I was working on a paper about Christ’s use of marriage and family
responsibilities that help me better understand the writings of Old Testament prophets, but I am not
ready so I put in this plan of happiness story about Nephi building a boat and
arriving in the Promised Land. Hopefully
next week I can be ready.
Nephi
Building a Boat
Or
How
We Reach and Keep Our Promised Land
1 Nephi 17
4 And we did sojourn for the space of many years, yea, even eight
years in the wilderness. Eight may mean new
beginnings like baptism.
5 And we did come to the land which we called Bountiful,
because of its much fruit and also wild honey; and all these things were
prepared of the Lord that we might not perish. And we beheld the sea, which we
called Irreantum, which, being interpreted, is many waters. During the journey Nephi has
taken his family towards the Promised Land. (Cel Kingdom) Nephi as a prophet is
a similitude of Jesus Christ, see Hosea 12:10.
They have traveled many years but God would like them to enjoy the benefits of Eternal life for which the promised
land is a symbol. Also we learn in
Revelation 17:15 that the great and abominable church or church of the devil
sits on many waters. In other words the
waters as used here refer to the world or wicked people that satan has power
over here especially in mortality. Here
many believe that they could not cross and may have resigned themselves to live
there on the sea shore as well. (See
other post on water and boats)
6 And it came to pass that we did pitch our tents by the seashore;
and notwithstanding we had suffered many afflictions and much
difficulty, yea, even so much that we cannot write them all, we were
exceedingly rejoiced when we came to the seashore;
and we called the place Bountiful, because of its much fruit. Their
wandering in the wilderness may be because of a need to be tried and tested, hopefully
preparing a covenant people. Lehi and
his family were taken by the Lord to a new land, a land of promise. The promise land is a symbolic representation
of Eternal Life and our days will be long upon the land the Lord our God has
given us. Long= forever since the earth
will become the celestial world and the righteous will have an everlasting
inheritance in the earth. See 3 Nephi
12:5 “Blessed are the meek for they shall inherit the earth.” It was necessary to get to the Promised Land where
covenants were made and then promises realized.
To stay in Bountiful was not the final destination the Lord had in mind
for these descendants of Joseph, even though it was a rest from their trials
and tribulations of the wilderness experience.
7 And it came to pass that after I, Nephi, had been in the land of
Bountiful for the space of many days, the voice of the Lord came unto me,
saying: Arise, and get thee into the mountain. And it came to pass that I
arose and went up into the mountain, and cried unto the Lord. Mountains are like temples, to allow people to draw near to
the Lord and receive revelation from him.
They were high and usually not polluted by the wicked who probably
wouldn’t take the time to climb them.
8 And it came to pass that the Lord spake unto me, saying: Thou
shalt construct a ship, after
the manner which I shall show thee, that I may carry thy people
across these waters. Here in this verse the Lord makes a covenant
with Nephi. (D&C 82:10) If
you will build a ship after the manner that I instruct, then I (the Lord) will carry thy people, talking to Nephi (the Lord) across, (above not through) the
waters (or world or mortality where the wicked dwell) and give them an
inheritance (all that I have, if they keep my covenants) in the Celestial
world. These waters are so dangerous
that without the Lord’s help it is impossible to safely cross them. This ship (covenants) was not made after
man’s wisdom but from divine direction from the Lord. This same principle seems to show itself also
in Noah’s ark and the building of the 8 Jaredite barges. They are all designed to keep the waters out,
(wicked) so they have no ability to destroy us.
9 And I said: Lord, whither shall I go that I may find ore to
molten, that I may
make tools to construct
the ship after the manner which thou hast shown unto me?
10 And it came to pass that the Lord told
me whither I should go to find ore, that I might make tools.
