Lesson 34 - How Could You Have
Forgotten Your God?
Purpose
To help class members recognize the cycle that leads from
righteousness to wickedness and back to righteousness.
Scriptures
Read, ponder, and pray about the
following scriptures:
&
Helaman 6:1–14. The Lamanites become
more righteous than the Nephites. The people are blessed with peace and
prosperity.
&
Helaman 6:15–10:1.The Nephites became
proud and wicked. Nephi calls the people to repentance. After witnessing the
events surrounding the murder of the chief judge, some accept Nephi as a prophet,
but most remain unrepentant.
&
Helaman 10:2 –11:6. The Lord gives Nephi
the sealing power. Nephi asks the Lord
to chasten the Nephites by sending a famine.
&
Helaman 11:7–38:12. The Nephites
humble themselves and repent. The Lord sends rain at Nephi’s request and again
blesses the Nephites with peace and prosperity. Mormon identifies the cycle of righteousness
and wickedness and tells how to break the cycle.
Recommendations
There are two key elements to this lesson.
&
Chapters 10-11. Chapter 10 contains the powerful revelation
given to Nephi2 wherein the Lord gives him the power that,
whatsoever he asks the Lord will happen.
In Chapter 11, Nephi2 requests there be a famine in the
land. We see that consequences of the
famine on the people.
&
Chapter 12.
This chapter could be called “Mormon’s Lament.” He laments how prosperity leads to
wickedness. This is the only time in the
record where Mormon breaks into his account to share his personal words. Remember, this was written shortly before the
destruction of the Nephite people.
Chapter
6
·
“The more part of” the Lamanites are a righteous
people, firm in their faith.
·
The Nephites have become “hardened, impenitent,
and grossly wicked” (v. 2).
·
There was a strong and active church.
o
There was contact between the Nephite and
Lamanite church.
·
“[T]hey did fellowship one with another, and did
rejoice one with another, and did have great joy” (v. 3).
·
The Lamanites began to send missionaries to the
Nephites.
o
“[M]any did preach with exceedingly great power
and authority, unto the bringing down many of them into the depths of humility,
to be the humble followers of God and the Lamb” (v. 5).
·
Not only was the gospel preached, “they did have
free intercourse one with another, to buy and to sell, and to get gain,
according to their desire” (v. 8).
·
See Handout #1 – Chiasmus in Helaman 6:7-13
·
As the people become wealthy, they began to “set
their hearts upon their riches” and “began to seek to get gain that they might
be lifted one above another” (v. 17).
o
They “get gain” through murder, robbery, and
plundering.
o
Nephite society falls apart through internal
strife.
·
See Quote #1
·
The chief judge, Cezoram, is murdered.
o
His son was appointed and later murdered.
·
See Quote #2
·
See Quote #3
·
The Gadianton Robbers were responsible for the
murders.
o
See Quote #4
·
The Nephites allowed the Gadianton Robbers to
flourish.
·
The Lamanites used “every means in their power
to destroy them off the face of the earth” (v. 20).
·
The Nephites They learned the “secret signs, and their secret words; and this that
they might distinguish a brother who had entered into the covenant” (v.
22).
o Their society, in effect, became a
counterfeit religion.
o This “religion” was run by Satan.
·
The Robbers did not obey the law of the land.
o
They followed “the laws of their wickedness” (v.
24).
o
This resulted in a divided society.
·
Alma2 instructed Helaman2
that he should “retain all their oaths, and their covenants, and their
agreements in their secret abominations; yea, and all their signs and their
wonders ye shall keep from this people, that they know them not, lest
peradventure they should fall into darkness also and be destroyed” (Alma 37:27).
o
Mormon makes it clear Helaman2 was
not the source of this wickedness.
§
“[T]hose secret oaths and covenants did not come
forth unto Gadianton from the records which were delivered unto Helaman; but
behold, they were put into the heart of Gadianton by that same being who did
entice our first parents to partake of the forbidden fruit—27 Yea,
that same being who did plot with Cain, that if he would murder his brother
Abel it should not be known unto the world.
And he did plot with Cain and his followers from that time forth” (v.
26).
·
Satan “is the author of all sin” (v. 30).
o
We learn that Satan “is the author of all sin”
(v. 30). Mormon wrote Moroni2,
telling him “all things which are good cometh of God; and that which is evil
cometh of the devil; for the devil is an enemy unto God, and fighteth against
him continually, and inviteth and enticeth to sin, and to do that which is evil
continually” (Moroni 7:12
·
The Nephites had become “exceedingly
wicked.”
o
They “did build up unto themselves idols” (v.
31).
o
Instead of a false god, their idols became their
gold and silver.
·
The wickedness continued for many years, much
“to the great sorrow and lamentation of the righteous” (v. 33).
·
The Nephites are no longer believers.
o
The consequence for the Nephites is that “the
Lord began to withdraw from the Nephites, because of the wickedness and the
hardness of their hearts” (v. 35).
·
The Lamanites are a righteous people.
·
King Benjamin taught:
o
[A]fter ye have known and have been taught
all these things, if ye should transgress and go contrary to that which has
been spoken, that ye do withdraw yourselves from the Spirit of the Lord, that
it may have no place in you to guide you in wisdom's paths that ye may be
blessed, prospered, and preserved—
I say unto you, that the man that doeth this, the same cometh out in
open rebellion against God; therefore he listeth to obey the evil spirit, and
becometh an enemy to all righteousness; therefore, the Lord has no place in
him, for he dwelleth not in unholy temples (Mosiah 2:36 - 37).
