1 Nephi 17

Let's open the discussion of this chapter with a question about feminism, shall we?

I have read the Book of Mormon (1 Nephi in particular) quite a few times, and I have yet to decide if this scripture is meant to be flattering or sarcastic.

2 And so great were the ^ablessings of the Lord upon us, that while we did live upon ^braw ^cmeat in the wilderness, our women did give plenty of suck for their children, and were strong, yea, even like unto the men; and they began to bear their journeyings without murmurings. (1 Nephi 17:2)

On the one hand, it's actually pretty cool that in 591-592 BC, there were women hardcore enough to warrant that kind of praise from a man. There are very few historical records from this time period that refer to women as "strong," I would wager. And yet, "they began to bear their journeyings without murmurings"? Seriously? EVERYBODY in the family murmured at some point (Except for Nephi, by his record, but maybe he just left that out?), why are we suddenly picking on the women? Granted, if they were farmers back in Jerusalem, the men would have had more experience with physical labor than the women, but they weren't farmers, were they? Nephi implies that they were wealthy, wealthy enough to have lots of precious things, and their casual acceptance of Zoram as a servant implies that they had servants, too. Sheesh. Men think they are so tough. And that's all I have to say about that.

That rant aside, I like the scripture that follows, which testifies that when we are obedient, God strengthens us and makes it possible for us to accomplish whatever needs to be done. I like that. I think it's true.

Next, they arrive at the ocean resort town of Bountiful, a land flowing with milk and honey, so to speak. After eight years of camping, I can't imagine how thrilling it would be to arrive somewhere with fruit trees. They must have been ecstatic. I imagine they must have also planned to stay there, seeing as no one mentioned anything about journeying to another continent until ... now.

Nephi goes up to a mountain, and the voice of the Lord commands him to build a ship, one that will take them on a long journey. Nephi's response--and this is heralded by many as an example of incomparable faith, probably because it is--is basically "Alright then!! Where should I get some ore to make tools? I totally got this." His response is endearing, to be sure. In fact, it's so endearing I won't even mention the slight qualms I have about that kind of response to a command. Especially because the commandment was straight from God, unfiltered by culture of generational preferences.

Nephi figures out how to make fire, because up to that point, they had eaten their food raw, which must have gotten old pretty fast. Using the fire, he made tools, and started to work building the ship. Alone. At least, he makes it sound like he did it alone. Which would be incredible under any circumstances (I mean, who held the beam in place while he hammered? How is that even possible?) but especially considering that in 600 BC, being asked to build a ship would have been like being asked to build a SPACESHIP today. Once again, I can understand why Laman and Lemuel were a little cynical about the whole thing.

I know it's a really, really bad sign that I identify so much with Laman and Lemuel so far. However, this next part is really uncool. Nephi (finally!) realizes how difficult it is to fulfill his many responsibilities and starts to get a little depressed. And his brothers, rather than feel bad for the guy, are all like "TOLD YOU SO!" and laugh at him so more. Not OK, guys.

Here is another thing that Laman and Lemuel say that I do not agree with:

21 Behold, these many years we have suffered in the wilderness, which time we might have enjoyed our possessions and the land of our inheritance; yea, and we might have been happy. (1 Nephi 17:21)

Give me a break, guys. Possessions don't make you happy. Plus, if your dad had been killed by the Jews for preaching against their wickedness, no one would have been happy about that, especially if they killed the rest of his family for good measure. In a way, I am kind of grateful that I have never been rich. Less to lose, nothing to regret losing. You know?

Nephi counters their complaints by talking about Moses, which makes a lot of sense. Big group of people leave the only land they have ever known to wander in the wilderness, being blessed for their good deeds and punished for their bad. Lots of complaining, lack of some basic necessities, eventually arrive at far superior destination. Do you think Nephi meant to compare himself to Moses, or was that just a coincidence? Probably not.

Nephi points out, very progressively, that God cares more about righteousness than heritage. Earlier Laman and Lemuel had argued that the people of Jerusalem were righteous by virtue of the fact that they were all Jews, even though they were, per the scriptures, wicked, idolatrous Jews. Nephi explains that God preserves the righteous and destroys the wicked, just as He did with the Children of Israel in the time of Moses.

Next Nephi brings it all home by accusing his brothers of being so hard-hearted as to be "past feeling." Ouch. He says that they are just like the wicked people of Jerusalem that they escaped from and quick only to sin, never to do good. He laid into to the point where he lost all his physical strength, so it must have been a really long time.

Laman and Lemuel, not surprisingly, are pissed and try to throw Nephi into the ocean. Nephi, however, was so filled with the Spirit that he warned them (presumably in a booming voice like in the Ten Commandments) not to touch him, or they would be smitten. He boldly told them that they should help him build the ship, and that God, who could do anything, could certainly help them out with something that simple.