11 And it came to pass that I, Nephi, did
make a bellows wherewith to blow the fire, of the skins of beasts; and after I had made a
bellows, that I might have wherewith to blow the fire, I did smite two stones
together that I might make fire. Here Nephi asks
the Lord where to go to get ore and demonstrates that what he or man has
learned in the past can now be used to further the building of the boat. The Lord has beforehand prepared all that is
necessary for his children. D&C 104:17
12 For the Lord had not hitherto suffered that we should make much
fire, as we journeyed in the wilderness; for he said: I will make thy food become
sweet, that ye cook it not;
13 And I will also be your light in the wilderness; Like
Moses and the children of Egypt on the way to their Promised land, God was
their light by night and a cloud by day to give direction and I will prepare the way before you, if it so be that
ye shall keep my commandments; (Covenants) wherefore, inasmuch as ye shall keep my
commandments ye shall be led towards the promised land; and ye shall know that it is by me that ye are led. They will be lead to the Promised Land or Celestial Kingdom
and get to know the Lord who is leading them if they do their part.
14 Yea, and the Lord said also that: After ye have arrived in the
promised land, ye shall know that I, the Lord, am God; and that
I, the Lord, did deliver you from destruction; yea, that I did bring you
out of the land of Jerusalem. John 17:3 it is
Life Eternal to know God and also Jesus Christ.
Christ will reveal the Father to them as they live His word or Law.
D&C 132:12 The journey through this
world is for us to keep the commandments and come to know the Lord. Jerusalem had to be destroyed because the
Lord had made a covenant with them that it would be theirs forever if they kept
the commandments, but if not, they would be cut off from the land. The righteous were removed from Jerusalem and
taken and some later returned to a land of promise, with a restored covenant.
15 Wherefore, I, Nephi, did strive to keep the commandments of
the Lord, and I did exhort my
brethren to faithfulness and diligence.
17 And when my brethren saw that I was about to build a
ship, they began to murmur against
me, saying: Our brother is a fool, for he thinketh that he can build a ship;
yea, and he also thinketh that he can cross these great waters. Wicked do
not believe God makes things happen, they just believe in the wisdom of
man. Their desires are to put the
righteous down and try to make them look foolish.
18 And thus my brethren did complain against me, and
were desirous that they might not labor, for they did not believe that I could
build a ship; neither would they believe that I was instructed of the Lord.
19 And now it came to pass that I, Nephi, was exceedingly sorrowful because of
the hardness of their hearts; and now when they saw that I began to be
sorrowful they were glad in their hearts, insomuch that they did rejoice over me,
saying: We knew that ye could not construct a ship, for we knew that ye were
lacking in judgment; wherefore, thou canst not accomplish so great a work.
20 And thou art like unto our father, led
away by the foolish imaginations of
his heart; yea, he hath led us out of the land of Jerusalem, and we have
wandered in the wilderness for these many years; and our women have toiled,
being big with child; and they have borne children in the wilderness and
suffered all things, save it were death; and it would have been better that
they had died before they came out of Jerusalem than to have suffered these
afflictions. Sounds like
the world today.
21 Behold, these many years we have suffered in the wilderness,
which time we might have enjoyed our possessions and the land of our
inheritance; yea, and we might have been happy.
We just want to eat drink and be merry, and they didn’t want to feel
guilty so they try to bring the righteous down.
22 And we know that the people who were in the land of Jerusalem
were a righteous people; for
they kept the statutes and judgments of the Lord, and all his commandments,
according to the law of Moses; wherefore, we know that they are a righteous
people; and our father hath judged them, and hath led us away because we would
hearken unto his words; yea, and our brother is like unto him. And after this
manner of language did my brethren murmur and complain against us.
23 And it came to pass that I, Nephi,
spake unto them, saying: Do ye believe that our fathers, who were the children
of Israel, would have been led away out of the hands of the Egyptians if they had not hearkened unto the words of the Lord? Nephi uses another plan of happiness symbolic story to show
that all Israel needed the Lord’s help to get to their promised land.
24 Yea, do ye suppose that they would have been led out of bondage,
if the Lord had not commanded Moses that he should lead them
out of bondage? Moses (the Lord doing the will of the Father) was necessary to lead
them out of bondage and give them true freedom in the Promised Land.
