Nephi gets back from the vision and he feels the overwhelming sadness of seeing his people destroyed because of wickedness. I had realized how emotional this was for him when I first read it in chapter 12, but you get a clearer picture here in chapter 15.
The beauty of this chapter is that we get insight yet again into how Nephi is so blessed to receive this vision and an understanding of it, and we see why L&L don't get it. What stood out to me among the factors for receiving revelation (the mysteries of God) was the need for obedience to the commandments of God. I am a member of the church, I do try to keep the commandments, but to some extent I believe L&L did too. What separates Nephi from L&L? I believe that Nephi was more precise in his obedience, he was quicker to repent, he had greater faith in the mercy of God, he was better at remembering the blessings already received of the Lord, he was better at remembering miracles of other prophets, he knew the words of the prophets -- In the end this means he was more obedient. He was better prepared to hear the word of the Lord.
This was the first reference that I can remember to the olive tree and the grafting of branches, which is an analogy for the house of Israel. I really don't remember Lehi or Nephi mentioning it as part of their original dreams, but I assume that they both saw this or understood the correlation between what would happen to their descendants and this analogy. It suggests to me that others that reference this analogy have seen similar visions. We find this analogy further defined by Jacob and also referenced in Romans 11.
Much of the rest of chapter 15 reviews elements of Lehi/Nephi's vision and their direct meaning. And Nephi is able to direct that conversation to show how L&L need to see it as a warning that the wicked will not partake of the tree and that there is a place prepared for the wicked. That the gulf between the great and spacious building and the tree of life/rod of iron is that justice that keeps the wicked apart from the righteous.
So much more here to be reviewed and pondered, and I am grateful for the little bits of truth I have picked up in my cursory review.
3 comments:
1 Nephi 15:24 - "overpower them unto blindness"
How does sin or heading to temptations lead to blindness? The Lord says in other scripture:
"And that wicked one cometh and taketh away light and truth, through disobedience, from the children of men" (see D&C 93:39).
Just as physical light is absolutely required to illuminate the physical eyes that man may see; even so, the receipt of spiritual light likewise is the essential means by which the spiritual eyes can see. Mormon said that (note: one may interchange "Spirit of Christ with the Light of Christ): "the Spirit of Christ is given to every man that he may know good from evil" (see Moroni 7:16).
1 Nephi 15:12 - "Behold, I say unto you..."
That Nephi begins to expound the vision of Lehi unto his brothers may be a temporal manifestation of the phrase, referring to those who are living after the telestial order (ie. Laman and Lemuel): "These are they who receive not of his fulness in the eternal world, but of the Holy Spirit through the ministration of the terrestrial"
It may be said that Nephi played the role of the terrestrial minister, as he was symbolically seen as having partaken of a terrestrial tree (ie. the Tree of Life was consumable in the Garden - a place which did abide the law of a terrestrial kingdom).
1 Nephi 15:9-11 - "the Lord maketh no such thing known unto us."
This comment may imply a few things:
• Laman and Lemuel do not have confidence in the Lord because they feel they are unworthy. They, in a sense, recognize that the awful gulf is separating them from the tree
• They "knew not the dealings of that God who had created them" (see 1 Nephi 2:12). In other words, although their father may have taught them of the character and goodness of God, they had never internalized it
Whether the brothers recognize point number 1 or not, it is this point which has affected point number 2. It is through faith and repentance that these brothers could be reconciled to the Father and have the love of God manifested to them through the sanctifying power of the atonement.
Nephi would see these symptoms and would quote the word of the Lord saying "If ye will not harden your hearts, and ask me in faith, believing that ye shall receive, with diligence in keeping my commandments... these things shall be made known unto you" (see verse 11).
Had the brothers been keeping the commandments they would have repented of their sins. They cannot remain in their sins and keep the commandments at the same time.
Moroni would say that after one "[remembers] how merciful the Lord hath been" and "[ponders] it" in their heart, they must ask with a "sincere heart, with real intent, having faith in Christ" in order to know "by the power of the Holy Ghost" (see Moroni 10:3-5).
Dissecting this formula, one may easily find that it would be impossible for these brothers to receive revelation.
• They had difficulty in even remembering the Lord (see verse 11).
• Because they "knew not the dealings of that God" they could not exercise faith in Him. Joseph Smith said that in order to exercise faith in God, one must have a "correct idea of his character, perfections and attributes" (Smith, Joseph. Lectures on Faith, Lect. 3).
• That these brothers were slow to soften their heart and change their course of action after having realized their station in their father's dream, they demonstrated that they lacked the "real intent" in knowing. If they really desired to know they would have repented of their sins and made themselves right with the Lord.
• That they were not willing to repent would also effect their sincerity in prayer; for they did not desire to know that badly
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