And it came to pass that we did again take our journey in the wilderness; and we did travel nearly eastward from that time forth. And we did travel and wade through much affliction in the wilderness, and our women bare children in the wilderness. And so great were the blessings of the Lord upon us that while we did live upon raw meat in the wilderness, our women did give plenty of suck for their children and were strong, yea, even like unto the men; and they began to bear their journeyings without murmurings.
And thus we see that the commandments of God must be fulfilled. And if it so be that the children of men keep the commandments of God, he doth nourish them, and strengthen them, and provide ways and means whereby they can accomplish the thing which he has commanded them. Wherefore, he did provide ways and means for us while we did sojourn in the wilderness.
And we did sojourn for the space of many years, yea, even eight years in the wilderness. And we did come to the land which we called Bountiful, because of its much fruit and also wild honey; and all these things were prepared of the Lord that we might not perish. And we beheld the sea, which we called Irreantum, which (being interpreted) is many waters.
And it came to pass that we did pitch our tents by the seashore. And notwithstanding we had suffered many afflictions and much difficulty, yea, even so much that we cannot write them all, we were exceedingly rejoiced when we came to the seashore; and we called the place Bountiful because of its much fruit.
The Stick of Joseph in the Hand of Ephraim 1 Nefi 5 pars. 11 - 14
and our women bore children in the wilderness. And so great were the blessings of yhwh upon us that while we did live upon raw meat in the wilderness, our women did give plenty of milk for their children
and were strong, yes, even like unto the men; and they began to bear their journeyings without murmurings.
And thus we see that the mitzvot of Elohim must be fulfilled. And if it so be that the children of men keep the mitzvot of Elohim, he does nourish them, and strengthen them, and provide ways and means by which they can accomplish the thing which he has commanded them. Wherefore, he did provide ways and means for us while we did sojourn in the wilderness.
And we did sojourn for the space of many years, yes, even eight years in the wilderness. And we did come to the land which we called Bountiful, because of its much fruit and also wild honey; and all these things were prepared of yhwh that we might not perish. And we beheld the sea, which we called Irreantum, which (being interpreted) is many waters.
And it came to pass that we did pitch our tents by the seashore. And even though we had suffered many afflictions and much difficulty, yes, even so much that we cannot write them all, we rejoiced exceedingly when we came to the seashore; and we called the place Bountiful because of its much fruit.
I would like to consider these paragraphs from Nephi's record together in this post. With them together, for me personally, they form an important context.
I would also like to add in for consideration, either in this post or the next, the last part of the preceding paragraph from 1 Nephi 5 par. 10
...the voice of the Lord came and did speak many words unto them and did chasten them exceedingly. And after they were chastened by the voice of the Lord, they did turn away their anger and did repent of their sins, insomuch that the Lord did bless us again with food, that we did not perish.
Nephi is describing several things in this part of the record that seem to demonstrate a pattern the Lord uses if I understand some things correctly.
Could we first consider Nephi's following statement?
And even though we had suffered many afflictions and much difficulty, yes, even so much that we cannot write them all, we rejoiced exceedingly
Are there other places in Nephi's record where he speaks of suffering, affliction, and difficulties while at the very same time speaking of rejoicing or being blessed?
What about Nephi's statement just previous to the above statement?
And we did travel and wade through much affliction in the wilderness, and our women bare children in the wilderness. And so great were the blessings of the Lord upon us that while we did live upon raw meat in the wilderness, our women did give plenty of suck for their children and were strong, yea, even like unto the men; and they began to bear their journeyings without murmurings.
What about the very first statement Nephi makes as he begins his record?
...And having seen many afflictions in the course of my days, nevertheless, having been highly favored of the Lord in all my days...(1 Nephi 1:1, NC 1 Nephi 1 par. 1)
What about on the ship after being tied up?
...Wherefore, they came unto me and loosed the bands which were upon my wrists, and behold, they had swollen exceedingly; and also mine ankles were much swollen, and great was the soreness thereof. Nevertheless, I did look unto my God, and I did praise him all the day long, and I did not murmur against the Lord because of mine afflictions... (1 Nephi 18:16, NC 1 Nephi 5 par. 30)
What is Nephi, by constraint of the spirit, pointing out here?
Why is there an overt effort on the part of the Lord through Nephi's record to bring this to light?
The following is an excerpt from a talk delivered on the 03rd of March 2019, titled "Signs Follow Faith".
I agree with the premise being presented.
The first verse of the Book of Mormon echoes with Wisdom. It contains a profound lesson learned over a lifetime. Nephi explained: Having seen many afflictions in the course of my days, nevertheless having been highly favored of the Lord in all my days (1 Nephi 1:1 RE). He saw many afflictions. He was highly favored of the Lord in all his days, including those in which the affliction was visited on him.
