Seeing the history of his lineage, Lehi turns to the future of his lineage. As a prophet, he prophesies of the role that this record would have. This record for which they had worked so hard to obtain, would benefit nations. He promised that the plates themselves would not perish, and that they would not be dimmed by time. This promise is reiterated almost five hundred years later when Alma tells his son, Helaman, that “they will retain their brightness” (Alma 37:3).
Nephi will finally end his first chapter. His chapter began by introducing himself. He told the bare essentials of his father’s story, and then moved to tell his own. In this first major episode, Nephi gives his readers the Lord’s promise to him, and the angel’s confirmation to his brothers, that Nephi would be a ruler and a teacher over them. The journey to retrieve the plates of brass demonstrates Nephi in that leading and teaching role.
At the end of the chapter, Nephi concludes the story of the plates of brass, noting their importance to the future of his people, and simply declaring that: “it was wisdom in the Lord that we should carry them with us, as we journeyed in the wilderness towards the land of promise.”