1 Nephi 16:17

17 And after we had traveled for the space of many days, we did pitch our tents for the space of a time, that we might again rest ourselves and obtain food for our families.

Sometimes Nephi is quite detailed in his account, and others, like this verse, he is not. I wonder if the lack of detail is because it is not important to the main point of the story, or if it was recorded some years after the fact, and some details were just forgotten. My guess is the answer includes both of those. It would explain the next story that Nephi tells of his broken bow. Why that particular story? Why not others that illustrated hardship, if that’s all he wanted to illustrate? It just seems to me like he includes stories that are significant, and some of those details, like time and distance, just don’t need to be told. In fact, sometimes it is only after some time that we can really understand the significance of an event in our lives. Some things that happen to us seem significant while they are happening, and later they may or may not be as big a deal. Or maybe they are a big deal, but not for the reasons we thought they were at the time.

1 Nephi 16:16

16 And we did follow the directions of the ball, which led us in the more fertile parts of the wilderness.

Here is a simple statement of fact, that they used the ball to give them directions through this part of the land with which Lehi and his company most likely had no experience, and that it led them in the more fertile parts of the wilderness. This is probably from oasis to oasis. If the whole countryside was fertile, a) it would probably have been inhabited, and b) they wouldn’t have needed the Liahona to lead them or tell them where the more fertile parts were. So this is a desert wilderness, and this is just one more piece of evidence.

I don’t claim to understand why the Lord does things the way he does, except that he loves us, so I don’t have the answer to this question, but why a compass? Why did He provide a physical object to teach spiritual lessons and give direction? He led the children of Israel out of Egypt in a rather dramatic, and even at times, showy manner, parting the Red Sea, showing himself in a pillar of fire or cloud that they should follow, etc. Most of the time, however, He expects us to follow the words of the prophets without benefit of physical evidence, or a miracle to confirm or give evidence that what they say is from the Lord and not just their opinion. I guess in His wisdom he knows who can follow Him in simple faith, and who needs that extra evidence, a sign if you will, to follow the prophets. Sometimes I think life would be so much easier if we all had a personal Liahona, a physical object that would give clear direction according to our faith.

1 Nephi 16:14–15

14 And it came to pass that we did take our bows and our arrows, and go forth into the wilderness to slay food for our families; and after we had slain food for our families we did return again to our families in the wilderness, to the place of Shazer. And we did go forth again in the wilderness, following the same direction, keeping in the most fertile parts of the wilderness, which were in the borders near the Red Sea.
15 And it came to pass that we did travel for the space of many days, slaying food by the way, with our bows and our arrows and our stones and our slings.

One of the things this chapter does is give us a peek into the day-to-day routine of this fairly large company. In this verse we learn a bit about their diet. We know that they farmed, because they packed seeds of all kinds for the journey, although it would not be practical to farm as they journeyed, due to the time it takes crops to bear fruit. Here we read that they also hunted animals by bow and arrow. We also read that there are fertile areas in this wilderness; it’s not all desert, as I imagine it to be. One observation about their routine is that these sons of Lehi and Ishmael were not pampered rich boys. That they were rich is part of the story (notice how Laban lusted after their property when they tried to buy the plates in 1 Nephi 3:25). So they had wealth, but my guess is they did not have any royal status. Otherwise they may not have known how to hunt with a sling and stones.   I could see the bow and arrow, as a weapon of class, but a sling seems like a common man’s weapon used by those who could not afford more expensive ones. And using slings for hunting takes practice.

1 Nephi 16:13

13 And it came to pass that we traveled for the space of four days, nearly a south-southeast direction, and we did pitch our tents again; and we did call the name of the place Shazer.

I have often wondered why the Liahona had two spindles, and whether the second one that Nephi didn’t describe in verse 10 was simply a compass. This verse may give a clue to that idea. This is the first time Nephi has given a direction as it would be read on a compass, “nearly a south-southeast direction.” Previously, when Nephi gave directions for their travels it was with landmarks (see 1 Nephi 2:4–5). I don’t know if it’s conclusive, but it’s interesting that Nephi uses compass directions for the first time after they get the Liahona. I’m sure that part of the reason could be that they were heading into a part of the wilderness they were not familiar with, but it just seems like quite a coincidence that Nephi starts using compass directions right after receiving the Liahona.

