Pasture

When I was a little boy, I spent a lot of time at my grandparents house. They lived in a rural area and trained thoroughbred racehorses. One of my favorite things to do was to spend time wandering through the expansive pastures with my cousins. We could spend hours just wandering around and enjoying the fresh air. For the most part, the horses spent time in the pastures where they had freedom to roam and all the fresh grass that they could eat. Now, my grandparents live in Arizona durng the winter months. While there they still race horses, butsince the track is in the city the horses are confined to small stalls. As I visit them there I often think that the horses must get restless in those stalls. When they bring the horses home, there is a long ride in a horse trailer which must be worse than sitting in the stalls, but at the end of that journey is a summer of freedom. I imagine that those horses are overjoyed to return to the pastures where they can run and play without the limitations of walls and gates.

This comparison helped me to better understand a passage from 1 Nephi 22:24-25:

"And the time speedily cometh that the righteous must be led up as calves of the stall, and the Holy One of Israel must reign in dominion, and might, and power, and great glory. And he gathereth his children from the four quarters of the earth; and he numbereth his sheep, and they know him; and there shall be one fold and one shepherd; and he shall feed his sheep, and in him they shall find pasture."

Isn't that just a wonderful metaphor that Nephi uses to teach us about how the Savior can help us. Because of sin, we are like the horses who spend all winter in a stall. We are bound and cannot have some of the greatest joys of life. Yet, the Savior is there to lead us out. The journey of repentance may be long and arduous, but the reward at the end is so grand. Like those horses, the Savior will lead us to pasture. 

Scattering of the Twelve Tribes

I just finished 1 Nephi 21, which is a prophecy of Isaiah. Nephi begins explaining this prophecy. I found a note in my margin from my mission in Taiwan. This note is related to 1 Nephi 22:4: "There are many who are already lost from the knowledge of those who are at Jerusalem." In my note I write "This time period is just 50 years after the scattering of Israel. 'Lost' in this verse can be taken to mean Lost from the knowedge of the Savior from the Old Testament. China probably didn't have those records." I have often speculated about some of the parallels between ancient Chinese and ancient Jewish customs. I dug around a little bit and found the following. I have thoughts about some of these similarities myself, but these are put together fairly nicely. The source is http://hubpages.com/hub/lost_tribe_of_Israel_Chinese. 

Note: These observations are not well formed arguments. I am presenting them here only as observations. They should not be taken as anything but some ideas to provoke further thought. For example, in my thesis, I wrote: 

One particular classroom discussion illustrates the difference between simple comparisons and continuities. During this discussion I made the observation that I thought there might be connections between the ancient Jewish Passover custom of smearing lamb’s blood around doorposts and the Chinese New Year custom of hanging writings on red strips of paper on the top and sides of the door. Eric Hutton who was teaching the class commented that we have to be careful in calling such observations “connections.” To illustrate his point he cited the example that just because people of two different regions of the world wear pants does not necessarily mean that their wearing of pants has historical linkages or significance.

I think that this anecdote applies well to the information below. For an interesting discussion on "conscious continuities" vs "connections" see Perry, Elizabeth. Rebels and Revolutionaries in North China, 1845-1945, (Stanford, Calif.: Stanford University Press, 1980), pp. vii.

 

Okay, now that I have thrown all the academic crap in there, here is what I Googled up. Enjoy!

 

The lost tribe of Israel - Chinese

 

We all know that Israel or Jacob, son of Isaac, fathered 12 sons who started the 12 tribes of Israel. Today, Israel as a nation is from the only surviving tribe of Jews or Judah. All others tribes were vanished with history.

But is this truly so? I remember news running for days on television many years ago about the lost tribe of Israel returning to Israel from Ethiopia. Not long later, I recall I saw on television another group of Israel tribe returning home from Russia. I would not believe the report if I had not seen the real people in the news. The Ethiopia Israelis looks just like any black African. Those returned from Russian look more like Caucasian than the Middle East Jews.

