"I Know in Whom I Have Trusted"
PURPOSE:
To strengthen testimonies of the Prophet Joseph Smith and to encourage finding happiness through trusting in the Lord and keeping His commandments.
A. 2 NEPHI 3. Lehi teaches his son Joseph about the ancient prophet Joseph, who prophesied of Joseph Smith. Lehi teaches Joseph that their descendants will be blessed through the Prophet Joseph Smith and the Book of Mormon.
B. 2 NEPHI 4. Lehi dies after giving his final counsel to his children and grandchildren. Nephi laments his own sinfulness but glories in God's goodness.
C. 2 NEPHI 5. The anger of Laman and Lemuel increases against Nephi. The followers of Nephi obey the Lord's command to separate from the followers of Laman. The Nephites live "after the manner of happiness," and the Lamanites are cursed for their wickedness.
There are four men mentioned in 2 Nephi 3 who have the same name.
A. Joseph, last-born son of Lehi and Sariah (2 Nephi 3:1-3)
B. Joseph of Egypt (2 Nephi 3:4-5)
C. Joseph Smith Jr. (2 Nephi 3:6-15)
D. Joseph Smith Sr. (2 Nephi 3:15)
1. LEHI TEACHES THAT HIS DESCENDANTS WILL BE BLESSED THROUGH THE PROPHET JOSEPH SMITH AND THE BOOK OF MORMON
2 NEPHI 3
2 NEPHI 3:4
4 For behold, thou art the fruit of my loins; and I am a descendant of aJoseph who was carried bcaptive into Egypt. And great were the ccovenants of the Lord which he made unto Joseph
GENESIS 30:22-24
22 ¶And God aremembered Rachel, and God hearkened to her, and opened her womb.
GENESIS 37: 1-3, 23-28
2 These are the agenerations of Jacob. bJoseph, being seventeen years old, was feeding the flock with his brethren; and the lad was with the sons of Bilhah, and with the sons of Zilpah, his father’s wives: and Joseph brought unto his father their evil report.
3 Now Israel loved aJoseph more than all his children, because he was the son of his old age: and he made him a bcoat of many ccolours.
23 ¶And it came to pass, when Joseph was come unto his brethren, that they stript Joseph out of his acoat, his coat of many colours that was on him;
25 And
they sat down to eat bread: and they lifted up their eyes and looked,
and, behold, a company of Ishmeelites came from Gilead with their camels
bearing spicery and balm and myrrh, going to carry it down to Egypt.
26 And Judah said unto his brethren, What profit is it if we slay our brother, and conceal his blood?
27 Come, and let us sell him to the Ishmeelites, and let not our hand be upon him; for he is our brother and our flesh. And his brethren awere content.
28 Then there passed by Midianites merchantmen; and they drew and lifted up Joseph out of the pit, and sold Joseph to the aIshmeelites for twenty pieces of silver: and they brought Joseph into Egypt.
2 NEPHI 3:4-5
4 For behold, thou art the fruit of my loins; and I am a descendant of aJoseph who was carried bcaptive into Egypt. And great were the ccovenants of the Lord which he made unto Joseph.
5 Wherefore, Joseph truly asaw our day. And he obtained a bpromise of the Lord, that out of the fruit of his loins the Lord God would raise up a crighteous dbranch
unto the house of Israel; not the Messiah, but a branch which was to be
broken off, nevertheless, to be remembered in the covenants of the Lord
that the Messiah should be made emanifest unto them in the latter days, in the spirit of power, unto the bringing of them out of fdarkness unto light—yea, out of hidden darkness and out of captivity unto freedom.
JACOB 2:25
25 Wherefore,
thus saith the Lord, I have led this people forth out of the land of
Jerusalem, by the power of mine arm, that I might raise up unto me a
righteous branch from the fruit of the loins of Joseph.
GENESIS 45:7
7 And God sent me before you to apreserve you a bposterity in the earth, and to save your lives by a great deliverance.
2 NEPHI 3: 6-15
6 For Joseph truly testified, saying: A aseer shall the Lord my God raise up, who shall be a choice seer unto the fruit of my bloins.
