Our Journey of FaithNephi’s Theme-Deliverer and Messiah

Lehi’s Family

• Doctrines and Evidences of the Book of Mormon

Book of Mormon Evidences

1. Lehi’s Theophany2. Jerusalem at the time of Lehi3. Nephi’s Theme-Deliverer and Messiah4. Lehi’s Family5. The Exodus Patterns & Promises

Nephi’s Theme: Jehovah is a Deliverer1 NEPHI-DELIVERANCE (THROUGH FAITH IN CHRIST)

FIRST CHAPTER FIRST PRINCIPLE OF THE GOSPEL 1 NEPHI 1:20

THERE ARE OVER 20 INCIDENTS OF DELIVERANCE IN THE BOOK OF 1 NEPHI

1. Lehi escapes the angry Jews-1 Nephi 1:19-20 (Moroni 10:3-5)

2. Laman escapes Laban 1 Nephi 3:13-14

3. Nephi & Sam are delivered from their brothers by an Angel 1 Nephi 3:29-30

4. Nephi slays Laban and is led by the spirit-1 Nephi 4:13

5. Zoram is delivered from slavery. 1 Nephi 4:29-37

6. Lehi’s sons are delivered from loneliness, wives are provided 1 Nephi 5

7. Nephi writes of how Abraham, Isaac, Jacob & Joseph were delivered 1 Nephi 6

8. Nephi is delivered again from Laman, Lemuel & the daughters of Ishmael (except for his sweetheart)

1 Nephi 7

9. Many are delivered in the Tree of Life vision - 1 Nephi 8-15

Elder David A. Bednar of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles

described the “tender mercies of the Lord”:

• “I testify that the tender mercies

of the Lord are real and that they

do not occur randomly or merely

by coincidence. Often the Lord’s

timing of His tender mercies

helps us to both discern and

acknowledge them.

Elder David A. Bednar of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles

described the “tender mercies of the Lord”:

• “… The Lord’s tender mercies are the very personal

and individualized blessings, strength, protection,

assurances, guidance, loving-kindness, consolation,

support, and spiritual gifts which we receive from and

because of and through the Lord Jesus Christ. Truly

the Lord suits ‘his mercies according to the conditions

of the children of men’ (D&C 46:15).

Elder David A. Bednar of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles

described the “tender mercies of the Lord”:

• “… One of the ways whereby the Savior comes to each of us is through His abundant and tender mercies. For instance, as you and I face challenges and tests in our lives, the gift of faith and an appropriate sense of personal confidence that reaches beyond our own capacity are two examples of the tender mercies of the Lord. Repentance and forgiveness of sins and peace of conscience are examples of the tender mercies of the Lord. And the persistence and the fortitude that enable us to press forward with cheerfulness through physical limitations and spiritual difficulties are examples of the tender mercies of the Lord” (in Conference Report, Apr. 2005, 105; or Ensign, May 2005, 99–100).

Is the slaying of Laban a Israelite

Kingship Initiation?The Birth of Sovereignty in the Nephite Constitutional Order Val Larsen

Journal of Book of Mormon Studies 16/1 (2007): 26–41, 84–85

The slaying of Laban has been a stumbling block for many

readers of the Book of Mormon. Although Laban appeared

to have legally merited the execution, any explanation of the

act is unsatisfactory if Nephi is considered to be acting as

an individual.

Larsen illustrates that Nephi was acting as a sovereign,

with a clear political purpose. When Lehi offered a sacrifice

in the Valley of Lemuel, his family became a separate

people, with Nephi repeatedly promised the role of

ruler.

Nephi King and Ruler...

• 1 Nephi 16:37

• Jacob 1:9

• 1 Nephi 18:10

• Jacob 1:11

• 2 Nephi 5:18

• Jarom 1:14

1 Nephi 3-4

What do these chapters

teach us about Nephi

being prepared to be a

righteous Israelite King?

I will go and Do...

Is the slaying of Laban a Israelite

Kingship Initiation?

