3 Nephi 23

Study Isaiah and the Scriptures

We are commanded by the Lord to “search these things diligently.” He refers to the writings of Isaiah, but this can be applied to all the scriptures.

The Bible dictionary notes (under Isaiah), "Isaiah is the most quoted of all the prophets, being more frequently quoted by Jesus, Paul, Peter, and John (in his Revelation) than any other O.T. prophet. Likewise the Book of Mormon and the Doctrine and Covenants quote from Isaiah more than from any other prophet. The Lord told the Nephites that “great are the words of Isaiah,” and that all things Isaiah spoke of the house of Israel and of the gentiles would be fulfilled."

It goes on to say, "The reader today has no greater written commentary and guide to understanding Isaiah than the Book of Mormon and the Doctrine and Covenants. As one understands these works better he will understand Isaiah better, and as one understands Isaiah better, he more fully comprehends the mission of the Savior, and the meaning of the covenant that was placed upon Abraham and his seed by which all the families of the earth would be blessed."

Perhaps when I have completed my "inspection" of the Book of Mormon, I will take the time to study Isaiah … maybe even enroll in the BYU Independent study course (Teachings of Isaiah) offered there.

Another option is to use the (Old Testament) Institute manual as a guide to studying Isaiah.

Search the Prophets

Jesus also commanded the Nephites (and commands us) to “search the prophets.” To me, this means that we are to search the teachings of the prophets. Every month the Ensign is published and contains the words of the prophets. Every six months, the members of the Church virtually gather to listen to the prophets. LDS.org is a rich repository of many of the prophets' writings. There is so much to read, learn and study.

Secure Sources

There are so many sources of information and disinformation. Not only must we search and gain knowledge, but we must be careful where we obtain our knowledge and information. The beauty of the organization of the Church is that the prophet have a "direct line" of communication with the Savior. In turn, we have a "direct line" from the prophets. The Savior laid organized this line of communication as described in 3 Nephi 23:14. Jesus taught his apostles and then the apostles are commanded to teach the people.

1 Nephi 15

Revelation

In chapter 15, we find another insight to Laman and Lemuel’s murmuring. In verses 7-9 we find a commonality of disbelievers. “Behold, we cannot understand the words which our father hath spoken… And I said unto them: Have ye inquired of the Lord? And they said unto me: We have not; for the Lord maketh no such thing known unto us.” Laman and Lemuel simply did not believe that the Lord could reveal such things to them. They did not believe in revelation or inspiration. They believed that God could not communicate with man in any way, shape or form. This is a major misconception! We believe all that God has revealed, all that he does now reveal and we believe that he will yet reveal many great and important things pertaining to the Kingdom of God (9th Article of Faith). Nephi also explains to them that the Lord indeed reveals his mysteries and his will to those who desire to know them. “If ye will not harden your hearts, and ask me in faith, believing that ye shall receive, with diligence in keeping my commandments, surely these things shall be made known unto you” (v. 11). Even more recently, President Faust has counseled, “Latter-day Saints, having received the gift of the Holy Ghost by the laying on of hands, are entitled to personal inspiration in the small events of life as well as when they are confronted with the giant Goliaths of life. If worthy, we are entitled to receive revelations for ourselves, parents for their children, and members of the Church in their callings” (Ensign March 2002, Communion with the Holy Spirit).

I firmly believe that if we are obedient to God’s commandments and if we truly seek Him in faith, he will reveal to us that which we want and need to know. Many times I have received personal revelation on small matters. I have also gratefully received revelation on life-changing matters. Sometimes I actively seek the Lord’s advice. Other times His advice has come unsought.

As for understanding the mysteries of God … my belief is that individually, we can seek to understand the teachings and how to apply them to our lives. But obviously we need to guard against stepping outside the limits of our receiving revelation. For example, I think it is appropriate that we can seek to understand the teachings of Isaiah. But if we are sitting in the temple and receive a revelation to start a polygamist colony, then I think we’d be stepping outside those limits.

If we honestly keep the commandments and covenants with all diligence, then we put ourselves in a prime position to receive revelation. We can receive answers to our prayers. God wants us to know His will, but we must be willing to let him reveal it to us. Laman and Lemuel did not let God speak with them. They did not believe that He could communicate to them and therefore they were left in the dark and to struggle for themselves.

The Iron Rod is the Word of God

In verse 24, Nephi explains to his brothers what the rod of iron symbolizes. He says, the rod of iron “was the word of God; and whoso would hearken unto the word of God, and would hold fast unto it, they would never perish; neither could the temptations and the fiery darts of the adversary overpower them unto blindness, to lead them away to destruction.” I honestly cannot fathom how a person, if he read and reflected on the teachings of the Book of Mormon and the Bible every day, could lead a life of sin and wickedness. In other words, I believe that if we study the scriptures daily (hold fast on them) and diligently try to apply those teachings to our own lives (hearken unto the word of God), then we could not yield to the temptations of Satan. And herein lies the key to living a Christian life … we must study the scriptures. If we do so, then sooner or later we will either consciously or subconsciously live the teachings of Christ and if we live the teachings of Christ, our works will be good. And if our works are good, then we will be judged to be clean and can live in the presence of God.

Judged of Works

The previous point leads me to the next point that Nephi teaches his brothers. In verse 30 he says, “the justice of God did also divide the wicked from the righteous; and the brightness thereof was like unto the brightness of a flaming fire.” The justice of God is the judgment of our lives. “They must be judged of their works, yea, even the works which were done by the temporal body in their days of probation” (v. 32). He goes on to say that if you die in your sins and have sought to live a life of sin, then you are unclean and will remain unclean when you die. Consequently there is a place prepared for those who are unprepared to meet God … it is Hell.