7 Yea, Joseph truly said: Thus saith the Lord unto me: A choice aseer will I braise
up out of the fruit of thy loins; and he shall be esteemed highly among
the fruit of thy loins. And unto him will I give commandment that he
shall do a work for the fruit of thy loins, his brethren, which shall be
of great worth unto them, even to the bringing of them to the cknowledge of the covenants which I have made with thy fathers.
8 And I will give unto him a commandment that he shall do anone other work, save the work which I shall command him. And I will make him great in mine eyes; for he shall do my work.
9 And he shall be great like unto aMoses, whom I have said I would raise up unto you, to bdeliver my cpeople, O house of Israel.
11 But a aseer will I raise up out of the fruit of thy loins; and unto him will I give bpower to cbring
forth my word unto the seed of thy loins—and not to the bringing forth
my word only, saith the Lord, but to the convincing them of my word,
which shall have already gone forth among them.
12 Wherefore, the fruit of thy loins shall awrite; and the fruit of the loins of bJudah shall cwrite;
and that which shall be written by the fruit of thy loins, and also
that which shall be written by the fruit of the loins of Judah, shall
grow together, unto the dconfounding of efalse doctrines and laying down of contentions, and establishing fpeace among the fruit of thy loins, and gbringing them to the hknowledge of their fathers in the latter days, and also to the knowledge of my covenants, saith the Lord.
13 And
out of weakness he shall be made strong, in that day when my work shall
commence among all my people, unto the restoring thee, O house of
Israel, saith the Lord.
14 And
thus prophesied Joseph, saying: Behold, that seer will the Lord bless;
and they that seek to destroy him shall be confounded; for this promise,
which I have obtained of the Lord, of the fruit of my loins, shall be
fulfilled. Behold, I am sure of the fulfilling of this promise;
15 And his aname shall be called after me; and it shall be after the bname of his father. And he shall be clike unto me; for the thing, which the Lord shall bring forth by his hand, by the power of the Lord shall bring dmy people unto esalvation.
2 NEPHI 3:11
11 But a aseer will I raise up out of the fruit of thy loins; and unto him will I give bpower to cbring
forth my word unto the seed of thy loins—and not to the bringing forth
my word only, saith the Lord, but to the convincing them of my word,
which shall have already gone forth among them.
How have you been blessed because of the word of God brought forth by Joseph Smith?
Elder LeGrand Richards said: "The Prophet Joseph Smith brought us the Book of Mormon, the Doctrine and Covenants, the Pearl of Great Price, and many other writings. As far as our records show, he has given us more revealed truth than any prophet who has ever lived upon the face of the earth" (in Conference Report, Apr. 1981, 43; or Ensign, May 1981, 33).
Please leave thoughts in a comment to the post
The Lord told Joseph of Egypt about the Bible, which would contain words written by descendants of Judah, and the Book of Mormon, which would contain words written by descendants of Joseph.
2 NEPHI 3:12
12 Wherefore, the fruit of thy loins shall awrite; and the fruit of the loins of bJudah shall cwrite;
and that which shall be written by the fruit of thy loins, and also
that which shall be written by the fruit of the loins of Judah, shall
grow together, unto the dconfounding of efalse doctrines and laying down of contentions, and establishing fpeace among the fruit of thy loins, and gbringing them to the hknowledge of their fathers in the latter days, and also to the knowledge of my covenants, saith the Lord.
How have the Bible and the Book of Mormon "grow[n] together"?
The Bible and Book of Mormon can be used to support each other and support the gospel taught in each record and clarifies previously unclear doctrines.
What blessings did the Lord say would come because the Bible and the Book of Mormon would "grow together"?
2 NEPHI 3:12 (See Above)
1. They will confound false doctrine
2. They will establish peace among their descendants
3. They will bring back the knowledge of their fathers to their descendants along with covenants of the Lord.
The Lord promised that "a righteous branch" of the descendants of Joseph of Egypt would be "broken off" but would be "remembered in the covenants of the Lord".
