Commentary for Book of Mormon: 1 Nephi 16- 22

Chapter 16

Laman and Lemuel's Test 

Throughout this commentary series, I've been striving to challenge the way we think about how to come unto God and also to get us thinking about what God expects of us.

One aspect that is important to God is our faithfulness during trials. We may think that trials are incidental to the gospel. This is incorrect; they are the gospel. The purpose of trials is for the Lord to test us in order to gauge the extent of our loyalty to him -- as only those who truly love him (expressed through unbending loyalty can be trusted to have what he has).

Consider these verses

... O Lord of hosts, that triest the righteous, and seest the reins and the heart... (Jeremiah 20:12)

Or From Doctrine and Covenants

11 I know thy heart, and have heard thy prayers concerning thy brethren. Be not partial towards them in love above many others, but let thy love be for them as for thyself; and let thy love abound unto all men, and unto all who love my name. 

12 And pray for thy brethren of the Twelve. Admonish them sharply for my name’s sake, and let them be admonished for all their sins, and be ye faithful before me unto my name.

13 And after their temptations, and much tribulation, behold, I, the Lord, will feel after them, and if they harden not their hearts, and stiffen not their necks against me, they shall be converted, and I will heal them. 

14 Now, I say unto you, and what I say unto you, I say unto all the Twelve: Arise and gird up your loins, take up your cross, follow me, and feed my sheep. (Doctrine and Covenants 112) 

Another verse from Doctrine and Covenants

14 Therefore, be not afraid of your enemies, for I have decreed in my heart, saith the Lord, that I will prove you in all things, whether you will abide in my covenant, even unto death, that you may be found worthy. 

This trials will increase the closer we approach the Lord

12 For he will give unto the faithful line upon line, precept upon precept; and I will try you and prove you herewith.

And this is to yield fruit of righteousness (correct standing before God)

11 Now no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous: nevertheless afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby. (Hebrews 12) 

Trials then are the way the Lord refines us. By breaking us, he's able to remold us more into his image. If we endure the trial by not hardening out heart, we'll be given greater portions of the Spirit.

This was the problem with Laman and Lamuel; they were never able to remain faithful through their trials and thus never able to change and improve. Reading Nephi's account, we learn that after Laman and Lemuel erred, they would "humble" themselves, recognizing, to some degree, their error. We see one example of this in   verses 1-4, we learn that Nephi had explained to them "hard thing" that we "difficult to bear." But exhorted them to keep the commandments of the Lord. We then learn in verse 5 that

5 And it came to pass that they did humble themselves before the Lord; insomuch that I had joy and great hopes of them, that they would walk in the paths of righteousness.

Thus after they humbled themselves, the real test to was to see if they were committed to the Lord was to test them.

Later in the chapter, Lehi discovers the liahona, which directs them were to go and where to find food. Initially, things go well.

15 And it came to pass that we did travel for the space of many days, slaying food by the way, with our bows and our arrows and our stones and our slings.
16 And we did follow the directions of the ball, which led us in the more fertile parts of the wilderness.

But then we learn,

18 And it came to pass that as I, Nephi, went forth to slay food, behold, I did break my bow, which was made of fine steel; and after I did break my bow, behold, my brethren were angry with me because of the loss of my bow, for we did obtain no food.

Nephi breaking his bow was the moment for the Lord to test the hearts of Laman and Lemuel. Up to this point, Laman and Lemuel's temptation seems to be blaming others for misfortunes. Since they had not overcome that character flaw, the Lord tests them again.

Yet, true to form Laman and Lemuel succumb to temptation causing them to to "murmur exceedingly...because of their sufferings and afflictions in the wilderness" eventually leading them to "murmur against the Lord." Because they succumbed to this temptation, and as we learned last weeks commentary, their hearts become hard "again." (see 1 Nephi 16:22). In other words, the failed the test and a result, harden their hearts causing them to become spiritually blind. They also failed to prove their loyalty to God.

Judging Laman and Lemuel 

But instead of judging Laman and Lemuel, we should compare their experiences to ourselves. Are there trials or challenges that continue to repeat themselves? Have we shown faithfulness during those trials or do we harden our hearts by cursing God, or distracting ourselves with worldly activities?

As we know, Laman and Lemuel could never overcome the temptation of blaming others and God. Trial after trial, they blamed others instead of asking God. And each time, they accepted more and more darkness, until eventually they fully rebelled against the Lord.

