Light to Men, Women, and Children

When the brother of Jared went to the Lord for help as they prepared the barges, his requests were to help not just him but their whole company as they traveled.  He prayed, “And behold, O Lord, in them there is no light; whither shall we steer? And also we shall perish, for in them we cannot eathe, save it is the air which is in them; therefore we shall perish….  Behold, O Lord, wilt thou suffer that we shall cross this great water in darkness?” (Ether 2:19,22)  His concern was not just for himself but for the whole people.  When he went up on mount Shelem to offer his solution for the light problem, he made 16 stones, so that they would have enough light for two stones in each vessel.  He was not seeking to solve a personal problem but one for his whole group.  And Moroni recorded that the solution the Lord gave was indeed for all of the Jaredites: “And thus the Lord caused stones to shine in darkness, to give light unto men, women, and children, that they might not cross the great waters in darkness” (Ether 6:3). 

               The brother of Jared is an example of one who sought to bless others through his own turning to the Lord.  We see this in particular at the beginning of the Jaredite story.  It was Jared who asked his brother to make a petition to the Lord in behalf of the whole family: “Cry unto the Lord, that he will not confound us that we may not understand our words.”  Once the brother of Jared did that and the Lord had answered his prayer, Jared again asked his brother: “Cry again unto the Lord, and it may be that he will turn away his anger from them who are our friends, that he confound not their language” (Ether 1:34, 36).  Again his earnest seeking of the Lord was on behalf of others and not just for himself.  At the end of his life he also showed his concern for everyone as he suggested, “Let us gather together our people that we may number them, that we may know of them what they will desire of us before we go down to our graves.” As he and his brother discussed the idea of a king, he sought to stop it, declaring, “Surely this thing leadeth into captivity” (Ether 6:21, 23).  His concern was for his people, and most of his life—at least the part we are told about—he sought to spiritually and temporally bless the lives of the Jaredites.  His own seeking of the Lord blessed not only himself but all his people, and his example shows us how a leader should lead: by seeking help and guidance from the Lord to bless those he or she is called to serve.  That seeking and spiritual work can bring knowledge not just to the one asking the Lord but it can serve to “give light unto men, women, and children.”