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...

Fulfilling Joseph's Promise (2 Nephi 3)

We don't hear much about Lehi's son, Joseph.  He and Sam don't have books of their own in the BOM like their brother Jacob, but that doesn't mean they turned to the dark side or anything.  Chapter 3 in 2nd Nephi is Lehi's speech and blessing for Joseph, his youngest son.

This is actually Israel Blesses Ephraim with the Birthright, by Keith Larson, but I like the image for Lehi and Joseph and Jacob (actually, that means the man standing is Joseph, Israel's son).

Joseph was born during a tough time in Lehi's life.  He tells Joseph that he was born in the "wilderness of mine afflictions" and that he was born in "the days of my greatest sorrows."  It's probably safe to say that Joseph had as rough a time as Jacob did, probably rougher 'cause he was younger.

Can you see the little baby hanging on to his Mom?  I think this is probably Joseph. 

I know Lehi is a wise and wonderful creature, and is trying to give his son comfort, and promised blessings for the future, but if my Dad (if he were a prophet) said this to me, I think I'd freak out:

2 Nephi 3: 3

3.  And now, Joseph, my last-born, whom I have brought out of the wilderness of mine afflictions, may The Lord bless thee forever, for thy seed shall not utterly be destroyed.

"Wait, what did you say?!!"

The Purpose of Life (2 Nephi 2, part 2)

When people see this picture on my computer screen they normally look twice.  At first glance, there's really nothing here that causes them to spend even a whole second on it, other than just to see what I looked like in the summer of '89.  But then it hits them that there is a stream of water and a rock at the top of the picture.  Well, that ain't right.  How'd you do that?

Oh, the picture's upside down.  It doesn't take long to figure out.  So, what have we learned here today, boys and girls?  What wasn't right about the above picture is that it breaks the law, the law of gravity.  It ain't right 'cause you can't break that law.  Like Scotty used to say, "You cannot change the law of physics."

Gravity is a natural law.  There are also eternal laws.  One of these laws is discussed in the next part of our study of 2 Nephi 2.

Opposition in All Things

2 Nephi 2: 11-12

11.  For it must needs be that there is an opposition in all things.  If not so, my first-born in the wilderness [still talking to Jacob], righteousness could not be brought to pass, neither wickedness, neither holiness nor misery, neither good nor bad.  Wherefore, all things must needs be a compound in one; wherefore, if it should be one body it must needs remain as dead, having no life neither death, nor corruption nor incorruption, happiness nor misery, neither sense nor insensibility.

12.  Wherefore, it must needs have been created for a thing of naught; wherefore there would have been no purpose in the end of its creation.  Wherefore, this thing must needs destroy the wisdom of God and his eternal purposes, and also the power and the mercy, and the justice of God.

If I read this correctly, and please comment with your insights as well, OPPOSITION in all things is a necessary part of our mortal experience.  If there were no opposition, we may as well not have come to earth, because there would have been no "end", or "purpose", in its creation.  And what is the purpose of the creation of our world?

Cool picture.

We pause now for a word from The Savior, Jesus Christ:  Moses 1: 39

39.  Behold, this is My work and My glory -to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man.

The purpose for which The Lord created the earth was to bring to pass our chance for Eternal Life.  We are born into a world of tenderness and harshness, of Eternal Truth available at our fingertips, and falseness and wickedness surrounding us in abundance.  We are given a list of things to avoid, and a physical body that thinks it wants those things.  We are given a list of things we should be doing, and a physical body that would rather not.  The choices we make to choose the words of light and life brought to us by the Holy Ghost from our Savior and Redeemer bring us closer to The Lord.  A choice in the other direction will lead us farther away from Him.  Choosing the good part when we are tempted to choose the bad part results in strengthening in us our commitment to follow Christ.  It is the opposition that makes that possible.  If mortality was easy, there wouldn't be any growth.  That reminds me of this song I like by the Indigo Girls.  It's called The Wood Song.  Here's the chorus and the last 2 verses of the song:

But the wood is tired, and the wood is old
And we'll make it fine, if the weather holds
But if the weather holds, we'll have missed the point
That's where I need to go

Sometimes I ask to sneak a closer look
Skip to the final chapter of the book
And then maybe steer us clear from some of the pain it took
To get us where we are this far 

But the question drowns in it's futility
Even I have got to laugh at me
No one gets to miss the storm of what will be
Just holding on for the ride 

2 Nephi 2: 13-16

13.  And if ye shall say there is no sin, ye shall also say there is no righteousness.  And if there be no righteousness there be no happiness.  And if there be no righteousness nor happiness there be no punishment nor misery.  And if these things are not there is no God.  And if there is no God we are not, neither the earth; for there could have been no creation of things, neither to act nor to be acted upon; wherefore, all things must have vanished away.

