The Book of Mormon is full of examples of obedience.
As a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, (mistakenly called the “Mormon” church), I have many opportunities to study the Book of Mormon. The Book begins with an account of a man named Lehi, a prophet in Jerusalem around 600 B.C., who is commanded to leave Jerusalem with his family because of the wickedness of the people, who seek to take away his life. Lehi and his family must leave all of their land, riches, and precious things and take nothing with them except provisions for their journey in the wilderness (see 1 Nephi 2:4). The journey promises challenging, and leaving so many great possessions proves very difficult, especially for Lehi’s oldest sons, Laman and Lemuel, who spend a great deal of time complaining, or murmuring, against their father Lehi. Lehi’s two youngest sons, Nephi (the author of the first and second books of Nephi in the Book of Mormon) and Sam, recognize the Lord’s hand and have faith in the direction He has given to their Father.
Even though Lehi knows how hard leaving Jerusalem will be for his family and the journey that lies ahead, he is committed to being obedient to the Lord. Surely, this must’ve been somewhat difficult for even Lehi, in spite of knowing all that He did and the promises the Lord had made to Him for his obedience. With this being said, I love how Lehi put his faith in God, not knowing everything that would happen, and trusted that He would provide for him and his family. Lehi’s love for his Lord, and his humility amaze me—that he would give up so much, and be willing to live in a tent in the middle of nowhere in the wilderness in order to follow what the Lord had commanded him (see 1 Nephi 2:1-3; 2:15). His actions say a lot about the person he is. The Savior once said to a rich young man that came seeking to inherit eternal life, that it is “easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God” (Mark 10:25).
Helping others helps us become more humble.
Lehi, though he possessed many great things—silver, gold, land—also must have possessed great faith and had his heart turned to the Lord because of his ability to give up everything in order to be obedient. Never once did Lehi ask, “What’s in it for me?” or “When will I be wealthy again because I did what you asked?” He was willing to forsake all, and in the end gained even greater earthly possessions, but more importantly, great heavenly treasures. I think it is harder than we think to truly be like Lehi. So often, pride gets in the way of us keeping the commandments of the Lord. I find myself sometimes being pulled into spending my time gathering “precious things” of the world, instead of storing up treasures in Heaven, even though I know where the greater treasure lies. I am grateful for the opportunity that I have to keep changing and trying to become more like my Savior, Jesus Christ, and for all of the great examples in scriptures, both the Bible and the Book of Mormon, that help me come closer to Him, like this example of Lehi’s humility and obedience in the Book of Mormon.
By Karina H.
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