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LESSON #1 KEEP YOUR EYE ON THE BALL (1 NEPHI 16/ALMA 37)
OBJECT
For an object, I would bring in a compass and set it at the front of my class. If you don’t have a compass and would like to purchase one on Amazon, I put a link to an inexpensive one in the video description. https://amzn.to/48TkGRm
ICEBREAKER
Then, for an icebreaker, I’d tell two stories. The first . . . Geraldine Largey was hiking through deep, thick woods on the Appalachian trail in 2013 when she went off the trail a little way to use the bathroom and got turned around and couldn’t find her way back to the trail. She wandered for a time looking to get back but eventually realized that she was lost. She decided to stop, set up camp, and wait to be rescued. She survived for about a month on her own until she died of starvation and exposure. Her campsite wasn’t found for a couple of years. But when it was, it was discovered less than a mile from the trail. She had no compass with her. If she had, and a knowledge of how to use it, she could have simply moved in the direction that she knew she had left the trail from and instead of dying would have been back on her way within minutes.
Now a different story. During World War II, the supply ship SS Alcoa Guide was on its way to Guadalupe island in the Caribbean when it was attacked and sunk by a German U-Boat. While floating in a lifeboat on the open sea, junior engineer Walter Semenov had a compass a knew how to use it. He and the other survivors with him, sailed the small boat in the direction they knew that the shipping lanes were. Subsequently, they were rescued within three days of the attack and survived.
So, these two stories illustrate how a small, unassuming object can make the difference between life and death. Having a means of orienting yourself and keeping yourself traveling in the right direction can be essential to safety and survival. It keeps us from getting lost. Now sadly, spiritually speaking, much of our world IS lost. Many have lost their moral bearings and are being “tossed to and fro by every wind of doctrine”.
QUOTE
M. Russell Ballard made the following observation about our modern society. He said:
“Being lost can apply to whole societies as well as to individuals. Today we live in a time when much of this world has lost its way, particularly with regard to values and priorities . . .”
M. Russell Ballard
(Conference Report, April 2012)
Have you ever felt lost? Have the competing voices and opinions and philosophies of men pulled you in various directions? If you’ve ever felt that way, then 1 Nephi chapter 16, with a little help from Alma 37 can make a big difference in helping you find your way.
We all know that 1 Nephi is about a group of people making a journey through the wilderness. And in his infinite mercy and wisdom, God provided THEM with guidance. And that guidance came in the form of a small but very special sacred object called the Liahona. Now it’s not called the Liahona in 1 Nephi, it’s referred to as “the ball”. We don’t hear it called the Liahona until Alma 37 where Alma tells us what the word actually means. Liahona, in Nephite, means compass. The Lord gave them a compass.
VIDEO
If you wish to help your students visualize what the Liahona was like and how Lehi and his family used it, you could show the Book of Mormon video entitled “The Lord provides the Liahona”. As they watch, have them look for how the Liahona helped Lehi and his family.
SEARCH ACTIVITY-THINKING MAP
An activity that I like to do with the story of the Liahona is to have my class members look for and mark every description they can find of the Liahona in their scriptures—what it looked like, what it did, how it worked, and make a giant list of all those details. To help streamline that study, I use the following handout to guide them to the verses where we find these descriptions. If you feel like having your students fill out the entire handout on their own may take too much time, you can put your students into partnerships and have one partner find the descriptions in 1 Nephi 16, and the other find the ones in Alma 37, and then they can share their answers with each other.
But if you do this activity, here is what you are likely to find
• 1 Nephi 16
o :10 In front of the tent door
o :10 Round ball
o :10 Of curious workmanship
o :10 fine brass
o :10 two spindles, one points the way to go
o :16 Gave them directions.
o :16 Led them to the more fertile parts of the wilderness
o :28 work according to the faith, diligence, and heed we give unto them
o :29 Writing on them is plain to be read
o :29 Gave understanding concerning the ways of the Lord.
o :29 Changed from time to time.
o :29 It was a small thing that brought to pass great things.
o :30-31 Showed them where to obtain food
• Alma 37
o :38 a compass
o :38 The lord prepared it
o :39 showed them their course through the wilderness
o :40 worked according to their faith in God.
o :40 It was the source of miracles
o :41 When they were lazy and unbelieving, then the ball stopped working, and they didn’t see any more marvelous works, and they did not progress on their journey.
o :42 Not following it caused them to tarry, not travel in a direct course, and were afflicted.
o :43 They did not prosper when they ignored it.
Now here’s the cool part. The Liahona was never meant to be a mere tool to help Lehi and his family to get to the promised land. God also intended it to be a symbol and a metaphor. An ancient object lesson, if you will, to teach them and us an important lesson. And we know that this was God’s intention because of what Alma tells us in Alma 37:43-46.
SEARCH QUESTIONS
I would then read these verses out loud as a teacher to my class, and invite them to look for the answers to the following questions as you read.
