Helaman 10

10:1-10 - It seems that there can never be any event, miracle, or preaching without contention among the people, and Nephi’s inspired announcement of the murder of the chief judge by his brother caused “a division among the people, insomuch that they divided hither and thither and went their ways, leaving Nephi alone, as he was standing in the midst of them.” Hugh Nibley commented that “this is a dramatic situation. They go in both ways and leave one hero standing alone.” So Nephi starts walking home, which makes sense because the people weren’t listening to him, so time to go home, have a snack and regroup. While he was walking he was “much cast down because of the wickedness of the people of the Nephites… and it came to pass as he was thus pondering in his heart, behold, a voice came unto him.” The IM teaches about “pondering” saying “To ponder is to ‘meditate and think deeply, often upon the scriptures or other things of God. When combined with prayer, pondering… may bring revelation and understanding.’ Nephi and other prophets received revelation while pondering. Elder M. Russell Ballard of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles taught: ‘All of us would benefit from time to ponder and meditate. In the quiet moments of personal introspection, the Spirit can teach us much.’ Elder Richard G. Scott of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles suggested that a quiet place is conducive to pondering: ‘Find a retreat of peace and quiet where periodically you can ponder and let the Lord establish the direction of your life.’ Elder Russell M. Nelson of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles shared with us the benefits of pondering: ‘As you ponder and pray about doctrinal principles, the Holy Ghost will speak to your mind and your heart. From events portrayed in the scriptures, new insights will come and principles relevant to your situation will distill upon your heart.’” This is why Nephi and Moses went into the mountains to talk to God, why Jesus went in to the wilderness, to have a place of peace and quiet where they could think and listen for the Holy Ghost to answer them. My car is that place for me, I’ve had so many insights and personal revelations in the car while I’ve been driving that it’s my special little place. As Nephi was pondering “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.” Speaking to the prophet, it would make sense that God is pleased with his efforts to preach the gospel, but does that really apply to us? How can we declare the word with unwearyingness? By being constantly good examples to others, by showing them the love of the Savior, by helping to promote the cause of the gospel and show people how amazing the love of God is and how they could have it in their lives as well. I guess when we thing about it, declaring the word with unwearyingness is very doable in our lives, it’s member missionary work. I could be declaring the gospel with the same intensity as Nephi did, but just in my role as a member of the church and a child of God. I think it’s easy for us to read that and imagine someone standing on a street corner and “preaching” the gospel and looking like a crazy person, and maybe that’s what the Lord has called some people to do, but that isn’t the only way, and that’s not necessarily the way that He wants us personally to do it. Do I declare the gospel in all the ways that I can? Definitely not, but I can work on that more. As far as seeking his own life, that is an interesting concept, the Lord is pleased with Nephi’s efforts to only do that which is the will of God. I can’t say that I personally haven’t and don’t seek my own life, I surely have my own ideas about how things need to be done and what the best solutions are for things, but rarely do I counsel with the Lord about what his ideas are. I guess that’s not true, I do try to do that, but I think that dedicating your life to God isn’t the lifestyle of being a monk or a nun or giving up everything to live in a monastery type of thing. Maybe when we make life decisions when we pray for guidance, then we actually do what we’re counseled to do, that would be not seeking our own life. Interestingly, when the Lord tells Nephi of his happiness with the way that he’s done things he tells him that “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.” Now let’s keep in mind that Nephi is already a prophet of God, he already speaks to entire multitudes, he already acts with great priesthood power, and yet here the Lord is telling him “good job, now I’m going to make you amazing.” We can look at that as even the prophets can be made even better, we shouldn’t beat ourselves up about our deficiencies or because we’re not perfect, because even the prophets aren’t perfect, the have a lot of work to do as well. And then the Lord gives Nephi a powerful gift “that all things shall be done unto thee according to thy word, for thou shalt not ask that which is contrary to my will… 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.” This always struck me as strange, that God says “you won’t ask for anything that is against my will,” but sometimes when we ask for things, even though they are righteous desires, they are not the will of God. For instance, I want to work a different shift so that I can spend more time with my children, that is a righteous