1 Ne 16:2 the guilty taketh the
truth to be hard, for it cutteth them to the very center.
The light of Christ is given to every man. When the wicked
hear the word of God as taught by the Spirit, the light of Christ swells
within. This causes a painful conflict between the truth and the spirit of
rebellion. This concept is taught with the imagery of the sword which
represents the word of God, For the word of God is
quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the
dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow (Heb
4:12). Mormon tried to speak with the sharpness of a two edged sword to his
people in a desparate attempt to get them to repent. But like Laman and Lemuel,
when he speaks the word of God with sharpness they
tremble and anger against me; and when I use no sharpness they harden their
hearts against it; wherefore, I fear lest the Spirit of the Lord hath ceased
striving with them (Mor 9:4).
The Savior also used the sharp sword of the word of God to
offend the wicked.
‘But woe unto you, Pharisees! for ye tithe
mint and rue and all manner of herbs, and pass over judgment and the love of
God: these ought ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone.
Woe unto you, Pharisees! for ye love the
uppermost seats in the synagogues, and greetings in the markets.
Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees,
hypocrites! for ye are as graves which appear not, and the men that walk over them
are not aware of them.’ (Lu 11:42-44, see also verse 45-54).
See also the parable of the wicked husbandmen, Lu 20:9-20.
These scriptures bring more meaning to the phrase, blessed
is he, whosoever shall not be offended in me (Matt 11:6). Only those
who feel the conflict between truth and a rebellious spirit will be offended
for the obedient have no reason to be angry.
Neal A. Maxwell
“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’ (1 Ne. 16:21 Ne. 16:2), this may signal that spiritual
surgery is underway, painfully severing pride from the soul. (Ensign,
November 1987, p. 31.)
“There
is kindness in this pain, for as truth, the Lord's laser, cuts through to all
but the hardest of hearts, so the healing light of the gospel is let in. The
outer encrustations of evil can make us so insensitive that only the cuts ‘to the very center’ have any hope of bringing the
desired response!” (Things As They Really Are, p. 79.)
“Most
of us don't like to be cut to the center [see 1 Ne. 16:21 Ne. 16:2], and when the gospel standards cut
us it hurts. The tendency is to deal with the pain by rejecting further
surgery. (For the Power Is in Them…: Mormon Musings, p. 49.)
1 Ne 16:6 all these things were
said and done as my father dwelt in a tent in the valley which he called Lemuel
At this point the two families have not begun to travel
beyond the valley of Lemuel. Quite a bit has happened to the family while they
are in the valley of Lemuel. It is their base for returning back to Jerusalem
and the site where Nephi and Lehi see the vision of the tree of Life. It seems
as if they are more in a hurry to get out of Jerusalem than they are to get to
the promised land. They travel for the next 8 years on the Arabian Peninsula
before they finally build a ship and head for the promised land. Verse 9
explains that they are about to begin their journey again.
Hugh Nibley
“Nephi…refers constantly to his
father's tent as the center of his universe. To an Arab, ‘My father dwelt in a tent’ says everything….
“So with the announcement that his
father dwelt in a tent, Nephi serves notice that he had assumed the desert way
of life, as perforce he must for his journey: any easterner would appreciate
the significance and importance of the statement, which to us seems almost
trivial. If Nephi seems to think of his father’s tent as the hub of everything,
he is simply expressing the view of any normal Bedouin (Arabian tent dweller).”
(Lehi in the Desert and The World of the Jaredites, pp. 57-8)
1 Ne 16:7 took of the daughters
of Ishmael to wife
“Marriages in the Valley of Lemuel. Ishmael and his
family were brought down from Jerusalem by Nephi and his brothers, according to
a divine command. (1 Ne. 7:2) Marriage for the purpose of raising up posterity
‘unto the Lord’ was enjoined upon them as a sacred duty.
