Repent and Return unto the Lord
Helaman 13-16
Often times when we read the Book of Mormon, or discuss it, we think of the Nephites as the good guys and the Lamanites as the bad guys. That is , however, not always the case.
Helaman 13:1
1 And now it came to pass in the *eighty and sixth year, the Nephites did still remain in wickedness, yea, in great wickedness, while the aLamanites did observe strictly to keep the commandments of God, according to the law of Moses.
It is under these conditions that a prophet named Samuel, who happens to be a Lamanite, is introduced to the people of Zarahemla.
What is known about Samuel?
Not much, actually. He, like Abinidi, enters into the story for an express purpose . When Samuel’s purpose is completed, he leaves the Nephites never to be heard from them again.
Didn’t the Nephites already have a prophet? Why did the Lord send Samuel as well?
We, in modern days have many prophets as well. The Nephite prophet, Nephi, recognized Samuel as a fellow prophet. It was he that recorded Samuels words the same words that the Savior read when he visited the people of this continent after his crucifixion.
What was the message that Samuel was to give to the Nephites?
He was there to preach repentance
How was the message received?
Samuel actually made two visits to Zarahemla. The first time, he spent many days preaching repentance unto the people and they cast him out. When he was returning to his own land, the voice of the Lord came to him and told him to return and prophesy to the people those things that should come into his heart. When he returned to the city, the people would not let him enter. So dedicated to the Lord was he that he climbed upon the city wall, stretched forth his hand and with a loud voice declared the message that he was sent to give.
When the Lord has a message for his people, He makes sure that message is given. That message is given by His servants by the power of the Holy Ghost through thoughts that enter into their minds and feelings that enter into their hearts. As the Lord told Oliver Cowdery in modern day, “ 2 Yea, behold, I will atell you in your mind and in your bheart, by the cHoly Ghost, which shall come upon you and which shall dwell in your heart. ( D&C 8:2)
Helaman 13:5-6
5 And he said unto them: Behold, I, Samuel, a Lamanite, do speak the words of the Lord which he doth put into my heart; and behold he hath put it into my heart to say unto this people that the asword of justice hangeth over this people; and four hundred years pass not away save the sword of justice falleth upon this people.
6 Yea, heavy adestruction awaiteth this people, and it surely cometh unto this people, and nothing can save this people save it be repentance and faith on the Lord Jesus Christ, who surely shall come into the world, and shall suffer many things and shall be slain for his people.
For the most part, as human beings, we do not think that we will come to a tragic end as a race. I am guessing that the Nephites probably felt similarly.
Brian Best, in an Ensign article in Dec. 1977 described this as such:
“Most of us are incurably romantic in our attitudes toward life. We like to mentally entertain happy endings, lucky breaks, effortless successes, and sudden character transformations. Some among us even seem to regard salvation as a matter of good fortune and hope God will be particularly merciful on that great and final judgment day.
Yet, over and over, the scriptures demonstrate that life is not a romantic fairy tale, but a law-abiding and largely predictable reality. Mercy is not something to be bestowed upon us gratuitously at the day of judgment, but something that has already been offered through the atonement of Christ, and we are able to receive that mercy only upon conditions of repentance and obedience.
In its unwavering insistence on the conditions that govern justice and mercy, the Book of Mormon is perhaps the most emphatically antiromantic book ever written. On nearly every page it drives home the all-important lesson that the choices we make operate unerringly in a universe of law to bring about predictable consequences. To the writers of the Book of Mormon, nothing is more insidiously false than the notion that God dispenses mercy freely no matter what we do and that our salvation depends chiefly upon his tenderheartedness. Prophet after prophet emphasizes the contrary: that justice cannot be robbed and that mercy can be granted only according to laws and conditions.” (Brian Best, “Nephi, Lehi, and Samuel the Lamanite,” Ensign, Dec 1977, 45)
Helaman 13: 11-13
11 But if ye will repent and areturn unto the Lord your God I will turn away mine anger, saith the Lord; yea, thus saith the Lord, blessed are they who will repent and turn unto me, but wo unto him that repenteth not.
12 Yea, awo unto this great city of Zarahemla; for behold, it is because of those who are righteous that it is saved; yea, wo unto this great city, for I perceive, saith the Lord, that there are many, yea, even the more part of this great city, that will harden their hearts against me, saith the Lord.
13 But blessed are they who will repent, for them will I spare. But behold, if it were not for the righteous who are in this great city, behold, I would cause that afire should come down out of heaven and bdestroy it.
If we know that the Lord will spare a city or nation if there are righteous inhabitants, what then is our responsibility in these periolous times that we live in?
We must be true and faithful at all times. There will come a day when the nation will depend on us. The Prophet Joseph Smith said, “Joseph Smith: "Even this nation will be on the verge of crumbling to pieces and tumbling to the ground, and when the Constitution is upon the brink of ruin, this people will be the Staff upon which the Nation shall lean, and they shall bear the Constitution away from the very verge of destruction." (Discourses of the Prophet Joseph Smith, p.304)
What were the sins of the Nephites that Samuel was calling them to repentace for?
