Come Follow Me 1 Nephi 1-7: Insights by Gogo Goff

I hope you enjoy some insights from my Come Follow Me 1 Nephi 1-7. Save this pin to read later.

Praying for others!

“Wherefore it came to pass that my father, Lehi, as he went forth prayed unto the Lord, yea, even with all his heart, in behalf of his people.”
1 Nephi 1:5

I did not understand what Nephi meant when he said his father prayed with “all his heart, in behalf of his people” until I was a missionary. And I started to care for people on a spiritual level and pray for their spiritual welfare.

When you start to care for someone on a spiritual level it transcends mortal understanding. I saw grown men crying in prayer for their investigators and the less-actives, and companions that they taught and loved, and felt a bond with. I found myself doing the same thing in my prayers.

I think the biggest reason there is an “RM drop off” in spirituality is that we don’t care about people on a spiritual level, or at least we don’t like we did while we were missionaries. We can fix this if we pray for others with all our hearts.

“If those we love and serve have not heard and felt the influence of our earnest prayers in their behalf, then the time to repent is now.”
David A. Bednar

Obedience.

“And it came to pass that he was obedient unto the word of the Lord, wherefore he did as the Lord commanded him.”
1 Nephi 2:3

Lehi is a prime example of someone who follows the Spirit rather than second guess, doubt, or rationalize (which would’ve cost him his life). Lehi promptly followed the Spirit, fled Jerusalem, and because of doing so his entire family was saved from destruction.

We too can follow the Spirit like Lehi and when we do, we will receive power from on high to deal with our trials and burdens.

“When obedience ceases to be an irritant and becomes our quest, in that moment God will endow us with power.”
Ezra Taft Benson

Murmuring.

“Therefore go, my son, and thou shalt be favored of the Lord, because thou hast not murmured.” 1 Nephi 3:6

Chapter three starts with Lehi telling his sons they need to return to Jerusalem. Most people remember that they traveled 3 days into the wilderness, and think that’s not too bad. But they forget that Lehi and his family had traveled to the borders of the Red Sea, and THEN traveled 3 days into the wilderness.

Assuming they counted the Gulf of Aqaba as the Red Sea*, it was 319 km or about 200 miles from Jerusalem and then roughly 117 km or 73 miles into the wilderness. For a total of almost 440 km or 275 miles. Basically, this was not, “Hey let’s go walk back for a couple of hours and get home.” But rather, this was equivalent to leaving on a road trip from Provo to Rexburg and then turning around because you forgot something in Provo and then going back to Rexburg an 880 km or 550+ mile round trip!

Basically, it was not easy, in a matter of fact. It was really hard. Personally I wonder if I would not have complained or wondered if we could do without rather than go back to Jerusalem. But Nephi set an example of trusting in the Lord and not whining no matter how hard the task was.

*A loaded mule can go about 3 mph and can go for about 8 hours, so 24 miles a day x3 and if they went all the way to the actual Red Sea it would be closer to 680 km or 425 miles making the round trip 1360 km or 850 miles.

“No misfortune is so bad that whining about it won’t make it worse.”
Jeffrey R. Holland.

Killing Laban.

“Therefore I did obey the voice of the Spirit, and took Laban by the hair of the head, and I smote off his head with his own sword.”
1st Nephi 4:18

This verse is misunderstood by 99% of the people I talk to, they think the Spirit authorized Nephi to murder someone.

Let me first start with this. The Spirit will not, and can not be insubordinate to Heavenly Father. So it will NEVER tell you to break a commandment. If you’re listening to the Spirit and it is telling you to disobey God, you’re not listening to the Spirit you are listening to the devil.

Heavenly Father’s command in regards to killing is this: “Thou Shalt Not Kill” Pretty straight forward right? Well, the Hebrew changes things. Hebrew changes “kill” to “murder.” Meaning that it is not breaking the commandments to kill someone, but it is to murder someone.

So the question we must answer is, what justifies killing someone? Well, there are many reasons in the scriptures that righteous men follow. But today I want to talk about what Laban did to justify Nephi in killing him. From the prior chapter we read.