1. Can you find the two words that Alma uses that mean the same thing as “ symbol” or “ metaphor” in these verses?
2. (This is a LIKEN THE SCRIPTURES type question) What does Alma compare the Liahona to? What it is a symbol for?
3. What promises does Alma make to those who follow this “Liahona”?
43 And now, my son, I would that ye should understand that these things are not without a shadow; for as our fathers were slothful to give heed to this compass (now these things were temporal) they did not prosper; even so it is with things which are spiritual.
44 For behold, it is as easy to give heed to the word of Christ, which will point to you a straight course to eternal bliss, as it was for our fathers to give heed to this compass, which would point unto them a straight course to the promised land.
45 And now I say, is there not a type in this thing? For just as surely as this director did bring our fathers, by following its course, to the promised land, shall the words of Christ, if we follow their course, carry us beyond this vale of sorrow into a far better land of promise.
46 O my son, do not let us be slothful because of the easiness of the way; for so was it with our fathers; for so was it prepared for them, that if they would look they might live; even so it is with us. The way is prepared, and if we will look we may live forever.
1 Answer: In vs 43 He says, "these things are not without a shadow.” And in vs. 45 he asks, “is there not a type in these things”. Shadow, type, symbol, metaphor, all the same idea.
2: Answer: So what is the Liahona a symbol for? It’s the word of Christ. Now the word of Christ is manifested by any number of things. It represents anything from God or Christ that helps guide or direct us. So, it’s the scriptures, the teachings of the living prophets, the promptings of the Holy Ghost, the counsels of local church leaders, the seminary and institute program, patriarchal blessings. The Liahona can be a representation of all of these things, and they act as OUR compass that leads us through the wilderness of life to OUR promised land.
3:Answer: The promises then? From verse 43 the suggestion is that we WILL prosper if we’re not slothful to give heed to them. The word of Christ will point us in a straight course to eternal bliss, to our promised land. They will bring us ever closer to a far better promised land beyond this vale of sorrow. And If we but look to them, we will live and live forever. The Liahona is a potent symbol for the power of the words of Christ to guide, protect, and bless us.
So now is the fun part. Let’s go back to our Liahona chart and substitute “The Liahona” with “The Words of Christ” and ask:
Q: How do the “words of Christ” fit each of these descriptions?
And now you just pick whichever ones you want and think of how they match that description. It’s really fun! I love the insights I’ve gathered over the years from my students and you’re sure to hear even more from yours.
Here are some of my favorites.
• :10 In front of the tent door
• The words of Christ are right in front of us, and we don’t have to go far to find them. They are easy to get our hands on. The scriptures and decade’s worth of general conference and the Church magazines and church manuals are probably right in the palm of your hand, on your phone. It doesn’t take much to get a patriarchal blessing, just a quick phone call to set up an interview with your bishop, and before you know it, you will be sitting under the hands of a divinely inspired patriarch. And the Holy Ghost is our constant companion if we’ve received the gift of it. So let’s be careful not to be slothful because of the easiness of the way, as Alma warns us.
• :10 Round ball.
• I’m not as sure about this one, but the circle is usually symbolic of eternity. The words of Christ remind us that the course of the Lord is one eternal round (1 Nephi 10:19)
• :10 Of curious workmanship
• This phrase tells us that the Liahona was obviously not man made. Just like the words of Christ. They aren’t from men or from the mind of men, but from God.
• :10 fine brass
• Well made, beautiful, shiny, solid. The words of Christ are sound and beautiful. They reflect God’s light, and are precious, of great worth.
• :10 two spindles, one pointed the way to go.
• And I had to really think about this one, if there were two spindles, where did the other one point? My theory. It pointed true North, like Alma tells us, it was a compass. A compass points North, which is helpful in keeping our bearings, but how nice for Lehi and his family that not only did it tell them where North was, but how they should travel in relation to North. What a cool symbol for the words of Christ. To me, the true North spindle is a lot like the scriptures. They establish the eternal, unchanging, basic doctrines of the gospel. They apply to all times and all peoples. But the words of the living prophets and the promptings of the Holy Ghost are like that second spindle that help us to navigate our current times and personal lives in accordance with those principles. They help us keep our spiritual bearings and how to travel through the wilderness of life in relation to them. That’s just an opinion of course, but that symbolism makes sense to me.
• :16 Gave them directions.
• They give us directions.
• :16 Led them to the more fertile parts of the wilderness
• They lead us to the more fertile parts of the wilderness. How nice. Life is still a wilderness for all of us, but some portions of that wilderness are better than others. The words of Christ will keep us in those areas.
• :28 work according to the faith, diligence, and heed we give unto them-Not everybody will find the intended value of the scriptures.
• They only work under certain circumstances. Faith-if we don’t believe that they can help us, they won’t. Diligence-if we aren’t diligent in studying them, they won’t do us any good, and if we don’t give heed to what they teach, or apply their lessons to our lives. Then they become ineffective. The scriptures become just a nice book of stories. The teachings of the prophets just some nice recommendations from a group of old men. And the promptings of the Spirit just an annoying prick of the conscience. But if we give heed to them, they will lead our lives in the right direction.
