Book of Mormon – Gospel
Doctrine – Lesson 2 - “All Things According to His Will”
Sherwood Hills, January 12,
2012
Reading
A – Elder Bruce R. McConkie said: Either the Book of Mormon is true, or it is
false; either it came from God, or it was spawned in the infernal realms. It declares plainly that all men must accept
it as pure scripture or they will lose their souls. It is not and cannot be simply another
treatise on religion; it either came from heaven or hell. And it is time for all those who seek salvation
to find out for themselves whether it is of the Lord or of Lucifer. (Bruce R.
McConkie, C.R., October 1983
1) Introduction
a) Prior to 600 BC
i)
After the death
of Solomon, his son, Rehoboam, was an oppressive king
ii) This caused the children of Israel to split into two
groups – about 975 BC
(1) The Kingdom of Judah – the Southern Kingdom –
comprised of the tribes of Judah and Benjamin
(2) The Kingdom of Israel – the Northern Kingdom –
comprised of the other ten tribes
iii) This split continued for over 200 years until the
Northern Kingdom was conquered by the Assyrians because its kings and people
were wicked.
(1) The 10 tribes were taken into captivity and never
returned – still the 10 lost tribes today
iv) The Kingdom of Judah continued, with some righteous
kings and some not so righteous
b) Babylon and Egypt
i)
Babylon becomes
the greatest military power in the region
ii) Egypt was formerly militarily dominant, but that
strength is gone
(1) Egypt had formerly exercised political control over
Israel
iii) Egypt is a wealthy and cultured country. Its culture is well-established among the
Jews. Merchants from Jerusalem regularly
travel to Egypt to trade.
c) Jerusalem – 600 BC
i)
TURN TO Map 11 –
Medo-Babylonian Realms
ii) Jerusalem is in an important corridor between Babylon
and Egypt
(1) Israel comes under the Babylonian sphere of influence
(2) Babylon had carried off some of the people of Israel
into captivity prior to this time, but most were still living in Israel
iii) Zedekiah is a puppet king of Israel – put in place by
Babylon
(1) There were two opposing factions in Israel
(a)
Pro-Babylonian
(b)
Pro-Egyption
(2) Zedekiah is conspiring with Pharaoh to ally with Egypt
(3) Jeremiah, Ezekiel and many other prophets, including
Lehi are prophesying that terrible things will happen to the people of
Jerusalem. Jeremiah warns against an
alliance with Egypt
d) Jerusalem – Post 600
i)
Lehi and his
family leave Jerusalem in the 1st year of the reign of Zedekiah
ii) In the 9th year, Nebuchadrezzar lead the
Babylonian armies lay siege to Jerusalem
(1) Great loss of life among the Jews
iii) Jerusalem falls in the 11th year
iv) The temple of Solomon is destroyed, Jerusalem is
destroyed
v) The children of Israel are taken into captivity
(1) One son of Zedekiah, Mulek, escapes and leads a group
of people, the Mulekites, to the new world.
They are found in the city of Zarahemla during the reign of King Mosiah.
(2) Zedekiah tries to flee, but he is captured. Jeremiah records (chapter 52) that
Nebuchadrezzar kills all of the sons of Zedekiah as Zedekiah watches, then
orders that Zedekiah’s eyes be put out.
He taken to Babylon, cast into prison until he dies.
(3) After 70 years, Cyrus, king of Persia, who had
conquered Babylon, comes to know the prophet Daniel, will order the
reconstruction of Jerusalem and will release the Jews from captivity.
(4) Over 80% of the Jews never returned from captivity and
were lost
2) Beginning the Book of Mormon
a) Reading 1 – 1 Nephi 1:1-3
1 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.
2
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.
3
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.
i)
Structure of this
introduction to Nephi’s spiritual journal is interesting
(1) It is a colophon – typical Egyptian
literary device to begin a composition
(a)
The name of the
author
(b)
The names of the
parents or something about them, often with a special mention of the father
(c)
A curse upon
anyone who changes the writing or something else to attest to its truthfulness.
