Lehi, however, was stopped in the middle of his prophetic career in Jerusalem and told to leave. Apparently he never wavered. His reliance was on the Lord alone, and he turned from a dangerous and important task to pursue an even more dangerous and important task.
No longer would he try to change a nation. Now he would create one; he would raise up a righteous people for the Lord. His own sons and daughters were his mission, with no distractions. And suddenly the role of patriarch and the role of prophet became one. And at the end of his life, when he learned in a vision that Jerusalem had been destroyed, he did not mourn for the city he had loved and served so well.
He had been a prophet to his family, and he was satisfied. They were the word of the Lord to one of his few children faithful and strong enough to obey him in all things.
It was no weakling who led his strife-torn family through the wilderness. Nephi makes it clear that no matter how close Nephi came to the Lord, the revelations as to where the family should go came to Lehi. And though the Lord spoke to Nephi to command him to build a ship 1 Ne. He rejoiced that one of his sons was following the Lord so faithfully. It must have been a comfort to Lehi to watch his godly son direct the ship the rest of the way to the promised land, and when he saw Nephi stop the wind and calm the storm, he knew that the Lord had provided a leader for the next generation.
Yet even as Nephi gradually assumed leadership, Lehi remained as the patriarch until the end. Despite all the quarrels and struggles within the family, the family members did not split up until after Lehi died. Lehi longed for all his descendants to be as righteous as Nephi 2 Ne.
But as soon as they were away from the prophet, they rebelled. In all that Lehi does he looks to the future. Like Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, Lehi was a prophet known only to his children; but through them he influenced nations for thousands of years. Lehi was a strong man, not because he relied on his own wealth, power, or talents, but because he relied completely upon the Lord.
Yet even while Nephi gradually assumed leadership, Lehi remained as the patriarch until his death. Despite all the quarrels and struggles within the family, the family members did not split up until after Lehi died. Like Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, Lehi was a prophet known only to his children; but through them he influenced nations for thousands of years.
Lehi was a strong man, not because he relied on his own wealth, power, or talents, but because he relied completely upon the Lord. From his earliest vision to the end of his life, Lehi expressed that confidence.
Thy throne is high in the heavens, and thy power, and goodness, and mercy are over all the inhabitants of the earth; and, because thou art merciful, thou wilt not suffer those who come unto thee that they shall perish!
Though by following the Lord Lehi tasted suffering many times in his life, he had a greater reward than many who outwardly seem more successful and content. He followed his visions all his life, knowing that the giver of those dreams would eventually give him eternal life, where with those of his family who would follow him he could taste the white fruit of the love of God forever. May Spencer W. Creating a Personal History Boyd K. Nephi, a Universal Man Allen E. Teaching and Learning the Gospel Theo E.
At least Nephi desired to know of the truthfulness of the words of his father. In a comparable way, the Lord will make known to all his children the truthfulness of the words of his messengers, the prophets.
From this, one can see that while the decrees of the divine council sod were confidential and privileged information and that in this sense they can be called mysteria , they were not puzzles or cryptic information. First Nephi 1 can clearly be approached in many ways to better understand and appreciate the call of Lehi as a prophet of God.
Under generally applicable definitions of what it means to be a prophet, Lehi certainly qualifies. Hugh B. Other criteria can be added to this list; for example, 12 that he prophesies of Christ. Like other prophets in the seventh century, Lehi was steeped in the precise terminology and conception of the divine heavenly council verse 8 and in its many particular functions and its distinctive images and protocol, which gave meaning and power to his message.
These were typical characteristics of prophets of this time; they and several others like them are reflected in remarkable detail in the abbreviated account of 1 Nephi 1. It is clear that prophets have been called upon by God to say and do many different things over the centuries. Some have been called like Moses as lawgivers, or like Joshua as military leaders. Abraham served as a paragon of faith, peace, and covenant making, while others like Elijah were outspoken dissidents decrying the wickedness of kings and idolatry.
By all eternal and historical criteria, Lehi qualifies functionally, archetypally, literarily, spiritually, and scripturally as one of the great prophets of God. Like the premortal Council in Heaven, the council which Lehi beheld was not a small cabinet meeting, but was multitudinous, as is reflected in the fact that the word concourses is plural. Like all comparisons, there will be differences as well as similarities. According to 2 Kings , he was eighteen, but since his father Jehoiakim only lived to be thirty-six, the younger age for Jehoiachin seems more likely.
See D. Winton Thomas, ed. A different account is given in 2 Chronicles —7, which reports that Jehoiakim was still king when the Babylonians attacked, that Jehoiachin was placed on the throne for three months and ten days and then was brought to Babylon and replaced by Zedekiah.
Jeremiah , refers to the day he began to rule or the day of his coronation. These sources help us understand reasons why the New Year was an effective time for a prophetic call. This would have involved, in my opinion, several forms of legal and political action, much like the lawsuit brought against Jeremiah and the extradition procedure initiated in the case of Urijah discussed in Jeremiah There may have been others.
Watts, p. Romney, Conference Report, April , p. This prophetic and intercessory function was also served by prophets such as Abraham Genesis , Samuel 1 Samuel —9 , and in the Book of Mormon notably by Enos Enos — See note Amos had prophesied that the fire of God would destroy the walls and palaces of Tyre Amos , Possibly a flaming sword was involved.
See Genesis ; Numbers ; Joshua ; Mullen, p. Heavenly armies and council visions generally were connected with this fire motif. For example, Ostler looks to the pseudepigrapha for an instance of a prophet acting as an intercessor on behalf of his people, whereas Jeremiah , , and other texts place this prophetic function in preexilic times. He also places more emphasis on the throne and less on the council than appears appropriate.
Wilfred Griggs, ed. Similar conceptions of the assembly of the gods convened in heaven are found among the Canaanites, the Babylonians, the Greeks, and others in the ancient Near East. Those verdicts were issued by God pursuant to eternal principles, divine laws, and immutable regulations. Otto describes ttye numina, or eternal things, which existed before the gods and the world came into being, and Oberhuber points out the possible relation between the meaning of ME and the numina.
The MEs may be related historically to the principles, decrees, edicts, fates, and powers of the divine council in the Semitic sources. See also G. Rosengarten, Sumer et lesacre Paris: Boccard, I am grateful to Paul Hoskisson for bringing these Mesopotamian materials to my attention. Kingsbury, pp. Compare also Alma 42, similarly affirming that God is subject to eternal law. Mullen notes that Psalm 29, 82, —9 and Deuteronomy —9 do not entirely fit the pattern.
See also Mosiah ; See Mullen, pp.
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