In these chapters, we will see that Nephi was a very great prophet who used many ways to try to get people to listen to his prophetic voice. Pondering upon the following questions may help prepare you to receive personal insights about these chapters, as you listen to the voice of the Spirit:
- What will it take to get people to listen to a prophet’s voice today?
- What do you imagine Nephi looked like and acted like as he mourned, lamented, cursed, and testified on the top of his tower in chapter 7?
- Why do you imagine that the judges themselves did not arrest Nephi in 8:1?
- Why did "democracy" not work among these people?
- What will it take to keep democracy working in our world today?
- Why do the people refuse to arrest Nephi? (8:7–9)
- Which prophets does Nephi call to his defense in chapter 8? Why did he mention Jeremiah in particular?
- What does Nephi prophesy in 8:27, and what do his enemies conclude when that prophecy is fulfilled? (9:16, 20)
- In response to this predicament, what does Nephi prophesy? (9:26–36)
- How could Seantum be put to death legally when there were no witnesses who had observed him murder his brother? Doesn’t the law of Moses require two witnesses in order to convict someone of a capital offense?
- How did the people react to the fulfillment of Nephi’s prophecy? (9:40–41, 10:1).
- How did Nephi react to this great success? These must have been very stressful days.
- What power does God give to Nephi? (10:6–10), and why does God so bless Nephi with this power? (10:4–5, 11)
- Since the people of Nephi really repented in the face of the famine caused by Nephi (11:7–23), why did they return so soon to evil and wickedness? (11:24–38).
- What can a person do to prevent falling back into old habits each time one successfully repents?
- Why does Mormon conclude that human beings are less than the dust of the earth? (12:7).