·
The Gadianton Robbers took over the government.
·
The Nephites “turn[ed] their backs upon the poor
and meek” (v. 39).
·
We are constantly warned that this is a very
serious offense before God.
o
Let them be before the LORD continually,
that he may cut off the memory of them from the earth. Because that he remembered not to shew mercy,
but persecuted the poor and needy man, that he might even slay the broken in
heart. (Psalms 109:15 - 16)
o
Yea, will ye persist in supposing that ye
are better one than another; yea, will ye persist in the persecution of your
brethren, who humble themselves and do walk after the holy order of God,
wherewith they have been brought into this church, having been sanctified by
the Holy Spirit, and they do bring forth works which are meet for
repentance—Yea, and will you persist in turning your backs upon the poor, and
the needy, and in withholding your substance from them? And finally, all ye
that will persist in your wickedness, I say unto you that these are they who
shall be hewn down and cast into the fire except they speedily repent. (Alma 5:54 - 56)
o
Wo unto you rich men, that will not give
your substance to the poor, for your riches will canker your souls; and this
shall be your lamentation in the day of visitation, and of judgment, and of
indignation: The harvest is past, the summer is ended, and my soul is not
saved! (D&C 56:16)
·
Mormon makes clear “they were in an awful state,
and ripening for an everlasting destruction” (v. 40). This could not continue much longer.
The Prophecy of
Nephi, the Son of Helaman—
God threatens the
people of Nephi that he will visit them in his anger, to their utter
destruction except they repent of their wickedness. God smiteth the people of Nephi with
pestilence; they repent and turn unto him.
Samuel, a Lamanite, prophesies unto the Nephites.
Comprising chapters 7
to 16 inclusive.
Chapter
7
·
While things were getting bad at home, Nephi2
was preaching in the land northward.
o
He was not successful in his efforts. “[T]hey did reject all his words … he could
not stay among them, but returned again unto the land of his nativity” (v.
3).
·
Nephi2 returned to a thoroughly
corrupt Nephite society.
·
See Quote #5
·
Money was the idol of the Nephites.
·
Money bought justice.
o
The “guilty and the wicked [went] unpunished
because of their money” (v. 5).
o
The political class wanted to make it easier to
“commit adultery, and steal, and kill, and do according to their own wills” (v.
5).
·
Nephi2 laments:
o
“I could have joyed with him in the promised
land; then were his people easy to be entreated, firm to keep the commandments
of God, and slow to be led to do iniquity; and they were quick to hearken unto
the words of the Lord” (v. 7).
o
Of this time, Nephi would write:
§
And it
came to pass that I, Nephi, did consecrate Jacob and Joseph, that they should
be priests and teachers over the land of my people.
And it came to pass that we lived after the manner of happiness.
2 Nephi 5:26 - 27
·
We will see that, in spite of his sorrows, he
was living in the right time and place.
o
The Lord needed Nephi2 and he served
the Lord with steadfastness and righteousness.
·
Nephi2 returns to his home.
o
In his garden, there was a tower.
o
Nephi2 was on the tower,
praying.
·
Some men saw him and they went and told a number
of others what was happening.
o
A multitude gathered. They desired to know “the cause of so great
mourning for the wickedness of the people” (v. 11).
·
Seeing the multitude, Nephi2 began to
speak to them.
o
Why are you here, he asks. Are you here for me to “tell you of your
iniquities” (v. 13).
o
He made it clear to the multitude why he was
pouring out his soul to God.
§
“[Y]e have great need to marvel; yea, ye ought
to marvel because ye are given away that the devil has got so great hold upon
your hearts” (v. 15).
§
The devil wants nothing good for us.
§
The only thing he wants is to pull us down to
hell.
o
Nephi2 tells the Nephites to repent
of their sins.
o
God has forsaken the Nephites because of their
choices.
§
They have hardened their hearts and turned away
from Him.
§
They “will not hearken unto the voice of the
good shepherd” (v. 18).
·
Their sins “have provoked him to anger against
you” (v. 18).
·
It is our sin and iniquity that provokes God.
·
It is only after we turn from him that He
forsakes us and leaves us open to the workings of the devil.
o
If we follow the Good Shepherd, we will receive
the protection of God.
·
The desire of the Nephites was “be praised of
men, and … get gold and silver” (v. 21).
o
To do this, they murder, plunder, steal, bear
lie, and do all manner of iniquity” (v. 21).
·
See Quote #6
·
If the Nephites don’t repent, “this great city,
and also all those great cities which are round about, which are in the land of
our possession, shall be taken away that ye shall have no place in them” (v.
22).
·
The Lord is more tolerant of the Lamanites than
the Nephites.
o
The Lamanites “have not sinned against that
great knowledge which ye have received; therefore the Lord will be merciful unto
them” (v. 24).
o
This is the same warning Alma2 gave
the people of Ammonihah.
§
For there
are many promises which are extended to the Lamanites; for it is because of the
traditions of their fathers that caused them to remain in their state of
ignorance; therefore the Lord will be merciful unto them and prolong their
existence in the land (Alma 9:16).
·
Nephi2 warns them “great
abominations” has come among them.
o
They have united with the Gadianton Robbers!
