Countdown to the coming of Christ
As we discussed last week, the book of Helaman is the book for our day. Reading Helaman is like reading or listening to the nightly news – government corruption, murder, coverups, intrigues, immorality, oppression of the poor, etc. The parallels are spooky! We are living the book of Helaman!
In the six chapters (Helaman 7-12) for this week, the countdown clock to the coming of the Savior will advance by about 17 years, from BC 23 to BC 6. Don’t we wish we knew if we were in BSC (Before Second Coming) 2, 20 or 200? I suspect that it will occur somewhere in that range, but have no idea whether it will be closer to 2 or to 200, probably somewhere in between. Regardless, these chapters are very applicable to our day and immensely helpful to us as Latter-day Saints in preparing ourselves for the Savior’s Coming, whenever it is, and for the events leading up to it.
The central prophetic figure of these chapters is Nephi, son of Helaman and brother of Lehi. We will see his faith, courage, prophetic revelation and love for the Savior. This great grandson of Alma the Younger is a remarkable man, as you will see. But we have great prophets in our day, as well. As one of our neighbors asked while studying the Book of Mormon together this week, is Nephi the David O. McKay, the Spencer W. Kimball, the Gordon B. Hinckley or the Russell M. Nelson of our dispensation? If the latter, then Pres. Nelson and the rest of us may not be far removed from the Second Coming. One day, we’ll know.
Helaman chapter 7
“The Prophecy of Nephi, son of Helaman”
Notice that there is a summary to the next section of the book of Helaman by Mormon. He has just finished a long discussion in chapter 6 about the spiritual decline of the Nephites, concluding with four “thus we see” statements. The last of these is thus we see that they were in an awful state, and ripening for an everlasting destruction.
Mormon is now going to shift gears and focus on the prophet Nephi and his interactions with the wicked and corrupt Nephites. So he inserts this summary of the next ten chapters as a transition and introduction to these chapters. His summary also refers to “Samuel, a Lamanite”, whom we will discover next week.
Culture shock for Nephi
It’s the 69th year of the reign of the judges. Nephi has been among the people who were in the land northward preaching to them, but they did reject all his words, insomuch that he could not stay among them. As the chapter begins, Nephi has just come home from his mission to the land northward. He left in the 63rd year, so he’s been gone about six years – not a short mission! - at least, not by today’s standards.
Things have gone seriously downhill in Zarahemla while he has been gone. What does he discover upon his return? Things are in bad shape!
Seeing the people in a state of such awful wickedness, and those Gadianton robbers filling the judgment-seats—having usurped the power and authority of the land; laying aside the commandments of God, and not in the least aright before him; doing no justice unto the children of men; Condemning the righteous because of their righteousness; letting the guilty and the wicked go unpunished because of their money; and moreover to be held in office at the head of government, to rule and do according to their wills, that they might get gain and glory of the world, and, moreover, that they might the more easily commit adultery, and steal, and kill, and do according to their own wills—Now this great iniquity had come upon the Nephites, in the space of not many years;
Nephi is devastated for his people! He laments, Oh, that I could have had my days in the days when my father Nephi first came out of the land of Jerusalem, that 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—Yea, if my days could have been in those days, then would my soul have had joy in the righteousness of my brethren.
I’ve always been confused by this lament of Nephi’s. Maybe he read a different version of the history of those early days after Lehi and his family left Jerusalem than the one we have. The one preserved for us in the Book of Mormon doesn’t describe people who were “easy to be entreated” and “firm to keep the commandments of God.” Maybe he is talking about Nephi and Sam, but definitely not about Laman or Lemuel. It sounds kind of like a classic case of “things were better when …” John Hilton III talks about this in a short but interesting YouTube post this week. It’s only 5 minutes. I think you’ll enjoy it. Here is the link: https://youtu.be/K4FYdvGht1Y
Nephi on his tower
As Nephi is pouring out his heart, he is on a tower in his garden. Sounds a little weird to me to get on a tower in your garden and pray so loudly that you draw a crowd. I’m not sure our good neighbors in this part of Holladay would appreciate it if I did that. They’d know for sure that Rich has finally “gone around the bend!” I’ve always thought that this was just Nephi’s private prayer and others happened to be walking by and listened in. But maybe Nephi was actually trying to draw a crowd. Both Jack Welch and Book of Mormon Central have some interesting ideas about what was going on. A KnoWhy from BMC suggests that he may have been staging a mock funeral to get attention. Here is the link. See what you think. https://youtu.be/tP21RmGr9ZI. Jack Welch says that his tower may have been in a prominent place near the center of Zarahemla, near the temple and near the place where king Benjamin gave his famous address.[1] He suggests that Nephi may have actually been dressed in sackcloth and ashes, as one would be after the death of a loved one. Here is the link for the Jack Welch Notes for this week. The part in his notes about Nephi on his tower is quite interesting. https://archive.bookofmormoncentral.org/sites/default/files/archive-files/pdf/welch/2020-08-21/helaman_7-12_formatted.pdf
Nephi preaches to the people outside his garden
The people who were hearing Nephi on his tower are so amazed that they spread the word and gather a crowd to come hear him. If that was Nephi’s intention, it worked. With a crowd gathered, he is pretty tough on these people. Why have ye gathered yourselves together? That I may tell you of your iniquities?... How could you have given way to the enticing of him who is seeking to hurl away your souls down to everlasting misery and endless wo? … Why will ye die? Turn ye, turn ye unto the Lord your God.
