LeGrand L. Baker

1 Nephi 2:15-17 

15 And my father dwelt in a tent.{1}
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.
17 And I spake unto Sam, making known unto him the things which the Lord had manifested unto me by his Holy Spirit. And it came to pass that he believed in my words.

One of the wonderful things about the scriptures is that they speak in many voices—and it is the reader, not the author, who chooses the voice. When one asks what a scripture means, there are two possible answers: the first is that it means what the Spirit teaches one that it means so that it may be most applicable to one’s life just then. Because that is true, the meaning we perceive may not only be different from person-to-person but it may have a different application as we mature or as our needs change. The second is that the passage means precisely what the author intended it to mean. These verses are an interesting example of that.

Nephi tells us: “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.” As a boy I was taught that the “visit” was symbolic—that, in fact, there was no actual visit at all but that he had been filled with the Holy Ghost, and thus his heart had been softened that he could believe. I was also taught that if I would pray to be able to believe, the Holy Ghost would visit me in the same way. That was a good explanation, and an encouragement for a boy who wanted to be taught to believe.

I no longer believe that was what Nephi intended us to learn from his statement. He says, “he did visit me,” I believe that is a simple, concise, and accurate description of what happened.
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FOOTNOTE

{1} See1 Nephi 2:4-6, Lehi’s Tent as a Tabernacle.

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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.

If we follow the same chronology as used above (see comments on 1 Nephi 1:4), then Laman was about seven years old{1} when King Josiah was killed in battle with the Egyptians. Josiah’s son Jehoahaz ruled for three months until Pharaoh Necho replaced him and made Jehoiakim king of Judah. For the Jews, having a foreigner decide who would be king of Judah would have been a traumatic experience, and even Laman and his younger brother Lemuel would have been aware of the tension it caused. Jehoiakim ruled until Laman and Lemuel were in their late and middle teens. Then Nebuchadnezzar’s army marched into Jerusalem, took King Jehoiakim, Ezekiel, Daniel (who was probably about Nephi’s age), and many others captive to Babylon. Nebuchadnezzar placed Zedekiah on the throne, so Judah had another king who was ruling under the authority of a foreign country. Both Laman and Lemuel had lived their teenage years under the tensions of those international intrigues. Jeremiah, Lehi’s friend, had supported an alliance with Babylon. It is reasonable to assume Lehi did also. However, the two boys had grown up under Egyptian influence, and probably saw Nebuchadnezzar as an alien invader. If that is correct, the boys had a different political philosophy from their father.

Their religion was probably different also. The official Israelite/Jewish religion had changed during the years of Josiah, and had changed again after his death. Lehi was a prophet whose priesthood and religious training had roots back at least as far as the construction of Solomon’s Temple. It is apparent that his teenage sons had rebelled against this old religion and supported the new less observant form. It may have been their enthusiasm for those changes that would later cause them to insist that the Jews were a “righteous” people. “Righteous,” if translated from zedek, did not mean “good” or “worthy,” but rather “correct.” That is, the boys were asserting that the Jews were performing the ordinances of the Law of Moses in the right way, using the right words, in the right place, dressed the right way, and with the right authority. If so, then they were not arguing for the goodness of the people but rather that the correctness in the performances made up for anything lacked in the character of the rulers.

There was another complication. Laman was the oldest son. Under Jewish law, he would inherit his father’s family status as well as a double portion of his father’s wealth. Nephi’s comment that his father “left his house, and the land of his inheritance” (1 Nephi 2:4), suggests that Lehi may have had a house in Jerusalem as well as a country estate. If that is so, Laman, who was just coming of age, saw that their leaving Judah would cost him a lot of wealth, power, and prestige. In his short lifetime he had seen Jerusalem overcome by two foreign powers (once by Egypt and once by Babylon), but neither had done substantial harm to the city itself. There seemed to be no reason to believe the city would be more vulnerable in the future. Only a testimony like Nephi’s could outweigh such rationale. It is almost understandable, then, that Lehi’s oldest sons did everything in their power to resist going, and that they resented their younger brother’s interference.

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FOOTNOTE

{1} For a discussion of the ages of Lehi’s children, see “1 Nephi 1:4 — LeGrand Baker — reign of Zedekiah.”

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1 Nephi 2:7 

7. 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.

The altar would have been from stones conveniently lying about, probably smooth stones from a stream bed. The Lord had instructed Moses that the altar he built was to be made of stones that had not been cut or shaped by man (Exodus 20:24-26).

