1 Nephi 1:16 - A Partial Account

1 Nephi 1:16 reads:

And now I, Nephi, do not make a full account of the things which my father hath written, for he hath written many things which he saw in ^avisions and in ^bdreams; and he also hath written many things which he ^cprophesied and spake unto his children, of which I shall not make a full account.

Nephi starts by reminding us that it's still him writing.  This serves as both a witness, and also clarification, since he had been referring to what happened to his father thus far.

(photo source)

Nephi points out that what he has written thus far is not a full account.  There is more.  Much more!  He wrote many things, which he saw in visions.  Have you ever seen a vision?  Denver Snuffer wrote a very interesting blog post on how information is passed along in such visions.  It is often not communicated using language or words which carry a vibrational frequency, but loads of information is passed from one being to the mortal.  It's fascinating.

The same principle applies in dreams, which Lehi also wrote many things regarding.  Have you ever tried recording a dream?  I have a journal dedicated to my frequent dreams, but it is one of the most difficult thing to do - to write about the contents of a dream.  How do you write, describe, or properly communicate in writing the things which are so visual, so abstract, or so unclear of their meaning?  This must certainly have been challenging for Lehi, and Nephi to repeat or abridge.

Lehi also wrote many things which he prophesied and spake to his children.  Have you ever tried to record the important events of the day with clarity?  I cringe to think what my children or descendants will think of me, when they read my abstract journal entries.  They are so vague.  I refer to people and places, with no real allusion even to who or what these places are.  I travel to other states, and visit people in random places, but I never really explain full details in my journal.  So very abstract it is.

But it had to be different for Nephi, to re-record Lehi's visions, dreams, prophecies and preaching.  He had to be inspired to know what to share.  What's worth repeating?  Surely God directed him, because each and every verse is so loaded with meaning.  The trick is taking the time to decipher, understand, ponder, and ask even more questions about what these important verses mean.  God does, indeed, reveal mysteries about these verses to those who take time to sincerely search, ponder and pray sincerely over them.

xo