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

Lehi is the first Book of Mormon hero. Although we don’t currently have his writings, we learn of him through his son Nephi, who wrote the first record of his family and people. From Nephi, we learn that Lehi was a good father, a prophet, and a man of great faith and courage.

Lehi was a wealthy man, living at the time of Zedekiah’s reign over Judah (about 600 B.C). He and his family lived quite comfortably and their life could easily have continued along a smooth and undemanding path had not Lehi received, and more importantly, accepted a call from God. When he was called to be a prophet, he promptly went to work doing the challenging assignment God gave him. He was to call the people to repentance. As can be expected, the people didn’t want to be called to repentance. This was at a time when there were numerous prophets, including Jeremiah, and none of them were successful at bringing the people back to the path God required of them.

All of the prophets were in great danger. Jeremiah was imprisoned after he warned that the temple and Jerusalem would be destroyed if the people didn’t change their ways. For his own safety, Lehi was instructed by God to pack up whatever belongings were needed to live in the wilderness and leave. His wealth must be left behind. The man who once lived in a large, impressive home was now to live in a tent.

"And it came to pass that he was obedient unto the word of the Lord, wherefore he did as the Lord commanded him. And it came to pass that he departed into the wilderness. And he left his house, and the land of his inheritance, and his gold, and his silver, and his precious things, and took nothing with him, save it were his family, and provisions, and tents, and departed into the wilderness. (1 Nephi 2:3-4"

How would you react if asked to leave behind everything you own except for the absolute essentials? Do you remember the rich man who approached Jesus?

"And when he was gone forth into the way, there came one running, and kneeled to him, and asked him, Good Master, what shall I do that I may inherit eternal life? And Jesus said unto him, Why callest thou me good? there is none good but one, that is, God. Thou knowest the commandments, Do not commit adultery, Do not kill, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Defraud not, Honour thy father and mother.

"And he answered and said unto him, Master, all these have I observed from my youth. Then Jesus beholding him loved him, and said unto him, One thing thou lackest: go thy way, sell whatsoever thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come, take up the cross, and follow me.

"And he was sad at that saying, and went away grieved: for he had great possessions." (Mark 10:17-22)

When Heaven seems far away and a long time in coming, sometimes we can begin to focus so much on our material possessions we lose sight of eternity. When weighing the eternal results of our choice, it would seem easy to give up our possessions, but very few actually do it.

Lehi did, however. God said to leave it all behind, go live in a tent and go someplace, but you won’t know where until you get there. He had no idea where he was headed or what the journey or the rest of his life would look like…and yet he went without question.

The years ahead were difficult, filled with hardships and sorrow, as well as joy and faith. While Lehi was not perfect—no one is—he was remarkable for the way he worked hard to follow God’s plan for him and for his family no matter how long and hard the journey was. He continued in faith through years of hiking the wilderness, a long ocean journey, and the building of a new home in the land God had provided for them. During this time he struggled with the wickedness of two of his children. His wife delivered two more children in the wilderness. He watched with pride as his younger son Nephi grew into a valiant prophet and was followed by all but the two rebellious brothers.

It was many years before Lehi again lived in a real home instead of a tent or a boat, but throughout it all, he held onto his faith. When God asks us to leave behind something we thought was important, and go to uncharted territory, whether it’s a physical move, a spiritual journey or a simple walk into a new way of life, we can look to Lehi for inspiration and comfort.

The Book of Mormon begins with a celebration of good parents. Nephi, who was a teenager when the Book of Mormon begins, but a grown man by the time he began to record his record, wrote, “I, Nephi, having been born of goodly parents…”

Nephi’s parents were Lehi and Sariah. Parenting wasn't easy for them. Lehi was a wealthy planter, but rather than enjoy his comfortable life and the privileges of wealth, he accepted God’s call to be a prophet. He, along with others in his time, were sent to try to convince the people to repent or face destruction. The people, naturally, weren’t too thrilled to have their sins pointed out to them and Lehi’s life was in danger. He and Sariah packed up a few essentials and took their family into the wilderness to a place God promised to provide for them.

Their two oldest children, Laman and Lemuel, were determined not to be good sports about this. They lacked faith, and didn’t believe God expected them to leave their comfortable home to go on an extended camping trip, into a world none of them knew about. Their younger sons, Sam and Nephi, followed the teachings of the gospel and their parents, however. Nephi, although the youngest child at the time, was to be his father’s successor and lead the church. Sam accepted this, because he had faith, but Laman and Lemuel consistently resented their younger brother’s right to rule over them, even when instructed to follow him by an angel. Repeatedly, they tormented their younger brother, even trying to kill him at various times. After the death of their parents, Nephi led the righteous portion of the family away from the rest for their own safety, and two groups, Nephites and Lamanites, were formed.

All of this must have challenged Laman and Sariah throughout their years. Clearly they were righteous people, and Nephi honored them, calling them goodly. They must have been good parents, doing all they could to raise their children in righteousness, and yet they lost two of their children to wickedness. However, Sam, Nephi, and the two younger brothers born in the wilderness stayed steadfast in the gospel.

