DOCTRINES AND PRINCIPLES IN THIS LESSON:•Nephi’s purpose in keeping his record was to persuade others to remember their Redeemer (see 1 Nephi 19).

•We should liken the scriptures to ourselves for our profit and learning (see 1 Nephi 19:23–24).

•The Lord refines His people in the furnace of affliction (see 1 Nephi 20).

•The Lord promised to restore the gospel and gather Israel in the latter days (see 1 Nephi 21:18–25; 22:7–22).

Chapter 6 1 Nephi 20-22

Nephi’s purpose in keeping his record is to persuade others

To remember their Redeemer. 1 Nephi 19Read 1 Nephi 19:1-6

In 1 Nephi 9, Nephi wrote that he had made two sets of plates. The first set, the large plates of Nephi, contained a detailed account of his people; the second set, the small plates of Nephi, was a sacred religious record. In 1 Nephi 19, the phrase “first plates” or “other plates” refers to the large plates of Nephi and the phrase “these plates” refers to the small plates

1 Nephi 19:18 And I, Nephi, have written these things unto my people, that perhaps I might persuade them that they would remember the Lord their Redeemer.

What do you think it means to remember the Lord? How do the scriptures help you remember Him?

President Henry B. Eyring of the First Presidency:

“We keep our covenant to remember Him every time we gather our families to read the scriptures. They testify of the Lord Jesus Christ, for that is the message and always has been of prophets. Even if children do not remember the words, they will remember the true Author, who is Jesus Christ” (in Conference Report, April 1998, 87; or Ensign, May 1998, 67).

Who Were Zenock, Neum, and Zenos?

1 Nephi 19:10 And the God of our fathers, who were bled out of Egypt, out of bondage, and also were preserved in the wilderness by him, yea, the God of Abraham, and of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, yieldeth himself, according to the words of the angel, as a man, into the hands of wicked men, to be lifted up, according to the words of Zenock, and to be crucified, according to the words of Neum, and to be buried in a sepulchre, according to the words of Zenos, which he spake concerning the three days of darkness, which should be a sign given of his death unto those who should inhabit the isles of the sea, more especially given unto those who are of the house of Israel.

Nephi quoted Zenock, Neum, and Zenos as prophets of Old Testament times whose detailed prophecies of Jesus Christ were recorded on the plates of brass. Their testimonies are not found in the Old Testament we have today. Their writings are apparently some of the “plain and most precious” truths that were removed by the “great and abominable church” (1 Nephi 13:26). Without the Book of Mormon, we would know nothing about those three faithful prophets of Old Testament times or their prophecies. http://www.ldsces.org/

We should liken the scriptures to ourselves for our profit and learning. 1 Nephi 19:23-24

1 Nephi 1923 And I did read many things unto them which were written in the books of Moses; but that I might more fully persuade them to believe in the Lord their Redeemer I did read unto them that which was written by the prophet Isaiah; for I did liken all scriptures unto us, that it might be for our profit and learning.

24 Wherefore I spake unto them, saying: Hear ye the words of the prophet, ye who are a remnant of the house of Israel, a branch who have been broken off; chear ye the words of the prophet, which were written unto all the house of Israel, and liken them unto yourselves, that ye may have hope as well as your brethren from whom ye have been broken off; for after this manner has the prophet written.

Why do you think it is valuable to compare ourselves and our circumstances with people and teachings in the scriptures?

What are some ways we can “liken the scriptures” to ourselves?

Nephi imagined that the words of Isaiah were speaking directly to him and his people. This same principle is practiced by latter-day saints all the time. We generalize D&C scriptures that were given unto certain individuals because of their universal applicability. It would be tragic to assume that the instructions to Joseph Smith, Sr. found in DC 4 applied only to him. Nevertheless, with Isaiah, it is sometimes harder for us to find as much personal meaning. Nephi helps us to do this by giving us many spiritual insights into the meanings of Isaiah's writings.

The spirit of God often speaks to us through the scriptures. If we are reading them with a clinical detachment of heart, the way a historian reads about events long since passed, we will not hear the message of the Spirit.

