It Behooved our Great Creator (2 Nephi 9, part 1)

-by Jared Barnes

Here is a painting by Jared Barnes showing Christ holding a cup.  Will He drink from the cup?  Will He ask His Father if He might not drink from the cup?  He does ask, but then He drinks it anyway, and it is awful; only He knows how awful.  Why did He drink it?  Because it behooved Him to do it.

2 Nephi 9: 5

5.  Yea, I know that ye know that in the body He shall show Himself unto those at Jerusalem, from whence we came; for it is expedient that it should be among them; for it behooveth the Great Creator that He suffereth Himself to become subject unto man in the flesh, and die for all men, that all men might become subject unto Him.

The word behoove means 'necessary to' or 'proper for'.  Jesus Christ drank that bitter cup because it was necessary.

Remember, Christ didn't ask the Father:  Do you mind if I don't do this?

Rather He asked:   Is there any other way to do this?

Matthew 26: 39, 42

39.  And He went a little further, and fell on His face, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if be possible, let this cup pass from Me: nevertheless not as I will, but as Thou wilt.

42.  He went away again the second time, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if this cup may not pass away from me, except I drink it, Thy will be done.

Oh, how I love my Savior.  You know the song:  I tremble to know that for me He was crucified, that for me, a sinner, He suffered, He bled and died. 

It has been called the cup of trembling.  The cup was filled with justice.  The only way to bring about His Father's plan of mercy was for Christ to drink from this cup and satisfy the demands of justice.

 

The Merciful Plan of the Great Creator

 
2 Nephi 9: 6

6.  For as death hath passed upon all men, to fulfill the merciful plan of the Great Creator, there must needs be a power of resurrection, and the resurrection must needs come unto man by reason of the fall; and the fall came by reason of transgression; and because man became fallen they were cut off from the presence of The Lord.

We as a people, the posterity of Adam and Eve, were cut off from the presence of The Lord when Adam and Eve transgressed in the Garden of Eden.  This is what is called spiritual death, a separation from the Spirit of The Lord.  It also brought physical death into the world.  Death is a part of birth and life, as resurrection is a part of re-birth and Eternal Life.

2 Nephi 9: 10

10.  O how great the goodness of our God, who prepareth a way for our escape from the grasp of this awful monster; yea, that monster, death and hell, which I call the death of the body, and also the death of the spirit.

The Atonement of Jesus Christ will raise all of us up from our graves to live again.  The Atonement also has the power to bring us mercy in place of justice for any bad choices we may have made, or may yet make, in life.

Infinite Atonement

Why did Christ have to be the One to do this for us?  That's where the word "Infinite" comes in.  If there was a person on earth (other than The Savior) who was without sin, which there ain't, but if there was, that person could not have atoned for the sins of the world.  Even if he or she could have withstood the demands upon their body and spirit long enough to see it through until it was finished, this Plan required the sacrifice of One who was not subject to death.  Jesus Christ was the Son of Mary, a mortal woman, and the Son of God The Father, an Eternal Being, giving Jesus Christ the unique circumstance of being both able to die and to not die, according to His will.

Christ was an Infinite Being who allowed Himself to become subject unto man, or to become Finite.  His life was not taken from Him, but freely given.  This sacrifice makes it so all men may become subject unto him, or Infinite. 

Let me say that again:

An Infinite Being became Finite so that we finite beings might become Infinite.

2 Nephi 9: 7

7.  Wherefore, it must needs be an infinite atonement -save it should be an infinite atonement this corruption could not put on incorruption.  Wherefore, the first judgment which came upon man must needs have remained to an endless duration.  And if so, this flesh must have laid down to rot and to crumble to its mother earth, to rise no more.

The first judgment was the edict to Adam and Eve and their posterity:  Get Out!

Because of the Merciful Plan of the Great Creator, and the coming of Jesus Christ, that edict became:

Come unto Me and partake of Eternal Life.

Tune in next time when we discuss how to have perfect faith in the Holy One of Israel.

Peace be with you...

The Covenant of Father Abraham (2 Nephi 8)

To prepare for this posting on 2 Nephi chapter 8 (compare Isaiah 51 and 52: 1-2) I read the chapter several times, and I still pretty much look like this...

Isaiah is just a difficult fellow to understand, and that's all there is toot.  This chapter is basically about The Lord's promises to Israel that, though they are being scattered at that time, and will continue to be, He is still mindful of them, and they will be redeemed and brought back into His presence where they will be happy.  I'll mention a couple verses, K?

