1 NEPHI 
CHAPTERS 1 - 10

CHAPTER 8

The Lord had many things for Lehi and his family to do while they lived in the valley of Lemuel. There were preparations to make for the next phase of their journey, which would take much longer and be even more arduous than what they had already experienced. The main kinds of preparation were physical, social, and spiritual.

During Book of Mormon history, while Lehi’s group was together, they all pitched in to prepare for their physical needs. A good work ethic is a spiritual as well as a physical characteristic.

In the temporary stopover in the valley of Lemuel, the family planted, and gathered for the future. This fertile valley likely had indigenous seeds that they harvested and stored.

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Social Preparations         

Further arrangements would have included social preparations. The patriarchs, likely as merchants, would have participated in desert journeys in caravans, but this sacred expedition was not a temporary procedure. Life-styles of the families had drastically altered. Religion had moved from being merely history and heritage to the core of life, and not everyone agreed with it. 

We are not told if the young people had gone through betrothal ceremonies, which was a binding ritual in Jewish culture, but before long they were married. Zoram, having a place as one of Lehi’s family, married one of Ishmael’s daughters. 

Spiritual Preparations

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While in the valley of Lemuel, God sent Lehi a startling vision. It was full of deep symbolism, including a warning to Laman and Lemuel.

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Sometimes predicting before we read, and then searching for either confirmation or alternatives to our predictions, promotes our critical reading abilities. While reading the verses describing Lehi’s dream, write what you think these different symbols will mean. (You may want to do this with a pencil!) 

In later chapters we will read of Nephi’s powerful visitation and learn many interpretations he was given to these symbols: dark and dreary wilderness; dark and dreary waste; spacious field; tree; fruit of the tree; river of water; head of the river; rod of iron; straight and narrow path; numberless concourses of people; mist of darkness; shame of those who ate fruit; great and spacious building; drowning in fountain; strange roads; fingers of scorn; attitude of those who did not heed scorners;                              

In his dream, Lehi saw:

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• A dark and dreary wilderness

• A man in a white robe who beckoned Lehi to follow him into a dark and dreary waste

After “a space of many hours,” Lehi finally prayed for help.

How many of us yet travel for “the space of many hours in darkness” before we began to pray unto the Lord?

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Then in his dream, Lehi saw:

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• A large and spacious field

• A tree with very desirable fruit

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Lehi ate some of the fruit. He described it:

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• Most sweet above anything he ever tasted

• White above all white he had ever seen

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Lehi told how the fruit made him feel:

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• It was more desirable than any other fruit.

• It filled his soul with great joy.

• It made him want to share it with his family

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Lehi then saw:

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• Sariah, Sam, and Nephi standing near the head of a river of water, undecided about where to go.

Lehi called to Sariah, and Sam, and Nephi, and they did join Lehi as he ate the fruit. But Lehi had two other sons. He wanted to share this precious treasure with them also. He saw them at the head of the river and called to them, but they would not come and partake of the fruit.

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Lehi saw a two symbols that represented something to help people come and partake of the fruit:

·      A rod of iron led through the large and spacious field (as if it had been a world) along the bank of the river to the tree.

·      A strait and narrow path

• They began to eat the fruit.

• Lehi saw many who actually reached the tree and then began to partake of, or eat, the fruit.

• But after overcoming many obstacles, and finally getting to the tree and eating the fruit, many of them cast their eyes about, acting ashamed.

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Lehi wondered why they could possibly be ashamed, so he also cast his eyes about to discover the reason people were acting so embarrassed.

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• He saw multitudes of worldly people in a huge building ridiculing, taunting, mocking, scorning, and making fun of those who were eating the fruit.

• It seemed to matter more to those who were ashamed of eating the fruit what the people in the building thought of them than how the fruit made them feel.

• Those who were ashamed because of the scoffering people “fell away into forbidden paths and were lost” 

• The Lord gave us our agency. Lehi observed great numbers of people using this agency both for good and ill. Multitudes were holding fast to the iron rod and forging ahead to partake of the fruit of the tree, while other multitudes, to their loss, made their way to the great and spacious building.

• They began to eat the fruit.

• Lehi saw many who actually reached the tree and then began to partake of, or eat, the fruit.