“Ishmael had five daughters and two sons. During the journey
from Jerusalem to the Valley of Lemuel, Laman and Lemuel opposed Nephi. They
even bound him and plotted his death. Two of the daughters of Ishmael sided
with Laman and his supporters. One daughter of Ishmael stood up valiantly for
Nephi, and plead so sincerely for his righteous cause that he was set free. (1
Nephi 7:19) Thus a line of cleavage was already drawn. In all probability, the
two girls who had sided with Laman and Lemuel became their wives, while the
valiant little girl, possibly the youngest of them, joined her hero in the
sacred relationship contemplated. There were two girls left. Zoram, the servant
of Laban, married the oldest daughter, and Sam presumably the remaining girl.”
(Reynolds and Sjodahl, Commentary on the Book of Mormon, vol. 1, p. 165)
1 Ne 16:10 he beheld upon the
ground a round ball of curious workmanship
The term “Liahona” is not used until Alma 37:38 where is
says, our fathers called it Liahona. This Liahona was an amazing intervention
by the Lord. Rarely does the Lord create an inanimate, “manufactured” object
for the use of man. Usually the Lord shows the pattern of how things should be
made but He doesn’t make them. Consider the ark, the tools and ship that Nephi
built, the temple patterns, the ark of the covenant. The Lord didn’t make any
of these things. He commanded them to be made and then showed the pattern. In
this respect, the Liahona sets an unusual precedent.
1 Ne 16:10 What does the word “Liahona” mean?
Hugh Nibley
“Yah is, of course, God Jehovah.
Liyah means the possessive, ‘To God is the guidance,’ hona (Liyahhona).
That's just a guess; don't put it down. But it's a pretty good guess anyway.” (Teachings
of the Book of Mormon, lecture 14, p. 216)
1 Ne 16:10 What did the Liahona do?
All are familiar with the use of the Liahona as a compass
and director that worked upon faith. However, we sometimes forget that there
were writings on the Liahona which changed from time to time. Nephi doesn’t
share the meaning of these writings which came directly from the Lord. He does
not include them because of their spiritual and sacred nature. They were not
directions to go in the wilderness, that was what the spindles were for. These
writings were holy and sacred words which did give us understanding concerning
the ways of the Lord (v. 29).
1 Ne 16:10 Why don’t we get a Liahona—to guide us through
our spiritual wilderness?
Thomas S. Monson
“If man can invent sonar to warn
against disaster, and if he can invent whiskers to put on automobile fenders
for the protection of white sidewall tires, doesn't it sound reasonable that
the Lord would place a warning device within His children, to warn us when we
are on a detour, away from His pathway? I bear you my testimony today that we
have a guiding light. It is foolproof if we will but use it. It is known, as
you know and as I know, as the Holy Ghost-the still small voice.” (BYU
Speeches of the Year, Nov. 5, 1963, p.4)
Thomas S. Monson
“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, to mark the hazards to
our safety, and to chart the way, even safe passage—not to a promised land, but
to our heavenly home. The gift to which I refer is known as a patriarchal blessing.
Every worthy member of the Church is entitled to receive such a precious and
priceless personal treasure.” (Live the Good Life, p. 36 -
37.)
1 Ne 16:13 We traveled for the
space of four days, nearly a south-southeast direction
The Book of Mormon is quite clear as to the course they took
before building the ship. First they traveled almost due south from Jerusalem
to the valley of Lemuel by the borders of the Red Sea (probably near the Gulf
of Aqaba). Next, they traveled in a south-southeast direction.
Hugh Nibley
“As to the direction taken by Lehi's
party the Book of Mormon is clear and specific. He took what we now know to
have been the only possible way out, what with immediate danger threatening
from the north, and the eastern and western lands held by opposing powers on
the verge of war. Only the south desert, the one land where Israel's traders
and merchants had felt at home through the centuries, remained open--even after
Jerusalem fell this was so. And the one route into that desert was the great
trade-road down the burning trough of the Arabah. For a long time the party
traveled south-southeast and then struck out almost due east over a
particularly terrible desert and reached the sea at a point to be considered
later. Nephi is careful to keep us informed of the main bearing of every stage
of the journey, and never once does he mention a westerly or a northerly trend.