The funeral, if that’s what is going on, is theirs! They are dying spiritually.[2] Nephi wants them to know it. He asks them, how could you have forgotten your God in the very day that he has delivered you? … It is to get gain, to be praised of men, yea, and that ye might get gold and silver. And ye have set your hearts upon the riches and the vain things of this world, for the which ye do murder, and plunder, and steal, and bear false witness against your neighbor, and do all manner of iniquity.
Tyler Griffin and Taylor Halverson do a good job with these chapters in their lesson for this week. One of the points they make early on that I thought was important is about the corrupt judges who have changed the laws to fit their behaviors and desires. Here is what Tyler says:
“It’s far easier to change a law that it is to change your heart. It’s far easier to force conformance of the law to my behavior than it is to repent and be humble and force conformance of my behavior to God’s laws.” https://youtu.be/qb3qtcVJ1Mc
Do we see that today? I think so. Do we see government leaders changing laws to conform to societal behavior and desires, rather than encouraging citizens to conform their behaviors to laws which were well thought out, tested over years and found to be good? Similarly, Lori and I have noticed with people who for whatever reason decide to leave the Church, they remake their beliefs to match their behavior, rather than the opposite. Walking the covenant path is about changing our hearts and conforming our behaviors to the laws of God, which are given to us from a loving Father to bless our lives now and eternally.
Three perspectives on the last days
I’ve given you a number of links already – not to overwhelm you but to give you lots to work with. Follow them if you have time. Let me give you one more. David Butler and Emily Freeman, who do the weekly, “Don’t Miss This” YouTube and Podcasts make some good points. Their style is a little different, probably trying to appeal to a teenage audience, but they have some excellent insights. One of their observations is that these chapters give us the perspective of the three main players in the events of the Last Days – (1) the righteous, as represented by Nephi and his followers, (2) the wicked, as represented by the Gadianton Robbers, wicked judges and their followers, and (3) God, as represented by Himself. We have the same players in the world today, just by different names – righteous (or those that are trying to be righteous), wicked (or those that are ignoring God and the signs of the times) and the Lord. Watch especially through these chapters for different ways the Lord humbles people to repentance. Very instructive! Here is the link for “Don’t Miss This” for this week. https://youtu.be/Et9CWUd7HyI
A warning and a call to repentance
Nephi tells the crowd who have gathered that, unless they repent, the city of Zarahemla will be taken away and given to their enemies and that it shall be better for the Lamanites than for you except ye shall repent. (This sounds like the warning given by Alma to the people of Ammonihah. They didn’t believe him and you know what happened to their city. It was destroyed in a day!)
Nephi goes on to say, They [the Lamanites] have not sinned against that great knowledge which ye have received; therefore the Lord will be merciful unto them; yea, he will lengthen out their days and increase their seed, even when thou shalt be utterly destroyed except thou shalt repent. The Nephites will be held to a higher standard than the Lamanites because of the blessings and light which they have received. For of him unto whom much is given much is required; and he who sins against the greater light shall receive the greater condemnation. (D&C 82:3) The same is true for us as Latter-day Saints. We are blessed to have the light and knowledge that come with the restored gospel, but we are in turn held by the Lord to a higher standard of conduct and loyalty to Him than the remainder of the world.
Nephi concludes his prophetic diatribe with a triple “Wo be unto you!”
Wo be unto you because of that great abomination which has come among you; and ye have united yourselves unto it, yea, to that secret band which was established by Gadianton!
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!
Wo be unto you because of your wickedness and abominations!
Except ye repent ye shall perish; yea, even your lands shall be taken from you, and ye shall be destroyed from off the face of the earth.
This last warning turns out to be prophetic, though it was not realized for another 400 years when their lands were taken and the Nephites were destroyed. The Lord will give them many more chances to repent before this decree is finalized.
The prophetic pattern of teaching
Notice the prophetic teaching pattern illustrated here by Nephi, which is to teach the truth, the words which the Lord puts into his heart and mind, and then to testify of the words of what he has taught. Nephi follows this prophetic pattern by closing this message with his testimony. I know that these things are true because the Lord God has made them known unto me, therefore I testify that they shall be. This is a good pattern for us to follow when teaching. Teach the truth by the power of the Spirit using the words of scripture and the prophets and then bear testimony of the truth of that which we have taught. (The other frequently seen steps in the prophetic teaching pattern are to invite people to keep certain commandments or follow certain admonishments and then to promise them the blessings that will follow. Watch for this prophetic teaching pattern in the next General Conference, which is only about six weeks away, October 3 & 4.)
