"Behold in thy childhood thou hast suffered afflictions and much sorrow because of the rudeness of thy brethren, nevertheless Jacob my first born in the wilderness thou knowest the greatness of God and he shall consecrate thine afflictions for thy gain." The word consecrate means to dedicate, to imbue with sacredness, to make sacred or holy. In the ancient world, one would to go to the temple and make a vow or promise, typically covenanting one’s willingness to do certain things, to suffer, pay or sacrifice in a certain way, so that the Lord would reciprocate by honoring the person’s request for certain blessings. In this passage, Jacob’s privation and suffering is acknowledged, and his father Lehi vows to him that all of the things that he will suffer through in his life will be consecrated to God and this will bring blessings to him.
Jacob suffered as a young child from the difficulty of years of journey, danger, horrendous fears of shipwreck, the lack of adequate food or water. Jacob never knew Jerusalem, never knew the comforts of home, never knew the riches the family of Lehi once enjoyed. But his father said that the Lord would consecrate all these afflictions for his gain. In Doctrine & Covenants 98:3, the Lord said, "All things wherewith ye have been afflicted shall work together for your good," and to the Prophet Joseph Smith he said, "All these things shall give thee experience and shall be for thy good." Lehi imparted a similar message of reassurance, both to Jacob and importantly to all who read and regard his words today.