1 Nephi 11-15

In these three chapters of the Book of Mormon, Nephi relates more of the marvelous vision which he was shown.  Chapter 12 records how he saw the rest of the Book of Mormon being played out in the lives of his descendants.  We've addressed this in the previous lesson.  The heading to Chapter 13 tells us that he also saw the history of the world following Book of Mormon times:

• The church of the devil set up among the Gentiles (v. 4-9)
• The discovery and colonizing of America (v. 10-20)
• The loss of many plain and precious parts of the Bible (v. 20-29)
• The resultant state of gentile apostacy (v.32-34)
• The restoration of the gospel (v. 34-37)
• The coming forth of latter-day scripture (v. 35-36, 39-41)
• The building up of Zion (v. 37

The Great and Abominable Church

"And it came to pass that I beheld the great and abominable church; and I saw the devil that he was the founder of it." (1 Ne. 13:6)

What exactly is "the great and abominable church?"

"And [the angel] said unto me: Behold there are two churches only; the one is the church of the Lamb of God, and the other is the church of the devil." (1 Ne. 14:10)

So does that mean that the LDS Church is the church of the Lamb of God, and all other churches are of the devil?  Yikes!  That would bode ill for the world!

Fortunately, that isn't the case.  We are told in the Doctrine & Covenants,

"Contend against no church save it be the church of the devil."  (D&C 18:20).

Obviously, all other churches cannot be the church of the devil, or this statement would make no sense.  We have been advised by our prophets that other religions contain some truths of the gospel and do much good on the earth.  Our church joins with other churches in many causes, and often supports other churches in their needs.  We are taught respect for all religions. 

In an article in our church-published Ensign on Muhammed, we find this quote by apostle B.H. Roberts:

"While the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is established for the instruction of men; and it is one of God’s instrumentalities for making known the truth yet he is not limited to that institution for such purposes, neither in time nor place. God raises up wise men and prophets here and there among all the children of men, of their own tongue and nationality, speaking to them through means that they can comprehend. … All the great teachers are servants of God; among all nations and in all ages. They are inspired men, appointed to instruct God’s children according to the conditions in the midst of which he finds them.”

This was the second article published in the Ensign on Muhammed.  "Ishmael, Our Brother," can be found in the June 1979 Ensign.  Respectful articles were also published on Buddhism, Hinduism, Roman Catholicism, and Lutheranism.  In a separate article honoring Martin Luther, President Joseph F. Smith is quoted:

"Calvin, Luther, Melanchthon, and all reformers, were inspired in thoughts, words, and actions to accomplish what they did for the liberty, and advancement of the human race. They paved the way for the more perfect gospel of truth to come.”

President Hinckley was known to invite those of other faiths to, "Bring all the good you have with you, and let us add to it."

At the closing of the April 2011 Conference, President Monson reminded us again, "We are a global church. Our membership is found throughout the world. May we be good citizens of the nations in which we live and good neighbors in our communities, reaching out to those of other faiths as well as to those of our own."

So what then can Nephi's vision refer to?

The Guide to the Scriptures, which is the LDS-written scripture dictionary included in non-English LDS scriptures, but also available in English on-line, defines it as "Every evil and worldy organization on earth that perverts the pure and perfect gospel and fights against the Lamb of God."  In this sense, it may not be confined to a "church" as we know it at all, but may include philosophies, government organizations, drug cartells, cults, cultures, media, etc.--anything whose purpose is to pull people away from Christ.

What will be our escape from them?  They will fall into the pit they have dug for the believers. (1 Ne. 14:3)  When you work for the devil, the pay is not good, and never what you were promised.

The Discovery and Colonizing of America

The Lamanites had been safely separated from the rest of the world by the great oceans for centuries, but when they reached a fulness of iniquity, the Lord bridged that gap and allowed others into His promised land.  He guided Columbus to find America.  Others followed him, going out of captivity, to live in America.  (1 Ne. 13:10-13)  Europeans escaped debtor's prison or serfdom to claim their own land in America.

As prophecied by Nephi, "I beheld the wrath of God, that it was upon the seed of my brethren; and they were scattered before the Gentiles and were smitten. 

"And I beheld the Spirit of the Lord, that it was upon the Gentiles, and they did prosper and obtain the land for their inheritance..."  (1 Ne. 13:14-15)

Okay, knowing how things worked out between the settlers and the native Americans, with the natives being slaughtered, driven off their land, and herded onto reservations, we wonder, could that really have been the Spirit of the Lord, telling the Gentiles to do these atrocities?  Well, these are two different paragraphs--two different subjects.  And as we look more carefully at the scripture, we see that it was not the Lord's plan that the Lamanites be driven and scattered by the Gentiles, but before the Gentiles.  And, indeed, that happened on a terrific scale, in a little-known way:

"Throughout the Americas, diseases introduced with Europeans spread from tribe to tribe far in advance of the Europeans themselves, killing an estimated 95% of the pre-Columbian Native American population.  The most populous and highly organized native societies of North American, the Mississippian chiefdoms, disappeared in that way between 1492 and the late 1600s, even before Europeans themselves made their first settlement on the Mississippi River."  (Jared Diamond, Guns, Germs and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies, p. 78)

There is no indication that it was part of the Lord's plan for his children, the Lamanites, to be persecuted by the white settlers.

The Creation of a Free Nation

"I, Nephi, beheld that the Gentiles who had gone forth out of captivity did humble themselves before the Lord; and the power of the Lord was with them.  And I beheld that their mother Gentiles were gathered together upon the waters, and upon the land also, to battle against them.  And I beheld that the power of God was with them, and also that the wrath of God was upon all those that were gathered together against them to battle.  And I, Nephi, beheld that the Gentiles that had gone out of captivity were delivered by the power of God out of the hands of all other nations." (1 Ne. 13:16-19)

The story of the American Revolution is the story of miracles:  a ragtag, unseasoned, disorganized group of citizen-soldiers won their independence from the world's greatest empire.  The Book of Mormon tells us this was a part of God's plan, to create an environment where the "marvelous work and a wonder" of the Restoration of the Gospel could take place. 

The retreat from the Battle of Long Island at the beginning of that conflict clearly shows the hand of the Lord in the establishment of a free land.  With a fleet of British warships waiting in New York Harbor to attack Manhattan as soon as the tide and winds allowed them up the East River, British and Hessian troops numbering 20,000 surrounded a little American force of 3,000 soldiers trying to hold a four-mile ridge on Long Island.  Behind those troops stood the Brooklyn forts, which held another 6,000 American soldiers.  The Britons pushed them back to the forts, killing or capturing a little less than 1,000, but paused to rest for the night before annihilating the rest of the force.  The British had lost 400.

