Category: Book of Mormon

Be Merciful

Be merciful to receive mercy. – 3 Nephi 12:7

7 And blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy.

Be Pure in Heart

How do I become pure in heart? It’s your motivations, they need to be pure.

8 And blessed are all the pure in heart, for they shall see God.

Be a Peace Maker

9 And blessed are all the peacemakers, for they shall be called the children of God.

Endure Persecution

10 And blessed are all they who are persecuted for my name’s sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
11 And blessed are ye when men shall revile you and persecute, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake;
12 For ye shall have great joy and be exceedingly glad, for great shall be your reward in heaven; for so persecuted they the prophets who were before you.

• Three years of peace (43-45 years of the reign of the judges).
• Many dissenters moved north traveling “an exceedingly great distance” until “they came to large bodies of water and many rivers.” (v4)
  • Could this be the Great Lakes area in North America?
  • After asking Heaven Father in prayer if the Nephites and Lamanites lived in the United States and Great Lakes areas, the thought in my mind was, “Yes”.
• This land in the north had previously been inhabited and called “desolate”.
• After moving northward, the people spread out “insomuch that they began to cover the face of the whole earth“.
  • What did the whole earth include?
  • “…from the sea south to the sea north, from the sea west to the sea east.”
  • What was this area? Seems like the Great Lakes fits the description.
• “35 Nevertheless they did fast and pray oft, and did wax stronger and stronger in their humility, and firmer and firmer in the faith of Christ, unto the filling their souls with joy and consolation, yea, even to the purifying and the sanctification of their hearts, which sanctification cometh because of their yielding their hearts unto God.”
  • Action
    • Fast & pray often
    • Stronger humility
    • Firmer faith in Christ
      • Firm: “solid, almost unyielding”, “steady but not excessive power or strength”, “showing resolute determination and strength of character”, “strongly felt and unlikely to change”, “steadfast and constant”
    • yielding their hearts unto God
  • Result
    • “filling their souls with joy and consolation”
    • “the purifying and the sanctification of their hearts”
• It’s interesting that at this time there is an increasing gap between the righteous and the wicked. The wick are becoming more wicked while the righteous are becoming more righteous.
  • In this case the wickedness is measured in the degree of pride that was in the hearts of some of the people.

• A rebellion has been led by the king-men against Pahoran and the freemen.
• Pahoran has been driven out of Zarahemla and is residing in the land of Gideon.
• Pahoran now has enough support to battle the king-men, but they will not come out against him.
• The king-men have created an alliance with the Lamanites. The agreement includes the king of the king-men becoming king over all the land of the Nephites once the Lamanites have conquered it.
• Pahoran and his people are not interested in bloodshed, but they are willing to defend themselves and their freedom unto death.
• Pahoran believes that if “we should put our trust in [God], and he will deliver us.”
• Pahoran asks Moroni to bring enough of his army to defeat the king-men and restore the peace.

Lessons Learned

• Issues within can ultimately destroy and at the very least create considerable problems.
  • Obviously, this story takes place among a group of people, but I think there is some application within ourselves, marriages, families, communities, wards, etc.
• We need to make sure not to neglect the “inner vessel” as to avoid these kinds of issues.

• The 2060 stripling warriors fought diligently to help retain the city Cumeni. During the battle, many of the Nephites were slain and 200 of the sons of Helaman “fainted because of loss of blood.” But, none of the sons of Helaman were killed.
  • “25…according to the goodness of God, and to our great astonishment, and also the joy of our whole army, there was not one soul of them who did persish;”
  • “26 And now, their preservation was astonishing to our whole army, yea, that they should be spared while there was a thousand of our brethren who were slain.
    And we do justly ascribe it to the miraculous power of God,
    because or their exceeding faith
    in that which they had been taught to believe–
    that there was a just God, and whosoever did not doubt, that they should be preserved by his marvelous power.”
    • The Nephites recognize and attribute the miracle to God
    • The sons of Helaman were recognized by all in the army to have “exceeding faith” that
      • God is just
      • God could and would preserve them
  • “35… And blessed is the name of our God; for behold, it is he that has delivered us; yea, that has done this great thing for us.”
    • Recognize and praise God for delivering the Nephite army.

