When God commands Nephi to build a ship, he simply asks where he can find ore to make the tools he will need. In contrast, Laman and Lemuel refuse to help, saying it can’t be done. Nephi reminds them of God’s blessings to their ancestors. He is miraculously protected from them by the Spirit of the Lord.
Chapter Outline
- Lehi’s family arrives at the ocean (v. 1-6).
- The Lord commands Nephi to build a ship and he gets started; Laman and Lemuel refuse to help (v. 7-22).
- Nephi reminds them of miracles including the crossing of the Red Sea, manna, and the brass serpent (v. 23-47).
- He commands them not to touch him, and they are shocked by the power of God (v. 48-55).
My Takeaways
- Be proactive. Take ownership of your responsibilities and assignments.
- We can take courage from the miracles God has performed in the past.
- Our decisions can either increase or decrease our sensitivity to our feelings.
- Seemingly simple actions can lead to miraculous results
Featured Blog Posts
❖ Arriving at the Sea – 1 Nephi 17:5-7
Bountiful – 1 Nephi 17:6-8
6 And it came to pass that we did pitch our tents by the seashore; and notwithstanding we had suffered many afflictions and much difficulty, yea, even so much that we cannot write them all, we were exceedingly rejoiced when we came to the seashore; and we called the place Bountiful, because of its much…
❖ The Lord Commands Nephi to Build a Ship – 1 Nephi 17:8-10
Whither Shall I Go that I May Find Ore? – 1 Nephi 17:8-10
8 And it came to pass that the Lord spake unto me, saying: Thou shalt construct a ship, after the manner which I shall show thee, that I may carry thy people across these waters. 9 And I said: Lord, whither shall I go that I may find ore to molten, that I may make…
“That I May Make Tools”
God prepares a way for us to fulfill His commandments. That way becomes clear as we move forward. Nephi knew that he would have to build a ship. He asked for help with the first step: finding ore to forge the tools
❖ Laman and Lemuel Refuse to Help – 1 Nephi 17:17-18
Is It Wrong to Complain?
Lehi’s journey to the American continent mirrors Moses’s earlier journey to the land of Israel in many ways. One of those similarities is the incessant murmuring by some people during the journey. The children of Israel complained about bitter water (Exodus 15:23-25), about a lack of food (Exodus 16:1-15), and about a lack of water…
We Might Have Been Happy – 1 Nephi 17:19-21
19 And now it came to pass that I, Nephi, was exceedingly sorrowful because of the hardness of their hearts; and now when they saw that I began to be sorrowful they were glad in their hearts, insomuch that they did rejoice over me, saying: We knew that ye could not construct a ship, for…
❖ Nephi teaches His Brothers – 1 Nephi 17:23-47
What Does the Book of Mormon Teach About the Creation of the Earth?
It’s so easy to have a narrow perspective. Our brains have finite capacity, and we all have tasks that must be done today. Focusing on the here and now may seem to be imperative. But provincial thinking can result in distorted perception and poor decisions. Book of Mormon prophets understood the importance of seeing the…
What Can We Learn from the Crossing of the Red Sea?
The imagery of the Israelites crossing the Red Sea must have been particularly vivid for Nephi and his brothers as they traveled to their promised land. Shortly after leaving Jerusalem, their family set up camp “by the borders near the shore of the Red Sea.” Thereafter, they traveled “in the wilderness in the borders which are…
What Can We Learn from the Brass Serpent?
As Moses led the Israelites to the promised land, they came to a place where there were “fiery serpents.” Many people were bitten by the snakes and died. God told Moses to make a snake out of brass and place it on top of a pole. Whenever any of the people was bitten by one…
Because of the Simpleness of the Way – 1 Nephi 17:41
41 And he did straiten them in the wilderness with his rod; for they hardened their hearts, even as ye have; and the Lord straitened them because of their iniquity. He sent fiery flying serpents among them; and after they were bitten he prepared a way that they might be healed; and the labor which…
What Does It Mean to Be “Past Feeling?”