(d)
A statement that
the composition is made with the author’s own hand
(2) Apply the colophon structure to Nephi’s words
(a)
I, Nephi – identifies the author – verse 1
(b)
Born of
goodly parents, taught the learning of my father – verse 1
(c)
I know that
the record which I make is true . . . and I make it according to my knowledge – verse 3
(d)
I make it
with mine own hand – verse 3
ii) Egyptian Language
(1) Verse 2 - I make a record in the language of my
father, which consists of the learning of the Jews and the
language of the Egyptians.
(2) ASK – What was the language of the Jews? – Hebrew
(3) Reading 2 – Mormon 9:32 – Moroni speaking
(a)
32 And now,
behold, we have written this record according to our knowledge, in the
characters which are called among us the reformed
Egyptian, being handed down and altered
by us, according to our manner of speech.
(b)
ASK – What
language was the Book of Mormon written in? – Reformed Egyptian
(c)
ASK – Why was it
written in this language and not in Hebrew?
(i) Egyptian was the language of commerce at this time.
(ii) Putting together some clues, it appears that Lehi may
have been a merchant, perhaps traveling and trading in Egypt, so he would have
known Egyptian and his sons either learned it in Jerusalem or from their
father.
(d)
Reading 3 – Hugh
Nibley has written:
“’We now realize that
the ancient Jews could write quickly and boldly (in Hebrew), in an artistic
flowing hand, with the loving penmanship of those who enjoy writing.’ And the
Nephites got rid of this to learn in its place the most awkward, difficult, and
impractical system of writing ever devised by man! Why all the trouble? Simply
to save space. What space? Space on valuable plates. . . . when [Book of
Mormon] historians became cramped for space . . . they saw the advantage of continuing
to write in Egyptian. And the Egyptian characters can only have been preserved
for their use because the language was also preserved…” (Hugh Nibley, Lehi in
the Desert and The World of the Jaredites, pp. 16-17)
b) All of this flows out of the first three verses
that Joseph Smith translated.
Did 21-year-old Joseph know about colophons? Did Joseph know about the use of the
Egyptian language in Israel at this time? Did Joseph know anything about Egyptian
characters?
3) Lehi Leaves Jerusalem
a) Reading 4 – 1 Nephi 1:4-14
4
For it came to pass in the commencement of the first year of the reign of
Zedekiah, king of Judah, (my father, Lehi, having dwelt at Jerusalem in all his
days); and in that same year there came many prophets,
prophesying unto the people that they must repent, or the great city Jerusalem
must be destroyed.
5
Wherefore it came to pass that my father, Lehi, as he went forth prayed unto
the Lord, yea, even with all his heart, in behalf of his people.
6
And it came to pass as he prayed unto the Lord, there came a pillar of fire and
dwelt upon a rock before him; and he saw and heard much; and because of the
things which he saw and heard he did quake and tremble exceedingly.
7
And it came to pass that he returned to his own house at Jerusalem; and he cast
himself upon his bed, being overcome with the Spirit and the things which he
had seen.
8
And being thus overcome with the Spirit, he was carried away in a vision, even
that he saw the heavens open, and he thought he saw God sitting upon his throne,
surrounded with numberless concourses of angels in the attitude of singing and
praising their God.
9
And it came to pass that he saw One descending out of the midst of heaven, and
he beheld that his luster was above that of the sun at noon-day.
10
And he also saw twelve others following him, and their brightness did exceed
that of the stars in the firmament.
11 And they came down and went forth upon the face of the earth; and
the first came and stood before my father, and gave unto him a book, and bade
him that he should read.
12
And it came to pass that as he read, he was filled with the Spirit of the Lord.
13
And he read, saying: Wo, wo, unto Jerusalem, for I have seen thine
abominations! Yea, and many things did my father read concerning Jerusalem—that
it should be destroyed, and the inhabitants thereof; many should perish by the
sword, and many should be carried away captive into Babylon.
