SOTW 1.0 (Ancient Times: Introduction)
How Do We Know What Happened?
In the first book of Nephi in the Book of Mormon, we meet
the prophet Nephi, who is still a young man. He has fled his hometown of
Jerusalem with his father and family to escape the destruction that will soon
befall the city. Soon after his father sends him and his brothers back to
Jerusalem to claim the brass plates containing the genealogy of their family.
Nephi and his brothers almost lose their lives and do lose their wealth on this
venture to get the plates from a wicked man, Laban who has the plates. Once
they return their father, Lehi, gives thanks to God for bringing his sons and
the plates safely to him.
Why was it so important for them to have the plates? After they get back to their family in the
wilderness, Lehi explains why its so important. Let’s read I Nephi 5:11-13.
11 And he beheld that [the
plates] did contain the five books of Moses, which gave an account of the
creation of the world, and also of Adam and Eve, who were our first parents;
12 And also a record of the Jews from the beginning,
even down to the commencement of the reign of Zedekiah, king of Judah;
13 And also the prophecies of the holy prophets,
from the beginning, even down to the commencement of the reign of Zedekiah; and
also many prophecies which have been spoken by the mouth of Jeremiah.
So
the first thing Lehi noticed was that they contained three things:
1) The five books of Moses, which are also the
first five books in the Bible: Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and
Deuteronomy. It is in here that the story of God making the world, and Adam and
Eve is told.
2)
The story of the Jews and their kingdom.
3)
The prophecies of the prophets up until Jeremiah who was the prophet when Lehi
left Jerusalem.
Now
let’s read verses 14-16:
14 And it came to pass that my father, Lehi, also
found upon the plates of brass a genealogy of his fathers; wherefore he knew
that he was a descendant of Joseph; yea, even that Joseph who was the son of
Jacob, who was sold into Egypt, and who was preserved by the hand of the Lord,
that he might preserve his father, Jacob, and all his household from perishing
with famine.
15 And they were also led out of captivity and out
of the land of Egypt, by that same God who had preserved them.
16 And thus my father, Lehi, did discover the
genealogy of his fathers. And Laban also was a descendant of Joseph, wherefore
he and his fathers had kept the records.
So
the plates also showed Lehi his genealogy, who his ancestors were.
Next,
we learn a very important lesson. Read verses 17-19.
17 And now when my father saw all these things, he
was filled with the Spirit, and began to prophesy concerning his seed—
18 That these plates of brass should go forth unto
all nations, kindreds, tongues, and people who were of his seed.
19 Wherefore, he said that these plates of brass
should never perish; neither should they be dimmed any more by time. And he
prophesied many things concerning his seed.
As
we read the histories, we can have the Spirit or as we often call it, the Holy
Ghost help us understand the scriptures and what they mean to us.
Finally,
read the last three verses of the chapter.
20 And it came to pass that thus far I and my
father had kept the commandments wherewith the Lord had commanded us.
21 And we had obtained the records which the Lord
had commanded us, and searched them and found that they were desirable; yea,
even of great worth unto us, insomuch that we could preserve the commandments
of the Lord unto our children.
22 Wherefore, it was wisdom in the Lord that we
should carry them with us, as we journeyed in the wilderness towards the land
of promise.
In
the stories of their history and in the prophecies, Lehi and his family were
able to have a knowledge of the commandments of God. Because they were written
down, they would be able to pass them on to their children so their children
would also know what the commandments were so they could return to live with
Heavenly Father some day.
So
as we read histories, particularly the scriptures, we will learn of the stories
of how God works with his children on earth, how these people are related to
us, how they affect us and as we feel the Spirit as we learn, we learn what God
wants us to do.
I
am grateful for the chance we have to study history. I’m grateful that many
people have worked hard so that we can learn about the past and who our
ancestors are and that God has given us words so that we can better understand
what He wants us to do.
This is what I need to do.
This is what I expect it to look like.
