Lesson 35 - Repent
and Return unto the Lord
Purpose
To remind class members of the importance of repenting,
turning to the Lord, and following the prophets.
Preparation
Read, ponder, and pray about the
following scriptures:
Helaman 13. A Lamanite prophet named Samuel prophesies that the
Nephites will be destroyed unless they repent.
Helaman 14. Samuel prophesies of the signs that will precede
the birth and death of the Savior. He continues to call the people to repentance.
Helaman 15–16. Samuel tells the Nephites of the conversion of
the Lamanites. Some Nephites believe Samuel and are baptized. Others harden
their hearts and try to kill Samuel, but he is spared by the power of God.
Recommendations
Samuel’s prophecies are a powerful part of the Book of
Mormon record. The most important
chapter would be Chapter 14. This
chapter contains his prophecies about the birth and death of Christ.
Chapters 13 and 15 contain warnings as well as promises
about the consequences of wickedness and righteousness. This has application to our society today.
Chapter 16 is a great chapter showing how people rationalize
signs from the Lord. The Nephites
rejected the signs they were receiving about Christ’s birth. They came up with many reasons and
justifications for their skepticism.
I have included a chart showing Samuel’s prophecies
concerning the birth and death of Christ as well as scriptures showing their fulfillment.
Enjoy teaching this lesson.
Samuel was quite a powerful servant of the Lord, probably more so
because he was a Lamanite.
The prophecy of Samuel, the Lamanite, to
the Nephites.
Comprising chapters 13 to 15 inclusive.
Chapter
13
·
The Lamanites are now the righteous people.
o
In a reversed situation, the Lamanites were
sending missionaries to the Nephites.
§
The greatest missionary was, in the words of the
Savior, “my servant, Samuel, the Lamanite” (3 Nephi 23:9).
·
He preached repentance for many days.
o
The people cast him out.
·
He was returning to his own land.
o
The voice of the Lord commanded him to return
and continue preaching to the Nephites.
o
This experience was similar to Alma2’s
and the sons of Mosiah.
§
Alma2 was cast out of Ammonihah.
·
An angel appeared and commanded him to return.
o
I am sent to command thee that thou return
to the city of Ammonihah, and preach again unto the people of the city; yea,
preach unto them. Yea, say unto them,
except they repent the Lord God will destroy them (Alma 8:16).
§
When things were not going well for Ammon and
his brethren, and they were ready to turn back, the Lord commanded them,
·
Go amongst thy brethren, the Lamanites, and
bear with patience thine afflictions, and I will give unto you success (Alma 26:27).
·
Like Alma2 and the sons of Mosiah, Samuel
returned as commanded.
·
Samuel was prevented from reentering the
city.
·
He climbed a city wall, and began to speak the
words the Lord placed in his heart.
o
“Therefore, verily I say unto you, lift up
your voices unto this people; speak the thoughts that I shall put into your
hearts, and you shall not be confounded before men” (D&C 100:5).
·
See Quote #1
·
Samuel tells the people he, a Lamanite, is
speaking the words the Lord places in his heart.
o
Samuel declared the Nephites would be destroyed
in four hundred years.
o
Alma2 told his son, Helaman2,
the same thing:
§
And these are the words: Behold, I perceive
that this very people, the Nephites, according to the spirit of revelation
which is in me, in four hundred years from the time that Jesus Christ shall
manifest himself unto them, shall dwindle in unbelief.
Yea, and then shall they see wars and pestilences, yea, famines and
bloodshed, even until the people of Nephi shall become extinct—
Yea,
and this because they shall dwindle in unbelief and fall into the works of
darkness, and lasciviousness, and all manner of iniquities; yea, I say unto
you, that because they shall sin against so great light and knowledge, yea, I
say unto you, that from that day, even the fourth generation shall not all pass
away before this great iniquity shall come.
Alma 45:10 - 12
·
Samuel gets to the point.
o
“[T]he the sword of justice hangeth over this
people; and four hundred years pass not away save the sword of justice falleth
upon this people” (v. 5).
·
Only one thing can save the Nephites.
o
That is “repentance and faith on the Lord Jesus
Christ” (v. 6).
o
He declares to the people that an angel of the
Lord has revealed this to him. He had
been sent to declare this before, but they would not receive his words.
