Book of Mormon Stories - Nephi and His Family Cross the Ocean

Time: 600 BC
Place: The wilderness, the ocean, and the American continents
Reference: 1 Nephi 17, 18
Characters:
Lehi: Father of the family and a prophet.  He enjoys fearlessly preaching repentance to the Jews, receiving death threats, reading books obtained in strange ways, dreaming crazy dreams, trekking through the wilderness, and dwelling in tents.
Sariah: Wife of Lehi and a worried mother.  She enjoys spending time with family, bearing children in the wilderness, matchmaking, and gardening.
Nephi: Legendary younger brother and heroic prophet.  He enjoys archery, playing with swords, building ships, hiking to high mountains, writing poetry, and confounding his brothers.
Sam: Faithful but sometimes forgotten middle child.  He enjoys long walks through the wilderness, campfire stories, sailing, and playing with God's compass.
Laman and Lemuel: The two peas in a pod rebellious older brothers.  They enjoy antagonizing their brothers, eating raw meat, making new friends, dancing with hot women, and uttering tribal cries.
Zoram: Promise-keeping servant of Laban. He enjoys playing hide-and-seek in the dark, hitch hiking, reading in the libraries of Laban, and skinning beasts.
Ishmael: Adventure-seeking Jerusalem father. He enjoys playing matchmaker, listening to stories, going on trips with his family, and building camp fires.
Sons of Ishmael: Strong, rude, party animals. They enjoy bullying, building alliances with others, practicing robe knotting, and arm wrestling. 
Hot daughter of Ishmael: Sweet, spiritual, beautiful woman. She enjoys shopping for clothes, saving people's lives, and being married to Nephi.
Writer: Nephi
Background information: Nephi and his family were commanded to leave Jerusalem before it was destroyed by the Babylonians. After traveling in the wilderness for 8 years, they arrived at the ocean. In this popular story, Nephi builds a ship, confounds his brothers again, and they sail across the ocean and arrive in the promised land despite Laman and Lemuel's attempts to stop their progress.
Previously on Book of Mormon Stories: After Nephi and his brothers brought back Ishmael and his family, Laman and Lemuel and some of the sons of Ishmael tried to rebel and turn back. Thanks to the power of God and Nephi's hot future wife, they were all able to return to Lehi in the wilderness and the day was saved. Lehi had a dream about the Tree of Life which he relayed to his family. Nephi was confused about the dream so went and prayed and an angel of the Lord appeared to him and explained it to him. Now we all know that we need to find this delicious fruit and I graciously let you know that it's right here in the gospel of Jesus Christ ready for you to enjoy. You're welcome. (Click here to read the full story.) 


Our story continues as Lehi and his family continue their journey through the wilderness. We learn that the children of Ishmael marred the children of Lehi which was one thing that Laman and Lemuel did't complain about. Unfortunately, Ishmael died along the way and was buried in the land of Nahom. (To learn about evidence for The Book of Mormon that comes from this, go to this post, point number 5.) 

As they took their journey into the wilderness, Nephi tells us that their women bore children.  They also lived off of raw meat but the Lord blessed them with strength "and they began to bear their journeyings without murmurings." Yuck. I think if this was written from a woman's perspective instead of a man's it would've said: "And it came to pass that my husband is making me eat raw meat while I'm pregnant and breastfeeding in the middle of a wilderness and I'm supposed to be grateful and feel blessed by the Lord. And I esteemeth my husband as crazy and I gave him the silent treatment for 2 weeks."

Eventually they arrived in a land they called Bountiful, "because of its much fruit and also wild honey." Yummy. They pitched their tents there and were "exceedingly rejoiced" to be there at the seashore after their many difficulties. 

After many days, the voice of the Lord came to Nehpi and told him to get into into a mountain. He obeyed and went up there to converse with God because this is now a normal thing for him. The Lord said to him: "Thou shalt construct a ship, after the manner which I shall show thee, that I may carry thy people across these waters." And Nephi, bless his heart, said: "Lord, whither shall I go that I may find ore to molten, that I may make tools to construct the ship after the manner which thou hast shown unto me?" He didn't even question the Lord but just right away was like, "k cool, tell me what to do." What a stud. 