·
The Nephite sin – pride – afflicts them.
o
Their riches have “lifted [them] beyond that
which is good” (v. 26).
o
All of this will happen because of their
“wickedness and abominations” (v. 27).
o
See Quote #7
Chapter
8
·
After Nephi2 spoke his words, the
judges in the audience were not pleased.
o They wanted
the people to “seize upon this man and [brought] him forth, that he may be
condemned according to the crime which he has done” (v. 1).
§ He
“revile[d] against this people and against our law” (v. 2).
·
Wicked judges and lawyers were always
attempting to thwart the work of the Lord.
·
When Alma2 and Amulek were
preaching in the land of Ammonihah, Amulek was confronted by lawyers.
o [T]here were
some among them who thought to question them, that by their cunning devices
they might catch them in their words, that they might find witness against
them, that they might deliver them to their judges that they might be judged
according to the law, and that they might be slain or cast into prison,
according to the crime which they could make appear or witness against them.
Now
it was those men who sought to destroy them, who were lawyers, who were hired
or appointed by the people to administer the law at their times of trials, or
at the trials of the crimes of the people before the judges.
Now these
lawyers were learned in all the arts and cunning of the people; and this was to
enable them that they might be skillful in their profession.
Alma
10:12 - 15
·
Why were the judges angry?
o Nephi2’s
words were plain “unto them concerning their secret works of darkness” (v.
4).
·
They had to be careful dealing with Nephi2’s
words.
o If they were
to “lay their own hands upon him … they feared the people [would] cry out
against them” (v. 4).
·
The judges attempted to turn the mob against
Nephi2.
o “Why do you
suffer this man to revile against us?
For behold he doth condemn all this people, even unto destruction” (v.
5).
o They pointed
out, we are powerful, and our cities great, ”therefore our enemies can have no
power over us” (v. 6).
§ This cry
reminds us of the words of Laman and Lemuel after Nephi1 promised
them the Lord would deliver them from Laban
·
And after the angel had departed, Laman and
Lemuel again began to murmur, saying: How is it possible that the Lord will
deliver Laban into our hands? Behold, he
is a mighty man, and he can command fifty, yea, even he can slay fifty; then
why not us?
1
Nephi 3:31
·
We see the multitude was not of one mind.
o Those
defending Nephi2 reminded the rest of the multitude that the
judgments he said would come upon them would do so because of their iniquities.
o Only a prophet could know this.
·
Those opposing Nephi2 started to
back off because of the fear the words of his defenders caused.
·
Nephi2 continues speaking to the
multitude.
·
He reminds them they have read that God gave
Moses power to part the Red Sea.
o “[I]f God
gave unto this man such power, then why should ye dispute among yourselves, and
say that he hath given unto me no power whereby I may know concerning the
judgments that shall come upon you except ye repent” (v. 12).
·
Nephi2 tells them they not only
deny his words, they deny the words spoken “by our fathers, and also the words
which were spoken by this man, Moses” (v, 13).
o The words of
the prophets have testified of Christ, he reminds them.
·
Nephi2 tells the story of Moses
lifting the brazen (brass) serpent in the wilderness.
o And the LORD sent fiery [or poisonous]
serpents among the people, and they bit the people; and much people of Israel
died.
Therefore the people came to Moses,
and said, We have sinned, for we have spoken against the LORD, and against
thee; pray unto the LORD, that he take away the serpents from us. And Moses prayed for the people.
And the LORD said unto Moses, Make
thee a fiery serpent, and set it upon a pole: and it shall come to pass, that
every one that is bitten, when he looketh upon it, shall live.
And Moses made a serpent of brass, and put it
upon a pole, and it came to pass, that if a serpent had bitten any man, when he
beheld the serpent of brass, he lived.
Numbers
21:6 - 9
·
After being bitten, all the people had to do
was look at the serpent and they would be healed. Many refused to look and died.
·
He tells them this is a representation of
Christ.
o Christ is
represented by the serpent.
o The serpent
being raised up represents Christ being raised on the cross.
o “[A]s many
as should look upon the Son of God with faith, having a contrite spirit, might
live, even unto that life which is eternal” (v. 15).
·
See Quote #8
·
All the prophets, Nephi2 said,
prophesied of Christ.
o Abinadi
said,
§ [D]id not
Moses prophesy unto them concerning the coming of the Messiah, and that God
should redeem his people? Yea, and even all the prophets who have prophesied
ever since the world began—have they not spoken more or less concerning these
things?
(Mosiah 13:33—35)
o The men on
the road to Emmaus walked with Christ after His resurrection.
§ O fools [GR:
unwise], and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken: Ought
not Christ to have suffered these things, and to enter into his glory?
And
beginning at Moses and all the prophets, he expounded unto them in all the
scriptures the things concerning himself.
(Luke 24:25 - 27)
·
The Savior testified, “Your father Abraham
rejoiced to see my day: and he saw it,
and was glad” (John 8:56).
·
Many prophets testified of the coming of
Christ.
o Nephi2
lists Zenock, Zenos, Ezias (prophets found on the Brass Plates), as well as
Isaiah and Jeremiah
·
Nephi2 told them they knew of the
destruction of Jerusalem.
·
See Quote #9
·
Will they dispute the destruction of
Jerusalem? Will they say all the sons of
Zedekiah weren’t slain, except Mulek?[1]
o Lehi1
was drive out of Jerusalem for his prophecies of the coming of Christ.
