Omni – Leaving Home, Starting the Path Alone
Omni 1:13 “And it came to pass that he did according as the Lord had commanded him. And they departed out of the land into the wilderness, as many as would hearken unto the voice of the Lord”
Nephite Timeline
Scripturally speaking, after Jacob (other than the conversion story of Enos which we’ll address later on in the narrative) nothing else really happens for almost 300 years! Kings come and go, some good, some bad, they have “many seasons of serious war and bloodshed” (Omni 1:3), but by and large we just don’t have much content to add to the timeline here.
The most important event in this timeline happens towards the end of this 300 year period. The Nephites have become so wicked that the Lord warns the current prophet Mosiah to “flee out of the land of Nephi, and as many as would hearken unto the voice of the Lord should also depart out of the land with him, into the wilderness” (vs 12). Like Nephi before them, for their own good, they are commanded to leave the “land of their inheritance” (vs 7). They are then “led by the power of [God’s] arm, through the wilderness until they came down into the land which is called the land of Zarahemla. And they discovered a people, who were called the people of Zarahemla.” (vs 13-14)
These people are descendants of Mulek, the son of the Jewish king Zedekiah, who “came out from Jerusalem at the time that [he] was carried away captive into Babylon” (vs 15). These people of Mulek did not heed the prophet Lehi’s call to repent nor his subsequent call to flee when their society had reached the point of no return, and subsequently had to flee with only the shirts on their back so to speak, having “brought no records with them” (vs 17). They had been saved but without their own brass plates to guide them they had fallen into apostasy, “[denying] the being of their Creator”, having “their language…corrupted”, and having “many wars and serious contentions” (vs 17).
They are then “taught in the language of Mosiah” (vs 18), reconverted to the truth, and join the people of Mosiah, making him their king. The narrative ends with the passage of Mosiah and the conferral of both the kingdom and the sacred records to his son, King Benjamin.
Individual Timeline
So, you’ve had all the training and parental counsel you need (or are willing to listen to) at this time, now it’s time to move out on your own. For some they’re off to college for a year or two, others directly to a job, military, or the mission field (Ch 14). Some take the time to relax on the couch and play video games etc. (Ch 11), or just some time to spread your wings, push the limits a bit, and figure out life on your own (Ch 12-13). I think the Lord understands that for most this period of transition is going to be difficult and varied, so for the next few chapters they all revolve around this same timeframe and lack the linearity that the previous chapters had. So let’s start with leaving the nest.
Leaving Home
The Nephites had grown so wicked in the land of Nephi, for their own good they are commanded to leave. As much as we parents don’t like the idea of our not-so-little ones leaving the nest it really is for their own good. If they stick around home too long there is a very real propensity for stagnation and eventually falling into wickedness like the Nephites (more on this in the next chapter).
The descendant of Nephi speaking at the time is a man named Amaleki who drives home the point twice that “as many as would hearken unto the voice of the Lord” (vs 12 & 13) should depart out of the land. It really is the voice of the Lord calling us out to greater things. Both parent and child need to recognise this and either let go or get going.
Hopefully by this stage we have followed the counsel of Nephi and Jacob, having sought after the conversion that accompanies the baptism by fire like Enos did. Then, like the righteous few Nephites that followed Mosiah, we can follow the prophet’s voice and leave the land, being “led by many preachings and prophesyings. And… admonished continually by the word of God” (vs 13). This call to another land ideally would be to the mission field as the age of eligible missionaries recently under the prophetic leadership of President Monson was lowered to 18 for men and 19 for women, but many still choose to go a little later, taking some time to grow or sort things out a bit on their own. Either way the message is clear, time to get out!
This same pattern of following the Prophet’s counsel to leave seems to be an ongoing theme in the early chapters of the Book of Mormon. Lehi being warned and fleeing with his family and friends from wicked Jerusalem, Nephi from his wicked brothers, and now Mosiah from the wicked Nephites in the Land of Nephi. Now finding the Mulekites in the Land of Zarahemla adds a layer of complexity to this narrative that is worth exploring further.
3 Groups of Jerusalem
The first group to leave Jerusalem were the Lehites. These are the few righteous followers of Christ, the wheat (with just a few tares), that actually listened to the warnings of the prophet and left the land when they were prompted to do so. Like Noah building the ark, the sun was shining, business was booming, people were eating and being merry, life was good. Oh there were babylonian storm clouds on the horizon, but with 40 ft high walls 8 feet deep surrounding the city, the people took comfort in the works of their hands, “the arm of flesh” so to speak, and mocked, ridiculed, and even sought the life of the prophet of the day.
