Now I Know of a Surety

Lehi took his family and traveled three days into the wilderness before stopping to offer sacrifice (1 Nephi 2:6-7). At that point, Lehi dreamed a dream in which the Lord told him to send his sons back to get the brass plates. Why did the Lord let Lehi and his family travel three days before telling them that they needed to return? It seems like it would have been easier to obtain the plates before leaving in the first place.

I think there a couple of hints in 1 Nephi as to why the Lord waited to tell Lehi. First of all, the Lord waited until Lehi had offered sacrifice. In other words, Lehi received revelation after being obedient to the voice of the Lord and after performing a temple ordinance. My understanding is that Jewish law required a Jew to travel three days from the temple in Jerusalem before this sacrifice could be made.

The journey back to Jerusalem to retrieve the plates also proved to be a growing experience for Nephi. He learned that the Lord would guide him through the Spirit, as we see in 1 Nephi 4:6.

But it my mind, the real answer to this question can be found in 1 Nephi 5:8. In this verse, we see Sariah's reaction to the return of Nephi and his brethren with the plates. I think her words are very revealing: "Now I know of a surety that the Lord hath commanded my husband to flee into the wilderness." It appears that Sariah needed to gain a testimony of her husband, the living prophet. She needed to know of a surety that he was called of the Lord, and that the hand of the Lord was guiding him. By waiting three days before sending Nephi and his brothers back for the plates, the Lord, in his infinite wisdom and mercy, provided a means for Sariah to gain this testimony.