1 Nephi 5

Lehi searches the plates of brass

I will be very brief in this post, because I want to be ready for chapter six of first Nephi tomorrow. A couple of things caught my attention. First of all, there seems to be a lot of giving of thanks thus far in the Book of Mormon. These were people who were in dire circumstances in a rough wilderness, but they were continually giving thanks. It also occurred to me, and I'm sure I'm not the first one to notice this, that there is a kind of repetition when Lehi receives the brass plates and is filled with the Spirit and begins to prophecy. Does this remind you of something?  It reminds me of Lehi's original vision in which he received a book and was filled with the Spirit while reading it. The first time he prophesied concerning the destruction of Jerusalem.  This time he prophesied: 

"That these plates of brass should go forth unto all nations, kindreds, tongues, and people who were of his seed.

Wherefore, he said that these plates of brass should never perish; neither should they be dimmed any more by time. And he prophesied many things concerning his seed." (1 Ne. 5:18-19)

The brass plates will come forth again eventually.  These scriptures, and all scriptures, connect generations, from Adam and Eve to the present.  Lehi discovered his connection to Joseph, and Nephi explained that the plates were desirable, "even of great worth," because they "preserve the commandments of the Lord unto our children."  So many good reasons to search the scriptures.

Here's what Dr. Peterson has to say about going up to and coming down from Jerusalem in 1 Nephi 5.