How can one suffer many afflictions and be highly favored of the Lord? Wisdom literature would suggest that perhaps they are related to one another. Do those who are highly favored need to encounter afflictions to understand God's grace and favor toward them? That is a Wisdom theme.
When we say life should be easier, we are foolish. We're not wise.
In his final blessing to his son Helaman, Alma says something similar: I...know that whosoever shall put their trust in God shall be supported in their trials, and their troubles, and their afflictions (Alma 17:1 RE). Trusting God does not remove life's trials. Trusting God will not keep afflictions from you. Trusting God will not prevent troubles in your life.
The Book of Mormon explains a mature form of faith in God: resilient in the face of difficulty, enduring in the day of trouble, comforting in the moment of affliction. The faith of the Book of Mormon writers is not superficial, conditional, and weak. It bears up under trial; it is proven in troubles; it accompanies during afflictions.
The Book of Mormon is, among other things, a Wisdom text. What if trials, afflictions, and troubles are not negative? What if they are gifts provided as an opportunity to prove us therewith so that we and God may show what is in our heart?
Job asks: Shall we receive good at the hand of God, and shall we not receive evil? (Job 2:3 RE). Christ taught: In this world there are difficult trials to be faced by my followers, but those who remain devoted will, like me, finish the path and experience the fullness of joy (Testimony of St. John 10:29 RE). (Signs Follow Faith Denver C. Snuffer Jr. Centerville, Utah 3 March 2019, pgs 1 - 2)
Was Nephi able to demonstrate what was in his heart by his reaction to the afflictions and trials he endured?
Did God prove Nephi's heart by such experiences?
Do we see this pattern in other events in the Book of Mormon?
What about the events of Alma and his people being in bondage to Amulon and the Lamanites and not being allowed to cry out loud to the Lord?
Didn't they cry unto the Lord in their hearts?
Did the Lord hear their cries?
And it came to pass that so great was their faith and their patience that the voice of the Lord came unto them again, saying, Be of good comfort, for on the morrow I will deliver you out of bondage. And he said unto Alma, Thou shalt go before this people, and I will go with thee and deliver this people out of bondage. (Mosiah 24:13 - 17, NC Mosiah 11 pars. 9 - 10)
Did the Lord immediately remove them from bondage?
Did He remain with them and even eventually ease their burdens while they remained in bondage?
What was the resultant characteristic that these people obtained by being left in bondage but being accompanied by the Lord?
Is the experience with Alma and his people in any way similar to the following?
And so great were the blessings of the Lord upon us that while we did live upon raw meat in the wilderness, our women did give plenty of suck for their children and were strong, yea, even like unto the men; and they began to bear their journeyings without murmurings.
Is this an important pattern?
Should we expect this to be the case all the way along the path?
When the Lord came to dwell in a temporal tabernacle He declared that He had come for a specific purpose.
Christ testified that He was finishing the path in order to become like His Father.
As I presently understand it, even at this point, at the end of the path, Wisdom required that He, Christ, must pass through the experience of the final trial.
And they came to a place which was named Gethsemene, which was a garden. And the disciples began to be utterly amazed, and to be very heavy, and to complain in their hearts, wondering if this was the Messiah. And Jesus knowing their hearts, he said to his disciples, Sit here while I shall pray. And he takes with him Peter, and Jacob, and John, and rebuked them, and says unto them, My soul is exceedingly sorrowful, even unto death. Wait here and watch.
And he went forward a little and fell on the ground, and prayed that, if it were possible, the hour might pass from him. And he said, Abba, Father, all things are possible unto you; take this cup away from me. Nevertheless, not my will, but yours be done. And he comes and finds them sleeping, and says unto Peter, Simon, are you sleeping? Could you not watch one hour? Watch and pray, lest you enter into temptation. And they said unto him, The spirit truly is ready, but the flesh is weak. (Mark 14:32 - 38, NC Mark 7 pars. 10 - 11)
Was Christ's completion of the trial and affliction of the atonement a sure indication of His mature faith and trust in His Father?
Did Christ long for the trial to end just like we long for our trials to end?
The one beholding this scene was pained by what he saw, and begged for the vision of the Lord’s suffering to end. He could not bear to see his Lord suffering in this manner. The petition was denied and the vision did not end, for the Lord required him to witness it.
The man saw that the Lord pleaded again with the Father that “this cup may pass” from Him. But the Lord was determined to suffer the Father’s will and not His own. Therefore, a final wave came upon Him with such violence as to cut Him at every pore. It seemed for a moment that he was torn apart, and that blood came out of every pore. The Lord writhed in pain upon the ground as this great final torment was poured upon Him.