Helaman chapter 8
Controversy erupts
Among those who have gathered to hear Nephi from the tower in his garden are some of the ordinary residents of Zarahemla. But there are also men who were judges, who also belonged to the secret band of Gadianton. Predictably, they are not happy with Nephi. They were angry, and they cried out against him, saying unto the people: Why do ye not seize upon this man and bring him forth, that he may be condemned according to the crime which he has done?
Why don’t the judges just seize him themselves, if they are so upset with him? Two reasons – they are afraid of the people and how they will respond, some of whom are sympathetic to Nephi. Those judges were angry with him because he spake plainly unto them concerning their secret works of darkness; nevertheless, they durst not lay their own hands upon him, for they feared the people lest they should cry out against them.
Also, as Jack Welch points out, “The lawsuits in this world had to be initiated by an offended party, and so they tried to get the people to bring the lawsuit. We are dealing with some corrupt judges, so it is interesting that even though they had changed the law, even though they were very corrupt themselves, this is a line that they could not cross. If they had dragged Nephi into court, these leaders, as corrupt as they may have been, still needed to retain the support of the general population.” (Welch Notes)
Just like the wicked people of Ammonihah who reviled against the words of Alma when he told them that God would destroy their city if they didn’t repent (see Alma 8), these wicked judges assert that we know that this [that our cities will be taken from us] is impossible, for behold, we are powerful, and our cities great, therefore our enemies can have no power over us. … Thus they did stir up the people to anger against Nephi, and raised contentions among them.
Some of the people of Zarahemla recognize Nephi as a prophet. Maybe they can remember the story of how he and his brother, Lehi, were miraculously saved by the remarkable experience in the prison in the land of Nephi when 300 Lamanites were converted. They say, Let this man alone, for he is a good man, and those things which he saith will surely come to pass except we repent; … we know that he has testified aright unto us concerning our iniquities. … if he had not been a prophet he could not have testified concerning those things.
Nephi’s response
Nephi now calls upon the tradition of past prophets as witnesses of his message. He first refers to Moses. Have ye not read that God gave power unto one man, even Moses, to smite upon the waters of the Red Sea? … If 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?
Nephi also bears a powerful witness of the Messiah, the Son of God. Did he [Moses] not bear record that the Son of God should come? And as he lifted up the brazen serpent in the wilderness, even so shall he be lifted up who should come. And as many as should look upon that serpent should live, even so as many as should look upon the Son of God with faith, having a contrite spirit, might live, even unto that life which is eternal. This is the most important message Nephi has to deliver. If the people will look to the Son of God with faith and a contrite spirit, they will live. This is the answer to his shocking question he asked them in the last chapter, Why will ye die? They don’t have to die spiritually, if they will turn to the Lord!
Nephi then calls upon several prophets to validate his testimony of the Messiah – Moses, Abraham, Zenos, Zenock, Ezias, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Lehi, Nephi, and also almost all of our fathers, even down to this time; yea, they have testified of the coming of Christ, and have looked forward, and have rejoiced in his day which is to come.
Nephi continues to teach some profound doctrine. Behold, he is God, and he is with them, and he did manifest himself unto them, that they were redeemed by him; and they gave unto him glory, because of that which is to come. The Messiah who will come, the Son of God, is with these ancient prophets (Note that the footnote to this verse in the scriptural text refers to Alma 40:11-12) and they were redeemed by Him. These righteous prophets are with Him in the spirit world and have been redeemed (at least to the degree that they can be before resurrection) by His atonement which is yet to be accomplished. For that, they give Him glory.
Jehovah, the pre-mortal Jesus Christ, the Son of God, is also God. He is not God, the Father. But He is God, the Son. Nephi is teaching true doctrine of the Godhead. This doctrine was largely lost from the Old Testament, restored by Christ during His ministry and then lost again during the formation of the heresy of the Trinity in the creeds in the early centuries of the Great Apostasy. The true doctrine of the Godhead has been restored again in our dispensation, and is found only in the restored Church of Jesus Christ.[3]
A remarkable sign to the unbelievers
After his testimony of the Messiah, Nephi returns to his call for repentance. Even at this time ye are ripening, because of your murders and your fornication and wickedness, for everlasting destruction; yea, and except ye repent it will come unto you soon. Yea, behold it is now even at your doors.
As a validation that what he says is true, Nephi then tells them the shocking news, Go ye in unto the judgment-seat, and search; and behold, your judge is murdered, and he lieth in his blood; and he hath been murdered by his brother, who seeketh to sit in the judgment-seat. And behold, they both belong to your secret band, whose author is Gadianton and the evil one who seeketh to destroy the souls of men.
