Listen to the words of a trembling parent...

What would you say to your children if you knew you were going to die?

What words of wisdom would you leave?

What kind of legacy would you like to instill in them?

These sobering thoughts must have caused Lehi great concern. His recalcitrant sons gave him great fear - what would become of them after he was gone? With Lehi out of the picture, would his sons stay true to what they had felt and knew to be true? Would they stay close to the Lord or would they leave Him? Lehi, of course, being the prophet knew what was to come. He spoke to them extensively about rising from the dust and being men, shaking of the chains that would hold them down, and listening to the Spirit's gentle promptings. This, of course, they did not do. Lehi knew they wouldn't, but he felt it incumbent on himself to tell them one last time that they should fulfill their duty.

Father Lehi left an indelible mark on his sons. We don't have the words of Lehi to Nephi. Some things are just too personal and sacred to write. Or perhaps Lehi's blessing to Nephi was not even verbal - just the knowing, loving exchange that is possible between two souls who have experienced much together and who have become very close to being one.

We do have Lehi's final instructions to his two youngest sons - Jacob and Joseph. To Jacob, who would assume the mantle of leadership once Nephi was unable, he gave counsel regarding the state of man and the opposition which must exist in the world. This is a very difficult concept for people to grasp - why would a loving God allow evil into the world? Why is there opposition, difficulty, despair, misery? Lehi says that if these things were not there could be no goodness, peace, happiness, and exaltation - in short, there would be no God. The two parts make up a great whole, and that whole implies the majesty and glory of God Himself. Jacob, having seen the opposition that existed in his own family, must have had great concerns about these things. He was assured by Lehi (and this is probably my favorite scripture ever) - All things have been done in the wisdom of him who knoweth all things. What power! What assurance! What incredible and indescribable joy that thought gives! We are not drifting on a sea of doubt and fear, helmless, hopeless, and aimless. We are lead by a loving Heavenly Father who will bring all things to our benefit and ultimate success. We are in His loving watch care, and we will overcome!

Then he speaks to Joseph. He talks extensively about a prophecy that was given to the young boy's namesake - Joseph the son of Jacob - about another Joseph. This one was Joseph Smith. Imagine you are Joseph and your work translating the Book of Mormon is almost complete. You come across this passage and you start to realize that Lehi is talking about you, using grand and marvelous language like "choice seer" and "power" to confound false doctrines... And then you read that this seer would be named Joseph and that he would be named after his father (Joseph Smith was, in fact, named after his father - Joseph Smith, Sr.). I think that would have gone a long way toward making me feel like what I was doing was valid, even foreordained. What a miraculous thing this Book is!

Things spiritual and things physical...

I heard often while I was growing up that we are spiritual beings having a physical experience. It often feels the other way around - that we are physical beings who occasionally have spiritual experiences. I am gratified, then, to hear that some things have dual meanings and can be understood on different levels.

The winding up chapters of 1 Nephi are informative along those lines. He discusses the events surrounding the diaspora, the coming of the Messiah, and the eventual restoration of the 12 tribes in to the lands of their inheritance. This is literally true. The land of Israel has already become a place where Jews from all over the world can return home to the land that was promised them. They have suffered greatly from their long estrangement from this land, and now they have a place where they can gather and be at home (if not necessarily always at peace).

But peel back the physical, temporal dimension of these things, and you come to understand that these things are really spiritual in nature. And it applies not only to nations/states, but to individuals and families. Remember, the basic unit of the gospel is the family - not the ward or stake. In fact, the wards and stakes of the church are organized to sustain and support the family, not necessarily the other way around (which can often feel the case).

As individuals/families, then, we may often times feel ourselves estranged from the promised blessings of the Lord. This is always due to wickedness and can only be remedied by repentance. Procuring for ourselves the continual blessings of the Lord is only done by righteous living. Then as families and individuals, we are in the verdant pastures of the Lord, having His protection and care. And as we live righteously we are able to help others to come to the Lord also.

Remember that all things to the Lord are spiritual, and never has He ever given us a commandment that was not spiritual in nature. As you study the scriptures, look for the spiritual application for what you are reading. It opens up a whole new world of meaning and joy and richness that is only guessed at before.

Parsing Isaiah

I love Isaiah.

Let me just state that for the record. It's my mission president's fault (thanks, President Nielsen!). I have always loved the Book of Mormon, but growing up we skipped the "Isaiah chapters" because my parents thought (perhaps rightly) that they were a little dense. So it wasn't until my mission that I really grew to love Isaiah and the Old Testament. Let me offer a few things that I have gained from my study - things that have helped me come to this appreciation for Isaiah and his writing:

1. Isaiah is tough. He is very profound and deep in the doctrinal area. Most of what he says has multiple meanings and applications and symbols that are meaningful in many ways. No study of Isaiah should begin lightly - get yourself a good study manual (the Old Testament religion course book is very good) and prepare to spend a lot of time studying. But like a dog gnawing that bone for the delicious marrow inside, once you crack Isaiah you're in and it will become delicious and nourishing to your soul.

2. There are basically three Isaiahs, the first of which is the political Isaiah, speaking to the Jews of the time; the second is the Isaiah that speaks of the Messiah and the meridian of time, and the last Isaiah speaks of the latter-days, or the time in which we are currently living. Look to the chapter headings for cues as to which Isaiah you'll be reading. It's not always clear, and as mentioned above, much of the symbolism has multiple applications and meanings.

