Category: Scriptures

1 Nephi 16:11 

11 And it came to pass that we did gather together whatsoever things we should carry into the wilderness, and all the remainder of our provisions which the Lord had given unto us; and we did take seed of every kind that we might carry into the wilderness.

There has been a great deal of research about the course Lehi and his family traveled along the Red Sea. Much of this has shown that the author of First Nephi had a first-hand knowledge of that area, and that the Prophet Joseph could not have had access to that information even if he had used the finest libraries in the United States and Europe. Nephi’s description of the geography through which he traveled is just one more evidence of the truthfulness of the Book of Mormon.{1}
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FOOTNOTE

{1} For discussions of Lehi’s travels, see, Lynn M. Hilton and Hope A. Hilton, Discovering Lehi (Springville, Ut., Cedar Fort, Incorporated, 1969).
S. Kent Brown and Peter Johnson, Journey of Faith, from Jerusalem to the Promised Land (Provo, Utah, The Neal A. Maxwell Institute for Religious Scholarship, BYU, 2006).
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1 Nephi 16:9-10  

9 And it came to pass that the voice of the Lord spake unto my father by night, and commanded him that on the morrow he should take his journey into the wilderness.
10 And it came to pass that as my father arose in the morning, and went forth to the tent door, to his great astonishment he beheld upon the ground a round ball of curious workmanship; and it was of fine brass. And within the ball were two spindles; and the one pointed the way whither we should go into the wilderness.

Whenever the Lord gives assignments to his servants, he also provides a way for them to accomplish them (cf: 1 Nephi 3:7). Here, the Lord gave Lehi instructions in the night, and the next morning Lehi found the Liahona that would give him and his family more explicit directions. Nephi gives us only a sketchy description of what it looked like, a round ball of curious workmanship, made of fine brass. “And within the ball were two spindles; and the one pointed the way whither we should go into the wilderness.”

Later, Nephi called it “the ball, or compass, which was prepared for my father by the hand of the Lord” (2 Nephi 5:12).{1}

King Benjamin called it “the ball or director, which led our fathers through the wilderness, which was prepared by the hand of the Lord that thereby they might be led, every one according to the heed and diligence which they gave unto him” (Mosiah 1:16).

Its name, “Liahona” is found only once in the Book of Mormon when Alma spoke of it as “the thing which our fathers call a ball, or director—or our fathers called it Liahona, which is, being interpreted, a compass; and the Lord prepared it” (Alma 37:38).

Nibley wrote that many have tried to find a Hebrew equivalent to the name. Then, after assuring his readers that there was no certainty about the meaning of Liahona, he wrote,

Our own preference has always been for le-yah-hon-na, literally, ‘to God is our commanding,’ i.e. ‘God is our guide,’ since hon hwn, is the common Egyptian word for ‘lead, guide, take command.’ This might be supported by the oldest and commonest of all known inscriptions in divination arrows: ‘My Lord hath commanded me’….{2}

He identified eleven remarkable features of the of the Liahona. They were:

1. The Liahona was a gift of God, the manner of its delivery causing great astonishment.
2. It was neither mechanical nor self-operating, but worked solely by the power of God.
3. It functioned only in response to the faith, diligence, and heed of those who followed it.
4. And yet there was something ordinary and familiar about it. The thing itself was the “small means” through which God worked; it was not a mysterious or untouchable object but strictly a “temporal thing.”…
5. The working parts of the device were two spindles or pointers.
6. On these a special writing would appear from time to time, clarifying and amplifying the message of the pointers.
7. The specific purpose of the traversing indicators was “to point the way they should go.”
8. The two pointers were mounted in a brass or bronze sphere whose marvelous workmanship excited great wonder and admiration. Special instructions sometimes appeared on this ball.
9. The device was referred to descriptively as a ball, functionally as a director, and in both senses as a “compass” or Liahona.
10. On occasion, it saved Lehi’s people from perishing by land and sea—“if they would look they might live” (Alma 37:46).
11. It was preserved “for a wise purpose” (“Alma 37:2, 14, 18) long after it had ceased to function, having been prepared specifically to guide Lehi’s party to the promised land. It was a “type and shadow” of man’s relationship to God during his earthly journey.{3}