·
If they refuse to accept his words, the Lord
will withdraw his Spirit and He will “turn the hearts of their brethren against
them” (v. 8).
·
The Nephites are looking at a period of 400
years before their destruction.
o
Nephi1 also warned:
§
But the Son of righteousness shall appear
unto them; and he shall heal them, and they shall have peace with him, until
three generations shall have passed away, and many of the fourth generation
shall have passed away in righteousness.
And when these things have passed away a speedy destruction cometh unto
my people; for, notwithstanding the pains of my soul, I have seen it;
wherefore, I know that it shall come to pass; and they sell themselves for
naught; for, for the reward of their pride and their foolishness they shall
reap destruction; for because they yield unto the devil and choose works of
darkness rather than light, therefore they must go down to hell.
For
the Spirit of the Lord will not always strive with man. And when the Spirit ceaseth to strive with
man then cometh speedy destruction, and this grieveth my soul.
2 Nephi 26:9 - 11
·
As we see throughout the Book of Mormon, any
warning from the Lord is conditioned on the people’s response to the warning.
·
Samuel told them, “if ye will repent and return
unto the Lord your God I will turn away mine anger” (v. 11).
o
If the people returned to the Lord, they will be
preserved.
§
But, warns the Lord, “wo unto him that repenteth
not” (v. 11).
·
Samuel tells the people why the great city of
Zarahemla still stands.
o
“[I]t is because of those who are righteous that
it is saved” (v. 12).
o
But the Lord said, “there are many, yea, even
the more part of this great city, that will harden their hearts against me” (v.
12).
·
Because of the iniquity, He will “cause that
fire should come down out of heaven and destroy it” (v. 13).
o
The destruction will come because they would
“cast out the righteous from among you, then shall ye be ripe for destruction”
(v. 14).
o
The word of the Lord was fulfilled.
o
Zarahemla
was destroyed in the destruction that occurred shortly before Christ’s
appearance to the Nephites.
§
And the city of Zarahemla did take fire. (3 Nephi 8:8)
§
And in one place they were heard to cry,
saying: O that we had repented before this great and terrible day, and then
would our brethren have been spared, and they would not have been burned in
that great city Zarahemla. (3
Nephi 8:24)
§
Behold, that great city Zarahemla have I
burned with fire, and the inhabitants thereof. (3 Nephi 9:3)
§
And because they did cast them all out, that
there were none righteous among them, I did send down fire and destroy them,
that their wickedness and abominations might be hid from before my face, that the
blood of the prophets and the saints whom I sent among them might not cry unto
me from the ground against them. (3
Nephi 9:11)
·
See Quote #2
·
Samuel warns all the cities “in the land round
about, which are possessed by the Nephites, because of the wickedness and
abominations which are in them” (v. 16).
o
Wickedness and evil has spread throughout the
land and few are innocent of Samuel’s charge.
·
The land will be cursed because of this
wickedness.
o
Anyone who hides a treasure in the earth will no
longer be able to find them.
o
Only the “righteous man … shall hide [his
treasure] unto the Lord” (v. 18).
o
During Mormon’s lifetime, he would record:
§
But I did remain among them, but I was
forbidden to preach unto them, because of the hardness of their hearts; and
because of the hardness of their hearts the land was cursed for their sake.
And these Gadianton robbers, who were among the Lamanites, did infest
the land, insomuch that the inhabitants thereof began to hide up their
treasures in the earth; and they became slippery, because the
Lord had cursed the land, that they could not hold them, nor retain them again.
And
it came to pass that there were sorceries, and witchcrafts, and magics; and the
power of the evil one was wrought upon all the face of the land, even unto the
fulfilling of all the words of Abinadi, and also Samuel the Lamanite.
Mormon 1:17 - 19
·
This curse was placed upon the Jaredites before
their destruction.
o
AND now there began to be a great curse upon
all the land because of the iniquity of the people, in which, if a man should
lay his tool or his sword upon his shelf, or upon the place whither he would
keep it, behold, upon the morrow, he could not find it, so great was the curse
upon the land.
