1 Nephi Chapter 4

Attempt #3 - Three times a charm.

Nephi is quite amazing. After being beaten with a rod, he is resilient and has his eyes on one thing. Accomplishing his mission. After chastising his brothers for being blockheads he decides to go at it alone.

Nephi states in verse six, "And I was led by the Spirit, not knowing beforehand the things which I should do."

I think of this as him saying "I'll figure it out when I get there." President Kimball and Nike both exclaimed, "Just do it." I think it is the same idea.

Next comes the part that I had to explain the most when I was a missionary in Southern Italy. We encouraged people to read the Book of Mormon, and they always came across this passage and thought it was funny that the Lord commanded Nephi to chop someone's head off. Right now, I think it is sufficient to reference David and Goliath, Joshua, and Samuel (as a couple of many examples. Keep in mind Nephi is still living in Old Testament times. Funny things happened back then I suppose. I don't think I'll be asked by the Lord to slay anyone. The Lord explained what his motive was. "It is better that one man should perish than that a nation should dwindle and perish in unbelief."

Nephi accomplished his goal. He obtained the plates of Brass, from which he learned about his ancestry. They received the commandments, and went back to the wilderness to rejoin his father. He even met a new friend along the way. Nothing like threatening to slay one's life and kidnapping to start a relationship.