1 Nephi 3:30–31

30 And after the angel had spoken unto us, he departed.

31 And after the angel had departed, Laman and Lemuel again began to murmur, saying: How is it possible that the Lord will deliver Laban into our hands? Behold, he is a mighty man, and he can command fifty, yea, even he can slay fifty; then why not us?

How can a person see an angel and immediately doubt it? It’s because he doesn’t have any kind of testimony. I would think, though, that just having the kind of experience these brothers had would make an impact on them of some sort. Laman and Lemuel really were a strange case. Satan will try to have you doubt these kinds of manifestations when they occur. In a very scary and detailed account in Moses 1:9—22, we read that just after he finished talking with the Lord, Moses was visited by Satan, who tried to get Moses to worship him instead of the Lord. Moses had a testimony of what he had seen, so it didn’t work, but there are other accounts of where Satan’s tactics did work. Around the time of the birth of Christ, we have recorded that Satan caused people to disbelieve signs and wonders they had seen. (3 Nephi 1:22; Helaman 16:22—23) Laman and Lemuel fell into that same trap. Immediately after seeing this kind of manifestation, they started in with the complaining again. That’s amazing to me. Christ taught a parable in Jerusalem about Lazarus and the rich man. (Luke 16:19—31) After dying and getting his just dues, the rich man wanted the Lord to send the beggar Lazarus to his (the rich man’s) family so they wouldn’t suffer his same fate. The Lord said they had the prophets (scriptures) and should believe in them. The rich man said that they would repent if they saw someone from the dead. Abraham’s answer was that if they won’t believe the scriptures, a spirit wouldn’t persuade them either. This is where Laman and Lemuel were. They apparently were not impressed by the visit of an angel.

• Luke 16:31 (19–31)
• 3 Nephi 1:22 (15–22)

1 Nephi 3:29

29 And it came to pass as they smote us with a rod, behold, an angel of the Lord came and stood before them, and he spake unto them, saying: Why do ye smite your younger brother with a rod? Know ye not that the Lord hath chosen him to be a ruler over you, and this because of your iniquities? Behold ye shall go up to Jerusalem again, and the Lord will deliver Laban into your hands.

Here is evidence that heavenly manifestations only strengthen our testimonies if we allow them to. There are those who are seeking a sign, such as a visit from and angel. Then they will believe, they say. Educated people often have a difficult time with religion because they have no faith in things they can’t see, and they have no physical evidence to convince them of a God. They don’t recognize that everything testifies of God. “Show me a sign,” they say, “then I will believe.” Time and again the scriptures show that the faith needs to be there first, or the sign has little or no effect. Signs don’t convert; they can only strengthen. (Of course there are always exceptions, such as Alma and Saul, but the rule is that faith must precede the miracle) Other examples might be Moses and Pharaoh, Abinadi and King Noah, several of the leading brethren of the Restoration who fell away. Well, the angel tells Laman and Lemuel straight out that Nephi has been chosen as a ruler over them. He also tells them the reason is because of their iniquities. I wonder if Laman could have gotten his birthright of leadership back if he had repented and turned his life around. This is something we’ll never know.

1 Nephi 3:28

28 And it came to pass that Laman was angry with me, and also with my father; and also was Lemuel, for he hearkened unto the words of Laman. Wherefore Laman and Lemuel did speak many hard words unto us, their younger brothers, and they did smite us even with a rod.

How short sited of Laman and Lemuel. If they had been converted, they would not have been angry, but they still blamed Nephi and Lehi for their hard lives. How much easier life must have been for them before Lehi had his vision. Easier until Jerusalem got destroyed anyway. If they had been converted and realized where the commandment to retrieve the plates came from, the Lord, and not Lehi or Nephi, they would have endured this hardship much better. Instead, they took out their frustration on Nephi and Sam. It all goes back to 1 Nephi 3:5; it was the Lord’s commandment.

1 Nephi 3:26–27

26 And it came to pass that we did flee before the servants of Laban, and we were obliged to leave behind our property, and it fell into the hands of Laban.

27 And it came to pass that we fled into the wilderness, and the servants of Laban did not overtake us, and we hid ourselves in the cavity of a rock.

This gives a picture of how corrupt Laban must have been. According to Hugh Nibley (An Approach to the Book of Mormon, Course of Study for Mechizedek Priesthood Quorums of the LDS, 1957), it was common for people to petition someone in Laban’s position for favors, etc. It was also common for them to try to buy or bribe their way into getting what they wanted from the official. This is what Nephi and his brothers were trying to do to get the brass plates. Laban, in his greed, decided to steal the property and not give up the plates. The sons of Lehi ran for their lives because Laban also tried to take that from them as well.

