The Prophecy of Joseph - I know in whom I trust - Anger - always a sin

I Trust in the Lord 2 Nephi 2-5

Proverbs 3:5-10 Trust in the Lord with all thin heart - lean not unto thine own understanding - in all ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths
Be not wise in thine own eyes, fear the Lord and depart from evil - it shall be health to thy navel, and marrow to thy bones
Honor the Lord with thy substance, and with the firstfruits of all thine increase - so shall thy bans be filled with plenty, and they presses shall burst with new wine

Background Review:

Lehi and his family have crossed the "Many Waters" and have arrived in the promised land. Once they arrived in the promised land they planted their seeds and explored the country. Lehi, and Nephi Taught many things to Laman Lemuel and his family. As Lehi is beginning to get old he knows he won't be around much longer so he gathers his family together and pronounces

Blessings

upon them.

Last week:

We covered the Blessing given to one of Lehi's son's named "

Jacob

":
this was an awesome blessing as well as a sermon concening "

Agency - Accountability and Responsibility"

See Lesson #6:

Let us now Look at the Blessing Lehi gave to one of his son's "Joseph" 2 Nephi 3
The Covenant:

2 Nephi 3:3-5

This land is for Joseph and his inheritance
Thy seed shall not utterly be destroyed
Joseph obtained a promise of God (vs5) a righteous branch would be raised up
broken off - and the Messiah would be made manifest to them

The Fulfilling of the Covenant of Joseph!

The Prophecy of the 4 Josephs - Who are these 4 Joseph?
Let us read some of these scriptures and find out who these people are:


Lehi's Son	Joseph in Egypt	Joseph Smith Jr	Joseph Smith Sn
2 Nephi 3:3	2 Nephi 3:4	2 Nephi 3:6-9,11-12 Seer raised up	2 Nephi 3:15 After name of father
1 Nephi 18:7	Gen 49:22	D&C135:3 - What he did!	D&C 124:19 Sits with Abraham
1 Nephi 18:19 Son of Lehi	JST Gen 50:25-33 Joseph's Prophecy	JST Gen 50:30-33 Grow together to convince	D&C 4:1-7 Given to him
			8 Witnesses

Joseph Smith - Keystone Prophet of our dispensation - In whom did he put his trust?

2 Nephi 3:20-21 The Book of Mormon - a witness unto the remnant of the house of Lehi, so they will remember the covenants made to their fathers!
Title Page of Book of Mormon -
to show unto the remnant of the house of Israel what great things the Lord hath done for their fathers; and that they may know the covenants of the Lord, that they are not cast off forever—And also to the convincing of the Jew and Gentile that Jesus is the Christ, the Etenal God, manifesting himself unto all nations

Can a man have a testimony of the Book of Mormon without a Testimony of Joseph Smith?

Elder LeGrand Richards said: “The Prophet Joseph Smith brought us the Book of Mormon, the Doctrine and Covenants, the Pearl of Great Price, and many other writings. As far as our records show, he has given us more revealed truth than any prophet who has ever lived upon the face of the earth” The Call of the Prophet Joseph Smith, Apr. 1981, 43

“It was decreed in the counsels of etenity, long before the foundations of the earth were laid, that he, Joseph Smith, should be the man, in the last dispensation of this world, to bring forth the word of God to the people, and receive the fulness of the keys and power of the Priesthood of the Son of God. The Lord had his eye upon him, and upon his father, and upon his father’s father, and upon their progenitors clear back to Abraham, and from Abraham to the flood, from the flood to Enoch, and from Enoch to Adam. He has watched that family and that blood as it has circulated from its fountain to the birth of that man. He was foreordained in etenity to preside over this last dispensation” Brigham Young June 1994 Ensign

Lehi Calls his grandchildren of Laman and Lemuel together

2 Nephi 4:3-7 Lehi speaks to the children of Laman

What are the promises to the children of Laman?

If you keep the commandments you will prosper in the Land See Book of Mormon Themes - #2
If you were brought up in the way ye should go you would not depart
Cursing taken from you and be answered on your parents
He will be merciful to their seed forever

Can cursing be answered upon another? Can blessings be transferred to another?
Can we save our wayward children by our righteousness?
Ensign Mar 2014 Bednar - Faithful parents/wayward children

The following quotation appears in Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, compiled by Joseph Fielding Smith during his service as Church historian and recorder: “When a seal is put upon the father and mother, it secures their posterity, so that they cannot be lost, but will be saved by virtue of the covenant of their father and mother.”