14
And it came to pass that when my father had read and seen many great and
marvelous things, he did exclaim many things unto the Lord; such as: Great and
marvelous are thy works, O Lord God Almighty! Thy throne is high in the
heavens, and thy power, and goodness, and mercy are over all the inhabitants of
the earth; and, because thou art merciful, thou wilt not suffer those who come
unto thee that they shall perish!
b) ASK – How did the Jews respond to this great
vision? Did they thank Lehi for warning
them about the dangers of being carried into Babylon?
c) Reading 5 – 1 Nephi 1:19-20
19 And it came to pass that the Jews did mock him because of the things
which he testified of them; for he truly testified of their wickedness and
their abominations; and he testified that the things which he saw and heard,
and also the things which he read in the book, manifested plainly of the coming
of a Messiah, and also the redemption of the world.
20 And when the Jews heard these things they were angry with him; yea,
even as with the prophets of old, whom they had cast out, and stoned, and
slain; and they also sought his life, that they might take it away. But behold,
I, Nephi, will show unto you that the tender mercies of the Lord are over
all those whom he hath chosen, because of their faith, to make them mighty even
unto the power of deliverance.
d) ASK – Why do people react this way to prophets and
prophesy?
e) ASK – How can we avoid making the same mistake?
f)
DISCUSS – Pres.
Hinckley’s request that women and girls not wear multiple sets of earrings
g) Departure
i)
READ - 1 Nephi
2:2-4 –
2 And it came to pass that the Lord commanded my father,
even in a dream, that he should take his family and depart into the
wilderness.
3 And it came to pass that he was obedient unto the word of the Lord,
wherefore he did as the Lord commanded him.
4 And it came to pass that he *departed into the wilderness.
ii) Another indication that Lehi may have been a merchant
– no big deal to organize a long trip for a big group of people
iii) The Lord often saves the righteous by taking them into
the wilderness
(1) Moses
(2) Jaredites
(3) Brigham Young
iv)
In the
wilderness, we are completely dependent on God
v)
Wilderness has a
cleansing effect – Jesus fasted for 40 days in the wilderness prior to
beginning His ministry
4) In the Wilderness
a) Family traveled through the wilderness down to the Red
Sea and three days farther (1 Nephi 2:5-6)
i)
About 200 miles
from Jerusalem
5)
First Trip back
to Jerusalem
a)
Reading 6 – 1
Nephi 3:1-4
1 And it came to pass that I, Nephi, returned from
speaking with the Lord, to the tent of my father.
2
And it came to pass that he spake unto me, saying: Behold I have dreamed a
dream, in the which the Lord hath commanded me that thou and thy brethren shall
return to Jerusalem.
3
For behold, Laban hath the record of the Jews and also a genealogy of my
forefathers, and they are engraven upon plates of brass.
4 Wherefore, the Lord hath commanded me that thou and thy brothers
should go unto the house of Laban, and seek the records, and bring them down
hither into the wilderness.
i)
ASK – Did the
Lord know that Lehi and his family would need the plates before they left
Jerusalem? Why didn’t He have them get
the plates before they left?
ii)
ASK – Is this the
only time that trips through the wilderness have not been very efficient?
(1)
Moses and the
children of Israel – 40 years
(2)
Zions Camp
(3)
Handcart pioneers
iii)
ASK – Does the
fact that things are not going smoothly in someone’s life mean that they are
not faithful followers of Jesus Christ?
iv)
READ – D&C
136:31
31 My
people must be tried in
all things,
that they may be prepared to receive the glory that
I have for them, even the glory of Zion; and he that will not bear
chastisement is not worthy of my kingdom.
v)
ASK – Summarize
what happened on this first trip back to Jerusalem
(1)
Murmuring by
Laban and Lemuel – Chapter 3
(2)
Went back 200
miles through the wilderness
(3)
Drew lots and
Laman went went to Laban’s house
(4)
Laban threatened
to kill Laman
(5)
Laman and Lemuel
wanted to go back to the camp
(6)
Nephi suggested
getting gold and silver and precious things
(7)
Went back to
Laban
(8)
Laban took their
property and ordered his servants to kill them
(9)
Angel appeared to
tell Laman and Lemuel not to beat Nephi with a rod
(10)
Nephi goes back
to get plates – Chapter 4
(11)
Laban is drunk
(12)
Lord commands
Nephi to kill Laban
(13)
Nephi puts on
Laban’s armor and gets Zoram to open the treasury and carry out the plates
(14)
ASK – What parts
of this journey strike you the most?
