26 And ye have murmured because he hath been plain unto you. Ye say that he hath used sharpness; ye say that he hath been angry with you; but behold, his sharpness was the sharpness of the power of the word of God, which was in him; and that which ye call anger was the truth, according to that which is in God, which he could not restrain, manifesting boldly concerning your iniquities.
I discuss at some length in my entry for 1 Nephi 16: 2 the
relationship between a guilty conscience and the truth, as it points out the
source of that guilty conscience. In this entry I want to discuss the term
“sharpness.” This is a word used several times in the scriptures relative to
chastisement or reproof. Webster’s New
World College Dictionary (3rd ed.) gives quite a few definitions
for the term “sharp.” Most of the definitions have little to do with the
scriptural use of the term. Two definitions stand out to me as having
application here, and I think Lehi refers to both definitions in this verse.
The first definition is, “clearly defined; distinct; clear.”
This is what Lehi refers to as “the sharpness of the power of the word of God.”
The word of God, at least in times of reproof, is sharp, clear, direct, and
plain, so there is no confusion or room to misinterpret what is being said. The
Lord often cloaks doctrine and prophecy in symbolism for the express purpose of
confusing or hiding it from people who are not enlightened by the Holy Ghost,
or ready to hear it. But when it comes to individual course corrections, He is
always clear. So the first definition of sharp has to do with Nephi’s intent.
The second definition of sharp has reference to the
perception of Nephi’s clarity, and it’s the perception of the guilty. That
definition reads, “harsh, biting, or severe.” This perception can only come to
those with a guilty conscience. I think that is one way we know Nephi’s
brothers knew better in their behavior and treatment of him. If they had no
guilty conscience they would not have taken offense at Nephi’s sharpness. If
there is no guilty conscience, there is no reason for offense. Lack of a guilty
conscience in times of sharp correction comes from either ignorance or apathy.
(Of course, another source of this lack is having done nothing wrong, but I’m
assuming if the reproof is coming from God, you did something wrong, or there
would be no reproof.) Ignorance is corrected with information. Apathy applies
to people who no longer have the light of Christ, who are so far into their
wickedness that their “conscience [is] seared with a hot iron” (1 Timothy 4:
2). These are the kinds of people Mormon was forbidden to preach unto because
of the hardness of their hearts (see Mormon 1: 16–17).
A guilty conscience will cause people to misinterpret other
people’s intentions or actions. Nephi, and I’m sure all prophets who are called
to cry repentance, was simply pointing out the truth of his brothers’ behavior.
What was the “truth, according to that which is in God,” was interpreted as
being Nephi’s anger. It may have been God’s anger “which he could not
restrain,” but Nephi was just the messenger. The wayward brothers called it
anger, but it was really their own guilty consciences trying to get them to do
right. They didn’t like the feeling, but they blamed Nephi instead of
themselves for the uncomfortable feeling of guilt.
- Proverbs 15: 10
- 1 Nephi 16: 2
- Words of Mormon 1: 17
- Moroni 9:4
- D&C 121: 43 (41–43)
