I Did Frankly Forgive Them

I Did Frankly Forgive Them

Nephi’s example of discipleship is impressive in a variety of dimensions, but none more so than outside Jerusalem while returning to the family camp in the wilderness with Ishmael and his family. The setting is Nephi and his brothers have been sent to convince Ishmael to join Lehi and his family in the wilderness. As we learn later, Ishmael just happened to have enough daughters for all the sons of Lehi and Zoram to marry. This time, for some reason, there was no complaining on the part of Laman and Lemuel, until they were returning to the wilderness camp. At this point “Laman and Lemuel, and two of the daughters of Ishmael, and the two sons of Ishmael and their families, did rebel against” Nephi (1 Nephi 7:6.) They wanted to return to Jerusalem.

At this point “Nephi, being grieved for the hardness of their hearts...spake unto them” (1 Nephi 7:8.) Nephi is not known for subtlety, and this event was certainly no exception. He asked them some pointed questions in rapid fire (see http://www.themostcorrectbook.org/2019/05/question-shall-we-not-be-diligent-in.html for more details on this exchange). In response, Laman and Lemuel skipped the mocking phase of murmuring, “they were angry with” him. Their anger immediately turned to violence as they tied up Nephi “that they might leave [him] in the wilderness to be devoured by wild beasts” (1 Nephi 7:16.) Nephi then prays for strength to burst these bands with which [he was] bound and his petition is granted, allowing him to stand in front of his brethren to speak “unto them again” (1 Nephi 7:17-18.)

As usual, “they were angry with [Nephi] again, and sought to lay hands upon [him]; but behold, one of the daughters of Ishmael, yea, and also her mother, and one of the sons of Ishmael, did plead with [his] brethren, insomuch that they did soften their hearts; and they did cease striving to take away [Nephi’s] life” (1 Nephi 7:19.)

Here is where the story gets interesting. In response to the petition in Nephi’s behalf,  Laman and Lemuel suddenly “were sorrowful, because of their wickedness, insomuch that they did bow down before [Nephi], and did plead with [him] that [he] would forgive them of the thing that they had done against” him (1 Nephi 7:20.) Their violence had quickly turned to groveling at Nephi’s feet.

Imagine yourself as Nephi at this point. You have been enduring your brothers’ murmuring for weeks, if not months, or even longer. Their murmuring has included mocking, anger, and violence toward you and others you love. They have just made at least the second attempt on your life. Now, suddenly, they are sorry and asking for forgiveness? Do you believe them? Is this a trick? Are they really sincere? Is there any possibility that they are just trying to win favor with their future mother-in-law who had plead in your behalf? What happens next is one of the most powerful and inspiring examples of discipleship in all of holy writ.

In Nephi's language, “And it came to pass that I did frankly forgive them all that they had done, and I did exhort them that they would pray unto the Lord their God for forgiveness.” What!? No lecture, no sarcasm, no cool and calculated response in case this was a trick? No, Nephi “did frankly forgive them.” Not just this one horrific example of violence, like so many others, but he “did frankly forgive them all that they had done”! All the mocking, and anger, and violence Nephi had ever experienced was included in one magnificent act of forgiveness. As if this was not exemplary enough, he also deflected their adoration of him to where it rightly belonged - to God. Therefore, he did “exhort them that they would pray unto the Lord their God for forgiveness” (1 Nephi 7:21.) How did Laman and Lemuel react to Nephi’s forgiveness and instructions? “And it came to pass that they did so. And after they had done praying unto the Lord we did again travel on our journey towards the tent of our father.”

Every time I have read this story I am amazed at Nephi’s strength and goodness to forgive. The precept to be derived from this piece of Book of Mormon history is the importance and power of forgiveness. This is a precept with which I have struggled as a disciple. There have been times in my life when others have been unkind, sometimes mocking me and my faith, times when others have been angry toward me, and a few time when that anger has turned to violence. I confess, early in my discipleship I struggled with the command that I forgive others (Matthew 6:12-15), particularly when others were trying to do me or my loved ones harm. However, as I have read again and again about Nephi’s example I have found it increasingly hard to withhold forgiveness from another. As I write this and consider all the people I know, I can honestly say that I do not hold malice toward anyone. This is simply miraculous for me. My tendency when I was young was to harbor ill feelings toward others who had wronged me and sometimes seek revenge. Nephi’s example has stirred me to reach for God’s grace and has helped me to change. As I have learned to abide the precept of forgiving others I have drawn nearer to God. He has replaced the malice with peace as I have forgiven others.

Question - How is it ye are so hard in your hearts?

In 1 Nephi 7 we read that after successfully retrieving the plates of brass from Laban, Lehi was instructed to send his sons back to Jerusalem to invite Ishmael and his family to join them in the wilderness. It turns out that Ishmael had the same number of daughters as Lehi has sons, and one more for Zoram. Unlike the first trip, there was no mention of Laman and Lemuel complaining, until after they had convinced Ishmael and his family to join them and they were returning to join Lehi and Sariah in the wilderness. We read that, “it came to pass in the which rebellion, they were desirous to return unto the land of Jerusalem" (v 7).

