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

1 Nephi 3:1-4

1 And it came to pass that I, Nephi, returned from speaking with the Lord, to the tent of my father.

2 And it came to pass that he spake unto me, saying: Behold I have dreamed a dream, in the which the Lord hath commanded me that thou and thy brethren shall return to Jerusalem.

3 For behold, Laban hath the record of the Jews and also a genealogy of my forefathers, and they are engraven upon plates of brass.

4 Wherefore, the Lord hath commanded me that thou and thy brothers should go unto the house of Laban, and seek the records, and bring them down hither into the wilderness.

After Nephi’s profound experience of talking with the Lord, he returns and tells his father, the prophet, who is no doubt very happy and gratified for Nephi’s experience, both as his father and as prophet. Lehi then tells Nephi of a vision where he was commanded to send his sons back to Jerusalem (a distance of probably over 200 miles, according to the Book of Mormon study manual for Institutes) to obtain some very important records. Laban seems to be well known, but there’s no indication, or at least no strong indication, that Lehi knew he was related to Laban. Why would Laban have a genealogy of Lehi’s forefathers if they were not related? This appears to be the official record of the family, which would seem to indicate royalty. But according to the genealogy, they were descended from Joseph through Manasseh. By this time the other tribes of Israel had been conquered by the Assyrians. So how did the official records of the tribe of Joseph get to Jerusalem?