1 Nephi 3:25

25 And it came to pass that when Laban saw our property, and that it was exceedingly great, he did lust after it, insomuch that he thrust us out, and sent his servants to slay us, that he might obtain our property.

The irony here is that Laban became what he had previously accused Laman of being: a robber. (vs. 13)

1 Nephi 3:22–24

22 And it came to pass that we went down to the land of our inheritance, and we did gather together our gold, and our silver, and our precious things.

23 And after we had gathered these things together, we went up again unto the house of Laban.

24 And it came to pass that we went in unto Laban, and desired him that he would give unto us the records which were engraven upon the plates of brass, for which we would give unto him our gold, and our silver, and all our precious things.

The riches that Lehi left behind were shown again to be of less value than following the commandment of the Lord. In the first place, Lehi left all these things behind when he obeyed the commandment to take his family into the wilderness. Now, under the direction of Nephi, all this wealth would be used in an attempt to buy the brass plates. This is burning their bridge behind them. If any of Lehi’s family decide to go back after this, they would go back to no money; a completely different lifestyle than what they had before. Again, to Laman’s credit, he went along with the plan, even though as the oldest son he stood to lose the most. I wonder if prior to this he thought he might go back home if things didn’t work out. This one episode used pretty much his whole inheritance, except whatever real estate the family owned. And he did it for something he didn’t really completely believe in. Had he been converted, the sacrifice Laman made would have been to his credit. But instead, he just let it eat on him until finally he totally rebelled and let the hard feelings consume him in the new land.

1 Nephi 3:21

21 And it came to pass that after this manner of language did I persuade my brethren, that they might be faithful in keeping the commandments of God.

This is the Lord’s way of getting people to obey. He will persuade and encourage, but He will not force people to be faithful. Nephi’s efforts to get cooperation from his brothers were consistent with the direction we receive in D&C 121:41—43. He doesn’t pull rank on them; he’s the youngest brother. In verse 15 he put his foot down and told them they needed to finish the job, but even that couldn’t be considered forcing them to obey.

• D&C 121: 41—43

1 Nephi 3:20

20 And also that we may preserve unto them the words which have been spoken by the mouth of all the holy prophets, which have been delivered unto them by the Spirit and power of God, since the world began, even down unto this present time.

Here is the second main reason why retrieving the Brass Plates was so critical. They contained the “words of all the holy prophets . . . since the world began . . .” The scriptures contain the word of God as spoken by his prophets. D&C 1:37—38 says that we should search the commandments because the words of the prophets are the words of God. Amos 3:7 tells us that before God does anything pertaining to us He first “revealeth his secret unto his servants the prophets.” So not only are the words of God given through prophets, before He does anything to or with his people, He first tells or warns his prophets. That’s why it was so important that Lehi take the scriptures. The purity of the Gospel had to be preserved in writing rather than relying on memory from generation to generation. It’s just so important to be able to go back to the original intent of the author rather than rely on personal memory interpretation, which is what would happen if we didn’t have written scriptures.

• Amos 3:7
• D&C 1:37—38

1 Nephi 3:19

19 And behold, it is wisdom in God that we should obtain these records, that we may preserve unto our children the language of our fathers;

Here Nephi reveals to his brothers the reasons for, and importance of retrieving the brass plates. The first reason he gives is language preservation. Language tends to degrade (or progress, depending on your point of view) over time even with written records available. We can easily see that here in the United States. After just over 380 years (from 1620 – the pilgrims’ landing) we no longer speak English. We speak American, whose roots are English, but have been altered over time by lots of influences, such as immigration and slang. Those who don’t read the Bible, for example, have a hard time understanding that language. The King James Version of the Bible uses an older language that is not generally spoken any more. So some of the more subtle meanings tend to get lost unless you make it a subject of intense study that takes you into the culture and understanding the more archaic expressions used. Another consequence is that in an effort to modernize the language in scripture some mistranslations can occur, changing the intended meaning. By going back to the original KJV (and other writings of the time) time and again, we slow down the changes in our language.

