Why Did Laman and Lemuel Attack Sam?
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. 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.
Nephi's group went into the house of Laban and offered all of their earthly possessions in exchange for the plates. Instead of trading for the plates, Laban stole their treasures and sent his guards to kill Nephi's group.
The Foolishness of Anger
Nephi and his brothers fled from Jerusalem and hid in the cavity of
a rock. At this point, Laman and Lemuel were furious. They could tolerate
failing to obtain the plates; they could tolerate being kicked out of Laban’s
house; they could even tolerate Laban’s men trying to kill them. But losing
their treasure? That was one thing they could not tolerate! And in their minds,
it was Nephi’s fault. He had to pay.
Laman and Lemuel resorted to “violence, the argument of the beast.” [i] They attacked Nephi with a rod. In their irrational and out-of-control anger, they also attacked Sam.
Why did Laman and Lemuel attack Sam? What had Sam done? In Laman and Lemuel's minds, Sam was guilty by association. If Sam was not willing to publicly condemn Nephi, then he was just as bad as Nephi, and just as worthy of punishment. Such foolish logic born of outrage is strongly prevalent in today’s world as well. Anger constantly “makes the clearest vision blind.” [ii]
An Angelic Visit
Soon, an angel of the Lord appeared to stop Laman and Lemuel. The angel commanded the group to “go up to Jerusalem again, and the Lord will deliver Laban into your hands.” He also told the group that “the Lord hath chosen [Nephi] to be a ruler over you” (1 Nephi 3:29).
Note it well. It was the
angel, not Nephi, who declared that Nephi would be the leader. As the
years passed, it became obvious to Laman and Lemuel that Nephi was a far
superior leader, and they constantly resented him for it.
As soon as the angel departed, Laman and Lemuel immediately began to murmur, “because they knew not the dealings of that God who had created them” (1 Nephi 2:22). They did not understand how God could deliver Laban into their hands. They “imagined up unto [themselves] a god who can do no miracles” (Mormon 9:15). If Laman and Lemuel did not think that God could defeat Laban, what kind of Being did they imagine God to be? With such false notions, it’s no wonder they murmured.
Faith
To Laman and Lemuel, everything needed to be explained upfront.
They needed to know exactly how God was going to deliver Laban into their hands
before they would even begin to believe a word that the angel had spoken.
Nephi was the exact opposite. He was willing to return to
Jerusalem, not knowing beforehand the things which he should do (1 Nephi 4:6).
He did not doubt the Lord’s abilities in the least.
“It is said that ‘to one who has faith, no explanation is necessary.
To one without faith, no explanation is possible.’” [iii]
[ii] From the hymn “School Thy Feelings,” Charles W. Penrose. This is true of all unrighteous feelings, such as lust or envy. They make the clearest vision blind.
[iii] Ricardo P. Giménez, “Finding Refuge from the Storms of Life,” May, 2020.
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