2 Nephi 8: 2

2.  Look unto Abraham, your father, and unto Sarah, she that bare you; for I called him alone, and blessed him.

3.  For The Lord shall comfort Zion, He will comfort all her waste places; and He will make her wilderness like Eden, and her desert like the garden of The Lord.  Joy and gladness shall be found therein, thanksgiving and the voice of melody.

Abraham is very important to the house of Israel, as well as all people everywhere, the world over.  The wilderness and the desert are symbolic of apostasy, where the people are cut off from the word of their God.  The Garden of Eden was a place where Heavenly Father and Christ had a personal and face to face relationship with Adam and Eve.  Making the wilderness like Eden and her desert like the garden of The Lord is like unto returning from being a lost and wandering loser to that blessed state.  When Jesus Christ says in verse 1, "...for I called him alone, and blessed him," this is referring to the covenants that The Lord made with Abraham and his descendants.

The Abrahamic Covenant is of paramount importance in understanding the gospel of Jesus Christ.  In a profoundly inadequate nutshell, this covenant is basically God's promise to Abraham that he would father a great nation, and that this nation, though they'll be kicked around a lot, will bring everlasting salvation to all of God's children.  This was (again, humungously dumbed down because I don't understand it well enough to explain it) and will be brought to pass through some of these things:


The Prophets of the Old Testament were descended from Abraham.

The Savior Jesus Christ was descended from Abraham.

The Apostles of Jesus Christ of the New Testament were descended from Abraham.

The Prophets of the Book of Mormon were descended from Abraham.

The Gospel of Jesus Christ was restored to the earth after centuries of apostasy to a modern day prophet, Joseph Smith, who was a descendant of Abraham.

Part of the restoration of the Gospel was a restoration of the Priesthood to the earth.  The Priesthood is the authority to act in God's name, and is vital in administering the saving ordinances.

The Gospel of Jesus Christ is now going forth to all nations.  Those who join The Church are either already part of the house of Israel and are being found and gathered back in, or they are not a part of the house of Israel and are being adopted into it.

That's me on the right in Danville, KY in 1987

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints builds Holy Temples, in which the work is done vicariously for those that are deceased, that they too may come unto Christ, or into the house of Israel. For the billions of folks who have lived on the earth and have passed on into the next realm of existence, they can learn of Jesus Christ and gain a testimony of His saving Atonement there, and then the necessary saving ordinances (baptism, endowment, eternal marriage) are done in their behalf here on earth.

The LDS Temple in Washington D.C.  It's my favorite.

Here's a passage from the Doctrine and Covenants about Priesthood, handed down from the days of Abraham until the Great Apostasy following the deaths of Christ's Apostles, and restored to Joseph Smith in 1830 by the Apostles Peter, James and John.

D & C 84: 19-22

19.  And this greater priesthood administereth the gospel and holdeth the key of the mysteries of the kingdom, even the key of the knowledge of God.

20.  Therefore, in the ordinances thereof, the power of godliness is manifest.

21.  And without the ordinances thereof, and the authority of the priesthood, the power of godliness is not manifest unto men in the flesh;

22.  For without this no man can see the face of God, even the Father, and live.

Well, like my old pal Albert used to say...

So, I'll leave it at that.  Just know that Heavenly Father loves all of His children.  Here comes a
Therefore...

2 Nephi 8: 11

11.  Therefore, the redeemed of The Lord shall return, and come with singing unto Zion; and everlasting joy and holiness shall be upon their heads; and they shall obtain gladness and joy; sorrow and mourning shall flee away.

That's good enough for me.

Peace be with you...

For Sale: Buy Owner (2 Nephi 7)

We got a couple of Isaiah chapters here in 2 Nephi 7-8.  Chapter 7 happens to be one of those Isaiahs that I like to read. There's a couple things here that are definitely worth the effort of not skimming over, as I've been known to do when I read the dreaded words:  

-Compare Isaiah...

Compare Isaiah 50 in this case.  It says in the preamble (chapter heading) "Isaiah speaks Messianically."  There are a lot of Isaiah preambles that say that.  What's it mean?  Well, Isaiah has this sometimes confusing talent for speaking as himself, speaking as God, speaking as Christ, or speaking as the entire house of Isreal, etc., sometimes all at the same time.  And he'll change from one to the udder without any warning or commercial interruption.  So, as you begin 2 Nephi 7 (or Isaiah 50), you'll read "I did this" and "I said that" and whatever, and in this case, Isaiah is speaking as Christ, or Messianically.  But (and this is a big butt), that doesn't mean that Isaiah will stick to that policy all the way through the chapter, so you need to watch your P's and Cues.