The Mulekites left Jerusalem around the same time the Lehites did, yet in that same amount of time their language had changed to the point that when the Nephites discovered them (about the same amount of time since the Pilgrims arrived in North America), they could not understand one another. Both groups left Jerusalem at about the same time, so the only real difference was that Lehi brought records, and Mulek did not. (see Omni 1:17)

1 Nephi 3:18

18 For behold, they have rejected the words of the prophets. Wherefore, if my father should dwell in the land after he hath been commanded to flee out of the land, behold, he would also perish. Wherefore, it must needs be that he flee out of the land.

Verse 17 tells us that Jerusalem has to be destroyed because of the wickedness of the people. Verse 18 tells us that rejecting the words of the prophets is the last straw. They obviously were doing more than just disobeying the prophets, or they wouldn’t have been called to cry repentance so strongly. Rejecting the prophets is a sure sign that you have no intention of repenting. Jeremiah, a contemporary of Lehi, records how the Jews chased a prophet all the way to Egypt, just to bring him back to Jerusalem and kill him. (Jeremiah 26:21–24) That is far more serious than merely disobeying the prophets. That's going out of your way to not only disobey, but kill them.

These prophets were subject to their own prophecies, of course. If Lehi had not left Jerusalem as commanded, he would have been killed, either because the people were killing prophets, or by not leaving he would have experienced the same fate as the rest of Jerusalem because he didn’t heed his own warnings.

1 Nephi 3:17

17 For he knew that Jerusalem must be destroyed, because of the wickedness of the people.

Jerusalem’s destruction is now a matter of record, but at the time Lehi and his fellow prophets were being persecuted, their prophecies about that destruction was one of the things that got them (the prophets) into trouble.

1 Nephi 3:16

16 Wherefore, let us be faithful in keeping the commandments of the Lord; therefore let us go down to the land of our father’s inheritance, for behold he left gold and silver, and all manner of riches. And all this he hath done because of the commandments of the Lord.

The next logical step, if Laban wouldn’t donate the records, was to try buying them. Lehi was a wealthy man, and he left all that wealth behind according to the Lord’s commandment. So Nephi and his brothers had some resources with which they could purchase most anything they wanted. They could also make a good offer for the plates. All that wealth would have been no good to them anyway when Jerusalem fell, so Lehi left it behind.

In our own personal journeys to the “Promised Land,” our temporal, earthly wealth is of little value except as it is used in the service to God.

1 Nephi 3:14–15

14 But Laman fled out of his presence, and told the things which Laban had done, unto us. And we began to be exceedingly sorrowful, and my brethren were about to return unto my father in the wilderness.

15 But behold I said unto them that: As the Lord liveth, and as we live, we will not go down unto our father in the wilderness until we have accomplished the thing which the Lord hath commanded us.

After Laman returns and tells how things went with Laban, they began to sorrow. I imagine everyone was sorrowing for different reasons. Nephi and Sam may have been sorrowing that this task would not be as easy as they hoped; Laman and Lemuel were probably upset about the wasted trip. They wanted to go home after one try. This is when Nephi begins to rule over his brethren as the Lord had promised him he would. (1 Nephi 2:22) Nephi starts into a speech about how they need to be more faithful and keep the promise they made to the Lord to retrieve the plates. He kind of shames them into doing the right thing. In the end, Nephi prevails with his idea to buy the plates. Notice that Nephi is very careful to say the Lord had commanded them. It was very clear in his mind that they were on the Lord’s errand, not Lehi’s. I don’t think Laman and Lemuel quite understood or believed that. I think they were on this trip for their father, not for the Lord.

1 Nephi 3:13

13 And behold, it came to pass that Laban was angry, and thrust him out from his presence; and he would not that he should have the records. Wherefore, he said unto him: Behold thou art a robber, and I will slay thee.

It seems like these records must have been pretty important to Laban. I wonder why he got so angry at Laman and accused him of being a robber when he simply requested the plates. Surely Laban didn’t care that strongly about the records of the prophets that were contained thereon. It must be the genealogy that he was so protective of. Or the artifact itself due to its value.

1 Nephi 3:10–12

10 And it came to pass that when we had gone up to the land of Jerusalem, I and my brethren did consult one with another.

11 And we cast lots—who of us should go in unto the house of Laban. And it came to pass that the lot fell upon Laman; and Laman went in unto the house of Laban, and he talked with him as he sat in his house.

12 And he desired of Laban the records which were engraven upon the plates of brass, which contained the genealogy of my father.