Jews has many traditions originated in the Bible they still observe today. They celebrate the pass over to remember God's mercy on the night of the plague on the first born. In the New Testament, Jews hired the wailers in a funeral to moan with commotion and cries. Today, we still see the same loud cries in a funeral to indicate sincere sorrow they feel for the parted one.

Chinese too, has some traditions and practices exactly the same like the Jews. Rich Chinese funerals still hire people to cry in the funeral with the same meaning as it is intended in the Biblical Jews. We may not see this practice much in China mainland due to some culture up rooting during the Cultural Revolution under the Communist reign. But in Taiwan and Hong Kong, hire wailing is a common phenomenon of the rich.

Another Jewish funeral tradition that Chinese still practice is for the children of the deceased to wear sackcloth and use ashes to hold the jot stick. Although not all Chinese will wear sackcloth in a family funeral today due to the effect of the influential western culture, but we can still see many Chinese who keep the old tradition of wearing sackcloth in a funeral. Those who do not wear it would cut a small piece of sackcloth and clip it to the shirt in the funeral and during the mourning period for 3 months.

For a Chinese house, it is auspicious to keep a pair of red paper on the front gate and doors to dispel evil spirit and usher good luck. Red that signifies blood is the most preferred color to all Chinese. In Chinese New Year, red paper must be hang or stick to the front door. A similar custom Jews do from the pass over tradition.

In Chinese New Year, the cake Chinese has is also unleavened bread or the Nien-Gao similar to the unleavened bread Jews has in their Abib or Nisan festive season.

There are many other customs of Chinese and Jews so similar that it can hardly be a coincidence. Jews and Chinese alike will travel the world to return home for the New Year eve family gathering feast. Jews and Chinese too would give up anything in life to enable their children for higher education.

Looking at some Chinese writing will further confirm my belief that Chinese a one of the tribe of Israel. We know that Chinese writing starts from the right and end on the left, Jews too has the way of writing from right to left.

In fact, Chinese character is more to drawing than writing. Every word is drawn from the real object of thing or person. The word sun is a circle with a line in the middle saying the sun is round with light shining in the center. The word person is a straight line down with two small lines under drawn like a man with 2 legs.

The word boat looks more like a picture of a Chinese junk. But for a big boat, it is a drawing of a boat with eight mounts in it. Why the eight mounts in a boat? It is because Noah with his family members of seven who survived the flood in the Ark

Another Chinese word "Come" is a cross with 2 persons hanging on both sides of the cross and people under the cross. Who can the 2 person on the cross be except the two robbers who were crucifies with Jesus one on his right and one on his left. The person under the cross is the one Jesus say to "Come" to me.

The most amazing of the Chinese characters is the word righteousness. It is a picture of a lamb on top of me. No one can be righteous unless he/she is under the grace of Christ Jesus.

Upon the palms of my hands

When I was about 9 years old, while my family was camping in the Nebo Loop I was riding my bike down a hill and could not stop in time to prevent myself from running into a pickup truck that was passing through the intersection at about 30 mph. My father rushed me down the canyon to the Payson hospital. I did not have any serious injuries other than scrapes, bruises and some soreness. Emotionally I was shaken up for a few days, but I soon fully recovered from those minor injuries. However, almost 20 years later I still have a small scar on my right knee. Whenever I see that scar I think back to that day nearly 20 years ago. 

In 1 Nephi 21:15-16, Nephi quotes Isaiah's Messianic prophecy. "I will not forget thee, O house of Israel. Behold, I have engraven thee upon the palms of my hands," he says. Just as each time I look at my scar I think of my bike accident, each time the Savior looks on the scarred wounds of his hands he thinks of the great sacrifice that he made for us. I'm sure that as he does so he is reminded of each of our burdens and pains that he suffered in Gethsemane. He will never forget us in our adversity. He will be there for us if we turn our hearts to Him. 

