He Gave Directions

I am impressed by the incredible way in which the Lord guided the Jaredites to their promised land. After “the brother of Jared did cry unto the Lord” multiple times for guidance, the Lord told him, “Go to and gather together thy flocks, both male and female, of every kind; and also of the seed of the earth of every kind; and thy families; and also Jared thy brother and his family; and also thy friends and their families, and the friends of Jared and their families.” They were to prepare everything first and then embark: “And when thou hast done this thou shalt go at the head of them down into the valley which is northward. And there will I meet thee, and I will go before thee into a land which is choice above all the lands of the earth” (Ether 1:39, 41-42). They were promised that as they set off on their journey, having prepared and followed the Lord’s instructions, they would meet Him as they went. The Lord fulfilled this promise: “And it came to pass that when they had come down into the valley of Nimrod the Lord came down and talked with the brother of Jared; and he was in a cloud, and the brother of Jared saw him not.” He came and spoke to the people, though they could not see Him. But this valley was not their final destination: “And it came to pass that the Lord commanded them that they should go forth into the wilderness, yea, into that quarter where there never had man been. And it came to pass that the Lord did go before them, and did talk with them as he stood in a cloud, and gave directions whither they should travel.” What a marvelous experience this must have been to have the Lord giving them directions on where to go! The account continues, “And it came to pass that they did travel in the wilderness, and did build barges, in which they did cross many waters, being directed continually by the hand of the Lord.” He continually directed them until they finally reached “that great sea which divideth the lands.” Not unlike the travels of the Nephites who traveled to Bountiful next to the sea and stayed there for some time, the Jaredites were in what must have been a pleasant place next to the sea. “They called the name of the place Moriancumer; and they dwelt in tents, and dwelt in tents upon the seashore for the space of four years,” enjoying what they perhaps thought was the promised land the Lord had prepared for them (Ether 2:4-6, 13).

               But, as nice as it may have been, Moriancumr was not their final destination either. “The Lord would not suffer that they should stop beyond the sea in the wilderness, but he would that they should come forth even unto the land of promise, which was choice above all other lands.” He wanted only the very best for them, and He knew they needed a much bigger land for their civilization to develop. Unlike what happened while they were moving, though, once they stayed put and stopped seeking earnestly the guidance of the Lord, He let them remain there without making progress for some time. Then, “at the end of four years that the Lord came again unto the brother of Jared, and stood in a cloud and talked with him. And for the space of three hours did the Lord talk with the brother of Jared, and chastened him because he remembered not to call upon the name of the Lord.” I do not think that the brother of Jared had been wicked or even completely forgot the Lord, but it seems that he had stopped earnestly seeking to know where his people should go or what they should do. Without that earnest prayer, they had floundered in their progress. I love the Lord’s next instructions: “Go to work and build, after the manner of barges which ye have hitherto built” (Ether 2:7, 14, 16). In other words, the Lord was telling him to get up and start working on what he had probably already received some indication he was supposed to do: build means for them to cross the great ocean. This of course he did and then sought earnestly the help of the Lord to receive light in these vessels. Eventually they were prepared for the journey with light and barges and a whole lot of faith, and “they got aboard of their vessels or barges, and set forth into the sea, commending themselves unto the Lord their God.” The Lord again guided them, but this time it was different: “And it came to pass that the Lord God caused that there should be a furious wind blow upon the face of the waters, towards the promised land; and thus they were tossed upon the waves of the sea before the wind.” Now it was a furious wind—instead of the Lord Himself in a cloud—that moved them forward, but again it was dependent upon their prayers: “Therefore when they were encompassed about by many waters they did cry unto the Lord, and he did bring them forth again upon the top of the waters” (Ether 6:4-5, 7). Ultimately, after 344 days on the water, they made it to their promised land after many years of travel, and they rejoiced and gave thanks.

               So, what is the lesson for us in our own lives? Surely if the Lord would lead this people in such a dramatic fashion, He will likewise guide us and give directions and provide light and blow the wind towards where we are supposed to end up in our lives. But we must cry to Him in prayer and seek to know how we can likewise “go to work and build.” Without prayer and effort our progress will stop, but with earnest petitioning of the Lord and our best efforts, He will guide us to our own promised land.