Ether 14:1
·
Solomon warned the consequences of how one earns
their wealth.
o
Wealth gotten by vanity shall be diminished:
but he that gathereth by labour shall increase. (Proverbs 13:11)
·
Warnings against having your heart set on riches
go back to the beginnings of the Nephite civilization.
o
Preaching to his people, Jacob taught them,
§
But wo unto the rich, who are rich as to the
things of the world. For because they
are rich they despise the poor, and they persecute the meek, and their hearts
are upon their treasures; wherefore, their treasure is their god. And behold, their treasure shall perish with
them also. (2 Nephi 9:30)
·
Samuel calls on the people to listen the words
of the Lord.
o
“[Y]e are cursed because of your riches, and
also are your riches cursed because ye have set your hearts upon them, and have
not hearkened unto the words of him who gave them unto you” (v. 21).
o
Remember, the Savior taught, “For
where your treasure is, there will your heart be also” (Luke 12:34).
·
See Quote #3
·
The curse shall become, not only because of
their riches, but also because of their iniquities.
o
They cast out the prophets, stone them, slay
them, “and do all manner of iniquity unto them, even as they did of old time”
(v. 24).
§
And the LORD God of their fathers sent to
them by his messengers, rising up betimes [HEB: early, promptly], and sending;
because he had compassion on his people, and on his dwelling place: But they
mocked the messengers of God, and despised his words, and misused his prophets,
until the wrath of the LORD arose against his people, till there was no remedy. (2 Chronicles 36:15 - 16)
·
Oh, if they had lived in the past, they would
have honored their prophets.
o
They would not have killed them, cast them out,
stoned them.
o
They would have accepted them and their word,
they claimed.
·
Samuel told them that “ye are worse than they;
for as the Lord liveth, if a prophet come among you and declareth unto you the
word of the Lord, which testifieth of your sins and iniquities, ye are angry
with him, and cast him out and seek all manner of ways to destroy him” (v.
26).
o
Stephen would use similar words when preaching
to the Jews.
§
Ye stiffnecked and uncircumcised in heart
and ears, ye do always resist the Holy Ghost: as your fathers did, so do ye.
Which of the prophets have not your fathers persecuted? and they have slain them which shewed before
of the coming of the Just One; of whom ye have been now the betrayers and murderers
(Acts 7:51 - 52).
·
Samuel did not tell them what they wanted to
hear.
·
See Quote #4
·
Paul saw this same problem.
o
For the time will come when they will not
endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves
teachers, having itching ears; And they shall turn away their ears from the
truth, and shall be turned unto fables (2 Timothy 4:3 - 4).
·
Anyone who supports them they will “lift up” and
“give unto him of your substance” (v. 28).
o
They do this because of his flattering words.
o
He says all is well, “then ye will not find
fault with him” (v. 28).
·
Samuel asks how long they think the Lord will
tolerate them.
o
The “anger of the Lord is already kindled
against you; behold, he hath cursed the land because of your iniquity” (v. 31).
o
The Lord will curse their riches.
§
They will become slippery and they will not be
able to hold on to their wealth.
·
When they have lost their wealth, only then will
they cry out to the Lord.
·
It will be too late; “your destruction is made
sure” (v. 32).
·
Then they will cry out:
o
We should have repented.
o
We should not have killed the prophets and cast
them out.
o
We should have remembered the Lord gave us our
riches.
o
We lay down a tool and it is gone the next day.
o
Our swords have been taken from us.
o
We have lost our treasures we hid.
o
We are surrounded by demons.
o
We are surrounded by the angels of the devil.
·
When this happens, Samuel tells them, it will be
too late.
o
“[Y]e have procrastinated the day of your
salvation until it is everlastingly too late, and your destruction is made sure”
(v. 38).
·
Samuel calls on them to “hear my words! And I
pray that the anger of the Lord be turned away from you, and that ye would
repent and be saved” (v. 39).
Chapter
14
·
Samuel prophesies of the birth of the Savior.
o
He will come in five years.
·
The Nephites will receive this sign of his birth.
o
The night before his birth there will be no
darkness.
o
There “shall be one day and a night and a day,
as if it were one day and there were no night; and this shall be unto you for a
sign” (v. 4).
·
A new star will arise as a sign.
