Latest / Scripture Central / 2 Nephi 3–5 | Scripture Study Insights with Tyler Griffin | A Come Follow Me Resource
Transcript
- 0:00Hello there. I'm Tyler Griffin and this is
- 0:03Scripture Study Insights by Scripture Central.
- 0:06Today second E 5. Chapters 3 through.
- 0:09Five and the overlay that I wanted to use for exploring
- 0:15these chapters. Is this perspective that we have
- 0:20Jesus Christ? Who?
- 0:22Stands at the. Head of all of this work, the
- 0:27work of the Church, the work of the.
- 0:29Spreading of the gospel, spreading of the covenant,
- 0:31building of temples, spreading of missionary work.
- 0:34All of all of these efforts to gather people.
- 0:37Into. The safety of his.
- 0:41Covenant connection with them in the latter days well from
- 0:46heaven. How?
- 0:46Does he do that? As we are down here on the
- 0:51earth. He parts the veil.
- 0:54He picks a prophet. And then he inspires.
- 0:59That prophet with certain. Things, certain directions to
- 1:03then go and spread the word. To.
- 1:06Others who can then keep spreading it with human
- 1:10testimony to other people as well.
- 1:13And that's the way. God spreads his work.
- 1:18And spreads the message. Now some would say, wouldn't it
- 1:22be more efficient, maybe even a lot more?
- 1:25Effective If if the Savior himself were to just speak to
- 1:29everybody, just. Reveal himself to the whole
- 1:32earth and say. OK, look, here's what I want
- 1:34you. To do and I suppose.
- 1:36That would be. More effective at getting the
- 1:40water to the end of all the. Rows for all the.
- 1:43People, but the person who knows more than anybody else has
- 1:48chosen to use this technique. I don't know why.
- 1:54But I trust. That God knows why.
- 1:56That there's a good. Reason to use this as a means
- 2:01whereby. To build and stretch faith.
- 2:06So we're going to watch that happen in this.
- 2:08Block of scripture, How people have to trust.
- 2:13In. God have faith in.
- 2:15Christ rely on the Savior by following prophets and words of.
- 2:23Their. Their.
- 2:25Teachings and their testimonies. That are.
- 2:27Spread through the chain of human witnesses.
- 2:33So with this foundation you jump into chapter 3.
- 2:38And this is an amazing chapter filled with multiple layers and
- 2:43levels of. Profits.
- 2:45And their their teachings. So let's set the stage.
- 2:50We have Lehigh who is? Speaking to his son Joseph and.
- 3:03Joseph is his last. Born in the wilderness?
- 3:07If you look at verse 3. He's promised something.
- 3:10Now Joseph, my last born, whom I've brought out of the
- 3:12wilderness of mine afflictions, may the.
- 3:15Lord, bless thee forever for thy.
- 3:18Seed shall not utterly be destroyed.
- 3:24This is once again God inspiring a prophet, in this case Lehigh,
- 3:30to share something with an individual, in this case his son
- 3:33Joseph. It's a promise.
- 3:35Your seed, your posterity. Will not.
- 3:38Utterly be destroyed. If you want to put a little
- 3:40cross reference next to verse 3, the cross reference being.
- 3:44Chapter 4, verse. Nine.
- 3:46He gives the same promise to his grandchildren in chapter 4,
- 3:51verse nine in this. Case it's the.
- 3:54Sons and. Daughters of his.
- 3:57Second son Lemuel and. Also, he repeats.
- 4:04That he had given the same blessing to the sons and
- 4:06daughters of Laman. So.
- 4:09You've got all these grandchildren being told, Thou
- 4:11shalt not. Utterly be destroyed, but.
- 4:13In the end thy. Seed shall be blessed so a
- 4:18prophet. Being granted a vision from a
- 4:23heavenly perspective of what's going to happen, not just with
- 4:28these. Children or grandchildren but.
- 4:31Generations of their posterity will not utterly.
- 4:35Be destroyed. And now it's.
- 4:39The role of Joseph. And these children of Leyman and
- 4:42Lemuel to have faith in God and to trust in these promises that
- 4:49are given. Because especially.
- 4:51In their context, a Hebrew world context.
- 4:55Before Christ that the. Hebrew mindset.
- 4:59Your identity was based on the group dynamic, on the family,
- 5:06the tribe, and on the longevity of that identity.