25 Now ye know that the children of Israel were in bondage; or Sin, like each person on the earth and ye know that they were laden with tasks, in bondage to sin (satan) and others things like bad habits which were grievous to be borne; wherefore, ye know that
it must needs be a good thing for them, that they should be brought out of bondage. You can
know the truth and the truth can make you free.
John 8:31-32
26 Now ye know that Moses was commanded
of the Lord to do that great work; and ye know that by his word the waters of the Red Sea were divided hither and thither,
and they passed through on dry ground. Symbolic
of baptism and having the power and sins of Egypt washed away by the Red Sea
27 But ye know that the Egyptians were drowned in the Red Sea, who were the armies of Pharaoh. It is by the wicked that the wicked are destroyed. Mormon 4:5
29 Yea, and ye also know that Moses, by
his word according to the power of God which was in him, smote the rock, and
there came forth water, (Living water, not the water that destroys) Christ both the
bread and water (atonement or Redeemer) that
the children of Israel might quench their thirst. They couldn’t do it without the help of God
30 And notwithstanding they being led, the Lord their God, their
Redeemer, going before them, leading them by day and
giving light unto them by night, and doing all things for them which were expedient for man to
receive, they hardened their hearts and blinded their minds, and reviled against Moses and against the true and living God. Like today and also like Nephi’s day
31 And it came to pass that according to his word he did destroy them; and according to his word he
did lead them; and according
to his word he did do all things for them; and
there was not anything done save it were by his word. Amos 3:7 God will reveal all things to His prophets
32 And after they had crossed the river Jordan he did make them
mighty unto
the driving out of the children of the land, yea, unto the scattering
them to destruction.
33 And now, do ye suppose that the children of this land, who were
in the land of promise, who were driven out by our fathers, do ye suppose that
they were righteous? Behold, I say unto you, Nay.
34 Do ye suppose that our fathers would have been more choice than
they if they had been righteous? I say unto you, Nay.
35 Behold, the Lord esteemeth all flesh in one; he that
is righteous is favored of God. But
behold, this people had rejected
every word of God, and they were ripe in iniquity; and the fulness of the wrath
of God was upon them; and the Lord did curse the land against them, and bless
it unto our fathers; yea, he did curse it against them unto their destruction,
and he did bless it unto our fathers unto their
obtaining power over it. Obedience is the first
law of Heaven, it is how the Lord can bless our lives. The people occupying the
Promised Land before Moses had the gospel and broke their covenants and were
suffering the curse of their promised land
36 Behold, the Lord hath created the earth that it should
be inhabited; and he hath created his children that they should possess
it. Teaches the purpose of God creating the
world for His family
37 And
he raiseth up a righteous
nation, and destroyeth the nations of the wicked. To be
wicked you need to have had the law and rejected or broken it.
38 And he leadeth away the righteous into
precious lands, and the wicked
he destroyeth, and curseth the land unto them for their sakes. Hopefully to get them to repent and be blessed.
39 He ruleth high in the heavens, He can see all things for it
is his throne, and this earth is his footstool.
40 And he loveth those who will have him
to be their God. Behold, he loved our fathers, and he covenanted with them, yea,
even Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob; and he remembered
the covenants which he had made; wherefore, he did bring them out of the land
of Egypt. Do you
know the covenants that the Lord has made available to us? They are the same he made to Abraham
41 And he did straiten them in the wilderness with his rod; for
they hardened their
hearts, Hard hearts will suffer to hopefully help them repent, even as
ye have; and the Lord straitened them because of their iniquity. He sent fiery flying serpents among them; and
after they were bitten he prepared a way that they might be healed; and the labor which
they had to perform was to look; and because of the simpleness of the way, or
the easiness of it, there were many who perished. The plan is made up
of small and simple things that all can understand, but few will actually look
and be healed, or be saved
42 And they did harden their hearts from time to time, and they did revile against Moses, and also against
God; nevertheless, ye know that they were led forth by his matchless power into
the land of promise. Nephi, wants
them to know that they are doing the same thing to him and God. He wants them to understand the consequences of their actions.
