I Nephi 15-17

1. I Nephi 15-17 Lehi’s family traveled together through the same wilderness; however, some looked to God and trusted in him during trials, while others complained and showed a spirit of rebellion and a lack of faith. It is not the conditions people are in that produce happiness but how they respond to those conditions. We are told that those who are faithful and seek the Lord during difficult times will be supported by him. Even though we may be required to experience great hardship, we will prevail over any difficulty by exercising faith and trust in the Lord.

2. I Nephi 15:3, 8-11 Elder Packer taught that everyone may receive spiritual guidance in the same way as an Apostle if they will diligently seek the Lord, ask with faith, and obey His commandments. “You can learn now, in your youth, to be led by the Holy Ghost. “As an Apostle I listen now to the same inspiration, coming from the same source, in the same way, that I listened to as a boy. The signal is much clearer now…

3. “Young people, carry a prayer in your heart always. Let sleep come every night with your mind centered in prayer. “Keep the word of wisdom. “Read the scriptures. “Listen to your parents and to the leaders of the Church. “Stay away from places and things that common sense tells you will interfere with inspiration. “Develop your spiritual capacities. “Learn to tune out the static and the interference. “Avoid the substitutes and the counterfeits! “Learn to be inspired and directed by the Holy Ghost” (C.R., Oct. 1979, 30).

4. “Have ye inquired of the Lord?” “No message appears in scriptures more times, in more ways, than ‘Ask, and ye shall receive” (Boyd K. Packer, Things of the Soul, 89). Enos 1:15.

5. I Nephi 15:12-16 “The True Vine” Of this great latter-day work among the Lamanites, President Spencer W. Kimball stated: “Of immense importance to this work of gathering the scattered branches of the house of Israel is the work carrying the blessings of the restored gospel of Jesus Christ to the Lamanites, for the Lord’s work in these latter days can in no wise be complete until these children of great promise are brought back into the fold.

6. “The Lamanites must rise again in dignity and strength to fully join their brethren and sisters of the household of God carrying forth his work in preparation for that day when the Lord Jesus Christ will return to lead his people” (“Our Paths Have Met Again,” Ensign, Dec. 1975, 4-5,7).

7. I Nephi 15:29-32 The wicked will experience an “awful hell,” both in this life and the next. “Latter-day scriptures teach that there are at least three meanings for the term hell. 1. It can describe our suffering here on earth (Alma 36:18). 2. It can refer to a part of the spirit world where those who have not repented suffer for their sins (Alma 40:13-14). 3. It is also used to describe the final condition of those who completely turn away from God (D&C 29:38) Thomas R. Valletta, ed., Book of Mormon for Latter-day Saint Families, 43).

8. I Nephi 15:32-35 “The Final Judgment” Elder Dallin H. Oaks spoke of how our works define who we are. What we become through our works constitutes the judgment we will receive. “From such teachings we conclude that the Final Judgment is not just an evaluation of a sum total of good and evil acts --- what we have done. It is an acknowledgment of the final effect of our acts and thoughts --- what we have become. It is not enough for anyone just to go through the motions. The commandments, ordinances, and covenants of the gospel are not a list of deposits required to be made in some heavenly account. The Gospel of Jesus Christ is a plan that shows us to become” (C.R., Oct. 2000, 41). I Nephi 15:34 “No Unclean Thing! 1 John 1:8

9. I Nephi 16:1-2 D&C 6:2 “Cutteth to the very center” Elder Neal A. Maxwell explained why we should accept the Lord’s correction even if it is painful: “God is not only there in the mildest expressions of His presence, but also in those seemingly harsh expressions. For example, when truth ‘cutteth…to the very center,’ this may signal that spiritual surgery is underway, painfully severing pride from the soul” (C.R., Oct. 1987, 37).

10. I Nephi 16:10 The Liahona worked in two ways: 1. Pointers, two pointers that were directed by faith. One of which pointed the way whither they should go into the wilderness,” while the other was perhaps fixed on some known, permanent direction (North? Jerusalem?) (Jeffrey R. Holland, Christ and the New Covenant, 176)

11. I was in the same room when Elder Bednar was asked what the other spindle pointed to. His response was “I don’t know,” next question.

