How to Keep the Commandments

Nephi’s brothers, unwilling to listen to what he has told them, complained that he had "declared unto us hard things, more than we are able to bear" (1 Nephi 16:1). In essence, Nephi said back to them, "Well, the guilty take the truth to be hard, so it is not surprising that you think these are hard to bear." It cut them to the very center. But then Nephi got more positive. Obviously, he had diagnosed their problem, which is that most people who are in some kind of spiritual duress already know that they are in that state, and do not want to be told how hard-hearted they are.

Nephi gave them three very helpful steps. He began, "Now my brethren." Nephi was shifting his tone away from a warning and condemning tone. "Now my brethren, if ye were righteous and were willing to hearken to the truth, and give heed unto it, that ye might walk uprightly before God, then ye would not murmur because of the truth" (1 Nephi 16:3). This statement can be broken down into the following three components:

1. Hearken to the Truth: To hearken means more than just to listen. It also means "to obey."
2. Give Heed to the Truth: To heed something is to give diligent and meticulous attention to it. Perhaps it involves the semantic notion of heeding instructions because there are consequences if you do not. A servant heeds the master.
3. Walk Uprightly: When we are obedient, we are confident and walk uprightly, knowing that we are righteous and that the Lord knows we are righteous. We have confidence that we are in good standing. The footnote points to "walking with God" in the Topical Guide. There is the idea of the "daily walk" (see D&C 19:32), meaning letting our daily walk be righteous. The Psalms often talk about how we may walk with the Lord that He may be our constant companion (see, for example, Psalms 84:11; 86:11; 89:15; 119:1). Wherever we go, He can go with us. Our daily walk should be righteous, should be good. Thus, it is not only a matter of knowing the truth, but of doing, and of adhering to a pattern or habit in which we characteristically walk in this way. We do not wander around; we walk with God.

Nephi gave us all here a formula for success, a way in which we can help ourselves and others to avoid ending up where Laman and Lemuel did.

Further Reading

Matthew L. Bowen, "’If Ye Will Hearken’: Lehi’s Rhetorical Wordplay on Ishmael in 2 Nephi 1:28–29 and Its Implications," Interpreter: A Journal of Latter-day Saint Faith and Scholarship 25 (2017): 157–189.