Site:SS lessons/BOM lesson 34

From Feast upon the Word (http://feastupontheword.org). Copyright, Feast upon the Word.

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Hel 6:1-5

The Book of Mormon > Helaman > Chapter 6

Previous (Hel 5:46-52)

Next (Hel 6:6-10)

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Verses 7-9

Here the Nephites and Lamanites were at peace, traded goods freely, and became rich. Was becoming rich a result of being at peace? of trading goods freely?

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Click the edit link above and to the right to add exegesis During this time of prosperity the Nephite-Lamanite conflict seems to come to an end, racially speaking. The adversary then seems to begin using the terrorism/robbing of the Gadianton Robbers to destroy the people of God.

From the description that we receive of this people we can deduce that they were an active and hardworking civilization. This could be contrasted to idleness that the Gadianton Robbers seemed to prefer.

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Exegesis

Click the edit link above and to the right to add exegesis The wealthy at this time seem to become desensitized to the value of human life. Their focus rests upon their posessions and the persuit of obtaining more.

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Click the edit link above and to the right to add exegesis In verse 25 we are reminded that the Jaredites had experienced the same problem with secret societies and that the knowledge of such was to be kept hidden so that history wouldn't repeat itself.

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Can we in this day make idols of our posessions like the Nephites did?

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The Spirit of the Lord leaves us when we abandon the Lord and his teachings. The Nephites wilfully rebelled against the Lord and worshiped idols instead.

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What was more important for the Nephites? Money or righteousness?

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Why couldn't Nephi find any righteous people in the Land Northward?
What happened to all the Sons of Helaman and their families who had gone northward 20 years earlier? Why might they have fallen away, rather than remained as righteous as their parents?
While we often celebrate the Sons of Helaman for their war exploits, could we be missing the bigger story, that unlike their parents who were willing to be killed rather than kill others, the willingness of these warriors to join the war tradition of the Nephites led to their ultimate downfall and their children's loss of faith?

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Lexical notes

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Exegesis

Click the edit link above and to the right to add exegesis The apostate state of the Nephites was growing worse as time went on. The government was corrupt and it seems that there were fewer and fewer righteous individuals.

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Where was Nephi while he was lamenting the wickedness of the people?

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It's interesting that Nephi would want to live at another time in history. I suppose that we tend do that ourselves whenever the world seems to be in a bad state.

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Verses 1-4

What is Nephi's crime that the judges are referring to in v. 1? Is Nephi's crime more than just speaking things the judges and/or people don't want to hear? What is the corruptness of the law referred to in v. 3? Why are the judges afraid to "lay their own hands" upon Nephi (v. 4)?

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Verses 15

What does it mean to "look upon the Son of God"?

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Exegesis

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Verses 14-15

Alma 33:18-19 teaches that the brazen serpent was a type of the Son of God.

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Verse 15

In other scriptures describing the typology of the brazen serpent, looking to Christ and being healed is described as simple (1 Ne 17:41) and easy (Alma 37:46). However, v. 15 qualifies the conditions of looking: faith and a contrite spirit are also required to obtain eternal life. This is consistent with other scriptures that teach that simply believing in God is not sufficient (see James 2:17-26). Still, because of the atonement, it is relatively easy for us to obtain eternal life. Although we might not always consider the requirement of nurturing faith and developing a contrite heart easy, we do not have to pay the price that Christ did (cf. D&C 19:16-19). Moreover, Prov 13:15 and Alma 41:10 teach us that the sinner's path is hard and unhappy, presumably much harder than having faith and a contrite heart.

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Nephi defends the words of Christ by speaking of other prophets and how they were also called to speak his words.

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Questions

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Verse 21

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Verse 22

Why does Nephi say that Lehi was "driven out of Jerusalem because he testified of these things"? Does this suggest the people were persecuting him because he spoke of Christ?
Which of the fathers didn't testify of Christ? They didn't write in scripture, did they?

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Verse 23

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Verse 24

Why is Nephi trying to catch them in a lie?

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Verse 25

Does in heaven "where nothing doth corrupt" mean that there the 2nd Law of Thermodynamics won't be in effect?

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Lexical notes

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Exegesis

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Verse 21

It appears that Mulek and his followers left Jerusalem after it was destroyed, and thus became witnesses to the descendants of Lehi, who left before Jerusalem's destruction.

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Verse 22

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Verse 23

This sounds like the Second Comforter.

