Over and over again

I read 1 Nephi chapter 16 today.  Here's what I learned.

There is a lot of murmuring and repenting going on in this chapter.  It starts out with Laman and Lemuel complaining that Nephi is being too hard on them (v 1).  Nephi knows this, but it's because they are self-conscious because of their own guilt, and they should be more diligent in keeping the commandments (v 3-4).  In verse 5, they repent.

This is a cycle seen in earlier chapters, and it is repeated here a few more times.  Well, the families all marry each other and get blessed exceedingly and honeymoon in fertile parts of the wilderness.  They get the Liahona and all goes well for a few days, and then Nephi's bow breaks.

So, more murmuring (v 20) because they get hungry.  Lehi joins in complaining against the Lord also.  Nephi again calls them to repentance (v 22), and then goes and makes a new bow and gets everyone some dinner.  The family appreciates this, and humbly repent again (v 24 and 32).

Doesn't last long, though, because Ishmael dies, and people murmur anew, this time going so far to plot the murder of their father and brother (v 36-37).  But, the Lord calls them to repentance again (v 38), and they repent again (v 39).

But was it really repentance?  This chapter makes it pretty clear that they aren't forsaking their sins, even if they confess and are called out for them.  The Lord probably sees this pattern, knows that they are likely to murmur again, and will surely just brush this hard-time repentance off as so much background noise.

Nope.  The Lord blessed them again (v 39).

That's what the Lord does.  My Stake President says that Jesus's favorite thing to do is forgive people.  And Laman and Lemuel and their followers aren't much different from us, in that they sin all the time.  And that their sins are often manifestations of the same weaknesses that they've exhibited before.

Yet, the Lord frankly forgives them, even though their pattern is obvious, and their repentance is caused by chastisement from others.

That's what we experience in our lives as well.  No wonder Jesus loves us so much.  We give him the opportunity to do his favorite thing over and over.