3 Nephi 6-7

3 Nephi 6

The Nephites and Lamanites are in a state of total peace, “and they began again to prosper and to wax great… and there was great order in the land” (v4). 

Mormon (the background narrator/summarizer) makes an interesting comment that “there was nothing in all the land to hinder the people from prospering continually, except they should fall into transgression.” (v5) How often are we the cause of our own destruction? 

Within just a few short years, the people start being “lifted up unto pride and boastings because of their exceedingly great riches” (vs. 10) and they start being jerks about it and persecuting the people who are not rich. Not everyone was that way… but tragically many people within the church were that way.

 13 Some were lifted up in pride, and others were exceedingly humble; some did return railing for railing, while others would receive railing and persecution and all manner of afflictions, and would not turn and revile again, but were humble and penitent before God.

 14 And thus there became a great inequality in all the land, insomuch that the church began to be broken up; yea, insomuch that in the thirtieth year the church was broken up in all the land save it were among a few of the Lamanites who were converted unto the true faith; and they would not depart from it, for they were firm, and steadfast, and immovable, willing with all diligence to keep the commandments of the Lord.

 15 Now the cause of this iniquity of the people was this—Satan had great power, unto the stirring up of the people to do all manner of iniquity, and to the puffing them up with pride, tempting them to seek for power, and authority, and riches, and the vain things of the world.

 18 Now they did not sin ignorantly, for they knew the will of God concerning them, for it had been taught unto them; therefore they did willfully rebel against God.

This makes me sad – sad that the people had experienced so many blessings and so much help from God, and within a few short years chose to ignore it. It particularly makes me sad because this could so easily happen to anyone. I think this happens a lot.

And to follow sad news with really sad news, some of the people who are seeking power start up the “secret combinations” that brought on the awful war with the robbers that just recently ended. This secret brotherhood begins to kill the men of God who preach of Christ, and their ultimate objective is to destroy the government and establish one of their men as king over the land.

3 Nephi 7

The new band of secret brethren succeeds in murdering the chief judge, but instead of one of their men becoming king as they hoped, the government dissolves completely and the people fraction into various tribes. Whoa!

The majority of the people have become wicked now, when less than 10 years ago almost everyone believed faithfully in God. Nearly everyone rejects the prophets, but that doesn’t keep Nephi from trying!

17…Nephi did minister with power and with great authority.

18 And it came to pass that they were angry with him, even because he had greater power than they, for it were not possible that they could disbelieve his words, for so great was his faith on the Lord Jesus Christ that angels did minister unto him daily.

19 And in the name of Jesus did he cast out devils and unclean spirits; and even his brother did he raise from the dead, after he had been stoned and suffered death by the people.

I think these verses teach us that it isn’t enough to believe – you have to change because of your beliefs. These people couldn’t help but believe because Nephi’s faith and miracles were so strong, but it just made them angry because they had chosen to live contrary to what they knew. That reminds me of James 2:19 in the Bible:  “Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble.” So I guess the first question for each of us is “What do I believe?” but an even more important question is “How do my beliefs change me or direct my choices?"

3 Nephi 4-5

3 Nephi 4

The war begins! –the robbers march out of their mountain hiding places and attack the Nephites full-force. The Nephites are prepared, and through their faith in God they win the battle—although not without a great and terrible loss.

And the Gadianton robbers aren’t giving up. Their next plan of attack is to camp outside the fortifications of the Nephites (remember how all the Nephites have gathered together to one city) and lay siege outside the walls until the Nephites have to come out and fight because they are out of provisions.

Well, this is just stupid of the robbers, because the Nephites are prepared with years and years' worth of provisions, and the robbers have nothing. So the robbers—who are laying siege outside the city—begin to starve to death, and “the Nephites were continually marching out by day and by night, and falling upon their armies, and cutting them off by thousands and by tens of thousands.” (vs 21)

So the robbers abandon the siege plans pretty quickly, and their leader Zemnarihah orders them to retreat northward. The Nephite armies chase after them, surround them, and conquer them – this is the battle to end the war. Every last robber is either killed or taken prisoner.

33 And their hearts were swollen with joy, unto the gushing out of many tears, because of the great goodness of God in delivering them out of the hands of their enemies; and they knew it was because of their repentance and their humility that they had been delivered from an everlasting destruction.

3 Nephi 5

It is a time of celebration and peace among the Nephites, and “there was not a living soul among all the people of the Nephites who did doubt in the least the words of all the holy prophets who had spoken; for they knew that it must needs be that they must be fulfilled.” (vs. 1)

The Nephites take all the robber-prisoners and preach the gospel to them, and before long the “secret combinations” of the robbers are eradicated from among the people. Hurrah!

