LESSON PLAN FOR 1 NEPHI 16-22

Watch the YouTube video here: https://youtu.be/kWqcgpJpRto

ICEBREAKER

Discussion question.  Have you ever been lost? and What happened? 

Talk about backcountry travel and display a printed map, a compass, and maybe a GPS app on a cell phone and ask why it would be wise to bring these items on a hike.

TRANSITION

In the story of Lehi’s journey to the promised land, we have a group of people traveling through a wilderness. And in his infinite mercy and wisdom, God provided them with guidance. And that guidance came in the form of a special sacred object.

Q: Do you remember what it was called?

A: The Liahona. It’s not called the Liahona in 1 Nephi. We don’t hear it called that until Alma tells us in Alma 37, but we know what it means. Liahona, in Nephite, means compass. The Lord gave them a compass.

And here we begin to cover what I refer to as the 3 B’s of 1 Nephi. They're in chapters 16 and 17. Can you name them all?

• The BALL

• THE BOW

• And THE BOAT

THE BALL

A really great activity to do with the story of the Liahona is to have your class members look for and mark every description they can find of the Liahona. What it looked like, what it did, and how it worked, and make a giant list of all those things. (You could do this activity with the handout available for download at https://www.etsy.com/shop/TeachingWithPower)

• :10 In front of the tent door

• :10 Round ball

• :10 Of curious workmanship

• :10 Fine brass

• :10 Two spindles, one points the way to go

• :16 Gave them directions.

• :16 Led them to the more fertile parts of the wilderness

• :28 Worked according to the faith, diligence and heed we give unto them

• :29 Writing on them is plain to be read

• :29 Gave understanding concerning the ways of the Lord.

• :29 Changed from time to time.

• :29 It was a small thing that brought to pass great things.

• :30-31 Showed them where to obtain food

FROM ALMA 37

• :38 It was a compass

• :38 The Lord prepared it

• :39 Showed them their course through the wilderness

• :40 Worked according to their faith in God.

• :40 It was the source of miracles

• :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.

• :42 Not following it caused them to tarry, not travel in a direct course, and to be afflicted.

• :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 always intended it to be a symbol and a metaphor. An ancient object lesson, to teach them and us an important lesson. And we know this because of Alma 37:43-46. 

Q: And can you find the two words that Alma uses that mean the same thing as “ symbol” or “ metaphor” in these verses?

A: 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. 

Q: So what is the Liahona a symbol for? See if you can pick it out

Read Alma 37:43-46

So what’s our Liahona? The word of Christ, the scriptures. 

• The scriptures are OUR compass that leads us through the wilderness of life to OUR promised land. 

• They point me in a straight course to eternal bliss

• They bring me ever closer to a far better promised land beyond this vale of sorrow

• And If I but look to them, I will live and live forever. 

So now is the fun part. Let’s go back to our Liahona chart and substitute “The Liahona” with “The Scriptures” and ask:

Q: How do the scriptures fit each of these descriptions? 

Have students share their thoughts.

Possible Ideas:

• 10 In front of the tent door

• The scriptures are right in front of us, we don’t have to go far to find them. They are easy to get your hands on. So be careful not to get 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 scriptures remind us that the course of the Lord is one eternal round (1 Nephi 10:19)

• :10 Of curious workmanship

• This tells us that the Liahona was obviously not man-made. Just like the scriptures. They aren’t from men or from the mind of men, but from God.

• :10 fine brass

• Well made, beautiful, shiny, solid. The scriptures 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, as Alma tells us later, 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 scriptures. They help us to know the eternal, unchanging doctrines of the gospel that never change. AND they help us to navigate our 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.

• :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 you 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 just a nice book of stories. 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 writing of the scriptures plainly teach us the truths of the Gospel

• :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 can mean one thing to me and one point in my life and then teach me completely different things at another point. 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 may seem like a small thing. A primary answer. But boy do they ever make a difference when used the right way. 

• :30-31 Showed them where to obtain food.

• The scriptures can help us to know where we can be spiritually fed. We are instructed to feast on the words of Christ

• Alma 37

• :38 a compass.

• We already discussed how it’s like a compass

• :38 The Lord prepared it.

• The Lord prepared it, not man.

• :39 showed them their course through the wilderness.

• Shows 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 have faith, they 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 are lazy and unbelieving, we won’t see marvelous works 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. 

APPLY

Q: When have you seen the scriptures fit one of these descriptions in your life?  And How?

CONCLUSION

The scriptures are our compass. So my advice to you? Just like your little league coach used to say: Keep your eye on the ball. Keep your eye on your Liahona. 

Bear your testimony of the power of the scriptures in your life.

ICEBREAKER-THE BOW

Now the second B. The Bow. 

Object lesson. You need a transparent jar of dry beans or popcorn kernels and a ping pong ball.  Show them the ping pong ball and say that it 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 turn the jar upside down thump it down on the table. Everyone will nod in agreement. Then 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? What can we do when we feel buried by life’s problems, challenges, and misfortunes? Leave the jar on the table upside down and tell them you’ll come back to it later in the lesson.

TRANSITION

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 are going to face a huge problem. 

Q: Can you find what it is in 1 Nephi 16:18-19?  

A: Nephi’s bow breaks. This means the family has no way to obtain food, 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 fatigued? Or have you suffered? Have you ever been in want? 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

What we get to observe here is two reactions to the problem.  Assign half of the classroom to look at one reaction and the other half, the other. Assign them to read the following verses and answer the accompanying questions:

Group 1: 1 Nephi 16:18-22, 30-32

Find and mark all the words and phrases that describe how the family reacts to the broken bow.

