   |
|
|
 1
Nephi 15:11 And it came to pass that after I, Nephi, had been carried away in the spirit, and seen all these things, I returned to the tent of my father. 1 Nephi 15:2 2 And it came to pass that I beheld my brethren, and they were disputing one with another concerning the things my father had spoken unto them. 1 Nephi 15:3 3 For he truly spake many great things unto them, which were hard to be understood, save a man should inquire of the Lord; and they being hard in their hearts, therefore they did not look unto the Lord as they ought. Narrative analysis:
From the standpoint of the story of Nephi, we have just finished his great epiphany, and now return to the theme
of the development of Nephi as a leader of men. We began with a Nephi who was a younger brother, and have seen
him develop as a leader based on his faith in the Lord. The incident with the brass plates put him in the unique
position of being the leader of his older brothers in a specific task, which (although clearly with a spiritual
import) an essentially physical labor.At the end of this vision of Nephi, he returns to find his brethren disputing among themselves, not having clearly understood their father's dream. This episode begins to demonstrate the spiritual domination by Nephi over his older brothers. Just as with the brass plates, where the younger brother should not have been the leader, so too in things spiritual it should have been the older brothers explaining the vision to the younger brothers. Again Nephi goes against that tradition, and provides the answers for which the brothers searched. Scriptural analysis: Verses two and three underline a very common problem in the world of scriptures. It is quite easy to have multiple opinions, and to discuss them vigorously. Nephi says that his brothers were "disputing" the meaning of the vision. It is easy to see among all of the various flavors of Christianity that this ability to "dispute" the visions and revelations from God is universal. Nephi provides the ultimate key. The key is not in further scholarship. The key is not in new found manuscripts. They key is not in esoteric analysis. The key is that these things are "hard to be understood, save a man should inquire of the Lord." Ultimately, our understanding of the things of the gospel will depend upon our understanding and communication with the Lord. Of course this is not to say that study of the scriptures is to no avail. It only highlights that study in and of itself, without the guide of the Holy Ghost, can lead to various disputations, none of which would have the weight of the truth on their side. Of course this also is not to recognize that there are many who would profess to have done so, and still to dispute. The solution remains the same. The true doctrine, the true meanings, can be found only in correctly approaching the Lord. 1
Nephi 15:44 And now I, Nephi, was grieved because of the hardness of their hearts, and also, because of the things which I had seen, and knew they must unavoidably come to pass because of the great wickedness of the children of men. Nephi finally gives
us his description of how he felt after his great vision. One might suppose that he would be ecstatic (in all senses
of that word) with the power of the vision he had seen. What he tells us is that he felt the weight of it. It is
entirely possible that Nephi had mixed emotions ranging from the great joy of understanding better the role of
the Savior to the pain of seeing the future history of his people. However those emotions might have been mixed,
they turned firmly to the melancholy as he saw his brothers disputing the meaning of the vision. Nephi knew that
the answers were available, for he had just received them - and more. With crystal clear spiritual acuity, Nephi
sees the hardness of the hearts of his brethren, and sees clearly precisely how the future history he has seen
will come to pass. For all of the miracles, it would be the hardness of hearts as he could see in his brothers
which would bring it to pass. It had to hit him with tremendous impact, and is reflected in the tone of these verses.1
Nephi 15:55 And it came to pass that I was overcome because of my afflictions, for I considered that mine afflictions were great above all, because of the destruction of my people, for I had beheld their fall. 1 Nephi 15:6 6 And it came to pass that after I had received strength I spake unto my brethren, desiring to know of them the cause of their disputations. We might think that
the phrase "I was overcome because of my afflictions" might be a literary phrase to say that he was bothered
by them. Verse six emphasized the reality of the "overcome." Whatever form it took, Nephi was sufficiently
overcome that he required time to receive strength before approaching his brethren. How much time we do not know,
nor does it matter greatly. It is the depth of Nephi's feeling for generations unborn which is impressive.1
Nephi 15:77 And they said: Behold, we cannot understand the words which our father hath spoken concerning the natural branches of the olive-tree, and also concerning the Gentiles. The brothers, while
unnamed, certainly included Laman and Lemuel at the minimum. Whether or not Sam was involved is unknown. When Nephi
