1:7
America is a sacred land that the Lord promised to protect if we are righteous. "Wherefore, this land is consecrated unto him whom he shall bring. And if it so be that they shall serve him according to the commandments which he hath given, it shall be a land of liberty unto them; wherefore, they shall never be brought down into captivity; if so, it shall be because of iniquity; for if iniquity shall abound cursed shall be the land for their sakes, but unto the righteous it shall be blessed forever." So, this land will be protected as long as iniquity doesn't "abound?" I looked up what abound meant and I read a list of similar phrases: "Be full of, overflow with, teem with, be packed with, be crowded with, be thronged with, be jammed with, be overrun with, swarm with, be infested with." So, does this describe America?
I don't think we are there. But we are well on our way. Every big city and small town has a drug problem. Immorality is more popular than morality. Abstinence before marriage is thought of as antiquated or naive or unrealistic or even irresponsible. Religion is thought of as a scam. I know every generation thinks the next generation is wicked and it's been that way for decades but it feels different now.
I think confusion about gender and sexuality will initiate a new level of disharmony between humans and further disintegration of the family. With this disintegration, we will see a new level of perversion, drug abuse, rejection of morality, abandonment of any type of religion, lack of respect for elders, and on and on. I think we are heading quickly towards the point where we can safely say that iniquity does abound.
1:13-14
"O that ye would awake; awake from a deep sleep, yea, even from the sleep of hell, and shake off the awful chains by which ye are bound, which are the chains which bind the children of men, that they are carried away captive down to the eternal gulf of misery and woe. Awake! and arise from the dust, and hear the words of a trembling parent." How were Laman and Lemuel asleep? When we are asleep, we are generally unaware of what's really happening around us and are caught up in our little, made-up reality. I think this certainly describes Laman and Lemuel. They were so surrounded by their own biases and versions of reality that they weren't aware of the real world. Laman and Lemuel were asleep.
This doesn't happen to us? Sure it does. Sleepy could describe the level of discipleship that many of us display. Adam Miller wrote, "Being a sinner is generally more like shrugging than rebelling." I believe this whole-heartedly. We shrug when asked to volunteer. We shrug when asked if we're going to fast or attend the temple. We shrug when we think about being valiant in our calling. We shrug about watching an R rated movie. Often, our "deep sleep" is plain laziness.
We've got to wake up if we're going to be "valiant in our testimony of Jesus." We've got to be aware of what is happening and be present and conscious enough to notice promptings from the Spirit.
This apathy keeps us from progressing. It can be an "awful chain." We may believe ourselves to be chainless because we aren't violating any major sin. If we think that, we're wrong. Imagine a pillar reaching far into the sky with a ladder attached. Imagine a big net at the bottom. Our purpose is to climb as high as we can. The net is just there to protect us from certain death. Commandments are the net. Staying on top of the net is not our life's purpose. Our purpose is to climb and climb and climb. As Lehi says, "arise!" No one should brag because they're avoiding rock bottom.
1:18
"Or, that a cursing should come upon you for the space of many generations; and ye are visited by sword, and by famine, and are hated, and are led according to the will and captivity of the devil." Let's picture this for a second. We can be LED by the will of Satan. I can understand that. His will is for us to be miserable and so he tempts us to make our will the same as his. Ultimately, we are led by his will.
But what about being led according to the CAPTIVITY of the devil. What does that mean? I think it has to do with our loss of agency as we drift deeper and deeper into sin. When we sin, often, our options get limited. If I am promiscuous, I may create an inconvenient pregnancy that will tie me to someone I may not even like. If I develop a drug problem, I may lose my job and even my family. As doors close, we end up stuck. This, my friends, is captivity.
1:20
"And he hath said that: Inasmuch as ye shall keep my commandments ye shall prosper in the land; but inasmuch as ye will not keep my commandments ye shall be cut off from my presence." Does this mean that, if we are righteous, then we will be successful? Yeah, pretty much. It may not be that we are financially rich but our lives will be productive and honorable and we will have the respect of those who know us. We will develop rich relationships and we'll be industrious and responsible. We will be honest and hard working. We will be guided by the constant companionship of the Holy Ghost. All of those things, which are connected with obedience and righteousness, add up to a prosperous life in every way that matters.
