A Poor Plan to Obtain the Plates

In one section of my book "Nephi's Journey: The Lord Prepares a Way," I discuss a time when Nephi and his brothers were trying to obtain the brass plates from Laban. I discuss how, from a short-term perspective, Nephi and his group actually did a pretty terrible job at obtaining the plates. For simplicity, I will dive right into the message of this post, but for more background on these events, feel free to visit the About Page.

A Poor Plan

To be frank, Nephi and his brothers could have done a much better job of procuring the plates. If, from the beginning, they had simply offered Laban all of Lehi’s wealth in exchange for the brass plates (without bringing Lehi’s wealth with them), Laban probably would have accepted their offer. Why didn’t the Lord reveal this strategy to Nephi's group in the first place? It would have been a clean and simple solution.

Instead, the group stumbled their way along in a seemingly naïve and even counterproductive manner. Still, their efforts were definitely sincere and non-sinful. Sometimes our best efforts seem quite naïve and counterproductive. Miraculously though, the Lord is still able to use our efforts to accomplish His will. Therefore, we should never feel discouraged, even when our best efforts seem ineffective. Nor should we judge someone else’s non-sinful efforts to live the gospel, even if it seems obvious that they are stumbling along the way.

I wonder if Nephi ever cringed a little when reflecting on these past, poor, pathetic efforts. It is easy for us to regret the past and say, “I could have been so much smarter about negotiating for the brass plates.” However, this type of regret corrodes hope and happiness, and usually hinders our discipleship.

Consider this question: Was it stupid of Nephi and his brothers to obtain the plates in the manner they did? If the Lord is intricately involved in the details of our lives, is the path we have taken stupid? The Lord sees things very differently than we do, “for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the Lord looketh on the heart” (1 Samuel 16:7). Others may view our righteous efforts negatively, but all that matters is how the Lord views our efforts.

For more thoughts on these things, pick up a copy of my book "Nephi's Journey: The Lord Prepares a Way," available in both printed and eBook editions from Amazon. Thanks for reading.