theplains Posted June 18, 2015 Posted June 18, 2015 I had a few questions on these passages and needed some clarification. 1 Nephi 4:3 - "Now behold ye know that this is true; and ye also know that an angel hath spoken unto you; wherefore can ye doubt? Let us go up; the Lord is able to deliver us, even as our fathers, and to destroy Laban, even as the Egyptians". Since Laban's destruction is likened to the miraculous destruction of the Egyptians inthe Red Sea, does this mean that God intervened with a miracle to cause Laban to get drunk so that Nephi would have an easier time of slaying him? 1 Nephi 4:13-14 - "Behold the Lord slayeth the wicked to bring forth his righteous purposes. It is better that one man should perish than that a nation should dwindle and perish in unbelief. And now, when I, Nephi, had heard these words, I remembered the words of the Lord which he spake unto me in the wilderness, saying that: Inasmuch as thy seed shall keep my commandments, they shall prosper in the land of promise". What nation did the slaying of Laban prevent from dwindling and perishing in unbelief? Could you foresee the New Testament disciples being constrained by the Spirit to kill the holders of any of their scriptures so they could obtain them to keep the commandments and prosper in whatever lands they went to? Thanks,Jim
JLHPROF Posted June 18, 2015 Posted June 18, 2015 I had a few questions on these passages and needed some clarification. 1 Nephi 4:3 - "Now behold ye know that this is true; and ye also know that an angel hath spoken unto you; wherefore can ye doubt? Let us go up; the Lord is able to deliver us, even as our fathers, and to destroy Laban, even as the Egyptians". Since Laban's destruction is likened to the miraculous destruction of the Egyptians inthe Red Sea, does this mean that God intervened with a miracle to cause Laban to get drunk so that Nephi would have an easier time of slaying him? No - verse 3 is Nephi expressing that God COULD intervene and destroy Laban. What actually followed was that God got Nephi to do it for him, as God so often does. Nephi was just expressing faith in God's ability. 1 Nephi 4:13-14 - "Behold the Lord slayeth the wicked to bring forth his righteous purposes. It is better that one man should perish than that a nation should dwindle and perish in unbelief. And now, when I, Nephi, had heard these words, I remembered the words of the Lord which he spake unto me in the wilderness, saying that: Inasmuch as thy seed shall keep my commandments, they shall prosper in the land of promise". What nation did the slaying of Laban prevent from dwindling and perishing in unbelief? Short answer - the Nephite/Lamanite nations while they were righteous and followed the law which was preserved through Nephi's action.Long answer - everyone who benefited from Nephi's actions in preserving the record. Could you foresee the New Testament disciples being constrained by the Spirit to kill the holders of any of their scriptures so they could obtain them to keep the commandments and prosper in whatever lands they went to? Absolutely, 100%. Without a record of Christ and his life how many of us would be lost without the atonement to rely on.They were certainly willing to be killed to preserve it (Revelation 6:9). I am sure they would also have killed to preserve it. 1
Duncan Posted June 18, 2015 Posted June 18, 2015 the nation that was prevented, at least initially was the Nephites. If they didn't have the scriptures then they might have turned out like the Mulekites. So the Nephites needed the Brass Plates. I don't know who held the scriptures in NT times but Jesus read from them in Luke 4? and they generated their own epistles and gospels
Kenngo1969 Posted June 19, 2015 Posted June 19, 2015 http://publications.maxwellinstitute.byu.edu/publications/jbms/16/1/S00007-50cf96ad9a82c3Laban-Lar.pdf https://ojs.lib.byu.edu/spc/index.php/JBMRS/article/viewFile/19665/18232
theplains Posted June 19, 2015 Author Posted June 19, 2015 http://publications.maxwellinstitute.byu.edu/publications/jbms/16/1/S00007-50cf96ad9a82c3Laban-Lar.pdf https://ojs.lib.byu.edu/spc/index.php/JBMRS/article/viewFile/19665/18232 Thank you Ken.
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