1:21
"And now that my soul might have joy in you, and that my heart might leave this world with gladness because of you, that I might not be brought down with grief and sorrow to the grave, arise from the dust, my sons, and be men, and be determined in one mind and in one heart, united in all things, that ye may not come down into captivity." Toddlers do what they want to do...always. They are the definition of selfish. When they don't get their way, they may even throw a tantrum.
I'm sure Lehi is seeing this in them. He wants them to put childish things away and be men. Men are strong and determined and stable. Men aren't pushed and pulled around like puppets. They don't follow every whim that pops into their brain. They have self control. Lehi wants them to grow up. In the next chapter, he will talk about how there are things that act and things who are acted upon. Dust is acted upon. It is blown around. It is insignificant. He wants they to rise up above those things which are simply acted open and "be determined."
2:1-2
"And now, Jacob, I speak unto you: Thou art my firstborn in the days of my tribulation in the wilderness. And behold, in thy childhood thou hast suffered afflictions and much sorrow, because of the rudeness of thy brethren. Nevertheless, Jacob, my firstborn in the wilderness, thou knowest the greatness of God; and he shall consecrate thine afflictions for thy gain." Afflictions are part of living in this natural world. Afflictions, in an of themselves, are not valuable. They are bad. They are hard. They can be horrible.
However, God can "consecrate" our afflictions. God can take this thing and sanctify it. He can make an affliction holy. How? By allowing that affliction to purify and strengthen us. As the affliction is the source of our spiritual growth, it becomes a consecrated event. That affliction is literally the source of our progression to become like our Heavenly Father. There isn't much more sacred than that!
2:3
"Wherefore, I know that thou art redeemed, because of the righteousness of thy Redeemer." This is Lehi talking to Jacob. I think his words are critical. He is not telling Jacob that he is redeemed through his righteousness. Jacob's merits don't have anything to do with what is needed for redemption. We are redeemed because of the infinite power of the atonement. Saying that I am redeemed because I am obedient is like saying that an astronaut flies to the moon because he follows launch protocol. It's the rocket that gets him to the moon.
The astronaut does have to climb aboard. No one forces him. In this way, we have to accept our redemption through Jesus Christ. Accepting him means imperfectly following him and repenting when we mess up. Lehi knew exactly where the power was in Jacob's redemption.
I think it's possible that Jacob believed that his salvation rested squarely on his shoulders. I believe this because this chapter is basically Lehi explaining, in several different ways, how salvation is through Jesus Christ. Only.
2:4-9
"And thou hast beheld in thy youth his glory; wherefore, thou art blessed even as they unto whom he shall minister in the flesh; for the Spirit is the same, yesterday, today, and forever. And the way is prepared from the fall of man, and salvation is free." I've never really caught that Jacob saw Jesus. But it looks that way since I clicked on the footnote and it says, "Jesus Christ appearances." That's pretty cool.
Again, Lehi is reinforcing the idea that Jacob won't earn salvation. Instead, "salvation is free." We don't have to buy it or earn it. It's a gift. If you click on the footnote for "free," you get "grace." Salvation is a gift of grace.
Lehi continues, "And men are instructed sufficiently that they know good from evil. And the law is given unto men. And by the law no flesh is justified; or, by the law men are cut off. Yea, by the temporal law they were cut off; and also, by the spiritual law they perish from that which is good, and become miserable forever. Wherefore, redemption cometh in and through the Holy Messiah; for he is full of grace and truth." Since we all have broken the laws of God, we are disqualified from salvation if it was a matter of the law. The law doesn't save us. Obedience to the law doesn't save us.
He switches gears and starts referring back to Adam and Eve. Lehi is painting a picture of what a miserable condition Adam and Eve were in if it weren't for the Savior. They were cut off temporally and spiritually from the presence of God. They couldn't earn their way back. There was no test that they could pass that would get them back into God's presence. It's that simple. They were hopeless on their own. Just like we are. Again, "redemption cometh in and through the Holy Messiah."