Not one to be silent, and “being grieved for the hardness of their hearts,” Nephi “spake unto them.” He began with an observation and question combination in one sentence, “ye are mine elder brethren, and how is it that ye are so hard in your hearts, and so blind in your minds, that ye have need that I, your younger brother, should speak unto you, yea, and set an example for you?” It appears that before Laman and Lemuel could answer the first question Nephi asked more questions, one after the other, without waiting for a response from Laman and Lemuel. He asked, "How is it that ye have:

• not hearkened unto the word of the Lord?
• forgotten that ye have seen an angel of the Lord?
• forgotten what great things the Lord hath done for us, in delivering us out of the hands of Laban, and also that we should obtain the record?
• forgotten that the Lord is able to do all things according to his will, for the children of men, if it so be that they exercise faith in him? (v 8-11)

He concluded the questions with, “Wherefore, let us be faithful to him” and then invited action and made a promise, “if it so be that we are faithful to him, we shall obtain the land of promise; and ye shall know at some future period that the word of the Lord shall be fulfilled concerning the destruction of Jerusalem; for all things which the Lord hath spoken concerning the destruction of Jerusalem must be fulfilled.” This is exactly the same pattern as with his conversation with Zoram (http://www.themostcorrectbook.org/2019/05/question-shall-we-not-be-diligent-in.html)—bear witness, ask a question, and invite/promise. In this case, however, he felt the need to give Laman and Lemuel three times the number questions he gave Zoram. Maybe he felt more questions were needed to get through to Laman and Lemuel.

Unsurprisingly, Laman and Lemuel chose to become angry with Nephi. They again attempted to take his life, but others pled for mercy, and Laman and Lemuel released him and continued the journey to Lehi and Sariah, pleading for mercy from Nephi. Given such, we might be tempted to conclude that the best thing to do is to not speak up so much. However, Nephi had to speak up since returning to Jerusalem would likely result in their all being killed and their parents and Zoram perishing in the wilderness.

Given all this, let’s look a little deeper into Nephi’s questions. What is instructive in Nephi’s questions is that three of the four questions focus on forgetfulness. This is a theme throughout the Book of Mormon. Prophets routinely remind the people of what they already know, but have forgotten. There is a generalized form of Nephi’s questions about forgetfulness that is applicable to every disciple:

• How is it that ye have forgotten that ye have seen an angel of the Lord? We might be tempted to claim we have never seen an angel, so this question does not apply to us. However, the generalized form of this question is “ye have forgotten that ye have seen.” We have all seen extraordinary events, places, people... As Elizabeth Barrett Browning wrote, “Earth's crammed with heaven, and every common bush afire with God, but only he who sees takes off his shoes; the rest sit round and pluck blackberries.” More specifically in this case, all of us have seen angels since one type of angel is one who does the Lord’s will and speaks his word. We would not be aware of the Book of Mormon without having encountered angels along the way. Some, however, have literally seen heavenly messengers and have forgotten, just like Laman and Lemuel. In either case the forgetfulness is not the lack of cognitive capacity. Instead, it is a choice that comes of hard-heartedness. Recognizing we are hard-hearted has proven to be a challenge for all of us. Hence, the question, have ye forgotten that ye have seen…? It is a question that attempts to penetrate our hearts.
• How is it that ye have forgotten what great things the Lord hath done for us, in delivering us out of the hands of Laban, and also that we should obtain the record? This question moves from remembering what we have seen or heard to what the Lord has actually done for each of us. Therefore, the generalized form of the question is “How is it that ye have forgotten what great things the Lord hath done for us…?” Notice the question asks if we recognize what God has done for “us,” not just “me.” Saint Ingatius is quoted as saying, “In the light of the Divine Goodness, it seems to me, though others may think differently, that ingratitude is the most abominable of sins and that it should be detested in the sight of our Creator and Lord by all of His creatures who are capable of enjoying His divine and everlasting glory.” The influential western philosopher, Immanuel Kant, taught that “Ingratitude is the essence of vileness.” More importantly, the Lord himself, speaking through Joseph declared, “And in nothing doth man offend God, or against none is his wrath kindled, save those who confess not his hand in all things, and obey not his commandments” (D&C 59:21). Hence, the importance of asking ourselves, “have I forgotten what great things the Lord hath done for us?”
• How is it that ye have forgotten that the Lord is able to do all things according to his will, for the children of men, if it so be that they exercise faith in him? Lastly, Nephi asks a question that probes our faith in God’s capacity to “do all all things according to his [not our] will” IF “we will exercise faith in him?" Therefore, the generalized form of the question is “how is it that ye have forgotten that the Lord is able to do...if it so be that [we] exercise faith in him?” It is not enough that we recognize what the Lord has done for us in the past, we must recognize his ability and desire to do what he feels best for his children, “if they exercise faith in him.”

