1 Nephi 18: 12

12 And it came to pass that after they had bound me insomuch that I could not move, the compass, which had been prepared of the Lord, did cease to work.

This verse serves as a graphic illustration of the fact that we are judged according to our works. In most cases that judgment comes at the final judgment, but on a day-to-day basis we have indications of how we are doing. The Liahona represents revelation or inspiration from the Holy Ghost (see 1 Nephi 16:28 comment), and as such it only worked when the company was faithful and diligent and heeded its warnings and directions. So it was a foregone conclusion it would stop working when Laman and Lemuel’s group tied up the prophet. I think the timing of the Liahona quitting is important in light of my comments to verse 11.

It is important to realize that judgments come in response to our actions, not our temptations. Don’t you think that if Laman had gotten really mad at Nephi, and he was tempted to abuse him (as he actually did), but instead of tying Nephi up he just murmured and eventually came around, that the Liahona would have kept working? Significantly, Nephi says the compass stopped working after they bound him. We cannot be held accountable for our temptations, just how we respond to them. Otherwise Christ himself would have been guilty when Satan came tempting him after He had finished His 40-day fast. The sin is not in the temptation, but in the giving in and acting on that temptation. This is why works are so important. Everyone gets tempted to do wrong things, but if we don’t act on that temptation, it not only doesn’t count against us, but it actually goes to our credit. The reason King Benjamin says that if we don’t watch our thoughts and words in addition to our deeds is that thoughts and words lead to deeds (see Mosiah 4:30). Alma taught his son Corianton that we are judged according to our desires. Why? Because our desires lead to our actions, so we literally become our own judges, because we have agency to choose what we do (see Alma 41:3–8). So if Laman’s group only had more self-discipline, this whole episode could have been avoided.

• 1 Nephi 16:28
• Alma 37:38 (38–47)

1 Nephi 18: 11

11 And it came to pass that Laman and Lemuel did take me and bind me with cords, and they did treat me with much harshness; nevertheless, the Lord did suffer it that he might show forth his power, unto the fulfilling of his word which he had spoken concerning the wicked.

Who can second-guess the Lord? The way He thinks really is different than the way man thinks, especially carnal man. The Lord told Isaiah that His thoughts and ways are higher than ours (see Isaiah 55:8–9). Some people use that fact as justification or evidence that there is no God. I think it’s silly to say that just because we don’t understand Him God doesn’t exist, but this is a good example of the kind of thing that happens to shake peoples’ testimonies. They think that only good should happen to good people. For example, everyone dies, but if a good person dies as a result of an act of violence, there is evidence in some peoples’ minds that either God does not exist, or if He does exist He doesn’t love or care for His people. Of course, the problem is not in God; the problem is in us humans that don’t have the brains to understand, or the faith to believe without understanding. The fact is that the Lord has told us in the scriptures why He allows the wicked to prevail on the righteous, as is happening here with Nephi.

In Alma chapter 14, Alma and Amulek are forced to watch the believers, people they helped to convert in many cases, and the scriptures they believed in thrown into the fire. Amulek wants to save them by stretching forth their hands and exercising the power of God. Alma replied that “the Spirit constraineth me,” to not do that (Alma 14:11). He basically said that they needed to let the wicked “do this thing…according to the hardness of their hearts, that the judgments which [the Lord] shall exercise upon them in his wrath may be just.” This is clearly related to agency. If the wicked are always stopped, and never allowed to act wickedly, how can they possibly be judged or punished for being wicked? Technically they never were wicked because they were not allowed to be. That is what Satan’s plan was all about (see Moses 4:1). Sometimes, in our limited understanding, it seems like the wicked get away with murder, while the righteous suffer. That may be because Satan is allowed free reign here in this life. But if we are to understand this life, we can’t look only at the few years of mortality. We simply must put the mortal portion of our lives in context of our whole lives, stretching into the eternities. That’s how the Lord understands it. That’s why, “The Lord shall laugh at [the wicked]: for he seeth that his day is coming” (Psalms 37:13 (8–13)). In the mean time, the Lord uses these persecutions to test and try His people (see D&C 98:14). If we take a more eternal view of life we would not “care for the body, neither the life of the body; but care for the soul, and for the life of the soul” (D&C 101:37 (36–37)).

So I believe this is what Nephi understood. I think he was much less concerned for his life and comfort than he was for the success of their mission and what this might do to their ability to keep the commandments of God.

