9 And after we had been driven forth before the wind for the space of many days, behold, my brethren and the sons of Ishmael and also their wives began to make themselves merry, insomuch that they began to dance, and to sing, and to speak with much rudeness, yea, even that they did forget by what power they had been brought thither; yea, they were lifted up unto exceeding rudeness.
One of the tests of our faith is that the Lord uses nature or
natural forces to bring His will to pass. In this case, after the miraculous
circumstances leading up to the launch of this inspired ship, the Lord uses
wind to drive them to the Promised Land. What else would He use? So in the
process of experiencing these natural forces that we take for granted (like
wind), those who lack faith are more likely to forget the source and reason for
the particular use of that natural force. That’s what happened with Laman &
company. I think they thought that because things were going so well, they
could “let down their hair” a little, and relax their standards.
Rudeness is a fascinating word to use here. There are several
ways it could be taken in this context. They range from merely being
discourteous (likely more than this), to a “deliberate lack of consideration
for others’ feelings, [connoting] especially insolence or impudence (Webster’s
New World College Dictionary). Another definition that would fit is “lacking
refinement, culture, or elegance” (ibid.). This is interesting because of its
lack of effort to overcome the natural man, which is an enemy to God (see
Mosiah 3:19). So we don’t know the severity of rudeness, but I think we can be
reasonably certain that at the very least they showed no respect to Lehi and Nephi,
the prophets. Nor did they show respect to God. This is all contrary to what
they should have learned (over and over again) in the wilderness. Apparently
it’s time for another lesson. I have always found it interesting that Peter, when
he denied knowing Jesus the third time during the trial, cursed and swore,
apparently in an attempt to distance himself from Christ. “Surely thou also art
one of them; for thy speech bewrayeth thee,” the accusers charged. I have often
thought it interesting that scholars tend to attribute this to Matthew’s Galilean
accent or manner of speech. However, Peter’s response was not to change his
accent, but he “began to curse and to swear…” (Matthew 26: 73–74). Even those
who curse and swear as part of their normal speech can agree that cursing and
swearing is rude and inelegant language at best, but disrespectful and even inflammatory
as well. This language distances us from our Lord. It’s likely the kind of
language Laman’s group was using when they spoke with much rudeness.
- Matthew 26: 73–74
- Mosiah 3:19
