1 Nephi 16
In 1 Nephi 16 Lehi receives the Liahona, “And it came to pass that as my father arose in the morning, and went forth to the tent door, to his great astonishment he beheld upon the ground a round ball of curious workmanship; and it was of fine brass. And within the ball were two spindles; and the one pointed the way whither we should go into the wilderness” (1 Nephi 16:10).
Asking good questions helps to bring out understanding as we read through this material. The answers lead to more questions, which help us to understand the nature of God and how he works with us.
Analyze
- Why do you think God gives Lehi an external object to help guide him? Couldn’t God just speak to Lehi? Why or why not? In other words, this question is another version of the age old question, “Why does God use gadgets? What is their purpose?”
- Some “gadgets” the Lord has used to teach us may include: The Ark of the Covenant, the temple, Aaron’s rod, the Urim and Thummim, the sixteen stones of the Brother of Jared, Gideon’s fleece, the Liahona, etc.
Apply
- What could we call the “First Principle” of being guided by God?
- How are we guided by external means? Why does God do this?
- Can you think of an example in the scriptures where God uses/used external means to guide his people?
- When in your life has God used external means to communicate with you?
Analyze – see 1 Nephi 16:24-29
- Why do you think God would require faith and diligence for the Liahona to work?
- What do you think Nephi and others had to have faith in?
- What did they have to exercise diligence with?
- What do you think Nephi means by the phrase, “by small means the Lord can bring about great things”?
- When have you seen this to be true?
Apply
- In order to be guided by God, what do you have to be diligent with?
- How do we exercise faith to be guided?
- What role does the Holy Ghost play in our being guided by God?
- How would you explain or share a time when you knew you were being guided by the Lord?
