Why did Lehi's sons fail at first to get the Brass Plates?

Q: Why did Lehi's sons fail at first to get the Brass Plates?

A: Although all four of Lehi's sons made the long trip back to Jerusalem, it appears they didn't enlist the Lord's help directly. They knew where Laban lived, and cast lots to see on whom would fall the burden of asking him for the plates. When this first attempt fell flat on its face, Laman and Lemuel wanted to give up, but Nephi talked them into a second, stronger approach: to trade the riches their father left behind at their house for the Brass Plates.

This time, all four brothers went into Laban's house and laid out their massive wealth in front of him. They offered it all to him for the plates, and they did so in good faith. However, this is where Laban's true character came to the forefront. He proved himself greedy and murderous, first by kicking them out of his house carrying all their heavy stuff, and second by ordering his servants to chase and kill them so he could get it. Luckily the brothers outran their attackers, but only by dropping all their valuables, sprinting away, and hiding in a cave.

Why hadn't their attempts to get the plates worked? After all, wasn't it the Lord that told them to get them, and wasn't He supposed to help them? Again, it appears that, although they had made a valiant effort on their second attempt, they still hadn't asked Him directly for help and inspiration on how to get the plates successfully. This was a crucial omission on their part. However, because He's a merciful Being, the Lord would soon come to their aid.

Why did the Lord command Lehi's sons to return to Jerusalem?

Q: Why did the Lord command Lehi's sons to return to Jerusalem?

When Nephi returned to his family's camp on the River Laman, his dad told him the Lord had a very important mission for him and his brothers: to return to Jerusalem to get the Plates of Brass. A powerful man named "Laban" had them, and Lehi had already told Laman and Lemuel about their mission. True to character, they had complained vociferously. After all, they had just traveled a long way to get to where they were, and now they had to go back? Their father truly was getting carried away. And besides, getting Laban to give up the plates would be tough indeed, perhaps impossible.

Lehi explained to Nephi that the Plates of Brass had the geneology of his fathers and more importantly, all of God's commandments engraved on them. Having the plates would also help them to keep their language intact, since they would have a large written record to work from when teaching their children to read and write.

Unlike his two oldest brothers, Nephi responded in a way that gave his dad great hope. Nephi said he would go and do what the Lord wanted because he knew the Lord wouldn't tell them to do it if He wasn't also going to help them get it done. This demonstrated to Lehi that his youngest son was beginning to understand the ways of the Lord, something he could only have gained through studying and thinking about the scriptures and sincere prayer.

Background Notes

At the time the Book of Mormon record was published, it was claimed to have been written originally on metal plates. This claim was almost universally ridiculed, since no other examples of such ancient records were known at the time. As of today, however, literally hundreds of such records on metal plates, including on gold, have since been discovered. Three notable examples are the record on gold plates of Darius I, King of Persia (518 BC), found in 1938 in Iran, the Etruscan Gold Book (600 BC), discovered in Bulgaria around 1945, and the famous Copper Scrolls found among the Dead Sea Scrolls at Qumran (50-100 AD).

Let's see what we've learned so far...

Let's see what we've learned so far...

We've covered only the first two chapters of the Book of Mormon, and already we've learned some fundamental spiritual truths, which include the following:

1. The Lord calls and works through prophets to bless and warn His people, that is, His children.

2. Anyone can pray directly to the Lord and have their prayers answered.

3. Depending on a person's faith, the Lord often works through spiritual manifestations, such as dreams and visions.

4. The Lord will test our faith and often requires what appear to be great sacrifices of us, but delivers from danger those who trust in him.

5. Prophets foretold the coming of Jesus Christ as the Messiah many centuries before His birth.

6. Even good parents with strong faith can have children with little or no faith in God.

Background Notes

1. Lehi was familiar with the desert wilderness south of Jerusalem, including where the water sources were located; he didn't hesitate to head into this largely uninhabited wasteland with his wife and children.

2. Lehi was familiar with Arab and Egyptian culture, and used names for his sons from these cultures.

3. Lehi employed a very ancient form of Arabic poetry in trying to inspire Laman and Lemuel to live a more upright life.

4. No one in the Western World was familiar with the accurate and ancient location names and cultural mannerisms used in the first two chapters of the Book of Mormon when it was published in 1830.