Having accepted his father’s task, Nephi and his less than
enthusiastic brothers left camp and went to Jerusalem. Nephi’s description in his record gives us
insight to Nephite descriptions in the future.
The record will describe directions, cities, and large areas using Nephi’s
description. Robert Bennett and Jeffrey
Chadwick explain Nephi’s words.
We read, for instance, that Lehi dwelt “at Jerusalem in all
his days” (1 Nephi 1:4), yet we know that he did not live in the city of
Jerusalem. Consider the following account: Once in the wilderness, the sons of
Lehi returned to the “land of Jerusalem” (1 Nephi 3:9) intent on acquiring a
scriptural record known as the plates of brass, in Laban’s possession. Laman
was chosen to visit Laban in his home in the city of Jerusalem.[1]
It is important to remember that in the idiom of Nephi one
always went up to come to the Jerusalem region, and one always
went down when exiting the Jerusalem region. This is also the
Hebrew idiom employed in the Bible, where persons in both the Old and New
Testaments typically are said to go down to leave Jerusalem
(see, for example, 2 Samuel 5:17; Luke 10:30; and Acts 8:15) and go up to
come to Jerusalem (see, for example, 2 Chronicles 2:16 and Matthew 20:18).[2]
Who was this Laban with whom they were going to meet? Hugh Nibley gives us information that helps
us realize who he was.
Laban of Jerusalem epitomizes the seamy side of the world of
600 B.C. as well as Lehi or Jeremiah or Solon do the other side. With a few
deft and telling touches Nephi resurrects the pompous Laban with photographic
perfection—as only one who actually knew the man could have done. We learn in
passing that Laban commanded a garrison of fifty, that he met in full
ceremonial armor with “the elders of the Jews” for secret consultations by
night, that he had control of the treasury, that he was of the old aristocracy,
being a distant relative of Lehi himself, that his house was a depository of
very old family records, that he was a large man, short-tempered, crafty, and
dangerous, and to the bargain cruel, greedy, unscrupulous, weak, vainglorious,
and given to drink.[3]
Having arrived in the land of Jerusalem, the brothers had to
decide who would go to Laban. The
brothers, “in the immemorial and inevitable manner of the desert, drew lots to
see who would go in to Laban.”[4] The lot fell to Laman.
Laman went to Laban and made the request for the plates of
brass.
We have no idea about what occurred during Laman’s meeting
with Laban. What we do know is that, for
some reason, Laban became angry at Laman.
He accused him of being a robber and threatened to kill him. “Since Laban had falsely accused Laman of
being a ‘robber’ (a serious capital offense) and had sent his soldiers to
execute the sons of Lehi on this pretext (1 Nephi 3:13, 25), Laban effectively
stood as a false accuser. Such an accusation, coming from a commanding officer
of the city, was more than an idle insult; it carried the force of a legal indictment.
Since Nephi and his brothers were powerless to rectify that wrong, God was left
to discharge justice against Laban.”[5]
Laman was able to escape and return to his brothers in their
place of hiding. He and his brothers
were ready to call it quits and return home without the plates.
Nephi, however, was not ready to give up. “[W]e will not go down unto our father in the wilderness until we have
accomplished the thing which the Lord hath commanded us” (1 Nephi 3:15).He
encouraged them to be faithful and to keep the Lord’s commandments. He then told them to return “to the land of their father’s inheritance.” This
tells us that Lehi did not live in the Jerusalem proper. In fact, the land in question was probably
not a part of the land of Jerusalem.
He reminded his brothers that Lehi knew Jerusalem would be
destroyed. The people rejected the
prophets and had become a wicked people.
The Lord commanded Lehi to take his family and escape the destruction of
Jerusalem.
He told them that they must have the records to “preserve unto our children the language of
our fathers” (1 Nephi 3:19). This
turns out to be an incorrect assumption on Nephi’s part. King Benjamin would explain the importance of
the plates to his sons.
“And he also taught
them concerning the records which were engraven on the plates of brass, saying:
My sons, I would that ye should remember that were it not for these plates,
which contain these records and these commandments, we must have suffered in
ignorance, even at this present time, not knowing the mysteries of God.
“For it were not
possible that our father, Lehi, could have remembered all these things, to have
taught them to his children, except it were for the help of these plates; for
he having been taught in the language of the Egyptians therefore he could read
these engravings, and teach them to his children, that thereby they could teach
them to their children, and so fulfilling the commandments of God, even down to
this present time” (Mosiah 1:3-4) (Emphasis mine)
He was correct when he told them that the words of the
prophets must be preserved.
Nephi was successful in convincing his brothers to get their
riches and attempt to purchase the brass plates.
[1] Jesus' Birthplace and the Phrase 'Land of
Jerusalem', Robert R. Bennett, Provo, Utah: Maxwell Institute.
[2] Lehi's House at Jerusalem and the Land of His
Inheritance, Jeffrey R. Chadwick, Provo, Utah: Maxwell Institute.
No comments:
Post a Comment