1 Nephi 7 - Split families

Tucked between the end of the prologue and the first act of 1 Nephi, the visions of the Tree of Life, is a kind of an out-of-the-way chapter where Lehi’s party is fleshed out. For those who live in families split along lines of religious dogma or politics, this chapter will be worth reading and pondering.

The headline event of this chapter is Lehi sending his sons back to Jerusalem to persuade Ishmael and his family to join them in their trek to the promised land. Ishmael has two sons and five daughters. They are the yin to Lehi’s yang in that he has four sons and Zoram in his group. I can’t help but wonder if the wives of Ishmael’s sons were Lehi’s daughters. Else why would they come? But that’s just a curious question.

In this group we see these fault lines: Laman as Lehi’s first born son is the leader of the group which thinks Lehi is a “visionary” man. In case you are wondering, in the 1828 Webster’s dictionary, “visionary” has a less than flattering connotation. It is, one given to daydreaming and somewhat disconnected from reality.

In Laman’s group you find him, Lemuel and Ishmael’s two sons. Everyone else, consisting of Lehi, Ishmael, Nephi, Sam and Zoram follow Lehi. You’ll note, in the Book of Mormon culture women barely appear. If you add them, two daughters of Ishmael and maybe the wives of Ishmael’s sons are also in Laman’s camp. The rest are in Lehi’s. From this split grow two nations: the Lamanites and the Nephites.

The chapter, even all of First and Second Nephi, show you must love and reach across this divide without surrendering your values. They show you must pray... a lot and go the second and third miles as the need arises. They show you never quit... you always follow God. They don't promise ease... only that the rewards will be worth the effort. While they show ultimately we are accountable only for our own actions, part of our required actions is reaching across that divide.

1 Nephi 2 - A River of Water

We meet more of Nephi’s family in Chapter Two, particularly Laman, Lemuel, and Sam. They’re all older brothers to Nephi. We also encounter a tidbit of proof about the authenticity of the narrative.

Because I’m an aspiring writer and find this interesting, I’m covering this first. In most cases all authors write to their audiences from the context of their personal experience. In verse six, Nephi mentions a river of water. Sounds simple enough, but why not just say, “a river?” Why go to the trouble to explain it was a river in which water is flowing? Answer: raised in a desert with many dry river beds, wadis, a river that actually had flowing water was extraordinary. So, Nephi made mention of that distinction. From his experience, it was natural to say so.

Here’s the kicker. Raised in New England, rivers and creeks had water in them all year round. A dry river would have been extraordinary. If Joseph had been making it up, he would likely have just said, “a river.” Slim evidence you say?

Now, consider this...for years, decades even, critics used this as evidence against the Book of Mormon since they say there’s no geological evidence to corroborate his claim. Enter Google Earth. About 75 miles south of Jerusalem, there’s a fissure in the desert leading to the Red Sea, an impressive one which contains a dry river bed and palm trees. Geologists say there is evidence that 2500 years ago, the river probably flowed continuously, fed by runoff from distant mountains. There's even a shrine in there. I've seen pictures of the place, it's an impressive "valley". No maps in Joseph's day showed this. So, did he just guess correctly? If the critics are correct, he's made quite a few good ones. Just sayin'.

Here’s my abbreviated bit about Laman and Lemuel. Getting shaken by the spirit when Nephi spoke to them in Bountiful isn’t the first time this happened to these two. In verse 14 we read that Lehi speaking to them did it too. Some people just never learn.