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Verse 24

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Verse 25

"laying up treasures in heaven" must not refer to the idea of good works earning exaltation, but of earning blessings while in the heavenly kingdoms of glory.

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Verse 26

Does "everlasting destruction" start in Spirit Prison with punishment for sins?

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Verse 27

When Satan rewards people with damnation for committing murder through bloodshed, is he intending this to be some sort of twisted substitute for Christ's atonement and sacrifice?

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Verse 28

In this life, is Satan not the sole author of sin?
If people are initially and basically good-natured, could the natural man be the receiver and seeker of temptations, and not the initial originator?
How evil did Gadianton become?
Did Gadianton lose himself in the attempt to serve Satan?

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Lexical notes

The imagery "ripening for destruction" occurs several times in the Book of Mormon. Today we typically use the word ripe with positive connotations. It seems the same was true at the time the Book of Mormon was translated into English (see Webster's 1828 definition). In contrast to that, ripen is consistenly used negatively in the Book of Mormon and Doctrine and Covenants. Ripen there is consistently paired up with something negative (e.g. "in iniquity" or, as here, "for destruction")--see 1 Ne 17:43, Hel 5:2, Hel 6:40, Hel 8:26, Hel 11:37, Ether 2:9, Ether 9:20, D&C 18:6, D&C 61:31.

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Exegesis

Anything that is allowed to ripen for too long will eventually spoil.

In verse six, Nephi states that the wicked people of Zarahemla are "ripening, because of [their] wickedness... for everlasting destruction; yea, and except [they] repent it will come unto [them] soon." As noted above in the lexical notes, ripening is used in the Book of Mormon consistently in relation to the bad--who, when ripe, will be destroyed. Similar imagery is used in relation to the good. In the allegory in Jacob 5 talks of good fruit which at the right time, God lays up. In both cases, the idea that a time is given to reach maturity--either fully wicked or fully good.

The point of Nephi saying that the people of Zarahemla are ripening for descruction is to 1) explain why God hasn't already punished the wicked--because he is waiting for them to fully show their wickedness (see Alma 14:11), and 2) to warn them. When the time is right, the ripe piece of fruit will get picked. Likewise, God's day of judgment and punishment will one day come to the wicked if they do not first repent.

Gadianton was an expert in wickedness (see Hel 2:4) and gave wicked laws (see Hel 6:24).

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Questions

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Verse 1

Why didn't everybody else leave as well?
Did Nephi say more things?

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Verse 2

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Verse 3

Did all people have such easy access to the chambers of the chief judge?
Did they just run in, undeterred by any guards?

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Verse 4

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Verse 5

How much faith did they have when they saw this scene?
Would their faith endure or would their process of verification leave them lacking enough faith in the end?
Why did these men fall to the earth?
Did the power of God strike them?
Did they faint or try to play dead?

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Lexical notes

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Exegesis

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Verse 1

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Verse 2

It seems doubtful they would have believed when faced with the proof they sought. They didn't seem to have a sincere desire coupled with real intent. They seemed to be saying "I'll believe it when I see it," rather than "I'll see it when I believe it."

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Verse 3

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Verse 4

These five men "had not believed the words which Nephi had spoken concerning the chief judge." They had probably not even hoped that Nephi's words were true. Most likely they just wondered about the truthfulness of Nephi's words or wanted to use them against him.

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Verse 5

These men apparently clung to their fear of man (Nephi) after Nephi helped the multitude to start fearing God rather than man in Hel 8:10-11.
The fact that "they did quake" seems to imply that they had fear.

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Questions

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Verse 6

When did the chief judge start having servants?
What does the "cry of murder" sound like?

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Verse 7

How many people were suspicious of the story that the chief judge had managed to knock five men unconscious while receiving a fatal stabbing?

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Verse 8

Did the people automatically blame the five men and seemingly recognize God's hand in the apprehension because of their spiritual blindness, or were members of the secret band among the people trying to sell them on a lie, in order to protect the dead chief judge's brother?

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Verse 9

Were these supposed murders going to receive a fair trial?
Why did these five wake so easily?
Had they been just unconscious, rather than in an unwakeable and deep sleep caused by a spiritual vision, similar to that of Alma the Younger?
Who sent the proclamation out?
Were there government agencies at the time besides the office of the chief judge?
Did the lower judges draft and distribute the proclamation?

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Verse 10

Why did the people mourn?
Were they similar in their wickedness to Seezoram?
Did they fear that a new secret band was in town?
Why did they fast?
Was it a carryover of old tradition?
From who were they seeking an answer in finding a new chief judge?