·
There shall also “be many signs and wonders in
heaven” (v. 6).
·
“[W]hosoever shall believe on the Son of God,
the same shall have everlasting life (v. 8).
·
Samuel tells the Nephites that his has been
commanded by the Lord to prophesy these things unto them.
o
They are angry with him because he spoke hard
words to them.
o
The wicked often complain about the words of the
Lord being hard.
§
And now, behold thy brothers murmur, saying
it is a hard thing which I have required of them; but behold I have not
required it of them, but it is a commandment of the Lord. (1 Nephi 3:5)
§
Thou hast declared unto us hard things, more
than we are able to bear. (1
Nephi 16:1)
§
The guilty taketh the truth to be hard, for
it cutteth them to the very center.
(1 Nephi 16:2)
§
Jacob taught:
·
Do not say that I have spoken hard things
against you; for if ye do, ye will revile against the truth; for I have spoken
the words of your Maker. I know that the
words of truth are chard against all uncleanness; but the righteous
fear them not, for they love the truth and are not shaken. (2 Nephi 9:40)
·
Samuel was speaking to them so they will “know
of the coming of Jesus Christ, the Son of God, the Father of heaven and of
earth, the Creator of all things from the beginning: (v. 12).
o
This echoes the words of King Benjamin.
§
And he shall be called Jesus Christ, the Son
of God, the Father of heaven and earth, the Creator of all things from the
beginning; and his mother shall be called Mary. (Mosiah 3:8)
·
To gain a remission of our sins, we must believe
in Christ and repent of our sins.
·
Christ must die for there to be a resurrection.
o
Then we may brought into God’s presence.
·
Through the resurrection, we are redeemed from
the first death.
o
This is the spiritual death.
§
We were cut off from the presence of the Lord
through the fall.
§
We “are considered as dead, both as to things temporal
and to things spiritual” (v. 16).
·
Christ’s resurrection redeems mankind.
o
It “bringeth to pass the condition of
repentance” (v. 18).
o
Whoever repents is not “hewn down and cast into
the fire” (v. 18).
o
Whoever doesn’t repent is “hewn down and cast
into the fire” (v. 18).
o
They will suffer the spiritual death.
§
They are cut off “to things pertaining to
righteousness” (v. 18).
·
Repent knowing that if you don’t, you will come
under condemnation.
o
You also suffer the second death.
·
The Nephites receive another sign of Christ’s
death.
o
For three days, there will be darkness.
o
Christ will rise from the dead on the third day.
·
At His death, there will be thunderings, lightnings,
the earth will shake and tremble, rocks above and beneath the earth shall be
broken.
o
This will last for many hours.
o
There will be great tempests.
o
Mountain will be “laid low” (v. 23).
o
Valleys shall become mountains.
o
Highways shall be broken up.
o
Cities will become desolate.
·
Many graves will open and “yield up many of
their dead” (v. 25).
·
Samuel reiterates the tempests that will occur
for many hours.
·
He also reiterates that there will be three days
of darkness.
·
Many will see greater things than these.
o
The purpose will be for them to believe.
o
This will give no cause for unbelief.
·
See Quote #5
·
Whoever believes in Christ will be saved.
·
Whoever doesn’t believe in Christ will be
condemned.
·
They bring this condemnation on themselves.
·
“[W]hosoever perisheth, perisheth unto himself;
and whosoever doeth iniquity, doeth it unto himself” (v. 30).
·
We are free to act for ourselves.
·
God has given us our knowledge and made us free.
·
He has given to us the ability to know good from
evil.
·
We have the right to choose life or death.
·
We can choose to be restored to good or restored
to evil.
Chapter
15
·
Samuel says if they don’t repent, their houses
will be left desolate.
·
Things will be so bad there will be no place for
refuge.
·
The Nephites, the chosen people, will be chastised
because of their iniquities because the love of the Lord.
·
Samuel tells us the Lord hated the Lamanites “because
their deeds have been evil continually, and this because of the iniquity of the
tradition of their fathers” (v. 4).
·
What did Samuel mean by this statement?
·
I quote from: "Doctrinal
Commentary on the Book of Mormon Vol. 3, Alma through Helaman" by Joseph Fielding McConkie and
Robert L. Millet
o
“This is strong language. One would assume that Samuel did not mean to
convey the thought that God actually hated the Lamanites, at least not in the
sense that mortal men hate one another.