43 And now, after all these things, the time has come that they
have become wicked, yea, nearly unto ripeness; and I know not but they are at
this day about to
be destroyed; for I know that the
day must surely come that they must be destroyed, save a few only, who shall be
led away into captivity.
44 Wherefore, the Lord commanded my father that
he should depart into the wilderness; and the Jews also sought to take away his
life; yea, and bye also have sought to take away his
life; wherefore, ye are murderers in your hearts and ye are like unto them.
45 Ye are swift to do iniquity
but slow to remember the Lord your God. Ye have seen an angel, and he spake unto
you; yea, ye have heard his voice from time to time; and he hath spoken unto
you in a still small voice, but ye were past feeling, that
ye could not feel his words; wherefore, he has spoken unto you like unto the
voice of thunder, which did cause the earth to shake as if it were to divide
asunder.
46 And ye also know that by the power of his almighty
word he can cause the earth that it shall pass away; yea, and ye know that by
his word he can cause the rough places to be made smooth, and smooth places
shall be broken up. O, then, why is it, that ye can be so hard in your hearts?
47 Behold, my soul is rent with anguish because of you, and my
heart is pained; I fear lest ye shall be cast off forever. Behold, I am full of the Spirit
of God, insomuch that my frame has no strength.
48 And now it came to pass that when I had spoken these words they
were angry with me, (The true word makes the wicked become angry and try to blame things
on the righteous) and were desirous to throw me into the depths of the sea; and as
they came forth to lay their hands upon me I spake unto them, saying: In the name of the
Almighty God, I command you that ye touch me not, for I
am filled with the power of God, even
unto the consuming of my flesh; and whoso shall lay his hands upon me
shall wither even as a dried reed; and he shall be as naught before the
power of God, for God shall smite him. God gives
power to help fulfill His assignments to the righteous
49 And it came to pass that I, Nephi, said unto them that they
should murmur no more against their father; neither should they withhold their
labor from me, for God had commanded me that I should build a ship. Repent
50 And I said unto them: If God
had commanded me to do all things I could do them. If he should command me that
I should say unto this water, be thou earth, it should be earth; and if I
should say it, it would be done.
51 And now, if the Lord has such great power, and has wrought so
many miracles among the children of men, how is it that he cannot instruct me, that I should build a ship? Do you think God is limited in His ability to do things? If so we are like Laman and Lemuel
52 And it came to pass that I, Nephi, said many things unto my
brethren, insomuch that they were confounded and could not
contend against me; neither durst they lay their hands upon me nor touch me
with their fingers, even for the space of many days. Now they durst not do this
lest they should wither before me, so powerful was the Spirit of God; and
thus it had wrought upon them.
53 And it came to pass that the Lord said
unto me: Stretch forth thine hand again unto thy brethren, and they shall not
wither before thee, but I will shock them, saith the Lord, and this will I do, that they may know
that I am the Lord their God. A little shock may go along ways with some people.
54 And it came to pass that I stretched forth my hand unto my brethren,
and they did not wither before me; but the Lord did shake them, even according
to the word which he had spoken.
55 And now, they said: We know of a surety
that the Lord is with thee, for we know that it
is the power of the Lord that has shaken us. And they fell down before me, and
were about to worship me, They still don’t
understand how the Lord works, they want to worship Nephi but I
would not suffer them, saying: I am thy brother, yea, even thy younger brother;
wherefore, worship the Lord thy God, and honor thy father and thy mother, that thy days may be long in the land which the Lord thy God shall give
thee. Promise of the Promised Land or Eternal
Life
Chapter 18
1 And it came to pass that they did worship the Lord, and
did go forth with me; and we did work timbers of curious workmanship. And the Lord did
show me from time to time after what manner I should work the timbers of
the ship. The Lord uses continual revelation because we are not
spiritual enough for Him to give all to us at once. We get things line upon line…
2 Now I, Nephi, did not work the timbers after the manner which
was learned by men, neither did I build the ship after the manner of men; but I
did build it after the manner which the Lord had shown unto me; wherefore, it
was not after the manner of men. Necessary to overcome the
world or the sea they would have to travel over. If they were to make it after the manner of
men it would just be like the sea or the world itself.