- 5:11As a people, this is a big deal, this.
- 5:14Promise given to Joseph and to his grandchildren that you're
- 5:18not utterly going to be destroyed.
- 5:20So after giving that promise, now he links the majority of the
- 5:25teaching to his son. Joseph to a Joseph.
- 5:31That lived much earlier in Egypt the. 11th Child or the?
- 5:4011th Son. Rather of Jacob.
- 5:44Whose name is changed? To Israel so.
- 5:47He mentions. In verse 4 thou art the fruit.
- 5:50Of my loins and I am a descendant of.
- 5:53Joseph, who was carried. Captive into Egypt and great
- 5:57were the covenants of the Lord which he made unto Joseph.
- 6:02So these covenants, these connections, as well as these
- 6:05promises that come with those covenants.
- 6:08And here's Lehi saying I'm a descendant of Joseph through
- 6:13Manasseh, his first born that we learned earlier on and.
- 6:19The greater the. Covenants that God made with
- 6:22Joseph. And can you see it?
- 6:25He's saying by default, we're born into this family.
- 6:29We get the blessing of those incredible covenants, yes.
- 6:35What I do today? Can have a positive impact on
- 6:40generations down the road, not just my children.
- 6:44But for. Generations.
- 6:46That's the beauty of. These.
- 6:49Powerful connections with heaven is that they can bless not just
- 6:54my life and your life. But.
- 6:57People around us for generations to come.
- 7:02So then he goes on to say. Verse 5 Wherefore Joseph truly
- 7:06saw our. Day.
- 7:08And he obtained a promise of the Lord that.
- 7:10Out of the. Fruit of his loins.
- 7:12The Lord God would raise up a righteous branch.
- 7:14Unto the House of. Israel So.
- 7:16Keep in mind. This is hundreds of years later.
- 7:21And he's saying look. Joseph saw our day.
- 7:23Young Joseph, and he saw that. There would be a.
- 7:28Righteous branch and and. We're part of this prophecy.
- 7:34But then he says not the Messiah but a branch.
- 7:37Which was to be. Broken off, nevertheless, to be
- 7:41remembered in the covenants of the Lord, that the Messiah
- 7:43should be made manifest unto them in the latter days in the.
- 7:47Spirit of Power. Under the bringing of them out
- 7:49of darkness unto light, out of hidden darkness, and out of
- 7:54captivity unto freedom. What's happening here is Lehigh
- 8:00is reading the brass plates and. He's able to share.
- 8:06Some things with his young son Joseph, based on what he's read
- 8:12on the brass plates well. We've got lots of.
- 8:16Writings from the Old Testament, the writings of Moses and
- 8:22subsequent prophets leading up to Lehigh leaving Jerusalem.
- 8:26Well, the entire book of Genesis is simply Moses making an
- 8:31abridgment of all the prophets who came before him, Adam,
- 8:34Enoch, Noah, Abraham. Isaac Jacob.
- 8:38Joseph. We don't have in our Bible, in
- 8:43our Old Testament, we don't have any of the specific.
- 8:46Words or or books rather of. Adam, Enoch, Noah, Abraham,
- 8:52Isaac, Jacob, and Joseph. But what you get in chapter
- 8:56three of the book Mormon. Here is multiple excerpts from
- 9:02the Book of Joseph in Egypt that we don't have in in.
- 9:07The Bible because. What we get instead is Moses
- 9:10abridgement. Of all of those.
- 9:13Prophets words so this. Is a real treat to get to.
- 9:17Read some actual words written by Joseph in Egypt that he would
- 9:23find on the brass. Plates.
- 9:25So if you look at verse six, he says.
- 9:29For Joseph truly testified. Saying A.
- 9:32Seer shall the. Lord my God.
- 9:34Raise up who shall be a? Choice seer unto the fruit of my
- 9:38loins. This is all in first person, so
- 9:40Lehigh is reading directly. Off of the brass.
- 9:43Plates to his son Joseph, and later on Nephi who's making this
- 9:50record is making an exact. Copy paste job of those.
- 9:55Words during this part. Of Lehigh's speech.
- 9:59It's beautiful when you see what he's what Lehigh is reading to
- 10:03Joseph from. Joseph as Joseph saw Lehigh's
- 10:09day. And Joseph also saw.
- 10:13The latter days where God would raise up a latter.
