Chapter 7
7:4 -- Gadianton Robbers Gain More Power
As the Nephite and Lamanite society grows in wickedness, one of the causalties is the government and justice system.
4 And 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;
5 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
Through their secret oath and covenants, the Gadianton robbers have infiltrated themselves into positions of power, thereby giving themselves more power to do all manner of wickedness without any legal consequences. The righteous suffer, while the wicked run free.
Here, we see the ultimate aim of secret combination -- to obtain positions of power so they can commit whatever wickedness they desire and have enjoy the pleasures of the world through their wealth. And they can do whatever they desire because they are removed from legal consequences. Since they control the judgement seats and are in a brotherhood with each other, they will help each other out, insulating each other from any legal actions.
This is why it's important as Doctrine and Covenants section 98 states that vote for good and wise men to be our leaders. If we don't, then wicked gain more power and with more power are able to do what they desire at the expense of the good and noble people.
7:21 -- Set Your Hearts
In verse 21, we learn an important truth about what contributes to wickedness. One cause of wickedness is when a people set their hearts on riches and the things of the world.
21 But behold, it is to get again, 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. (Helaman 7)
When we set our hearts upon riches and the vain things of the world, we believe that the riches and the things of the world are what bring happiness and meaning. Because we believe this, we think that the more riches and things of the world we obtain (e.g., status, reputation, fame, material goods), the happier we'll be. This leads to obtaining these things in any way we can. This can manifest in unethical conduct in our jobs or profession pr even in to stealing and murder.
Moreover, a society that places its value in riches and the things of the world is set up for judgment.
22 And for this cause wo shall come unto you except ye shall repent. For if ye will not repent, behold, 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; for behold, the Lord will not grant unto you strength, as he has hitherto done, to withstand against your enemies.
7:23-24 -- Sinned Against the Greater Knowledge
When it comes to measuring wickedness, sometimes our standard is not the same as God's. Although there are many people who do horrible things, one aspect important to God is the knowledge the person had. God judges each of us based on the knowledge we have and what we did with it.
Here, Nephi explains that while many of the Lamanites were wicked, their wickedness was different than that of the Nephites, who had received the greater knowledge
23 ... Now therefore, I would that ye should behold, my brethren, that it shall be better for the Lamanites than for you except ye shall repent.
24 For behold, they are more righteous than you, for they 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. (Helaman 7)
Despite the knowledge the Nephites had about the gospel and God's mysteries, they had aligned themselves with the Gadianton Robbers
25 Yea, 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!
But just as the Nephites were giving greater knowledge, we, as LDS members, have also been more knowledge than others. Through the work of Joseph Smith, we have received additional revelation that other Christian denominations don't have. Moreover, the Book of Mormon (as we hopefully have seen) lays out the requirements for salvation in plainness. While the Bible contains these truths, it is not clear and requires in-depth study. This is different for the Book of Mormon. And God will hold us accountable for what we have done with those truths.
Chapter 8
8:1 -- Judges Who Belonged to Gadianton
As we learned in Helaman 6, the Nephites, unlike the Lamanites, supported the Gadianton Robbers. Exactly how the Nephites supported the Gadianton Robbers is unclear. However, we do know that the Nephites treated the Gadianton robbers differently than the Lamanites.
37 And it came to pass that the Lamanites did hunt the band of robbers of Gadianton; and they did preach the word of God among the more wicked part of them, insomuch that this band of robbers was utterly destroyed from among the Lamanites.
38 And it came to pass on the other hand, that the Nephites did build them up and support them, beginning at the more wicked part of them, until they had overspread all the land of the Nephites, and had seduced the more part of the righteous until they had come down to believe in their works and partake of their spoils, and to join with them in their secret murders and combinations. (Helaman 6)
I imagine that when it comes to supporting the Gadianton robbers, it could mean that the Nephites, as a whole, actively supported them. However, it could also mean that the Nephites didn't do anything about them. They allowed the Gadianton robbers into their society, they invited them to their feasts, to their church gatherings, to town events, they interacted with them. By treating the Gadianton robbers as any person in society, the Nephites in effect built up and supported them. Like a virus, they allowed the Gadianton Robbers to spread and take over its host.
As a result (as we learned in chapter 7), the Gadianton Robbers began to take over the government, "filling the judgment seats".
In chapter 8, we learn one of the consequences of the Gadianton Robbers usurpation of the government -- they had power over the power to influence them.
1 ...judges, who also belonged to the secret band of Gadianton, and 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?
...
5 Therefore they did cry unto the people, saying: Why do you suffer this man to revile against us? For behold he doth condemn all this people, even unto destruction; yea, and also that these our great cities shall be taken from us, that we shall have no place in them.
