Episode 9

full
Published on:

27th Jan 2024

Book of Mormon [1 NEPHI 16-22] Insights with Maria Eckersley

5: BOM [1 NEPHI 16-22] INSIGHTS NOTES

“I Will Prepare the Way before You”

January 29 – February 4

Insights Lesson Summary:

This week we’ll see the second half of the journey to the Promised Land. We’ll follow Lehi & Ishmael’s families as they wind their way through the wilderness towards Bountiful. We’ll see how they struggle with a broken bow, a boat building project, and the struggles that come when a family is divided. The last few chapters are Nephi’s witness of the Savior and his reminder to study the words of previous prophets like Isaiah, Zenos, and Lehi.

Questions to Consider from Week 5

  • 1 Nephi 16:12 | Laman and Lemuel seem to keep one foot planted in Jerusalem while they wander in the wilderness. What pain do they experience by neglecting to live up to the light they’ve been given.
  • 1 Nephi 17:18 | Is it possible that Nephi broke his bow on purpose? Could he, like Elijah, have hoped a famine would help his family remember God? If so, what else can you learn from the story?
  • 1 Nephi 17:23-29 | Lehi repents of his murmuring and then the family sees new writing on the Liahona. Nephi speaks about the Lord using “small means” to accomplish “great things”. What do you think he’s referring to?
  • 1 Nephi 19:12 | One of my favorite titles for Jesus Christ is “The God of Nature”. What does that title teach us? How is it more vivid in these chapters about animals, storms, timbers, and tides?
  • 1 Nephi 22:17 | Isaiah’s writings promise the the righteous need not fear the last days. 1 John 4:18 teaches that perfect love casteth out fear. Do you see a connection between these verses? How will perfect love play a role in the last days?

Follow Maria on:

CHURCH OF JESUS CHRIST DISCLAIMER: This podcast represents my own thoughts and opinions. It is not made, approved or endorsed by Intellectual Reserve, Inc. or The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Any content or creative interpretations, implied or included are solely those of Maria Eckersley ("MeckMom LLC"), and not those of Intellectual Reserve, Inc. or The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Great care has been made to ensure this podcast is in harmony with the overall mission of the Church. Click here to visit the official website of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Transcript
Maria:

Welcome back, you guys.

Maria:

This is week five of Our Mothers Knew It, and this is our last

Maria:

week in the book of First Nephi.

Maria:

We're going to go from chapter 16 all the way to the end in 22, and

Maria:

there's a lot of ground to cover.

Maria:

The story is going to be kind of familiar.

Maria:

We picked the narrative back up again this week, so we're going to see them

Maria:

continue to travel into the wilderness.

Maria:

In fact, this week you're going to see them finally get to Bountiful,

Maria:

that kind of launching off place where they're going to build the

Maria:

boat and finally cross the waters.

Maria:

They'll even get to the Promised Land by the time we get to

Maria:

the end of these chapters.

Maria:

We also get just a smidgen of some guidance from Isaiah and a

Maria:

few other prophets from the Brass Plates in this week's chapter.

Maria:

So there's a lot, you guys, but I felt like of all the things I studied and

Maria:

learned this week, the recurring theme, I felt like this you know, golden thread

Maria:

that winds through all the chapters is the blessings of having sight.

Maria:

I feel like where we were last week, we saw this great vision of Nephi and

Maria:

how he now understands better who he is and this work that the Lord has

Maria:

called him to do and what the promised land will look like and how it will

Maria:

bless his posterity and give them struggles as they turn away from God.

Maria:

Like he has this Clear sight.

Maria:

And I feel like that's the biggest difference between how Nephi

Maria:

reacts to things and how Laman and Lemuel react to things this week.

Maria:

You're gonna see them over and over again be in the exact same circumstances

Maria:

and see it completely differently.

Maria:

The visual that came to my mind this week, I don't know if you guys have

Maria:

ever had this, experience in your car, but I'm driving in the car.

Maria:

I've got both my teenage boys in the car, and I'm watching that as I

Maria:

take turns and as I stop in places, their body reaction is so vastly

Maria:

different than my body's reaction.

Maria:

Because when I, you know, head to a stop sign or even see a red light

Maria:

coming, my body naturally braces itself and I kind of steady myself.

Maria:

Whereas Will, who's in the front seat because he's looking at his phone or

Maria:

not paying attention, like his whole body moves around and he gets Jostled

Maria:

around there was even one point last week where I took a turn and his head hit the

Maria:

window Not because I took a fast turn you guys but because he was so fixed on his

Maria:

phone that he didn't even notice we were Turning so he gets pushed to the side.

Maria:

Honestly, you guys I feel like that's what happens with Laman and Lemuel

Maria:

this week and a few others even Lehi a little bit this week is When we

Maria:

stop looking up when we stop relying on vision or the inspiration of the

Maria:

Holy Ghost, we get more jostled.

Maria:

Sometimes we feel blindsided, and we start to wonder if God even remembers where we

Maria:

are, because we haven't been looking up.

Maria:

Nephi, as, is kind of our constant in this week's chapters.

Maria:

He is someone who is driving this ship.

Maria:

He sees ahead.

Maria:

He knows what's coming.

Maria:

And even though he doesn't understand all the adversities and trials that are going

Maria:

to face them because he is looking up.

Maria:

He can steady himself.

Maria:

He sees certain situations and he can kind of bolster himself

Maria:

for the rocky patches ahead.

Maria:

And I feel like he's trying to give us the advice on how to

Maria:

do that in our lives as well.

Maria:

So I think there's a lot of rich, applicable goodness

Maria:

in this week's chapter.

Maria:

So grab your scriptures, grab your notes.

Maria:

It's time to get started.

Maria:

Just like we've done in all the weeks of 2024, we're going to do the 753 approach.

Maria:

So I'm going to share seven key sparks that caught my eye this week.

Maria:

Then we'll jump into five good questions to get conversations going.

Maria:

And then finally, you'll see a second video of three object lessons

Maria:

to help you just ignite fires in.

Maria:

anyone you happen to teach this week.

Maria:

So we're gonna get started with the sparks.

Maria:

So this first spark I call finding the fertile path.

Maria:

And this comes from chapter 16, mostly.

Maria:

This is when you see them heading into the wilderness and the Liahona is introduced.

Maria:

So you see that they've, they've arrived at a certain Not a destination

Maria:

geographically, but a destination in their maturity, I think.

Maria:

Because basically what you see happen in these first few verses is that these sons

Maria:

get married to these daughters of Ishmael.

Maria:

And there's this great statement that Lehi has obeyed all the

Maria:

commandments that God has given him.

Maria:

That doesn't mean that Lehi is done.

Maria:

It means Lehi is ready for phase two.

Maria:

And phase two involves a great tool and it comes to him in the night.

Maria:

So if you look in first Nephi 10, it says, And it came to pass that the voice of the

Maria:

Lord spake unto my father by night and commanded him that on the morrow he should

Maria:

take his journey into the wilderness.

Maria:

And it came to pass that as my father arose in the morning and went forth to

Maria:

the tent door, to his great astonishment, he beheld upon the ground a round ball

Maria:

of curious workmanship, and it was of fine brass, and within the ball were two

Maria:

spindles, and the one pointed the way whither we should go in the wilderness.

Maria:

And then you find out in the later verses where this ball leads.

Maria:

So if you look at 16 and 17, it says, And we did follow the directions of

Maria:

the ball, which led us in the more fertile parts of the wilderness.

Maria:

And after we had traveled for the space of many days, we did pitch our tents

Maria:

for a space of time that we might gain rest and obtain food for our families.

Maria:

This ball, this director, later it's going to be called the liahona, but

Maria:

this ball is designed to give them You know, you get all these allusions to the

Maria:

children of Israel that they, they had, you know, that pillar of fire and that

Maria:

cloud that would guide them, whether it was night or day, they would know

Maria:

where they were supposed to go and when.

Maria:

That's kind of the feel of the Liahona.

Maria:

What I think is fascinating is.

Maria:

Where it leads.

Maria:

It doesn't lead them out of the wilderness.

Maria:

It leads them to the most fertile parts.

Maria:

The reason I think that matters so much is I think this happens all the time with us.

Maria:

I think the Lord knows that the best way to get me from point A where I am today To

Maria:

the promised land he hopes for me later is this straight shot through the wilderness.

Maria:

That's the fastest course.

Maria:

It's also the course that provides all the necessary obstacles for

Maria:

me to become the kind of person he wants me to be by point B.