2 Nephi 7: 1

1.  Yea, for thus saith The Lord: Have I put thee away, or have I cast thee off forever?  For thus saith The Lord: Where is the bill of your mother's divorcement?  To whom have I put thee away, or to which of my creditors have I sold you?  Yea, to whom have I sold you?  Behold for your iniquities have ye sold yourselves, and for your transgressions is your mother put away.

Isaiah Metaphor #1:  Christ is the bridegroom; the house of Israel is His bride.  There's whole bunches of stuff in the law of Moses about divorces and stuff, but basically, this is talking about Israel's infidelity to Christ (apostasy), and Christ's promise of never letting go of them (us).

Here's a part I really love.  Remember what that verse said..?

...to whom have I sold you?  For your iniquities have ye sold yourselves..."

I hate the idea that I have sold myself, but I make that a true statement every time I choose disobedience.  How much did I get for me?  Is the picture on the right suggestive enough, or do I need to get crude?

Here comes the miracle of  Christ's Atonement!!!!

Christ in the Garden of Gethsemane, by the incredible Carl Bloch

2 Nephi 7: 2

2.  Wherefore, when I came, there was no man; when I called, yea, there was none to answer.  O house of Israel, is my hand shortened at all that it cannot redeem, or have I no power to deliver?  Behold, at my rebuke I dry up the sea, I make their rivers a wilderness and their fish to stink because the waters are dried up, and they all die because of thirst.

In my younger years you could return your pop bottles for a dime each.  That was cool, 'cause you could go on a big pop bottle hunt and maybe get some major cash flow, possibly even enough to buy another soda.  Why would I start talking about this in the middle of such a sacred subject?  Well, the word they used for turning in your pop bottles was "redeem".  You could redeem them at the local store (Safeway in my day), and they would buy them back for 10 cents.  That's what redeem means:  to buy back.  You see how that works there?

• John is an idiot, so he sells himself for some fleeting, short lived satisfaction of some kind.
• Jesus Christ loves John, so if John feels like he made a mistake and wants to come back, Jesus will buy him back.  

And what did it cost Him?

It cost Him everything.

There's this fellow at church, name of George.  No matter what the topic of the lesson he's teaching is, George will always bring Christ and His Atonement into it.  He has said the following many times:


"They spit on him!  That's the part that bugs me the most, they spit on him.  It's as if they spit on my Dad or my Mom.  Oooh, that really gets to me." (-George Beardall)

I commented to George once that there is something that bugs me even more than the spitting.  It's how they plucked out His beard.  He didn't know about that one.  I showed him the following verse.  His reaction was silence.

2 Nephi 7: 6

6.  I gave my back to the smiter, and my cheeks to them that plucked off the hair.  I hid not my face from shame and spitting.

Light of lights

I'm in this choir thing right now.  It's called Because We Sing.  This year we're singing "Let all mortal flesh keep silence."  In her masterful way, our choir director, Merrilee Webb, painted for us a picture in our minds of approaching the throne of God when we sing this song.  There's a part in the song that refers to Jesus Christ as "The Light of lights."  There is such a profound feeling when we sing this.

Christ is the Light of the world.  He is the Light of all our light.  Part of His Light lives in all of us.  When we sell ourselves and decide to try and make it along the path on our own, that Light diminishes.  We can try to find light elsewhere, but this is folly.

2 Nephi 7: 11

11.  Behold all ye that kindle fire, that compass yourselves about with sparks, walk in the light of your fire and in the sparks which ye have kindled.  This shall ye have of mine hand -ye shall lie down in sorrow.

If you've sold yourself, and you are without His light, let Him buy you back.  Is His hand shortened at all that it cannot redeem?  Here's the good news:  He's already paid for you.

Redeemer of Israel, our only delight;

On whom for a blessing we call;

Our shadow by day, and our pillar by night;

Our King, our Deliverer, our All.

Peace be with you...

The Mighty One of Jacob (2 Nephi 6)

Jesus Christ ordaining one of His apostles

In all of the sacred records kept by prophets of God, the authority to act in The Name of The Lord has been given by the laying on of hands by one who is, himself, authorized to do so.  Pictured above is Christ ordaining one of His original Twelve Apostles.  That authority is called The Priesthood.  The higher Priesthood was referred to in the New Testament as the Priesthood of Melchizedec. 

After the death of Lehi, Nephi became The Lord's prophet to the people of that land.  When Nephi's little brother Jacob became of age, Nephi ordained him to The Priesthood.  Jacob calls it "...ordained after the manner of His holy order..."  And so it is.

Jacob was given an assignment by Nephi to address the people.  Some of us might have experienced some anxiety if we were in his shoes. 