"The average British regular was in his late twenties, or about five years older than the average American soldier...the average regular had served five or six years in the army, or five or six times longer than the average volunteer under Washington...[but] for most of the redcoats, soldiers and young officers, like nearly all of the Americans, the battle [of Long Island] was...their first."  (David McCullough, 1776, p. 167-168)

If this map is hard to read here,

you can find it on Wikipedia,

under Battle of Long Island.

The American troops were hemmed into an area three miles around and their only chance of survival was to retreat.  Behind them lay the East River, behind that, the security of Manhattan Island.  But as soon as the wind changed, the warships would cut off that escape. 

1,200 men from two Pennsylvania regiments were dispatched across the river to bolster spirits and aid in defense.  After they arrived, a terrible storm arose.  The soldiers were soaked, cold, hungry, and beaten.

"Yet for all the miseries it wrought, the storm was greatly to Washington's advantage.  Under the circumstances, any ill wind from the north-east was a stroke of good fortune.  For as long as it held, Lord Howe's ships had no chance to 'get up' where they could wreak havoc."  (ibid., p. 184)

The storm stopped, but the wind kept up, preventing the warships from coming, but also preventing Washington's troops from retreating. 

About 11:00 p.m., "the wind shifted to the southwest and a small armada of boats...started over the river from New York...In a feat of extraordinary seamanship, at the helm and manning oars hour after hour, they negotiated the river's swift, contrary currents in boats so loaded with troops and supplies, horses and cannon, that the water was often but inches below the gunnels--and all in pitch dark, with no running lights.  Few men ever had so much riding on their skill, or were under such pressue, or performed so superbly... (ibid., p. 188)

The troops withdrew silently, because the enemy was very near.  They covered the wagon wheels with rags, did not speak above a whisper, and stifled their coughs.

"The orderly withdrawal of an army was considered one of the most difficult of all maneuvers, even for the best-trained soldiers, and the fact that Washington's ragtag amateur army was making a night withdrawal in perfect order and silence thus far, seemed more than could be hoped for...

"[The rearguard, those Pennsylvania men] kept busy creating enough of a stir and tending campfires to make it appear the army was still in place, knowing all the while that if the enemy were to become the wiser, they stood an excellent chance of being annihilated."  (ibid.)

At least 11 crossings of the East River were made that night by the mariners.

"But the exodus was not moving fast enough...time was running out.  Though nearly morning, a large part of the army still waited to embark, and without the curtain of night to conceal them, their escape was doomed.

"Incredibly, yet again, circumstances--fate, luck, Providence, the hand of God, as would be said so often--intervened.

"Just at daybreak a heavy fog settled in over the whole of Brooklyn, concealing everything no less than had the night.  It was a fog so thick, remembered a soldier, that one 'could scarcely discern a man at six yards distance.'  Even with the sun up, the fog remained as dense as ever, while over on the New York side of the river there was no fog at all...

"It was seven in the morning, perhaps a little later, when [the last men, the Pennsylvania militia] landed in New York.  'And in less than an hour after,' [reported one soldier] 'the fog having dispersed, the enemy was visible on the shore we had left [behind].'

"In a single night, 9,000 troops had escaped across the river.  Not a life was lost.  The only men captured were three who had hung back to plunder."  (ibid., p. 190-191)  The American army was preserved.  The revolution that was supposed to have been suppressed by this one battle was still alive and eventually succeeded.

The Establishment of Zion

Once the environment of freedom was created in America, the gospel was restored just a few hundred miles from New York City. 

For the first century of its life, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints encouraged its members to "gather to Zion," with Zion being first Jackson County, Missouri and then Salt Lake City, Utah.  Those same Britons from whom Washington's troops won their independence, now became the lifeblood of Zion as they converted, emigrated, and replaced apostates.  They colonized the west, along with other European converts.  But once the society of saints was firmly established in the western United States, the next part of Nephi's prophecy began to be fulfilled.  As the forces of the great and abominable church spread over the world to attack the Lamb of God, so did democracy spread throughout the earth.

Although democracy has its origins in ancient civilizations and the tiny island of Corsica implemented a short-lived democratic government system in 1755, the United States formed the first lasting democracy of our day.  The establishment of democracies throughout the world, with freedom and equality as their tenets, spread to Europe, Australia, New Zealand, South America, Africa, and eventually Eastern Europe. "In 1950, there were 22 full democracies [in the world].  At the century's end, there were 120, and almost two-thirds of the people in the world could cast a meaningful ballot."  (Daniel Gardner, The Science of Fear, Kindle edition, chapter 1)

Democracy Index 2010

Blue regions on this map of the world

show at least partially-democratic

countries.  Lighter blue countries

are most democratic.

The spread of democracy allowed the spread of the fulness of the gospel to people all over the earth, and the spread of the power of covenants with God.

"I, Nephi, beheld the power of the Lamb of God, that it descended upon the saints of the church of the Lamb, and upon the covenant people of the Lord, who were scattered upon all the face of the earth; and they were armed with righteousness and with the power of God in great glory."  (1 Ne. 14:14)

How exactly was this great power and glory of the Lamb bestowed upon the people to arm them with righteousness?  Does the phrase "temples to dot the earth" ring a bell?  As Joseph Smith prayed at the dedication of the Kirtland Temple,

"And we ask thee, Holy Father, that thy servants may go forth from this house armed with thy power, and that thy name may be upon them, and thy glory be round about them, and thine angels have charge over them.  And from this place they may bear exceedingly great and glorious tidings, in truth, unto the ends of the earth, that they [the ends of the earth] may know that this is thy work, and that thou hast put forth thy hand, to fulfil that which thou hast spoken by the mouths of the prophets, concerning the last days...

"Remember all thy church, O Lord, with all their families, and all their immediate connections, with all their sick and afflicted ones, with all the poor and meek of the earth; that the kingdom, which thou hast set up without hands, may become a great mountain and fill the whole earth...

"That our garments may be pure, that we may be clothed upon with robes of righteousness, with palms in our hands, and crowns of glory upon our heads, and reap eternal joy for all our sufferings."  (D&C 109:22)

Aba Nigeria Temple

"And as there began to be wars and rumors of wars among all the nations which belonged to the mother of abominations, the angel spake unto me, saying: Behold, the wrath of God is upon the mother of harlots; and behold, thou seest all these things--

"And when the day cometh that the wrath of God is poured out upon the mother of harlots, which is the great and abominable church of all the earth, whose founder is the devil, then, at that day, the work of the Father shall commence, in preparing the way for the fulfilling of his covenants, which he hath made to his people who are of the house of Israel."  (1 Ne. 14:15-17)

So, in other words, things will only get worse until they get better!  We need not fear the great and abominable church, we need only stay out of it.  The Lord will fulfill his covenants made with his people "scattered upon all the face of the earth" for "there is one God and one Shepherd over all the earth." 

