The Journey to the Promised Land: Lessons from Lehi's Family and Our Own Wildernesses

Initial Stages of Lehi's Journey

• The Liahona: God commanded Lehi's group to resume their journey, and upon leaving his tent, Lehi discovered the Liahona, a divine compass to guide them.
• The Broken Bow Incident: This event led to a food crisis, revealing differing reactions among family members regarding their reliance on God.
• Ishmael's Death: Ishmael, the father of the brothers' wives, passed away during this period.

Evidence for the Book of Mormon: Nahom

• Nephi's Reference: Nephi states that Ishmael died in a place called "Nahom," which is unusual as Nephi typically named the locations they discovered (e.g., Valley of Lemuel, Shazer, Bountiful). This suggests Nahom already had a name.
• Archaeological Discovery: In the exact region where Nephi indicates Nahom should be, archaeologists have uncovered burial sites and altars. The last three letters on these altars are "nhn," which, in Semitic languages where vowels are not written, corresponds to Nahom.
• Specific Grave Marker: A gravestone found at this site explicitly bears the name "Ishmael."
• Significance: While definitive proof is not claimed, the congruence of these archaeological findings with specific details in the Book of Mormon challenges the idea that Joseph Smith could have invented such details without historical basis.
• Further Resources: Scripture Central and Interpreter offer additional information on this topic.

Evidence for the Book of Mormon: Bountiful

• Description: After a long trek through the wilderness, Lehi's group arrived at Bountiful, a land described as abundant with honey, cliffs, trees, and lush vegetation.
• Modern Discovery: A location on the Gulf of Arabia in Oman matches Nephi's description precisely. This area is a unique outcropping of rich vegetation in an otherwise desert region.
• Significance: Similar to Nahom, the existence of such a specific, unique geographical feature in the exact location described by Nephi, unknown at Joseph Smith's time, adds external corroboration to the Book of Mormon narrative.

Shipbuilding and Arrival in the Promised Land

• Following their stay in Bountiful, the group engaged in shipbuilding, eventually sailing to and arriving in the promised land.

Wilderness Journeys: God's "Road Trips"

• Purpose: God frequently leads His people on prolonged journeys through wilderness settings.
• Lehi's Group: Traveled for over $8$ years to reach Bountiful, a journey that could reasonably have taken approximately half a year.
• The Jaredites: Journeyed across the world for at least $6$ years, including $4$ years spent on the seashore, before reaching their promised land.
• The Israelites: Led by Jehovah for $40$ years from Egypt to the promised land, despite the physical distance being traversable in less than a day in modern times.
• Jews in Babylon: Exiled for $70$ years before being allowed to return to Jerusalem.
• Zion's Camp: Members of the Church in the latter days marched over $1000$ miles from Ohio to Missouri.
• Pioneer Saints: Over $70,000$ saints trekked across $1300$ miles to Utah.

Why God Loves Long Journeys: Insights from Class Discussion

• Humbling: Wilderness experiences often quickly humble individuals, forcing them to confront hardships and seek divine assistance.
• "Tough Love": God uses these difficult journeys as a form of "tough love" for character development.
• Obedience and Character Revelation: Such arduous tasks are not undertaken for pleasure but out of obedience to God. They reveal one's true character and nature, much like Abraham's test, which taught Abraham something about himself that God already knew.
• Preparation for the Destination: The journey itself serves as a probationary period, refining and preparing individuals for the responsibilities and blessings associated with their destination. Without this preparation, they would not be ready to inherit the promised land.

Our Modern-Day Spiritual Wilderness Journey

• Exodus from Spiritual Babylon: Doctrine and Covenants $133$ instructs Latter-day Saints to "Go ye out from among the nations, even from Babylon, from the midst of wickedness," symbolizing a spiritual departure from the world's evils. This journey should not be in haste, and one should not look back.
• Destination: New Jerusalem (Zion): Jesus Christ, speaking to the Gentiles in the Book of Mormon, reveals that the ultimate destination is building "a city, which shall be called the New Jerusalem," or "Zion." Zion represents a people pure in heart, living with "one heart and one mind," capable of having Jesus Christ in their midst.
• President Nelson's Call: The prophet urges members to become a "righteous people" who are "able, ready, and worthy to receive the Lord when he comes again," emphasizing that this journey is equally relevant to contemporary Saints.
• The Role of Our Leader: President Nelson can be seen as a modern-day Lehi, guiding the Church through a spiritual wilderness towards this divine destination.

