SUNDAY MUSING

I, Nephi, having been born of goodly
parents, therefore I was taught some-
what in all the learning of my father;
and having seen many afflictions in the
course of my days, nevertheless, having
been highly favored of the Lord in all
my days; yea, having had a great knowledge
of the goodness and the mysteries of God,
therefore I make a record of my proceedings
in my days.
from: Book of Mormon
1Nephi 1:1

If you’re not LDS or ‘mormon’ then you probably have not had the pleasure -yet- to become acquainted with someone called Nephi. You also may or may not know why we are sometimes called Mormon. (though we preferred being called Latter-day Saints) Mormon was an ancient prophet who recorded revelation and history, that is now part of our sacred scripture , in conjunction with the Holy Bible.
Mormon was also an abridger of the sacred records.

But.. we could just have easily been ‘tagged’ the Nephis’ or Nephites I suppose.
But I stray from topic.
I have put together a refresher course--good for Mormons and non- Mormons alike.
is for “I, Nephi…..”

Nephi is well worth becoming acquainted with. He’s well worth knowing a little bit about. He was a remarkable man.
The best place to begin this review would be in age old scripture.
In the Book of Jeremiah.
Jeremiah-a prophet from the Old Testament and Lehi (Nephi’s father) were compatriots, and contemporaries. . These men were chosen by God to preach repentance and doomsday warnings to the inhabitants of Jerusalem. At this time--600 B.C. -- Jerusalem had fallen into a wicked and abominable state. Nebuchadnezzar had appointed Zedekiah to be ruler in Jerusalem. Prophets were being murdered. The prophet Jeremiah had compiled lists of wicked practices that the people were committing at the time. (see Jeremiah 2,3,4,5, 16 and 23)
It was at this same time that the wealthy merchant, Lehi -who had the welfare of the people of Jerusalem weighing heavily on his heart and mind, plead with the Lord to spare them all from destruction. (Lehi had been LISTENING to the prophets!!)
"For it came to pass in the commencement of the first year of the reign of Zedekiah, king of Judah....there came many prophets, prophesying unto the people that they must repent, or the great city Jerusalem must be destroyed."
Lehi had a family. Nephi must have been born sometime around 616 B.C. He had three older brothers. Laman, Lemuel, and Sam.
Lehi, felt it his highest duty, as a descendant of Joseph who was sold into Egypt, to provide his family with the best of educations!! Nephi benefited greatly from this education.
Here is an attempt to a quick overview of a extraordinary man:

Nephi was a student of Hebrew and Egyptian.
Nephi proved to be a remarkable craftsman. He was able to work metal and wood. Making tools and brass pages to write upon, and constructed a boat to sail upon the ocean. He could hunt, and hunt well it seems-due to the fact that his older brothers looked to him to find food in times of crisis. He also had skill in the mining of ore that was needed for the making of metal tools.

Nephi brushed over lightly the fact that he endured many afflictions as he grew into manhood and beyond. Could 4 murderous attempts on his life by his very own brothers fall under this heading?? And lets not forget that a powerful, wicked general attempted to kill him as well! Poor Laban-lost this skirmish at the hands of an obedient boy prophet.
Nephi was a liberator, as he set Zoram, a slave, free from the servitude of Laban.
Nephi became a desert nomad and a survivalist. And without too much of a stretch of the imagination, he was most definitely an explorer and a captain on the high seas.
He became a colonizer in a new world, with only 59-70 people, some of which VERY reluctantly looked to him as a leader or advisor.
He was a pioneer, as he struggled to set up a new civilization for his family.
Of course Nephi was the spiritual leader and teacher for his people as well.
He was a warrior-defending himself and later, having to defend his little colony from rebellious, proud family members that would rather see him dead!! (he was delivered from his enemies by Divine intervention on more than one occasion.)
So…indeed Nephi’s afflictions were many, to be sure!!!
Be he endured, and always acknowledged his many blessing and from where those blessings came.
He, like his father, was a visionary man. He received direct revelation from God! He was given views of the ’big picture’ and all that God has in store for us.
Nephi was ’large in stature’ or in other words, as strong as an ox and could take care of himself.
He held the Holy Priesthood and became a restorer of the Church of Jesus Christ on the western hemisphere. He was a temple builder, and a city builder with expertise in engineering and architecture.
He was a war strategist and a great soldier. His people wanted him as their King (which he wisely declined.)
How grateful we are that Nephi was a most excellent recorded keeper and doer of the commandments of God. For we enjoy marvelous scripture because of his work.

What I Know:
Because a rich city boy, who sought after all that was good and righteous in the world, and was quite willing to sacrifice all that he had in order to follow the commands of a loving, all knowing Father in Heaven, we have a record of an ancient people whose history we can learn so very much from and also be guaranteed an experience with the Spirit touching our hearts and minds as we read this record.
What Else I Know:
Nephi should be every good ‘Mormons’ HERO!! He’s fast becoming mine. In this time of loser sports guys, and recording artist, we all need Nephi front and center in our minds!!!