9 And it shall also be of worth unto the Gentiles; and not only unto the Gentiles but unto all the house of Israel, unto the making known of the covenants of the Father of heaven unto Abraham, saying: In thy seed shall all the kindreds of the earth be blessed.
I find it interesting that of all the teachings of Nephi that
we have record of, he invests so much in the gathering of Israel, in the
relationship between Israel and the Gentiles, and in this latter-day prophecy
generally. Of course, he knew that ultimately he was writing to us of the
latter days, but his immediate audience was alive more than 2,500 years ago.
What worth was there in this theme to his unbelieving brothers? I think the
answer to that question is found in 1 Nephi 19: 23, where Nephi states that his
purpose is to “more fully persuade [his brethren] to believe in the Lord their
Redeemer.” I think he clearly sees these Isaiah writings about the scattering
and gathering of Israel as strong evidence of the Savior’s love for His people,
and the power of a covenant with Him. I think that besides the ultimate purpose
of teaching and testifying to us, he really wants his brothers to buy into the
Atonement. He really wants them to be converted. Remember that Nephi saw the
future history of his people. He knew that he and his followers would break
away from his brothers’ people. He knew of the wars between them, and he knew
the outcome (see 1 Nephi 15: 4–5). Yet in spite of this foreknowledge, Nephi
never gave up trying to convert his brethren until the Lord told him to
separate from the Lamanites. He knew it would do no good, but he never stopped
trying. I wonder if Nephi ever felt like Mormon, who would live at the time of
the destruction of the Nephites. Mormon led his people in battle against the
Lamanites time and again, and he loved his people, “according to the love of
God which was in [him], with all [his] heart; and [his] soul had been poured
out in prayer unto…God all the day long for them; nevertheless, it was without faith, because of the
hardness of their hearts” (Mormon 3: 12—emphasis added). I wonder. It’s a great
lesson to us that we should not give up on those within our stewardship who may
have wandered, or worse, rebelled from the right path.
- 1 Nephi 14: 5 (1–5)
- 1 Nephi 15: 13 (13–17)
- 2 Nephi 28: 2
- 2 Nephi 29: 14 (13–14)
- 2 Nephi 30: 3 (1–7)
- 3 Nephi 20: 25 (25, 27)
- Abraham 2: 11 (8–11)