• Moroni never seemed to stop preparing for war.
  • “7 And it came to pass that he did no more attempt a battle with the Lamanites in that year, but he did employ his men in preparing for war, yea, and in making fortifications to guard against the Lamanites, yea, and also delivering their women and their children from famine and affliction, and providing food for their armies.”
• The Nephites only seem to have issues when there is dissension among them.
  • “9 And thus because of iniquity amongst themselves, yea, because of dissensions and intrigue among her selves they were placed in the most danger circumstances.”
• The 2000 “stripling soldiers” or sons of Helaman
  • “20 And they were all young men, and they were exceedingly valiant for courage, and also for strength and activity; but behold, this was not all—they were men who were true at all times in whatsoever thing they were entrusted. 21 Yea, they were men of truth and soberness, for they had been taught to keep the commandments of God and to walk uprightly before him.”

• Without Amalickiah, the Lamanite army is scared of Teancum and his army. They retreat to the city of Mulek.
• Ammoron, Amalickiah’s brother, become king of the Lamanites.
• Teancum decoys the Lamanites. Moroni takes the city of Mulek without much effort. The Lamanites run into Lehi at Bountfiul and turn back. Soon the Lamanites are surrounded by Nephites.
• Lots of people are killed on both sides. Eventually, the Lamanites give up and become prisoners of war that are marched to Bountiful.

• There were some in the land that wanted some laws to be changed. The Chief Judge, Pahoran, was not in favor of the changes. Those people didn’t want Pahoran to be their leaders; they wanted a king.
• Those that opposed the King-men were called Freemen.
• There was a vote to settle the dispute and the voice of the people fell in favor of the Freemen.
• At the same time, Amalickiah was preparing the Lamanites to come to war against the Nephites again.
• “13 And it came to pass that when the men who were called king-men had heard that the Lamanites were coming down to battle against them, they were glad in their hearts; and they refused to take up arms, for they were so wroth with the chief judge, and also with the people of liberty, that they would not take up arms to defend their country.”
  • It’s very interesting that the disagreement had grown to hatred such that the King-men would rather their people, including themselves, die than help the cause of freedom. Is this a mental illness? That seems crazy.
• Moroni received permission from the Governor with the support of the people to compel the King-men to defend the people or kill them.
  • 4,000 dissenters were killed because they wouldn’t defend the people. Unbelievable that they were willing to die in their pride and hatred towards their brothren.
• Amalickiah and his Lamanite army overtake many cities until they run into Teancum.
  • Teancum’s army was superior and stopped the Lamanite progress.
  • Teancum killed Amalickiah in the middle of the night.

• Moroni continually made preparations for war.
  • What preparations do we need to keep making?
    • Preparing food.
    • It will be a cold winter.
• Where did Moroni’s innovative city preparations come from? I bet he asked for and received revelation from the Lord. That’s why he was always a step ahead of the Lamanites if the people were righteous.
• Moroni’s significant efforts brought “assurance of protection.”
• “Thus Moroni, with his armies… did seek to cut off the strength and the power of the Lamanites from off the lands of their possessions, that they should have no power upon the land of their possession.”
  • How can we “cut off the strength and the power” of Satan in our lives?
    • Take time to be holy everyday: pray, study, think of Christ.
• “20 Blessed art thou and they children; and they shall be blessed, inasmuch as they shall keep my commandments they shall prosper in the land. But remember, inasmuch as they will not keep my commandments they shall be cut off from the presence of the Lord.”
  • “21 And we see that these promises have been verified to the people of Nephi; for it has been their quarreling and their contentions, yea, their murderings, and their plundering, their idolatry, their whoredoms, and their abominations, which were among themselves, which brought upon them their wars and their destructions.”
    • Our actions most definitely have consequences.
    • Today, I believe more that our thoughts, words, and deeds allow the Lord to protect us or don’t allow Him to protect us. In the past I’ve believed that the Lord punishes us directly; I believe more now that punishment comes as a result of His protection being removed.
  • “22 And those who were faithful in keeping the commandments of the Lord were delivered at all times, whilst thousands of their wicked brethren have been consigned to bondage, or to perish by the sword, or to dwindle in unbelief, and mingle with the Lamanites.”
    • The Lord delivers those who are faithful in keeping His commandments.