Seeing the real reason why Laman and Lemuel failed to fully repent is illuminating, but it should also be provocative. And this is because it holds a ugly mirror to us.

When we read the 1 and 2 Nephi, most read as if we were Nephi. We reason that because we are members, attend the temple, and keep the commandments, that we must be Nephi. But this comparison is superficial and also diminishes the righteousness and character of Nephi. It also minimizes the gap between Nephi and most of us. This is not to say Nephi is perfect. But it is to say that Nephi’s obedience extends beyond superficial and is of a different order than we realize.

Consider Nephi’s experience and character

• He prays constantly for his brothers, even though they are and will try to kill him 
• He takes time to teach 
• He takes joy when Laman and Lemeul humble themselves 
• He becomes extremely sorrowful when they sin 
• He obeys the Lord in every command
• He has seen what few have seen 
• He risked his life to keep the Lord’s command 
• He ponders and mediates upon the scripture
• His prayers lead to direct communication with the Lord 

Now that you’ve seen Nephi’s character, how do you stack up? I’d imagine that most of us fall short. If so, perhaps we’re more like Laman and less like Nephi? After all, Nephi teaches us that the Lord is no respecter of person. Thus what Nephi has experienced and the blessings he’s received are available to us all. If we haven’t received those blessings, we aren’t (yet) deserving of them.

Thus instead of seeing ourselves as Nephi, maybe we’ll more out of the books of Nephi if we see ourselves as Laman and Lemuel. Remember, Laman and Lemuel failed by failing the tests the Lord set for them. What about us?

With this in mind, we should scrutinize ourselves and character, measuring how we respond to trials. And one way to gauge how well we do is whether we are changing as a person. The gospel is growth and progression -- line up line. If we aren't changing as a person, then we may be falling the test the Lord's placed in our way.

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Chapter 17 

Laman and Lemuel Fail Again

In chapter 16, we learn of Laman and Lemuel succumbing to the temptation to blame Nephi.

17 And when my brethren saw that I was about to build a ship, they began to murmur against me, saying: Our brother is a fool, for he thinketh that he can build a ship; yea, and he also thinketh that he can cross these great waters. 

18 And thus my brethren did complain against me, and were desirous that they might not labor, for they did not believe that I could build a ship; neither would they believe that I was instructed of the Lord. (1 Nephi 17 

Israel's Hardness

Like Laman and Lemuel, Nephi sees that cause of Israel's wickedness -- their hearts were hard. Nephi explains to his brothers,

30 And notwithstanding they being led, the Lord their God, their Redeemer, going before them, leading them by day and giving light unto them by night, and doing all things for them which were expedient for man to receive, they hardened their hearts and blinded their minds, and reviled against Moses and against the true and living God.

The Lord sought to call a people as his own. Having tried in the past to enter into a co-partnership with humanity, and being rejected, the Lord tries again with Israel. Yet, they refused to obey his voice. Instead they succumbed to temptation, leading them to have heard hears and become spiritually blind.

41 And he did straiten them in the wilderness with his rod; for they hardened their hearts, even as ye have; and the Lord straitened them because of their iniquity. He sent fiery flying serpents among them; and after they were bitten he prepared a way that they might be healed; and the labor which they had to perform was to look; and because of the simpleness of the way, or the easiness of it, there were many who perished. 

42 And they did harden their hearts from time to time, and they did revile against Moses, and also against God; nevertheless, ye know that they were led forth by his matchless power into the land of promise. 

Ripe In Iniquity

In addition to explaining Israel's hard heart problem, Nephi also gives us insight into the Lord passing of judgment against other nations.

35 Behold, the Lord esteemeth all flesh in one; he that is righteous is favored of God. But behold, this (Canaanites) people had rejected every word of God, and they were ripe in iniquity; and the fulness of the wrath of God was upon them; and the Lord did curse the land against them, and bless it unto our fathers; yea, he did curse it against them unto their destruction, and he did bless it unto our fathers unto their obtaining power over it. (Clarification Added) 

This verse yields important insight. First, we learn that although the Lord "esteems all flesh as as one", those are are righteous are favored. Second, we learn that God judges nations when they are ripe in iniquity. We tend to think of iniquity as a synonym for sin. This is incorrect. Nephi is using this word intentionally.

Webster's 1828 defines iniquity as "particular deviation from rectitude (moral uprightness)" To be ripe in iniquity means that the society has deviated so much from moral uprightness that they must be destroyed. Additionally, the Hebrew word for iniquity (avon) which literally means to bend, twist, or distort, connotes the idea of sin without repentance, a rebellion that is twisted. Thus a iniquitous society is not just sinning, but their acceptance of darkness for so long as caused them pervert the ways of God.

