The First Book of Nephi: Chapter 1

After reading through 1 Nephi 1, I decided to read through John W Welch’s commentary regarding the text. From there, I found some neat and interesting insights I wish to echo here in my blog while also including some of my own insights.

 

Likely my favorite statue of Christ there is. “Christ the Redeemer,” can be found in Rio, Brazil.

 

1. 

Nephi reports that “there came many prophets, prophesying unto the people that they must repent, or the great cityJerusalem must be destroyed.” (1 Nephi 1:4). Who were these “many prophets” Nephi was talking about? There were actually many prophets who preached the destruction of Jerusalem during the time if Lehi’s ministry (eg Zephaniah 1:2-9, Zephaniah 3:1-8, Habakkuk 2:5-20, 2 Chronicles 36:15-16).

2. 

the Jews did mock him because of the things which he testified of them (1 Nephi 1:19). New prophets have a tendency of being mocked and scorned by others. Even, at times, receiving the death penalty by a group of vigilante’s.

There were many people during the life of Joseph Smith who claimed to be prophets. Why weren’t there any anti-immigration laws against them? Why weren’t their church’s burned down or shot at like the Mormons’? Why did people try so hard, starting in the youth of Joseph Smith, to shut him up?

As Dr. Hugh Nibley once stated:

“A dead prophet the world dearly desires and warmly cherishes; he is a priceless tradition, a spiritual heritage, a beautiful memory. But woe to a living prophet! He shall be greeted with stones and catcalls even by pious people. The men who put the Apostles to death thought they were doing God a favor, and the Lord tells us with what reverence and devotion men adorn the tombs of the prophets whom they would kill if they were alive (Luke 11:47—48).”

3. 

he testified that the things which he saw and heard, and also the things which he read in the book, manifesting plainly of the coming of a Messiah, and also the redemption of the world (1 Nephi 1:19). 

Amongst all this prophecy of destruction, there is a gleaming light of hope. That hope lies within the knowledge that Christ, our Great Redeemer, the Lamb of God, the Eternal God, the Scape Goat, will be there to save our souls from death. He is the “redemption of the world.” Christ is the Gospel (meaning, “Good news”) sent here to earth.