Out of Darkness into the Light

Isaiah, speaking to the House of Israel, promised to restore the blessings of the gospel to the earth through the Prophet Joseph Smith. to quote exactly, he said "I will preserve thee, and give thee my servant for a convenant of the people, to establish the earth" (1 Nephi 21:8).  Several years ago I was in a history class where my professor was disucssing our term papers. He related a story of a student who had done a beautiful job researching and synthesizing the information, then submitting a well-written paper. "But so what!," the professor yelled. None of it matters unless you can provide some insight about why it matters. In the very next verse of this passage, Isaiah provides the "so what" of why the gathering of Israel matters. "That thou mayest say to the prisoners: Go forth; to them that sit in darkenss: show youselved" (1 Nephi 21:9). What an incredible image. To me, sometimes the gathering of Israel and the Second coming seem so abstract. yet, when I read this verse today, it all seemed to make sense. As I read this my mind conjured up images of people in the forms of shadows dropping the chains which had left them unable to move for so long. Their backs were hunched over from the tight quarters in which they had lived for so long. But as they walked into the light, their faces began to be illuminated by Christ. They were no longer just unknown shadows, but people, living souls even....my friends, my neighbors, my family members and people that I don't even know yet. They began to stand a little taller and even smile with joy. The Restoration of the gospel is the most important event to occur in the last 1000 years. Because of it souls are able "to go forth [and] show themselves [from the darkness]." When we speak of the gospel we must remember this. It is not some abstract concept or indecipherable metaphor. Rather, it is the means by which people throughout the earth "might have joy" (2 Nephi 2:25).

SUMMIT EVERY DAY

I would like to thank Lennie for inviting me to be part of such a wonderful project. I am thrilled and grateful for the opportunity to log my experiences as I read the Book of Mormon. Several weeks ago I was searching for a way to increase the Spirit in my home, in my family, and for me personally. For me, in my quest to draw nearer to the Savior, to have his spirit with me always, stronger and more abundantly I have noticed something. The journey is full of ascents, and plateaus, and hopefully not to many descents. As we are inspired and prompted by the spirit, and that fire burns within us to drawer nearer, to increase our knowledge, to come to know him, we recognize that we have plateaued, that we can't drawer nearer to the Savior without an ascent. We can no longer continue to do what we are doing and expect to draw nearer to the Savior. We have to give more, search harder, ponder more often, and really pray if we are to Summit. It is my testimony that if one wants to come to know the Savior, there is no better way to summit, then by studying the scriptures. The Scriptures testify of Jesus Christ. I have felt the spirit confirm this to me over and over again as I have read and studied the writings of Profits. I have a fire within me that drives me to study everyday. I look forward to my lunch break when I can get away and dive into the Book of Mormon. Everyday is a new adventure, I cant wait to see what is unfolded next. I am doing something different, I am no longer just reading, I am studying, seeking answers and inspiration. I testify to you, in his name Jesus Christ, that if you will really study, not just read, but study, you will come to know him. You will have is spirit with you, and you will be on fire! The writings will be as new to you, and you will find the things you have always searched for, your knowledge will be increased, you will come to know him and .............EVERYDAY WILL BE A SUMMIT. Not an ascent, Not a Plateau, and never a descent. You will really come to know the scriptures, AND YOU WILL COME TO KNOW HIM.............

Recently I have been studying 2 Nephi. Jacob is teaching and reading from Isaiah. In chapter 6, Jacob speaks to the people of Nephi and tells them; "for I am desirous for the wellfare of your souls. Yea mine anxiety is great for you;" Jacob must have really loved the people of Nephi. He didnt just care about them. He had a great anxiety for them, he was concened about their wellfare. Do we agonize over the people we serve? Do we really love them, are we concerned about their wellfare. Do you have an intrest in their life. If we want to be an effective leader we have to love the people we serve more than anything.

