1 Nephi 19-22

1 Nephi - Lesson 6: 1 Nephi 19-22 (to be discussed December 14)

Day 1: Read 1 Nephi 19:1-8
[Note: 1 Nephi 19 sets up the reader for the two chapters of Isaiah that follow. Themes include the promised Messiah, the scattering and gathering of Israel and the covenants of the Lord.]
1. To whom does Nephi seem to be writing in this chapter?

2. List four things from 1 Nephi 19:1 Nephi included in his firs record, or large plates (“these plates” refers to the small plates; see “A Brief Explanation About the Book of Mormon,” following the introduction and testimonies at the beginning of the book).


3. Nephi says he makes historical, instructional and theological records, but that they all contain “sacred” writings. What does “sacred” mean and how does it apply to all his writing?



Day 2: Read 1 Nephi 19:9-24
4. Why did Jesus suffer the indignities of mortality?


5. List details about the Savior’s mission that Nephi learned from Zenock, Zenos and Neum. How might the history of the world have been different if we had these writings in all religious canon?


6. Nephi writes to persuade his people to “remember the Lord their Redeemer” (v.18). Why did he read them the writings of Isaiah?

7. What does Nephi say will give us hope?

Day 3: Read 1 Nephi 20 (see handout with outlines of chapters 20 and 21)
8. What evidences does Isaiah give in this chapter that witness of the power and integrity of the Lord?


9. Isaiah begins and ends chapter 20 with images of water. Compare the water in verses 1, 18 and 21 with the fountain of living waters described in Lehi’s dream (see 1 Nephi 11:25).
a. How had ancient Israel (and Laman and Lemuel) rejected the living waters of baptism? How do we?

b. How is peace like a river and righteousness like waves?

c. How was ancient Israel sustained by living waters in the desert? What happens when we forget or
ignore the tender mercies of the Lord?

10. From verses 12-20, what is Israel called to do?

Day 4: Read 1 Nephi 21:1-12; 1 Nephi 22:10-12; D&C 86:7-11
11. Why, according to 1 Nephi 21:1, was Israel scattered?

12. According to 1 Nephi 21:3, who is the “me” whom the Lord has called from the womb? As with much of Isaiah, there are multiple interpretations. Are the prophecies in verses 1-12 fulfilled in other ways or by other people?

13. Many people believe 1 Nephi 21;4-6 refer specifically to Ephraim. Assuming this interpretation, list the things Ephraim is called to do in the latter days.

14. From 1 Nephi 21:14, 21 and 24, list Israel’s three “objections” or excuses for her lack of faith in the Lord’s promises. How do we use these objections today?



15. Nephi gives an interpretation for 1 Nephi 21:9-12 in 1 Nephi 22:10-12. Using these passages together, who might be the prisoners Israel is to free, and in what way(s) will they be brought out of darkness? (see also D&C 45:28; D&C 86:7-11)


Day 5: Read 1 Nephi 21:13-26 (see footnote to v.24); 1 Nephi 22:6-9; D&C 45:9
16. What did the Lord say would always remind him of his people? What helps you remember Him? (Note: replace the word “walls” with “lives” in v. 16.)


17. Nephi had seen in vision the future of his descendants and the restoration of the gospel in the latter days on the American continents. He quoted the prophecies of Isaiah with a hope that 1) his brethren would catch that vision 2) his descendants (and theirs) would recognize who they were, and 3) we (latter-day Israel) would continue in the marvelous work of the gathering.
According to Nephi’s interpretation in 1 Nephi 22:6-9 and modern revelation in D&C 45:9, what is the “standard” mentioned in 1 Nephi 21:22?

18. In what way(s) have kings and queens nurtured Israel in the latter days?


19. What does it mean to “wait” for the Lord?


Day 6: Read 1 Nephi 22:1-16
20. How can we understand the teachings of Isaiah?

21. Are Isaiah’s writings temporal or spiritual?

22. What will happen to those who fight against Israel?


Day 7: Read 1 Nephi 22:17-31
23. Why do the righteous have nothing to fear?

24. In 1 Nephi 22:23, again substitute the word “organizations” for “churches.” List four main goals of the kingdom of the devil.



25. How will Satan be bound during the millennium?