2 Nephi 6: 1-2

1.  The words of Jacob, the brother of Nephi, which he spake unto the people of Nephi:

2.  Behold, my beloved brethren, I, Jacob, having been called of God, and ordained after the manner of His holy order, and having been consecrated by my brother Nephi, unto whom ye look as a king or a protector, and on whom ye depend for safety, behold ye know that I have spoken unto you exceedingly many things.

 Jacob seems pretty confident though.

 Actually, Jacob does experience anxiety, but anxiety of a different sort.  Let's read a little more...

2 Nephi 6: 3

3.  Nevertheless, I speak unto you again; for I am desirous for the welfare of your souls.  Yea, mine anxiety is great for you; and ye yourselves know that it ever has been.  For I have exhorted you with all diligence; and I have taught you the words of my father; and I have spoken unto you concerning all things which are written, from the creation of the world.

What a wonderful, caring Priesthood Leader.  Sounds like one of those people who I'd like to hear speak, but would be afraid of running into at Walmart.  

"Have you done any good in the world today?"

Jacob reads the people some Isaiah verses, located in 2 Nephi 6: 6-7.  I will resist the engulfing temptation to expound on Isaiah and just talk about Jacob in this chapter.  There's plenty of Isaiah coming...(insert painting of The Scream here...)

Basically, the Isaiah verses Jacob refers to in this chapter talk again about the scattering and gathering of the house of Israel, a very common, and therefore important, theme in the writings of Isaiah and many other prophets.  Jacob also expounds on the prophecies regarding Christ's Atonement, the mercy given to them that believe in His Name, and the judgment exercised against those who fight against His people.  Things like:

• The Lord God, the Holy One of Israel, should manifest himself unto them in the flesh; and after He should manifest Himself they should scourge Him and crucify Him...
•  
• When they shall come to the knowledge of their Redeemer, they shall be gathered together again to the lands of their inheritance...
•  
• The Messiah will set himself again the second time to recover them; wherefore, He will manifest Himself unto them in power and great glory, unto the destruction of their enemies, when that day cometh when they shall believe in him...
• 
  
• For the Mighty God shall deliver His covenant people.  For thus saith The Lord: I will contend with them that contendeth with thee-

Exciting stuff.

Here's the ending

I like Jacob.  You can really tell, when the narrative of the BOM switches over from Nephi to Jacob, that it is a different speaker; related to the first, but different.  Like his brother, Jacob loves Isaiah.  The verses he quotes in this chapter seem to come from different parts of Isaiah.  I may be wrong.  http://www.lds.org isn't real helpful with searches like this.  The last verse found in 2 Nephi 6 is a quoting of Isaiah 60: 16.  I like to picture in my mind how Jacob felt about his Savior, the power of his testimony, and how he must have connected with this verse.  Here it is...

 2 Nephi 6: 18

And I will feed them that oppress thee, with their own flesh; and they shall be drunken with their own flesh; and they shall be drunken with their own blood as with sweet wine; and all flesh shall know that I the Lord am thy Savior and thy Redeemer, the Mighty One of Jacob.

Peace be with you...

Lamanites Cursed (2 Nephi 5)

My brudder Bob and me in 1979

Again about 2005

My own siblings and I have always been close friends.  It makes me sad when siblings don't get along.  This one guy told me once, "I really love how good of friends you and your brother (Bob) are.  I haven't spoken to my brother in 20 years."  I was totally blown away.  I guess it happens.


After the death of dear old Lehi and Sariah, Laman & Lemuel wouldn't stop being butt-heads, so The Lord warned Nephi to get out of Dodge.

2 Nephi 5: 5-6

5.  And it came to pass that The Lord did warn me, that I, Nephi, should depart from them and flee into the wilderness, and all those who would go with me.

6.  Wherefore, it came to pass that I, Nephi, did take my family, and also Zoram and his family, and Sam, mine elder brother and his family, and Jacob and Joseph, my younger brethren, and also my sisters, and all those who would go with me.  And all those who would go with me were those who believed in the warnings and the revelations of God; wherefore, they did hearken unto my words.  

• I'm glad Nephi mentioned his sisters.  Women didn't get a lot of mentions in the old days.
• Jacob and Joseph didn't have families yet, apparently.
• There were others besides the known good guys who followed Nephi.  I wonder if this included any of the children of Laman, Lemuel or the sons of Ishmael.  

Can a principle be applied to us from this little story?  Yup, I reckon it can.  See, back at the beginning of this chapter Nephi tells us why the move was necessary.

2 Nephi 5: 1-2

1.  Behold, it came to pass that I, Nephi, did cry much unto The Lord my God, because of the anger of my brethren.

2.  But behold, their anger did increase against me, insomuch that they did seek to take away my life.

I think it's worth noting that Nephi had some major challenges in his life, brought on him through no fault of his own.  He prayed to his Heavenly Father for this challenge to be removed.  Specifically, that his brothers would stop behaving so badly toward him, and stop threatening him with death day in and day out.  Was it in The Lord's power to answer this prayer the way Nephi wanted it?  Yup. Did He?  Nope.