- 10:18Day Seer, and he's giving you a description of what that latter.
- 10:24Day seer would be like. And what he would.
- 10:27Do, or rather, what God would do for all of the earth through
- 10:34that latter day Seer. So He's.
- 10:37Going to bring the the knowledge of all the covenants back.
- 10:41To the earth that's repeated a couple.
- 10:44Of times here in. Verse 7 verse 12.
- 10:47He's going to. Do a great work.
- 10:49Which is repeated multiple times.
- 10:51He's going to be great like unto Moses.
- 10:53Can you imagine being Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery during
- 10:56the translation process as they come to this?
- 10:59Chapter. And it starts to dawn on them
- 11:02what it is that Joseph in Egypt saw, and what he's prophesying
- 11:05about, and what Lehigh is sharing with his son Joseph.
- 11:08About the latter day. Seer and then this moment in
- 11:13verse 15 and his name. Shall be called after.
- 11:17Me. Joseph.
- 11:19And it shall be after the name of his.
- 11:21Father. So it's going to be a Joseph
- 11:24Junior. As we get Joseph.
- 11:28Smith being born into the family of Joseph Senior and Lucy Mac
- 11:33Smith, and he shall be like unto me.
- 11:37For the. Thing which the Lord shall bring
- 11:39forth by his hand. By the power of the Lord.
- 11:42Shall bring my people unto salvation.
- 11:47Brothers and sisters. This isn't about the people,
- 11:51Joseph. In Egypt or Joseph?
- 11:53The son of Lehigh or Joseph? The son of Joseph in the latter
- 11:57days, That's not the. Focus of these scriptures.
- 12:02The focus of these scriptures. Is on God.
- 12:05It's on the. Lord Jesus Christ.
- 12:07And what he's doing. To save.
- 12:11God's children and. How he does that is through.
- 12:15Choice seers and servants. Who are called?
- 12:20To do amazing things and are used as instruments in the hands
- 12:23of the Lord. To do that work.
- 12:26And if you. Look at it through.
- 12:27Those lenses of. This isn't just about Joseph's.
- 12:31And or any of the Joseph's. This is about Jesus.
- 12:34Christ and how he's going to. Use these.
- 12:38Servants, many of which have the name Joseph.
- 12:41To do his work. It makes it more.
- 12:44Applicable for us to be able to see.
- 12:48How God continues to use prophets in our?
- 12:52Day today to help. Bring us to a knowledge of and
- 12:57connection with the covenants that the.
- 13:01Lord has offered us. It's this relationship with
- 13:04Christ that He's offering us through.
- 13:07These prophets and. Their.
- 13:10Their words so. Enjoy your.
- 13:12Deep dive your study in chapter 3, looking for how God uses
- 13:18prophets to help. You connect with him.
- 13:22Now we go into Chapter 4. Lehigh is going to pass away in
- 13:31Chapter 4. And the last group that he
- 13:34speaks to. His grandchildren.
- 13:35The children of laymen in verse 3.
- 13:38The children of Lemuel in verse 8.
- 13:41Sam in verse 11. Sam, that character who
- 13:46interestingly never says a single.
- 13:49Word as recorded. In the Book of Mormon, we never
- 13:52get any words spoken by Sam, and we don't know much about him
- 13:57other than he's told that in verse 11 his seed will be
- 14:00numbered. With the seed.
- 14:02Of Nephi. There's something going on with
- 14:05Sam that he doesn't get his own group name.
- 14:11For the rest. Of the Book of Mormon.
- 14:12You're going to get different groups called Lamanites,
- 14:16Lemuelites, Ishmaelites, Nephites.
- 14:20Jacobites. Josephites.
- 14:24But there are never any Semites, so there's something, something
- 14:28in his situation that's a little bit different and we don't know
- 14:31for sure what. That is.
- 14:34And now in verse 12 it says and it came to pass that after my.
- 14:37Father. Lehigh had spoken unto.
- 14:39All his household. According to the feelings of his
- 14:42heart and the Spirit of the Lord which was in him.
- 14:45He waxed old. And it came to.
- 14:48Pass that he died. And was buried.
- 14:51So it's the. Passing of.
- 14:52This great patriarch of. The family which now puts the
- 14:56mantle. Of prophetic leadership.
- 14:59On Nephi's shoulders, And let's be honest, wouldn't it be easier
- 15:05if Nephi could just play the the role of friend to all and not
- 15:13have? To be the prophet.