6 And now we know that this is impossible, for behold, we are powerful, and our cities great, therefore our enemies can have no power over us.
7 And it came to pass that thus they did stir up the people to anger against Nephi, and raised contentions among them;
Being placed in a position of authority, the Gadianton Robbers were able to stir up the people to turn against Nephi.
Applied to Us
Through the works brought forth by Joseph Smith, we learn about the existence of secret combinations. And we learn that secret combinations have been with humanity since the time of Adam and Eve. Moreover, throughout the Book of Mormon, we learn that secret combination existed in both Jaredite and Nephite society. And from Doctrine and Covenants 89, we learn that they will exist in the last days, which is the reason why the Lord gave the word of wisdom.
4 Behold, verily, thus saith the Lord unto you: In consequence of evils and designs which do and will exist in the hearts of conspiring men in the last days, I have warned you, and forewarn you, by giving unto you this word of wisdom by revelation.
I imagine that the "conspiring men" referred to in section 89 refers at least to the tobacco companies who sought to for ways to keep their customers addicted to their products. After all, if you have customers who are addicted, then you'll be able to make a profit at their expense and health. Moreover, this goal of addicting customers to make a profit aligns with the purpose of secret combination --- to get gain and power. Moreover, in 1998, it was discovered that the major world tobacco companies conspired to create a program "to counter the increasing social unacceptability of smoking" by forming the International Committee on Smoking Issues and International Tobacco Information Centre." This conspiracy was known as Operation Berkshire.
The point, however, of sharing this information about the tobacco companies is to show that conspiracies have existed to get gain and power. And just as there were conspiracies in the past, there are likely conspiracies today -- wherever power exists. Thus, this means that within our government, conspiracies exist to get gain and power. We saw this in the 1960s with the MKULTRA program, which sought to use psychedelics for mind control. We also saw this during the Bush administration, where Rumsfeld and Cheney manufactured a war in order to create profit. And there are likely others out there.
Although it's unclear whether those conspiracies constitute secret combinations, they share many similarities -- conspiring with people to get gain and power. Given that these secret combinations likely exist, what can we do about it?
Although we have to take the Holy Ghost as our guide in order to discern and be on the lookout, Helaman 8 also gives us a key to understanding how secret combination works: they stir up the emotions of the people. Secret combinations can win us over by playing to our fear -- e.g., weapons of mass destruction. Therefore as we listen to the information being disseminated, we should pay attention to how we are responding to it. If we are responding emotionally, then we might be misled.
8:7 -- "Let This Man Alone."
Although the wicked judges sought to stir up the people's emotions so that they would reject Nephi, some interjected, yelling for the judges and the people to leave Nephi alone.
7 ...there were some who did cry out: bLet this man alone, for he is a good man, and those things which he saith will surely come to pass except we repent;
8 Yea, behold, all the judgments will come upon us which he has testified unto us; for we know that he has testified aright unto us concerning our iniquities. And behold they are many, and he knoweth as well all things which shall befall us as he knoweth of our iniquities;
9 Yea, and behold, if he had not been a prophet he could not have testified concerning those things.
And by doing so, protected Nephi from the mob and also gave Nephi a change to continue speaking.
10 And it came to pass that those people who sought to destroy Nephi were compelled because of their fear, that they did not lay their hands on him; therefore he began again to speak unto them, seeing that he had gained favor in the eyes of some, insomuch that the remainder of them did fear.
Applied to Us
If good people stay silent, the wicked will have more power. If the good people refuse to stand up for what is right, the wicked gain more influence. Nephi was able to continue speaking because some of the good people in the crowd spoke up. We should do the same. In the coming years, being a Christian will be very unpopular. Many will be persecuted for their beliefs. But if we choose to remain silent out of fear of persecution, then we give more power to wickedness.
Chapter 10
The fullness of the Melchizedek Priesthood is Given to Nephi
In our discussion of Alma 13, I explained that there are different stages when it comes to taking up the Melchizedek priesthood ("MPH"). There, I explained that one if ordained and called. Ordination and calling occurs both in heaven. Those who were righteous in the preexistence were ordained to the MPH and were given a calling, an assignment, that if fulfilled would lead to taking upon (being conferred the MPH).
In the Joseph Smith Translation of Genesis 14, we learn that one who receives (takes upon) the MPH is given power over the elements -- as was the case with Melchizedek. We also learn that MPH is received by oath and covenant from God's own voice to us.
29 And it was delivered unto men by the calling of his own voice, according to his own will, unto as many as believed on his name.