Third, which is a corollary to point (2) is the link between rejecting every word of God and being ripe in iniquity. What does it mean to "reject every word of God?" Jeremiah gives us an idea.

Although speaking to the wicked Jews, his statements are applicable for any society that is not just wicked, but ripe in iniquity.

15 Thus saith the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel; Behold, I will bring upon this city and upon all her towns all the evil that I have pronounced against it, because they have hardened their necks, that they might not hear my words. (Jeremiah 19) 

An iniquitous society does not want to hear the Lord's voice. They avoid listening. And instead of being open to the Lord's voice the chose to: walk after [their] own devices... do[ing] the imagination of his evil heart. (Jeremiah 18:12).

And because of this state, they become a nation that: "obeyeth not the voice of the Lord their God, nor receiveth correction: truth is perished, and is cut off from their mouth." (Jeremiah 7:28).

Having lived in sin for so long, which leads them to seek after their desires hearts, they ultimately reject correction and therefore truth. A society ripe in iniquity then can't bear to hear things that go against their belief. Having mistaken darkness for light, they are more comfortable allowing the darkness to hide what they don't want to see -- choosing to create a system of false beliefs to insulate them from the light.

It is when a society gets to this point that God issues his judgment, because there is nothing else He can do. They are no longer teachable.

Are we there? Despite the growing wickedness in our society, have we finally reached the point where we refuse to be corrected? What about us individually? When someone presents something that challenges our belief system, do we reject it outright?

In his later years Jospeh Smith grew in frustration with the Saints stubbornness. He explains:

I have tried for a number of years to get the minds of the Saints prepared to receive the things of God; but we frequently see some of them, after suffering all they have for the work of God, will fly to pieces like glass as soon as anything comes that is contrary to their traditions: they cannot stand the fire at all. How many will be able to abide a celestial law, and go through and receive their exaltation, I am unable to say, as many are called, but few are chosen" (History of the Church, 6:184–85)

We sometimes believe the word is wicked, but we, as members of the LDS church are right standing before God. But consider this: If Jospeh felt the saints, who received great manifestations from heaven, were stubborn, what about us, who've received far less?

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Chapter 18

What Nephi's Trial Can Teach Us

Praise God During the Storm 

As I explained above, Laman and Lemuel were unable to pass the trials the Lord gave them. When faced with their weakness to complain and blame others, they succumbed to their weakness.

But in looking at this concept of proving faithful in trials, let's turn to Nephi's example (once again).

After being bound up by his brothers for four days, suffering "exceeding" soreness, he remarks:

16 Nevertheless, I did look unto my God, and I did praise him all the day long; and I did not murmur against the Lord because of mine afflictions.

Nephi did nothing wrong and definitely nothing desiring of his treatment. But instead of complaining, he "praised" the Lord.

Seeing Nephi's reaction is once again a helpful barometer to measure our own. How do we respond when faced with a trial? Do we respond in the same way as Nephi?

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Chapter 19 

These Things Are Sacred 

Nephi explains that on his small plates (which is the record we're reading) he chose to write the sacred things. This means that what Nephi has written, he considers sacred. Thus if Nephi has allocated space to the words of Isaiah, we should take Isaiah's words seriously. But do we?

Nephi laments that

7 For the things which some men esteem to be of great worth, both to the body and soul, others set at naught and trample under their feet. Yea, even the very God of Israel do men trample under their feet; I say, trample under their feet but I would speak in other words—they set him at naught, and hearken not to the voice of his counsels. 

If Nephi took time to quote Isaiah, it means his words are important. Thus Nephi "esteems" Isaiah to be of great worth. Have we set those things "at naught and trampl[ed] under [our] feet" by choosing to not study Isaiah's words? What does this mean for us?

Chapter 20 and 21 -- Portion of Isaiah 

As we learned in 1 Nephi 19, Nephi quotes Isaiah because Isaiah has enormous value in teaching us about Christ.

23 And I did read many things unto them which were written in the books of Moses; but that I might more fully persuade them to believe in the Lord their Redeemer I did read unto them that which was written by the prophet Isaiah; for I did liken all scriptures unto us, that it might be for our profit and learning. 