2 Nephi chapter 9 verse 3 is a scripture that I pray I will always remember as I read the Scriptures. Again Jacob is teaching from Isaiah, and has spoken many hard and plain things to the people of Nephi. And then he so beautifully teaches us, how to look at the harsh and plain words that have been spoken. "Behold my beloved brethern, I speak unto you these things that ye may rejoice and lift up your heads forever". The question is asked; what is it that drives you, fear or faith? The point I am getting at (and maybe its a strech) is that sometimes we get answers we dont want to hear. Sometimes we are taught principles that are very hard to accept. The scriptures sometimes speak very plainly and are direct and to the point. We may be called to repentence or given a law that is very difficult to accept. What we are taught is that the purpose behind it is not to bring us down, not to make us feal guilty, or unworthy. It is the exact opposite. The purpose is to bring us joy, to lift us up, to testify of the goodness of the Savior and draw us nearer to him. It is not ment to be fear that drives us, but love, joy, and peace. It is faith that will help you get past the fear, and lift up your head..forever.
There are many wonderful things I have learned in 2 Nephi, I hope these will somehow be of meaning to you. My dear friends, I know that the scriptures speak to each one of us in our own way. May your life be touched as you read the scriptures. I pray they will come alive as you read them, and that you will summit every day. The Book of Mormon is the Word of God, I know its true, and it testifys of our Savior Jesus Christ.

Turning of Hearts Because of the Word of God

Sometimes I think that it is difficult to do what is right. It's not necessarily that we do not want to make the right decisions, but sometimes we simply get distracted or forget our priorities for a little bit. I for one often am frustrated with myself because I know that I can do better. Today I read a passage which I have read many times, but have always applied it in the context of *trying to serve and teach others. However, today I realized that it has a great application to promoting righteousness for ourselves. In the verses leading up to this passage, Mormon tells about how the Zoramites had fallen into an apostate state. This apostasy caused Alma "great sorrow" (Alma 31:2). So here is what Alma decided to do:

 "Now as the preaching of the word had a great tendency to lead the people to do that which was just --- yea, it had had more powerful effect upon the minds of the people than the sword, or anything else, which had happened unto them -- therefore Alma thought it was expedient that they should try the virtue of the word of God" (Alma 31:5).

 

How fantastic would it be if we immersed ourselves in the scriptures on a daily basis! I believe that when this happens, the distractions and forgetfulness that often lead to us not having the constant companionship would disappear. If we immerse ourselves in the scriptures daily, then the power of the word has a "powerful effect upon [our] mind[s]." I would suggest that “effect upon our minds” can impact our lives as it did the people of King Benjamin. After he finished speaking, the Spirit came upon them and changed their hearts such that they had "no more disposition to do evil, but to do good continually" (Mosiah 5:2).

 In the first post for this blog I wrote of a promise that President Dave Brown made at a stake conference several months ago (here's the link). In that talk, he promised that a daily study of the scriptures would bring great blessings into our lives. Since then as I have recommitted myself to studying (not just reading) the Book of Mormon, I have seen those blessings come into my life. As I have spent my lunch break at work studying I have felt a greater companionship of the Spirit. As I have made the commute home, I have had less of a desire to fill the drive with the daily news or sports talk. I am not saying that those things are sins and that we should not do them. The point I am trying to get across is that I have had a greater desire to spend that half hour listening to a conference talk, praying or just sitting in silence to ponder how I can be a better husband, father and priesthood holder. In other words, my heart has been turned towards God. Alma's observation that the word of God has a "great tendency to lead the people to do that which [is] just" is absolutely true. When we try to fill our lives with the word of God we are happier and more prone to do those things that God would have us do. 

 *This what I usually think about when I read these verses. When we teach the word of God to others, whether it be family members, quorum members, families we home teach, primary classes or to anyone else whom we love, it has a powerful effect on them. It can lead them to make righteous decisions and partake of the full blessings of the gospel. Thus we should make teaching the word (e.g. scriptures, counsel of living prophets, etc...) the primary focus of all of our church service. The most effective meetings that we can have in the church are those where Alma's example is followed. 

How Exquisite!

