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1 Nephi 22:1-3.

"And now it came to pass that after I, Nephi, had read these things which were engraven upon the plates of brass, my bretheren came unto me and said unto me: What meaneth these things which ye have read?  Behold, are they to be understood according to the things which are spiritual, which shall come to pass according to the spirit and not the flesh?"

My first thought in reading this verse is to question the difference between Nephi and his brothers.  Why is Nephi so different from them?  What made him learn to connect with the Lord and made his brothers assume they could not?  Here is a young man who, like his brothers, probably had the typical Jewish training for boys.  They went to temple.  They were taught from a very young age the Torah, and the writings of the holy prophets.  They knew the language of the Jews and the underlying symbolism that is profound in their language.  This is just basic elementary education for Jewish men in that age.  So why are the older brothers unable to understand what their younger brother clearly sees?  Is there more to it than his seeking to understand?

Also, what did Laman and Lemuel understand about the spirit vs. the flesh?  That last sentence implies knowledge about many things.  They understood and had knowledge of creation and of the internal world as well as the physical world.

"And I, Nephi said unto them: Behold they were manifest unto the prophet by the voice of the Spirit: for by the Spirit are all things made known unto the prophets, which shall come upon the children of men according to the flesh.  Wherefore, the things of which I have read are things pertaining to things both temporal and spiritual; for it appears that the house of Israel, sooner or later, will be scattered upon all the face of the earth, and also among all nations."

All of Isaiah's prophecies are literal - physical and spiritual - in nature.  Each one will take place literally in the interactions of man, as well as spiritually in each heart.  The war over the hearts of the children of men is very real.  Each heart matters - each has a special and unique place to hold.  We all have agency and that, right there, is the battle...will we yield to the enticings of the Holy Spirit or will we continue after the desires of the natural man and the lusts of the flesh?  Will we become saints and will we put off the natural man?

It seems like this is the difference between Nephi and his two oldest brothers.  While Nephi sought truth, they sought justification.  When Nephi saw a chance to hear the voice of the Lord they saw themselves as unable to have that gift...after all, who were they?  Just a couple of guys from Jerusalem.  No one special.  Nothing fancy about them.  Why would the God who spoke to Moses speak to them?

There seems to be a lack of understanding their purpose and value on this earth.  Nephi knew he had a role to play.  Nephi believed in personal revelation from a personal God.  How could he be so very different from his brothers?  What happened to Lehi in Jerusalem between the births of these boys that changed the way they were raised and the things they were taught?

From all my study so far, what I see is that the older boys were taught the importance of outward obedience and observance of the law.  It seems Nephi was taught something more.  He was taught the transformation of the heart to obtain the law.  To let the actions on the outside be a product of the state of the heart and the inner thoughts.  Laman and Lemuel were obedient on the outside...they went with their father.  They certainly didn't have to.  Their father left his home and all his belongings behind in Jerusalem.  By right of birth, Laman had claim to all of it.  He didn't stay though.  He honored his father on the outside.  Both Laman and Lemuel were in the wilderness, then the land bountiful, and finally crossed the ocean to the Promised Land.  They were outwardly obedient.

Their hearts though...their hearts were never in it and that is what separated them from Nephi.  They obeyed but they did not understand nor did they desire that obedience.  They really thought that doing the outward motions was all it took to be righteous.  They did not see any difference between themselves and Nephi.

So where do I sit in all of this?  It's important to be obedient, even when I don't feel like it.  But it's so very important to make sure that my heart is checked on a daily basis.  It's important to daily return and report at the end of each day and see where my obedience was outward only and where my heart led my obedience.  Where was I doing the wrong thing?  Where was I doing the right thing for the wrong reason?  Where was I doing the right thing for the right reason?  It's so important to have that discussion with the Lord each day and to be honest about it with myself and with Him.  Return and report my "heart status" each day.  That's what will be the difference between me being a Laman or a Nephi - especially on those days that I do not want to return and report because I know before I've even begun that I've wasted the day and not done my best.

Comments

  1. I love your phrase, "heart status." I journal each evening which helps me to return and report. Being obedient even when you don't feel like it is true commitment!

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