Maria:

So he's going to lead me through the wilderness.

Maria:

What's powerful is the ball he gives me is direct, is to direct

Maria:

me to the most fertile parts.

Maria:

I think it's tempting to assume that the ball will lead them to the most

Maria:

comfortable parts, but usually the most fertile parts are not the broad roads.

Maria:

You know, the most fertile parts are the ones that wind along a

Maria:

river somewhere, and that there's lush vegetation around them.

Maria:

Those are not easy places for a caravan of people to travel.

Maria:

This is a harder, more circuitous path, but it is the more fertile parts.

Maria:

And I just feel like, That's us, right?

Maria:

I think oftentimes the Lord chooses not to pull us from the wilderness

Maria:

because it's exactly where he needs us to go in order to become the kind

Maria:

of people he wants us to become.

Maria:

I felt this oftentimes with Jason's diagnosis that he couldn't pull

Maria:

cancer from us for whatever reason.

Maria:

That was something we just had to travel through.

Maria:

But he could guide me.

Maria:

to the most fertile parts.

Maria:

He could give inspiration to Jason and to me and to us together at times so

Maria:

that we could find the right doctors and we could find the right treatments.

Maria:

We could live in the right neighborhood where people would

Maria:

care for us in the right way.

Maria:

That was him leading us to the most.

Maria:

Fertile parts of the wilderness.

Maria:

There's this great quotes in the notes if you want the full quote, but this is

Maria:

Elder Christofferson He says this it's challenging but vital to remain firm and

Maria:

steadfast when we find ourselves being refined in the furnace of affliction

Maria:

Something that comes soon or late to all of us in mortality without God without God

Maria:

these dark experiences tend to despondency despair and even bitterness With God,

Maria:

comfort replaces pain, peace replaces turmoil, and hope replaces sorrow.

Maria:

Remaining firm in the faith of Christ will bring His sustaining grace and support.

Maria:

He will convert trial into blessing, and in Isaiah's words, give beauty for ashes.

Maria:

That's the promise of the Lord.

Maria:

You will need to wander this wilderness because it's the only

Maria:

way to become who you need to be.

Maria:

But He will find a way to guide you to the most fertile parts.

Maria:

And since we know that Liahona is a beautiful symbol of the Spirit

Maria:

of God, the fact that our Our prophet is constantly pushing us

Maria:

to hear him better and to increase our ability to receive revelation.

Maria:

I think this is our prophet reaching out with loving arms to say, If

Maria:

you're going to make it through this wilderness, I want you to have

Maria:

the most fertile path possible.

Maria:

Listen to the voice of the Spirit.

Maria:

It'll guide you.

Maria:

And I think it's beautiful that we see that in Nephi's story as well.

Maria:

I call this second spark, trust that there is ore.

Maria:

I, this is one of those mantras that helps me.

Maria:

Every single day.

Maria:

There's been so many times when this answer has come to my mind

Maria:

as I've prayed for guidance.

Maria:

There is ore available to you.

Maria:

What I love about Nephi is he seems to have an attitude of He's willing to pivot.

Maria:

When hard things happen, he pivots and he finds another way.

Maria:

In a lot of ways, Nephi reminds me of Bear Gryllis.

Maria:

If you guys watched any of those nature shows with him, you know where they

Maria:

like drop him in the middle of nowhere.

Maria:

Like he'll be in this slug infested pond and has to find his way from where he is

Maria:

to civilization or they'll drop him at the top of a snowy mountain in Alaska and he

Maria:

has to find his way towards civilization.

Maria:

What's amazing to me about his mentality and probably what makes him so fun to

Maria:

watch is that he is dropped and he just has an assumption that he can make it.

Maria:

He trusts that there must be something he can eat in any environment.

Maria:

There must be a way for him to sleep without being eaten by

Maria:

other things in any environment.

Maria:

And he comes in with this attitude of like, I can do this.

Maria:

I can use my ingenuity, what I know so far, my gut instincts,

Maria:

and I'll find a way to make it.

Maria:

I feel like that's Nephi.

Maria:

He, he doesn't seem to blame God when things go wrong.

Maria:

He trusts that there must be ore available to him.

Maria:

We see this at first with the broken bow incident, and then

Maria:

we see it again with the ship.

Maria:

So we'll walk through both of those.

Maria:

The first 16, verse 20.

Maria:

It says it came to pass that Laban the sons of Ishmael did begin to murmur

Maria:

exceedingly because of their sufferings and afflictions in the wilderness.

Maria:

This is because Nephi's bow, the one they brought from Jerusalem, breaks, and now

Maria:

all of a sudden they can't access food.

Maria:

And also my father began to murmur against the Lord his God.

Maria:

Yea, and they were all exceedingly sorrowful, even that they

Maria:

did murmur against the Lord.

Maria:

And then 21.

Maria:

Now it came to pass that I Nephi, being afflicted with my brethren, because

Maria:

of the loss of my bow, and their bows having lost their springs, it began

Maria:

to be exceedingly difficult, yea, inasmuch that we could obtain no food.

Maria:

Nephi is suffering right alongside his brothers and right alongside his dad.

Maria:

He has a young wife, he has maybe even kids at this point that

Maria:

aren't eating and he is suffering just like everyone else is.

Maria:

The difference between those two verses for me is that The first group

Maria:

of people choose to blame God for their adversities, and Nephi doesn't.

Maria:

He seems to have that Bear Grylls mentality of like, turns

Maria:

out the world's just hard.

Maria:

You know, we're in the wilderness.

Maria:

It's rough on the tools we brought from Jerusalem.

Maria:

They probably weren't built for this kind of environment and Things break.

Maria:

My bow breaks.

Maria:

Maybe even if I broke it.

Maria:

Like, he's just in that mindset of like, this is just hard.

Maria:

God doesn't cause hard.

Maria:

What God does is relieves hard.

Maria:

He takes the hard things that we are dealt in this life, and instead of pulling

Maria:

us out of those wilderness moments, he guides us to the most fertile, And

Maria:

that's what Nephi seems to understand.

Maria:

He trusts that when he's dropped in this spot with a broken bow and

Maria:

no food, he can find a solution.

Maria:

So he pivots and he does what he can.

Maria:

And that's when he makes a bow.

Maria:

I just think that's been such a powerful thing for me to

Maria:

understand when my adversities hit.

Maria:

Because it's really tempting, even in an almost faith filled kind of way to

Maria:

say something like, well, God must be trying to teach me a lesson and therefore

Maria:

he caused Jason's pancreatic cancer.

Maria:

Or, you know, like we get in this mindset, I remember when the cancer

Maria:

came back the second time thinking like, is there something I didn't

Maria:

learn the first time, Heavenly Father?

Maria:

Why is this coming back?

Maria:

And I, it wasn't until I was able to shift my mindset to believe that God doesn't

Maria:

cause cancer, at least that's my stance.

Maria:

I feel like biology causes cancer.

Maria:

The world we live in is a mess and hard things happen.

Maria:

What God does is he lifts burdens.

Maria:

He says, I see the situation you're in.

Maria:

Let me lead you to the most fertile paths.

Maria:

And that's what happens with Nephi.

Maria:

So when problems come, he doesn't blame, he pivots.

Maria:

There's this great section you can see he talks about the adversities that they're

Maria:

facing in the wilderness after the broken bow gets Resolved and he makes a new bow

Maria:

and they get food He talks about some of the adversities that happen and you

Maria:

can see this in three in 17 verse 3 and thus we see the commandments of God must

Maria:

be fulfilled and if it so be that the children of men keep the commandments of

Maria:

God he doth nourish them and Strengthen them and provide means by where whereby

Maria:

they can accomplish the thing which he has commanded them to do Wherefore

Maria:

he did provide means for us that we should sojourn in the wilderness He

Maria:

just spent all this time telling us how hard the journey was, and now he says,

Maria:

but let me show you what God does do.

Maria:

God doesn't take us out of those spots, but he does nourish us.

Maria:

He does strengthen us.

Maria:

And he does provide the means we need to make it through.

Maria:

That's God to me.

Maria:

That's the nature of God.

Maria:

That he is someone who lifts and nourishes and strengthens.

Maria:

And he sees the situations we're in in this messed up mortal world

Maria:

and says, I can work with that.

Maria:

Come to me and I will help you.

Maria:

I love the way it's pitched from 8 to 10.

Maria:

This is in 16.