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Lexical notes

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Verse 6

garb = disguise

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Exegesis

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Verse 8

In both verses 1 and 8, people who did not have the full truth were left on their own to figure things out according to what "they said among themselves." This insular approach may have prevented some groups from sharing their information with other groups.

It appears that "the multitude who had gathered together at the garden of Nephi" were not the same as or seen by "the people [who] did gather themselves together unto the place of the judgment-seat" (vs. 7). In other words, the former group heard Nephi prophesy of the murder, but it was the latter group who received "the servants [who] ran and told the people, raising the cry of murder among them" (vs. 6). Support for this distinction comes from the fact that Nephi's preaching "was upon a tower, which in the garden of Nephi, which by the highway which led to the chief market, which was in the city of Zarahemla" (Hel 7:10). So it seems that Nephi preached to the multitude on the outskirts of the city, away from the main body of the people. Moreover, the five who went to check on the murder could not have merely walked across the street. Instead, they "ran in their might, and came in unto the judgment-seat" (vs. 3).

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Questions

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Verse 11

Were these judges supporting Nephi or showing support for Seezoram by attending his funeral?
Was this even a funeral or just a burial?

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Verses 14 & 15

The five that were questioned, what seems to be their thoughts on the events and what Nephi prophesied?

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Verse 20

Confederate = in league with (Webster's 1828). Given the fact that in this case the people are charging Nephi with being in league with a murder, we might interpret this as "You are an accomplice."

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Exegesis

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Questions

Vs. 21: What does it mean to be "uncircumcised of heart"?

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Lexical notes

uncircumsized hearts are mentioned five times in the King James Bible (Lev 26:41, Jer 9:26, Ezek 44:7, Ezek 44:9, Acts 7:51).

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Exegesis

In the Bible, uncircumsised hearts appear to refer to those who may be outwardly circumsised in the flesh, but have broken the covenant of circumsision. Circumsision, as a sign of the Abrahamic covenant, also became a sign of purity, giving the connotation that uncircumsised hearts are impure (cf. uncircumsised lips Ex 6:12).

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Verse 38: Weren't these five already given liberty? (See 9:18.) How do we make sense of these two verses together?

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Vs. 9: What does the Lord mean when he says to have faith to move mountains? Is this a literal or figurative expression?

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Helaman 10:7 shows that the Lord gave Nephi the sealing power in the ancient days. We can see that the Lord is the same yesterday, today and forever. He allowed the prophets to seal families together in the ancient days, and the same holds true today. The Lord loves his children and wants them to reside in eternal happiness as a family unit.

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In verse 16 Nephi is "conveyed" away from a dangerous crowd. What does this mean? Did he just disappear or was he delivered out of the situation?

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Even though he had been rejected time and again, Nephi pleads to the Lord on behalf of these people (verse 4). This is a good example of charity that many missionaries can relate to and learn from since it is hard to maintain charitable thoughts when people reject and mock precious teachings.

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Why might a famine humble the people more than a bloody war?

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Vs. 23: What does it mean to have "many revelations daily"? How much revelation should we be seeking and expecting?

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v. 3: Several scriptures refer to God as a "God of peace" (Rom 15:23, Rom 16:20, 1 Cor 14:33, 2 Cor 13:11, Philip 4:9, 2 Thes 3:16). Perhaps because of this, many believers often say that God does not cause human suffering, but only allows it. However, the phraseology in v.3 of God visiting his people with death and terror suggests a rather direct involvement on God's part. Does this mean then that God not only allows human suffering but causes it? If not, how else can these verses be understood?

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Although it sounds like God is trying to curse us because of our wickedness for not keeping the commandments, there is also a point where God rebukes us with "divine curses." In Genesis 3:17 it points out that they are cursed for their sake, and also in Helaman 15:3 the people are chastened. That is usually caused by a trial of our faith or by allowing us to suffer.

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Verses 20-21: Verse 20 explains what happens when the Lord says to someone that they will be accursed forever. Verse 21 explains what happens when the Lord says to someone that they will be cut off from his presence. Is this the same thing repeated twice or is there a difference in the meaning of the two? If there is a difference what is it?

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Site:SS lessons/BOM lesson 34

From Feast upon the Word (http://feastupontheword.org). Copyright, Feast upon the Word.

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Verses 7-9

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Verses 1-4

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Verses 15

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Verses 14-15

Verse 15

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