Is This a Soap Opera?

The First Book of Nephi

Chapter 16

"The wicked take the truth to be hard—Lehi’s sons marry the daughters of Ishmael—The Liahona guides their course in the wilderness—Messages from the Lord are written on the Liahona from time to time—Ishmael dies; his family murmurs because of afflictions. About 600–592 B.C."

-Introduction to 1 Nephi Chapter 16

After Nephi talks to his brothers, Laman and Lemuel murmur, complaining that Nephi had spoken hard things. Nephi continued to talk to them and teach them God's commandments, and it made them stop and think and humble themselves.

As they continued to camp out in the wilderness, Nephi married one of the daughters of Ishmael. Zoram followed suit and married the oldest daughter of Ishmael.

Lehi discovering the ball, which is called the Liahona.

Lehi had a dream that they needed to leave the valley of Lemuel, and the next morning, Lehi comes outside his tent, and a metal ball was sitting neatly at the opening. It was made of brass and had two spinning needles that would direct them where they would need to go. They made their preparations, collecting seeds and food and supplies, and they headed off into the wilderness.

Nephi hunting for food for his family with a bow and arrow.

They traveled a little ways, and when they had set up camp, Nephi and his brethren went hunting for food.  They wandered through the wilderness, guided by the ball, and they were able to obtain meat for their families, but while they were hunting, Nephi broke his bow! Laman and Lemuel, as always, were angry with him.  Nephi found a way, though.  He made a bow, and he was guided by the ball to where he could find enough animals to hunt for food for his family.  Everyone humbled themselves with gratefulness with Nephi's return, and they learned how the ball worked.

The ball had writing on it, which let them know the will of the Lord and guided them.  The writing would change from time to time, but it would only work according to their faith and diligence.

They continued on their journey, and as they travelled, Ishmael died, and his children mourned and complained against Nephi, and Laman and Lemuel joined in, all of them saying that they should have never have left Jerusalem.  Laman and Lemuel again wanted to kill Nephi.

The compass like ball, called the Liahona

The Lord was watching over this little band, though, and their hearts were softened enough so that they were humbled and repented, and they continued on in their journey.

To read the scriptural account, go to 1 Nephi 16.

 

So What?

Why do we care about this?  This just sounds like a lot of drama about a whole bunch of nothing, deserving enough to be on a soap opera, right?  It's brother against brother. People get married.  People die.  Bad stuff happens.  The good over come the trials.  It's the stuff of fairy tales and television dramas.

It's cooler that this is true, though, that these things actually happened to real people.  It makes our families seem a little less weird, right? 

There are so many lessons to be learned from this though. 

1. Anybody can triumph over anything!
2. Everybody, no matter how righteous, will be faced with trials.
3. Attitude makes all the difference.
4. God will guide you, but only as much as you listen to Him and His promptings.

There are so many more lessons!  Did anything stick out to you?