In those chapters, the Lamanites become the righteous and the Nephites the wicked ...The new enemy are the Gadianton robbers ...We may be afraid of the lions and don’t pay attention to the snakes in the grass... The Nephites’attention is diverted to the dissension in their government , it was the perfect time for the Lamanites to attack .The Lamanites had learned their lesson from the way Moroni had protected his armyHelaman1:14 Fortunately Moronihah, Moroni’s son, had fortified all the cities .
But there was contention within the government, an internal struggle , see Helaman (chapter 1) and it lead to Helaman 2:13 ..See Gadianton, his desire Helaman 2:8 … And there are murder, intrigue, dark plots, attempts to take over the seat of power… A secret combination is at work: a 3-headed snake, with organized crime, corruption, and materialism. Satan knows that unity is a powerful tool and he uses it for his own devil designs ( Helaman 6:26,27 )(Cain in hebrew means to acquire).
Everything started because of pride: at first a little Helaman 3:1 and then 3:36
Here we can see the «cycle of pride »:
Helaman 3:24,25 31,32 A time of happiness : prosperity, peace, Jesus, rejoicing, joy, unity The people were happy because they yielded their heart to God , they prayed , fasted, and became sanctified Helaman 3:27,30,35 . But then pride led to Helaman 4:12 (we can list 12 things at least) . So they became weak because they lost the Spirit. Helaman4:21 to 24. They had asked God to leave When they recognize: see Helaman4:15 the Lord is quick to forgive So they repented (repentance is synonym for turning back to God ) and happiness came back ….but the cycle starts again ..
The solutions: Remember, Remember:
Helaman5:6 God’s commandments
Helaman 5:7 God’s goodness
Helaman 5: 9 Jesus’s atonement
Helaman 5:12 Jesus is the Rock
Nephi and Lehi , Helaman’s sons went to preach the gospel and were imprisonned in the same jail where Alma had been ,( Brother holland calls it the liberty jail) This prison story is a dramatized prophecy that points to Jesus and testifies of a God who speaks to individuals in the deepest darkness and fear from Helaman 5:22. And here comes Aminadab ,Helaman5:35 ,39 Aminadab ,an inactive nephite becomes a missionary .He tells the people to pray and his testimony pierced the 300 lamanites and dissenters’ heart (See Helaman5:49,50,51,52).There are connections between this prison story and the coming of Christ after his resurrection: Look at 3 Nephi 7 .
All those chapters and the following ones lead to The coming of Christ .We are expecting Christ and the situation of the world is similar to the one we are studying this week …
In 1988 Ezra Taft Benson in the speech «I testify «said «the only safety is in Christ and his Covenants(october1988)
Ezra Tbenson gave the most powerful speech about pride «Beware of pride «inApril 1989 :
«Most of us are blind to our own pride Pride is enmity towards God and the others ….«It’s the comparison that makes you proud. The proud love the praise of men more than the praise of God see John 12:42,43 .When pride has hold on our hearts,we lose our independence of the world and deliver our freedoms to the bondage of men’s judgment .When we direct our pride toGod ,it is in the spirit of »my will and not thine be done »
An antidote to the venom of the 3 headed snake mentioned above is : Get hold of the word of God . Helaman 3:27 to 30 The word of God is a sword , an iron rod, a compass(Liahona), a ship which can lead us back to Him .
Let’s write the scriptures on our hearts. Remember who we are Helaman5:5,6,9. Remember is repeated 10 times, let’s yield our hearts to God Helaman 3:35. Let Gratitude fill our hearts
Let’s Build which means make efforts ,on the Rock of the redeemer …
To go further and deeper :read again Elder Neil Anderson’s speech Spiritually defining memories April 2020. And watch the video Sanctify yourselves on you tube
And read « In the strength of the Lord «by Henry B Eyrig april 2004
E. CONESA
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