Softened By Hardship

At the end of the great war between the Nephites and the Lamanites, Mormon told us this: “Because of the exceedingly great length of the war between the Nephites and the Lamanites many had become hardened…; and many were softened because of their afflictions, insomuch that they did humble themselves before God, even in the depth of humility” (Alma 62:41).  So why do trials like this cause some to harden their hearts, and others to turn in humility towards God?  We have a lot of examples of the latter in the scriptures.  Paul suffered immensely as a missionary for years and years—he was stoned, imprisoned, bound, smitten, shipwrecked, and ultimately became a martyr—and yet he never became bitter.  In his last known letter before his death he spoke of preaching “with all longsuffering” and humbly said, “I am ready to be offered” (2 Timothy 4:2, 6).  Those were the words of someone who had indeed been softened through hardship.  Mormon himself is another who comes to mind.  Despite the depravity of his people as evidenced through their desire for murder and other abominations, Moroni did not give way to bitterness.  He witnessed their entire destruction because of their wickedness after he had spent his whole life in their service—seemingly in vain—and yet he gave us one of the most powerful discourses on love in the scriptures, encouraging all of the followers of Christ to “pray to the Father with all the energy of heart” to be filled with the pure love of Christ.  Those were certainly not the words of someone who had become bitter by great trials.  Of course, Christ was the perfect example of this.  After suffering more than mortal man can suffer, He was still able to show compassion to the two thieves on the cross, express forgiveness to the Roman soldiers, and reach out in love to His mother while painfully enduring the slow death of crucifixion.  Indeed, He did not let the bitter cup make Him bitter, and to live like that is for us a quest of a lifetime.  I don’t know exactly what made the difference in Nephite society between those who were hardened by the war and those who were humbled before God, but we have enough examples in the scriptures to show us that, if we choose, we can in fact stay true to our faith in the midst of immense hardship   

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Herod the Fox

Herod Antipus, known as “Herod the tetrarch” in the New Testament, was one of the sons of Herod the Great who murdered the children in Bethlehem and rebuilt the temple at Jerusalem, and both Herods are likewise remembered by Christians for their wicked deeds.  At the death of his father, Herod Antipas became the ruler in the Galilean region.  Herod took Herodias, his brother Philip’s wife, for his own wife, and John the Baptist criticized him for it.  He told him, “It is not lawful for thee to have her” (Matt 14:4).  That led to the events surrounding John the Baptist’s beheading which was ordered by Herod.  When Jesus was taken before Herod at the time of his trial, the king “was exceedingly glad: for he was desirous to see him of a long season, because he has heard many things of him; and he hoped to have seen some miracle done by him.” (Luke 23:8).  So he wanted to see some sign of Jesus, and certainly was not interested in understanding whether He was really guilty of what He was being accused of.  He’s another example fulfilling the Savior’s words that “a wicked and adulterous generation seeketh after a sign; and there shall no sign be given unto it, but the sign of the prophet Jonas” (Matt 16:4).  Given the affair of taking his brother’s wife, clearly Herod can be labeled as adulterous.  He sought the sign from Jesus, and indeed it was not given.  In fact despite all that he had hoped to see when meeting Jesus in person, Jesus “answered him nothing” (Luke 23:9).  Herod was one of the few that Jesus called by a belittling name.  When some Pharisees came to Jesus and warned Him to depart, saying, “Herod will kill thee,” Jesus responded, “Go ye, and tell that fox, Behold I cast out devils, and I do cures today and tomorrow” (Luke 13:31-32).  He was a fox because he was deceitful, treacherous, and perhaps most importantly had murdered the man that the Savior regarded as “more than a prophet” (Matt 11:9). 

