Chapter 2
Lehi takes his family
into the wilderness by the Red Sea-They leave their property-Lehi offers a
sacrifice to the Lord and teaches his sons to keep the commandments-Laman and
Lemuel murmur against their father-Nephi is obedient and prays in faith; the
Lord speaks to him, and he is chosen to rule over his brethren. About 600 B.C.
Nephi promised that he would “show unto [us] that the tender
mercies of the Lord are over all those whom he hath chosen, because of their
faith, to make them mighty even unto the power of deliverance” (1 Nephi 1:20).
The Lord spoke to Lehi in a dream. He was blessed for his faithfulness and, because
of his faithfulness, there were people who sought to take away his life. At a later time, Nephi would remind his unbelieving
brothers, “the Spirit of the Lord ceaseth soon to strive with them; for behold,
they have rejected the prophets, and Jeremiah have they cast into prison. And they have sought to take away the life of
my father, insomuch that they have driven him out of the land” (1 Nephi 7:14).
“Speaking of his father’s third vision, Nephi includes words
from the Lord that were probably quoted from Lehi’s record: ‘The Lord spake
unto my father, yea, even in a dream, and said unto him: Blessed art thou Lehi,
because of the things which thou hast done; and because thou hast been faithful
and declared unto this people the things which I commanded thee, behold, they
seek to take away thy life’ (1 Nephi 2:1). In this same vision, Lehi also
received the command to leave Jerusalem, the first step in the family’s long
journey (see 1 Nephi 2:2). Lehi’s obedience eventually led him and his family to
their land of promise halfway around the earth.”[1]
We also learn how Nephi uses the Lord to support his
narrative. “What about the entrance of God into the narrative? What are his
first quoted words, and how do they contribute to the meaning of the text?
Although the beginning of Nephi’s record reports several spiritual experiences,
the text does not include any of God’s actual words until the second chapter of
1 Nephi. When God does speak, he promises divine blessings, first to Lehi and
second to Nephi (1 Nephi 2:1, 19), signaling that the sacred narrative will
emphasize how God blesses the spiritual dynasty founded by this father-son
prophet duo.”[2]
In the dream, Lehi is commanded to take his family and
escape into the wilderness. Nephi again
reminds his rebellious brothers that their father was being led by the Lord.
Lehi obeyed the Lord’s command. “From
then on he shows himself as the great leader and colonizer-daring, resourceful,
patient, and strong-minded.”[3]
Lehi did as he was commanded. He left everything behind –
his gold and silver and his precious things.
Alma2 would remind the people of Ammonihah Lehi was led by
the Lord to go into the wilderness. “Do ye not remember that our father, Lehi,
was brought out of Jerusalem by the hand of God? Do ye not remember that they were all led by
him through the wilderness” (Alma 9:9).
What is meant when Nephi describes their journey into “the
wilderness?” “Remembering that the
term wilderness refers to desert terrain, both in the Bible
and in 1 Nephi, a word about Lehi’s departure from Jerusalem ‘into the
wilderness’ (1 Nephi 2:4) is in order. All of the territory
east of Jerusalem is wilderness. Departure on any trail directly east,
northeast, or southeast puts one immediately into the mountainous desert known
as the Wilderness of Judah (emphasis in original).”[4]
Lehi’s quick departure shows he was experienced in travel in
the wilderness. He had everything he
needed readily available and ready to use. “There is ample evidence in the Book
of Mormon that Lehi was an expert on caravan travel, as one might expect.
Consider a few general points. Upon receiving a warning dream, he is ready
apparently at a moment’s notice to take his whole ‘family, and provisions, and
tents’ out into the wilderness. While he took absolutely nothing but the most
necessary provisions with him (1 Nephi 2:4), he knew exactly what those
provisions should be, and when he had to send back to the city to supply
unanticipated wants, it was for records that he sent and not for any necessaries
for the journey.”[5]
There was only one direction Lehi could take his family.
That was to the south of Jerusalem. He did this to get away from Egyptian
Babylonian and Jewish influence.[6]
Let’s pause for a moment to look at verse 4. “And it came to
pass that he departed into the wilderness. And he left his house, and the land
of his inheritance, and his gold, and his silver, and his precious things, and
took nothing with him, save it were his family, and provisions, and tents, and
departed into the wilderness.”
In this verse, we see an excellent example of a Hebraism.
There is the continual use of ‘and his.’
“And he left his
house, and the land of his inheritance, and
his gold, and his silver, and his
precious things…”[7]
His path took him near the shore of the Red Sea during his
journey. Elat is a city found on the north shore of the Red Sea. This is
approximately 220 miles from Jerusalem. We are looking at a journey of 10 days
to two weeks to arrive at the Red Sea.
Lehi’s party consisted of his wife, Sariah, and his sons Laman,
Lemuel, and Sam. After three days of
travel, he pitched his tent in a valley where there was a river of water. He built a stone and made an offering, giving
thanks to the Lord.
Here again we see the use of Hebrew grammar. Nephi refers to
a “river of water.” In English, all rivers have water. In Hebrew, a “river of
water” always has flowing water. Not all rivers in the Near East have water
flowing at all times. There are times when a river would be dry.[8]
Lehi was following the example of Abraham and Isaac. After
Abraham departed his father’s home, we read that he “built an altar in the land
of Jershon, and made an offering unto the Lord” (Abraham 2:17). Isaac built an altar “and called upon the
name of the LORD and pitched his tent there: and there Isaac’s servants digged
a well” (Genesis 26:25).
They would stay here for at this site for around eight years.
[6] Discussions on the Book of Mormon, 1 Nephi 1-3, KBYU,
Dr. Paul Hoskisson.
[7] Discussions on the Book of Mormon, 1 Nephi 1-3, KBYU,
Dr. Terry B. Ball.
[8] Discussions on the Book of Mormon, 1 Nephi 1-3, KBYU,
Dr. Paul Hoskisson.
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