December 11—2 Nephi 9-10
December 18—2 Nephi 11-16
December 25—No Class
Wednesday, November 28, 2018
December Reading
December 4—2 Nephi 4:12 through 2 Nephi 8
December 11—2 Nephi 9-10
December 18—2 Nephi 11-16
December 25—No Class
December 11—2 Nephi 9-10
December 18—2 Nephi 11-16
December 25—No Class
2 Nephi 1-4:11
Thanks for your thoughts yesterday. What a great discussion we had. Your insights cause me to ponder and see things more clearly. Thank you for what you bring to class--your preparation, your experience and your great desire to learn. What a blessing it is to be with you each week!
Lehi’s Final Blessing
“The first four chapters of 2 Nephi contain the rich and eloquent blessings the prophet Lehi gave to his posterity. As he bestowed his father’s blessings upon his sons, Lehi did many things. He prophesied about the promised land (2 Nephi 1); he taught about the eternal laws of opposition, probation and atonement (2 Nephi 2); he spoke about the seer who the ancient Joseph testified would be raised up in the latter days (2 Nephi 3). Sometimes he spoke of his posterity’s spiritual standing before the Lord; at other times he was concerned about their temporal and physical prosperity and well-being. Thus, he addressed a range of religious, prophetic, family, and societal themes.”
“The family was a major concern in the laws of Near Eastern societies. Many well-established norms regarding family life prevailed in these civilizations, standardizing the treatment of problem situations which naturally arise in and around the family, marriage, children and inheritance.
Although women, children, and family laws are mentioned far less frequently in the Book of Mormon than in the Bible, family matters had to have been a concern in Nephite law and society as well. The Nephites married and were given in marriage; they had wives and children to divide their property among when they died; they had need to organize and protect their family relationships. Therefore, we can assume that family law was a part of the Nephite world.”
Lehi’s Final Blessing
“The first four chapters of 2 Nephi contain the rich and eloquent blessings the prophet Lehi gave to his posterity. As he bestowed his father’s blessings upon his sons, Lehi did many things. He prophesied about the promised land (2 Nephi 1); he taught about the eternal laws of opposition, probation and atonement (2 Nephi 2); he spoke about the seer who the ancient Joseph testified would be raised up in the latter days (2 Nephi 3). Sometimes he spoke of his posterity’s spiritual standing before the Lord; at other times he was concerned about their temporal and physical prosperity and well-being. Thus, he addressed a range of religious, prophetic, family, and societal themes.”
“The family was a major concern in the laws of Near Eastern societies. Many well-established norms regarding family life prevailed in these civilizations, standardizing the treatment of problem situations which naturally arise in and around the family, marriage, children and inheritance.
Although women, children, and family laws are mentioned far less frequently in the Book of Mormon than in the Bible, family matters had to have been a concern in Nephite law and society as well. The Nephites married and were given in marriage; they had wives and children to divide their property among when they died; they had need to organize and protect their family relationships. Therefore, we can assume that family law was a part of the Nephite world.”
“In the ancient Hebrew family, children were considered part of the father’s “property,” especially unmarried children still living at home. The father had the right to do with them or to take them with him virtually as he willed, which would appear to explain Lehi’s power to take his family with him out into the desert. Indeed, the idea that family members were legally part of the father’s moveable property seems to be reflected in 1 Nephi 2:4, where Nephi lists the family together with Lehi’s provisions and tents. Although his wife and grown sons might murmur and object, their legal and social duty was to follow. Accordingly, of all the things Laman and Lemuel complain about, they never object to Lehi’s right to have taken them with him.”