"In reading any of the standard works of the Church it is well to ascertain the literal meaning of the passage read first, and the lesson it was intended to convey to those to whom it was first communicated. And then it might be well to ask, What lesson does it convey to my time and age? To my nation? My community? My family? Or to myself?" (Reynolds and Sjodahl, Commentary on the Book of Mormon, vol. 1, p. 206)

Brigham Young:

"Do you read the Scriptures, my brethren and sisters, as though you were writing them, a thousand, two thousand, or five thousand years ago? Do you read them as thou you stood in the place of the men who wrote them? If you do not feel thus, it is your privilege to do so, that you may be as familiar with the spirit and meaning of the written word of God as you are with your daily walk and conversation, or as you are with your workmen or with your households." (Discourses of Brigham Young, p. 128 as taken from Latter-day Commentary on the Book of Mormon compiled by K. Douglas Bassett, p.63)

http://gospeldoctrine.com/

The Lord refines His people in the furnace of affliction. 1 Nephi 19:20

Hebrew 12:6 For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth.

What does it mean to chasten?

In what ways is chastening evidence of the Lord’s love for us?

ACTIVITYGROUP 1

Read 1 Nephi 20:1-8

Look for evidence that members of the house of Israel had not been faithful to the Lord at the time of this revelation.

GROUP 2

Read 1 Nephi 20:9-17

Look for evidence that the Lord still loved them and wanted them to be faithful to Him.

Nephi read many things to his family from the writings of the prophet Isaiah.

Why did Nephi want his family (and us) to know the words of Isaiah?

1 Nephi 1922 Now it came to pass that I, Nephi, did teach my brethren these things; and it came to pass that I did read many things to them, which were engraven upon the plates of brass, that they might know concerning the doings of the Lord in other lands, among people of old.

23 And I did read many things unto them which were written in the books of Moses; but that I might more fully persuade them to believe in the Lord their Redeemer I did read unto them that which was written by the prophet Isaiah; for I did liken all scriptures unto us, that it might be for our profit and learning.

24 Wherefore I spake unto them, saying: Hear ye the words of the prophet, ye who are a remnant of the house of Israel, a branch who have been broken off; chear ye the words of the prophet, which were written unto all the house of Israel, and liken them unto yourselves, that ye may have hope as well as your brethren from whom ye have been broken off; for after this manner has the prophet written.

1 Nephi 20:10 For, behold, I have refined thee, I have chosen thee in the furnace of affliction.

Chapters 20 and 21 of 1 Nephi are messages from the prophet Isaiah. One of the verses reads:

What are some possible meanings of the phrase “furnace of affliction”?

How can the furnace of affliction help us be faithful to the Lord?

Doctrine and Covenants 1055 And Zion cannot be built up unless it is by the principles of the law of the celestial kingdom; otherwise I cannot receive her unto myself.

6 And my people must needs be chastened until they learn obedience, if it must needs be, by the things which they suffer.

Orson F. Whitney

"No pain that we suffer, no trial that we experience is wasted. It ministers to our education, to the development of such qualities as patience, faith, fortitude and humility. All that we suffer and all that we endure, especially when we endure it patiently, builds up our characters, purifies our hearts, expands our souls, and makes us more tender and charitable, more worthy to be called the children of God . . . and it is through sorrow and suffering, toil and tribulation, that we gain the education that we come here to acquire and which will make us more like our Father and Mother in heaven." (Dawn Anderson, Dlora Dalton, and Susette Green, eds., Every Good Thing: Talks from the 1997 BYU Women's Conference [Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Co., 1998], 22.)

Neal A. Maxwell:

"The Lord has said, 'I have chosen thee in the furnace of affliction.' (Isaiah 48:10; 1 Nephi 20:10.) He knows, being omniscient, how we will cope with affliction beforehand. But we do not know this. We need, therefore, the refining that God gives to us, though we do not seek or crave such tribulation.

"Is not our struggling amid suffering and chastening in a way like the efforts of the baby chicken still in the egg? It must painfully and patiently make its own way out of the shell. To help the chick by breaking the egg for it could be to kill it. Unless it struggles itself to break outside its initial constraints, it may not have the strength to survive thereafter.

"Afflictions can soften us and sweeten us, and can be a chastening influence. (Alma 62:41.) We often think of chastening as something being done to punish us, such as by a mortal tutor who is angry and peevish with us. Divine chastening, however, is a form of learning as it is administered at the hands of a loving Father. (Helaman 12:3.)

