Ether 2:13-15

Moroni now returns to the Jaredite record. The Lord brought them here to the shore of a sea to prepare for their voyage to the land of promise. When they landed, the pitched tents and named the place Moriancumer. They would stay there for four years.

“Now it was the custom of the people of Nephi to call their lands, and their cities, and their villages, yea, even all their small villages, after the name of him who first possessed them; and thus it was with the land of Ammonihah” (Alma 8:7). We can assume the Jaredites did the same. Since the place was not named “Jared,” we can imply this was the name of the brother of Jared. Jared had turned to his brother frequently, asking him to plead with the Lord on behalf of their people. The brother of Jared was essential to the people, so it is not surprising they would honor him by naming the land after him.

After four years, the Lord appeared to the brother of Jared, standing in a cloud. For three hours, they spoke, with the Lord chastening him for not remembering to “call upon the name of the Lord.”

Lehi had experience the Lord’s chastening him. “And it came to pass that the voice of the Lord came unto my father; and he was truly chastened because of his murmuring against the Lord, insomuch that he was brought down into the depths of sorrow” (1 Nephi 16:25).

Being chastened directly by the Lord could not have been a pleasant experience. But, chastening is also a sign of the Lord’s love. “For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth…” (Hebrews 12:6).

“Verily, thus saith the Lord unto you whom I love, and whom I love I also chasten that their sins may be forgiven, for with the chastisement I prepare a way for their deliverance in all things out of temptation, and I have loved you” (D&C 95:1).

Having been chastened, the brother of Jared repented of his sins. He also called on the Lord on behalf of his brethren. He was forgiven by the Lord, but commanded him to sin no more. The Spirit will not always be with man. Mormon emphasized this point. “And thus we can plainly discern, that after a people have been once enlightened by the Spirit of God, and have had great knowledge of things pertaining to righteousness, and then have fallen away into sin and transgression, they become more hardened, and thus their state becomes worse than though they had never known these things” (Alma 24:30).

Nephi told us, “For the Spirit of the Lord will not always strive with man. And when the Spirit ceaseth to strive with man then cometh speedy destruction, and this grieveth my soul” (2 Nephi 26:11).

if ye will sin until ye are fully ripe ye shall be cut off from the presence of the Lord. And these are my thoughts upon the land which I shall give you for your inheritance; for it shall be a land choice above all other lands.

They were warned should they sin, they will be cut off from the Lord. This land is for the inheritance of those who will serve the Lord.