Did their reaction help?

And . . .

Group 2: 1 Nephi 16:23-24, 30-32 

Find and mark all the words and phrases that describe how Nephi reacts to the broken bow.

Did his reaction help?

GROUP 1 ANSWERS

And for the first group, what did you find?

You could have marked

• :18 angry

• :20 murmur exceedingly, and that word murmur shows two more times in that verse

• :20 exceedingly sorrowful

• :22 hardened their hearts

• :22 complaining

And did their reaction help the situation at all? NO, That reaction had no bearing on what eventually solves their problem right?

GROUP 2 ANSWERS

However, what about Nephi? What did he do?

• :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 inquires of the Lord where he should go to obtain food. 

• And did this reaction help? YES! That’s what actually solves the problem. Nephi’s faith and resourcefulness resolve their plight.

Q: So what does this situation teach you about facing life’s challenges? 

Possible Answers:

When things go wrong, anger, complaining, exceeding sorrow, and hardening your heart does you absolutely no good. It’s a complete waste of your energy. Yes, it might feel good and self-satisfying to throw yourself a little pity party, and cry whoa is me, and get angry at God and the world. But does it help? It’s not even so much bad as useless. 

COMPOUNDING THE CRISIS

I’ll 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 the 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 what are they adding to their present problem? All their past problems as well. But they don’t stop there, “ 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 this? I think it’s quite common for us to react 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 you have a tough month financially, and what do you do.  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 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 want to 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 has given us sufficient strength to face our present problems. But when we add our past trials and project future ones, are we surprised to discover that we feel overwhelmed and hopeless?

PROACTIVITY AND PRAYER

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 in my circle of control here? Any possible solution that I can try?

But notice, that’s not all Nephi does. The solutions to our problems are not always going to come solely by our own efforts. He includes somebody in his solution. God. He goes to the source of all truth and inquires of the Lord for help. We are 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, will always get you closer to a resolution of your difficulties than anger and complaint. 

Saint Ignatius “Pray as if everything depends on God, work as if everything depends on you”. 

Return to the object lesson. What do we do when the world crashes down around us? Work, and pray, work and pray. And as you say those words, shake the jar up and down. What eventually will happen is the ping pong ball will rise to the top of the jar. Remind them that if you take the Nephi approach, you’ll always come out on top of your problems.

Joseph Smith quote. A man who definitely understood something about trial 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.)

CONCLUSION

When life conspires to bury you, don't just wallow in the pit of self-pity,  don't abandon yourself to your anguish. Instead, you can be a Nephi! Rely on God's guidance and your gumption. On God's insight and your own ingenuity, and I’m confident you will end up on top of your problems. So, when life breaks your bow, make a new one, and then inquire of the Lord for guidance. I’m fairly confident that when you approach your problems like this, you’ll obtain the food you need once again. 

ICEBREAKER-THE BOAT

The third and final B. The Boat.

1. Before your lesson, place a dollar bill between pages 6 and 7 of one of your class member’s Book of Mormon

2. Call on that class member and ask them to give you a dollar.

3. When they can’t do it, instruct them to read 1 Nephi 3:7 and try again.

4. Ask them how they think they were able to do it.

Tell them you prepared the way for them to accomplish it. Therefore you knew they could do it.

TRANSITION

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 provided a way. He always does. If God asks you to do something, rest assured that you can do it. He prepares the way!

Q: What incredibly difficult thing did God ask Nephi to do in 17:8? 

A: To build a ship.

Now, this is quite an incredible thing to ask. Nephi had no experience in this kind of thing. Plus, this is not hollowing out a log to float across the lake. He’s asking him to build a ship big enough to fit everyone and their families, and provisions to cross an ocean. It would be akin to God asking me to build a rocket ship to move my family to the moon. I would have no idea where to even begin. 

And here, to help you liken the scriptures, I want you to think of one of your “Build a Boat” commandments. What’s something that God has asked of you that you find incredibly difficult to obey? Or something you may even feel is impossible? I want to you write that commandment down and have that in mind as we discuss these chapters.

POSSIBLE "BUILD A BOAT" TYPE COMMANDMENTS

• Overcome habits and addictions

• Change your lifestyle

• Go through the repentance process after making serious errors

• Conquer fear

• Master talents

• Fulfill a difficult calling

• Consecrate all that you have to God

• Forgive the unforgivable

• 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 

• Be even as I am

Q: Can you relate to any of those? If you can, then I feel Nephi can teach you something here.

Take the next couple of minutes, read the following references and find as many truths about “build a boat” commandments as you can. 

• 17:9-10

• 17:50-51

• 18:1

• 18:3

• 18:4

• 17:9-10

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 you to “Build a Boat, get to work on what you can do, and seek God’s help on what you can’t. 

17:50-51

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. 

18:1

Look at the phrase “the Lord did show me from time to time”.  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. 

18:3

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

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. 

APPLY

Have any of these things have helped you with your “Build a Boat” commandments?

Perhaps share one of your experiences with this principle.

CONCLUSION

The next time the Lord gives you a “build a boat commandment” perhaps you can substitute your "build a boat” phrase into vs. 51

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. 

How is it that he cannot instruct me, that I should serve a mission, forgive my enemy, overcome my addiction, or become like Christ.  Remember when God asks you to do the impossible, Don’t abandon ship! Build your boat! And I believe that if you follow Nephi’s example, you will indeed build your boat!

1 NEPHI 19-22 POSSIBLE STUDY QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS

1 NEPHI 19

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 D&C 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!