• But after overcoming many obstacles, and finally getting to the tree and eating the fruit, many of them cast their eyes about, acting ashamed.

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Lehi and those who chose to continue eating the fruit paid no heed to those who scorned them.

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 Although Nephi could not detail everything recounted in Lehi’s vision, he clearly explained that Lehi realized that the vision showed wonderful rewards for those who followed the word of God.

CHAPTER 9

Throughout the years, Nephi had written on Large Plates. On his Large Plates, he related history and probably daily experiences. He now summarized parts of both his father’s Plates and his own writings from his Large Plates on new Small Plates. On these Small Plates, Nephi recorded mostly things of the ministry (religious life and teachings).

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Nephi did not know why, after already engraving so much on the Large Plates, the Lord asked him to also make Small Plates. But he did not argue. He just did as commanded—trusting in the great wisdom of God. This is a consistent pattern of God’s prophets. Joseph Smith once said, “I follow one rule. When the Lord commands, I do it.” (quoted from Covey’s The Divine Center, p. 245)

We know (about 2600 years after the fact), that one reason the Lord covered the period of time that had been recorded on the Plates of Lehi, was so Joseph Smith could translate Nephi’s Small Plates rather than re-translating the pages from the Large Plates lost by Martin Harris. This assured that one of Satan’s nefarious plans, to have Joseph re-translate the Plates of Lehi, then have the originals altered by wicked people and brought to light different from the re-translation, (Doctrine & Covenants 10) was thwarted.

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Another reason for these Small Plates is to give us particular spiritual insights—where the Large Plates, while valuable, including sacred messages from various prophets and even the visitation of Christ Himself, also contained more secular history than the Small Plates.

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Nephi, in his mature wisdom as an older prophet, with inspiration of God’s Holy Spirit, selected, and then wrote special spiritual truths not distracted by details of bloody contentious history. This was to help future readers build testimonies of the Savior.

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Nephi, as God’s prophet, selected precious spiritual truths to engrave for people of his time, but also for us, as future readers!

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CHAPTER 10

Nephi wrote parts of some of Lehi’s prophecies. He then began to write about his own ministry.

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Laman and Lemuel, and some of Ishmael’s sons and daughters, continued to grumble about everything they thought they had “given up” when they left Jerusalem; Lehi exhorted them to appreciate their safety and to keep the Lord’s commandments.

Nephi had already revealed to Laman and Lemuel that if they chose to go back to Jerusalem instead of traveling with Lehi, they would be among those killed (1 Nephi 7:15). 

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Lehi told the assembled family of a revelation that he received concerning the upcoming destruction of Jerusalem. Future events proved this prophecy. About thirteen years later (587 B.C.) the Babylonians overcame Jerusalem and took as slaves many who were not killed. And after Persians conquered Babylonia (in 539 B.C.), the Lord inspired Cyrus, king of Persia, to offer opportunity to Jews who volunteered to go back to Jerusalem, now a province of Persia, and rebuild their temple. In various stages, thousands went back.

Besides rebuilding the temple, a principal reason the Lord let a remnant of the Jews return to Jerusalem is that the Savior was to be born in the land of Jerusalem. The town of Bethlehem, about six miles from the larger capital city, was part of the land of Jerusalem.

Lehi had been studying the Brass Plates; he reminded his family of the many prophets who had prophesied of the coming of the Messiah and Redeemer. Much of today’s Old Testament up to 600 B.C., as well as many scriptures now lost, were contained in the Brass Plates. The purpose of the originally written Old Testament was to testify of Jesus Christ.

Many of these prophesies have been lost or deliberately removed from our present day Bible. Jesus Christ our Savior was known by the name Great God Jehovah in His pre-mortal life.

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Verses 4, 5, & 6 refer to Jesus Christ as a Prophet, a Messiah, a Savior, and a Redeemer of the world; then verse 10 refers to Him as the Lamb of God, and verse 14 refers to Him as Lord. Among His many other titles and names are Christ the Lord, The Holy One of Israel, Lord of Hosts, Son of the Eternal Father, Son of God, Son of Righteousness, Son of Man, Word, Eternal, Everlasting, Endless, I AM, King of kings, and Lord of lords. Check the Vocabulary Section for details of these name-titles.

