Skip to main content

"Born... in the Days of My Greatest Sorrow," 2 Nephi 3:1-3

2 Nephi 3:1-3

(Perhaps this should be a post on my wife's blog about child birth from a father's perspective.)
These three verses paint a very strong argument for our prerogative to bare children. Here is a father's reflection on the circumstances surrounding the birth of his youngest son. Lehi describes the place where Joseph was born as "the wilderness of mine afflictions" and the time as "the days of my greatest sorrow".

Yes, to me this is curious that Lehi and Sariah felt the need to bare children on the road to the new world. From a worldly perspective, the timing couldn't have been worse.

But that timing some twenty or thirty years later, now seemed to father Lehi to be the substance of profound blessings and promises from the Lord. Lehi talks of the land being consecrated for Joseph and his posterity. Lehi also promises his youngest son that his posterity would not be utterly destroyed.

This was a blessing for Joseph, but was probably even more profoundly significant for Lehi. Having given up all to follow the Lord's commands, the promises of a posterity being able to enjoy the blessings that he had sacrificed so much for, may never have been realized if the timing of Joseph's birth was anything other than when and where it was -- at their lowest point and most inconvenient place along their journey to the Americas.

Comments

  1. Keep writing, brother, even if the comments are few. If you reach but one soul, how great shall be your joy ... and not every visitor will comment.

    ... I remind myself of that when I get discouraged by the paucity of commentary on my own blog.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Thanks for the comments, Clifford. I apologize for the delay in turning them live... not very good for generating discussion, I know.

    Best,
    Brent

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

"A Space Between Death and the Resurrection," Alma 40:15-21

Alma 40:15-21 https://www.lds.org/scriptures/tg/resurrection?lang=eng The New Testament, after the Resurrection of Christ, is replete with testimony by the apostles of the reality of that very thing. I took a pause from this study to reflect over in John 6 . At least twice within that passage, the phrase "the resurrection of the just" had been added back into the passage in the Joseph Smith Translation. No man can come unto me, except he doeth the will of my Father who hath sent me. And this is the will of him who hath sent me, that ye receive the Son; for the Father beareth record of him; and he who receiveth the testimony, and doeth the will of him who sent me, I will raise up in the resurrection of the just. ( JST - John 6:44 ) Whoso eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, hath eternal life; and I will raise him up in the resurrection of the just at the last day. ( John 6:54 ) Why, among other doctrines, does the adversary or the world want to suppress...

"An Awful Death," Alma 40:22-26

Alma 40:22-26 Ezekiel 37:6-14 - This prophecy of Ezekiel is a key indicator of divine priority. These last few verses at the end of the chapter are a testimony of the reality and nature of the resurrection, and the consignments of the wicked and the righteous thereafter. What questions should I be asking about these verses? Continue in verse 26 tomorrow. There are a number of footnotes on "the death of the wicked," or that death which "pertains to the things of righteousness." So I have spent the morning studying this death of the wicked, by reading the footnotes on "death" as referenced in title of this post, or "an awful death of the wicked."  Doctrine and Covenants 29:41 truly illustrates the seriousness of that predicament. He first is talking about the spiritual death that came upon Adam when he was cast out of the Garden of Eden: ...wherein he became spiritually dead, which is the first death, even that same death which is ...