The Personal Wilderness

• Definition: Each individual has a "personal wilderness" — a unique set of challenges, difficulties, and situations where one is forced to rely solely on God.
• Examples Shared:
  • Missionary Service (Germany): A new missionary had to train a companion and lead an area immediately after training, despite language barriers and feelings of inadequacy, compelling complete reliance on God.
  • Graduate Studies (Israel): Being in Israel when a war erupted, the individual felt a divine confirmation to stay and complete studies amidst the conflict, necessitating profound trust in God for provision and safety.
• Significance: These personal wildernesses are designed by God to prepare individuals for "great things" and ultimately for Zion. It is crucial to persevere and trust in the Lord's provision, even when circumstances are harsh.

The Liahona: A Tool for the Wilderness

• Function: The Liahona provided specific directions and writing that appeared according to their faith, guiding Lehi's family to the "fertile parts of the wilderness," signifying optimal paths and timing.
• Our Spiritual Liahona: In our personal wilderness, God provides guidance through:
  • The Holy Ghost
  • Parents and family members
  • Church leaders, including the prophet and local bishops
• President Nelson's Example: Similar to Lehi, President Nelson, as a prophet, receives and provides divine direction for the Church, such as the "home-centered, church-supported" initiative, guiding members through the spiritual wilderness to more fertile, righteous paths.

Contrasting Laman and Lemuel with Nephi

• Similar Experiences, Different Reactions: Laman and Lemuel and Nephi endured the exact same trials and circumstances, yet their responses differed dramatically.
• Laman and Lemuel's Perspective (Attributes): Described as slothful, prideful, fearful, complaining, lacking faith, and "hangry" (prone to anger when hungry).
  • Modern Translation of Complaints: Their perspective can be likened to modern complaints within the Church:
    • Church leaders are flawed, and their goals/expectations are unrealistic.
    • The Church has peaked, rendering further effort pointless; life is satisfactory without rigorous effort.
    • Happiness is found in temporal pleasures and avoiding suffering; God and His Church demand too much hardship.
    • Material possessions bring joy; covenants strip away happiness.
    • Worldly people are righteous, and those who preach otherwise are judgmental.
    • Following the prophet is a burden rather than a blessing.
• Nephi's Perspective (Attributes): Described as humbled, diligent, faithful, patient, and obedient.
• Core Difference: President Russell M. Nelson taught that "joy has very little to do with the circumstances of our lives and everything to do with the focus." Nephi's focus was consistently on Jesus Christ, while Laman and Lemuel's focus was on their circumstances and the world.

Cycles of Faith and Forgetting God

• Laman and Lemuel's Cycle (Forgetting God):

  • Focus on the world: Their attention was fixed on worldly possessions and what they had lost (e.g., their inheritance in Jerusalem).
  • Stuck in the past: This focus led them to constantly dwell on past comforts and lament their current situation.
  • Miss the present, doubt Christ: Consequently, they failed to recognize God's hand in their current circumstances and continually doubted Jehovah.
  • Fear the future: Every obstacle was met with fear and doubt because they could not perceive God's present guidance.

• Nephi's Cycle (Believing God):

  • Focus on Jesus Christ/God: Nephi consistently centered his thoughts and efforts on the Lord.
  • See the present (Reflection): He diligently observed God's actions in his life, pondering and reflecting on his experiences (e.g., praying for a vision after Lehi's dream). He recognized that learning comes not just from experiences, but from reflecting upon them.
  • Believe in Christ: This led him to not only believe in Christ but to believe that Christ's power and promises applied directly to him, just as they did to figures like Moses.
  • Press forward with faith: With this belief, he was empowered to "press forward with faith," confident that Jesus Christ would fulfill His promises and be with him.

Conclusion

• As we navigate our personal wildernesses, by emulating Nephi's pattern of focusing on Jesus Christ, reflecting on His influence in our lives, and believing fully in Him and His promises, we will be enabled to endure and grow. There is no distinction in God's power and willingness to act for each of us.