Rather, because of their rebellion, because they rejected the light and
spurned the association with God through the Spirit that they might have
enjoyed, they alienated themselves from the love of the Father. It is not God does not love them, but that he
simply is unable to bless them as he would those who choose the right. ‘If you keep not my commandments,’ a modern
revelation attests, ‘the love of the Father shall not continue with you,
therefore you shall walk in darkness’ (D&C 95:12). In the same vein, John the Beloved wrote:
‘Whose keepeth [God’s] word, in him verily is the love of God perfected: hereby know we that we are in him … Love not
the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the
Father is not in him.’ (1 John 2:5, 15).” (Emphasis
mine)
·
Samuel reminds them the Lamanites are doing
their duty and observe God’s commandments.
o
They also kept the law of Moses.
o
They are also working to bring the remainder of
the Lamanites to a knowledge of the truth.
o
They are rejecting “the wicked and abominable
traditions of their fathers, and are led to believe the holy scriptures” (v.
7).
o
See Quote #6
·
Because of the faithfulness of the Lamanites,
the Lord will prolong their days.
·
If they should dwindle in unbelief, their days
will also be prolonged “until the time shall come which hath been spoken of by
our fathers, and also by the prophet Zenos, and many other prophets, concerning
the restoration of our brethren, the Lamanites, again to the knowledge of the
truth—“ (v. 11).
·
The Lamanites will eventually “be brought to the
true knowledge, which is the knowledge of their Redeemer, and their great and
true shepherd, and be numbered among his sheep” (v. 13).
·
See Quote #7
·
The Lord will be more understanding of the
Lamanites than the Nephites.
·
“[I]t shall be better for [the Lamanites] than
for you except ye repent” (v. 14).
·
Had the Lamanites received all they Nephites
had, they “never would again have dwindled in unbelief” (v. 15).
·
The Lamanites will not be destroyed.
·
The day will come they shall return to the Lord.
·
If they Nephites don’t repent, they will be
destroyed.
·
This is because “of their unbelief
notwithstanding the many mighty works which I have done among them: (v. 17).
Chapter
16
·
Many were converted by the words of Samuel.
o
They went to Nephi2, confessed their
sins, and were baptized.
·
Those that weren’t converted were angry with
Samuel.
o
They threw stones and shot arrows at him.
o
The Lord protected him and he was not hit by
stones or arrows.
o
This miracle caused others to go to Nephi2
to be baptized.
o
While Samuel was preaching, Nephi2 “was
baptizing, and prophesying, and preaching, crying repentance unto the people,
showing signs and wonders, working miracles among the people, that they might
know that the Christ must shortly come” (v. 4).
·
When they were unable to hit Samuel, they rushed
the wall to take him.
o
They claimed he had a devil and it was the power
of the devil that protected him.
·
Before they could grab hold of him, Samuel
leaped off the wall.
o
He went into his own country and preached among
his own people.
o
Samuel “was never heard of more among the
Nephites” (v. 8).
·
As time went on, the people became “more
hardened in iniquity” (v. 12).
·
Four years after Samuel preached to the
Nephites, “great signs given unto the people, and wonders; and the words of the
prophets began to be fulfilled” (v. 13).
o
Angels appeared and declared that “in this year
the scriptures began to be fulfilled” (v. 14).
o
Even so, both the Lamanites and Nephites began
to harden their hearts.
o
They relied on their own wisdom and strength.
o
They dismissed the signs and people having
guessed correctly.
·
There began to be contentions among the people.
·
They rejected “that such a being as a Christ
shall come” (v. 18).
o
And, if he did, why won’t he show himself to us as
well as those in Jerusalem.
o
See Quote #8
·
They rejected Christ’s birth as a wicked
tradition handed down by their fathers.
o
This will occur in a far distant land.
o
We won’t know if it’s true because we cannot see
it ourselves.
o
See Quote #9
·
Through the “cunning and the mysterious arts of
the” devil, they will keep the people as their servants.
o
We will be kept in ignorance.
·
Many other things “did the people imagine up in
their hearts, which were foolish and vain” (v. 22).