30 For God having sworn unto Enoch and unto his seed with an oath by himself; that every one being ordained after this order [MPH] and calling should have power, by faith, to break mountains, to divide the seas, to dry up waters, to turn them out of their course;
31 To put at defiance the armies of nations, to divide the earth, to break every band, to stand in the presence of God; to do all things according to his will, according to his command, subdue principalities and powers; and this by the will of the Son of God which was from before the foundation of the world. (JST Genesis 14)
In previous posts, I shows that Joseph Smith and others in the early church did not receive the fullness of the MPH until the 1831 conference and Issac Morely's farm, where God, just has he did with Melchizedek) conferred the MPH to Joseph Smith and others.
Here, in Helaman 10, we read of Nephi being given the MPH. This is evidence because as shown in JST of Genesis 14, the receiving of the MPH entails receiving the sealing power. In chapter 10, Nephi receives the sealing power. And he receives it from God's voice -- just like Melchizedek, Joseph Smith, and others.
6 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.
7 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.
Why DID Nephi Received the MPH?
It's interesting to note that the event that triggered God conferring the sealing power (MPH) to Nephi was when Nephi was pondering about the wickedness of his people. Thus Nephi's love and concern about his people was likely the mechanism that opened up God's communication. Given that God is love. Our love for others, draws us closer to God. As Nephi pondered upon the wickedness of his people, God spoke to him.
In addition to having love for his people, Nephi also had love for God. And this was manifested by Nephi's "unwearyingness" in declaring the word, fearing no man except God. It was Nephi's love for God which was manifested by his unwearyingness to serve God that led to Nephi receiving the sealing power.
4 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.
5 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.
Another component of why Nephi was able to receive the sealing power was because Nephi's will was subsumed into God's. Nephi only did the will of God and never departed from it. This meant that Nephi could be trusted with the sealing power -- that Nephi would only use the sealing power for good. Nephi's trials likely served as a way for Nephi to show his faithfulness to God. Although Mormon only records Nephi's trial in prison, it's likely that Nephi had others. And in each of those he showed his faithfulness to God by enduring faithfully through the trials. And because he did, God could trust him with greater power.
The final explanation for why Nephi received the sealing power was his diligence. This component is not stated explicitly in the chapter, but can be inferred. After Nephi was given the sealing power, God commanded him to declare repentance unto the Nephites and Lamanites. Nephi's response is worthy of attention.
12 And behold, now it came to pass that when the Lord had spoken these words unto Nephi, he did stop and 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.
Instead of going to his house to rest, Nephi, upon hearing the command from the Lord to declare repentance "did not go unto his own house, but did return unto the multitudes" to declare repentance.
Moreover, Nephi did not stop until he proclaimed repentance to the entire land
17 And it came to pass that thus he did go forth in the Spirit, from multitude to multitude, declaring the word of God, even until he had declared it unto them all, or sent it forth among all the people.
In addition to showing diligence, verse 17 goes back to Nephi's unwearyingness in declaring the word. Nephi did not stop until repentance was heard among all the people of the land.
Applied to us, our lack of seeing God's hand in our lives is a result of our desires. As Alma declared in chapter 29
4 ...for I know that he granteth unto men according to their desire, whether it be unto death or unto life; yea, I know that he allotteth unto men, yea, decreeth unto them decrees which are unalterable, according to their wills, whether they be unto salvation or unto destruction. (Alma 29)
What we receive from the Lord is the product of what we desire. Nephi desired to serve the Lord at any hazard and any cost. As a consequence, he received the sealing power. What we desire is what we'll receive.
Chapter 11
Nephi Cries Repentance and Calls for Famine
The reason for Nephi's diligence in declaring repentance to all the people was to put every person on notice. In other words, before God could judge, all people had to be warned of the coming judgment. By declaring God's word to all the people, every person was put on notice that God's judgment was impending. Thus there was no excuse for their persistence in sin.
As the Lord explained to the early saints:
81 Behold, I sent you out to testify and warn the people, and it becometh every man who hath been warned to warn his neighbor.
82 Therefore, they are left without excuse, and their sins are upon their own heads. ...
84 Therefore, tarry ye, and labor diligently, that you may be perfected in your ministry to go forth among the Gentiles for the last time, as many as the mouth of the Lord shall name, to bind up the law and seal up the testimony, and to prepare the saints for the hour of judgment which is to come;
85 That their souls may escape the wrath of God, the desolation of abomination which awaits the wicked, both in this world and in the world to come. Verily, I say unto you, let those who are not the first elders continue in the vineyard until the mouth of the Lord shall call them, for their time is not yet come; their garments are not clean from the blood of this generation. (Doctrine and Covenants 88)
Nevertheless, as we learned at the end of chapter 10, the declaring of repentance might not bring about peace. If people reject the words, then contention can arise. The reason is because people have rejected light and instead accepted darkens. Their hearts become hardened towards God and each other.
