1 Nephi 2:18-24 -- Blessed for Faithfulness, Cursed for Rebellion

Even though they are not very nice to him, Nephi loves his brothers. Nephi reminds me of Joseph. They both seemed to bring on their brothers tortures by thier own behaviour towards them sometimes. Yet, verse 18 we learn that Nephi was "grieved because of the hardness of their hearts." Grief is a very strong emotion. He wasn't just disappointed or upset. He loved his brothers and was deeply sorrowful that they were rebelling against God. So, and the end of verse 18 he prays for them.

You might think that Nephi, being a prophet and all, would get what he prays for. In verse 19 the Lord answers Nephi's prayer by blessing him. He was not praying for himself. He was praying for his brothers. The Lord says, "Blessed art thou, Nephi, because of thy faith, for thou hast sought me diligently, with lowliness of heart. And inasmuch as ye shall keep my commandments, ye shall prosper, and shall be led to a land of promise; yea, even a land which I have prepared for you; yea, a land which is choice above all other lands" The Lords answer to a grieving prayer for his brothers goes on to say, "And inasmuch as thy brethren shall rebel against thee, they shall be cut off from the presence of the Lord." Nephi tried to pray blessings to his brothers, but the Lords law says that "when we obtain any blessing from God, it is by obedience to that law upon which it is predicated" (D&C 130:21) No matter how hard Nephi prays for his brothers, they cannot have their agency taken from them, so they must reap what they sow. They cannot have the presence of the Lord if they reject it. Verse 23 a prophecy is made. In 2 Nephi 5:20 this prophecy is fulfilled and the Lamanites were cursed with a loss of the Lord's presence.

The last concept that I find interesting is the Lord's use of "scourge" as a motivator. Verse 24 says, "And if it so be that they rebel against me, they shall be a scourge unto thy seed, to stir them up in the ways of remembrance." It reminds me of Moses in Egypt. It's interesting how hard and stiff people can be even in the face of a scourge that is trying to soften them. When life gets tough, we need to remember the Lord and soften ourselves, to be molded by Him.