In explaining his conversion to his son Helaman, Alma says "the very thought of coming into the presence of my God did rack my soul with inexpressible horror" (Alma 36:14). Clearly Alma had committed some pretty grievous sins as he went about openly trying to destroy the church of God. But I would suggest that the same torment should rack each one of us for so-called "minor" sins. Alma's father once asked the question, "can ye look up to God at that day with a pure heart and clean hands?" (Alma 5:19). Here Alma is speaking of the judgment day, but it is so important to remember "that day" is not after we die, it is TODAY! If we are not clean and pure today, then we are missing out on the blessings of the gospel. The Lord revealed to Joseph Smith, "every soul who forsaketh his sins and cometh unto me, and calleth on my name, and obeyeth my voice, and keepeth my commandments, shall see my face and know that I am" (D&C 93:1). Why would any of us want to deny ourselves the blessing of being in the presence of the Lord. Again, this is not a blessing that will only come to us in the hereafter. If we are living pure and clean, then we can be given that privilege. In the Priesthood Session of the October 2008 General Conference, Elder Richard G. Scott said the following:

 "For a few minutes I ask you to consider that you and I are alone in a quiet place where the atmosphere permits direction by the Holy Spirit. Some of you receive periodic personal worthiness interviews, while others have callings where that seldom occurs. Will you consider that in the next few minutes you and I will have a private priesthood interview?

As we share these moments together, I ask you to ponder your personal worthiness to use the sacred authority you hold. I will also ask you to consider how consistently you use your priesthood to bless others. My intent is not to criticize but to help increase the benefits that flow from your use of the priesthood.

Are your private, personal thoughts conducive to the guidance of the Holy Spirit, or would they benefit from a thorough housecleaning? Do you nourish your mind with elevating material, or have you succumbed to the enticement of pornographic literature or Web sites? Do you scrupulously avoid the use of stimulants and substances that conflict with the intent of the Word of Wisdom, or have you made some personally rationalized exceptions? Are you most careful to control what enters your mind through your eyes and ears to ensure that it is wholesome and elevating?

If you are divorced, do you provide for the real financial need of the children you have fathered, not just the minimum legal requirement?

If you are married, are you faithful to your wife mentally as well as physically? Are you loyal to your marriage covenants by never engaging in conversation with another woman that you wouldn’t want your wife to overhear? Are you kind and supportive of your own wife and children? Do you assist your wife by doing some of the household chores? Do you lead out in family activities such as scripture study, family prayer, and family home evening, or does your wife fill in the gap your lack of attention leaves in the home? Do you tell her you love her?

If any of you feel uncomfortable with any of the answers you have mentally given to the questions I have asked, take corrective action now."

 These are deep, penetrating questions which depending on the answers could lead us to feel as Alma, racked with torment. If the answers to those questions make us feel uncomfortable, then we probably should feel like Alma.

However, the pain and torment that he described is only part of the story. Although necessary for the repentance process, we do not have to go on living our lives with the heavy burdens. We can repent and go on with our lives, ready to receive the blessings that the Lord has prepared for us; to enjoy his presence.

In the words of Alma, "there could be nothing so exquisite and so bitter as were my pains...on the other hand there can be nothing so exquisite and sweet as was my joy" (Alma 36:21). This joy came only after Alma turned his heart to the Savior. The pain is necessary to humble us and pay the price for the wrong that we do, but it is just as important to remember that the pain of sin can be taken away when we learn to truly repent though the Atonement of Jesus Christ. 

Oblivion to Sin

After Nephi and his brothers completed building the ship, they set out into the sea. The ship was guided without incident at the beginning of the journey. However, as Laman, Lemuel and the Ishmael's sons began to "make themselves merry....[and] forget by what power they had been brought thither" (1 Nephi 18:9), Nephi "began to speak to them with much soberness" lest the Lord should smite them and they be swallowed up in the sea (1 Nephi 18:10). To this, Nephi's brothers responded by tying him up. Upon doing this the Liahona stopped working and a great storm arose. For three days the storm drove them backwards. On the fourth day the storm became "exceedingly fierce" (1 Nephi 18:11-14). This whole time Lehi and tried to persuade them to free Nephi, but to no avail. In fact Laman, Lemuel and the sons of Ishmael "did breathe out much threatenings against anyone that should speak for [Nephi]" (1 Nephi 18:17). 