A similar teaching, apparently based on the statement by the Prophet Joseph, was made by Elder Orson F. Whitney (1855–1906) of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles in 1929: “The Prophet Joseph Smith declared—and he never taught more comforting doctrine—that the etenal sealings of faithful parents and the divine promises made to them for valiant service in the Cause of Truth, would save not only themselves, but likewise their posterity. Though some of the sheep may wander, the eye of the Shepherd is upon them, and sooner or later they will feel the tentacles of Divine Providence reaching out after them and drawing them back to the fold. Either in this life or the life to come, they will retun. They will have to pay their debt to justice; they will suffer for their sins; and may tread a thony path; but if it leads them at last, like the penitent Prodigal, to a loving and forgiving father’s heart and home, the painful experience will not have been in vain. Pray for your careless and disobedient children; hold on to them with your faith. Hope on, trust on, till you see the salvation of God.”

The statements by Joseph Smith and Orson F. Whitney are construed by some members of the Church to mean that wayward children unconditionally receive the blessings of salvation because of and through the faithfulness of parents. However, this interpretation is moderated by the fact that the most complete account of the Prophet’s sermon was not available to Church historians at the time they compiled an amalgamated version of his teachings from the notes of Willard Richards and William Clayton. In the more complete set of notes recorded by Howard and Martha Coray, Joseph Smith is shown to have qualified his statement to make the promised blessings conditional upon the obedience of the children:

“When a father and mother of a family have [been sealed],

their children who have not transgressed are secured by the seal

wherewith the Parents have been sealed. And this is the Oath of God unto our Father Abraham and this doctrine shall stand forever.”

This clarification is more consistent doctrinally. Except for the additional information contained in the Coray records,

the concept of unconditional salvation for disobedient children would contradict many foundational teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith

, including the second article of faith that “men will be punished for their own sins” (Articles of Faith 1:2).

Each of us are responsible for our choices and our actions. For we are agents unto ourselves to act in accordance with our own desires. Judgement/Mercy and the opportunity to repent in this life and in the world to come are free for the taking by all. But no one is constrained to accept or believe except through their own free will and choice.

2 Nephi 4:8-10 Lehi speaks to the children of Lemuel

He pronounces the same basic blessings as for the children of Laman.

2 Nephi 4:11-12 Lehi speaks to Sam and dies

Sam will be blessed with Nephi's posterity

Laman and Lemuel become Angry with Nephi - Nephi becomes Angry with them...

2 Nephi 4:13-14 Laman and Lemuel become Angry with Nephi because of the admonitions of the Lord

Interestingly enough immediately after these verses Nephi says the following:

2 Nephi 4:15-18

I write the things of my soul - and the scriptures on these plates
My soul delighteth in the things of the Lord
Nevertheless - O wretched man that I am
My heart sorroweth because of my flesh - and my iniquities
I am encompassed about because of my temptations and sins

What sins do you think he was talking about?
In the record - we don't see them... he is always faithful and valiant and obedient.

Could it be that Nephi regretted the manner in which he spoke with his brothers?
Notice the type of wording used when speaking with them in the following verses:

1 Nephi 15:10, 1 Nephi 16:1-4, 1 Nephi 4:3-4, 1 Nephi 7:15-16

Have you ever felt guilty of speaking harshly to others and their response to it?
He says later in vs 27 that he is angry because of his enemies - perhaps anger?

1 Nephi 4:19-25

My God hath been my support - and preserved me upon the great deep
He hath filled me with love, and confounded my enemies
He hath heard my cry by day and by night with visions
By day have I waxed bold in mighty prayer before him
I have been carried away upon exceeding high mountains

1 Nephi 4:26-32

I have have seen so great things why should I weep because of my afflictions
Why should I yield to sin,

Why am I Angry because of mine enemy?

1 Nephi 4:33-35

Will you make a way for my escape
Will you make my path straight before me
I have trusted in thee and will trust in thee forever
I know that God giveth liberally to him that asketh if we ask not amiss.

Is Anger ever good?
Agency and Anger - Ensign April 1998

He damages and often destroys families within the walls of their own homes. His strategy is to

stir up anger between family members

. Satan is the “father of contention, and he stirreth up the hearts of men to contend with anger, one with another” (3 Ne. 11:29; emphasis added). The verb stir sounds like a recipe for disaster: Put tempers on medium heat, stir in a few choice words, and bring to a boil; continue stirring until thick; cool off; let feelings chill for several days; serve cold; lots of leftovers.

