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!

Helaman 13-15

Helaman 13 

 Usually the Lord sends Nephite prophets to preach to the unbelieving Lamanites. But right now the Nephites are all very wicked, and the Lamanites are humble and faithful to God. A Lamanite prophet named Samuel is commanded by God to preach to the Nephites, and when the Nephites kick him out of the city, God tells him to go back and try again. So this time Samuel climbs up on the city wall and preaches from the top! I think Samuel is pretty cool. He has some important messages to deliver from the Lord, including:

• The Lord is going to curse the land because the people are full of pride and their hearts are set on riches. They will hide their riches, and never be able to find them again (vs. 22-23, 31-36).

• They have “have sought for happiness in doing iniquity” (vs. 38) which never ever works out in the end.

• They have rejected the words of the prophets, and without even realizing it.

It’s very easy for us to look at people in Biblical times and say “wow, how could the people have been so bad and stubborn?” or “how could the people have ignored a man sent from God?” But here's the hard question -- what about you, today? Are you letting God’s servants and spokesmen get through to you? Or is that just a thing of the past? Can you see any modern application for Samuel's words to the Nephites?:

 25 And now when ye talk, ye say: If our days had been in the days of our fathers of old, we would not have slain the prophets; we would not have stoned them, and cast them out.

 26 Behold ye are worse than they; for as the Lord liveth, if a prophet come among you and declareth unto you the word of the Lord, which testifieth of your sins and iniquities, ye are angry with him, and cast him out and seek all manner of ways to destroy him; yea, you will say that he is a false prophet, and that he is a sinner, and of the devil, because he testifieth that your deeds are evil.

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: Walk 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 prophet.

Helaman 14

The most important message that Samuel the Lamanite has to deliver to the Nephites is that the Son of God, the Savior of the World, the Messiah whose coming has been prophesied by all prophets since the beginning of the world, would be born in five years. Five years! In the span of earth’s history, that’s the blink of an eye! This is huge news. The Messiah will be born across the ocean, far away from the ancient Americas where the Nephites and Lamanites are, but Samuel tells them of signs that will occur when the Holy Baby is born:

1. “There shall be great lights in heaven, insomuch that in the night before he cometh there shall be no darkness, insomuch that it shall appear unto man as if it was day. Therefore, there shall be one day and a night and a day, as if it were one day and there were no night…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 born.” (vs 3-4)
2. “There shall a new star arise, such an one as ye never have beheld” (vs. 5) Does this sound familiar? Cool huh? The star that was seen by the shepherds was also seen by wise men in the far East, AND was also seen by Nephites/Lamanites in the far, far West!
3. “And behold this is not all, there shall be many signs and wonders in heaven.” (vs. 6)

Big news, right? But this isn’t all. Samuel also prophecies of the signs that will occur in the Americas when the Son of God is killed. These include:

1. “In that day that he shall suffer death the sun shall be darkened and refuse to give his light unto you; and also the moon and the stars; and there shall be no light upon the face of this land, even from the time that he shall suffer death, for the space of three days, to the time that he shall rise again from the dead.” (vs. 20)
2. “At the time that he shall yield up the ghost there shall be thunderings and lightnings for the space of many hours, and the earth shall shake and tremble; and the rocks which are upon the face of this earth…shall be broken up” (vs. 21)

You will find that all these prophecies come to pass, just as Samuel said (so keep reading!). While it is cool and interesting and important for the Nephites to know about these earthquakes, and a night without darkness, and new star, etc., the primary purpose for Samuel (or any prophet) sharing these prophecies is to increase our faith, and encourage us to repent so that we will be ready to meet Christ. If you truly believe something, it will change you.

12 For this intent have I come up upon the walls of this city…that ye might know of the coming of Jesus Christ, the Son of God, the Father of heaven and of earth, the Creator of all things from the beginning; and that ye might know of the signs of his coming, to the intent that ye might believe on his name.

 13 And if ye believe on his name ye will repent of all your sins, that thereby ye may have a remission of them through his merits.

Helaman 15

Nobody likes it when their rivals are held up as an example for them to follow, but in this case the Nephites needed/deserved it. Samuel the Lamanites is still preaching to the Nephites from on top of the city wall, and he talks about how good and righteous the Lamanites have become, and how wicked, prideful, and rebellious the Nephites have become despite all the miracles and blessings the Lord has sent to them.

Samuel prophesies that the Nephites will be completely destroyed if they don’t repent (see vs. 17; and spoiler alert—it happens as Samuel says), and the Lord will show mercy to the Lamanites because of this great period of goodness from the Lamanites. Samuel also prophesies that if the Lamanites ever “fall away” from the Lord again, the Lord promises to bring them back someday.

12 Yea, I say unto you, that in the latter times the promises of the Lord have been extended to our brethren, the Lamanites; and notwithstanding the many afflictions which they shall have, and notwithstanding they shall be driven to and fro upon the face of the earth, and be hunted, and shall be smitten and scattered abroad, having no place for refuge, the Lord shall be merciful unto them.

 13 And this is according to the prophecy, that they shall again be brought to the true knowledge, which is the knowledge of their Redeemer, and their great and true shepherd, and be numbered among his sheep.

Guess what -- this happened, too. The Lamanites are the ancestors of the Native Americans and the people of Central and South America. We all know how these people were “driven to and fro upon the face of the earth, and hunted, and smitten and scattered abroad” by the Europeans who came to settle this continent. And now, today the fastest growing area of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is in Central and South America, among these descendants of the Lamanites who are being “brought again to the true  knowledge of their Redeemer” as the prophecy stated. Pretty cool, huh?