Together, these three questions help us answer, at least in part, why we don’t harken to the Lord. We have typically forgotten: what we have seen, what he has done for us and others, and that he is able to bless according to his will if we exercise faith in him. Ironically, when we do not exercise faith in him we enable a sad self-fulfilling prophecy in limiting what he can do for us, just like the people of Nazareth of  whom Christ marveled because of their unbelief and for whom he could do no miracle (see Mark 6:1-6). Our disobedience and forgetfulness is a measure of us, not of God. Therefore, it is so important for us to develop means whereby we may be reminded. 

Fortunately, the Lord has provided a simple, yet profound, means of helping us remember. Each week he invites us to partake of the sacrament whereby we witness, and are reminded, to take upon ourselves the name of Christ, to always remember him, and to keep his commandments. When we sincerely, worthily, and consistently partake of the sacrament and act upon the impressions of the Spirit resulting from doing so it is far less likely we will forget what we have seen, what the Lord has done for us, or that he is able to do all things according to his will if we exercise faith in him. What a magnificently simple, yet powerful, invitation for us all. Hence, the importance of the question, "How is it ye are so hard in your hearts?"

Question - Shall we not be diligent in keeping the commandments of the Lord?

We know very little about an early character that appears early in the Book of Mormon by the name of Zoram. When Nephi goes to Laban’s treasury to get the plates of brass Zoram is introduced as “the servant of Laban who had the keys of the treasury.” When they met Nephi commanded Zoram “in the voice of Laban, that he should go with [him] into the treasury.” Zoram assumed it was Laban because Nephi was wearing Laban’s clothes and carrying his sword. Nephi must have had a similar voice, or the Lord helped with his voice to sound like Laban, as they carried on a conversation “concerning the elders of the Jews, he knowing that his master, Laban, had been out by night among them” while walking to rejoin Nephi's “elder brethren, who were without the walls.” Zoram followed Nephi, assuming that Nephi was speaking “of the brethren of the church, and that [Nephi] was truly...Laban.”

When Laman saw Nephi and Zoram outside the walls of Jerusalem coming toward him and his brothers “he was exceedingly frightened, and also Lemuel and Sam.” They ran away, supposing “it was Laban, and that he had slain” Nephi and was now going to kill them. In response, Nephi "called after them, and they did hear me; wherefore they did cease to flee from” Nephi.

Now, picture Zoram. He thought he was following his master, Laban, to join with the elders of Jerusalem with whom Laban had been earlier that evening. No doubt he began to wonder what was going on asking himself questions like:

• Who are these men who were running and have now stopped because they recognized the voice of the person I thought was Laban?
• Who is this person I have been following?
• Why is he wearing Laban’s clothes?
• Where is Laban?

Whatever he was thinking “he began to tremble, and was about to flee from…[Nephi] and return to the city of Jerusalem.”

At this point we learn a little more about Nephi. He describes himself as “being a man large in stature, and also having received much strength of the Lord.” Therefore, he “did seize upon the servant of Laban, and held him, that he should not flee.” It is likely that Zoram was also a large and mighty man as he was the keeper of Laban’s treasury—not a position for those who could not defend the treasury. Nephi’s claim, “having received much strength of the Lord” is likely an understatement to be able to hold the older, and likely strong, Zoram.

While he may have been able to hold him down for a period of time, eventually the sun would rise and people would see Nephi holding Zoram, or people would hear Zoram struggling, and come to his aid. Regardless, Nephi could not let Zoram go as he would then tell people about Lehi’s sons who had told Laban they needed the plates to go into the wilderness. They would find Laban beheaded and stripped of his clothing in the street. The people would no doubt follow and find the Lehites and destroy them for killing and robbing Laban. Obtaining the plates would be for naught. However, if Zoram came with Nephi and his brothers the people of Jerusalem would likely assume that Zoram had killed Laban and fled with Laban’s treasure and not know where to look. Zoram had to be convinced to join them.

In an effort to convince him to join them Nephi told Zoram “that if he would hearken unto [his] words, as the Lord liveth, and as [he lived], even so that if he would hearken unto our words, [he] would spare his life.” Those were really the only two options—Zoram had to follow them or be killed to keep their identity, purpose, and location unknown. Continuing his efforts to reason with Zoram, Nephi said, “Surely the Lord hath commanded us to do this thing; and shall we not be diligent in keeping the commandments of the Lord? Therefore, if thou wilt go down into the wilderness to my father thou shalt have place with us.”

With this, Zoram “did take courage at the words which [Nephi] spake.” Zoram “promised that he would go down into the wilderness” with Nephi and his brothers “and he also made an oath” that he would remain with them.

All of this turned on Nephi witnessing to Laban, “Surely the Lord hath commanded us to do this thing,” asking a question that engaged his agency, “shall we not be diligent in keeping the commandments of the Lord?” And then making a promise, “if thou wilt go...thou shalt have…” Zoram was no doubt religious. He spoke to Nephi “many times concerning the elders of the Jews” as the two walked the streets of Jerusalem together to Nephi’s brothers outside Jerusalem's walls. It seems that Nephi’s inspired pattern of witness, question, promise opened a window by which the Spirit could witness to Zoram that what Nephi was declaring was true, that they should be diligent in keeping the Lord's commandments, and that he should follow them.

