1 Nephi 7

Nephi and his brothers speak the words of the Lord to Ishmael and his family

Once again, the thing that stood out to me in this reading of 1 Nephi 7 is that Lehi and his family were quick to offer thanks unto the Lord.  In spite of all of their hardships, they were a grateful people.

Many have pointed out how Laman and Lemuel did not murmur this time on their way to Jerusalem, because they were going to get wives.  Getting them to leave Jerusalem was a chore, persuading them to go back to Jerusalem to get the plates was like pulling teeth, but as soon as they found out that they were to return again to Jerusalem for the women folk, they apparently had no problem with that.  They did have a problem on their return journey, however, because they began to wonder if it might not have been better to return to Jerusalem for good.  They had quickly forgotten everything that Lehi and Nephi had shown them.  Lehi and Nephi knew that Jerusalem was on the brink of destruction, and they did everything in their power to persuade their rebellious family members to hearken unto the Lord, and to high-tail it out of the wicked city of Jerusalem.  Once Ishmael and his family were ready, it was time to skedaddle, but Laman and Lemuel incited a rebellion because they thought they knew better than the prophet Lehi.  Or, perhaps, they just missed the comfortable living that they had enjoyed.  The Lord was trying to reveal unto them a better way, a promised land, and to save them from destruction, but they kept looking back on what they thought would make them happy.

But the thing that stood out most to me in this reading was the differences in conditions of the heart.  Nephi's heart was soft, pliable, receptive to the Lord's instructions.  The Lord softened the heart of Ishmael, so that he too was receptive to the Spirit.  Contrary to the mistranslation of the story of Pharaoh in the Old Testament, the Lord never hardens hearts.  He softens them.  He softens them with   gentleness, meekness, love unfeigned, and with his Spirit.  He softens the hearts of those who seek a change of heart through the Atonement of Jesus Christ.  This is one of the greatest miracles of the Gospel.

Lehi and Sariah had softened hearts as well, which is what led them to continually offer thanks for their blessings and to offer sacrifices unto the Lord.  Nephi's heart was soft, which enabled him to quickly and frankly forgive his offending brethren.  His soft heart is what enabled his faith to grow ever stronger.

This entire chapter gives example after example of how the Lord softens peoples hearts.  I like that.

When the link to the Patheos discussion of the same chapter appears, I will post it too.  Here it is.