asks the cause of their discussion, they answer that they do not understand the reference to natural branches of
the olive-tree (see 1 Nephi 10:12-14). Having the advantage of the Book of Jacob (not written at this time) we
know that there is a much larger context for this reference. We also know that it is a long allegory written by
the prophet Zenos (Jacob 5:1) and contained on the brass plates.We know that Lehi had read at least some of the plates, and it is probable that he had read them all, and therefore the image of the allegory of the olive tree would be a ready reference for Lehi. It is just as clear that neither Laman nor Lemuel had read the Zenos section of the brass plates, or else this would not come to them as such a mystery related specifically to their father's vision. Both in lack of general understanding and lack of preparation, Laman and Lemuel were unable to answer this question. 1
Nephi 15:88 And I said unto them: Have ye inquired of the Lord? 1 Nephi 15:9 9 And they said unto me: We have not; for the Lord maketh no such thing known unto us. In these two verses
are the classic dilemma of all religion. The Lord is the only true source of our knowledge, but to most he "maketh
no such thing known unto us." We have not spoken with him. He has not given it to us. He didn't come to me
and tell me any such thing. The lack of spiritual initiative on the part of the child is imputed to the fault of
the father. Neither Laman and Lemuel nor we are willing to place the blame on ourselves. It is the Lord who does
not speak to us, so of course we do not speak to him.How absolutely ironic for Nephi to hear right after his experience with the Spirit! 1
Nephi 15:1010 Behold, I said unto them: How is it that ye do not keep the commandments of the Lord? How is it that ye will perish, because of the hardness of your hearts? 1 Nephi 15:11 11 Do ye not remember the things which the Lord hath said?--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. Nephi calls his brothers
on their mistaken assumption. It is not the Lord who declines to communicate, but the hardness of our hearts which
causes us to decline to ask. Nephi does understand that it takes more than the simple question, however. Our right
to obtain answers from God is tied not simply to the asking, but to the righteousness of our hearts with which
we ask. In Nephi's case, his life to the point of his asking demonstrated his faith and willingness to serve the
Lord. Laman and Lemuel's did not. It is no wonder that the revealed no such things to them.It is also important to note that Nephi's explanation of how the answers are received include aspects of faith and diligence which long preceded the question. When Nephi asked, he asked. He did not go to the desert to prepare for several days before asking. He asked. Nephi's faith and diligence was sufficient preparation that when he needed to ask he was worthy of the answer. 1
Nephi 15:1212 Behold, I say unto you, that the house of Israel was compared unto an olive-tree, by the Spirit of the Lord which was in our father; and behold are we not broken off from the house of Israel, and are we not a branch of the house of Israel? 1 Nephi 15:13 13 And now, the thing which our father meaneth concerning the grafting in of the natural branches through the fulness of the Gentiles, is, that in the latter days, when our seed shall have dwindled in unbelief, yea, for the space of many years, and many generations after the Messiah shall be manifested in body unto the children of men, then shall the fulness of the gospel of the Messiah come unto the Gentiles, and from the Gentiles unto the remnant of our seed-- Nephi explains to his
brothers what they did not understand. Nephi certainly is explaining information which he received during his vision,
but it is interesting to note that the imagery of the olive branch was not part of his vision. While Nephi
is correct in his explanation, how did he so rapidly translate his prophetic vision into the context of the allegory?There are two explanations, either of which can easily explain the situation. It may be that although Laman and Lemuel had not read the Zenos allegory on the brass plates, that Nephi had. That would have provided Nephi with the background context to understand that his vision and the allegory treated the same subject. The second possiblity is that with the clear understanding of the future history of the world, the symbol simply fell into place into his mind. Having seen the future history, the allusion to it had become quite clear. 1
