1 Nephi 7:17

17 But it came to pass that I prayed unto the Lord, saying: O Lord, according to my faith which is in thee, wilt thou deliver me from the hands of my brethren; yea, even give me strength that I may burst these bands with which I am bound.

I don't remember the source, but Elder Jeffery R. Holland of the Quorum of Twelve Apostles points out that Nephi did not ask for the bonds to be removed, he asked for the strength to overcome them. This is a powerful lesson to apply to our challenges and difficulties as well.

1 Nephi 7:15–16

15 Now behold, I say unto you that if ye will return unto Jerusalem ye shall also perish with them. And now, if ye have choice, go up to the land, and remember the words which I speak unto you, that if ye go ye will also perish; for thus the Spirit of the Lord constraineth me that I should speak.

16 And it came to pass that when I, Nephi, had spoken these words unto my brethren, they were angry with me. And it came to pass that they did lay their hands upon me, for behold, they were exceedingly wroth, and they did bind me with cords, for they sought to take away my life, that they might leave me in the wilderness to be devoured by wild beasts.

Here is an indication of the pride and general ill temper of Laman and his followers. After chastising them and telling them of the fate of those in Jerusalem, Nephi tells Laman and the others that they were free to return to Jerusalem, but the same fate would come to them. This is why I think there was a spark of something in Laman and Lemuel. They didn’t return to Jerusalem. They had the chance to go, and didn’t. They didn’t like it, but they didn’t return. They knew, or were maybe afraid, that Nephi was right, but they were still pretty angry with him. Instead of considering that his message could save their lives, they tried to kill the message bearer, because they could not be happy in their sin, and Nephi pointed that out to them.

• 1 Nephi 16:1–3

1 Nephi 7:14

14 For behold, the Spirit of the Lord ceaseth soon to strive with them; for behold, they have rejected the prophets, and Jeremiah have they cast into prison. And they have sought to take away the life of my father, insomuch that they have driven him out of the land.

Everyone born into this life is endowed with the Spirit of Christ, which gives us the means to judge good from evil. (Moroni 7:16) This Spirit of Christ also “inviteth and enticeth” each of us to live according to God’s commandments. When we reject that influence often enough, when we refuse to repent, that Spirit stops working on us. When that happens, there really is no hope for our redemption. Why? Not because it is not available to us, but because we will not accept it. When we go so far along that path that the Lord stops working with us, essentially gives up on us, then we truly are left alone to find our way back to Him without benefit of light or direction. At that point we have no desire for anything good and beautiful. Once the Lord sees we are beyond His help (and He won’t force His way where He isn’t wanted), He withdraws and we are left to our own strength. This was the situation in Jerusalem that Lehi and his family was fleeing. Jerusalem’s days were numbered, and those who were not listening to the prophets couldn’t, or wouldn’t, see it. As long as we feel guilt for our sins, the Spirit of the Lord is working with us.

• Ezekiel 5:6
• Jeremiah 37:15 (15–21)
• Ether 2:15
• Helaman 4:12–13
• Moroni 8:28
• Moroni 9:3–5
• D&C 1:33

1 Nephi 7:13

13 And if it so be that we are faithful to him, we shall obtain the land of promise; and ye shall know at some future period that the word of the Lord shall be fulfilled concerning the destruction of Jerusalem; for all things which the Lord hath spoken concerning the destruction of Jerusalem must be fulfilled.

Looking at this verse as a spiritual metaphor is interesting. The concept of being led to a promised land is something I have discussed before in this journal (see entry for 1 Nephi 2:20), so I won’t spend any more time with that here. Nephi promises his brethren that at “some future period” they will know that Jerusalem was destroyed according to the word of the Lord. One thing that the saints and the humble have always had to do is take it on faith that those who are breaking the commandments (represented by the Jews in Jerusalem) would eventually be judged and punished, and those who keep the commandments would be rewarded. For example, some people who don’t pay tithing seem to be blessed financially. At some future time they will need to be accountable for that oversight, but right now they seem to be doing alright. What about those who, breaking the Sabbath commandment, go on outings or recreation on Sunday? We are asked to trust that those who seem to be enjoying themselves while breaking the commandment, who seem to be getting away with it, will get their reward at “some future period.” This is something we need to accept on faith, that all will eventually be rewarded according to their works.

• 1 Nephi 2:20
• 2 Kings 25:4 (1–21)
• Omni 1:15

1 Nephi 7:12

12 Yea, and how is it that ye have forgotten that the Lord is able to do all things according to his will, for the children of men, if it so be that they exercise faith in him? Wherefore, let us be faithful to him.

Sometimes I wish I really understood the principle of faith. Nephi says that the Lord is limited in how He can bless us. He’s limited by our faith, or lack of faith. A key word in this verse is IF. The Lord can do anything for our benefit IF we exercise faith in Him. Moroni tells us in Ether 12 (a great chapter about faith) that our witness comes after the trial of our faith. It also says that God cannot perform miracles among those with no faith. This is described in Matthew 13:58, where Christ could not perform many miracles in his home country because of their unbelief.

• Ether 12:12, 18
• Matthew 13: 58

1 Nephi 7:9–11

9 How is it that ye have not hearkened unto the word of the Lord?

10 How is it that ye have forgotten that ye have seen an angel of the Lord?

11 Yea, and how is it that ye have forgotten what great things the Lord hath done for us, in delivering us out of the hands of Laban, and also that we should obtain the record?

When Nephi got after his brothers about giving up the mission to retrieve the brass plates he cited Moses’ experience of helping the children of Israel escape the Egyptian army. This time they have had their own experiences with the Lord that they can remember, and that is what Nephi reminds them of. I don’t suppose Laman and Lemuel had really forgotten these experiences, but they sure weren’t thinking about them when they rebelled this time. Here is evidence that miracles or signs don’t necessarily convert. In 3 Nephi chapter 1 we read about the signs of Christ’s birth and how as soon as those signs were shown Satan sent “lyings” forth among the people, “to harden their hearts, to the intent that they might not believe in those signs and wonders which they had seen” (3 NE 1:22; emphasis added). Satan had fertile ground with which to work in Laman and Lemuel. They were all too willing to forget or disregard their own experiences with the Spirit. That’s a dangerous attitude to take with the Lord. Our very salvation depends on remembering His workings with the children of men. (See Moroni 10:3 for the importance of remembering)

• 3 Nephi 1:22

1 Nephi 7:8

8 And now I, Nephi, being grieved for the hardness of their hearts, therefore I spake unto them, saying, yea, even unto Laman and unto Lemuel: Behold ye are mine elder brethren, and how is it that ye are so hard in your hearts, and so blind in your minds, that ye have need that I, your younger brother, should speak unto you, yea, and set an example for you?

How it must have hurt Nephi and Lehi that Laman and Lemuel were so hard and rebellious. Little brothers want to look up to their big brothers. I think that Nephi would have loved to have the luxury of letting Laman be the spiritual leader after Lehi. It’s a great feeling when that responsibility is someone else’s. And I think Nephi would have been a good follower. He never really got the chance to follow his older brothers, however. Nephi was the one who put forth the effort to be converted. From all that I can read, I think Laman and Lemuel had testimonies, but they were not converted. Someone who is not converted cannot be a spiritual leader because their behavior is not worthy of being followed, at least not consistently. Laman wanted the position of leader, but he wasn’t willing to make the changes needed to be the leader. Nephi, on the other hand, was converted and not willing to compromise. Therefore he, by default, became the spiritual leader, and usually the temporal leader as well.

• Mosiah 28:3
• Alma 31:2
• 3 Nephi 17:14
• Moses 7:41