1 Nephi 17

• Lehi and his family continue “through much affliction” (having children in the wilderness, etc.) but “great were the blessings of the Lord upon us…” (v1-2)
  • Blessings:
    • The women were able to breast feed their children.
    • The women were made strong like the men.
    • They were strengthened to endure the journey without murmuring.
  • This is an example of the Lord asking that wildly impossible things be done and then strengthening the faithful in order that those things can be accomplished.
• “And thus we see that the commandments of God must be fulfilled.” (v3)
  • Whether we are among the faithful or not, the Lord will accomplish His work.
• “And if it so be that the children of men keep the commandments of God he doth nourish them, and strengthen them, and provide means whereby they can accomplish the thing which he has commanded them; wherefore, he did provide means for us while we did sojourn in the wilderness.” (v3)
  • If we are faithful in doing what the Lord asks us to do, He will:
    • “strengthen [us]”
    • “provide means where by [we] can accomplish the thing…”
  • Nephi states the gospel principle and then seals it with his testimony: “wherefore, he did provide means for us while we did sojourn in the wilderness.” (v3)

Build a Ship

• After many days in Bountiful, the Lord summons Nephi to a high mountain and asks him to build a ship so the family can sale to the promised land. (v7-8)
  • Nephi doesn’t appear to question the request despite not being a ship building, and immediately asks where ore can be found the make tools. (v9)
• It’s interesting that the Lord had asked Nephi and his family to not use fire until this point. That’s at least 8 years with out fire for cooking or light. During that time, the Lord provided… “I will make thy food become sweet, that ye cook it not…” (v12) and “I will also be your light in the wilderness…” (v13)
  • In general, the Lord said “I will prepare the way before you…” but there was one condition, “if it so be that ye shall keep my commandments…” He adds “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.” (v13) The Lord continued “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.” (v14)
• Laman & Lemuel “murmur against” Nephi. (v17-22)
  • It’s interesting and incredible how they see the situation completely differently from Nephi.
• Nephi recounts the miracles that the Lord performed in delivering Moses and the Israelites from the Egyptians. (v23-35)
• Nephi lectures his brothers about being hard-hearted. They don’t like it and try to kill Nephi. (v36-27) Nephi has to warns them “… in the name of the Almighty God…” that if they touch him, they’ll be destroyed. (v48)
• Nephi testifies that if the Lord can perform so many miracles in the past, He can certainly show him how to build a ship; he could do anything the Lord commanded him. (v50-51)
  • Nephi had complete faith the the Lord could help accomplish anything.
• Nephi’s brothers stayed away from him for days; fearful of being struck down. (v52)
• Nephi is commanded by the Lord to touch his brothers. They are shocked and convinced the Lord is with Nephi. (v53-55)

1 Nephi 18

• The Lord continues to show Nephi how to build a ship; “I did build it after the manner which the Lord had shown unto me…” (v1-2)
  • What is the significance of emphasizing so much that the ship was built differently than man would do it?
• Nephi was shown “great things” because he often went into the mountains to pray to the Lord. (v3)
• Finishing the ship and seeing that it was high quality humbled Nephi’s brothers. (v4)
• Lehi then hears the voice of the Lord that tells them to sale away in the ship. (v5)
  • It’s interesting that when it was time for the family to move, the revelation always went to Lehi.
• While on the ship for many days, they “began to make themselves merry, insomuch that they began to dance, and to sing, and to speak with much rudeness, yea, eve that they did forget by what power they had been brought thither; yea, they were lifted up unto exceeding rudeness.” (v9)
  • I’m not sure what all this means, but it must have been in appropriate because Nephi “began to fear exceedingly lest the Lord should be angry with us, and smite us because of our iniquity.” (v10)
• Nephi speaks up about his concern about how the family is acting and Laman and Lemuel don’t like it. In fact, they tie up Nephi. (v11)
  • The compass stops working and a great storm comes up. (v13)
  • After 3 days of storm the family thinks they are going to drowned. (v13)
  • On day 4 of the storm when the weather was worse than ever before, “my brethren began to see that the judgements of God were upon them, and that they must perish save that they should repent of their iniquities;” so they untied Nephi. (v15)
    • Nephi immediately prayed to God all day, praising him and not murmur about being tied up with swollen ankles and sore body.
      • I wonder the impact this kind of attitude had on the compass working again? What would have happened if Nephi had complained a little bit? He was obviously smart/faithful enough to know complaining would do no good, so he didn’t.
  • “And there was nothing save it were the power of God, which threatened them with destruction, could soften their hearts; 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.” (v20)
    • Sometimes the Lord needs to let life get really hard before we turn to him and repent.
  • Nephi prayed and the storm stopped. (v21)
  • After several days, they arrived at the promised land. They immediately planted seeds to grow food; they were bless as the food grew “exceedingly.” (v24)
    • They were also blessed with many useful animals and metals. (v25)