When the people became so wicked that they effectively “cast out the righteous from among (them)” then they were fully “ripe for destruction” (Helaman 13:14). The righteous few quietly packed up their belongings, making sure to bring everything they needed for years of hardship, in particular their scriptures and the word of the living prophet, and left methodically, peacefully, into the wilderness. There they endured countless hardships for over 8 years, through which they became stronger and closer to the Lord, until at last, they entered into their own ark, were brought across the waters, into their own promised land. There they built their cities and temples, they thrived, kept their language, their faith, and their prophetic connection to God. The people of Nephi would follow this pattern some years later as they left the wicked influence of his brethren, and the people of Mosiah hundreds of years after that. Different seasons of sifting wheat from tares, refining, and purifying the people of the Lord.
The second group of people to leave Jerusalem were the Mulekites. These people did not heed the prophetic call to repent, nor the subsequent call to flee the land when the civilization became fully ripened in wickedness. Veritably, these would include the “all is well in Zion” crowd, that are having too much fun eating, drinking, and being merry to consider leaving the party. Having hearts made fat and ears made heavy, they “shut their eyes” (2 Ne 16:10), ignore the warnings, and continue the status quo. A false sense of security attends them, surrounded in their perceived strongholds, and like the Ammonihahites of a future day, blaspheme God saying He “could not destroy (their city), because of its greatness.” (Alma 16:9)
But as the rain clouds of Babylon descend, and the panic and realization sets in, this second group begin to open their eyes and ears to the reality of the situation. Whether by dumb luck or God’s never-ending mercy to even last minute, “death-bed” type repentance, these people are able to escape the impending destruction with basically the shirts on their back; but they leave with their lives and that’s about it. No talk of prophetic leadership through the wilderness, no scriptural records to preserve their faith and language, no preparation, likely limiting their supplies, making the same wilderness travel that much harder.
Yet despite the hardships, the corruption of their language, the missing years of prophetic teaching and subsequent loss of light, this second group does escape the coming destruction and they eventually make it to the promised land. Then, through the ministration and edification of the more faithful first group, once the two are merged, they regain their light and language, they repent, and finally come back into the fold. This group of prodigals finally get a ring back on their finger and a robe back around their shoulders; but oh the years of unnecessarily difficult trial, hardships, and muck of the mire they had to wade through to come to the same blessed outcome.
We learn that this second group of the descendants of Mulek are in even greater number than the first group of the children of Nephi. Later in the narrative we’re told that “there were not so many of the children of Nephi, or so many of those who were descendants of Nephi, as there were of the people of Zarahemla, who was a descendant of Mulek, and those who came with him into the wilderness” (Mosiah 25:2). Perhaps another historical point that will be replayed in a future day.
The third group are those that don’t make it out of Jerusalem at all. Having rejected the prophet’s call, and not heeded the subsequent warning signs, they remain enveloped in their world until it is everlastingly too late. The Babylonian horde descends and lays siege to the city; starvation, plague, cannibalism, and widespread death set in, culminating in the eventual annihilation of the majority of these “covenant people of the Lord”. I’m sure similar cries were heard then as in a future day of destruction among the Nephites who wailed “O that we had repented before this great and terrible day, and had not killed and stoned the prophets, and cast them out; then would our mothers and our fair daughters, and our children have been spared”! (3 Ne 8:25)
Question to us all is what group do we want to be in? In principle, the first group is the obvious choice, but maybe not so easy in practice. Our current prophet, President Nelson, hasn’t asked us to physically flee the wickedness of the world (not yet at least) but he has asked us repeatedly to spiritually “lay aside the things of this world and seek for the things of a better” (D&C 25:10, quoted in Spiritual Treasures, October 2019). It is the deciding question our matriculating young adults must answer at this point in the timeline, to heed the prophet’s voice and follow his call, or continue in their worldly pursuits. In the same talk he states:
“Part of this endeavor will require you to put aside many things of this world. Sometimes we speak almost casually about walking away from the world with its contention, pervasive temptations, and false philosophies. But truly doing so requires you to examine your life meticulously and regularly. As you do so, the Holy Ghost will prompt you about what is no longer needful, what is no longer worthy of your time and energy.”