- 15:15Wouldn't it be? Easier just to try to be popular
- 15:17or to be liked or be loved by everybody.
- 15:21But look what happens this prophetic.
- 15:24Mantle now on his. Shoulders.
- 15:26It says verse. 13 It came to pass that not many days after
- 15:29his death, Layman and Lemuel and the sons of Ishmael were angry
- 15:31with me. Because of the.
- 15:33Admonitions of the Lord. It's not a just a personality
- 15:39thing, it's because he's giving admonitions from the Lord.
- 15:43Because that's what prophets. Do they?
- 15:45Don't. They aren't told things to
- 15:48satisfy their own curiosity. They're.
- 15:51Told things, they're given directions to pass them on and
- 15:55to lift and build people around them, and to warn and exhort and
- 15:59expound and make promises and and connect.
- 16:03People with each. Other and with God.
- 16:07Verse. 14 He gives more description of this for I Nephi
- 16:09was constrained to speak unto them it it.
- 16:13It's not as if Nephi is doing this of his own accord.
- 16:17He's constrained. By the Lord to do this.
- 16:21And for I had spoken many things unto them, and also my father
- 16:24before his death, many of which sayings are written upon mine
- 16:27other plates. That we'll talk about later, the
- 16:29larger plates. And then Nephi lets us into his.
- 16:34Heart. Deeply into his soul.
- 16:38For the first. Time really in the.
- 16:40Record we see more of the. Inner workings.
- 16:45Of what It's. Like for Nephi to be in this.
- 16:48Role as a prophet of God. Because in verse 15 and 16.
- 16:54You read those? And he's.
- 16:55Describing his desires, his attitude towards life, his
- 17:01approach. To God and to scriptures you're
- 17:04seeing words like my soul delighteth in the scriptures.
- 17:07My heart pondereth them, and I. Write it, I write.
- 17:12Them. He's writing them for the
- 17:13learning and the profit of my children.
- 17:17Everything is this. How can I lift and build people
- 17:21around me? And his heart is pondering
- 17:24continually. And you're thinking, oh, this is
- 17:26wonderful. But the next word, verse 17
- 17:28starts with nevertheless, notwithstanding the great
- 17:33goodness of the Lord and showing me his great and marvelous
- 17:37works, my heart exclaimeth, O wretched man that I am.
- 17:40And now he launches into what many have called Nephi's Lament
- 17:45or Nephi's PS Psalm. Where he pours out his.
- 17:49Heart on the page and I I could be wrong, but I don't think that
- 17:56it's chance. That he has this.
- 17:59Soul searching difficulty. Right after his father.
- 18:06Died, and that prophetic mantle now rests fully on him.
- 18:10As he's having to realize who he.
- 18:13Is who God needs him to. Be for these people.
- 18:18And it's causing him to say. My soul grievous because.
- 18:21Of mine iniquities I'm encompassed about because of the
- 18:23temptations and the sins. Which?
- 18:26Do so easily beset me? I don't think Nephi is guilty of
- 18:30any major sin. I think the more somebody comes.
- 18:34Closer to God. The more they're walking in the
- 18:38light and the more they recognize their flaws and the
- 18:42more unworthy, Or even in this case, he he's referring to the
- 18:48iniquities and the sins and the temptations I think you become
- 18:52more sensitized to. Things that before.
- 18:56You didn't even blink at it. It wasn't an issue for you.
- 19:00But now you're saying, oh, that part of my soul needs refining.
- 19:04It needs cleansing. I'm not who I need to be yet.
- 19:07I'm not up. To this task yet?
- 19:10Now. If you've ever had a very rough.
- 19:14Moment of. Life where you feel.
- 19:16Inadequate. You feel like giving up.
- 19:19You feel like you're never going to be good enough.
- 19:22This is one of those. Sections of scriptures.
- 19:25That I turn to when I'm struggling, when I'm in that.
- 19:28Category of boy. I'm not.
- 19:32I'm not who I need to be because Nephi shows us a pattern of
- 19:37things that we can do. For those who.
- 19:40Just experienced the the normal ups and downs, and sometimes
- 19:44those downs can feel really down.
- 19:47Here are these principles. You look at verse 19 where he
- 19:52recognizes this struggle and the very first thing he does.
