Nephi as a Ruler and Teacher

The record of Nephi that we have in the Book of Mormon wasn’t written until after the Nephite/Lamanite split in the promised land.  After telling about their escape from Laman and Lemuel and the establishment of his people, Nephi wrote, “And it came to pass that the Lord God said unto me: Make other plates; and thou shalt engraven many things upon them which are good in my sight, for the profit of thy people” (2 Nephi 5:30).  A book I’m listening to suggests that Nephi, looking back from this perspective, wanted to make sure that those who would receive this record would see the legitimacy of his leadership of the people.  He likely sensed that the story told by the Lamanites would differ from his own account; Ammoron gave us a sense of what that telling of the story was from the Lamanite perspective: “For behold, your fathers did wrong their brethren, insomuch that they did rob them of their right to the government when it rightly belonged unto them” (Alma 54:17).  But Nephi did not rob Laman and Lemuel of their right to the government; they gave it up through their wickedness and the Lord chose Nephi because of his faithfulness.  Nephi, in humility and plainness, made it clear multiple times what had really happened for him to righteously become the leader of the people. 

               Nephi established his calling as the leader of his people from the very beginning of his story.  Soon after they left Jerusalem, Nephi appears to have struggled just like his brothers to know if what they were doing was according to the Lord’s will.  But unlike his brothers, he did “cry unto the Lord” until the Lord “did soften [his] heart” and he believed all the words of his father.  When he continued to pray for his brethren, the Lord told him this, “And inasmuch as thy brethren shall rebel against thee, they shall be cut off from the presence of the Lord. And inasmuch as thou shalt keep my commandments, thou shalt be made a ruler and a teacher over thy brethren” (1 Nephi 2:16, 21-22).  Shortly thereafter the angel confirmed the same words to Nephi and his brothers: “Why do ye smite your younger brother with a rod? Know ye not that the Lord hath chosen him to be a ruler over you, and this because of your iniquities?” (1 Nephi 3:29).  After their separation Nephi reiterated this point: “And behold, the words of the Lord had been fulfilled unto my brethren, which he spake concerning them, that I should be their ruler and their teacher. Wherefore, I had been their ruler and their teacher, according to the commandments of the Lord, until the time they sought to take away my life” (2 Nephi 5:19).  Nephi was the ruler and teacher because the Lord chose him according to his righteousness. 

               Laman and Lemuel of course opposed Nephi’s declaration that he was called to be the ruler and teacher for the family, but Nephi showed in his narrative through his actions that he was the real leader.  It was Nephi who was the one who was able to obtain food for his family, even though his brothers would soon thereafter complain, “He has thought to make himself a king and a ruler over us, that he may do with us according to his will and pleasure.”  He also recorded that after Laman and Lemuel spoke this, “The voice of the Lord came and did speak many words unto them, and did chasten them exceedingly” (1 Nephi 16:38-39).  When Nephi tried to get his brothers to help him build the ship, they again rebelled against his leadership, but when they were shocked and chastened by the Lord, they admitted—for a brief time—his power over them, saying: “We know of a surety that the Lord is with thee, for we know that it is the power of the Lord that has shaken us.”  Nephi then recorded something which Laman and Lemuel surely would have denied later: “And they fell down before me, and were about to worship me” (1 Nephi 17:55).  They even admitted that the finished product of the boat was “exceedingly fine” and were humbled, a sign that at least for a while they recognized his leadership (1 Nephi 18:4).  Later when they were on the boat, Laman and Lemuel were angry again and tied Nephi up saying, “We will not that our younger brother shall be a ruler over us” (1 Nephi 18:10).  But it was Nephi who was actually able to calm the storm and save—again—his family.  Nephi’s account that he left his posterity clearly shows that the right to lead and teach his people was indeed given to him by the Lord.