2 Nephi 1

There's a lot in Chapter 1 of 2 Nephi. But I'll be focusing in on a part of verse 21:

". . . arise from the dust, my sons, and be men, and be determined in one mind and in one heart, united in all things, that ye may not come down into captivity;"

I really loved that. I began looking through the Priesthood session of the October 2011 General Conference for a talk and quotes I could use for this verse and I found the following poem in "The Power of the Aaronic Priesthood" that Bishop Keith B. McMullin gave:

Behold the Man

Keith B. McMullin

To men of old there came in time

The priesthood named for Aaron.

Through Levites, priests, and prophets too,

It served to bless God's children.

Then came the Savior of the world

And sought out one named John,

To be baptized by this same power

And mark salvation's dawn.

In latter days this selfsame power

Was again restored to earth,

That gospel truths from first to last

Might in one's soul find birth.

Aaronic Priesthood, truth sublime,

In preparation come—

That redemption might be had

Through God's Beloved Son!

And he who ministers these powers—

'Tis not a mere boy that can.

With priesthood mantle on him fixed

We say, "Behold the man!"

What I find interesting, is that the phrase "Behold the man!" actually comes from a scripture in John 19:5:

Then came Jesus forth, wearing the crown of thorns, and the purple robe. And Pilate saith unto them, Behold the man!

Seriously, Jesus Christ really was the man. "Yes, Jesus is the man. He possesses all characteristics of the true, ideal man" Richard C. Edgley said in a talk helpfully entitled "Behold the Man!", which, by the way, is a very excellent talk. That's quite something to live up to. I mean, Jesus Christ was, well, perfect. It can be really hard to even want to strive to be that perfect when you think you can't do it. But that's the miracle of the Atonement. We can be perfected in him. Each of us. So I supposed that Lehi's call to his sons to "be men" is more like a call to be like Jesus Christ.