We have to do something though right? Of course. Again, Jesus won't force us to choose to be with and like him. So, what's our responsibility? "Behold, he offereth himself a sacrifice for sin, to answer the ends of the law, unto all those who have a broken heart and a contrite spirit; and unto none else can the ends of the law be answered." We must be humble and willing to submit to God's will. Again, we have to choose to be saved. We cannot save ourselves but he won't force us to be saved. As long as we are humble and teachable, God can do ANYTHING with us - including help us progress to inherit all that he has.
The moment we let pride slip in and we refuse to change anymore, then the progress stops.
Lehi really wants to make the point who is doing the saving. "Wherefore, how great the importance to make these things known unto the inhabitants of the earth, that they may know that there is no flesh that can dwell in the presence of God, save it be through the merits, and mercy, and grace of the Holy Messiah, who layeth down his life according to the flesh." It is only through Christ's merits, mercy and grace that we can be saved. Lehi couldn't be more clear. It is not about our merit. Salvation is not a reward for the obedient. Salvation is the natural conclusion of being infinitely humble and teachable - willing to repent continuously through this life and the next.
In verse 9, he says, "Wherefore, he is the firstfruits unto God, inasmuch as he shall make intercession for all the children of men; and they that believe in him shall be saved." What does it mean to truly believe in him? Do I believe in him if I ignore what he said? Do I believe him if I never think about him? If he is the Son of God and he taught the way that I can have eternal life, do I actually believe him if I just blow that off? I don't think so. If we truly believe in him, we follow him. He that follows Jesus Christ SHALL be saved.
2:11-12
This is some good instruction about the universe. Newton's third law of motion states: "For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction." I think this relates to what Lehi is teaching about opposition in all things. "For it must needs be, that there is an opposition in all things. If not so, my firstborn in the wilderness, righteousness could not be brought to pass, neither wickedness, neither holiness nor misery, neither good nor bad. Wherefore, all things must needs be a compound in one; wherefore, if it should be one body it must needs remain as dead, having no life neither death, nor corruption nor incorruption, happiness nor misery, neither sense nor insensibility." Wow. This is some deep stuff. Further proof that young Joseph Smith didn't write this. This is not the wisdom of a twenty something...
Without bad, what is good? If there is no unrighteousness, how do you define righteousness? If you don't know what sad is, how can you be happy? If there aren't good and bad choices, how is choice even possible? "For it must needs be, that there is an opposition in all things. If not so, my firstborn in the wilderness, righteousness could not be brought to pass, neither wickedness, neither holiness nor misery, neither good nor bad." Without true choice, it's all a lump of nothing.
"Wherefore, all things must needs be a compound in one; wherefore, if it should be one body it must needs remain as dead, having no life neither death, nor corruption nor incorruption, happiness nor misery, neither sense nor insensibility." NOT having two opposing forces makes this life NOT a test. This is no longer an arena where heroes are made. Any playwright will tell you that you've got to have a protagonist and an antagonist to have a good story. The story of our lives would be very, very boring without opposition.
Without opposition, what is the purpose of life? This universe was created for us to learn and grow - to be tried and tested. We are being straightened, purified, refined. Without opposition, none of that happens! The whole thing would be pointless as a growth exercise. "Wherefore, it must needs have been created for a thing of naught; wherefore there would have been no purpose in the end of its creation. Wherefore, this thing must needs destroy the wisdom of God and his eternal purposes, and also the power, and the mercy, and the justice of God."
Satan wanted this. He proposed a plan that would remove choice. Opposition was missing from his plan. I'm guessing that he thought we'd gain some experience in mortality...who knows. It wasn't a good plan. Sure, it would remove wickedness from the equation - but it would also remove righteousness. Again, it would be "created for a thing of naught - there would have been no purpose." He just couldn't accept the fact that so many souls might be lost. He didn't like the risk of opposition. But, thankfully, God knew that it was the only way that we could progress to be like him.
2:18
Satan was cast out. "And because he had fallen from heaven, and had become miserable forever, he sought also the misery of all mankind. Wherefore, he said unto Eve, yea, even that old serpent, who is the devil, who is the father of all lies, wherefore he said: Partake of the forbidden fruit, and ye shall not die, but ye shall be as God, knowing good and evil." Misery loves company right? In the case of Satan, you couldn't be more right. His desire for our misery is as infinite as God's love for us. His hatred for us will never burn out. You'd think, after a few millennia, that he could get over it and realize his mistakes. Not this guy. He will always want us to be miserable forever. What a pathetic, little man.
