The Lord has repeatedly counseled that if we will keep His commandments we shall prosper in the land (Mosiah 2:22). On other occasions in the scriptures when He commands a people to leave their lands He says that “inasmuch as you shall keep my commandments ye shall be led towards the promised land” (1 Nephi 17:13). In many cases it shall be a “choice above all other lands” (Ether 2:15). The question is “how do we get there?” “What is a promised land?” In my recent study of the Book of Mormon and in particularly 1 Nephi chapter 17, I related the experience of Nephi building his ship to get to the promised lands as us building our eternal families towards exaltation. We can only obtain it as a family just as Elder Russell M. Nelson put it: “Salvation is an individual matter, exaltation is a family matter” (“Salvation and Exaltation.” April 2008). In 1 Nephi 17 and 18 I also learned how to help us to become an eternal family and the timbers and tools we must build together to shape our ship so the Lord can work in us and bring us to the promised land.
First, the Lord requires that we must leave our lands for another. The scripture “For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and shall be joined unto his wife, and they two shall be one flesh” (Ephesians 5:31). This is our first act of faith-leaving our former lands and establishing a new one. Nephi takes one of the Ishmael daughters to wife because it “fulfilled all the commandments of the Lord which had been given unto him. And also, I Nephi, had been blessed of the Lord exceedingly” (1 Nephi 16:8). Nephi was blessed exceedingly with a righteous woman. “Who can find a virtuous woman? For her price is far above rubies…the heart of her husband doth safely trust in her…she will do him good…she stretcheth out her hand to the poor; yea, she reacheth forth her hands to the needy…she openeth her mouth with wisdom and in her tongue is the law of kindness…her children arise up, and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praiseth her” (Proverbs 31:10, 11, 12, 19, 26, 28). Because they had fulfilled this commandment of marriage, the Lord provided a guide on their first part of their journey: a Liahona that worked according to their faith (16:28).
Nephi says “we did travel and wade through much affliction in the wilderness; and our women did bear children in the wilderness” (1 Nephi 17:1). Nephi and his wife knew that the next commandment after marriage was multiply and replenish the earth. It was the first commandment that was given to Adam and Eve. I can tell from this scripture that Nephi and his wife knew that the Lord would help them if they fulfilled His commandment and have children, even while in the wilderness and in affliction. In our day it’s like having children even when finances are tough, when the husband or wife is still going through school, and when it seems that there is no way to provide for children and for themselves. Bearing and rearing children is a faith based work. But the Lord always keeps His promises for those who keep His commandments. For “so great were the blessings of the Lord upon us,” said Nephi, “that 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” (17:2, 3).
Eight years later Nephi is commanded of the Lord to go up to the mountain. We refer to the mountain as the temple, a place of revelation. The Lord commands Nephi to build a ship, after the manner which [He] shall show unto [him] (17:7-8). I’m not sure if Nephi knew what a ship was or what it looked like. All he knew was that because it was a commandment of the Lord, he would do it. He didn’t complain. All he did was ask "where can I find tools to build the ship?" (17:9) It’s similar to the brother of Jared’s experience of building the barges for the Lord, after chastening him, said: “Go to work and build…barges. They did build barges… according to the instructions of the Lord” (Ether 2:16). After reading 1 Nephi 18:1 I learned that Nephi and his family did work timbers and built it with the tools they had. The important thing was the “Lord did show them from time to time” to work the timbers for they did not build the ship after the manner of men but after the manner of the Lord (18:1-2). Our goal is that we’re building our families after the manner of the Lord. He has given us a clear path for us to follow to keep our families together and to have them for eternity. It is through personal revelation like Nephi did when he went to the mount to “pray oft” and the Lord “showed unto [him] great things” (18:3). I find this applicable in our day when a father and/or mother is struggling to be the best parents they can be. Or it’s when they know their son or daughter is falling down a path that will lead them to misery, they plead with the Lord to show them how to have faith in His timing and how to learn to be better as parents and individuals. We can have enough faith to say “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?" (17:51) The Lord has also revealed His plan for the families through the words of living prophets. Following the prophet in the latter-days will be one of the critical things that will save us and our families.
Timbers are the foundation of the ship. It’s the framework for building the ship. “Let the house be builded, the place where they offered sacrifices, and they let the foundations thereof be strongly laid” (Ezra 6:23). According to this scripture, in my opinion, one of the timbers is celestial marriage, a marriage that is only performed in God’s Holy Temples. To build an eternal family the strongest foundation to start is a marriage where covenants and sacrifices are made and kept to their spouse and to the Lord. Temples are another timber that is interconnected with celestial marriage. Without the binding covenants made in the temple, family relationships cannot be “perpetuated beyond the grave” (Proclamation to the World). But the greatest timber that we should build our lives and our families on is the atonement of Jesus Christ. His atonement allows families to be eternal and it will shape the ship in many ways. Because of the atonement our families can get to the promised land. Without Christ, we cannot get there with our own strength. The Lord said, “After ye have arrived in the promised land (we can get there because of Him), ye shall know that I, the Lord, am God” (1 Nephi 17:14).