3. Be prepared to make it personal. Isaiah is really only as applicable today as we allow him to be. This is true of all the scriptures, but particularly of Isaiah. As you read Isaiah, actively look for ways to apply what he's talking about to our lives. This is what Nephi did (see 1 Nephi 19:23) and he was able to instill in his family a desire to come close to the Lord - to persuade them to believe in Christ.

4. Read the Book of Mormon. The Book of Mormon offers great insights into the Old Testament in general, but Isaiah in particular. The commentaries of Nephi, Jacob, and others, allows unique perspectives from people to whom Isaiah was not three thousand years distant, but someone more like Joseph Smith is for us. They also understood the geography, culture, and traditions much more than anyone alive today, so their ideas are particularly useful. And of course, the Savior Himself commanded us to search Isaiah to ponder the messages contained therein. Isaiah does bring people to Christ.

5. Pray. Seek the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. This should be our pattern in all scripture study, but with regard to things in the gospel that are symbolic and beautiful, the meaning is made richer and greater by personal experiences with the scriptures and the symbols therein. Our relationship with the Lord will be made stronger as we search these holy books and seek to make them part of our lives.

With God nothing is impossible...

Ramses got you down?

Need water in the wilderness? Or food? Or meat?

Need to cross the Red Sea but have no way of obtaining boats for 2 million of your closest friends?

Need to build a boat to get to the proverbial or actual promised land?

Or...

Do you want to draw closer to the Lord?

Do you want to change your life and live better?

Do you want to be more effective as a parent, child, brother, sister, spouse, teacher, professional, whatever?

Do you want to find greater joy and happiness and peace in this life, with a promise to receive eternal exaltation in the next?

With God, nothing is impossible.

Though our sins be as scarlet, they can be as snow; red like crimson sins will be washed clean in the blood of the Lamb.

God can even take someone like me and make out of my rough and unrefined state a tool that He can use to further His work.

Nephi says - I took one of the daughters of Ishmael to wife. Next verse he states - I had been blessed exceedingly. Coincidence? I don't think so...

Life is good, but it's better when we're yoked together with our best friend.

And one day, this yoking will strengthen us and uplift us and ultimately exalt us.

A.S.K.

We are repeatedly told that it is a commandment to diligently and faithfully seek the Lord. Nephi's brothers do not and thus find themselves in a position where they have no relationship with the Lord. As King Benjamin states (in Mosiah) how can we know a master we have not served and who is far from the thoughts and intents of our heart? The short answer is that we can't.

But why?

Laman and Lemuel had the same upbringing and access to information that Nephi had. Yet the assumed that the Lord would not let them know what they wanted. Were they lazy? Did they ask frivolous questions? Were they arrogant? Or were they doubtful? The record is unclear.

What is clear is that we MUST seek the Lord. When I was growing up I was told by a fellow student that I must A.S.K. - meaning ask (and I will receive) seek (and I will find) and knock (and it shall be opened unto me). Seems pretty simple...

Why don't we do these things?

I have said it before - faith asks the question believing there is an answer, while doubt is afraid to ask the question because it assumes there is no answer.

Let us seek in faith and humility.

A parable

There once was a king who commissioned a great and beautiful crown made. It was made of pure gold and had only the clearest, most pure and precious gems laid in it. The crown took a long time to make, but once it was perfected the king wished to share his crown's beauty with his most trusted subjects, prior to his sharing it with the entire kingdom.

The king invited everyone he could think of that would appreciate his crown and people he knew he could trust to a great feast. At the climax of the celebrations, he brought forth the crown and began to pass it around so that his subjects could appreciate it's beauty.

At first, everything went well. But as the crown changed hands and moved further down the table and away from the king, it often passed to hands that were less worthy. People began to lust after the precious jewels laid in the crown, until one removed a small knife from his pocket and popped one out. The crown became imperfect, if still glorious. Once the trend was started, it became easy for those around the table to note holes in the crown. And if others had removed these pure and precious gems, why not me? Others thought that the crown looked less balanced with more jewels on one side than the other, so in an effort to correct that balance other gems were removed. Some, noting the gaping holes in the crown sought to fill them in, either by scraping gold into the gap or by filling it with their own gems - always of lesser quality and perfection than the original.

So it went around the table. Some of the finials were removed in an effort to make the crown more simple, lighter, and easier to hold and wear. The gold began to be tarnished and worn. and overall the condition of the crown deteriorated significantly. Some around the table had only the best of intentions. Others were rogues and purposefully sought to discredit the king while enriching themselves.

When the crown finally made its way back to the king, he was disappointed to find that the men he thought he could trust had abused that trust so greatly. The crown was almost completely unrecognizable, deformed, misshapen, and denuded of many of the pure and precious jewels.

The king knew he could not present this crown to his subjects. It would diminish his glory and make people lose confidence in his ability.

So he had his crown maker melt down the old crown and recast it - using the same gold and same mold from which the original had been cast, but restoring from his unlimited coffers the pure and precious jewels that had been removed. Once restored to it's earlier glory, the crown was able to then go forward into the world, glorious and beautiful. This time, the king went with the crown wherever it went, to ensure its safety, continuity, and purity. The crown was accessible to all and wherever it went it enlightened people's minds and inspired them, leading many to praise the king and his glory.