A cunning part of his strategy is to dissociate anger from agency, making us believe that we are victims of an emotion that we cannot control. We hear, “I lost my temper.” Losing one’s temper is an interesting choice of words that has become a widely used idiom. To “lose something” implies “not meaning to,” “accidental,” “involuntary,” “not responsible”—careless perhaps but “not responsible.”

“He made me mad.”

This is another phrase we hear, also implying lack of control or agency. This is a myth that must be debunked.

No one makes us mad.

Others don’t make us angry. There is no force involved.

Becoming angry is a conscious choice

, a decision; therefore, we can make the choice not to become angry. We choose!
...
In the Joseph Smith Translation of Eph. 4:26, Paul asks the question, “

Can ye be angry, and not sin?

” The Lord is very clear on this issue: “He that hath the spirit of contention is not of me, but is of the devil, who is the father of contention, and he stirreth up the hearts of men to contend with anger, one with another.

“Behold, this is not my doctrine, to stir up the hearts of men with anger, one against another; but this is my doctrine, that such things should be done away” (3 Ne. 11:29–30).
...
Anger is a yielding to Satan’s influence by surrendering our self-control. It is the thought-sin that leads to hostile feelings or behavior. It is the detonator of road rage on the freeway, flare-ups in the sports arena, and domestic violence in homes.

Unchecked, anger can quickly trigger an explosion of cruel words and other forms of emotional abuse that can scar a tender heart. It is “that which cometh out of the mouth,” the Savior said; “this defileth a man” (Matt. 15:11). David O. McKay said,
“Let husband and wife never speak in loud tones to each other, ‘unless the house is on fire’” (Stepping Stones to an Abundant Life, comp. Llewelyn R. McKay [1971], 294).
Physical abuse is anger gone berserk and is never justified and always unrighteous.

Anger is an uncivil attempt to

make another feel guilty

or a cruel way of trying to correct them. It is often mislabeled as discipline but is almost always counterproductive. Therefore the scriptural waning: “Husbands, love your wives, and be not bitter against them,” and “fathers provoke not your children to anger, lest they be discouraged” (Col. 3:19, 21).

Choice and accountability are inseparable principles. Because anger is a choice, there is a strong waning in the proclamation “that individuals … who abuse spouse or offspring, … will one day stand accountable before God.”
Understanding the connection between agency and anger is the first step in eliminating it from our lives. We can choose not to become angry. And we can make that choice today, right now: “

I will never become angry again.

” Ponder this resolution.

It would seem that Anger and possibly speaking without respect to his elder brothers could be what Nephi felt guilty about?

2 Nephi 5:1-5 The Anger of his brothers causes the family to split apart - Nephi and those who believe flee
2 Nephi 5:6 I did take my family, Zoram and his family, Sam and his family, his sisters and any others who would go with him. (Sariah?)

Nephi Prepares for war

2 Nephi 5:12-14 I did bring with us the plates of brass, the ball, the sword of Laban and we prepared to defend ourselves against the Lamanites
2 Nephi 5:20-25 Lamanites are cursed - with a skin of blackness like their hearts - idle people - full of mischief - hunters of prey - scourge to our seed.

Look how anger and hatred split a family apart and caused them to fight even unto bloodshed!
Can we let anger dominate our thoughts/actions or words?
Remember that the main trait of the devil is Anger "Vessels of Wrath": D&C 76:32-38

Conclusion:

The blessing of Lehi upon Joseph shows the foreknowledge of God and the prophecies of the Lord are always fulfilled. This does not mean that pre-destination is the doctrine, rather that for-ordination and fore-knowledge is. God knows the begining from the end - all things are present before him - he can see the beginning as well as the ending of time. Because of this great knowledge he is able to prophecy and predict the final state of things as well as the things that will come about in his dealings with the people of the earth. Joseph Smith, and his family were for-ordained and prepared to perform this great work.
We also lean that Nephi's regret was probably anger toward his brothers and perhaps the way in which he interacted with them. It is easy for us to second guess ourselves in our actions with others. However, Nephi knew that it was the Lord in home he put his trust and who he relied upon. We also should rely on the Lord and know that it is through grace we are saved and give ourselves a break :)