1
Nephi 18:5
Commitment
What
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.
Nephi
was in charge of building the ship. Lehi was still the prophet and
leader. He is the one who received the commandment to gather his
family and supplies and go down into the ship. Probably he was
actively engaged in working and preparing the ship also but the
record that we have in the Book of Mormon is in Nephi's writings so
we get it from his point of view. It is an excellent record and
perfectly accurate but the feelings and directions that Lehi received
may be left out because Lehi wrote his own record. That record is
not available to us but we have sufficient record to direct us.
To
enter the ship was to make a full commitment to keep the commandment
to cross the ocean and begin a new life.
Why
The
family was being protected from the enemies in Jerusalem who would
have destroyed them and their religion. They were being given a new
start in a new place but not without a lot of work and suffering and
learning in the school of hard knocks. They were being tested and
tried. Now they had built the ship and gathered all kinds of
supplies and were ready to begin the journey. It was a total
commitment to get on the ship and sail. There could be no turning
back.
Pattern
We
see this pattern as the Latter Day Saints left their homes in
Kirtland and in Nauvoo for a better place where they could live
their religion without persecution. Others left their homes in
foreign countries to come to Zion and sacrificed much..
Moses
and the Israelite s also left Egypt with much difficulty for the
right to be free and to worship as they chose.
Noah's
family boarded the ark and closed it up when the rain started that
had been prophesied.
Abraham
and Lot took up their journey also.
This
pattern is applied as we follow the Prophet today as well.
Deuteronomy 8:20
20
As the nations which the Lord destroyeth
before your face, so shall ye perish; because ye would not be
obedient unto the voice of
the Lordyour God.
Jeremiah 42:6
6
Whether it be good, or whether it be evil, we will obey the voice of
the Lord our God,
to whom we send thee; that it may be well with us, when we obey
the voice of
the Lord our God.
Zechariah 6:15
15
And they that are far off shall come and build in the temple of
the Lord, and ye shall
know that theLord of
hosts hath sent me unto you. And this shall come to pass, if ye will
diligently obey thevoice of
the Lord your God.
1 Nephi 16:26
26
And it came to pass that the voice of
the Lordsaid unto him:
Look upon the ball, and behold the things which are written.
Deuteronomy 28:2
2
And all these blessings shall come on thee, and overtake thee, if
thou shalt hearken unto the voiceof
the Lord thy God.
Helaman 12:23
23
Therefore, blessed are they who will repent and hearken unto
the voice of
the Lord their
God; for these are they that shall be saved.
Conference
2014
Ballard
Stay
On The Boat
The
Lord in His goodness has provided help, including a boat, essential
supplies such as life jackets, and experienced river guides who give
guidance and safety instructions to help us make our way down the
river of life to our final destination.
President
Brigham Young commonly employed “the Old Ship Zion” as a metaphor
for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
He
said on one occasion: “We are in the midst of the ocean. A storm
comes on, and, as sailors say, she labors very hard. ‘I am not
going to stay here,’ says one; ‘I don’t believe this is the
“Ship Zion.”’ ‘But we are in the midst of the ocean.’ ‘I
don’t care, I am not going to stay here.’ Off goes the coat, and
he jumps overboard. Will he not be drowned? Yes. So with those who
leave this Church. It is the ‘Old Ship Zion,’ let us stay it.
And
finally, President Young reminded the Saints: “We are on the old
ship Zion. … [God] is at the helm and will stay there. … All is
right, sing Hallelujah, for the Lord is here. He dictates, guides and
directs. If the people will have implicit confidence in their God,
never forsake their covenants nor their God, He will guide us
right.”3
2015
Ballard
God
Is At The Helm
In
last October’s general conference, I invited listeners to follow
Brigham Young’s counsel to stay on the Old Ship Zion, which is The
Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and to hold on with both
hands.1 Since
then, I am happy to know that some of my family and others were
listening and have asked me this question: “What’s in the Old
Ship Zion that we should hang on to?” I reminded them of what
President Brigham Young said: “We are on the old ship Zion. …
[God] is at the helm and will stay there. … He dictates, guides and
directs. If the people will have implicit confidence in their God,
never forsake their covenants nor their God, He will guide us
right.”2
Clearly,
our Heavenly Father and the Lord Jesus Christ have outfitted the Old
Ship Zion with clear and simple eternal truths that will help us stay
the course through the troubled waters of mortal life. Here are
just a few.
The
Church of Jesus Christ has always been led by living prophets and
apostles. Though mortal and subject to human imperfection, the Lord’s
servants are inspired to help us avoid obstacles that are spiritually
life threatening and to help us pass safely through mortality to our
final, ultimate, heavenly destination.
Apply
Lehi's
family boarded the ship to sail to a place they have never seen or
heard of except from the Lord as the “promised land”. That it
would be a leap of faith and total commitment. When we are baptized
into the Church we also make a commitment. We promise to keep the
commandments and serve the Lord. To take His name upon us. As we
are baptized by water, so the waters of the great sea “baptized'
that ship and all who were in it symbolically. . They totally relied
on Him to take them to the place of freedom to worship. There was no
going back. They would follow the prophet all the way.
We
make a commitment when we make covenants with our Heavenly Father wen
we are Baptized, partake of the sacrament and when we receive temple
covenants.
Staying
true to our covenants with total commitment brings great peace and
blessings. If we stand firm and steadfast then we can receive
eternal blessings. These things apply to our Sabbath Day observance,
fulfilling callings and keeping the commandments. Commitment means
that we are all the way in 100 percent.
Hymns-
255-Carry
On
1.
Firm as the mountains around us,
Stalwart
and brave we stand
On
the rock our fathers planted
For
us in this goodly land--
The
rock of honor and virtue,
Of
faith in the living God.
They
raised his banner triumphant--
Over
the desert sod.
Alma
57:27 27 Now
this was the faith of
these of whom I have spoken; they are young, and their minds
are firm,
and they do put their trust in God continually.
Children
96-
Faith
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