Nephi is Commanded to Build a Ship by the Lord
1 Nephi 17-18 Insights
Why did it take Nephi and his party eight years to travel to the land Bountiful, which, was by the sea? This land was their final destination before they would set sail to the promise land. But, for whatever reason their journey to this destination took particularly long. Why was this and for what purpose did it serve? There are many reasons which can be harbored as to why their journey took eight years to arrive to the promise land.
But, perhaps one of the greatest reasons to consider, is that the Lord took this time to prepare Nephi and the role in which he would play as prophet, leader, and king in the Promise Land. These callings carry significant weight and are only held by men of understanding, reason, wisdom, and of the spirit. The eight years of wandering in the wilderness was a preparatory time in which the Lord added to the stature of Nephi.
Nephi gained invaluable lessons in leadership during this time. He learned how to receive revelation, overcome adversity, and ultimately through all of his trials he came to understand how to care for his family both spiritually and temporally. Furthermore, in all and through all of this Nephi came to truly understand who Christ was. His developing relationship with his savior at this time would root deep, immoveable, and unshakeable.
Understanding the savior is perhaps the greatest quality that Nephi came to comprehend during his sojourn in the wilderness. Seeing things as the Savior does enables one to extend his view beyond himself into the eternities and ultimately all things as they really are and will be. Nephi grasped this principle and in so doing it helped him push his family forward to the Promise Land.
But, back to the original question, Why? Why wonder, starve, struggle, and suffer the afflictions he and his family did for so long? Yes, we know it was a preparatory time for Nephi to become the man he needed to become. But, there must be more if we go deeper. The mortal mind will always seek for justice, equity, and fairness when it comes to the injustices that exist in mortality.
However, those who view the inequalities and injustices of this world through the cloudy lens of the mortal mind will never fully come to know God, his purposes, and his design. Nephi, unlike his brethren did not focus his time on how and why they were suffering. Instead inwardly Nephi took the time to come unto the Lord and ask where can I go? What can I do? How am I to build this ship? Where can I find tools? Never once did Nephi see his trials as unfair or unjust and never once did he complain.
Nephi was patient and understood that suffering was part of Gods plan. But, he did not extend his time and efforts in sorrow and pity for himself or for his family. Instead, every time Nephi sought to overcome the insurmountable trials facing him and his family by asking questions of willingness, faith, and hope.
Nephi understood the Lord, his purposes, design, and as such he asked appropriate questions at the right time which would help his progression forward. The ability to communicate to with the Lord is key to truly moving a people and his church forward. Nephi understood this communication channel and he used it most effectively. It took him some eight plus years to truly understand how to receive revelation and understand it. Each time adding to the experience of the previous. This ability to receive and understand the Lords will was all part of the Lords plan in preparing Nephi to eventually arrive at the Promise Land.
Thus, the question can be poised. How do I personally view my own trials? What is my mindset during and after afflictions set upon me? What is my attitude during such hardships? Do I look to the Lord and seek to find solutions, hope, and move forward by receiving revelation? Am I willing to suffer through such trials for an extended period of time? Am I willing to accept the Lords will for me as Nephi did and allow his purposes to play out in due time?
Or am I imposing my own will upon the Lord and in the process disrupting my progression towards my own promise land. Because Nephi never questioned, doubted, or murmured during the trials which they faced he was never setback like his brethren and even his father. Nephi’s progression towards the promise land is a similitude of all of our lives and the journey in which we are embarking on and where we hope to eventually come to.
Some of us hope that our time in school will eventually pay off in our career. Others wade through years of breaking even and or barley scrimping enough by in hopes that their businesses will take off. Others suffer in marriage because of inactivity of a spouse and they hope that one day he or she will come back to the fold. Others mourn the loss of a son or daughter to the world, and hope that they will eventually return. Others suffer tremendously knowing that they will never bring children into this world.
Others walk this mortal life alone and never know what it means to truly be loved by their spouse. Others struggle financially and for whatever reason seem to never find a way out of this despair. Others struggle with mental health and walk dark paths of anguish which impacts not only them but, their love one’s closes to them. Others suffer ill health and seem to never be able to overcome the impeding obstacle before them. All of these and countless others are trials we all face and must look at in the eye every day.
Like Nephi of old we are walking through our own wilderness hoping to eventually come to the promise land. But, some of us are walking to fast by means of our own wisdom and in so doing miss the intended purposes and lessons the Lord had in store for us during that time of suffering. Are we truly learning what the Lord wants us to learn during these times of afflictions? Or are we seeking to escape them by whatever means possible? If so then we are perhaps missing out on what can become perhaps one’s of life’s sweetest experience. Listen to words of Nephi in understanding how their trials became.
