My apologies, I've been under the weather for the past few days and haven't made any entries.
Nephi talks about his record keeping. The Lord told him to make a second set of plates that he would use to keep record of his ministry and the prophecies that he (they?) had been given and would receive, which he said "for a wise purpose that I know not" (somewhat paraphrased and borrowed from another chapter). The Lord knows all things of course, and it is likely He knew that the Joseph Smith's original translation of the beginning of the Book of Mormon would be lost, as it was by Martin Harris. Not knowing what the first translation contained, I think that this record is as great, or greater, worth to us than the original may have been.
Speaking of worth, Nephi talks about the righteous versus the world; he talks about how the things he has related and taught to his people are considered of little value to some of them (not pointing any finger, mind you). How prophetic this is... The Book of Mormon, and other truths that we know as Latter day Saints, are considered outrageous, ridiculous, blasphemous, or downright insulting to many people in the world, including many Christian sects. There was a group in Salt Lake City recently, a "Christian" band of people, who publicly called the temple the "Salt Lake whorehouse". While I was bishop in New Jersey, the church sent several sets of informational books about the church, and very nice ones, to us to be placed in local libraries. Most were willing to take them, but one township's library threw them out with the trash. Trampled by the feet of men.
Nephi points out that trampling of heavenly things carried (or will carry, from his point of view) over to the Savior Himself. People of His day, although considered great by some, were ambivalent at best, cruel and murderous at worst. The worst of them were from the prominent religious groups of the day. The Savior bore this treatment because of the love of the Father in Him. We usually don't face such treatment today, but we are called upon by Jesus to bear our tribulations with the same steady, long-suffering demeanor that He did.... He said "If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me." (Matt 16:24) Nephi certainly bore up under many difficulties that were inflicted upon him. We must stand true no matter what we go through.
Nephi quotes Isaiah because of the great worth of Isaiah's message. For the most part, the things that Nephi includes in his journal of sacred things pertain to a testimony of the Savior. Some of these verses always make me think of Handel's Messiah. One thing I found in curious in chapter 20: Verse 1 indicates who his words are directed to: the house of Jacob. He includes both those who are born to this heritage "are come forth out of the waters of Judah", as well as those who have been adapted into this lineage "or out of the waters of baptism". We, who are not by birth of the house of Jacob, are adopted into this line when we are baptized and live the commandments of the Lord. We have always been taught this, but isn't it wonderful to have Old Testament scripture that reinforces the concept?
Don
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