Lehi and his family have reached the land of Bountiful, which is full of fruit and honey. After so much time eating whatever they could find or kill, they are overjoyed at the fresh produce and the change of pace from their normal diet.
7. And it came to pass that after I, Nephi, had been in the land of Bountiful for the space of many days, the voice of the Lord came unto me, saying: Arise, and get thee into the mountain. And it came to pass that I arose and went up into the mountain, and cried unto the Lord.
Two things immediately sprang to mind when I read this verse. First, I was struck that the Lord waited for several days before telling Nephi his next assignment. The Lord knew how tired Nephi was after traveling for so long. He gave Nephi some time to rest up and enjoy the new variety of foods.
Secondly, I’m reminded of all the times the Lord has asked His servants to converse with him on a mountain. I believe this is for two reasons – to take the person to a place of solitude, and a place of altitude, to be closer to the heavens.
8. And it came to pass that the Lord spake unto me, saying: Thou shalt construct a ship, after the manner which I shall show thee, that I may carry thy people across these waters.
This was a huge thing to ask of Nephi. It has been conjectured that Lehi was a merchant, and if this was the case, the sons of Nephi would have no experience whatsoever with building a ship. But the Lord put a qualifier in there—He said, “after the manner which I shall show thee.” He wasn’t going to leave Nephi alone to figure it out for himself.
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.
I also find this really interesting. Nephi didn’t say, “But I don’t know how to make a ship. I can’t do it.” He trusted that the Lord would show him, and then he asked for further guidance on where to find the ore.
11. And it came to pass that I, Nephi, did make a bellows wherewith to blow the fire, of the skins of beasts; and after I had made a bellows, that I might have wherewith to blow the fire, I did smite two stones together that I might make fire.
Nephi gets right to work. He doesn’t spend time wondering just how it is that the Lord will tell him what he needs to know. He doesn’t freak out because of his lack of knowledge. He trusts that the Lord will do what He has said He will, and Nephi gets busy on his end of the bargain.
From today’s reading: when we are given a commandment, do we leap right in, or do we analyze the situation first? Are we merely analyzing, or do we allow our thoughts to wander into doubt?
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