The Nephites had become worhippers of worldly things and had made gold, silver and other precious things the god to whom they bowed ant to whom they redered their praise and offerings of homage.
The true and living God threatened that a curse would come upon the land, causing their riches to vanish and their buried treasures to disappear, never to be found again. On the other hand the righteous, those who chose to serve the God of heaven, could safely hide up their treasures that had been consecrated fro the benefit of his kingdom; they would be protected and could be brought forth when necessary. ( DCBM p. 402-3)
“President Brigham Young (1801–77) said: “The worst fear that I have about [members of this Church] is that they will get rich in this country, forget God and his people, wax fat, and kick themselves out of the Church and go to hell. This people will stand mobbing, robbing, poverty, and all manner of persecution, and be true. But my greater fear for them is that they cannot stand wealth; and yet they have to be tried with riches” (quoted in Preston Nibley, Brigham Young: The Man and His Work [1936], 128).
we use wealth to bless those in need, we show the Lord that our hearts are right and He can trust us. If, on the other hand, we hoard wealth or use it for selfish purposes, we are as the wicked servant who hid his talent in the earth, and the Lord will likewise condemn us (see Matt. 25:14–30).
The Nephites rejected the true prophets
Helaman 13:24
Yea, wo unto this people, because of this time which has arrived, that ye do acast out the prophets, and do mock them, and cast stones at them, and do slay them, and do all manner of iniquity unto them, even as they did of old time.
The Nephites hardened their hearts against the true prophets because they testified of the people’s sin and iniquities. They would rather destroy the prophets than repent from their sins and turn to the Lord. Mormon summarized this in
Helaman 12
7 O how great is the anothingness of the children of men; yea, even they are bless than the dust of the earth.
8 For behold, the dust of the earth moveth hither and thither, to the dividing asunder, at the command of our great and everlasting God
God tells the dust to move and it does. God tells us through his holy prophets to turn away from our sins and we come up with all kinds of excuses why we shouldn’t. We may not cause our modern prophets physical harm, but we slay them all the same when we do not heed their counsel.
Helaman 13:27-28
27 But behold, if a man shall come among you and shall say: Do this, and there is no iniquity; do that and ye shall not suffer; yea, he will say: aWalk after the pride of your own hearts; yea, walk after the pride of your eyes, and do whatsoever your heart desireth—and if a man shall come among you and say this, ye will receive him, and say that he is a bprophet.
28 Yea, ye will lift him up, and ye will give unto him of your substance; ye will give unto him of your gold, and of your silver, and ye will clothe him with costly apparel; and because he speaketh aflattering words unto you, and he saith that all is well, then ye will not find fault with him.
President Harold B. Lee: "Now the only safety we have as members of this church is to do exactly what the Lord said to the Church in that day when the Church was organized. We must learn to give heed to the words and commandments that the Lord shall give through his prophet, 'as he receiveth them, walking in all holiness before me;...as if from mine own mouth, in all patience and faith.' There will be some things that take patience and faith. You may not like what comes from the authority of the Church. It may contradict your political views. It may contradict your social views. It may interfere with some of your social life. But if you listen to these things, as if from the mouth of the Lord himself, with patience and faith, the promise is that 'the gates of hell shall not prevail against you; yea, and the Lord God will disperse the powers of darkness from before you, and cause the heavens to shake for your good, and his name's glory'." (CR, Oct 1970)
Follow the Prophet! He knows the way.
According to Samuel’s prophecy, what will happen to the people if they do not repent?
Helaman 13:38-39
38 But behold, your adays of probation are past; ye have bprocrastinated the day of your salvation until it is everlastingly too late, and your destruction is made sure; yea, for ye have sought all the days of your lives for that which ye could not obtain; and ye have sought for chappiness in doing iniquity, which thing is dcontrary to the nature of that righteousness which is in our great and Eternal Head.
39 O ye people of the land, that ye would 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.
If we seek for happiness in wicked practices, we will never find it. Pleasure seeking is short term in nature and must be re-experienced continually because it is not happiness. It may makes us feel good, but it is not happiness. True happiness occurs when we have the love of God in our hearts which leads us to live righteously and repent, partaking of and internalizing the Atonement of Jesus Christ.
Is there ever a sadder statement than, “ It is too late.”?
Pres. Henry B. Eyring:
“There is a danger in the word someday when what it means is “not this day.” “Someday I will repent.” “Someday I will forgive him.” “Someday I will speak to my friend about the Church.” “Someday I will start to pay tithing.” “Someday I will return to the temple.” “Someday …”
The scriptures make the danger of delay clear. It is that we may discover that we have run out of time. The God who gives us each day as a treasure will require an accounting. We will weep, and He will weep, if we have intended to repent and to serve Him in tomorrows which never came or have dreamt of yesterdays where the opportunity to act was past. This day is a precious gift of God. The thought “Someday I will” can be a thief of the opportunities of time and the blessings of eternity. “(Henry B. Eyring, “This Day,” Ensign, May 2007, 89–91)
Samuel continued to prophesy many more things which were not recorded.