Maria:

Or sorry, in 18.

Maria:

And it came to pass that the Lord spake unto me, saying, Thou shalt construct a

Maria:

ship, after the manner which I shall show thee, and I shall carry thy people, that

Maria:

I may carry thy people across the waters.

Maria:

And I said, Lord, whither shall I go that I might find ore to molten, that I might

Maria:

make tools to construct the ship after the manner which thou hast shown me?

Maria:

And it came to pass that the Lord told me whither I should go that I might

Maria:

find ore, that I might make these tools.

Maria:

Nephi trusts that there is ore in these hills around him.

Maria:

He's not familiar with this area.

Maria:

He doesn't know what's happening.

Maria:

He just knows the Lord.

Maria:

And because he knows the Lord, he trusts that there must be ore.

Maria:

There must be something he can do to pivot and to solve the problem ahead of him.

Maria:

I just think it's Powerful.

Maria:

The other thing I think is so powerful about Nephi's approach is, not only

Maria:

does he trust that there are or, there is or somewhere for him to

Maria:

I think sometimes the reason I get frustrated at God is I

Maria:

feel like he's making me busy.

Maria:

You know, he's giving me adversity I don't necessarily need and Nephi seems to

Maria:

understand that that never is the case.

Maria:

Back in 2020, we talked about Karate Kid, remember?

Maria:

If you haven't seen that in a long time.

Maria:

Like, this is what Daniel learns from Mr.

Maria:

Miyagi, right?

Maria:

In that key moment in the movie when Daniel understands that painting

Maria:

the fence and sanding the floor haven't been busy work at all.

Maria:

They've been preparing his muscles for the battles that are ahead.

Maria:

That's what Nephi seems to understand at every one of these pivot points.

Maria:

He trusts that if God needs him to go up and down the mountain over and

Maria:

over again in order to connect with him about how to build this boat,

Maria:

that journey must be necessary.

Maria:

If God wants him to search out ore in the hills rather than provide a cache of

Maria:

it somewhere, digging must be necessary.

Maria:

Something about the process is enriching him, and he's

Maria:

trusting in the nature of God.

Maria:

That God will not give him busy work.

Maria:

God does not want to waste time.

Maria:

He wants Nephi to grow as rapidly and as powerfully as possible.

Maria:

So it gives him exactly the right ways to accomplish that.

Maria:

I just think it's powerful and you see it go over and over again in Nephi's life.

Maria:

As he pivots, he's driven closer and closer towards that

Maria:

journey to the promised land.

Maria:

He gets to his goal because he follows these promptings.

Maria:

This next spark I call, watch out for the mirage.

Maria:

And this is where you see another big contrast between how Nephi views things

Maria:

and how his brothers view things.

Maria:

So if you look in 17, this is around verse 13, it says, And I will

Maria:

be your light in the wilderness.

Maria:

I will prepare the way before you, if it so be that ye shall keep my commandments.

Maria:

Wherefore, inasmuch as ye shall keep my commandments, ye shall be led

Maria:

towards the promised land, and ye shall know that it is by me ye are led.

Maria:

That's Nephi.

Maria:

He trusts in this light in the wilderness.

Maria:

Even if it's an ultraviolet light that no one else can really recognize and see,

Maria:

he's tuned into it and he knows it's real.

Maria:

The contrast with from there to what you see from Laman and Lemuel is Stark.

Maria:

So if you look in 17 verses 20 through 22, it says this, And thou

Maria:

art like our father, led away by the foolish imaginations of his heart.

Maria:

Yea, he hath led us out of the land of Jerusalem, and we have wandered in

Maria:

the wilderness for these many years.

Maria:

And our women have toiled, being big with child.

Maria:

And they have born children in the wilderness, and suffered

Maria:

all things, save it were death.

Maria:

And it would have been better, if they had died before they came out of Jerusalem,

Maria:

than to suffer these afflictions.

Maria:

This is something I think you see, you ever watch one of those like Sahara

Maria:

kind of movies, they show you a mirage.

Maria:

It's this, if you look over across a desert landscape, sometimes you can

Maria:

see what seems to be an oasis, right?

Maria:

You see almost watery looking substance.

Maria:

You can see something glassy in the distance and you go towards it, right?

Maria:

Hoping for nourishment, hoping for something that will sustain you.

Maria:

What is Sickening about it is you waste all that energy and all that time

Maria:

chasing something that doesn't exist.

Maria:

I feel like that's one of the problems Laman and Lemuel have.

Maria:

Because they, their heart never quite left Jerusalem, they always

Maria:

look back and see this mirage.

Maria:

They see a vision of Jerusalem that isn't real.

Maria:

It's a false future that they've painted for themselves.

Maria:

So they start to kind of stew on those thoughts.

Maria:

I actually think this is one of the more sinister tricks of the adversary.

Maria:

I think he likes to go back to pivot points in our testimony.

Maria:

Moments when, instead of choosing his course, we chose good.

Maria:

We chose to follow the prophet.

Maria:

We chose to take the harder right instead of the easier wrong.

Maria:

And then he asks us to, especially in times of struggle when we've

Maria:

chosen the right, to go back to that pivot point and start to paint

Maria:

a picture of what could have been.

Maria:

Right?

Maria:

Haven't you found yourself doing this sometimes?

Maria:

Like, you paint a picture of what could have been had you

Maria:

picked a different major.

Maria:

Or in a time of struggle on your mission, you might have had a moment

Maria:

where you painted a picture of, what if I haven't gone on a mission at all?

Maria:

I probably would have gotten that scholarship.

Maria:

I probably would have married that girl.

Maria:

You know, like you, you start to kind of envision a future that isn't real.

Maria:

And Satan is so good at painting those mirages.

Maria:

He makes them so appealing and so glistening that you Step away from

Maria:

what is real and you step towards what cannot fill you and it's

Maria:

just Sickening to see it happen.

Maria:

I think it's what breaks up marriages.

Maria:

It causes people to Abandon the repentance process at times like it is It is a

Maria:

sinister tool of the adversary, um, and he knows as soon as he gets you

Maria:

to chase that mirage, he can move it further and further in the distance until

Maria:

you're so far away from that pivot point that you feel like you can't get back.

Maria:

And when you finally get to the point of the mirage, you see the reality.

Maria:

That's what Nephi can see that Laman and Lemuel can't.

Maria:

He's already seen that that mirage isn't real.

Maria:

Jerusalem is not full of golden people who always choose the right.

Maria:

Jerusalem is going to burn.

Maria:

He, he can see clearly what they are envisioning is wrong.

Maria:

They have these other thoughts, like in 21, 22, you see more

Maria:

of this imagined future.

Maria:

He says, Behold, these many years, this is Laman and Lemuel speaking again,

Maria:

these many years we have suffered in the wilderness, which we might

Maria:

have enjoyed, Arpavet, possessions in the land of our inheritance,

Maria:

yea, we might have been happy.

Maria:

And we know that the people who were in the land of Jerusalem

Maria:

were a righteous people, for they kept the statutes and judgments of

Maria:

the Lord and all his commandments according to the law of Moses.

Maria:

Wherefore, we know that they are a righteous people.

Maria:

This is Laman and Lemuel falling for the mirage that the adversary has painted.

Maria:

He's saying, Oh, you could have been happy.

Maria:

You know, there are people in Jerusalem right now.

Maria:

In fact, the wealthier sons of People are already being carted off to Babylon.

Maria:

That's what happened with Daniel.

Maria:

That's already happening before they even step foot out of the city.

Maria:

They just don't remember that anymore.

Maria:

They're falling in love with an imagined reality.

Maria:

And I just think this is so risky for us.

Maria:

I think it's something we have to be constantly watchful of.

Maria:

That we don't Paint a picture that isn't real and then long for it.

Maria:

You know, sometimes if, maybe you get directed by the spirit to move, to move

Maria:

your whole family, take a different job or whatever, and then when things

Maria:

get hard Instead of relying on that prompting you start to look back and you

Maria:

say if we had stayed in Columbus or if we had stayed Then we would have been

Maria:

happy then we and it's just not real What is real is the spirits promptings

Maria:

if they guided you then they will guide you now They will help you find the

Maria:

fertile parts of the wilderness You just have to stay the course and that's

Maria:

what Nephi tries to teach his brothers.

Maria:

So he invites them to look back Interestingly, he starts to talk

Maria:

about the children of Israel, and I think there's some connection between

Maria:

what we studied in the Old Testament.

