The Lord was not pleased with the merry making. He was even less pleased with Nephi being
bound and the threats against his life.
They encountered a huge storm. When
Jonah was attempting to flee the Lord, “the LORD sent out a great wind into the
sea, and there was a mighty tempest in the sea, so that the ship was like to be
broken” (Jonah 1:4).
They faced a storm for three days. They began to fear for their lives, that
their ship might sink and they would drown.
Even with the threat of their deaths, they would not release Nephi. King Benjamin would describe this experience
along with his observations to Mosiah. “Therefore, as they were unfaithful they did
not prosper nor progress in their journey, but were driven back, and incurred
the displeasure of God upon them; and therefore they were smitten with famine
and sore afflictions, to stir them up in remembrance of their duty” (Mosiah 1:17).
On the fourth day, the storm strengthened and they came to
the reality that their deaths were not only possible, they were very
likely. It was then that they finally
released Nephi. After Nephi3
asked the Lord to cause a famine, Mormon would break into the record and share
his thoughts with us.
And
thus we see that except the Lord doth chasten his people with many afflictions,
yea, except he doth visit them with death and with terror, and with famine and
with all manner of pestilence, they will not remember him.
O
how foolish, and how vain, and how evil, and devilish, and how quick to do
iniquity, and how slow to do good, are the children of men; yea, how quick to
hearken unto the words of the evil one, and to set their hearts upon the vain
things of the world!
Yea,
how quick to be lifted up in pride; yea, how quick to boast, and do all manner
of that which is iniquity; and how slow are they to remember the Lord their
God, and to give ear unto his counsels, yea, how slow to walk in wisdom's
paths!
Helaman 12:3 - 5
Had Nephi complained during this time, it would have been
understandable. But, Nephi placed his
faith in the Lord and he “praise[d] him
all the day long” (1 Nephi 18:16).
It appears the bullying and abuse was not limited to
Nephi. If anyone spoke for Nephi, they
would find themselves facing the wrath of Laman, Lemuel, and the sons of
Ishmael. Lehi and Sariah face their
wrath. “On board ship, [Lehi], at age
fifty-four, and Sariah are both characterized by Nephi as ‘stricken in years,’
having ‘grey hairs,’ and about to enter a ‘watery grave.’ Still Nephi indicates
that this was because of grief brought upon them by their children more than
because of age per se (1 Nephi 18:17-18).”[1]
Even their younger brothers, Jacob and Joseph, suffered from
the abuse. Jacob, the oldest, was
probably around ten years old. Nephi’s
wife and children pleaded with them to release Nephi. It would not be all that surprising to learn
the cruelty of Laman, Lemuel, and the sons of Ishmael towards Lehi, Sariah,
Jacob, Joseph, and Nephi’s family probably made them feel like “leaders” and
powerful men. Such is the fate of the
true coward.
Only when their death was imminent did they finally repent “of the thing which they had done” (1
Nephi 18:20).
The first thing Nephi did was to take the Liahona. It immediately began to work. Nephi refers to the Liahona as “the compass”
(see 1 Nephi 18:21). This has been a point
of contention among critics of the Church.
According to these “experts,” it was impossible for Lehi’s party to have
had a “compass.” Daniel C. Peterson
replies:
Of course, it isn't entirely clear
that the Liahona was a compass at all, in the usual understanding of the term.
For it worked according to the faith, diligence, and obedience of those to whom
it was given (1 Nephi 16:28-9; Mosiah 1:16; Alma 37:40); it ceased to function
when they were unrighteous (1 Nephi 18:12-3; Alma 37:41-2); and it resumed
functioning when they repented (1 Nephi 18:21). I am grateful that my Boy
Scout compass didn't behave that way. (Otherwise, our troop would certainly
have perished miserably in the wilderness.)[2]
Nephi prayed and everything calmed down. Things apparently went well from that time
forward.
“[A]fter we had sailed
for the space of many days, we did arrive at the promised land [around 589
B.C.]” (1 Nephi 18:22). We don’t know
how long the trip took. There has been
speculation that it took as much as two years to arrive in the promised land.
They settled and began to plant the seeds they brought. The crops thrived and they were blessed with
a good supply of food. They also found
cows, oxen, horses, goats, wild goats, and wild animals. Things were looking good in their new home.
[1] The
Composition of Lehi's Family, John L. Sorenson, Provo, Utah:
Maxwell Institute, accessed April 18, 2013.
[2] Yet
More Abuse of B. H. Roberts (footnote 17)), Daniel C. Peterson, Provo,
Utah: Maxwell Institute, accessed April 18, 2013.
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