There is a precept to be derived from Nephi’s inspired declaration, question, and invitation/promise pattern that are applicable to every latter-day disciple. This is a prophetic pattern that is constantly repeated today. We must choose whether we will receive the declaration, sincerely ask ourselves and answer the question as guided by the Spirit, and act upon the invitation with faith the promise will be realized. Doing so will draw us closer to God. Not doing so will distance us from God.

Question - Wherefore can ye doubt?

Throughout the Book of Mormon there are clusters of questions in which we can find precept patterns. Our adherence to these precepts helps us grow closer to God. In this writing we look at the first cluster, which contains six questions that appear early in the Book of Mormon.

In response to the Lord’s command Lehi’s sons returned to Jerusalem and unsuccessfully tried to obtain the plates of brass from Laban twice. Their second attempt was to try and trade the family treasures they had left behind when they fled into the wilderness for the plates. Their offer resulted in Laban “lusting” after their treasure and then sending his servants to kill Lehi’s sons, which the brothers narrowly escaped. Having escaped, Nephi notes that “Laman was angry with [him], and also with [Lehi].” The anger likely included some mix of having narrowly escaped Laban’s attempt on their lives and the loss of their treasure (see 1 Nephi 17:21 for evidence of such anger over their loss of treasure persisting.) As usual Lemuel followed Laman’s example. The two began to “speak many hard words unto [Nephi and Sam]...and they did smite [them] even with a rod” (1 Nephi 3:22-28.)

At this point the record states:

And it came to pass as they smote us with a rod, behold, an angel of the Lord came and stood before them, and he spake unto them, saying: Why do ye smite your younger brother with a rod? Know ye not that the Lord hath chosen him to be a ruler over you, and this because of your iniquities? Behold ye shall go up to Jerusalem again, and the Lord will deliver Laban into your hands.

And after the angel had spoken unto us, he departed.

And after the angel had departed, Laman and Lemuel again began to murmur, saying: How is it possible that the Lord will deliver Laban into our hands? Behold, he is a mighty man, and he can command fifty, yea, even he can slay fifty; then why not us?

And it came to pass that I spake unto my brethren, saying: Let us go up again unto Jerusalem, and let us be faithful in keeping the commandments of the Lord; for behold he is mightier than all the earth, then why not mightier than Laban and his fifty, yea, or even than his tens of thousands?

Therefore let us go up; let us be strong like unto Moses; for he truly spake unto the waters of the Red Sea and they divided hither and thither, and our fathers came through, out of captivity, on dry ground, and the armies of Pharaoh ​did follow and were drowned in the waters of the Red Sea.

Now behold ye know that this is true; and ye also know that an angel hath spoken unto you; wherefore can ye doubt? Let us go up; the Lord is able to deliver us, even as our fathers, and to destroy Laban, even as the Egyptians.

Now when I had spoken these words, they were yet wroth, and did still continue to murmur; nevertheless they did follow me up until we came without the walls of Jerusalem (1 Nephi 3:28-1 Nephi 4:1-4.)

There are patterns to be studied and applied in the questions found in these verses that are essential to true discipleship.

Pattern 1 - The first pattern is found in the two questions asked by an angel of Laman and Lemuel, “Why do ye smite your younger brother with a rod?” The angel followed immediately with a second question, “Know ye not that the Lord hath chosen him to be a ruler over you, and this because of your iniquities?” Instead of condemning Laman and Lemuel the angel invites Laman and Lemuel to look within by asking questions which require them to think about how they are using their agency.

The first question is a “why” question. These are always marvelous questions for the disciple as they probe the innermost workings of the soul. They are not simple yes/no questions that can be easily answered or brushed aside. In this case, the question was focused on why Laman and Lemuel were angry and beating their brothers. In a very direct way, the angel was asking why they were disobeying the first two commandments—love of God and love of neighbor.

The why question asked by the angel was immediately followed by an equally penetrating question, “Know ye not that the Lord hath chosen him to be a ruler over you, and this because of your iniquities?” This shows further respect for agency. “Know ye not” questions respect agency and the ability to reason by inviting the hearer to consider whether their motivations and desires are routed in what they know or believe to be true. Such questions cause us to assess what we know and believe, and also what we don’t know and are willing to consider (see Moses 1:10 for an example of willingness to consider new perspectives, and thereby learn).

The angelic questions to Laman and Lemuel can be asked of each of any of us at any time in a more generalized form. This form is as follows:

Why do ye…?

And

Know ye not that...?

