Thursday, March 19, 2020

2 Nephi 10:8-14


8 And it shall come to pass that they shall be gathered in from their long dispersion, from the isles of the sea, and from the four parts of the earth; and the nations of the Gentiles shall be great in the eyes of me, saith God, in carrying them forth to the lands of their inheritance.
9 Yea, the kings of the Gentiles shall be nursing fathers unto them, and their queens shall become nursing mothers; wherefore, the promises of the Lord are great unto the Gentiles, for he hath spoken it, and who can dispute?
10 But behold, this land, said God, shall be a land of thine inheritance, and the Gentiles shall be blessed upon the land.
11 And this land shall be a land of liberty unto the Gentiles, and there shall be no kings upon the land, who shall raise up unto the Gentiles.
12 And I will fortify this land against all other nations.
13 And he that fighteth against Zion shall perish, saith God.
14 For he that raiseth up a king against me shall perish, for I, the Lord, the king of heaven, will be their king, and I will be a light unto them forever, that hear my words.

Jacob continues teaching about the gathering of the Jews.

When the Jews are scattered, they will be scattered throughout the world.  They will return “from the isles of the sea, and from the four parts of the earth” (2 Nephi 10:8).  Nephi taught Laman and Lemuel, “And behold, there are many who are already lost from the knowledge of those who are at Jerusalem.  Yea, the more part of all the tribes have been led away; and they are scattered to and fro upon the isles of the sea; and whither they are none of us knoweth, save that we know that they have been led away” (1 Nephi 22:4). 

The gentiles will be involved in this return.  Nephi said, “And after our seed is scattered the Lord God will proceed to do a marvelous work among the Gentiles, which shall be of great worth unto our seed; wherefore, it is likened unto their being nourished by the Gentiles and being carried in their arms and upon their shoulders” (1 Nephi 22:8).

The gentiles are a major support for the Jews.  How does this apply to the Nephites?  Alma2 told the people of Ammonihah, “For behold, the promises of the Lord are extended to the Lamanites, but they are not unto you if ye transgress; for has not the Lord expressly promised and firmly decreed, that if ye will rebel against him that ye shall utterly be destroyed from off the face of the earth” (Alma 9:24).

The Lord reiterated His promise to Lehi and Nephi that this land would be the land of their inheritance.  The gentiles will also enjoy the blessings of the promised land.  Jacob was restating his words of the day before, “And blessed are the Gentiles, they of whom the prophet has written; for behold, if it so be that they shall repent and fight not against Zion, and do not unite themselves to that great and abominable church, they shall be saved; for the Lord God will fulfil his covenants which he has made unto his children; and for this cause the prophet has written these things” (2 Nephi 6:12).

This land will be a land of liberty for those who live in the promised land.  Lehi taught that the promise was not limited to his posterity.  “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 1:7). 

The Lord also promised “there shall be no kings upon the land, who shall raise up unto the Gentiles” (2 Nephi 10:11).  What was meant by “no kings?”  Kevin Christensen addressed this question.

Brant Gardner has observed of 2 Nephi 10:11 that Jacob's statement makes more sense if the comma in “‘There shall be no kings upon the land, who shall raise up unto the Gentiles' is removed. The context is thus one of conquering Gentile kings and the opposition that might rise up and defeat them. In other words, Jacob is prophesying that no non-Gentile kings will defeat the Gentiles, whose kings are the nursing fathers who will provide salvation to this colony of Israelites.”[1]

This land will be strengthened and protected against all other nations.  Nephi said, “And every nation which shall war against thee, O house of Israel, shall be turned one against another, and they shall fall into the pit which they digged to ensnare the people of the Lord.  And all that fight against Zion shall be destroyed, and that great whore, who hath perverted the right ways of the Lord, yea, that great and abominable church, shall tumble to the dust and great shall be the fall of it … For behold, the righteous shall not perish; for the time surely must come that all they who fight against Zion shall be cut off” (1 Nephi 22:14, 19).

The Lord will be our king and a light to us forever.  Leslie Taylor wrote:

“The Book of Mormon also testifies that it is the word of God that enlightens us and expands our minds (see Alma 32:34). This concept is often conveyed through the images of light and darkness in which the word of God is characterized as bringing people into the light and unto understanding. Through Jacob, the Lord prophesies that he ‘will be a light unto them forever, that hear my words’ (2 Nephi 10:14). In a speech to his brethren, Nephi makes a similar point and then adds a warning about spiritual darkness: ‘After I have spoken these words, if ye cannot understand them it will be because ye ask not, neither do ye knock; wherefore, ye are not brought into the light, but must perish in the dark’ (2 Nephi 32:4).”[2]


[1] Hindsight on a Book of Mormon Historicity Critique, Kevin Christensen, Provo, Utah: Maxwell Institute.
[2]The Word of God, Leslie A. Taylor, Provo, Utah: Maxwell Institute.

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