QUESTIONS & ANSWERS
1 Nephi 7:1-2
Q: What did the Lord command Lehi to do after his sons returned from Jerusalem? (Dad)A: "He said that his children - Nephi, Sam, Laman & Lemuel - should return to Jerusalem and bring back Ishmael and his family to where they live." (Shaylee) "Because Ishmael had a lot of daughters, and they needed someone to marry." (Kenyon) "Correct. They needed to have spouses so that they could have children in the promised land or else Lehi's family wouldn't have any descendants, which would have defeated the Lord's purposes for raising up a people unto Him in the promised." (Dad)
Q: Why didn't the Lord have them get their spouses while they were already in Jerusalem to get the plates? Why did he wait for them to get all the way back only to send them back to Jerusalem again? (Dad)
A: "First of all, Laban had just been killed and if they stayed longer they could have been caught and accused of doing it. And their father Lehi needed to approve Ishmael's coming." (Brandon) "I agree that it would have made things more complicated for them to escape with the plates if they had to also bring Ishmael's family with them, which could have also been a distraction from their main purpose of getting the plates. But I also think the Lord was testing them to see if they would obey Him willingly or not." (Dad)
1 Nephi 7:3-5
Q: How did Lehi's sons convince Ishmael and his family to leave their home and all their belongings to go and live with them in the wilderness? That doesn't sound like it would be an easy thing to do. (Dad)A: "Because they stay in Jerusalem and be destroyed with all their belongings or go with them and not be destroyed." (Brandon) "He convinced them because the Lord softened their hearts." (Kenyon) "Yes, it says they spoke the words of the Lord, which He had told Lehi, and hearing the Lord's words the Spirit softened their hearts. So there's a key to softening people's hearts - speak the word of God with the Spirit. But the scriptures show that speaking God's word with the Spirit also causes many people to harden their hearts. This is why the scriptures or word of God is described as a sword that cuts through and divides asunder because it's going to either cause people to soften their hearts or harden their hearts." (Dad)
1 Nephi 7:6
Q: What happened once they returned to Lehi with Ishmael's family? (Dad)A: "Ishmael's sons rebelled." (Mom) "Yes, and Laman and Lemuel and the daughters of Ishmael that they married." (Dad)
Q: Why do you think Ishmael's family rebelled if they felt the Spirit and agreed to leave Jerusalem? (Dad)
A: "Because they were convinced by Laman and Lemuel." (Kenyon) "I agree. I'm sure that Laman and Lemuel's continual complaining influenced Ishmael's family greatly. There's a great lesson there for us to learn. We can influence people greatly by our attitudes. We can inspire them by being positive and speaking with the Spirit, or we can drive the Spirit away by being negative and lead others away from the Lord." (Dad)
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