desire, but not God’s will for me at this time. So how exactly would I know what God’s will is even when I ask for righteous things. . Hugh Nibley teaches about Nephi’s new authority to seal and pray for God’s will saying, “Now this is a very interesting condition. Anything you say will be done, because anything you say will be exactly what I want you to say. That’s safe… If you ask anything contrary it might happen, but I know I can trust you. You’ll ask what I want you to ask, so that’s all right. The IM quotes President Marion G. Romney as teaching “When we pray unto the Father in the name of Jesus for specific personal things, we should feel in the very depths of our souls that we are willing to subject our petitions to the will of our Father in heaven… The time will come when we shall know the will of God before we ask. Then everything for which we pray will be ‘expedient.’ Everything for which we ask will be ‘right.’ That will be when as a result of righteous living, we shall so enjoy the companionship of the spirit that he will dictate what we ask.” So that’s an interesting insight on this, when we show God our willingness to be subjected to whatever it is he has planned for us, that’s when we will learn how to pray according to the Holy Ghost and that’s how we will know what God’s will is for us, so that we can ask for it. Interesting, I’m going to have to think about that a little bit more. The IM also teaches about the Sealing Power that Nephi received saying “Nephi served with such diligence that the Lord bestowed upon him great power. He was given power over the people and the elements of the earth. He was also granted a sacred bestowal of the sealing power, the same power held by Elijah the prophet: ‘The power of Elijah is the sealing power of the priesthood by which things that are bound or loosed on earth are bound or loosed in heaven.’ President Joseph Fielding Smith taught about the sealing power given to various prophets: ‘The Lord conferred authority on some of his chosen servants and gave them exceptional powers… In this manner Elijah obtained the keys of power in the priesthood to raise the dead, heal the sick, close the heavens that it did not rain only by his word, and for more than three years there was no rain, and moreover he had the power to call down fire from heaven to destroy the enemies of the Church… The Lord gave similar authority to Nephi, son of Helaman, who likewise had authority to close the heavens and perform other mighty works, simply by his faith and the commandment from the Lord. This wonderful power has been bestowed on but a few of the servants of the Lord.” I always thought that all the prophets throughout all of time had all the keys of the priesthood, to include sealing power, but I guess that that’s not always the case. Last week in Relief Society we learned that in the restoration of the gospel, the priesthood keys have been restored. The manual “Teachings of Joseph F. Smith, chapter 11” teaches “The keys of priesthood had to be restored. It was not sufficient that John the Baptist came with the keys of the Aaronic Priesthood, and Peter, James, and John with the keys of the Melchizedek Priesthood, by virtue of which the Church was organized, but there had to be an opening of the heavens and a restoration of keys held by all the prophets who have headed dispensations from the days of Adam down to the days of Peter, James, and John. These prophets cane in their turn and each bestowed the authority which he held… Adam, had to come and he can with his power. Moses came, and others… First came Moses. He gave unto Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery the keys of the gathering of Israel… He gathered Israel, and while he as not privileged to place them in possession of the land, nevertheless the keys were in his hands for the gathering. He came to Peter, James, and John on the mount at the transfiguration and there bestowed upon them the same keys for the gathering of Israel in the day in which they lived… Elias came after Moses had conferred his keys and brought the gospel of the dispensation in which Abraham lived… The Elijah, the last of the prophets who held the keys of the sealing power in old Israel, came and bestowed that power, the power of sealing. Some members of the Church have been confused in thinking that Elijah came with the keys of baptism for the dead or of salvation for the dead. Elijah’s keys were greater than that. They were keys of sealing, and those keys of sealing pertain to the living and embrace the dead who are willing to repent. Elijah the prophet… bestowed upon them (Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdrey) the sealing power, the power to use the priesthood to bind on earth and seal in heaven. (The) sealing power puts the stamp of approval upon every ordinance that is done in this Church and more particularly those that are performed in the temples of the Lord.” I thought that that was a pretty incredible overview of what keys of the priesthood are and how they are passed down through the generations and through the dispensations and it gives a little bit of perspective to the importance of sealing power. Hugh Nibley teaches that “This goes beyond ordinances, you see. We talk about ordinances… Well, this goes beyond that. This is more than on ordinance. There is an understanding between the worlds, we’re told, which is expressed by the priesthood and is expressed nowhere else. There is this understanding and coordination between the worlds, and that’s what we have here. (Nephi would) have power, and whatsoever he sealed in this world will go over in heaven, and the other way around. Verse 8: ‘And thus, if ye shall say unto this temple it shall be rent, it shall be done.’ Notice, the temple is the connection power between the worlds, the markas shame u irstitim, the point at which heaven and earth meet. ‘And if ye shall say unto this mountain, Be thou cast down and become smooth, it shall be done.’ See, God trust Nephi all the way not to do foolish things. He knows darn well Nephi is not going to go around casting mountains down just to show his power. He knows by now he can trust Nephi to do only what he would do himself, so you can trust Nephi.” Nephi is given this power because the Lord can trust him, in an October 2009 general conference address entitled “Be Ready,” President Henry B. Eyring taught “the priesthood is the authority to act in the name of God. It is the right to call down the powers of heaven. So you must have faith that God lives and that you have won His confidence to allow you to use His power for His purposes. An instance from the Book of Mormon will help you see how one man make that preparation. There was a priesthood holder named Nephi who received a hard assignment from the Lord. He was sent by God to call wicked people to repentance before it was too late for them. In their wickedness and hatred, they were killing each other. Even their sorrow had not humbled them enough to repent and obey God. Because of Nephi’s preparation, God blessed him with power to fulfill his assignment… That faith did not come in the moment when Nephi needed it, not did God’s trust in Nephi. He earned that great faith and God’s confidence by courageous and sustained labor in the Lord’s service. You young men are building that faith now for the days ahead when you will need it. It may be so small a thing as to keep careful minutes in a deacons or a teachers quorum. There were young men years ago who kept meticulous records of what was decided and what was done by boys’ only months older than they were. That took faith that God called even 12-year-olds into His service who were being guided by revelation. Some of those quorum secretaries of long ago now sit in the presiding councils of the Church. They now read the minutes others prepare. And revelation flows to them now as it did to the leaders they served when they were boys like you. They had been prepared to trust that God reveals His will, even in apparently small matters, in His kingdom. Now, the Lord said Nephi could be trusted because he would ask nothing contrary to God’s will. To have that confidence in Nephi, the Lord had to be sure that Nephi believed in revelation, sought it, and followed it. Long experience following inspiration from God was a part of Nephi’s priesthood preparation. It must be part of yours.” What do we do first, teach our kids not to run across the street or teach them how to do it? We teach them first, otherwise how else will they know. Once we teach them, we give them the opportunity to show us they can listen, and once they show us that they are obedient, and then we can trust them with bigger stuff. For instance, I trust my kids to go on separate water slides because they’ve showed me that they are obedient when I tell them to get the mail and come right back. As I’ve taught them to do small things and they’ve showed me that they can master them, then we build from there. These boys who were taking diligent notes in their quorum meetings were learning small but necessary skills and showing small but necessary obedience and then they can move up with more and more responsibilities, but those boys who were called to take notes but who weren’t faithful in their obligations, weren’t forced to take those notes because they had their agency but they weren’t further taught or entrusted with duties of the kingdom. And with those duties and obedience come blessings, peace, comfort, and joy. Nephi had years and years of demonstrable obedience and diligence, that’s how the Lord knew that he could trust him. It’s kind of like sending my daughter to the store with my debit card, I trust her to only buy things that I want her to buy, similar, kind of. In The Infinite Atonement, the author teaches that this principle of long term obedience and diligence leading to increased responsibility and power was done with the Savior as well. He said “Over long eons of time in the premortal realm he proved faithful and dependable and honorable in every commitment, every responsibility, and every charge. The scriptures tell us that ‘from eternity to eternity he is the same.’ He never deviated from the mark, never slacked in his performance, never shrank from his word. He kept every command with exactness; he discharged every duty with precision; he was ‘not slack concerning his promise.’ His promises were ‘immutable and unchangeable.’” This principle of learning then demonstrating responsibility and obedience is repeated over and over again, growing, escalating in seriousness and importance until like President Eyring said, revelation comes freely because God trusts us to believe in revelation, seek it, and follow it.

