29. The Map

CHAPTER 29

THE MAP

Frankincense trees grow in the barren and rocky environment of southern Arabia.  An aromatic resin is obtained from these trees after scraping the bark and allowing the sap to bleed out and harden.  Frankincense from the Arabian coast for trade in Egypt and other Mediterranean lands brought considerable wealth to those few who were brave and hardy enough to endure the risks and hardships that accompanied long distance travel through difficult desert regions.

The Samaritan’s caravan was returning to his homeland by a familiar route.  That route would take him in a nearly westerly direction from the southern coast of Arabia to the Red Sea.  He would then travel northward up and along the eastern coast of the Red Sea to his homeland to sell his goods.  If all went well, he expected to return home in a month’s time.

          The caravan method of travel that most merchants take to migrate through the desert is a marvelous interaction with nature.  The traveler dwells in a tent.  Water and food supplies are difficult to find in the desert.  And even when a small oasis is located, it is necessary to move on in a short time as the water in the well and other resources become temporarily depleted.

Everything the desert nomad possesses, including his tent, is packed up and carried by camels to the next watering hole, often days apart.  Because the desert’s scarce resources need to be shared by all who can survive in this harsh environment, wars frequently erupt between bitter enemies who fight to gain control of the few resources the desert contains.

On the other hand, tremendous respect and loyalty exist among family tribes and friendly fellow travelers who assist each other to survive.  And so it was with this Samaritan who recognized that Nephi, Lehi, and Hantuman were courageous travelers just like him.

He expanded his tent to take them in.

          Nephi was recovering well from the pirate attack.  One evening, as he sat with the merchant in his tent, he tried to communicate with his new friend.  He desired to express his gratitude for all the help the merchant was giving to him, and to Lehi and Hantuman.

“Thank you!” said Nephi.  Nephi gestured by bowing his head slightly.  At the same time, he patted his hand over his heart.  He figured that hand motions and pantomiming might substitute for the difference between his language and the merchant’s language.

“Thank you,” mimicked the merchant back to Nephi.  The accent and the pronunciation used by the merchant were different, but close enough for Nephi to understand it.

“No.  I … thank … you,” repeated Nephi.  He pointed to himself and then pointed to the merchant.

 “Aaahh,” said the merchant.  “You.”  He pointed at himself, smiling.

“No. No.  That’s not it.”  Nephi decided to start over.  He pointed only to himself.  “I am Nephi.”

“Neef-high,” repeated the merchant who pointed his finger at Nephi.

“Yes!  Good enough.”  Nephi grinned.  “That’s it!”

“Good!  Yes, yes.”  The merchant smiled back.  He pointed to himself again.  “I … am … Joshua,” he said slowly while he mimicked how Nephi had spoken.  “I … am … God is help.”

Nephi was excited to make this breakthrough.  Many words like good, yes, is, help, and God were apparently of similar origin despite some differences in the way the merchant pronounced them.

The merchant motioned for Nephi to follow him.  The merchant led Nephi to a corner of his tent.  The merchant opened a container and started to search through some parchments rolled up inside it.  He found the one he was looking for and pulled it out.  He unrolled the parchment to show it to Nephi.

This parchment had a picture drawn on it.  Actually, it was a map.

The merchant pointed to several locations on the map with a questioning look in his eyes.  Nephi understood that the merchant was trying to ask him where they had come from.  How could he answer that?  Something like -- we come from a far distant land across the many waters that can only be reached by sailing in a ship for many months -- was a little too advanced for their current verbal communication skills.

Nephi pointed to the east.  Then he motioned with his hands going up and down to indicate the waves of the sea.  Then he moved his hands apart, moved his left hand over to meet his right hand, and repeated those motions several times to indicate a great distance.  His hands waved in the air.

All of a sudden, Nephi grabbed the map and took it away from the merchant.  His eyes grew large and he stared at it more carefully.  Again he waved his hands in the air!  Only this time the waves were mountainous gestures and tremendous excitement lit up his face!

