“All the Words of My Father”

Brant Gardner

Scriptural analysis: These verse supply a fascinating interchange. The Spirit asks Nephi if he believes that his father saw the tree, and Nephi responds "Yea, thou knowest that I believe all the words of my father." Certainly Nephi has the right to assume that the Spirit would know his heart, why was he being asked to say the words? Many times we are in the same position. The Lord knows the desires of our heart, and yet we are required in one way or another to say the words. We are required to verbalize or in other ways externalize those things we hold in our hearts because in this world that is one way in which they are strengthened. Our heart's desires can be reinforced by expressing them in the correct contexts, hence we as a people should bear our testimonies often. They strengthen they bearer as well as the hearer.

The Spirit's reaction to Nephi's declaration is interesting. It is understandable that the Spirit should be pleased with Nephi's firm belief, but notice the particular words that are used: "and blessed art thou, Nephi, because thou believest in the Son of the most high God. . .".

Where did this statement come from? What is its connection with what went before? The Spirit asked if Nephi believed the words of his father, and Nephi said that he did believe the words of his father. There is no mention of believing in the Son of God, yet the Spirit appears to equate Nephi's declaration of belief in his father's words as belief in the Son of God. That appears to be a contradiction. It does not logically follow.

It does not follow unless we realize that the end of Lehi's recitation dealt with the Savior. The import of Lehi's words was that the Savior would come. In this context, Nephi's believing his father's words becomes evidence of his belief in the Savior, the Son of God. From this point on in Nephi's narrative, it is clear that the essential thrust of the entire vision of Lehi was to teach about the mission of the Son of God.

Multidimensional Commentary on the Book of Mormon

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