Second Nephi 6:5

And now, the words which I shall read are they which Isaiah spake concerning all the house of Israel; wherefore, they may be likened unto you, for ye are of the house of Israel. And there are many things which have been spoken by Isaiah which may be likened unto you, because ye are of the house of Israel.

Just as the Nephites were commanded to study Isaiah because they were of the house of Israel, we likewise are under the same commandment, for we too are of the house of Israel. We can liken his words to ourselves, meaning that we can relate to them. Isaiah wrote to us as well as to the ancient Israelites.

Second Nephi 5:27

And it came to pass that we lived after the manner of happiness.

Happiness comes not from what we have but from how we live.

Second Nephi 5:25

And the Lord God said unto me: They shall be a scourge unto thy seed, to astir them up in remembrance of me; and inasmuch as they will not remember me, and hearken unto my words, they shall scourge them even unto destruction.

God allows hard things to come into our lives to help us and to humble us. He will not remove all evil from the world until the Millennium. In the meantime we will always have scourges to contend with. A scourge is as much a gift from God as is a blessing.

Second Nephi 5:3

Yea, they did murmur against me, saying: Our younger brother thinks to rule over us; and we have had much trial because of him; wherefore, now let us slay him, that we may not be afflicted more because of his words. For behold, we will not have him to be our ruler; for it belongs unto us, who are the elder brethren, to rule over this people.

The only trials the older brothers had were of their own making. They had trials of their faith because they were faithless. They suffered in the wilderness because they would not obey. Their pride was hurt because they would not be humble. Nephi suffered far more at the hands of his brothers than they suffered because of Nephi. If anyone should be thinking of murder, it should be Nephi. The brothers have become so hardened in their self-justification and so consumed by their unbridled anger and envy, that they cannot simply turn their backs on their pesky brother and ignore him. Murder is the only option that will satisfy them. The same was true of the mobs in Joseph Smith's day. The Gentiles outnumbered the saints by orders of magnitude. They had all the power on their side. Yet they could not be satisfied until Joseph was dead. Persecution will rise again, fueled by the same anger and jealousy that Satan plants in the hearts of all those who align with him and fight against the truth.

Second Nephi 5:1

Behold, it came to pass that I, Nephi, did cry much unto the Lord my God, because of the anger of my brethren.

Our trials and afflictions are designed to cause us to cry to God. If that is our response, then our trials are truly blessings. Without the opposition of his brothers, Nephi would not have been the prophet he was. Because he turned to the Lord instead of to bitterness or revenge, he grew strong in the Spirit, and God could bless him greatly.  The stronger the opposition, the stronger we can become if we rely on God instead of our own strength. It is ironic that we can be the strongest when we feel the weakest.

Second Nephi 4:35

Yea, I know that God will give liberally to him that asketh. Yea, my God will give me, if I ask not amiss; therefore I will lift up my voice unto thee; yea, I will cry unto thee, my God, the rock of my righteousness. Behold, my voice shall forever ascend up unto thee, my rock and mine everlasting God. Amen.

God gives us more than we ask for. Nephi can testify of this truth because he has experienced it. He asked to see his father's vision, and he got much more. Moses went to see a burning bush and got called as a prophet. Joseph Smith wanted to know which church to join and became the head of a dispensation. We just need to open the door a crack, and God will swing it wide open to us.

With this last post for the chapter known as the Psalm of Nephi, I offer this beautiful musical tribute:
I Love the Lord - BYU Mens' Chorus, April, 2007

Second Nephi 4:34

O Lord, I have trusted in thee, and I will trust in thee forever. I will not put my trust in the arm of flesh; for I know that cursed is he that putteth his trust in the arm of flesh. Yea, cursed is he that putteth his trust in man or maketh flesh his arm.

Whether or not Nephi encounters stumbling blocks in his way -- and in fact many are still ahead of him at this point -- he knows how to get over them. His faith in God has gotten him over every obstacle thus far, and he will build on his experience of faith to see him through to the end. He knows he cannot depend on his own strength. He just said he is a wretched man. But God has kept his promises thus far that the righteous will prosper in the land. Nephi's money is on God over man every time.