"Elder James E. Faust of the Council of the Twelve has said, 'In the pain, the agony, and the heroic endeavors of life, we pass through the refiner's fire, and the insignificant and the unimportant in our lives can melt away like dross and make our faith bright, intact, and strong.' (Ensign, May 1979, p. 53.) Elder Faust continued, 'This change comes about through a refining process which often seems cruel and hard. In this way the soul can become like soft clay in the hands of the Master.'" (All These Things Shall Give Thee Experience [Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Co., 1979], 38-39.)

http://gospeldoctrine.com/

1 Nephi 2114 But, behold, Zion hath said: The Lord hath forsaken me, and my Lord hath forgotten me—but he will show that he hath not.

15 For can a woman forget her sucking child, that she should not have compassion on the son of her womb? Yea, they may forget, yet will I not forget thee, O house of Israel.

16 Behold, I have graven thee upon the palms of my hands; thy walls are continually before me.

17 Thy children shall make haste against thy destroyers; and they that made thee waste shall go forth of thee.

Another quote from Isaiah reads:

What does it mean to you to be graven on the palms of the Savior’s hands?

Elder Jeffrey R. Holland:

“Christ will not forget the children he has redeemed or the covenant he has made with them for salvation in Zion. The painful reminders of that watch care and covenant are the marks of the Roman nails graven upon the palms of his hands” (Christ and the New Covenant: The Messianic Message of the Book of Mormon [1997], 84).

Why do you think people sometimes feel that the Lord has forgotten them? How might you use this passage to help someone who feels alone or frightened?

HOW DO YOU REMEMBER THE SAVIOR? ? ?

What experiences have helped you know that the Lord has not forgotten you?

The Lord promised to restore the gospel and gather Israel

in the latter days. 1 Nephi 21:18-25; 22:7-22

1 Nephi 221 And now it came to pass that after I, Nephi, had read these things which were engraven upon the plates of brass, my brethren came unto me and said unto me: What meaneth these things which ye have read? Behold, are they to be understood according to things which are spiritual, which shall come to pass according to the spirit and not the flesh?

2 And I, Nephi, said unto them: Behold they were manifest unto the prophet by the voice of the Spirit; for by the Spirit are all things made known unto the prophets, which shall come upon the children of men according to the flesh.

What is Nephi describing in these verses?

What reason does Nephi give in 1 Nephi 22:5 for Israel being scattered?

1 Nephi 22:5 And since they have been led away, these things have been prophesied concerning them, and also concerning all those who shall hereafter be scattered and be confounded, because of the Holy One of Israel; for against him will they harden their hearts; wherefore, they shall be scattered among all nations and shall be hated of all men.

1 Nephi 227 And it meaneth that the time cometh that after all the house of Israel have been scattered and confounded, that the Lord God will raise up a mighty nation among the Gentiles, yea, even upon the face of this land; and by them shall our seed be scattered.

8 And after our seed is scattered the Lord God will proceed to do a marvelous work among the Gentiles, which shall be of great worth unto our seed; wherefore, it is likened unto their being nourished by the Gentiles and being carried in their arms and upon their shoulders.

What is the “mighty nation” referred to in 1 Nephi 22:7?

What is the “marvelous work” referred to in verse 8?

President Gordon B. Hinckley:

“How thankful I am for the wonders of the restored gospel of Jesus Christ. It is indeed a marvelous work and a wonder, which has been brought to pass by the power of the Almighty in behalf of His sons and daughters. We of this season in His work can serve in a work of salvation in behalf of the whole human family, including all the generations of the sons and daughters of God who have lived upon the earth in past centuries. The work is true” (Teachings of Gordon B. Hinckley [1997], 242).

1 Nephi 229 And it shall also be of worth unto the Gentiles; and not only unto the Gentiles but unto all the house of Israel, unto the making known of the covenants of the Father of heaven unto Abraham, saying: In thy seed shall all the kindreds of the earth be blessed.

10 And I would, my brethren, that ye should know that all the kindreds of the earth cannot be blessed unless he shall make bare his arm in the eyes of the nations.

In what ways will this “marvelous work” bless “all the kindreds of the earth”?

In verse 10, what does Nephi say the Lord will do?

An arm is a symbol of power. The metaphor that God will make “bare his arm” means that God will show his power to the entire world.