I found it interesting that even in the midst of this great storm, Laman and Lemuel failed to see the consequences of their actions. Even though others told them so, they failed to see that they were doing anything wrong because of a weakened conscience. Had they not began rebelling against God with their merrymaking, their consiences would not have ever allowed them to get to the point where they would assault their brother and place their entire family in harm's way. I believe that most people suffer from a similar problem although it may be on a much smaller scale. When we knowingly disobey God's will we are desensitized to the promptings of the Spirit and become apathetic to the needs of those around us. This is why it is so important to repent on a daily basis. We need the full companionship of the Spirit to be able to effectively teach and lead our families as well as fulfill any other callings that the Lord may have given us. When we do not repent, we begin walking down a path such that we get further and further from where we want to be without realizing it.

Week-long vs. Weekly Renewal

In 1 Nephi 17:40, Nephi says "[The Lord]" loveth those who will have him to be their God. Behold he loved our fathers and he conveanted with them, yeah even Abraham, Isaac and Jacob; and he remembered the convenants which he had made." This verse reminded me that covnenants are a two-way promise. We promise to keep the commandments and as we do so the Lord blesses us abundantly. There are so many opportunities that we have to covenant with the Lord, the most frequent of which is the Sacrament. In a testimony meeting I once heard someone talk about how clean and pure they felt when they were baptized. They went on to talk about how they wish that they could feel like that again. I wanted to shout out from my seat, "but you can! The Sacrament allows us all to feel that." I continued to reflect on this and realized that I am greatly under-utilizing the power of that holy ordinance. The sacrament is more than an ordinance that lasts a few moments on Sunday morning. The sacrament should be a way of life. Everything that we do during the week should culminate to those few quiet moments as we partake of the bread and water. How pure would we be if we knelt in prayer each evening, keeping the Sacrament at the forefront of our minds! We could feel just as pure as the day we are baptized!

A Slice of Cake and a "Mean daddy"

In 1 Nephi Chapter 17 verse 1, Nephi write, "we did travel and wade through much affliction in the wilderness." In the very next verse he writes, "so great were the blessings of the Lord upon us." But what exactly is a blessing? 

As the church was growing in Kirtland, the Lord revealed that "[He] delights to bless with the greatest of all blessings" (D&C41:1). From this it can be inferred that a blessing is that which the Lord "delights" to give unto us. However, the things that He delights in may not always give us immediate pleasure or make our lives easier.

Here is an example that I think illustrates how Nephi could praise the Lord's blessings at the very time when his family was suffering from many afflictions. Imagine a young child who sees a delicious cake sitting on the kitchen counter. This child asks his father for a slice and is given a piece of the cake. The childis delighted and gobbles up the cake, not leaving so much as a crumb on his plate, then asks his father for another piece. The wise father tells the child that he cannot have any more cake for that day. At this point the child spontaneously breaks into tears and calls his father a "mean daddy" because of this affliction to him, not realizing that another piece of cake may make him sick. The father  stays firm in his decision that the child can only have one piece of cake. That night the child does not get sick, but does not associate this with his father's decision and is thus still upset that his father would not let him have a second piece.

Now take a step back and put this in the context of Nephi's family (and indeed in our own personal lives). Nephi's family has been wandering in the wilderness for a long period of time now, probably several years. Their father Lehi, through the guidance of their Heavenly Father has instructed them that they must continue to wander in the wilderness. As with the child in my analogy they kick and scream the whole way, never associating their father's decision to leave with the safety that they would have forfeited had they stayed in Jerusalem. 

In short, the Lord deligthed in the trials of Lehi and his family, not because He is a "mean daddy," but because he can separate the things which provide us with instant gratification, pleasure and general ease of living from those that will provide us with long-term happiness. He delights in the latter.