The Lord then told Nephi how to construct the ship and he right away got to work. Unfortunately, Nephi has some really annoying older brothers. Laman and Lemuel found out what he was doing and started making fun of him, saying: "Our brother is a fool, for he thinketh that he can build a ship; yea, and he also thinketh that he can cross these great waters. And thou art like unto our father, led away by the foolish imaginations of his heart;"

 

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

Nephi then testified to his brothers that he had been instructed of God and that they are being thick-headed: "Ye are swift to do iniquity but slow to remember the Lord your God. Ye have seen an angel, and he spake unto you; yea, ye have heard his voice from time to time...but ye were past feeling, that ye could not feel his words...O, then, why is it that ye can be so hard in your hearts? Behold, my soul is rent with anguish because of you, and my heart is pained; I fear lest ye shall be cast off forever."

Surprisingly, Laman and Lemuel weren't happy about being accused of doing iniquity and being cast off forever. They were "desirous to throw [Nephi] into the depths of the sea" but "as they came forth to lay their hands upon [him]" Nephi said to them: "In the name of the Almighty God, I command you that ye touch me not, for I am filled with the power of God, even unto the consuming of my flesh; and whoso shall lay his hands upon me shall wither even as a dried reed." That scared them.

For the next couple of days Laman and Lemuel avoided Nephi out of fear. ("Our brother is insane, for he thinketh he can electrocute us.") The Lord then said to Nephi: "Stretch forth thine hand again unto thy brethren, and they shall not wither before thee, but I will shock them...and this will I do, that they may know that I am the Lord their God." Nephi gladly obeyed and shocked his brothers. Laman and Lemuel were adequately freaked out and humbled. They then acknowledged that God is with Nephi and from that point on they helped him build the ship. 
  
After the ship was finished, everyone loaded in and they set sail. After many days, Nephi's brothers, the sons of Ishmael, and their wives "began to make themselves merry, insomuch that they began to dance, and to sing, and to speak with much rudeness." When he writes "dance" and "sing" here, he's not talking about this:   

He's talking about this:

In a boat. With a bunch of men who haven't showered. Sounds like a party. Whatever they were doing exactly, it wasn't OK and it wasn't in line with the Lord's commandments. 

Nephi started to get nervous and was like "the commandments! the commandments! we need to keep the cOmAnDmEnTs!" The party-goers weren't impressed. "Behold they were angry with me, saying: We will not that our younger brother shall be a ruler over us." And then they proceeded to bind him with cords "and they did treat [him] with much harshness." Nice, right? 

After they bound him, their compass which the Lord had given them stopped working so they didn't know which direction to go. To make matters worse, a huge storm started. For three days they "were driven back upon the waters...and they began to be frightened lest they should be drowned in the sea." Laman and Lemuel threatened anyone who would help Nephi and not even the tears of Nephi's wife or children softened their hearts. 
 
Eventually, Laman and Lemuel realized that there was a higher power at work there and that they were going to die. They released Nephi and he grabbed the compass and started praying to God. "And after I had prayed the winds did cease, and the storm did cease, and there was a great calm."

Nephi guided the ship and after many days they arrived in the promised land (the American continents). There they settled and planted seeds and hunted. And that is how Nephi and his family arrived in Jerusalem. Cool story, right?

Although Nephi went through a lot of hardship, he never complained to the Lord. He trusted in Him and was willing to obey Him even when it seemed crazy or hard. Nephi is a prime example of keeping the commandments and we can all learn from him.

Next time on Book of Mormon Stories we will learn how the problems between Nephi and his brothers escalated until they separated and grew into two huge civilizations that battled each other for 1000 years. Talk about sibling rivalry.

"If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father’s commandments, and abide in his love"(John 15:10). 

Amen.