We are approaching October General Conference. How would you react if Pres. Thomas S. Monson stood at the pulpit and made the following statement:
Five years from now, there will appear a sign in the heavens. there shall be one aday and a night and a day, as if it were one day and there were no night; The night following this event, Christ shall come once again to the earth.
What would you make your priority? Repentance? Preparedness? Forgiveness?
This is what Samuel prophesied to the Nephites.
Helaman 14:4-5
4 Therefore, there shall be one aday 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; for ye shall know of the rising of the sun and also of its setting; therefore they shall know of a surety that there shall be two days and a night; nevertheless the night shall not be darkened; and it shall be the night before he is bborn.
5 And behold, there shall a new astar arise, such an one as ye never have beheld; and this also shall be a sign unto you.
Just as a side note, Clearly there was at least one Old Testament prophet that prophesied concerning the new star that would appear at the time of Christ’s birth . When the wise men were questioned by Herod, they indicated they had followed the star … yet, there is no recording of that Old Testament prophecy comparable to that of samuel the Lamanite in the Book of Mormon.
Why did Samuel share this prophecy with the Nephites?
He, as a prophet of God has seen the destruction that will come to the people if they do not turn to God. He wants the people to feel the same sense of urgency that he does in preparing them for the coming of the Savior. By the encouragement of the Holy Spirit, which has put it into his heart what to say, and by direct commandment of the Lord, Samuel shares this very specific timetable. The Lord said, “ Prepare the way for the Lord”
President Ezra Taft Benson gave strikingly similar counsel when he said, : The great and dreadful day of the Lord is near at hand. In preparation for this great event and as a means of escaping the impending judgements, inspired messengers have gone forth to the nations of the earth carrying this testimony and warning.
The nations of the earth continue in their sinful and unrighteous ways. The unbounded knowledge with which men have been blessed has been used to destroy mankind instead of to bless the children of men as the Lord intended. Two great world wars in the past years, with fruitless efforts at lasting peace, are solemn evidence that peace has been taken from the earth because of the wickedness of the people. Nations cannot endure in sin. They will be broken up, but the kingdom of God will endure forever.
Therefore, as a humble servant of the Lord, I call upon the leaders of nations to humble themselves before God, to seek his inspiration and guidance. I call upon the rulers and people alike to repent of their evil ways. Turn unto the Lord, seek his forgiveness and unite yourselves in humility with his kingdom. There is no other way.
If you will do this, your sins will be blotted out, peace will come and remain, and you will become a part of the kingdom of God in preparation for Christ’s second coming, which is near at hand. But if you refuse to repent or to accept the testimony of his inspired messengers and untie yourselves with God’s kingdom, then the terrible judgments and calamities promised the wicked will be yours. ( A Labor of Love: The 1946 European Mission of Ezra Taft Benson ( Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 1989), 243-244)
As surely as the Lord will be born, Samuel continues, he must surely die
Helaman 14:15-19
15 For behold, he surely must die that asalvation may come; yea, it behooveth him and becometh expedient that he bdieth, to bring to pass the cresurrection of the dead, that thereby men may be brought into the dpresence of the Lord.
16 Yea, behold, this death bringeth to pass the aresurrection, and bredeemeth all mankind from the first death—that spiritual death; for all mankind, by the cfall of Adam being dcut off from the presence of the Lord, are considered as edead, both as to things temporal and to things spiritual.
17 But behold, the resurrection of Christ aredeemeth mankind, yea, even all mankind, and bringeth them back into the presence of the Lord.
18 Yea, and it bringeth to pass the condition of repentance, that whosoever repenteth the same is not ahewn down and cast into the fire; but whosoever repenteth not is hewn down and cast into the fire; and there cometh upon them again a bspiritual death, yea, a second death, for they are cut off again as to things pertaining to righteousness.
19 Therefore repent ye, repent ye, lest by knowing these things and not doing them ye shall suffer yourselves to come under condemnation, and ye are brought down unto this second death.
The New Testament tells us the story of HOW Christ suffered and died .. but in order to learn WHY that suffering and death were necessary, we turn to the Book of Mormon.
Elder Joseph Fielding MCConkie said:
“ Our Lord’s death was absolutely necessary. There was no other way. It was essential that he suffer and bleed and die. We are not saved because Jesus was a great speaker. We are not saved because his words are like manna to the starving soul. We are not saved because of his goodness and kindness, even his perfection. All of these things stand as guides, as illustrations of the kind of things we ought to do and be; Jesus was our exemplar. as Paul said, however, “ If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most miserable” ( 1 Cor 15:19). Our hope in Christ indeed stretches beyond this vale of tears, not alone because of his immaculate life but also because of the regeneration and redemption which come to us as a result of his death.” ( DCBM p.413)
After giving the signs of Christ’s death, for the intent that all would believe, Samuel cautions
Helaman 14:30-31
30 And now remember, remember, my brethren, that whosoever perisheth, perisheth unto ahimself; and whosoever doeth iniquity, doeth it unto himself; for behold, ye are bfree; ye are permitted to act for yourselves; for behold, God hath given unto you a cknowledge and he hath made you free.