In at least one of its features it functioned like the Urim and Thummim, for on occasion written messages would appear on it that were addressed to Lehi and his family (1 Nephi 16:26-29).{4} Even though there is no record that it was used by Book of Mormon prophets after the time of Nephi, it was preserved with other sacred items, and was shown to the Prophet Joseph Smith and the Three Witnesses in 1829 along with the Book of Mormon plates (D&C 17:1).

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FOOTNOTES

{1} He called it a ball when it was first given to his father (1 Nephi 16:16-27) and a compass when it failed to work during his brothers’ rebellion on the sea (1 Nephi 18:11-13)

{2} Hugh Nibley, Since Cumorah, 2nd ed. (Salt Lake City. Deseret Book and FARMS, 1988), Footnote 80 of chapter 9, “Some Fairly Foolproof Tests.” For his explanation of “divination arrows” see Hugh Nibley, Since Cumorah, 2nd ed. (Salt Lake City. Deseret Book and FARMS, 1988), 257)

{3} Nibley, Since Cumorah, 2nd ed. 253-54.

{4} Examples of the Lord’s giving Joseph Smith messages through the Urim and Thummim are: D&C 6:1-4 (Joseph Smith, History of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 7 vols., [Salt Lake City: The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 1932-1951], 1:32 – 33), D&C 11:1-3 (History of The Church, 1:44), and D&C 17:1 (History of The Church 1:52 -53)
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1 Nephi 16:5-8  

5 And it came to pass that they did humble themselves before the Lord; insomuch that I had joy and great hopes of them, that they would walk in the paths of righteousness.
6 Now, all these things were said and done as my father dwelt in a tent in the valley which he called Lemuel.
7 And it came to pass that I, Nephi, took one of the daughters of Ishmael to wife; and also, my brethren took of the daughters of Ishmael to wife; and also Zoram took the eldest daughter of Ishmael to wife.
8 And thus my father had fulfilled all the commandments of the Lord which had been given unto him. And also, I, Nephi, had been blessed of the Lord exceedingly.

The culture of ancient Israel which is also the culture of the Book of Mormon, rarely gives expression to the idea of love between a man and a woman.{1} A striking exception is the story of Isaac and Rebekah, which simply reads,

27 And Isaac brought her into his mother Sarah’s tent, and took Rebekah, and she became his wife; and he loved her: and Isaac was comforted after his mother’s death (Genesis 24:67).

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FOOTNOTE

{1} Among the most famous expressions of devotion in the Old Testament is that between Ruth and her mother-in-law Naomi, when Ruth said, “Intreat me not to leave thee, or to return from following after thee: for whither thou goest, I will go; and where thou lodgest, I will lodge: thy people shall be my people, and thy God my God” (Ruth 1:16).
Another is David’s love for Jonathan: “And Jonathan caused David to swear again, because he loved him: for he loved him as he loved his own soul” (1 Samuel 20:17). “How are the mighty fallen in the midst of the battle! O Jonathan, thou wast slain in thine high places. I am distressed for thee, my brother Jonathan: very pleasant hast thou been unto me: thy love to me was wonderful, passing the love of women (2 Samuel 1:25-26).
There is also David’s mourning, “O my son Absalom, my son, my son Absalom! would God I had died for thee, O Absalom, my son, my son!” (2 Samuel 18:33).

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1 Nephi 16:5  

5. And it came to pass that they did humble themselves before the Lord; insomuch that I had joy and great hopes of them, that they would walk in the paths of righteousness.

