1 Nephi 14

(January 12, 2015)

                I really liked how the angel described the Lord manifesting His power – through the removal of stumbling blocks.  If there is something in life that we are stumbling on, it is obvious that we have a problem beyond our capacity to resolve (if we could fix our problem, we wouldn’t be stumbling).  But our only hope of escaping our human habit of falling over the same problems over and over and over again is to beg the Lord to remove our stumbling blocks and grant to us escape.

                The second thought was on the great pit being filled by those who dig it.  This made little sense to me for a long while – after all, if someone is laying a trap why wouldn’t they avoid it themselves.  But at this point in my life, I am literally watching it play out in front of me.  I am seeing someone who is so consumed by anger and hatred that this person cannot help but dig and dig even as it becomes apparent to more and more people that this person is the source of the problem.  Far from being a metaphor, this is something that is very possible and very real.  I don’t think I can ever look at this scripture the same way after what I have seen this past year.

                Finally, I note that there was no formal Church at the time that Joseph Smith translated the Book of Mormon.  That brings new light to Nephi’s description of the members of the Lord’s ‘church’ being all around the world.  Was Nephi looking still further into the future, compared to when Joseph was translating?  Possibly, but I don’t think so.  I think that Church is being used here in a very different sense.  There are two churches only – the Church of the Lamb of God (those who have chosen to walk the pathway of discipleship) and the Church of the Devil (everyone and everything else).  I don’t think that these scriptures use church in the same sense that we typically interpret it today.