Book of Mormon Stories - The Tree of Life

Time: 600 BC
Place: Jerusalem and the surrounding wilderness
Reference: 1 Nephi 7,8,11,12
Characters:
Lehi: Father of the family and a prophet.  He enjoys fearlessly preaching repentance to the Jews, receiving death threats, reading books obtained in strange ways, dreaming crazy dreams, trekking through the wilderness, and dwelling in tents.
Sariah: Wife of Lehi and a worried mother.  She enjoys spending time with family, bearing children in the wilderness, matchmaking, and gardening.
Nephi: Legendary younger brother and heroic prophet.  He enjoys archery, playing with swords, building ships, hiking to high mountains, writing poetry, and confounding his brothers.
Sam: Faithful but sometimes forgotten middle child.  He enjoys long walks through the wilderness, campfire stories, sailing, and playing with God's compass.
Laman and Lemuel: The two peas in a pod rebellious older brothers.  They enjoy antagonizing their brothers, eating raw meat, making new friends, dancing with hot women, and uttering tribal cries.
Zoram: Promise-keeping servant of Laban. He enjoys playing hide-and-seek in the dark, hitch hiking, reading in the libraries of Laban, and skinning beasts.
Ishmael: Adventure-seeking Jerusalem father. He enjoys playing matchmaker, listening to stories, going on trips with his family, and building camp fires.
Sons of Ishmael: Strong, rude, party animals. They enjoy bullying, building alliances with others, practicing robe knotting, and arm wrestling. 
Hot daughter of Ishmael: Sweet, spiritual, beautiful woman. She enjoys shopping for clothes, saving people's lives, staring at hot boys, and batting her eyes at Nephi.
Writer: Nephi
Background information: This is a popular story in the Book of Mormon. This story teaches us about God's love for all of us and what more we can do to come closer to Him. It also teaches us about the danger of temptation and the importance to hold fast to what we believe.
Previously on Book of Mormon Stories: Nephi and his brothers were commanded to return to Jerusalem to obtain the brass plates. Nephi was adamant about keeping the commandments and knew of the blessings that come from it. Along the way he learned an even deeper lesson on keeping the commandments. He slew Laban, took the brass plates, and brought a new friend, Zoram, back to Jerusalem with them. They all rejoiced to be able to have the scriptures with them in their travels. (click here to read the full story) 


After Nephi, Laman, Lemuel, and Sam's arduous journey to Jerusalem and back to get the brass plates, the Lord once again commanded them to return to Jerusalem. The Lord needed them to return to bring Ishmael and his family into the wilderness so that Lehi's children could have someone to marry. It's interesting to note that no complaining took place this time. The sons gladly hiked back to Jerusalem to get some hot wives.

"And it came to pass that we went up unto the house of Ishmael, and we did gain favor in the sight of Ishmael, insomuch that we did speak unto him the words of the Lord. And it came to pass that the Lord did soften the heart of Ishmael, and also his household, insomuch that they took their journey with us down into the wilderness to the tent of our father." 

As they were travelling back, "behold Laman and Lemuel, and two of the daughters of Ishmael, and the two sons of Ishmael and their families, did rebel against us." Oh how surprising: his brothers are rebelling again. They wanted to go back to Jerusalem instead of going on a crazy trip into the wilderness. Nephi tried to testify and be like "guys..commandments..promised blessings..you saw an angel..Why aren't you guys getting this?!" Laman and Lemuel weren't impressed and they proceeded to bind Nephi with chords and leave him there to die. But faithful Nephi prayed to God and God loosed the bands so that he could stand and continue preaching. Then his brothers were super angry, but one of Ishmael's daughters and her mother and brother all pleaded for them to spare his life. They then realized that they were being jerks and asked for forgiveness and they continued on their way. A few chapters later, Nephi married this cute, brave daughter of Ishmael. ("And it came to pass that I, Nephi, took one of the daughters of Ishmael to wife...And also, I, Nephi, had been blessed of the Lord exceedingly" "because I have a hot wife" [1 Nephi 16:7-8].) 

After they had all been travelling in the wilderness together, Lehi came to his family one morning and told them he had had a dream. Super. Lehi's dreams are so fun. He told them that in his dream, he saw a "large and spacious field...And I also beheld a strait and narrow path, which came along by the rod of iron, even to the tree by which I stood...And I saw numberless concourses of people, many of whom were pressing forward, that they might obtain the path which led unto the tree by which I stood." So there are tons of people in this huge field who are holding on to this rod of iron trying to get to this tree. 

Why is this tree so important? "And it came to pass that I did go forth and partake of the fruit thereof; and I beheld that it was most sweet, above all that I ever before tasted.. And as I partook of the fruit thereof it filled my soul with exceedingly great joy.." 