As revealed in Nephi's vision, we are the continuation of the history in the Book of Mormon.  Therefore, as we establish groups of Zion in the nations of the world, each becomes a Promised Land and is bound by the Lord's promise, that "Inasmuch as ye shall keep my commandments ye shall prosper in the land."  (2 Ne. 1:20.  See also 1 Ne. 2:20; 1 Ne. 4:14; 1 Ne. 13:15; 1 Ne. 17:13; 2 Ne. 1:9; 2 Ne. 4:4; Jarom 1:9; Omni 1:6; Mosiah 2:22; Mosiah 2:31; Mosiah 29:43; Alma 9:13; Alma 36:1; Alma 36:30; Alma 37:13; Alma 38:1; Alma 45:6-8; Alma 48:15; Alma 48:25; Alma 50:20; Alma 62:51; Helaman 3:20; Ether 7:26; Ether 10:16;

1 Nephi 8-10

LEHI'S VISION OF THE TREE OF LIFE (Chapters 8-10)

(Ask class members to relate the story of the vision of the tree of life, then ask the class for insights into the relevance to their lives found in the symbols.  A few of my insights follow.)

The Dark and Dreary Wilderness

It's important to notice what happened to Lehi before he saw the tree of life.

"And it came to pass that while my father tarried in the wilderness he spake unto us, saying: Behold, I have dreamed a dream; or, in other words, I have seen a vision...

"And it came to pass that I saw a man, and he was dressed in a white robe; and he came and stood before me.

"And it came to pass that he spake unto, and bade me follow him.

"And it came to pass that as I followed him, I beheld myself that I was in a dark and dreary waste." (8:4-7)

Lehi found himself in a wilderness.  This is very significant.

A wilderness to Lehi would not have been just a barren place, but a life-threatening, terrifying place, full of ravenous wild animals, devoid of water or edible vegetation, and sprinkled with murderous highwaymen.  A wilderness would have had no dwellings or places of safety and refuge.  Remember, Lehi had just traveled through such a wilderness between Jerusalem and the Red Sea, eating uncooked meat for the fear of drawing attention of enemies or animals with the smoke of a fire.  In the dream, as in real life, Lehi did not put himself in the wilderness; the Lord put him there.

"And after I had traveled for the space of many hours in darkness, I began to pray unto the Lord that he would have mercy on me, according to the multitude of his tender mercies."  (8:8)

Many people today will say, when they find themselves in a "wilderness" due to no fault of their own, "The God I believe in would never (fill in the blank with what injustice they see in the world)."  But Lehi was not worshipping a "Franken-God" (to borrow a term from pastor and newspaper columnist Eldon Peterson of the Herald Journal)  a god of his own creation.  Lehi knew the character of the God he worshipped.  This is why we don't see him shaking his fist at heaven, but instead crying to God for mercy.  He knew that the wilderness was part of his learning experience or God would not have put him there.  He also knew that God, in his tender mercy, would bring him back out of it to a situation of greater light and love, if he exercised his faith in him.  And he did.

Where have we seen that phrase "tender mercies" before? 

"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." (1:20)

Even though we know intellectually that this life is a time of trial and learning, we are always shocked when we find ourselves in a wildernesss. We expect that the tender mercies of the Lord will make us "mighty even unto never having a need of deliverance."  We expect that if we follow the Lord, we'll never meet up with trouble, we'll always be fed manna, and everything will be rainbows without floods.  But that's not the way it is.  We will be made mighty, even unto the power of deliverance, just as was Lehi in his dream and in his life.

"And it came to pass after I had prayed unto the Lord I beheld a large and spacious field.  And it came to pass that I beheld a tree, whose fruit was desirable to make one happy.  And it came to pass that I did go forth and partake of the fruit thereof; and I beheld that it was most sweet, above all that I ever before tasted.  Yea, and I beheld that the fruit thereof was white, to exceed all the whiteness that I had ever seen.  And as I partook of the fruit thereof it filled my soul with exceedingly great joy..." (8:9-12)

Even though he cried unto the Lord for help, and even though the Lord answered his prayer, Lehi was still required to "go forth and partake."  Personal effort is always necessary.  The fruit is never dropped in our mouths.

The Four Groups of People

1. Those who start on the path to the tree, but then become lost in the mist of darkness.  They give in to the temptations of the devil, or the hardships (or luxuries) of life.  (v. 23)
2. Those who hold to the rod of iron until they reach the tree and partake of the fruit, but then become embarrassed and fall away. (v. 24)  They are distracted by worldliness, pride, pursuit of temporal goals, etc.  Partaking of the fruit (the atonement of Jesus Christ) is not a one-time, end-of-your-life thing, but a part of the journey.  The plan of salvation is not as linear as the vision of the tree of life.  (see L. Tom Perry, Ensign, Nov. 1995)
3. Those who hold to the rod of iron until they reach the tree and partake of the fruit, and who then remain faithful (v. 30).  Note, Lehi saw "multitudes" doing this, "pressing their way forward, continually holding fast."  That's encouraging!  Also, note the spelling of the word strait in "strait and narrow path" (v. 20).  A straight path doesn't turn, switchback, climb, drop, veer, or have rocks or bumps.  But that's not the kind of path we're talking about.  It is a strait path, which means it is narrow, with strict requirements.  The interpretation of the path is never given, but we can figure it out from other scriptures easily enough:  It is the keeping of covenants.
4. Those who never start on the path but instead go directly toward the great and spacious building (v. 31). 

The fearsome Angel's Landing trail

in Zion National Park, Southern Utah

with its chain of iron

reminds me of the challenges of

following the Strait and Narrow Path

with its Rod of Iron.

Four Steps to Reaching the Tree of Life

1. Commence on the path (8:22).  The first three groups did this.
2. Catch hold of the rod (8:24).  The second and third groups did this (v. 24, v. 30).
3. Cling to the rod (8:24).  The second and third groups pressed forward, they did not have a casual grip (v. 24, v. 30).
4. Continue (8:30).  The third group is the only one who hung onto the rod for dear life continually.

