Emily and I are trying to be better at reading the scriptures more often. We recently started the Book of Mormon from the beginning with the plan of reading one chapter a day. We read 5 verses each rotating back and forth and at the end of each turn add some commentary. It’s not necessary to add commentary at the end of every turn but the idea is that when a thought or inspiration comes while reading the scriptures then we could stop and have a discussion about it. It’s been a good exercise thus far and we’ve had some good times with it. Here are our commentary and thoughts when reading in 1 Nephi Chapter 3.
Matt’s Scripture: 1 Nephi 3:15 (Nephi is speaking)
“But behold I said unto them that: As the Lord liveth, and as we live, we will not go down unto our father in the wilderness until we have accomplished the thing which the Lord hath commanded us.”
Matt’s Commentary:
We read so often 1 Nephi 3:7 which is a remarkable demonstration of Nephi’s commitment to do the Lord’s will and the faith to accomplish it. It is a powerful scripture and a great example of the type of faith we can develop by obeying the commandments and making countless correct decisions. Nephi was determined to start and accomplish this mission and his faith fortified those desires.
However, I like 1 Nephi 3:15 better. In this verse Nephi had already approached Laban and had been seriously rejected. This powerful man had also threatened Nephi if he ever came back. Nephi could have easily felt like he had tried and subsequently given up. He could have felt like “what’s the use”? He could have let doubt or disbelief creep in. Yet despite this major rejection and threat on his life, Nephi still had the same unwavering faith he had in 1 Nephi 3:7 when he was just starting his mission. I like 1 Nephi 3:15 because he was unshakable in his faith even after the first and second blows, he had the faith to finish what he started even in the face of adversity.
(Side Note: Nephi and his brethren then face further threats and challenges but in Chapter 4 verse 1 and 2 Nephi demonstrates the same rock solid faith. Another rejection and still no questioning the Lord. Rather, every time an obstacle comes up, his faith finds a way through, over, or around it)
Emily’s Scripture: 1 Nephi 3: 27 (Nephi is again speaking)
“And it came to pass that we fled into the wilderness, and the servants of Laban did not overtake us, and we hid ourselves in the cavity of a rock.”
Emily’s Commentary:
- Man that rock needs to brush its teeth!