Thus for Nephi, he sees that Isaiah can teach us about the Savior. This is perhaps why the Lord commands the Nephite and Lamanites to read and "search" the prophecies of Isaiah.

Here, then, we have two people extolling the importance of Isaiah -- with Christ commanding the Nephites and Lamanites to read Isaiah. This suggests that the Isaiah is important and should not be treated lightly.

As we read Isaiah, we should, as Nephi recommends, think about likening them to ourselves. To liken means that we look for principles and apply them to our experience. Although some scriptures lend themselves to likening compared to others, the prophecies of Isaiah are lend themselves to likening. This is because of the nature of Isaiah's prophecy. Instead of referring to future events for one group, Isaiah's prophecy apply both to the Jews and to modern days. Therefore, we Isaiah prophecies or even describes a current condition, that condition is prevalent today, in some form or another.

With that in mind, let's turn to the first two portion of Isaiah that Nephi records.

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Chapter 20

Since Isaiah is rich with detail but also hard to follow, my comments on Isaiah are going to follow a different format than the other chapters. Instead of expounding on deeper themes and principles, I've going to track what each verse means, highlighting the main points. This is to aide you in your own study of Isaiah.

Verse 1: Lord speaks to Israel ("house of Jacob") who proclaim to follow the Lord ("swear by [the Lord's name and make mention of the God of Israel), yet their actions show otherwise.

[Liken to ourselves: As members of the LDS church do our actions align with our professed belief in the Lord? Or are we like the Israelites who assumed that their status was enough to save them?]

Verse 2: The people claim their city is holy, but they don't rely on God.

Verses 3-7 Lord explains that he revealed things to them so that they wouldn't turn to idolatry (or seek after other gods beside him). And he did it because the Israelites were stubborn (imagery of neck as iron conveys the idea that they can't turn, they are stuck in their ways -- similar with brass brows). The Lord showed them even hidden things, but they couldn't understand it because of their hard hearts.

Verses 8-11: Lord explains that he knew the Israelites would be disobedient from the beginning ("called transgressor from the womb) but for the sake of his reputation he will not utterly destroy the House of Israel. But this doesn't mean they escape his judgment either. The House of Israel is wicked and stubborn. They must be refined before the Lord can regather them ("chosen thee in the furnace of affliction")

Verses 12-13 : The Lord exhorts Israel to listen to him. In verse 13, he then gives the reason for why they should listen to him -- he created the earth and the earth and creation obey his commands.

Verse 14: Who is the "him" in the clause, "the Lord hath loved him.."? Next chapter I'll explain more. For now, the "him" refers to the Lord's servant historically (like Cyrus) and the servant in the future (the end-time servant -- aka, the one mighty and strong; the Davidic Servant; "the messenger" The remainder of the chapter (verses 15-22) is about the reason for the servant and what the servant will do.

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Chapter 21

This chapter is not as difficult as it seems. One challenge with reading Isaiah is that he switches voices without telling us. Because of this, we have to pay close attention to each verse to identify who is speaking. For this chapter, I'll indicate the speaker by brackets.

The Davidic Servant 

But before looking at the chapter, it's important to explain (briefly) the idea of the Davidic Servant. In short, before the Lord's second coming, he will send an forerunner, like he did with John the Baptist, to prepare his way. This forerunner is a special person, who has been preserved by the Lord to gather and fight for Zion. He will be of both the tribe of Judah and Ephraim. And he'll be a descendant from the line of king David. We'll learn more about him later in 2 Nephi. But here is what the Lord taught up the Davidic Servant when he visited the Nephites and Lamanites. In speaking about today (the fullness of the Gentiles), he states

9 For in that day, for my sake shall the Father work a work, which shall be a great and a marvelous work among them; and there shall be among them those who will not believe it, although a man shall declare it unto them.
10 But behold, the life of my servant shall be in my hand; therefore they shall not hurt him, although he shall be marred because of them. Yet I will heal him, for I will show unto them that my wisdom is greater than the cunning of the devil.

The Lord is speaking and says that the life of "my servant" shall be in my hand. The Lord then is referring to someone besides him. This statement is quoting Isaiah 42 (often referred to as the marred servant chapter). Many people think the marred servant is the Lord. But here the Lord is identify the marred servant as "his servant." Thus the servant is someone else. This someone else is the Davidic Servant. This is who Isaiah is referring to in 1 Nephi 21.

