Lehi saw the forthcoming destruction of Jerusalem, and the things he saw were so overwhelming, he began to praise God. Starting with verse fifteen:
And after this manner was the language of my father in the praising of his God; for his soul did rejoice, and his whole heart was filled, because of the things which he had seen, yea, which the Lord had shown unto him.
Can you imagine seeing God and Jesus Christ? I can’t fathom what that would be like – to see them, in their heaven, surrounded by angels and disciples. Not only that, but Lehi was shown the plan of the Lord concerning Jerusalem. To be taken into God’s confidence in such a way – it’s no wonder his heart was so full. Verse sixteen:
And now I, Nephi, do not make a full account of the things which my father hath written, for he hath written many things which he saw in visions and in dreams; and he also hath written many things which he prophesied and spake unto his children, of which I shall not make a full account.
I wonder what it would be like to grow up in a household where your father frequently prophesied and communed with Heavenly Father. Nephi speaks of this rather matter-of-factly, so it was a common occurrence in their home. Verses seventeen and eighteen:
But I shall make an account of my proceedings in my days. Behold, I make an abridgment of the record of my father, upon plates which I have made with mine own hands; wherefore, after I have abridged the record of my father, then will I make an account of mine own life.
Therefore, I would that ye should know, that after the Lord had shown so many marvelous things unto my father, Lehi, yea, concerning the destruction of Jerusalem, behold he went forth among the people, and began to prophesy and to declare unto them concerning the things which he had both seen and heard.
We see later in the scriptures where Lehi is called a visionary man – we know this to be true, but the term wasn’t used favorably. I wonder how Lehi felt, leaving his home to go preach to the people. He was full of the Spirit, which gave him strength, but I wonder if he felt apprehensive about the task which lay ahead. Verse nineteen:
And it came to pass that the Jews did mock him because of the things which he testified of them; for he truly testified of their wickedness and their abominations; and he testified that the things which he saw and heard, and also the things which he read in the book, manifested plainly of the coming of a Messiah, and also the redemption of the world.
I can imagine the Jews didn’t appreciate hearing of all their faults and failings. At this point in history, they were so full of pride, they were past hearing. Lehi was preaching in vain, but the people had to have every opportunity to redeem themselves. The Lord never sends down destruction without first giving the people the chance to repent and to come unto Him. Think about Noah – he preached for a long time before he sailed away on the ark. Angels were sent into Sodom and Gomorrah, trying in vain to find righteous souls to deliver before that area was destroyed. So it is with us in our day – He seeks after us, giving us every chance in the world to repent.
Thinking back on today’s reading – Lehi blessed his home through his righteous use of the Priesthood. How can Priesthood leaders today magnify their callings so they might draw closer to God? What can we all do to increase our testimonies and our faith so that we might receive constant personal revelation? And what can we do to remain humble, so that if a servant of God were to call us to repentance, we would listen instead of mock?
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