Maria:

Remember, even when the children of Israel get through the Red

Maria:

Sea, and they have this miraculous experience, they look back on Egypt

Maria:

with this glossy, rose colored lens.

Maria:

Remember, they talk about the flesh pots and how they wish they could go back

Maria:

because they had food all the time there?

Maria:

Like, there is this The further we get away from what God delivered

Maria:

us from, the more hazy it feels.

Maria:

And when we don't have our own connection with the Spirit, we lose sight.

Maria:

And that's what you see here.

Maria:

The reason I think we have to be really careful about this is, I

Maria:

really feel like the scriptures teach us how we can Avoid it.

Maria:

When you find yourself pulled in by a mirage, either a past one or a future

Maria:

one that Satan is helping you paint, you need to stay rooted in truth.

Maria:

And where we find that is what Nevi's little brother teaches us down the road.

Maria:

So this is Jacob 4.

Maria:

13.

Maria:

Behold, my brethren, he that prophesies, let him prophesy

Maria:

to the understanding of men.

Maria:

For the Spirit speaketh truth and lieth not.

Maria:

Wherefore, it speaketh of things as they really are, and of

Maria:

things as they really will be.

Maria:

Wherefore, these things are manifested unto us plainly for

Maria:

the salvation of our souls.

Maria:

But behold, we are not witnesses alone in these things, for God also

Maria:

spake them unto prophets of old.

Maria:

This is where you can find truth.

Maria:

You can find truth in the promptings of the spirit.

Maria:

You can find what is real in the words of prophets, living and ancient.

Maria:

That's where we can find truth and where we can hold it firm.

Maria:

I also love what you see in John 17, so back in the New Testament.

Maria:

If any man will do this, he shall know of the doctrine, whether it be of God.

Maria:

The big push that I think Nephi is trying to help them see when they

Maria:

are working their way towards this mirage of what Jerusalem could

Maria:

be is to help them see the truth.

Maria:

He says, if you'll just keep walking in the wilderness, if you'll keep

Maria:

heading towards the promised land, evidence will be abundant to you.

Maria:

You'll see the miracles of Our God guiding us through.

Maria:

You'll see things like the Liahona and appreciate the fact that

Maria:

that is God's hand in your life.

Maria:

You'll see the fact that we are in the places where we have

Maria:

beasts that we can hunt and you'll see God's hand in your life.

Maria:

He just wants them to set down these dreams of a possible future and hold

Maria:

tight to what is real and what lasts.

Maria:

And he pushes them towards it all throughout this chapter.

Maria:

I hope this doesn't come off as irreverent, but I call spark number four

Maria:

return of the Jedi and let me explain why One of the things I thought was so fun

Maria:

to study in these last couple weeks of scripture is Nephi's deliverance progress

Maria:

I don't know what else to call it.

Maria:

It's you see him being delivered by the hand of the Lord in such Miraculous

Maria:

ways, but they change with each personal deliverance story At first you see him

Maria:

when his brothers grab him an angel comes, you know that that encounter with

Maria:

the brass Plates when the brothers are holding him and they beat him with a

Maria:

rod and an angel comes and stops them.

Maria:

And then the second time happens when they're on their way back from Jerusalem

Maria:

with Ishmael's daughters and the family of Ishmael and the brothers tie him up.

Maria:

Remember we studied that story, and this time an angel doesn't come.

Maria:

The nefi prays for deliverance for an ability to burst these bands,

Maria:

and the Lord just looses them.

Maria:

He loosens the ropes from his hands and his wrists.

Maria:

Then the third time happens in these chapters, so this is when his

Maria:

brothers are so frustrated at his.

Maria:

direction because basically he's telling them like you are like the

Maria:

children of Israel you are rebelling against God and that ends hard.

Maria:

They don't like those hard sayings.

Maria:

They are past feeling to some degree and they bristle at his commentary and

Maria:

so they try to throw him in the water.

Maria:

I don't know if this means like over a cliff into the water.

Maria:

I heard a commentator this week say that these were probably shark infested waters.

Maria:

I don't know but for whatever reason throwing him over the water is is their

Maria:

way of getting rid of Nephi and you see.

Maria:

An interesting shift in his deliberate story this time.

Maria:

So if you look in 17, this is 48 through 50.

Maria:

And now it came to pass that when I had spoken these words, they were angry

Maria:

with me, and they were desirous to throw me into the depths of the sea.

Maria:

And as they came forth to lay their hands upon me, I spake unto them,

Maria:

saying, In the name of the Almighty God, I command you that you touch me not.

Maria:

For I am filled with the power of God, even unto the consuming of my flesh.

Maria:

And whoso shall lay his hands upon me shall wither even as a

Maria:

dried reed, and he shall be as naught before the power of God.

Maria:

For God shall smite him.

Maria:

And then 49.

Maria:

And it came to pass that I Nephi said unto them that they should

Maria:

murmur no more against their father.

Maria:

Neither should they withhold their labor from me, for God hath commanded

Maria:

me that I should build a ship.

Maria:

And I said unto them, If God had commanded me to do all things, I could do them.

Maria:

And if he should command me that I should say unto this water, Be

Maria:

thou earth, it should be earth.

Maria:

And if I should say it, it would be done.

Maria:

I almost pictured like him being hedged over a cliff, you know, like a place where

Maria:

you would cliff jump into the waters.

Maria:

And he's basically saying to his brothers, You can go ahead and push me.

Maria:

If I direct it, that water will become earth and I'll be just fine.

Maria:

And there's just this, I don't, you know, this gusto in his voice.

Maria:

I don't see this as him being macho or egotistic in any way.

Maria:

I actually see this as like, Perfect meekness.

Maria:

I picture his posture and his face set the same way I picture Abinadi when he

Maria:

faces Noah or Joseph in Richmond Jail.

Maria:

Remember when he stands up in terrible majesty?

Maria:

I just love those phrases.

Maria:

I think Nevi is in terrible majesty at this moment.

Maria:

He is meek, um, the same way we saw the Savior stand before Pilate with

Maria:

this stance of, I have power and I am controlling it right now and

Maria:

I will choose the way this goes.

Maria:

God will choose the way this goes.

Maria:

What you do here has no bearing on that.

Maria:

You know, you feel that with Abinadi, you feel it with the Savior, and I feel

Maria:

like you get it with Nephi as well.

Maria:

I see this as a progression in his deliverance story.

Maria:

He's learning that God will deliver him, but he's learning

Maria:

how he plays a role in it.

Maria:

It's progressed from angels to, you know, bands being loosed to this point where

Maria:

his voice can command and they will obey.

Maria:

That's why I call it Jedi, because I just feel like there's this Jedi kind

Maria:

of feel to it where he's appreciating the power of the priesthood in his life.

Maria:

He just knows that the priesthood is contingent upon the will of God.

Maria:

It is not his to command and control, it is God's, and so

Maria:

he will do the will of God.

Maria:

Which is why I think it's really fascinating what happens next.

Maria:

So basically, Nevi doesn't do anything to the brothers until

Maria:

God directs him to shock them.

Maria:

I think this is fascinating.

Maria:

I don't know why God wants them shocked.

Maria:

It seems like they go a few days, like his His stance of terrible

Maria:

majesty is so intimidating that for many days, nobody touches him.

Maria:

They're scared to even go close to him.

Maria:

And then God says basically to Nephi, I want you to demonstrate my power.

Maria:

Now you need to go shock them.

Maria:

I just wonder how Nephi approached this or if he, if it was hard for

Maria:

him, you know, they're at least being compliant and probably helping

Maria:

him build the boat at this point.

Maria:

And I wonder if it was hard for him to go forth and shock them.

Maria:

But he does, because Nephi follows the directions of God.

Maria:

What's fascinating to me is.

Maria:

Now he knows what he's capable of, right?

Maria:

He knows what his priesthood power, through the will of God, can do.

Maria:

And what's amazing to me is what happens next.

Maria:

Because once the boat is finished, and they all get on board, and

Maria:

many days pass, and they start falling back into their old ways.

Maria:

You know, they don't have the work of the boat anymore to keep them busy, and

Maria:

I think they just spiritually recede.

Maria:

And they tiny fy up, and great storms come.

Maria:

What's fascinating to me is Nephi doesn't use that same

Maria:

Jedi like power in this moment.

Maria:

You don't see him commanding them.

Maria:

You don't see an angel come down.

Maria:

You don't see any of those deliberate stories happen.

