1 Nephi 18:10-11

Because of the rude dancing and singing in the boat, Nephi says in verse 10 that he began to fear the punishments of the Lord because of their wickedness. He knew that the Lord had done much for his family. I don't think that the Lord would let His work be for naught. If there were people that were wicked, one might think that the Lord could consider them expendable and call them home. This is what I thought at first. Nephi was thinking something a little more extreme. He says that he was worried because they were over a very large ocean and he thought that the Lord would smite them and leave them to be swallowed up in the depths of the sea. Nephi even says that this would be on account of "our" iniquity. I wonder why Nephi includes himself in this. Surely he was not doing the same as his brothers. Perhaps this is his way of being humble and acknowledging that no one is perfect. Maybe he takes responsibility for their behavior because he had not at that moment taken liberty of admonishing his brothers. Then he says that he did speak unto them with soberness. They, of course, did not like that and promised that they would not have Nephi to be their ruler.

Then, they tie him up with strong cords. They treat him with much harshness. It is important to know that the Lord allowed this to happen so that he can show forth His power and fulfill His words that He said concerning the wicked. I think that this is what happens to anyone that is righteous and is persecuted for His name's sake (see Exodus 23:7, Psalms 37:8-13, Alma 14:11, and Matthew 5:44).

1 Nephi 18:9

In verse 9, Nephi tells us that after being driven forth by the wind for many days, the sons of Ishmael, Nephi's brethren, and their wives began to make themselves merry. They also began to speak with much rudeness. They even forgot the power that had brought them to this point and that was carrying them across the sea. He emphasizes again that they were exceedingly rude.

I want to apply this scripture to our lives. I am fearful of how many times we forget the Lord and participate in conversations or activities that would be considered exceedingly rude. A modern application to this scripture is participating in events that promote rude singing and dancing. We must take care which concerts we attend and which dancing establishments we attend. It is not too popular here to do discos and such as it is in other countries, but there are concerts that tour the U.S. that we should not go to. Let us seek whole some entertainment and places to sing and dance. The great thing about our homes is that we can make them any kind of place we wish. Let's make good singing and dancing there.

Here is an excerpt from the Institute manual for the Book of Mormon: Another Testament of Jesus Christ.

"1 Nephi 18:5–10. Proper Dancing and Singing

"Some people may conclude from 1 Nephi 18:5–10 that the Lord does not approve of dancing or singing. Nephi says twice in verse 9 that his brethren and their wives fell into error when their dancing and singing led them 'to speak with much rudeness.' The word rude refers to being harsh, vulgar, or coarse. The Lord has stated that he approves of proper dancing and singing (see Psalm 149:1–4, D&C 136:28). Note from these scriptures that dancing and singing are ways of praising the Lord. However, Satan can use music as a means of corruption and loss of the Spirit. That is why Church leaders caution us about the kinds of music we listen and respond to."

1 Nephi 18:5-8

Well, the time to go down to the ship and set sail for the promised land has come. Of course, they have to prepare many things before they actually get going. In verse 6, it describes some of the things they had prepared for. They packed much fruit, meat, honey, provisions that the Lord commanded them, loading, seeds, and all things according to their age. They all went along with their wives and children. Verse 7 shares with us that Lehi and Saraiah even had two more sons in the wilderness. Jacob was the older and Joseph was the younger. After they packed all their provisions, they were put forth on the sea and made their way to the promised land.

As I think about this section of the chapter, I am amazed at the distance they've traveled to get to this point. They spent eight years traveling in the wilderness. Now, they have to go further and travel the last part of their journey by sea. Sea travel on a boat through the Pacific Ocean is not a cake walk. I foresee some troubles ahead for our family. (I've also read this part many times, too.) However, let us see how each of the members of the family react to their trials another time. I think that this account of the life of Nephi really helps those that feel that they are fraught with trials. Nephi certainly has his fair share. How does he react each time?

