2 Nephi 33:5-15
33:5 - When I first read verse 5 I was a little bit confused, I don't understand how people could be mad at what Nephi had said. But I guess looking at it from his perspective where his brothers had taken his words to be hard, and hated him for it, verse 5 is appropriately worded. But of course I cross referenced it with the CI and came across an April 1995 general conference address by Elder Robert D. Hales called "Hear the Prophet's Voice and Obey." What caught my eye was the story of King Jehoshaphat and King Ahab, and I love love love the Old Testament so of course I read the article. He started off by talking about when faced with an enormous incoming enemy that he could not defend against, he ordered a kingdom wide fast and prayed "O our God,... we have no might against this great company that cometh against us; neither know we what to do: but our eyes are upon thee." Then came the prophet's voice to him "Fear not, nor be dismayed;... for the Lord is with you." Upon hearing that the whole kingdom fell down in thankful prayer to the Lord. Why did they fall down in gratitude before the Lord? They hadn't been in battle yet, there had been no witnessed miracle where they vanquished their enemies in a way where they knew that only the Lord could have been their victor. No, they fell down and thanked God because they knew that the Lord would keep to his word, to me, this was a demonstration of faith that is quite significant, because even though the Lord promised peace, there was still a huge army outside their walls, and if it were me, I might be a little bit tempted to just look out the window and still be scared. Then comes the story of King Ahab, who wanted to attack Syria, and when he asked King Jehoshaphat to join him, Jehoshaphat asked Ahab to inquire of the prophets. Ahab's own "prophets" of course told him what he wanted to hear, but Ahab was hesitant to call the true and living prophet Micaiah because he hated him "for he doth not prophesy good concerning me, but evil." Micaiah would not change his words to please a wicked king, he said what the Lord wanted him to say, no matter the consequences. He prophesied that Israel would lose the invasion and Ahab would be killed, Ahab went to war anyway and was defeated and killed. Ahab hated God's true prophet for speaking "plainness" and "truth." Elder Hales continues on teaching "a characteristic of prophets throughout the ages is that, regardless of consequences, they have had the strength to speak the words of God with plainness and boldness."
33:6 - Switching it around a bit, Nephi says "I glory in plainness; I glory in truth; I glory in my Jesus, for he hath redeemed my soul from hell." Interesting to me is the fact that Nephi, though raised as a Jew from Jerusalem, steeped in the Jew's version of the Mosaic law has managed to learn what those he left behind had not. He not only knew the name of the Savior, but he now knew that salvation came through Jesus, and at a minimum, knew that Jesus "redeemed" him from his natural and fallen state, now whether or not he knew all about the atonement, etc. who knows, my guess is that he did know, but that's just speculation of my part. So the fact that Nephi knew "to what source (he) may look to for a remission of (his) sins" is leaps and bounds above the Jews in Jerusalem who had divided themselves into different camps and beliefs, and they had complicated the Law of Moses to the point where they thought salvation came through keeping the law. To me, this is another great example of the Lord teaching those who are open and ask him. I'm sure that if the Jews in Jerusalem could have handled the knowledge of how salvation really worked and were ready and willing to receive it, then God would have given it to them. But the contrast of knowledge between the two groups is an indicator of the different levels that the Lord will bring his children to until they stop in progression. Like the boy Jesus who, I believe, sought Heavenly Father for light and knowledge through the scriptures and was given it, as illustrated in the Bible story, Nephi also sought Heavenly Father for light and knowledge, also through the scriptures and also received in abundance. I had never before the considered the concept of "ask and ye shall receive" in this manner. I had always thought that it was referring to praying about problems or asking for stuff, but in the context of spiritual growth, those who ask and are ready, will receive. But I guess here is the big difference between Nephi and most of us, Nephi was the prophet, he received revelation on doctrine for all his people. He had his scriptures and he prayed and learned, the Lord showed him the different and true approach to salvation because he was the prophet. I'm not the prophet. The Lord's true church is on the earth today. My role in spiritual growth is to study the scriptures, study what has been taught by the prophets, study the Church's material, and pray for understanding and implementation. Nephi prayed for new doctrinal light and knowledge, I pray for understanding. Interestingly enough, on my way to work today I listened to an Ensign article called "Look Up" by Elder Carl B. Cook where he laid out the formula for "Tapping into spiritual power." He teaches "We can tap into the spiritual power we need in making decisions by beginning each day with personal prayer and scripture study. That prayer can include a petition to be receptive to God's plan for us. Even though we may not see the whole plan, we can ask to be receptive to the part of the plan that will come that day. As we are receptive, we will see the fruits of our choices to follow Him. We'll be able to act on impressions we receive. And we'll be able to do difficult things and to do, for the right reasons, whatever is required." This is my role in spiritual growth, not like Nephi to receive knew doctrine, but to better understand and apply the doctrine I know and I'm learning to my life.