Maria:

You see Nephi stay in the ropes.

Maria:

And I just found myself wondering Why?

Maria:

Why doesn't he use any of those tools at his disposal?

Maria:

And I think the verses clarify why.

Maria:

So if you look at 18, this is from like, 11 to 15.

Maria:

This is what happens.

Maria:

And it came to pass that Laman and Lemuel did take me and bind me with cords.

Maria:

They did treat me with much harshness.

Maria:

Nevertheless, the Lord did suffer it, that, did suffer it, that he

Maria:

might show forth his power unto the fulfilling of his word, which he

Maria:

had spoken concerning the wicked.

Maria:

Nephi knows, I think, at the very outset of being tied up by his

Maria:

brothers, that this is the will of God.

Maria:

God wants him to stay in these ropes.

Maria:

God wants him to experience the pain and the suffering for some purpose.

Maria:

If you go further in the verses, you can see that this great storm arises,

Maria:

and that they fear exceedingly, and that they get to the point where

Maria:

they're afraid they're going to perish.

Maria:

Like, it, it takes days, you guys.

Maria:

And Nephi is still tied up.

Maria:

And I just think it must have taken so much.

Maria:

self control, to not murmur against God, and to not try to use those same

Maria:

powers to push back against his brothers.

Maria:

But Nephi won't, because this is the work of God.

Maria:

I think, I'm not sure entirely why things played out the way

Maria:

they do in this part of the story.

Maria:

In my mind, this storm represents what happens when

Maria:

you pull back the hands of God.

Maria:

You know, I love that visual.

Maria:

We've all seen it, like, Ten Commandments style, where when you see the children

Maria:

of Israel going through the dry ground on the Red Sea, you see those

Maria:

waves up, you know, like they're this huge arc that goes either direction,

Maria:

and you can see the hand of God.

Maria:

Pulling those things back.

Maria:

I think what's tricky is in our lives.

Maria:

It's hard to see the hands, you know, it's hard to see the waves pulled back.

Maria:

I think I am walking on dry ground right now.

Maria:

The fact that we have this miracle story that we've lived for the last seven

Maria:

years, I am walking through dry ground, but I often don't look up enough to see.

Maria:

Those waves to see what God is holding back.

Maria:

And I think what Laman and Lemuel need to realize is what the world looks like

Maria:

when God stops holding the waves back.

Maria:

I think this happens to all of us sometimes.

Maria:

When we get entitled to our miracles, He lets those waves come back down.

Maria:

So we remember whose hands we are in.

Maria:

And I think That's what they feel.

Maria:

Those days where there is commotion and wild waves and fear.

Maria:

It's what the world is like without God.

Maria:

And so they panic and at some point in this process they turn back

Maria:

to Nephi and they release him.

Maria:

To me, that's, that's the pivot point in this story.

Maria:

It's when they use their agency to choose to let Nephi go that things shift.

Maria:

I just think that's what you see over and over again.

Maria:

So if you look from 18, this is around 20 and 22, 21 and 22.

Maria:

It says, And it came to pass that after they loosed me, behold, I took a compass,

Maria:

and it did work whether I desired it.

Maria:

And it came to pass that I prayed unto the Lord.

Maria:

And after I had prayed, the winds did cease, the storm, storm did

Maria:

cease, and there was a great calm.

Maria:

And it came to pass that I, Nephi, did guide the ship that we sailed

Maria:

again towards the promised land.

Maria:

I think Nephi is a type of Christ, not just because he can still this

Maria:

storm, or because he can use his priesthood power according to God's

Maria:

wishes in this very careful way.

Maria:

He is a type of Christ because he suffers.

Maria:

Waiting for people to come to him and when they finally choose to come to

Maria:

him and release him Then he calms the storm and then he you know what I mean?

Maria:

Like there is um, there is something about that Choice to endure hard in

Maria:

order to allow others to use their agency to see why they need a redeemer.

Maria:

Why?

Maria:

They need someone to save them from the storm.

Maria:

As soon as Laman and Lemuel appreciate the fact that they're not going to make it

Maria:

unless they have someone to save them from the storm, that's when they release Nephi.

Maria:

And I feel like the same thing happens with us spiritually.

Maria:

When we realize how desperately we need a savior and turn to him, miracles flow.

Maria:

Storms still, winds calm.

Maria:

That's the peace he promises.

Maria:

But we have to believe that we need it.

Maria:

And seek the source that, the only source where we can find it.

Maria:

I call this fifth spark, look beyond the boat, and this is why.

Maria:

I think Nephi, in this point, so at the end, by the end of 18, we know that they

Maria:

make it to the promised land, things are starting to thrive, they're planting

Maria:

seeds, things are going well, and then there's this abrupt shift, you know, for

Maria:

the next several chapters, Nephi is going to teach prophecy, he's going to teach

Maria:

about the nature of Jesus Christ, why we need a redeemer, what kind of life he's

Maria:

going to have, and what kind of suffering he's going to endure for our sakes,

Maria:

all those things are going to happen.

Maria:

At first, when I first read these chapters, I was like, this is kind

Maria:

of an odd interruption to the story.

Maria:

And then when I started to see that the experience on the boat as an allegory,

Maria:

it started to make more sense to me.

Maria:

It's not that I don't think that actually happened.

Maria:

I know what happened.

Maria:

It's, it's written in the plates that Nephi wrote down, but I just

Maria:

feel like he's also trying to say, like, from his experience.

Maria:

understanding the sufferings of the Savior and understanding

Maria:

meekness and understanding condescension even to some degree.

Maria:

I feel like what it does in Nevi's heart is it makes it spill over with the desire

Maria:

to teach us about the nature of God.

Maria:

And so that's what he does for the next several chapters.

Maria:

He teaches us about the character and attributes of Jesus Christ.

Maria:

Why we need a Redeemer, why he's such a gift, and how we should grab hold of it.

Maria:

And he uses his words, the words of other prophets, the words of

Maria:

Isaiah, to help encourage us.

Maria:

If you look in 1 Nephi 19 verses, well I pulled out a few, this

Maria:

is 3 and 13 and then also 18.

Maria:

This is where you see Nephi trying to help us see He wants us to get

Maria:

excited by that experience on the boat, and then pull that excitement into

Maria:

understanding our Savior even more.

Maria:

So in 9, he says this, And the world, because of their iniquity, shall

Maria:

judge him to be a thing of naught.

Maria:

Wherefore, they scourge him, and he suffereth it.

Maria:

They smite him, and he suffereth it.

Maria:

Yea, they spit upon him, and he suffereth it, because of his lovingkindness and his

Maria:

longsuffering towards the children of men.

Maria:

I think Nevi understands That's suffering on a small level, even better

Maria:

now after his experience on the boat.

Maria:

And so he wants us to understand it.

Maria:

It continues even more in 13.

Maria:

And for those who are at Jerusalem, saith the prophet, they shall be scourged

Maria:

by all people because they crucify the God of Israel and turn their hearts

Maria:

aside, rejecting signs and wonders and the power and glory of Israel.

Maria:

And then 23, And I did read many things unto them, meaning all

Maria:

of his brothers and all of their posterity that are surrounding him.

Maria:

I did read many things unto them which were written in the book of Moses, but

Maria:

that I might more fully persuade them to believe in the Lord their Redeemer.

Maria:

I did read unto them all that was written by the prophet Isaiah, for I

Maria:

did liken all scriptures unto us that it might be for our profit and learning.

Maria:

You've probably had moments like I have and everybody else has where

Maria:

you read Isaiah in the Book of Mormon and you think, why is this here?

Maria:

Can we get back to the promise?

Maria:

And I think this is what Nephi is trying to teach us.

Maria:

He's saying his experience on the boat teaches us about the need for a savior.

Maria:

It teaches us about how agency plays a critical role.

Maria:

It teaches us about the power of the savior to still storms and Isaiah's words.

Maria:

offer that same promise.

Maria:

I just think we have to put on that lens.

Maria:

I think when you approach the words of Isaiah, just like we had to do in

Maria:

the Old Testament, you have to come seeking to know more about the Savior.

Maria:

When you seek to know who the Savior is, what his character is like, what his

Maria:

divine attributes are, how he became who he is, and the choices he made in the

Maria:

process, all those things are ways for you to see Isaiah with a better vantage point.

Maria:

For me, when I seek out the Savior and trust that there is oar in these

Maria:

hills, you know, He is in these verses, then the Spirit can bring

Maria:

new ideas and new thoughts to mind.