All virtue was taken from Him. All the great life force in Him was stricken and afflicted. All the light turned to darkness. He was humbled, drained, and left with nothing. It is not possible for a man to bear such pains and live, but with nothing more than will, hope in His Father, and charity toward all men, He emerged from the final wave of torment, knowing he had suffered all this for His Father and His brethren. By His hope and great charity, trusting in the Father, the Lord returned from this dark abyss and found grace again, His heart being filled with love toward the Father and all men. (Teachings and Commandments, 161 pars. 9 - 12)
The above scripture declares that it was by the hope and trust in His Father as well as charity towards all men that Christ was able to complete the ordeal.
He, Christ, passed through this infinite suffering and the Father was with Him as He passed through it.
...Behold, the hour comes, yea, has now come, that you shall be scattered, every man to his own, and shall leave me alone — and yet I am not alone, because the Father is with me... (John 16:29 - 33, NC John 9 par. 18)
The Gospel reflects that an angel came strengthening Him—which is not altogether an accurate description of what went on. He… The Father's presence never left the Son throughout all His sufferings. And indeed, part of the Son's sufferings was caused by the necessity to reconcile peacefully His experience of this unclean, unworthy state (with the feelings of shame and guilt that are caused by not being reconciled with God), and then overcoming that and being able to reconcile Himself again with the Father and coming to a place of peace and harmony and at-one-ness with the Father that this awful experience had disrupted.
It shattered the harmony that existed between the Father and the Son that had existed throughout His entire ministry, and it put the Son into the same position as the worst of the sinners who had jarringly disassociated themselves unworthily with the Father. And now here He is—feeling all of that—but being in the presence of the Father, as if He were advanced to the moment of the final judgment and coming before the bar of a perfect and pure God—but doing so unprepared, unworthy, unreconciled, unrepentant, and filled with guilt and shame. And all of that was put upon Him so that He could reconcile Himself to the Father, reconcile Himself and overcome the feelings of guilt and remorse of sin.( Easter Fireside
“Stand Independent” Fireside Series
Denver and Stephanie Snuffer
April 3, 2022, pgs. 3 - 4)
Yet, given the infinite trial and suffering for the infirmities of the human condition and also for the bondage caused from the sinful actions of the entire human family, that Christ passed through, He has arisen triumphant and possesses all of the power glory and honor that the Father has; Who went before Him.
What personality and character does Christ possess after patiently passing through such things?
I know of no more cheerful a being in the universe than Christ. When He says, Be of good cheer, we ought to all accept that as the mantra. There is nothing that any of us will ever go through that He hasn't gone through, with a considerable greater degree of difficulty. He lived with a higher ‘specific gravity’ than any of us had to ever fight against. And He won for each of us a prize that is potentially eternal. It will be eternal, one way or the other. But if you take full measure of what He offers, it will be delightfully eternal. Cowardice is largely predicated upon fear. Don't be cowardly. Don't be fearful. Fear is the opposite of faith. For goodness sake, you're already in the battle! You're already going to be overtaken. The fact of the matter is that no one gets out of here alive. Live this life nobly, fearlessly. When you take the wounds that come your way, you make sure that they come to your front! Don't let ‘em shoot you in the back. Go about your life boldly, nobly, valiantly. Because it is only through valiance in the testimony of Jesus Christ that you can hope to secure anything—not valiance in your fidelity to anything other than Jesus Christ. (Denver Snuffer, Forty Years in Mormonism Series, Talk 1, "Be of Good Cheer", pg. 2)
As a result of what the Lord suffered, there is no condition — physical, spiritual, or mental — that he does not fully understand. He knows how to teach, comfort, succor, and direct any who come to Him seeking forgiveness and peace. This is why the prophet wrote: by his knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many; for he shall bear their iniquities. [Isa. 19:2] And again: Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows; yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed. [Isa. 19:2] He obtained this knowledge by the things he suffered. He suffered that we might avoid sin by being obedient to His commandments. None of us need harm another, if we will follow Him. He knows fully the consequences of sin. He teaches His followers how to avoid sin.