33:7-10 - Nephi speaks much about the "charity" he has for his people, and the Jews and Gentiles a like. And if we use the definition of "charity" that we established the other day, "love plus sacrifice" I would say that he is accurate in his assessment. He tirelessly served and prayed for his own people because he loved them, he spent probably more time than we can imagine studying and engraving plates for the sole purpose of bringing both Jew and Gentile unto Christ, and this sacrifice is for what reason? Only because of his love of God and his fellow men. The CI references an October 1992 general conference talk by C. Max Caldwell entitled "Love of Christ." After reading verses 7-9, he asks "since Nephi had such love for everyone, we wonder how he acquired it." Then demonstrating that Nephi knew of a higher law, like the Law of Moses and salvation discussed earlier, he says that Nephi must have lived in anticipation of the "new commandment" given later by the Savior "that ye love one another, as I have loved you." He explains "Jesus' love was inseparably connected to and resulted from his life of serving, sacrificing, and giving in behalf of others. We cannot develop Christlike love except by practicing the process prescribed by the Master." We must serve others the way Jesus did, truly deeply in your heart be concerned with their well being. I'm afraid that the attitude that is so prevalent now in our society is "what can this person do for me?" And if the answer is "nothing" then their needs or abilities or feelings are not a priority, and I don't believe that Jesus would see it that way.
33:11-15 - These are Nephi's last words in his record to us, and I wonder to myself, why did he pick these? Verse 11 seems very similar to Moroni's promise at the end of the Book of Mormon, his own promise "if they are not the words of Christ, judge ye- for Christ will show unto you, with power and great glory, that they are his words." If you want to know if these words are truly from God, judge for yourself and Christ will manifest the truthfulness unto you in "power and great glory." Very similar, and very powerful as well. Nephi truly desires for all mankind to make good choices and be saved "in his kingdom." This plea can only come through love, showing that he has made a lifetime effort to become Christlike to the point where he loves everyone, just like Christ does. I wonder if I have the capacity to love everyone? I try to be kind and loving, but is acting lovingly and actually loving someone the same thing? I act lovingly because I love Jesus, not necessarily because I love that individual person. I'm going to have to think about this, how do you love everyone? Even those who hurt you, actively seek your destruction, and even just those you don't know. How do I love someone that I don't know? Anyway, Nephi pledges that these are indeed the words of Christ and that "these words shall condemn (those who do not accept) at the last day." So it would stand to reason that if these words will condemn people at the last day, the words must be had by the people. The IM quotes President Ezra Taft Benson as teaching "our main task is to declare the gospel and do it effectively... Every man must judge for himself, knowing God will hold him accountable." But in the middle, he says something that I absolutely love, "we are not obligated to answer every objection. Every man eventually is backed up to the wall of faith, and there he must make his stand." I love this, and for me, it puts into perspective the idea of questioning with the intent to more fully understand and incorporate, or disputing with the intent to make others question their own faith. Kind of like asking questions with an open heart vs. a hard heart who only intends to shake others. There comes a time in every conversation where the knowledge is either being exchanged positively, or where you just have to say "I know what I believe, and thank you for your time." I love the "make a stand" analogy. As Nephi's final words, he exemplifies what it means to truly "make a stand."