§ And he also
spake concerning the prophets, how great a number had testified of these
things, concerning this Messiah, of whom he had spoken, or this Redeemer of the
world … (1 Nephi 10:5)
§ And it came
to pass that the Jews did mock him because of the things which he testified of
them; for he truly testified of their wickedness and their abominations; and he
testified that the things which he saw and heard, and also the things which he
read in the book, manifested plainly of the coming of a Messiah, and also the
redemption of the world.
And
when the Jews heard these things they were angry with him; yea, even as with
the prophets of old, whom they had cast out, and stoned, and slain; and they
also sought his life, that they might take it away. But behold, I, Nephi, will show unto you that
the tender mercies of the Lord are over all those whom he hath chosen, because
of their faith, to make them mighty even unto the power of deliverance. (1 Nephi 1:19 - 20)
·
The Nephites have been given truth but they
rebel against God.
·
Instead of laying up treasures in heaven,
they “heaping up for yourselves wrath against the day of judgment” (v. 25).
·
King Benjamin warned the people:
o But wo, wo
unto him who knoweth that he rebelleth against God! For salvation cometh to none such except it
be through repentance and faith on the Lord Jesus Christ (Mosiah 3:12).
·
He
added:
o And now, I
say unto you, my brethren, that after ye have known and have been taught all
these things, if ye should transgress and go contrary to that which has been
spoken, that ye do withdraw yourselves from the Spirit of the Lord, that it may
have no place in you to guide you in wisdom's paths that ye may be blessed,
prospered, and preserved—
I
say unto you, that the man that doeth this, the same cometh out in open
rebellion against God; therefore he listeth to obey the evil spirit, and
becometh an enemy to all righteousness; therefore, the Lord has no place in
him, for he dwelleth not in unholy temples.
Therefore
if that man repenteth not, and remaineth and dieth an enemy to God, the demands
of divine justice do awaken his immortal soul to a lively sense of his own
guilt, which doth cause him to shrink from the presence of the Lord, and doth
fill his breast with guilt, and pain, and anguish, which is like an
unquenchable fire, whose flame ascendeth up forever and ever.
And
now I say unto you, that mercy hath no claim on that man; therefore his final
doom is to endure a never–ending torment.
(Mosiah 2:36 - 39)
·
They are “ripening because of [their] murders
and [their] fornications and wickedness, for everlasting destruction” (v. 26).
·
Destruction is at their doors.
·
Nephi2 tells them to go to the
judgment-seat.
o They will
see the chief judge has been murdered by his brother, who wants the
judgment-seat for himself.
§ By the way,
he says, they’re both part of your secret band.
Chapter
9
·
Five men
ran to the judgment-seat.
o
They
didn’t believe they would find the chief judge dead.
§ If they did, they would know for certain that
Nephi2 is a prophet and they will believe all the other words he
taught them.
·
The
found the chief judge dead, lying in his own blood.
o
The five
fell to the ground, astonished.
·
The
chief judge’s servants found him dead.
·
They
went out and told the people he had been murdered.
o
In verse
6, Mormon writes that the chief judge was “stabbed by his brother by a garb
of secrecy” (emphasis mine).
What does this phrase mean?
§ Robert Boylan explains:
·
In
Helaman 9:6 we read that the Nephite judge had been “stabbed by his brother by
a garb of secrecy.” In Hebrew beged means “garment” or “garb” (compare Genesis 39:12–13)
and “treachery.” Further, the preposition b- in Hebrew can mean “by means of.” Thus the odd
wording of Helaman 9:6 may actually reflect a genuine Hebrew pun underlying the
text of the Book of Mormon. Such literary evidence supporting the Book of
Mormon is extensive…”[2] (Emphasis
mine)
·
The
people came to see and found the five men fallen to the earth.
o
They
concluded these five had murdered the chief judge.
o
They
were thrown into prison.
o
The
people gathered the next day to mourn and fast the chief judge’s death.
·
See
Quote #10
·
The
judges who been at Nephi2’s garden asked about the five men
who had run from his garden to check on his prophesy.
o
The response was that they didn’t know anything
about those five; five men had been arrested and put in prison.
o
The judges asked the five accused of the murder
be brought to them.
o
When they arrived, the judges identified them as
the five who were sent.
·
The judges questioned them.
o
They had run to the judgment-seat and saw
everything that Nephi2 had testified happened.
o
They were so surprised, they fell to the earth.
·
The judges accused Nephi2 of being
involved in the murder of the judge.
o
That’s the only way he could have known he was
dead.
o
He used the murder he planned to convert us to
his faith and prove he’s a prophet.
·
The five stood up for Nephi2.
o
They rebuked the judges, contended with them,
and confused them.
·
Nephi2 was bound and brought before
the judges. They began questioning him,
hoping “they might cross him” (v. 19).
o
See Quote #11 to understand the phrase “they
might cross him.”
·
Tell us, they cried, who actually did the murder
o
“Behold here is money; and also we
will grant unto thee thy life if thou wilt tell us, and acknowledge the
agreement which thou hast made with him” (v. 20).
o
The judges were convinced they had Nephi2
where they wanted him.
·
Nephi2’s first response was to remind
the people of their iniquity.
o
He calls them “uncircumcised of heart,” “blind,”
and a “stiffnecked people.”
o
How long, he asks, will the Lord allow you to
continue in your sin?
o
Unless they repent, there will be great
destruction among the Nephites.
o
This will give them reason to howl and mourn.
o
He is now ready to show them another sign.
·
After receiving the sign, “see if ye will in
this thing seek to destroy me” (v. 25).
·
Nephi2 told how to find the murderer.
- Go to the house of
Seantum, Seezrom’s brother.