My experience is that these questions stir the soul like few others. I find that learning to honestly ask such questions of oneself serves to both deepen and accelerate discipleship. As we probe our innermost motivations and desires, and compare them to our knowledge of God’s motivations and desires, we are led to repent more deeply and sincerely. As we repent, hypocrisy fades and we find our desires, thoughts, actions, and words more aligned and ourselves living a life with an eye more single to the glory of God (Matthew 6:22.) We will better “follow the Son, with full purpose of heart, acting no hypocrisy and no deception before God, but with real intent…” (2 Nephi 31:13.) This naturally draws us closer to God.

Pattern 2 - After rebuking Laman and Lemuel the angel commands, “Behold ye shall go up to Jerusalem again, and the Lord will deliver Laban into your hands” (1 Nephi 3:29.) “...after the angel had departed, Laman and Lemuel again began to murmur.” Well, at least they are consistent. Once again, their willful ignorance and doubt and their resulting murmuring nature emerge. The verbal expression of their murmuring puts an exclamation point after Nephi’s explanation that they murmured “because they knew not the dealings of that God who had created them” (1 Nephi 2:12.) They had just been face to face with an angel of God whose presence seems to have been effective enough to have caused them to stop beating Sam and Nephi by doing nothing more than appearing, asking two questions, and telling them to return to Jerusalem. Now they are asking, ”How is it possible that the Lord will deliver Laban into our hands? Behold, he is a mighty man, and he can command fifty, yea, even he can slay fifty; then why not us?” (1 Nephi 3:31.)

I am still startled by Laman’s and Lemuel’s questions even after over 50 years of studying the Book of Mormon. Clearly, Laman and Lemuel did not “know the dealings of that God who had created them.” To question God’s ability to deal with a mere local Laban shows the depth of their ignorance of the Divine power.

Another pattern emerges when we generalize these questions:

How is it possible that the Lord will...?

(pick a name) is a mighty man/woman/organization/group/community/country..., and...can command/kill/harm/damage (pick a number); then why not us?

I have long thought that these are likely the dumbest questions in all of Holy Writ. Think about it--How is it possible that the Lord--the omnipotent, omniscient, omnipresent, creator God of the universe...will (fill in the blank)? Why such a question? Because (pick a name) is a mighty person/organization/community/team/country...which can command/kill/harm/damage (pick a number)…then why not us?” Such questions confirm we “know not the dealings of that God who created” us—you and me and everyone else that ever has, does, and will live on the earth.

Pattern 3 - In contrast to Laman’s and Lemuel’s discouraging doubt, Nephi responds with his confident and encouraging faith through an invitation followed by questions, “Let us go up again unto Jerusalem, and let us be faithful in keeping the commandments of the Lord.” Why is he able to be so confident and encouraging? Because of what he had come to know about the dealings of God with his children. He declares to his brothers,  “for behold [God] is mightier than all the earth.” Which leads to the question, “then why not mightier than Laban and his fifty, yea, or even than his tens of thousands?” In support of his question his invitation includes a reminder of House of Israel history that was and is taught to every child of Israelite descent, “Therefore let us go up; let us be strong like unto Moses; for he truly spake unto the waters of the Red Sea and they divided hither and thither, and our fathers came through, out of captivity, on dry ground, and the armies of Pharaoh did follow and were drowned in the waters of the Red Sea.” If God had destroyed the entire Egyptian army, why all the concern over a mere local Laban?

Nephi then provides an inspired pattern for all. He reminds Laman and Lemuel of what they know, “ye know that this is true; and ye also know that an angel hath spoken unto you.” Nephi is reminding his brothers of what they had likely been taught their entire lives about the liberation of Israel from Egypt by the Lord. Lest they were doubting what they had been taught throughout their lives, he points out their own experience with the miraculous—they had just seen an angel of God. This is a magnificent pattern for each of us to follow personally, and to do for others—remind ourselves of what we know rather than dwell on what we doubt.

Nephi asks the soul penetrating question for them and for us, “wherefore can ye doubt?” followed by the invitation to act, “Let us go up; the Lord is able to deliver us, even as our fathers, and to destroy Laban, even as the Egyptians.”

In other words, Nephi is asking his brothers, and all of us, with so much evidence as to the nature of God, his love, omnipotence, omniscience, and so many other perfections, how is it we doubt? Interestingly, we learn what sometimes happens in response to such inspired questions and invitations between a believer and non-believer. When Nephi had spoken these words, Laman and Lemuel “were yet wroth, and did still continue to murmur; nevertheless they did follow [Nephi] up until [they] came without the walls of Jerusalem.” The latter-day disciple may well find themselves leading the angry and murmuring crowd to obey divine decrees. Such opposition should be evidence of doing good. We should remember those in the great and spacious building were not cheering on the believers, but were mocking them while apparently watching intently as they partook of the love of God.

The generalized form of Nephi’s last two questions might be rendered as:

The Lord is mightier than all the earth, then why not mightier than (__________)?

Ye know that (___________) is true, wherefore can ye doubt?”

Such questions help us to measure and focus our faith. The questions border on being rhetorical as the answers are obvious. What they measure is our own faith, not God’s character and capacity.

