This is Part 1 on a series of ‘living after the manner of happiness’.
While doing my morning scripture study in 2 Nephi 1:21 – 27, Grace Freeman and David Butler from “Don’t Miss This” pointed out how vital these verses are in teaching us how we are to live. How we are to live is supposed to be different from the world. We are to live as God would have us live.
2 Nephi is Lehi’s farewell to his children because he is dying. In verses 21-27, he is talking to his sons, specifically Lamen and Lemuel.
In verse 21, he says, “…arise from the dust, my sons, and be men, and be determined in one heart, united in all things, that ye may not come down into captivity.”
Lehi is telling his sons how to be men, where to start. When I read this in my scriptures, I mark women and daughters above the words men and sons because truthfully, what Lehi is teaching can be used for both.
Lehi tells us to first “arise”. Get up, don’t stay where you are. Look up to something better and greater than yourself.
Then he tells us to be determined, to be one heart, united in all things. Be determined to know God and the goodness He has for you. Be of one heart with Him, united in His purpose. Let Him be the guiding light in your life. Follow His plan for your life, instead of your own.
In verse 23 we are told, “Awake my sons (and daughters), put on the armor of righteousness. Shake off the chains with which you are bound, and come out of obscurity, and arise from the dust.”
Wake up! Wake up to the knowledge that what God has planned for you is greater and better than what you can dream up for yourself. Put on the armor of God (Ephesians 6). Do what it takes to put on each piece of armor so you are able to defend against the fiery darts of the adversary.
“Shake off the chains with which you are bound”. This hit me hard. What are my chains? What are the chains that I have bound myself with? Chains like pride and procrastination, or others which I can’t even see yet. Some are chains I chose and some are chains that were taught to me by my parents. All are chains that I need to shake off. All are chains that because of my Savior Jesus Chriast I can shake off, because He broke all of the chains already. That was the purpose of the atonement. It is what He did for each one of us. It is what He shows us how to do and walks with us as we do. Do you know your chains? The Savior will help you shake them off.
“Come forth out of obscurity, and arise from the dust.” We are sons and daughters of Heavenly Parents. We are not, nor were ever meant to be small and obscure. We, each one of us, were meant to rise to meet the challenges that we individually face. We were never meant to dwell in despair or unbelief. Jesus Christ showed us how to rise, how to live. We must follow His example in order to rise above despair, unbelief, or anything else that the world throws at us.
In verse 24 we are told, “Rebel no more against your brother, whose views have been glorious, and who hath kept the commandments from the time we have left Jerusalem; and who hath been an instrument in the hands of God…”
“Rebel no more. Lehi is talking about Lamen and Lemuel rebelling against Nephi, their younger brother. For me and for each of us we need to stop rebelling against God. We need to submit our will to His. Follow His plan for us. I think part of that is trusting God. Trusting He will work for our good, that although things are hard or our lives are difficult and challenging, that the end will be good because He wants good for us. Indeed in Romans 8:28 we are told that “all things will work together for them who love God.”
Lehi then uses Nephi as an example. “Whose views have been glorious”. Nephi looks to God in all things. He remembers the promises that God has made to his ancestors and to him personally. He looks for and recognizes the tender mercies and the miracles that have occurred in his life and in the past to the children of Israel. He seeks and listens to the Holy Ghost. This is what makes his “views glorious”. It is what Nephi chooses to see and to focus on. In shifting our focus to the Savior Jesus Christ, life won’t necessarily be easier but our views will be glorious.
“…who hath kept the commandments….who hath been an instrument in the hands of God.” These two are connected because in order to be an instrument in the hands of God you must be keeping the commandments. To be His instrument you must have the Holy Ghost as your companion because that is how we receive the direction on what He wants us to do. We keep the Holy Ghost as a constant companion by keeping the commandments, both those found in the scriptures and the personal commandments that come to us through the Holy Ghost.
In verse 25 it says, “…he hath not sought for power and authority over you, but he hath sought for the glory of God, and your own eternal welfare.” Nephi did not desire power over his brothers. He did not want to control them. He wanted them to have their own personal relationship with God. He wanted them to be eternally in good standing with God. Nephi wanted this because of the experiences he had had with God and the joy, comfort and direction that he knew that relationship could bring his brothers.
We need to seek not for power or authority over others but for their eternal welfare. For them to see the glory of God and how it can transform and enhance their lives. For the happiness, joy, light, and guidance that it will bring into their lives.
Verses 26 and 27 then teach of “the power of the word of God… and the power of God” that was in Nephi in several situations where he was teaching and dealing with his brothers.
When we are following Jesus Christ, when we are submitting our will to Him. We will be used to teach and guide those around us. Sometimes that teaching though done with love and with the Spirit can be sharp to those receiving it. The Lord chastises those He loves. He loves each of us a great deal, more than mortal words can express. With that love comes a desire to help, teach, and guide us home.
We do not need to reinvent how to travel through mortality. It has already been done. Jesus Christ through His life brief though it was, showed us how to live. Grace Freeman said, “Jesus is going to walk with me as I do it. If I am not sure how to shake off my chains, Jesus will show me how, He will do it with me. If I am not sure how not to perish or how to stop rebelling, Jesus will show me how and He will walk with me as I do it. I can do it because He did it first.”
Each of us can do it because Jesus did it first. Mortality is a very personal journey that we were meant to walk hand in hand with Jesus Christ. He was meant to be our guide through mortality just as He is our savior, redeemer and mediator. Through my journey I have come to realize He is also my brother and my friend. He is the one who never lets me down. At times I may not understand everything He asks of me, but I know He never asks what I cannot do and it is always for my good and the good of His other children that He asks. These verses talk about Jesus Christ. They testify of what He can do if you allow Him into your life. They show how to walk in His ways and follow His path. I testify to their truthfulness and stand as a witness to the joy and goodness that knowing the Savior has brought to my life.