Nephi’s feelings are the very foundation of true Christianity and the strongest testimony of the power of the Atonement. We come to this world of hunger and death in linear time with two objects—one is thrust upon us by our physical needs in time and place. The other seems to linger in the shadows of a foreordination that we do not remember. The first is that we must eat, sleep, and be warm when the earth is cold. To do that one must earn a living, provide shelter, food and warmth for himself and those he loves. The linear time in which we finds our Selves projects those needs into an unknown future, magnifying their intensity and diminishing their ability to be satisfied. This seems good, for it teaches one to be prepared for the future, defines him as wise and gives a sense of security to himself and his loved ones. But if it becomes too big, too urgent, too consuming— his job, social standing, expensive toys, and position of “respect” and power—it can calcify his soul, turn love to a desire to possess or to control, and cause him to lose sight of the mission for which he came here.

Everyman is a Silas Marner who, if he turns around, ceases to be the thing he was, and makes himself receptive to the new heart Ezekiel promises (Ezekiel 11:19). The Biblical word translated “repentance” does not mean to change what one is and become something else, it means “to turn”—implicitly, to walk toward rather than away from Christ.

6. Now, all these things were said and done as my father dwelt in a tent in the valley that he called Lemuel.

Here again, Nephi introduces us to a series of sacred events by reminding us that his father dwelt in a tent.{1} The sacred events he describes in this context are his marriage and his father’s discovering the Liahona.
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FOOTNOTES

{1} For a discussion of the tent as a temple, see above, the chapter called, “1 Nephi 2:4-6, Lehi’s tent as a Tabernacle.”

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1 Nephi 16:1-4  

1. And now it came to pass that after I, Nephi, had made an end of speaking to my brethren, behold they said unto me: Thou hast declared unto us hard things, more than we are able to bear.
2 And it came to pass that I said unto them that I knew that I had spoken hard things against the wicked, according to the truth; and the righteous have I justified, and testified that they should be lifted up at the last day; wherefore, the guilty taketh the truth to be hard, for it cutteth them to the very center.
3 And now my brethren, if ye were righteous and were willing to hearken to the truth, and give heed unto it, that ye might walk uprightly before God, then ye would not murmur because of the truth, and say: Thou speakest hard things against us.
4 And it came to pass that I, Nephi, did exhort my brethren, with all diligence, to keep the commandments of the Lord.

Nephi was a brave and tenacious young man. His brothers had already shown they had short tempers, and they would show it again. To Sam, he was probably something of a hero. But to his other older brothers he was someone who had to be dealt with. That relationship was apparent both before and after this event, but this time was different. They actually listened to him.

It is apparent that Nephi’s brothers understood the intent of his words. He had reminded them of the blessings they had received and probably of the covenants they had made and also, of the consequence of their continued inconstancy. The power of Nephi’s words moved them to a temporary repentance. Nephi was quick to see hope in their contrition, and reported,

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1 Nephi 15:32-36  

32 And it came to pass that I said unto them that it was a representation of things both temporal and spiritual; for the day should come that they must be judged of their works, yea, even the works which were done by the temporal body in their days of probation.

“Works,” in many places in the New Testament and the Book of Mormon, refers to ordinances.{1} That should come as no surprise, because that is always the criterion God uses for our entering into his presence. Nephi clarifies that meaning when he adds:

33 Wherefore, if they should die in their wickedness they must be cast off also, as to the things which are spiritual, which are pertaining to righteousness; wherefore, they must be brought to stand before God, to be judged of their works; and if their works have been filthiness they must needs be filthy; and if they be filthy it must needs be that they cannot dwell in the kingdom of God; if so, the kingdom of God must be filthy also.

Righteousness is zedek, that is, correctness in priesthood and temple ordinances and covenants. While it is certainly true that we will be judge according to all the things we do and are, it is also true that there must be order in all things. No one can take priesthood honor to himself. What we do in the kingdom must be sanctioned in advance by calling, ordinance, and covenant, and then sealed by the Holy Spirit of Promise or it has no validity.