There was a difference between an offering that is a sacrifice and a burnt offering. Under the law of Moses a burnt offering was something that was entirely lost to its owner – something that was given up and completely consumed by fire. Each morning and evening, at the Temple, an animal was slaughtered, skinned, cleaned, and quartered. The parts were heavily salted,{1} then placed on the fire atop the great altar in the Temple precinct. There, the entire animal was burned. Also, on special occasions, the Israelites offered burnt offerings to the Lord, when the entire animal was burned up by the fire (cf. Leviticus 1:3-9).

Sacrifices were not at all like that. In the scriptures, to sacrifice does not mean to lose something or to give it up. The word sacrifice comes from the same root as sacred, sacral, and sacrament. It means to set something apart and to make it sacred—to move it from the realm of the profane to that of the holy. Sacrifice itself comes from the Latin sacrificere, “to make sacred.” A thing that is sacrificed is sanctified. In 3 Nephi when the Savior spoke out of the darkness, he instructed the Nephites that they were no longer to make blood offerings or sacrifices but rather that their sacrifice should be a broken heart and contrite spirit. What that meant was that they were to sanctify their hearts and their spirits so that they would become holy and without blemish.

In our time, we are required to make only two sacrifices: The one that is the same for each of us is tithing. Unlike a fast offerings—which is somewhat like a burnt offering, that is, something that we give away—tithing is, in the most classical sense, a true sacrificial offering. We do not give it up. Rather, we set it aside, sanctify it, make it holy, dedicate it to be used for sacred purposes. Thus tithing is the only universal, tangible sacrifice we are all required to make.

The other sacrifice that is required of each of us is not a thing, but our whole selves—not to give up our lives but to sanctify our lives—to make sacred all that we are, all that we have, and all that we do. If we understand what that means, then that sacrifice is as individualistic as our callings and circumstances are different. However, in the end it is the same for each of us: To sanctify ourselves with a broken heart and contrite spirit in order that we may come to where the Savior is.

The psalms teach that. So Lehi and his family understood it. Nevertheless, they were also under the Law of Moses, so it was appropriate that when they crossed the river (analogous to the children of Israel’s crossing Jordan) they built an altar and sacrificed to the Lord. We are not told the exact nature of their sacrifice, but it may have had one or a combination of meanings. It may have been an expression of thanks, of re-commitment, or of rejoicing, but it was probably all three.

The sacrifice Lehi probably made was a peace offering Leviticus 7:11-16). Under the Law of Moses, such sacrifices were to be performed in the following manner: The animal was killed and cleaned, then only a portion of its blood and fat were sprinkled upon the fire, but the entire animal was not burned. Rather, the Law required that the sacrificial animal must be entirely eaten that same day, or the next. When made for thanksgiving, the persons also brought to the table bread and wine. This is what some scholars call the sacred temple feast. It was an ordinance celebrating the unity of God and his children, and would have been the most appropriate sacrifice for Lehi and his family at that time.{2}

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FOOTNOTES

{1} See Baker, “What does it mean to be the ‘salt of the earth’?” Ensign, April 1999, 53-54.

{2} See: Leviticus 7:11-16, 19:5-10, 22:29-30; Deuteronomy 27:4-7; 2 Chronicles 29:27-32; and Jeremiah 17:24-27.

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1 Nephi 2:4-7 
4. And it came to pass that he departed into the wilderness. And he left his house, and the land of his inheritance, and his gold, and his silver, and his precious things, and took nothing with him, save it were his family, and provisions, and tents, and departed into the wilderness. …
6. 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.
7. 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.

Even though Nephi tells us in the beginning of his story that his father’s family took more than one tent with them on their journey (v.4), Nephi never mentions his own tent—but throughout his account of their travels in the wilderness, Nephi makes frequent reference to his father’s tent. Many of those references imply that the tent had significance beyond being simply a portable house. It is not a coincidence that Nephi first mentions his father’s tent in conjunction with their building a sacrificial altar.{1}

Lehi’s vision of the tree of life was pivotal to Nephi’s own story and became a cornerstone of all of the rest of the Book of Mormon’s testimony of the Savior. Nephi tells about that vision in some detail, then makes a point of associating the vision with the importance of his father’s tent, writing:

1 And all these things did my father see, and hear, and speak, as he dwelt in a tent, in the valley of Lemuel, and also a great many more things, which cannot be written upon these plates (1 Nephi 9:1).

