Blessed in All Thy Days

The first words of the Book of Mormon, after the title page, tell us that it starts out as “an account of Lehi and his wife Sariah, and his four sons, being called, (beginning at the eldest) Laman, Lemuel, Sam, and Nephi.” As we read the story of Lehi’s family in 1^st and 2^nd Nephi, we learn a lot about Nephi and his two rebellious brothers Laman and Lemuel. Relatively little, though, is told about Sam. But the references we have suggest that he was a faithful believer in the Lord and follower of Nephi. We know that when Laman and Lemul did not believe in the words of their father, Nephi learned from the Spirit that they were true and he recounted, “I spake unto Sam, making known unto him the things which the Lord had manifested unto me by his Holy Spirit. And it came to pass that he believed in my words” (1 Nephi 2:17). So Sam was a believer even though he didn’t seem to get the same great revelations as his brother. When they went back to get the plates from Laban, he suffered the same abuse from Laman and Lemuel as Nephi did: “Laman and Lemuel did speak many hard words unto us, their younger brothers, and they did smite us even with a rod” (1 Nephi 3:28). Sam was with the group again when they returned for Ishmael and his family, and on the return journey he again showed his faithfulness as his older brothers rebelled. Nephi recorded, “It came to pass that as we journeyed in the wilderness, behold Laman and Lemuel, and two of the daughters of Ishmael, and the two sons of Ishmael and their families, did rebel against us; yea, against me, Nephi, and Sam, and their father, Ishmael, and his wife, and his three other daughters” (1 Nephi 7:6). Nephi was the one who spoke up for their father and the revelations of the Lord, but Sam clearly was a supporter of Nephi and did not rebel like Laman and Lemuel. Lehi’s vision of the tree of life confirmed that Sam was on the right path spiritually: “I have reason to rejoice in the Lord because of Nephi and also of Sam; for I have reason to suppose that they, and also many of their seed, will be saved.” In the dream he also related, “I beheld your mother Sariah, and Sam, and Nephi; and they stood as if they knew not whither they should go. And it came to pass that I beckoned unto them; and I also did say unto them with a loud voice that they should come unto me, and partake of the fruit, which was desirable above all other fruit. And it came to pass that they did come unto me and partake of the fruit also” (1 Nephi 8:3, 14-16). Lehi knew from this that Sam and Nephi would be faithful to the Lord unto the obtaining eternal life.

            As Lehi’s family journeyed to the promised land little was mentioned of Sam. We do know that he, along with his brothers, married a daughter of Ishmael (see 1 Nephi 16:7). He was not mentioning in the building of the ship at Bountiful, but surely he helped. When Laman and Lemuel rebelled against Nephi on the ship, Sam was not mentioned either, but I think we can assume he did not join in his older brothers. When they arrived at the promised land, Lehi included him in his words of encouragement to Laman and Lemuel: “And now my son, Laman, and also Lemuel and Sam, and also my sons who are the sons of Ishmael, behold, if ye will hearken unto the voice of Nephi ye shall not perish. And if ye will hearken unto him I leave unto you a blessing, yea, even my first blessing” (2 Nephi 1:28). But I don’t think we can assume that he was like his brothers in any way because he was grouped with him in this verse, for later on Lehi spoke again to Sam alone: “He spake unto Sam, saying: Blessed art thou, and thy seed; for thou shalt inherit the land like unto thy brother Nephi. And thy seed shall be numbered with his seed; and thou shalt be even like unto thy brother, and thy seed like unto his seed; and thou shalt be blessed in all thy days” (2 Nephi 4:11). These were the last words of Lehi and are a fitting tribute to Sam. Soon thereafter the groups split, Nephi wrote, “Wherefore, it came to pass that I, Nephi, did take my family, and also Zoram and his family, and Sam, mine elder brother and his family, and Jacob and Joseph, my younger brethren, and also my sisters, and all those who would go with me. And all those who would go with me were those who believed in the warnings and the revelations of God; wherefore, they did hearken unto my words” (2 Nephi 5:6). So Sam indeed believed in the revelations and stayed true to Nephi, and that was the last that we heard about him. Mormon later wrote how Laman and Lemuel rebelled “against their brethren, who consisted of Nephi, Jacob, and Joseph, and Sam, who were just and holy men” (Alma 3:6). In the end, most of us are much more like Sam than we are like Nephi. We seek to follow the prophet and heed the revelations of God that he gives us, living quietly outside the limelight. Our own story will be known to few, and that’s okay—if we can be like Sam, “just and holy” and a follower of the Lord’s servants, we too will be "blessed in all [our] days" and reach the tree of life and partake of its fruit just like all the holy prophets.