Difference between revisions of "User:BYU Club/Fall 2005/Notes"

Revision as of 13:42, 2 September 2005

1 Ne 1

v. 1

• What does goodly mean? Doesn't this refer to wealth or something as opposed to good as we think of it?

• "having seen many afflictions" - interesting that Nephi is saying this after he's lived through some hard times (he says the same thing about being favored of the Lord)

v. 2

• "learning of Jews" but "language of the Egyptians" - Does the learning of the Jews permeate their language? Nephi will mention the learning of the Jews again later when we read Isaiah....

v. 3

• record is true - Nephi may be referring to the teachings in the book rather than just the historical aspect of the record. A good reference on what true means in the scriptures is D&C 93:24.

v. 4

• Other prophets include Jeremiah in the Old Testament.

• Most kings were called by prophets (think of Nathan calling David). Zedekiah wasn't (?)....

v. 5

• Interesting that Lehi was praying for the people of Jerusalem--it's easy to pray for others when destruction is far off (like New Orleans recently), but harder to earnestly pray for more than just yourself and family when you actually live in the city that's being threatened to be destroyed.

• Cf. 1 Ne 1:11. Doesn't Nephi do a lot of praying for his people (and Gentiles?) in 2 Ne 32 or so? Enos prays for other people a lot too.

v. 6

• interesting that the pillar of fire is "on the rock"--could this be symbolic?

• Actually it says "dwelt" on the rock--how long was it there?

• Whatever Lehi saw made him "quake and tremble exceedingly". Could this be the destruction of Jerusalem? The apostacy of some of his posterity? We're note directly told....

v. 7

• overcome - Based on the "quake and tremble" phrase above, overcome here may be more due to sadness or fear or something, than the more positive type of overcome we think of in Alma when people are overcome with the Spirit in a conversion process. Or are the emotions essentially one in the same?

v. 8

• thought he saw??

v. 9-10

• luster - Interesting that Joseph Smith described the haveanly beings he saw with similar terminology.

• brightness of the sun and stars - The stars are used to compare the light of the 12 (apostles?), but the sun for the One (Christ?). Brings to mind D&C 50:24, how we can grow in light and knowledge.

v. 11

• names in book - Are our names written in this book when we take upon ourselves the name of Christ?

v. 15

• Now Lehi's heart is filled and he's rejoicing now, not quaking and trembling like in v. 6. Is this b/c he's now seen Christ and his mission on earth, and the names who will receive mercy written in the book?

v. 17

• How long is record Lehi's record? The abridgement of the record?

v. 19

• Jews mock - The wicked take the truth to be hard (cf. [1 Ne 16:2]). How do we handle criticism?

• So what did Lehi read in the book that he's telling the Jews now?

• Notice that Lehis preaches of Christ right after talking about destruction and repentance. How Christ-centered are we in what we do? Everything should relate to Christ....

v. 20

• Seems the Jews mocked when destruction was mentioned, but got angry when the Messiah was mentioned....

• Nephi says you here--who is he referring to? Does he use you anywhere else? In 2 Ne 33 he refers to the remnant of his seed and the Gentiles separately, not as you. Does he mean both? Anyone who reads what he's writing?

Other comments

• This chapter is full of interesting contrasts, like many other parts of the Book of Mormon. Here there is destruction and mercy, trembling and rejoicing, mocking and revalations. "Opposition in all things" - 2 Ne 2:11.