1 Nephi 2:2

2. And it came to pass that the Lord commanded my father, even in a dream, that he should take his family and depart into the wilderness.

The cross-references provided with this scripture show a history of the Lord taking care of His servants. At various times He has led these servants out of danger and/or to a “promised land.” The scriptural accounts referenced are Abraham, Lot, and the Brother of Jared. Lot was the only one of these not given a promised land to inherit, but his and his family’s lives were saved from the residents of Sodom.

Spiritually speaking, the Lord does the same for us today. If we are obedient to His commandments, He will deliver us from those who would harm us spiritually. It’s my job as head of my family to lead my family out of the way of spiritual harm. The Lord will help me if I let Him.

1 Nephi 2:1

For behold, it came to pass that the Lord spake unto my father, yea, even in a dream, and said unto him: Blessed art thou Lehi, because of the things which thou hast done; and because thou hast been faithful and declared unto this people the things which I commanded thee, behold, they seek to take away thy life.

The Lord rewards and supports those who do His work. Although we are exalted by grace, it is clear that we are blessed for our efforts in the Lord’s behalf. In Helaman 10:4, Nephi (son of Helaman) is told word for word the same thing that Lehi is told here: “Blessed art thou…because of the things which thou hast done….” On the other hand, Lehi is told that his missionary effort is exactly the reason people were trying to take his life. In the end, we need to be more concerned with pleasing the Lord than pleasing the World around us.

• Helaman 10:4
• 3 Nephi 12:11–12

1 Nephi Chapter 2 Overview

Lehi takes his family into the wilderness by the Red Sea—They leave their property—Lehi offers a sacrifice to the Lord and teaches his sons to keep the commandments—Laman and Lemuel murmur against their father—Nephi is obedient and prays in faith; the Lord speaks to him, and he is chosen to rule over his brethren. Between 600 and 592 B.C.

This is where Lehi and his family begin their journey to the Promised Land. It obviously is a physical journey, but in so many ways parallels or is a type or shadow of our spiritual journey to the land of promise with our Heavenly Father. More about the comparison will come out, as I look at the journey chapter-by-chapter, verse-by-verse. This is how the Lord delivered Lehi physically and spiritually.

1 Nephi 1:20

And when the Jews heard these things they were angry with him; yea, even as with the prophets of old, whom they had cast out, and stoned, and slain; and they also sought his life, that they might take it away. But behold, I, Nephi, will show unto you that the tender mercies of the Lord are over all those whom he hath chosen, because of their faith, to make them mighty even unto the power of deliverance.

The verse starts off by talking about how the people rejected Lehi and tried to kill him. Then Nephi says he will show us that “the tender mercies of the Lord are over all those whom he hath chosen because of their faith, to make them mighty even unto the power of deliverance.” This is really meaty when you start to ponder it.

Consider: “mercies.” The Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary of Current English defines mercy as “(capacity for) holding oneself back from punishment, or from causing suffering to [somebody] whom one has the right or power to punish.” If it weren’t for the tender mercies of the Lord, He would have every right to punish each one of us because of unrighteousness. I don’t think the Lord wants to punish anyone, but the laws of justice must be met. However, under certain conditions, the Lord can extend His mercy and protect us from most of the punishment. He extends this mercy to “those whom he hath chosen.” Faith seems to be the deciding factor in whether one is or is not chosen. D&C 121:34–40 gives some more insight into why people are not chosen. It says there, in effect, that many who are called are not chosen because they don’t understand the priesthood. The reason they don’t understand is because their hearts are “set so much on the things of this world, and aspire to the honors of men.” Those who fit this description are the proud ones who don’t have faith in God, so they seek the honors of men instead.

Then Nephi says the Lord makes these chosen ones “mighty even unto the power of deliverance.” It’s a bit unclear to me at what level this is meaning. The Topical Guide makes reference to deliverance from everything: physical danger to deliverance from Hell. I think the verse has application on an eternal salvation scale, but based on the context, I think Nephi must be thinking more temporal deliverance than spiritual at this time. He’s going to show now how the Lord protects one of His chosen servants—Lehi.

• D&C 121:34–40

1 Nephi 1:19

And it came to pass that the Jews did mock him because of the things which he testified of them; for he truly testified of their wickedness and their abominations; and he testified that the things which he saw and heard, and also the things which he read in the book, manifested plainly of the coming of a Messiah, and also the redemption of the world.

I was interested in the cross references to this verse, especially 2 Chronicles 36:16 and Jeremiah 25:1–4. These verses made direct reference to what Lehi was doing in warning the people. Although the Bible does not name Lehi, we know through this verse that Lehi was one of the servants of the Lord referred to in these Bible verses. I also found it interesting that the verses in the Book of Mormon referred to Laman and Lemuel and seem to cement them in with the whole Jerusalem scene. They were rebelling and mocking prophets right along with the other Jews.

• Jeremiah 38:2–4

1 Nephi 1:18

Therefore, I would that ye should know, that after the Lord had shown so many marvelous things unto my father, Lehi, yea, concerning the destruction of Jerusalem, behold he went forth among the people, and began to prophesy and to declare unto them concerning the things which he had both seen and heard.

After Lehi saw everything the Lord showed him, including the warning of Jerusalem’s destruction, Lehi was obligated to share the message. In D&C 88:81 (81–82) it says that everyone who has been warned should warn his neighbor. We all have this responsibility, but the calling of a prophet gives one a specific stewardship. Amos 3:7 says the Lord won’t do anything without first telling His prophets.

D&C 88:82 says that warning people makes them responsible for their own sins. Jacob 1:19 makes it very clear that Jacob and Joseph took this responsibility seriously. They knew that if they didn’t do their best to teach the people and encourage their repentance that they (Jacob and Joseph) would answer “the sins of the people upon [their] own heads if [they] did not teach them the word of God with all diligence. The way this all works out is recorded quite at length in Ezekiel 3:17–21.

• 2 Nephi 25:9
• D&C 88:81
• Jacob 1:19

Question about light

Just a quick break from the scripture journal to ask a question that came to me yesterday. I have been reading Hearing the Voice of the Lord by Gerald N. Lund. It's a book about personal revelation, and the part I read yesterday had to do with light and how revelation enlightens our minds and brings light to our mind, etc. The scriptures have many references connecting revelation to light. The thought I had was a what if kind of question. What if revelation was literally light? We know that the visible light (white light) is just a small part of the whole spectrum that we can measure, from infrared on one end to ultraviolet on the other. But isn't it possible that there are frequencies beyond what we can measure? The scriptures tell us that spirit is a more pure form of matter (D&C 131:7-8), so why not a more pure form of light? So often in the scriptures we read prophecies and are surprised at how literally they are fulfilled. Why not this as well? When we are enlightened or "filled with light," couldn't it be literal light instead of just an expression? I don't have an answer to this right now, but it's an interesting thought. Along those same lines, sometimes we receive revelation as "voices" in our minds. I have had that experience, where I literally carried on a conversation in my mind, thinking thought that I know were not my own, and responding with thoughts that I know were. Is it possible that this was an example of more pure sound waves that can only be discerned by the spirit and mind? I don't know, but it doesn't seem all that strange to me. Maybe you guys out at BYU can bring it up with your religion professor. At any rate, I would be interested to hear your thoughts on my speculation.