A visionary man

Here in chapter 5 we cut back to Lehi and Sariah, who have remained in the wilderness while their sons returned to Jerusalem. Sariah is especially glad to see that her sons are safe and unharmed. This is one of those chapters that shows just how much people are the same, whether they live now or 2600 years ago. Here we have a mother who is rather stressed out about her sons going to attempt such a difficult task (not to mention crossing the desert). Her love for her sons is very apparent as they make it safely home. 

Chapter 5

Verse 2: Sariah gets after Lehi for being a visionary man. It's fairly easy to understand her point of view. She's just been led out into the wilderness, away from her comfortable home and friends, all because her husband has "dreams". Add to that her sons have been sent back to face a very wicked man and try to get some valuable scriptures from him. Most of us might get a bit snappy under such circumstances as well. 

Verse 5: Lehi voices his absolute faith that the Lord will deliver them and bring them safely home. He's right. 

Verse 8: Sariah receives the great joy of having her sons return, after the "trial of her faith". She knows that the Lord delivered them and gave them power to accomplish what they were sent to do. Things have worked out in the end after all. At least in this short adventure. 

Verse 10: Lehi takes the scriptures and searches them. I really like how it says that. He doesn't just read them starting at the beginning. He searches them.

Verses 14-15: Lehi discovers that he is a descendant of Joseph who was sold into Egypt. He also reads of the children of Israel being delivered from the Egyptians. I think that Lehi and his family may have felt a certain connection or closeness with those people of old, facing similar circumstances. Both sets of people were delivered from destruction by the Lord, but they were also led through a wilderness to obtain that deliverance. Even when the Lord delivers us from trials, it still takes work to make it happen. 

Verse 22: I like the short part of this verse that says "it was wisdom in the Lord" for them to have the brass plates. It's not always easy to see the "big picture" of what the Lord has in store for us. Sometimes we are asked to do things that we don't quite understand or agree with. But if we obey the things that we receive from the Spirit we can't go wrong.

Chapter 6

Verse 4: Nephi's purpose with his writing is to bring others unto Christ that they might be saved. What better purpose could their be? 

Verse 5: Nephi writes those things that are pleasing unto the Lord and to those who are not of the world. Do the scriptures bring us joy? Do we seek to learn from them as often as possible? This doesn't mean we have to be perfect in reading a set amount of chapters or pages each day or spend every spare moment reading them. Would we return, through the desert, to face a tyrant to obtain them? Just something to ponder, for all of us.