After Nephi’s pep talk to his brothers in the first few verses of chapter 4, we come to the gripping story of Nephi being commanded to kill Laban. Much has been written about this incident to justify or to criticize it. There are many incidents in the Old Testament when the Israelites were commanded to kill their enemies. To the modern reader, me included, these can be hard to understand, but I know that “He (God) doeth not anything save it be for the benefit of the world; for he loveth the world, even that he layeth down his own life that he may draw all men unto him. “(2 Nephi 26:24) This is starting point for me in understanding all scripture.

Later in the 1 Nephi 17, Nephi explains that God does not destroy a people until they are “ripened in iniquity.”  “Behold, the Lord esteemeth all flesh in one; he that is righteous is favored of God.And he raiseth up a righteous nation, and destroyeth the nations of the wicked. And he leadeth away the righteous into precious lands, and the wicked he destroyeth,” 1 Nephi 17:35, 37

If one accepts the sovereignty of God and his “goodness and long-suffering” towards the children of men, and I do, then I can accept that God commanded Nephi to kill Laban. The scripture says the Nephi is constrained by the Spirit. I looked up the word “constrained.” It means “forced, restricted, or unnatural. “It describes a person, action, or thing that is held back, limited by rules, or acting under pressure rather than freely. This is the first time I’ve looked up this word and I think it fits perfectly for this situation. Nephi is repulsed by the idea of killing a man. This is also a testimony for Nephi’s ability to hear the spirit. The idea of killing Laban didn’t originate in Nephi’s mind.

Personal application: When listening to the spirit, we will often be prompted to do something that we never would have thought of on our own. Sometimes it may not be what we want to do, but if we obey the reason will come later and we will be blessed for it.

Nephi then goes through his thought processes. He remembered the Lord’s admonition that if they kept the commandments of the Lord they would prosper in the land. He knew they couldn’t keep the commandments unless they had the scriptures. So often God has emphasized to his children the importance of the scriptures. The children of Israel were commanded to keep God’s word in their hearts. They were to teach them diligently to their children. They were to “bind them for a sign on their hands” and “frontlets between their eye” and to write them on their doorposts. Joshua was commanded to meditate on the law day and night. The Brass Plates contained the law and commanments. The value of the scriptures cannot be underestimated. The spiritual survival of Lehi’s family depended on having the scriptures so much so that it was “better that  that one man should perish than that a nation should dwindle and perish in unbelief.” (1 Nephi 4:13)

Personal application: My spiritual survival is dependent on not only reading the scriptures, but feasting on them every day.

After obtaining the plates from Zoram, Laban’s servant, Zoram is persuaded to join Nephi. It’s interesting to note that even though Zoram originally viewed Nephi as an enemy, Zoram’s fear were allayed when Nephi offered him his freedom with an oath. An oath was inviolable in Old Testament times. Inviolable means something is sacred, unbreakable, or too important to be broken or harmed. Zoram knew that Nephi would honor his oath.

Personal application: An oath can be compared to making a covenant, I have made sacred covenants with my Heavenly Father. They are sacred, unbreakable and too important to be broken of harmed.