Nephi’s symbolic and literal assuming of this sovereign authority

through the act of killing Laban

is explained through six different layers:

(1) Substitutional sovereignty

(2) the assumption of Mosaic authority

(3) the assumption of Davidic authority,

(4) private and public motives

(5) the Nephite constitutional order

(6) explicit declarations of Nephi’s reign. Nephi did not formally

assume the role of king for many years, but by slaying Laban he

proves that he will be a dutiful king.

Nephi and Goliath: A Case Study of Literary

Allusion in the Book of Mormon-Ben McGuireJournal of the Book of Mormon and Other Restoration Scripture 18/1 (2009): 16–31.

1948-7487 (print), 2167-7565 (online)

When authors use the rhetorical device of literary allusion, they not only teach through

their own words but also attach to their own text meanings and interpretations from the

alluded text. This is true of Nephi’s allusion to the account of David and Goliath in

Nephi’s own account of his killing Laban, which allusion is generally of a thematic nature.

A few of the main thematic parallels between the two accounts are that both unbelieving

Israel and Laman and Lemuel are fearful of the main antagonist, both David and Nephi

prophesy the death of their opponent, and both Goliath and Laban have their heads cut

off and armor stripped. The implications of this allusion run deep. At a time in which the

right to kingship was continually in dispute between Nephi and Laman, Nephi casting

himself as David—the archetypal king of Judah, whose faith led to his supplanting

Saul—could be seen as legitimizing his regal authority over Laman.

1 Samuel 17:4–7, 11

1 Samuel 17:32

1 Samuel 17:34–37

1 Samuel 17:45–46

1 Samuel 17:51

1 Samuel 17:54

1 Nephi 3:31

1 Nephi 4:1

1 Nephi 4:2–3

1 Nephi 4:6, 10–12, 17

1 Nephi 4:9, 18

1 Nephi 4:19

The thematic elements follow a relatively simple

structural parallel. This parallel being sustained

throughout the entire narrative text is a strong

indicator that the Book of Mormon narrative is reliant

on the biblical text.

Laban's Treasury- "genizah"

• On Rabbi Yosef's now defunct "Jewishness of the Book of Mormon" mail list, an inquirer wondered if the mention of Laban's "treasury" in

• First Nephi made sense in the Hebrew and in ancient Israel. According to the Book of Mormon, the treasury was where Laban kept sacred records. Rabbi Yosef's e-mail of April 27, 1998 explains that it makes excellent sense, being "exactly in keeping with the culture and language." "Treasury" in Hebrew is "genizah," a word also used for a room in ancient synagogues where scrolls were stored. By way of support, Rabbi Yosef explained:

Laban's Treasury- "genizah"

• The early "Church Father" Epiphanius, in his Panarion, section 30, relates the story of a Jew named Josephus (Yosef) who became a believer in Messiah after reading Hebrew copies of Acts and John which he found in a "genizah" (treasury) in Tiberias, Israel (Epiphanius; Panarion 30:3, 6). You may also have heard of an archaeological find known as the "Cairo Genizah", in which such an ancient store room of scrolls was found in the remains of an ancient synagogue.

Laban's Treasury- "genizah"

• How many New York farm boys would have known about

an ancient Jewish practice of storing sacred records in a

"treasury"? This is just one of many dozens of subtleties in

the text pointing to the authenticity of the Book of

Mormon text.

Genizah

If any doubts remained that this structure represented a synagogue those doubts were removed during the second season when Yadins team discovered a genizah a place

where orthodox jews buried old or unuseablesince they could not destroy them under the floor of the rear cell two scrolls were recovered from that area the first was a portion of the book of Deuteronomy and the second was a portion of the book of Ezekiel parts of chapter thirty

seven to be precise the chapter with the vision of bones and the sticks of Judah and Joseph since scrolls were obviously buried there before the destruction of Masada by the romans they must be dated no later than AD 73...

Zoram & Hebrew Oath?

11. Lehi’s foreknowledge delivers his posterity from the Babylonian captivity

12. 1 Nephi 10 – the Savior is described as the Redeemer & Deliverer

13. 1 Nephi 11 – the Savior’s mission brings deliverance from: sin, death, sickness

14. The house of Israel will be delivered if they have Faith unto repentance 1 Nephi 12

15. 1 Nephi 13 – Deliverance of Columbus, Pilgrims, Founding father (coming

forth of scripture to bring spiritual deliverance)

Nephi’s Theme

Nephi’s Theme

16. 1 Nephi 14 – Israel shall be redeemed from the apostasy

17. 1 Nephi 15 – Israel shall be redeemed from the apostasy

18. 1 Nephi 16 – The Liahona delivers & guides according to FAITH. . .