2 NEPHI 3:5
5 Wherefore, Joseph truly asaw our day. And he obtained a bpromise of the Lord, that out of the fruit of his loins the Lord God would raise up a crighteous dbranch
unto the house of Israel; not the Messiah, but a branch which was to be
broken off, nevertheless, to be remembered in the covenants of the Lord
that the Messiah should be made emanifest unto them in the latter days, in the spirit of power, unto the bringing of them out of fdarkness unto light—yea, out of hidden darkness and out of captivity unto freedom.
2 NEPHI 3: 12-13, 18-21
12 Wherefore, the fruit of thy loins shall awrite; and the fruit of the loins of bJudah shall cwrite;
and that which shall be written by the fruit of thy loins, and also
that which shall be written by the fruit of the loins of Judah, shall
grow together, unto the dconfounding of efalse doctrines and laying down of contentions, and establishing fpeace among the fruit of thy loins, and gbringing them to the hknowledge of their fathers in the latter days, and also to the knowledge of my covenants, saith the Lord.
13 And
out of weakness he shall be made strong, in that day when my work shall
commence among all my people, unto the restoring thee, O house of
Israel, saith the Lord.
18 And
the Lord said unto me also: I will raise up unto the fruit of thy
loins; and I will make for him a spokesman. And I, behold, I will give
unto him that he shall write the writing of the fruit of thy loins, unto
the fruit of thy loins; and the spokesman of thy loins shall declare
it.
19 And the words which he shall write shall be the words which are expedient in my wisdom should go forth unto the afruit of thy loins. And it shall be as if the fruit of thy loins had cried unto them bfrom the dust; for I know their faith.
20 And they shall acry from the bdust;
yea, even repentance unto their brethren, even after many generations
have gone by them. And it shall come to pass that their cry shall go,
even according to the simpleness of their words.
21 Because of their faith their awords
shall proceed forth out of my mouth unto their brethren who are the
fruit of thy loins; and the weakness of their words will I make strong
in their faith, unto the remembering of my covenant which I made unto
thy fathers.
2 NEPHI 30: 3-6
3 And
now, I would prophesy somewhat more concerning the Jews and the
Gentiles. For after the book of which I have spoken shall come forth,
and be written unto the Gentiles, and sealed up again unto the Lord,
there shall be many which shall abelieve the words which are written; and bthey shall carry them forth unto the cremnant of our seed.
4 And
then shall the remnant of our seed know concerning us, how that we came
out from Jerusalem, and that they are descendants of the Jews.
5 And the gospel of Jesus Christ shall be declared among athem; wherefore, bthey shall be restored unto the cknowledge of their fathers, and also to the knowledge of Jesus Christ, which was had among their fathers.
6 And then shall they rejoice; for they shall aknow that it is a blessing unto them from the hand of God; and their bscales
of darkness shall begin to fall from their eyes; and many generations
shall not pass away among them, save they shall be a pure and a cdelightsome people.
How is this promise being fulfilled today?
How does the Book of Mormon help you remember and keep your covenants with the Lord?
What connects Joseph of Egypt, Lehi's son Joseph, and Joseph Smith, in addition to their name?
2 NEPHI 3: 4-7, 11-12, 18-21 (See Above)
1.lineage
2. covenants
3. The Book of Mormon.
2. NEPHI LAMENTS HIS SINFULNESS BUT GLORIES IN THE GOODNESS OF GOD
2 NEPHI 4
2 NEPHI 4: 3-12
3 Wherefore, after my father had made an end of speaking concerning the prophecies of Joseph, he called the children of Laman, his sons, and his daughters, and said unto them: Behold, my sons, and my daughters, who are the sons and the daughters of my afirst-born, I would that ye should give ear unto my words.
4 For the Lord God hath said that: aInasmuch
as ye shall keep my commandments ye shall prosper in the land; and
inasmuch as ye will not keep my commandments ye shall be cut off from my
presence.