It made him so happy that he wanted his family to have some too. He gestured to his family to come eat the fruit and Sariah, Sam, and Nephi did and they were also filled with joy. But when he beckoned Laman and Lemuel to come, they did not. Instead, they were on the other side of a river in a "great and spacious building...And it was filled with people, both old and young, both male and female; and their manner of dress was exceedingly fine; and they were in the attitude of mocking and pointing their fingers towards those who had come at and were partaking of the fruit."

There were lots of other people there other than the ones in the building and the ones eating the fruit. There were some who would hang on to the rod for a while but eventually let go and were lost in the darkness. Others actually partook of the fruit but then were ashamed because of those laughing at them so they left the tree and were lost. Many were wandering around in the darkness, either making their way towards the great and spacious building or simply not knowing where to go and were also lost.

The number of those actually on the iron rod was few, but they were strong and knew what they wanted and where they were headed. "And great was the multitude that did enter into that strange building. And after they did enter into that building they did point the finger of scorn at me and those that were partaking of the fruit also; but we heeded them not."

Now you may be wondering, what does this all mean? So were Nephi and his brothers. Nephi went and prayed to the Lord and the Spirit of the Lord appeared to him and told him what the things in Lehi's dream meant. Here I will give you a cheat sheet of what the elements in the dream symbolize. 

Tree of Life: The love of God "Yea, it is the love of God, which sheddeth itself abroad in the hearts of the children of men; wherefore, it is the most desirable above all things.. Yea, and the most joyous to the soul."

Rod of iron: The word of God.

The mists of darkness: The temptations of the devil, "which blindeth the eyes, and hardeneth the hearts of the children of men, and leadeth them away into broad roads, that they perish and are lost."

River: The depths of hell. Ouch.

The great and spacious building: The pride of the world. "And it fell, and the fall thereof was exceedingly great...Thus shall be the destruction of all nations, kindreds, tongues, and people, that shall fight against the twelve apostles of the Lamb."

I love the story of the tree of life. I have tasted of the fruit and I know that it is so desirable above all else. Maybe there is a huge great and spacious building with fingers pointing at me and mocking me for my beliefs but I know what I have felt and seen and I know that this is true. I want others to be able to have it as well. That is why I am a missionary and I go and teach others about the gospel of Jesus Christ. There are so many people out there who are lost and don't know where to go. I am trying to find those who are willing to come to the iron rod so that they can be brought to the love of God and enjoy the fullness of His gospel. This gospel is the only way and it brings me so much joy and happiness. Nothing in that great and spacious building can even compare to the incredible love of God and gospel of Jesus Christ. I know that as we all hold on to the iron rod by reading our scriptures, praying, going to church, keeping the commandments, and heeding the words of the prophets and apostles, we can all make it to the tree of life and rejoice together. 

"And moreover, I would desire that ye should consider on the blessed and happy state of those that keep the commandments of God. For behold, they are blessed in all things, both temporal and spiritual; and if they hold out faithful to the end they are received into heaven, that thereby they may dwell with God in a state of never-ending happiness. O remember, remember that these things are true; for the Lord God hath spoken it"(Mosiah 2:41).


Amen.

Book of Mormon Stories - Nephi and His Brothers Get the Brass Plates

Time: 600 BC
Place: Jerusalem and the surrounding wilderness
Reference: 1 Nephi 2,3,4,5
Characters:
Lehi: Father of the family and a prophet.  He enjoys fearlessly preaching repentance to the Jews, receiving death threats, reading books obtained in strange ways, dreaming crazy dreams, trekking through the wilderness, and dwelling in tents.
Sariah: Wife of Lehi and a worried mother.  She enjoys spending time with family, bearing children in the wilderness, matchmaking, and gardening.
Nephi: Legendary younger brother and heroic prophet.  He enjoys archery, playing with swords, building ships, hiking to high mountains, writing poetry, and confounding his brothers.
Sam: Faithful but sometimes forgotten middle child.  He enjoys long walks through the wilderness, campfire stories, sailing, and playing with God's compass.
Laman and Lemuel: The two peas in a pod rebellious older brothers.  They enjoy antagonizing their brothers, eating raw meat, making new friends, dancing with hot women, and uttering tribal cries.
Laban: Grumpy nobleman who's a descendant of "Joseph and the amazing, technicolor  dream coat." He enjoys family history, treasure hunts, commanding armies, partying with his brethren, sword fighting, and wine tasting.
Zoram: Promise-keeping servant of Laban. He enjoys playing hide-and-seek in the dark, hitch hiking, reading in the libraries of Laban, and skinning beasts.
Writer: Nephi
Background information: This story teaches us some great principles: the need to pray and ask God to receive answers, the blessings from keeping the commandments, and the importance of trusting God even if we don't understand.
Previously on Book of Mormon Stories: Lehi received a vision from God that Jerusalem was going to be destroyed. After unsuccessfully preaching to the people, he and his family were commanded to leave Jerusalem and depart into the wilderness. Two of his sons, Laman and Lemuel, complained a lot against their father because they did not believe that God had commanded them to leave. Nephi was probably similarly upset but we will see what Nephi does different that helps him to receive a testimony that Lehi really had been commanded of God. (click here to read the full story)


