Chapter 9

 After all, “he cometh into the world that he may save all men if they will hearken unto his voice; for behold, he suffereth the pains of all men, yea, the pains of every living creature, both men, women, and children, who belong to the family of Adam.  And he suffereth this that the resurrection might pass upon all men, that all might stand before him at the great and judgment day.” Nephi exhorts, “come unto that God who is the rock of your salvation.” For Christ commands all of us to “repent and be baptized in his name, having a perfect faith in the Holy One of Israel.”

Because of the Fall of Adam and Eve, death came into the world: both physical and spiritual.  Christ’s atonement provides the escape from both.  First, we will be resurrected.  Second, if we repent, we can escape his judgment.  Mercy and grace of Christ save us spiritually as well.

Yet, we sin daily and the tendency is to think of ourselves as pathetic and weak, not able to correct our direction and certainly unworthy of the Lord’s grace.  Nevertheless, it is true.  He will forgive and cover for our sins.  His righteousness substitutes and covers for our wickedness.  Thus, making us worthy to stand and receive of his blessings and goodness in the short run—giving us hope-- so that in the long run he can change our hearts and our dispositions; thus, sanctifying us and preparing us to enter his presence.

Chapter 8

The Lord is the “Rock” of our redemption.  When he says, “Look unto the rock from whence ye are hewn, and to the hole of the pit from whence ye are digged,” he is telling us that we are from his lineage; we are from the same quarry.  We are his adopted people.  We are children of Christ when we enter the covenant of baptism and take upon us his name. “I am he that comforteth you,” he says.  When he comes into our lives “sorrow and mourning shall flee away.”  He wants us to wake up and trust him. 

Chapter 7

The Lord challenges us to give any evidence that he ever has or ever will desert us. He tells us that “I gave my back to the smiter, and my cheeks to them that plucked off the hair.  I hid not my face from shame and spitting.”  In other words, Jesus did everything he could have to convince us that he will never, ever give up on us or desert us.  When he says he justifies us, he means that he forgives us immediately, when we repent and seek his forgiveness. This is possible because he suffered in our place.  Isaiah said, “For the Lord will help me.”

 

 

 

Chapter 6

I recently attended a meeting where Elder Larry Echohawk spoke.  He said that he had talked to Elder Packer and Elder Packer said he (Elder Packer) is among the “Gentiles” spoken of in this chapter.  Elder Packer told Elder Echohawk, who is among the House of Israel spoken of in this chapter, that much more needs to be done to find and teach his people. Isaiah saw the native people of the Americas being carried on the shoulders of the Gentiles in the latter days. These Gentiles are my ancestors and others who are non-native and non-Lehi inhabitants of the Americas. We who are Gentiles scattered and afflicted the native people, but we are now supposed to make up for past wrongs and do all we can to assist in bringing them to Christ.

 Elder Echohawk is a “Lamanite” who descends from Lehi in the Book of Mormon.  I served my mission among the Navajo.  I have a tender place in my heart for these choice people.  I was pleased to hear from Elder Echohawk that much is being planned by church leaders to reach Lehi’s children.  The native people of North America still need to blossom.  I want to do my part.

Chapter 5

When Nephi took his people away from the original colony because his brothers wanted to take his life, he founded a new colony in the mountains.  He built a temple!  “And it came to pass that we lived after the manner of happiness.”  When we do the things the Lord commands, we too can be happy.

Chapter 4

Dear Nephi! You have given me a look into your heart.  You are strong and mighty, yet you too have weakness, remorse, sin, and regret in your life. In your pleading to God, you have spoken the very words of prayer that are my pleadings.  You have shown me the way.  You have reminded me of the Rock who will never give up on me. I love you Nephi.  I give my everlasting thanks to you.

Chapter 3

This is the “Joseph” chapter.  Lehi talks to his youngest son, Joseph, who was born in the wilderness between Jerusalem and Bountiful.  He is “little” so Lehi tells him to follow the way of Nephi, his older brother.  He tells Joseph that he is named for Joseph, son of Israel, who was sold into Egypt.  He quotes Joseph, son of Israel, who prophesied that another Joseph would be born in the latter-days whose father would also be named Joseph.  This latter-day prophet would be a “choice seer.”  He would bring forth the Book of Mormon and do much to restore the House of Israel bringing them out of darkness.  These prophesies of Lehi and Joseph, son of Israel, are being fulfilled in our day.  The magnificent prophet, Joseph Smith, wrote the very words that Lehi spoke about him.  How excited he must have been to read about himself.  I think he would have received these words with great humility.  Likening these scriptures to ourselves would be to look at our own family histories and honor our ancestors by knowing their stories and doing their temple work.  We would also look forward to our own children and grandchildren doing the Lord’s will and keeping his commandments, thus bring the blessings of heaven upon themselves for ever.