Maria:

But I just love where it begins.

Maria:

Like, when Isaiah first begins and Nephi starts quoting him, he talks about how

Maria:

much the Savior has loved his children.

Maria:

from the very beginning.

Maria:

You know, he talks about things like how he created the earth and how he

Maria:

made their ways prosperous as the children of Israel, and he gave them

Maria:

food and water in these miraculous ways.

Maria:

And he talks about how he sent them prophets to guide them on their

Maria:

journey and taught them how to have peace as a river, even though

Maria:

they choose the Euphrates instead, like he was trying to guide them.

Maria:

And he talks about how They turned against him.

Maria:

They rejected him.

Maria:

I think this is Isaiah.

Maria:

I think this is Nephi seeing himself in this story and saying, If you thought my

Maria:

experience on the boat was powerful, let me show you a grander, eternal version of

Maria:

that same story of someone who suffered and struggled and chose to endure so

Maria:

that others could come closer to God.

Maria:

Like, I just think there's power in the comparison.

Maria:

I hope you go into those chapters with fresh eyes, because for me this week,

Maria:

It was riveting once I started to look for comparisons between the story on

Maria:

the boat and what Isaiah teaches in his understandings about the Savior.

Maria:

I think one of the sweetest teachings Nephi offers his brothers is when he

Maria:

talks about how the Savior reaches out after the children of Israel.

Maria:

Even though they rejected him for a long season and went down a very

Maria:

different road, his promise is that they will be gathered back in.

Maria:

And so he teaches the words of Isaiah.

Maria:

To me, I think this must be a balm to Laman and Lemuel.

Maria:

I really do believe they are repentant at these various stages in their life.

Maria:

They're trying to course correct.

Maria:

It just doesn't last long.

Maria:

They got old habits and they die hard.

Maria:

I just think he's hoping that these stories from Isaiah's writings will compel

Maria:

them to trust in the goodness of God and to trust that no matter how far off

Maria:

the road they've gone and how you know vehemently they've turned against the

Maria:

prophet to the point where they wanted to kill the prophet and Nephite like I think

Maria:

No matter how far off the road you go The imitation is that you can come back home

Maria:

and that he is seeking after you In fact the visual that hit me as I was studying.

Maria:

So this is around 22.

Maria:

I just think You see the Savior reaching out after his children

Maria:

and numbering his sheep, and it felt to me like Sunday dinners.

Maria:

You know, like, my kids, I now have some adult kids, some who are married,

Maria:

and some who are coming home from college, and I count the seats.

Maria:

You know, like, I, I almost set the table for the whole family, no

Maria:

matter who shows up anyway, and I pay attention to the empty seats.

Maria:

And even though I love having anybody home on Sundays.

Maria:

I always can feel when somebody is missing, and there is an empty

Maria:

seat, and it pulls on my heart.

Maria:

And that's, I feel like, how the Savior is with every single person.

Maria:

He numbereth his sheep.

Maria:

He knows where they are, and he will never stop seeking after them.

Maria:

And that's what I think Nephi's message is.

Maria:

He does it through the words of Isaiah, but it's just beautifully spoken.

Maria:

So if you look in 22, this is 13 to 16.

Maria:

Sing, O heavens, and be joyful, O earth.

Maria:

For the feet of those who are in the east shall be established, and break

Maria:

forth into singing, O mountains.

Maria:

For they shall be smitten no more.

Maria:

For the Lord hath comforted his people, and he will have mercy upon his afflicted.

Maria:

But behold, Zion hath said, The Lord hath forsaken me,

Maria:

and my Lord hath forgotten me.

Maria:

But he will show that he hath not.

Maria:

For can a woman forget her sucking child, that she may have no, not have

Maria:

compassion on the son of her womb?

Maria:

Yea, they may forget, yet I will not forget thee, O house of Israel.

Maria:

Behold, I have ravened thee upon the palms of my hands, that

Maria:

walls are continually before me.

Maria:

This is his, you know, deep paternal love for all of his children, even

Maria:

those who Blatantly reject him and have turned aside every gift and

Maria:

blessing and miracle he offered.

Maria:

He wants them back at the kitchen table.

Maria:

He wants a full table and he will not rest until everyone who can chooses.

Maria:

You know, they, they get to choose.

Maria:

Whether they come to the table or not, but he will never stop reaching

Maria:

out and giving an invitation.

Maria:

And it's just never too late to come home.

Maria:

I love that because sometimes I fear about the damage, you know, I like we

Maria:

talked about the very beginning lesson.

Maria:

Sometimes I worry that my Lack of diligence when it comes to being a

Maria:

great mother will impact my kids.

Maria:

It will impact their testimonies down the road, and I worry about those things.

Maria:

If those are thoughts that have ever worried you, I think

Maria:

you'll find comfort in 22.

Maria:

Because what he promises these children of Israel who have turned

Maria:

away from him, and therefore their whole posterity turned away from him.

Maria:

What he promises is he will bring the children home.

Maria:

It's just beautifully written.

Maria:

He's a god of abundance, and he shows that in the verses.

Maria:

So this is in 22, 21 through 25 ish or so, I'll read you just a few.

Maria:

It says, Then shalt thou say in thine heart, Who hath begotten these, seeing I

Maria:

have lost my children, and am desolate, and captive, and removing to and fro?

Maria:

And who hath brought up these?

Maria:

Behold, I was left alone.

Maria:

Where have these been?

Maria:

This is when the children of Israel start to see the gathering happen.

Maria:

They start to see people be brought in from every corner of the earth.

Maria:

Remember, they've been scattered.

Maria:

They're not lost in some mysterious place.

Maria:

They're just scattered among the world.

Maria:

And now they get to see people brought back.

Maria:

People come back to that kitchen table and sit down and they're

Maria:

like, how did this happen?

Maria:

And then you find out how it's in 22 and thus say the Lord God.

Maria:

Behold, I will lift up my hand to the Gentiles, and set up

Maria:

my standard to the people.

Maria:

They shall bring thy sons in their arms, and thy daughters shall

Maria:

be carried upon their shoulders.

Maria:

And then 25, But thus saith the Lord, even the captives of the mighty

Maria:

shall be taken away, and the prey of the terrible shall be delivered.

Maria:

For I will contend with them that contend with thee, and I will save thy children.

Maria:

He, his intent is to get that whole kitchen table full.

Maria:

He knows every empty seat, and he will seek after and make up

Maria:

for whatever we lacked, right?

Maria:

I just think this promise of the gathering is such an inviting one.

Maria:

When we decide to be a part of this great work of gathering, what we are is

Maria:

we're bringing people to God's table.

Maria:

You know, he's given us the tools through the Book of Mormon and modern prophets and

Maria:

ordinances and all these blessings, and he's saying, go out and bring people back.

Maria:

Remind them who they are, remind them that they're children of the covenant,

Maria:

and remind them what it means to be a disciple of Christ, that they are a child

Maria:

of God and they belong at that table.

Maria:

And that's the work we're called to, to be, to be those instruments in the

Maria:

Lord's hands, to bring people home and give, give our heavenly parents that

Maria:

full kitchen table that they hope for.

Maria:

I just love it.

Maria:

There's great quotes in the notes.

Maria:

If you want to read from Elder Godoy, I thought his, his conference talk from

Maria:

just this last conference about How it's never too late to bring children home.

Maria:

I thought his words were beautiful.

Maria:

So I would encourage you to read 22 and then go listen to Elder Godoy's talk and

Maria:

see what the spirit brings to your mind.

Maria:

One of the most powerful sparks that hit me this week is at

Maria:

the very end of chapter 22.

Maria:

I call this the straight rod of prophecy.

Maria:

Let me tell you why.

Maria:

This actually hit me right between the two weeks, as I was wrapping up last

Maria:

week's study, learning about Nephi's view of the iron rod, and heading into

Maria:

this week's study, especially at the end of 22, when I read about how Nephi

Maria:

certifies that what he said is true, and that his words are true, and that

Maria:

his father's words are true, and that the other prophet's words are true.

Maria:

It was interesting to see those two thoughts come together.

Maria:

If you were on the live this week, you probably heard me in the middle

Maria:

of this understanding because it was just kind of clicking for me.

Maria:

But I really love how Nephi phrases it.

Maria:

So this is 22 versus 27 through 30.

Maria:

It basically says that All these things will come to pass.

Maria:

All these things must happen in the flesh.