Nephi’s teachings clearly demonstrate why Mormons believe the way we do. Some will attempt to go into the “saved by grace” vs. “saved by works” argument. Yes, we are saved by the grace of Christ … he has prepared a way. But we must choose to follow Christ and take advantage of his atonement. If we choose to sin our whole lives, then we will have missed our opportunity to take advantage of the Atonement.

Ultimately, we are judged for the things we do in life.

1 Nephi 4

In my mind, this chapter is very controversial. A person can read this chapter and take it to an extreme and fail to keep the commandments. But on the other hand, we can learn very valuable lessons from Nephi's accounting of how he retrieved the plates of brass.

The chapter begins where the previous chapter left off … namely Nephi responding to the question Laman and Lemuel posed. Nephi tries to shore up the courage and faith of his brothers. He draws upon scripture and notes the faith of Moses. But, Laman and Lemuel were still angry at him and reluctantly followed Nephi back to Jerusalem.

Nephi goes solo into the city. He doesn't know where to go, but goes nevertheless. He trusts in the Spirit. Some might argue that Nephi didn't have a plan. To which I say, "Yes he did! His plan was to follow the promptings of the Spirit." He may not have mapped out his steps into the city, but he knew that if he put forth the effort, the Lord would direct him. It is in action and doing that we demonstrate our faith in God.

He happens upon an unconscious Laban. One of the first things he notices is Laban's sword. He takes it out and admires it. As he admires the fine sword, the Spirit impresses upon him the need to kill Laban! Nephi protests the admonition. He even shrinks (perhaps this means that he takes a step away from Laban as if he were avoiding the temptation to kill him).

The Spirit responds back, "Behold the Lord hat delivered him into thy hands." Nephi reasons that Laban had tried to kill him and his brothers. Laban did not keep the commandments. And he had taken their property away.

A third time, the Spirit speaks, "Slay him, for the Lord hath delivered him into thy hands; behold the Lord slayeth the wicked to bring forth his righteous purposes. It is better that one man should perish than that a nation should dwindle and perish in unbelief."

Upon hearing these words, Nephi remembers the constant admonition from the Lord, "Inasmuch as thy seed shall keep my commandments, they shall prosper in the land of promise." How can his children and grandchildren keep the commandment if they do not have a the scriptures? The fate of an entire nation depends upon the outcome of his struggle with the Spirit. How else would the Lord deliver the plates into Nephi's hands? Perhaps there was no other way.

What I learn from this is that the Spirit and the Lord can touch our hearts in highly specific ways. Despite all our reasoning, we still know within the heart of our hearts that it is the Spirit that is speaking to us and not our reasoning. The lesson learned here is not only that we should always obey the Lord, but it is also that the Lord will communicate to us in a very special way that only we can understand. In other words, the Spirit will speak to my mind in such a specific manner that only I can fully appreciate the message received. Because of past experiences and past revelations that only the Spirit would know about (us), the Spirit can communicate to us in a highly specialized manner. He will bring to our minds things that we would normally not think of.
Nephi is convinced and slays Laban. He immediately knows what to do next and sets out to accomplish that which the Lord had commanded him to do.

Here, another lesson can be learned. There have been times in my life when I have struggled to find an answer from the Lord … much like Nephi. I seemingly get bogged down and "argue" with the Spirit. But as soon as I cease to "kick against the pricks" and go with the Lord, then my way is opened up and I accomplish much. Such was the circumstance with Nephi. As soon as he decided to do what the Lord commanded him to do, he seemed to have an easier time … as if the way he should carry on were opened to him in his mind and he knew exactly what needed to be done.

The mission was accomplished and Lehi rejoiced in his sons' return.

1 Nephi 1

This first chapter sets a precedent for the rest of First Nephi as well as the Book of Mormon. After Nephi’s introductions, he immediately explains how his father, Lehi, received revelation.

In verse 5 we read that Lehi prayed to the Lord with all his heart. It was no half-effort. Lehi sought to know God’s will and therefore prayed with real intent … much like young Joseph did in the Sacred Grove. And, just as Joseph, Lehi received an answer to his prayers via a pillar of light. Nephi describes it as a pillar of fire, wherein he “saw and heard much” which caused him to “quake and tremble exceedingly.” Both young Joseph and Lehi resolved to do something after receiving their marvelous revelations.

A second method of receiving revelation is revealed when we read how Lehi is overcome with the Spirit as he casts himself on his bed. A vision is opened up to him and he sees God, Jesus Christ and the Twelve Disciples of Christ. The first of the Twelve (perhaps Peter) gives Lehi a book to read. This becomes the third method of receiving revelation. Lehi reads the book and is filled with the Spirit of the Lord. He sees the destruction of Jerusalem and as such, he is obligated to warn the people of the impending dangers of not repenting of sins.

How can we apply these teachings to our lives?

The modern prophets have counseled us many times regarding these teachings.

First, we must pray always. Our prayers must be meaningful and sincere. They should not be so light as to bounce off the ceiling and right back into the floor. We should truly commune with God so that we know his will concerning us.

Second, we must search and study the scriptures to gain knowledge. Mere reading of the scriptures is not wholly enough. We ought to search and ponder what the scriptures mean and think about how we can apply them to our own lives.

And lastly, we must meditate on the things we learn. We may not always receive visions as Lehi did, but in those quiet moments, we will feel the stirrings of the Holy Ghost within our hearts and we will know what we must resolve to do in order to do the Lord’s will.

If we do these things, we will not only be protected against Satan and his temptations, but we will be blessed with guidance from above and we will rejoice when we follow coucil given by the Spirit.