1 Nephi 19:17-24

Having prophesied of Christ, Nephi teaches the entire Earth will see the Lord’s salvation, every nation, kindred, and tongue.  He was quoting the prophet Isaiah - “Every valley shall be exalted [HEB lifted up or raised], and every mountain and hill shall be made low: and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough places plain [HEB the mountains into a plain]; And the glory of the LORD shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together: for the mouth of the LORD hath spoken it” (Isaiah 40:4 - 5).

Nephi is writing this to his people to persuade them to believe in Christ.  He also speaks to the entire house of Israel.  In his book, Mormon would explain, “Now these things are written unto the remnant of the house of Jacob; and they are written after this manner, because it is known of God that wickedness will not bring them forth unto them; and they are to be hid up unto the Lord that they may come forth in his own due time” (Mormon 5:12). 

In his invitation to the Lamanites, Mormon would write:

For behold, this is written for the intent that ye may believe that; and if ye believe that ye will believe this also; and if ye believe this ye will know concerning your fathers, and also the marvelous works which were wrought by the power of God among them.

And ye will also know that ye are a remnant of the seed of Jacob; therefore ye are numbered among the people of the first covenant; and if it so be that ye believe in Christ, and are baptized, first with water, then with fire and with the Holy Ghost, following the example of our Savior, according to that which he hath commanded us, it shall be well with you in the day of judgment.  Amen.

Mormon 7:9 - 10

Because of the workings of the spirit, Nephi is weary for the people of Jerusalem.  Had he not seen events shown him by the Lord, he would have perished as well.  We are reminded of the importance of the brass plates when Nephi writes that what he knows he knows because these things are written on the brass plates.

Nephi taught his brethren from the brass plates so they would know of the Lord’s dealings with His people in the past.  He read from the books of Moses to convince them that the Lord was their Redeemer.  He read to them much of the writings of Isaiah.

Here, Nephi introduces a new concept in how to study the scriptures.  Nephi tells us he “did liken all scriptures unto us, that it might be for our profit and learning” (1 Nephi 19:23).  In this way, Nephi gave the scriptures even more importance.  By applying the scriptures “unto us,” this makes them more relevant to us in our lives.  Hugh Nibley wrote:

One often hears it suggested that perhaps the Latter-day Saints overdo the "pioneer business." Yet as far as can be discovered the true church in every age has been one of pioneers—wanderers and settlers in the wilderness in the most literal sense. And in every age the church has been careful to preserve and recall in the midst of its own trials the pioneer stories of its own early days and of still earlier dispensations, thousands of years ago. If the stories are all strangely alike that is no accident: we can do no better than to "liken all scriptures unto us," as did Nephi of old, "that it might be for our profit and learning" (1 Nephi 19:23).[1]

Tod Harris observes:

The practical significance comes in recognizing that each person, like Nephi, is a hero, and then in applying the archetype of the hero's journey in order to recognize significant experience better and integrate it effectively into our lives. This becomes another way, in the words of Nephi, to "liken all scripture unto us" (1 Nephi 19:23). By so doing we can gain a hint of what to expect in our lives as we determine to accept the call, cross the threshold, make spiritual allies, win the boon, and finally return with what we have acquired in order to serve our respective communities.[2] 

Dennis Packard and Susan Packard explain the importance of applying the scriptures to us and our situation is to us when we ponder the word of God.

Comparing things is a hallmark of pondering. Many things in the scriptures can be compared—individuals, attitudes, events, reactions, themes. Frequently in the scriptures, two things similar in some ways but different in other ways are placed side-by-side so we can compare them—for instance, the reactions of Mary and Zacharias to the similar messages from the angel Gabriel. The scriptures also contain parallel accounts of events and messages—for example, the four gospels, the multiple creation accounts, the Bible and Book of Mormon Isaiah chapters—and these invite comparison. We can also compare events or individuals in the scriptures to those we are familiar with outside the scriptures. Nephi did this and said, "I did liken all scriptures unto us, that it might be for our profit and learning" (1 Nephi 19:23). We may understand prophecies by looking for historical events that fulfill them.[3]

I would like to end this post with a quote from James Faulconer.

If scripture study is to be more than mental exercise, we must also liken the scriptures to ourselves (see 1 Nephi 19:23). We must make the lessons they teach part of our everyday lives. Usually that application comes naturally as we spend time in prayerful study. As we regularly discover what the scriptures teach us, as scripture study becomes a daily habit and the scriptures become part of our understanding, our way of seeing the world changes. As that view changes, we change our lives: "The preaching of the word had a great tendency to lead the people to do that which was just—yea, it had had more powerful effect upon the minds of the people than the sword, or anything else, which had happened unto them—therefore Alma thought it was expedient that they should try the virtue of the word of God" (Alma 31:5). Although this passage refers to preaching, the same is true of scripture study. We sometimes need to think specifically about how the scriptures apply to our situations and questions, but careful, regular scripture study can, by itself, change our hearts and minds. It would be unusual to spend regular amounts of time in scripture study and not to find our lives changed, not to find ourselves thinking in new ways.[4] (Emphasis mine)

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[1] The Pioneer Tradition and the True Church, Hugh W. Nibley, Provo, Utah: Maxwell Institute, accessed April 29, 2013.

[2] The Journey of the Hero: Archetypes of Earthly Adventure and Spiritual Passage in 1 Nephi, Tod R Harris, Provo, Utah: Maxwell Institute, accessed April 29, 2013.

[3] Pondering the Word, Dennis Packard, and Sandra Packard, Provo, Utah: Maxwell Institute, accessed April 29, 2013.

[4] Studying the Scriptures, James E. Faulconer, Provo, Utah: Maxwell Institute, accessed April 29, 2013.