Day Thirty-One

1 Nephi 5: 13-16

1 Nephi 5: 

13 And also the prophecies of the holy prophets, from the beginning, even down to the commencement of the reign of Zedekiah; and also many prophecies which have been spoken by the mouth of Jeremiah.

The prophecies and lamentations of Jeremiah are iThe prophecies and lamentations of Jeremiah are important to Latter-day Saints. Jeremiah and the Jerusalem of his day are the backdrop to the beginning chapters in theBook of Mormon. Jeremiah was a contemporary of the prophet Lehi.^{2 [See 1 Nephi 5:13; 7:14.]} The Lord dramatically informed Jeremiah of his foreordination: “Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee, and I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations.”^{3 [Jeremiah 1:5.]}

Lehi had a different calling, mission, and assignment from the Lord. He was not called in his youth but in his maturity. Initially his was a voice of warning, but after faithfully declaring the same message as Jeremiah, Lehi was commanded by the Lord to take his family and depart into the wilderness.^{4 [See 1 Nephi 2:2–3.]} In doing so, Lehi blessed not only his family but also all people.

Quentin L. Lamentations of Jeremiah: Beware of Bondage, Cook, Oct 2013

1 Nephi 5: 

14 And it came to pass that my father, Lehi, also found upon the plates of brass a genealogy of his fathers; wherefore he knew that he was a descendant of Joseph; yea, even that Joseph who was the son of Jacob, who was sold into Egypt, and who was preserved by the hand of the Lord, that he might preserve his father, Jacob, and all his household from perishing with famine.

15 And they were also led out of captivity and out of the land of Egypt, by that same God who had preserved them.

In Egypt, Joseph was unjustly sent to prison. But even there he excelled, and the Lord blessed him. In time he came forth to interpret Pharaoh’s dream, and he was made ruler of all Egypt. In that powerful position, he became the instrument to save his people from famine and to love and forgive the brothers who had wronged him. (See Gen. 40–45.)

As a young boy, I was thrilled with Joseph’s adventures and impressed with how the Lord had rescued him from the perils of murder, slavery, and prison. The first time I read the Book of Mormon, I found the statement that “Joseph … who was sold into Egypt … was preserved by the hand of the Lord.” (1 Ne. 5:14.) In later readings in the scriptures, I found that this kind of protection is available to all. For example, the Bible states that “the Lord preserveth the faithful” (Ps. 31:23), and that God “is a shield unto them that put their trust in him” (Prov. 30:5).

Dallin H. Oaks, Bible Stories and Personal Protection, Oct 1992

1 Nephi 5: 

 16 And thus my father, Lehi, did discover the genealogy of his fathers. And Laban also was a descendant of Joseph, wherefore he and his fathers had kept the records.