5 But behold, my sons and my daughters, I cannot go down to my grave save I should leave a ablessing upon you; for behold, I know that if ye are bbrought up in the cway ye should go ye will not depart from it.
6 Wherefore, if ye are acursed, behold, I leave my blessing upon you, that the bcursing may be taken from you and be answered upon the cheads of your parents.
7 Wherefore, because of my blessing the Lord God will anot suffer that ye shall perish; wherefore, he will be bmerciful unto you and unto your seed forever.
8 And
it came to pass that after my father had made an end of speaking to the
sons and daughters of Laman, he caused the sons and daughters of Lemuel
to be brought before him.
9 And
he spake unto them, saying: Behold, my sons and my daughters, who are
the sons and the daughters of my second son; behold I leave unto you the
same blessing which I left unto the sons and daughters of Laman;
wherefore, thou shalt not utterly be destroyed; but in the end thy seed
shall be blessed.
10 And it came to pass that when my father had made an end of speaking unto them, behold, he spake unto the sons of aIshmael, yea, and even all his household.
11 And after he had made an end of speaking unto them, he spake unto Sam, saying: Blessed art thou, and thy aseed;
for thou shalt inherit the land like unto thy brother Nephi. And thy
seed shall be numbered with his seed; and thou shalt be even like unto
thy brother, and thy seed like unto his seed; and thou shalt be blessed
in all thy days.
12 And it came to pass after my father, Lehi, had aspoken unto all his household, according to the feelings of his heart and the Spirit of the Lord which was in him, he waxed bold. And it came to pass that he died, and was buried.
2 NEPHI 4:13
13 And it came to pass that not many days after his death, Laman and Lemuel and the sons of Ishmael were aangry with me because of the admonitions of the Lord.
As Nephi wrote of these continuing difficulties, he recorded his feelings in a passage that is sometimes called "the Psalm of Nephi." The Psalm of Nephi is a poem or hymn, much like our hymns today. What are some of your favorite hymns and why are they meaningful to you?
Please leave thoughts in a comment to the post
THE PSALM OF NEPHI
2 NEPHI 4:16-35
16 Behold, my asoul delighteth in the things of the Lord; and my bheart pondereth continually upon the things which I have seen and heard.
17 Nevertheless, notwithstanding the great agoodness of the Lord, in showing me his great and marvelous works, my heart exclaimeth: O bwretched man that I am! Yea, my heart csorroweth because of my flesh; my soul grieveth because of mine iniquities.
19 And when I desire to rejoice, my heart groaneth because of my sins; nevertheless, I know in whom I have atrusted.
20 My God hath been my asupport; he hath led me through mine bafflictions in the wilderness; and he hath preserved me upon the waters of the great deep.
23 Behold, he hath heard my cry by day, and he hath given me aknowledge by bvisions in the night-time.
24 And by day have I waxed bold in mighty aprayer before him; yea, my voice have I sent up on high; and angels came down and ministered unto me.
25 And upon the wings of his Spirit hath my body been acarried
away upon exceedingly high mountains. And mine eyes have beheld great
things, yea, even too great for man; therefore I was bidden that I
should not write them.
26 O then, if I have seen so great things, if the Lord in his condescension unto the children of men hath avisited men in so much bmercy, cwhy should my dheart weep and my soul linger in the valley of sorrow, and my flesh waste away, and my strength slacken, because of mine afflictions?
27 And why should I ayield to sin, because of my flesh? Yea, why should I give way to btemptations, that the evil one have place in my heart to destroy my cpeace and afflict my soul? Why am I dangry because of mine enemy?
28 Awake, my soul! No longer adroop in sin. Rejoice, O my heart, and give place no more for the benemy of my soul.
29 Do not aanger again because of mine enemies. Do not slacken my strength because of mine afflictions.
30 Rejoice, O my aheart, and cry unto the Lord, and say: O Lord, I will praise thee forever; yea, my soul will rejoice in thee, my God, and the brock of my salvation.
31 O Lord, wilt thou aredeem my soul? Wilt thou deliver me out of the hands of mine enemies? Wilt thou make me that I may shake at the appearance of bsin?