• :29 Writing on them is plain to be read
• The words of Christ plainly teach us the truths of the Gospel. Especially the words of the living prophets. They speak plainly and audibly and unmistakably to us. They’re familiar with our current times and language and issues. Though recognizing the messages of the scriptures and the promptings of the Holy Ghost can take time and practice to develop, the words of the living prophets are plain and straightforward.
• :29 Gave understanding concerning the ways of the Lord.
• Give us understanding
• :29 Changed from time to time.
• I like this one. Certain verses and stories and general conference talks can mean one thing to me at one point in my life and then teach me completely different things at another. Their meanings change depending on our circumstances and position at the time. They are meant to guide us for a lifetime.
• :29 It was a small thing that brought to pass great things.
• The scriptures, the prophets, the Holy Ghost, may seem like small things. But boy do they ever make a difference when used the right way.
• :30-31 Showed them where to obtain food.
• The words of Christ spiritually feed. Later in 2 Nephi we’re going to be instructed to feast upon the words of Christ
• Now to the descriptions in Alma 37
• :38 a compass.
• Which we’ve already discussed
• :38 The lord prepared it.
• Again, curious workmanship, the Lord prepared these things, not man.
• :39 showed them their course through the wilderness.
• They show us our course through the wilderness.
• :40 worked according to their faith in God.
• They only work according to our faith.
• :40 It was the source of miracles.
• And if we do have faith, these things will have a miraculous impact on our lives.
• :41 When they were lazy and unbelieving, then the ball stopped working, and they didn’t see any more marvelous works, and they did not progress on their journey.
• But there are consequences when we don’t use them the right way. When we’re lazy or unbelieving, we won’t see marvelous works that can come from them, and we'll get lost on our journey
• :42 Not following it caused them to tarry, not travel in a direct course, and were afflicted.
• We will stall and tarry in our progress, and we'll run to and fro wondering what we should do. We'll find ourselves afflicted by the dangers and the dreariness of the wilderness.
• :43 They did not prosper when they ignored it.
• And we won’t prosper spiritually.
Isn’t that cool? Gosh, I love symbolism.
TRUTH
The words of Christ are like a compass. If we give heed to their direction, they will lead us in a straight course to eternal bliss.
TAKING IT TO HEART
To take these teachings to heart, a question: When have you seen the words of Christ fit one of these descriptions in your life? And How?
THE TAKEAWAY
I think that one of the best symbols for life that we find in the scriptures is wilderness. Life is like a wilderness, and it’s easy to get lost in the wilderness when you don’t have the proper tools and knowledge. Lucky for us, God has provided us with a compass—the words of Christ. The words of Christ have been my guide, my compass, my Celestial GPS. I admit that there have been times in my life where I have felt lost, and the words of Christ have guided me through rocky terrain of trial, and the thick overgrowth of doubt. For me, the scriptures have been one of the most helpful Liahona’s that I’ve received guidance from. I remember feeling lost as a teenager, and 2 Nephi 31 showed me the way to go. I remember feeling lost as a missionary, and Jacob 5 showed me the way to go. I remember feeling lost as a parent, and Enos showed me the way to go. And I remember feeling lost as new bishop, and Mosiah 2 showed me the way to go. The words of Christ can tell us all things what we should do. They are our compass. So my advice? Just like your little league coach used to say: Keep your eye on the ball. Keep your eye on the Liahona.
LESSON #2 THE BOW (1 NEPHI 16)
Now the second B. The Bow. I love this story
OBJECT
For an object, I might bring in a bow and arrow if you have access to one. If not, then the icebreaker can serve as an object lesson.
ICEBREAKER
And what you need is a transparent jar of dry beans or popcorn kernels and a ping pong ball. Here’s a picture of the one I use. I have a big one, but it still works just fine with a smaller mason jar if you like. I start by showing them the ping pong ball and saying that this represents them. Then you place it in the jar, screw the lid on and say: Have you ever felt like life did this to you? And then I turn the jar upside down and thump it down on the table. Everyone will nod in agreement. Then I ask: Have you ever felt like everything came crashing down around you? Like the weight of the world landed on your shoulders. Have you ever had a day like that? A week? A year? Well, what should we do when we feel buried by life’s problems, challenges, and misfortunes? 1 Nephi 16 is going to help us. Then I leave the jar on the table upside down and tell them we’ll come back to it later in the lesson.
Well Nephi is going to help us to know what we can do in situations like this. While his family is traveling in the wilderness, they’re going to face a huge problem. Can you find what it is in 1 Nephi 16:18-19? And you guessed it. Nephi’s bow breaks. Which means the family has no way to obtain food, that’s kind of a problem, and this causes them to become “much fatigued” and they begin to “suffer much for the want of food”. Have you ever been in similar circumstances? Has something tragic ever befallen you? Have you ever felt much fatigued? Fatigued by life, fatigued by your hardships, fatigued by your unanswered questions? Or have you suffered? Physically, mentally, spiritually? Have you ever been in want? Financial want, emotional want, the want that stems from unfulfilled desires or longings, blessings that others seem to be enjoying, but you have been deprived? Here, Nephi is going to teach us what to do "when the bow breaks", so to speak. And the rest of his family is going to teach us what not to do when the bow breaks.