For most young men at least, at this point in the timeline, the decision whether to follow the prophet and walk away from the world is most dramatically expressed in accepting a mission call. Many young women hear this call as well, and many, unable to fulfill a full time proselyting mission, serve the Lord in a variety of other ways. Whatever the call may be, we will never regret giving our will to God and volunteering to selflessly serve his children; be that a mission call, a service mission, or just in our day to day lives as circumstances allow.
Be in the first group! Go with full preparation, knowing the scriptures, and able to hear the voice of the Lord. If not in the first, go with the second wave. It may be harder after the world has had it’s time with you a bit, but it will be so worth it in the end. If you stay in the world as did the third group, chances are you’ll spiritually perish.
While the call to leave this world is currently practiced on a more spiritual, symbolic, level, the time is fast approaching that Lehi’s, Nephi’s, or Mosiah’s similar call of separation will be heard again. Just this month (as of writing), in the Ensign, President Nelson prophetically declared: “The time is coming when those who do not obey the Lord will be separated from those who do.” He then referenced Doctrine and Covenants 86:1-7, a revelation on the separation of the wheat from the tares. Vs 7 is particularly meaningful for our day:
“Therefore, let the wheat and the tares grow together until the harvest is fully ripe; then ye shall first gather out the wheat from among the tares, and after the gathering of the wheat, behold and lo, the tares are bound in bundles, and the field remaineth to be burned.”
The day of growing together appears to be ending and the harvest is becoming fully ripe. We are told another day of separation will ensue, as the Book of Mormon, written for our day, emphasises repeatedly. Which group will we be in?
Global Timeline
The gospel has been restored through the Book of Mormon, we have a living prophet on the earth again that can hear and deliver the word of God to his people, the Church and kingdom of God have been organized once again. Just like with the Nephites in the promised land we shouldn’t be too surprised to see a similar degree of opposition to this fledgling effort both from outside the church (Lamanites) and from within the church as well (wicked Nephites).
The church was restored in Fayette, New York, in the home of Joseph Knight. This, and the surrounding area, was like the Land of Nephi for the early church. Also like the early church of the Nephites, war and wickedness came in the form of mobs and apostasy. Joseph dealt with mocking, arrests, being shot at, and harassment of early meetings and baptisms in Fayette and the surrounding area. Demonic possessions, false revelations and claims of authority, and even persecution from Joseph’s Father-in-law Issac Hale among other things, began to make life very difficult. Things became so heated that the prophet Joseph, like King Mosiah, was warned by divine revelation to leave the land and seek another, where a people had been sufficiently prepared to receive him and the church.
Through the missionary efforts of Oliver Cowdery, and the preparation of a local minister named Sidney Rigdon, a land of Zarahemla so to speak was prepared of the Lord to accept and nourish the Saints as they left behind old ties and wickedness in New York and Pennsylvania. Rigdon, like king Zarahemla, was sufficiently prepared of the Lord to accept the prophet of the day and his teachings from the golden plates, just as Mosiah and the brass plates were accepted in days past. Rigdon’s entire congregation accepted the gospel and were in even greater number than the New York saints, just as the Mulekites were in greater number than the Nephites. A new land for the gathering of the saints has been established, Zarahemla (Kirtland) Ohio. The Book of Mormon was truly written for our day as we watch history repeat itself. And the best is yet to come!
Personal Timeline
I had my own Omni chapter after graduating High School. Being a June birthday, and one of the youngest in my grade, I had all my friends still in my Land of Nephi, all my old ties, haunts, and habits. With still a year till I turned 19 I had every reason to just stick around and keep hunting for a good time and the ever elusive female species, as we had previously done the past few years, while waiting for my mission call. But something seemed to call me on to the next chapter in life.
Having been accepted to BYU and the University of Utah among other colleges I felt impressed to go to BYU (despite my upbringing and love for Utah football. This decision was much to my Father’s shagrin who had taken me to every Ute home-game since I was 3). I’m not sure why I left to college, my grades would have probably thanked me if I had stayed back. But there was hunger to follow the call of the unknown, a desire to step out into the world a bit (as sheltered as Deseret Towers with a meal card was), and spread my wings.
I can’t say that I was much of a “first group” type of Nephite, led by prophecy and the power of God’s arm through the wilderness of College transition. Looking back, I was probably more like Laman and Lemuel, tagging along the BYU boat ride to the promised land of Happy Valley. But I’ll be forever grateful for that baby step of preparation that took me from High School graduate to missionary, even if I had to spend the rest of my college career making up for the dismal Freshman grades I received.
The Way 