Helaman 4

I am thinking about the contentions and that the rebellious people were kicked out and went to the Lamenites and made war. Should we kick people out that are causing problems? At first I thought that was wrong, but as I think about it, even God kicked his rebellious children out of Heaven. And there does have to be some protection for those who are trying to do the right things. With our own children, that would be so hard and heartbreaking. At what point do you have to ask them to leave? Although I suppose if the Nephites who left were at the point of wanting to go to the Lamenites and make war against the brethren, they must have been very hardened. Or did forcing them to leave cause that hate?

Mormon only briefly touches on the war here, and all that the Nephites lost, but he goes into a great deal of detail about what wickedness on the part caused the trouble.

1. Pride because of their riches
1. I feel like I struggle with this lately. I feel excited that my stuff is better than other peoples or jealous that it is not as good, instead of being grateful and humble. I feel like I “deserve” better things. I don’t want to be this way, and in my better moments, I am not, but it is a struggle.
2. Oppression of the poor
1. This is so complicated to me. I don’t feel like I want to oppress the poor, but I do want to keep their poverty away from me.
3. Whithholding their food from the hungry, withholding their clothing from the naked
1. This is always hard. I am never sure how to balance doing more with taking care of my family and having nice things for us. Which part is mine?
4. Smiting their humble brethren upon the cheek
1. Is this literal? Or just more of keeping people who are down? Or using my intelligence to brow beat people to do what I want.
5. Making a mock of that which was sacred
1. This could be so many things. Not treasuring sacred things. Hypocrisy. Faking. Or just really mocking people for trying to do good, or calling good evil.
6. Denying the spirit of prophecy and of revelation
1. Not believing leaders can be led by the Spirit. Not seeking God’s will, but just doing my own thing. Not believing God would reveal things if I asked. Leaning on my own wisdom. Even questioning leaders without going the Lord to seek His feelings and will on it.
7. Murdering
1. I know I don’t murder, but I sure get angry a lot, and Christ said that is really close to the same thing.
8. Plundering
1. How does this apply in my world? Taking from the weak, or abusing a position of power or strength I suppose. Do I do this?
9. Lying
10. Stealing
11. Committing adultery
12. Rising up in great contentions
1. Here is that anger again. Better ways to fix the world!!!!!!!
13. Deserting away into the land of Nephi, among the Lamenites
1. This reminds me of the temple questions about associationg with the enemies of the church.
14. Boasting in their own strength
1. Because they were boasting in their own strength they were left in their own strength. I feel like my pride tries to pull me here a lot. I need to be humble and grateful and constantly seeking counsel from the Lord. I don’t want to be left to my own, I know I need Him!

And here again (so important!) is the great mercy of the Lord. As soon as the people begin to repent, to seek after Him, the Lord blesses them and helps them. He doesn’t hold grudges. He always lets us try again. And even as He let them suffer, it was to remind them of the prophecies about what would happen if they were wicked. And those prophecies in combination with the fulfillment of those prophecies helped them to remember Him, and try again, even in their very hardened state.

The point is, constantly rely on Him, and never give up, He never gives up on me.

Helaman 4

Helaman 3

No contention in all the land except pride in the church. Why does it work that way? Where we should remember to be most humble and loving sometimes it is the hardest, like at church, or at home. I want to remember not to be prideful. With my new calling it seems like something I will have to be very careful of in working with so many people an managing so many things. NOT PRIDE!

It is interesting that the people who lived there before had completely wiped all the timber in certain areas, and that those areas were still desolate. It wasn’t like the people before had left recently. It speaks to being responsible stewards of the earth. Once you have destroyed it, it is very hard, if at all possible, to restore it.

Where there was no timber the people lived in cement (adobe?) houses and tents (teepees?) and the people shipped wood up to them. It feels like the lesson for me in this is to find a way to make it work. Don’t whine about things not being perfect or the way you would wish, but find a way to make the reality you live in work.

I love the description of Helaman is verse 20. When all the world was going crazy around him, he was true to God, always. This is what I would pray for for my Helaman.

Helaman did fill the judgment-seat with justice and equity; yea, he did observe to keep the statutes, and the judgments, and the commandments of God; and he did do that which was right in the sight of God continually;

For many years the Nephites have been fighting and warring amongst themselves, and then they repent and are filled with the Spirit and 10 of 1000s join the church. I love the thus we see the Lord is merciful. No matter how foolish we have been, he is waiting to accept us into the fold and bless us. Always.

And then the pride comes back into the church. And the more humble part of the members suffer a great deal because of it, but they fast and pray, and become more humble and increased their faith in Christ. And because of that they were filled with joy and consolation and were purified. That is the humble response to someone else’s pride, and how affliction can truly be a help for us. I don’t have to pride back at people. I need to learn what being humble looks like.

I see that the judgmental comments people make at church and the way we hurt each other being unkind and unwelcoming is this kind of pride. I can see it hurt people I love.  I want to be able to pray and fast and have that humble them, and I suppose to some extent that is a thing, but it is hard to also let people have their agency.  Though Alma’s praying and fasting for his son helped. Maybe that is what I need to pray for.

Helaman 3

Helaman 2

Why was Gadianton the reason for the destruction of the people of Nephi? What was it that made it so wicked? The secrecy? I mean, I know murder is wicked… but what overthrew a whole people? What do we need to be careful of and watching for? I feel like people are always looking for “secret combinations” but I am not sure they are always right about what they think they find. Deceptive, coercive manipulation takes away people’s freedom, because they can’t make real choices. Is that the problem?  What do we need to guard against in ourselves and our families, in our church. Any institution we don’t want to be destroyed?

