Sojourn in the Wilderness

Nephi told us that his family “did sojourn for the space of many years, yea even eight years in the wilderness” before arriving at the place they called Bountiful where he built the ship (1 Nephi 17:4).  The actual distance they traveled from Jerusalem to Bountiful (most likely a region in current day southern Oman) was probably about 2500 miles, roughly twice the distance that the pioneers had to travel from Nauvoo to Salt Lake City.  That would give Lehi’s group an average rate of about 0.85 miles per day—surely they could travel faster than that, even if it was in the desert!  Alma gave us some insight into why it took them so long when he taught his son Helaman about the Liahona: “They were slothful, and forgot to exercise their faith and diligence and then those marvelous works ceased, and they did not progress in their journey.  Therefore, they tarried in the wilderness, or did not travel a direct course, and were afflicted with hunger and thirst, because of their transgression” (Alma 37:41-42).  He them related to Helaman how this was symbolic for all of us, and that we too will not progress spiritually if we are slothful.  It reminds me of the fact that the brother of Jared’s group sat on the seashore in their journey “for the space of four years” and did not progress any towards the promised land where the Lord wanted them to go.  The Lord then came and chastised the brother of Jared for his own slothfulness in not praying to the Lord.  He then said very directly, “Go to work and build” (Ether 2:13, 16).  I think that is a spiritual call for all of us to “not be slothful because of the easiness of the way” and seek to make progress in our own lives spiritually as we try to follow the counsel that the Lord has given us (Alma 37:46).  If we learn one thing from these stories of Lehi’s group and the brother of Jared’s group, it is that the Lord will not force us to progress; He will let us stagnate in our journey if that is what we choose.