Interestingly, the way he tempted Eve was to mix some truth with lies. This is usually the way that someone manipulates another and pushes them away from the truth. If you walk up and state a bold lie, you'll get rejected immediately. But, if you sprinkle some truth into your lie, people find that much more acceptable. He was right that she would know good and evil. But the lie was that she wouldn't die. She would definitely die if she partook of that fruit. Satan's method for beguiling Eve was that he mixed truth and lies together. I'm very grateful that she made the choice that she did.
We should be wary of this in our world today. There are many people who will "preach the philosophies of men mingled with scripture." (Hartman Rector Jr) Often, we hear a pound of lies and an ounce of truth mixed in. Or, we hear a message that is mostly true with just a bit of lies mixed in. Either way, the mixture is meant to make the lies more palatable.
2:21
So, with this opposition, it's a problem for us because it means that ALL OF US will make bad choices and sin in some way or another. Thankfully, built into this plan of opposites is the ability to repent. "And the days of the children of men were prolonged, according to the will of God, that they might repent while in the flesh; wherefore, their state became a state of probation, and their time was lengthened, according to the commandments which the Lord God gave unto the children of men. For he gave commandment that all men must repent; for he showed unto all men that they were lost, because of the transgression of their parents." Our strength and growth will come from repenting in the flesh. Why?
Imagine that you're preparing for a difficult test. You prepare and prepare. You learn and memorize. You study until you understand the principles. You walk into the test and you start answering questions. You're working through each problem with the burden of figuring out the right answer. It's a difficult process. Then, after some time, the teacher reviews the correct answers with you. Where does your growth come from? Does it come from hearing the teacher give the correct answers or does it come from your hours of study and actually completing the test on your own? I suggest that it's everything that happens until the end of the test that causes the growth.
It is like that in life. We are in the midst of studying, preparing and then making decisions in the moment. This is where the growth happens. It will not happen at the judgment bar where all of our choices are reviewed. It will even be harder to progress in the spirit world - while the veil is still intact. Why, because we've already been given a lot of the answers. We're not so "on our own" so to speak. It's like we've already been given a key to a lot of the test. We're seeing the answers rather than figure it out on our own and making choices based on faith alone.
Why are the answers kind of there in the spirit world? Well, you know that there is life after death mainly. In mortality, it could be that all of this gospel talk is the result of a desperate mind, attempting to figure out a way to believe that we don't just die when we die. We can plainly see that there is a larger, great purpose to our mortality. That fact alone gives us a huge boost in making the right choice. With that boost, the test becomes easier. With an easier test, the growth is less.
Also, a lot of the opposition is removed in the spirit world. We won't have the ability to kill and steal and be immoral and do drugs. We won't have the temptation to pursue riches and power and fame. All of that goes away. The only things left to care about are our relationships and our righteousness. Instead of bowling with gutters, we've got bumpers. The question is, is it easier to progress as a bowler with gutters or bumpers?
With all of this said, let's "repent while in the flesh."
2:22-25
"And now, behold, if Adam had not transgressed he would not have fallen, but he would have remained in the garden of Eden. And all things which were created must have remained in the same state in which they were after they were created; and they must have remained forever, and had no end. And they would have had no children; wherefore they would have remained in a state of innocence, having no joy, for they knew no misery; doing no good, for they knew no sin. But behold, all things have been done in the wisdom of him who knoweth all things." I should say that it was Eve who originally transgressed and then pulled Adam along with her. Again, I am grateful that she made that choice.
Why? Because I wouldn't exist in mortality if she hadn't. I don't think she was tempted as much as truly did understand what was at stake. The Garden of Eden was an amazing place. They didn't have worries or stresses. They simply cared for the garden and, I don't know, walked around and stuff.
I would say that they could have just been happy but they couldn't be happy because they didn't know what was. They would have "no joy, for they knew no misery." More importantly, they would "do no good, for they knew no sin." They couldn't be happy or do good works. I'm not sure how long they were there - probably a while. They likely were taught by Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ but didn't experience joy and couldn't be righteous. It would have been a weird existence.