Tools are principles that we do as individuals and as families. Tools are used for building, shaping, and putting the timbers together. These are some of the tools but there are much more: Faith, repentance, prayer, forgiveness, love, respect, compassion, work, wholesome recreational activities, service, Be Attitudes, study of the Book of Mormon, mighty change of heart, fasting, teaching and learning. We use tools in laying the foundation or timbers. A couple have prepared themselves in their young age with many of these qualities. They will do that which is right so they will one day kneel across an altar to make and keep sacred covenants together in the Holy Temple. They promise that they will live a life of these principles and help their children to develop them as well. For example, Nephi had already showed exceedingly great faith in the Lord because of his "desires to know the mysteries of God...and his heart did soften that [he] did believe all the words by which had been spoken by [his] father" (2:16). He testified of the truthfulness he received when he says, "I will go and do...for I know" (3:7). The greatest thing about these tools used by Nephi and his family was that they were "molten out of the rock" (17:16). Every "tool" mentioned is an attribute that helps us to become like our Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ. We came to earth for that purpose: so we could be like Him and live with Him someday. Our tools that we live by are molten out of the Rock of our Salvation. "It is upon the rock of our Redeemer, who is Christ...that we must build our foundation; which is a sure foundation, a foundation whereon if men build they cannot fall" (Helaman 5:12).
The opposite of faith is doubt. Laman and Lemuel had doubts in their brother Nephi because they thought he was a "fool, for he thinketh that he can build a ship; yea, and he also thinketh that he can cross these great waters...for they did not believe that [he] could build a ship; neither did they would they believe that [he] was instructed of the Lord" (17:17-18). Laman and Lemuel also thought he, like Lehi, were led after the "foolish imaginations of his heart" (17:20). In our world today, there are many, even in the Church, who think that marriage is "foolish tradition". There are so many divorces and infidelity between spouses that people don't see the point or need for marriage. This is exactly what Satan wants us to think. He's trying his hardest to ruin the most sacred and powerful institution in the world. Satan knows that only through a family can we have exaltation. He also knows the greatest joys are found in the family and since he wants us to be "miserable like unto himself" (2 Nephi 2:27) he will try anything to steer us away from that happiness.
My favorite part about 1 Nephi 17 is verse 13 the Lord says: "And I will also be your light in the wilderness; and I will prepare the way before you, if it so be that ye shall keep my commandments; 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." There are many points to pick out in just this verse. First, they will not remain in darkness but have light through the journey. The brother of Jared also notices the need for light in his barges. “O Lord, in them there is no light; whither shall we steer? O Lord, wilt thou suffer that we shall cross this great water in darkness” (Ether 2:19, 22)? And as we know, the brother of Jared got an answer to his prayer and not only did he have faith that the Lord would touch the stones to bring light, but he had enough faith, according to the Lord, to see the Light of Life himself. We learn the light that Christ is referring to in 1 Nephi 17:13 is His Spirit. It cross references to Doctrine and Covenants 88:66 which reads: “Behold, that which you hear is as the voice of one crying in the wilderness-in the wilderness, because you cannot see him-my voice, because my voice is Spirit; my Spirit is truth; truth abideth and hath no end; and if it be in you it shall abound.” It's the voice of the good shepherd which hath “called after you and is still calling after you” (Alma 5:37). We are led by His Spirit when we do the “tools” of life in building our families and ourselves. Another insight that I picked up from this scripture in 1 Nephi 17:13 is that when we have arrived in the promised land we shall know that it was by the Lord that we were led. In my study I referred to the promised land as exaltation but I also believe promise lands happen throughout our life and are not just an end result of a long journey. These “promised lands” are moments in our life where we look back and we know that the Lord led us there. It’s either that the Lord led us to a university, maybe it was to another person, or it could be a trial in our life or a bad situation we had to get out of. Whatever it is the Lord has always been there and always will be there. It’s usually after we have arrived in the “promised land” that we know that the Lord is God and that he did deliver or support us. Our faith will grow from each experience as we recognize the Lord’s hands in our lives. Your children will see it too and it will sink deep into their hearts and they will remember it. It makes us wonder how many promised lands we will have in our lives? Will we recognize the Lord’s hands in our lives?
This is the Gospel of Jesus Christ. He lives and loves us. His plan was for us to return to live with Him again as families. It is only possible through the atonement of Jesus Christ. May we be ready when the Lord says to us: “I command you again to build a house to my name, even in this place, that you may prove yourselves unto me that ye are faithful in all things whatsoever I command you, that I may bless you, and crown you with honor, immortality, and eternal life” (Doctrine and Covenants 124:55). In the name of Jesus Christ, amen.