Apparently none of the brothers was all that excited about facing Laban to ask for the plates, otherwise there would have been volunteers. But instead they cast lots, a way to make a random choice. Interesting that the lot fell on Laman, who, being the oldest, should have been the volunteer. Was it coincidence that Laman was chosen? Maybe, but Proverbs 16:33 seems to indicate that the Lord has the final say about how the lot is cast. Either way we need to again give Laman credit here. He obviously didn’t want to go in the first place, but not only did he make the trip, he went in to Laban alone when the lot was cast in his favor. And I think he did the reasonable thing. He gave Laban the opportunity to do the Lord’s will first on his own accord.

1 Nephi 3:9

9 And I, Nephi, and my brethren took our journey in the wilderness, with our tents, to go up to the land of Jerusalem.

Give credit where credit is due. As much as Laman and Lemuel murmured about going, they went on this journey anyway. As noted in verse 6, they would have done better to go willingly, but at least they obeyed their father, even if they weren’t obeying the Lord.

1 Nephi 3:8

8 And it came to pass that when my father had heard these words he was exceedingly glad, for he knew that I had been blessed of the Lord.

One of the most gratifying feelings as a parent is to see that your children value the same things that you do. This verse is Lehi’s response to what Nephi said. He knows from Nephi’s answer to this call to retrieve the brass plates that Nephi has been converted. I feel the same way when I see my children’s testimonies grow. I, too, am “exceedingly glad” to witness that conviction in my children.

1 Nephi 3:7

7 And it came to pass that I, Nephi, said unto my father: I will go and do the things which the Lord hath commanded, for I know that the Lord giveth no commandments unto the children of men, save he shall prepare a way for them that they may accomplish the thing which he commandeth them.

Any good employer will provide resources enough to accomplish an assigned task. The Lord is no different. When He gives us a commandment, He also provides a way for us to accomplish the task or keep the commandment. We still have to actually follow through, however, not only for the sake of accomplishing the task, but also for our own growth and progress. It takes faith in the Lord and in this principle to attempt something the Lord wants us to do that is difficult or even seems to be impossible. Nephi had no idea how to get these plates. He just had faith in the Lord and in his prophet. The Lord could have spirited those plates away to Lehi, but Nephi and his brothers needed to have the opportunity to grow through obedience. The Lord was preparing a prophet as much as He was retrieving brass plates. Nephi was up to the challenge, as will be seen in later verses.

One thing to remember is that we need to do our part in order for the Lord to bless us in this manner. Matthew 19:26 says that “with God all things are Possible.” The Joseph Smith Translation (JST) clarifies that and puts some conditions on it. The JST says, “if they will forsake all things for my sake, with God whatsoever things I speak are possible.” There aren’t any free rides. The Lord gives us what we need, but He doesn’t step in and take over. If we aren’t giving our all, why should He? Indeed, how can he?

• Matthew 5:48; 19:26 (JST)
• 1 Nephi 9:6
• D&C 3:1, 3

1 Nephi 3:6

6 Therefore go, my son, and thou shalt be favored of the Lord, because thou hast not murmured.

This verse talks about going beyond mere obedience. We are blessed according to our obedience, but being favored goes beyond that. Remember that Laman and Lemuel obeyed. They came on the journey. They went back with Nephi for the plates and the wives. They helped build the ship. And they were blessed for all of that, even though they may not have totally appreciated that blessing. But the difference between them and Nephi is attitude. Nephi didn’t complain, and these brothers did. Therefore, Nephi was favored over Laman and Lemuel. This goes back to conversion vs. testimony. Someone with a testimony will keep the commandments, but they may struggle with their attitude about it. Someone who is converted keeps the commandments willingly, cheerfully, and without regrets. The converted person is favored over the person who stops at a testimony. James said that, “the devils also believe, and tremble.” (James 2:19) Often, when Christ cast out unclean spirits from people, they would confess Him as God. (See Mark 1:23—25 for example) They have a testimony, but they are not converted.

1 Nephi 3:5

5 And now, behold thy brothers murmur, saying it is a hard thing which I have required of them; but behold I have not required it of them, but it is a commandment of the Lord.

Laman and Lemuel are still murmuring over every commandment they get from their prophet/father. They apparently can’t see past his role as father to accept him as prophet. Not that they would have accepted him as a prophet even if he wasn’t their father, but this seems to be an added challenge for them. Even Christ got no respect in his hometown, among his own people (Matthew 13:57—58). I need to be able to respect the calling regardless of who holds it, and I can’t get hung up on the humans the Lord calls to fulfill His purposes here on earth. If they are good enough for God, they should be good enough for me.

• Matthew 13:57
• 1 Nephi 2:14
• D&C 1:38