Teachings of Lehi

Visions & Dreams

• Lehi had a vision in which he saw God surrounded by angels, Jesus Christ descend from heaven, 12 apostles following Jesus, and learned that Jerusalem would be destroyed (1 Nephi 1:8-13).
• When Lehi received visions and revelations, his "whole heart was filled", his "soul did rejoice", and he praised God (1 Nephi 1:15). Do we take for granted the personal revelation we receive or do we rejoice and praise God with gratitude? Then in verse 18 Lehi goes and preaches what he learned in his vision.
• The Lord spoke to him in a dream, "Blessed art thou Lehi, because of the things which thou hast done; and because thou hast been faithful and declared unto this people the things which I commanded thee, behold, they seek to take away thy life." And the Lord commanded him to leave Jerusalem with his family (1 Nephi 2:1-2).
• Lehi was told in a dream to send his sons back to Jerusalem for the brass plates (and of course he obeyed!) (1 Nephi 3:2-4).
• Lehi received another revelation of the Lord commanding him to send his sons back to Jerusalem a second time, this time to find another family with daughters. (1 Nephi 6:1-2)
• Lehi tells his family he has "dreamed a dream; or, in other words" "seen a vision". (1 Nephi 8:3)
• The voice of the Lord commanded Lehi where to travel in the wilderness and then provided him with the Liahona (1 Nephi 16:9-10).
• Lehi: "For, behold, said he, I have seen a vision, in which I know that Jerusalem is destroyed; and had we remained in Jerusalem we should also have perished." (2 Nephi 1:4)

Prophesying of Future Events

• After studying the brass plates, Lehi "was filled with the Spirit, and began to prophesy concerning his seed." He prophesied that the plates (or the record they contain) would "go forth unto all nations, kindreds, tongues, and people who were of his seed" and that the plates would "never perish" or be "dimmed by time." (1 Nephi 5:17-19)
• Lehi prophesied that after the destruction of Jerusalem, many surviving Jews would be carried away captive and would one day return to rebuild their city (1 Nephi 10:2-3).
• He prophesied that 600 years later the Messiah, Savior, Reedemer of the World, of whom the prophets had testified, would come to redeem his people. He also prophesied of John the Baptist who would prepare the way and baptize the Savior (1 Nephi 10:4-10).
• Lehi prophesied of the scattering of Israel and that his family would help fulfill that prophesy in the "land of promise". He prophesied of the gathering of Israel by the gentiles accepting the gospel and then the Jews (1 Nephi 10:12-14).
• When Lehi teaches about the Land of Promise that they have inherited, he prophesies that the Lord has covenanted this land unto all those who would be led thereto in the future. He prophesies that none will come unto this land except they be led by the hand of the Lord. If they should serve God in the land, it will remain a land of liberty, but iniquity will inevitably lead to captivity (2 Nephi 1:5-7).
• Lehi prophesies that the land will be kept from other nations for a while. If the people in the land "shall keep his commandments, they shall prosper upon the face of this land; and they shall be kept from all other nations, that they may possess this land unto themselves. And if it so be that they shall keep his commandments they shall be blessed upon the face of this land, and there shall be none to molest them, nor to take away the land of their inheritance; and they shall dwell safely forever"(2 Nephi 1:8-9).
• Lehi prophesies that when the day comes that the people of the land (his posterity) shall reject the Messiah, "the judgments of him that is just shall rest upon them."He prophesies that other nations will come to the land and scatter and kill the people (2 Nephi 1:10-12).

God's Mercy

• Lehi proclaimed that God's mercy is over all the inhabitants of the earth, and because of that mercy, God will not suffer those who come unto him to perish (1 Nephi 1:14).
• Lehi taught his sons about the mercy of God and pointed out that God was merciful to have spared their lives while crossing the sea and merciful to bring them out of Jerusalem before it was destroyed (2 Nephi 1:1-3).

Things I learn from Lehi

• Lehi truly acted when the Lord commanded regardless of how difficult the assignment might be. When he had his vision, he immediately "went forth among the people, and began to prophesy and to declare unto them concerning the things which he had both seen and heard" (1 Nephi 1:18). He knew that he would be rejected and his life endangered, but he trusted in the Lord and went and obeyed. I think this example had a profound impact on Nephi as a boy and helped Nephi develop a "Go and do" attitude.
• Even Lehi's wife questioned his visions and revelations from the Lord when things did not appear to be going well for their family. I imagine this was a low of lows for them and that having his wife murmur and complain against him was a terribly tough trial. Instead of getting defensive and angry with her, he comforted her by bearing his testimony about the goodness of God and how blessed they truly were. He expressed his faith that the Lord would protect their sons. (1 Nephi 5:2-6)
• Lehi recognizes that God is just and that wickedness will always be punished. (2 Nephi 1:22)
• I like Lehi's description of his relationship with the Savior: " I am encircled about eternally in the arms of his love" (2 Nephi 1:15). 