Maria:

This is not theoretical.

Maria:

It's not a symbol.

Maria:

This, all these things he's prophesied will occur and

Maria:

he's encouraging us to repent.

Maria:

And then in 29 and 30, he says, and now I, Nephi make an end for I just not speak

Maria:

further as yet concerning these things.

Maria:

And then 30, wherefore my brethren, I would that you should consider the things

Maria:

which have been written on the plates of brass are true and testify that a man must

Maria:

be obedient to the commandments of God.

Maria:

Nephi is saying in that moment, you don't just need to take my word for it.

Maria:

I know these things are true, and I testify that they will happen.

Maria:

But if you look in the scriptures, you'll see that these are not new words.

Maria:

These are words that he has heard from other prophets that now are his.

Maria:

Remember when Elder McConkie said that in his last talk, this idea of certain

Maria:

words of the scriptures have become his, that Nephi knows them for a certainty now,

Maria:

and he's testifying that they will occur.

Maria:

And he's trying to set up for us this visual of of alignment.

Maria:

You know, if we don't just need to trust in him because he is

Maria:

backed by so many other witnesses.

Maria:

In fact, he takes it a little further in 31.

Maria:

Wherefore, ye need not suppose that I and my father are the only ones that

Maria:

have testified and also taught them.

Maria:

Wherefore, if ye shall be obedient to the commandments and endure it to the

Maria:

end, ye shall be saved at the last day.

Maria:

What I liked about this when I was pairing this up, honestly, it was the

Maria:

first time I'd read this verse after reading last week's chapters, and I had

Maria:

that visual of the iron rod in my head.

Maria:

And what clicked for me was this idea of what makes Nephi such a powerful

Maria:

witness is because he lines up.

Maria:

So if you think about the iron rod, You know, we talked

Maria:

about it means three things.

Maria:

It's ancient scriptures, the prophets who have written down in ancient scriptures.

Maria:

It's our living prophets today, and it's the gift of revelation

Maria:

through the Holy Ghost.

Maria:

And those three things become this iron rod.

Maria:

What I liked picturing, you guys, were the posts that hold it up.

Maria:

You know, like if you picture a rod, you know, like a banister of sorts out in a

Maria:

park or something, there's these posts that hold it up on the vertical lines.

Maria:

And I started picturing each of those posts.

Maria:

As a prophet, you know, one is Nephi, one is Lehi, his witness about the reality of

Maria:

Jesus Christ and what's going to happen to this world and how it gets resolved

Maria:

is absolutely in line with his father's.

Maria:

He's the post before him, you know, and before them is Isaiah and before them are

Maria:

these other prophets that we read about in Nephi's writings, like Zenas and Zenic,

Maria:

we don't have their words, but they align because they taught the exact same thing.

Maria:

And I think you can extend that rod.

Maria:

To our day, you still have prophets and apostles today.

Maria:

I picture those posts of the iron rod, those vertical lines, almost

Maria:

like they have a plaque on them.

Maria:

You know, like one would say Elder Bednar and one would say Elder Uchtdorf.

Maria:

And they plant themselves in alignment because they have the exact same

Maria:

witness that the prophets of old did, that there is a Redeemer.

Maria:

that there was a fall, and we need His saving grace to make it to where

Maria:

we go next, like, they are creating this straight shot, and when you see

Maria:

all those posts lined up perfectly, what you see beyond it is the tree.

Maria:

That's what every prophet and every apostle has tried to guide our eye towards

Maria:

from the beginning, so that we can see and partake of the blessings of Jesus Christ.

Maria:

That's the truth.

Maria:

And that rod has a whole different visual for me now.

Maria:

All right, you guys, now that I've given you a big splash of the things

Maria:

that happened in my head this week, I'm hoping to prompt you with a few questions

Maria:

to get you into your own scriptures and see what comes to the surface.

Maria:

You are more than welcome to just mull over these, talk about them with

Maria:

your families, or maybe with your Sunday school class, or if you feel

Maria:

like cool answers come to mind, I would love it if you'd share them.

Maria:

You can put your thoughts on the comments area of YouTube, or if

Maria:

you're in the course over on gather.

Maria:

macmom.

Maria:

com, I hope you will put it on that Sunday recap post where

Maria:

we can learn from each other.

Maria:

I just think there's always more to learn in these verses.

Maria:

So let me give you five questions to consider.

Maria:

Okay, this first one comes from 16 verse 2.

Maria:

This is where Nephi's correcting his brothers, and he talks about

Maria:

something that happens to the guilty.

Maria:

So this is interesting.

Maria:

It says, And it came fast that I said unto them that I knew that

Maria:

I had spoken hard things against the wicked according to the truth.

Maria:

And the righteous have I justified, and testified that they should

Maria:

be lifted up at the last day.

Maria:

Wherefore, the guilty taketh the truth to be hard, for it

Maria:

cutteth them to the very center.

Maria:

I stewed over this phrase.

Maria:

I wondered why he uses that term, cutteth.

Maria:

You know, why do we Why does the spirit cut this strong slice, you

Maria:

know, in my mind, it brought back a lot of the visuals we had in the New

Maria:

Testament where we talked about this ultimate samurai move, you know, like

Maria:

that this truth is represented by a sword and it slices through things.

Maria:

So I found myself wondering, how do we see that in Lehman and Lemuel's story?

Maria:

One of my favorite talks that I read happened upon it as I

Maria:

was digging around this week.

Maria:

It's from Terrence Olson.

Maria:

It's a BYU devotional from Let's see, I wrote it down.

Maria:

1995.

Maria:

He says this, The problem laymen and Lemuel face is not a burdensome

Maria:

gospel, but a reflection of their own hard heartedness, their refusal

Maria:

to come into or walk in the light.

Maria:

His whole message, you'll have to read it to get a deeper view, but he basically

Maria:

had this mindset of what makes things hard is when we live below our privileges.

Maria:

When we have a certain degree of light and understanding and we live below it,

Maria:

that causes this discontent that occurs.

Maria:

And I think you see that in Layman Lemuel's story.

Maria:

When they choose to live below what they know to be true, pain comes forth.

Maria:

So I guess that's my question.

Maria:

I want to know.

Maria:

In this week's study, where do you see pain resulting from the

Maria:

indecision that Laman and Lemuel have?

Maria:

They can't seem to decide which camp they want to be in.

Maria:

Do they want to go back to Jerusalem, or do they want to stay with the Prophet?

Maria:

Do they want to put one foot over by the Great and Spacious Building and

Maria:

try and straddle that big gulf and get one on the straight and narrow path?

Maria:

They seem to be trying to live in both camps, and I want to know where you

Maria:

see that lead in this week's chapters.

Maria:

What pain do you see that hits Laman and Lemuel because of this?

Maria:

Indecision by living below where they could.

Maria:

So that's my first question.

Maria:

Second, this comes from 1 Nephi 17 verse 18.

Maria:

This is when things are going pretty well for the brothers.

Maria:

They're on the move, right?

Maria:

They're, they're working their way towards Bountiful.

Maria:

And they're finding food along the way and taking care of their families.

Maria:

And it's when they kind of set up camp that things shift.

Maria:

This is when the broken bow incident happens.

Maria:

So this is in verse 18 of chapter 17.

Maria:

And it came to pass that I, Nephi, went forth to slay food.

Maria:

Behold, I did break my bow, which was made of fine steel.

Maria:

And after I did break my bow, behold, the brethren were angry with me because of the

Maria:

loss of my bow, for we did obtain no food.

Maria:

Okay, you guys, here's my theory.

Maria:

What if Nephi broke his bow on purpose?

Maria:

I had never considered this before.

Maria:

I swear it is something the spirit just sort of planted

Maria:

in my head as I was studying.

Maria:

And I was like, is this a situation like Elijah in the Old Testament?

Maria:

Remember when he, he's, he's a prophet in the land and he gets a choice.

Maria:

to cause a famine.

Maria:

He, he causes the famine to happen for three years.

Maria:

He himself will struggle because of it.

Maria:

You know, he's also going to go hungry, but he causes that famine in

Maria:

the hopes that the people will repent.

Maria:

And I found myself fascinated, you guys, to reread these same verses with that

Maria:

possibility on, you know, that lens on.

Maria:

If Nephi was directed to break his bow, Why?

Maria:

If, if that was something that he was following the commandment of

Maria:

the Lord and chose to do, what are the blessings that come from it?