- 19:56As he says halfway. Through 19 Nevertheless, I know
- 20:00in whom I have trusted. That's a powerful.
- 20:04Turning point pivot point in a really rough experience.
- 20:10Is to pause. And focus on God.
- 20:14I know in whom I have trusted. My God has been my support.
- 20:19He hath led me through mine afflictions in the wilderness.
- 20:22He hath preserved me. He hath filled me with his love.
- 20:24He has confounded mine enemies. What is Nephi doing?
- 20:29He's counting his many blessings.
- 20:32God hath done this. He hath done this.
- 20:35He had done this. What a great way to start.
- 20:39Turning a corner and he continues that.
- 20:42He hath exercised. All the way down to verse 26.
- 20:46And then he shifts and he has a an.
- 20:50Attitude readjustment. This re evaluation he he asked.
- 20:54These. Questions in 26 and 27 like why
- 20:57should my? Heart Weep.
- 20:59And my soul linger in the valley.
- 21:00Of the sorrow. Why should I yield to?
- 21:04Sin Why? Should I give way?
- 21:06To temptations, it's this moment.
- 21:08Where he stops. Being a victim.
- 21:10Of these. External influences and he.
- 21:14He. He pauses.
- 21:15Scratches. His head and says.
- 21:16Why should I do this? Why should I allow?
- 21:19These things to keep pushing me down and then verse 28.
- 21:24It's this spiritual reconviction.
- 21:26Awake my soul no longer droop in sin, rejoice on my heart, and
- 21:32give place no more for the enemy of my soul if you want a real
- 21:37treat. Today, look up the.
- 21:39Song written by John Tanner. Called I Love the Lord.
- 21:46It's been sung a couple of times in in various general conference
- 21:50sessions and different. Choirs have produced.
- 21:55It you can find it online and listen to all. 3 verses it's
- 22:01masterfully. Written using the words of
- 22:06Nephi's Psalm. I love what John Tanner did here
- 22:10to pull together the feeling of this Psalm and put it to the.
- 22:15Work or to the music of. Be still my soul, Finlandia.
- 22:22And it's a. Very.
- 22:23Moving way to encapsulate. What Nephi's process was here?
- 22:32To come out of. That slump, that spiritual.
- 22:35Gloom that he's found himself in after, you'll notice.
- 22:40That after the spiritual reconviction.
- 22:43He then. Shares a prayer of faith.
- 22:46So notice how many times he. Uses the phrase, O Lord, wilt
- 22:50thou, O Lord, wilt thou encircle?
- 22:53Me in the robe. Of thy righteousness.
- 22:55Wilt thou make a way for mine escape?
- 22:57Wilt thou make my path straight before me?
- 22:59Wilt thou not? Place a stumbling block.
- 23:01And then he finishes in a very powerful way, by bearing
- 23:07testimony to God. Now that's a fascinating thing.
- 23:13Verse 34 O Lord. I have trusted in thee, and I
- 23:18will. Trust in thee forever.
- 23:21I will not put my trust in the arm of flesh, for I know.
- 23:26That cursed is he that putteth his.
- 23:27Trust in the arm of flesh, a cursed.
- 23:29Is he that? Putteth his trust in man or
- 23:31maketh flesh his arm. Yeah, I know that God will give
- 23:36liberally to him that asketh. Yeah, my God, will give me if I
- 23:41ask, not amiss. Therefore I will.
- 23:43Lift up my voice unto thee. Yeah, I will cry.
- 23:48Unto thee, my God, the rock of my righteousness, behold, my
- 23:52voice shall. Forever.
- 23:54Ascend up unto thee my rock and my neverlasting God.
- 23:58Amen. Did you notice in verse 34 and
- 24:0230? 5.
- 24:03How Nephi switched between talking to?
- 24:07God. But keep in mind he's writing on
- 24:10metal plates. So when he started in verse 34,
- 24:12oh Lord. I have trusted in thee.
- 24:15He's speaking to. God.
- 24:17But he's letting us. We're getting to witness his
- 24:21conversation with God and then part way down.
- 24:25Through verse 30. 5. It looks like he's.
- 24:29Speaking to us because yeah, I know that God.
- 24:33Will give liberally. To him that asketh now you get.
- 24:36Over to chapter. Five.
- 24:38And if if you begin in chapter 5 with verse 27.