Conclusion

Now to the question of how these precept patterns help us “grow closer to God” as promised by Brother Joseph (see Book of Mormon, Introduction.) The patterns that are revealed in these first questions of the Book of Mormon serve as both invitations and warnings.

We should expect at times to be asked through messengers and by the Spirit challenging questions. These experiences of inspired inquiry strike at the soul of discipleship. When sincerely and earnestly asked and answered, these questions cause us to plumb the depths of our discipleship. However, we need not wait to be asked such questions by God or his messengers, we can proactively ask such questions of ourselves.

My experience is when I honestly ask such questions the Lord is generous in helping me answer. Typically, these answers seem to include invitations to act, often in the form of repentance—changing my view of God, myself, or the world around me (see Bible Dictionary, Repentance.) Sometimes they serve as stern warnings. When I choose to ask and answer such questions of myself with God’s help, and then act upon what I learn, my discipleship deepens, my reverence for God increases, and I find myself enjoying increased love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith...just like the Apostle Paul promised (Galatians 5:22.)

When we find ourselves asking “how is it possible…” questions in response to the ”why do ye…” and “know ye not” questions we should be deeply concerned. Such questions are evidence of our not really knowing the workings of God and suggest the need for sincere repentance. The antidote to such questions is to ask The Lord is mightier than all the earth, then why not mightier than (__________)? And, Ye know that (___________) is true, wherefore can ye doubt?” The questions asked by the angel and Nephi show us how to deal with the questions of doubt offered by Laman and Lemuel. When we ask ourselves the questions asked by the angel and Nephi we draw closer to God. When we ask those asked by Laman and Lemuel we push God away.

Book of Mormon Questions - Overview

During my professional life I have spent a significant amount of time involved in higher education. Early in my career I had the good fortune to be a professor and also served as vice president reporting to the president at three different large universities. I was also a guest lecturer and speaker at several other universities, conferences, and symposia around the world.

Throughout these periods of work in higher education I spent a great deal of time working with some of the brightest people on the face of the earth. In universities, life revolves around questions. Questions are at the heart of learning, whether you are a brand new freshman taking your first class in physical sciences, history, music, or economics, or you are a Nobel Laureate seeking to answer some of the hardest questions facing mankind. In secular matters the quality of one’s learning is a function of the questions we are willing to ask and answer. I am finding the same is true in spiritual matters.

During this university life I learned that I could quickly identify the best learners by the questions they would ask. The more insightful, honest, and relevant the question, the more likely they were to prove to be a great learner. It was simply exhilarating to watch learners begin to ask great questions that would ignite sincere inquiry and a passion for learning. At the same time it was humbling to watch great and seasoned scholars identify and wrestle with great and challenging questions. It was disappointing, and sometimes aggravating, to watch any learner stifle their own learning by resisting the asking of important questions of themselves or others. I have seen these same behaviors in the lives of new and seasoned disciples. Their progress is a function of their willingness to ask great questions of themselves, others, and most importantly, God. The Book of Mormon is a marvelous guide for any disciple, newly on the covenant path or long-seasoned, to learn how to ask great questions and thereby move themselves along the covenant path.

The Book of Mormon provides a marvelous illustration of this principle of questions being an indication of the sincerity of the disciple in the interaction between Alma, Amulek, and Zeezrom. Alma had been sent to Ammonihah to call the people to repentance. Amulek had provided a second witness to Alma’s and in the process Zeezrom had attempted to “catch them in their words, that they might find witness against them, that they might deliver them to their judges that they might be judged according to the law, and that they might be slain or cast into prison, according to the crime which they could make appear or witness against them.” Soon, Alma saw “that the words of Amulek had silenced Zeezrom, for he [Zeezrom] beheld that Amulek had caught him [Zeezrom] in his lying and deceiving to destroy him [Amulek], and seeing that he [Zeezrom] began to tremble under a consciousness of his guilt" Alma began to speak.

Alma then explicitly exposed Zeezrom’s intent and plans. As a result, “when Alma had spoken these words, Zeezrom began to tremble more exceedingly, for he was convinced more and more of the power of God” and that God had shared with Alma and Amulek the thoughts and intents of Zeezrom. At this point a great pivot is manifest. “Zeezrom began to inquire of them diligently, that he might know more concerning the kingdom of God.” To his credit, Zeezrom accepted the call to repentance, even though it resulted in a very “sore repentance” (Alma 10-12, 15.)

I am finding the same is true in modern discipleship. The quality of our discipleship is often a function of the insight, honesty, and relevance of our questions. The more important and honest the question, the greater the depth and durability of our discipleship. The more trivial and insincere the questions, the less depth and durability of our discipleship. This principle has proven true in my own discipleship. The more sincerely I ask myself, others, and particularly God, important questions, the greater my progress along the covenant path leading to God. Often the answers to these questions result in my needing to make significant changes in my desires, thoughts, actions, and words. Whenever I have done so I have found myself drawing closer to God and experiencing greater peace and joy.