SEARCH ACTIVITY-
We’re going to observe two reactions to fatiguing, suffering, wanting, kinds of problems. And here, as a teacher, I would pair up my students into groups of two. Together they are going to read 1 Nephi chapter 16 verses 18-24, and then 30-32. And they’re just going to take turns going back and forth reading those verses. But you’re going to want to encourage them to read slowly and perhaps even with a colored pencil in their hands, or on their phones, being ready to digitally highlight some things. Whoever is the taller of the two in the pair, as they read the verses, are going to be looking for and marking all the words and phrases that describe how the family reacts to the broken bow. Whoever is the shorter of the two is going to look for and mark all the words and phrases that describe how Nephi reacts to the broken bow.
And both groups are going to consider the following: Did their reaction help?
Now we won’t read the entire story here together, but I encourage to looking for those two reactions and their results.
Family’s Reaction
And if you did, you may have marked for the family’s reaction.
:18 they got angry
:20 they “murmur exceedingly,” and that word murmur shows up two more times in that verse. That’s a lot of murmuring
:20 they became exceedingly sorrowful
:22 they hardened their hearts
:22 and they were found to be complaining against the Lord their God.
And did that reaction help the situation at all? Did it make a difference in solving the problem? Uh, nope. That reaction had no bearing on what eventually is going to solves their problem right?
Nephi’s Reaction
What about Nephi though? What did he do?
He didn’t complain, he didn’t get angry, he didn’t harden his heart. No, instead . . .
Verse :23 did make out of wood a bow, and out of a straight stick, an arrow.
Then he goes to his father and has him
:24 inquire of the Lord where he should go to obtain food.
And did this reaction help the situation? YES! That’s what actually solves the problem. Nephi’s faith and resourcefulness resolves their plight and they’re fed.
LIKEN THE SCRIPTURES
So what does this situation teach us about facing life’s challenges?
Here’s what it teaches me.
When things go wrong, anger, complaining, exceeding sorrow, and hardening my heart does me absolutely no good. It’s a complete waste of my energies. Yes, it might feel good and self-satisfying to throw ourselves a little pity party, and cry “Wo is me,” and get angry at God and the world. But does that help? No. It doesn’t. It’s not even so much bad as useless.
Nephi shows us a better way. Instead of complaining, he gets to work. He’s proactive. He recognizes his own power to resolve his problems. He looks around and asks, “Is there anything that I can control here? I can’t control what happens to me, I can’t control the way others react. I can’t control the past, the fact that my bow is broken. It happened, can’t go back and take it away. But what can I control? I can control how I react to this problem. I can control my attitude. I can do something to try and fix it. Maybe it will work, maybe it won’t, but I’m going to try. I’ll try making my own bow and arrow. Perhaps that will work. But at least I’m acting.
But notice, that’s not all Nephi does. The solutions to our problems are not always going to come solely by our own efforts and dogged determination. They help and are a big part of the equation. But notice that Nephi includes somebody in his solution. God. He goes to the source of all truth and inquires of the Lord for help. We’re not expected to face our afflictions alone. God is there to help us also. These two efforts combined are far more powerful than either is alone. A two-pronged attack on adversity, proactivity, and prayer.
QUOTE
It reminds me of this quote attributed to Saint Ignatius . “Pray as if everything depends on God, work as if everything depends on you”.
TRUTH
When life breaks my bow, proactivity and prayer are far more effective than fury and fussing.
AN ADDITIONAL EXAMPLE
I’d like to include here another brief insight from this chapter. Later in vs. 34-36 we have another problem arise. Ishmael dies. And how do they react? Now it says that they begin to mourn. Which is a completely normal and appropriate reaction to this situation. But notice what they do next. They begin to murmur against Lehi. And they begin to list their sufferings. They say, “Our father is dead”, that’s the present challenge, but they don’t stop there. “And we have wandered much in the wilderness, and we have suffered much affliction, hunger, thirst, and fatigue”. So there they add all their past problems as well. But they don’t stop at that, “ and after all these sufferings we must perish in the wilderness with hunger”. So now what do they add? Future problems! They project future problems and suffering as well. So now their suffering past, present, and future problems all at once. Have you ever done something like this? I think it’s quite common for us to react to problems this way. So a student fails a test, and they say, “I failed this test, and think of all the tests I’ve failed in the past, and I’m always going to fail, no matter what I do.” Or we have a tough month financially, and we say, “We don’ have enough money to pay all the bills this month, and think of all the financial problems we’ve had in the past, and we’re always going to struggle financially no matter what we do.” Or you struggle with an addiction, and you relapse, and you say, “I’ve messed up again, I always mess up, and I’m always going to mess up, I’ll never get over this.” I call this reaction “compounding the crisis.” And what this approach often leads to is what we see in vs. 36. They desire to return to Jerusalem. They want to give up. Compounding the crisis tempts us to resign ourselves to failure. We lose vision and hope. We don’t want to try anymore. We give up on our goals, give up on our calling, give up on our marriage, give up on our faith, and it may even lead some to one of the most tragic forms of giving up, taking their own life. I believe that God always gives us sufficient strength to face our present problems. But when we add our past trials and project future ones, maybe he looks down at us and says, “You’re carrying a burden I never intended you to carry.” When we do, are we surprised to discover that we feel overwhelmed and hopeless? Therefore, we could also add to our truth . . .When life breaks your bow, don’t compound the crisis. Face your present problems, not past and future ones.