“Lehi was doing many things as he spoke officially to his posterity for the last time. One of the most enduring legacies of Lehi’s last will and testament appears to be the organization of his descendants into tribes. Just as the ancient patriarch Jacob left the House of Israel with a family structure composed of twelve tribes, Lehi addressed his posterity in seven groups. This seems to be the precedent that established the legal order that lasted among these people for almost one thousand years. After speaking to several of his sons collectively, Lehi spoke 2 Nephi 1:30-32 (Zoram), 2 Nephi 2, (Jacob) 2 Nephi 3 (Joseph), 2 Nephi 4: 3-7 (children of Laman), 2 Nephi 4:8-9 (children of Lemuel) , 2 Nephi 4:10 (sons of Ishmael) and 2 Nephi 4:11 (Sam). The seven groups recognizable here are exactly the same as the seven tribes mentioned three other times in the Book of Mormon, each time in the rigid order of “Nephites, Jacobites, Josephites, Zoramites, Lamanites, Lemuelites, and Ishmaelites” (Jacob 1:13; 4 Nephi 38; Mormon 1:8; see also D&C 3:17–18). Though kingships and judgeships might come and go in Nephite history, the underlying family fabric of Nephite society attributable to Lehi’s testament remained permanent (e.g. 3 Nephi 7:2–4). Even in the final days of the Nephite demise, Mormon still saw the general population divided along this precise seven-part line (Mormon 1:8). The fact that this exact organization persisted so long is evidence that Lehi’s last words to his sons in this regard were taken as constitutionally definitive-just as the organization of Israel into twelve tribes in the earlier age had been essential to the political, social, religious and legal structure there.
John W. Welch, https://rsc.byu.edu/archived/book-mormon-second-nephi-doctrinal-structure/4-lehis-last-will-and-testament-legal-approach
“The essence of the covenantal promise is the same as that given to Israel as a whole. Variations of the promise “that ye may prosper in all that ye do” are frequently found in God’s covenant with the people of Israel, most notably in Deuteronomy.
The blessings of “prosperity” are meant to belong to all who keep their covenantal commitments. Sixty years ago, Professor Eldin Ricks noted, “The idea was not new to Nephi. Hebrew prophets had taught this truth to their listeners for many generations. … It is particularly prominent in the writings of the seventh and eighth-century prophets.” Thus, the promise of prosperity to the faithful is extended to the Lord’s children in all ages.
The specific Book of Mormon formulation of this promise clarifies that prospering is being blessed with the Lord’s strengthening and supporting presence, not simply in order to get rich or be successful. Though wealth and success can be byproducts of the Lord’s prospering presence, they are not meant to be equated with it. At its core, the English word “prosper” comes from the Latin pro spere, literally meaning “according to one’s hope” or “agreeable to one’s wishes,” meaning “fortunate” more than “wealthy.”
1828 Dictionary definition of prosper—to favor, grow or increase, to thrive
Agency
“Thus, the necessary components of agency are as follows: (1) an intelligent being, one who can choose for himself when given the opportunity; (2) that intelligent being must have a knowledge of alternatives for action; and (3) that intelligent being must have the power to act on a choice freely made.”
“For every person of normal intelligence, agency is a matter of degree. The level of knowledge of good and evil and the amount of power to act on one’s choices determine the degree of agency. God increases or decreases that power to act according to each person’s own will and choices, but everyone of normal intelligence has enough knowledge and power to choose between Christ and the devil and to be held accountable for the choice made.”
Chauncey C. Riddle, Philosophy, emeritus; BYU, as printed in Book of Mormon Reference Companion
“The law of moral agency, of choice and consequence, does not require that we entirely bear the burden of our own choices made in this life because those choices are always made under circumstances that are less than perfect. Our accountability is thus always partial, incomplete. Into that gap between choice and accountability, the Lord steps. Christ’s atonement provides a way to break the cycle of sin, and begin a new life course (in ways large or small) with a newly forged disposition. Growing in the hard-won knowledge of good and evil, we are better able to choose in the greater light of a fuller understanding, or with a more unencumbered will.”
