Lehi

In addition to the fruit of the tree of life, which he saw in his vision, Lehi’s words also focus on his own fruit---his seed, his sons, and children are favored topics. He is interested in blessings, and his teachings and prophecies center around the covenants God made with the house of Israel and with him.

Lehi is the only speaker in the Book of Mormon to use the word "opposition" (4).

Throughout his life, Lehi experienced hard blows. The demands of his calling required that he abandon his ancestral lands of inheritance and most of his possessions. He experienced years of danger, affliction, and hunger (1 Nephi 16:19-32), and the death of friends (1 Nephi 16:34-35). The frequent rebellions of Laman, Lemuel, and the sons of Ishmael took their toll and, on at least one occasion, nearly overwhelmed him (1 Nephi 18:17-18). He also recognized the blessings his family had received and how merciful the Lord had been (2 Nephi 1:1-2).

Key Insights

Lehi suffered many afflictions and experienced deep sorrow from the rebellion and wickedness of Laman and Lemuel and the sons of Ishmael. However, the knowledge of his Redeemer and the blessings of obedience brought him great joy, allowing him to be "encircled about eternally in the arms of his [Redeemer’s] love" (2 Nephi 1:15).

Lehi’s words teach us that the Lord has the power to redeem us; to bring us through the darkness that sometimes envelops and confuses us, back to the warm embrace of His love. As we read Lehi’s words, we should ponder how often the Lord blessed him and his family, even when their lives were hard. This will help us to recognize how often he blesses each of us, including in challenging times.

Before 600 B.C. Lehi is a descendant of Manasseh who lives at Jerusalem and has acquired great possessions.

600 B.C. In response to the warning of prophets, in the first year of the reign of King Zedekiah of Judah, Lehi prays to God, is shown visions, and is called by God to preach to the people. They reject his message and seek to kill him. He flees Jerusalem with his family.

596-587 B.C. Lehi and his family are led through the wilderness and across the sea to a land of promise.

Circa 585 B.C. Lehi dies.

The word "Messiah" only appears twice in the King James translation of the Hebrew Bible (Daniel 9:25-26). Lehi is the first Book of Mormon prophet to teach about the Messiah. This term is also used by other early Nephite writers, such as Nephi, Jacob, and Jarom, but is only found twice outside the small plates. This indicates that it was a term used by early prophets in the text, rather than later ones. Only Lehi, however, uses the words "Holy Messiah" (2 Nephi 2:8). This divine title enhances our understanding of the nature and role of Christ.

It may be significant that Lehi uses the term "Holy Messiah" in a blessing given to his son Jacob. Lehi blessed Jacob that his days would be "spent in the service of thy God" (2 Nephi 2:3). Jacob subsequently became a priest during the reign of his brother Nephi (2 Nephi 5:26).

Holiness was a particularly important principle for priests who officiated in the temple in ancient Israel; the temple was holy and represented the presence of God. Just as the animals that were offered in sacrifice needed to be without blemish, so the Messiah who gave his life needed to be holy for his sacrifice to be acceptable. It is only through the Holy Messiah that all can be made holy.

Key Insights

The only way to become holy is "through the merits, and mercy, and grace of the Holy Messiah" (2 Nephi 2:8). He is our Redeemer and is "full of grace and truth" (2 Nephi 2:6). By obeying the truth set forth in his words, counsel, and commandments, we can receive power and strength to do better. Through the gift of the Holy Ghost, we can be sanctified.

Lehi is the only Book of Mormon prophet to use the term "Mediator," which he does twice in one of his final sermons to his family. This may reflect his family situation in his later life, which included so much strife between his children and their families. Such conflict would have required him as a father and leader to mediate, sometimes unsuccessfully, between rival interests between his sons. In light of this, it may be significant that he taught his children, shortly before his death, to look toward their Divine Redeemer, "the great Mediator of all men" (2 Nephi 2:27-28).

Lehi counseled his sons to choose to look to the "great Mediator of all men," rather than choose to be subject to "the captivity and power of the devil" (2 Nephi 2:27). He taught them that they did so when they hearkened to the great Mediator’s words and kept his commandments, which lead to liberty and eternal life (2 Nephi 2:28).

Key Insights

When we experience injustice and harm from others, it is easy to become bitter. Our captivity to bitterness can be crippling to our happiness, peace, and positive relationships with others. By looking to Jesus Christ, our great Mediator, and keeping his commandments, we can find liberty from much of the strife and inner turmoil that we experience. He knows how to comfort us, strengthen us, and give us power to forgive those who may have offended us. We thereby become true disciples of Christ, and we can know that our Mediator is also our friend.