Chapter 2

“Wherefore, redemption cometh in and through the Holy Messiah; for he is full of grace and truth…Wherefore, how great the importance to make these things known unto the inhabitants of the earth.”

“Adam fell that men might be; and men are, that they might have joy.”

Jean and I have been to several reunions this summer: the Browns, the Indian Student Placement Workers, her sister’s retirement gathering, and coming up is the Stone brothers’ reunion.  Plus, we have had a mini-reunion of sorts with Michelle, Zane, Annie, and Soren being with us during July.  Uncle Kay Brown taught us that people who link with their relatives are healthier and happier.  The ISPS reunion reminded me of my love for my dear Native American friends.  Being with Ginger, Jean’s sister, reminded me of how important my Logan roots are.  Healing, loving feelings came at every one of these gatherings.  Joy comes from strengthening family ties.  We are here on earth to have joy.  This is made possible by the grace of Christ.

 

2 Nephi Chapter 1

Tender hearted Lehi pleads with his wayward sons and their families to wake up to holy things.  “Awake! And arise from the dust…arise from the dust, my sons, and be men, and be determined in one mind and in one heart, united in all things, that ye may not come down into captivity…Awake, my sons; put on the armor of righteousness.  Shake off the chains with which ye are bound, and come forth out of obscurity, and arise from the dust.  Rebel no more….”  We have access to the atoning power of Christ to overcome our evil thoughts and bad habits.  We can become unselfish.  We can be longsuffering, gentle, meek, and loving.  But we can’t do it as a self-help assignment my using will power.  The only way is to call upon God and beg his son to give us his grace and enabling strength.  Otherwise, we will be blown to and fro with every new diet, or philosophy, or new gee-wiz-this-will-work gizmo from the world.  Simplify your life by trusting in the arm of God.  Call upon his holy name.  By so doing we can awake and arise to happiness, peace, and well-being.

Chapter 22

The history of the House of Israel extends to the premortal life.  For reasons of righteousness, God extended covenants to certain of his children as a responsibility to be carried out in this mortal life.  It is not politically correct to say that God has a chosen people.  But the fact is, he does.  They are not better.  They are chosen for a responsibility.  The children of Jacob have been chosen to suffer and be refined in a furnace of affliction.  How this all works out, I don’t know.  I have difficulty understanding this responsibility.  But I do know that the key responsibility for our day is for us of the House of Israel is missionary work.  We are to go to all the world and tell them of Jesus Christ, who suffered and died for our sins and was resurrected.  He lives today and we must proclaim it with all our hearts, mind, and might. We must invite our children to come with us.  We must support them in their missions.  We must go on missions ourselves.  We must love and lift our friends and neighbors.  Jesus is our light and our life.

Chapter 21

Isaiah sees our day and the gathering of Israel.  It is a great and happy day.  We see the fulfillment of these words in the hastening of the missionary work.  The world is being prepared for the return of the Savior.  He has graven us upon his hands, wrists, feet.  The prints of the nails serve as a token of his great love and sacrifice and remain there to teach us of his devotion to us.  When we see him again he will extend his hands to us; we will see and feel those prints.  Can we know now of his love and not wait to accept his love, not wait to repent and turn our lives for fully to him?  

Chapter 20

“For, behold, I have refined thee, I have chosen thee in the furnace of affliction.” Isaiah is talking about the trials of the House of Israel, but it is easy to relate, for we have many afflictions.  “I have chosen thee,” is an important place of contact with God.  He has chosen me to fulfill my life in ways that brings honor to him and to my posterity, also my ancestors who have been cheering me on. “He” is my “Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel.”  He makes this promise, “O that thou hast hearkened to my commandments—then had thy peace been as a river and thy righteousness as the waves of the sea.”  I want this for me and my family.  This motivates me to keep his commandments.   

Chapter 19

“…but that I might more fully persuade them to believe in the Lord their Redeemer I did read unto them that which was written by the prophet Isaiah; for I did liken all scriptures unto us…that ye (we) may have hope….”  The whole point of the Gospel of Christ is to give us hope.  We, who are hopelessly groping our way in sin, still can be happy in this life and the next; but only if we repent and change our hearts, rendering ourselves unto God, completely and fully.  We, who tend to rationalize our selfishness; we who ignore our Lord and trample him under our feet, as Nephi says it; we who go after the gods of this world; we who quit; we who lack faith; we who fall short; can have hope in that one Being who can give it.  He loves us completely and forever.  We must place our hope in him.  Then our hope will overcome our fear and doubt and become faith.