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And They Knew it Not

The reference of the Savior in 3 Nephi 9:20 about the Lamanites’ conversion is intriguing to me.  It almost seemed out of place as he spoke on broad themes of creation, His Divinity, sacrifice, and coming unto Him.  He said that those who will come with a broken heart and a contrite spirit will be baptized with fire and with the Holy Ghost as the Lamanites who “were baptized with fire and with the Holy Ghost, and they knew it not.”  He didn't give any more indication of exactly what event he was talking about, and the most likely candidate is the group of Lamanites mentioned in Helaman 5 of whom it was described, “The Holy Spirit of God did come down from heaven, and did enter into their hearts, and they were filled as if with fire” (Helaman 5:45).  The text there doesn’t given any indication that they didn’t realize they were being filled with the Holy Ghost, but it is not unreasonable since they had little understanding of spiritual things.  But why would Jesus mention this event in these very first words to the Nephites after His resurrection?  Perhaps He was teaching that the Holy Ghost could come upon anyone who will show forth a broken heart and contrite spirit and faith—even Lamanites steeped in all their wicked traditions.  I think He was also suggesting to the people that they should not be waiting for great miracles to bring their conversion but that the Holy Ghost may come almost imperceptibly.  Elder Packer spoke of this verse saying, "There may be more power in your testimony than you even realize."  After quoting this scripture he related this story, "Several years ago I met one of our sons in the mission field in a distant part of the world. He had been there for a year. His first question was this: 'Dad, what can I do to grow spiritually? I have tried so hard to grow spiritually and I just haven’t made any progress.'  That was his perception: to me it was otherwise. I could hardly believe the maturity, the spiritual growth that he had gained in just one year. He 'knew it not' for it had come as growth, not as a startling spiritual experience" (The Candle of the Lord, Ensign, Jan 1983).       

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The Story of Terah

The story of Abraham’s father Terah is a sad one.  He lived in Ur of the Chaldees and had three sons, Abraham, Haram, and Nahor.  He clearly had the Priesthood as mentioned in Abraham 1:18.  But he “turned from [his] righteousness… unto the worshipping of the gods of the heathen, utterly refusing to hearken to [Abraham’s] voice” (Abraham 1:5).  He became so far gone from the worship of Jehovah that he “endeavored to take away [Abraham’s] life by the hand of the priest of Elkenah” as a sacrifice to “dumb idols” (Abraham 1:7).  Abraham was miraculously saved by the angel, and then “a famine prevailed throughout all the land of Chaldea.”  Terah was “sorely tormented because of the famine, and he repented of the evil which he had determined against [Abraham]” (Abraham 1:30).  Abraham was then led by the Lord to leave the land of Ur, and Abraham wrote, “My father followed after me, unto the land which we denominated Haran” (Abraham 2:4).  So it seems that he had repented and was willing to follow the Lord and his son Abraham.  But it was short lived and it appears that his repentance was only due to suffering in the famine, for in the very next verse Abraham tells us, “And the famine abated… and my father turned again unto his idolatry, therefore he continued in Haran.”  Abraham was commanded to leave, and I wonder if he was worried that his father would again try to sacrifice him.  It’s likely that once he left he never saw his father again.  We learn in Genesis that “Terah died in Haran” (Genesis 11:32).  So what a sad story of Terah: he was righteous and received the Priesthood, turned to idol worship and tried to sacrifice Abraham, repented and followed Abraham to the land of Haran, and then he turned back to idol worship and died there.  I think his story does show the great power of forgiveness that Abraham possessed.  For Abraham to let his father come with him when he left the land of Chaldees after his father had tried to kill him was incredible indeed, even if Terah did repent.  I think the day that Abraham had to leave his father in Haran for good must have been like the day that Nephi left Laman and Lemuel in 2 Nephi 5: they both knew at that point that there would be no more repentance for their family members they loved so much.  But they had the assurance that the Lord was with them, and that made all the difference.  

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Thanksgiving

The word “thanksgiving” is used numerous times in the scriptures.  Here are some of my favorite references:

·         “Live in thanksgiving daily, for the many mercies and blessings which he doth bestow upon you” (Alma 34:38).

·         “Inasmuch as ye do these things thanksgiving, with cheerful hearts and countenances... the fulness of the earth is yours” (D&C 59:16).

·         “Offer unto God thanksgiving; and pay thy vows unto the most High” (Psalms 50:14).

·         “As ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk ye in him: Rooted and built up in him, and stablished in the faith, as ye have been taught, abounding therein with thanksgiving” (Colossians 2:7). 

·         “Yea, [Moroni was] a man whose heart did swell with thanksgiving to his God, for the many privileges and blessings which he bestowed upon his people” (Alma 48:12). 

