“And it came to pass that he departed into the wilderness. And he left his house, and the land of his inheritance, and his gold, and his silver, and his precious things, and took nothing with him, save it were his family, and provisions, and tents, and departed into the wilderness.”

Its interesting that Nephi took the time to document that Lehi left all his precious things. He didn’t mention taking his children out of schooling, leaving a career, friends or social groups.

He only mentioned leaving his precious things. Since the BOM is written for our day, this should be a warning beacon to us. Our precious things are nothing more than conveniences which the Lord has blessed us with. We would do well to give our possessions the proper place in our heart… no possession is more important than family, or obedience to the Lord’s commandments.

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“The box in which they lay was formed by laying stones together in some kind of cement. In the bottom of the box were laid two stones crossways of the box, and on these stones lay the plates and the other things with them.”

The plates, Urim and Thummim and breastplate were protected from the elements by being covered from wind, rain, snow and erosion. They were also raised from the ground to avoid water damage. They were sealed to be protected from animal interference, and hidden such that they could be identified by those who need to know, but hidden from the rest of the world.

Likewise, our precious worldly things should be protected by our proper planning, that they may last us through our needs and beyond. This means properly saving and safely investing our money, planning for retirement and for emergencies. And when we pass on, how shall our wishes regarding our possessions and savings be interpreted without a Urim and Thumin? For this reason we prepare by having a Will and power of attorney, making our wishes known in some formal and legal documentation.

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