Continuing from the previous post regarding the rebellion of
Laman and Lemuel and what caused it. After commenting on the faith of Nephi and
his explicit trust in the Lord, we come to Laman and Lemuel, who seem at the
opposite end of the spectrum.
Even though the previous account
of choices Laman and Lemuel made in carrying out their responsibilities,
looking only at the positive results of their efforts, which is basically
stated correctly, they in no way came close to those shown by Nephi and, though
silent on the issue, his brother, Sam seems to have been of Nephi’s caliber.
His father said of him, “after he had made an end of speaking
unto them, he spake unto Sam, saying: Blessed art thou, and thy seed; for thou
shall inherit the land like unto thy brother Nephi. And thy seed shall be
numbered with his seed; and thou shalt be even like unto thy brother, and thy
seed like unto his seed; and thou shalt be blessed in all thy days” (2 Nephi
4:11).
How
different the story of Lehi’s family in the land of Promise would have been had
Laman and Lemuel possessed the nature of Sam. While faith seems to have come to
Lehi’s two younger sons more readily, it was not something Laman and Lemuel
possessed most of the time—in fact, it is the sad story of both their lives and
tragic stories.
What
was it that drove the faithfulness of Nephi and Sam and did not drive Laman and
Lemuel? Both were born to the same parents, both raised by the same parents,
both were more or less taught the same, and belonged to the same Hebrew and
Jewish heritage. Of course, this is the question every parent with a wayward
child or two asks himself. And while the exact answers regarding Laman and
Lemuel might not apply in specifics to every wayward son or daughter, certainly
the concept behind Laman and Lemuel’s actions can be applied in many if not
most cases.
Certainly,
Laman and Lemuel lacked spiritual maturity. From the beginning they failed to
comprehend the purpose of leaving their home and wealth—continually rejecting
the idea that the Lord would destroy Jerusalem because of its wickedness. They
also had an obvious flaw of thinking they knew more than those the Lord called
to lead and direct. Like many of the spiritually immature in Jeruslaem, Laman
and Lemuel thought they knew more: “we know that the people who were in the
land of Jerusalem were a righteous people; for they kept the statutes and
judgments of the Lord, and all his commandments, according to the law of Moses;
wherefore, we know that they are a righteous people; and our father hath judged
them, and hath led us away because we would hearken unto his words; yea, and
our brother is like unto him” (1 Nephi 17:22.
That
sounds a lot like our modern day theorists who claim they know more about what
the ancients meant than what they actually said. After all, when these modern
theorists change the direction of the lands, the placement of one land to
another, and utilize their own judgments superior to those Nephite prophets who
wrote about their lands, we find a level of spiritual immaturity and a strong
belief in their own knowledge above that
of those called to speak upon matters.
In
understanding this spiritual immaturity, and knowing the potential for
greatness these older brothers had, their failure to be obedient and accept the
Lord’s direction and their leader’s counsels becomes even more tragic and
pitiful.
Laman’s
biggest concern regarding the interaction between himself and his brothers, was
that he held the birthright and to him was to flow the leadership of the Family
at some point in time. He should have had the respect of his brothers, should
have been in charge of the affairs flowing downward from their father, and the
one to stand up and take charge when such was needed.
Yet,
despite that being his desire, he seemed to think that he needed to put out
little or no effort at all in the carrying out of such responsibilities. After
all, when Lehi received a vision from the Lord to send his sons back to
Jerusalem to obtain the Brass Plates of Laban, the patriarch did not go to some
other member of the family to make the assignment. He went to his oldest son,
his first born, the one he should be able to count on to carry out the wishes
of the Lord and his as patriarch.
It
was not that the events of the record caused Laman to gripe and complain—it was
his nature to gripe and complain, irrespective of the cause. He griped and complained
when Lehi obeyed the Lord and took his family into the wilderness, even after
Lehi took the time “making known until him the things which the Lord had
manifested…yet he would not hearken unto [the Lord’s] words” (1 Nephi 2:18).
As
Lehi put it, when speaking to Nephi after being turned down by Laman: “And now,
behold thy brothers murmur, saying it is a hard thing which I have required of
them; but behold I have not required it of them, but it is a commandment of the
Lord” (1 Nephi 3:5).
Four personal weaknesses become
obvious as we study the lives of Laman and Lemuel: pride, worldliness,
slothfulness, and anger. These weaknesses inhibited them from developing a
living faith in Christ and laid the groundwork for their complete rejection of
God. Each weakness was not only a symptom of but also a reason for their
failure to come unto Christ and be saved.
Ultimately, it was Laman and Lemuel’s
failure to develop living faith in Christ that prevented them from overcoming
their personal weaknesses and led to their spiritual destruction. The Savior
promises to help us overcome our weaknesses and redeem us from our fallen state
(see Ether 12:27). Laman and Lemuel’s failure to develop faith in Christ left
them to battle their weakness by themselves, ultimately a losing cause.
Their refusal to “grow up in
Christ” left them to become “for themselves” (3 Nephi 1:29). Therefore, even
though Laman and Lemuel did
many good things, when left to their own merits, they failed to become what the Savior desired them to
become. To better understand how this happened, it is helpful to examine the
relationship between these four weaknesses and Laman and Lemuel’s lack of faith
in Christ.
Pride was a fundamental problem
for Laman and Lemuel. It has been stated that: “The great weakness of Laman was
his pride. He was a man with a strong personality, capable of impressing others
as a leader. He, no doubt, had as much education as his younger brothers.
He
was skilled in oratory, and he had the legal advantage of being the firstborn.
But with all these qualifications he was weak, because he lacked humility.”
Laman and Lemuel’s pride is evident throughout the scriptural record. They
always claimed their right to rule over their siblings (1 Nephi 16:37; 2 Nephi
5:3).
They continually chafed under the
directing hand of Lehi. Even with a belief in God, they regularly questioned
His guidance and commandments, especially when it came through their brother or
their father (1 Nephi 2:11; 3:31; 7:6; 17:18). Ultimately, however, pride
precluded the possibility of their spiritual growth. It made the requisite dose
of humility unobtainable: “Humility is a concept that plays an essential role
in the origins of spirituality. Naturally, there are other important
considerations, but the scriptures are clear and consistent on two points
regarding humility and spirituality. First, the absence of humility virtually
precludes the development of spirituality. And, second, the presence of
humility is essential for spiritual growth.”
Likewise, a materialistic
orientation kept Laman and Lemuel’s focus earthbound. One author stated that
“Laman can be viewed as a prototype of the ‘natural man.’” From their first
complaint at having to leave their possessions behind (1 Nephi 2:11) to their
lament on the seashore (1 Nephi 17:21), Laman and Lemuel continually focused on
worldly things.
(See the next post, “Are Laman and Lemuel
Misunderstood? – Part III,” for more information on the plight of these two
older sons of Lehi and the fate they chose for themselves rather than the one
Lehi blessed them to receive and the Lord desired for them to have)
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