Helaman chapter 9
Who killed the chief judge?
Immediately five men left Nephi’s garden and ran to the judgment seat, saying to themselves as they went, We do not believe that he is a prophet; nevertheless, if this thing which he has said concerning the chief judge be true, that he be dead, then will we believe that the other words which he has spoken are true. When they get there, to their amazement they discover that the chief judge had fallen to the earth, and did lie in his blood. So they do what every true Nephite and some Lamanites do when experiencing powerful feelings, they were astonished exceedingly, insomuch that they fell to the earth.
The five are discovered unconscious next to the body of the murdered chief judge. Of course they are presumed to be the killers. It’s amazing to me that the people at the garden of Nephi don’t ask what had happened to the five who went to check out Nephi’s prophecy. But they finally figure it out on the day of the funeral. The judges need to do some serious damage control on the prophecy by Nephi that proved to be true. Otherwise, they will look bad and Nephi will look like a prophet. So they resort to their own ways of dealing with things.
First, they accuse Nephi of conspiring to have the chief judge murdered so he could fool them into thinking he was a prophet. We know that this Nephi must have agreed with some one to slay the judge, and then he might declare it unto us, that he might convert us unto his faith, that he might raise himself to be a great man, chosen of God, and a prophet. But the five men who went to verify Nephi’s prophecy rebuke the judges. They were converted in prison and now defend Nephi. They did rebuke the judges in the words which they had spoken against Nephi, and did contend with them one by one, insomuch that they did confound them.
Good for these five guys! (These are the original Five Guys for whom the famous hamburger restaurant chain is named. Didn’t you know that? I was reminded of them as Lori and I had lunch at a Five Guys today after our bike ride.) Their courageous witness is powerful! It’s interesting how the Lord can use normal people to do great things. God has chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise. (1 Cor 1:27) Last week, we read about how the Lord used Aminadab whose encouragement to turn and pray to the voice led to the conversion of 300 Lamanites in a prison in the land of Nephi. Now He uses these five guys whose testimonies, having been converted in prison, confound the wicked judges. We can be like they are. We may never be a Nephi or a Lehi, but we can be like these five guys and bear humble testimony of what we know and what is real for us.
Next they bring Nephi before the multitude, bind him and began to question him in divers ways that they might cross him, that they might accuse him to death. In desperation, they try to bribe Nephi to confess that he was part of the plot to kill the chief judge. 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. Money talks for them. Money is their god. Give them enough money and they will say anything. Surely, Nephi will be persuaded, as they would be, by the offer of money to admit his complicity. It’s just like Zeezrom offering Amulek six onties of silver to deny his belief in God. As Yogi Berra would say, “It’s déjà vu all over again!”
Nephi will neither be bought nor intimidated. He has heard enough! He responds, O ye fools, ye uncircumcised of heart, ye blind, and ye stiffnecked people, do ye know how long the Lord your God will suffer you that ye shall go on in this your way of sin? O ye ought to begin to howl and mourn, because of the great destruction which at this time doth await you, except ye shall repent. They weren’t counting on Nephi’s making another prophecy, but that’s exactly what he does! Behold, I will show unto you another sign, and see if ye will in this thing seek to destroy me. He tells them to go the house of the brother of the chief judge and ask him if he agreed with Nephi the pretended prophet to kill his brother. When he denies anything of the sort, then ask him if he killed his brother. When he stammers and doesn’t know what to say, then ask him about the blood that’s on the skirts of his cloaks. He will confess and not deny that he committed the murder and he will confirm that Nephi had nothing to do with it.
Everything happens just as Nephi prophesied. Nephi is set free as are the five who were cast into prison. Some believe that Nephi is a prophet. Some even think he is a god.[4] We aren’t told what the wicked judges thought. I suspect they slinked out quietly before anyone would notice how foolish they were compared to Nephi. Ironically, no one comes to Nephi to confess their sins and be taught the gospel. The first verse of chapter 10 reads … they divided hither and thither and went their ways, leaving Nephi alone, as he was standing in the midst of them. A little while ago, they (the wicked judges) were ready to kill him. Now they all just leave and he is left alone. It reminds us of when the Savior asked the woman who was taken in adultery, Woman, where are those thine accusers? hath no man condemned thee? (John 8:10) Darkness cannot abide the presence of the light. Evil cannot endure the presence of good. The guilty taketh the truth to be hard, for it cutteth them to the very center. (1 Nephi 16:2) Nephi stands alone in his humble goodness and purity. Truth and righteousness always win in the end!
Helaman chapter 10
A remarkable revelation to Nephi
Left alone, Nephi turns to walk toward his own house pondering upon the things which the Lord had shown unto him. The word “ponder” is used three times in two verses. Sometimes, the best response to difficult things in our lives is to take time to ponder. Joseph Smith said,
“The things of God are of deep import; and time, and experience, and careful and ponderous and solemn thoughts can only find them out. Thy mind, O man! if thou wilt lead a soul unto salvation, must stretch as high as the utmost heavens, and search into and contemplate the darkest abyss, and the broad expanse of eternity—thou must commune with God. How much more dignified and noble are the thoughts of God, than the vain imaginations of the human heart!”