33:6 - Switching it around a bit, Nephi says "I glory in plainness; I glory in truth; I glory in my Jesus, for he hath redeemed my soul from hell." Interesting to me is the fact that Nephi, though raised as a Jew from Jerusalem, steeped in the Jew's version of the Mosaic law has managed to learn what those he left behind had not. He not only knew the name of the Savior, but he now knew that salvation came through Jesus, and at a minimum, knew that Jesus "redeemed" him from his natural and fallen state, now whether or not he knew all about the atonement, etc. who knows, my guess is that he did know, but that's just speculation of my part. So the fact that Nephi knew "to what source (he) may look to for a remission of (his) sins" is leaps and bounds above the Jews in Jerusalem who had divided themselves into different camps and beliefs, and they had complicated the Law of Moses to the point where they thought salvation came through keeping the law. To me, this is another great example of the Lord teaching those who are open and ask him. I'm sure that if the Jews in Jerusalem could have handled the knowledge of how salvation really worked and were ready and willing to receive it, then God would have given it to them. But the contrast of knowledge between the two groups is an indicator of the different levels that the Lord will bring his children to until they stop in progression. Like the boy Jesus who, I believe, sought Heavenly Father for light and knowledge through the scriptures and was given it, as illustrated in the Bible story, Nephi also sought Heavenly Father for light and knowledge, also through the scriptures and also received in abundance. I had never before the considered the concept of "ask and ye shall receive" in this manner. I had always thought that it was referring to praying about problems or asking for stuff, but in the context of spiritual growth, those who ask and are ready, will receive. But I guess here is the big difference between Nephi and most of us, Nephi was the prophet, he received revelation on doctrine for all his people. He had his scriptures and he prayed and learned, the Lord showed him the different and true approach to salvation because he was the prophet. I'm not the prophet. The Lord's true church is on the earth today. My role in spiritual growth is to study the scriptures, study what has been taught by the prophets, study the Church's material, and pray for understanding and implementation. Nephi prayed for new doctrinal light and knowledge, I pray for understanding. Interestingly enough, on my way to work today I listened to an Ensign article called "Look Up" by Elder Carl B. Cook where he laid out the formula for "Tapping into spiritual power." He teaches "We can tap into the spiritual power we need in making decisions by beginning each day with personal prayer and scripture study. That prayer can include a petition to be receptive to God's plan for us. Even though we may not see the whole plan, we can ask to be receptive to the part of the plan that will come that day. As we are receptive, we will see the fruits of our choices to follow Him. We'll be able to act on impressions we receive. And we'll be able to do difficult things and to do, for the right reasons, whatever is required." This is my role in spiritual growth, not like Nephi to receive knew doctrine, but to better understand and apply the doctrine I know and I'm learning to my life.
33:7-10 - Nephi speaks much about the "charity" he has for his people, and the Jews and Gentiles a like. And if we use the definition of "charity" that we established the other day, "love plus sacrifice" I would say that he is accurate in his assessment. He tirelessly served and prayed for his own people because he loved them, he spent probably more time than we can imagine studying and engraving plates for the sole purpose of bringing both Jew and Gentile unto Christ, and this sacrifice is for what reason? Only because of his love of God and his fellow men. The CI references an October 1992 general conference talk by C. Max Caldwell entitled "Love of Christ." After reading verses 7-9, he asks "since Nephi had such love for everyone, we wonder how he acquired it." Then demonstrating that Nephi knew of a higher law, like the Law of Moses and salvation discussed earlier, he says that Nephi must have lived in anticipation of the "new commandment" given later by the Savior "that ye love one another, as I have loved you." He explains "Jesus' love was inseparably connected to and resulted from his life of serving, sacrificing, and giving in behalf of others. We cannot develop Christlike love except by practicing the process prescribed by the Master." We must serve others the way Jesus did, truly deeply in your heart be concerned with their well being. I'm afraid that the attitude that is so prevalent now in our society is "what can this person do for me?" And if the answer is "nothing" then their needs or abilities or feelings are not a priority, and I don't believe that Jesus would see it that way.
33:11-15 - These are Nephi's last words in his record to us, and I wonder to myself, why did he pick these? Verse 11 seems very similar to Moroni's promise at the end of the Book of Mormon, his own promise "if they are not the words of Christ, judge ye- for Christ will show unto you, with power and great glory, that they are his words." If you want to know if these words are truly from God, judge for yourself and Christ will manifest the truthfulness unto you in "power and great glory." Very similar, and very powerful as well. Nephi truly desires for all mankind to make good choices and be saved "in his kingdom." This plea can only come through love, showing that he has made a lifetime effort to become Christlike to the point where he loves everyone, just like Christ does. I wonder if I have the capacity to love everyone? I try to be kind and loving, but is acting lovingly and actually loving someone the same thing? I act lovingly because I love Jesus, not necessarily because I love that individual person. I'm going to have to think about this, how do you love everyone? Even those who hurt you, actively seek your destruction, and even just those you don't know. How do I love someone that I don't know? Anyway, Nephi pledges that these are indeed the words of Christ and that "these words shall condemn (those who do not accept) at the last day." So it would stand to reason that if these words will condemn people at the last day, the words must be had by the people. The IM quotes President Ezra Taft Benson as teaching "our main task is to declare the gospel and do it effectively... Every man must judge for himself, knowing God will hold him accountable." But in the middle, he says something that I absolutely love, "we are not obligated to answer every objection. Every man eventually is backed up to the wall of faith, and there he must make his stand." I love this, and for me, it puts into perspective the idea of questioning with the intent to more fully understand and incorporate, or disputing with the intent to make others question their own faith. Kind of like asking questions with an open heart vs. a hard heart who only intends to shake others. There comes a time in every conversation where the knowledge is either being exchanged positively, or where you just have to say "I know what I believe, and thank you for your time." I love the "make a stand" analogy. As Nephi's final words, he exemplifies what it means to truly "make a stand."
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