Then the second half of the chapter can get a little confusing, because Mormon starts talking. Remember that Mormon is basically the “historian” who is writing a summary from piles and piles and years and years of Nephite historical/religious records. That's why this is called the Book of Mormon (get it?). He isn’t just a historian. He is a man of God: “Behold, I am a disciple of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. I have been called of him to declare his word among his people, that they might have everlasting life.” (vs 13) 

In the next chapter he returns back to the story he has been summarizing-- right after this great war between the Nephites and the Gadianton Robbers.  

3 Nephi 2-3

3 Nephi 2

A total of 15 years pass in this chapter. Many of the Nephites stop believing the signs they had seen of Christ’s birth, and the Gadianton Robbers who live in the mountains are gaining a lot of power and influence. The Nephites and Lamanites team up against the Gadianton Robbers, but the war is intense and “the sword of destruction did hang over them, insomuch that they were about to be smitten down by it, and this because of their iniquity.” (v19)

3 Nephi 3

The governor of the Gadianton Robbers, Giddianhi, writes a letter to Lachoneus, the governor of the combined Nephites/Lamanites, telling him that if the Nephites/Lamanites join the robbers they will be equal like brothers, but if not then the robbers will attack and wipe them out.

The letter is manipulative and subtly condescending. Notice how Giddianhi attempts to get Lachoneus to question his motives, his abilities, and his beliefs. I’ve highlighted some of his manipulative wording

2 Lachoneus, most noble and chief governor of the land, behold, I write this epistle unto you, and do give unto you exceedingly great praise because of your firmness, and also the firmness of your people, in maintaining that which ye suppose to be your right and liberty; yea, ye do stand well, as if ye were supported by the hand of a god, in the defense of your liberty, and your property, and your country, or that which ye do call so.

3 And it seemeth a pity unto me, most noble Lachoneus, that ye should be so foolish and vain as to suppose that ye can stand against so many brave men who are at my command, who do now at this time stand in their arms, and do await with great anxiety for the word—Go down upon the Nephites and destroy them...

5 Therefore I have written this epistle, sealing it with mine own hand, feeling for your welfare, because of your firmness in that which ye believe to be right, and your noble spirit in the field of battle...

9 And behold, I am Giddianhi; and I am the governor of this the secret society of Gadianton; which society and the works thereof I know to be good; and they are of ancient date and they have been handed down unto us.

10 And I write this epistle unto you, Lachoneus, and I hope that ye will deliver up your lands and your possessions, without the shedding of blood, that this my people may recover their rights and government, who have dissented away from you because of your wickedness in retaining from them their rights of government, and except ye do this, I will avenge their wrongs. I am Giddianhi.

This is a great example of how anything can be twisted to be “good” or “bad” to suit someone’s purposes. We have an important responsibility to analyze and determine what is truly right and pleasing to God, and what is wrong and only motivated by the selfish desires of man.

Lachoneus was a strong and “just man, and could not be frightened by the demands and the threatenings of a robber; therefore he did not hearken to the epistle of Giddianhi, the governor of the robbers, but he did cause that his people should cry unto the Lord for strength against the time that the robbers should come down against them.” (vs. 12)

I think there is a key phrase in here teaching us how to handle people who try to persuade us to do or believe contrary to what we know is right – “he did not hearken.” And secondly, he "[cried] unto the Lord for strength." 

And so Lachoneus and his people stuck to their guns (kinda literally) and prepared to be attacked. Lachoneus sent a proclamation to all his people to gather together in one city—all together—so they could entrench and defend themselves.

3 Nephi 1

3 Nephi 1

You know the Christmas story in the Bible – you know how the shepherds near Bethlehem and wise men from the East saw the star proclaiming the birth of the Christ child and went to see the little babe. But did you know that far across the ocean to the west, the people in the ancient Americas also saw the same star? And in 3 Nephi 1, we read the story! The Nephites actually had 2 signs from the heavens – 1 was the star which you already know about, and the other was a day and night and day with no darkness, as prophesied by Samuel the Lamanite.

Back in the book of Helaman, Samuel prophesied that the sign of Christ’s birth would occur in 5 years, and the people haven’t counted exactly which day Samuel made the prophecy, and now the non-believers have started to say that the time has passed.

5 But there were some who began to say that the time was past for the words to be fulfilled, which were spoken by Samuel, the Lamanite.

