2 Nephi 5-8 (10/6)
READING ASSIGNMENT FOR CLASS ON 10/9: 2 NEPHI 5, 6, 7, & 8
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Use this to aid in your study of 2 Nephi 5
… Nephi established a society founded on gospel truths; and of that society he says, “And it came to pass that we lived after the manner of happiness” (2 Ne. 5:27). The passage deeply impressed me. I pondered what it could mean to live “after the manner of happiness.” I knew it had to be related to the gospel and God’s plan for our lives. In fact, sometimes His prophets call that plan the “plan of happiness” (Alma 42:8). I wondered, though, what the individual elements of a truly happy society and life might be, and I began to search Nephi’s writings for clues. I wish to share with you my tentative findings, primarily from 2 Nephi, chapter 5, and invite you to conduct your own personal search. It could be a lifelong and worthwhile pursuit.
Family
I begin in 2 Nephi 5:6
[2 Ne. 5:6] with Nephi’s observation: “I … did take my family …
and Sam, mine elder brother and his family, and Jacob and Joseph, my younger
brethren, and also my sisters.” Here indeed is a significant key to happiness—one’s family.There is no other organization that can so completely satisfy our need for belonging and happiness like the family.
… Sometimes after an enjoyable family home evening, during a fervent family prayer, or when our entire family is at the dinner table on Sunday evening eating waffles and engaging in a session of lively, good-natured conversation, I quietly say to myself, “If heaven is nothing more than this, it will be good enough for me!”
Keeping the Commandments
For the next ingredient of
a happy life, I go to verse 10 [2 Ne.
5:10]: “And we did observe to
keep the judgments, and the statutes, and the commandments of
the Lord in all things.”Here is a simple but powerful truth: living righteously and keeping God’s commandments make us happy.
… From the depths of my soul I testify that we cannot break God’s laws, we can only break ourselves against them.
Planting Gardens
… In 2 Nephi 5:11 [2 Ne.
5:11], Nephi observes that “we
did prosper exceedingly; for we did sow seed, and we did reap again in
abundance.” In a 1978 general conference address, President Spencer W. Kimball
(1895–1985) said: “With the arrival of spring we hope all of you will put in your gardens and prepare to enjoy their
produce this summer. We hope you are making this a family affair, with
everyone, even the little ones, assigned to something. There is so much to learn
and harvest from your garden, far more than just a crop itself” (“Becoming the
Pure in Heart,” Ensign, May 1978, 79).… In verse 11 [2 Ne. 5:11], Nephi also records, “We began to raise flocks, and herds, and animals of every kind.” This is an element of a happy life to which many will readily relate. Animals—be they horses, cats, dogs, hamsters, or turtles—touch us deeply and promote our emotional well-being. Given affection and care, they return affection and care generously and consistently. People whose lives include relationships with animals are usually happier. For me at least, heaven will not be heaven unless the animal kingdom is part of God’s kingdom.
Scriptures
In verse 12 [2 Ne.
5:12], Nephi mentions he “had
also brought the records which were engraven upon the plates of
brass.” … Anyone who reads scripture regularly develops a clearer perspective
and purer thoughts and has more sincere and thoughtful prayers. Our lives are
bound to be happier when we use the scriptures to answer our very personal
questions and needs.There are other uplifting influences the scriptures can have in our lives. They can cleanse us from evil thoughts and fortify our resolve to resist temptation. They can give comfort in times of need such as the death of a loved one or other personal tragedy. Reading them can put us in tune with the Spirit of the Lord so that our depression and self-doubts will flee and our “confidence [will] wax strong in the presence of God” (D&C 121:45).
Preparedness
… The next element of a
happy life is in verse 14 [2 Ne.
5:14]—preparedness. Nephi “did
take the sword of Laban, and after the manner of it did make many swords, lest by
any means the … Lamanites should come upon us and destroy us.” Nephi was
preparing for possible skirmishes with the Lamanites and we must likewise
prepare for our battles of life if we hope to lead happy
lives. If we are prepared we not only do not fear (see D&C 38:30),
but we actually enjoy and derive considerable happiness
from the events of our daily lives.
Work
Nephi’s next comment on his happy society has
to do with the principle of work: “And I did teach my
people to build buildings, and to work in all manner of wood, and of iron, and of copper, and of brass, and of steel, and of gold, and of silver, and of precious ores, which
were in great abundance” (2 Ne. 5:15).In verse 17 [2 Ne. 5:17], he adds, “And it came to pass that I, Nephi, did cause my people to be industrious, and to labor with their hands.”
… I realize that work can be mental, spiritual, or physical effort, but Nephi’s emphasis is on “laboring with our hands,” or manual labor. No matter what our life’s work turns out to be, I know we’ll be happier if we regularly labor with our hands. Labor can take many forms: yard work, sewing, quilting, cooking, baking, auto repair, home repair—the list is endless, and so is the happiness and sense of accomplishment such activities produce.
Temples
Nephi writes, “And I, Nephi, did build a
temple” (2
Ne. 5:16). Nephi’s temple may have differed in some ways from
our latter-day temples, but its central purpose was likely the same: to teach
and orient God’s children concerning His plan for their happiness
and to provide the ordinances and covenants essential to the attainment of that happiness.… What images does the word temple call to our minds? Listen to Elder Boyd K. Packer’s expression of feelings about this: “When we say temple I would list what in essence are Latter-day Saint synonyms for the word: marriage, family, children, happiness, joy, eternal life, resurrection, redemption, exaltation, inspiration, revelation” (The Holy Temple [1980], 260).