Lehi prophesied of a prophet who would go before the Lord to “prepare the way…”  This prophet was John the Baptist. Lehi also prophesied that this prophet would baptize believers in Bethabara, beyond Jordon, and he would baptize—and bear record of baptizing the Lamb of God.

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As Nephi summarized his and his father’s record, he covered briefly momentous future happenings of which Lehi spoke (verse 11.):

• The Gospel would be preached among the Jews.

• The Jews would dwindle in unbelief.

• The Jews would kill the Messiah.

• The Messiah would rise from the dead.

• The Messiah would “make Himself manifest, by the Holy Ghost,

         unto the Gentiles.”

The Brass Plates compared the House of Israel to an olive tree. Lehi also used that comparison, likely from studying the Brass Plates. He told his family their venture was in partial fulfillment of the prophecy, “the branches of the olive tree would be broken off and scattered upon the face of the Earth.”

After speaking of the scattering of Israel, Lehi gave a message of hope—talking about the gathering of Israel.

Lehi, filled with the Holy Ghost, continued to prophesy and speak, especially to Laman and Lemuel; he was trying so hard to convert them.  Nephi likely wrote in detail many of Lehi’s sayings on the Large Plates at the time. Lehi may have also written more details.

Because Laman and Lemuel had such a habit of jumping back and forth, accepting their father’s word when they were afraid of their own physical destruction, and complaining in disbelief when obsessed with greed and jealousy, we do not know how they reacted to these particular revelations and prophecies.

We do know that Nephi recognized that Lehi spoke by the Power of the Holy Ghost, which Power was given to Lehi because of his faith in the Savior.

Then Nephi, also having faith in the Son of God, wanted to feel the same wonderful feeling Lehi experienced when the Holy Ghost bore the truth to him. So Nephi prayed to the Lord for this blessing. Nephi wrote that the Power of the Holy Ghost is the “gift of God” to all those who diligently seek Him both in times of old and when Christ would manifest [show] himself to the children of men.

Nephi wrote on the Small Plates about 570 years before Jesus Christ was born into the world. But he told us that even though Christ is not with people constantly, the Holy Ghost could always be with us if diligently sought as a “gift” which comes through faith in Christ.

In studying the Brass Plates, Nephi knew that, “in times of old,” those who diligently sought God received the gift of the Holy Ghost.  He also knew from his own experience, that by prayerfully seeking God, he had personally been blessed with the Holy Ghost to inspire and guide him. He testified that all who diligently seek God will be blessed with this precious gift.

Nephi, in writing these verses, wrote of God. In this case he wrote of Jehovah, Jesus Christ, the God of our world; he wrote with authority, being enlightened by God through the Power of the Holy Ghost who is the God who testifies of Jesus Christ and Heavenly Father; all things were [and are] done under the direction of God the Eternal Father.

The three members of the Godhead work together in such perfect harmony, it is as though they are One. All three possess the same Divine characteristics, and they are as One, united in love. They also are One in seamless organization and purpose. 

The Lord revealed to Moses the most important and holy work in the universe:

“For behold, this is my work and my glory,

to bring to pass the immortality and Eternal Life of man

[meaning mankind—male and female].” (Moses 1:39)

Jesus Christ is the God of the Old Testament as well as the Savior and Messiah in the New Testament. He will come as the King of kings and Lord of lords to usher in the Millennium, and then He will reign on Earth. 

Some people have a hard time reconciling the “meek and lowly Lamb” with “The Lord, the great I Am.” (From “Jesus Once of Humble Birth,” Parley P. Pratt) Yet Nephi wrote that He is the same yesterday, today, and forever.

When Jesus was on Earth, He set an example of how to live. He was even baptized “to fulfill all righteousness,” although He had not committed and would not commit any sins. He “marked the path and led the way” so that we can know how to obey our Heavenly Father’s commandments and then return to Him.

Nephi wrote that whatever we put our effort into—that is how we will eventually be judged before the judgment-seat of God. Writing on the Small Plates decades after arriving in the Promised Land, as an older and more experienced prophet, “given authority through the Holy Ghost,” he wisely cautioned readers that the choices we make in this life will affect us Eternally. We can live God’s commandments and learn of His mysteries (verse 19), or we can live wickedly and be cast off.