"Wherefore, ye must press forward with a steadfastness in Christ, having a perfect brightness of hope, and a love of God and of all men.  Wherefore, if ye shall press forward, feasting upon the word of Christ, and endure to the end, behold, thus saith the Father:  Ye shall have eternal life." (2 Ne. 31:20)

NEPHI'S DOUBLE VISION

Whenever we receive a revelation from the prophet, it is our privilege to ask for a validation of it from the Spirit, if we need it.  Nephi went beyond:  he had a desire to see the whole vision for himself, and his desire was granted and even expanded upon.  Nephi saw a vision within a vision, the second vision being the interpretation of the first vision.  The first vision was similar to his father's vision, and the second vision explained the meaning of the symbols through prophecies that would take place in either the Holy Land or the Promised Land.  Here is a brief outline:

• The Tree of Life (11:8-23) is explained through a vision of Jerusalem, Nazareth, the Mother of Christ, the Infant Christ-Child.  It is the love of God the Father, manifested in His condescension (becoming the literal father of a part-mortal).
• The Rod of Iron (11:24) is explained through a vision of Christ's ministry in Israel and His faithful followers.  It is the word of God.
• The Fountain of Living Waters (11:24-31) is explained through a vision of John the Baptist's ministry, the baptism of Christ, the descent of the Holy Ghost, Christ's ministry in Israel and rejection by the Jews, the 12 apostles, the ministry of angels, and the miracles of Jesus.  It is the love of God the Son, manifested in His condescension (becoming part human and dwelling upon the earth to minister and redeem).
• The Large and Spacious Building (11:32-35) is explained through a vision of the trials of Christ, His crucifixion, and the persecution of His apostles.  It is the House of Israel's rejection of the gospel in favor of the wisdom of the world.
• The Great Fall of the Building (11:36) is explained through a vision of the Great Apostacy.  It is the downfall and destruction of those who reject the gospel.

Interjected at this point is a vision of the Land of Promise (America), many generations of warring factions, darkness and massive natural disasters, the descent of the resurrected Christ to the survivors, the American 12 apostles, and generations of righteousness among the Nephites.

• The Fountain (or spring) of Filthy Water (12:13-16) is explained through a vision of the wars of the Nephites and Lamanites.  It is the depths of hell.
• The Mists of Darkness (12:17) are identified as the temptations of the devil.
• The Large and Spacious Building (12:18) is identified as pride.
• The Great and Terrible Gulf (12:18-23) is explained through a vision of the destruction of the Nephite civilization and the Apostacy in America.  It is the word of the justice of God.

The Tree of Life vision is only half of the vision that Nephi saw.  Chapters 13-14 tell the remainder of the prophecy, which regards the Restoration and the Gathering of the House of Israel prior to the Last Days.  It's the happy ending!  Nephi also viewed the Last Days and the end of the world, but was commanded to refer his readers to The Revelation of John rather than write it himself.

HAVING VISIONS, AND HAVING VISION

Visions from the Lord are often omniscient in nature, as the Lord is omniscient (or able to see all).

"Thus saith the Lord your God, even Jesus Christ, the Great I Am, Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the same which looked upon the wide expanse of eternity, and all the seraphic hosts of heaven, before the world was made; the same which knoweth all things, for all things are present before mine eyes." (D&C 38:1-2)

I live in a mountain valley with Preston, Idaho at one end, and Avon, Utah at the other.  If I want to see Preston and Avon and all the towns and farms between, I can get in my car and drive from one end to the other, and I would be able to see a certain dimension of those places over a period of an hour or two.  But above the valley, there is a peak called Mount Logan. 

When I am standing on Mount Logan, I am able to see all of the communities, the marshes, the rivers, the farms at the same time, rather than in a linear way.  When God offers an omniscient vision such as Nephi had, he pulls the seer up to stand beside him and view the entire panorama at once.  (Credit for this idea goes to Jerry Wilson, former instructor at the Logan Institute of Religion.)

Similarly in omniscient visions, there is no linear time, but all can be seen at once.  That fact is reflected in the prophetic future tense used to record visions.  Tense discrepancies are very common, since the tense doesn't matter.  You can see future, past and present tense all three in 11:27:  the prophet who should prepare the way (future); the Lamb went forth and was baptized (past); heavens open and the Holy Ghost comes and abides (present).

Nephi explained the reason that he was able to have this wonderful vision before he related the vision to us.  It was because he asked.  "For he that diligently seeketh shall find; and the mysteries of God shall be unfolded unto them, by the power of the Holy Ghost..." (10:19) 

As a piano teacher, I love teaching all ages.  Beginners are fun; they are so excited about every new thing.  But it's really fun to have advanced students.  There is so much wonderful material you can share with an advanced student.  You can explain to them the fascinating theory by which the piece is constructed, the history of the composer and the reasons he wrote the piece, the nuances and techniques that can be used to bring out the beauty of the music, and it is a delight to share this with them.

I have the feeling that the Lord loves having "advanced students" like Nephi as well.  If you are a "beginning" gospel student, he loves seeing your excitement, but don't stay in the "intermediate" stage forever:  become an "advanced" student!  We have all the information and inspiration necessary to be "advanced."  Get up on the mountain!

"In this dispensation of the fulness of times, the revelation superhighway has been carrying heavy traffic of eternal truth ever since that day in the spring of 1820 when the Lord answered a farm boy's fervent prayer in the Sacred Grove and ushered in the restoration of the gospel of Jesus Christ."  (Joseph B. Wirthlin, Ensign, Nov. 1995, p. 75)

We may not see the heavens opened, as did Joseph Smith, and we may not see the panoramic vision of the tree of life as did Nephi, but we can stand on a mountaintop and gain an eternal perspective that will guide us through our own lives.  The "revelation superhighway" is open to us.

"In our own lives, in our daily workaday world, we can create our own 'mountaintop experience' so unique and personal that I wonder why more of us do not readily do so.  The spiritual mountaintop of which I speak is the development and refining of a testimony of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.  Just as we can stand on the top of any great mountain and experience an awe-inspiring panorama, I believe we can stand in our own places and experience overwhelming awe in knowing that the Savior, in an act of love which defies mortal understanding, gave his life in taking upon himself our pain and suffering...

"It is in the development of our testimonies, in the moving even partway up the mountain and out of our comfort zones, that I think we begin to approach our own personal, spiritual mountaintop where we can receive inspiration and truth as never before." (Jack H. Goaslind, Ensign, Nov. 1995, p. 9, 11)

1 Nephi 1-7

1 Nephi 1-7

THE FIRST FAMILY OF THE BOOK OF MORMON

The Book of Mormon begins with the story of a family.  This family faces many of the same crises we face as families today.  They live in a corrupt environment while striving to live the gospel and follow the prophets.  They face a huge material downturn when they opt to leave the city.  They are required to be constantly pioneering, or doing things that have not been done before.  As they strive to follow the Lord's specific guidance for their family, they often find things get much worse before they get better.  They have children who follow their parents in righteousness, and children who reject the family and its values.  They love, they argue, they suffer, they repent, they forgive, they get sick, they complain, they see miracles, they live and die.  They are like us.

THE PATRIARCH

In the first chapter of the Book of Mormon, we are introduced immediately to the father, Lehi.  We learn that Lehi:

• was a city-dweller (v. 4)
• that he was well-off (v. 1:  "goodly")
• that he listened to the prophets (v. 4)
• that he had great care and concern for his fellow-citizens (v. 5)
• that his instant approach to worries was to pray (v. 5)
• that he was educated and wrote a great deal (v. 16--see the link in the previous post theorizing that he may have been a scribe by trade)
• that he was a seer (v. 13)
• that because of his own communications from the Lord he became a prophet or missionary (in a real sense they are the same thing) in Jerusalem (v. 18)
• that he was not swayed by public opinion (v. 19)
• that he had a powerful testimony of Jesus Christ (v. 19)
• and he did not see any success in his mission, and was even threatened with death for it (v. 20).