Church Service
The final element I wish to highlight
concerns the … I can’t begin to express how grateful I am for the countless opportunities for growth, service, and happiness that activity in the Church has provided. It is not by accident that in God’s plan for us we have been given a Church that “hath need of every member” (D&C 84:110). Because we are needed and encouraged and enabled to serve, we are much happier.
May we strive for … happiness as we obey the commandments, study the scriptures, attend the temple, work, serve, prepare, and plant—that our harvest may be great and our joy eternal.
Want More?
Here's a great story about the Lord's mercy from Elder F. Burton Howard
“A few years ago I
was asked to speak to a group of young men. I don’t remember now exactly what
was said, except that near the end I made the statement that no one … present
had done anything for which he could not be forgiven.
“After the meeting
was over one of them came up to me and said, ‘I just have to talk to you.’ …
“… We found a little
unused classroom, went in, and closed the door. ‘Did you really mean it? Did
you?’ he asked.
“‘Mean what?’ I
said.
“‘The part about how
none of us had done anything that could not be forgiven,’ he replied.
“‘Of course I did,’
I said.
“Through his tears
his story came. He was of goodly parents. All of his life his mother had told
him that he was going on a mission. Before he turned nineteen he was involved
in serious transgression. He didn’t know how to tell his parents. He knew it would
break their hearts. He knew that he wasn’t worthy to serve a mission. In
desperation, he began to look for an excuse not to go. He decided to take up
smoking. He felt that his father could understand that better and would not
probe for the real reason. Smoking would hurt his parents, he rationalized, but
not as deeply as the truth.
“He soon found,
however, that the bishop wasn’t put off by his use of tobacco. The bishop told
him to just stop it and go on a mission anyway. So to get away from the bishop,
he entered the military service. There he fell under the influence of some good
Latter-day Saints. He stopped smoking. He was able to avoid major temptations.
He served his time, received an honorable discharge, and returned home.
“There was only one
problem. He felt guilty. He had run away from a mission. He had run from the
Lord and sensed somehow that gnawing discontent which comes when men do not
live up to the purpose of their creation”
“[The young man] said, ‘But after all of that, how can I ever know the Lord has really forgiven me?’
“‘That is the easy part,’ I replied. ‘When you have fully repented, you feel an inner peace. You know somehow you are forgiven because the burden you have carried for so long, all of a sudden isn’t there anymore. It is gone and you know it is gone.’
“He seemed doubtful still.
“‘I wouldn’t be surprised,’ I said, ‘if when you leave this room, you discover that you have left much of your concern in here. If you have fully repented, the relief and the peace you feel will be so noticeable that it will be a witness to you that the Lord has forgiven you. If not today, I think it will happen soon.’
“… I opened the door and we went out together. I didn’t know if we would ever meet again. The following Sunday evening, I received a telephone call at my home. It was from the young man.
“‘Brother Howard, how did you know?’
“‘How did I know what?’ I asked.
“‘How did you know I would feel good about myself for the first time in five years?’
“‘Because the Lord promised he would remember no more,’ I said. (See Heb. 8:12.)
“Then came the question: ‘Do you think the Church could use a twenty-four-year-old missionary? If they could, I would sure like to go’” (F. Burton Howard, “Repentance,” Ensign, May 1983, 59).
2 Nephi 5:20–25. The curse on the Lamanites
2 Nephi 5:20–25. The curse on the Lamanites
In 2 Nephi 5:20–25, we find answers to at least four questions about the curse that came to the Lamanites:
- 1. What was the curse?The curse is clearly defined in 2 Nephi 5:20 as being “cut off from the presence of the Lord.” The dark skin of the Lamanites was not the curse.
- 2. What caused the curse?According to 2 Nephi 5:21, the curse came to the Lamanites “because of their iniquity” and because “they had hardened their hearts against [the Lord].” Since the Fall of Adam, wickedness has always resulted in being cut off from the presence of the Lord (see 1 Nephi 2:21; 2 Nephi 4:4; 9:6; Alma 9:13; Ether 10:11).
- 3. Why was the mark of dark skin set upon the Lamanites?This was a specific mark or sign for a specific set of circumstances. Nephi explained, “That they [the Lamanites] might not be enticing unto my people the Lord God did cause a skin of blackness to come upon them” (2 Nephi 5:21). Alma gave a similar explanation: “The skins of the Lamanites were dark … that thereby the Lord God might preserve his people, that they might not mix and believe in incorrect traditions” (Alma 3:6, 8). These explanations are consistent with other scriptural warnings that the people of the Lord should not marry unbelievers because the result of doing so was often that the righteous would turn away from the Lord (see Deuteronomy 7:2–4; 1 Kings 11:4; 2 Corinthians 6:14; D&C 74:5).
- 4. What was the result of the curse?As a result of the curse—being cut off from the presence of the Lord—the Lamanites “did become an idle people, full of mischief and subtlety” (2 Nephi 5:24).
This curse lasted only as long as the people were wicked. When the Lamanites repented and chose to live the gospel, “the curse of God did no more follow them” (Alma 23:18). The Book of Mormon includes many examples of Lamanites who repented and received the guidance of the Spirit of the Lord. The book of Helaman tells of a time when the Lamanites were more righteous than the Nephites (see Helaman 13:1).