1 Nephi 5:15: "I have obtained a land of promise"

There's a very subtle phrase that Lehi uses early in the Book of Mormon as he is talking about his vision and understanding of life. The tense of a verb makes a monumental difference!

Lehi and His People Arrive in
the Promised Land, by Arnold Friberg

First, let's set the stage.  We know that Lehi and his company spent 8 years in the wilderness before arriving at the place they called "Bountiful" (1 Nephi 17:4-5). After building a ship and preparing their supplies, they crossed the "great waters" and arrived at the "promised land" — according to the estimate of 1 Nephi 18:23, probably another three years later. So more than a decade has passed since Lehi's initial vision that led to his family's departure from Jerusalem.

Soon after they arrived at their new home, Lehi makes this statement in teaching his posterity:

"But, said he, notwithstanding our afflictions, we have obtained a land of promise, a land which is choice above all other lands; a land which the Lord God hath covenanted with me should be a land for the inheritance of my seed. Yea, the Lord hath covenanted this land unto me, and to my children forever, and also all those who should be led out of other countries by the hand of the Lord." (2 Nephi 1:5, emphasis added)

We can only imagine the relief and joy of their arrival and the optimism in starting anew as they followed the commands of God, and began to see promises confirmed.

But now let's go back, a decade earlier, very early in the journey. The family had left Jerusalem and were encamped in the wilderness. Nephi and his brothers have returned to try to get the brass plates from Laban. But they are delayed, and their mother Sariah is filled with motherly concern. She's sure they've perished in the attempt, and temporarily loses her faith and confidence in her husband, complaining bitterly against him.

I can imagine Lehi in my mind's eye; I'm sure he ached for Sariah's worry for her sons, and perhaps shared it to some degree. But he knew something she didn't, and he's about to share his secret. He quietly and calmly responds to her, offering comfort, admitting to her charges of being "a visionary man." And then he says:

"But behold, I have obtained a land of promise, in the which things I do rejoice; yea, and I know that the Lord will deliver my sons out of the hands of Laban, and bring them down again unto us in the wilderness." (1 Nephi 5:5, emphasis added)

There it is—the magnificent clue into Lehi's faith and courage, based on a verb tense. Lehi doesn't say, "I am sure we will obtain a land of promise." He says, "I have obtained a land of promise." In Lehi's mind, he was already there! He was so convinced it would happen, to the point that in a way, it already had happened for him. God's assurance to him was so strong that Lehi couldn't doubt. It didn't matter that his sons were tardy on a dangerous errand; he knew they were part of the overall plan and would be safe. It didn't matter that there were still many trials in the decade that lay ahead. It didn't matter that there were miles and miles of bleak wilderness; that there were uncounted dangers and challenges to come; that there was an unknown ocean to cross; or that he would struggle with disobedient (and at times, physically threatening) sons.  He had obtained his land of promise. He knew that God could not lie, and the promise was sure in his heart. All would be well in the end.

What a marvelous position to be in! What a gift from God to treasure!

I believe there are many ways in our own lives that this same assurance can be obtained. We would be wise to learn of it, and seek it.

I have written elsewhere about The Glorious Doctrine of Hope. When we understand that "hope" in the Gospel sense is not a vague, wishy-washy longing, but instead is a confidence based on personal assurance and spiritual witness, then we can move forward as did Lehi. He had a pure and holy hope for his future.

Each of us should obtain our own "land of promise" — now. It should be past-tense for us too!

1 Nephi 2:16: "soften my heart"

Nephi is one of our great Book of Mormon heroes. Our traditional image of him starts as a youth full of courage and faith, naturally obedient to his father and sharply contrasting with his older brothers. He later becomes a bold and courageous prophet-leader, father of a nation of righteousness that would bear his name,

Early in the Book of Mormon we have a very brief and interesting glimpse into Nephi's young development. As Nephi's father Lehi follows the command of God to take his family into the wilderness and begins to teach his sons about his visions and expectation, Laman and Lemuel murmur and struggle, "because they knew not the dealings of that God who had created them" (1 Ne 2:12). Nephi's reaction is quite different:

And it came to pass that I, Nephi, being exceedingly young, nevertheless being large in stature, and also having great desires to know of the mysteries of God, wherefore, I did cry unto the Lord; and behold he did visit me, and did soften my heart that I did believe all the words which had been spoken by my father; wherefore, I did not rebel against him like unto my brothers. (1 Nephi 2:16)

Nephi's "great desires" worked within him to cause him to seek righteousness. I'm very intrigued by his use of the phrase "soften my heart" to describe what happened to him. Somehow I've never considered that Nephi might have had a hard heart, one that needed softening. Certainly he doesn't match the profile of his descendant Amulek, who many years later would describe his own struggle to come to an understanding of gospel teachings:

Nevertheless, I did harden my heart, for I was called many times and I would not hear; therefore I knew concerning these things, yet I would not know; therefore I went on rebelling against God, in the wickedness of my heart.... (Alma 10:6)

Note that Amulek hardened his own heart; but Nephi's heart was softened by God. I think that is significant. A hard heart is one that can't be penetrated, that is impervious to spiritual influences—and that is a choice we make, rejecting spiritual urgings. If we are, like Nephi, filled with "great desires" to understand God and follow His path, then it must be a divine act of atonement that causes a heart to change, to become soft and pliable, open to receiving divine blessings. In all the places where scriptural accounts talk about a change of heart, even a "mighty change" of heart, it seems man is always the recipient of that action, after he shows his willingness to become a true disciple.

I don't think Nephi had a particularly hard heart.  But I do think the process of softening is ongoing and continual in our lives. My heart can be made softer than it is now, as I allow more of God's influence to work upon me. Just like Nephi, if I "cry unto the Lord" in sincerity, he will "visit me" and help to bring about that change. That visit doesn't need to be a corporeal one; the purifying influence of God's spirit is enough to soften a willing heart.