The phrase these things is often code and is a major key in understanding the prophets of the Book of Mormon. Almost every time it is used it is a veiled reference to the sacred things of the Israelite or Nephite temple services, or else to a vision that explains them. In this verse these things refers to Lehi’s vision of the tree of live. Then Nephi tells us of his father’s prophecies, and again reminds us:

16 And all these things, of which I have spoken, were done as my father dwelt in a tent, in the valley of Lemuel (1 Nephi 10:16).

In light of those frequent and important references to their activities in and around Lehi’s tent, it is appropriate to ask, “How much did they know about temple worship?” Or, perhaps a better question is, “How much do we know about what they knew?” The answer to that question is found as part of the Lord’s instructions to the Prophet Joseph about the purposes of the Nauvoo Temple.

33. For verily I say unto you, that after you have had sufficient time to build a house to me, wherein the ordinance of baptizing for the dead belongeth, and for which the same was instituted from before the foundation of the world, your baptisms for your dead cannot be acceptable unto me;
34. For therein are the keys of the holy priesthood ordained, that you may receive honor and glory.
35. And after this time, your baptisms for the dead, by those who are scattered abroad, are not acceptable unto me, saith the Lord.
36. For it is ordained that in Zion, and in her stakes, and in Jerusalem, those places which I have appointed for refuge, shall be the places for your baptisms for your dead.
37. And again, verily I say unto you, how shall your washings be acceptable unto me, except ye perform them in a house which you have built to my name?
38. For, for this cause I commanded Moses that he should build a tabernacle, that they should bear it with them in the wilderness, and to build a house in the land of promise [Solomon’s Temple at Jerusalem] that those ordinances might be revealed which had been hid from before the world was.
39. Therefore, verily I say unto you, that your anointings, and your washings, and your baptisms for the dead, and your solemn assemblies, and your memorials for your sacrifices by the sons of Levi, and for your oracles in your most holy places wherein you receive conversations, and your statutes and judgments, for the beginning of the revelations and foundation of Zion, and for the glory, honor, and endowment of all her municipals, are ordained by the ordinance of my holy house, which my people are always commanded to build unto my holy name.
40. And verily I say unto you, let this house be built unto my name, that I may reveal mine ordinances therein unto my people (D&C 124:33-40).

When one considers that before Lehi left, King Josiah had substantially changed the Feast of Tabernacles temple drama, that the Temple had been taken over by apostate sun worshipers (Ezekiel 8:16-17),{2} | and that soon after the Temple itself was about to be destroyed by the Babylonians, it is justifiable to assert that one of the major reasons Lehi and his family left Jerusalem was to preserve for themselves and their posterity the rites, ceremonies, and covenants of the Israelite temple service. That being so, the question, “How much did Lehi and Nephi know about their temple?” can be answered with a single phrase: all that was necessary!

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FOOTNOTES

{1} Other examples are 1 Nephi 2:15-16, 2:22, 3:1-6, 4:38, 5:7, 9, 7:5, 21-22, and 15:1.

{2} For a discussion of the Jewish apostates use of the Temple in Jerusalem see Who Shall Ascend into the Hill of the Lord, First edition, p. 45-74; Second edition, p. 47-65.

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1 Nephi 1:18-20
18 Therefore, I would that ye should know, that after the Lord had shown so many marvelous things unto my father, Lehi, yea, concerning the destruction of Jerusalem, behold he went forth among the people, and began to prophesy and to declare unto them concerning the things which he had both seen and heard.
19 And it came to pass that the Jews did mock him because of the things which he testified of them; for he truly testified of their wickedness and their abominations; and he testified that the things which he saw and heard, and also the things which he read in the book, manifested plainly of the coming of a Messiah, and also the redemption of the world.
20 And when the Jews heard these things they were angry with him; yea, even as with the prophets of old, whom they had cast out, and stoned, and slain; and they also sought his life, that they might take it away. But behold, I, Nephi, will show unto you that the tender mercies of the Lord are over all those whom he hath chosen, because of their faith, to make them mighty even unto the power of deliverance.

Perhaps less than most of us, a prophet is unable to disguise the innate power of his own being. Prophets glow. One cannot always see the glow, but one who is aware can feel it. When someone encounters a prophet and recognizes the power that is simply a part of his person, that person is compelled to respond. The response may be love. In that case, the person will acknowledge the prophet’s divine call and follow his lead. Otherwise, the response would be hatred or fear—fear that the prophet can look into one’s soul and see the darkness that is there. In that case, if the person refuses to acknowledge the prophet’s divine call, he will seek to demonstrate that the prophet is a charlatan. To do that, he will seek to show that he has more power than the prophet has. The way he will try to do that may be to smear the prophet’s good name, to physically harm him, or even to kill him. Examples are found throughout scriptural history, from Abel who was killed by his brother Cain, to Isaiah, Abinadi, and the Savior, to the prophet Joseph.

