I Am Not Learned

"Wherefore it shall come to pass, that the Lord God will deliver again the book and the words thereof to him that is not learned; and the man that is not learned shall say: I am not learned." (2 Nephi 27:19)

In this chapter, Nephi is prophesying about the events surrounding the coming forth of the Book of Mormon. He describes the time that they took copies of some of the characters and their translation to professor Charles Anthon, who certified that the translation was correct, but upon finding that the book was claimed to be of divine origin, rescinded his certification and also claimed that if the book was sealed, he couldn't read it.

The verse I've quoted above describes, in contrast, the Lord delivering the book to Joseph Smith, an uneducated young man. I'm sure his reaction, when told he would need to translate the golden plates, was something like "I am not learned. How can I do this thing?"

This is the Lord's response. Pay attention because it is more than just good advice to Joseph Smith.

"Then shall the Lord God say unto him: The learned shall not read them, for they have rejected them, and I am able to do mine own work; wherefore thou shalt read the words which I shall give unto thee. (2 Nephi 27:20)

I love the phrase here: "I am able to do mine own work". The truth is, God is all-knowing and all-powerful. He could have just delivered the book pre-translated to Joseph. But it was through the translation process that Joseph learned so much.

This should come as a great comfort to those who feel inadequate to do what they are asked to do. So often, the first feeling that comes over someone upon receiving a new calling, is a sense of inability to do what is required. This passage should be a comfort in a couple of ways. First, the Lord could have done this work himself, yet he called you. You must have something to offer. Second, if the Lord can do it himself, he certainly can help you. Trust Him. Lean on Him. He will be there.

The Flaxen Cords

"And there are also secret combinations, even as in times of old, according to the combinations of the devil, for he is the founder of all these things; yea, the founder of murder, and works of darkness; yea, and he leadeth them by the neck with a flaxen cord, until he bindeth them with his strong cords forever." (2 Nephi 26:22)

I love the imagery here, because that is so often how satan works.  He doesn't convince us to go from being as close to perfect as we can be to the worst, most evil scum on the planet. We take baby steps to get there. We are only willing to cross the line so far, so you step some small measure past it, but the next time it's easier, and you step a little further, and so on, and so on, until the next thing you know, you're committing felonies. How did it get that far? Well, it's because satan didn't make us too uncomfortable right off the bat.  He used flaxen cords. These are thin, silky, and comfortable, yet at that point, he can lead us gently. over time, he keeps using stronger and stronger cords, and eventually binds us with very strong cords.

Something to watch carefully for. How can we identify this? How can we avoid it altogether? I think that  any time we rationalize by using phrases such as "just this once", or "it's not THAT bad", or "technically". We need to examine our lives and see where we are at.  It's a lot easier to shake loose from a strand or two of flaxen cord than if there are things more serious. Let's put these bindings behind us and keep those cords away from us. 

Nephi Prophesies of the Destruction of His People

"And when these things have passed away a speedy destruction cometh unto my people; for, notwithstanding the pains of my soul, I have seen it; wherefore, I know that it shall come to pass; and they sell themselves for naught; for, for the reward of their pride and their foolishness they shall reap destruction; for because they yield unto the devil and choose works of darkness rather than light, therefore they must go down to hell." (2 Nephi 26:10)

I've thought about this before, but as I was reading this passage, it got me thinking about how it must have felt for Nephi to see the destruction of his people in vision.  How heartbreaking to think that your descendents will fall away from the gospel (even if it was 1000 years in the future that he could see this happening). This makes me think about the frustration that I'm sure a prophet must have when he is preaching to the people, telling them of what they need to do, because he has seen in vision what would happen if they continue in their ways.  And yet, too often, many people ignore the prophecy, go their own way, and they suffer the consequences because of it.

I see a little bit of that as a parent. I try to teach my kids certain things, and they are good kids. But sometimes, they either ignore what I am saying (to the point where it's in one ear and out the other), or they decide their way is better, so they do it a different way. And they have consequences, quite frequently the natural consequences that I was helping them to try to avoid by sharing my advice in the first place.  It's difficult to watch them go through those consequences because you could have prevented (or at least minimized them) if they would only listen.

Hmm, that kind of makes me wonder if that's how Heavenly Father feels.  He gives us these commandments, and promises so much good in return for keeping them.  Yet we all end up choosing the other way instead sometimes, and end up having to go through the consequence of such an action.

Something to think about anyway.