Nephi 15:1414 And at that day shall the remnant of our seed know that they are of the house of Israel, and that they are the covenant people of the Lord; and then shall they know and come to the knowledge of their forefathers, and also to the knowledge of the gospel of their Redeemer, which was ministered unto their fathers by him; wherefore, they shall come to the knowledge of their Redeemer and the very points of his doctrine, that they may know how to come unto him and be saved. 1 Nephi 15:15 15 And then at that day will they not rejoice and give praise unto their everlasting God, their rock and their salvation? Yea, at that day, will they not receive the strength and nourishment from the true vine? Yea, will they not come unto the true fold of God? 1 Nephi 15:16 16 Behold, I say unto you, Yea; they shall be remembered again among the house of Israel; they shall be grafted in, being a natural branch of the olive-tree, into the true olive-tree. 1 Nephi 15:17 17 And this is what our father meaneth; and he meaneth that it will not come to pass until after they are scattered by the Gentiles; and he meaneth that it shall come by way of the Gentiles, that the Lord may show his power unto the Gentiles, for the very cause that he shall be rejected of the Jews, or of the house of Israel. There is nothing to
add to Nephi's exegesis. He is the authority, explaining it simply to his brothers.1
Nephi 15:1818 Wherefore, our father hath not spoken of our seed alone, but also of all the house of Israel, pointing to the covenant which should be fulfilled in the latter days; which covenant the Lord made to our father Abraham, saying: In thy seed shall all the kindreds of the earth be blessed. 1 Nephi 15:19 19 And it came to pass that I, Nephi, spake much unto them concerning these things; yea, I spake unto them concerning the restoration of the Jews in the latter days. Nephi explains to his
brothers that their father's dream encompassed a much larger vision than one pertaining to his own family. Not
only is the vision directed to Lehi and his posterity, but to the posterity of Abraham.1
Nephi 15:2020 And I did rehearse unto them the words of Isaiah, who spake concerning the restoration of the Jews, or of the house of Israel; and after they were restored they should no more be confounded, neither should they be scattered again. And it came to pass that I did speak many words unto my brethren, that they were pacified and did humble themselves before the Lord. In Nephi's rehearsal
of the meaning of his father's dream, we expect him to use the special knowledge he has so recently received in
personal revelation. What we might not expect, however, is this verse. In addition to the logical ramifications
of Lehi's dream, in addition to the specifics of the vision he as received, Nephi rehearses the words of Isaiah
on the same topic. Where did Nephi learn the words of Isaiah to use in exegesis?This verse gives us an interesting glimpse into the Nephi that is only implied. Unless major sections of Isaiah were part of his vision, and he neglected to so state, then Nephi was able to cite Isaiah before his vision. Nephi was prepared with the basic understanding of the scriptures before he even approached the Lord for explanation of his father's dream. When he received the meaning of the dream, that also provided a context into which he could place the scriptural learning he had already acquired. In this passage, Nephi demonstrates that he is not one to whom everything was given simply for the asking. He evidently was quite well prepared with a scriptural background, which apparently gained clarity through what he learned in vision. The result of Nephi's preaching was to humble his brothers. This is part of the sad pattern of Laman and Lemuel's experience with the Spirit. They were capable of being touched at times, but were unable to hold on to those feelings, and allowed their pride to fill their souls again after short bouts with humility. 1
Nephi 15:2121 And it came to pass that they did speak unto me again, saying: What meaneth this thing which our father saw in a dream? What meaneth the tree which he saw? 1 Nephi 15:22 22 And I said unto them: It was a representation of the tree of life. Once again what appears
to be a very clear example of a tree of life was unintelligible to Laman and Lemuel (and Sam?). As with Nephi,
there must have been aspects of the vision which made it difficult for them to correlate this tree with the tree
of life symbology with which they were undoubtedly familiar.1
Nephi 15:2323 And they said unto me: What meaneth the rod of iron which our father saw, that led to the tree? 1 Nephi 15:24 24 And I said unto them that it was the word of God, and whose 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. 1 Nephi 15:25 25 Wherefore, I, Nephi, did exhort them to give heed unto the word of the Lord; yea, I did exhort them with all the energies of my soul, and with all the faculty which I possessed, that they would give heed to the word of God and remember to keep his commandments always in all things. Nephi does not stick
to simple explanation, but makes sure that the meaning of that explanation is made personal to his brothers. While
explaining the meaning of the iron rod, he exhorts his brothers to grab hold of it.1
Nephi 15:2626 And they said unto me: What meaneth the river of water which our father saw? 1 Nephi 15:27 27 And I said unto them that the water which my father saw was filthiness; and so much was his mind swallowed up in other things that he beheld not the filthiness of the water. This verse is quite
interesting on a couple of levels. The first is that Nephi provides a bridge between the apparent symbological
difference between his father's vision and his own. Where Lehi did not at all mention filthy water, Nephi does.