31 He hath given unto you that ye might aknow good from evil, and he hath given unto you that ye might bchoose life or death; and ye can do good and be crestored unto that which is good, or have that which is good restored unto you; or ye can do evil, and have that which is evil restored unto you.
The concept of Agency, the ability to choose good or evil, is among the plain and precious things taken from the scriptural records that constitute our Bible. Samuel testifies that in order for agency to exist, so must opposites.
Helaman 15:1 &3
1 And now, my beloved brethren, behold, I declare unto you that except ye shall repent your houses shall be left unto you adesolate.
3 Yea, wo unto this apeople who are called the bpeople of Nephi except they shall repent, when they shall see all these signs and wonders which shall be showed unto them; for behold, they have been a chosen people of the Lord; yea, the people of Nephi hath he loved, and also hath he cchastened them; yea, in the days of their iniquities hath he chastened them because he loveth them
How does the Lord show his love to his people by chastening them?
D&C 95:1
1 Verily, thus saith the Lord unto you whom I love, and whom I alove I also chasten that their sins may be bforgiven, for with the cchastisement I prepare a way for their ddeliverance in all things out of etemptation, and I have loved you—
Revelation 3:19
As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent
We know that it is the Lord’s work and glory to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man. It is impossible for him to do this if we refuse to call upon his atoning sacrifice to save us from our sins- for no unclean thing can enter into the presence of the Lord. By chastening us, the Lord is quite literally giving us a wake-up call. He is providing us an opportunity to course correct and keep on the right path. It is only through this process that we become perfected and return to Him.
Helaman 16:1-3, 6-8
And now, it came to pass that there were many who heard the words of Samuel, the Lamanite, which he spake upon the awalls of the city. And as many as believed on his word went forth and sought for Nephi; and when they had come forth and found him they confessed unto him their sins and denied not, desiring that they might be bbaptized unto the Lord.
2 But as many as there were who did not believe in the words of Samuel were aangry with him; and they cast stones at him upon the wall, and also many shot arrows at him as he stood upon the wall; but the Spirit of the Lord was with him, insomuch that they could not hit him with their stones neither with their arrows.
3 Now when they saw that they could not hit him, there were many more who did believe on his words, insomuch that they went away unto Nephi to be baptized.
6 But the amore part of them did not believe in the words of Samuel; therefore when they saw that they could not hit him with their stones and their arrows, they cried unto their captains, saying: bTake this fellow and bind him, for behold he chath a devil; and because of the power of the devil which is in him we cannot hit him with our stones and our arrows; therefore take him and bind him, and away with him.
7 And as they went forth to lay their hands on him, behold, he did cast himself down from the wall, and did flee out of their lands, yea, even unto his own country, and began to preach and to prophesy aamong his own people.
8 And behold, he was never heard of more among the Nephites; and thus were the affairs of the people
Elbert L. Stapley:
The account of wickedness and contentions among the Nephites prior to the Lord’s birth in the meridian of time is duplicated in the wickedness, contentions, and deceptions of our day as we approach the second coming of our Lord and savior Jesus Christ. Prophecies concerning these days are also being fulfilled and Satan is stirring up the hearts of men to do iniquity continually; and to thwart, if possible, faith in the great event of Christ’s second coming to earth, which I testify is sure to come to pass. Satan is alert and active. We must be more alert and perceptive of the false and insincere schemes of his agents among us.” ( CR , Oct 1961, p21-22)
Richard Allen Relates the following story
Many years ago, our next door neighbor performed an act of inordinate courage to save the lives of some strangers. He and his wife were driving along a stretch of interstate highway one day when he glanced across the median strip to behold a terrifying phenomenon. Incredibly, there was a car across the way driving parallel to his own car but moving directly into the line of traffic in the opposite lanes. My friend watched with utter horror as trucks and cars swerved to avoid collision with the intruding vehicle driving in the wrong direction along the innermost lane. What to do?
In a split second, my friend made his decision. He accelerated to a high rate of speed and looked for the next opportunity to cross over the median. He maneuvered quickly toward the opposite lanes of traffic, coming to a screeching halt on the inner shoulder of the opposite lanes. Despite significant danger to himself, he then ran towards the errant vehicle and flagged it down amid the swerving and dodging vehicles.
Incredibly, the elderly couple whom he forced to stop were at first indignant at such treatment. What business did this stranger have interrupting their trip? Soon they realized, however, that he had saved their lives and were grateful for his Christian act of charity and deliverance.
What is our reaction when, we, foolishly traveling down a one-way street in the wrong direction, are stopped in our tracks. Do we meet the act of love with pride and hardness of heart? “ What business do you have to tell me what to do?”
The alarm of the prophets is powered by the spirit of charity, the true love of Christ. Let us accept in the spirit of gratitude and humility the loving through firm entreaties of the prophets of God as they teach us to move faithfully and securely toward a destination of peace and redemption. ( commentaries and insights on the Book of Mormon vol. 2 Pinegar and allen p. 248)
Helaman 13-16
Often times when we read the Book of Mormon, or discuss it, we think of the Nephites as the good guys and the Lamanites as the bad guys. That is , however, not always the case.