Maria:

And blessings only come from following the commandments of God.

Maria:

And I just found myself curious.

Maria:

If, if this was something that was purposefully done

Maria:

by Nephi, he broke his bow.

Maria:

Why?

Maria:

And how does it change the story?

Maria:

Go back in the verses and see what you find.

Maria:

I thought it was fascinating to study.

Maria:

Okay, next one.

Maria:

This comes in chapter 17 as well.

Maria:

This is around 23 to 29 or so.

Maria:

This is when Lehi starts murmuring and Nephi speaks much.

Maria:

That's what he says.

Maria:

His first reaction is not to go and make the wooden bow.

Maria:

When he sees the prophet murmuring and his brother's murmuring, he's first

Maria:

teaches truth and he speaks much.

Maria:

In fact, the verses teach us that because of his speaking, Lehigh's heart softens.

Maria:

Before Neve ever goes out and gets food or makes another bow,

Maria:

Lehigh's heart is softening.

Maria:

And I thought this was really interesting 'cause he.

Maria:

He goes back to the Liahona, and he sees writings, and

Maria:

the writings are a bit scary.

Maria:

So we can see in verse 29, And there was also written upon them a new

Maria:

writing, which was plain to be read, which should give us an understanding

Maria:

concerning the ways of the Lord.

Maria:

And it was written, and it changed from time to time, according to the faith

Maria:

and diligence which we gave unto it.

Maria:

And thus we see that by small means the Lord can bring about great things.

Maria:

Okay, going back through all of this.

Maria:

My question is, what do you think he's referring to?

Maria:

I think it could be any number of things.

Maria:

There are a few that kind of jumped out at my mind, but what do you

Maria:

think he means by small means?

Maria:

What is he referring to?

Maria:

And what are the great things that happened?

Maria:

I think sometimes we tend to see those things as very tangible.

Maria:

parts of the story.

Maria:

But I also think there are small spiritual things that happened and

Maria:

great spiritual things that result, especially in this shift in Lehi,

Maria:

where he has to shift and repent, be a little bit afraid, and go forward.

Maria:

I don't know, but my question to you is, what do you think that verse means?

Maria:

What are the small things and what are the great things that result from them

Maria:

being used in the way God intended?

Maria:

It's fascinating to go study it.

Maria:

Okay, next one.

Maria:

This comes in chapter 19, verse 12.

Maria:

This is when Nephi starts using a whole bunch of different names.

Maria:

So he's citing different prophets who call the Lord by different names.

Maria:

They sometimes call him the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob,

Maria:

like we talked about before.

Maria:

Sometimes they call him the God of Israel.

Maria:

And in Nephi's words, in this one verse, he calls him the God of

Maria:

nature, and I think it's fascinating.

Maria:

So he says in verse 12 of chapter 19, the God of nature suffers.

Maria:

And I found myself wondering, do you remember how President Nelson

Maria:

taught us that all the different titles for Christ teach us something?

Maria:

Where he went and found all the different names of Christ and

Maria:

found different understanding?

Maria:

What do you think this one teaches you?

Maria:

The fact that he's called the god of nature, especially nestled in

Maria:

among these chapters about storms and seas and timbers and animals.

Maria:

This is a very creation rich story and he calls him the god

Maria:

of nature and I wonder why.

Maria:

So what are your thoughts?

Maria:

Last question, number five.

Maria:

This comes from that last chapter, chapter 22, around verse 17.

Maria:

This is when Nephi is talking about The risks at the end of days that others

Maria:

have testified about what the end of days and latter days are going to look like.

Maria:

And then he has this promise that the righteous need not fear.

Maria:

It's actually something we saw in John's words.

Maria:

It's something we heard the savior say.

Maria:

It's something you hear lots of prophets talk about that these

Maria:

times will be tumultuous, but the righteous need not fear.

Maria:

So if you look in the verses, I just think it's really interesting that right

Maria:

before those verses about not being afraid, he talks about What happens?

Maria:

He says Satan will basically be bound.

Maria:

Nobody's listening to him.

Maria:

He talks about the great and spacious building falling.

Maria:

And I found myself wondering what it is that causes us not to fear.

Maria:

If you're among the righteous, what is it that causes you not

Maria:

to fear in these, the last days?

Maria:

One of the verses that helped me, if this will help you in

Maria:

your searching, is in 1st John.

Maria:

This is 1st John 4, 18 says, There is no fear in love, but

Maria:

perfect love casteth out fear.

Maria:

Because fear hath torment, he that fears is not made perfect in love.

Maria:

I guess my question to you guys is, how are these verses connected?

Maria:

Where do you see perfect love casting out fear in the latter days?

Maria:

I think sometimes we almost see these as two separate things

Maria:

and I think they fit together.

Maria:

I'm just not sure how exactly.

Maria:

So how do you see perfect love helping us navigate turbulent times?

Maria:

I'm curious about your thoughts.

Maria:

Again, if you want to think on it yourself and just share with your family, great.

Maria:

If you feel like sharing some of the answers in the YouTube comments

Maria:

or somewhere over on gather.

Maria:

macmom.

Maria:

com, I would love to hear your answers.

Maria:

We're going to head into the object lessons next, but I wanted to give

Maria:

you one quick wrap up thought.

Maria:

I got a chance to teach a group of youth this week about scripture study, how to

Maria:

do it better, and what the purposes are.

Maria:

And as I was teaching, there also was a FaceTime call happening with a missionary

Maria:

who's out in the field right now.

Maria:

In fact, she's somebody I already loved because she was one of my YSAs before she

Maria:

left on her mission, and so it was fun to see her and watch her teach these youth.

Maria:

And what she taught on Wednesday night was about her conversion story.

Maria:

She was raised in the gospel, but she taught her conversion story.

Maria:

There got to be a point in her late teen years where she found herself off the

Maria:

path and thinking, Is this all there is?

Maria:

Is this all there is to this life?

Maria:

And then it was the hope of purpose that brought her back

Maria:

to the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Maria:

She found she wanted that pull again, a drive to become something,

Maria:

a hope that there was something beyond this that was worthwhile.

Maria:

I feel like that's what we see in Nephi's story as well.

Maria:

He is someone who He understands the arc, you know, he understands that this

Maria:

life's going to be hard and he knows it's worth it because there's purpose in it,

Maria:

you know, he doesn't feel jostled like his brothers do at every adversity that

Maria:

comes because he's, his eyes are up.

Maria:

He is focused on the future and he's focused on fulfilling God's word.

Maria:

And so he sees.

Maria:

More clearly, and he can handle the bumps and bruises along the way.

Maria:

There's a great talk from Elder Budge.

Maria:

It's from a few years ago, but it's in the notes if you want to seek it out.

Maria:

But I loved his thoughts here.

Maria:

He said, The good news of the gospel is not the promise of a new life, of a

Maria:

life free of sorrow and tribulation, but of a life full of purpose and meaning.

Maria:

A life where our sorrows and afflictions can be swallowed up in the joy of Christ.

Maria:

The Savior declared, In the world you shall have tribulation,

Maria:

but be of good cheer.

Maria:

I have overcome the world.

Maria:

His gospel is a message of hope.

Maria:

Sorrow, coupled with hope in Jesus Christ, holds the promise of enduring joy.

Maria:

No, I just love that thought.

Maria:

I just think it's both, right?

Maria:

Yes, we will have sorrow.

Maria:

Yes, we will have struggle.

Maria:

But when you pair it with the power of hope in Christ, you have

Maria:

potential for Something that lasts.

Maria:

Joy that is full.

Maria:

Joy that is eternal, that can never end.

Maria:

That's the promise of the gospel of the Savior, and I feel like

Maria:

you see it over and over again.

Maria:

Not just in Nephi's words, but in his actions as well.

Maria:

It's rich, you guys.

Maria:

Get into your scriptures, and I promise you'll find it.

Next Episode All Episodes Previous Episode

Listen for free

Show artwork for Our Mothers Knew It

About the Podcast

Our Mothers Knew It
Our Mothers Knew It: A Creative Study of Come Follow Me with Maria Eckersley
Our Mothers Knew It: A Creative Study of Come Follow Me with Maria Eckersley is an audio version of Maria Eckersley's popular digital course. This is a study of the weekly Come Follow Me lessons offered by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. In addition to the audio, the full course contains personal weekly insight videos, creative object lesson videos, professionally designed printables, extensive study notes, and the full library of past content. It can be found at gather.meckmom.com.