32 May the gates of hell be shut continually before me, because that my aheart is broken and my spirit is contrite! O Lord, wilt thou not shut the gates of thy righteousness before me, that I may bwalk in the path of the low valley, that I may be strict in the plain road!
33 O Lord, wilt thou encircle me around in the robe of thy arighteousness! O Lord, wilt thou make a way for mine escape before mine benemies!
Wilt thou make my path straight before me! Wilt thou not place a
stumbling block in my way—but that thou wouldst clear my way before me,
and hedge not up my way, but the ways of mine enemy.
34 O Lord, I have atrusted in thee, and I will btrust in thee forever. I will not put my ctrust in the arm of flesh; for I know that cursed is he that putteth his dtrust in the arm of flesh. Yea, cursed is he that putteth his trust in man or maketh flesh his arm.
35 Yea, I know that God will give aliberally to him that asketh. Yea, my God will give me, if I bask cnot amiss; therefore I will lift up my voice unto thee; yea, I will cry unto thee, my God, the drock of my erighteousness. Behold, my voice shall forever ascend up unto thee, my rock and mine everlasting God. Amen.
For a good examination of the psalm of NEPHI please click here.
Nephi said, "My soul delighteth in the things of the Lord; and my heart pondereth [them] continually" (2 Nephi 4:16) What specific things did Nephi delight in? (See 2 Nephi 4:15-16.)
2 NEPHI 4: 15-16
15 And upon athese I bwrite the things of my soul, and many of the scriptures which are engraven upon the plates of brass. For my soul cdelighteth in the scriptures, and my heart dpondereth them, and writeth them for the elearning and the profit of my children.
16 Behold, my asoul delighteth in the things of the Lord; and my bheart pondereth continually upon the things which I have seen and heard.
What does it mean to ponder?
To meditate and think deeply, often upon the scriptures or other things of God. When combined with prayer, pondering the things of God may bring revelation and understanding.
What can we do to make time to ponder the things of the Lord?
Please leave thoughts in a comment to the post
How can pondering the things of the Lord help us?
Please leave thoughts in a comment to the post
What words would you use to describe Nephi?
1. Righteous
2. Obedient
3. Humble
4. Simple, straight forward
Why would Nephi say that he was a "wretched man" whose "soul grieveth because of [his] iniquities"?
2 NEPHI 4: 17, 27
17 Nevertheless, notwithstanding the great agoodness of the Lord, in showing me his great and marvelous works, my heart exclaimeth: O bwretched man that I am! Yea, my heart csorroweth because of my flesh; my soul grieveth because of mine iniquities.
27 And why should I ayield to sin, because of my flesh? Yea, why should I give way to btemptations, that the evil one have place in my heart to destroy my cpeace and afflict my soul? Why am I dangry because of mine enemy?
Complaint: 2 Nephi 4:17–19
The complaint portion of an individual lament generally follows the
invocation and is where the supplicant describes his woes to the Lord.
Typically the poet laments some tragedy or malady and describes its ill
effects. Suffering described in laments can include many types of
physical and emotional distress.
Nephi's sorrow expressed in this complaint centers around his sorrow
for sin. Westermann identifies the confession of sins as one of the
three main subclasses of individual laments, stressing that they
constitute a distinct and important subclass, although relatively few
are present in the Psalter (only seven).12
Psalms containing the confession of sins have become known collectively
as the penitential psalms and have played an important role in many
Christian denominations (see Psalms 6, 32, 38, 51, 69, 102, 130).
Nephi's psalm offers the same hope and inspiration to its readers as the
classic penitential psalms and can be added to their circle as an
eighth psalmic support for the repentant sinner. Compare Nephi's
complaint with that described in a penitential psalm, Psalm 6.
| Psalm 6 | 2 Nephi 4 |
| 6 I am weary with my groaning; all the night make I my bed to swim; I water my couch with my tears. 7 Mine eye is consumed because of grief. |
17 O wretched man that I am! Yea, my heart sorroweth because of my flesh; my soul grieveth because of mine iniquities. . . . 19 And when I desire to rejoice, my heart groaneth because of my sins. |
(taken from: http://maxwellinstitute.byu.edu/publications/jbms/?vol=6&num=2&id=145)
Why is it important to recognize our fallen nature before God?