12. 2. Writing appeared. In Hebrew and Egyptian the word “Liahona” means “God give us light as does the sun.” The primary purpose of the Liahona were to provide both direction and instruction during a long and demanding trip. D&C 17:1 “The ultimate show and tell!”

13. What has the Lord given to us that acts like a personal Liahona?

14. “Wouldn’t you like to have that kind of a ball?...The Lord gave to…every person, a conscience which tells him every time he starts to go on the wrong path” (Spencer W. Kimball, Ensign, November 1976, 79). “The same Lord who provided a Liahona for Lehi provides for you and for me today a rare and valuable gift to give direction to our lives,…a patriarchal blessing” (Thomas S. Monson, Live the Good Life, 36-37). “I like to think that the Book of Mormon is truly like the Liahona of old” (Robert E. Wells, Doctrines of the Book of Mormon, 13). Elder Bednar taught that the Holy Ghost operates in our lives precisely as the Liahona did for Lehi and his family, according to our faith and diligence and heed (C.R., Apr. 2006, 31).

15. I Nephi 16:18 A Bow “Made of Fine Steel” There are five explicit references to metal weapons and armor in the Book of Mormon. Two are references to Near East weapons: ‘the blade {of Laban’s sword} was of the most precious steel’ (1 Nephi 4:9), and Nephi’s bow was made of ‘fine steel’ (1 Nephi 16:18). The existence of steel (that is, carburized iron) weapons in the Near East in the early sixth century B.C. has been clearly demonstrated. Robert Maddin writes, ‘To sum up, by the beginning of the seventh century B.C. at the latest, the blacksmiths of the eastern Mediterranean had mastered two of the processes that make iron a useful material for tools and weapons: carburizing and quenching’ [How the Iron Age Began,” Scientific American, Oct. 1977: 131)” (William J. Hamblin and A. Brent Merrill, “Swords in the Book of Mormon,” in Warfare in the Book of Mormon, ed. Stephen D. Ricks and William J. Hamblin [1990], 345-46).

16. I Nephi 16:13 There is an actual trail in the area known as the Frankincense Trail. Reynolds suggested that the ancient Aztec map known as the “Boturini Codex” bears certain figures in hieroglyphic drawing which might depict Lehi’s travels.

17. I Nephi 16:18-32 “The Broken Bow Experience” Elder Neal A. Maxwell taught that Nephi’s broken bow doubtless brought to him some irritation, but not immobilizing bitterness. After all, he was just trying to feed the extended family, so why should he have to contend as well with a broken bow? Yet out of that episode came a great teaching moment. Irritation often precedes instruction (If Thou Endure It Well [1996], 128). Elder Richard G. Scott taught that trials that are not consequences of our disobedience are evidence that the Lord feels He can give you experience that can stimulate growth, understanding, and compassion which polish us for everlasting benefit. To get us where He wants us to be requires a lot of stretching and that generally entails discomfort and pain (C.R., Oct. 1995, 18).

18. “I have come to understand how useless it is to dwell on the whys, what ifs, and if only for which there likely will be given no answers in mortality. To receive the Lord’s comfort, we must exercise faith. The questions Why me? Why our family? Why now? Are usually unanswerable questions. These questions detract from our spirituality and can destroy our faith. We need to spend our time and energy building our faith by turning to the Lord and asking for strength to overcome the pains and trials of this world and to endure to the end for greater understanding” (Elder Robert D. Hales, C.R., Oct. 1998, 16).

19. I Nephi 16:20 Lehi Murmured! So What! Even though he was a prophet, he was still a human being. He was strong before and he will be strong again. Daily crises were not reserved for Lehi’s family but are common to us all. The experiences of Lehi’s family illustrate that it is not position in life but reaction to daily adversity and prosperity that determines our eternal destiny.