As we look at Lehi's first vision recorded in the Book of Mormon, it has similar elements to the visions of other prophets.  Like Moses and the burning bush, he saw a pillar of fire which came down from Heaven and dwelt upon an earthly object, from which emanated a prophecy of some kind which caused him to quake and tremble (v. 6; Exo. 3:2).  Like Moses and Joseph Smith, he was exhausted after the vision (v. 7; Moses 1:9-10; JS-H 1:20).  Like John the Divine, Steven the Martyr, and a few select others, the door of Heaven was opened to him and he saw, in a second vision, "God sitting upon his throne, surrounded with numberless concourses of angels" and Jesus Christ with him.  He saw the twelve apostles and their glory (1:8-10).  Like John, a book was delivered to him (1:11).  His book, however, was not symbolic of the plan of salvation as John's was, but filled with words of warning:  Jerusalem would be destroyed, many of the inhabitants would be killed, and many should be taken away as slaves (1:13). 

And yet, the immediate result of seeing this vision was not despair but joy!  "For his soul did rejoice, and his whole heart was filled, because of the things which he had seen..." (1:15).  The reason can be found as we look for the perceptual word because in v. 14:

"And it came to pass that when my father had read and seen many great and marvelous things, he did exclaim many things unto the Lord; such as: Great and marvelous are thy works, O Lord God Almighty!  and thy power, and goodness, and mercy are over all the inhabitants of the earth; and, because thou art merciful, thou wilt not suffer those who come unto thee that they shall perish!"

John taught that God is Light (or truth), and God is Love (1 John 1:5; 1 John 4:8).  It was in God's very nature to show Lehi the truth--that Jerusalem was nearly ripe for destruction.  But it was also in God's very nature to show Lehi the love--that those who chose righteousness would be spared.

Lehi emulated the character of his Father in Heaven, and immediately, because of the love he had for his people, he shared the truth with them (1:18).  It didn't go well.

But this set of events is a perfect introduction to the theme of the entire Book of Mormon, which is declared by Nephi in the last verse of 1 Nephi:

"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." (1:20).

This message is reiterated in the very final chapter of the Book of Mormon by Moroni:

"Behold, I would exhort you that when ye shall read these things, if it be wisdom in God that ye should read them, that ye would remember how merciful the Lord hath been unto the children of men, from the creation of Adam even down until the time that ye shall receive these things, and ponder it in your hearts." (Moro 10:3)

It is this grateful pondering that will lead one to the state of revelation desired by true seekers:

"And when ye shall receive these things, I would exhort you that ye would ask God, the Eternal Father, in the name of Christ, if these things are not true; and if ye shall ask with a sincere heart, with real intent, having faith in Christ, he will manifest the truth of it unto you, by the power of the Holy Ghost.  And by the power of the Holy Ghost ye may know the truth of all things." (Moro. 10:4)

This is exactly what Lehi had done.  He had heard the words of the prophets.  Immediately, he desired to know the truth himself and so he prayed.  His prayer was one of real intent:  he wasn't just curious; he intended to do a great deal with the knowledge he would gain; he intended it to change his life.  Without this key, real intent, no revelation can be an advantage to us, but it will instead be a condemnation--therefore, the Lord may opt to withhold revelation from those unwilling to commit.  Lehi clearly had great faith in Christ and in His power to direct and save.  Because Lehi acted upon each revelation he received, he was given another, and the power of the Holy Ghost directed his journeyings through the remainder of his life.

(For more on Lehi, see Marshall R. Craig, "Father Lehi: Prophet and Patriarch," Ensign, Sept. 1976

THE CHILDREN

As this family leaves Jerusalem, there are four sons and an unspecified number of daughters.  We don't ever read anything about the daughters since the writer comes from a male-biased culture.  We only get the chance to know the sons.  But, male or female, in these sons we see ourselves. 

Nephi
Nephi stated in his first sentence that he suffered many trials but he recognized that he was highly favored of the Lord.  When those trials began in earnest on the journey to the Promised Land, Nephi needed to know for himself whether the family was on the right path. 

"And my father dwelt in a tent."

We already know this.  Why does he bother to remind us?  Because it is the clearest indicator that the family members are "fishes out of water."  They are in an uncomfortable, unfamiliar situation.  It is this discomfort that leads Nephi to have an intense need to know what God wants of him and his family. 

"And it came to pass that I, Nephi, being exceedingly young, nevertheless being large in stature, and also having great desires to know of the mysteries of God, wherefore, I did cry unto the Lord; and behold he did visit me, and did soften my heart that I did believe all the words which had been spoken by my father." (2:15-16) 

This belief grew into great faith that has been a model for Latter-day Saints from Primary age on up:  "I will go and do the things which the Lord hath commanded, for I know that the Lord giveth no commandments unto the children of men, save he shall prepare a way for them that they may accomplish the things which he commandeth them." (1 Ne. 3:7) 

As is the case with all who come to know God, Nephi's immediate desire after receiving the answer to his prayer was for the welfare of others.  He prayed mightily for his unbelieving brothers, and was answered with the great promise of the Book of Mormon, restated many times throughout the book (you may want to highlight this each time you find it as you read; I use yellow for the words of God): "And insasmuch as ye shall keep my commandments, ye shall prosper, and shall be led to a land of promise." (2:20)

Because of his trust in the Lord, Nephi was tenacious in the face of difficulty.  The impossible was not impossible to him; it just took a little longer.  He succeeded in getting the Brass Plates from a powerful man who did not want to give them up, by simply trying and trying again with a new approach, being led by the Spirit.

Nephi was also quick to forgive (7:21), although we see later in the story that when repentance didn't last, he was smart enough to flee abuse.

Laman and Lemuel

Despite the great encouragement of their father and his vision for them--"O that thou mightest be like unto this river, continually running into the fountain of all righteousness...O that thou mightest be like unto this valley, firm and steadfast, and immovable in keeping the commandments of the Lord!" (2:9-10)--Laman and Lemuel rebelled against their parents. 

"And thus Laman and Lemuel, being the eldest, did murmur against their father." [You may remember from the story of the prodigal son that the eldest or birthright son in Hebrew culture was to be a partner with the father, a type of under-parent. With both of them being included as "the eldest" here, is it possible they were twins? Just a fun thought.]  

Why did they complain?  The same reason that all of us complain:  a lack of faith. "And they did murmur because they knew not the dealings of that God who had created them." (2:12). 