The party traveled for eight years in but two main directions, without
retracing their steps or doubling back, and many of their marches were long
forced marches.”
“All this entirely excludes the
Sinaitic Peninsula as the scene of their wanderings, and fits perfectly with a
journey through the Arabian Peninsula. The slowest possible march "in a
south-southeasterly direction" in Sinai would reach the sea and have to
turn north within ten days; yet Lehi's people traveled "for many
days," nay, months, in a south-southeasterly direction, keeping near the
coast of the Red Sea all the while. Ten days take a foot traveler the entire
length of that coast of Sinai which runs in a south-southeasterly
direction--and what of the rest of the eight years?” (Lehi in the Desert and
The World of the Jaredites, pp. 54-5)
1 Ne 16:18 I did break my bow,
which was made of fine steel
Here is the classic scenario: life is tough—you’re in the
middle of a difficult trial, then something terrible happens. The one solution
to your problem, the thing you most rely on fails you. Now you are completely
destitute. The Lord seems to have left you in a situation in which there is no
way out. Here is where the real trial of faith begins. You didn’t think the
Lord would allow something that terrible to happen to you because your already
having a hard time of things. These thoughts come to mind, “maybe He doesn’t
love me,” or “maybe He is not even paying attention to my problem,” or “what am
I supposed to do now?” This is murmur time.
The Lord will bring all of us to our knees at some point. He
will push us to our limit to see how far we will go and still be faithful. He
allowed Lucifer to all but destroy Job, but Job was remarkably strong. He would
not blame the Lord, Then said his wife unto him,
Dost thou still retain thine integrity? Curse God, and die. But he said unto
her, Thou speakest as one of the foolish women speaketh. What? Shall we receive
good at the hand of God, and shall we not receive evil? In all this did not
Job sin with his lips (Job 2:9-10, italics added). Job understood
that the Lord was testing him and wanted to remain faithful, Let me be weighed in an even balance, that God may know
mine integrity (Job 31:6).
Like the testing of Job, the broken bow-incident becomes a
crucial test for Lehi’s family. They are on a journey through an unforgiving
desert wilderness; they have been traveling and are hungry and tired. Just when
they expect to see the sons return with the usual dinner, they find out that
the bow had broken. They will go to bed hungry, with no prospects for food in
the near future. Laman and Lemuel’s response is predictable. However, even Lehi
has a moment of weakness. Nephi records that he began
to murmur against the Lord (v. 20). Before we judge Lehi too harshly we
should walk a day in his shoes—and do it in the Arabian Desert. Nonetheless, he was truly chastened because of his murmuring (v.
25). Nephi was similarly challenged; he admits that for him, it began to be exceedingly difficult (v. 21).
Nephi passes the test. He understands that when everything
has gone completely wrong, he must turn to the Lord. Those of us who like to be
in charge of everything have a difficult time with these kinds of tests. They
are designed to force us to rely completely on the Lord. They require us to
humble ourselves before our Maker and ask for His help. It represents the
ultimate surrender of individual will to the will of the Father. It is a lot
easier said than done.
Neal A. Maxwell
“There
was murmuring, too, because Nephi broke his steel bow and also because he
couldn't possibly build a ship (see "1 Ne.
16:18"1 Ne. 16:19"1 Ne. 16:201 Nephi
16:18-20;"1 Ne. 17:17 17:17). Those same murmurers, insensitive to
their inconsistency, quickly surfeited themselves on the meat brought back by
Nephi's new bow. They also sailed successfully over vast oceans to a new
hemisphere in the ship that Nephi couldn't build. Strange, isn't it, how those
with the longest lists of new demands also have the shortest memories of past
blessings?” (If Thou Endure It Well, p. 125.)