Nephi is a funny guy. You get to see a bit more of the character of him in this story. He starts off by saying in verse 16 of chapter 2, "I, Nephi, being exceedingly young, nevertheless being large in stature, and also having great desires to know of the mysteries of God.." So here we learn what's important to Nephi: that he's a big, buff dude and that he's curious about God. Great. Next he says that "I did cry unto the Lord; and behold he did visit me, and did soften my heart that I did believe all the words which had been spoken by my father; wherefore, I did not rebel against him like unto my brothers." Hold on. He prayed and received an answer from God. You mean all you have to do is pray and God will answer you? Crazy! It's not like we're told that a million times in the scriptures. Nephi was able to receive an answer from God because he asked in faith and really wanted to know. God doesn't always pay us personal visits, but He always answers our prayers.

The Lord then gave Nephi a promise that becomes a repeating theme throughout The Book of Mormon: "And inasmuch as ye shall keep my commandments, ye shall prosper, and shall be led to a land of promise; yea, even a land which I have prepared for you; yea, a land which is choice above all other lands" He's also told, "And inasmuch as thou shalt keep my commandments, thou shalt be made a ruler and a teacher over thy brethren." What exceedingly young and large in stature guy doesn't want to be led to a land of promise or be a ruler over his brethren? Sign me up!

As soon as Nephi was told that he will be blessed if he keeps the commandments, his father came to him and told him that the Lord commanded that Nephi and his brothers should return to Jerusalem and obtain a record on brass plates. This record was owned by a man named Laban and had the genealogy of Lehi's forefathers and records of ancient prophets. Lehi and his family had just traveled for probably over a month in the wilderness and now the sons were told to go back because their crazy dad received yet another vision that they have to go back and get scriptures from a rich, powerful, blood-thirsty nobleman. Sounds super fun. Nephi's brothers were understandably less than excited. Nephi, on the other hand, was ecstatic. "A commandment? Did you just say commandment? The Lord just barely told me that I need to obey those!!" He then proudly said to his father, "I will go and do the things which the Lord hath commanded, for I know that the Lord giveth no commandments unto the children of men, save he shall prepare a way that they may accomplish the thing which he commandeth them." And just like that he convinced his brothers to come with and they all headed back to Jerusalem.

When they arrived in Jerusalem, they cast lots (pick up the unlucky stick) and Laman was chosen to go to the house of Laban and ask for the plates. (Laman is Nephi's murmuring brother. Laban is the nobleman. Don't confuse the "M" and "B") Laman strolled into Laban's palace and was like, "Hey sorry man but God told my dad that I need to take your brass plates off your hands.. sorry I think he's crazy too but my brother is having a heart-attack about keeping the commandments." Laban was not impressed and tried to kill him so Laman ran away. 

For their next attempt to obtain the record, Nephi and his brothers decided to go back to their old home and gather up "our gold, and our silver, and our precious things" to trade Laban in exchange for the brass plates. Once again Laban tried to kill them and he stole their stuff. 

Laman and Lemuel were ticked. They had been almost killed (twice now for Laman) and now all their valuables were gone. They yelled at their younger brothers, Sam and Nephi, "and they did smite us even with a rod." Ouch. "And it came to pass as they smote us with a rod, behold, an angel of the Lord came and stood before them, and he spake unto them, saying: Why do ye smite your younger brother with a rod?" I wish an angel had appeared to my older siblings when they smote me. But that's beside the point. Anyway, Laman and Lemuel ceased their smiting after being chastised by the angel. They were still upset and didn't believe that God could help them but Nephi was like, "Seriously? You just saw an angel! And we need to keep the commandments!" 

