Because they will not hearken to the commandments of the Lord and follow the righteous leadership of Nephi, Laman and Lemuel and their followers are cut off from the presence of the Lord. Nephi is taken from their midst—a repetition of the process through which Lehi was removed from the doomed city of Jerusalem. The application is inescapable: Let us hearken to our living prophets as they speak the word of the Lord—or else we choose to separate ourselves from the Lord (see 3 Nephi 28:34–35).
The Choice
The gospel of Jesus Christ is based on agency. Joshua said it well: “Choose you this day whom ye will serve; … but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord” (Joshua 24:15). Lehi confirmed the same principle: “Wherefore, men are free … to choose liberty and eternal life, through the great Mediator of all men, or to choose captivity and death, according to the captivity and power of the devil …” (2 Nephi 2:27). The consequences of choice are very clear: the faithful and obedient remain within the fold of the Lord; the rebellious and wicked suffer separation from the fold and thus relinquish the blessings associated with being close to the Lord. A stark illustration of this pattern was the separation that occurred between the Lamanites and the Nephites shortly after the death of Lehi. Because of the persistent, murderous designs of the older brothers, Nephi was commanded by the Lord to flee, thus leaving the rebellious band outside the circle of divine blessings (see 2 Nephi 5:20).
In the larger gospel context, the doctrine of separation is the ultimate punishment for unrepentant sin. There can be no more devastating verdict than this: “Where God and Christ dwell they cannot come” (D&C 76:112). By contrast, what could be more welcome than to hear, “Well done, thou good and faithful servant: thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord” (Matthew 25:21). (Richard J. Allen)