·
Satan hardened their hearts and they rejected
the “signs and the wonders which were wrought among the people of the Lord, and
the many miracles which did” (v. 23).
Samuel the
Lamanite’s Prophecies
(Chart 48, Charting
the Book of Mormon, John W. Welch and J. Gregory Welch)
As the time neared for Samuel the Lamanite’s prophecies to
be fulfilled, Nephi3 witnessed the growing skepticism of the people
concerning the predicted earthly advent of Jesus Christ. This skepticism led to the persecution of
those who believed in Christ’s coming by those who felt the time of his birth
had already passed. These skeptics
threatened to kill the believers unless the sign of Christ’s birth appeared
before a certain date. Possibly because
the very lives of the believers depended on the fulfillment of those
prophecies. Nephi3 paid
careful attention to documenting their exact fulfillment. Nephi3 also tracked Samuel’s
prophecies concerning Christ’s death and their fulfillment.
|
Concerning Christ’s Birth
|
Reference
|
Fulfillment
|
|
Christ will be born in 5 years
|
Helaman 14:2
|
3 Nephi 1:13
|
|
No darkness for 2 days, 1 night
|
Helaman 14:3-4
|
3 Nephi 1:15
|
|
A new star will arise
|
Helaman 14:5
|
3 Nephi 1:21
|
|
There will be signs and wonders
|
Helaman 14:6
|
3 Nephi 2:1
|
|
People will fall to the earth
|
Helaman 14:7
|
3 Nephi 1:16-17
|
|
Concerning Christ’s Death
|
Reference
|
Fulfillment
|
|
No light for 3 days
|
Helaman 14:20, 27
|
3 Nephi 8:19-23
|
|
Thunderings and lightnings
|
Helaman 14:21
|
3 Nephi 8:6-7
|
|
Earth will shake, tremble, and be broken up
|
Helaman 14:21-22
|
3 Nephi 8:12, 17-18
|
|
Mountain will be laid low and valleys raised
|
Helaman 14:23
|
3 Nephi 8:10, 13; 9:8
|
|
Resurrected people will appear to many
|
Helaman 14:25
|
3 Nephi 23:9-14
|
Quote #1
Edgar Snow, Jr. writes:
[A]n analysis of the Samuel the Lamanite narrative shows
that the implied reader should probably not view the narrative setting, other
than perhaps the city wall, for any purpose other than as a mere backdrop
against which to meet characters and watch events … The Samuel the Lamanite
narrative is no exception to this rule. However, the city wall climbed by
Samuel in Helaman 13:4, though it represents a real wall in the narrative, may
also act as a symbolic setting and may represent the stubbornness of the
Nephites as the figurative wall they built around their hearts to reject
Samuel's message.[1]
Quote #2
We are told Zarahemla will be destroyed because they are
ripe for destruction. Richard Draper
explains what this means.
When iniquity ripens fully the cursings come. But what
constitutes being ripe in iniquity? The Book of Mormon gives specific
conditions: (1) when “the voice of this people should choose iniquity” (Alma
10:19); (2) when the people “turn aside the just for a thing of naught and
revile against that which is good, and say that it is of no worth” (2 Nephi
28:16); (3) when they reject “every word of God” (1 Nephi 17:35); and (4) “when
[they] shall cast out the righteous from among [them], then shall [they] be
ripe for destruction” (Helaman 13:14).[2]
Quote #3
Hugh Nibley explains why the people are cursed because of
their riches.
"Ye are cursed because of your riches," says
Samuel to the people of Zarahemla, "and also are your riches cursed."
Why? For two reasons: (1) "because you have set your hearts upon
them," and (2) you "have not hearkened unto the words of him
who gave them unto
you. Ye do not remember the Lord your God in the things with which he hath
blessed you, but ye do always
remember your riches, not to thank the Lord your God for them" (Helaman
13:21-22). They wanted the riches desperately, worked for them diligently, and
were obsessed with them once they had them; but they simply would not accept
them as gifts, but only as
earnings.[3]
Quote #4
Hugh Nibley explains:
These people did not want to hear what was wrong with
Zarahemla, only what was right with
Zarahemla. Anyone who wanted their vote had only to avoid any mention of
repentance and tell them that they had done no wrong, that Zarahemla was great
because Zarahemla was good.[4]
Quote #5
Richard Rust explains external evidences.