. 1 Nephi 17:3 - And thus we see. . . Nephi comments on their deliverance. He is again delivered from his

brothers; Broken bow experience, they are delivered again. . .1 Nephi 17:41

19. 1 Nephi 18 – Ship delivers them to the Promised Land

20. 1 Nephi 19 – Lack of FAITH in the Christ at his First coming & Second coming foretold

20. 1 Nephi 20 – Israel chosen to be delivered from the furnace of affliction

21. 1 Nephi 21 – Messiah shall free prisoners

22. 1 Nephi 22 – Israel will be saved (delivered through FAITH in Christ). Instead of holding men captive in the

Millenial reign, Satan shall be Bound! Not Delivered!

Book of Mormon Evidences

1. Lehi’s Theophany2. Jerusalem at the time of Lehi3. Nephi’s Theme-Deliverer and Messiah4. Lehi’s Family5. The Exodus Patterns & Promises

Dysfunctional Families?

• Old Testament-families

• New Testament-families

• Pearl of Great Price-families

• Church History & Doctrine and Covenants-families

• Book of Mormon -families

LEHI STANDS AT THE FOUNTAINHEAD

• ...of the Book of Mormon testimony of the coming Messiah

• (1 Nephi 10:6), through whom all may come to partake of the fruit of eternal life and receive exaltation promised from the foundations of the world.

• It is a worldwide book. It is a book that takes Israel, not just from a small place in Jerusalem, but to span the continents and the oceans of the world, to invite all to come unto Christ.

LEHI STANDS AT THE FOUNTAINHEAD

• From everything we know in the Book of Mormon we have every

reason to believe that Lehi was raised up as an unusual man with great

determination, knowledge, and faith. That allowed him to undertake and

complete a very difficult assignment and a very important one: that the

true understanding of the ancient Israelite religion and their expectation

of the coming of the Messiah would not be lost as Jerusalem was

obliterated.

LEHI STANDS AT THE FOUNTAINHEAD

• Lehi knew that he carried a valuable treasure, more valuable than the

gold or the plates on which these words were written. He knew that he'd

been entrusted by the Lord with a task that only could be accomplished

by marshaling all of the resources, all of the knowledge, all of the

literary heritage, all of the inspiration, that only a prophet of God, with

the aid of God, could bring about. Lehi traveled; Lehi organized his

family; Lehi founded a civilization. This was no small order.

LEHI STANDS AT THE FOUNTAINHEAD

• Lehi went forward in faith, going off into uncharted parts of the world.

Using his knowledge, using what he was told by God; putting together

everything he possibly could, but risking everything; putting his life on

the line, willing to obey and to follow the commandments of God. All

who have the Book of Mormon owe an incredible debt to Lehi, Sariah,

and their posterity.

LEHI STANDS AT THE FOUNTAINHEAD

• The Law of Moses, of course, affected Lehi in one very important way. In Deuteronomy 18, there is a prohibition against being a false prophet, making false prophecy a capital offense. This was a problem in Lehi's day. There were many false prophets, and it was very difficult for people to differentiate between the true and false prophets (Jeremiah 28–29). This was one of the reasons that Jerusalem was so vulnerable and eventually fell. Many citizens followed false prophets who told them what they wanted to hear, namely that Jerusalem was impregnable and would never be destroyed.

• John Welch

•

LEHI STANDS AT THE FOUNTAINHEAD

• We are to come out of Babylon (Jeremiah 51:6; D&C 133:14), which

means both confusion and darkness and even idolatry, and not even

touch as it were the remnants of that, being cut off, literally cut off. That

combines with the symbolism of a kind of rebirth. And that's what was

happening to the family of Lehi and Sariah. -Truman Madsen

• Lehi is not only the prophet of his people, he is in residence; he is their

patriarch, their father, and they gather round, worship together, offer

sacrifices together, study the brass plates together. - Virginia Pearce

SARIAH

• The Book of Mormon begins with a family, but more precisely with a couple, Lehi and Sariah.

