THE CASE OF A REPUTATION

 

The return of Nephi and his brothers to Jerusalem to retrieve the brass plates reads like "Arabian Nights". If you study the historical background of Jerusalem’s life 600 BC and the details of these boys’ undertaking, you cannot help but feel this.

There is something that stands out to me with great significance in this story. It’s the concept of character. When the lot fell to Laman to approach Laban about the records, he failed miserably. I wonder with what conviction Laman requested the records. Did he feel they were sacred and important enough to obtain? I doubt it as he and his brother Lemuel made it clear to their father they didn’t even want to make the journey (1 N 3:5). I wonder if Laman’s approach is what made Laban angry (1 N 3:13). He accused him of being a robber. Was it just Laman’s botched up request or did he have a bit of a bad reputation in Jerusalem that Laban knew about and felt that Laman couldn’t be trusted. One thing is certain, Laman did not have the right spirit to carry out this important task.

Now consider Nephi. Straight after the first attempt, his brothers were ready to leave the task undone. Nephi however remained true to his testimony that the Lord doesn’t give us a command for which he has not prepared a way for us to accomplish it (1 N 3:7). He immediately proved this to be true by pointing out that their father had left all their riches behind in Jerusalem which they could use as payment for the plates (1 N 3:16). So convinced he was that his father was being led by the spirit of God that he considered the possibility that Lehi was inspired to leave all their worldly goods intact for this very purpose.

Nephi knew the command to obtain the plates was from God and not his father. He also knew that God never fails and so it was out of the question for the plates not to be obtained (1 N 4:1,2). This speaks volumes of Nephi’s conviction of God’s power. The mission could not fail and the plates had to be secured even to the point of death and this proved to be true as he slew Laban in the process (1 N 4:18).

My point is this. In our dealings with our fellowmen, do they recognise the divine in us? Do we have a trustworthy reputation? Is our character godly enough that it overshadows our mortal selves? When we speak of spiritual things, do people believe that we are led by the spirit of revelation? When we consider our mandate to bring people unto Christ, all these things come into play. We cannot bring others to the foot of the cross if we are not there ourselves.

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  Cathryne Allen

(Art: He Is The Way by Danny Hahlbohm)