1 Nephi 19: 19

 19 Wherefore, I speak unto all the house of Israel, if it so be that they should obtain these things.

The Book of Mormon is a testament of Christ directed to the whole world, but more specifically to the remnant of the house of Israel, and even more specifically it is directed to the Lamanites (see the title page to the Book of Mormon). But it only will be a testament to those who read it. The unread book is untapped knowledge, and the unread scripture is an unheard testimony.

• Enos 1:16
• Mormon 5:12
• Mormon 7:9 (9–10)

1 Nephi 19: 18

18 And I, Nephi, have written these things unto my people, that perhaps I might persuade them that they would remember the Lord their Redeemer.

This verse seems to be a wrap-up to a thought Nephi started earlier in the chapter. In verse six he states that he would only include sacred things in his engravings, and then he puts in a disclaimer that the things included in the record are there because he thought they were sacred, and what some take to be sacred, others disregarded. Verse seven has him using the Savior as an example of that statement, how men trample under their feet even the very God of Israel. Verses 8–17 have Nephi quoting, paraphrasing, and commenting on the words of the prophets regarding prophesies of Christ to testify that he really was their God. Verse 18 seems to begin the conclusion to this topic. Nephi states why he is writing all this, and it is for the express purpose that his people would remember the Lord their Redeemer.

1 Nephi 19: 17

 17 Yea, and all the earth shall see the salvation of the Lord, saith the prophet; every nation, kindred, tongue and people shall be blessed.

The salvation of the Lord comes through His Atonement. That atonement extends beyond the house of Israel; it applies to every nation, kindred, tongue, and people. Everyone shall be blessed by the Atonement, even if they know nothing about it. Of course, that comes because of the fact that everyone will be resurrected, but also because everyone will have the chance to accept the gospel. This is another blessing that came from the Lord’s sacrifice. After His death, and before His resurrection, our Savior was organizing missionary work in the post-mortal spirit world. As I consider that idea, I wonder how much of the gathering of Israel will be here on earth, and how much of it will be beyond the veil. I haven’t thought about that before, but the gathering obviously continues after mortality. Otherwise, why would we perform ordinances vicariously for those who have passed on?

1 Nephi 19: 16

 16 Yea, then will he remember the isles of the sea; yea, and all the people who are of the house of Israel, will I gather in, saith the Lord, according to the words of the prophet Zenos, from the four quarters of the earth.

This verse at least partially answers the question raised in verse 15: if I am not a part of the house of Israel, what is my role in the gathering? Here it says that when the Lord remembers all the people who are of the house of Israel, who are on the isles of the sea he will gather them in. He will gather them in on the shoulders of the Gentiles (Isaiah 49:22). That’s me. That’s the role I have in the gathering of Israel.

The term “isles of the sea” is interesting. Apparently, anyone who is not part of the Continent where their forefathers came from is considered an isle of the sea, at least if you had to cross the sea to get to it. So, in spite of the fact that the American continent is huge and covers most of the western hemisphere, Nephi and his people considered that they lived on an isle of the sea (see 2 Nephi 10:20).

• Isaiah 49:22 (20–22)

1 Nephi 19: 15

15 Nevertheless, when that day cometh, saith the prophet, that they no more turn aside their hearts against the Holy One of Israel, then will he remember the covenants which he made to their fathers.

The day will come when the house of Israel will be restored to its former place of glory: being privileged to be the Lord’s people. Has that time come with the restoration of the Gospel? Paul teaches that, “they which are of faith [in Christ]…are the children of Abraham” (Galatians 3:7). Does that mean that because my patriarchal blessing says that I was born into the “lineage of Ephraim in the house of Joseph,” and I am of faith in Christ, that I am literally part of the gathering of Israel? That I am one who has been gathered? I know that if not by blood descent, at least in the way that Paul described above, that I am part of that gathering, but what about the bloodline Jews? We sure don’t see them coming to Christ in great numbers yet, but if I understand these last few verses correctly, Nephi is talking specifically about the Jews, they being the ones behind Christ’s crucifixion. They must be the ones who turn no more from the Lord. They have, as a general population, over the years and generations invested so much into maintaining their non-Christian identity that it truly will be a miracle for them to lay that aside and accept Christ as the Savior they have been watching for all these years. I’m anxious to see how it all unfolds.