Helaman 13:1
1 And now it came to pass in the *eighty and sixth year, the Nephites did still remain in wickedness, yea, in great wickedness, while the aLamanites did observe strictly to keep the commandments of God, according to the law of Moses.
It is under these conditions that a prophet named Samuel, who happens to be a Lamanite, is introduced to the people of Zarahemla.
What is known about Samuel?
Not much, actually. He, like Abinidi, enters into the story for an express purpose . When Samuel’s purpose is completed, he leaves the Nephites never to be heard from them again.
Didn’t the Nephites already have a prophet? Why did the Lord send Samuel as well?
We, in modern days have many prophets as well. The Nephite prophet, Nephi, recognized Samuel as a fellow prophet. It was he that recorded Samuels words the same words that the Savior read when he visited the people of this continent after his crucifixion.
What was the message that Samuel was to give to the Nephites?
He was there to preach repentance
How was the message received?
Samuel actually made two visits to Zarahemla. The first time, he spent many days preaching repentance unto the people and they cast him out. When he was returning to his own land, the voice of the Lord came to him and told him to return and prophesy to the people those things that should come into his heart. When he returned to the city, the people would not let him enter. So dedicated to the Lord was he that he climbed upon the city wall, stretched forth his hand and with a loud voice declared the message that he was sent to give.
When the Lord has a message for his people, He makes sure that message is given. That message is given by His servants by the power of the Holy Ghost through thoughts that enter into their minds and feelings that enter into their hearts. As the Lord told Oliver Cowdery in modern day, “ 2 Yea, behold, I will atell you in your mind and in your bheart, by the cHoly Ghost, which shall come upon you and which shall dwell in your heart. ( D&C 8:2)
Helaman 13:5-6
5 And he said unto them: Behold, I, Samuel, a Lamanite, do speak the words of the Lord which he doth put into my heart; and behold he hath put it into my heart to say unto this people that the asword of justice hangeth over this people; and four hundred years pass not away save the sword of justice falleth upon this people.
6 Yea, heavy adestruction awaiteth this people, and it surely cometh unto this people, and nothing can save this people save it be repentance and faith on the Lord Jesus Christ, who surely shall come into the world, and shall suffer many things and shall be slain for his people.
For the most part, as human beings, we do not think that we will come to a tragic end as a race. I am guessing that the Nephites probably felt similarly.
Brian Best, in an Ensign article in Dec. 1977 described this as such:
“Most of us are incurably romantic in our attitudes toward life. We like to mentally entertain happy endings, lucky breaks, effortless successes, and sudden character transformations. Some among us even seem to regard salvation as a matter of good fortune and hope God will be particularly merciful on that great and final judgment day.
Yet, over and over, the scriptures demonstrate that life is not a romantic fairy tale, but a law-abiding and largely predictable reality. Mercy is not something to be bestowed upon us gratuitously at the day of judgment, but something that has already been offered through the atonement of Christ, and we are able to receive that mercy only upon conditions of repentance and obedience.
In its unwavering insistence on the conditions that govern justice and mercy, the Book of Mormon is perhaps the most emphatically antiromantic book ever written. On nearly every page it drives home the all-important lesson that the choices we make operate unerringly in a universe of law to bring about predictable consequences. To the writers of the Book of Mormon, nothing is more insidiously false than the notion that God dispenses mercy freely no matter what we do and that our salvation depends chiefly upon his tenderheartedness. Prophet after prophet emphasizes the contrary: that justice cannot be robbed and that mercy can be granted only according to laws and conditions.” (Brian Best, “Nephi, Lehi, and Samuel the Lamanite,” Ensign, Dec 1977, 45)
Helaman 13: 11-13
11 But if ye will repent and areturn unto the Lord your God I will turn away mine anger, saith the Lord; yea, thus saith the Lord, blessed are they who will repent and turn unto me, but wo unto him that repenteth not.
12 Yea, awo unto this great city of Zarahemla; for behold, it is because of those who are righteous that it is saved; yea, wo unto this great city, for I perceive, saith the Lord, that there are many, yea, even the more part of this great city, that will harden their hearts against me, saith the Lord.
13 But blessed are they who will repent, for them will I spare. But behold, if it were not for the righteous who are in this great city, behold, I would cause that afire should come down out of heaven and bdestroy it.
If we know that the Lord will spare a city or nation if there are righteous inhabitants, what then is our responsibility in these periolous times that we live in?
We must be true and faithful at all times. There will come a day when the nation will depend on us. The Prophet Joseph Smith said, “Joseph Smith: "Even this nation will be on the verge of crumbling to pieces and tumbling to the ground, and when the Constitution is upon the brink of ruin, this people will be the Staff upon which the Nation shall lean, and they shall bear the Constitution away from the very verge of destruction." (Discourses of the Prophet Joseph Smith, p.304)
What were the sins of the Nephites that Samuel was calling them to repentace for?