I learned years ago to turn off any auditory distractions (radio, TV, AirPods, etc.) and turn on my mind. It is so easy to fill our lives with sounds, even good sounds. But we need to regularly turn off the external sounds in our world so we can think, ponder, and commune with God. I find that often my best times to ponder are in the shower, cutting the lawn, working in the garden, riding my bike, driving alone in the car, walking, watering the lawn, writing in my journal, reading the scriptures or Ensign or just sitting on the couch early in the morning or at the end of the day before bed. It’s amazing how clarity comes when we clear our minds of other distractions and allow the Spirit to get through!
It is in this frame of mind, pondering on what had just occurred, that the Lord speaks to Nephi. What follows is one of the most remarkable revelations to any prophet of the Book of Mormon, actually, to any prophet in all scripture. As he was thus pondering in his heart, behold, a voice came unto him saying:
Blessed art thou, Nephi, for those things which thou hast done; for I have beheld how thou hast with unwearyingness declared the word, which I have given unto thee, unto this people. And thou hast not feared them, and hast not sought thine own life, but hast sought my will, and to keep my commandments.
And now, because thou hast done this with such unwearyingness, behold, I will bless thee forever; and I will make thee mighty in word and in deed, in faith and in works; 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.
Because of his “unwearyingness” (That word is found only twice in all of the scriptures, in these two verses.), Nephi is told by the Lord that he will be blessed forever and will be made mighty in word and deed, in faith and in works (as if he weren’t already!). Then, to seal the covenant between them, the Lord (Jehovah, the premortal Jesus Christ) says,
Behold, thou art Nephi, and I am God. Behold, I declare it unto thee in the presence of mine angels, that ye shall have power over this people, and shall smite the earth with famine, and with pestilence, and destruction, according to the wickedness of this people.
Behold, I give unto you power, that whatsoever ye shall seal on earth shall be sealed in heaven; and whatsoever ye shall loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven; and thus shall ye have power among this people.[5]
In this revelation, Nephi is given the sealing power, not just the sealing power given to righteous priesthood holders in this dispensation to perform sealing ordinances in our temples (as remarkable a power as that is), but the power to seal all things on earth that they may be sealed in heaven. I believe that this power is held by the prophets and apostles in our Church today. Each of the 15 apostles on the earth currently holds all of the priesthood keys given to mortal men on earth. But some of them are dormant in them until they become the senior apostle, as President Nelson is today. These keys all become active then as they are in him. This sealing priesthood power is given in its fullness to Nephi at this time. Perhaps he was even given greater keys than our current leaders hold. I’m not sure on that point. If it hadn’t previously occurred, I also believe that Nephi’s calling and election are made sure at this time by this revelation, though the specific words as such were not recorded. There may have been more revealed at this time than is recorded in our scripture. That is often the case when God opens the heavens.
For the Lord to have this degree of trust in Nephi, He must know that Nephi is “determined to serve Him at all hazards.” The Prophet Joseph Smith said, “After a person has faith in Christ, repents of his sins, and is baptized for the remission of his sins and receives the Holy Ghost, (by the laying on of hands) … then let him continue to humble himself before God, hungering and thirsting after righteousness, and living by every word of God, and the Lord will soon say unto him, Son, thou shalt be exalted. When the Lord has thoroughly proved him, and finds that the man is determined to serve Him at all hazards, then the man will find his calling and his election made sure, then it will be his privilege to receive the other Comforter, which the Lord hath promised the Saints, as is recorded in the testimony of St. John.” (Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, p. 150.)
Nephi continues the work
True to form, like his great grandfather Alma returning to the city of Ammonihah after being rejected, Nephi did not go unto his own house, but did return unto the multitudes who were scattered about upon the face of the land, and began to declare unto them the word of the Lord which had been spoken unto him, concerning their destruction if they did not repent.
Mormon records that Nephi had such faith that the power of God was with him, and they could not take him to cast him into prison, for he was taken by the Spirit and conveyed away out of the midst of them. That sounds like how the Savior escaped injury at the hands of the people of Nazareth when they sought to kill Him. But he passing through the midst of them went his way, (Luke 4:30)
Nephi, ever diligent, did go forth in the Spirit, from multitude to multitude, (Was he actually transported by the Spirit? It sounds like maybe he was!) declaring the word of God, even until he had declared it unto them all, or sent it forth among all the people. Unfortunately, they would not hearken unto his words; and there began to be contentions, insomuch that they were divided against themselves and began to slay one another with the sword.