Instead, "their anger did increase against me."  Why wasn't Nephi's prayer answered?  Well, it was, just not the way he wanted.  Not the way he wanted, but in a way that would not only benefit his posterity for many generations, but you and me as well.

Ya see, kids, in this case, it was absolutely vital that the 2 groups, Nephites and Lamanites, one obedient and the other not so much, separate, and then the more righteous group would have to lean on The Lord almost constantly in order to not get destructed by the udder group.  That's how The Lord saves them, by giving them trials that encourage them to call upon Him for His blessings.  If not for the trials of life, they [we] would have gotten too complacent, & felt like they didn't need Him so much, and slowly drifted away toward the world.

Wherefore, we can pray about our own challenges, and sometimes those challenges will be decreased or removed, while other times, we will be blessed to be able to handle them.  In any case, The Lord's answer will ALWAYS play into the bigger picture, which means the answers may not come in the way we wanted.

It took some searching to find the following scripture, but I knew it was there somewheres.  Anywayz, it kind of illustrates my point.  Sorry if I overcomplicated a small principle, but that was where my thinks took me.  So, read this Alma thing, and then let's move on....

Alma 48: 15

15.  And this was their faith, that by so doing God would prosper them in the land, or in other words, if they were faithful in keeping the commandments of God that he would prosper them in the land; yea, warn them to flee, or to prepare for war, according to their danger.

So, they moved from the land of Lehi north to the land of Nephi.

In their new home, Nephi and the newly dubbed "people of Nephi" prospered exceedingly in the land.  They worked hard and kept the commandments of The Lord, according to the Law of Moses.  Nephi constructed a temple after the pattern of the Temple of Solomon.

A few chapters back, when Lehi was talking to his posterity, he told his grand kids that if they ended up being cursed, that the cursing would be answered on the heads of their parents, and that in the latter days, they would be brought back into the light.  Here's the curse... 

2 Nephi 5: 21-23

21.  And he had caused the cursing to come upon them, yea, even a sore cursing, because of their iniquity.  For behold, they had hardened their hearts against him, that they had become like unto a flint; wherefore, as they were white, and exceedingly fair and delightsome, that they might not be enticing unto to my people The Lord did cause a skin of blackness to come upon them.

22.  And thus saith The Lord God:  I will cause that they shall be loathsome unto thy people, save they shall repent of their iniquities.

23.  And cursed shall be the seed of him that mixeth with their seed; for they shall be cursed even with the same cursing.  And The Lord spake it, and it was done.

Raise your hand if you were offended by anything in those verses...

Yeah, taken at face value, without an understanding of the whole picture, I can see how this would make people stop and wonder what this was about.  Even a lot of devout believers in the BOM hurry over this part, I'd imagine.  This is something that's hard for me to write about because I don't have a clear understanding of it myself. 

But I'll tell you some of my thinks...

• I think there were other peoples living here in the Americas who were a darker skinned people, possibly even from the Orient and had crossed over the land bridge of Alaska during the ice age as science suggests.  I think that while Nephi and his followers kept their covenants of chastity and keeping their relations within the house of Israel, the Lamanites mixed and mingled with the natives, causing their offspring to inherit the darker skin.  Did Heavenly Father snap his fingers and these people's skin just turned dark in an instant.  I just have a hard time believing that.  Though it is important to make note of the fact that I DON'T KNOW.

• I think that the real cursing was being cut off from The Lord, cut off from the Holy Spirit.  In verse 24 it says that, because of the cursing, they did become idle and full of mischief and subtlety.  I don't think that the color of someone's skin causes them to be idle, mischievous or subtle (devious).  I think it is the absence of God and His direction in a person's life that does these things.

• I think the darker skin was to keep the 2 groups separate so that they wouldn't mix together and make one big semi-righteous group.  This would have caused the righteousness in them to slowly dwindle away to nothing.  You've just gotta have a Lamanite Army always trying to kill you to keep you on your toes, and on your knees.  

• I think this was the best strategy for The Lord to use in order to save the greater number of His children.  It really is the reason that the Book of Mormon was able to be written in the first place, and it will serve in the end to bless this ancient situation greatly.  