Sensitivity is good. Callousness is not. The Book of Mormon is very clear on that point: After sharing a spiritual dream with his children, Lehi “did exhort them then with all the feeling of a tender parent” to keep the commandments of God (1 Nephi 8:37). At the end of his life, Lehi spoke to…
Ye Have Heard His Voice – 1 Nephi 17:45, 55
45 Ye are swift to do iniquity but slow to remember the Lord your God. Ye have seen an angel, and he spake unto you; yea, ye have heard his voice from time to time; and he hath spoken unto you in a still small voice, but ye were past feeling, that ye could not…
How Is It That He Cannot Instruct Me? – 1 Nephi 17:50-51
50 And I said unto them: If God had commanded me to do all things I could do them. If he should command me that I should say unto this water, be thou earth, it should be earth; and if I should say it, it would be done. 51 And now, if the Lord has…
Old Testament Foundations
The Manna Ceased
Sometimes we receive a little extra help temporarily. It’s wonderful while it lasts, but there comes a point when we need to stand on our own two feet again and be more self-sufficient. While the children of Israel wandered in the wilderness, they ate manna, a food which miraculously appeared each morning, six days a…
“Them That Honour Me I Will Honour”
God loves all of His children, but that doesn’t mean He is pleased with all of our decisions. Does He love us when we do wrong? Yes, more than we can imagine. He values us. He sees our potential, and He wants to help us achieve it. But He does not condone our wrong choices,…
“Not for Thy Righteousness”
As the children of Israel prepared to enter the promised land, Moses warned them not to attribute God’s blessings to their own goodness: After the Lord your God has driven [the Canaanites] out before you, do not say to yourself, “The Lord has brought me here to take possession of this land because of my righteousness.” No, it is…
No Graves in Egypt
Frustration and fear can narrow our thinking, reducing the number of outcomes that we perceive to be possible. Sometimes, we express this narrow thinking as a false dilemma, in which we articulate multiple bad outcomes and attempt to select the least bad, instead of searching for a better one. As the children of Israel approached…
Milk and Honey
I’ve been thinking about promised lands today. When God appeared to Moses on Mount Horeb, he promised not only to deliver the children of Israel from captivity but also to lead them “unto a land flowing with milk and honey” (Exodus 3:8). So before the Israelites even began their journey, they had a destination in mind. Lehi’s…
Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob
When God appeared to Moses in the burning bush, He didn’t introduce Himself as the Creator of the Universe or as the Father of all people. He didn’t say where He lives or what He is trying to accomplish. Instead, He introduced Himself in terms of three of Moses’s ancestors: I am the God of thy father, the God…
Lot’s Wife
When God told Lot and his family to leave their city, He gave them specific instructions: Escape for thy life; look not behind thee, neither stay thou in all the plain; escape to the mountain, lest thou be consumed. Genesis 19:17 The Hebrew word translated “look” in this passage—nabat (נָבַט)—means more than a casual glance. It means…
“Mine Angels…and Also My Presence”
As the children of Israel traveled from Egypt to the promised land, God repeatedly promised to prepare the way before them. On Mount Sinai, after declaring a number of commandments (including the Ten Commandments), the Lord provided the following assurance: Behold, I send an Angel before thee, to keep thee in the way, and to bring thee…
New Testament Parallels
A Desert Place
Jesus found time to pray alone. So did Nephi, who went often to the mountain to pray, away from other people. We may need to intentionally make time in our schedules to be alone so that we can truly commune with God in prayer.
That Rock Was Christ
We expect rocks to be solid, reliable, and strong. We don’t expect them to quench our thirst. But the Savior provides both a firm foundation and “living water.” That’s why a rock which produces water is a meaningful symbol of Jesus.
Church History Connections
“I Will Provide Means”
The Lord assured Joseph Smith that He would provide means to help Joseph accomplish his assignment. Two months later, as Joseph translated 1 Nephi, he saw the same promise in nearly identical words. God’s assignments always come with sufficient resources.
The Brass Serpent and COVID-19
There is a brief but dramatic story in the book of Numbers. The children of Israel are being bitten by poisonous snakes. Moses heals them by means of a small sculpture mounted on a pole: And the Lord sent fiery serpents among the people, and they bit the people; and much people of Israel died. Therefore the people came to…
The Still Small Voice
During a particularly discouraging time, the prophet Elijah traveled to Mount Horeb, the same place Moses had seen the burning bush. In a cave on that mountain, he prayed, expressing frustration for his lack of success. In response, God told him to step out of the cave onto the side of the mountain. Standing there,…
Promises to Covenant Israel
Nephi told us that God “loveth those who will have him to be their God.” As an example, “he loved our fathers, and he covenanted with them, yea, even Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob; and he remembered the covenants which he had made” (1 Nephi 17:40). In August of 1830, Joseph Smith received a revelation in…
All Posts Referencing 1 Nephi 17
- God Remembered His Covenant (3/27/2026)
- “I Have Remembered My Covenant” (3/23/2026)
- Abraham, Tent-Dweller (2/21/2026)
- Jacob on Economic Inequality (1/16/2026)
- The Heaven and the Earth (1/12/2026)
- Your Most Holy Places (11/1/2025)
- Still and Small (8/6/2025)
- Esteeming Your Brother as Yourself (4/24/2025)
- How to Recognize the Holy Ghost (2/5/2025)
- “I Will Provide Means” (2/1/2025)
- Of God / Of the Devil (1/26/2025)
- Bountifully (7/28/2024)
- Hearing Hard Truths (5/17/2024)
- In the Wilderness (5/11/2024)
- Sacred Spaces (2/17/2024)
- “What Great Things” (1/5/2024)
- God Will Prepare a Way (8/31/2023)