14.  And now, my sons, I speak unto you these things for your profit and learning; for there is a God, and He hath created all things, both the heavens and the earth, and all things that in them are, both things to act and things to be acted upon.

15.  And to bring about His eternal purposes in the end of man, after he had been created, our first parents, and the beasts of the field and the fowls of the air, and in fine, all things which are created, it must needs be that there was an opposition; even the forbidden fruit in opposition to the tree of life; the one being sweet and the other bitter.

16.  Wherefore, the Lord God gave unto man that he should act for himself.  Wherefore, man could not act for himself save it should be that he was enticed by the one or the other.

Lots of opposites in there.  It would make for an interesting chart, but not today.  Let's look at these verses, and this whole chapter like this:  Why am I here on earth?  According to Lehi:

I am here to gain Eternal Life from my Heavenly Father.  

I (and all of us) lived with Heavenly Father before I was born, in what is known as the "pre-mortal life".  There I learned of my Heavenly Father's plan to help me gain Eternal Life, or Exaltation, as it is sometimes called.  The plan called for God to create bodies for Adam and Eve, put in them their spirits (or what is called in the scriptures as the "breath of life"), and place them in the Garden of Eden.  In the Garden of Eden Adam and Eve made a choice to disobey The Lord's commandment to not partake of the fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and evil in favor of obeying His commandment to multiply and replenish (or fill) the earth.  In eating of the fruit of the tree, they disobeyed The Lord, bringing about "The Fall of Man", a very important event in them and all of us gaining Eternal Life, which cut them and their posterity (that's us) off from Heavenly Father.  Before The Fall, there was no opposition.  After The Fall, Adam and Eve and their posterity had to live by the "sweat of their brow" and put up with mosquitoes and puncture weeds, which would prove to give the most righteous tire a flat.  These next few scriptures explain all of this:

2 Nephi 2: 19-23

19.  And after Adam and Eve had partaken of the forbidden fruit they were driven out of the garden of Eden, to till the earth.

20.  And they have brought forth children; yea, even the family of all the earth.

21.  And the days of the children of men were prolonged, according to the will of god, that they might repent while in the flesh; wherefore, their state became a state of probation, and their time was lengthened, according to the commandments which The Lord God gave unto the children of men.  for He gave commandment that all men must repent; for he showed unto all men that they were lost, because of the transgression of their parents.

22.  And now, behold, if Adam had not transgressed he would not have fallen, but he would have remained in the garden of Eden.  And all things which were created must have remained in the same state in which they were after they were created; and they must have remained forever, and had no end.

23.  And they would have had no children; wherefore they would have remained in a state of innocence, having no joy, for they knew no misery; doing no good, for the knew no sin.

If you are saying to yourself, "I kind of understand that, but then again, I kind of don't," you aren't alone.  If I understood it all myself, I could write a much better explanation.  The next few verses help me to comprendo a lot about Our Heavenly Father's Plan.  They also answer the age old question:  What is the purpose of life?  Are you ready for the whole Purpose of Life to be summed up in 1 verse?

Hold On a Minute!!!

Let's try Google first.  Google knows a lotta stuff.

• 1st on the list is http://www.stevepavlina.com/blog/2005/01/how-to-discover-your-life-purpose-in-about-20-minutes/.  His methods are exciting:

Here’s what to do:

1. Take out a blank sheet of paper or open up a word processor where you can type (I prefer the latter because it’s faster).
2. Write at the top, “What is my true purpose in life?”
3. Write an answer (any answer) that pops into your head. It doesn’t have to be a complete sentence. A short phrase is fine.
4. Repeat step 3 until you write the answer that makes you cry. This is your purpose.