• I think that the reference in verse 21 to the Lamanites before the cursing being "white, and exceedingly fair and delightsome," refers to them having the Spirit with them.  And afterwards when they're called "loathsome", this refers to them losing that Spirit, and it showed in their countenance.  Those who have the Spirit of God with them have a certain thing about them, a spark, a radiance.  Those who don't, don't.  In Jacob 3: 8, Jacob tells the Nephites that, due to their iniquities, at the judgment bar the skins of the Lamanites would be more white than theirs, if they didn't repent.  And in Alma 23:18, speaking of the thousands of Lamanites who were converted to The Lord, "...and the curse of God did no more follow them."  Much later in 3rd Nephi 2: 15, it says of the righteous Lamanites, "And their curse was taken from them, and their skin became white like unto the Nephites."   

Anyone still offended?

Oh. 

Well, I just don't think that the transformation spoken of that came over these people was a sudden and physical change from dark skin to light skin.  I just believe that it was the light in their eyes, in their countenance that signified that God was a part of their lives, and that they had been enlightened by the Spirit of God. 

Consider this...

Alma 5: 21

21.  I say unto you, ye will know at that day that ye cannot be saved; for there can no man be saved except his garments are washed white; yea, his garments must be purified until they are cleansed from all stain, through the blood of Him of whom it has been spoken by our fathers, who should come to redeem His people from their sins.

Isaiah 1: 18

18.  Come now, and let us reason together, saith The Lord; though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.

3 Nephi 19: 25 (When The Savior Himself appears to the people of the Book of Mormon)

25.  And it came to pass that Jesus blessed them as they did pray unto Him; and His countenance did smile upon them, and the light of His countenance did shine upon them, and behold they were as white as the garments of Jesus; and behold the whiteness thereof did exceed all the whiteness, yea, even there could be nothing upon earth so white as the whiteness thereof.

White is a symbol of purity and cleanliness according to the cultures of those who kept these records.  Is that a racist statement?  Well, sort of, at least, pretty politically incorrect according to today's standards, but I don't think it was meant that way.

My final argument is this:  I know that The Bible and The Book of Mormon are truly the words of Christ, our Lord.  I echo the words of Nephi back in...

1 Nephi 11: 17

17.  And I said unto him:  I know that He loveth His children; nevertheless, I do not know the meaning of all things.

That's about the best I can do.  If you are troubled by any of these things, please seek The Lord in prayer.  He said,

"Ask, and ye shall receive.  Knock, and it shall be opened unto you."

Peace be with you...

Nephi's Soul, Saved By Grace (2 Nephi 4, part 2)

A scene from Mr. Holland's Opus

Play The Sunset

There is a scene from the movie Mr. Holland's Opus where Mr. Holland is trying to encourage a high school girl who wants to quit the clarinet because she just can't get it, despite lots of practice, to keep trying.  She's wants to play Theme From A Summer Place.  After many mistakes, Mr. Holland has the idea to take her music away from her (because she knows the notes) and have her try to play the music while she envisions what she likes most about herself.  I really like this scene; I think most people do.  She says that she likes her red hair the most because her Dad says it reminds him of the sunset.  Mr. Holland says, "Play the sunset."  The girl closes her eyes and plays the song without a mistake. Mr. Holland was trying to teach her to play, not from the notes on the page, but from her heart, from her soul.

Anudder scene from Opus

I like a Gershwin tune; how 'bout you?  Then there's this udder scene where Mr. Holland advises anudder girl how to sing a Gershwin song.  He explains that she needs to know what the song is about.  She needs to know what the subject in the song is feeling in her gut, and then sing from her gut.  Her rendition made Someone To Watch Over Me one of my favorite songs.

Nephi has just buried his Dad.  His brothers got ticked at him again.  Nephi preached to them again, 'cause that's what Nephi does, but Laman and Lemuel ain't having none of it.  We don't have details of this conversation, but I think it's safe to assume it wasn't pretty.  Nephi wrote down the details, but on his other plates, which were part of the lost 116 pages of translation that Joseph Smith loaned to Martin Harris.

2 Nephi 4: 14-16

14.  For I, Nephi, was constrained to speak unto them, according to His word; for I had spoken many things unto them, and also my father, before his death, many of which sayings are written upon mine other plates; for a more history part are written upon mine other plates.

15.  And upon these I write the things of my soul, and many of the scriptures which are engraven upon the plates of brass.  For my soul delighteth in the scriptures, and my heart pondereth them, and writeth them for the learning and the profit of my children.

16.  Behold, my soul delighteth in the things of The Lord; and my heart pondereth continually upon the things which I have seen and heard.

So, what does Nephi write when he sings from his guts?  2 Nephi 4: 15-35 is known as "The Psalm of Nephi".  I was going to only quote a few verses of this chapter 'cause I figured don't have to write it all down when you can read it for yourselves, which I exhort you to do, but I couldn't not do it.  My heart delights too much in some of these chapters, and chapter 4 is a big one for me.  It teaches such  beautiful truth.