President Ezra Taft Benson said: "Just as a man does not really desire food until he is hungry, so he does not desire the salvation of Christ until he knows why he needs Christ. No one adequately and properly knows why he needs Christ until he understands and accepts the doctrine of the Fall and its effect upon all mankind" (in Conference Report, Apr. 1987, 106; or Ensign, May 1987, 85).
How did Nephi find hope despite feeling "encompassed about" by temptation and sin?
2 Nephi 4:18-19
19 And when I desire to rejoice, my heart groaneth because of my sins; nevertheless, I know in
whom I have atrusted.
whom I have atrusted.
How had the Lord helped Nephi in the past?
2 NEPHI 4: 20-25
20 My God hath been my asupport; he hath led me through mine bafflictions in the wilderness; and he hath preserved me upon the waters of the great deep.
23 Behold, he hath heard my cry by day, and he hath given me aknowledge by bvisions in the night-time.
24 And by day have I waxed bold in mighty aprayer before him; yea, my voice have I sent up on high; and angels came down and ministered unto me.
25 And upon the wings of his Spirit hath my body been acarried
away upon exceedingly high mountains. And mine eyes have beheld great
things, yea, even too great for man; therefore I was bidden that I
should not write them.
The Lord had:
A. Been Nephi's support (2 Nephi 4:20).
B. Led Nephi through afflictions in the wilderness (2 Nephi 4:20).
C. Filled him with His love (2 Nephi 4:21).
D. Confounded his enemies (2 Nephi 4:22).
E. Heard his cry (2 Nephi 4:23).
F. Given him knowledge by visions (2 Nephi 4:23).
When have you received similar blessings from the Lord?
How can remembering blessings you have received in the past help you through difficult times?
Nephi asked himself why he yielded to sorrow and sin in spite of the things that he had seen and the things that he knew.
2 NEPHI 4: 26-27
26 O then, if I have seen so great things, if the Lord in his condescension unto the children of men hath avisited men in so much bmercy, cwhy should my dheart weep and my soul linger in the valley of sorrow, and my flesh waste away, and my strength slacken, because of mine afflictions?
27 And why should I ayield to sin, because of my flesh? Yea, why should I give way to btemptations, that the evil one have place in my heart to destroy my cpeace and afflict my soul? Why am I dangry because of mine enemy?
What can Nephi's psalm teach us about overcoming sorrow and temptation? (See 2 NEPHI 4:28-30.)
2 NEPHI 4:28-30
28 Awake, my soul! No longer adroop in sin. Rejoice, O my heart, and give place no more for the benemy of my soul.
28 Awake, my soul! No longer adroop in sin. Rejoice, O my heart, and give place no more for the benemy of my soul.
29 Do not aanger again because of mine enemies. Do not slacken my strength because of mine afflictions.
30 Rejoice, O my aheart, and cry unto the Lord, and say: O Lord, I will praise thee forever; yea, my soul will rejoice in thee, my God, and the brock of my salvation.
The conclusion of the psalm was a prayer. (2 NEPHI 4:30-35).
What did Nephi ask of Heavenly Father in this prayer?
2 NEPHI 4:30-35
30 Rejoice, O my aheart, and cry unto the Lord, and say: O Lord, I will praise thee forever; yea, my soul will rejoice in thee, my God, and the brock of my salvation.
31 O Lord, wilt thou aredeem my soul? Wilt thou deliver me out of the hands of mine enemies? Wilt thou make me that I may shake at the appearance of bsin?
32 May the gates of hell be shut continually before me, because that my aheart is broken and my spirit is contrite! O Lord, wilt thou not shut the gates of thy righteousness before me, that I may bwalk in the path of the low valley, that I may be strict in the plain road!
