1 Nephi 2: Families in Commandment, Authority

There are actually only two verses in this chapter that deal with the subjects we are going to talk about today. The first is verse 16:

And it came to pass that I, Nephi being exceedingly young, nevertheless being large in stature, and also having great desires to know of the mysteries of God, wherefore, I did cry unto the Lord; and behold he did visit me, and did soften my heart that I did believe all the words which had been spoken by my father; wherefore, I did not rebel against him like unto my brothers.

That one's about love within families and about honoring father and mother. The next one's about authority. Verse 22:

And inasmuch as thou shalt keep my commandments, thou shalt be made a ruler and a teacher over they brethren.

So, what is it about Nephi's response to his father that makes him so much more willing to listen? Remember that in this chapter Lehi named a river and a valley after his oldest sons, Laman and Lemuel, and they just kept on murmuring until Lehi was so filled with the power of the spirit that Laman and Lemuel's bodies literally shook(vs. 14).

So what did Nephi do different? He wanted to believe his father, so instead of immediately complaining, he sucked it up for a little while, and when he got a chance, he prayed to his Heavenly Father about what his earthly father was doing. And his heart was softened.

Sometimes we talk about the fact that the Lord won't take our agency from us, and he won't. But he will change out attitude if we ask him to and if we sincerely desire it, because sometimes changing our thoughts and attitudes is something we cannot do ourselves.

Laman and Lemuel are an amazing contrast to Nephi. Laman and Lemuel don't even try to honor their parents. Sure, they eventually come around and do what he says, usually because of threat of physical violence, but really, this story shows us the difference between being obedient and actually honoring. Honoring is much harder. It is the softness of the heart rather than just outward action.

Finally, I want to talk a little bit about authority. I have never noticed verse 22 before in all the times I have read the Book of Mormon, but I love it now that I notice it. To receive authority from God, Nephi has to keep the commandments. Now, of course, Laman and Lemuel aren't happy about the idea of anyone but them being a ruler, but think about it in your life. If someone was going to rule over you, wouldn't you want it to be somebody who kept the commandments? What a fair, kind, just, hard-working ruler you would have!

Another interesting point this verse presents is that teaching goes along with ruling. Perhaps by example mostly, but maybe also by word. Knowing that, I wonder if that is not the reason that Moses was so afraid of his slowness of speech. He knew that authority brought with it the responsibility to teach, and he didn't feel up to the challenge.