Nephi then decided to try this own his own without his brothers. "And I was led by the Spirit, not knowing beforehand the things which I should do." He crept into the city into the house of Laban. He saw a man laying on the ground and approached him. "I beheld a man, and he had fallen to the earth before me, for he was drunken with wine. And when I came to him I found that it was Laban." This is another funny moment with Nephi. He just barely noted that it's Laban when he saw Laban's shiny sword. He then gives us a full verse about how cool Laban's shiny sword is: "And I beheld his sword... and the hilt thereof was of pure gold; and the workmanship thereof was exceedingly fine, and I saw that the blade thereof..." Such a guy.  

The Spirit then nudged Nephi to remind him that he's standing over the unarmed, drunk man who has the plates and had tried to kill him. The Spirit next commanded Nephi to kill Laban. Nephi, understandably, freaked out a bit. "What!? But that's against the commandments and you said not to break them!" The Spirit then told him that "the Lord slayeth the wicked to bring forth his righteous purposes. It is better that one man should perish than that a nation should dwindle and perish in unbelief." Nephi then realized that if he is to inherit the promised land, his children will need the commandments which are on the brass plates. If he doesn't follow the commandment to kill Laban, he can't obtain the brass plates, and if he doesn't obtain them then his children won't know the commandments. If Nephi doesn't kill Laban to obtain the record then he won't be obeying God's commandments. A-hah! Finally understanding, Nephi took Laban's shiny sword and killed him. Then he dressed up as Laban and went in search of the brass plates. 

Along the way, he met one of Laban's servants, Zoram. Zoram thought Nephi was Laban so he took him to the brass plates. After Nephi obtained the plates, he took Zoram with him to his brothers outside the city walls. As they approached, his brothers got scared and started to run away because they thought Nephi was Laban, but Nephi called out to let them know it was him. Zoram then started to tremble and run away but Nephi, the young but large in stature guy, grabbed him. He promised Zoram with an oath that if he will follow them, he will live and he can be part of their family and go to the promised land. Zoram vowed that he would stay with them and the five of them 
returned to their parents in the wilderness with 
the brass plates. 

Their mother, Sariah, had thought they had all died so she was extremely relieved when they returned. They gave thanks to God. Nephi ended by reminding us about the whole commandment thing and how obedient he had been: "And it came to pass that thus far I and my father had kept the commandments wherewith the Lord had commanded us." Good job, Nephi.



Nephi learned the importance of keeping all the commandments of God even when he didn't understand or when no one else wanted to. Obeying God isn't popular. Most of the world thinks that obedience to God's commandments limits us and makes us dumb sheep. On the other hand, it blesses and frees us. Nephi was in a scary situation and he could've easily given up, but if he didn't do as the Lord commanded then he would've lost the promises and blessings associated with obedience. We need to trust that God knows best and that if we do as He asks, He will help and protect us and bless us.

Proverbs 3:5-6 "Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths."

Amen.

Book of Mormon Stories - Lehi and His Family Leave Jerusalem

Time: 600 BC
Place: Jerusalem 
Reference: 1 Nephi 1-2
Characters:
Lehi: Father of the family and a prophet.  He enjoys fearlessly preaching repentance to the Jews, receiving death threats, reading books obtained in strange ways, dreaming crazy dreams, trekking through the wilderness, and dwelling in tents.
Sariah: Wife of Lehi and a worried mother.  She enjoys spending time with family, bearing children in the wilderness, matchmaking, and gardening.
Nephi: Legendary younger brother and heroic prophet.  He enjoys archery, playing with swords, building ships, hiking to high mountains, writing poetry, and confounding his brothers.
Sam: Faithful but sometimes forgotten middle child.  He enjoys long walks through the wilderness, campfire stories, sailing, and playing with God's compass.
Laman and Lemuel: The two peas in a pod rebellious older brothers.  They enjoy antagonizing their brothers, eating raw meat, making new friends, dancing with hot women, and uttering tribal cries.
Writer: Nephi
Background information: This is perhaps one of the most well-known stories in The Book of Mormon.  Not because it's super inspiring (although it is) but because it's at the very beginning of the book.  Many people, including myself, have tried many times to read The Book of Mormon and then gave up about 20 chapters in.  Then we'd try again a few months later and the same thing would happen.  And that's why this story is so well-known among the Mormons. I've now read it completely a few times, but when I was younger it was hard to read such a long book so I've read these first few chapters more than any other chapter. Good thing it's a great story!