(15)
Reading 7 – 1
Nephi 3:7
7
And it came to pass that I, Nephi, said unto my 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 for them that they may accomplish the thing which he commandeth them.
(16)
Reading 8 – 1
Nephi 4:2-3, 6
2
Therefore let us go up; let us be strong like unto Moses; for he
truly spake unto the waters of the Red Sea and they divided hither and thither,
and our fathers came through, out of captivity, on dry ground, and the armies
of Pharaoh did follow and were drowned in the
waters of the Red Sea.
3
Now behold ye know that this is true; and ye also know that an angel hath
spoken unto you; wherefore can ye doubt? Let us go up; the Lord
is able to deliver us, even as our fathers, and to destroy Laban, even
as the Egyptians.
6
And I was led by the Spirit, not knowing beforehand the things which I should do.
vi)
ASK – What was on
the brass plates? - five books of Moses, a record of the Jews down to King
Zedekiah [about 600 b.c.], prophecies of the holy prophets, and the genealogy
of Lehi’s family
6) Second Trip Back to Jerusalem
a)
ASK – Did the
sons of Lehi get everything they needed in Jerusalem on the first trip back?
b)
Reading 9 – 1
Nephi 7:1-2
1 And now I would that ye might know, that after my
father, Lehi, had made an end of prophesying concerning his seed, it came to
pass that the Lord spake unto him again, saying that it was not meet for him,
Lehi, that he should take his family into the wilderness alone; but that his
sons should take daughters to wife, that they might raise up seed unto the Lord
in the land of promise.
2
And it came to pass that the Lord commanded him that I, Nephi, and my brethren,
should again return unto the land of Jerusalem, and bring down Ishmael and his
family into the wilderness.
c)
NOTE – None of
Nephi’s brothers murmured about this trip back to get wives
d)
The sons of Lehi
were sent back to Jerusalem to get a specific group of people – Ishmael and his
family – not just whoever could be persuaded.
e)
Reading 10 – Hugh
Nibley wrote, “Lehi, faced with the prospect of a long journey in the
wilderness, sent back for Ishmael, who promptly followed into the desert with a
large party; this means that he must have been hardly less adept at moving than
Lehi himself. The interesting thing is that Nephi takes Ishmael (unlike Zoram)
completely for granted, never explaining who he is or how he fits into the
picture. The act of sending for him
seems to be the most natural thing in the world, as does the marriage of his
daughters with Lehi's sons. Since it has ever been the custom among the desert
people for a man to marry the daughter of his paternal uncle (bint 'ammi), it
is hard to avoid the impression that Lehi and Ishmael were related. (Collected
Works of Hugh Nibley, Vol.5, Part.1, Ch.2, p.40)”
f)
Reading 11 –
James E. Talmadge quoted a discourse by Erastus Snow that said, ‘The Prophet
Joseph Smith informed us that . . . the First Book of Nephi, . . . is the record of Nephi individually, he
himself being of the lineage of Manasseh; but that Ishmael was of the lineage
of Ephraim, and that his sons married into Lehi's family, and Lehi's sons
married Ishmael's daughters, thus fulfilling the words of Jacob upon Ephraim
and Manasseh in the 48th chapter of Genesis [verse 16] which says: 'And let my
name be named on them, and the name of my fathers Abraham and Isaac; and let
them grow into a multitude in the midst of the earth.' Thus these descendants of Manasseh and
Ephraim grew together upon this American continent.”
g)
On the return
trip, Laman and Lemuel bind Nephi with cords and are going to leave him in the
wilderness for wild beasts to devour
h)
Reading 12 - 1
Nephi 7:17-18
17
But it came to pass that I prayed unto the Lord, saying: O Lord, according to
my faith which is in thee, wilt thou
deliver me from the hands of my brethren; yea, even give me strength that I may
burst these bands with which I am bound.
18
And it came to pass that when I had said these words, behold, the bands were
loosed from off my hands and feet, and I stood before my brethren, and I spake
unto them again.
i)
Elder Bednar has
used this as an example of the enabling power of the Atonement – Nephi prayed
for more strength, not that the bands would be removed.
7) Testimony
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