Teryl and Fiona Givens, The God Who Weeps
The Fall
“[Adam and Eve] transgressed a commandment of God which required that they leave their garden setting but which allowed them to have children before facing physical death. To add further sorrow and complexity to their circumstance, their transgression had spiritual consequences as well, cutting them off from the presence of God forever. Because we were then born into that fallen world and because we too would transgress the laws of God, we also were sentenced to the same penalties that Adam and Eve faced. ...
“... From the moment those first parents stepped out of the Garden of Eden, the God and Father of us all, anticipating Adam and Eve’s decision, dispatched the very angels of heaven to declare to them—and down through time to us—that this entire sequence was designed for our eternal happiness. It was part of His divine plan, which provided for a Savior, the very Son of God Himself—another ‘Adam,’ the Apostle Paul would call Him [see 1 Corinthians 15:45]—who would come in the meridian of time to atone for the first Adam’s transgression. That Atonement would achieve complete victory over physical death. ... Mercifully it would also provide forgiveness for the personal sins of all, from Adam to the end of the world, conditioned upon repentance and obedience to divine commandments”
Elder Jeffrey R. Holland“Where Justice, Love, and Mercy Meet,”Ensign, May 2015, 105–6).
Because of Him
Sunday, November 25, 2018
Additional Reading
I know this will be late notice, but could you please include 2 Nephi 4:1-11 in your study for Tuesday? These verses complete Lehi's instruction to his children and will be important for our discussion. I hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving. I look forward to seeing you on Tuesday!
Tuesday, November 13, 2018
1 Nephi 19-22
Remember there is no class next week. When we meet again on November 27, we will be studying 2 Nephi 1-3. Happy Thanksgiving!
“We got back more than we lost. And it was known from the beginning that it would be so. We do not know exactly what we have missed in the lost 116 pages, but we do know that what we received on the small plates was the personal declarations of three great witnesses, three of the great doctrinal voices of the Book of Mormon, testifying that Jesus is the Christ. Nephi, Jacob, and Isaiah bore a very special witness—they testified of the divinity of Jesus Christ, the Son of God, he who would be the central, commanding, presiding figure throughout the Book of Mormon. Jeffrey R. Holland, Ensign, January 1996
Isaiah
Four Stages of Nephi’s Prophetic View
“We got back more than we lost. And it was known from the beginning that it would be so. We do not know exactly what we have missed in the lost 116 pages, but we do know that what we received on the small plates was the personal declarations of three great witnesses, three of the great doctrinal voices of the Book of Mormon, testifying that Jesus is the Christ. Nephi, Jacob, and Isaiah bore a very special witness—they testified of the divinity of Jesus Christ, the Son of God, he who would be the central, commanding, presiding figure throughout the Book of Mormon. Jeffrey R. Holland, Ensign, January 1996
Isaiah
- Old Testament prophet who ministered in the kingdom of Judah from around 740 BC to at least 701 BC during the reigns of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah.
- His was an era of political unrest, war, and apostasy.
- He labored to turn the people back to Jehovah. His message to the apostates is reflected in his name, which means “Jehovah is salvation.” Sadly his message was largely rejected.
- He eventually witnessed the fall and removal of Israel to Assyria in 722 BC.
- He is the most quoted prophet in the Book of Mormon, having approximately 35% of his Old Testament writings either quoted directly or paraphrased.
- He is the most quoted by Jesus Christ in the New Testament.
What Guides Nephi’s Choice of Isaiah Chapters
Four Stages of Nephi’s Prophetic View
John W. Welch, https://archive.bookofmormoncentral.org/content/getting-through-isaiah-help-nephite-prophetic-view
- Stage 1: Christ’s coming (1 Nephi 11);
- Stage 2: His rejection and the scattering of the Jews (1 Nephi 12);
- Stage 3: the day of the Gentiles (1 Nephi 13); and
- Stage 4: the restoration of Israel and the ultimate victory of good over evil (1 Nephi 14).
