Below is a running LDS Scripture Journal (updated as I read through these chapters-1 Nephi through Alma 29):
*Note: this is not a complete reference guide but it will continue to develop over time.
LDS Scripture Journal: 1 Nephi
1Nephi 1-5
As found in 1 Nephi (and with some liberality:) Prophets come to testify, admonish, warn and call to repentance. We know this to be true; each modern day prophet has likewise acted and given us contemporary aid in understanding the things of God.
1 Nephi 2:11-13
11 Now this he spake because of the stiffneckedness of Laman and Lemuel; for behold they did murmur in many things against their father, because he was a visionary man, and had led them out of the land of Jerusalem, to leave the land of their inheritance, and their gold, and their silver, and their precious things, to perish in the wilderness. And this they said he had done because of the foolish imaginations of his heart.
12 And thus Laman and Lemuel, being the eldest, did murmur against their father. And they did murmur because they knew not the dealings of that God who had created them.
13 Neither did they believe that Jerusalem, that great city, could be destroyed according to the words of the prophets. And they were like unto the Jews who were at Jerusalem, who sought to take away the life of my father.
Murmuring can degrade into negative actions as it continues to develop; murmuring is just the start of a downward spiral. Furthermore, murmuring from Laman and Lemuel was first based on their lack of allegiance to God; lack of understanding and an inability to separate themselves from their misguided notions of importance for the things of the world and tradition. They murmured because they did not understand the long-view of things and preferred the easier, more traditional and worldly/common track.
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1 Nephi 2:6-7
And it came to pass that when he had traveled three days in the wilderness, he pitched his tent in a valley by the side of a river of water.
And it came to pass that he built an altar of stones, and made an offering unto the Lord, and gave thanks unto the Lord our God.
This shows that the Patriarch should trust in the Lord and take comfort in the safety that God offers. But when safety and comfort is given we should give thanks to the Lord our God. Remembering that through him it was possible.
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1Nephi 2:16
And it came to pass that I, Nephi, being exceedingly young, nevertheless being large in stature, and also having great desires to know of the mysteries of God, wherefore, I did cry unto the Lord; and behold he did visit me, and did soften my heart that I did believe all the words which had been spoken by my father; wherefore, I did not rebel against him like unto my brothers.
It doesn’t matter our age or position. What is important to God is our intentions, our actions and our faith and our adherence to his commandments despite the obstacles placed in front of us.
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1 Nephi 3:15
But behold I said unto them that: As the Lord liveth, and as we live, we will not go down unto our father in the wilderness until we have accomplished the thing which the Lord hath commanded us.
We are commanded to fight the good fight and endure to the end. We are also required to uphold our oaths to God and to honor our fathers and mothers (a simpler version of adhering to the counsel of our Lord). When Nephi says “As the Lord Liveth and as we live” he is making an oath to uphold his next statement: that they will accomplish what the Lord commanded them.
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1Nephi 4:6
And I was led by the Spirit, not knowing beforehand the things which I should do.
If we are led by the spirit, we cannot fail. We may not know what we will need to do, but being led by the spirit is adhering to the iron rod. It is by the spirit that the most effect and efficacy can be accomplished in our endeavors. We should not question the promptings of the spirit and we should seek, through the promise of the sacramental prayers, to have His spirit to be with us always. We will NOT be led astray.
1 Nephi 4:35, 37
35 And it came to pass that Zoram did take courage at the words which I spake. Now Zoram was the name of the servant; and he promised that he would go down into the wilderness unto our father. Yea, and he also made an oath unto us that he would tarry with us from that time forth.
37 And it came to pass that when Zoram had made an oath unto us, our fears did cease concerning him.
Our promises and commitments define our character. Our promises and commitments should be rock solid and we should uphold our integrity and honesty and hold ourselves to a high standard. (This is a principle I outlined using the scripture + modern revelation + commentary regarding historical/traditional practices concerning oaths).
1 Nephi 6-14
The Lord will convince those in need, when they are putting themselves in the right position and company.
1 Nephi 7:5
5 And it came to pass that the Lord did soften the heart of Ishmael, and also his household, insomuch that they took their journey with us down into the wilderness to the tent of our father.
It’s not obvious that Ishmael is putting himself into the proper position and surrounding himself with the right company in JUST this verse. But given as a part of a whole (the entire book of Nephi, it is clear that these men know that the right things are coming to pass. It’s clear when given context that Ishmael is hearkening partly to the word of the Lord as given by the spirit, and partly adhering to a built relationship with Lehi and Nephi and their family. A combination of trust in the men of the world and trust in the promptings of the spirit put Ishmael into a position to have his heart changed and to act on these promptings.
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Knowledge is not as strong when it isn’t gained after and through faith.
1 Nephi 7:9-12
9 How is it that ye have not hearkened unto the word of the Lord?
10 How is it that ye have forgotten that ye have seen an angel of the Lord?
11 Yea, and how is it that ye have forgotten what great things the Lord hath done for us, in delivering us out of the hands of Laban, and also that we should obtain the record?
12 Yea, and how is it that ye have forgotten that the Lord is able to do all things according to his will, for the children of men, if it so be that they exercise faith in him? Wherefore, let us be faithful to him.
We have seen countless times of people who have some knowledge of the power of God and yet they cannot seems to change and adhere to that knowledge because they have not exercised sufficient faith in God. Nephi here and in chapter 17:46(ish) explains that awesome power of God and questions how his brothers cannot adhere to their knowledge. The same type of thing happened with early (modern day) church leaders moving away from the Gospel even though they were witness to amazing things. They had not had the trial of their faith; they had not refined that faith in the refiner’s fire as it were.