The prophet Alma taught and understood our Lord’s sufferings as he wrote: And he shall go forth, suffering pains and afflictions and temptations of every kind; and this that the word might be fulfilled which saith he will take upon him the pains and the sicknesses of his people. And he will take upon him death, that he may loose the bands of death which bind his people; and he will take upon him their infirmities, that his bowels may be filled with mercy, according to the flesh, that he may know according to the flesh how to succor his people according to their infirmities. [Alma 5:3]
He can bring peace to any soul. He can help those who will come to Him love their fellow man. He alone is the Perfect Teacher because he alone has the knowledge each of us lack to return to being whole and at peace with the God and Father of us all after our transgression of His will. He is wise to what is required for each man’s salvation. (Teachings and Commandments, 161 pars. 24 - 26)
As an individual passes through trials and troubles and afflictions, trusting in God to remain with them through the ordeal, do they learn things by experience that allow them to pass on knowledge to others who pass through similar if not the same trials, troubles, and afflictions?
What did Christ learn by passing through this terrible experience?
The prophet Alma taught and understood our Lord’s sufferings as he wrote: And he shall go forth, suffering pains and afflictions and temptations of every kind; and this that the word might be fulfilled which saith he will take upon him the pains and the sicknesses of his people. And he will take upon him death, that he may loose the bands of death which bind his people; and he will take upon him their infirmities, that his bowels may be filled with mercy, according to the flesh, that he may know according to the flesh how to succor his people according to their infirmities. [Alma 5:3]
He can bring peace to any soul. He can help those who will come to Him love their fellow man. He alone is the Perfect Teacher because he alone has the knowledge each of us lack to return to being whole and at peace with the God and Father of us all after our transgression of His will. He is wise to what is required for each man’s salvation. (Teachings and Commandments, 161 pars. 24 - 26)
As an individual passes through trials and troubles and afflictions, trusting in God to remain with them through the ordeal, do they learn things by experience that allow them to pass on knowledge to others who pass through similar if not the same trials, troubles, and afflictions?
Is it possible that such experiences might be able to be likened to learning a new "language"?
If I have not passed through a certain trial that another is passing through am I able to speak their "language"?
I believe that I can and should try in all the capacity I have to assist anyone afflicted with anything but if I myself do not know the "language" they are learning by their experience with their affliction I would not be surprised that in many things I might find myself at a loss in how best to assist.
I would be unable to say, "I know how you feel and..." I would at best be able to declare, "I believe you when you tell me that you feel .... I am sorry you are passing through this. I want to listen to you."
By Christ descending below all things, would it be unreasonable to liken that experience to Christ having learned all of the "languages" of trial, burden, trouble, bondage, and affliction that exist and is able to communicate with any individual in any of these languages in a way that will lead them to peace and a completion their learning of the particular "language" they are learning?
Is Christ truly able to say now, "I know exactly how you are feeling and I know the way through"?
Is it possible that part of the reason for this temporal existence is to learn new "languages" so to speak?
Is it possible for us with our agency to work to avoid the experiences in this temporal state that were meant to teach us new "languages"?
How would we feel if we have succeeded and end this life coming to the other side of the veil with a realization that we had squandered an opportunity to learn?
Does the pattern Nephi and really the entire Book of Mormon put forward of development of mature faith fit into the context of the following teachings from the Prophet Joseph?
...you have got to learn how to be Gods yourselves, and to be kings and priests to God, the same as all Gods have done before you, namely, by going from one small degree to another, and from a small capacity to a great one; from grace to grace, from exaltation to exaltation, until you attain to the resurrection of the dead, and are able to dwell in everlasting burnings, and to sit in glory, as do those who sit enthroned in everlasting power. (Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, pgs. 346 - 347)
and
By learning new "languages" are we given the opportunities of learning to become Gods; knowing how to succor others in their afflictions after we have suffered through them ourselves?
Are we given opportunities to go from grace to grace by receiving God's grace while gracefully passing through the experience(s)?
Are the capacities of those who patiently pass through the experiences increased?
Are trials and troubles that we must pass through part of contemplating the lowest considerations of the darkest abyss?
For those who pass patiently through such things, are their minds stretched?
For those who pass patiently through such things, do they find themselves in constant communion with God during the experiences?
Do those who pass patiently through such things experience careful and ponderous and solemn thoughts over the time of their experiences?
Have those who have patiently passed through such things had experiences that have enlightened their minds to the utmost Heavens and allowed them to expand upon the broad considerations of eternal expanse?
Do people become more grounded, less given to fanciful, flowery, and heated imaginations, by patiently passing through such experiences?
Is this pattern of obtaining mature faith, demonstrated by Nephi and others, the intended path to progress in faith?
In truth, for me, the thought of such things is terrifying right now.
I understand that God knows what is best for me to experience in this temporal estate behind a veil. I believe that I can with honesty state that I trust that to be so.
I hope that whatever those experiences may be I will respond with patient trust in the Lord so that I may develop a mature, enduring, and resilient faith in Christ.
