Today, I want to look at the reality of the patterns in the Book of Mormon being played out before our very eyes. I wish everyone in this nation could read the Book of Mormon and recognize the danger we are in before we go - like lemmings - right over the edge of the cliff!
We, as a nation, are living at the edge of the ledge. If we don't realize it and stand firmly for what is right, we could fall right off.
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| Jerusalem circa 900 - 400 B.C. |
One of the early conflicts among Lehi's family was that created by Laman and Lemuel. We have studied this cycle of disobeidianall through 1 Nephi. In Sunday School this past week, we discussed why these two older brothers followed the pattern of behavior they did. A lot of opinions were discussed; I'd like to weigh in with mine.
1) Lehi was a wealthy man (1 Nephi 2:4.) Laman and Lemuel as the elder sons grew up in the atmosphere of affluence. Leaving all of the family's wealth - wealth to which they were accustomed - and the life style that went with it felt like a huge sacrifice to Laman and Lemuel. They were obedient to their father, but they still felt a lot of animosity toward their father for taking them away from their comfortable life.
2) Lehi was a prophet. He is older than a lot of prophets when he was called, being married and having grown children. At the time of his call, the Kingdom of Judah was in trouble. The New Babylonian Empire threatened. Most of their neighbors had already been conquered, including Assyria which had been the big bully on the block. Many of the wisest and brightest young people had already been taken to Babylon (i.e., Daniel and others.) This caused great concern to the point that Lehi pleaded with God for Jerusalem. He received a vision (I have dreamed a dream or otherwise I have seen a vision.) He had a confirmation from the Spirit that Judah was doomed without repentance. (This was about 10 years before the final doom of Jerusalem occurred.)
With Babylon on the east and Egypt threatening on the south, Judah had to choose. They should have chosen to trust the Lord, but they didn't. Instead, they trusted their own worldly wisdom and the arm of flesh. The prophet, Jeremiah, had already warned the king to avoid any alliance with Babylon, but the king and his people were not listening. Jeremiah and other prophets warned Judah that she would be taken and the city and temple destroyed. Many of the people in Judah ignored the warnings. They remembered Isaiah prophesying 100 years before that Jerusalem would not fall to Assyria and the temple would not be taken. Based on that, most of Jerusalem believed that they were invulnerable. Like the little lemming in the picture above, they said to themselves: It won't happen to us. Why is that people are always more willing to listen to an old prophet - and taken out of context at that - than they are to the current prophet?
Laman and Lemuel were among those who believed the opinion that was trending. When their father was called to prophecy Judah's doom if she didn't repent, they felt that the father had become somehow addled in his older age. They never accepted him as a prophet as their younger brothers did.
3) Because Lehi told the people of Judah that they needed to repent or be conquered, Lehi's life was threatened. Because the blindness of the people, any word spoken against Judah or Jerusalem or the temple were considered to be political treason.
Other prophets had already been killed for saying such things and Jeremiah was thrust into prison. One prophet actually fled from Judah to save his life, but he was not blessed as was Lehi. The king sent his minions to Egypt and they dragged this poor man home where he was killed by the sword in King Zedekiah's throne room, possibly by the king himself. Lehi had good reason to fear the mobs. When God told him to go, he packed in haste, taking only the bare necessities, and fled. Laman and Lemuel didn't believe they were in danger; they believed that their father had dragged them off for no good reason.
4) Laman was the eldest son. He should have been the birthright son, but like Reuben (Genesis 49:3-4) and Esau (Genesis 25: 30 - 34), Laman lost the birthright due to sin. Lemuel, the second born, followed Laman and did not receive the birthright either. Instead, Lehi chose his then-youngest son, Nephi, to receive the birthright because of his righteousness and his character. Lehi knew that Nephi would stay close to the Lord and take care of the family. This galled Laman from the very beginning and he taught that hatred to his children. (1 Nephi 18:10)
Even to the very end of their days, Laman and Lemuel didn't accept Lehi or Nephi as prophets; did not accept that Jerusalem was destroyed; did not accept that Nephi should hold the birthright; did not believe they were ever in any danger in Jerusalem. Like Jewish kings, they relied on the arm of flesh and never turned for long to the Lord. Their hearts were hard and their minds so clouded with resentment and hatred that the Spirit could not dwell with them or teach them anything.
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You can see now why I chose to share this in my blog and not in Sunday School class! Most people are through listening to me before I'm through talking to them.
Why am I sharing today? Because I see our nation moving in the same direction, driven by hatred and desire for revenge. We value the things of the flesh. We accept immoral sexual behavior as normal and even desirable. We worship money (ever wonder how many necessities could be provided for the poor for what one of those Red Carpet evening gowns cost?) I truly believe (and have for some time) that we are on the edge of the cliff. We have been led their by politicians, celebrities, sports stars, and others so far away from God that most cannot in honesty pray "God bless America." We are led by the nose by a biased media and have few temporal places to turn to clarify the miasmas. We can turn to God, but like Laman and Lemuel, most of us don't. Like the people of Israel, enemies have breached our walls. If we do not repent as a nation, we will suffer a like fate.
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We have blessed with a President who has brought God back to the White House. He is besieged by enemies at all sides. Whether you personally like the man or not, he is doing what he believes is best to fulfill our American Covenant with God. He will be giving his State of the Union address tonight. I look forward to hearing what he has to say.
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