In that last reference, the next sentence says that Moroni “did labor exceedingly for the welfare and safety of his people.”  I think that those are connected: because Moroni’s heart did swell with thanksgiving to God, he labored exceedingly for his people.  Ultimately that’s what gratitude should do for us: as we understand and appreciate the great blessings that the Lord has bestowed upon us, we will want to serve Him and help those around us.  Moroni realized how blessed the Nephites were in the freedoms they enjoyed and in their religion, and so that inspired him to give his all in service of his people as he tried to defend them.  Similarly, Ammon showed great gratitude to the Lord for His mercy, and this led him to spend fourteen years preaching the gospel among the Lamanites.  He expressed his feelings this way: “Now this is my joy, and my great thanksgiving; yea, and I will give thanks unto my God forever” (Alma 26:37).  Perhaps as we think about our own gratitude to the Lord this Thanksgiving, we might ask ourselves not only what we are thankful for, but who can serve as an expression of our thanks. 

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Teancum's Selfless Service

Teancum has always been one of my Book of Mormon heroes.  I think that one thing that made him so great was that even though he was the commander of an army, he did not hesitate to risk his own life in defense of his people.  He was not like Amalickiah who didn’t even go on the first Lamanite attack that the wicked Nephite dissenter had so vigorously campaigned for (Alma 49:11).  We are first introduced to Teancum in Alma 50 with the affair of Morianton who led away some of the Nephites and threatened to overthrow “their liberty” (Alma 50:32).  Teancum headed up the army who confronted Morianton and “a battle commenced between them, in the which Teancum did slay Morianton and defeat his army” (Alma 50:35).  The fact that Teancum himself was the one who fought Morianton tells us a lot about his selflessness.  In the next chapter Teancum and his army fought the army of Amalickiah and when “sleep had overpowered them because of their much fatigue” Teancum himself did not rest.  He risked his own life to go into the camp of the Lamanites and cause the death of Amalickiah in hopes that it would help to end the war.  He could have easily asked one of his soldiers to do this job for him, but he was too unselfish of a man.  Several years later almost the same thing happened: both armies were camped and “weary because of the greatness of the march” (Alma 62:35).  Knowing that Ammoron and his brother Amalickiah had been “the cause of this great and lasting war between them and the Lamanites, which had been the cause of so much war and bloodshed, yea, and so much famine,” Teancum again risked his own life despite his surely overwhelming fatigue.  He slew Ammoron, but this time he was killed and he literally gave his life in service for his people, “a true friend to liberty” (Alma 62:37).  And in fact, his sacrifice essentially did end the war, for in the very next verse we learn that Moroni was able to drive the Lamanites out of the land after so many years of war.  Teancum was truly a great man because he so selflessly led, served, and defended his people.

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He Doth Nourish Them

One of the themes that we see in Nephi’s writings is the importance of our own efforts as we try to seek help from the Lord.  After the angel came and told him and his brothers that “the Lord will deliver Laban into your hands,” Nephi still didn’t just sit around outside the city walls waiting for Laban to be delivered (1 Nephi 3:29).  Instead he said to his brothers, “Let us go up; let us be strong like unto Moses” and he went by himself into the city, allowing the Lord to fulfill the promise of the angel (1 Nephi 4:2).  When he wrote of their difficult journey across the wilderness he said, “If it so be that the children of men keep the commandments of God he doth nourish them, and strengthen them.” (1 Nephi 17:3).  They had seen first-hand that as they tried to do their part by following the Liahona that keeping the commandments—a small act of loyalty on our part—leads to great blessings and guidance from the Lord.  Later when Nephi took the righteous with him away from Laman and Lemuel and started their own society, he wrote, “And we did observe to keep the judgments, and the statutes, and the commandments of the Lord in all things, according to the law of Moses.  And the Lord was with us; and we did prosper exceedingly” (2 Nephi 5:10-11).  Again we see this theme that diligence in seeking to do their part led to great blessings from the Lord.  I think he summed up this idea towards the end of his ministry when he wrote, “For we know that it is by grace that we are saved, after all we can do” (2 Nephi 25:23).  There is something for us to do when we want to receive blessings and help from the Lord.  We can’t expect the Lord to help us if we won’t help ourselves.  