Despite testimonies, examples, and miracles, they did not see that spiritual things had any relevance to "real life:" "...An angel of the Lord came and stood before them, and he spake unto them, saying...Behold ye shall go up to Jerusalem again, and the Lord will deliver Laban into your hands...And after the angel had departed, Laman and Lemuel again began to murmur, saying: How is it possible that the Lord will deliver Laban into our hands?  Behold he is a mighty man, and he can command fifty, yea, even he can slay fifty; then why not us?" (3:31)

Sam

We are all sometimes like Laman and Lemuel; hopefully we recognize it quickly and nurture our faith.  On rare occasions we may also find ourselves like Nephi, mighty in spiritual power.  But the brother that might be the best role model for many of us is Sam, remarkable because he is unremarkable.  Mentioned only 11 times in the Book of Mormon, we first hear that he listened to his younger brother Nephi (1 Ne. 2:17) and he believed.  Not much is said of him, but each time he is mentioned he is found on the Lord's side.  (What a great epitaph that would be!)

He received a very brief blessing from his father as his father was dying:  "Blessed art thou and thy seed; for thou shalt inherit the land like unto thy brother Nephi.  And thy seed shall be numbered with his seed; and thou shalt be even like unto thy brother, and thy seed like unto his seed; and thou shalt be blessed in all thy days." (2 Ne. 4:11) 

Why kind of a blessing is that?  Nothing is said about Sam personally, only how he compares to his amazing brother Nephi.  This kind of thing is exactly what irritated Laman and Lemuel, and led their ancestor Joseph to be sold into Egypt by his jealous brothers.

And yet Sam was unaffected.  Sam was meek, or in our present-day vernacular, he was non-competitive.  He was okay with hearing his younger brother praised.  He was okay with letting someone else be the leader.  He was okay with being unremarkable.  None of these things appeared to affect his willingness to follow the Lord steadfastly.  His vertical relationship (his relationship with the Lord) centered and stabilized his horizontal relationships (his relationships with those around him).  By following the Lord in his unremarkable way, he received all the same blessings as did his brother, the famous prophet Nephi.

Does that mean that if we follow the humble, noncompetitive, steadfast example of Sam, we can receive all the same blessings that President Monson will?  That is exactly what it means.

THE MARRIAGE

A prime example of righteous conflict resolution in marriage is shown in chapter 5.  The sons of Lehi and Sariah were called by the Lord to return to Jerusalem on a very dangerous mission: to get the Plates of Brass from Laban.  Sariah had followed her husband in righteousness, and it had led her into the wilderness.  She was okay with that.  She trusted the Lord enough to allow her sons to leave.  But every mother has probably reached a similar moment when the happy ending was delayed, and worry overcame hope. 

"For she had supposed that we had perished in the wilderness; and she also had complained against my father, telling him that he was a visionary man; saying: Behold thou hast led us forth from the land of our inheritance, and my sons are no more, and we perish in the wilderness.  And after this manner of language had my mother complained against my father." (5:2-3)

Sariah had been listening to a despairing inner dialogue, and she expressed it to her husband in the language of doubt and fear and blame.  All of us do this at times.

But Lehi responded with a different manner of language, the language of faith and hope and compassion.  First he faced the truth in what she had said:

"And it had come to pass that my father spake unto her, saying: I know that I am a visionary man..."

But he explained the reasons for the thing she criticized.  

"...for if I had not seen the things of God in a vision I should not have known the goodness of God, but had tarried at Jerusalem, and had perished with my brethren."

And then he bolstered her faith by testifying of the care of the Lord, and comforting her concerning the welfare of her sons as the Holy Ghost undoubtedly testified to him. 

"But behold, I have obtained a land of promise, in the which things I do rejoice; yea, and I know that the Lord will deliver my sons out of the hands of Laban, and bring them down again unto us in the wilderness." 

But wait a minute!  In the first part of the sentence Lehi said he had already obtained a land of promise, and in the last part of the sentence, he said he was still in the wilderness.  What gives?

Lehi was speaking to Sariah (and to himself) in the highest language of faith and hope: prophetic future tense.  In prophetic future tense, time is irrelevant and things that have not yet happened are stated in the present tense or even in the past tense.  To the deeply faithful Lehi, the promises of the Lord were as real as if they had already happened.

"And after this manner of language did my father, Lehi, comfort my mother, Sariah, concerning us, while we journeyed in the wilderness up to the land of Jerusalem, to obtain the record of the Jews."  (5:4-6)

Wouldn't it be marvelous if our family interactions could mirror this example shown by Lehi of both meekness and strength?  Rather than speaking back to an upset family member in the same negative manner of language she is using, we recognize her feelings of fear, and we carefully choose a positive manner of language filled with faith, hope and love.  If we are meek we can avoiding taking verbal attacks personally and remain in a position of strength.  Recognizing that almost every negative emotion is at its core fear, we can apply the antidote of faith and build a relationship of trust, understanding, and love. 

CONCLUSION

In our present day, families face many challenges.  Even the family itself as an institution is challenged.  The Book of Mormon examples of families can teach us many helpful truths relevant to our daily interactions as family members. 

The prophet Lehi was unsuccessful in teaching the gospel to the people of Jerusalem, but his real mission followed in which the focus of all his efforts was in teaching the gospel to his children.  His entire church congregation and mission boundaries included only his family, their in-laws, and one friend Zoram.  And yet it was a great enough mission to be prominent in the Book of Mormon.  Let us likewise recognize our own families as our first and foremost "mission field," living and sharing the gospel in our homes as did Lehi.

Introduction to the Book of Mormon

THE IMPORTANCE OF THE BOOK OF MORMON

"The church stand[s] or falls with the truthfulness of the Book of Mormon."  It is the keystone of our witness of Christ, the keystone of our doctrine, the keystone of our testimony.  (Ezra Taft Benson, October 1986 Conference Address)

"Concerning this record the Prophet Joseph Smith said: 'I told the brethren that the Book of Mormon was the most correct of any book on earth, and the keystone of our religion, and a man would get nearer to God by abiding by its precepts, than by any other book.'" (Introduction, Book of Mormon, paragraph 6)

We can get closer to God, not by reading the Book of Mormon, but by living it; however, reading comes first.

(Challenge your class to read the Book of Mormon this year.  If this is not a challenge for them, challenge them to give a Book of Mormon to someone else this year.  For a fun Book of Mormon marathon you might consider doing with your family, youth group, or Sunday School class, see my essay blog, A Mormon Window.)