3 And I, Nephi, did go into the mount oft, and I did pray oft unto the
Lord; wherefore the Lord showed unto me great things. Learning the mind and
will of the Lord and being obedient along with prayer and the Lord will show us
great things
4 And it came to pass that after I had finished the ship,
according to the word of the Lord, my brethren beheld that it was good, and
that the workmanship thereof was exceedingly fine; wherefore, they did humble themselves again before the Lord. John
7:17 they receive a witness after the
trial of their faith.
5 And it came to pass that the voice of the Lord came unto my
father, that we should arise and go down into the ship. Lehi is the
head of his family, priesthood line.
6 And it came to pass that on the morrow, after we had prepared
all things, much fruits and meat from the
wilderness, and honey in abundance, and provisions according to that which the
Lord had commanded us, we did go down into the ship, with all our loading and
our seeds, and whatsoever thing
we had brought with us, every one according to his age; wherefore, we did all
go down into the ship, with our wives and our children. The Lord requires us to do all that we can do for our own salvation and
then the Lord will make up the difference.
7 And now, my father had begat two sons in the wilderness; the
elder was called Jacob and the younger Joseph. Have children, not put it off until we are in better
financial or better circumstances.
8 And it came to pass after we had all gone down into the ship,
and had taken with us our provisions and things which had been commanded us, we
did put forth into the sea and
were driven forth before the wind towards the promised land. In John 3:8 Jesus describes the wind to the spirit of the
Lord. You can feel it but you don’t know
where it comes and where it goes. Here
the Lord sends wind (spirit) to give us direction and momentum or power to get to
the Promised Land. Also we have a
prophet with us on our journey to give us added direction.
9 And after we had been driven forth before
the wind for the space of many days, behold, my brethren and the sons of
Ishmael and also their wives began to make themselves merry, insomuch that they
began to dance, and to sing, and to speak with much rudeness, yea, even that they did forget by what power they had been
brought thither; yea, they were lifted up unto exceeding rudeness. When things go well we have a tendency to forget him and
rely only on ourselves as if we were doing the work. We call this the pride of the world.
10 And I, Nephi, began to fear exceedingly lest the Lord should be
angry with us, and smite us because of our iniquity, that we should be
swallowed up in the depths of the sea; wherefore, I, Nephi, began to speak to
them with much soberness;
but behold they were angry with me,
saying: We will not that our younger brother shall be a ruler over us. Nephi knew they
were forgetting the Lord and becoming worldly and would forfeit the Blessings
of the Lord. If they continued and lost
the help of the Lord they would become part of the sea or the world and be
destroyed.
11 And it came to pass that Laman and Lemuel did take me and bind (didn’t
listen) me with cords, and they did treat me with much harshness;
nevertheless, the Lord did suffer it that he might show forth his power, unto
the fulfilling of his word which he had spoken concerning the
wicked. The wicked have agency to become fully
ripened in wickedness. Then they will receive a witness of God’s power through
storms and other so called natural disasters that will remind us of our true
help.
12 And it came to pass that after they had bound me insomuch that I
could not move, the compass, which had been prepared of the Lord, did cease to work. No more direction from the Lord if we bind His prophet and
reject His word.
13 Wherefore, they knew not whither they should steer the ship,
insomuch that there arose a great storm, yea, a great and
terrible tempest, and we were driven back away from the
Promised Land upon the waters for the space
of three days; 3 may mean it comes from the Lord
and they began to be frightened exceedingly
lest they should be drowned in the sea; nevertheless they did not loose me. Lost their faith and humility. They have become defiant and stubborn.
