If ye [Zoram, former servant of Laban] shall keep the commandments of the Lord, the Lord hath consecrated this land for the security of thy seed with the seed of my son (2 Nephi 1: 31).
I've noticed this many times before but never offered myself enough time to contemplate the ramifications. This promise is offered through divine appointment by the prophet Lehi. Its substance is the same as the blessings promised to the descendents of each of Lehi's sons, contingent in each case upon the obedience of the individual son.
Is it odd that so many generations should be affected by the choices of these individual men? The sons were Laman, Lemuel, Sam, Nephi, Jacob and Joseph (and the unnamed sons of their family-friend Ishmael). Zoram was not a son but he nevertheless remained a loyal friend to this family as he participated in the deep sacrifices associated with their migration to America.
Perhaps these promises should be seen less as the effectual cause of the blessings foretold and more like a prophesy of the eventualities that would naturally stem from the choices being made.
The divide between those friendly and those not friendly to Nephi was deep. It involved serious behavioral choices affecting the developing cultures of the peoples involved. These blessings were a promise and a dire warning about the importance of their current choices, about their loyalty to Nephi and their willingness to obey the commandments of God.