OBJECT LESSON
So back to our object lesson. What should we do when the world crashes down around us? What did Nephi just teach us? Is there a way out of these situations? Because right now I Ping Pong ball looks pretty hopeless. Proactivity and prayer. Work, and pray, work, and pray. And as I say those words, I pick up the upside-down jar and shake it up and down. And this is so cool. What eventually happens is the ping pong ball is going to rise to the top of the jar. And I like to make the point, that if you take the Nephi approach, you’ll always come out on top of your problems.
QUOTE
Reminds me of one of my favorite quotes from Joseph Smith. A man who definitely understood something about fatigue, want, and suffering.
"If I were sunk in the lowest pit of Nova Scotia, with the Rocky Mountains piled on me, I would hang on, exercise faith, and keep up good courage, and I would come out on top." Joseph Smith Jr. (George A. Smith Family, comp. Zora Smith Jarvis [Provo, Utah: Brigham Young University Press, C1962], p. 54.)
I WILL GO AND DO
How could you apply Nephi’s attitude to one of your present problems? Is there anything within your control that you could do to “build your own bow?” And how might you include the Lord in dealing with your challenge.
THE TAKEAWAY
You know, personally, this has been such helpful lesson. When life has “broken my bow”, I’ve often thought to myself, “How would Nephi handle this?” And usually that gives me some pretty helpful insight. So, when life conspires to bury us, let’s not just wallow in the pit of self-pity or abandon ourselves to anguish. Instead, we can be Nephi’s! We can rely on God's guidance and our own gumption. On God's insight and our own ingenuity. And when we do this, I’m confident that we will eventually end up on top of our problems. So, when life breaks your bow, make a new one, and inquire of the Lord for help. I’m fairly confident that when we approach our problems like this, we will obtain the food we need once again.
LESSON #3-DON’T ABANDON SHIP (1 NEPHI 17-18)
ICEBREAKER-THE BOAT
The third and final B. The Boat. And I’m going to be slightly more brief on this one. I feel that a lot of the principles this story teaches were covered in my Rewards and Rebukes activity back in the 1 Nephi 1-7 video. But perhaps a quick idea. For an icebreaker, before the lesson and without them knowing, I like to take a dollar bill and place it between pages 6 and 7 of my class members scriptures. Then when class begins, I call on that student to come forward with only their scriptures. Then I tell them that I want them to give me a dollar. They’ll look confused and perhaps say that they can’t. But I stay persistent and say, no, I believe in you, I know you can give me a dollar. When they express that they still can’t do it, I ask them to read 1 Nephi 3:7 and try again. When they open to that page, they will find the dollar. And when they give it to you, have them read the verse:
7 And it came to pass that I, Nephi, said unto my father: I will go and do the things which the Lord hath commanded, for I know that the Lord giveth no commandments unto the children of men, save he shall prepare a way for them that they may accomplish the thing which he commandeth them.
Then I ask. I told you, you could do it. But how were able to do what I asked you? More than likely everybody will realize that you put the dollar in their book to begin with. To which I respond. That’s right. I prepared the way for you to accomplish it. Therefore I knew you could do it.
The Lord did the same kind of thing with Nephi. Remember how he asked him to get the brass plates. Nephi didn’t know exactly how he was going to do that, but God did, and he provided a way. He always does. If God asks us to do something, it’s because he already knows that we can do it, even if it seems impossible. He prepares the way!
And here in 1 Nephi 17, what incredibly difficult thing did God ask Nephi to do? It’s right here in verse 8. He asks him to build a boat.
OBJECT
Have you ever built a boat? And at this point, this is where our object for the lesson is going to come into play. I look at my students and with great confidence and pride I tell them that I actually have built a boat before and if they want to see it. And then I pull out a boat that I’ve made out of Legos, and they all groan. And I tell them that this is the extent of my ship building knowledge. And it was hard enough for me to put this little thing together. And I had the instructions. (And I pull out the Lego instruction pamphlet at that point). I had a picture of what it was supposed to look like from the very start. Nephi didn’t have that. He didn’t have the step-by-step instruction booklet to help him out. So, can you imagine building an actual boat that you were going to put your family in, your children, and push off from the shore into the great deep? This is not hollowing out a log to float across the lake. He’s asking him to build a ship big enough to fit multiple families, with enough provisions to make a lengthy journey across an ocean. I’ve heard some teachers say that it would be akin to God asking us to build a rocket ship to move our families to the moon. I’m not sure that analogy is necessary. It would be like God asking us to build a boat to cross the ocean. We would struggle just as much with that instruction nowadays. We wouldn’t even know where to begin. Now you may not have a Lego boat in your home so this idea may not work for you. We have an obscene amount of Legos that we’ve accumulated over the years. However, if you do like this idea and would like to purchase a Lego Boat, I’ll place a link in the video description below for some relatively inexpensive ones you could get on Amazon.