The brothers cowered for several days, and Nephi and God decide to have a little fun at their expense. Nephi reaches out and shocks them with his finger. The brothers are so shocked (pun absolutely intended) that they try to worship Nephi, who, to his credit, tells them to worship God instead. Well done, kid.

1 Nephi 16, part 2 (verses 6-39)

The last entry I wrote was really long and tangential. Back to chapter 16. Sorry.

So, Nephi and his brothers get married. Ishmael, miraculously, had enough daughters to go around, and presumably they matched the sons of Lehi in righteousness. Some were good-leaning and some were a little more rebellious in nature ... or perhaps all of them were spineless enough to just go along with whatever their husbands did. I mean this was several thousand years ago.

One tiny detail here that I find charming is reproduced below.

7 And it came to pass that I, Nephi, took one of the ^adaughters of Ishmael to ^bwife; and also, my brethren took of the ^cdaughters of Ishmael to wife; and also ^dZoram took the eldest daughter of Ishmael to wife.

8 And thus my father had fulfilled all the ^acommandments of the Lord which had been given unto him. And also, I, Nephi, had been blessed of the Lord exceedingly. (1 Nephi 16: 6-7)

Did you catch that? He thought that his marriage was an exceedingly great blessing from God. So cute.

Next, they awaken one morning and find the Liahona. This must have been very exciting, and also very weird. Here are some questions I have about the Liahona that will probably never be answered:

1. Did anyone wonder if the Liahona was bad? Like if it was from Satan, or one of their enemies? If I were a prophet who had been eating death threats for breakfast, lunch and dinner for the past few years, I might be a tiny bit suspicious of a magical map ball that appeared outside my tent in the middle of nowhere. But I'm a jerk, as has already been established. Moving on.

2. Did the Liahona have any words or symbols on it besides the ones that appeared from time to time? Like a Ouija Board? If so, what language were they in?

3. Who decided that it should be called a Liahona?

Actually, #3 would probably be pretty easy to answer. I'll get back to you on that one.

After they find the Liahona, they started journeying in the wilderness, and things seem pretty OK for a while. Then, unfortunately, Nephi breaks his bow, which was made of steel. Breaking a steel bow seems like it would be kinda hard to do, doesn't it? Was Nephi really so strong that if he mishandled a piece of steel, it just snapped in his mighty hands? Was he messing around? Showing off? I do believe Nephi was kind of a show-off. Bless his heart. Anyway, they try to hunt without the bow and they don't catch anything, and everyone gets mad and blames Nephi because they're hungry. So many issues with families wandering in the wilderness center around hunger. I learned about that in Sunday School today, when we were studying about the Children of Israel.

Oh! Important detail! At this point, even LEHI had started to complain. It sounds like they had to go without food for more than just a day or two, so honestly, I can understand why even Lehi would get discouraged and cranky from hunger. I mean, I get cranky on Fast Sunday.

Nephi, ever the Boy Scout, builds himself a makeshift bow and arrow and asks his dad to pray about where he should go to hunt food. I think it's significant that he asked his dad to pray about it instead of praying about it himself. That seems to be a nice deference to patriarchal authority. As well as an effective usage of guilt to kick his dad into shape.

Both Lehi and Nephi get more than they bargained for when Lehi consults the Liahona and it scolds him to the point where he starts shaking with fear. In fact, the Liahona scared the crap out of everyone in the entire family. Another question that may never be answered: WHAT DID IT SAY?? Oh I am so curious.

Because of this experience, the family learns that the Liahona only works when they are righteous.

Now that they have been chastened and are recommitted to the cause, Nephi goes up a mountain and slays a bunch of animals for everyone. And there was much rejoicing. And, I know I am so hard on Nephi but I just can't help it sometimes, I imagine he was kinda smug and insufferable about that. You know?

Lastly, Ishmael dies, and everybody is sad again. Especially his kids, who presumably were only partially on board for this journey to begin with. Earlier chapters implied that Ishmael was the real camping enthusiast in the family.

Next, out of nowhere, Laman and Lemuel conspire to kill Lehi and Nephi so they can return to Jerusalem. Which, considering their usual lazy manners, seems kinda dark for them. But before their plan can get past the initial stages, THE LORD speaks to them and scolds them some more. Crisis averted. For now.

It is so strange to me that that story is tacked on the end of this chapter, almost as an afterthought. It seems like a pretty crucial event. One that would deserve further explanation. I wonder if Nephi didn't elaborate much because he preferred to dwell on the positive, perhaps. That would seem pretty in line with his character.