Today I read 1 Nephi 4 and as I was reading a couple of things occurred to me. The first one is that Nephi seemed to bear no malice towards Laban. Granted he is writing this record a minimum of 8 years after the events actually happened so maybe he is just leaving that part out, but we know from his own words, that Nephi had a problem with his temper and getting angry at his enemies. So it is interesting that in his words he seems to bear no hard feelings towards Laban at all, despite the fact that he had not only been an obstacle in fulfilling the commandments of the Lord, but also that Laban had tried to murder him and his brothers!
Now, would that justify in Nephi's heart murder? Absolutely not! Nephi is a kind hearted man that abhorred blood shed so I can completely understand how he would still balk at being asked to kill a man, even a man like Laban who he knew to be a murderer. It is just strange that Nephi doesn't seem to have any hard feelings about his treatment at the hands of Laban.
The other thought that occurred to me, and again this could just be the way that it is written, is that Zoram did not agree to going with Nephi and his brethren until after Nephi explained that it was a commandment from the Lord. Nephi first tells Zoram that if he were to come with them, that Zoram would be a free man. I can only assume that Nephi further ups the ante if you will because that wasn't enough to convince Zoram, by saying that Nephi and his brethren had been commanded by God to retrieve the records and take them to their father in the wilderness. It is only after hearing that all that Nephi did was at the command of God, that Zoram gives his promise to go with them.
I have commented before that Zoram really does not get enough credit but I today I have to wonder even more about the character of this man that we really know next to nothing about. We know he was a God fearing man and a true friend to Nephi and that he was a servant to Laban and not a free man. And that's really about all we know. I think when we meet him, we will find a very humble, righteous servant of God. Much like Sam, Nephi's brother. It's often the unsung heroes of life that are the most worthy of our emulation. And I think that Zoram falls into that category nicely! Until tomorrow.
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