Book of Mormon, D & C, Pearl of Great Price

When Lehi, the first Book of Mormon prophet, was commanded by God to take his family into the wilderness to escape attempts on his life, his greatest challenge wasn’t leaving behind his wealth. It was the attitude of his two oldest sons, Laman and Lemuel. They resented having to leave their comfortable lifestyle and made certain everyone was aware of their unhappiness. In addition, when an angel later informed them that their younger brother Nephi, fourth in the family, was to become their ruler, they were furious. They were the oldest and felt they should have that honor, even though they were unwilling to earn it by obedience and faith.

At first, Laman and Lemuel seemed to have moments of believing the gospel, or at least wanting to. Their efforts weren’t deep enough, though, and always within days, they were back to their old way of life. Living the gospel meant sacrifice and unselfishness, and they seemed entirely unwilling to do that.

Their disobedience progressed over time, as disobedience often does. Few people go straight from good to bad. They take small steps that can eventually lead to disaster. Initially, the boys only whined. They whined about the hardships, the tent they now lived in, their father’s visionary ways, their younger brother’s faith and Nephi’s attempts to help his brothers change.

Eventually, violence entered into their lives. They tied up their younger brothers, beat them, and eventually tried to kill them. Even their parents were sometimes abused by them in their old age. Each act of violence made the next one easier, and each act took them further into the type of abuse that would lead to attempted murder.

The family tried. They prayed and they preached. God tried. He even sent angels on several occasions to rescue Nephi and warn Laman and Lemuel. The older boys were frightened by the angels, but not converted by them.

Finally, Lehi and his wife Sariah, whose older years had been filled with sorrow over the actions of their two oldest sons, died. At this time, even half-hearted attempts to repent ended. Laman and Lemuel seemed to have stopped trying. By now, their lifestyle was so completely foreign to that of God’s that they could not possibly still feel the spirit of God.

With their parents gone, Laman and Lemuel decided to get rid of their brother for good, killing him and regaining leadership of the family. Like his father before him, Nephi was told by God to take those who would go and leave. He did so, and those with testimonies, who wanted to live the gospel, left with Nephi. (See 2 Nephi 5)

In time, the Nephites, as they came to be known, would send missionaries to the Lamanites (followers of Laman) to try once again to convert them. For now, though, Laman, Lemuel, and their families and followers were essentially cut off from God. They had no one who could teach the children the gospel, and no one trying to bring the parents back. They were physically separated from a prophet of God, and by their own choice from God himself. God can’t be where evil is, so those who are choosing to behave in an evil way can’t have the Spirit with them to guide them.

God loves us and He wants us to feel His love and have His guidance at all times. When we lose that, it’s entirely through our own choices. We can choose to live well and earn the right to have him with us, or we can choose to be selfish and short-sighted, and live any way we like, without regard for the teachings of God. Choosing the latter requires you to forfeit the promised blessings. Jesus told us that if we love God, we must keep his commandments. Keeping them gives us blessings and God’s presence. Ignoring them sends a clear message that we don’t value our Heavenly Father.

Laman and Lemuel treated God the same way they treated their earthly father. They chose not to make God the center of their lives, and so eventually, they created a situation where they didn’t have to deal with God at all—or so they thought. It was a short-sighted solution to their desire to live selfishly. Over time, as we read the Book of Mormon, we see the consequences of their foolish decision.