The account of the
people of Nephi, and their wars and dissensions, in the days of Helaman,
according to the record of Helaman, which he kept in his days.
Comprising chapters 45
to 62 inclusive.
Chapter 45
Helaman believes the
words of Alma—Alma prophesies the destruction of the Nephites—He blesses and
curses the land—Alma is taken up by the Spirit, even as Moses—Dissension grows
in the Church. About 73 B.C.
The war had ended.
The people rejoiced the Lord had preserved them. They gave thanks through their fasting and
prayers.
“Alma’s interview with Helaman is a classic “wet” and
refreshing performance. It is a short, three-question, forty-five-second
exchange between father and son. According to the record, Alma was approaching
the end of his ministry. He knew that he must select someone to assume
prophetic and record-keeping responsibilities. Helaman was his choice.”[1]
Speaking of his previous counsel to Helaman, he asked if he
believed the words he had told him about the records.
“And now, my son Helaman, I command
you that ye take the records which have been entrusted with me; And I also
command you that ye keep a record of this people, according as I have done,
upon the plates of Nephi, and keep all these things sacred which I have kept,
even as I have kept them; for it is for a wise purpose that they are kept. And
these plates of brass, which contain these engravings, which have the records
of the holy scriptures upon them, which have the genealogy of our forefathers,
even from the beginning—Behold, it has been prophesied by our fathers, that
they should be kept and handed down from one generation to another, and be kept
and preserved by the hand of the Lord until they should go forth unto every
nation, kindred, tongue, and people, that they shall know of the mysteries
contained thereon” (Alma 37:1-4).
Helaman responds in a similar manner as did Nephi when
speaking to the angel. “Yea, thou knowest that I believe all the words of my
father” (1 Nephi 11:5). He too believed
the words of his father.
Alma asked if he believed in Christ. Once again, Helaman responded he believed all
his father’s words. Will he keep the
commandments he had given him? He responded he would with all his heart. The scriptures emphasize the importance of
keeping the Savior’s commandments. “For
I was my father's son, tender and only beloved
in the sight of my mother. He taught me also, and said unto me, Let thine heart
retain my words: keep my commandments, and live” (Proverbs 4:3-4).
“He that keepeth the commandment keepeth his own soul; but he that despiseth his ways shall die”
(Proverbs 19:16).
The Savior taught, “If ye love me, keep my commandments” (John
14:15). “He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth
me: and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and
will manifest myself to him” (John 14:21).
“And hereby we do know that we know him, if we keep his
commandments” (1 John 2:3).
“And this is his commandment, That we should believe on the name
of his Son Jesus Christ, and love one another, as he gave us commandment. And
he that keepeth his commandments dwelleth in him, and he in him. And hereby we know that he abideth in us, by
the Spirit which he hath given us” (1 John 3:23-24).
“Here is the patience of the saints: here are they that keep the commandments of
God, and the faith of Jesus” (Revelation 14:12).
“Wherefore, ye need not suppose that I and my father are the
only ones that have testified, and also taught them. Wherefore, if ye shall be obedient to the commandments,
and endure to the end, ye shall be saved at the last day. And thus it is. Amen” (1 Nephi 22:31).
“And behold, all that he requires of you is to keep his
commandments; and he has promised you that if ye would keep his commandments ye
should prosper in the land; and he never doth vary from that which he hath
said; therefore, if ye do keep his commandments he doth bless you and prosper
you” (Mosiah 2:22).
“I am not certain what went through Helaman’s mind as he
prepared to give his final response. He knew the necessity of honoring his
parents and respecting priesthood authority. His previous actions had verified
this fact. I like to think that Helaman’s reply was promoted by a heartfelt
desire to be obedient rather than by a fear of authority. Deep love of God and
father were reflected in his words: ‘Yea, I will keep thy commandments with all
my heart.’”[2]
Because of Helaman’s faith, he will be blessed by the Lord
and prosper in the land.
“Alma knew that his teaching that the sources of evil are
often internal was not always easy to hear. Indeed, he ended his ministry by
delivering the flip side of the oft-quoted ‘Inasmuch as ye shall keep the
commandments of God ye shall prosper in the land’ (Alma 36:30), with an equal
but opposite ‘Thus saith the Lord God—Cursed shall be the land, yea, this land’
(Alma 45:16). Alma’s entire nation, if not repentant, would become extinct (see
Alma 45:11, 14). This was a prophecy so horrific that he commanded Helaman not
to repeat it at the time (see Alma 45:9). Then, after blessing his sons, the
earth, and the church, Alma departed out of the land for good (see Alma 45:8,
15–18). This is a decidedly different tone than the more positive side of Alma
so often emphasized—the impact and elegance of his words in Alma 5, 29, 32, and
36, for instance. While his testimony of the Savior is crucial, we should not
overlook this other way that he organized his writings. By getting a clearer
picture of how Alma began and ended his testament with the influence of Nehor
and the Amlicite-led dissenters of Nephite origin, we gain deeper insight into
Alma’s understanding of individual and societal evil. Alma places his greatest
emphasis on internal evil. The battle is most often fought within ourselves.”[3]
[3] Alma’s
Enemies: The Case of the Lamanites, Amlicites, and Mysterious Amalekites,
J. Christopher Conkling, Journal of Book of Mormon Studies, 14/1 (2005): 117.
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