20 And I did rehearse unto them the words of Isaiah, who spake concerning the restoration of the Jews, or of the house of Israel; and after they were restored they should no more be confounded, neither should they be scattered again. And it came to pass that I did speak many words unto my brethren, that they were pacified and did humble themselves before the Lord.
Laman and Lemuel are great examples of how forgiving the Lord is. As often as they messed up, as often as they murmured and abused Nephi, if he could just get them to repent, the Lord forgave them. And they usually did come around, at least until Lehi’s death. That seems to have been a point of no return for them. But until that point, when Laman and Lemuel repented and humbled themselves, it was apparently real and sincere. That says something about Laman and Lemuel, but it says just as much about the Lord and His forgiving nature. He wants to forgive us of our sins, even those ones that we struggle with over and over again. These brothers had recurring issues and temptations, like an addiction. Every time they sincerely “kicked their habit” they were forgiven, and the family was able to move on. Then they would eventually give in to the temptation yet again, Nephi would correct or chastise them, they would repent (for something they had already repented of before!), and they would be forgiven, again. I think this should give us great hope regarding our own recurring temptations. As long as we sincerely resist and repent of them, we will also be forgiven when we stumble. That makes me feel good.
- 1 Nephi 16:5 (5, 24, 39)
- 1 Nephi 19:23
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