An Unexpected Answer

A while back, I wrote about "the OTHER Promised Land," and mentioned that I was going to reread 1 Nephi and see what new insights I could gain. I found one in Chapter 7, not so much because of the new perspective, but because of the contrast between what I expected to happen and what actually happened.

In 1 Nephi Chapter 7, Nephi and his brothers went back to Jerusalem to invite Ishmael and his family to go on their epic journey with them. As they were all setting out into the wilderness together, Laman and Lemuel and some of the children of Ishmael wanted to go back to Jerusalem and stay there, but Nephi reminded them that Jerusalem was prophesied to be destroyed, then he said:

Now behold, I say unto you that if ye will return unto Jerusalem ye shall also perish with them. And now, if ye have choice, go up to the land, and remember the words which I speak unto you, that if ye go ye will also perish; for thus the Spirit of the Lord constraineth me that I should speak. 

1 Nephi 7:15 

At this point, if I were Laman and Lemuel, I probably would have said, "Yeah, whatever! We don't believe you, and we don't believe our father. We highly doubt that Jerusalem will be destroyed, no matter what crazy nightmares our father had. You're both crazy for going out into the wilderness, and we were crazy for ever going along with you. We're going back to Jerusalem, and you couldn't stop us even if you wanted to. You may be 'large in stature,' but there are two of us and only one of you. Actually, there are even more than two of us, now that we've got some Ishmaelites who agree with us. We're going back home. Enjoy your 'Promised Land,' loser."

But that's not what they did.

And it came to pass that when I, Nephi, had spoken these words unto my brethren, they were angry with me. And it came to pass that they did lay their hands upon me, for behold, they were exceedingly wroth, and they did bind me with cords, for they sought to take away my life, that they might leave me in the wilderness to be devoured by wild beasts. 

1 Nephi 7:16

Now, that's not the part that surprised me. Laman and Lemuel trying to kill Nephi, even though there's really no need for them to? That's not much of a shock. I was a bit surprised they didn't go back to Jerusalem right after tying Nephi up, but I'm no psychologist. I have no idea what Laman and Lemuel were thinking just then. No, the part that surprised me is what happened next.

But it came to pass that I prayed unto the Lord, saying: O Lord, according to my faith which is in thee, wilt thou deliver me from the hands of my brethren; yea, even give me strength that I may burst these bands with which I am bound. 

And it came to pass that when I had said these words, behold, the bands were loosed from off my hands and feet, and I stood before my brethren, and I spake unto them again. 

1 Nephi 7: 17-18

Nephi asked for a very specific blessing: the strength to burst the bands that bound him ((Is Ben still looking for English tongue-twisters?)). But that wasn't what he got! The bands "were loosed from off [his] hands and feet," with no feat of strength required.

This really surprised me. First, it surprised me that Nephi didn't get exactly the blessing he asked for. He got what he needed - to not be tied up anymore, but not in the way that he asked. Now, there could be a lesson in humility in there, leaning toward the concept of trusting the Lord's will, even when it differs from yours, but haven't we also been taught to pray specifically? Maybe there was a good reason God loosed the bands rather than giving Nephi a bit more strength. Well, of course there was. Otherwise, He probably would have giving Nephi the strength that he asked for.

And here's the other thing that surprised me about what happened there. God doesn't usually remove our obstacles; He typically gives us the strength to overcome them. Nephi didn't ask for God magically remove his bonds. He asked for the strength to burst them himself. Nephi was totally willing to put forth his share of the effort, and really, isn't that why we're here? To overcome difficulties and challenges? Sometimes Heavenly Help is required, but even then, God's not just going to solve our problems for us - except that, in this case, He did. Once again, there must have been a reason. And I still have no idea what that reason was.

Maybe I need to study it out and discover some gem of wisdom. Could it be that God simply didn't want Laman and Lemuel to think of Nephi as being strong? Or maybe He didn't want Nephi to get the impression that he could just get any blessing he asked for, even though he probably deserved it and felt like he needed it. Maybe it was somehow easier for God to untie the ropes than it'd be to increase Nephi's strength, though I doubt that's the reason. Could it be that Nephi simply didn't need the blessing because Laman and Lemuel did a poor job of tying him up? I kind of doubt that because they tied him up pretty well on the boat. Maybe they learned how to handle a rope better between this experience and that one.

Eh, I'm just speculating. If I really want to find the answer, I'll have to prayerfully dig around in the footnotes and related scriptures and Conference Talks. The trouble is, I'm just curious. I'm not sure if I care enough to go searching for the answer, even though I feel like I probably should. Maybe I'll pray to find out for sure whether God wants me to spend some time looking for the reason. If I feel like He wants me to do it, it might motivate me enough to try.