Lehi taught his son Jacob, who had experienced a rough childhood because of certain older brothers. Notice that the prophet doesn’t say that God will consecrate blessings for our gain, but “he shall consecrate thine afflictions for thy gain.” The Lord has taught, “All things wherewith you have been afflicted shall work together for your good” (D&C 98:3). Lehi’s instruction in 2 Nephi 2 constitutes one of the most profound and powerful doctrinal discourses in all of scripture.
Verse 2 contains a figure of speech called periphrasis, in which a description is used instead of the name: “my first-born in the wilderness” instead of Jacob (also v. 11). Other examples in the Book of Mormon include “a far better land of promise” instead of heaven and “vale of sorrow” instead of mortality (Alma 37:45); “the author of all sin” (Helaman 6:30), “him who is seeking to hurl away your souls” (Helaman 7:16), and “the evil one who seeketh to destroy the souls of men” (Helaman 8:28) instead of Satan; and “him who knoweth all things” (2 Nephi 2:24) and “my Well Beloved, who was from the foundation of the world” (Helaman 5:47) instead of Jesus Christ.