The first half of the Book of Mormon contains several explicit references to repentance. Arguably the most important reference is the command to repent found in the Doctrine of Christ, as it sets forth repentance as a requisite for eternal life (2 Nephi 31:11). Because of its fundamental integrity to the gospel, I'd like to elucidate a personally rewarding aspect of repentance: the display of the Lord's desire that all his children repent. The Lord's desire for human repentance is manifest when considering the parallelism between the Lord's covenant of deliverance with his promised people and the sacrifice of the atonement.
Nephi explains three specific times where the Lord has or is willing to save his covenant people from physical destruction and lead them to a promised land: Moses and the children of Israel, the people of Israel/Judah (post-scattering), and the children of Lehi (1 Nephi 4:2; 1 Nephi 21:18-20, 2 Nephi 9:2; 1 Nephi 10:13). To support the strength of the Lord's ability to deliver, Nephi exclaimed that "He is mightier than all the earth (1 Nephi 4:1)," and that "[He] wilt not suffer those who come unto [Him] that they shall perish (1 Nephi 1:14)." The Lord himself said, "I will contend with them that contendeth with thee (2 Nephi 6:17)." The sole requisite given for this physical deliverance is that the commandments be kept (1 Nephi 17:13).
One can compare the physical deliverance of covenant peoples to the deliverance made available via the use of the atonement. If one were to substitute the plea for repentance into every phrase relating to deliverance, a promised land, or physical protection, it would greatly magnify the Lord's desire that his people repent. It is not hearsay when the "Lord hath broken the staff of the wicked, the scepters of the rulers (2 Nephi 24:5)," to enable humanity, with joy, to "draw water out of the wells of salvation (2 Nephi 22:3)."
The Lord has provided the way for protection through the atonement, and the gate to access deliverance is repentance. When He speaks of preparing a promised land, he pleads for our repentance; when He promises deliverance, he's insuring us of the ennobling power of repentance; His willingness to fight our battles (2 Nephi 6:17) is indicative of His desire to give us power, through repentance, to conquer our sins. His preparation for our repentance is not a placid component of the plan of salvation, it "must needs be (2 Nephi 2)!" By veiling deliverance to the promised land for repentance, the Lord is multiplying his ability to reference and plead for personal institution of repentance.
Nephi tells that the Lord "consecrated" a land for the security of his seed where they would be "blessed" and "dwell in prosperity long (2 Nephi 1:31-32)." The Lord has worked equally as hard to prepare for our use of repentance. The same power that stopped the Assyrian army from entering Jerusalem (2 Nephi 17) is enacted when one prays to remit his or her sins.
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