Helaman chapter 11
The Lord sends a famine
The wickedness, contentions and war continue throughout the land for the next two years, the 72nd and 73rd years of the judges. Not wanting the people to be destroyed by the sword, Nephi did cry unto the Lord, saying O Lord, do not suffer that this people shall be destroyed by the sword; but O Lord, rather let there be a famine in the land, to stir them up in remembrance of the Lord their God, and perhaps they will repent and turn unto thee.
The Lord had already told Nephi that whatever he binds on earth will be bound in heaven. So the Lord honors His prophet’s request and a severe famine follows.[6] It continues for two years until the whole earth was smitten, even among the Lamanites as well as among the Nephites, so that they were smitten that they did perish by thousands in the more wicked parts of the land. Why did more people die in the more wicked parts of the land? The text doesn’t tell us the reason. Perhaps it was because they were less prepared for the famine. Perhaps Nephi had warned the people to store food and necessities and be prepared. Maybe it was the more righteous people were the ones who heeded his warning. Sound familiar? Maybe it was because the people in the more righteous areas cooperated more with each other. They might have even developed a system of caring for each other in which they would share what they had and care for their poor. Does that sound familiar? I think you get the point. If the Lord sends a famine today, will we be prepared and will we be able to help those around us?
The similarities here between Nephi and Elijah of the Old Testament are striking! In his Notes for this week, Bro. Welch has an interesting chart showing these similarities in a two-column chart. I can’t reproduce it here, but it’s worth looking at his Notes to see. It makes me wonder if Nephi, like Elijah, was fed by ravens or by a woman of great faith (See 1 Kings 17). We don’t know.
An end to the famine
Humbled by the famine, the people plead with the judges to ask Nephi to cry unto the Lord our God that he turn away from us this famine. Why didn’t the people themselves go to Nephi? I don’t know. Maybe it was to require the judges, who had previously sought to kill Nephi, to humble themselves and approach Nephi, much like an earlier Nephi, after making a new bow when his steel bow was broken, went to his father Lehi, who had murmured against the Lord, to ask him where he should go to find food, requiring his father to repent and approach the Lord.
Nephi approaches the Lord in beautiful, almost poetic, prayer which extends over several verses. In response, the famine is ended. The Lord did turn away his anger from the people, and caused that rain should fall upon the earth, insomuch that it did bring forth her fruit in the season of her fruit. The people did rejoice and glorify God, and the whole face of the land was filled with rejoicing; and they did no more seek to destroy Nephi, but they did esteem him as a great prophet, and a man of God, having great power and authority given unto him from God.
What about Lehi?
At this point, Mormon adds a parenthetical thought. Lehi, his brother, was not a whit behind him as to things pertaining to righteousness. We haven’t heard anything about Lehi, the younger brother of Nephi, since their experience in the prison in the land of Nephi. That was about 15 years ago. What has he been doing? How did he survive the famine? We don’t know. The only thing we learn about Lehi is this sentence a few verses later, Nephi and Lehi, and many of their brethren who knew concerning the true points of doctrine, having many revelations daily, therefore they did preach unto the people. Someday maybe we’ll get to read an account of Lehi’s ministry and miracles. Mormon is telling Nephi’s story, so we don’t learn much about Lehi. Perhaps that is to remind us that you don’t have to be in the “headlines’ to do good things and find approval of the Lord. Not everyone is the prophet, the president, the bishop or the leader. The kingdom of God needs foot soldiers as well as generals. And when it comes time for the judgment, it won’t matter what position or title we have held, but what we have done to build the Kingdom in our own sphere of influence, however large or small.
The pride cycle continues
Tyler and Taylor do a great job of chronicling the dates of the Nephite years as they revolve through the classic pride cycle. It is very interesting to look at the years and see how quickly they go through the cycle. Why aren’t they more steady and consistent in their righteousness? Hard to know. Maybe the same question could be asked of people today. I’ve already given you the link for Tyler and Taylor. If nothing else, start watching or listening at about 32:50 and stay with them for several minutes.
The remaining verses of this chapter chronicle the now too familiar story of the Nephite pride cycle from prosperity to pride to contention to war, wickedness and destruction. By the 80th year, the Gadianton robbers, who were wiped out during the famine, are back in full strength. This adversity causes some humility among the Nephites and some repentance, but it doesn’t last long. The chapter concludes with Mormon’s chilling summary of the next four years.
And in the eighty and second year they began again to forget the Lord their God. And in the eighty and third year they began to wax strong in iniquity. And in the eighty and fourth year they did not mend their ways.
And it came to pass in the eighty and fifth year they did wax stronger and stronger in their pride, and in their wickedness; and thus they were ripening again for destruction.
It is now the end of the 85th year, just 6 years until Christ will come. Next week, we’ll read of the prophecies of Samuel, the Lamanite, about the coming of Christ and about His death and resurrection. But first, Mormon has some things to say.