The Davidic Servant goes by many names. Another name he goes by is Elijah, after the prophet Elijah who was a forerunner to Elisha. Consider this statement by Joseph Smith

“How shall God come to the rescue of this generation? He will send Elijah the prophet. [notice the future tense] The law revealed to Moses in Horeb never was revealed to the children of Israel as a nation. Elijah shall reveal the covenants to seal the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the children to the fathers.” -- History of the Church, 5:529-531 (Annotations Added) 

[Some might think that Joseph Smith was referring to Elijah's coming to the temple. However, this is not the case. Elijah presumably appeared to Joseph and Oliver Cowdery in 1836. Jospeh gave this statement (the quoted statement above) in August 27th, 1843 -- 6 years after the event in Kirkland Temple. Moreover, he says that Elijah will come instead of Elijah came.]

If you're interested, here is a great post on the Elijah Doctrine: https://areturning.wordpress.com/2014/04/14/a-brief-history-of-the-elijah-doctrine/

For ease, I'll use "DS" to refer to the Davidic Servant

Verse 1: [Lord Speaking] Lord addresses all of the House of Israel. He explains that their leaders [both political and religious] have caused them to be scattered.

[Interesting note. The first five lines of verse 1 are not found in the Bible. In the Bible, the verse starts as "Listen, O isles.."]

Verse 2: [DS] Explains that the Lord has, like a arrow in quiver, been preparing him for his mission. The idea of being hidden likely refers to the idea that most people won't know who he is.

Verse 3: [Lord] Given the name of Israel, the DS will glorify the Lord.

Verses 4-5: [DS] Although endowed with power, the DS's servant work and efforts will initially go unnoticed. Working hard to call people to repentance, his efforts have not yielded much (or any) fruit. Yet despite his initial failures in failing to gather Israel by calling repentance, he'll be revered in the Lord's eyes and given strength.

Verses 6-8 [Lord] Lord explains that despite his failure, the DS is the Lord's servant in restoring the remnant ("preserved") of Israel and in also being a light to the Gentiles. The DS is to be the Lord's instrument to bring salvation. The Lord (in verse 8) then turn his attention to the scattered House of Israel ("Isles of the sea") explaining that, in due time, he will restore them and will give to them the DS as a covenant to restore and gather them.

[Note: Some commentaries explain that Isaiah is the servant being referred to in this chapter. But verse 6 shows this can't be the case as Isaiah was never a "light to the Gentiles" nor did he help gather Israel.]

[Bear in mind what Jospeh Smith said about the future Elijah, who will reveal the covenants to heal and restore the nations]

Verses 9 - 13[The Lord] Explain to the House of Israel that the DS, who will liberate the scattered members of the House of Israel, will give them power to free the people living in darkness ("mayest say to the prisoners: Go forth; to them that sit in darkness"). And by so doing be lead to the Lord and shall prosper. The Lord will gather the House of Israel from all corners of the world. This will be so great of work that the heavens will sing for joy, for the "Lord hath confronted his people [Isarel], and will have mercy upon" them.

Verse 14 [Zion Personified] Zion is described as mourning that fact that she has no inhabitants. Zion has not been established and is waiting.

Verses 15-21 [The Lord] The Lord promises Zion that he not forgotten her. Soon she will have "children" (inhabitants) who will put an end to those preventing Zion (metaphorically speaking). In verse 19, the Lord explain that Zion will have so many "children" that the land will become "narrow."

Verses 22-23 [The Lord] Explains that he will use the Gentiles to gather in the lost tribes of Israel.

Verses 25-26 [The Lord] Affirms that he will fight agents those who fight against Zion and Israel. And those who do will face serious judgment

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Chapter 22

Nephi Explains the Chapters of Isaiah He Quoted

Nephi has a lot of things to stay and much to be pondered. For this chapter, I'd like ask a few question.

Verse 3: What does Nephi mean that all the things he has read in Isaiah pertain to things "both temporal and spiritual."

Verse 5: What does "these things" refer to?

Verse 6: Who is the "they" in verse 6? (Nevertheless, after they shall be nursed by the Gentiles...)

Verse 7: Who is the mighty nation?

Verse 9: What shall be of worth to the Gentiles? Why shall it be of worth to them?

Verse 10: Why can't all the people of the earth be blessed if the Lord does not "make bare his arm in the eyes of the nation?" What is the link between being blessed and Lord's arm being made bare?

Verse 12: Who is the "they" that are brought out of captivity?

Verse 16-18: What do these verses tell us about the end times? What will it be like?

Verse 25: What does it mean that the Lord's sheep will know him?