The Second Book of Nephi
An account of the
death of Lehi. Nephi's brethren rebel
against him. The Lord warns Nephi to
depart into the wilderness. His
journeyings in the wilderness, and so forth.
Chapter 1
Lehi prophesies of a
land of liberty—His seed shall be scattered and smitten if they reject the Holy
One of Israel—He exhorts his sons to put on the armor of righteousness. About
588–570 B.C.
And now it came to
pass that after I, Nephi, had made an end of teaching my brethren, our father,
Lehi, also spake many things unto them, and rehearsed unto them, how great
things the Lord had done for them in bringing them out of the land of
Jerusalem.
2 And he spake unto
them concerning their rebellions upon the waters, and the mercies of God in
sparing their lives, that they were not swallowed up in the sea.
3 And he also spake
unto them concerning the land of promise, which they had obtained—how merciful
the Lord had been in warning us that we should flee out of the land of
Jerusalem.
4 For, behold, said
he, I have seen a vision, in which I know that Jerusalem is destroyed; and had
we remained in Jerusalem we should also have perished.
5 But, said he,
notwithstanding our afflictions, we have obtained a land of promise, a land
which is choice above all other lands; a land which the Lord God hath
covenanted with me should be a land for the inheritance of my seed. Yea, the
Lord hath covenanted this land unto me, and to my children forever, and also
all those who should be led out of other countries by the hand of the Lord.
6 Wherefore, I, Lehi,
prophesy according to the workings of the Spirit which is in me, that there
shall none come into this land save they shall be brought by the hand of the
Lord.
7 Wherefore, this land
is consecrated unto him whom he shall bring. And if it so be that they shall
serve him according to the commandments which he hath given, it shall be a land
of liberty unto them; wherefore, they shall never be brought down into
captivity; if so, it shall be because of iniquity; for if iniquity shall abound
cursed shall be the land for their sakes, but unto the righteous it shall be
blessed forever.
After Nephi had finished teaching his brethren, Lehi spoke to them as well. He discussed many things with them. These included the greatness of the Lord for bringing them out of Jerusalem and to the promised land; their rebellions while crossing the ocean and how they were spared by the Lord; he taught them about the promised land. He would also leave blessings on his children. As part of these blessings, he would divide his family into seven tribes.
“One of the many
enduring legacies of Lehi's last will and testament appears to be the
organization of his descendants into seven tribes. After speaking to several of
his sons collectively (see 2 Nephi 1:1-29), Lehi spoke first to Zoram (see 2
Nephi 1:30-32), second to Jacob (see 2 Nephi 2), third to Joseph (see 2 Nephi
3), fourth to the children of Laman (see 2 Nephi 4:3-7), fifth to the children of
Lemuel (see 2 Nephi 4:8-9), sixth to the sons of Ishmael (see 2 Nephi 4:10),
and seventh to Nephi and Sam together (see 2 Nephi 4:11). This seems to be the
precedent that established the social and legal order that lasted among these
people for almost one thousand years. The seven groups recognizable here are
exactly the same as those listed in Jacob 1:13, 4 Nephi 1:38, and Mormon 1:8.”[1]
The miracle of
their deliverance of Jerusalem, the journey in the wilderness, and the voyage
to the New World would become an important part of Nephite tradition. For example, when teaching King Lamoni, Ammon
would teach:
“And he also
rehearsed unto them (for it was unto the king and to his servants) all the
journeyings of their fathers in the wilderness, and all their sufferings with
hunger and thirst, and their travail, and so forth.
“And he also
rehearsed unto them concerning the rebellions of Laman and Lemuel, and the sons
of Ishmael, yea, all their rebellions did he relate unto them; and he expounded
unto them all the records and scriptures from the time that Lehi left Jerusalem
down to the present time” (Alma 18:37-38).
David Seely further
explains this importance.
“In the Book of
Mormon, the Lord's deliverance of Lehi and his family from destruction at
Jerusalem became for them the pivotal event in their own history. Their
consciousness of sacred history expanded to include the exodus as well as their
own personal deliverance from destruction. Nephi rebuked his brothers because
they had forgotten that they had seen an angel (1 Nephi 7:10). Additionally,
they had forgotten ‘that the Lord is able to do all things according to his
will’ (1 Nephi 7:12). On his deathbed, Lehi spoke to his family ‘and rehearsed
unto them, how great things the Lord had done for them in bringing them out of
the land of Jerusalem’ (2 Nephi 1:1), attributing the divine intervention on
their behalf to the ‘mercies of God’ (2 Nephi 1:2).[2]
Lehi tells his
family that he has seen a vision. In
that vision, he was shown that Jerusalem had been destroyed and, had they
stayed, they would have perished. But,
in spite of all their sufferings and challenges, they had received “a land for
the inheritance of [his] seed. The Lord
hath covenanted this land unto [Lehi] and to [his] children forever” (1 Nephi
1:5).
Lehi continues:
“… Yea, the Lord
hath covenanted this land unto me … and also all those who should be led out of
other countries by the hand of the Lord.
“Wherefore, I,
Lehi, prophesy according to the workings of the Spirit which is in me, that
there shall none come into this land save they shall be brought by the hand of
the Lord.
“Wherefore, this
land is consecrated unto him whom he shall bring. And if it so be that they shall serve him
according to the commandments which he hath given, it shall be a land of
liberty unto them; wherefore, they shall never be brought down into captivity;
if so, it shall be because of iniquity; for if iniquity shall abound cursed
shall be the land for their sakes, but unto the righteous it shall be blessed forever”
(2 Nephi 1:5-7).
Kevin Christensen looks
at the concept of others coming to this land.
“Before explaining
about the covenant for the land, Lehi reminds his children that, besides
themselves, the land contains ‘all those who should be led out of other countries
by the hand of the Lord’ (2 Nephi 1:5). This remark comes before any reported
contact with the Mulekites or the several indications of Jaredite remnants. Why
does Lehi make this point about others being led to the land? He very likely
knew about them. Nephi's vision of the promised land, granted before the ocean
voyage, may refer to these others:
‘And it came to
pass that the angel said unto me: Look, and behold thy seed, and also the seed
of thy brethren. And I looked and beheld the land of promise; and I beheld
multitudes of people, even as it were in number as many as the sands of the sea’
(1 Nephi 12:1).
Reading this
passage as describing non-Lehite multitudes existing in the New World before
the voyage makes Lehi's remarks about ‘other nations’ (2 Nephi 1:8, 11) in
relation to the covenant curse more meaningful.”[3]
[1] Seven Tribes: An Aspect of Lehi's Legacy,
John L. Sorenson, John A. Tvedtnes, and John W. Welch, Provo,
Utah: Maxwell Institute.
[2] Sacred History, Covenants, and the Messiah:
The Religious Background of the World of Lehi, David Rolph Seely, Provo,
Utah: Maxwell Institute.
No comments:
Post a Comment