Laman and Lemuel Rebel Again

After my father finished prophesying about his descendants who would live in the promised land, the Lord said to him, “Your family must not go to the promised land before your sons obtain wives so that they may raise up a righteous people therein.”

The Lord commanded my father to tell me and my brothers to go back to Jerusalem again and bring Ishmael and his family back with us to join our journey. So my brothers and I went back to Jerusalem a second time.

Upon arriving, we went to Ishmael’s house, and he listened as we told him the words of the Lord. All of Ishmael’s family agreed to travel with us to my father’s camp in the wilderness. But as we were all traveling to my father’s camp, Laman and Lemuel rebelled again. They persuaded two of Ishmael’s daughters, and both of his sons, along with their wives and children, to rebel also. They rebelled against me, and against Sam, Ishmael, his wife, and their three other daughters. Those who rebelled wanted to go back to Jerusalem.

I asked Laman and Lemuel, “How can you be so hard in your hearts and so blind in your minds? Why must I, your younger brother, always have to speak to you and set an example for you? After all you have seen, how can you rebel against the Lord’s word? Have you forgotten that you have seen an angel? Have you forgotten how the Lord delivered us from Laban, and how we obtained the brass plates from his treasury? Can’t you see by now that the Lord can do anything for His children who have faith in Him? Now let us be faithful to Him. If we are faithful to Him, we will obtain the land of promise and escape the destruction of Jerusalem, for we know the Lord’s word about its destruction will be fulfilled. The Spirit of the Lord will soon completely leave the people of Jerusalem because they have rejected the prophets. They have thrown Jeremiah into prison, and they tried to kill our father, who was compelled to leave the city. The Spirit of the Lord compels me to tell you this: Go back to Jerusalem if you wish, but remember, if you do go back, you will soon die there.”

When I finished speaking my brothers were very angry. They grabbed me and tied my hands and feet, intending to leave me bound in the wilderness to be eaten by wild animals. Lying on the ground tied up I prayed, “Oh Lord, according to my faith in Thee, deliver me from the hands of my brothers. Give me the strength to break these ropes.”

As I prayed, the ropes loosened and fell off my hands and feet. Then I stood up to speak to my brothers again. They were still angry with me and wanted to seize me again, but one of Ishmael’s sons who had rebelled, Ishmael’s wife, and one of his daughters begged them to stop. As the Spirit touched them, they realized their wrong-doing and stopped.

Clearly seeing their own wickedness because of the Spirit, they were afraid and sorry. Such a change came over them, they bowed before me and begged my forgiveness.

I forgave them completely and told them to pray to the Lord and ask for His forgiveness, which they did. After this incident, we continued traveling toward our father’s camp. Upon arriving in the valley of Lemuel, my father and Ishmael gave thanks to the Lord their God and offered burnt sacrifices to Him.