Chapter 6
The Nephites
prosper—Pride, wealth, and class distinctions arise—The Church is rent with
dissensions—Satan leads the people in open rebellion—Many prophets cry
repentance and are slain—Their murderers conspire to take over the government.
About A.D. 26–30
The war is over. They left and returned to their lands. They
took their food, possessions, and flocks with them.
All robbers who had entered into the covenant[1]
to cease their wars, and desired to remain Lamanites, were allowed to stay
where they were. Peace finally spread throughout the land.
They had reestablished themselves in their land and began to
prosper over the next two years.[2]
Their laws established equity and justice. The only thing that would cause the prosperity
to end was the Nephites turning away from God’s commandments.
Gidgiddoni[3]
and Lachoneus[4]
were appointed leaders in the land. New cities were built and other cities were
repaired. “In modern times, one way that the loving and lawful reduce
inequality is to invest in public goods, goods that provide public services
without requiring private ownership. Such goods include public roads, public
education, public water and sanitation systems, and publicly provided
protection, among many others. We see similar efforts among Book of Mormon
people (see Helaman 3:14; 3 Nephi 6:8).”[5]
The Nephites, being the Nephites, began to turn away from
righteousness. Disputes developed among the people. They were inflected with
the Nephite disease, pride and boastings. “For the wicked boasteth of his
heart's desire, and blesseth the covetous, whom
the LORD abhorreth” (Psalms 10:3).
“BOAST not thyself of to morrow; for thou knowest not what a
day may bring forth” (Proverbs 27:1).
“Whoso boasteth himself of a false gift is like clouds and wind without rain” (Proverbs 25:14).
“But now ye rejoice in your boastings: all such rejoicing is
evil” (James 4:16).
While the merchants prospered, there were numerous
lawyers. Lawyers were not always among
the righteous part of Nephite society.
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 skilful in their profession.
And it came to pass that they began
to question Amulek, that thereby they might make him cross his words, or
contradict the words which he should speak.
Now they knew not that Amulek could
know of their designs. But it came to
pass as they began to question him, he perceived their thoughts, and he said
unto them: O ye wicked and perverse generation, ye lawyers and hypocrites, for
ye are laying the foundations of the devil; for ye are laying traps and snares
to catch the holy ones of God” (Alma 10:14-17).
“And the people went forth and witnessed against them—testifying
that they had reviled against the law, and their lawyers and judges of the
land, and also of all the people that were in the land; and also testified that
there was but one God, and that he should send his Son among the people, but he
should not save them; and many such things did the people testify against Alma
and Amulek. Now this was done before the
chief judge of the land” (Alma 14:5).
“[L]ike the characteristic of the constructive use of
natural resources, industriousness, improperly applied, can lead to pride (Alma
4:6) and economic stratification (3 Nephi 6:10–14), which undermine the
equality and unity of the covenant community and prepare the society for moral
collapse.”[6]
Classes in societies developed. One’s financial worth determined much of
status in society. Charge them that are rich in this world, that they be not
highminded, nor trust in uncertain riches, but in the living God, who giveth us
richly all things to enjoy” (1 Timothy 6:17).
This is exactly what had happened earlier in Nephite society.
“Now this great loss of the
Nephites, and the great slaughter which was among them, would not have happened
had it not been for their wickedness and their abomination which was among
them; yea, and it was among those also who professed to belong to the church of
God.
“And it was because of the pride of
their hearts, because of their exceeding riches, yea, it was because of their
oppression to the poor, withholding their food from the hungry, withholding
their clothing from the naked, and smiting their humble brethren upon the
cheek, making a mock of that which was sacred, denying the spirit of prophecy
and of revelation, murdering, plundering, lying, stealing, committing adultery,
rising up in great contentions, and deserting away into the land of Nephi,
among the Lamanites—
“And because of this their great
wickedness, and their boastings in their own strength, they were left in their
own strength; therefore they did not prosper, but were afflicted and smitten,
and driven before the Lamanites, until they had lost possession of almost all
their lands” (Helaman 4:11-13).
The rich could afford to learn while the poor couldn’t. “The
necessity of a major time investment in order to become thoroughly familiar
with the abstruse matters that framed this, or perhaps any, Nephite writing
system is confirmed in 3 Nephi 6:12, where we are told that among the
Nephites only the rich could achieve extensive learning, presumably because of
the greater leisure at their disposal to master the writing system.”[7]
[1] And
now it came to pass that when they had taken all the robbers prisoners,
insomuch that none did escape who were not slain, they did cast their prisoners
into prison, and did cause the word of God to be preached unto them; and as
many as would repent of their sins and enter into a covenant that they would
murder no more were set at liberty (3 Nephi 5:4).
[2] 26–28
A.D.
[3] Now
the chiefest among all the chief captains and the great commander of all the
armies of the Nephites was appointed, and his name was Gidgiddoni (3 Nephi 3:18).
[4] AND
now it came to pass that in the sixteenth year from the coming of Christ, Lachoneus,
the governor of the land, received an epistle from the leader and the governor
of this band of robbers… (3 Nephi 3:1).
[5] “No
Poor Among Them,” Lindon J. Robison, Journal
of Book of Mormon Studies, Volume 14, Number 1, 2005:92.
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