Lehi and his friend Jeremiah were no exceptions to this rule. The easiest way for their enemies to prove that they were false prophets was to prove that they did not have the power to preserve their own lives: so they sought to kill them.

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1 Nephi 1:11
11 And they came down and went forth upon the face of the earth; and the first came and stood before my father, and gave unto him a book, and bade him that he should read.

There was an ordinance performed at the Council in Heaven and reaffirmed during a prophet’s sode experience whereby the servants of God were given the authority to speak the words of God. That ordinance is described in several different ways by several different prophets.

John the Beloved writes that he was given a little book to eat (Revelation 10:1, 9). That book becomes the key to our understanding the meaning of the book that Lehi was given to read.

In Section 77 of the Doctrine and Covenants, the Prophet Joseph answers a series of questions to explain the meanings of some of the symbolism in the book of Revelation. One of those questions is:

Q. What are we to understand by the little book which was eaten by John, as mentioned in the 10th chapter of Revelation?
A. We are to understand that it was a mission, and an ordinance, for him to gather the tribes of Israel; behold, this is Elias, who, as it is written, must come and restore all things (D&C 77:14).

Here the book is described as both an ordinance and the mission. The ordinance was John’s receiving and eating the book, and his mission was the words that were written in the book. This key about the meaning of that passage in the book of Revelation becomes a key to our understanding similar accounts of such ordinances and missions as they were described by other prophets.

Like John the Beloved, Ezekiel was given a book to eat:

And when I looked, behold, an hand was sent unto me; and, lo, a roll of a book was therein; And he spread it before me; and it was written within and without: and there was written therein lamentations, and mourning, and woe. Moreover he said unto me, Son of man, eat that thou findest; eat this roll [scroll], and go speak unto the house of Israel. So I opened my mouth, and he caused me to eat that roll (Ezekiel 2:9-3:2).

Jeremiah described the ordinance differently, but it carried the same responsibility:

Then the Lord put forth his hand, and touched my mouth. And the Lord said unto me, Behold, I have put my words in thy mouth” (Jeremiah 1:9).

Isaiah described the ordinance as cleansing his mouth and purging his sins. Then the Lord gave him instructions about his mission on earth.

6 Then flew one of the seraphims unto me, having a live coal in his hand, which he had taken with the tongs from off the altar:
7 And he laid it upon my mouth, and said, Lo, this hath touched thy lips; and thine iniquity is taken away, and thy sin purged.
8 Also I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, Whom shall I send, and who will go for us? Then said I, Here am I; send me (Isaiah 6:6-8).

In two of the four accounts of Joseph Smith’s First Vision, he says that he was told that his sins were forgiven before he received instructions about what he should do.{1}

Psalm 45 was acted on the stage near the beginning of the ancient Israelite temple rites and depicted the foreordination of the king. In the psalm, prior to God’s giving the words of the blessing, the narrator says to the king, “grace is poured into thy lips.” It is important to note that during the temple rites of Solomon’s Temple the audience did not just sit and watch the drama being performed but they actively participated. When the king received the ordinance and blessing, symbolically the men in the congregation, representing the members of the Council in Heaven, received the same ordinance and blessing.{2}

These accounts make it apparent that members of the Council in Heaven were given an empowering ordinance and explicit assignments that included instructions about what they were to teach the people when in mortality. When the prophet returns to the Council in his sode experience, he receives a renewal or a reaffirmation of that ordinance and those instructions.

Given both the variations and the similarities in the accounts by other prophets, one can easily recognize Lehi’s receiving and reading the book as a similar ordinance and a mission. Part of the mission was that he must warn the Jews of their impending doom. The other part is not revealed to us—except that we are told about his reaction to it—and judging from his words, we may infer that it included the promise that he would come to America, where his descendants would become a mighty people, and that they would be visited by the Savior. Nephi records, “for his soul did rejoice, and his whole heart was filled, because of the things which he had seen, yea, which the Lord had shown unto him” (1 Nephi 1:15).
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FOOTNOTES

{1} The four accounts are quoted in my book, Joseph and Moroni, pages 5-8. The text of the book is available in the “published books” section of this website.
{2} Psalm 45 is discussed in Who Shall Ascend into the Hill of the Lord: First edition pages 255-304; Second edition pages 191-217.

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