- 24:44It it says it. Came to pass that we lived after
- 24:49the manner of happiness, and then if you.
- 24:55Go back to chapter 5 verse. One through 26 and mark all of
- 25:00the things that Nephi did and his people did that would.
- 25:04Lead. To them having a.
- 25:06Happy life this. Becomes a beautiful handbook.
- 25:11For what? Is what can I do on the covenant
- 25:15path to find more joy in my relationships, more joy in my
- 25:20worship, more joy in my calling, more joy in my work, more joy in
- 25:25life in general. And it's kind of ironic because
- 25:28the way the. Chapter starts is with his
- 25:31brothers. Trying to kill him.
- 25:33So the Lord. Warns him to.
- 25:35Depart verse six says. I ne if I did take my family,
- 25:39and also Zoram and his family, and Sam, mine elder brother and
- 25:44his family, and Jacob and Joseph, my younger brethren, and
- 25:47also my sisters, well. That lists off everybody.
- 25:52In the in the first family that left Jerusalem that we know
- 25:55about, that was sympathetic to Nephi, but then he adds.
- 25:59And all those who would go with me and all.
- 26:02Those who would go with me. Were those who believed in the
- 26:05warnings and. Revelations of God.
- 26:07Wherefore they did. Hearken unto my words.
- 26:10And they took their tents. They found this new.
- 26:12Place. And the.
- 26:14Lord, did Prosper. Them exceedingly and they sowed
- 26:18seeds, and they reaped in abundance, You notice.
- 26:22He takes the sword of. Laban in 14 and he makes.
- 26:25Replicas of that sword to be able to.
- 26:27Defend his people. Then he teaches them how to
- 26:32build in verse 15. They construct a temple in verse
- 26:3616, so in the rest of. These verses it describes.
- 26:40Things like. They were industrious.
- 26:43They wanted to make him a king. He didn't want it, but he
- 26:46nevertheless he did unto them according to that which was in
- 26:50his power. And if you read chapter 6 verse
- 26:53two, or if you read Jacob. Chapter one, verse 9.
- 26:57Sure looks like Nephi took on that role as a king.
- 27:00Or protector for his. People, even though he didn't
- 27:02want it and you, you keep going it.
- 27:05Describes the curse. That's.
- 27:09Given to the Lamanites, and they're all kinds.
- 27:12Of struggles that people face. In a latter day context, reading
- 27:17these words and putting our. Reference to race.
- 27:23And our reference to skin backwards in time onto their
- 27:29culture. We need to.
- 27:31Be very careful. Not to use our modern day
- 27:36judgments on people in their historical setting and in their
- 27:42own historical context. And then we end.
- 27:45Where he describes. Something in verse 20. 8 through
- 27:4834. That is fascinating.
- 27:51He gives us this. Insight that in verse 2830.
- 27:55Years had passed away. From the time that we had left
- 27:58Jerusalem and I Nephi. Had kept the records.
- 28:00Upon my plates which I had made of my.
- 28:02People thus far. And it came to pass, the Lord
- 28:05said unto me, Make other plates, and thou shalt engraven many
- 28:09things upon them which are good in my sight.
- 28:11For the prophet of thy people. So here's the reality I'll use.
- 28:18I'll use these plates that are already here.
- 28:20We've used them as brass plates before.
- 28:22Now I'll use them as. The large plates Nephi for 30
- 28:26years. Has been making a.
- 28:28Record of all of the. Doings.
- 28:32All of the the. Details and 30 years in, God now
- 28:38says make a new record. Make a smaller record.
- 28:45That's not quite so. Detail.
- 28:49Oriented. Just write.
- 28:51The things of more spiritual nature.
- 28:56At that point, our prophet Nephi could have said why and and
- 29:03resisted doing it until God gave him all of the answers to his
- 29:07questions. But Nephi didn't resist.
- 29:10He just did it. He started working again on a
- 29:14new project, the small plates, and by the time you get to.
- 29:19Verse 34 it says it suffices. Me to say that?
- 29:2340 years had passed. Away and we'd already had wars
- 29:26and contentions with our brethren.
- 29:28So in that 10 year period, it looks like Nephi has gone back
- 29:35and redone everything that you got in first Nephi and.
- 29:40Second Nephi chapters one through 5 up to this.
- 29:43Point We're now 40 years removed and so we don't know how old he
- 29:46was, but let's. Just guess.