Hugh Nibley
“Through the years critics of the Book
of Mormon have constantly called attention to the mention of steel in that book
as a gross anachronism. But now we are being reminded that one cannot be
dogmatic in dating the appearance of steel since there is more than one kind of
steel with ‘a whole series of variants in the combination of iron and steel
components’ in ancient times; and when a particularly fine combination was hit
upon it would be kept secret in ‘individual workshops’ and ‘passed on from
father to son for many generations.’ Hence it is not too surprising to learn
that ‘even in early European times’ there is evidence for the production of
steel ‘of very high quality’ and extreme hardness. Further east steel is
attested even earlier.” (Since Cumorah, p. 254)
1 Ne 16:23 I Nephi, did make out
of wood a bow…And I said unto my father: Whither shall I go to obtain food?
Here Nephi acknowledges his father’s role as prophet and
patriarch. He asks his father to ask the Lord for help.
1 Ne 16:27 What writing was it that made everyone fear and tremble exceedingly?
Nephi never tells us the meaning of the writings on the
Liahona. He does explain that his father and just about everyone in the group ‘did fear and tremble exceedingly’ when they read
what was written on the ball. This suggests that it was a warning or punishment
from the Lord. It is possible that the reason they wandered in the wilderness
for 8 years instead of traveling directly to the promised land was because of
their murmuring at this time. Alma hints that this was the case:
‘They were slothful, and forgot to exercise
their faith and diligence and then those marvelous works cease, and they did
not progress in their journey;
Therefore, they tarried in the wilderness,
or did not travel a direct course, and
were afflicted with hunger and thirst, because of their transgressions…our
fathers were slothful to give heed to this compass’ (Alma
37:41-43).
1 Ne 16:29 a new writing….which
did give us understanding concerning the ways of the Lord
The Liahona was not just a compass. It taught them sacred
and holy truths, things which were so sacred that Nephi did not tell us what
they were.
“President
Spencer W. Kimball used the symbolism of the Liahona in a fascinating
illustration about fifteen years ago while talking to the young men of the
Church:
‘Wouldn't you like to have that kind of
a ball—each one of you—so that whenever you were in error it would point the
right way and write messages to you, so that you would always know when you
were in error or in the wrong way?
‘That, my young brethren, you all have.
The Lord gave to every boy, every man, every person, a conscience which tells
him everytime he starts to go on the wrong path. . . .
‘You must realize that you have
something like the compass, like the Liahona, in your own system.’
“President
Monson also used the illustration of the Liahona in a general conference
talk. He said:
‘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, to mark the hazards to our safety, and to chart the
way, even safe passage—not to a promised land, but to our heavenly home. The
gift to which I refer is known as your patriarchal blessing.’
“So this unusual instrument has
fascinated the prophets and been used in their sermons for centuries, both in
the Book of Mormon itself and by modern prophets.” (Doctrines of the Book of Mormon: 1991 Sperry Symposium on the Book of
Mormon, [Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Co., 1992], 2-3)
1 Ne 16:29 by small means the
Lord can bring about great things.
Alma repeated the story of the Liahona to his son, Helaman:
‘And it did work for them according to their
faith in God….
Nevertheless, because those miracles were
worked by small means it did show unto them marvelous works. …
And now, my son, I would that ye should
understand that these things are not without a shadow; for as our fathers were
slothful to give heed to this compass (now these things were temporal) they did
not prosper; even so it is with things which are spiritual.
For behold, it is as easy to give heed to
the word of Christ, which will point to you a straight course to eternal bliss,
as it was for our fathers to give heed to this compass, which would point unto
them a straight course to the promised land.
And now I say, is there not a type in this thing?
For just as surely as this director did bring our fathers, by following its
course, to the promised land, shall the words of Christ, if we follow their
course, carry us beyond this vale of sorrow into a far better land of promise.
O my son, do not let us be slothful because
of the easiness of the way; for so was it with our fathers; for so was it
prepared for them, that if they would look they might live; even so it is with
us. The way is prepared, and if we will look we may live forever.’
