This week, we are studying the first seven chapters in the Book of Mormon, which describe the departure of Lehi’s family from Jerusalem and the retrieval of the brass plates.
Key Events
- Lehi sees a vision in which he learns that Jerusalem will be destroyed (1 Nephi 1)
- Lehi and his family leave Jerusalem (1 Nephi 2)
- Lehi’s sons return to Jerusalem to obtain the brass plates (1 Nephi 3-5)
- Lehi’s sons return to Jerusalem again and persuade Ishmael’s family to join them on their journey (1 Nephi 7)
Key Concepts
- Highly favored of the Lord (1 Nephi 1:1)
- The tender mercies of the Lord (1 Nephi 1:20)
- God can help us believe (1 Nephi 2:16)
- God’s promise to Nephi: “Inasmuch as ye shall keep my commandments, ye shall prosper” (1 Nephi 2:20-24)
- Nephi’s declaration of faith: “I will go and do the things which the Lord hath commanded” (1 Nephi 3:7)
- Following the Spirit, “not knowing beforehand the things which [you] should do” (1 Nephi 4:6)
- Responding to criticism: “I know that I am a visionary man” (1 Nephi 5:2-6)
- The importance of family history (1 Nephi 5:14-16)
- Praying for strength instead of for a change of circumstance (1 Nephi 7:17)
- Frankly forgiving others (1 Nephi 7:21)
Questions
- What Are “Goodly Parents?” (1 Nephi 1:1)
- What can we learn from the three attempts to obtain the brass plates? (1 Nephi 3-4)
- Why Did God Command Nephi to Kill Laban? (1 Nephi 4:10-13)
- What can we learn from Sariah? (1 Nephi 5)
- What can we learn from Nephi about priorities? (1 Nephi 6:6)
Blog Posts: January 7-12
“Of Great Worth” – 1 Nephi 5:21
After Lehi’s sons obtained the brass plates and brought them to their father in the wilderness, Lehi searched them to understand their contents. As a result, “he was filled with the Spirit, and began to prophesy” (1 Nephi 5:17). Lehi concluded that the scriptures “were desirable; yea, even of great worth” (1 Nephi 5:21). As…
“Great and Marvelous” – 1 Nephi 1:14
The Book of Mormon opens with a vision experienced by Lehi. We don’t know much about what he saw, but we do know that he saw a personage who shone brighter than the sun, with twelve others following Him, a clear reference to the Savior. We also know that he read from a book that…
“They Knew Not…Neither Did They Believe” – 1 Nephi 2:12-13
When we complain, we are usually focused on what we know. We see that something is wrong, and other people either aren’t aware of the problem or aren’t motivated to fix it. But Nephi said that his older brothers complained because of what they didn’t know and because of what they didn’t believe: And thus…
Go and Do – 1 Nephi 3:7
For many of our daily activities, we can be successful by simply doing two things: Showing up (“going”) Participating (“doing”) It sounds simple enough, but how easy is it to avoid attending the activity, going where the action is? And even when we do make it there, how easy is it to be passive and…
Like unto Moses – 1 Nephi 4:2
After Nephi and his family arrived in the promised land, he shared many scriptures with his brothers, including passages from the books of Moses and from the writings of Isaiah. He tells us that he “likened” the scriptures to them, helping them apply scriptural lessons to their current circumstances (1 Nephi 19:23). He actually began “likening”…
Lehi and Sariah’s Family
The Book of Mormon begins with a family. Not a blissful, idyllic family, but a troubled one. A family with sibling rivalry, parent-child discord, and even marital conflict. In other words, a real family. With God’s help, this family achieved miraculous things: they escaped certain destruction in Jerusalem, traveled through the wilderness and across the…
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