Jarom is the son of Enos, making him the great-grandson of Lehi. In verse 9, he reminds of the promise the Lord made to Lehi: "Inasmuch as ye will keep my commandments ye shall prosper in the land."
I have heard people reference this when their lives are less than perfect. They lament that they have kept the commandments, so why are they not prospering?
I have a vague feeling about this. It is something that I don't quite understand yet, but the Lord does look at things differently than us. I think this promise is specifically referring to a people, not an individual person. The Nephites, as a whole people, were watched over in their struggles with the Lamanites--who always seem to be more numerous than them--as long as they are keeping the commandments. I really do feel the Lord has a greater sense of these things and often speaks of "peoples" and "generations of people." It is sometimes hard for us to understand because our perspective is so small and narrow.
That being said, the scriptures have a way of teaching us principles to be applied in our own lives through stories that have many layers to them. I would say that if we keep the commandments we will prosper. It just kind of depends on your definition of prosper. It may not mean that we are rich, or that our family is always healthy. For me it means that even if life is hard, even if it gets really, really hard, when we are close to the Lord, He helps us. He walks with us and, sometimes, he carries us, just like in the poem Footprints in the Sand. Having the Lord in your life is to prosper. He helps us be more than we can be by ourselves. He is ultimately trustworthy and always there. When you really think about it, isn't that what matters most?
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