Chapter 5
Sariah complains
against Lehi—Both rejoice over the return of their sons—They offer
sacrifices—The plates of brass contain writings of Moses and the prophets—They
identify Lehi as a descendant of Joseph—Lehi prophesies concerning his seed and
the preservation of the plates. About 600–592 B.C.
Having obtained the brass plates, Nephi and his brothers
returned to their camp. Their mother,
Sariah, was very happy to see them.
Apparently, her sons had been gone longer then she
expected. She began to complain to Lehi,
calling him a visionary man. She accused
him of allowing her sons to die and they would die in the wilderness.
Lehi tried to comfort her.
He agreed he was a visionary man, explaining, “[I]f I had not seen the things of God in a vision I should not have
known the goodness of God, but had tarried at Jerusalem, and had perished with
my brethren” (1 Nephi 5:4). He
reminded her he had been given a land of promise. He assured Sariah, “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” (1 Nephi 5:5). This comforted Sariah.
Then her sons returned.
She rejoiced on their safe returned and testified of Lehi’s
calling. Where she had doubt, she now
has faith. “Sariah's reunion with her
sons was additionally charged with the spiritual witness and stronger faith she
received as a result of her trial. At that moment Sariah gained a deeper
testimony than she had previously known.”[1]
Ariel Bybee also explains Sariah’s testimony.
Against all odds, her sons had
succeeded, which built Sariah's testimony into a sure knowledge that God's hand
was directing Lehi and the family's course. Sariah and Lehi then offered
sacrifice and burnt offerings in thanks for the safety of their sons. Her
fervent statement of belief obviously made an impression on Nephi, who
painstakingly inscribed the account in considerable detail. This manifestation
of Sariah's faith was probably only one example of many that served as
religious teaching devices to her children and influenced their own belief
systems.[2]
A sacrifice was offered unto the Lord and they gave thanks
for their sons’ safe return.
We have a problem with Nephi’s account. He has intentional left out relevant
information.[3] What was Lehi’s response when he was told
Nephi had killed Laban. Here is their
situation. Laban is dead and his chief
servant is missing. The brass plates are
missing. It is known that Lehi’s sons
had been attempting to get the plates.
They are now living somewhere in the wilderness.
Grant Hardy speculates that Lehi’s response was not what
Nephi wanted to hear. “Nephi often
claims he cannot include everything in his record … but it is difficult to
avoid the suspicion that something is being suppressed here.”
Nephi interrupts his narrative at this point. He tells us about what had happened while
they were gone, showing his mother in a less then positive light. She becomes another family member who murmurs
against Lehi. Then, he shows us she
receives a testimony of the truthfulness of Lehi’s words.
Nephi quotes his mother’s words, most likely using Lehi’s
record. Nowhere else in his account does
he directly quote a woman. He only gives
us the name of one woman. The remaining
women are the daughters of Ishmael, his sisters, the children, his wife,
etc. It appears Nephi is hoping we won’t
notice he’s trying to draw our attention away from the fact Lehi’s response is
missing.
Nephi shares with us the times he is praised by his father,
so we can infer that Lehi’s response was negative. For example, there is no longer the
possibility of returning to the land of Jerusalem. Laman and Lemuel had expressed a desire to
return, but that option is gone. Should
they return, they would face the consequences of the death of Laban, as
accessories to the murder of Laban, at best.
Nephi tells us they “did
offer sacrifice and burnt offerings unto the Lord; and they gave thanks unto
the God of Israel” (1 Nephi 5:9). S.
Kent Brown explains there is more to the sacrifice than thanks.
Lehi offered such sacrifices after
the return of his sons from Jerusalem with the plates of brass in hand (1 Nephi
5:9). Had there been sin? Again, the answer is yes. Not only had the older two
brothers beaten the younger two, drawing the attention of an angel (1 Nephi
3:28–30), but Nephi had killed a man named Laban who was a distant relative of
Lehi (1 Nephi 4:5–18; 5:14, 16). Even though Nephi knew through the Holy Spirit
that the Lord had commanded him to kill Laban and thus justified Laban's death
(1 Nephi 4:11–13), Lehi was evidently unwilling to take any chances. So he
offered burnt offerings, exactly the right sacrifice for the occasion.[4]
[1] Desert
Epiphany: Sariah and the Women in 1 Nephi, Camille Fronk, Provo,
Utah: Maxwell Institute, accessed January 12, 2013.
[2] A
Woman's World in Lehi's Jerusalem, Ariel E. Bybee, Provo,
Utah: Maxwell Institute, accessed January 12, 2013.
[3]
Source for information in this section is Understanding
the Book of Mormon, Grant Hardy, Oxford University Press, 2010, pgs. 16-23.
[4] FARMS
Update: Lehi's Sacrifices in the Wilderness, S. Kent Brown, Provo,
Utah: Maxwell Institute, accessed January 12, 2013.
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