34 But behold, I say unto you, the kingdom of God is not filthy, and there cannot any unclean thing enter into the kingdom of God; wherefore there must needs be a place of filthiness prepared for that which is filthy.
35 And there is a place prepared, yea, even that awful hell of which I have spoken, and the devil is the preparator of it; wherefore the final state of the souls of men is to dwell in the kingdom of God, or to be cast out because of that justice of which I have spoken.
36 Wherefore, the wicked are rejected from the righteous, and also from that tree of life, whose fruit is most precious and most desirable above all other fruits; yea, and it is the greatest of all the gifts of God. And thus I spake unto my brethren. Amen.

We wonder, if the words had not been dictated to him by the Holy Ghost, how differently Nephi might have written Doctrine and Covenants 76. The words in that revelation, as Joseph wrote them, are a celebration of God’s love for all of his children and the assurance that each person will inherit that degree of glory that is most consistent with his nature as he has defined his own nature. However, while Nephi’s message does not deny that, it completely redirects its focus. To Nephi, Alma, Mormon, and all the prophets in the Book of Mormon, salvation is being where God is. Anything that is different from that is different from salvation.

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FOOTNOTE

{1} Some scriptures where “works” refer to ordinances are: Psalms 145:17-18; all of the book of James; Alma 5:54, 11:44, 12:30, Alma 13:3, Moroni 8:23.

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1 Nephi 15:31 

31 And they said unto me: Doth this thing mean the torment of the body in the days of probation, or doth it mean the final state of the soul after the death of the temporal body, or doth it speak of the things which are temporal?

Nephi responded that there is not much difference. In this world, the saints experience a light and a peace that can only be a gift of the Spirit. That same light and peace define us here and define us hereafter. The Lord also explained to the Prophet Joseph,

28 They who are [present tense] of a celestial spirit shall receive [future tense] the same body which was [past tense] a natural body; even ye shall receive [future tense] your bodies, and your glory shall be [future tense] that glory by which your bodies are quickened [present tense] .
29 Ye who are quickened [present tense] by a portion of the celestial glory shall then receive [future tense] of the same, even a fulness (D&C 88:28-29).

Nephi explained the same principle to his brothers, and in doing so, he gives us a third explanation of his and his father’s visions.

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1 Nephi 15:30 

30 And I said unto them that our father also saw that the justice of God did also divide the wicked from the righteous; and the brightness thereof was like unto the brightness of a flaming fire, which ascendeth up unto God forever and ever, and hath no end.

Nephi described this veil of light that separates us from the tree of life as like “a flaming fire, which ascendeth up unto God forever and ever, and hath no end.” In Genesis it is probably that same concept that is described when we are told: “So he drove out the man; and he placed at the east of the garden of Eden Cherubims, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to keep the way of the tree of life” (Genesis 3:23-24).

We live in a world where we are separated from God by two veils. One is the world around us—the one we see with our natural eyes but beyond which we cannot see. The other is the veil of light, the Shechinah,{1} through which the prophets must pass before they see God. Similarly, Nephi now describes the state of the wicked as being divided from God by two barriers. The first is “an awful gulf which separated the wicked from the tree of life and also from the saints of God.” This gulf is not one into which they were unwittingly pushed. Rather it is a gulf of their own making, a pit of blackness through which they will not see the light that radiates from the tree of life and from the countenances of the saints of God. The other barrier is, as Nephi now explains, the justice of God. It is a bright flaming fire that divides the wicked from the righteous. He explained that those who conduct their lives in such a way that precludes their coming within that veil will forfeit the blessings of the “righteous,”that is, the blessings of the ordinances and covenants of the ancient temple rites.{2} Here, he describes those ordinances and covenants as “even the works which were done by the temporal body in their days of probation.”

To understand something about the veil of light that is the shechinah, and of the contrast that is represented as the great and spacious building and the great gulf that separates the wicked from the righteous, we must begin by examining the nature of the light that lets the righteous approach the tree, and then the darkness that keeps the wicked away.
The Gospel of John and the 88th and 93rd sections of the Doctrine and Covenants each begin by introducing the Savior as the source of light. He introduced himself to the Nephites that same way by saying, “I am the light and the life of the world. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end” (3 Nephi 9:18).