1 Nephi 19

• It seems that one of the first instructions Nephi received from the Lord was to “make plates of ore that I might engraven upon them the record of my people.” (v1)
  • Nephi made two records:
    • a history “which gives a greater account of the wars and contentions and destructions of my people.” (v4)
    • A more religious book that was used in the Book of Mormon. It includes “the ministry and the prophecies, the more plain and precious parts of them…” (v3)
• Nephi said regarding this account: “I do not write anything upon plates save it be that I think it be sacred.” (v6)
• Nephi emphasizes that to some, these things will “be of great worth” but “others set at naught and trample under their feet” or “hearken not to the voice of his counsels.” (v7)
  • Jesus Christ is the first example of one set at naught. He will come and be crucified 600 years in the future. (v8)
  • Many prophets for a very long time have prophesied of the coming of Christ. (v9-10)

1 Nephi 20

• The Lord has prophesied of His coming through the prophets for many many years. Despite the advanced notice, the House of Israel does not recognize the Lord when he arrives. Despite all the miracles performed in the past for them, the House of Israel kills its king.
• So, the House of Isreal is punished for their wickedness.

1 Nephi 21

• In the last days, the Lord Jesus Christ will deliver and restore the House of Isreal.

1 Nephi 22

• After the crucifixion of Jesus Christ, the House of Israel will be scattered.
• The Gentiles will nurse the House of Israel back to a believing state. (v8)
• The Lord will “do a marvelous work among the Gentiles” (v8) that will establish His covenants and gospel, and bring them to all the world. (v11)
• “…all that fight against Zion shall be destroyed…” (v14)
• “For the time soon cometh that the fulness of the wrath of God shall be poured out upon all the children of men; for he will not suffer that the wicked shall destroy the righteous.”(v16)
• “Wherefore, he will preserve the righteous by his power, even if it so be that the fulness of his wrath must come, and the righteous be preserved, even unto the destruction of their enemies by fire. Wherefore, the righteous need not fear; for thus saith the prophet, they shall be saved, even if it so be as by fire.” (v17)

1 Nephi 15

• Nephi returns to the family camp to find his brothers arguing over what their father had share with them. (v1-2)
  • “For he truly spake many great things unto them, which were hard to be understood, save a man should inquire of the Lord; and they being hard in their hearts, therefore they did not look unto the Lord as they ought.” (v3)
  • Understanding would only come with the help of the Lord. Laman and Lemeul were hard hearted and wouldn’t ask the Lord for help.
  • Definition: Hard Hearted… not turning to or looking to or inquiring of or going to the Lord.
• After resting and receiving strength, Nephi tries to resolve the dispute among his brothers. He learns they haven’t asked the Lord for help and asks why. The brothers give a dumb excuse. Nephi replies:
  • “Do ye not remember the things which the Lord hath said?—If ye will not harden your hearts, and ask me in faith, believing that ye shall receive, with diligence in keeping my commandments, surely these things shall be made known unto you.” (v11)
    • Remember… go to the Lord, ask in faith, believe that you’ll get an answer, diligently keep the commandments, and understanding will be revealed to you.
• Nephi teaches Laman and Lemuel that the the House of Israel (including their people) will be scattered by the Gentiles and then eventually gathered. They will learn of Jesus Christ and the covenants that God made with their ancestors. Those convenants will be fulfilled in the latter days. (v12-19)
• Nephi taught those that listen and obey the word of God and are diligent would not be overpowered by the temptations of the devil that leads to destruction. (v24)
• Nephi warns that if done bad in this life we won’t be able to live with God. (v33)