Wow!  That sounds cool.  I wonder what he came up with for his own purpose.  Let's see...:

Here was my final answer: to live consciously and courageously, to resonate with love and compassion, to awaken the great spirits within others, and to leave this world in peace.

• 2nd on the list is from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meaning_of_life:

In Platonism, the meaning of life is in attaining the highest form of knowledge, which is the Idea of the Good, from which all good and just things derive utility and value. Human beings are duty-bound to pursue the good.

The Epicurean meaning of life rejects immortality and mysticism; there is a soul, but it is as mortal as the body. There is no afterlife, yet, one need not fear death, because "Death is nothing to us; for that which is dissolved, is without sensation, and that which lacks sensation is nothing to us."

(Those are just 2 of many points of view of the many isms found at Wikipedia.org.)

If Google doesn't satisfy, you could try these:

You could ask Monty Python

You could as a wise guru

You could ask Chuck Norris

How about let's see what The Lord has to say on the subject.

2 Nephi 2: 24-26

24.  But behold, all things have been done in the wisdom of Him who knoweth all things.

25.  Adam fell that men might be and men are, that they might have joy.

26.  And the Messiah cometh in the fulness of time, that He may redeem the children of men from the fall.  And because that they are redeemed from the fall they have become free forever, knowing good from evil; to act for themselves and not to be acted upon, save it be by the punishment of the law at the great and last day, according to the commandments which God hath given.

The Righteousness of Our Redeemer (2 Nephi 2, part 1)

I feel overwhelmed to start this post on 2nd Nephi 2.  It is so chalk full of delicious truths and is such a beautiful testament to The Savior, Jesus Christ., I fear that I will vastly under-represent this veritable feast of doctrine.  It will take at least 2 posts for this chapter. 

Christ and the Young Child -Carl Bloch

2 Nephi 2 is Lehi's speech to his son, Jacob.  First Lehi acknowledges that Jacob had a rough time growing up in the desert.  Verse 1 tells us that Jacob suffered afflictions and much sorrow in his childhood because of the rudeness of his brothers.  Poor kid.  Well, maybe not so poor...

• Suffered?   Yes
• Afflicted?  Yes
• I feel sorry for Jacob?   No

2 Nephi 2: 2

2.  Nevertheless, Jacob, my firstborn in the wilderness, thou knowest the greatness of God; and he shall consecrate thine afflictions for thy gain.

Whatever Jacob's childhood was like, he chose to hold more tightly to The Lord, and so, knew of His greatness.  Jacob was even given the privilege in his youth of seeing The Savior.

This is "Detail of the Temptation of Christ", by J Kirk Richards.

In Doctrine & Covanents, 20: 22 it says, "He suffered temptations but gave no heed unto them."  The reason I bring that up is because of an important point of doctrine in the next verse...

2 Nephi 2: 3:

3.  Wherefore, thy soul shall be blessed, and thou shalt dwell safely with thy brother, Nephi; and thy days shall be spent in the service of thy God.  Wherefore, I know that thou art redeemed, because of the righteousness of thy Redeemer; for thou has beheld that in the fulness of time He cometh to bring salvation unto men.

The important point is this:  Jacob was a great man, who was faithful, true and obedient.  He was obedient to his father and his Heavenly Father.  He spent his life in the service of his God, and was worthy to receive a visit from The Savior Himself.  Jacob was a righteous man in every sense.  Yet, Jacob will be Saved in the Celestial Kingdom of God and receive Exaltation and Eternal Life, not because of his own righteousness, but because of The Savior's righteousness.  The reason I think this is so important is because I can't compare my life with those of Jacob, Nephi, Lehi, Isaiah, Moses, the Bishop of my own local congregation, or anyone for that matter. What I can do is...

• Choose to hold tightly to The Lord during afflictions
• Spend my life serving in whatever way The Lord would have me
• Understand and know the greatness of God
• And because I, unlike The Savior, do give heed to temptation sometimes, whenever I fall short, repent and try again. (and again, and again, and again, and again, and again.... )

If I can do that, then Lehi can say the same thing of me that he said to Jacob:

Wherefore, I know that thou art redeemed, because of the righteousness of thy Redeemer.