14 And on the fourth day, which we had been driven back, the
tempest began to be exceedingly sore. 4 means mortality or natural
man and they are suffering the consequences.
15 And it came to pass that we were about to be swallowed up in the
depths of the sea. And after we had been driven back upon the waters for the
space of four days, my brethren
began to see that
the judgments of God were upon them, and that they must perish save that they
should repent of their iniquities; wherefore, they came unto me, and loosed the
bands which were upon my wrists, and behold they had swollen exceedingly; and
also my ankles were much swollen, and great was the soreness thereof. Hands and feet are
symbolic of our ability to act and to walk where and how we would like too, he
would like to be a blessing not a reason for their suffering for rejecting him.
He suffered much because of the wickedness of his brethren.
16 Nevertheless, I did look unto my God, and I did praise him
all the day long; and I did not murmur against the Lord because of mine
afflictions. Was willing to suffer to save his people. (Christ)
17 Now my father, Lehi, had said many things unto them, and also
unto the sons of Ishmael; but, behold, they
did breathe out much threatenings against anyone that should speak for me; and
my parents being stricken in years, and
having suffered much grief because
of their children, they were brought down, yea, even upon their sick-beds. Righteous suffer many time because of the wickedness of
other members of their family and others who have been taught the truth.
18 Because of their grief and much sorrow, and the iniquity of my
brethren, they were brought near even to be carried out of this time to meet
their God; yea,
their grey hairs were about to
be brought down to lie low in the dust; yea, even they were near to be cast
with sorrow into a watery grave.
19 And Jacob and Joseph
also, being young, having need of much nourishment, were grieved because of the
afflictions of their mother; and also my wife with her tears and prayers, and also my children, did not
soften the hearts of my brethren that they would loose me. Only God could deliver him.
20 And there was nothing save it were the power of God, which
threatened them with destruction, could soften their hearts; Pres. Benson, (paraphrased) God will have a humble people, we
can chose to be humble or we can be forced to be humble. wherefore, when they saw that they were about to be
swallowed up in the depths of the sea they repented of the thing which they had
done, insomuch that they loosed me. Will listen to the servants of the Lord again.
21 And it came to pass after they had loosed me, behold, I took the
compass, and it did work whither I desired it. And it came to pass that I prayed unto the Lord; and after I had prayed the winds did cease, and
the storm did cease, and there was a great calm.
Nephi (Christ) was the one to give direction and the storm was stilled by the power
of God according to his faith, also the winds. Then there was calm or peace,
which was a greater witness of God’s help or interaction.
22 And it came to pass that I, Nephi, did guide the ship, that we
sailed again towards the promised land. Nephi knew the way to the
Promised Land and was now in charge of the ship (keeping their covenants with
the Lord)
23 And it came to pass that after we had sailed for the space of
many days we did arrive at the promised land; and we went forth upon the land, and did pitch our tents;
and we did call it the promised land. It may
take many days to get to the Promised Land; maybe our life time.
24 And it came to pass that we did begin to till the earth, and we
began to plant seeds; yea, we did put all our seeds into the earth,
which we had brought from the land of Jerusalem. And it came to pass that they
did grow exceedingly; wherefore, we were blessed in abundance.
25 And it came to pass that
we did find upon the land of promise, as we journeyed in the wilderness, that
there were beasts in the forests
of every kind, both the cow and the ox, and the ass and the horse, and the goat
and the wild goat, and all manner of wild animals,
which were for the use of men. And we did find all manner of ore, both of gold, and of silver, and of copper. This Promised Land was full of all things that were created
to bless and gladden the children of God.
It was definitely worth the struggle to obtain it. Laman and Lemuel also arrived but were cut
off from the Lord’s presence (Celestial Kingdom) or in other words, cut off
from the land.
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