• Psalms 37:9 (8–13)
• Alma 14:11
• D&C 98:14
• D&C 101:36–37

1 Nephi 18: 10

10 And I, Nephi, began to fear exceedingly lest the Lord should be angry with us, and smite us because of our iniquity, that we should be swallowed up in the depths of the sea; wherefore, I, Nephi, began to speak to them with much soberness; but behold they were angry with me, saying: We will not that our younger brother shall be a ruler over us.

The patriarchal society the Jews had, and others of the time, I’m sure, created problems for a few prophets in the scriptures. They always wanted the inheritance to go to the eldest son, such as Laman. Often, when even God challenges that line of inheritance, jealousy is the result. It happened to Joseph, who was subsequently sold into slavery because of it. It happened to David, who in a Cinderella-type scene, was finally presented to the prophet Samuel, and eventually became king of Israel. And here it happens (again) to Nephi. These older brothers of Nephi don’t want to give up their inherited position of authority over the family, especially not to this younger brother, who has already caused them so much trouble. The Lehites had given up or lost most of the material possession part of their inheritance when they left Jerusalem. The only part that was left was the authority to rule over the family, and they wanted to hold onto that. This jealousy lasted for generations, and was used as an excuse for war between Nephites and Lamanites more than once. Nephi, for his part, does not and never has shrunk from his duty to keep these brothers in line, even though he is the younger brother. So here we go again. Is there no educating the wicked?

1 Nephi 18: 9

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

1 Nephi 18: 8

8 And it came to pass after we had all gone down into the ship, and had taken with us our provisions and things which had been commanded us, we did put forth into the sea and were driven forth before the wind towards the promised land.

I suppose the knowledge of how to sail was probably revealed to Nephi, just like the knowledge to build the ship was. There is no indication that these were fishermen, or that they had some other reason to know how to sail. But I’m sure they received instruction from the Lord. In our personal journeys to our Promised Land we receive instruction from the Lord on how to get there. Just like the Liahona, we receive the direction to go, but we also, as I’m speculating Nephi did here, receive direction as to what to do in order to go the specified course. That direction is facilitated or given by the Gift of the Holy Ghost, which confirms the truth of living prophets, or actually reveals these instructions to us in specific circumstances.

1 Nephi 18: 6–7

6 And it came to pass that on the morrow, after we had prepared all things, much fruits and meat from the wilderness, and honey in abundance, and provisions according to that which the Lord had commanded us, we did go down into the ship, with all our loading and our seeds, and whatsoever thing we had brought with us, every one according to his age; wherefore, we did all go down into the ship, with our wives and our children.
7 And now, my father had begat two sons in the wilderness; the elder was called Jacob and the younger Joseph.

Obviously Lehi’s group made this trip with no expectations of ever returning to Jerusalem. The fact that they took seeds, presumably to plant crops, says they planned to be gone a long while. I’m sure they never expected to come back, especially after building the ship. One little phrase in this verse, although probably not significant, is interesting. It says they loaded the ship with “seeds, and whatsoever thing [they] had brought with [them], every one according to his age” (emphasis added). My guess is that they each could bring personal items. The adults probably loaded tools; the children probably brought their toys. If that speculation is right, it’s kind of a fun look into their family and way of life. We know they had children while in the wilderness, including two brothers for Nephi: Jacob and Joseph.

1 Nephi 18: 5

5 And it came to pass that the voice of the Lord came unto my father, that we should arise and go down into the ship.

Sometimes, even when common sense tells you to do something, it’s good to get confirmation from the Lord. In this case, the ship was done and ready to go, yet they waited for the Lord to tell them it was time to sail. That’s always a wise course of action when on the Lord’s errand. In this case there may have been circumstances such as tides or currents that they were not aware of that the Lord would know.

We have a similar example to that in the Church today. When the President of the Church passes away everyone knows that the President of the Quorum of Twelve Apostles will be the next president of the Church, yet the brethren always seek the Lord’s confirmation before they move forward and ordain him. That’s not an exact parallel to Nephi’s experience in this verse, but the point is to get the Lord’s approval when doing His work.

We also see in this verse that in spite of the growing leadership role Nephi has had, Lehi is still the prophet and head of the family. As such, it was his place to determine when to leave on the next leg of their journey, according to inspiration as noted above.