I just snapped this shot of my BOM opened to 2 Nephi 2 and uploaded it.  My haphazard color marking method lacks organization and consistency, but one of the things I try to do is use the color blue to mark verses about Jesus Christ and His Atonement ('cause blue is my favorite).  Verses 5-10 are all blue, as well as verses 25-28 in the other picture.  It's not that you won't find scriptures about The Savior in an orange, red or yellow verse, or even in an unmarked verse, it's just that the blue ones are are those that I go to most when reading of Jesus Christ. 

2 Nephi 2: 4-7

4.  And thou [Jacob] hast beheld in thy youth His glory; wherefore, thou art blessed even as they unto whom He shall minister in the flesh; for the Spirit is the same, yesterday, today, and forever.  And the way is prepared from the fall of man, and salvation is free.

5.  And men are instructed sufficiently that they know good from evil.  And the law is given unto men.  And by the law no flesh is justified; or, by the law men are cut off.  Yea, by the temporal law they were cut off; and also, by the spiritual law they perish from that which is good, and become miserable forever.

6.  Wherefore, redemption cometh in and through the Holy Messiah; for He is full of grace and truth.

7.  Behold, He offereth himself a sacrifice for sin, to answer the ends of the law, unto all those who have a broken heart and a contrite spirit; and unto none else can the ends of the law be answered.

So, let's see...

Verse 4:

• The way is prepared from the fall of man, and salvation is free.

Verse 5:

• Men are instructed sufficiently that they know good from evil.
• It isn't obeying the law (or commandments) that will justify (excuse) us.
• The fall of man removed us from the presence of God.
• Not obeying the commandments increases that distance, and, unless we repent, we will remain that way.
• To remain cut off from God would prevent us from having real joy.

Verse 6:

• Jesus Christ can redeem us from the fall of man, and bring us back into the presence of God.
• Christ is full of grace and truth.  Grace is Christ's willingness to do this for us.  Truth is knowledge of things as they are, and as they were, and as they are to come (from D&C 93: 24).

Verse 7:

• Christ offered Himself to pay the price for the sins of all men in order to answer the ends of the law.
• My own definition of "the ends of the law" is Justice, or the fact that sin must have an eternal consequence.  So, to answer for the demands of justice, Christ offered Himself in our place for those consequences.
• This offering of Our Savior is open to all who have a broken heart and a contrite spirit.  The word contrite means to feel sorrow for one's wrongdoings, and expressing remorse. 
•  The term "broken heart" is our willingness to silence our own will and adopt The Lord's will.  "Willing" doesn't necessarily mean we will always be successful, but we can't let our efforts be without real intent (Moroni 10: 4).

Let's jump ahead to 2 Nephi 31 for a second and read a very groovy verse 13:

13.  Wherefore, my beloved brethren, I know that if ye shall follow The Son, with full purpose of heart, acting no hypocrisy and no deception before God, but with real intent, repenting of your sins, witnessing unto The Father that ye are willing to take upon you the name of Christ, by baptism -yea, by following your Lord and your Savior down into the water, according to His word, behold, then shall ye receive the Holy Ghost; yea, then can ye speak with the tongue of angels, and shout praises unto The Holy One of Israel.

 And then there's this excerpt from a talk about this topic by Bruce D. Porter of the 1st Quorum of the Seventy of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

The Savior’s perfect submission to the Eternal Father is the very essence of a broken heart and a contrite spirit. Christ’s example teaches us that a broken heart is an eternal attribute of godliness. When our hearts are broken, we are completely open to the Spirit of God and recognize our dependence on Him for all that we have and all that we are. The sacrifice so entailed is a sacrifice of pride in all its forms. Like malleable clay in the hands of a skilled potter, the brokenhearted can be molded and shaped in the hands of the Master.  -Bruce D. Porter, LDS General Conference, 2007

-By Carl Bloch

Wherefore!!!

I love the word WHEREFORE in the scriptures.  I think it says a lot.  I also like THEREFORE and AND THUS WE SEE.  So, all that cool stuff up there...

1 Nephi 2: 8

8.  Wherefore, how great the importance to make these things known unto the inhabitants of the earth, that they may know that there is no flesh that can dwell in the presence of God, save it be through the merits, and mercy, and grace of the Holy Messiah, who layeth down His life according to the flesh, and taketh it again by the power of the Spirit, that He may bring to pass the resurrection of the dead, being the first that should rise.

Know it, Love it, Share it.  Right?  Right!