2 Nephi 4: 17-18

17.  Nevertheless, notwithstanding the great goodness of The Lord, in showing me His great and marvelous works, my heart exclaimeth: O wretched man that I am! Yea, my heart sorroweth because of my flesh; my soul grieveth because of mine iniquities.

18.  I am encompassed about, because of the temptations and the sins which do so easily beset me.

Wait a minute, this is Nephi we're talking about, right?  "The temptations and sins which do so easily beset me"?  Nephi? 

Not my favorite style of scripture art, but...

Nephi is pretty upset in these verses.  He must have done something awful.  What did he do?

2 Nephi 4: 26-29

26.  O then, if I have seen so great things, if The Lord in His condescension unto the children of men hath visited men in so much mercy, why should my heart weep and my soul linger in the valley of sorrow, and my flesh waste away, and my strength slacken, because of mine afflictions?

27.  And why should I yield to sin, because of my flesh?  Yea, why should I give way to temptations, that the evil one have place in my heart to destroy my peace and afflict my soul?  Why am I angry because of mine enemy?

28.  Awake, my soul!  No longer droop in sin.  Rejoice, O my heart, and give place no more for the enemy of my soul.

29.  Do not anger again because of my enemies.  Do not slacken my strength because of mine afflictions.

Sounds like Nephi's sin is anger.  Who is he angry at?  His enemy.  Who is his enemy, his brothers?  No, I think he's talking about Satan.  Right?  "No longer droop in sin.  Rejoice, O my heart, and give place no more for the enemy of my soul."  Maybe his original sinful behavior was reacting in anger to his brothers bitter aggression towards him, but I think his regret is that he allowed Satan room in his heart, to bring him down to their level and push the Spirit of The Lord away.

Man, Nephi is such a tower above me.  Yet, we all could be saying this stuff, couldn't we?  Nephi has such a clear understanding of the plan of Salvation, and the pivotal role of The Savior, Jesus Christ in his life.

• Nephi understands the struggle between his flesh (natural man, subject to the effects of the fall of Adam) and his spirit (that part of him that desires nothing but holiness), and does such a masterful job with the struggle over the flesh.
• Nephi acknowledges his weaknesses, and knows he is not above temptation and sin, even though he has had such powerful spiritual witnesses and experiences.
• Nephi knows that Christ will come in less than 600 years, and will, at that time, pay for his sins.  
• Nephi strives not to be perfect, but to be continually forgiven and sanctified by the atonement of Jesus Christ through faith on His name.

These verses, I think, are some of the most profound scriptures we have when it comes to what it means to be Saved By Grace.  Read some more with me...

2 Nephi 4: 19-21

19.  And when I desire to rejoice, my heart groaneth because of my sins; nevertheless, I know in whom I have trusted.

20.  My God hath been my support; he hath led me through mine afflictions in the wilderness; and he hath preserved me upon the waters of the great deep.

21  He hath filled me with His Love, even unto the consuming of my flesh.

Obviously, Nephi does not forget to remember not to forget The Lord's blessings.

2 Nephi 4: 30-35

30.  Rejoice, O my heart, and cry unto The Lord, and say: O Lord, I will praise Thee forever; yea, my soul will rejoice in Thee, my God, and the rock of my salvation.

31.  O Lord, wilt thou redeem my soul?  Wilt thou deliver me out of the hands of mine enemies?  Wilt thou make me that I may shake at the appearance of sin?

32.  May the gates of hell be shut continually before me, because that my heart is broken and my spirit is contrite!  O Lord, wilt thou not shut the gates of Thy righteousness before me, that I may walk in the path of the low valley, that I may be strict in the plain road!

33.  O Lord, wilt thou encircle me around in the robe of Thy righteousness!  O Lord, wilt thou make a way for mine escape before mine enemies!  Wilt thou make my path straight before me!  Wilt thou not place a stumbling block in my way -but that thou wouldst clear my way before me, and hedge not up my way, but the ways of mine enemy.

34.  O Lord, I have trusted in Thee, and I will trust in Thee forever.  I will not put my trust in the arm of flesh; for I know that cursed is he that putteth his trust in the arm of flesh.  Yea, cursed is he that putteth his trust in man or maketh flesh his arm.

35.  Yea, I know that God will give liberally to him that asketh.  Yea, my God will give me, if I ask not amiss; therefore I will lift up my voice unto thee; yea, I will cry unto Thee, my God, the rock of my righteousness.  Behold, my voice shall forever ascend up unto Thee, my rock and mine everlasting God.  Amen.

