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LESSON #1 FROM THE WALLS OF ZARAHEMLA (Helaman 16)
OBJECT
For an object to this lesson, I would display a Bow and Arrow. Now you may know someone who would perhaps let you borrow a bow and arrow in your ward or your neighborhood. Or you could purchase a very simple, fairly inexpensive set from Amazon if you desire. I’ll put a link to one that I purchased in the video description below.
ICEBREAKER
Our icebreaker for this section once again revolves around art. And I know that you guys are going to think that I’m just picking on poor old Arnold Friberg and his Book of Mormon artwork. But me be frank, I love Arnold Friberg and his pictures. They’re the ones I grew up with and they are beautiful representations of the Book of Mormon stories. However, there are a few that I take a bit of an issue with; pictures that I feel misrepresent the story just a little. One of those, as we discussed a few weeks ago, was his representation of the stripling warriors. This week, we’re going to take a look at his representation of the story of Samuel the Lamanite. Now I can’t display that picture here because of copyright issues, and I’ve tried to reproduce it a little with stick figures, although I know it doesn’t look like much, but I’m pretty sure you know which picture I’m talking about. You have this small figure dressed in red high up on a city wall with soldiers down below in the foreground aiming and firing arrows at him. Now you may wonder what on earth could be the problem with that picture. But let me give you a verse that I feel could change your perspective of this story. Take a look at Helaman 16:7 and see if you can come up with any possible problems with the picture. What do you think?
The phrase that stands out to me is, “he did cast himself down from the wall”. Now look at that picture, what’s the issue? That wall is huge! Look how high it is! What would happen if you jumped down from that wall? You’d never survive it. That is a massive wall. And Samuel is dwarfed by it. This verse suggests that the wall must have been much lower. One low enough to climb up, and who knows, maybe he had a ladder or a rope. But to jump down without getting injured definitely gives the impression that it was a much smaller wall. I mean, he wasn’t base jumping this thing with a parachute. Now it could still be high, but not that high. So let’s say, for arguments sake that it’s more like 10 to 15 feet high. A little more reasonable a number for this story. You might be wondering why this even matters. Once again I don’t believe this is an inconsequential matter. When you look at this picture, with this itty-bitty Samuel the Lamanite way up high on the wall, what might you attribute the soldiers inability to hit him to? You may begin to think, well, maybe they just missed, or Nephite archers had chronic bad aim, like they were the storm troopers of the Book of Mormon. I think it takes something away from the miracle of this story. What’s the alternative view. Picture Samuel the Lamanite on a 15-foot wall kind of like he was standing on top of a one-story house. And there you are, an archer, or you have a rock in your hand, and he’s right there. Just feet away from you. (At this point, I would pick up my actual bow and arrow set and try to help them visualize this moment. Of course, do this smartly and safely, in how you aim and demonstrate this. I probably wouldn’t even pull back on the string actually. I just want them to get an idea of what this would have looked like). This would have been an incredibly easy shot to take. These people are hunters and soldiers too, so they’ve had plenty of practice. And you pull back your bow, with his heart right in your target, no Lamanite is going to tell you what to do, and you let it go, and, whoosh, you miss. It glances to his left. You think, huh, that was strange. Let’s try that again, and you take another arrow into your string, this time, really focusing in on your target. No way you’re going to miss this time. You let it fly, and sure enough, the arrow swings to the right. Now you are dumbfounded. And amazingly, all the others who are shooting arrows or throwing rocks miss as well. How could this be? There is only one explanation.
SEARCH
Why couldn’t they hit him? Because Helaman 16:2. Is it because they had bad aim? Was it because he was so far away? Was it because he was quick and able to dodge them?
2 But as many as there were who did not believe in the words of Samuel were angry with him; and they cast stones at him upon the wall, and also many shot arrows at him as he stood upon the wall; but the Spirit of the Lord was with him, insomuch that they could not hit him with their stones neither with their arrows.