          “My God be praised!  My God be praised!”   Nephi held the map and ran over to join Lehi and Hantuman who were sitting together in a separate corner of the tent.  Nephi’s face was radiantly aglow with excitement and happiness.  Nephi waved the map over his head in triumphant circles and rejoiced with a loud exclamation that sounded more like singing than speaking:

          “Behold, my soul delighteth in the things of the Lord; and my heart pondereth continually upon the things which I have seen and heard.  Great is the goodness of the Lord in showing me His great and marvelous works, and my heart exults!  I know in Whom I can trust.  My God hath been my support; he hath led me through mine afflictions in the wilderness; and he hath preserved me upon the waters of the great deep.  He hath filled me with His love, even unto the consuming of my flesh.  He hath confounded mine enemies.  Behold, He hath heard my cry by day, and He hath given me knowledge by vision this very night!”

          “What is it?” asked Lehi.  “Why all the sudden excitement?”

          “What have you found?” questioned Hantuman.

          Nephi paused for a moment to allow the significance of his discovery to sink in.  “I have found…,” he began slowly while he tried to calm down his own emotions.  “I know where we are!  And it is exactly where our first fathers Lehi and Nephi journeyed on their way to the promised land!”

          “What!?” exulted Lehi and Hantuman together.

          “It’s true!” Nephi continued.  “This map confirms it!  Just take a look at this!”  Nephi showed Lehi and Hantuman the merchant’s map.  “Remember me telling you about the map I found in our first father Lehi’s record?  It showed his travels before coming to our promised land.  It was because of that map that I knew a return to the land of Jerusalem was possible.  And here is essentially the identical map!  See!  Look at this!  Right about here would be where we landed and were attacked.  And over here, do you know what sea that is?  It’s the Red Sea!  That is the sea that was divided when Moses and the children of Israel left Egypt.  So, the land that would be up here off the top of the map---Jerusalem!”

“Glory to God in the highest!” Hantuman proclaimed.  “I think you’re right about this, Nephi!  After six hundred years, Nephi and Lehi are back!  You can literally walk in their footsteps --- in the opposite direction.”

“Amen and hallelujah,” rejoiced Lehi.  “God does work in a mysterious way, doesn’t He?  If we hadn’t been attacked and shipwrecked by those villainous thieves, we wouldn’t have needed rescuing.  And if we hadn’t been rescued by this good merchant, we wouldn’t have known about this map.  Oh how grateful I am for God’s mercy and goodness.  He blesses me even in times of my greatest afflictions.”

          Nephi, Lehi, and Hantuman traveled with the merchant in his caravan for the next four weeks.  The merchant taught them his language and they learned it remarkably fast because of several similarities to their own language.  The merchant enjoyed having traveling companions since he encountered very few other people on his lonely journey.  He told Nephi, Lehi, and Hantuman that they were like good neighbors for him, even though they had come from a strange and unknown country. 

Everyone was happy and excited to reach the shore of the Red Sea, especially Hantuman.  He was in a playful mood.  Hantuman stepped into the water carrying his walking stick.  He struck the water sharply with his rod and waited.  But nothing happened!   He did manage to splash some of the water all over his arm and got his clothing soaking wet.  The merchant laughed uncontrollably.  Nephi and Lehi merely rolled their eyes and shrugged their shoulders.

Nephi, Lehi, and Hantuman helped the merchant while they traveled together.  They shared simple meals together.  Constant and repeated work was required to pack up the tent, care for the camels, move to the next location, provide water for the camels, and then unpack the tent before doing it all over again.

The merchant was skilled at traveling through the desert.  He knew the best routes and where to find supplies of scarce, precious water.  Water was vital for their survival in the desert.  Each oasis and each well had a name.  Since the wells were few and far between, each one was a welcomed sight to behold.  There they could rest and be refreshed while they traveled in the desert.

Eventually, the little caravan of travelers arrived in Samaria.  They stopped at a well the merchant said was Jacob’s well.

Nephi decided to stay at the well to rest while the others went in to the nearby city to replenish their supplies.  He was wearied because of his long journey, and thus, he sat on the well.

Although he was tired, Nephi believed he never fell asleep while he rested.  It was about the sixth hour, or around mid-day.

A woman of Samaria came to draw water.