Wednesday, November 3, 2010

1 Nephi 3

First Nephi chapter 3 is famous for Nephi's declaration of faith (verse 7) and his courage in calling his older brothers to repentance and action (verses 15-20), but I find a few other verses of note in this chapter. In particular, Laban's response to the requests of first Laman and then the entire band of Lehi's sons.

In verse 13 Laban accuses Laman of seeking to rob him and take the plates, but in verse 25 it is Laban whose greed leads him to attempt to kill Nephi and his brothers. This may be the most pointed example of hypocrisy in the scriptures.

And it points to how we often project our own sins on those around us. When we are greedy, we see everyone as a potential theif. When we lie, we can't trust others. When we are easy to anger, we expect similar behavior from others and become defensive and closed off.

The key then, it would appear, is to be humble and aware of our personal weaknesses, to not assume ourselves above any kind of sin and therefore vigilant about staying on the path, but forgiving of others' weaknesses.

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