Four Stages of Nephi’s Prophetic View
John W. Welch, https://archive.bookofmormoncentral.org/content/getting-through-isaiah-help-nephite-prophetic-view
“Before addressing the roles played by the Isaiah texts in connection with this pattern, it is important to realize the significance of this prophetic view to the Nephites. This set of four specific stages of expectation for the future was more than just a social perspective or a political outlook: it constituted a full worldview that shaped and controlled other interpretations and opinions about various scriptures, religious questions, personal and group identity, and the very purpose of life among the Nephites. To the righteous Nephites, this sequence of truths and values explained the big questions of their group's existence: where they as a people had come from, why they had left the Old World, what they were doing in a remote corner of the world, and where their extraordinary journey would eventually take them and their posterity. Thus, this prophetic expectation constituted a richly developed and actualized worldview, not merely an abstract hypothesis.”
Four Stages of Nephi’s Prophetic View
“The Lord has designated these days in which we live as the “times of the Gentiles.” The Gentile nations are the so-called Christian nations—North and South America and the European nations from which we came. The “times of the Gentiles” refers to that period of time extending from when the gospel was restored to the world (1830) to when the gospel will again be preached to the Jews—after the Gentiles have rejected it.”
President Ezra Taft Benson, New Era, 1982
Nephi’s Personal Reasons
S. Kent Brown, https://rsc.byu.edu/archived/jerusalem-zarahemla-literary-and-historical-studies-book-mormon/what-isaiah-doing-first
“When we turn to his more personal view, I suggest that as Nephi looked back on his family’s experience in the desert of Arabia, he eventually came to see those events in poignantly personal terms. In a word, the desert formed a decisive moment for his extended family. Although he himself was guarded in expressing how the desert experience had affected him and the others, his younger brother Jacob was not. As a result, Jacob supplies an important set of clues about what the family’s separation from home meant for them. In short, the separation was painful and the early generations did not feel completely at home in their adopted surroundings in the New World. Near the end of his life, Jacob spoke of the record on the small plates of Nephi, sighing, “I conclude this record, declaring that I have written according to the best of my knowledge, by saying that the time passed away with us, and also our lives passed away like as it were unto us a dream, we being a lonesome and a solemn people, wanderers, cast out from Jerusalem, born in tribulation, in a wilderness, and hated of our brethren, which caused wars and contentions; wherefore, we did mourn out our days” (Jacob 7:26). This mournful summary, in fact, cast in the language of lament, provides a key to the last chapters of 1 Nephi, including the personal reasons why Nephi inserted two chapters from Isaiah’s book. How so?
Although Jacob was not born in Jerusalem, nor did he ever set foot in the city, he faithfully reflects the feelings of other family members about the harsh necessity of leaving their home, even though their departure was mandated by the Lord. After all, Jacob would not have generated such feelings on his own. They must have come from his family environment.
Yes, the extended family had learned from Lehi just before his death that the prophetic warning about the fall of the city had come to dreadful fulfillment, thus sparing the lives of family members as the Lord had promised. And yes, they all must have been grateful that they had not been ground down in the inevitable and terrible retributions leveled against citizens by the fierce Babylonian warriors. But home was home.”
“From a review of the passages it becomes clear that the time in the desert had left a bitter taste in the mouths of family members—nothing but bad memories.”
Saturday, November 10, 2018
Preparation 1 Nephi 19-22
As you prepare for class on Tuesday, please consider why Nephi quoted the prophet Isaiah at this point in his family's story. How did he use Isaiah to achieve his purposes?
It should be fun on Tuesday!
It should be fun on Tuesday!
Wednesday, November 7, 2018
1 Nephi 16-18
Reading for next week: 1 Nephi 19-22
Following are the quotes from yesterday. I included the ones we didn't have time to view together. Thanks for sharing questions and insights. I learned much from you!