20. I Nephi 16:23Nephi’s Confidence in Lehi President Benson told of an experience that illustrates the principle of seeking counsel from our fathers, even though they may not be perfect: “Some time ago, a young man came to my office requesting a blessing. He was about eighteen years of age and had some problems. “I said to him, ‘Have you ever asked your father to give you a blessing? Your father is a member of the Church, I assume?’ “He said, ‘Yes, he is an elder, a rather inactive elder.’ “When I asked, “Do you love your father?’ he replied, ‘Yes, Brother Benson, he is a good man. I love him.’ He then said, ‘He doesn’t attend to his priesthood duties as he should.

21. He doesn’t go to church regularly, I don’t know that he is a tithe payer, but he is a good man, a good provider, a kind man.’ “I said, ‘How would you like to talk to him at an opportune time and ask him if he would be willing to give you a father’s blessing?’ “’Oh,’ he said, ‘I think that would frighten him.’ “I then said, ‘Are you willing to try it? I will be praying for you.’ “He said, ‘All right; on that basis, I will.’ “A few days later he came back. He said, ‘Brother Benson, that’s the sweetest thing that has happened in our family.’ He could hardly control his feelings as he told me what had happened. He said, ‘When the opportunity was right, I mentioned it to Father, and he replied, “Son, do you really want

22. me to give you a blessing?” I told him, “Yes, Dad, I would like you to.”’ Then he said, ‘Brother Benson, he gave me one of the most beautiful blessings you could ever ask for. Mother sat there crying all during the blessing. When he got through there was a bond of appreciation and gratitude and love between us that we have never had in our home’” (C.R., Oct. 1977, 45-46).

23. I Nephi 16:23 How is the story of Nephi’s bow evidence of the truth of the Book of Mormon? “According to the ancient Arab writers, the only bow-wood obtainable in all Arabia was the nab wood that grew only ‘amid the inaccessible and overhanging crags’ of Mount Jasum and Mount Azd, which are situated in the very region where…the broken bow incident occurred” (Hugh Nibley, Collected Works, 6:232).

24. I Nephi 16:23 Archaeologist Salim Saad calls our attention to the fact that wood from the pomegranate tree which grows around a place called Jiddah would make a good bow. Jiddah is also a ship building city and perhaps Nephi could have observed craftsman in this area which would have benefited him later.

25. I Nephi 16:18-32 Nephi’s Confidence in Lehi. Elder Marion D. Hanks said: “I see a lesson of life here that I do not think Joseph Smith could possibly have contrived. “I count this one of the really significant lessons of life in the book, and, I repeat, the pages are full of them. A son who had strength enough, and humility enough, and manliness enough to go to his wavering superior and say, ‘You ask God, will you?’ because somehow he knew this is how you make men strong, that wise confidence in men builds them. Lehi asked God and God told him, and Lehi’s leadership was restored” (Steps to Learning, BYU Speeches of the Year, Provo, 4 May 1960, 7).

26. I Nephi 16:34“The Place Which Was Called Nahom” The Hebrew meaning of nahom might be “consolation,” from the verb nahom, which means to “be sorry, console oneself” (I Nephi 16:34b). An Ensign news article described an archaeological find that revealed the name Nahom in the Arabian Peninsula:

27. “A group of Latter-day Saint researchers recently found evidence linking a site in Yemen, on the southwest corner of the Arabian peninsula, to a name associated with Lehi’s journey as recorded in the Book of Mormon. “Warren Aston, Lynn Hilton, and Gregory Witt located a stone altar that professional archaeologists dated to at least 700 B.C. This altar contains an inscription confirming ‘Nahom’ as an actual place that existed in the peninsula before the time of Lehi” (“News of the Church,” Ensign, Feb. 2001, 79).

28. I Nephi 16:36 “Gratitude” Gratitude is the opposite of complaining. President John Taylor experienced many challenges in his life that he could have murmured or complained about. At Carthage Jail, John Taylor reports: “I was struck by a ball from the door about midway of my thigh….I crawled under the bed…While on my way and under the bed, I was wounded in three other places…My wounds were painful.” Later John Taylor spent much of his life in exile and died in hiding in Kaysville. On a plaque at the home where he died are inscribed his last six words: “I feel to thank the Lord.”