- 29:48Somewhere in the neighborhood of 15 because.
- 29:50He says he was. Exceedingly young, nevertheless,
- 29:52being. Large in stature, so.
- 29:55Somewhere around 15, well. At age.
- 29:58Somewhere around 45 he's given the command make a new record
- 30:02and sometime around the age 55, he's finished up to this point
- 30:07and now moving. Forward what we got.
- 30:11Was the second draft, at least there could have been.
- 30:15Others but. He now goes through his father's
- 30:20writings, gives us an abridgement of the writings of
- 30:23Lehigh, if you've ever wondered what was.
- 30:26Written by Lehigh. Just read.
- 30:28First, Nephi chapters one through 9, because it's Nephi's
- 30:31abridgement of his. Father's writings.
- 30:34Put into Nephi's. First person.
- 30:36Voice, but it's. He's recording his father's
- 30:39words. Then he gives you his own
- 30:41writings, very organized, very intentional, very purposeful,
- 30:46and it's. Beautiful to watch.
- 30:50Brothers and sisters, here's my point.
- 30:53God gave a. Command to a prophet to do
- 30:57something that at that time may not have made perfect sense.
- 31:02He just told him what to do, but he didn't tell him why.
- 31:08But he did it anyway. I wonder how often in our day.
- 31:14God's prophets. Seers and revelators are being
- 31:18given very. Specific directions to do.
- 31:21Things build a temple there. Start a mission here.
- 31:25Change this. Practice or this procedure?
- 31:28Or this policy in the church here I I wonder how many times
- 31:33this happens. Where they're told what to do.
- 31:36But not told why. But they do it.
- 31:42And it's. Our.
- 31:43Privilege and our opportunity. To exercise our faith.
- 31:48In. Jesus Christ.
- 31:50By trusting that what he has given to the prophets is from
- 31:54him. In closing, we thank thee.
- 31:58O God for prophet to guide us. In these latter days I'm so
- 32:05grateful for. Prophets through the ages.
- 32:09Being willing to be an instrument in the hands of the
- 32:11Lord. Being willing to do things for
- 32:14A. Wise.
- 32:15Purpose. Which wise?
- 32:16Purpose. They don't always know, but they
- 32:18do it anyway. Because they're serving God.
- 32:22And they're serving. Us because God.
- 32:25Commands them to to. Teach us or to do.
- 32:27Certain things for our benefit and gratefully, it's now our
- 32:33turn. To decide to what?
- 32:37Degree Are we going to trust? God.
- 32:39And move forward in our. Test of faith Our test of
- 32:43discipleship. In this covenant relationship.
- 32:46With. Christ with His appointed
- 32:50prophets, being spokesman for him on the earth today.
- 32:53I love the. Lord, I love His prophets.
- 32:57I love this church that He has established.
- 32:59I love these scriptures. And I love the opportunity to
- 33:03study them deeply. And I leave that with you.
- 33:05In the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.
- 33:08Know that you're loved. The Come Follow Me program is an
- 33:11incredible resource to aid your gospel study.
- 33:15There are many supplementary Come Follow Me video programs
- 33:18within the Church. These videos should never be a
- 33:21replacement for your own personal and family study.
- 33:25As this video finishes, we encourage you to open your
- 33:28scriptures and begin studying the sacred words written there.
- 33:33If you need additional resources to enhance your study of the
- 33:35scriptures, please check out the Gospel Learning app from
- 33:39Scripture Central. You can search just about any
- 33:42topic in the gospel that you can think of and find a number of
- 33:45videos to help enhance your understanding.
- 33:48We are certain these learning paths will deepen your desire to
- 33:51follow Christ. The Gospel Explorer feature
- 33:54within the app was created with the Come Follow Me program in
- 33:57mind. This week features 3 pathways
- 34:00for studying. The Path on the left delves into
- 34:04the topic of grieving the loss of loved ones.
- 34:07Nephi felt the weight of loss when his father and Lehigh had
- 34:10passed away. The Middle Pathway explores
- 34:13Nephi's heartfelt cry to God, also known as Nephi's Psalm.
- 34:18The last pathway will take you to the words of modern prophets
- 34:21into the concept of living after the manner of happiness.
- 34:24As always, please use these resources to deepen the roots of
- 34:28your conversion. We hope you enjoy studying with
- 34:31us.