Helaman chapter 12
Mormon’s editorial lament
Mormon can’t hold it in any longer. He has been faithfully chronicling for us the ups and downs of the Nephites and how they repeatedly move through the pride cycle for which they are famous. Mormon has also seen it in his own people more than 300 years later. And in prophetic vision he has seen it in our day. He must express himself. This whole chapter is a “thus we see” moment by Mormon. Before going on to the prophecies of Samuel and then to the birth of Christ, Mormon wants to be sure that we, the modern readers, are getting the message.
This is sublime language! I suspect that someone much smarter than I can see a literary pattern in this chapter, the emphasis on the voice and word of the Lord, the parallel structure, the manner of praise, etc. How in the world could the Prophet Joseph have written this off the top of his head?
Thus we can behold how false, and also the unsteadiness of the hearts of the children of men;
We can see that the Lord in his great infinite goodness doth bless and prosper those who put their trust in him.
We may see at the very time when he doth prosper his people … in fine, doing all things for the welfare and happiness of his people; yea, then is the time that they do harden their hearts, and do forget the Lord their God, and do trample under their feet the Holy One—yea, and this because of their ease, and their exceedingly great prosperity.
Thus we see that except the Lord doth chasten his people with many afflictions, yea, except he doth visit them with death and with terror, and with famine and with all manner of pestilence, they will not remember him.
Mormon continues with this sad lament,
O how foolish, and how vain, and how evil, and devilish, and how quick to do iniquity, and how slow to do good, are the children of men; yea, how quick to hearken unto the words of the evil one, and to set their hearts upon the vain things of the world!
Yea, how quick to be lifted up in pride; yea, how quick to boast, and do all manner of that which is iniquity; and how slow are they to remember the Lord their God, and to give ear unto his counsels, yea, how slow to walk in wisdom’s paths!
O how great is the nothingness of the children of men; yea, even they are less than the dust of the earth.
At least the dust of the earth obeys the Lord, which is more than we can say for the children of God.
Mormon concludes this plaintive interlude with,
Therefore, blessed are they who will repent and hearken unto the voice of the Lord their God; for these are they that shall be saved.
And may God grant, in his great fulness, that men might be brought unto repentance and good works, that they might be restored unto grace for grace, according to their works.
And I would that all men might be saved.
It’s time to bring out another major player, Samuel the Lamanite, - next week!
Conclusion
What great prophets! Nephi, Lehi, Mormon, are such great examples of faith, courage, unwearyingness, and charity! What great models! But there are other good people as well like the five witnesses who were converted in prison and confounded the chief judges.
What a great book! The book of Helaman is a book for our day! And the Book of Mormon is truly a miracle! What a gift it is to the people of our day! I know that it is true. I know that there are valuable life lessons for the people of our world in our day and for the members of our Church collectively. But even more importantly, there are powerful, personal messages for each of us individually in this wonderful book. What a treasure!
Thanks for reading!
Richard
Endnotes
[1] Nephi’s tower
Nephi’s tower may have looked like a pyramid of some kind and was probably made of stone. It was near the main market, which was prime real estate. This was probably the most valuable land in the City of Zarahemla, which was the capital city. How did Nephi get that land? It was most likely inherited land from his father (Helaman2) and his grandfather (Helaman1). It was even possibly the location of Alma the younger’s (his great-grandfather), home as the chief judge of the court system. The temple was probably not far away. It was the same city and even the same neighborhood in which the Nephites gathered to hear King Benjamin’s famous speech. It is possible that this tower also served out as a look-out tower to watch for an approaching enemy. Welch Notes
[2] Why will ye die?
When Nephi was on the top of the tower, he probably was not wearing his priestly robes, but rather sackcloth and ashes. As Nephi put on this visual performance, many of the people may have thought that this was a funeral, and that someone had died. Nephi wittingly responds, “Why will ye die?” I think Nephi was not just saying, “Why are you going to die?” (of course, all mortals will die), but more he is asking, “Why are you willfully acting in such a way that you are in effect willingly dying?” The question was a time-honored prophetic lament and warning (see Jeremiah 27:13; Ezekiel 18:31; 33:11; and Jacob 6:6). Nephi’s question about death also seems to foreshadow his revelation about the death of the chief judge. Welch Notes
[3] Christ is God!
“My soul delighteth in proving unto my people that save Christ should come all men must perish,” Nephi wrote. “For if there be no Christ there be no God; and if there be no God we are not, for there could have been no creation. But there is a God, and he is Christ, and he cometh in the fulness of his own time.” (2 Nephi 11:6–7)
Elder Bruce R. McConkie wrote: “Christ-Messiah is God! Such is the plain and pure pronouncement of all the prophets of all the ages. In our desire to avoid the false and absurd conclusions contained in the creeds of Christendom, we are wont to shy away from this pure and unadorned verity; we go to great lengths to use language that shows there is both a Father and a Son, that they are separate Persons and are not somehow mystically intertwined as an essence or spirit that is everywhere present. Such an approach is perhaps essential in reasoning with the Gentiles of sectarianism; it helps to overthrow the fallacies formulated in their creeds. But having so done, if we are to envision our Lord’s true status and glory, we must come back to the pronouncement of pronouncements, the doctrine of doctrines, the message of messages, which is that Christ is God. And if it were not so, he could not save us.” (Promised Messiah, p. 98.)