 6 And they began to rejoice over their brethren, saying: Behold the time is past, and the words of Samuel are not fulfilled; therefore, your joy and your faith concerning this thing hath been vain.

 7 And it came to pass that they did make a great uproar throughout the land; and the people who believed began to be very sorrowful, lest by any means those things which had been spoken might not come to pass.

 8 But behold, they did watch steadfastly for that day and that night and that day which should be as one day as if there were no night, that they might know that their faith had not been vain.

I feel like this is a classic predicament of believers in any point of history – holding on to faith with a firm resolve, even though most of the people around them don’t believe and are even mocking them. However, these believers' predicament becomes very serious:

 9 Now it came to pass that there was a day set apart by the unbelievers, that all those who believed in those traditions should be put to death except the sign should come to pass, which had been given by Samuel the prophet.

What?! How did the non-believers get the authority to do that?? I don’t know! Crazy things happened back in Bible times. And now the believers’ faith is really being put to the test.

The prophet, Nephi, is obviously very sad and concerned about the awful situation the believers are in. He goes to the Lord in prayer—intense prayer—and he receives this beautiful answer:

 13 Lift up your head and be of good cheer; for behold, the time is at hand, and on this night shall the sign be given, and on the morrow come I into the world, to show unto the world that I will fulfil all that which I have caused to be spoken by the mouth of my holy prophets.

This always makes me smile. Can you imagine? The Savior of all mankind—past, present, and future—the Son of God, the promised Messiah since the foundation of the world will be born TONIGHT. And God just told Nephi in answer to his prayer. God is acutely aware of his children.

15 And it came to pass that the words which came unto Nephi were fulfilled, according as they had been spoken; for behold, at the going down of the sun there was no darkness; and the people began to be astonished because there was no darkness when the night came.

 16 And there were many, who had not believed the words of the prophets, who fell to the earth and became as if they were dead, for they knew that the great plan of destruction which they had laid for those who believed in the words of the prophets had been frustrated; for the sign which had been given was already at hand.

 17 And they began to know that the Son of God must shortly appear; yea, in fine, all the people upon the face of the whole earth from the west to the east, both in the land north and in the land south, were so exceedingly astonished that they fell to the earth.

 18 For they knew that the prophets had testified of these things for many years, and that the sign which had been given was already at hand; and they began to fear because of their iniquity and their unbelief.

 19 And it came to pass that there was no darkness in all that night, but it was as light as though it was mid-day. And it came to pass that the sun did rise in the morning again, according to its proper order; and they knew that it was the day that the Lord should be born, because of the sign which had been given.

 20 And it had come to pass, yea, all things, every whit, according to the words of the prophets.

 21 And it came to pass also that a new star did appear, according to the word.

There’s the star! Isn’t this a remarkable story? I just love it, and I like to review it at Christmas time – it’s another faith-building perspective on the birth of Christ, and it demonstrates to me how God speaks to his people in all times and in all places, not just in the Bible lands and times.

Now on a less happy note, even though the people were so astonished at the sign that they fell to the ground in amazement and fear, miracles don’t create believers! Anyone can talk/rationalize/reason their way out of believing in a miracle. And unfortunately, so did many of the Nephites.

22 And it came to pass that from this time forth there began to be lyings sent forth among the people, by Satan, to harden their hearts, to the intent that they might not believe in those signs and wonders which they had seen

So the question for you today is—have you observed a miracle in your life (or multiple miracles!) that you have chosen to discount or rationalize away? And the next question is, why have you chosen to reason it away?

Helaman 16

Helaman 16

Samuel the Lamanite finishes his message from the top of the Nephite city wall. The reaction from the Nephites to his preaching is mixed. Some of the Nephites “believed on his word [and] went forth and sought for Nephi… desiring that they might be baptized unto the Lord. But as many as there were who did not believe in the words of Samuel were angry 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. 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.” (vs. 1-3)

I’ve always thought Samuel was cool. There’s a song for primary children called “Book of Mormon Stories” and the verse about Samuel says:

Samuel the Lamanite, high on the city wall,
Came to warn the people, and repentance was his call.
Arrows could not hit him, for a man of God was he,
And he taught in the land righteously.

I also like this poster that was made for teenagers from the picture above, which is a well-known classic in the church. The words might be hard to read -- it says "Popularity: It's Overrated. Sometimes the crowd is just plain wrong."

The End of Samuel’s story, and the end of the book of Helaman! On to the book of 3rd Nephi!