Rebellion and Fear vs. Fear of the Lord

1. Nephi is commanded to go "into" the mountain. There is no reference to a cave, so I suspect you would go into a mountain the same as you would go into a wilderness. My experience with mountains is that most are forested, so you would go into the forest of the mountain. Doing so would provide some privacy. Also, mountains are substitutes for temples when no temple is available and the term "mountain" is a temple metaphor throughout the scriptures. It is clear that the Lord could have given him revelation in his tent, but he wanted Nephi in a more sacred and secluded setting.

2. After traveling 8+ years on a subsistence diet and experiencing hard physical labor, they arrived in a land they called Bountiful because of its fertility and abundance of resources. It must have seemed like the promised land to them. Nephi, informs them, however, that their stay here is temporary and that they need to build a ship. There is only one reason to build a ship large enough to contain them all along with some animals, seeds and plants - they are going to move again. As is always the case, the righteous will take this in stride; the faithless will rebel. The logic would be that they have escaped their enemies, they have found a land that is obviously choice and will bring them security and wealth, why would they ever leave? The logic of the faithful is that only God knows the future and what is in store for them in the great scheme of things, so they willingly go where He would have them go. Their experience guides their action.

3. Nephi knows that life is not intended to be easy and that when the Lord calls, he must respond. He not only goes as commanded, but does so without hesitation and with enthusiasm. Where is ore, I want to make tools and get started. His "fear" is the fear of God - reverence and faith. Laman and Lemuel are incredulous that Nephi would undertake to build a ship. It is not a raft with some logs cobbled together, but a seaworthy vessel large enough for six families of varying numbers, animals, seeds and provisions for a long journey.

They know that Nephi has never seen this done, let alone actually done this sort of thing before. They know that after eight years of extreme hardship instead of taking advantage of this bountiful land, Nephi intends not to stop at the edge of the ocean, but to keep going. To where; certain death? Will he ever be satisfied; will he ever stop? They rebel. Rather than risk their lives and the lives of their children they and their comrades are willing, once again, to kill him.

They have forgotten the experience of obtaining the brass plates, the multiple visits of angels, the voice of the Lord and the many other miracles and evidences of this divine mission. On the other hand, perhaps they associate these experiences with the hardships that followed them.

Nephi is filled with the Spirit perhaps more than he has felt before as it leaves him exhausted. He speaks with the influence of the Spirit reminding them of all the miracles and evidences that they are on the Lord's errand and he tells them that he is so filled with the power of the Lord that anyone who lays hands on him will be consumed like a dry reed in a fire. The Spirit apparently confirms what he says because they left him alone for many days. They must have started to doubt after a while because he found it important to just touch them and give them a shock. It was an experience powerful enough that they fell down to worship him as a result. What will happen next? L & L will do a job while Nephi will do the will of the Lord. L & L are focused on the earth and its challenges and pleasures. Nephi is focused on eternity and submitting his will to the will of God. No matter what he suffers, rebellion is never a thought. The fear that motivates L & L is the fear of losing their lives. It is limited and leads to more rebellion as the spiritual experiences fade in memory. Nephi's fear is that his spiritual nature must be constantly nourished and those experiences, while fading, increase his faithfulness.