But I think it just helps to put this command into perspective. This is a huge thing to ask of Nephi. Maybe we can understand where Laman and Lemuel are coming from when they doubt Nephi’s ability.
LIKEN THE SCRIPTURES
And here, to help us liken the scriptures, I like to make the point that God will sometimes give us “Build a Boat” commandments or challenges in life. Things that we may feel are impossible for us to do. Huge requests from the heavens. So what is one of your “Build-a-Boat” commandments? Something that God has asked of you that you find incredibly difficult to obey or do or endure. Or something you may even feel is impossible.
And to illustrate this, let me give you some examples of “Build a Boat” type requests. Maybe one of these things applies to you.
Overcome an addiction
Change your lifestyle
Go through the repentance process after making serious errors
Conquer fear
Learn to control your thoughts
Fulfill a difficult calling
Consecrate all that you have to God
Forgive the unforgiveable
Love the unlovable
Raise a righteous family in an unrighteous environment
Endure crushing disappointment
Rise from an oppressive, abusive background
Live chaste in an immoral world
And maybe one of the biggest ones from our Savior:
Be even as I am
Can you relate to any of those? If you can, then I feel Nephi can teach us something here
SEARCH ACTIVITY: HANDOUT
I have a handout that I give my students at this point with a picture of a boat on it and I invite them to write their “Build a Boat” commandment on that boat and to keep that thing in mind for the rest of the lesson. Then I invite them to study the following references with the challenge to find as many truths about “Build a Boat” commandments as they can. Now tell them that if they’re struggling to see something in one of these references to not get too worried about it. Just skip it and move on to the next one. But I feel these references have some significant things to teach us about the difficult things God asks us to do.
1 Nephi 17:9-10
1 Nephi 17:13-14
1 Nephi 17:50-51
1 Nephi 18:1
1 Nephi 18:3
1 Nephi 18:4
17:9-10
9 And I said: Lord, whither shall I go that I may find ore to molten, that I may make tools to construct the ship after the manner which thou hast shown unto me?
10 And it came to pass that the Lord told me whither I should go to find ore, that I might make tools.
What does that tell you about Nephi’s approach to difficult commands?
To me that says that Nephi has no doubt that he is capable of doing this. He’s not questioning why, or how, or what the plans are. He’s already starting to figure things out. It’s another great example of the "proactivity and prayer" approach we saw with the broken bow. He thinks, Ok, I’m building a ship, to build a ship I need tools, to make tools, I need ore. But I don’t know where to find it. Lord, I need your help on that one. Where can I go to find ore?
So, When God asks us to “Build a Boat, get to work on what you can do, then seek God’s help on what you can’t.
1 Nephi 17:13-14
13 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.
14 Yea, and the Lord said also that: After ye have arrived in the promised land, ye shall know that I, the Lord, am God; and that I, the Lord, did deliver you from destruction; yea, that I did bring you out of the land of Jerusalem.
I believe it’s important for us to understand where the strength we have to accomplish impossible things comes from. It comes from Christ. It’s not just a “you had potential within you that you just didn’t realize” kind of message. When it comes to certain commandments, our conclusion that “we can’t do it” is completely accurate. We’re right. We, on our own, can’t do it. But with God, with the strength and knowledge that Christ gives, we can. Let’s not forget the source of our strength. The message of this chapter isn’t just an empty “motivational poster” type lesson. You know “You can do hard things if you just put your mind to it.” That’s not the message of this. It’s so much more. You can do hard things if you put your mind to it, as long as you turn to CHRIST for strength. Tap into HIS power. Paul’s words come to mind here. “I can do all things” but he doesn’t stop there, there’s no period after that phrase. If there were, it would feel like the “corporate America, motivational speaker, self-help” kind of sentiment. No, Paul says “I can do all things THROUGH CHRIST which strengtheneth me”. The story of Nephi building the boat is an embodiment of that verse.
17:50-51
50 And I said unto them: If God had commanded me to do all things I could do them. If he should command me that I should say unto this water, be thou earth, it should be earth; and if I should say it, it would be done.