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As I Have Loved You

In the Old Testament the Law of Moses included these words: “Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself” (Leviticus 19:18).  During His ministry the Savior affirmed that the second great commandment was to “love thy neighbor as thyself” (Matt. 22:39).  And yet despite the fact that to love one’s neighbor was a well-known commandment that had been around at least for 1000 years in the Law of Moses, just before His death the Savior told His disciples, “A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another” (John 13:34).  On the same night He repeated the same injunction: “This is my commandment, That ye love one another, as I have loved you” (John 15:12).  So what was new about this commandment?  Clearly it wasn’t the requirement to love others but rather the need to love as Christ had loved while on the earth.  Elder Oaks commented on this invitation of the Savior saying, “The commandment to love others as He had loved His flock was to His disciples—and is to us—a challenge that was unique.”  So how is loving others as He loved different than the commandment simply to love one’s neighbor?  The change from the Leviticus commandment to the “new” commandment was a change from “as thyself” to “as [Jesus] loved.”  So perhaps we can say that the new commandment was a higher law because Jesus loved othersmore than He even loved Himself.  He put others before Himself in all things, and ultimately He laid “down his life for his friends” (John 15:13).  Loving others like we love ourselves is hard enough, but loving others in the perfectly unselfish way that the Savior did is the quest of a lifetime.  Elder Oaks put it this way, “Our Savior’s command to love one another as He loves us is probably our greatest challenge” (Ensign Nov 2014, “Loving Others and Living with Differences”). 

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The Title of Liberty

 What’s amazing to me about the story of Moroni raising the title of liberty in Alma 46 is that he was only about 26 or 27 when he did this.  He managed to thwart the potential takeover of the government by Amalickiah by stirring up the hearts of his brethren to defend their lands and their freedoms, even though he was so young.  He clearly believed like Alma that “the preaching of the word had a great tendency to lead the people to do that which was just—yea, it had had more powerful effect upon the minds of the people than the sword, or anything else” (Alma 31:5).  Because Moroni believed firmly in Christ he was able to preach and change the hearts of the people, even if it was only a 17-word sermon in the title of liberty.  This is why he could be so influential even at such a young age.  Amalickiah, on the other hand, didn’t have the same advantage.  He had to use “flatteries” to gain followers which gave him only tenuous allegiance at best. When Moroni’s followers were gaining power, Amalickiah had to retreat because he “saw that his people were doubtful concerning the justice of the cause in which they had undertaken” (Alma 46:28).  And ultimately relatively few of his original followers were in fact loyal to him since most came back to the Nephites, albeit forced, and accepted “the covenant of freedom” (Alma 46:35).  Moroni would spend the next 16 or so years of his life as the Nephite commander, and his ability to inspire the hearts of men to defend their freedoms and religion ultimately is what made him so successful.  It seems as if he spent all of his energy up in those long years of war, and he died shortly thereafter around the age of 43.  He showed that age should not be a limiting factor on being a power for good in the world.

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The Records

As Alma gave his last charge to Helaman, he asked him, “Believest thou the words which I spake unto thee concerning these records which have been kept?”  (Alma 45:2)  He was likely referring to the counsel that he gave to “keep a record of this people” in which he promised that the Lord would “keep and preserve for a wise purpose in him” and “show forth his power unto future generations” (Alma 37:2, 14).  After this question and a couple others, Alma told Helaman about a rather unusual prophecy regarding the future of the Nephites.  He said to Helaman, “Behold, I perceive that this very people, the Nephites, according to the spirit of revelation which is in me, in four hundred years from the time that Jesus Christ shall manifest himself unto them, shall dwindle in unbelief” (Alma 45:10). Why would Alma tell Helaman this?  What purpose did it serve for Helaman to know this?  It almost seems that it would be more discouraging than anything else to know that the people you are working so hard for would in later generations eventually all lose their way.  I think that perhaps what Alma was trying to say with this discussion of records and apostasy was, “Helaman, these records are more important than you can possibly imagine and they will be preserved.  Later generations of this people will need the records even more than you can possibly realize—so be sure to keep the record and keep it sacred!”  Earlier Alma had told Helaman that the records would be kept “for a wise purpose in [God], that he may show forth his power unto future generations” (Alma 37:14).  And of course we are now part of those future generations to which the Lord will show forth His power through the scriptures.  We should be forever grateful for prophets like Alma and Helaman who faithfully kept and preserved the scriptural records so that we would be blessed.