"Brothers and sisters, without reservation I promise you that if you will prayerfully read the Book of Mormon, regardless of how many times you previously have read it, there will come into your hearts an added measure of the Spirit of the Lord. There will come a strengthened resolution to walk in obedience to his commandments, and there will come a stronger testimony of the living reality of the Son of God."  (Gordon B. Hinckley, "The Power of the Book of Mormon," Ensign, June 1988)

HISTORY OF THE TRANSLATION OF THE BOOK OF MORMON

The Book of Mormon was translated very quickly after a long period of personal preparation and skill development on the part of Joseph Smith. (Please see the detailed timeline of the translation of the Book of Mormon which can be found under the heading, Spiritual Gifts Must Be Developed, in a previous post.)  In the original script dictated by Joseph Smith, Oliver Cowdery's handwriting is sloppy and there are ink blotches all over.  In the copy he made afterwards, his penmanship is beautiful; there are no lines to the page, yet it is perfectly straight and the lettering is so consistent it looks like it might have been a computer font.  Obviously, during the translating, Oliver barely had time to dip his pen, and not enough time to blot the ink.

The entire Book of Mormon was written in one sentence; no punctuation whatever was included.  John H. Gilbert at E. B. Grandin printers punctuated it as he printed it.  That is why there have been occasional revisions to the punctuation since.  The title page to the third edition reads "carefully revised by the translator"--the only edition that says that.  (Bruce R. Woolley, BYU Education Week Lecture, August 1999, personal notes)

PURPOSES OF THE BOOK OF MORMON

"The title-page of the Book of Mormon is a literal translation, taken from the very last leaf, on the left hand side of the collection or book of plates."  (Joseph Smith, History of the Church, 1:71)

On this title page, Mormon lists two main purposes to the Book of Mormon in the second paragraph.  (Ask class members to find them.)

1) To Show the House of Israel:
     a) The Works of God, "what great things the Lord hath done
          for their fathers..."
          Why is this important?  It builds faith in God.
     b)  The Covenants of God, "that they may know the covenants of the
           Lord, that they are not cast off forever..."
          Why is this important?  It lets us know our role in the plan,
          and the promises to us in the next life.

"Once we know who we are and the royal lineage of which we are a part, our actions and directions in life will be more appropriate to our inheritance...People are gathered into the fold of God through learning the doctrine of Christ and subscribing to the principles and ordinances of his gospel.  They learn through scripture and through patriarchal and prophetic pronouncement of their kinship with or, in rare instances today, of their adoption into the house of Israel...The fulfillment, the consummation, of these blessings comes as those who have entered the waters of baptism perfect their lives to the point that they may enter the holy temple.  Receiving an endowment there seals members of the Church to the Abrahamic Covenant."  (Russell M. Nelson, BYU Devotional, 11-22-88)

2) To Convince Everyone That Jesus is the Christ
    "...to the convincing of the Jew and Gentile that JESUS is the
    CHRIST, the ETERNAL GOD, manifesting himself unto all nations."
    Why is this important?  Our salvation depends upon faith in Him.

In the 531 pages of the Book of Mormon, there are 275 testimonies of Christ.

There is a duality to this purpose as well:  President Benson said the Book of Mormon teaches us of Christ (or what the gospel is), and it exposes the enemies of Christ (what the gospel is not).

RELEVANCE TO OUR DAY

As we take a very general look at the Book of Mormon, what are the main subjects? 

1) The first part is about families in crisis.  Do we have this problem today?  Even when the parents are doing their righteous best?

2) The middle part is about how to conduct oneself (or an army) righteously during wartime.  Do we have need of this counsel today?

3) The last part is about how to remain righteous in a degenerating environment.  Do we find ourselves in this situation today?

PERCEPTUAL PHRASES IN THE BOOK OF MORMON

Remembering that this is a book written for the purpose of teaching, we must watch for the lessons in it.  There are some good clues the writers of the Book of Mormon use in what we could call perceptual words and phrases.  (Credit for this idea goes to Jerry Wilson, former Logan Institute teacher.)

• THEREFORE
• WHEREFORE
• FOR
• NEVERTHELESS
• NOTWITHSTANDING
• BEHOLD
• I SAY UNTO YOU
• REMEMBER
• THAT
• BECAUSE

These words are key to recognizing important concepts throughout the Book of Mormon.  In fact, it is a great idea to highlight them in a specific color--I use blue to symbolize truth-- so that they are obvious to you. 

Therefore/Wherefore/For
Therefore links cause and effect:

"...having been born of goodly parents      THEREFORE    I was taught in all the language of my fathers..."
''...having had a knowledge of God      THEREFORE     I make a record..."  (1 Ne. 1:1)

Because Nephi was born of goodly parents (some scholars interpret "goodly" as "wealthy"), he was taught how to write well.  Indeed, they would have had to be wealthy for him to have received such an education.  (See Literary Themes in the Book of Mormon, by Joey Greene.)  Because Nephi had a knowledge of God in addition to that education, he made a record:  If we have faith in God, or desire to increase our faith, we might also make a record of God's dealings with us. 

Wherefore is very similar.  We can see that Lehi's great vision did not come "out of the blue," but as a result of his prayer and concern after listening to the prophets of Jerusalem:

"...in that same year there came many prophets, prophesying unto the people that they must repent, or the great city Jerusalem must be destroyed.    WHEREFORE    it came to pass that my father, Lehi, as he went forth prayed unto the Lord, yea, even with all his heart, in behalf of his people.  And it came to pass as he prayed unto the Lord, there came a pillar of fire and dwelt upon a rock before him; and he saw and heard much..."  (1 Ne. 1:4-6)

Nevertheless/Notwithstanding
Nevertheless and notwithstanding show the hidden effect, often the opposite of what might be expected by the cause:

"...having seen many afflictions      NEVERTHELESS    having been highly favored of God..."

So despite having seen many afflictions, Nephi recognized that he was highly favored of God:  We can likewise assume that experiencing sore trials in our lives does not mean God does not favor us.

Behold/I Say Unto You/Remember
Behold (often linked with I say unto you) and remember draw attention to an important concept or event:

"BEHOLD   the Lord slayeth the wicked to bring forth his righteous purposes.  It is better that one man should perish than that a nation should dwindle and perish in unbelief."  (1 Ne. 4:13)

That/Because

Reasons for things can often be found following the word that or because.  We can see two reasons listed for obtaining the brass plates in the following passage, marked by that:

"And behold, it is wisdom in God that we should obtain these records,   THAT   we may preserve unto our children the language of our fathers; and also   THAT   we may preserve unto them the words which have been spoken by the mouth of all the holy prophets..."  (1 Ne. 3:19-20)

We can find the reason that people (including us) whine or complain in 1 Ne. 2:12:

"And thus Laman and Lemuel...did murmur against their father.  And they did murmur  BECAUSE   they knew not the dealings of that God who had created them." 

Since faith consists, in part, of a knowledge of God, we murmur because our faith is weak.  Faith also consists in a knowledge that our life is in accordance to God's will, so we may also murmur because we are unwilling to accept God's plan for us.

