and now my sons are dead and we’re going to die too’, as if she were listing her greatest grievances. It’s interesting that amongst her greatest complaints, even used in the same sentence as her sons being dead and her and her husband’s imminent death, is the loss of wealth. Read the rest of this entry »

1 Nephi 4:33-34

“And I spake unto him, even with an oath, that he need not fear; that he should be a free man like unto us if he would go down in the wilderness with us.
And I also spake unto him, saying: Surely the Lord hath commanded us to do this thing; and shall we not be diligent in keeping the commandments of the Lord? Therefore, if thou wilt go down into the wilderness to my father thou shalt have place with us.”

This is the beginning of another common theme in the Book of Mormon; which is obedience to the Lord’s commandments makes us free.

While Zoram was certainly under duress while making his decision to go with Lehi’s family into the wilderness (and it seems his life was on the line), part of the reasoning was that he would be following the commandments of the Lord. Zoram decided to go with them, and thus by his following the commandments of the Lord, he became free in at least the following ways:

• he was a servant (of Laban) who managed someone elses wealth and never gaining any of his own. We know the Lord wants us to be prosperous, and this is not possible in servitude. Now he could be a free man, servant to none. He could seek wealth in his own way, and we learn later in the Book of Mormon, that the Zoramites become a wealthy and prosperous people.
• he escaped the destruction that would soon befall Jerusalem. Those who remained in Jerusalem when it was overtaken by the Babylonians, were either killed and put into subjection of the Babylonian rulers. Hard to be prosperous under the wrong circumstances. The Lord prepared a way for Zoram to be prosperous; all he had to do was follow the Lord’s prophet. We too have this opportunity as we follow our prophet who gives us commandments, advice and warnings, which, if we heed, will keep us in circumstances where the Lord can prosper us.
• he escaped some spiritual death since those in Jerusalem had stoned and imprisoned the prophets. The word of the Lord was no longer with them. Lehi and Nephi became the prophets which brought the word of the Lord to Zoram.

1 Nephi 4:20-24

“And after I had done this, I went forth unto the treasury of Laban…. And I also spake unto him that I should carry the engravings, which were upon the plates of brass, to my elder brethren, who were without the walls.”

Nephi is a hero in so many ways. He obeys the Spirit and kills Laban, on the spur of the moment comes up with the plan to dress as Laban and then goes towards the treasury Zoram, Laban’s servant. But once in the treasury, he doesn’t take anything else of value. Read the rest of this entry »

1 Nephi 4:19

“And after I had smitten off his head with his own sword, I took the garments of Laban and put them upon mine own body; yea, even every whit; and I did gird on his armor about my loins.”:

Nephi here is trying too appear as Laban to get the plates. He can now freely walk into Laban’s home with his servants respecting him. We don’t know if Nephi looks anything like Laban, however, its the clothes that demand the respect, not Laban himself. Think about it… its Laban’s wealth that demand respect, not Laban himself. Take away Laban’s wealth and he doesn’t garner the respect that his servants give him. His fine clothes are a symbol of his wealth. Read the rest of this entry »