51 And now, 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?
The truth this teaches me? When God asks you to build a boat, remember that with God’s help and approval, you can accomplish the impossible. If God asks you to do something, inherent in the command is the ability to do it. Whom God calls, God qualifies. And another quick thought on this. Those verses follow a long “sermon” given by Nephi from verses 23-49 in response to Laman and Lemuel’s complaining and refusal to work. I call it Nephi’s MOSES sermon. In those verses he gives example after example of incredibly difficult and miraculous things that Moses and the children of Israel saw and did during the Exodus. So do you see what Nephi’s doing there? It’s a perfect example of what he says in 1 Nephi 19:23 which is a part of this week’s study. One of my favorite verses on scripture study.
23 And I did read many things unto them which were written in the books of Moses; but that I might more fully persuade them to believe in the Lord their Redeemer I did read unto them that which was written by the prophet Isaiah; for I did liken all scriptures unto us, that it might be for our profit and learning.
Nephi practices what he preaches. The scriptures were a great source of strength and faith for him. That whole sermon is an example of “liken the scriptures”. That’s the source of his ability to say “if the Lord has such great power” to work those kinds of miracles for THEM, if he can part seas, and rain bread from heaven, and draw water from solid rock, then why can’t he help ME to build a boat. That’s one of the greatest blessings the scriptures provide for us and a big part of the reason why we’re asked to study them daily. We’re invited to liken them to ourselves, and they give us strength.
18:1
1 And it came to pass that they did worship the Lord, and did go forth with me; and we did work timbers of curious workmanship. And the Lord did show me from time to time after what manner I should work the timbers of the ship.
The phrase “the Lord did show me from time to time” stands out to me. God did not give Nephi all the instructions at once. I mean, approach this from a carpenters standpoint. You don’t even start cutting until you have a complete plan. You want to know the end from the beginning. But that’s not how God always works with us. As you seek to “build your boats” remember that the instructions will come from time to time. Little by little. You’re going to have to walk and work by faith. He will guide you step by step. Go back to our Lego boat here. It’s not like Nephi had a little instruction pamphlet to go from. He had to have faith every step of the way.
18:3
3 And I, Nephi, did go into the mount oft, and I did pray oft unto the Lord; wherefore the Lord showed unto me great things.
Great things come when we pray oft. Don’t expect to get your answers all at once. We must pray always if we wish to build our boats.
18:4
4 And it came to pass that after I had finished the ship, according to the word of the Lord, my brethren beheld that it was good, and that the workmanship thereof was exceedingly fine; wherefore, they did humble themselves again before the Lord.
If we have the faith to build our boats, to endure to the end of the commandment, then the result will be good, and exceedingly fine.
TAKING IT TO HEART
To take this lesson more to heart. Does anyone have experience with any of these principles. Have any of these truths helped you with your own “Build a Boat” commandments? How?
One of my “build a boat” commandments was to serve a mission even though I was an incredibly shy and unconfident teenager. But I put my trust in God and had a willingness to obey, I got to work, and I prayed oft, and with that, he was able to accomplish what I thought was impossible. To make a missionary, out of me. My mission changed me, my very nature. So much so that I even became a seminary teacher eventually. I mean, if you had told me as a teenager that my future career was going to involve getting up in front of large groups of people and talking, I would have told you, you were crazy. That’s not me, that’s impossible. But with God’s help, I accomplished something that I felt was impossible. But God knew otherwise. He prepared a way. And I built a boat.
So as an exercise of faith, I want you to take your build a boat challenge and write it in one more place on this handout. I want you to substitute your "build a boat” phrase into vs. 51. Write it in the blank and repeat it in your mind. I think you’ll find it has power. So for example, I might say . . .
51 And now, 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 _______________ and fill in the blank with your command. How is it that he cannot instruct me, that I should serve a mission, that I should forgive my enemy, that I should overcome my addiction, that I should fulfill that calling, that I should become like Christ.
I WILL GO AND DO
Therefore, 1 Nephi 17:3
3 And thus we see that the commandments of God must be fulfilled. And 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; . . .
And with that verse in mind, I invite you to “GO AND DO” that thing. Get to work. Make the tools. Hit your knees. Prepare yourself for the labor.
THE TAKEAWAY
And remember that when God asks you to do the impossible, don’t abandon ship! Get to work building your boat! Put your faith and trust in a God that “prepares a way,” that “provides means”, and accomplish it you will!
CONCLUDING NOTE
Well, we’ve already taken a lot of time and there are still 4 more chapters in this section. It’s just an overwhelming week. And there are some really great things in those chapters. It actually hurts to pass them by. Honestly, if I tried to cover some more of the amazing lessons and truths in these chapters, this would be a three-hour long video. So rather than trying to race through a bunch of thoughts really quickly and poorly, like I said at the beginning of the video, I’m going to try and model good teaching and just let it go. But if you would like at least a little bit of help on those chapters. If you’re studying and you would like some of my brief thoughts there, I will include some study questions and answers in this week’s lesson plan and on my blog.
BONUS MATERIAL
1 NEPHI 19-22 POSSIBLE STUDY QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
Q: In Chapter 19, look for and mark everything you learn about scriptures and scripture study.