10:11-19 – The Lord then commands Nephi to “go and declare unto this people, that thus said the Lord god, who is almighty: except ye repent ye shall be smitten, even unto destruction.” And without missing a beat “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.” It’s kind of funny because when we were reading this as a family, I told my kids, “Nephi didn’t go home to change his clothes or get a snack, he went right back to do what the Lord had commanded him.” They were in awe because surely they knew that Nephi was probably hungry. But of course the people did not listen, “notwithstanding that great miracle which Nephi had done in telling them concerning the death of the chief judge, they did harden their hearts and did not hearken unto the words of the Lord.” The IM quotes the Prophet Joseph Smith as teaching “Miracles are the fruits of faith.” Continuing it says “Some people seek faith through miracles; however, that is contrary to the order of heaven. Faith precedes the miracle- it does not follow it. Nephi’s miraculous identification of Seantum as the murderer of the chief judge came as a result of the prophet’s faith. Sadly, the majority of the people who witnessed this miracle were living without faith. The miracle failed to convert them because ‘faith cometh not by signs (or miracles,) but signs follow those that believe.’ The necessary change in their lives had to begin with ‘faith unto repentance.’ Unfortunately, these people who had witnessed a great miracle continued to harden their hearts, and instead of repenting, the persecuted Nephi.” That’s interesting, I always took the phrase “faith precedes the miracle” as meaning that the Lord will not do any miracles until you believe in Him, but that seems not to be the case, it’s not that God withholds His power and works and miracles, it’s that they are not profitable to you spiritually until you have faith. Nephi’s miracle with the chief judge was not dependent on the faith of the people but upon Nephi’s faith. Maybe this is more saying that it’s not possible to build faith upon miracles, because it is false faith, it lacks conviction, it lacks strength to facilitate a true conversion. Because if you think about it, faith precedes the miracle, but once you have faith do constant miracles rain down from heaven nonstop? No, of course not. Does the Lord do miracles for people who don’t believe in Him? Obviously, the case of Nephi shows us that even the uber wicked can be party to a miracle sometimes, so it’s not that God’s controlling all his miracles until he feels that we believe in Him enough, like withholding birthday cake from a kid until he’s been “good enough,” but more like, the miracles are not spiritually building or humbling or bring anything positive to your life until you are ready to receive them in faith. It’s a law, a principle, not a lecture. Interesting. And finally, Nephi is not being well received by these people and “they did revile against him, and did seek to lay their hands upon him that they might cast him into prison. But behold, 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.” Now the chapter heading for chapter 10 says “The Spirit carries him from multitude to multitude,” I wonder if this is a miraculous disappearance like a transporter type thing or if it was more a figure of speech, it would be interesting to know. In Jesus the Christ, James E. Talmage tells us that when Jesus announced himself in his hometown of Nazereth, he was not well received either, like Nephi. He teaches “Victims of diabolical rage, they seized the Lord and took Him to the brow of the hill on the slopes of which the town was built, determined to avenge their wounded feelings by hurling Him from the rocky cliffs. Thus early in His ministry did the forces of opposition attain murderous intensity. But our Lord’s time to die had not yet come. The infuriated mob was powerless to go one step father than their supposed victim would permit. ‘But he passing through the midst of them went him way.’ Whether they were overawed by the grace of His presence, silenced by the power of His words, or stayed by some more appalling intervention, we are not informed.” Maybe this is something similar to what Nephi experienced. Also interesting is his note of murderous intensity because sure enough, that’s what followed Nephi’s teachings “and it came to pass that 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.” Death, destruction and misery follow Satan, and power, joy, and comfort follow obedience to the Savior.