• The Lamanites come to battle against the Nephites. The Lamanites thing they have leveled the battle field by preparing themselves with shields, breastplates, and thick garments.
• The Lamanites are surprised to find that the Nephites have prepared the city of Amonnihah with ridge of earth that encircled the city; a ridge so high that the Lamanites couldn’t throw their stones and arrows over it and it force the Lamanites to only enter by the main entrance.
• The Lamanites thought they’d be able to stroll in and easily overtake Ammonihah due to their numbers and enslave he Nephites. They were wrong and the unprecedented Nephite preparations caused the Lamanites to change their plans.
• The Lamanites go to the land of Noah.
• The Nephites had prepared Noah to be stronger than Ammonihah. Historically, Noah had been the weakest part of the land. Now Lehi was the chief captain at Noah. The Lamanites were scared of Lehi.
• The Nephites were prepared for battle. The ridge around the city force the Lamanites to enter through the main entrance where the Nephites had an advantage. The Lamanites “were slain with an immense slaughter.”
  • The Lamanites fought until their chief captains were killed. At that point more than 1000 Lamanites had been killed when none of the Nephites had perished (50 were wounded).
  • The Lamanites retreated into the wilderness.
• One Amalickiah, King of the Lamanites, learned of the loss, he was furious.
• The Nephites gave thanks to the Lord because He had delivered them from their enemies.
  • 30 Yea, and there was continual peace among them, and exceedingly great prosperity in the church because of their heed and diligence which they gave unto the word of God, which was declared unto them by Helaman, and Shiblon, and Corianton, and Ammon and his brethren, yea, and by all those who had been ordained by the holy order of God, being baptized unto repentance, and sent forth to preach among the people.
  • The Nephites were blessed because they listened to righteous leaders over a period of time.
  • Those leaders were inspired to enact good laws that helped the people be righteous.
  • The people were also taught to rely on the Lord, and the Lord helped them defend themselves and adequately prepare for war.
  • It appears the leaders were inspired by the Lord how to prepare the cities and people to defend themselves.
  • The people were faithful enough to listen and obey their leaders.
  • The people were faithful enough that the Lord strengthened them when they had to defend themselves during battle.

• Amalickiah inspires the Lamanites to fight against the Nephites.
  • It is recorded that “he did appoint men to speak unto the Lamanites from their towers, against the Nephites.
  • Maybe all it takes is hearing the same message, whether true or not, to convince someone of it.
• Amalickiah’s goal was to “reign over all the land,” Lamanites as well as Nephites.
• “7 Now it came to pass that while Amalickiah had thus been obtaining power by fraud and deceit, Moroni, on the other hand, had been preparing the minds of the people to be faithful unto the Lord their God.”
  • See the contrast: fraud/deceit vs. faithfulness
• What did Moroni do?
  • Strengthened the armies of the Nephites
  • Erected small forts or place of resort
  • Threw up banks of earth
  • Built walls of stone around people, cities, and lands
  • Place more men in weaker places
  • Made sure the people were focused on supporting their liberty, lands, wives & children, peace, and freedom to worship.
    • 10 And thus he was preparing to support their liberty, their lands, their wives, and their children, and their peace, and that they might live unto the Lord their God, and that they might maintain that which was called by their enemies the cause of Christians.
• What was Moroni like?
  • Strong and mighty
  • Of perfect understanding
  • Didn’t delight in bloodshed
  • One who joyed in liberty and freedom of his country and fellow men
  • Grateful to God for his privileges and blessings
  • Hard worker for the welfare and safety of his people
  • Firm in his faith of Jesus Christ
  • Covenanted to protect his people, rights, country, and religion even if it meant losing his life.
• How the Nephites were taught
  • 14 Now the Nephites were taught to defend themselves against their enemies, even to the shedding of blood if it were necessary; yea, and they were also taught never to give an offense, yea, and never to raise the sword except it were against an enemy, except it were to preserve their lives.
    • Defend yourself, even with lethal force if necessary
    • Don’t offend
    • Only defend against and enemy to preserve life
  • 15 And this was their faith, that by so doing God would prosper them in the land, or in other words, if they were faithful in keeping the commandments of God that he would prosper them in the land; yea, warn them to flee, or to prepare for war, according to their danger;
    • God would prosper them
    • Warn them to flee
    • Warn them to prepare for war
  • 16 And also, that God would make it known unto them whither they should go to defend themselves against their enemies, and by so doing, the Lord would deliver them; and this was the faith of Moroni, and his heart did glory in it; not in the shedding of blood but in doing good, in preserving his people, yea, in keeping the commandments of God, yea, and resisting iniquity.
    • Know when it was right to defend themselves
    • Deliver them
• The Nephites didn’t like to fight against the Lamanites because they didn’t like to kill people and “they were sorry to be the means of sending so many of their brethren out of this world into an eternal world, unprepared to meet their God.”