“And it came to pass that when Laban saw our property, and that it was exceedingly great, he did lust after it, insomuch that he thrust us out, and sent his servants to slay us, that he might obtain our property.”

1 Nephi 3:25

Laban attempted to murder Nephi (and his brothers) for the purpose of stealing all their property. And by so doing committed a crime that was punishable by death.

“And it came to pass that I was constrained by the Spirit that I should kill Laban; but I said in my heart: Never at any time have I shed the blood of man. And I shrunk and would that I might not slay him.”

1 Nephi 4:10

Nephi, like every righteous man, did not want to shed blood.
Notice he does NOT say innocent blood. Laban was guilty. Nephi even reminds himself of what he did.

“And the Spirit said unto me again: Behold the Lord hath delivered him into thy hands. Yea, and I also knew that he had sought to take away mine own life; yea, and he would not hearken unto the commandments of the Lord; and he also had taken away our property.”

1 Nephi 4:11

Nephi was the one who Laban had committed the crime against Nephi had every civic right to execute Laban. Nephi did not want to extract the letter of the law. But the Spirit explained why he needed to do so.

“And it came to pass that the Spirit said unto me again: Slay him, for the Lord hath delivered him into thy hands;
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.”

1 Nephi 4:12-13

With not only the civic right to enact justice but with Divine mandate Nephi obeys. The reason this is important? Because far too many members believe that the Spirit can tell them it’s ok to sin. Often this idea that the Spirit can tell us it’s ok to sin is setting up the first step of apostasy. If The Spirit ever tells you to sin, you’re NOT listening to The Spirit, you’re listening to an evil spirit.

“In secular as well as spiritual affairs, Saints may receive Divine guidance and revelation affecting themselves, but this does not convey authority to direct others, and is not to be accepted when contrary to Church covenants, doctrine or discipline, or to known facts, demonstrated truths, or good common sense.”
Harold B. Lee

For more about personal revelation see these articles.
Seven Principles of personal revelation by Elder Lund
Two Guiding Principles of Personal Revelation that every Latter-day Saint should know.

Comforting Others.

“And after this manner of language did my father, Lehi, comfort my mother, Sariah, concerning us, while we journeyed in the wilderness up to the land of Jerusalem, to obtain the record of the Jews.”
1 Nephi 5:6

The sons of Lehi were most likely gone for at least a month going back to Jerusalem if not longer. During this time Sariah, like any good mother, started to worry. Lehi, like a good father, realizing her faith was weak he comforted her.

We can learn from Lehi’s example and in the moments that the faith of others is weak we can strengthen them, comfort them, and who knows, but perhaps we may help save their soul.

“Take care of each other, watch out for each other, comfort each other, and [be] there for each other through thick and thin.”
Bonnie L. Oscarson

Testifying of Christ.

“For the fulness of mine intent is that I may persuade men to come unto the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, and be saved.”
1 Nephi 6:4

In verse four Nephi summarizes his intent and the intent of all prophets. Their goal is to persuade men to come unto Christ! This is the intent of everyone who has personally found Christ, they seek to bring others to Him. A good barometer of our conversion is our desire to share the Gospel.

“We must labor diligently to persuade everyone ‘to believe in Christ, and to be reconciled to God; for we know that it is by grace that we are saved, after all we can do.”
Dallin H. Oaks

How to pray.

“But it came to pass that I prayed unto the Lord, saying: O Lord, according to my faith which is in thee, wilt thou deliver me from the hands of my brethren; yea, even give me strength that I may burst these bands with which I am bound.”
1 Nephi 7:17

When many people pray they ask God to take away their trials, they ask that He just fix their problems, and when He does not, they then come to the false conclusion there is no God.

Nephi shows us a more excellent way. In Chapter 7 Nephi is bound, and his brothers are plotting how to murder him. He could’ve prayed “God, send down some angels to stop my brothers.” Or “God, remove these bands and smite my brothers.” Instead of asking God to fix it, he asks to be straightened to the point he could overcome his trials. We too can pray for the strength to accept the will of the Lord! And He will hear and answer our prayers!

“I bear to you my witness that He is there. He does hear and answer every prayer”
Thomas S. Monson

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