33 O Lord, wilt thou encircle me around in the robe of thy arighteousness! O Lord, wilt thou make a way for mine escape before mine benemies!
Wilt thou make my path straight before me! Wilt thou not place a
stumbling block in my way—but that thou wouldst clear my way before me,
and hedge not up my way, but the ways of mine enemy.
34 O Lord, I have atrusted in thee, and I will btrust in thee forever. I will not put my ctrust in the arm of flesh; for I know that cursed is he that putteth his dtrust in the arm of flesh. Yea, cursed is he that putteth his trust in man or maketh flesh his arm.
35 Yea, I know that God will give aliberally to him that asketh. Yea, my God will give me, if I bask cnot amiss; therefore I will lift up my voice unto thee; yea, I will cry unto thee, my God, the drock of my erighteousness. Behold, my voice shall forever ascend up unto thee, my rock and mine everlasting God. Amen.
A. How does the Lord "deliver [us] out of the hands of [our] enemies"? (See 2 NEPHI 4:31, 33.)
B. What does it mean to "shake at the appearance of sin"? (See 2 NEPHI 4:31; MOSIAH 5:2; ALMA 13:12.)
C. What do you think it means to "walk in the path of the low valley" and "be strict in the plain road"? (2 NEPHI 4:32).
D. What do you think it means for the Lord to "encircle [us] around in the robe of [His] righteousness"? (2 NEPHI 4:33).
In his prayer, what did Nephi promise to do?
He promised to trust God and praise Him forever. (See 2 NEPHI 4:30, 34-35.)
What did Nephi mean when he said, "I will not put my trust in the arm of flesh"?
2 NEPHI 3:34 (See Above)
2 NEPHI 28:31
31 Cursed is he that putteth his atrust in man, or maketh flesh his arm, or shall hearken unto the bprecepts of men, save their precepts shall be given by the power of the Holy Ghost.
He meant that he will trust in God rather than trusting in the "Arm of Man"
What are some ways that people "trust in the arm of flesh"?
What are the dangers of this?
What can we do to increase our trust in the Lord?
3. THE ANGER OF LAMAN AND LEMUEL INCREASES AGAINST NEPHI, AND THE LORD COMMANDS THE FOLLOWERS OF NEPHI TO SEPARATE FROM THE FOLLOWERS OF LAMAN.
2 NEPHI 5
Why were Laman and Lemuel angry toward Nephi? (See 2 Nephi 4:13; 5:3.)
2 NEPHI 4:13
13 And it came to pass that not many days after his death, Laman and Lemuel and the sons of Ishmael were aangry with me because of the admonitions of the Lord.
2 NEPHI 5:33 Yea, they did murmur against me, saying: Our younger brother thinks to arule over us; and we have had much trial because of him; wherefore, now let us slay him, that we may not be afflicted more because of his words. For behold, we will not have him to be our ruler; for it belongs unto us, who are the elder brethren, to brule over this people.
What did Laman and Lemuel seek to do as a result of their increasing anger?Compare their anger with Nephi's efforts to control his anger, as recorded in 2 Nephi 5:2 and 2 Nephi 4:27-29.
2 NEPHI 5: 2, 4
2 But behold, their aanger did increase against me, insomuch that they did seek to take away my life.
4 Now
I do not write upon these plates all the words which they murmured
against me. But it sufficeth me to say, that they did seek to take away
my life.
2 NEPHI 4: 27-29
27 And why should I ayield to sin, because of my flesh? Yea, why should I give way to btemptations, that the evil one have place in my heart to destroy my cpeace and afflict my soul? Why am I dangry because of mine enemy?
28 Awake, my soul! No longer adroop in sin. Rejoice, O my heart, and give place no more for the benemy of my soul.
29 Do not aanger again because of mine enemies. Do not slacken my strength because of mine afflictions.
What are some dangers of increasing anger?
I think of them whenever I read the words: "Anger doesn’t solve anything. It builds nothing, but it can destroy everything." (Deseret News, Dec. 7, 1991, A2.)