Helaman 2

Helaman 1:11-34

Pacumeni takes over the judgement seat in really tragic circumstances. One of his brother’s had been executed as a traitor by the other, who was then murdered. I wonder if they had been close before the lust for power lead to all this fighting and death? It is tragic that having a righteous father didn’t lead to a better outcome for that family. They had their agency, I suppose. And I am sure, as now, that being the government leader required sacrifices from his family. That is always something that is hard to choose.

Coriantumr was able to take Zarahemla for two reasons that seem important in our life battles. One the Nephites had been distracted by pride which led to fighting and contention, and so were not being vigilant in protecting themselves. I can see that contention does lead to being unable to hear the Spirit and too distracted to do those things that will protect a home or a soul. The second was that they had a false sense of security; that the Lamenites would never come to Zarahemla. Sometimes I think we start to believe our family is safe at home, or in the church. We are good people and don’t need to be as vigilant here. But we always have to be vigilant. There is no place in the world so safe, no life so free from temptation that we don’t need to pray and read scriptures and remember. It always matters. And once we see the danger, that is when it is too late to start preparing. That’s when there will be injuries and fatalities. It has to be before.

And then Pacumeni get slaughtered, too. That was really a tragic family!

Another lesson here is to not give up, I guess. Coriantumr was marching through the middle of the land slaughtering everyone, but the preparations they Nephite’s had made in their border cities allowed them to trap the Lamenite’s in the center. Some battles were lost, but good won the war through the preparations they had made. Imperfection does not mean all is lost.

It is always crazy to me that at the end of a war, everyone just goes home. Not just in the Book of Mormon but in modern times, like at the end of WWII. The German and Japanese armies were sent home in peace.

Helaman 1:11-34

Helaman 1:1-10

Could only Pahoran’s sons be the next judge? It is an interesting combination of monarchy and a republic. It is also interesting that Helaman, or maybe Mormon, see it as bad that there were multiple contenders, and that it caused division. I suppose it is like all of life, where the difficulty and struggle of democracy are necessary. The best things in life, including freedom, are hard fought for. And sometimes that includes accepting leaders that were not your choice for the good of the whole. It is easy to see here that the people who lost the election should have supported those who won, but hard to see that in real life. This all seems so pertinent and important in the current political climate with Trump and Hillary and the nation so venomous and divided.

Helaman 1:1-10

Alma 63

When describing Shiblon, they didn’t just say he was righteous, but listed three specific things:

1.      He was a just man

2.      He walked uprightly before God

3.      He did observe to do good continually, to keep the commandments of God

Why are those three things specific? When I look up just is says behavior based on that which is morally right and fair. I think that has to do with how you treat others. It feels like it is related to having integrity.

Uprightly is defined as honest, honorable, and straightforward. So before God I guess has to do with not being a hypocrite, and having a pure heart. Not trying to fake it. So then when they tell us he tried to good, we know it was because of pure intentions. It was a real goodness, a real follower of Christ.

I feel like being authentic is something I struggle with. I am almost always worried about what people think of me. I need to be more like Shiblon, more upright. This description feels like such a clear description of what I want to aspire to, and the struggles I want to overcome.

I wonder why it was so important to record about all the people heading North and off in ships. What do we learn from that?

It is interesting that Helaman and Shiblon were brothers. They were both good men, who did important things, but one is remembered and revered, and the other briefly mentioned. Sometimes it is hard for me to feel like the quiet life of righteousness is worth as much as the one who changes the world or performs some notable heroics. It is sometimes hard for me to be at peace with the role I found in life. Just a mom. Just a wife. Just. It all sometimes feels like not enough. But reading about Shiblon I feel peaceful about walking uprightly before God, and letting that be enough.

Alma 63

Alma 62:15-32

When the Nephites were fighting the Lamenites and they would not kill anyone who promised not to hurt them anymore, why did they believe them? Enough to send them to live with the people of Ammon who were basically defenseless. And did they send them to live there out of racism, or separatism? Or was it, as someone once theorized, because of their righteousness they were the best missionaries? Did they let them go home and get their families first? Or was sent them to live with the Ammonites really code for some kind of prison there?

It is interesting that the Lamenites didn’t have guards around the whole wall if it was climbable. I am sure there are lessons here about making sure all parts of our lives our guarded, but I also feel like there is a lesson about doing your own work. The Lamenite army had not designed and built the fortifications, and all that back work and planning and effort is what made them more useful to the Nephites. I feel like they would have known to guard the wall. There is strength in struggle and work that is difficult to replicate. Can it be replicated? Do I need to allow my own children to struggle more? Not dangerously, but work things out themselves for greater understanding. It is probably like testimonies, also. Relying for a time on others does offer some protection, but nothing like the deep understanding and strength that comes from your own effort and confirmation.

Here again, the Lamenites that said they wanted to be free were allowed to join the people of Ammon. The Nephites definitely tempered their politics and fear with compassion and human dignity. All the prisoners chose to go work hard and be reformed. Would more people choose that given that opportunity now? I wonder about the practicalities. How did they get land? Where did the live when they first got to the city of Ammon. Did the people there take them into their homes and give up their land? How did they eat, and get the implements to start farming? Just being sent there wouldn’t have been enough, there must have been some kind of life restarting help?

Alma 62:15-32