Here he explains to his brothers that it really was filthy, but that their father did not see it "so much
was his mind swallowed up in other things."The second point is that Lehi could miss it at all. Nephi's explanation is that Lehi was more attentive to other things, and simply missed this point. From this we may suggest that the visionary mode of revelation, while cinematic, suffers from the same problems of a modern cinematic production - much may be there which escapes notice because focused attention is not applied. 1
Nephi 15:2828 And I said unto them that it was an awful gulf, which separated the wicked from the tree of life, and also from the saints of God. 1 Nephi 15:29 29 And I said unto them that it was a representation of that awful hell, which the angel said unto me was prepared for the wicked. The imagery of this
gulf and Nephi's explanation provide an interesting concept of hell. Symbolically, hell is portrayed here as a
gulf. It is a gulf of separation, with the wicked on the other side. It is not a burning river. It is not a bottomless
pit. In fact, there is nothing in it. It is a gulf. In Nephi, hell is the separation of the wicked from
the righteous (and God, by extension). Thus for Nephi, hell is not a place, but a state, a state of separation
from God. Thus any torment derived from this hell would necessarily be self-imposed rather than a definition of
place.1
Nephi 15:3030 And I said unto them that our father also saw that 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, which ascendeth up unto God forever and ever, and hath no end. The image of the gulf
between the wicked and the righteous is extended through the metaphor of the flaming fire. It is not the gulf which
is the fire, but the justice of God. The image nevertheless emphasizes the impassabity of the gulf.1
Nephi 15:3131 And they said unto me: Doth this thing mean the torment of the body in the days of probation, or doth it mean the final state of the soul after the death of the temporal body, or doth it speak of the things which are temporal? 1 Nephi 15:32 32 And it came to pass that I said unto them that it was a representation of things both temporal and spiritual; for the day should come that they must be judged of their works, yea, even the works which were done by the temporal body in their days of probation. Laman and Lemuel clearly
catch the implication of the gulf as a separation, but are unclear of how that might translate into anything personal.
Nephi explains that the gulf is a multi-faceted symbol (as are most good symbols). At the same time, the gulf stands
for both a situation which is part of mortal probation, and one which will exist after judgement. Nephi begins
his exegesis with the judgement, and notes that it is based on the things which one does in this life.1
Nephi 15:3333 Wherefore, if they should die in their wickedness they must be cast off also, as to the things which are spiritual, which are pertaining to righteousness; wherefore, they must be brought to stand before God, to be judged of their works; and if their works have been filthiness they must needs be filthy; and if they be filthy it must needs be that they cannot dwell in the kingdom of God; if so, the kingdom of God must be filthy also. Nephi explains
that our actions in this life carry consequences into the next. If our works here are filthy, they remain so in
the next life, and continue to condemn us, as no unclean thing can enter the kingdom of heaven. Nephi explains
this as a reality of God's existence, and therefore is a natural consequence of our actions rather than a capricious
decision.1
Nephi 15:3434 But behold, I say unto you, the kingdom of God is not filthy, and there cannot any unclean thing enter into the kingdom of God; wherefore there must needs be a place of filthiness prepared for that which is filthy. From a logical standpoint,
Nephi makes logical and powerful arguments. He notes that the wicked are filthy, and that no unclean thing can
enter the kingdom of God. This easily leads him to the conclusion that there must be some other place for the wicked.1
Nephi 15:3535 And there is a place prepared, yea, even that awful hell of which I have spoken, and the devil is the preparator of it; wherefore the final state of the souls of men is to dwell in the kingdom of God, or to be cast out because of that justice of which I have spoken. As the logical end
of his argument, Nephi returns to a definition of hell. While the gulf is representative, it is nevertheless a
location, and it is a location governed by the devil. Those who dwell therein do so because they are separated
by justice from the presence of God. Thus it is justice which places them there, not an arbitrary decision by God.1
Nephi 15:3636 Wherefore, the wicked are rejected from the righteous, and also from that tree of life, whose fruit is most precious and most desirable above all other fruits; yea, and it is the greatest of all the gifts of God. And thus I spake unto my brethren. Amen. In the end, it is still
the separation which is more significant than the place. For all that the wicked are in a place prepared by the
devil, Nephi's analysis of the reason for it being "hell" is the separation from the righteous, the separation
from the tree of life, and the separation from that most desirable fruit. |
||
| by Brant Gardner. Copyright 1998 |
|
|
 |