1 Nephi Chapter 15 - May 15, 2017

[pam]

Discuss

[Sunday21]

This chapter has some issues that I am not sure I am grasping:

L&L tell Nephi that they have not prayed about Lehi's dream because God does not speak to them. Nephi criticizes L&L for not obeying the commandments. The institute manual interpretation is that L&L did not pray hard enough or perhaps at all. This is a good lesson not to give up when your prayers are not answered. But also remembering Paul and his ongoing trial that he begged God to take away, sometimes you have to live with your problems.

Also this chapter refers to the gentiles who helped the Jews to be grafted onto the tree. I never know who is classified as a Jew or a gentile in the Book of Mormon. Maybe a future addition will have footnotes for this? Is Nephi is considered a Jew because, correct me if I am wrong, but I don't think Israel has broken into tribes at this point? Consequently Nephi, who I think is from the tribe of Menaseh, is considered a Jew in this context? By this reasoning all 12 tribes are considered Jews at this point? Do you agree?

Who are gentiles in this context? Are we considering the future Ephramities, by which I mean christians, as gentiles in this context? Or perhaps in this case, gentiles are lds people? My interpretation is that in the future the tribe of Judah and the descendents of the native people of the Americas will receive the gospel from lds missionaries? What do you think? Alternatively, modern Christians will help the tribe of Judah to resettle in Israel?

The tree in this chapter is the House of Israel. The tree is unhealthy because the tribe of Judah, in Nephi's time and in the future, do not follow the commandments. So God grafts in wild branches. Does this grafting refer to the restoration of the gospel, that is the the establishment of the lds church? What do you think?

Had a funny thought, as a teenager I loved crime fiction from the 30s & 40s eg agatha Christie. Clues were sometimes inserted into books of old sermons by bad guys (eg The finger writes). The bad guys quite sensibly decided that no one would ever read a book of sermons. Well here I am spending countless hours pouring over sermons (general conference) and other religious material!

Edited May 17, 2017 by Sunday21

[pam]

@Sunday21  If I remember correctly, I think Jacob helps to clear up some of what you are confused about.  I have the same problem.

[pam]

My favorite scripture of all is in this chapter.   Verse 8:  And I said unto them:  Have ye inquired of the Lord?

I have always felt that this scripture was so simple yet so powerful at the same time.

Bruce R. McConkie (found in the BofM institute manual) explains Jews and Gentiles a bit:

Quote

We frequently read about the Jews and Gentiles in the Book of Mormon. Sometimes it is difficult to understand whom the text is speaking to. Elder Bruce R. McConkie of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles provided help with this challenge: “Both Lehi and Nephi divide all men into two camps, Jews and Gentiles. The Jews were either the nationals of the kingdom of Judah or their descendants; all others were considered to be Gentiles. Thus, we are the Gentiles of whom this scripture speaks; we are the ones who have received the fulness of the gospel; and we shall take it to the Lamanites, who are Jews, because their fathers came from Jerusalem and from the kingdom of Judah” (A New Witness for the Articles of Faith [1985], 556).

What I also get from this chapter is that the time of repentance is now.  It is mentioned that there will be those who die in their wickedness.  We must repent now as we won't have that opportunity in the next life.

In Spencer W. Kimball's book "The Miracle of Forgiveness" is states:

Quote

 

"In an interview with a young man in Mesa, Arizona, I found him only a little sorry he had committed adultery but not sure that he wanted to cleanse himself. After long deliberations in which I seemed to make little headway against his rebellious spirit, I finally said, 'Goodbye, Bill, but I warn you, don't break a speed limit, be careful what you eat, take no chances on your life. Be careful in traffic for you must not die before this matter is cleared up. Don't you dare to die.' I quoted this scripture:

"Wherefore, if they should die in their wickedness they must be cast off also, as to the things which are spiritual, which are pertaining to righteousness; wherefore, they must be brought to stand before God, to be judged of their works.

. . . And there cannot any unclean thing enter into the kingdom of God; wherefore there must needs be a place of filthiness prepared for that which is filthy. (1 Ne. 15:33-34.)

"A slow death has its advantages over the sudden demise. The cancer victim who is head of a family, for instance, should use his time to be an advisor to those who will survive him. The period of inactivity after a patient learns there is no hope for his life can be a period of great productivity. How much more true this is of one who has been involved in deliberate sin! He must not die until he has made his peace with God. He must be careful and not have an accident." (Miracle of Forgiveness, pp.145-6)