vs. 9: And after we had been driven forth before the wind for the space of many days, behold, my brethren and the sons of Ishmael and also their wives began to make themselves merry, insomuch that they began to dance, and to sing, and to speak with much rudeness, yea, even that they did forget by what power they had been brought thither; yea, they were lifted up unto exceeding rudeness.
Sometimes I think it easy to become casual in everything. The way we are and the way we act. Could we be so casual that at times our actions can be called rude? Perhaps.
In our home, fart jokes and burping occasionally exist. Is it so far stretched to assume that this kind of behavior invites the exit of the spirit? Could we ask ourselves to become more refined even in the seemingly unimportant things of life?
vs. 12 And it came to pass that after they had bound me insomuch that I could not move, the compass, which had been prepared of the Lord, did cease to work.
I love that the compass works according to their righteousness. Isn't that exactly what the scriptures do for us? And aren't the scriptures are compass?
Think about it. If we simply read the scriptures without any effort to absorb them into our lives, without any desire behind our reading--can they guide us? Perhaps. I'm sure there might be a case or two where this act of simply reading has changed hearts. However, can we argue that diving into the scriptures with full purpose of heart can serve as a guide for our lives? Could the scriptures then become a compass to us as we live righteously? It is our actions or our intents in which allow the things of the Lord to guide us. These things are there. They exist. However, they only serve to our benefit when we open our hearts to the Lord.