- Ask him if I am part of
a conspiracy.
- He will tell you no.
- Ask him if he killed his
brother.
- He will be speechless
and not able to answer, at first.
- Then, he will say he’s
innocent.
- Examine him and you will
find blood on his cloak.
- As him from where it
came? Is it the blood of your
brother?
- He will not answer. He will show fear and turn pale.
- Tell him you know he’s
guilty.
- He will confess.
- As him if I had anything
to do with the murder.
- He will say he had
nothing to do with the murder “save it were given unto me by the power of
God” (v. 36).
·
They did what Nephi2 told them to
do.
o
What he said would happen happened.
o
Seantum confessed and Nephi2 as well
as the five were freed.
·
Some believed Nephi2’s words.
·
Others believed because of the testimony of the
five (they were converted while in prison).
·
Some said Nephi2 was a prophet.
·
Other thought he was a god.
o
“Behold, he is a god, for except he was a god he
could not know of all things. For
behold, he has told us the thoughts of our hearts, and also has told us things;
and even he has brought unto our knowledge the true murderer of our chief
judge” (v. 41).
Chapter
10
·
Nephi2 has proven that he had nothing
to do with the murder of the chief judge.
o
This causes arguments to break out about what
actually happened.
·
While he is walking home, the voice of the Lord
comes to him.
o
(Verses 4-11 are an excellent example of the
poetic form found in the Book of Mormon.)
·
Nephi2 is praised for his faith and
service.
·
He receives a very powerful blessing.
o
“I will bless thee forever … yea, even that all
things shall be done unto thee according to thy word, for thou shalt not ask
that which is contrary to my will” (v. 5).
o
Anything Nephi2 says, in the Lord’s
name, will happen - no limits.
§
“And thus, if ye shall say unto this temple it
shall be rent in twain, it shall be done.
And if ye shall say unto this mountain, Be thou cast down and become
smooth, it shall be done. And behold, if
ye shall say that God shall smite this people, it shall come to pass” (v.
8-10).
·
Jacob, the brother of Neph1, taught
the Nephites,
o
Wherefore, we search the prophets, and we
have many revelations and the spirit of prophecy; and having all these
witnesses we obtain a hope, and our faith becometh unshaken, insomuch that we
truly can command in the name of Jesus and the very trees obey us, or the
mountains, or the waves of the sea” (Jacob
4:6).
·
Nephi2 returned and began preaching
to the people.
o
He recounted what he was told by the Lord,
warning them that if they did not repent, they would be destroyed.
·
These people had just seen a great miracle.
o
This meant nothing to those assembled.
o
“[T]hey did harden their hearts and did not
hearken unto the words of the Lord” (v. 13).
·
He again warned them to repent or they would be
destroyed.
o
Not only did they reject his words, they were
critical and abusive of Nephi2, and wanted to throw him in jail.
·
You would think that, by now, the wicked would
have learned that they aren’t going to be able to throw a prophet of God into
prison.
·
They still tried, and the Lord protected
him.
·
Nephi2 was “conveyed away out of the
midst of them” (v. 16).
·
From that time on, he went from group to group
preaching the word of God.
·
See Quote #12
Chapter
11
·
War breaks out throughout the land.
o The
Gadianton Robbers were responsible.
·
Seeing this, Nephi2 exercised the
gift given him by the Lord.
o He prayed to
the Lord and asked that he send a famine “to stir them up in remembrance of the
Lord their God, and perhaps they will repent and turn unto thee” (v. 4).
o See Quote
#13
·
It was a brutal famine.
·
Two years had gone by, the earth was dry, and no
grain grew during the growing season.
o Even the Lamanites suffered the effects of the
drought.
o Thousands
perished “in the more wicked parts of the land” (v. 6).
·
When the people realized they were about to die,
they started getting their acts together, remembering the words of Nephi2.
·
They pleaded with their leaders to go to Nephi2.
o
They told Nephi2, “Behold, we know
that thou art a man of God, and therefore cry unto the Lord our God that he
turn away from us this famine, lest all the words which thou hast spoken
concerning our destruction be fulfilled” (v. 8).
·
Nephi2 saw the people had truly
repented and humbled themselves before the Lord.
o
Nephi2 prayed to the Lord.
o
The people had “swept away the band of Gadianton
from amongst them insomuch that they have become extinct” (v. 10). They have become a humble people.
o
He asked that His anger be appeased because they
had destroyed these wicked men.
o
He asked the Lord to end the famine. Let the rain begin and the grain grow. “[C]ause that it may be done according to my
words” (v. 13).
§
Remember, the Lord promised that whatever Nephi2
asked would come about, because he would not ask for anything contrary to the
will of God.
·
The Lord heard Nephi2’s words when
asked for the famine to end the wars.
o
He knows the Lord will now harken unto his words
when he asked the famine end because the people have repented.
·
The Lord ended the famine at Nephi2’s
request.
o
Rain came and the grain began to grow.
o
The people became a righteous people.
o
They accepted Nephi2 as a great
prophet.
·
See Quote #14
·
The famine ended; the Nephites are prospering
again.
o
Their population is increasing and they are
spreading out, filling up more of the land.
·
The church is also spreading through the face of
the land.
o
The majority of both Nephites and Lamanites
became members of the church.
·
There was peace in the land.
o
The peace lasted about four years.