The scriptures are replete with the idea that our physical selves are literally made of the great aura of light that surrounds the person of the Savior. John testifies, “The worlds were made by him; men were made by him; all things were made by him, and through him, and of him” (D&C 93:10). Science confirms that we are made of energy which is also light. All matter is energy. Energy is light—but we are talking about a much greater range of lights than just photons we can see with our eyes. Whether one uses Einstein’s famous E=mc2 or the more recent string theory, the basic conclusions are the same.

The ultimate source of light is truth—truth shines (D&C 88:7). God’s truth is infinite. It fills all space. The Savior is the Spirit of Truth and has all truth (D&C 93:26). His light also and “fills the immensity of space.” His love is also in and through all things. Therefore truth, light, and love either occupy the same space at the same time or they are the same thing. If they are the same thing then love has the same physical qualities as light. The product of truth/light/love is joy—eternal joy that is eternal life.{3}

The pure love of Christ is charity. The severest contrast to charity is the self-imposed separation from others that is the product of an insatiable desire for self-aggrandizement. Loneliness and aloneness are not the same things even though they may feel somewhat the same. Loneliness is a longing to be with others. Aloneness is self-imposed austerity and contempt, even hatred, toward others–there is neither love nor joy in a world of aloneness.

To understand the darkness that engulfed Alma, it helps to realize that if our truth/light/love diminishes, then so does our power to be alive and experience joy. So life itself becomes less as love becomes less.

Some persons exude little or no light. Alma’s life, to that point, had been more defined by his desire to “become a law unto itself”—that is, defined by his contempt and hatred for others rather than by love. The Lord explained,

35 That which breaketh a law, and abideth not by law, but seeketh to become a law unto itself, and willeth to abide in sin, and altogether abideth in sin, cannot be sanctified by law, neither by mercy, justice, nor judgment. Therefore, they must remain filthy still (D&C 88:35).

If our truth/light/love are the definition of our life, and if the quality of our life is the definition the quality of our joy, then the absence of truth/light/love must be hell.

A total lack of love is a total lack of light—a black hole where there is absolute aloneness but no quality of life. If one refuses the Savior’s light, and emits none of his own, and if he remains cognizant, then his existence must be only contempt for others and vanity for himself. The saddest of all scriptures reads:

32 And they who remain shall also be quickened; nevertheless, they shall return again to their own place, to enjoy that which they are willing to receive, because they were not willing to enjoy that which they might have received (D&C 88:32).

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FOOTNOTES
{3} For a discussion truth, light and love as equivalents see Who Shall Ascend into the Hill of the Lord, First edition, p. 801-814; Second edition, p. 564-72.

{1} For a discussion of the shechinah and the veils see the footnote at the end of the section called, “1 Nephi 1:1-6, A Three Act Play.” For further discussions see the sections called, “1 Nephi 11:2-7, One Must Say and Do Truth” and “1 Nephi 11:8-22, The Condescension of God.”

{2} For a discussion of righteousness as zedek see Who Shall Ascend into the Hill of the Lord, First edition, p. 279- 285; Second edition, p. 198-201.
1 Nephi 15:16-18 — LeGrand Baker — The Abrahamic Covenant of Posterity

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1 Nephi 15:16-18  

16 Behold, I say unto you, Yea; they shall be remembered again among the house of Israel; they shall be grafted in, being a natural branch of the olive-tree, into the true olive-tree.
17 And this is what our father meaneth; and he meaneth that it will not come to pass until after they are scattered by the Gentiles; and he meaneth that it shall come by way of the Gentiles, that the Lord may show his power unto the Gentiles, for the very cause that he shall be rejected of the Jews, or of the house of Israel.
18 Wherefore, our father hath not spoken of our seed alone, but also of all the house of Israel, pointing to the covenant which should be fulfilled in the latter days; which covenant the Lord made to our father Abraham, saying: In thy seed shall all the kindreds of the earth be blessed.