Cheerfully Do All

As Lehi and his family journeyed in the wilderness, like all of us they tended to begin murmuring about the trials that they were called to go through. The trial of Nephi breaking his bow, leaving his family unable to obtain the necessary food is no exception to this pattern. This trial, however, must have been even more trying than the others because even Lehi began to murmur. Nephi's record relates the following to describe Lehi's experience, "the voice of the Lord came unto my father; and he was truly chastened because of his murmuring against the Lord, insomuch that he was brought down into the depths of humility" (1 Nephi 16:25)

Because of this murmuring, the Liahona stopped working and Lehi's family did not have access to the ever critical line of communication to the Lord. As a commentary to this, Nephi says of the pointers of the Liahona, "they did work according to the faith and dilligence and heed which we did give unto them" (1 Nephi 16:28). Murmuring is not faith. It does not show forth dilligence and it definitely does not demonstrate to the Lord that we are heeding his counsel because it is telling him that we do not want to aline our wills with His.  Murmuring, as shown in this example from the Book of Mormon, will cause our personal Liahona (e.g. revelation through the Spirit) to cease flowing. Why would the Lord want to reveal more to us if we complain about the knowledge and counsel that he gives us. The main purpose of the Lord giving us commandments is to bless our lives and bring us closer to him. Complaining about those commandments tells Him that we do not want those blessings. Whether the commandment is to keep the Sabbath Day Holy or to fulfill a priesthood assignment (e.g. cleaning the church, going to the cannery, helping someone move, etc...) given by the Bishop or quorum/group leader, the Lord's principle that "when we obtain any blessing from God, it is by obedience to that law upon which it is predicated" (D&C 130:221) surely applies. 

A large part of obedience is taught through a revelation given to Joseph Smith when he was in Liberty Jail. After enduring the worst of circumstances in that jail, the Lord told him, "let us cheerfully  do all things that lie in our power" (D&C 123:17). As we learn to do so, the Lord's blessings will surely come to us in fuller measure and our personal Liahonas will guide us back to the promised land prepared for us in our Father's kingdom above. 

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Fulfilled All

After Nephi and his brothers married the daughters of Ishmael, Nephi states "And thus my father had fullfilled ALL  the commandments of the Lord which had been given unto him" (1 Nephi16:8). What a great example of obedience. In summary here are the key commandments that Lehi had followed up to this point.

• Called the people to repentance according to his Vision, even in the face of their mocking and anger. (1 Nephi 1:18-20)
• Lehi packed up his family and left Jerusalem immediately after the Lord commanded him to so. Leaving everything behind. (1 Nephi 2: 2-4)
  
• Sent his sons back to Jerusalem to get the plates of brass from Laban. (1Nephi 3:2-4)It does not explicitly say so, but you can read between the lines and assume that there was a good chance they could have been killed in doing so. (see 1 Nephi 5: 1-2)
• Sent his sons back to Jersusalem to have Ishmaels family join his famil so that his sons could marry. (1 Nephi 7:1-3)

A common theme in each of these examples is that Lehi received the commandment after he was prophesying of the Savior. Each of these commandments brought great blessings into the lives of Lehi's family members. When we focus on the Savior the Lord gives us opportunities receive the great blessings that he has prepared for us. 

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He Beheld Not the Filthiness

After Nephi's vision, his brothers asked him questions about the symbols in that dream. One of the symbols they asked about was the river of water. Nephi replied that it represented "filthiness...which separated the wicked from the tree of life." Then he goes on to say, "so much was [Lehi's] mind swallowed up in other things that he beheld not the filthiness of the water" (1 Nephi 15:27-28). I love this verse. What a great blessing it must have been for Lehi to be so focused on the good, that he didn't even notice the filthiness. Mormon taught that "god inviteth and enticeth to do good continually" (Moroni 7:13). If we are continually seeking that which is good like Lehi, then all that is not good will simply drop out of our lives. 

In general it is pretty cut and dry what is good and what is not. However, it is much more difficult to discern between what is good and what is best. Mormon continues later by providing some great counsel on how distinguish between these two. he says, "ye should search diligently in the light of Christ" (Moroni 7:19). For example, when we are faced with the decision of whether we should spend time with our families or do something related to our church callings, we must search dilligently in that light. The Lord has promised that any who "dilligently seeketh shall find" (1 Nephi 10:19).