Closing the blast doors

I'll share 1 more verse with you, and then leave the rest for another post.  This verse is very meaty, like Mr. Cow up there. Ain't no way he's jumpin' over the moon.  I can relate.

1 Nephi 2: 10

10.  And because of the intercession for all, all men come unto God; wherefore, they stand in the presence of Him, to be judged of Him according to the truth and holiness which is in Him.  Wherefore, the ends of the law which The Holy One hath given, unto the inflicting of the punishment which is affixed, which punishment that is affixed is in opposition to that of the happiness which is affixed, to answer the ends of the atonement.

I said before that I define "The Ends of the Law" as Justice.  What is "The Ends of the Atonement"?  What does the word "End" mean the way it's used here?  It reminds me of  that tender verse in the New Testament, John 18: 37, where Christ is asked of Pilate, "Art Thou a King then?"  Jesus answered, "To this end was I born."  See also this video with the same title.

• So, "End" must mean purpose.  In other words (for the John scripture), "This is why I came." 
• "End" in my own mind means result.  Like in the expression, "To what end?"  

What's wrong with both?  How about...

• The purpose of the law is for us to choose to follow Christ or not follow Him.
• Breaking the law will result in the punishment, which is affixed.  (and we've all broken it)

• The purpose of the atonement is that the punishment affixed will be given to The Savior.
• The result of the punishment being given to The Savior will affix happiness to us instead.

Here's the scale of Justice and Mercy.  If the mistakes we make in life weigh upon us, the scale will tip toward Justice.

If we repent of our sins and lean on our Savior, he has put something in the Mercy side of the scale that weighs a whole bunch.

I'll close out this post by expressing my love for Jesus Christ. I'm grateful to The Savior for His sacrifice for me, and I'm grateful to His Father for sending him... That must have been very difficult.

His peace be with you...

The heart of Father Lehi (2 Nephi 1)

I started this blog 5 months ago, on October 14th.  When I had the idea of blogging the BOM from start to finish, I knew it would take some time, but I had no idea.  5 months just for the first book, and many to go.  Alma is going to take me a year by itself.  I'm committed, though, so if you feel like continuing with me, please do.  When I get this thing finished, it will be one of the biggest accomplishments of my life.  Hopefully, it will be a legacy I can be proud to leave behind. 

At the beginning of 2nd Nephi there is a short summary written by the prophet Mormon.  It says,

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.

Lehi doesn't die until chapter 4, but he knows  it's coming.  He takes this opportunity to gather his children together and give them his last lecture.  It's one of my mostest favoritest parts of the BOM, especially chapter 2.  So, let's light this candle...

A Choice Land Above All Others

Lehi said in 2 Nephi 1: 5-6

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 had 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.

I says back in Journeyings without murmurings that one of the big reasons Lehi had to leave Jerusalem so secretively, and why Laban couldn't be kept alive, and why Zoram had to go with them, and why they couldn't have any cooking fires while they traveled was because it was vital that nobody followed them or knew where they were going.  I offer this next verse as exhibit Gamma Charlie:

2 Nephi 1: 8

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 over-run the land, that there would be no place for an inheritance.

Later on in Alma or somewheres it says something like: "And no one knew it [that they left Jerusalem and where they went] save themselves only."  I'll bring it up again when I get to it.  I'm forgetting more than I'm remembering not to forget anymore.

On my Dad's side, my family came over from Ireland, Scotland and England in the early 1600's.  My great great whatever Jacob Barney was born in Bradenham, England in 1607 and was a Baptist Minister in the mid 1600's in or around Salem, Massachusetts.  I don't know how or when he actually came over, but may have even been on the Mayflower, which is really cool.   

I do feel that he was, like verse 6 says, "brought by the hand of the Lord." 

And though it was Uncle Jacob and his buddies, and lots of others from other lands just like him, who kicked the crap out of the indigenous peoples of the Americas (It's been estimated that there were 14 million American Indians along the eastern coast of North America before Columbus, and only about 2 million after the American Revolution), these things were prophesied by Lehi way back then.

2 Nephi 1: 10-12

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.

12.  Yea, as one generation passeth to another there shall be bloodsheds, and great visitations among them; wherefore, my sons, I would that ye would remember; yea, I would that ye would hearken unto my words.