“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; And so great were the blessings of the Lord upon us, that while we did live upon raw meat in the wilderness, our women did give plenty of suck for their children, and were strong, yea, even like unto the men; and they began to bear their journeying’s without murmurings.” (1 Nephi 17:2,12)
Those who truly come to know Christ and accept his will can have their trials become sweet as it did for Nephi! All of us at some point or another will find ourselves in the wilderness of affliction, lost, wondering for what could be days, months, or even years as it was for Nephi. Nevertheless, despite this fact if we can come to see such trials as means of preparation for greater things the Lord truly will as he did for Nephi add to your stature, and make you great in his eyes, capable of accomplishing things you never before thought possible. For Nephi, it was constructing a ship out wood that would sail across the ocean to the Americas. It was the ability to lead his people to a Land of Promise full of prosperity and peace. It was receiving the capacity and strength from the Lord to fulfill such marvelous things.
What does the Lord have in store for you? And are you inhibiting greatness because of your lack and inability to see and understand such greatness as Nephi did. Let us not doubt, nor give into our weakness of asking why me, and why now? Nephi never asked nor gave time for such questions to fill his mind with doubt like his brethren did. Instead he triumphantly and emphatically pushed his entire party along to the promise land! Let us push forward rather than push back which comes because of self-absorption.
The Lord through your trials is truly trying to prepare you for greater things which lie ahead not only just in time but, in the eternities. Your trials no matter how bitter they may be now can become sweet like they did for Nephi. Our afflictions are what build us and enable us to do things we never before new possible. However, such works and wonders take time, patience, and preparation on our part. But, such works will never come to pass if our vision and progression towards the Promise Land becomes cloudy when we focus on our own pity and sorrow.
At this point in time Nephi and his family through great trials, tribulations, and struggles finally arrived in the land of promise. Once upon this sacred soil they wasted no time in working the land for their benefit. They toiled, labored, built, mined, and established in a short amount of time a flourishing community and eventually even a nation. Imagine walking off that ship and stepping onto ground that you never even knew before existed.
A land that you never before had seen nor heard of. What an amazing journey and experience for this people to go through! Despite the many setbacks and trials many of Nephi’s party maintained a continuous faith in the Lord Jehovah!
Now, what is it most remarkable is to note that Nephi and his party once upon the land of promise records, that he “did put all our seeds into the earth, which we had brought from the land of Jerusalem” Now it is well known that to keep seeds in good working order for eight years would be prove to be most difficult.
If conditions aren’t cool and dry the seeds at this point become susceptible to rot and mold and thereby would never germinate… Thus, how can we explain the mystery of the seeds and how Nephi and his party kept them in favorable conditions for such an extended period of time?
Moreover, it is most likely not probable that they did keep the seeds which they carried from Jerusalem down into the wilderness for the entire length of time. However, there is still the probability as all things are not known to us and the power of the Lord is great beyond all comprehension.
Nevertheless, there are certain seeds which can last greater than 8 years. So, for the Lord to instruct Nephi and Lehi in a manner to preserve the seeds is defiantly not out of the question. There is also the probability that Nephi and his party from time to time and depending on and where they were at in Journey spent enough time in one spot that they could actually plant and harvest these seeds. Nephi describes particular spots along their journey as “the more fertile parts of the wilderness.”
It would be these more fertile parts where water, beasts, and even wild fruits and vegetables could grow. So, is it possible for Nephi to toil the earth and bring forth crops for his family to eat in their journey forward? Absolutely, is this for certain? No, it is not. But, we do know that Lehi before their journey possessed land in which they did harvest crops as part of their wealth.
They most likely possessed this knowledge before their journey to the promise land as this would be a most vital trade to know and understand. For the Lord cannot establish a righteous group of people in a new land without first a working order of agriculture and farming.
Lastly, there is also the chance that the Lord worked with Nephi and his family over the eight years in the wilderness in instructing them in the ways of agriculture. Is it possible? Perhaps, but it would almost seem that if Nephi did not possess a good working knowledge of planting and harvesting crops than he would have spent some time in writing about it.
For this would be a new skill, new set of visions and revelations, and new set of conversing’s with the Lord. But, we do not read of this anywhere in the Book of Mormon. So, most likely we can conclude that Nephi and his family possessed a former knowledge of agriculture before they departed into the wilderness.