2009 October General Conference, School Thy Feelings, O My Brother
The Apostle Paul asks in Ephesians, chapter 4, verse 26 of the Joseph Smith Translation: "Can ye be angry, and not sin? let not the sun go down upon your wrath." I ask, is it possible to feel the Spirit of our Heavenly Father when we are angry? I know of no instance where such would be the case.
2009 October General Conference, School Thy Feelings, O My Brother
To be angry is to yield to the influence of Satan. No one can make us angry. It is our choice. If we desire to have a proper spirit with us at all times, we must choose to refrain from becoming angry. I testify that such is possible.
2009 October General Conference, School Thy Feelings, O My Brother What can we do to be peacemakers in the home, the community, and the Church?
President Howard W. Hunter taught: "We need a more peaceful world, growing out of more peaceful families and neighborhoods and communities. To secure and cultivate such peace, 'we must love others, even our enemies as well as our friends.' ... We need to extend the hand of friendship. We need to be kinder, more gentle, more forgiving, and slower to anger. We need to love one another with the pure love of Christ. May this be our course and our desire" (in Conference Report, Apr. 1992, 87; or Ensign, May 1992, 63).
Because of the anger of his brothers, Nephi prayed for help.
2 NEPHI 5:1
1 Behold, it came to pass that I, Nephi, did cry much unto the Lord my God, because of the aanger of my brethren.
How did the Lord answer his prayers?
2 NEPHI 5:5
5 And it came to pass that the Lord did awarn me, that I, bNephi, should depart from them and flee into the wilderness, and all those who would go with me.
When Nephi and his people had departed, they "lived after the manner of happiness"
2 NEPHI 5:27
What did they do that contributed to their happiness?
2 NEPHI 5:10-17.
10 And we did observe to keep the judgments, and the astatutes, and the commandments of the Lord in all things, according to the blaw of Moses.
11 And the Lord was with us; and we did aprosper
exceedingly; for we did sow seed, and we did reap again in abundance.
And we began to raise flocks, and herds, and animals of every kind.
12 And I, Nephi, had also brought the records which were engraven upon the aplates of brass; and also the bball, or ccompass, which was prepared for my father by the hand of the Lord, according to that which is written.
14 And I, Nephi, did take the asword of Laban, and after the manner of it did make many bswords, lest by any means the people who were now called Lamanites should come upon us and destroy us; for I knew their chatred towards me and my children and those who were called my people.
15 And I did teach my people to abuild buildings, and to bwork in all cmanner of wood, and of diron, and of copper, and of ebrass, and of steel, and of fgold, and of silver, and of precious ores, which were in great abundance.
16 And I, Nephi, did abuild a btemple; and I did construct it after the manner of the temple of cSolomon save it were not built of so many dprecious things; for they were not to be found upon the land, wherefore, it could not be built like unto Solomon’s etemple. But the manner of the construction was like unto the temple of fSolomon; and the workmanship thereof was exceedingly fine.
17 And it came to pass that I, Nephi, did cause my people to be aindustrious, and to blabor with their chands.
1. Preserved the records that were on the plates of brass,
2. Built a temple
3 Worked together.
How can the Nephites' example help us as we strive to live "after the manner of happiness"?
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We can follow Nephi's example when we feel discouraged. Chapters 4 and 5 of 2 Nephi give several examples of things we can do to overcome feelings of discouragement. Discuss the following examples with class members:
A. Read the scriptures (2 Nephi 4:15).
B. Delight in and ponder the things of the Lord (2 Nephi 4:16).
C. Trust in the Lord and look to Him for support (2 Nephi 4:20-21, 34).
D. Engage in mighty prayer (2 Nephi 4:24).
E. Be industrious; work (2 Nephi 5:15, 17).
F. Serve in the temple (2 Nephi 5:16).
I'll bet you can't guess which muscle in your body is the muscle that eliminates joint and back pains, anxiety and burns fat.
ReplyDeleteThis "hidden primal muscle" in your body will boost your energy, immune system, sexual energy, strength and athletic performance when developed.