29. When trouble comes upon you I would recommend the course Bunyan took in the Pilgrim’s Progress, he put his fingers in his ears, and cried life, life, eternal life. So when we hear any one talk about their troubles, put your finger in your ears, and cry life, life, eternal life” (John Taylor, Times and Seasons 6, Jan. 15 1845).

30. I Nephi 17:4-5 Where was the land of Bountiful? “As Nephi described that land, it must have contained water, fruit, large trees for a ship, grass, wild honeybees, flowers or blossoms, a mountain, a shoreline, a cliff overlooking the depths of the sea, and metal ore. Incredible as it seems, the south coast of the Arabian peninsula from Perim to Sur has only one place in its entire length of 1,400 miles that meets that description. It is a tiny sickle of land curved around a little bay, about 28 miles long and only 7 miles wide, backed by the Qara Mountains…This place is Salalah, in the state of Dhofar, the Sultanate of Oman. The coast in both directions stretches away in unbroken barrenness” (Lyon M. and Hope A. Hilton, Ensign, September 1976, 50-51).

31. The distance from Jerusalem to S. Arabia then east to Bountiful is a distance of between 2,000 – 2,400 miles. The four sons made two additional round trips from the valley of Lemuel to Jerusalem adding 800 – 1,000 miles, half the distance. It is estimated that their trip to the Arabian Sea was somewhere near 2,500 miles in length. Modern day Salalah. Hilton reports that today in Salalah a person finds many fruits growing, citrons, figs, and melons. On the probable trail which Lehi traveled, there were about 118 water-holes, spaced about eighteen miles apart. Camel markets were found throughout the journey. Camels can carry two 150-180 lb. packs. The Book of Mormon does not mention camels. Maybe it is just taken for granted.

32. I Nephi 17:12 “Sweet and Sour Chicken?” (verse 2) How could Joseph Smith have known this while working on the translation?

33. I Nephi 17:19 “Lacking in Judgment” We knew that ye could not construct a ship, for we knew that ye were lacking in judgment. Nephi’s confidence did not likely come from any previous ship-building experience. Rather, his confidence stemmed from tremendous faith in God.

34. I Nephi 17:20-23 “And we might have been happy! When Jerusalem fell to Nebuchadnezzar after two and half years of siege, conditions there were so terrible that the people had turned to cannibalism (Lamentations 4:1-10).

35. I Nephi 17:35 “He that is righteous is favored of God!” Before the floods of Noah’s day, the Lord said, “I will first send them my word, offering them deliverance from sin, and warning them of my justice, which shall certainly overtake them if they reject it, and I will destroy them” (John Taylor, JD 19:158).

36. I Nephi 17:45 “Still small voice!” “Past feeling” Elder Packer taught that “inspiration comes more as a feeling than as a sound.” He later explained: “We do not have the words which perfectly describes the spirit. The scriptures generally use the word voice, which does not exactly fit. These delicate, refined spiritual communications are not seen with our eyes, nor heard with our ears. And even though it is described as a voice, it is a voice that one feels, not that hears” (Ensign, Jan., 1983, 52).

37. President Faust of the First Presidency compared a person’s worthiness of receiving the Spirit to receiving a signal on a cell phone: “Cellular phones are used for much of the communication in our time. Occasionally, however, we find dead spots where the signal coming to a cell phone fails. This can happen when the cell phone user is in a tunnel or a canyon or when there is other interference.

38. “So it is with divine communication. The still, small voice, though still and small, is very powerful. It whispereth through and pierceth all things.’ Perhaps something in our lives prevents us from hearing the message because we are ‘past feeling.’ We often put ourselves in spiritual dead spots --- places and situations that block out divine messages. Some of these dead spots include anger, pornography, transgression, selfishness, and other situations that offend the Spirit” (C.R., Apr. 2004, 67-68). Elder Wirthlin and President Brigham Young have stated that they feared that some members of the Lord’s Church live far beneath our privileges with regard to the gift of the Holy Ghost.

39. I Nephi 17:55 A common mistake of men, namely, they wanted to worship the man with the power, rather than God, the source of the power.