I just started reading the Book of Mormon again, and decided to read a book by Hugh Nibley along with it. I don't want to get caught up in "deep doctrine," but my patriarchal blessing says that I should enjoy learning about the civilizations described in the Book of Mormon. He wrote some short articles for the Improvement Era in 1952-1957. I've only read one chapter, and it's helped me understand the culture in Jerusalem when Lehi left. I never understood the power Egypt had over Jerusalem at the time of the destruction of Jerusalem by Babylon. In "Lehi in the Desert," Hugh Nibley says that the Egyptian influence in Jerusalem was deeply set in the culture. The leaders of Jerusalem didn't choose to be confederate with Egypt because they thought they were more powerful than Babylon; they united with Egypt because they were infatuated with the culture. The calendars found in Hebrew cities are Egyptian calendars. The handles on the pots reflect Egyptian influence. All of the things he said reminded me of the influence the United States has on parts of the world. And while Egypt exported its culture, the areas around it imported their goods and got rich from the trade with Egypt. The Jewish elders were angry with Jeremiah because he warned them to stop their infatuation with all things Egyptian- their Gods and their images. He begged them instead to make a treaty with Babylon, but they were too influenced by the culture of Egypt. Likely, Laman and Lemuel had grown up with great Egyptian influence. The money Lehi had came from trading, most likely with the Egyptians. So, for their father to side with Jeremiah against Egypt was not a smart business choice and it would hurt their inheritances. They likely saw nothing wrong with the Egyptian influence that threatened the moral decay of the society. They, along with the other people, mocked their father for his attack of their culture. We see this today, I think, as the culture of consumerism and acceptance rises in America. Anyone who warns against such decadence and "open-mindedness" is mocked. I had never realized that Lehi's danger stemmed from insulting a beloved way of life.
As I've been reading, I've been watching for mention of Egypt, which happens frequently. Of course, we know that Lehi's family spoke and wrote in Egyptian and were most likely schooled in the "language of the Egyptians," (1 Nephi 1:2). But they also knew the history of the Jews, and how interesting it is that Nephi, in convincing his brothers to have faith in the power of God, reminds them of the story of the children of Isreal coming up out of Egypt and the armies of Pharoah being drowned in the Red Sea. (1Nephi 4:3). How interesting that after escaping the physical captivity of Egypt, the Jews succumbed to a spiritual captivity to things Egyptian. And it is much harder to recognize and come up out of spiritual captivity. How much more meaningful it is that Nephi used this example to his brothers, who loved the fruits of contact with Egypt. Though Nephi says in Chapter 4 that he went forth "not knowing beforehand the things which [he] should do," I think he was prepared by the spirit to know what might be required. In chapter 4, verse 3, he tells his brothers, "the Lord is able to deliver us, even as our fathers, and to destroy Laban, even as the Egyptians."
In chapter 5, once Lehi receives the golden plates, Nephi points out a very interesting irony. In verse 14, it says that Joseph was taken into Egypt to preserve his people, and in verse 15, "and they were also led out of captivity and out of the land of Egypt, by that same God who had preserved them." Going into Egypt at one point saved them; but they also needed to be saved from the very country that preserved them.
In making reference to the United States and its culture, I do not mean in any way to suggest its destruction or even directly compare it to Egypt in that day. The comparisons likely don't go too far. But I do mean to comment on the prevalent culture of loose morality and "other Gods." Just as Lehi and his family were saved from the destruction of Jerusalem, I pray that I can be guided to know how to keep my family safe from the "weapons of mass destruction" that are easily visible in our culture.