·
Nephite dissenters (who called themselves
Lamanite) along with Lamanites (“real descendants of the Lamanites”) began to
stir up anger among the people.
o
They begin to murder and plunder, and to retreat
to the mountains and wilderness.
o
The Gadianton Robbers lived again.
o
See Quote #15
·
The Gadianton robbers were causing trouble and
destruction among the Nephites and the Lamanites.
o
To stop them, an army was sent after them.
o
They were unable to defeat the Robbers and were
driven back into their lands.
o
The Nephites and Lamanites were losing the
battle.
o
While they had some victories, “they were also
visited with much destruction” (v. 30).
·
The Robbers were strong enough to defeat the
combined armies of the Nephites and Lamanites.
o
“[T]hey did cause great fear to come unto the
people upon all the face of the land” (v. 32).
·
In addition to their plunder, they kidnapped
people as well, primarily women and children.
·
While, for a time, their sufferings “did stir
them up again in remembrance of the Lord their God” (v. 34).
o
See Quote #16
·
In a period of three years, they had become a
prideful people, “and thus they were ripening again for destruction” (v. 37).
Chapter
12
In this chapter, we have a rare occurrence in the Book of
Mormon. Mormon breaks into his account
and talks directly to us through an entire chapter. In the past, we see Mormon’s comments (“And
thus we see,” “Thus we plainly discern,” etc.), but those comments are usually
brief observations about the situations at hand.
The unusual nature of this should cause us to read this
chapter very carefully. As we read the
Book of Mormon, it’s obvious Mormon’s very careful about what he chooses to
include. That he would include comments
this long tells us he has something important to share with us.
Phyllis Roundy writes, “One of the most significant passages
from [Mormon’s] hand appears in Helaman 12 wherein he offers compelling views
about the often vain and fickle character of human nature, especially in
response to material prosperity.”[3]
For this chapter, rather than give you an outline, I want to
share this summary of Chapter 12, written by Steven Olsen.
In this
brief but poignant commentary, Mormon identifies the conditions of
prosperity—material abundance, wealth, adequate defense, peace, safety,
welfare, happiness—that the Nephites have taken for granted or perverted, thus
placing them in a position of spiritual and temporal jeopardy (Helaman 12:1–3).
That Mormon mentions "prospering" three times in the enumeration of
this list suggests that he intends his commentary to be understood in terms of
the covenant of the promised land. Interestingly, Mormon omits from his list
the characteristics of prospering that are more difficult to pervert—obedience
to God's commandments, preservation of sacred records, temple worship, and
righteous leadership. Mormon then identifies various antitheses of
prosperity—foolishness, vanity, evil, iniquity, boastfulness, slothfulness,
pride, disobedience, ingratitude, and rebelliousness—that characterize those
who have broken the covenant (vv. 4–5). The point here is that prosperity in
the Book of Mormon is a unified concept, not a collection of disparate
qualities. Mormon testifies that those who feel that they can selectively
emphasize certain qualities and ignore others are not keeping the spirit of the
covenant and cannot qualify for its blessings.
Continuing
his extended commentary on the consequences of disobedience, Mormon next uses
the terms of the covenant of the promised land in an unfavorable comparison
between "children of men" and "dust of the earth" (Helaman
12:7–19). In this comparison, Mormon asserts that 'dust' (i.e., the most
insignificant component of 'land') is more worthy of God's blessings than 'man'
because 'dust' is more obedient to God's commandments. Interestingly, the
various ways by which Mormon illustrates the obedience of earth to the commands
of God (e.g., earthquakes, convulsions, tsunamis, and landslides) foreshadow
the ways that Nephite lands of promise are destroyed by God prior to Christ's
appearance, in fulfillment of prophecy and in accordance with the curse for
disobedience connected with the covenant of the promised land (compare 1 Nephi
12:1–5 and 3 Nephi 8–9). Finally, Mormon identifies a special power of the
earth—to hide the treasure of evil men—as the antithesis of prosperity, which
promises material sufficiency to the obedient. As a dire warning to those
who persist in their rebellion against God, Mormon twice invokes the ultimate
curse of the covenant—namely, that the disobedient will be cast out of God's
presence (Helaman 12:21, 25). He also promises that the penitent and obedient
will be saved through God's grace (vv. 22–24).[4]
Quote #1
Hugh Nibley observes:
That's funny! They were getting rich so they didn't need
wars anymore. They were rather happy about it. With riches of the world they
hadn't been stirred up to bloodshed nationally, so they got rich and were
stirred up to private bloodshed. Their wars are lowered to a private level now.
They are going to start doing that sort of thing, and then we get our prime
time, as I mentioned before. “… to commit secret murders, and to rob and to
plunder, that they might get gain.”[5]
Quote #2
Hugh Nibley observes:
The sequence is a natural one: with easy wealth comes the
feeling of superiority which makes people status-conscious; and with a feeling
for status comes a desperate need to acquire the one thing that will give
status; and with the recognition of the all-importance of that one thing, any
scruples that may stand in the way of its acquisition are pushed aside, even
murder being permissible as long as one is not found out.[6]
Quote #3
We get a clue to the make-up of the plates in the wording
found in verses 15-16. John L. Sorenson
clarifies:
The fundamental format of the plates of Nephi was that of
annals. Annals are yearly summaries of salient events. This format is clearly
reflected at many points in the Book of Mormon, for example in Helaman 6:15: “And
it came to pass that in the sixty and sixth year of the reign of the judges,
behold, Cezoram was murdered by an unknown hand as he sat upon the judgment-seat.
