Book of Mormon 2020 - 1 Nephi - Chapters 5-6

After reading chapter 5 of the first book of Nephi, I find myself feeling a great deal of sympathy for Sariah and an even greater deal of respect for Lehi.

Sariah's fear in this chapter is every mother's worst fear: the fear of losing her children. Losing one child is bad enough, but the idea of losing ALL of your children in one fell swoop (especially if you have almost no chance of finding their bodies) is truly gutting. No wonder Sariah complained against Lehi like she did; in those days, children were especially sacred because society saw multiple children as a sign of God's blessing. The more children you had, the more you must be in God's favor.

So, this journey in the wilderness was not only a test for Nephi and his brothers, but also a test for Sariah and Lehi as a couple. Could their marriage endure a trial of this magnitude? With Lehi as a holder of the priesthood, did Sariah harbor enough faith, trust, and support for her husband?

As for Lehi, he shows true love and compassion for his wife. He could have very easily brushed her feelings aside or even argued back...but instead, he took the time to sincerely acknowledge her feelings and remind her of God's tender mercies. In this moment, Lehi was everything a worthy husband, father, and priesthood holder ought to be. In this moment, the wife was placed on the same pedestal as the husband, if not just a little higher.

Then, of course, their sons do come back to them alive and well, and Sariah's confidence in both Lehi and the Lord is sure. It's enough to warm your heart from the inside out.

And chapter 6 is a quick enough read, but this particular passage stood out to me: "Wherefore, the things which are pleasing unto the world I do not write, but the things which are pleasing unto God and unto those who are not of the world." I know the Book of Mormon has not sat well with many people I have known personally; sadly, some of those people no longer talk to me, and I've long since given up on them. I wouldn't turn them away if they approached me again, but I'm not holding my breath anymore, and any trust I had in them before is gone.

Anyway, that's enough about me. My point is that goodness knows this world would have a lot to say about the Book of Mormon, and none of it would be good. I still find it odd that some people believe Joseph Smith somehow "invented" this entire book on his own, when Joseph Smith was a very simple farm boy who was lucky to be able to read and write at all. After all, J.R.R. Tolkien was a very distinguished English professor and it took him many years to get even one work of fiction off the ground. For that matter, all the books we know and love weren't completed in a hurry, and it also took a good while just to build up a decent fan base.

But it goes to show: the world's ways are not God's ways, and God's not supposed to lower Himself to fit the world's standards; rather, the world's supposed to raise itself to fit God's standards. Reminds me of a talk I heard a while back in stake conference, about a large clock that was kept quite high, and the great height meant the people would have to change their personal watches to match the time on that clock instead of changing that clock to match their personal watches. Hopefully that makes sense!