Combinations

A particularly strong combination of perceptual words and phrases is used in the last verse of Nephi's first chapter to state his purpose in keeping his record:

"But    BEHOLD,    I, Nephi, WILL SHOW YOU THAT    the tender mercies of the Lord are over all those whom he hath chosen...  [why are they chosen?]  

"BECAUSE   of their faith,  [and here the word "to" shows the purpose of the tender mercies]  

"TO   make them mighty even unto the power of deliverance."  (1 Ne. 1:20)

Having stated his purpose in writing, now we can look for it all through Nephi's two books.  Here is an example of the tender mercies of the Lord making the faithful mighty unto deliverance, which also uses a combination of perceptual words: 

"And now, my beloved brethren, seeing that our merciful God has given us so great knowledge concerning these things, let us remember him, and lay aside our sins, and not hang down our heads,    FOR    we are not cast off..."  (the good result of having a knowledge of [or relationship with] our merciful God.)

"NEVERTHELESS,   we have been driven out of the land of our inheritance..." (the opposite result of what we might expect if we were not cast off.)

"BUT    we have been led to a better land..."  (a good result of being driven out)

"FOR  the Lord has made the sea our path..."  (we were led to a better land because the Lord showed a new path, through the sea.)  (2 Ne. 10:20)

LITERARY TECHNIQUES OF THE BOOK OF MORMON

The literary techniques of the Book of Mormon testify of its authenticity, as they are commonly used in Hebrew and would have been completely unknown to Joseph Smith at the time of translation.  In fact, some scholars believe Lehi and Nephi must have been scribes by trade, to have written such great literature.  (See Literary Themes in the Book of Mormon, by Joey Greene.)

Conjunctions

Why are there so many ands in the Book of Mormon?  For an extreme example, Helaman 3:14 has 18 ands in it!  In Hebrew, and is attached to a noun and is used much as we use a comma in English.  (David Bokovoy, BYU Campus Education Week lecture, August 2001, my personal notes)

Anaphora

And it came to pass is a purposely repetitive phrase, indicating the beginning of a sentence.  It usually shows the passage of time, or the introduction of a new section of the story.  It is found in the Bible, but much more commonly in the Book of Mormon (over 1,400 times), since the Book of Mormon is "a highly condensed prose narrative."  (Hugh W. Pinnock, "Forms of Repetition," Neal A. Maxwell Institute)

Cognate Accusative

In this literary form, the verb is immediately followed by a noun of the same root.  The English form is kind of funny-sounding, but in Hebrew it would be poetic and beautiful.  This is another indication that the Book of Mormon came from Hebrew writers.  Examples:  "fear with great fear," "cursed with a sore cursing," "work all manner of fine work," judge righteous judgments," "dreamed a dream."  (Bokovoy)

Pronominal Suffix

This is a pronoun attached directly to the noun indicating ownership.  In a list, it would be attached to every word.  We can learn something very interesting about Lehi in 1 Ne. 2:4 by noticing which items in the list do not have the word his attached to them:

"And he left his house, and the land of his inheritance, and his gold, and his silver, and his precious things, and took nothing with him, save it were his family, and provisions, and tents..."

Aha!  The provisions and the tents had not belonged to Lehi--he had to purchase them.  This tells us he was not a nomad, and just like the latter-day European pioneers who traveled across the plains of the United States to Utah in the 19th century, the family of Lehi was not at all used to camping.  (Bokovoy)

The Construct State

Two nouns are placed together, one of which describes the other, like an adjective. The best way to say the same thing in English is to use the word of between the two:  "altar of stones," "skin of blackness," "state of probation," "plates of brass."  In English we would typically put the adjective first, and say "brass plates," but you won't find "brass plates" anywhere in the Book of Mormon.

A particularly interesting one is "river of water."  What other kind of river would there be?  Well, in the mideast, dry river beds or wadis are in abundance for most of the year.  This specification lets us know the writer was used to wadis and wanted to clarify that this was a running river.  (Bokovoy)  This phrase is used 5 times but by only one writer.  Guess which one?  The only Book of Mormon writer who began his life in the middle east:  Nephi.

CONCLUSION

"Not all truths are of equal value, nor are all scriptures of the same worth...There is a power in the book [of Mormon] which will begin to flow into your lives the moment you begin a serious study of the book...[power to] resist temptation...avoid deception...stay on the strait and narrow...  When you begin to hunger and thirst after those words, you will find life in greater and greater abundance."  (Ezra Taft Benson, A Witness and a Warning, p. 6)

"Its appeal is as timeless as truth, as universal as mankind. It is the only book that contains within its covers a promise that by divine power the reader may know with certainty of its truth.

"Its origin is miraculous; when the story of that origin is first told to one unfamiliar with it, it is almost unbelievable. But the book is here to be felt and handled and read. No one can dispute its presence.

"All efforts to account for its origin, other than the account given by Joseph Smith, have been shown to lack substance. It is a record of ancient America. It is the scripture of the New World, as certainly as the Bible is the scripture of the Old. Each speaks of the other. Each carries with it the spirit of inspiration, the power to convince and to convert. Together they become two witnesses, hand in hand, that Jesus is the Christ, the resurrected and living Son of the living God.

"Its narrative is a chronicle of nations long since gone. But in its descriptions of the problems of today’s society, it is as current as the morning newspaper and much more definitive, inspired, and inspiring concerning the solutions to those problems."  (Gordon B. Hinckley, "The Power of the Book of Mormon," Ensign, June 1998)

"With other latter-day prophets, I testify of the truthfulness of this 'most correct of any book on earth,' even the Book of Mormon, another testament of Jesus Christ. Its message spans the earth and brings its readers to a knowledge of the truth. It is my testimony that the Book of Mormon changes lives. May each of us read it and reread it. And may we joyfully share our testimonies of its precious promises with all of God’s children."  (President Thomas S. Monson, First Presidency Message:  Precious Promises of the Book of Mormon, Ensign, October 2011)

Extra Christmas Lesson #3

I just read The Purpose of Christmas, by Rick Warren.  It has a great message and many helpful insights which are almost entirely compatible with LDS doctrine.  (The only deviation I can see is that he says Jesus did not come to organize a religion, and I'm pretty sure he did, since he set up apostles, seventies, the sacrament, baptism, and temple worship.  But that's only one sentence in the entire book.) 

You can read an outline and some great quotes from the book which would make a great lesson if you filled it in a bit, in my new personal online notes file (which is another blog, to make it easily searchable). 

Here is the link:  The Purpose of Christmas

Extra Christmas Lesson #2

If you didn't give this lesson earlier in the year, it fits very well at Christmastime:

http://gospeldoctrineplus.blogspot.com/2011/01/nt-lesson-3-unto-you-is-borna-saviour.html

Extra Christmas Lesson #1

If you have an extra week and would like to give a special Christmas-oriented lesson on faith, please follow this link to one I posted in 2009, "The Measure of Our Faith."