Can you hear the pleading love in his words?  I just love Lehi.  He continues...

2 Nephi 1: 13

13.  O that ye would awake; awake from a deep sleep, yea, even from the sleep of hell, and shake off the awful chains by which ye are bound, which are the chains which bind the children of men, that they are carried away captive down to the eternal gulf of misery and woe.

Why are "waking up" and "breaking chains" metaphors for repentance and obedience?  What does Lehi mean by "Sleep of hell?"  I have thought that this kind of sleep means procrastination.  Later in the BOM the words "slumber of death" are used.  Or, maybe sleeping means a failure to do what you know you oughtta be doing.

For Laman:  You know the gospel; you know it is true.  Live it, NOW!

For John Barney:  You know what you should be doing and what you shouldn't be doing.  Live and love the whole Gospel; NOW!  If not now, then when?

And what if you have developed some bad habits while you were sleeping?  What if your sleepiness weakened your resolve to follow The Savior, so that you soon lack the strength to stop sinning?  If someone threatened to chain us down we would fight like mad wolves, but so often we lock those chains around us our own selves.

BREAK THEM!!  HOW?  Lehi is a mortal man, subject to the same temptations as Laman, Lemuel, Nephi or John Barney.  What makes him the kind of man who is awake enough to stay away from those chains, and be the kind of man who is able to warn others about them?

2 Nephi 1: 15

15.  But behold, The Lord hath redeemed my soul from hell; I have beheld His glory, and I am encircled about eternally in the arms of His love.

Lehi understands the gospel and his dependence on his Savior.

2 Nephi 1: 14, 16-21

14.  Awake! and arise from the dust, and hear the words of a trembling parent, whose limbs ye must soon lay down in the cold and silent grave, from whence no traveler can return; a few more days and I go the way of all the earth.

16.  And I desire that ye should remember to observe the statutes and the judgments of The Lord; behold, this hath been the anxiety of my soul from the beginning.

17.  My heart hath been weighed down with sorrow from time to time, for I have feared, lest for the hardness of your hearts The Lord your God should come out in the fulness of His wrath upon you, that ye be cut off and destroyed forever;

19.  O my sons, that these things might not come upon you, but that ye might be a choice and favored people of The Lord.  But behold, His will be done; for His ways are righteousness forever.

Lehi loves his kids.  His understanding of the gospel gives him so much worry for his stubborn kids.  What can he do?  He lectures them, prays for them, and, because he is a man of God and holds the Melchizedek Priesthood, he can offer each of them a father's blessing.

I find these verses so moving.  I can just feel Lehi's love, and his heart breaking.  As a parent, he can't help but hope.  As a prophet, he knows what's coming.

I know you can read these verses for yourself, but I just want to write a couple more down...

2 Nephi 1: 21 & 23

21.  And now that my soul might have joy in you, and that my heart might leave this world with gladness because of you, that I might not be brought down with grief and sorrow to the grave, arise from the dust, my sons, and be men, and be determined in one mind and in one heart, united in all things, that ye may not come down into captivity.

23.  Awake, my sons; put on the armor of righteousness.  Shake off the chains with which ye are bound, and come forth out of obscurity and arise from the dust.

I love my own Dad dearly, but there was always a part of me that wished that he was the kind of Dad that Lehi was, and could have told me to get out of the dirt and be a man when I needed it.  I guess that's what the scriptures are for, huh?  Dad had a few chains on him in mortality, put there by his own self.  He knew they were there, and he knew what they were doing to him, but chose to remain asleep.

Big Finish

Lehi blessed all of his sons, and also Ishmael's sons and Zoram, and their posterity.  To each he exhorted to obey The Lord, lean on The Savior, be faithful.  And, he gave them this promise, which is a principle repeated so many times in the BOM:

2 Nephi 1: 20

20.  And he hath said that:  Inasmuch as ye shall keep my commandments ye shall prosper in the land; but inasmuch as ye will not keep my commandments ye shall be cut off from my presence.

I know that was true for the peoples of the BOM because we can read it right in the narrative of the book.  I also know that it's true for me.  I know that, if I am faithful and obedient, I will prosper in the land.  I'll be ok.  I will always have The Lord with me. 

Same goes for you.  I know it.

Peace be with you...