The great latter-day example of the importance of asking important and honest questions is the Prophet Joseph. He was spurred by a scripture that emphasizes the importance of asking great questions:

If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him. But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed (James 1:5-6.)

Acting in faith, Joseph asked God his questions. As a result, Joseph became an instrument in the hands of God to usher in the last dispensation and is the example of learning to asking important and honest questions. Such is the promise to any of us, if we will ask important and honest questions.

No book has been more valuable to me as a disciple of Christ than the Book of Mormon in getting nearer to God in large part because of the questions it contains. They have served as a bit of a primer from which I continue to learn. As with parables, the more sincere and determined my study of questions, the greater the insight into how I can align my desires, thoughts, actions, and words with God, and thereby "get nearer to God."

As a result, I feel it important to focus significant attention on the questions of the Book of Mormon. My purpose is not to attempt to answer the questions, but to hopefully help the sincere disciple see the importance of asking oneself, others, and God great questions. The real and most important answers will come directly to the individual disciple through sincere study and faith (D&C 88:118.)

The questions found in the Book of Mormon range from the first question, asked by angel of the abusive and myopic Laman and Lemuel, “Why do ye smite your younger brother with a rod?” followed immediately by “Know ye not that the Lord hath chosen him to be a ruler over you, and this because of your iniquities?” (1 Nephi 3:29), to the universal, penetrating, and concluding question Moroni prophesied will be asked of every Book of Mormon reader by the Lord himself at the judgment day, “Did I not declare my words unto you, which were written by this man, like as one crying from the dead, yea, even as one speaking out of the dust?” (Moroni 10:27.) From these book end questions alone we immediately see the intensely personal nature of the questions found in the Book of Mormon. The many other questions found between these bookend questions are equally personal and intense. My experience is if we allow these questions to “work in [us]” (Alma 32:27), and on us, they will help strengthen our desire to give place for a portion of God’s words.

Sometimes the questions of The Book of Mormon are far and few between, as during the accounts of the many wars of the Nephites during the latter half of the book of Alma, or Ether’s account of the destruction of the Jaredites. In contrast, we have question packed Alma 5 which serves as one of the most soul stirring and stretching chapters in all of holy writ because of the rapid fire and intensely personal nature of the questions. My experience is it is impossible to hide the heart when such questions are sincerely asked of oneself.

Most of the remaining entries in this blog will explore the context, nature, purpose, and applicability of the questions found throughout the Book of Mormon that expose both the depth of discipleship or rebelliousness of God’s children. Each question has the potential to stir our souls to act, and not be acted upon (2 Nephi 2:26). Hopefully, these writings to follow about questions will serve to emphasize how “a man would get nearer to God by abiding by [The Book of Mormon’s] precepts, than by any other book.”

Thou hast declared unto us hard things

This writing is focused on the precept found in Nephi’s response to Laman and Lemuel following their question and answer session described in 1 Nephi 15. Laman’s and Lemuel’s response to Nephi’s answers was simply tragic, “Thou hast declared unto us hard things, more than we are able to bear” (1 Nephi 16:1). Nephi’s response is part of a larger Book of Mormon message about truth and hearts, “I knew that I had spoken hard things against the wicked, according to the truth.” However, Nephi explains that “the righteous [he had] justified, and testified that they should be lifted up at the last day” (1 Nephi 16:2).

The Book of Mormon offers some perspective on the important precept of “hard things” being said and received. For example, toward the end of his life Nephi noted that “there are many that harden their hearts against the Holy Spirit, that it hath no place in them; wherefore, they cast many things away which are written and esteem them as things of naught” (2 Nephi 33:2). In other words, hard hearts make the things of God hard to understand and apply for the hard hearted. Indeed, God’s truth “speaketh harshly against sin, according to the plainness of the truth; wherefore, no man will be angry at the words which I have written save he shall be of the spirit of the devil” (2 Nephi 33:5).

Hard heartedness will be particularly acute in the latter-days when the rebellious “will not hear the law of the Lord.” Instead, they will “say to the seers, See not; and to the prophets, Prophesy not unto us right things, speak unto us smooth things, prophesy deceits.” In a further demonstration of their hard heartedness, they will even tell God’s prophets to “get you out of the way, turn aside out of the path, cause the Holy One of Israel to cease from before us” (Isaiah 30:8-13). Prophets can be so annoying when they are so plain spoken about our efforts to blaze our own path through life. An astonishing display of hard hearted arrogance! Lest we think membership in Christ’s latter-day church immunes us from such hard heartedness toward His prophets, soberingly, Nephi was shown in vision that in the latter-days “the house of Israel” would be “gathered together to fight against the twelve apostles of the Lamb” (1 Nephi 11:35).

Interestingly, Enos, Nephi’s nephew, observed that “nothing short of...exceedingly great plainness of speech,” which included “exceeding harshness, preaching and prophesying of wars, and contentions, and destructions, and continually reminding” his people “of death, and the duration of eternity, and the judgments and the power of God, and all these things—stirring them up continually to keep them in the fear of the Lord...would keep them from going down speedily to destruction” (Enos 1:23). A sad commentary on the nature of the hard hearted natural man.