Yeah, that's me, having a sandwich on top of Mt. Timpanogos, right after I died.

Me

I love the hope in Christ and the Love for my Savior that fills my soul when I read this chapter.  I love how Nephi shows his weaknesses and confesses that he has sins too, so he's someone I can actually relate to, and yet, despite his own perceived challenges, his faith in Jesus, and that He will walk out of that tomb, causes his hope of salvation in God's Kingdom to never diminish.

I've said before that I wish I could be a man like unto Nephi.  While I was talking about Nephi's strength, spirituality, and commitment to obedience as well, what I really admire is his hope in Christ, and how he really gets it; he gets it in his soul.

I say the words of Nephi's prayer along with him:

Wilt Thou make me that I may I shake at the appearance of sin?

Peace be with you...

The heart of Grandpa Lehi (2 Nephi 4, part 1)

Before Lehi waxed old and died in verse 12 of 2nd Nephi 4, he continued to counsel and offer Priesthood Blessings to his family.  After speaking to Laman and Lemuel and Sam and Nephi and Zoram and the sons of Ishmael in chapter 1, Jacob in chapter 2, and Joseph in chapter 3, Lehi calls them all together again for one last effort.

2 Nephi 4: 3

3.  Wherefore, after my father had made an end of speaking concerning the prophecies of Joseph, he called the children of Laman, his sons, and his daughters, and said unto them:  Behold, my sons, and my daughters, who are the sons and the daughters of my first-born, I would that ye should give ear unto my words.

I can picture Lehi, old and gray, his grand kids sitting at his feet.  Lehi will die in 9 more verses, so he must be pretty frail at this time.  He feels a great need to reach out to the sons and daughters of his rebellious sons.  Can you feel his love for them?  Can you feel how he is now confident that his 2 sons will be lost, but doesn't want their kids to suffer because of the failures of their Dads?

2 Nephi 4: 5-7, & part of 9

5.  But behold, my sons and my daughters, I cannot go down to my grave save I should leave a blessing upon you; for behold, I know that if ye are brought up in the way ye should go ye will not depart from it.

6.  Wherefore, if ye are cursed, behold, I leave my blessing upon you, that the cursing may be taken from you and be answered upon the heads of your parents.

7.  Wherefore, because of my blessing The Lord God will not suffer that ye shall perish; wherefore, he will be merciful unto you and unto your seed forever.

9.  ... but in the end thy seed shall be blessed.

Lehi didn't call "Laman and his sons and daughters" together, just the kids.  Maybe he tried and he wouldn't come.  Maybe he knew Laman wouldn't come, and so didn't try.  Or, maybe he was afraid Laman's presence would impede the Spirit of The Lord being felt by the young ones.  And the blessing is interesting too...

"If ye are cursed, behold, I leave my blessing upon you, that the cursing may be taken from you..."

This cursing comes in chapter 5, after Lehi is dead and buried, but Lehi has been shown the future of his posterity.  He knows that some of his grandkids will hold to the gospel of Jesus Christ, and some will rebel against it.  He knows that there is actually a righteous purpose to this, which is to stir up the believers to remember their testimonies, and lean upon their God for strength in their adversity.  Lehi knows that, in about 1000 years from then, all the believers in his family line will be gone, either by war or apostasy.  This is a downer of a story.  Where's the good news.

Here it is...

2 Nephi 4: 7 (again)

7.  Wherefore, because of my blessing The Lord God will not suffer that ye shall perish; wherefore, he will be merciful unto you and unto your seed forever.

And how will this be accomplished?

Like this...

Let's set the way back machine and go back a chapter...


2 Nephi 3: 23-24

23.  Wherefore, because of this covenant thou art blessed; for thy seed shall not be destroyed, for they shall hearken unto the words of the book.

24.  And there shall rise up one mighty among them, who shall do much good, both in word and in deed, being an instrument in the hands of God, with exceeding faith, to work mighty wonders, and do that which is great in the sight of God, unto the bringing to pass much restoration unto the house of Israel, and unto the seed of thy brethren.

That is such a neat scripture to me, because it is prophecy being fulfilled right now, this very minute.

After Lehi spoke to Laman & Lemuel's kids, he counseled and blessed Sam and his posterity.  And then he died.

2 Nephi 4: 12

12.  And it came to pass after my father, Lehi, had spoken unto all his household, according to the feelings of his heart and the Spirit of The Lord which was in him, he waxed old.  And it came to pass that he died, and he was buried.

Goodbye, Lehi:  Husband, Father, Grandfather, Prophet of God.  Thanks for EVERYTHING!!!  I can picture you and your Eternal Companion wrapped in the arms of your Savior's love.

Peace be with you...