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It is not to Question what God does or commands. Rather it is our privilege to be part of and behold marvelous works and wonders.
5 Wherefore, the Lord hath commanded me to make these plates for a wise purpose in him, which purpose I know not.
6 But the Lord knoweth all things from the beginning; wherefore, he prepareth a way to accomplish all his works among the children of men; for behold, he hath all power unto the fulfilling of all his words. And thus it is. Amen.
We know this to be just one of many times where the prophets don’t quite understand the things they are doing, but their faith in God and knowledge of His works and power allow them to adhere to his commands. They have never been proven unwise to do so.
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There will come a destroying force that seeks to capture men by feigned closeness to God. It is abominable.
27 And all this have they done that they might pervert the right ways of the Lord, that they might blind the eyes and harden the hearts of the children of men.
We know that people will be caught up in large congregations of those who are seeking to destroy the work of the righteous by perverting the Gospel and the will of God into a socially acceptable format, which allows for bastardization of the truth.
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There will be no overcoming the power of God, for the Wicked. He will prevail.
6 Therefore, wo be unto the Gentiles if it so be that they harden their hearts against the Lamb of God.
We already know the Lord’s work will roll over the detractors and defilers. We can choose to be part of the work of God and an active participant in this victory, or we can sit aside and watch as it happens. But it will happen. At the judgment day, those who opposed God’s way, will not be able to stand the power of God.
1Nephi 15-22
You know that God is capable of destroying the whole earth with a single command, and yet when He “speaks” to you, you cannot or will not hear Him.
17:45 Ye are swift to do iniquity but slow to remember the Lord your God. Ye have seen an angel, and he spake unto you; yea, ye have heard his voice from time to time; and he hath spoken unto you in a still small voice, but ye were past feeling, that ye could not feel his words; wherefore, he has spoken unto you like unto the voice of thunder, which did cause the earth to shake as if it were to divide asunder.
46 And ye also know that by the power of his almighty word he can cause the earth that it shall pass away; yea, and ye know that by his word he can cause the rough places to be made smooth, and smooth places shall be broken up. O, then, why is it, that ye can be so hard in your hearts?
In years past as I have gone through different challenges in my life and stayed away from the Spirit when I could have stayed near to it, I have heard or read this scripture by accident or sometimes on purpose and it has resonated with me. It tells of an eternal truth: that God speaks to us in diverse ways to try to help us to understand Him, and yet we harden our hearts against His communications and His commands.
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1 Nephi 15:8
And I said unto them: Have ye inquired of the Lord?
9 And they said unto me: We have not; for the Lord maketh no such thing known unto us.
10 Behold, I said unto them: How is it that ye do not keep the commandments of the Lord? How is it that ye will perish, because of the hardness of your hearts?
11 Do ye not remember the things which the Lord hath said?—If ye will not harden your hearts, and ask me in faith, believing that ye shall receive, with diligence in keeping my commandments, surely these things shall be made known unto you.
The plan is set out. We have references and proof of the potential when we adhere to the commands and desires of the Lord. Yet, we will still struggle through the process, because we are not completely in line with the concepts and the commands. We can perish if we do not do as we are commanded so we might grow and increase our capacities.
It is clear here that the perspective makes a difference. It is so easy for Nephi’s brothers to act casually about the Lord’s commands. It is equally easy for Nephi to act seriously about the commands and expectations of God, as he had faith and knowledge and was in line with God’s ways. It’s simple to choose the right, but we significantly complicate the simplicity.
Note I said it was simple, not easy. I’m not going to tell anyone that these commands and this lifetime is easy (every person will have their struggles), but we have a roadmap. We have a proven pathway. We CAN follow the way of the Lord and attain the level he knows we can. OR, we can forget about his promptings and pathway and helps and guidance, and be cast off, removed and destroyed when the judgment day comes. His way is simple. But it DOES require work and meekness. Adherence to truth, and Faith in God.
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1 Nephi 19:5
And an account of my making these plates shall be given hereafter; and then, behold, I proceed according to that which I have spoken; and this I do that the more sacred things may be kept for the knowledge of my people.
This is a reminder of Nephi’s single purpose. He knew it was important that his records of earthly history be kept, but he knew, much more so, how essential it was to keep his people righteous and in the spirit of loving and honoring God. His goal was to forget about the temporal in hope of obtaining the spiritual for his people. This record of the commandments of God were MUCH more important in the grand scheme of things.
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1 Nephi 20:10
For, behold, I have refined thee, I have chosen thee in the furnace of affliction.
This is a testament to the struggles and hurdles we will face in life and how they impact us for the better, instead of providing long-term negative impacts. Job, Jonah, Noah, countless other disciples and prophets experienced these types of difficulties in life and later, while still in the flesh, they recognized the benefit of these trials. They all were made stronger or received confirmation that they would be benefitting in the next progression of their eternity.
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1 Nephi 21:14
But, behold, Zion hath said: The Lord hath forsaken me, and my Lord hath forgotten me—but he will show that he hath not.
This is a scripture that reminds me of the famous “footprints in the sand” poem. It’s a fact that God would never forget His people. Somehow, though, as struggles are experienced, His people will forget that He is God, and He will always protect and uplift and love His people.
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