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Believing Thomas

When we think about Thomas in the New Testament, the first story that usually comes to mind is that of his disbelieving that Christ was really resurrected.  He said, “Except I shall see in his hands the prints of the nails… I will not believe” (John 20:24).  I believe Thomas was a valiant apostle and faithful man, and perhaps we are too quick to judge him and label him “Doubting Thomas” because of this account.  He was not disbelieving in the Savior or the gospel; He simply couldn’t fathom that Jesus who was dead had come back to life.  We don’t have a whole lot of information about Thomas, but a couple of other brief mentions of him help us to see him for the great man that he was.  It was Thomas who asked, “Lord, we know not whither thou goest; and how can we know the way?”  This question was really a plea to know how to follow the Savior, and it elicited one of the most powerful verses in the New Testament: “Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me” (John 14:4-5).  In another account, when Jesus announced that He was going to go into Judaea again, the disciples expressed their concern because they knew that the Jews were trying to kill Him.  When Jesus told them He was going anyway, Thomas in a childlike manner said simply, “Let us also go, that we may die with him” (John 11:16).  Thomas didn’t value his own life above his allegiance to the Savior, and He trusted the Savior like Abraham trusted God when taking Isaac up the mountain: he simply believed in what God wanted even though he was certain it would result in death.  So when we remember that Thomas said, “I will not believe” we should also remember that it was he who , “Let us also go, that we may die with him.”  That's a man who believed in the Savior.

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Alma's Confidence in Corianton

Alma’s words to Corianton in Alma 39 were straightforward, and they sent a clear message to Corianton of his father’s disappointment with his actions.  I’m impressed, though, with the confidence that Alma showed to Corianton at the very end of Alma 42.  He told his wayward son, “And now, O my son, ye are called of God to preach the word unto this people…. Go thy way, declare the word with truth and soberness” (Alma 42:32).  This was the son that had just caused great problems to the missionary work among the Zoramites, but Alma still showed trust and great confidence that Corianton would change and could still be a successful missionary. In the very next verse we read that “the sons of Alma did go forth among the people, to declare the word unto them” (Alma 43:1).  There’s no reason to believe that Corianton wasn’t one of those.  I think that Alma’s own experience as a wayward youth who repented and turned his life around helped him to focus on Corianton’s potential instead of his sins.  Later on we see that Corianton continued faithful, for he was still declaring the word to the Church with his brothers a couple years later (Alma 49:30).  Alma followed the counsel the Lord gave to Joseph Smith, “reproving… with sharpness, when moved upon by the Holy Ghost; and then showing forth afterwards an increase of love toward him whom thou hast reproved” (D&C 121:43).  He did reprove Corianton sharply, but then showed great love towards him by believing still in his ability to serve the Lord and contribute to His work.

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Justice and Mercy

In the book of Alma we learn a lot about the relationship between mercy and justice.  We read that the intent of the Savior’s sacrifice was to bring about “the bowels of mercy, which overpowereth justice, and bringeth about means unto men that they may have faith unto repentance” (Alma 34:15).  Alma taught this same thing to his son Corianton: “And thus God himself atoneth for the sins of the world, to bring about the plan of mercy, to appease the demands of justice” (Alma 42:15).  But even though mercy can “overpower” and “appease” justice, we also learn that mercy cannot “rob justice,” no, “not one whit” (Alma 42:25).  Mercy can “satisfy the demands of justice” but that will only happen for those who repent and accept the Savior (Alma 34:16).  “Justice exerciseth all his demands, and also mercy claimeth all which is her own” (Alma 42:44).  It’s interesting that here justice is masculine and mercy is feminine; this perhaps helps us relate mercy to the nurturing characteristics of mothers.  The Savior wants us to come to Him for mercy as we would to our mother, and we must show a willingness to follow His demands.  Ultimately our task is to seek out the mercy of the Savior through repentance so that He can satisfy the demands of justice.  Otherwise we will have to pay the price of justice for our sins.

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