(Alma 37:40-46, italics added)
“’A
series of seemingly small but incorrect choices,’ Elder M. Russell Ballard
pointed out, ‘can become those little soul-destroying termites that eat away at
the foundations of our testimony until, before we are aware, we may be brought
near to spiritual and moral destruction.’ In a similar way, the small acts of
kindness, the tiny deeds of Christian service, the silent but significant
efforts to control our own thoughts and feelings—these are the simple things
that build character and shape human destiny everlastingly. The world takes
notice of the public accomplishments, the spectacular victories. But who knows
of the private battles of the soul, thousands of them, waged and won by Abraham
long before he passed his greatest test on Mount Moriah to become the friend of
God? Who knows of the infinite struggles, the buffetings, the adversarial
onslaughts faced and overcome by the sinless Son of Man in the Garden of the
Oilpress, finished before his public victory over the grave on Golgotha? Truly,
the ‘little things’ form and shape the disciple of Christ.” (Robert L. Millet, An
Eye Single to the Glory of God: Reflections on the Cost of Discipleship,
p.77.)
M. Russell Ballard
“Great and marvelous events seem to motivate
us, but small things often do not hold our attention. Noting that the Liahona
worked by faith, Alma stated, ‘Nevertheless, because
those miracles were worked by small means . . . the people of Lehi were
slothful, and forgot to exercise their faith and diligence and then those
marvelous works ceased, and they did not progress in their journey.’
(Alma 37:41.)
“Is our journey sometimes impeded when
we forget the importance of small things? (See Alma 37:46.) Do we realize that
small events and choices determine the direction of our lives just as small
helms determine the direction of great ships? (See James 3:4; D&C 123:16.)
“May the Lord bless each one of us to
follow the counsel of our prophets. We need to have family and personal
prayers; study the scriptures, particularly the Book of Mormon; hold family
home evenings; follow the admonition of the Savior to love one another; and be
thoughtful, kind, and gentle within the family. Through these and other similar
small and simple things, we have the promise that our lives will be filled with
peace and joy.” (Church News, Jul 6, 1996)
1 Ne 16:34 Ishmael…was buried in the place which was called Nahom
“A group of Latter-day Saint researchers
recently found evidence linking a site in Yemen, on the south-west 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. The Book of Mormon mentions that ‘Ishmael died, and was buried in the place which was
called Nahom’ (1 Ne. 16:34).
“This is the first archaeological find
that supports a Book of Mormon place-name other than Jerusalem or the Red Sea…”
(Ensign, Feb. 2001, p. 79)
The significance of this seemingly irrelevant name deserves
special mention. In a video production,
“Journey of Faith: From Jerusalem to the Promised Land,” Mormon scholars
describe the discovery of Nahom.
“The finding of Nahom strikes me as
just a tremendously significant discovery. (Daniel C. Peterson)
“The gazetteer’s of Joseph Smith’s day
listed no such place. (Noel B. Reynolds)
“What it really is—is a kind of
prediction by the Book of Mormon of something we ought to find. (Daniel C. Peterson)
“Now the chances of finding that exact name, from that exact time, in that exact place by random chance are just astronomical. (William J.
Hamblin)
“And [to] find it in the right location
at the right time is a really striking bull’s-eye for the book. And there are
those that say that the book has no archeological substantiation. That’s a
spectacular substantiation right there—it seems to me. Something that would have been unexpected—that
it’s so unlikely that Joseph Smith could have woven into his story on his own. (Daniel
C. Peterson)
“The Book of Mormon… text has made a
complex prediction and modern archeology actually confirms that prediction.
(Noel B. Reynolds)
“It’s a direct bull’s-eye!—As precise
as you could wish it to be. (Daniel C. Peterson)” (“Journey of Faith” video version, Neal A.
Maxwell Institute for Religious Scholarship, chapter 17)
1 Ne 16:39 Laman and Lemuel hear the voice of the Lord
The Lord will not allow this mission to fail. He will not
allow Laman and Lemuel to kill Lehi and Nephi. He intervenes with Laman and
Lemuel as little as possible but enough to suit His purposes. In this
particular instance, they actually heard the voice of the Lord which did
chasten them exceedingly. Of this event,
1 Ne 17:46 says, 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. It took the voice of God to control these rebels. Again,
we are amazed that they see so many miracles, even hear the voice of the Lord,
and yet they still will not hearken to the words of the Lord.