Nephi’s response came from the very core of Israelite theology. It focused on the meaning of the Abrahamic covenant as it extended to themselves. The covenant is the promise of land as an inheritance, of family, priesthood, invulnerability, and ultimately of eternal life (Abraham 2:6-12).{1} Lehi’s sons were aware of how important it was to have a self-perpetuating family. In their Feast of Tabernacles temple drama, they had sung,

1 Praise ye the Lord. Blessed is the man that feareth the Lord, that delighteth greatly in his commandments.
2 His seed shall be mighty upon earth: the generation of the upright shall be blessed (Psalm 112:1-2).

Nephi explained to them that the Olive tree was a representation of the fulfilment of the Lord’s promise of family—both in time and in eternity. Nephi’s explanation to them was more complete than he gives us, for he writes,

19 And it came to pass that I, Nephi, spake much unto them concerning these things; yea, I spake unto them concerning the restoration of the Jews in the latter days.
20 And I did rehearse unto them the words of Isaiah, who spake concerning the restoration of the Jews, or of the house of Israel; and after they were restored they should no more be confounded, neither should they be scattered again. And it came to pass that I did speak many words unto my brethren, that they were pacified and did humble themselves before the Lord (1 Nephi 15:19-20).

It is significant that Nephi’s explanation of his father’s words should begin with the subject that was most meaningful to his brothers, the Lord’s promise to them of their family heritage. A related issue, the question of who should have the family birthright, was eventually what caused a split among Lehi’s sons and caused Nephi and those who followed him to flee from those same brothers and their original home in the new world. But for the present, the brothers wanted to pursue the questions of their father’s vision.

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FOOTNOTE

{1} For a discussion of the Abrahamic covenant see Who Shall Ascend into the Hill of the Lord, First edition, p. 359-64; Second edition, p. 258-62.

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1 Nephi 15:15  

15. And then at that day will they not rejoice and give praise unto their everlasting God, their rock and their salvation? Yea, at that day, will they not receive the strength and nourishment from the true vine? Yea, will they not come unto the true fold of God?

“Receive” is a verb that requires action on the part of the one who accepts, but it also requires action on the part of the one who gives. If one receives without being given it is stealing. If one is given but does not receive, it is rejection. One cannot passively receive. That is only being dumped on. For one to receive strength and nourishment, one must actively accept it. The “true vine” is the Savior (John 15:1-10).

The idea of receiving such strength and nourishment from the source of life is very ancient. A favorite Old Testament promise reads:

5 Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.
6 In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.
7 Be not wise in thine own eyes: fear the Lord, and depart from evil.
8 It shall be health to thy navel, and marrow to thy bones.
9 Honour the Lord with thy substance, and with the firstfruits of all thine increase:
10 So shall thy barns be filled with plenty, and thy presses shall burst out with new wine (Proverbs 3:5-10).

The Hebrew word translated “navel” does not mean “belly button,” it means “the umbilical cord.”{1} Since no adult human actually has a healthy umbilical cord, the words cannot be taken literally, but must be taken figuratively. When one looks about to discover what it might mean, one remembers the often repeated idea that the ancient Jews considered the temple at Jerusalem to be the “navel of the earth,” the connecting place between God and his people. In that instance, also, the idea “navel” does not mean a severed, but a functional umbilical cord—a living connection between heaven and earth. It suggests staying attached to the “true vine.” If we will “trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding,” then the rectitude of our intentions will keep alive and functional that conduit between ourselves and heaven, bringing into play all of the covenants we made with God in the premortal world, and keeping us aware that God’s grace is sufficient to deter every power on earth or in hell from preventing us from fulfilling the assignments we accepted while at the Council in Heaven (Psalm 25).

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FOOTNOTE

{1} Strong # 8270. A similar idea is found in D&C 89:18-21.

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