1 Nephi Chapter 4 Overview

Nephi slays Laban at the Lord’s command and then secures the plates of brass by stratagem—Zoram chooses to join Lehi’s family in the wilderness. Between 600 and 592 B.C.

This is a kind of coming of age chapter for Nephi. He was converted back in chapter 2, but this is the first real test of his mettle or his faith. It’s one thing to make the trip to get the plates, it’s another thing to act on your faith. He goes into the city totally relying on the Spirit. He has no plan, and certainly did not expect to kill Laban. That would be a real test of your faith, to kill somebody at the Lord’s command. This chapter also tells us how Zoram joins the family.

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.