Additionally, while describing King Benjamin’s early days as king, Mormon notes that he and those who served with him “did use much sharpness because of the stiffneckedness of the people” (Words of Mormon 1:17). It would appear that the Book of Mormon antidote to stiffneckedness—another Book of Mormon word for hard heartedness or pride—is sharpness, meaning precision. No wonder the people plead for prophets to speak smooth things, because sharp things cut so deep when a heart is so hard. Indeed, as Nephi explains to Laman and Lemuel, “the guilty taketh the truth to be hard, for it cutteth them to the very center.”

Contrariwise, a positive example of someone accepting hard words, even when undeserved, is that of Pahoran when undeservedly rebuked by Captain Moroni as described in Alma 59-61. Captain Moroni saw the Nephite army being weakened by the government not providing any reinforcements or provisions to sustain them. In anger, he wrote a stinging letter of censure to the Chief Judge Pahoran accusing him of not doing his job and threatening to gather an army to remove him from office. To this factually unjustified rebuke and threat, Pahoran responded with the following meek reply, “you have censured me, but it mattereth not; I am not angry, but do rejoice in the greatness of your heart” (Alma 61:9). The chief civil authority dealt with an ill informed and threatening military officer without anger. He not only was not angry, he rejoiced in the greatness of Moroni’s heart. What a contrast to Laman and Lemuel.

The reality is, when we choose to be faithful, “it is as easy to give heed to the word of Christ, which will point to [us] a straight course to eternal bliss, as it was for [Nephi and Lehi] to give heed to [the Liahona], which would point unto [us] a straight course to the promised land” (Alma 37:44).

In summary, Nephi provides one of the most concise and powerful statements of the nature of the true disciple that exists in scripture. As a student of logic, 1 Nephi 16:3 is simply elegant, inspired reasoning. It might be helpful for those untrained in logic to see the verse presented in a common logic structure:

If 

ye were

righteous

and 

willing to hearken to the truth

and 

give heed unto it

that 

ye might walk uprightly before God

then 

ye would not

murmur because of the truth

and 

say: Thou speakest hard things against us.

Nephi’s summary is as incredibly elegant and succinct logic as it is true. The Lord provides a wonderful definition of what it means to “walk uprightly before God” while instructing the Prophet Joseph. In what some might consider hard language, the Lord commands Joseph “to repent and walk more uprightly before me.” He then, with sharpness (precision) adds, “and to yield to the persuasions of men no more” (D&C 5:21). Joseph was yielding to the persuasions of men rather than the revelations from God. 1 Nephi 16:3 contrasts divine logic with the logic of men. At the heart of discipleship is a willingness to hearken to (accept) God’s word and give heed to (apply) it and to not yield to the “persuasions of men.” This is actually a test of whether or not we are hard hearted—choosing the persuasions of men over the word of God, which can sometimes be hard or sharp, particularly when we need it most.

Nephi is offering a complementary teaching to the Apostle Paul:

For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any two edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart (Hebrews 4:12)

The word of God’s precision (sharpness) helps us discern our own thoughts and intents of our hearts. If we reject the word our hearts are hard. Furthermore, accepting and applying God’s truth is the great antidote to murmuring. As noted in another writing (http://www.themostcorrectbook.org/2017/07/murmuring.html):

Murmuring is a slippery spiritual slope that all too often leads to mocking, anger, and even violence against, prophets and believers alike. The antidote to murmuring is submissiveness, seeking to know the dealings of God with his children at large and with us personally. Seeking God softens our hearts towards his prophets and believers when we seek after him. We will see this contrast illustrated again between Nephi and Laman and Lemuel later (1 Nephi 15:1-9) and throughout the rest of The Book of Mormon. The fundamental issue with murmuring is that, left unchecked, murmuring goes well beyond the dictionary definition of “a subdued or private expression of discontent or dissatisfaction” and becomes mocking, anger, or violence toward God and his servants and disciples at large.

Like his father (see 1 Nephi 8:37), Nephi “did exhort [his] brethren, with all diligence, to keep the commandments of the Lord.” In what proved to be a momentary display of submissiveness, Laman and Lemuel “did humble themselves before the Lord.” Ever hopeful, Nephi “had joy and great hopes of them, that they would walk in the paths of righteousness” (1 Nephi 16:4-5). As we will see, the humility was transitory and they soon returned to their hard heartedness.

The precept to be derived from this is that inspired teachers are often required to speak “hard things” (see Jacob 2:6-11 as an example). For the disciple the choice is rather straightforward—will we harden our hearts and choose to be offended by the word of God and view it as “more than we are able to bear,” or will we soften our hearts and choose to welcome the instruction and apply it. Interestingly, for those with hearts to receive, “hard things” means the instruction is durable and dependable. Its effect is to strengthen the heart to trust in God rather than harden the heart and trust in self.