1 Nephi 18:4

In verse 4, we read that Nephi and his brothers finally finished the boat that would take them on their long journey across the ocean. At this time, I'm not sure if Laman and Lemuel knew how long this would take and what trials they would face along the way. I say this because the verse notes that Laman and Lemuel again humbled themselves before the Lord. However, as we will see later on, this does not last. As we read the story of Lehi's family's journey through the wilderness, we want Laman and Lemuel to be humble and repentant. But, alas, they are never truly repentant. To truly be repentant, one must make the change from doing evil to doing good, and not hold on to their favorite sins. Some are able to suppress these for periods of time, but when something happens like they are tempted or too much time passes, they slip up and fall again. For Laman and Lemuel, when "the goin' gets tough," they rebel and don't make the "tough get goin'." The father of Lamoni, in the Book of Mormon, puts it this way (Alma 22:18):

"18 O God, Aaron hath told me that there is a God; and if there is a God, and if thou art God, wilt thou make thyself known unto me, and I will give away all my sins to know thee, and that I may be raised from the dead, and be saved at the last day...(emphasis added)"

Here we see that the father of Lamoni is willing to give away all his sins and his desire to sin, to know God. This is repentance.

Here is a talk that discusses the whole idea in more detail and has been adopted by our stake as a core document:

The Meaning of Repentance by Theodore M. Burton

1 Nephi 18:3

Nephi testifies to us, in verse 3, that he had gone up to the mountain oft and prayed to receive instructions from the Lord. He says that he was shown great things from the Lord. How to build a boat of curious workmanship not after the manner of men, I would consider one of those things. However, I would think that Nephi was gaining more insight into the mysteries of God.

I want to finish this post with a general thought from Conference. We need to go up to the mountain of the Lord's house oft to pray and be shown great things from the Lord. We were counseled that if we lived close to a temple, that we should go often and regularly. I know that if we do this, we will be blessed with understanding of the mysteries of God, if we seek them.

1 Nephi 18:1-2

We find our family on the shores of the great sea called Irreantum, which in our day is probably some ocean like the Indian Ocean and the Pacific Ocean. Nephi is commanded to build a ship that will take his family to the promised land, somewhere in the Americas. Nephi has just found that his brothers are now willing to work and help him build the ship. He says that they went to work timbers of curious workmanship after the manner that the Lord showed him from time to time.

The next verse is interesting in that Nephi says that he did not build the ship after the manner of men and that he built it after the manner which the Lord showed him. First, this means that men at 600 B.C. had ways of building ships. I wonder what they were like? Well, here is an article from Wikipedia that showed how some of the ships of the day were built:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trireme

I think that this is a contrast showing how the ways of the Lord are far superior than that ways of man. I know that Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ have ways that are far superior to ours. Let us follow Their directives.

1 Nephi 17:52-EoC

Nephi continues over the next many days to confound his brethren and he also had the power from the Lord that they could not touch him, and Laman and Lemuel knew it. In the next verse, the Lord commands Nephi to stretch forth his hand and show them His power. He said that He would shock them so that they knew that He was their Lord. Nephi does this and the Lord shakes them, but does not cause them to wither.

This is really interesting language. I have an idea of what happened, but because "shock" and "shake" were both used to describe what the Lord did to Laman and Lemuel, there could be different ways to think about what that was like. Take the Book of Mormon Movie, for example, this part portrayed there was really kind of weird.

Finally, in the last verse of the chapter, Laman and Lemuel confess that the knew that it was the power of the Lord that had done this to them. We can have an insight into their spirituality level with what they do next. They fall down before Nephi and were about to worship him. He tells them that he is their brother, even their younger brother, and to worship the Lord their God. Also, he admonished them to honor their father and mother that their days might be long upon the land that the Lord God would give unto them.

I think that this is great advice for anyone. Esteem Heavenly Father over all things. Honor your parents. It is fascinating that this is the recipe for long life on the earth, because one might think that other things would be the sole contributors. Chapter 17 was a big chapter, and it was very rich, too, as it is with the previous chapters in 1 Nephi. I am excited to see what is in store for chapter 18. : )