• It is impossible not to love this story. For one thing, Nephi begins his record in the very first sentence by putting himself in the context of a family. We women are used to having to put ourselves between the lines of the stories. But in this story, we are right there—more obvious than in many stories in the sacred scriptures. Sariah is named; we see what she's doing, and we even hear her words from her own mouth several times.

• Men had power and women had influence. The women, perhaps, were not vocal in public about what they felt and thought, but in private their husbands paid attention to them.

• A woman's role would have been essential. For example, Sariah would have had to manage somehow to put together the food during that trip; this was not an easy thing. Nephi might have gone out hunting, but Sariah would have to be prepared to cook whatever he brought back. She would be managing a lot of the domestic details, and there's a great deal to manage.

• Family dynamics were really interesting in Lehi's family as they traveled along. For instance, they are sent back to bring Ishmael and his family so they would have his daughters to provide wives for Lehi's sons (1 Nephi 7). And, marriage is a very, very significant event in a family in this time period.

• It should bring a smile that Laman and Lemuelmurmured, complained about going back at all for the plates, but they were willing to go back for wives.

• .

Sariah

• In Ezekiel 16, God uses the marriage covenant as an analogy for the covenant relationship that he has created between himself and the house of Israel. Looking behind that analogy, we can see certain elements of this sacred marriage covenant as practiced in ancient Israel. It involved an oath and a covenant. A washing with water, anointing with oil, clothing with embroidered cloth and with linen garments, and a crown being placed upon the head of the bride.

Sariah

• I look at Sariah and I can not imagine a woman's

life turning upside down faster than hers did. I

look at this woman who had wealth, who must

have had a network of extended family, a routine

of traditions, and friends and stability in

Jerusalem, and then to have it turned upside

down within the space of such a short amount

of time. Her sons go back to get Ishmael's

daughters, suddenly everyone is married, she's

got in-laws to integrate into her family overnight.

Sariah

• When these sons get married, they bring in new members of the family,

and Lehi is going to function as the patriarch of this greater, extended

family.

• Thinking of the marriage between Lehi and Sariah, when I see the way

Lehi responded to Sariah's accusations when she fears she has lost her

sons, it is such a beautiful model for a marriage. When she accuses him

and mocks him for being visionary, he doesn't defend himself even in a

small way, but he reaches out and comforts her. I think it is beautiful

LAMAN AND LEMUEL

• We see a constellation of family that is so recognizable from our own lives that we just a vibrate to it. We see sibling rivalry, we see tension, and we can imagine what that does to a mother. Sociologists tell us that men primarily are interested in achievement and women primarily are tuned into relationships. I believe that, and I believe that's probably a constant through the ages. If that's true, you look at Sariah and what this must have meant to her. I imagine that the moment Lehi told her about what the Lord had instructed him to do, she anticipated what this would do to her family. She must have known how Laman and Lemuel would react. They had a pattern that we see afterwards, where the moment there was new information, they resisted it. She must have known what would happen when this was announced to them.

• Virginia Pearce

•

LAMAN AND LEMUEL

• I think Sariah had the pressure of possibly being a mediator between her visionary husband and her sometimes defiant children.

• Jo Ann Seely

•

When they first leave Jerusalem, they're leaving their inheritance. And the

oldest, Laman, is the birthright son. He's the one who would receive a

double portion if he were staying. Ann Madsen

• That the loyalty of the two oldest sons, Laman and Lemuel, seems to be much more allied with that of the ruling class in Judah, than with their own father. And they see him as a kind of class traitor. Lehi is a very wealthy person, living on the outskirts of Jerusalem. His two older spoiled sons have grown up quite comfortably, in Jerusalem, and they are looking forward to the day when they will inherit all that property. What they see in their father is he betrayed their situation. He's become this religious fanatic who is going to take them away from the place that is rightfully theirs. Deprive them of all the status and the comforts they were used to (1 Nephi 2:11; 17:20–21).

• Daniel Peterson

•

Sam

Nephi