The Nephites had become worhippers of worldly things and had made gold, silver and other precious things the god to whom they bowed ant to whom they redered their praise and offerings of homage.
The true and living God threatened that a curse would come upon the land, causing their riches to vanish and their buried treasures to disappear, never to be found again. On the other hand the righteous, those who chose to serve the God of heaven, could safely hide up their treasures that had been consecrated fro the benefit of his kingdom; they would be protected and could be brought forth when necessary. ( DCBM p. 402-3)
“President Brigham Young (1801–77) said: “The worst fear that I have about [members of this Church] is that they will get rich in this country, forget God and his people, wax fat, and kick themselves out of the Church and go to hell. This people will stand mobbing, robbing, poverty, and all manner of persecution, and be true. But my greater fear for them is that they cannot stand wealth; and yet they have to be tried with riches” (quoted in Preston Nibley, Brigham Young: The Man and His Work [1936], 128).
we use wealth to bless those in need, we show the Lord that our hearts are right and He can trust us. If, on the other hand, we hoard wealth or use it for selfish purposes, we are as the wicked servant who hid his talent in the earth, and the Lord will likewise condemn us (see Matt. 25:14–30).
The Nephites rejected the true prophets
Helaman 13:24
Yea, wo unto this people, because of this time which has arrived, that ye do acast out the prophets, and do mock them, and cast stones at them, and do slay them, and do all manner of iniquity unto them, even as they did of old time.
The Nephites hardened their hearts against the true prophets because they testified of the people’s sin and iniquities. They would rather destroy the prophets than repent from their sins and turn to the Lord. Mormon summarized this in
Helaman 12
7 O how great is the anothingness of the children of men; yea, even they are bless than the dust of the earth.
8 For behold, the dust of the earth moveth hither and thither, to the dividing asunder, at the command of our great and everlasting God
God tells the dust to move and it does. God tells us through his holy prophets to turn away from our sins and we come up with all kinds of excuses why we shouldn’t. We may not cause our modern prophets physical harm, but we slay them all the same when we do not heed their counsel.
Helaman 13:27-28
27 But behold, if a man shall come among you and shall say: Do this, and there is no iniquity; do that and ye shall not suffer; yea, he will say: aWalk after the pride of your own hearts; yea, walk after the pride of your eyes, and do whatsoever your heart desireth—and if a man shall come among you and say this, ye will receive him, and say that he is a bprophet.
28 Yea, ye will lift him up, and ye will give unto him of your substance; ye will give unto him of your gold, and of your silver, and ye will clothe him with costly apparel; and because he speaketh aflattering words unto you, and he saith that all is well, then ye will not find fault with him.
President Harold B. Lee: "Now the only safety we have as members of this church is to do exactly what the Lord said to the Church in that day when the Church was organized. We must learn to give heed to the words and commandments that the Lord shall give through his prophet, 'as he receiveth them, walking in all holiness before me;...as if from mine own mouth, in all patience and faith.' There will be some things that take patience and faith. You may not like what comes from the authority of the Church. It may contradict your political views. It may contradict your social views. It may interfere with some of your social life. But if you listen to these things, as if from the mouth of the Lord himself, with patience and faith, the promise is that 'the gates of hell shall not prevail against you; yea, and the Lord God will disperse the powers of darkness from before you, and cause the heavens to shake for your good, and his name's glory'." (CR, Oct 1970)
Follow the Prophet! He knows the way.
According to Samuel’s prophecy, what will happen to the people if they do not repent?
Helaman 13:38-39
38 But behold, your adays of probation are past; ye have bprocrastinated the day of your salvation until it is everlastingly too late, and your destruction is made sure; yea, for ye have sought all the days of your lives for that which ye could not obtain; and ye have sought for chappiness in doing iniquity, which thing is dcontrary to the nature of that righteousness which is in our great and Eternal Head.
39 O ye people of the land, that ye would 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.
If we seek for happiness in wicked practices, we will never find it. Pleasure seeking is short term in nature and must be re-experienced continually because it is not happiness. It may makes us feel good, but it is not happiness. True happiness occurs when we have the love of God in our hearts which leads us to live righteously and repent, partaking of and internalizing the Atonement of Jesus Christ.
Is there ever a sadder statement than, “ It is too late.”?
Pres. Henry B. Eyring:
“There is a danger in the word someday when what it means is “not this day.” “Someday I will repent.” “Someday I will forgive him.” “Someday I will speak to my friend about the Church.” “Someday I will start to pay tithing.” “Someday I will return to the temple.” “Someday …”
The scriptures make the danger of delay clear. It is that we may discover that we have run out of time. The God who gives us each day as a treasure will require an accounting. We will weep, and He will weep, if we have intended to repent and to serve Him in tomorrows which never came or have dreamt of yesterdays where the opportunity to act was past. This day is a precious gift of God. The thought “Someday I will” can be a thief of the opportunities of time and the blessings of eternity. “(Henry B. Eyring, “This Day,” Ensign, May 2007, 89–91)
Samuel continued to prophesy many more things which were not recorded.