The record starts out with Nephi introducing himself.  "I, Nephi, having been born of goodly parents, therefore I was taught somewhat in all the learning of my father; and having seen many afflictions in the course of my days, nevertheless having been highly favored of the Lord in all my days; yea, having had a great knowledge of the goodness and the mysteries of God, therefore I make a record of my proceedings in my days. Yea, I make a record in the language of my father, which consists of the learning of the Jews and the language of the Egyptians.  And I know that the record which I make is true; and I make it with mine own hand; and I make it according to my knowledge."

Alright thanks for that great intro, Nephi. What did he just say? That he has great parents who taught him well, he's been through a lot but the Lord has helped him, and he has gained for himself a witness and knowledge of God. He lets us know he's writing this in the language of the Egyptians. Then he bears testimony that he knows that his record is true. So this record is true, by the way, because Nephi said so.

Nephi then tells us that it is currently during the time of the reign of Zedekiah, King of Judah, and that lots of prophets have been telling the people to repent or else Jerusalem will be destroyed. The people aren't listening so Nephi's dad, Lehi, gets concerned and decides to go pray to God in behalf of the people.

As Lehi prayed to God, "there came a pillar of fire and dwelt upon a rock before him; and he saw and heard much..." The vision caused him to quake and tremble and he was overcome.  Then he was carried away in a vision and saw Christ and His twelve disciples, he read a book that an angel gave to him, and he cried, "Wo, wo unto Jerusalem, for I have seen thine abominations!" Lehi then proceeded to praise the Lord and rejoice because of the things which the Lord had shown him. 

And just like that, Lehi became a prophet.  Apparently seeing Christ, reading the book of life, and praising God is one way to become a prophet. Lehi went out and started prophesying to the people about the things which he had seen and heard. "And it came to pass that the Jews did mock him because of the things which he testified of their wickedness..."  Surprisingly people don't like to be told that they're living their lives wrong. The Jews got mad and tried to kill him but he escaped.

The Lord came to Lehi in a dream telling him that he's blessed for obeying God but unfortunately now the people want to kill him so he needs to "take his family and depart into the wilderness." Lehi was obedient so he did so and took his grumbling family into the wilderness and "left his house...and his gold, and his silver...and took nothing with him save it were his family, and provisions..."  

Lehi and his wife, Sariah, and their sons, Laman, Lemuel, Sam, and Nephi traveled many days in the wilderness. Laman and Lemuel are referred to as being "stiffnecked." They weren't very happy about having to leave their friends and riches in Jerusalem because of the "foolish imaginations of [Lehi's] heart." I can't say I blame them. I would be ticked if my dad told me we all had to leave our stuff and go travel through the wilderness because God told him so. Laman and Lemuel didn't believe that Jerusalem would be destroyed and complained ("but Daaad!") but Lehi scolded them until "they durst not utter against him;" 

This part of the story ends with: "And my father dwelt in a tent." Fun stuff. Lehi likes tents.


So we covered who Lehi is, why he left Jerusalem, and the beginning of Laman and Lemuel's "murmuring." Next time, we'll learn how Nephi felt about leaving Jerusalem and what he did differently from Laman and Lemuel so that he knew that Lehi was actually commanded of the Lord and he wasn't just nuts.

Book of Mormon Stories

Now that I've explained a bit about what The Book of Mormon is, I'm going to start a post series called "Book of Mormon Stories."  I'll start at the beginning of The Book of Mormon and every couple weeks post another story from it.  The Bible has stories such as Noah and the Ark, Moses, Job, Jonah and the Whale, Daniel and the Lions, etc.  The Book of Mormon has fun stories as well. We learn a lot from these stories which is why I'd like to start posting Book of Mormon stories so that we can all learn more about God together.

Stay tuned for the very first Book of Mormon story tomorrow!