And it came to pass that in the same year, that his son, who had been appointed
by the people in his stead, was also murdered. And thus ended the sixty and
sixth year.” That is how Mormon chose to summarize the record for that year.[7]
(Emphasis mine)
Quote #4
John Tvedtnes, writing about the Nephite society, informs
us:
In the Book of Mormon, Cain and his descendants are said to
have covenanted with Satan to organize the first of the secret combinations
that later flourished among the Jaredites and the Nephites (see Helaman 6:27;
Ether 8:15). The most well-known of those groups was called “Gadianton's
robbers and murderers” (Helaman 6:18). The devil was considered to be the
founder of such “secret combinations of murder” (see 2 Nephi 9:9; 26:22). According
to Helaman 8:28, the “secret band” among the Nephites was authored by “Gadianton
and the evil one who seeketh to destroy the souls of men.” The Book of Moses
confirms the devil's role and provides more details about the oaths and secrecy
associated with Cain's family (see Moses 5:29-31, 49-52).[8]
Quote #5
Hugh Nibley explains:
Mosiah's system of judges worked well for many years, but
with the increase of unrighteousness, crime and lawlessness became so general
that several chief judges were murdered; the high office became an object of
intrigue and manipulation by political cliques and finally by criminal gangs,
with the “Gadianton robbers filling the judgment seats” in the end (Helaman
7:4).[9]
Quote #6
Hugh Nibley observes:
Nephi too puts his finger on the spot: drugs, sex, gambling,
anything that comes under the heading of iniquity are all the inevitable
adjuncts of national depravity, but they are passed by every time—almost
completely ignored—to put the spotlight on the real culprit of which they are
but the faithful attendants, the seat of infection and the root of evil being
the desire to be rich and successful: “to get gain, to be praised of men”
(Helaman 7:21).[10]
See Quote #7
Hugh Nibley asks,
How often does this have to be repeated? Why do you think
such great pains and sufferings have been experienced to get the message of the
Book of Mormon to us? Nephi goes on, “Yea, wo shall come unto you because of
that pride which ye have suffered to enter your hearts, which has lifted you up
beyond that which is good because of your exceedingly great riches” (Helaman
7:26).[11]
See Quote #8
Allen J. Christensen explains further about the role the
serpent had in both Christianity and as a Mesoamerican symbol.
This is similar to the recurrent Mesoamerican symbol of the
serpentine god Itzamna lifted up into the branches of a cross-shaped tree of
life. The persistence of this symbol may be seen in a prophecy given 600 years
later by Nephi, the son of Helaman. It was delivered from a tower to a large multitude
of people at Zarahemla. In this prophecy, Jesus Christ is again compared to a
serpent who will be “lifted up.” He further declares that “as many as should
look upon that serpent should live … even unto that life which is eternal”
(Helaman 8:15). The recurrence of this theme before large congregations of
people may imply a formal ritual or reference to such.[12]
See Quote #9
David Seely and Fred Woods write:
Nephi, son of Helaman, later said that the destruction of
Jerusalem was common knowledge among the Nephites … He cites as evidence the
contact with the people of Mulek, who confirmed the historical reality of the
destruction of Jerusalem.[13]
Quote #10
John Welch explains the tradition behind the day of fasting
and mourning.
A public proclamation was then sent out by heralds
announcing the murder and calling a day of fasting, mourning, and burial (see
Helaman 9:10). Incidentally, in ancient Israel the day after the death of a
political leader was traditionally a day of fasting, mourning, and burial (see
1 Samuel 31:13; 2 Samuel 1:12).[14]
Quote #11
John Gee explains the use of “cross.”
Three times the Book of Mormon uses the verb to
cross in an entirely different sense … The third use is when Nephi,
son of Helaman, is accused by the judges of the people of Zarahemla: “They
caused that Nephi should be taken and bound and brought before the multitude,
and they began to question him in divers ways that they might cross
him, that they might accuse him to death” (Helaman 9:19). In these
passages, the verb to cross is
used as a synonym for to
contradict, a point made explicit in Alma 10:16. All of these
passages are in the context of legal interrogation … It is interesting to note
that although in Joseph Smith’s day one sense of the verb to cross was “to contradict,” that
usage had been outmoded for more than a century, and yet the unfamiliar
term is particularly apt in its context.[15]
Quote #12
Hugh Nibley explains.
Nephi, who next went about on a preaching tour through the
whole country, going “from multitude to multitude,” while his assistants did
the same (Helaman 10:17). This alarmed the Protective Association, the “secret
band of robbers” who sat in high places and whose real motives and methods were
concealed from the public, and to counteract the effect of Nephi's preaching
they systematically stirred up contentions everywhere (Helaman 10:18; 11:2 make
this clear). Nephi's message was rejected everywhere, but the fighting that had
been stirred up got entirely out of hand and developed into a civil war, or
rather a series of “wars throughout all the land among all the people” (Helaman
11:1).[16]
Quote #13
Why would Nephi2 ask the Lord to send a
famine? Reviewing the book, Doctrinal Commentary on the Book of Mormon,
Vol. 3, Donald W. Parry writes:
Helaman 11:1-23 states that Nephi sealed the heavens so that
there might be a famine. Why, it might be asked, are some famines sent from
God? According to the commentators, “famine is one of heaven's most eloquent
sermons. When virtually all else has failed to get the attention of the
rebellious and turn them to God, famines have succeeded. Famines can strip men
of every sense of self-sufficiency and turn their eyes and ears to the voice of
heaven (see Isaiah 51:19; Jeremiah 14:13-18; Amos 4:6”’ (p. 390).[17]
Quote #14
Hugh Nibley explains the how the people go from wickedness
to righteousness so rapidly.
