After two failures, Nephi’s brothers were done, but they did agree to wait outside the walls of Jerusalem, while Nephi made a third attempt to obtain the brass plates. As Nephi approached Laban’s house, he found Laban drunk and lying on the ground. The Spirit constrained him to kill Laban, after which, he obtained the plates by impersonating Laban.
Chapter Outline
- Attempt #3: Nephi enters the city at night, following the Spirit (v. 1-6).
- He finds Laban and kills him with his own sword, as directed by the Spirit (v. 7-18).
- He impersonates Laban and directs Zoram to retrieve the plates (v. 19-27).
- He convinces Zoram to accompany them on their journey (v. 28-38).
My Takeaways
- Remembering past miracles can strengthen our faith that God will perform miracles today.
- We need to be willing to follow the Spirit one step at a time.
- When our circumstances change, we need to adapt quickly and become productive within our new constraints.
Featured Blog Posts
❖ Nephi Enters the City – 1 Nephi 4:5-6
“Our Constant Companion”
As Nephi entered the city of Jerusalem at night to make a third attempt to obtain the brass plates, he didn’t know what he would do. He simply said that he was led by the Spirit. Like Nephi, we need the guiding and comforting influence of the Holy Ghost.
1 Nephi 4:6 Not Knowing Beforehand
6 And I was led by the Spirit, not knowing beforehand the things which I should do. (1 Nephi 4:6) It’s important to plan and to prepare. For many projects, planning is indispensable, and a lack of planning would be irresponsible. But there are times when we enter uncharted waters, when we can’t make…
❖ Nephi Kills Laban – 1 Nephi 2:7-18
Why Did God Command Nephi to Kill Laban?
Near the beginning of the Book of Mormon, there is a troubling story. Nephi and his brothers have been sent by their father, Lehi, to retrieve a sacred record engraved on brass plates which are in the possession of a powerful man named Laban. Lehi testifies that this assignment came from God, and Nephi responds…
❖ Zoram Retrieves the Plates – 1 Nephi 2:19-38
Zoram
Zoram’s life was disrupted instantly, in the middle of the night. To his credit, he adapted to his new circumstances and became a great friend to Nephi. When our circumstances change, we can follow Zoram’s example of adaptability and resilience.
“Our Fears Did Cease”
Can we rely on one another to do what we say we will do? When Nephi made an oath to Zoram “that he need not fear; that he should be a free man…if he would go down in the wilderness with us,” Zoram took courage. When Zoram responded with an oath to stay with Nephi and his…
Old Testament Foundations
The Lion and the Bear
An awareness of prior miracles we have experienced can strengthen our faith to meet new challenges. When David saw his compatriots cowering before the giant Goliath, he was perplexed and disappointed. As he explained to King Saul, he had no doubt that he could defeat the giant with God’s help: Thy servant kept his father’s…
“Revive Thy Work”
God is unchanging. Therefore, if He performed miracles in the past, he can perform miracles today. This is a core message of the Book of Mormon. Nephi repeatedly appeals to scriptural accounts of miracles as evidence that his family can expect miracles in their lives. “The Lord is able to deliver us, even as our fathers, and…
The Raven, the Dove, and the Olive Leaf, or How Did Noah Know?
After being confined to the ark for many months, Noah and his family must have been anxious for freedom. About five months after they entered the ark, it rested on a mountaintop (Genesis 8:4). A little more than two months later, the tops of some nearby mountains became visible (Genesis 8:5). Noah now faced a…
New Testament Parallels
Where Is He?
What did the wise men know? They knew they had seen a star, which indicated that the Messiah had been born. They didn’t know exactly where to find him. But they were willing to exercise faith, acting on the knowledge they had and trusting God to send more
Where It Listeth
Nicodemus was tentative and cautious. Jesus taught him that people who are born of the Spirit exercise faith. They don’t have to know everything before they are willing to do something. Like Nephi, they embrace uncertainty and move forward.
All Posts Referencing 1 Nephi 4
- Called, Chosen, and Faithful (1/30/2025)
- Zoram (1/12/2024)
- “Our Constant Companion” (1/11/2024)
- “What Great Things” (1/5/2024)
- Where Is He? (12/21/2023)
- Where It Listeth (2/8/2023)
- “Revive Thy Work” (12/3/2022)
- A Lamp Unto My Feet (8/24/2022)
- The Lion and the Bear (6/18/2022)
- “Our Fears Did Cease” (6/7/2022)
- “Be Strong, and of a Good Courage” (5/21/2022)
- Moses (3/22/2022)
- Going to Egypt (2/11/2022)
- The Raven, the Dove, and the Olive Leaf, or How Did Noah Know? (2/2/2022)
- “I Did Liken All Scriptures unto Us” – 1 Nephi 19:23 (1/6/2021)
- What Does It Mean to “Dwindle in Unbelief?” (1/26/2020)
- Lehi and Sariah’s Family (1/12/2020)
- Like unto Moses – 1 Nephi 4:2 (1/11/2020)
- What Is an Elder? (11/10/2019)
- Why Did God Command Nephi to Kill Laban? (10/18/2019)
- How Do Different Forms of Revelation Support One Another? (10/5/2019)
- How Can I Learn to Recognize the Holy Ghost? (9/30/2019)
- How Can I Teach My Children to Be Resilient? (9/19/2019)
- What Can We Learn from the Crossing of the Red Sea? (8/16/2019)
- Why Were Laman and Lemuel Unable to Overcome Their Negativity? (7/22/2019)
- What Should I Do When I Have Doubts? (7/13/2019)
- What Does the Book of Mormon Teach About Fear? (5/8/2019)
- Zoram Did Take Courage at the Words Which I Spake – 1 Nephi 4:28-30, 33, 35 (2/9/2018)
- Not Knowing Beforehand – 1 Nephi 4:6 (7/6/2017)
- Our Fathers Came Through – 1 Nephi 4:2-3 (10/17/2016)
- Not Knowing Beforehand – 1 Nephi 4:5-6 (8/2/2016)
- 1 Nephi 4:6 Not Knowing Beforehand (1/9/2015)