1 And now it came to pass that after I, Nephi, had made an end of teaching my brethren, our father, Lehi, also spake many things unto them, and rehearsed unto them, how great things the Lord had done for them in bringing them out of the land of Jerusalem.
It seems that one of the key ingredients to heart softening
on the way to conversion is remembering the merciful dealings God has had with
men. Moroni certainly understood this as he wrote it in his great promise to
readers of The Book of Mormon (see Moroni 10: 3). It is important that we have
this perspective so that we can trust the Lord in our own conversions. That’s
one reason the scriptures are so important to us as a record of God’s dealings
with man. If the scriptures record how the Lord responded in a certain way to a
person’s actions, then we should be reasonably confident that we would receive
the same treatment for those same actions. We find out in the scriptures that
He is absolutely consistent; over the whole history of man there is no wavering
or waffling. So it’s important that we remember His mercy as well as his
justice. That gives us hope and a reason to make changes in our lives.
In this case Nephi’s brethren had personal experience with
the Lord they could draw upon. They may not have been big scripture readers,
but they had personal experience. Lehi starts his preaching by reminding them
of that and putting it into perspective. In the next few verses he will cite
specific examples from their experience, all in an effort for them to turn from
their periodic (or frequent) rebellions. Again, this perspective is important
as we develop a relationship of trust with the Lord. Even if He can’t always
trust us to do the right thing, we can always
trust Him (see D&C 58: 31–33).
- Moroni 10: 3 (3–5)