We are approaching October General Conference. How would you react if Pres. Thomas S. Monson stood at the pulpit and made the following statement:
Five years from now, there will appear a sign in the heavens. there shall be one aday and a night and a day, as if it were one day and there were no night; The night following this event, Christ shall come once again to the earth.
What would you make your priority? Repentance? Preparedness? Forgiveness?
This is what Samuel prophesied to the Nephites.
Helaman 14:4-5
4 Therefore, there shall be one aday 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; for ye shall know of the rising of the sun and also of its setting; therefore they shall know of a surety that there shall be two days and a night; nevertheless the night shall not be darkened; and it shall be the night before he is bborn.
5 And behold, there shall a new astar arise, such an one as ye never have beheld; and this also shall be a sign unto you.
Just as a side note, Clearly there was at least one Old Testament prophet that prophesied concerning the new star that would appear at the time of Christ’s birth . When the wise men were questioned by Herod, they indicated they had followed the star … yet, there is no recording of that Old Testament prophecy comparable to that of samuel the Lamanite in the Book of Mormon.
Why did Samuel share this prophecy with the Nephites?
He, as a prophet of God has seen the destruction that will come to the people if they do not turn to God. He wants the people to feel the same sense of urgency that he does in preparing them for the coming of the Savior. By the encouragement of the Holy Spirit, which has put it into his heart what to say, and by direct commandment of the Lord, Samuel shares this very specific timetable. The Lord said, “ Prepare the way for the Lord”
President Ezra Taft Benson gave strikingly similar counsel when he said, : The great and dreadful day of the Lord is near at hand. In preparation for this great event and as a means of escaping the impending judgements, inspired messengers have gone forth to the nations of the earth carrying this testimony and warning.
The nations of the earth continue in their sinful and unrighteous ways. The unbounded knowledge with which men have been blessed has been used to destroy mankind instead of to bless the children of men as the Lord intended. Two great world wars in the past years, with fruitless efforts at lasting peace, are solemn evidence that peace has been taken from the earth because of the wickedness of the people. Nations cannot endure in sin. They will be broken up, but the kingdom of God will endure forever.
Therefore, as a humble servant of the Lord, I call upon the leaders of nations to humble themselves before God, to seek his inspiration and guidance. I call upon the rulers and people alike to repent of their evil ways. Turn unto the Lord, seek his forgiveness and unite yourselves in humility with his kingdom. There is no other way.
If you will do this, your sins will be blotted out, peace will come and remain, and you will become a part of the kingdom of God in preparation for Christ’s second coming, which is near at hand. But if you refuse to repent or to accept the testimony of his inspired messengers and untie yourselves with God’s kingdom, then the terrible judgments and calamities promised the wicked will be yours. ( A Labor of Love: The 1946 European Mission of Ezra Taft Benson ( Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 1989), 243-244)
As surely as the Lord will be born, Samuel continues, he must surely die
Helaman 14:15-19
15 For behold, he surely must die that asalvation may come; yea, it behooveth him and becometh expedient that he bdieth, to bring to pass the cresurrection of the dead, that thereby men may be brought into the dpresence of the Lord.
16 Yea, behold, this death bringeth to pass the aresurrection, and bredeemeth all mankind from the first death—that spiritual death; for all mankind, by the cfall of Adam being dcut off from the presence of the Lord, are considered as edead, both as to things temporal and to things spiritual.
17 But behold, the resurrection of Christ aredeemeth mankind, yea, even all mankind, and bringeth them back into the presence of the Lord.
18 Yea, and it bringeth to pass the condition of repentance, that whosoever repenteth the same is not ahewn down and cast into the fire; but whosoever repenteth not is hewn down and cast into the fire; and there cometh upon them again a bspiritual death, yea, a second death, for they are cut off again as to things pertaining to righteousness.
19 Therefore repent ye, repent ye, lest by knowing these things and not doing them ye shall suffer yourselves to come under condemnation, and ye are brought down unto this second death.
The New Testament tells us the story of HOW Christ suffered and died .. but in order to learn WHY that suffering and death were necessary, we turn to the Book of Mormon.
Elder Joseph Fielding MCConkie said:
“ Our Lord’s death was absolutely necessary. There was no other way. It was essential that he suffer and bleed and die. We are not saved because Jesus was a great speaker. We are not saved because his words are like manna to the starving soul. We are not saved because of his goodness and kindness, even his perfection. All of these things stand as guides, as illustrations of the kind of things we ought to do and be; Jesus was our exemplar. as Paul said, however, “ If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most miserable” ( 1 Cor 15:19). Our hope in Christ indeed stretches beyond this vale of tears, not alone because of his immaculate life but also because of the regeneration and redemption which come to us as a result of his death.” ( DCBM p.413)
After giving the signs of Christ’s death, for the intent that all would believe, Samuel cautions
Helaman 14:30-31
30 And now remember, remember, my brethren, that whosoever perisheth, perisheth unto ahimself; and whosoever doeth iniquity, doeth it unto himself; for behold, ye are bfree; ye are permitted to act for yourselves; for behold, God hath given unto you a cknowledge and he hath made you free.
