Book of Mormon, D & C, Pearl of Great Price

But, said he, notwithstanding our afflictions, we have obtained a land of promise, a land which is choice above all other lands; a land which the Lord God hath covenanted with me should be a land for the inheritance of my seed. Yea, the Lord hath covenanted this land unto me, and to my children forever, and also all those who should be led out of other countries by the hand of the Lord. (2 Nephi 1:5)

In the Book of Mormon, in the prophet Lehi’s final words of wisdom to his sons before his death, he mentioned that the Lord had covenanted the land where his family had been led just prior to the destruction of Jerusalem. What did Lehi mean? What is a covenant?

According to LDS.org, the official website of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints:

“A covenant is a sacred agreement between God and a person or group of people. God sets specific conditions, and He promises to bless us as we obey those conditions. When we choose not to keep covenants, we cannot receive the blessings, and in some instances we suffer a penalty as a consequence of our disobedience.” Covenants

So Lehi was saying that God had promised his family could live on this land, along with others, forever. However, a covenant is a two-way promise. God promised them the land, but in order for that promise to be fulfilled, they had to meet certain requirements, those of obeying the commandments. We discussed in previous articles on national security from a spiritual point of view how God requires those who live in the Americas to live His teachings in order to receive the promises made concerning this land.

Members of the LDS church call themselves a covenant people. They make covenants with God all their lives, starting at the young age of eight, and then work to keep them. Honoring these sacred covenants is a privilege and an honor to them, a way to demonstrate to God how much they love Him. A true spiritual covenant is not a burden to live; it’s a joyous opportunity.

The first covenant is made at baptism, which can happen when a child is eight years old, or at any age someone chooses to join the church. By the time this has happened, the child has spent many years learning which covenants he will be making and practicing how to live them. When the time comes, he is already living his part of the covenant, and so the keeping of it is likely to seem natural. What does this young child promise the Lord he loves?

First, they covenant to take upon themselves His name. With this promise, others can learn about God by watching how His followers behave. They promise to treat this privilege with respect, never doing anything to dishonor the name they’ve taken. Children are taught that this is similar to honoring their last names—the names of their own earthly fathers, but with an even greater responsibility.

Next they promise to keep the commandments and to serve God all their lives, both mortal and immortal. These are weighty promises, but they have a great deal of help in learning to do so. Their families, teachers, and leaders are all ready to instruct, counsel, and assist.
As the children grow older they will have additional opportunities to make covenants with God, all of which are based on serving God and keeping the commandments. As they grow in their ability to keep these sacred covenants, they grow closer to God and to the Savior.