1 Nephi 9:5-6

Verse 5 deals with the fact that Nephi was commanded to record his spiritual history (Small Plates of Nephi) in addition to a more secular history (Large Plates of Nephi) in order to fulfill a wise purpose of the Lord, which purpose he knows not. (Remember that this account of Nephi's spiritual history is what we've been reading up to this point and was written from a perspective 30 years from when the accounts it describes happen.) There have been many indications of the spiritual nature of the plates this translation comes from, but soon we will delve into one of the, or perhaps the, major spiritual experiences that Nephi has in his life (brought on by his curiosity or desire to see the vision of the tree of life his father had). With some hindsight from our point of view (about 2600 years after Nephi wrote 1 Nephi 9:5-6), we can see a glimpse into the Lord's purpose for having Nephi write the Large and Small Plates (more particularly the Small Plates), and that it is true it is a wise purpose. The fulfillment has several levels, that I have found (Perhaps you can find others!):

1. The spiritual knowledge contained in the Large and Small Plates and the brass plate has helped Nephi's posterity and Laman's posterity. The example that I will discuss occurs about 500 years after 1 Nephi 9:5-6 was written. This example is from the time when Alma was giving Helaman guidance and council (in Alma 37:2-14) as he charged him with the plates and records (see Footnote 1). (At this time they were recording and adding to the Large Plates of Nephi.) In this excerpt, he is communicating to Helaman the importance of the plates. Part of which, he said that if it wasn't for these records, there would not have been so great a miracle wrought among the Lamanites because of the efforts of the Sons of Mosiah and their brethren (see Footnote 2). Alma continued and said that the Lamanite converts, so faithful in the gospel, would be the means of helping the stiffnecked part of the Nephites come back to the gospel. Also, a simple thing like the brass plates and the plates of Nephi are "small," but the Lord will use small means and bring about great things, and in many instances small means doth confound the wise (this also comes in later in this post). So, Alma reiterates to Helaman that these records are written and preserved for a wise purpose of the Lord.

2. We also know that the records of the Nephites compose the Book of Mormon. And that the Book of Mormon has been and continues to be a central tool for missionary work and our church today. So, this is another manifestation of the Lord's wise purpose. This purpose goes along the lines of Verse 6. The Lord knows everything from beginning to end and He prepares a way to accomplish all His works among the children of men. Also, He has all power to do so. This is Nephi's testimony of God. It is a strong and powerful statement (which is another segway into the last part of this post).

3. In even another more specific manifestation of the wise purpose specifically in which Nephi was commanded to write the Small Plates, is detailed in Doctrine and Covenants 3 and Doctrine and Covenants 10. These sections contain commandments from the Lord as a result of the loss of 116 pages of the translation of the gold plates (for description, click here). The lost pages consist of a translation of the "Book of Lehi" and other accounts, which detail the happenings of Lehi in Jerusalem, their journeyings across the wilderness, the ocean, and their lives in the promised land, in addition to all events of their posterity down to the reign of King Benjamin. We know that this is what it contains because of Verse 38 (of Doctrine and Covenants 10) says that the the more secular account of these things was originally written by Nephi on the Large Plates. Then their English translation was stolen. The Lord tells Joseph Smith that wicked men had altered the translation and were ready to show the public that a retranslation would be incorrect, thus claiming the Book of Mormon to be a fraud. Now, the Lord tells Joseph Smith that there was another, more particular account (the spiritual account of the events from the 116 lost pages or the Small Plates), attached in another place of the gold plates. He is to translate that part and use it to detail the accounts of Lehi and Nephi down to the reign of King Benjamin. This being the entire contents of the Small Plates. Then, he would finish translating the Book of Mormon from the Large Plates of Nephi. (We must remember that the Joseph Smith translated an abridgement of the Large Plates of Nephi prepared by Mormon.) In this way, the Lord preserved the account of Lehi, Nephi, and their posterity to King Benjamin. So, some might think, "Oh, only if those 116 pages weren't lost." Well, we must remember that many lessons were taught by that event to key people (see Doctrine and Covenants Stories, Chapter 4, with pictures!).

Finally, going back to the powerful statement that Nephi testifies of the Lord from 1 Nephi 9:6, that the Lord has all power to accomplish His work, Doctrine and Covenants 10:43 reaffirms that. He will not let His work be destroyed for His wisdom is greater than the cunning of the devil.

After finishing the content of this post, I found this talk from Elder Holland called "For a Wise Purpose." It enhances what I've discussed here in a better way.

Footnote 1. Alma gave Helaman all the plates of the Book of Mormon prophets before him, including the Small Plates, the brass plates from Jerusalem, and other important items like the Liahona, Urim and Thumim, and the Sword of Laban (see Docrine and Covenants 17:1 for a list of the items that were passed down from Nephi and Mosiah through Alma and Helaman then to Mormon and Moroni, the same Moroni who buried them in New York, and in 1827 visited Joseph Smith as a resurrected being to show him where they were buried).

Footnote 2. Aaron, a son of Mosiah, used the scriptures, probably copied from the brass plates and plates of Nephi, as a tool in the conversion of King Lamoni's father who was king over all the Lamanites. Use of scriptures: Alma 22:12-14; Conversion: Alma 22:16-18.