1 Nephi Chapter 2

vs 1 Lehi is blessed for what he has done. For all the wishful thinking and plans of grandeur it is what we do that in the end matters most. Just like another Nephi, much later in the BOM, the Lord can trust those who DO His will (Helaman 10).

Vs 2 sounds interesting since Nephi adds the line “even in a dream” to the sentence that describes God telling Lehi to take his family into the wilderness. Does this, “even in a dream” mean that Lehi received this command in different ways, i.e. by voice, by revelation, by inspirational feeling, and EVEN in a dream? Or is this a somewhat poetic way of saying, Lehi dreamed again like he has in the past when he falls on his bed exhausted (1 Nephi 1:7)

What’s also interesting about this commandment is the frighteningly short-sightedness about it. Lehi, go into the wilderness. If I was told to do that, my first question would be, “and then what?” Did Lehi assume he would just have to live the rest of his life wandering the wilderness around Jerusalem? The commandment from God was not anymore specific, then go into the wilderness. That would be like Karl asking us all to go follow him into the Adirondacks. Grab your yurts, old Lehi has lost it again. It would be interesting to know how much time Lehi had spent in the wilderness, and what experiences he had had “camping.” Being a prosperous merchant and most probably descending from a line of such prosperous middle-men, my assumption is Lehi did not have the much experience in the wild. The fact that later all their bows broke perhaps suggests that they were not fully trained for wilderness living. They had to rely on the Liahona for guidance about where to hunt (follow the rivers!). Google maps says it is about a 63 hour walk from Jerusalem to the closest point of the red sea. Nephi says they went to the “borders” of the red sea. So lets say it took them only 50 hours of walking. If you walk 12 hours each day you make it in 4 days. That’s not a bad camping trip, eh? In fact, Nephi records that they travelled for 3 days and pitched a tent in a valley near a river.

Vs 9-10 Lehi wishes that his two eldest sons would be like 1) a river flowing into a fountain of righteousness and 2) a valley, firm and steadfast in keeping the commandments of the Lord. Interesting that those two metaphors of how to be good involve the opposite action. The first one is movement, flowing, going, moving whereas the second metaphor is immovable, rock solid. For me, the first metaphor doesn’t mean as much. I’m not sure what it means to flow into a fountain of righteousness. For me, choosing the right, is not so much as flow as it is swimming. So how can you swim into a fountain of righteousness by being firm and steadfast in keeping the commandments of the Lord? Well, again, that is how it is done, by always choosing the right despite forces and currents pulling you backwards.

Vs12 According to Nephi his brothers murmured because they did not know the dealings of God. They thought their dad was crazy (visionary man being used euphemistically) and followed the “foolish imaginations of his heart.” What Laman and Lemuel don’t know is that being “visionary” is understanding the dealings of God. The implied theory is one needs visions to understand God and without those visions you will murmur against the choices that those visions demand (i.e. leaving your possessions behind and living an austere life in the wilderness with no plan or clear future). We have to understand, Lehi has yet to tell anyone in his family the eventual outcome of fleeing into the wilderness. No one knows what is going on, except that Lehi said Jerusalem would be destroyed, but beyond that, who knows.

Vs 16 Nephi doesn’t murmur or complain, he prays because he wants to know the mysteries of God (i.e. what in the world are we doing in the wilderness anyway?). Nephi is visited by the Lord by His spirit. NO visions yet, but Nephi believes his dad, and God softens his heart.

Vs17 Sam believes in Nephi. We don’t have the account of Sam, but from Nephi’s perspective Sam didn’t need a vision from God, all he needed was his older brother to tell him the way it is. This is an example of a gift of the spirit where you believe the testimonies of others. Sam did not need to see the prints in Christ’s hands, he could believe the testimony of someone else, namely Nephi.

Vs20 Ah, finally we are told what is the end goal of living in the wilderness. God is going to lead them to the promised land. God does not elaborate on what this land is, nor do I believe is there any tradition in Jewish believe about another promised land besides the land of Israel. Perhaps this is how Nephi was able to relate to God telling him about a land of promise. Israel had become wicked, they would be destroyed, time for another promised land.

So, in summary, chapter two introduces Lehi’s family into wilderness living, where Laman and Lemuel complain and Nephi and Sam support their dad. The pattern gets reinforced several times over the next few chapters. Also, quickly on in the book of Mormon, the idea of a promised land is introduced and also the idea of having an attitude of belief. Believe that God can save, believe that God is in control, and show your belief by keeping his commandments.