1 Nephi 16

• Nephi finishes his talk with his brothers. The result was the brothers “did humble themselves before the Lord…” such that Nephi was optimistic that they would continue to be righteous. (v5)
• At this point, Lehi had “fulfilled all the commandments of the Lord which had been given unto him…” and Nephi felt extremely blessed. (v8)
• Lehi has a dream where the Lord tells him to “journey into the wilderness.” (v9) Then the next morning, the Lord provides “a round ball of curious workmanship…” that points “the way whither we should go into the wilderness.” (v10)
  • Lehi was asked directly to do something and the Lord provided a way for him to do it. In this case, the help was a physical object that was provided immediately. Remember the Lord is a deliverer.
• Lehi is obedient and the group leaves. (v12)
• Nephi’s bow breaks and many, even Lehi begin to “murmur against the Lord…” because they were so hungry. (v18-20)
  • While his brothers are hard-hearted and complaining, Nephi makes a new bow asks his father where to hunt? (v21-23)
  • Lehi, after humbling himself, prayed and the Lord said, “Look upon the ball, and behold the things which are written.” (v26)
    • Something is written on the ball that causes Lehi and others to “fear and tremble exceedingly…” (v27) It isn’t recorded what is written, but it must have been a strong warning.
    • Nephi and the family learns that “the pointers which were in the ball, that they did work according to the faith and diligence and heed which we did give unto them.” (v28) The ball only works if you have faith in and do what it tells you.
    • There was also writing on the pointers that changed from time to time “…which did give us understanding concerning the ways of the Lord;” (v29)
    • “And thus we see that by small means the Lord can bring about great things.” (v29)
  • Nephi obeys the message and and direction of the ball and is able to obtain food for his family. Everyone is humbled and gives thanks to the Lord. (v30-32)
• The death of Ishmael, triggers more murmuring such that Laman and Lemuel and many of Ishmael’s family contemplate killing Lehi and Nephi. (34-38)
  • The voice of the Lord spoke to everyone and chastened them. They all repented and the group was able to find food again. (39)
    • Why did the voice of the Lord come this time and last time the message/direction was on the ball? I don’t know and maybe the lesson is to be open to hear the voice of the Lord through any of the ways he speaks to us: scriptures, Holy Ghost, in person, etc.

• If the Gentiles in the Americas will accept the Jesus Christ they will be adopted into the House of Israel and blessed forever. (v1-2)
• Gentiles be warned that if you don’t accept Jesus Christ you’ll be subject to the devil and be “brought down into captivity, and also into destruction, both temporally and spiritually, according to the captivity of the devil…” (v7)
• There are two churches: “the church of the Lamb of God” and the “church of the devil…” If one doesn’t below to the church of Jesus Christ, he belongs to the other. (v10)
• Compared to the great and abominable church, the membership of the church of Jesus Christ will be small. (v12)
• There will come a time when the “wrath of God” is poured out upon the “mother of harlots.” That will be a sign that the “work of the Father” has commenced and that all the covenants He’s made with the House of Israel will soon be fulfilled. (v16-17)
• Nephi sees the end of the world, but is told not to write about it since John already would in the bible. Unfortunately, the plain and precious truths John wrote were messed up over time. There are also others that have seen and written about all things. Eventually, their writings will be brought forth too. (v18-26)