31 He hath given unto you that ye might aknow good from evil, and he hath given unto you that ye might bchoose life or death; and ye can do good and be crestored unto that which is good, or have that which is good restored unto you; or ye can do evil, and have that which is evil restored unto you.
The concept of Agency, the ability to choose good or evil, is among the plain and precious things taken from the scriptural records that constitute our Bible. Samuel testifies that in order for agency to exist, so must opposites.
Helaman 15:1 &3
1 And now, my beloved brethren, behold, I declare unto you that except ye shall repent your houses shall be left unto you adesolate.
3 Yea, wo unto this apeople who are called the bpeople of Nephi except they shall repent, when they shall see all these signs and wonders which shall be showed unto them; for behold, they have been a chosen people of the Lord; yea, the people of Nephi hath he loved, and also hath he cchastened them; yea, in the days of their iniquities hath he chastened them because he loveth them
How does the Lord show his love to his people by chastening them?
D&C 95:1
1 Verily, thus saith the Lord unto you whom I love, and whom I alove I also chasten that their sins may be bforgiven, for with the cchastisement I prepare a way for their ddeliverance in all things out of etemptation, and I have loved you—
Revelation 3:19
As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent
We know that it is the Lord’s work and glory to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man. It is impossible for him to do this if we refuse to call upon his atoning sacrifice to save us from our sins- for no unclean thing can enter into the presence of the Lord. By chastening us, the Lord is quite literally giving us a wake-up call. He is providing us an opportunity to course correct and keep on the right path. It is only through this process that we become perfected and return to Him.
Helaman 16:1-3, 6-8
And now, it came to pass that there were many who heard the words of Samuel, the Lamanite, which he spake upon the awalls of the city. And as many as believed on his word went forth and sought for Nephi; and when they had come forth and found him they confessed unto him their sins and denied not, desiring that they might be bbaptized unto the Lord.
2 But as many as there were who did not believe in the words of Samuel were aangry with him; and they cast stones at him upon the wall, and also many shot arrows at him as he stood upon the wall; but the Spirit of the Lord was with him, insomuch that they could not hit him with their stones neither with their arrows.
3 Now when they saw that they could not hit him, there were many more who did believe on his words, insomuch that they went away unto Nephi to be baptized.
6 But the amore part of them did not believe in the words of Samuel; therefore when they saw that they could not hit him with their stones and their arrows, they cried unto their captains, saying: bTake this fellow and bind him, for behold he chath a devil; and because of the power of the devil which is in him we cannot hit him with our stones and our arrows; therefore take him and bind him, and away with him.
7 And as they went forth to lay their hands on him, behold, he did cast himself down from the wall, and did flee out of their lands, yea, even unto his own country, and began to preach and to prophesy aamong his own people.
8 And behold, he was never heard of more among the Nephites; and thus were the affairs of the people
Elbert L. Stapley:
The account of wickedness and contentions among the Nephites prior to the Lord’s birth in the meridian of time is duplicated in the wickedness, contentions, and deceptions of our day as we approach the second coming of our Lord and savior Jesus Christ. Prophecies concerning these days are also being fulfilled and Satan is stirring up the hearts of men to do iniquity continually; and to thwart, if possible, faith in the great event of Christ’s second coming to earth, which I testify is sure to come to pass. Satan is alert and active. We must be more alert and perceptive of the false and insincere schemes of his agents among us.” ( CR , Oct 1961, p21-22)
Richard Allen Relates the following story
Many years ago, our next door neighbor performed an act of inordinate courage to save the lives of some strangers. He and his wife were driving along a stretch of interstate highway one day when he glanced across the median strip to behold a terrifying phenomenon. Incredibly, there was a car across the way driving parallel to his own car but moving directly into the line of traffic in the opposite lanes. My friend watched with utter horror as trucks and cars swerved to avoid collision with the intruding vehicle driving in the wrong direction along the innermost lane. What to do?
In a split second, my friend made his decision. He accelerated to a high rate of speed and looked for the next opportunity to cross over the median. He maneuvered quickly toward the opposite lanes of traffic, coming to a screeching halt on the inner shoulder of the opposite lanes. Despite significant danger to himself, he then ran towards the errant vehicle and flagged it down amid the swerving and dodging vehicles.
Incredibly, the elderly couple whom he forced to stop were at first indignant at such treatment. What business did this stranger have interrupting their trip? Soon they realized, however, that he had saved their lives and were grateful for his Christian act of charity and deliverance.
What is our reaction when, we, foolishly traveling down a one-way street in the wrong direction, are stopped in our tracks. Do we meet the act of love with pride and hardness of heart? “ What business do you have to tell me what to do?”
The alarm of the prophets is powered by the spirit of charity, the true love of Christ. Let us accept in the spirit of gratitude and humility the loving through firm entreaties of the prophets of God as they teach us to move faithfully and securely toward a destination of peace and redemption. ( commentaries and insights on the Book of Mormon vol. 2 Pinegar and allen p. 248)