Millet & McConkie, Doctrinal Commentary on the Book of Mormon
[4] He is a god
Excessive religious zeal is as dangerous to the salvation of men as stubborn unbelief. Any virtue overdone becomes a vice. To honor and reverence the Lord’s anointed is a requisite of salvation; to deify them is to falsify their nature and to pervert the message with which they are entrusted. It is to make of them the object of worship in place of the God who gave us life. This most damning and dangerous practice also finds expression in the deifying of the words of the prophets. The Pharisees of Jesus’ day had done this with the law of Moses. Their reverence was for the law rather than for the Lawgiver. They bowed the knee to the law while crucifying him of whom it testified. In our day there are those who do much the same thing, wherein they make all manner of claims for the Bible which it does not make for itself, including the idea that it is complete, final, inerrant and infallible. The effect of such verbal shrines and theological pilgrimages is to divert worship from the only true and living God to salvation in a book, rather than in the injunction of the Master who said, “Follow me” (Matthew 4:19).
Millet & McConkie, Commentary
[5] Whatsoever ye shall seal on earth shall be sealed in heaven
Such was the promise granted Peter by the Savior. “I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven” (Matthew 16:19). These keys were subsequently given to each member of the Twelve (see John 20:23) and the same keys were restored to Joseph Smith, to whom the Lord said: “I have conferred upon you the keys and power of the priesthood, wherein I restore all things, and make known unto you all things in due time. And verily, verily, I say unto you, that whatsoever you seal on earth shall be sealed in heaven; and whatsoever you bind on earth, in my name and by my word, saith the Lord, it shall be eternally bound in the heavens; and whosesoever sins you remit on earth shall be remitted eternally in the heavens; and whosesoever sins you retain on earth shall be retained in heaven. And again, verily I say, whomsoever you bless I will bless, and whomsoever you curse I will curse, saith the Lord; for I, the Lord, am thy God.” (D&C 132:45–47.)
It is unlikely that this is the first time that the keys of the priesthood were granted to a Nephite prophet-leader; more likely, this is simply the first mention of it. We would suppose that Lehi, as a leader of the Nephi dispensation, was given the keys of the kingdom. Nephi and Jacob and Mosiah and Alma and Mormon and Moroni—many of the Nephite prophets—surely had the directing power, the right of presidency, the keys of the kingdom, bestowed upon them. The fact that temples were established among the Nephites early in their history (see 2 Nephi 5:16) suggests that sealings and marriages and ordinances of the Melchizedek Priesthood were a part of their religious life.
The keys of the sealing power spoken of in verse 7 are the same as those held by the prophet Elijah. It was by the authority of these keys that he sealed the heavens for three and a half years, and by that same authority broke that seal and brought forth rain (see 1 Kings 17:1; 18:1, 45). Thus it was within his power to cause a famine to come upon his land. The authority to bring forth blessings is also the authority to withhold blessings. The power to bless is also the power to curse. Of his servants in this day, the Lord has said that those who “go forth, bearing these tidings unto the inhabitants of the earth, to them is power given to seal both on earth and in heaven, the unbelieving and rebellious; yea, verily, to seal them up unto the day when the wrath of God shall be poured out upon the wicked without measure” (D&C 1:8–9). It was Elijah who conferred these keys upon Peter, James, and John on the Mount of Transfiguration (see Matthew 17:3; Teachings, p. 158) and who also conferred them upon Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery (D&C 110:13–16).
Millet & McConkie, Commentary
[6] Famine
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.) In this story it seems that Nephi felt that the people simply did not see the connection between devastating war and their sinful ways.
By way of warning to the Saints of the last days, the Savior said: “Behold I speak for mine elect’s sake; for nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom; there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places” (Joseph Smith—Matthew 1:29). The Lord inquired: “How oft have I called upon you by the mouth of my servants, and by the ministering of angels, and by mine own voice, and by the voice of thunderings, and by the voice of lightnings, and by the voice of tempests, and by the voice of earthquakes, and great hailstorms, and by the voice of famines and pestilences of every kind, and by the great sound of a trump, and by the voice of judgment, and by the voice of mercy all the day long, and by the voice of glory and honor and the riches of eternal life, and would have saved you with an everlasting salvation, but ye would not!” (D&C 43:25.) Again to the rebellious in this day the Lord has said: “There are none to deliver you; for ye obeyed not my voice when I called to you out of the heavens; ye believed not my servants, and when they were sent unto you ye received them not. Wherefore, they sealed up the testimony and bound up the law, and ye were delivered over unto darkness.” (D&C 133:71–72.)
Millet & McConkie, Commentary
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