8 And behold, it is wisdom that this land should be kept
as yet from the knowledge of other nations; for behold, many nations would
overrun the land, that there would be no place for an inheritance.
9 Wherefore, I, Lehi, have obtained a promise, that
inasmuch as those whom the Lord God shall bring out of the land of Jerusalem
shall keep his commandments, they shall prosper upon the face of this land; and
they shall be kept from all other nations, that they may possess this land unto
themselves. And if it so be that they shall keep his commandments they shall be
blessed upon the face of this land, and there shall be none to molest them, nor
to take away the land of their inheritance; and they shall dwell safely
forever.
10 But behold, when the time cometh that they shall
dwindle in unbelief, after they have received so great blessings from the hand
of the Lord—having a knowledge of the creation of the earth, and all men,
knowing the great and marvelous works of the Lord from the creation of the
world; having power given them to do all things by faith; having all the
commandments from the beginning, and having been brought by his infinite
goodness into this precious land of promise—behold, I say, if the day shall
come that they will reject the Holy One of Israel, the true Messiah, their
Redeemer and their God, behold, the judgments of him that is just shall rest
upon them.
11 Yea, he will bring other nations unto them, and he
will give unto them power, and he will take away from them the lands of their
possessions, and he will cause them to be scattered and smitten.
Even though the Lord will bring others to the promised land,
it is wisdom that the Lord keep knowledge of the land from other nations at
this time. Were they to know of this
land, it would be overrun and his descendants would lose the land as their inheritance.
Lehi pronounces the conditions the Lord has placed on those
wo are led to this land. This will be a
common theme throughout the Book of Mormon:
“inasmuch as those whom the Lord God shall bring out of the land of
Jerusalem shall keep his commandments, they shall prosper upon the face of this
land” (2 Nephi 1:9). Shortly before his
death, Lehi would emphasis this to his family.
“For the Lord God hath said that: Inasmuch as ye shall keep my
commandments ye shall prosper in the land; and inasmuch as ye will not keep my
commandments ye shall be cut off from my presence” (2 Nephi 4:4). As Alma2 was calling on the people of
Ammonihah to repent, he asked them: “Behold,
do ye not remember the words which he spake unto Lehi, saying that: Inasmuch as
ye shall keep my commandments, ye shall prosper in the land? And again it is said that: Inasmuch as ye
will not keep my commandments ye shall be cut off from the presence of the Lord”
(Alma 9:13).
Steven Olsen writes:
“[I]n the course of Lehi's final blessing to his righteous
posterity, in which he twice repeats the formal terms of the covenant of the
promised land (2 Nephi 1:9, 20), Lehi partially defines prospering: ‘They
shall prosper upon the face of this land; and they shall be kept from all other
nations, that they may possess this land unto themselves... . And there shall
be none to molest them, nor to take away the land of their inheritance; and
they shall dwell safely forever’ (2 Nephi 1:9; see v. 31). According to Lehi,
protection, peace, persistence, and safety are the hallmarks of those who keep
God's covenants in the promised land.”[1]
Should they lose their faith after receiving these great
blessings of the Lord as well as a knowledge of His great and wonderful works,
and reject Christ, the Lord’s judgments will come upon them.
The Lord will bring other nations to this land. They will have the power to take away their
lands and they will be scattered and smitten.
In vision, Nephi was shown others coming to this land.
“And I looked and beheld a man among the Gentiles, who was
separated from the seed of my brethren by the many waters; and I beheld the
Spirit of God, that it came down and wrought upon the man; and he went forth
upon the many waters, even unto the seed of my brethren, who were in the
promised land.
“And it came to pass that I beheld the Spirit of God, that
it wrought upon other Gentiles; and they went forth out of captivity, upon the
many waters.
“And it came to pass that I beheld many multitudes of the
Gentiles upon the land of promise; and I beheld the wrath of God, that it was
upon the seed of my brethren; and they were scattered before the Gentiles and
were smitten.
“And I beheld the Spirit of the Lord, that it was upon the
Gentiles, and they did prosper and obtain the land for their inheritance; and I
beheld that they were white, and exceedingly fair and beautiful, like unto my
people before they were slain.
“And it came to pass that I, Nephi, beheld that the Gentiles
who had gone forth out of captivity did humble themselves before the Lord; and
the power of the Lord was with them.
“And I beheld that their mother Gentiles were gathered
together upon the waters, and upon the land also, to battle against them.
“And I beheld that the power of God was with them, and also
that the wrath of God was upon all those that were gathered together against
them to battle.
“And I, Nephi, beheld that the Gentiles that had gone out of
captivity were delivered by the power of God out of the hands of all other
nations.
“And it came to pass that I, Nephi, beheld that they did
prosper in the land; and I beheld a book, and it was carried forth among them”
(1 Nephi 13:12-20).
S. Kent Brown explains:
“Many of Lehi's teachings and prophecies are found in the
record of his last blessings and instructions to his family before his death
(see 2 Nephi 1:1-4:12). This account, using Lehi's own words, is clearly a
direct quotation from his record. Written in the first person, it is doubtless
part of what Nephi referred to when he said that Lehi's record contained ‘many
things which he prophesied and spake unto his children’ (1 Nephi 1:16). In
these last blessings, Lehi taught his children principles for successful living
in the promised land and prophesied of a time when his posterity would reject
their Redeemer and rebel against the principles of righteousness. They would
then lose the lands of their inheritance and be ‘scattered and smitten’ (2
Nephi 1:11).”[2]
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