But, they did partake of the forbidden fruit. I personally believe that they did it with their eyes wide open with excitement and fear about their choice. They made a conscious decision to live the higher law of replenishing the earth and transgressed te lower law of eating the fruit. Why? "Adam fell that men might be; and men are, that they might have joy." Adam fell so we could exist and be happy. There was no opportunity to have children or experience joy in their current state in the garden. They made an incredible selfless choice of giving up all that they had ever known for a chance at bringing us into the world and experiencing true joy. Good choice you two!
2:26-27
"And the Messiah cometh in the fulness of time, that he may redeem the children of men from the fall. And because that they are redeemed from the fall they have become free forever, knowing good from evil; to act for themselves and not to be acted upon, save it be by the punishment of the law at the great and last day, according to the commandments which God hath given. Wherefore, men are free according to the flesh; and all things are given them which are expedient unto man. And they are free to choose liberty and eternal life, through the great Mediator of all men, or to choose captivity and death, according to the captivity and power of the devil; for he seeketh that all men might be miserable like unto himself." Jesus came to redeem men from the fall. We were in a dire predicament. They had transgressed the law and were separated from God. Nothing that they could ever do could reverse what had happened. They, and we, were doomed to be separate. Eventually, we would all be "devils, angels to a devil." Eventually, our desire and ability to choose good would slip away as we progressed deeper and deeper into selfishness, pride and sin. This was a real, NOT HYPOTHETICAL, problem. We needed a Savior. We were, for all intents and purposes, helpless.
With Jesus, however, we have the best of all sides. We get to choose freely. We can choose good or evil. We have knowledge, like God has knowledge. We were agents to ourselves, able to act for ourselves and "not be acted upon." Because of Jesus Christ, we can experience this opposition and even make bad choices and STILL be able to return to God and live with him.
It's not just a free for all. There are consequences to our choices. There will be some "punishment of the law at the great and last day." What that punishment looks like I have no idea. I think, for most, punishment will not be the main course on the menu because that is not what they will need. Instead, justice will insist that they receive comfort, strength, encouragement, empathy, and pure love. The point is that, because of the fall and because of Christ's redemption, we can learn and grow and still return to live with God and Jesus. It's a great plan of salvation.
2:28-29
"And now, my sons, I would that ye should look to the great Mediator, and hearken unto his great commandments; and be faithful unto his words, and choose eternal life, according to the will of his Holy Spirit; And not choose eternal death, according to the will of the flesh and the evil which is therein, which giveth the spirit of the devil power to captivate, to bring you down to hell, that he may reign over you in his own kingdom." We can choose Jesus and follow his commandments - especially the GREAT ones and be faithful to him. In this, we choose eternal life.
There is another path - and that is to choos eternal death. It is the "will of the flesh" to be so. Our natural man has tendencies that pull us towards pride and selfishness and immorality. These fleshy desires are part of our mortal experience. It is part of knowing what goodness is because we experience unrighteousness all around, and inside, of us. We are continually faced with temptation and are learning more about it in 75 years than we learned in the millennia prior to being born. I dare say that Jesus himself learned more about resisting temptation in his mortal experience than ever before. That is a big part of the point of this world. Jesus now has perfect empathy for those who are tempted. He knows exactly what that feels like. He just doesn't know what it's like to give into temptation because he never did.
If we give into the "will of our flesh", we give the power to the devil to "captivate" us. What does that mean? That means that, when we give into our natural desires, eventually our ability to choose to NOT give in slips away. We can find ourselves so deep in sin that our choices are limited. We are sometimes prisoners of our past choices and Satan uses this desperate situation to "bring us down to hell."
Thankfully, because of Jesus Christ, that doesn't need to happen. The man who is for us is much more powerful than the man who is against us. We just have to choose the winning team. Elder Holland once said, “The future of this world has long been declared; the final outcome between good and evil is already known. There is absolutely no question as to who wins because the victory has already been posted on the scoreboard. The only really strange thing in all of this is that we are still down here on the field trying to decide which team’s jersey we want to wear.”
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