A:
:3 They contain plain and precious things
:3 They are given to us for wise purposes
:5 They are sacred
:5 They are kept for our knowledge
:18 They help us to remember the Lord our Redeemer
:22 They help us to know the doings of the Lord among people of old
:23 They persuade us to believe in Christ
:23 We should LIKEN the scriptures unto ourselves
:23 They give us profit and learning
:24 They give us hope
Q: In 19:7, what words describe the two ways people treat the scriptures?
A: Esteem to be of great worth, or Trample them under their feet.
Q: Which of those two best describes your relationship with the scriptures?
Q: According to 19:9, why was Christ willing to suffer so much?
A: Because of his loving kindness and his long-suffering towards the children of men. Because he loves us
1 NEPHI 20
Q: Read chapter 20 with two colored pencils. In one color, mark everything you find that describes the “PROBLEMS” the Children of Israel are having. With the other color, mark everything you find that describes the Lord’s “SOLUTIONS” to their problems.
A: Problems
:1 They swear not in truth nor in righteousness (Their covenants don’t mean anything to them. Just going through the motions)
:2 They don’t stay themselves on God (They don’t rely on God)
:4 Obstinate and stubborn.
:5-8 They won’t listen to God
Solutions
:9 Remember that God will defer his anger and give you a chance. If you will take it.
:12 Start listening to Him.
:16 Come near to Him.
:18 Hearken to his commandments for peace and righteousness
:20 Leave Babylon (the World)
Q: Ask yourself: "Do I have any of these problems myself?" and "How can I implement the solutions?"
Q: Verse 18 tells us the blessings of obedience. Why would he say that if we are obedient, our "peace will be like a river", and our "righteousness as the waves of the sea"?
A: A river flows continuously. Your peace will be continuous. Looking at a river is a peaceful experience
Righteousness as the waves. Again, a peaceful image. And they never stop. Your righteousness will continue forever.
Q: We all know that God can do great things, but what is the one thing the Lord can’t do? (20:22)
A: He can’t bring peace to the wicked. It’s against the nature of the universe.
1 NEPHI 21
Q: What does this chapter teach you about the Gathering of Israel?
A: Lots of possible answers here.
:1 The Lord has foreordained many of us to be a part of the gathering.
:2 He’s blessed us with the sword of truth, he’s protected us, and given us the power to penetrate people’s hearts.
:3 We are his servants
:9-10 We save them from the prison of ignorance and sin. We bring light to them that sit in darkness. We feed them with the gospel. We lead to the water of life.
:12 They will come from all directions. All over the world.
:20 There will be so many that there won’t be enough room for them all. Great problem to have. Stakes and wards keep dividing.
Q: What responsibilities do we have as a church according to vs. 6?
A:
Raise up the tribes of Jacob
Restore Israel
Be a light to the Gentiles
Bring salvation to the ends of the earth.
Q: How should missionary work make us feel? (21:13)
A: Joy (See Doctrine and Covenants 19:18-19)
Q: What do these verses teach us about how God feels about his children? (21:14-16)
A: He will never forsake or forget them. Like a mother. He asks can a mother forget her baby? Yes. She actually might, but not ME. I will never forget you. I have graven thee upon the palms of my hands (a reference to the crucifixion). Thy walls (of Jerusalem) are always in front of me. You are always in my sight and thoughts.
Q: What do you like most about this description of missionaries and the converts they help to save? (21:21-23)
A: He asks: Where did all these new children come from? (Converts, the Gentiles) We bring them in arms and on our shoulders. Like parents for their children. We will nurse and serve them.
Q: Now read 1 Nephi 22:1-12 to understand chapter 21 better. What did these verses add to your understanding?
1 NEPHI 22
Q: What element destroys the wicked according to 22:17? What element preserves the righteous? Why do you think that is?
A: Fire. Interesting. It both destroys and preserves. Perhaps a symbol for the law or gospel? It justifies the righteous but condemns the wicked.
Q: How should the righteous feel about the second coming? (22:22)
A: The righteous need not fear. You don’t need to be afraid of the second coming. It is a glorious event. An event to look forward to.
Q: Earlier in 1 Nephi we learned that there are only 2 churches in the last day. The Church of God, and the Church of the Devil. Can you find 5 different denominations of the church of the devil in 22:23?
The church of getting gain: The gospel of wealth and materialism. Perhaps the major religion of America?
The church of power over the flesh: The gospel of addiction. Drugs, alcohol, tobacco, gambling. Anything that seeks to gain power over the flesh.
The church of popularity. The gospel of popularity. Everybody wants to be popular and to fit in. The herd mentality. Are we too concerned about what everybody else is doing and thinks?
The church of lust: The gospel of lust. Sex sells and is everywhere in our media. Pornography, fornication, and adultery are rampant.
The church of the world: The gospel of the world. The fads, philosophies, concerns, theories, opinions, and entertainment of the world.
Q: The scriptures say that Satan will be bound during the millennium. What is it that binds him according to 22:26?
A: Our righteousness. He has no power because nobody listens to him. We don’t have to wait for the millennium for this blessing then. Be righteous and bind him now in your life!
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