1 Nephi 1-7

What a great discussion we had today. Thanks to all who attended! We explored Lehi's vision historically and culturally. Lehi is one of the great prophets of God prepared in every way to deliver his message. His call as a prophet gives a foundation of divine authority, revelation, and guidance for everything that follows his posterity throughout the Book of Mormon. 

The following quotes are taken from: 

John W. Welch, Religious Studies, The Book of Mormon: First Nephi, the Doctrinal Foundation

https://rsc.byu.edu/out-print/book-mormon-first-nephi-doctrinal-foundation

“Despite the fact that the text reporting the call of Lehi is very brief, it employs several key words and images that were full of tradition and conveyed much meaning in the world in which Lehi lived. By understanding the significance of these ancient words and phrases, modern readers can appreciate many interesting aspects of Lehi’s prophetic call. Especially important is Lehi’s vision in which he sees God “sitting upon his throne, surrounded by numberless concourses of angels.” It appears that by this experience, which compares closely with the so-called ‘council visions’ of the Old Testament prophets, Lehi became a prophet.”

Following is the list of words John Welch presents as a means of understanding Lehi's prophetic call.

Many prophets
Prayed
A pillar of fire
He thought he saw God sitting upon His throne surrounded with numberless concourses of angels
Angels
One descending
Book
He truly testified
The mysteries

Prayed—by praying “he was in harmony with the spirit of classical Herbrew prophecy. Such attempts by the prophets to try through prayer to offset the impending doom of their people as a whole community have been identified as one of the notable functions of the classic prophets during the time of Lehi.”

A pillar of fire—“From an ancient source, one learns that the appearance of fire, especially a pillar of fire, was a frequent mode of heavenly manifestation, sometimes of God and other times of his messengers or of the holy beings who surrounded him.”

He thought he saw God sitting upon His throne surrounded by numberless concourses of angels— “Three main elements common to most accounts of such council visions in the Bible have been identified. They are, first, that God was described as surrounded by his numerous host; second, that the discussion of the council was brought to a conclusion by a council leader; and third, that the word of God was then stated to determine the fate of a person or group. The messenger was expected to deliver “the identical words he received from the council.”

Angels—“It appears that the host was typically viewed in antiquity as serving three functions, namely, praising God, delivering the decrees of the council, and accompanying God in battle.”
It is possible that the twelve whom Lehi saw were coming forth to take their battle stations or warning posts, imminently prepared to execute judgment upon Jerusalem, but there is not express indication in 1 Nephi who these twelve were or what they did.”

One descending—“Lehi’s exclamation ‘unto the Lord’ at the conclusion of his vision, extolling the highness of this throne should be understood as having been made in a direct personal statement to that God, Christ himself, as he stood right before Lehi.”

Book—“The fact that Lehi was handed a written decree may reflect the contemporary league and political practices of his day. During Lehi’s day, written edicts under the Assyrian practice had become the standard legal mode of issuing proclamations, and prophets were more concerned with writing, and thus the authoritativeness of Lehi’s words in the minds of his listeners was probably enhanced by the fact that he could report that he had read these words in a written decree.”

He truly testified—“Lehi had little choice but to speak out, in the sense that he, like the other prophets of God, was impelled and constrained by the Spirit. If he spoke like other prophets of his day, Lehi’s testimony was punctuated with blunt declarative statements, offering no excuses, rationales, theological justifications, or explanations.”

The mysteries—“The Hebrew word sod basically means ‘council,’ but by association it also came to mean the ‘decree of the council’ itself. Because the council and its actions were not open to the general public, they were thought of as being very confidential, esoteric, or secret, also ‘conveying the notion of intimate friendship.’ Hence, the word sod can also be translated as ‘mystery.’ So it would appear that Lehi had attained access on this occasion to the ‘mysteries’ of God.”

We explored what Nephi must have meant when he said he was "highly favored of God." There are many scriptures to enlighten our understanding.  Also, the companion phrase "whom he hath chosen" can be helpful. 

“The dictionary indicates that chosen suggests one who is selected, taken by preference, or picked out. It also can be used to refer to the elect or chosen of God. To be or to become chosen is not an exclusive status conferred upon us. Rather, you and I ultimately determine if we are chosen. Please note the use of the word chosen in the Doctrine and Covenants.” 

“I believe the implication of these verses is quite straightforward. God does not have a list of favorites to which we must hope our names will someday be added. He does not limit ‘the chosen' to a restricted few. Rather, it is our hearts and our aspirations and our obedience which definitely determine whether we are counted as one of God’s chosen.” David A. Bendar, General Conference, April 2007

What does it mean to be favored of God? Isn't it the essence of this life? Enjoying His teachings. Feeling of His goodness. Witnessing His tender mercies. Responding to His call. Finding relief in His forgiveness. And ultimately being healed by His atoning sacrifice.