Testified of Christ and his Atonement

• Lehi testified that he saw Jesus in vision descending from heaven (1 Nephi 1:9). 
• Lehi "manifested plainly of the coming of a Messiah, and also the redemption of the world" (1 Nephi 1:19).
• He prophesied that 600 years later the Messiah, Savior, Reedemer of the World, of whom the prophets had testified, would come "to take away the sins of the world". He also prophesied of John the Baptist who would prepare the way and baptize the Savior. Also that the Savior would be baptized in a river by water. He taught that Jesus would be slain and then resurrect (1 Nephi 10:4-11).
• Lehi tells his son Jacob: "I know that thou art redeemed, because of the righteousness of thy Redeemer; for thou hast beheld that in the fulness of time he cometh to bring salvation unto men." (2 Nephi 2:3). He testifies that the Savior will come and of his power to save.
• Lehi tells Jacob that he is just as blessed to have beheld Christ's glory by the Spirit as those who will see the Savior in the flesh (2 Nephi 2:4). The same Spirit bears witness to us of the divinity of Christ as bore witness to those who physically met Him. 
• Lehi says, "Salvation is Free" (2 Nephi 2:4). This does not mean that we do not have to do anything- because we know we do- but it means Christ freely offers his atonement, grace, and mercy to us. The offer is on the table already and freely available to us; we just need to do our part to accept that sacrifice.

Obedience

• Lehi showed that he was obedient to the Lord even when it was a difficult task that the Lord commanded him. Such as preaching to those who try to kill him (1 Nephi 2:1), leaving his home and possessions behind to go into the wilderness with his family (1 Nephi 2:2-3), and sending his sons on a dangerous mission in which they are nearly killed (1 Nephi 3:4).
• Obeying without murmuring helps us be favored of the Lord (1 Nephi 3:6).
• After returning with his brothers from Jerusalem with the plates, Nephi said of himself and his father: "thus far I and my father had kept the commandments wherewith the Lord had commanded us."(1 Nephi 5:20) Later on after the family of Ishmael joins them, Nephi again says of his father: "And thus my father had fulfilled all the commandments of the Lord which had been given unto him."(1 Nephi 16:8).

Gratitude

• After Lehi and his family traveled three days in the wilderness, Lehi "built an altar of stones, and made an offering unto the Lord, and gave thanks unto the Lord our God" (1 Nephi 2:7).
• When Lehi's sons returned safely with the plates from Jerusalem, they rejoiced and "did offer sacrifice and burnt offerings unto the Lord; and they gave thanks unto the God of Israel." Further evidencing his gratitude, Lehi immediately immersed himself in the brass plates. (1 Nephi 5:9-10).
• When Lehi's sons returned from getting Ishmael's family, again they expressed gratitude unto the Lord: "they did give thanks unto the Lord their God; and they did offer sacrifice and burnt offerings unto him." (1 Nephi 6:22)

Powerful, Mighty Testimony

• Lehi "did speak unto them in the valley of Lemuel, with power, being filled with the Spirit, until their frames did shake before him. And he did confound them, that they durst not utter against him; wherefore, they did as he commanded them" (1 Nephi 2:14).

The Plan of Salvation

• Lehi testified about the fall and need for the atonement: "all mankind were in a lost and in a fallen state, and ever would be save they should rely on this Redeemer" (1 Nephi 9:6).

Teaching / Exhorting his Children (and Posterity)

• He tells his sons: "O that ye would awake; awake from a deep sleep, yea, even from the sleep of hell, and shake off the awful chains by which ye are bound...Awake! and arise from the dust, and hear the words of a trembling parent, whose limbs ye must soon lay down in the cold and silent grave...But behold, the Lord hath redeemed my soul from hell; I have beheld his glory, and I am encircled about eternally in the arms of his love. And I desire that ye should remember to observe the statutes and the judgments of the Lord; behold, this hath been the anxiety of my soul from the beginning" (2 Nephi 1:13-16).
• This point was very important to Lehi to get across to his children and posterity: "And he hath said that: Inasmuch as ye shall keep my commandments ye shall prosper in the land; but inasmuch as ye will not keep my commandments ye shall be cut off from my presence." (2 Nephi 1:20)
• You can hear the pleading in his voice: "that I might not be brought down with grief and sorrow to the grave, arise from the dust, my sons, and be men, and be determined in one mind and in one heart, united in all things, that ye may not come down into captivity;" (2 Nephi 1:21).
• Lehi tells his sons to "put on the armor of righteousness", "shake off the chains" that bind them, "come forth out of obscurity", and "arise from the dust."He tells them to stop rebelling against Nephi, who has been righteous and an "instrument in the hands of God." (2 Nephi 1:23-24)
• Even though his sons may not of liked hearing this, Lehi gave them this wise counsel: "And now my son, Laman, and also Lemuel and Sam, and also my sons who are the sons of Ishmael, behold, if ye will hearken unto the voice of Nephi ye shall not perish. And if ye will hearken unto him I leave unto you a blessing, yea, even my first blessing But if ye will not hearken unto him I take away my first blessing, yea, even my blessing, and it shall rest upon him." (2 Nephi 1:28-29)

Afflictions

• Lehi talks to his son, Jacob, and promises: "thou knowest the greatness of God; and he shall consecrate thine afflictions for thy gain."(2 Nephi 2:2) This can be applied to us as well. Knowing the greatness of God appears to be a prerequisite, likely because that leads to faith in Him and hope for the future. God is able to turn any negative into a positive, even when it comes to difficulties in our lives.
• Lehi taught that there must be "opposition in all things." Righteousness could not exist without a contrasting wickedness. Or what is good if there is no bad? (2 Nephi 2:11-13)