Because Christ is both the beginning and the end, his
course, Nephi says, "is one eternal round" (1 Nephi 10:19). In a
divine perspective, the passing away of one condition can usher in the
beginning of another—as happens in the New World after the Crucifixion. There
is physical and spiritual chaos (for example, rocks are broken up, and people
are left desolate); yet out of this destruction comes renewal and hope. The
intent of these "signs and these wonders," Samuel prophesies, is that
"whosoever will believe might be saved, and that whosoever will not
believe, a righteous judgment might come upon them" (Helaman 14:28–29).[5]
Quote #6
Noel Reynolds writes:
As Samuel explained to the Nephites from the walls of
Zarahemla, the Lamanites had been brought to a knowledge of the truth through
Nephite missionary efforts and had come to believe the holy scriptures and
prophecies, which had led them to faith on the Lord (see Helaman 15:7). Samuel
suggests that we choose to believe something because of our knowledge of its
truth. But we could just as well choose to harden our hearts and refuse to hear
the word or believe in it, which would foreclose any risk that we might come to
trust the Lord or have faith in him to deliver us.[6]
Quote #7
Richard Rust explains:
For those who will hearken to it, the book's message is
clear: If the Gentiles in America keep the commandments, they shall prosper; if
they do not, they shall be cut off from the Lord. To Lamanites long in a
condition of spiritual captivity, the Book of Mormon provides deliverance
through their coming to know the promises of the Lord in "the latter
times" (Helaman 15:12–13).[7]
Quote #8
Richard Williams writes:
Faith is anchored in Jesus Christ, the Son of God, and the
knowledge of him is both sure and possible. The contrast between faith as sure
knowledge and the knowledge reason can provide is evident when we compare
Amulek's testimony of Christ as the anchor to sure knowledge with the
conclusion of many Nephites just before His coming: "And they began to
reason and to contend among themselves, saying: that it is not reasonable that
such a being as a Christ shall come" (Helaman 16:17–18). Not
"reasonable," but nonetheless true.[8]
Quote #9
Elder Dallin Oaks writes:
Human reasoning cannot place limits on God or dilute the
force of divine commandments or revelations. Persons who allow this to happen
identify themselves with the unbelieving Nephites who rejected the testimony of
the prophet Samuel. The Book of Mormon says, "They began to reason and to
contend among themselves, saying: That it is not reasonable that such a being
as a Christ shall come" (Helaman 16:17–18). Persons who practice that kind
of "reasoning" deny themselves the choice experience someone has
described as our heart telling us things that our mind does not know.[9]
[1] Narrative Criticism and the Book of Mormon, Edgar C. Snow, Jr., Provo,
Utah: Maxwell Institute, accessed August 9, 2012.
[2]Hubris and Ate: A Latter-day Warning from the Book of Mormon, Richard D. Draper, Provo, Utah:
Maxwell Institute, accessed August 12, 2012.
[3] Work We Must, but the Lunch Is Free,
Hugh Nibley, Provo, Utah:
Maxwell Institute, accessed August 16, 2012.
[4] What is Zion? A Distant View, Hugh Nibley, Provo, Utah: Maxwell
Institute, accessed August 16, 2012.
[5] "At the Judgment-Seat of Christ" -
Larger Perspectives, Richard
Dilworth Rust, Provo, Utah: Maxwell Institute, accessed August
18, 2012.
[6] The True Points of My Doctrine, Noel B. Reynolds, Provo, Utah:
Maxwell Institute, accessed August 19, 2012.
[7] "At the Judgment-Seat of Christ" -
Larger Perspectives, Richard
Dilworth Rust, Provo, Utah: Maxwell Institute, accessed August
19, 2012.
[8] Faith, Reason, Knowledge, and Truth, Richard N. Williams, Provo,
Utah: Maxwell Institute, accessed August 19, 2012.
[9] Worthy of Another Look: The Historicity of
the Book of Mormon, Elder
Dallin H. Oaks, Provo, Utah: Maxwell Institute, accessed
August 19, 2012.
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