James E. Faust, a member of the First Presidency until his recent death, asked, “Who are good parents? They are those who have lovingly, prayerfully, and earnestly tried to teach their children by example and precept ‘to pray, and to walk uprightly before the Lord.’” Lehi and Sariah most certainly did those things. The scriptures record numerous times when Lehi gathered his family and instructed them in the ways of God. The younger brothers also worked to help their older brothers gain a testimony. The entire family worked together to try to keep from losing their two oldest boys and to reclaim them after they were lost. In fact, even after the two groups separated, the Nephites continued to send missionaries to them in hopes of reclaiming the brothers, and later their descendants.

President Faust reassured parents that the way their children turned out is not necessarily a reflection on their parenting skills. If they did the right things, they are good parents, regardless of the choices their parents made. If they neglect to care for their children and to teach them correct principles, they are held accountable even if the children turn out well.

We lived before we were born, and so we brought with us the spirits and personalities we had there. We have agency, so each of us must choose for ourselves, even children. President Faust offered this comfort to parents whose children have chosen a wrong path:

“I believe and accept the comforting statement of Elder Orson F. Whitney:
'The Prophet Joseph Smith declared—and he never taught more comforting doctrine—that the eternal sealings of faithful parents and the divine promises made to them for valiant service in the Cause of Truth, would save not only themselves, but likewise their posterity. Though some of the sheep may wander, the eye of the Shepherd is upon them, and sooner or later they will feel the tentacles of Divine Providence reaching out after them and drawing them back to the fold. Either in this life or the life to come, they will return. They will have to pay their debt to justice; they will suffer for their sins; and may tread a thorny path; but if it leads them at last, like the penitent Prodigal, to a loving and forgiving father’s heart and home, the painful experience will not have been in vain. Pray for your careless and disobedient children; hold on to them with your faith. Hope on, trust on, till you see the salvation of God.”
A principle in this statement that is often overlooked is that they must fully repent and ‘suffer for their sins’ and ‘pay their debt to justice.’ I recognize that now is the time “to prepare to meet God.” If the repentance of the wayward children does not happen in this life, is it still possible for the cords of the sealing to be strong enough for them yet to work out their repentance? In the Doctrine and Covenants we are told, ‘The dead who repent will be redeemed, through obedience to the ordinances of the house of God,
‘And after they have paid the penalty of their transgressions, and are washed clean, shall receive a reward according to their works, for they are heirs of salvation.’”James E. Faust, “Dear Are the Sheep That Have Wandered,” Ensign, May 2003, 61

It is heartbreaking to watch a child follow a path you know will ultimately lead to suffering and sorrow. However, even when it seems there is nothing we can do, we can pray, live righteously, and trust God to take care of the rest.

The Book of Mormon begins with Nephi. When the story he shares of his life begins, he is the teenaged son of a wealthy man, probably living a life of privilege. His father is a prophet in Jerusalem in 600 B.C. There were many prophets at that time, all preaching the same message: Repent or Jerusalem will be destroyed. The people chose not to hear the message and Lehi, Nephi’s father, found his life in danger by those who didn’t want to believe they were sinners. God instructed Lehi to take his family, and only those items essential for survival, and flee into the wilderness, where, like the people of Moses, they would one day be led to a land of promise.

Nephi’s life changed dramatically that day. He went from living a life of privilege to living in tents in a new place each night, having few possessions and leaving behind his former life and friends. Most teenagers would have been angry and sullen over such a dramatic change of lifestyle. In fact, Nephi’s older brother, Laman and Lemuel, were angry and never got over that anger. They whined, complained, and rebelled. Nephi, however, had great faith. He trusted his father and he trusted God. He listened as his father taught the gospel and went to God in prayer.

Nephi’s life was never easy. His brothers resented Nephi’s faith, and frequently tried to murder him. After Lehi’s death, when the family was settled in a new land across the ocean, the persecution became so bad Nephi was forced to take his family and followers and leave, setting up a new home once again, in order to stay alive.

And yet, despite the trials of leaving a comfortable life, of leaving everything behind, of constant and dangerous persecution, of repeated attempts on his life, Nephi chose not to become bitter. He didn’t ask why God didn’t reward him for his faithfulness. Instead, in the first verse of the Book of Mormon, written some thirty years after he left Jerusalem, he wrote, “I Nephi, having been born of goodly parents, therefore I was taught somewhat in all the learning of my father; and having seen many afflictions in the course of my days, nevertheless, having been highly favored of the Lord in all my days…” (I Nephi 1:1)

He was highly favored in all his days, including the ones where people tried to kill him. Nephi could have chosen to feel picked on and abused, but instead he chose to focus not on the attempted murders, but instead on the rescues that came each time. He focused not on leaving behind his wealth, but on receiving a land of promise.

One of the many lessons we can learn from Nephi is that our attitude can be a tool to help us retain our faith. His brothers lost whatever testimony they had because they chose to focus on the losses, not the blessings. Nephi went on to become a prophet and a man of faith and happiness because he focused on the blessings.