Nahom
https://knowhy.bookofmormoncentral.org/content/who-called-ishmaels-burial-place-nahom
Sojourn
“Taken together, it seems reasonable that the years spent by Lehi and his family in crossing the desert were characterized by the not uncommon practice "in times of scarcity" of "the bargaining away of freedom-or part of it-in return for food. “Whether the "enemies" (Alma 9:10), the escape from destruction "in battle" (Alma 9:22), and the "bondage and captivity" (Alma 36:29) had to do with a single experience with desert dwellers is impossible to determine. Whatever the case, Nephi's choice of the term to sojourn-also an Old Testament term commonly denoting servanthood-when combined with Lehi's remarks and the chapters chosen from Isaiah, most likely points to a period of servitude and conflict during the desert journey.” S. Kent Brown
https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1171&context=jbms
Irreantum
https://knowhy.bookofmormoncentral.org/content/why-would-nephi-call-the-ocean-irreantum
Resilient
Resilience is the process of adapting well in the face of adversity, trauma, tragedy, threats or significant sources of stress — such as family and relationship problems, serious health problems or workplace and financial stressors. It means "bouncing back" from difficult experiences.
Research has shown that resilience is ordinary, not extraordinary. People commonly demonstrate resilience. One example is the response of many Americans to the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks and individuals' efforts to rebuild their lives.
Being resilient does not mean that a person doesn't experience difficulty or distress. Emotional pain and sadness are common in people who have suffered major adversity or trauma in their lives. In fact, the road to resilience is likely to involve considerable emotional distress.
Resilience is not a trait that people either have or do not have. It involves behaviors, thoughts and actions that can be learned and developed in anyone.
https://www.apa.org/helpcenter/road-resilience.aspx
Following are the quotes from yesterday. I included the ones we didn't have time to view together. Thanks for sharing questions and insights. I learned much from you!
Nahom
https://knowhy.bookofmormoncentral.org/content/who-called-ishmaels-burial-place-nahom
Sojourn
“Taken together, it seems reasonable that the years spent by Lehi and his family in crossing the desert were characterized by the not uncommon practice "in times of scarcity" of "the bargaining away of freedom-or part of it-in return for food. “Whether the "enemies" (Alma 9:10), the escape from destruction "in battle" (Alma 9:22), and the "bondage and captivity" (Alma 36:29) had to do with a single experience with desert dwellers is impossible to determine. Whatever the case, Nephi's choice of the term to sojourn-also an Old Testament term commonly denoting servanthood-when combined with Lehi's remarks and the chapters chosen from Isaiah, most likely points to a period of servitude and conflict during the desert journey.” S. Kent Brown
https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1171&context=jbms
Irreantum
https://knowhy.bookofmormoncentral.org/content/why-would-nephi-call-the-ocean-irreantum
Resilient
Resilience is the process of adapting well in the face of adversity, trauma, tragedy, threats or significant sources of stress — such as family and relationship problems, serious health problems or workplace and financial stressors. It means "bouncing back" from difficult experiences.
Research has shown that resilience is ordinary, not extraordinary. People commonly demonstrate resilience. One example is the response of many Americans to the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks and individuals' efforts to rebuild their lives.
Being resilient does not mean that a person doesn't experience difficulty or distress. Emotional pain and sadness are common in people who have suffered major adversity or trauma in their lives. In fact, the road to resilience is likely to involve considerable emotional distress.
Resilience is not a trait that people either have or do not have. It involves behaviors, thoughts and actions that can be learned and developed in anyone.
https://www.apa.org/helpcenter/road-resilience.aspx
Saturday, November 3, 2018
Preparation 1 Nephi 16-18
I'm looking forward to our time together on Tuesday! As you read 1 Nephi chapters 16 through 18, would you please consider why Nephi included these two stories (the broken bow and building the ship) in light of his stated purpose? (1 Nephi 6:4-6)
Also, please pay attention to the differing perspectives of the family members as they wander in the wilderness.
I'm excited to hear about what you find!
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