Repentance-Leaving Babylon-1 Nephi 20:14-

1 Nephi 20:14

Repentance-Leaving Babylon

What

 14 All ye, assemble yourselves, and hear; who among them [might be referring to Israel's idols]  hath declared these things [Prophecies]  unto them?[Israel] The Lord hath loved him;[Israel]  yea, and he will afulfil his word which he hath declared by them;[the prophets] and he will do his pleasure on bBabylon,and his arm shall come upon the Chaldeans. [Babylon will be destroyed].

From book of Mormon Seminary Teacher's Manual Chapter 21

Remind students that when Nephi shared the prophecies of Isaiah, he urged his brethren, “Liken them unto yourselves” (1 Nephi 19:24).

• • 
  How were some members of Nephi’s family similar to the people Isaiah called to repentance?

Ask a student to read 1 Nephi 20:14, 16, 20 aloud.

• • 
  What did the Lord want His covenant people to do and say? (You may need to explain that leaving Babylon and the Chaldeans is symbolic of leaving worldliness behind and coming unto the Lord.)

Invite students to share examples they have seen of people coming to the Lord and leaving behind worldliness. Have students search 1 Nephi 20:18,looking for blessings the Lord gives to those who  come to Him and hearken to His commandments.

Why

This counsel is given by Isaiah because the Lord loved Israel.

Seminary teacher's Book of Mormon manual lesson 21

Explain that Isaiah was a prophet who lived in Jerusalem and prophesied to the people between 740B.C. and 701 B.C., not long before Lehi and his 

family departed for their promised land. Nephi delighted in the words of Isaiah and used Isaiah’s prophecies to teach his family (see 1 Nephi 19:23; 2 Nephi 25:5).Because Isaiah’s words are poetic and filled with symbolism, people sometimes find his teachings difficult to understand. However, we can receive blessings as we study his words and seek to understand them.

Explain that as Nephi taught his family, he read some of the words of Isaiah that had been included in the brass plates. He did this so that he “might more fully persuade them to believe in the Lord their Redeemer”(1 Nephi 19:23; see also verse 24).

Christ

The message of this verse is to repent and come unto Christ.

Pattern

from seminary teachers manual book of Mormon lesson 21

Introduction

As Nephi taught members of his family, he read from the brass plates, focusing on Isaiah’s prophecies about the scattering and gathering of Israel. Then he answered his brothers’ questions about those prophecies. He explained that the prophecies applied directly to their family. Echoing the words of Isaiah,Nephi testified that the Lord would gather His 

covenant people—that even when the people did not live up to their covenants, the Lord loved them and invited them to repent and return to Him.

Conference

(the manual quotes a conference address by President Uchtdorf 4/07

Point of Safe Return-

the Lord invites those who have been disobedient to repent and return to Him.

Have a student read the following statement by President Dieter F. Uchtdorf of the First Presidency. Invite students to ponder how it relates to 1 Nephi 20.

“Satan … wants us to feel that we are beyond forgiveness (see Revelation 12:10). Satan wants us to think that when we have sinned we have gone past a‘ point of no return’—that it is too late to change our course. …

“… The Atonement of Jesus Christ is the gift of God to His children to correct and overcome the consequences of sin. God loves all of His children, and He will never cease to love and to hope for us. …

“Christ came to save us. If we have taken a wrong course, the Atonement of Jesus Christ can give us the assurance that sin is not a point of no return. A safe return is possible if we will follow God’s plan for our salvation. …

“… There is always a point of safe return; there is always hope” (“Point of Safe Return,” Ensign or Liahona, May2007, 99, 101).

• • 
  How is President Uchtdorf’s message similar to Isaiah’s message?

Testify that the Lord invites those who have been disobedient to repent and return to Him. Assure students that the Lord loves us individually and always invites us to come to Him. Invite them to ponder what the Lord would invite them to leave behind so they can come to Him more completely.

Apply-

We can certainly see the similarity between our world and Babylon. We are encouraged to not be of the world even though we are in the world. To distinguish that which is wrong and distance ourselves from it. In order to do this we must cling to the right, The gospel of Jesus Christ. It takes constant study and prayer to stay focused and able to receive the spirit to guide us in the right way. This would mean avoiding evil that we find all around us on the internet, TV, in government. It means to avoid drugs and alcohol and to cling to the word of wisdom. It means to be kind instead of rude and abrasive and so much more. We leave Babylon to achieve the promised land. That land is within our homes a place of safety and peace is we live worthily. Eventually that promised land will be the Celestial Kingdom where families will dwell together in peace.