1 Nephi 16:11–12

11 And it came to pass that we did gather together whatsoever things we should carry into the wilderness, and all the remainder of our provisions which the Lord had given unto us; and we did take seed of every kind that we might carry into the wilderness.
12 And it came to pass that we did take our tents and depart into the wilderness, across the river Laman.

These verses make me wonder just how big the company was. How long would it have taken to pack and load not just the tents and provisions, but everything, including seeds for the future? They had no plan to return, and they didn’t know where they were going or how long it would take to get there.  We know there were at least 16 at this time, that we can actually identify: Lehi and Sariah, Ishmael and his wife (1 Nephi 7:6), four sons of Lehi and four daughters of Ishmael for their wives, Zoram and another daughter of Ishmael for his wife (vs. 7). We also know that Ishmael had at least two sons and their families (1 Nephi 7:6). We don’t know how large their families were exactly. Later on we find out that Jacob and Joseph were born in the wilderness (1 Nephi 18:7), and that Nephi had sisters, but we don’t know if they were born in the wilderness or not (2 Nephi 5:6). We don’t know if Jacob and Joseph were born yet when they left the valley. We also don’t know anything about servants, but I’m sure that if they didn’t let Zoram go back, they would have brought any servants they had with them, and possibly made them free, as they did with Zoram. This party could easily have been around 50 people strong. How would you plan for a trip like that?

1 Nephi 16:10

10 And it came to pass that as my father arose in the morning, and went forth to the tent door, to his great astonishment he beheld upon the ground a round ball of curious workmanship; and it was of fine brass. And within the ball were two spindles; and the one pointed the way whither we should go into the wilderness.

In this verse we are introduced to the Liahona. I find a couple of interesting thoughts about the Liahona. The first thought is that this is an actual, physical object that was probably handed down from generation to generation hereafter, my guess would be prophet to prophet, not kind to king. However, after Nephi’s record it isn’t really mentioned, except by Alma, which I will get to momentarily. In some ways, this ball resembles the Urim and Thummim, with a different purpose. Where the Urim and Thummim was used mostly for translating, etc., the Liahona seems to be mostly used for day-to-day revelation, new revelation. So inasmuch as it was an actual object, it could have been considered a sort of royal artifact, or a token of who the prophet was, unless it was taken back to the Lord after they reached the Promised Land.

As so often is the case, physical items or acts, such as ordinances, have a deeper, spiritual symbolism in the Lord’s eyes. This fact was not lost on Alma, who 500 years later noted that the Liahona worked according to the faith and obedience of Lehi’s family, and it led them to the Promised Land. Alma compared that to how following the word of Christ with faith would lead us back to our Heavenly Father (Alma 37:38–46).

Alma interprets the word Liahona to mean a compass (Alma 37:38). Some have suggested a more precise meaning of, “To or of God is Light,” and is a word that is both Hebrew and Egyptian in origin (Book of Mormon Student Manual, Religion 121–122, ©1979, p. 42). Of course this makes it more than a mere compass. In fact there were two spindles. One of those pointed the way they should go. We aren’t told what the other spindle was for, but I imagine that it acted more like a regular compass, and pointed north. Later on we’ll read that the Liahona also gave them written instructions, which is way more involved than a simple compass. At any rate, this director became very important to Lehi and his family.

• Alma 37:38 (38–47)

1 Nephi 16:9

9 And it came to pass that the voice of the Lord spake unto my father by night, and commanded him that on the morrow he should take his journey into the wilderness.

Again, Lehi receives a commandment from the Lord to move on. I wonder how long they were actually in the Valley of Lemuel. I also wonder if, when he says, “on the morrow,” Nephi really meant the very next day. Had they been packing for some time? I’m sure there was a lot of preparation and packing involved in moving to the next location, especially if they had been in one location for several years. You tend to get settled and into a routine that is difficult to interrupt. On the other hand, they were probably expert at packing and traveling.