49 And it came to pass that I, Nephi, said unto them that they should murmur no more against their father; neither should they withhold their labor from me, for God had commanded me that I should build a ship.
Once again Laman and Lemuel are murmuring against the wrong
people. They just can’t understand or believe that this whole trek was not
Lehi’s idea, and the boat was not Nephi’s project. These were part of God’s plan for them. So they are actually
complaining not against Nephi and Lehi, but against the Lord. D&C 1:38 says
that when the Lord’s prophets speak it is the same as when He speaks. His
servants have His authority. In a different context, the Savior was teaching
about service, but the principle fits here as well. He taught a parable, the
conclusion of which was, “Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of
these my brethren, ye have done it unto me” (Matthew 25:40). So while the
parable is more directly about service, it would also apply to persecution or
murmuring. They just don’t get it.
- Matthew 25:40
- 1 Nephi 3:5
- D&C 1:38