The prophets in the Book of Mormon marvel at how soon a
righteous people can become wicked, and the speed of the reverse process is
even more surprising. It is a common fallacy to think of
things happening very slowly in history, and especially in ancient history. But
the student has only to compare any two consecutive decades of
history to realize that things do not move slowly at all—history moves at
breath-taking speed, and as far as the existing records show, always has … [A]s
the result of a single famine, a wicked nation becomes a righteous nation
(Helaman 11:18)…[18]
Quote #15
Hugh Nibley explains the source of the Gadianton Robbers.
Since it is Satan's prerogative to try men and to tempt them
with the treasures of the earth, the means of doing so will always be within
his reach. Accordingly, only four years after the great famine we find a
"certain number of dissenters from the people of Nephi" who had permanently
joined the Lamanites some years before, bent on stirring up another war
(Helaman 11:24). Their motive was robbery.[19]
Quote #16
Hugh Nibley explains that, in spite of the problems of the
Robbers, there was a good result.
[I]t kept the rest of the people from slipping back into
their old ways: “Now this great evil, which came unto the people because of
their iniquity, did stir them up again in remembrance of the Lord their God”
(Helaman 11:34). But here we have another demonstration of the folly of
labeling good guys and bad guys, for only three years later “they [the
Nephites] began to wax strong in iniquity” (Helaman 11:36), and this time “they
did not mend their ways” (Helaman 11:36).[20]
Chiasmus in Helaman
6:7-13
(Charting the
Book of Mormon, John W. Welch and J. Gregory Welch, Chart 133)
Yet another example of chiasmus, in this case a report of
the events in a particular Nephite year, is found in Helaman 6:7-13. Because the report is a fine literary unit,
the account was most likely originally written as a single entry in the Nephite
annals that Mormon copied verbatim into his record for the large plates of
Nephi. The sixty-fourth year of the
reign of the judges was an unusual year, on in which the Nephites and Lamanites
cooperatively enjoyed economic prosperity, peace, and free trade – an
unprecedented occurrence. The chiastic
form of the report for this year underscores its importance. In the chart, notice that Zedekiah and Lord are paired together at the center of the chiasm. The –yah
at the end of Zedekiah represents
the Hebrew word for “Lord”; thus the chiasm was probably even more evident in
its original language than it is today in English.
A And behold,
there was peace in all the land.
B [Freedom of travel and trade in both
lands is discussed]
C And it came to pass that they became exceedingly rich,
both the
Lamanites and the Nephites;
D and they did have an exceeding plenty
of gold, and of silver, and
of
all manner of precious metals, both in the land south and in the
land
north.
E Now the land south
F was called Lehi and
G the land north
H was called Mulek,
I which was after the son of
Zedekiah;
I’ for the Lord
H’ did bring Mulek
G’ into the land north,
F’ and Lehi into
E’ the land south.
D’ And behold, there was all
manner of gold in both these lands, and
of
silver,
and of precious ore of every kind;
C’ and there were also curious workmen,
who did work all kinds of ore and
did
refine it; and thus they did become rich.
B’ [Economic prosperity in both lands is discussed]
A’ And thus the
sixty and fourth year did pass away in peace.
*The Hebrew world for Lord
constitutes the theophoric (a theophoric name embeds the name of God) suffix
–yah, which is at the end of the name
Zedekiah.
[1]For
current information about Mulek, read New Information about Mulek, Son of the King,
Robert F. Smith, Provo, Utah:
Maxwell Institute, accessed July 23, 2012.
[2]On Not Understanding the Book of Mormon, Robert Boylan, Provo, Utah:
Maxwell Institute, accessed July 26, 2012
[4]Prospering in the Land of Promise, Steven L. Olsen, Provo, Utah: Maxwell Institute, accessed August
13, 2012.
[11] Scriptural Perspectives on How to Survive the
Calamities of the Last Days, Hugh Nibley, Provo, Utah: Maxwell Institute, accessed July 19,
2012
[12] Maya Harvest Festivals and the Book of Mormon, Allen J. Christensen, Provo,
Utah: Maxwell Institute, accessed July 21, 2012.
[13] How Could Jerusalem, "That Great
City," Be Destroyed?
David R. Seely, and Fred E. Woods, Provo, Utah: Maxwell
Institute, accessed July 23, 2012.
[14] A Steady Stream of Significant Recognitions, John W. Welch, Provo, Utah: Maxwell
Institute, accessed July 27, 2012.
[15] Scripture Insight: Book of Mormon Word Usage:
To Cross Oneself, John Gee,
Utah: Maxwell Institute, accessed July 27, 2012.
[17] Doctrinal Commentary on the Book of Mormon
Vol. 3, Alma through Helaman,
Donald W. Parry, Provo, Utah: Maxwell Institute, accessed July
31, 2012.
[18] Good People and Bad People, Hugh Nibley, Provo, Utah: Maxwell
Institute, accessed August 1, 2012.
[19] Freemen and King-men in the Book of Mormon, Hugh Nibley, Provo, Utah: Maxwell
Institute, accessed August 2, 2012.
[20] Freemen and King-men in the Book of Mormon, Hugh Nibley, Provo, Utah: Maxwell
Institute, accessed August 4, 2012.
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