As a result of not repenting from Nephi's declaration and seeing that wars increased throughout the land, Nephi uses his sealing power to petition the Lord to send a famine to humble the people. It's notable that although Nephi has the sealing power, he still prays to the Lord for permission and provides a reason for why he seeks for a famine.
4 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.
Nephi prayers for a famine to humble the people. And because Nephi had the sealing power, it was done. Moreover, the fact that Nephi had to pray for a famine shows that Nephites were becoming so hardened that wars and bloodshed was not enough to humble them. This is a shocking turn of events because earlier in the Book of Mormon we learned that the Lord used wars to humble the Nephites. Now instead of humbling the Nephites, wars harden them. This meant that Nephi had to resort to another trial to humble the Nephites. And that was causing a famine.
In verses 6-7, we learn that this famine was severe as the "whole earth" was "smitten" with famine that many did perish by the thousands in the more wicked parts of the land. It lasted for 72nd year until the 75th year. And if the famine would've continued, the Nephites would have perished.
Nephi's Love
It's also important to point out that Nephi was likely not immune from the effects of the famine. In other words, Nephi likely suffered along with the Nephites. It's possible that he may have stored up food in anticipation. But even if he did, he still was affected. He had to ration food. Eat less. And his life was altered along with the Nephites and Lamanites. And this happened for three years.
The fact that Nephi chose to put his own life and risk and suffering along with the Nephites and Lamanites further shows Nephi's heart and love for God and his people. It also shows the character of those in the celestial kingdom. Those who have received exaltation embody this kind of love. Thus to love (or, in other words, have charity) means that a person will do everything he/she is capable of, or could be capable of, to benefit the other person.
Yet, one may respond that how could Nephi show love when the famine he prayed for led to thousands of deaths?
First, death was already occurring from wars and contentions. Second, the majority of the deaths happened in the wicked areas. Third, getting the people repent by humbling them would allow God to bless them again and for the people to receive happiness. Fourth, Nephi prayed for the famine as a last resort, after he preached the word to all of them.
Surely, if we saw a toddler playing with a sharp knife, we would not hesitate to take the knife away from him. The toddler may cry, scream and think we are cruel. But because of our perspective and knowledge, we know that the removal of the knife was out of love.
This principle applies to Nephi. Having received greater knowledge of heaven, Nephi's perspective is larger than ours. Nephi has been surrounded by power and conversed with God and angels. Thus he knows what awaits those who repent and turn to God. He knows that their only happiness can be found in God. He also knows that if he can show others what he knows by connecting them to God through repentance, then others will be happy and experience great joy.
What this means is that those who have love (charity), will do things for others that may seem offensive or callous. A person with love may be blunt to others who are stuck in sin. A person with love may present truths and information that challenges the other's understanding. Because their show of love may not seem like love, but harshness and meanness, we should remind ourselves of the toddler playing with the knife. What may seem like harshness is really love. But notice, I said may seem like harshness. This is because some people are mean and rude and don't care. My point, however, was to show that we should be careful to judge someone's love for us because of how they made us feel.
Moreover, having this kind of love also means that those who have love will suffer for the sake of others. Love that doesn't involve sacrifice for the other individual is not love. Thus if we want to love like Christ loved, we must do what Christ did -- that is give ourselves up to the person we love. This is the secret to true happiness. As Christ taught, he that loses himself, will find himself.
Remembering the Lord
Despite the devastation caused by the famine, it served its purpose in stirring the people up unto remembering the Lord.
7 And it came to pass that the people saw that they were about to perish by famine, and they began to remember the Lord their God; and they began to remember the words of Nephi.
Seeing that the people had repented by humbling themselves and removing the wickedness of the land by ridding themselves of the Gadianton robbers, Nephi prays to the Lord to end the famine, bring peace and prosperity to the land again.
Chapter 12
The Unsteadiness of the Hearts of Men
In chapter 12, Mormon interjects to provide his commentary about what he has written so far. Here, Mormon points out how unsteady are the hearts of men. And he provides reason for why men's hearts are so unsteady.
Mormon explains that once the Lord blesses a people, it is when he blesses them that they harden their hearts against Him and forget Him. And they do this because of the blessings the Lord has blessed the people with, which provide ease and prosperity. Given their ease and prosperity, they are "quick to do evil" but "slow" to hearken to God. And the only way for the Lord to get his people to remember him is to chasten them (by exposing them to the consequence of their actions) and "visit" the people with terror, famine, and death.
No comments:
Post a Comment