User:RobertC/Trusting the arm of flesh

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

Scirptures

Several Book of Mormon scriptures admonish against putting "trust in the arm of flesh":

• 2 Ne 4:34: O Lord, I have trusted in thee, and I will trust in thee forever. I will not put my trust in the arm of flesh; for I know that cursed is he that putteth his trust in the arm of flesh. Yea, cursed is he that putteth his trust in man or maketh flesh his arm.

Oftentimes this admonition is followed by an exception for men who are inspired of God:

• 2 Ne 28:31: Cursed is he that putteth his trust in man, or maketh flesh his arm, or shall hearken unto the precepts of men, save their precepts shall be given by the power of the Holy Ghost.

• Mosiah 23:13-14: And now as ye have been delivered by the power of God out of these bonds; yea, even out of the hands of king Noah and his people, and also from the bonds of iniquity, even so I desire that ye should stand fast in this liberty wherewith ye have been made free, and that ye trust no man to be a king over you. And also trust no one to be your teacher nor your minister, except he be a man of God, walking in his ways and keeping his commandments.

Interestingly, the Lamanites who reject Samuel the prophet seem overly concerned about trusting in ("yielding [themselves] unto") men who are inspired of God:

• Hel 16:21: And they will, by the cunning and the mysterious arts of the evil one, work some great mystery which we cannot understand, which will keep us down to be servants to their words, and also servants unto them, for we depend upon them to teach us the word; and thus will they keep us in ignorance if we will yield ourselves unto them, all the days of our lives.

Another aspect of mistrust in the scriptures is described in relation to unfaithfulness:

• Jacob 2:35 Behold, ye have done greater iniquities than the Lamanites, our brethren. Ye have broken the hearts of your tender wives, and lost the confidence of your children, because of your bad examples before them; and the sobbings of their hearts ascend up to God against you. And because of the strictness of the word of God, which cometh down against you, many hearts died, pierced with deep wounds.

Personal reflections

The scriptures are clear that we should trust in God. The scriptures also warn that we should not "trust in the arm of flesh", although this warning is followed by exceptions when men are inspired of God.

Our secular understanding of love, at least in friendships and marriage, usually involves a concept of trust. Is this concept taught in the scriptures? I can't think of instances where it is.

When I was a missionary, the Missionary Guide taught us to build relationships of trust with our investigators. Although this seems consistent with gospel and scriptural teachings, I can't remember any scriptural references in relation to this concept. A natural consequence of loving others is that we will be genuinely interested in them. And showing genuine interest in others seems to earn their trust. But none of this answers the question of whether we should trust others.

I'm sure a lot of psychologists have written about trust and mistrust. The only scriptural incidence I can think of that seems to touch on the psychological aspect of trust and mistrust is the Jacob 2:35 scripture quoted above.

Interestingly, the issue of betrayal (and secret combinations in the BOM) is prominent in the scriptures.