• Galatians 3: 7
• 1 Nephi 15: 19
• 1 Nephi 22: 12 (11–12)

1 Nephi 19: 14

14 And because they turn their hearts aside, saith the prophet, and have despised the Holy One of Israel, they shall wander in the flesh, and perish, and become a hiss and a byword, and be hated among all nations.

Matthew records the Savior teaching that the first and great commandment is to “love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind” (Matthew 22:37). Today we might say devotion, strength and effort, and thought in place of heart, soul, and mind. Soul and mind have to do with keeping the commandments, or in other words, controlling our thoughts and actions. (According to D&C 88:15, “the spirit and the body are the soul of man,” and I believe that is the sense of the word “soul” used in Matthew.) The heart has to do with our devotion, controlling our thoughts and actions for the right reasons. Even if we do the right things, if it is for the wrong reason, such as personal gain, or out of compulsion it does us no good, and doesn’t count (see 1 Corinthians 13:1–3, and D&C 58:26–29, and D&C 64:34).

So the Jews, by turning their hearts aside, in other words, their devotion to the Lord, could have kept every single point of the Law of Moses for the wrong reason. And it would have gotten them exactly nowhere. The scriptures, and particularly the New Testament, are full of verses relating to the relationship between faith and works. In my mind faith has to do with the heart. So when we perform even noble works without faith, with a heart that is turned away like the Jews in Jerusalem that Nephi is talking about, we run the danger of those works not being counted for righteousness. Because they turned their devotion away from their God, such that they killed Him, there were bound to be consequences. Their consequence was that they would “wander in the flesh,” which could have to do with not having a country of their own, but I take to mean that they would live in a state of apostasy while here on earth. They would perish. Everyone dies, but the term “perish” carries with it a violent connotation. They wouldn’t simply die, but they would be destroyed or die a violent death. Nephi also prophesied that they would “become a hiss and a byword, and be hated among all nations.” This ridicule and hatred has certainly been evident down through the ages. And they brought it all on themselves by turning their hearts aside. I will take that as a lesson for my own life, so that I will strive to keep my heart true to the Lord, and not turn it aside.

• 1 Kings 9:7 (6–7)
• 1 Nephi 22:5
• Mosiah 14:3 (3–6)

1 Nephi 19: 13

13 And as for those who are at Jerusalem, saith the prophet, they shall be scourged by all people, because they crucify the God of Israel, and turn their hearts aside, rejecting signs and wonders, and the power and glory of the God of Israel.

This is certainly a prophecy that has been, and is still being fulfilled. I doubt there has been, any group of people that has been more hated and persecuted down the generations than the Jews, unless it is people with dark skin of just about any race. It all goes back to this prophecy and others like it, along with the fact that the Jews crucified their God, the God of Israel. Some people might dispute that they are the most persecuted, and claim instead that black people of African descent have been more hated. One could make a strong argument to that point; certainly there has been plenty of hate for both groups. There are similarities between them as well. For example, the Jews have maintained their unique identity just as surely as black people of African descent have. However, a major difference between black people and Jews is that Jews the ancestors of today’s Jews chose this persecution, while black people are born with their distinguishing skin color.

When the Jews had Christ crucified, they sealed their fate, and prophecies about them being singled out for persecution were set in motion by their own choice. Surely they were aware of these prophecies. They had to have known, as much as they studied their scriptures, what the consequences would be for this crucifixion. In fact, there is some hint that they did know, and did it anyway. Matthew records that when Pilate washed his hands of the whole thing, all the people said, “His blood be on us, and on our children” (Matthew 27:25 emphasis added). They knowingly sealed their own fate, and actually requested this punishment for their children after them. What kind of person does it take to knowingly and willingly pass responsibility for this kind of thing to their children? And they didn’t crucify him ignorantly. They knew exactly whom they were murdering. The Joseph Smith Translation of the Matthew 23:36 specifically makes a distinction between the ancient Jews persecuting the prophets and those of Christ’s generation. He said the ancients “did it through ignorance, but ye do not.” So, ignoring the signs and wonders, ignoring the displays of their God’s power and glory, they crucified him, but it was not out of ignorance. So, as they requested, they and their generations after them, paid the price for their wickedness.

• Matthew 23:38 (37–39) also JST vs. 36
• Matthew 27:25