They couldn’t hit him, because the Spirit of the Lord was with him. God protected him. In fact, we know that this was a miraculous thing to behold because just look at the next verse.
3 Now when they saw that they could not hit him, there were many more who did believe on his words, insomuch that they went away unto Nephi to be baptized.
This proves how miraculous a thing this was. It convinced a number of people that Samuel must be a prophet, and they repented, and went to be baptized by Nephi. And, on the other hand, those that did not accept his words, have a different explanation, and it wasn’t that he was just hard to hit, or really good at dodging rocks, they say in 16:6
6 But the more part of them did not believe in the words of Samuel; therefore when they saw that they could not hit him with their stones and their arrows, they cried unto their captains, saying: Take this fellow and bind him, for behold he hath a devil; and because of the power of the devil which is in him we cannot hit him with our stones and our arrows; therefore take him and bind him, and away with him.
Their only explanation was that he was able to do this by the power of the devil.
LIKEN THE SCRIPTURES
Well, is there a lesson for us in this? What does it teach you?
A few thoughts. One, God protects his prophets until their message is delivered. Just like Abinadi, Nephi and Lehi in prison, Alma and Amulek in prison, Joseph Smith, these prophets were miraculously protected by God’s power until their work was complete. Also, I feel this teaches that when we have the Spirit of the Lord with us, we cannot be hit by the arrows of the adversary. Satan is on the attack and the scriptures often speak of the fiery darts of the evil one. He's trying to knock us off our walls of faith and integrity. BUT, if we have the Spirit of the Lord with us, they will harmlessly whizz by. The Spirit is there as a protection to us. He exposes Satan’s lies, warns us of spiritual dangers, and gives us encouragement and fortitude to choose the right. Samuel is an example of someone wielding the shield of faith without actually holding a shield. We can do the same.
TRUTH
If I have the Spirit of the Lord with me, I will be protected from the “stones and arrows” of the adversary.
TAKING IT TO HEART
Have you ever experienced this? Have you ever felt protected by the Spirit? Have you ever had a time when you needed strength to resist temptation, and you received it because you asked, and you worthy of it?
I’ll give you an example. There have been times in the raising of my children where I have not felt like I had the patience on my own to deal with certain frustrating and exhausting aspects of parenting. And I had to resist the temptation to deal with those situations in the wrong way, and I feel like I did receive strength at those moments, and God gave me patience, he gave me love, he gave me perspective to help me calmly and effectively handle those incidents.
THE TAKEAWAY
So seek the spirit. Seek to be worthy of it. Have the faith to trust in it. Stand tall on your wall of integrity and belief and when the fiery darts of the adversary come zooming towards you, they will whiz by without effect because you have the power of God’s protection on your side.
LESSON #2 SNIPE HUNTS
Now that’s probably the most famous thing we know about Samuel the Lamanite. It’s what we think of when we hear his name, right? But what about his message? Are there any relevant truths to be harvested from what he said from the wall? Absolutely. And that’s where we’re going to spend the remainder of the video Ezra Taft Benson once said:
“The record of the Nephite history just prior to the Savior’s visit reveals many parallels to our own day as we anticipate the Savior’s second coming”.
Ezra Taft Benson (CR, Ap. 1987, p 3)
Therefore, what we find in the book of Helaman and in the first portion of 3 Nephi, can be directly correlated with the timeline of the last days. The book of Helaman is our time. The loss of faith, the pride, the materialism, the rejection of prophetic voices and miracles, are exactly the situation we find ourselves in today. Jesus is going to visit the Nephites in 3 Nephi chapter 11. Samuel was hoping to help the people to be prepared for that incredible event. And in seeking to help them, he helps us to do the same. So let’s see what Samuel can teach us.
OBJECT
An object I would display for this lesson would be just a sack, or a pillowcase even. And you’ll see why in a minute here.
ICEBREAKER
For an icebreaker, I like to focus on one particular verse that I feel really captures the essence of Samuel’s message, the crux, or the backbone of it. And that verse would be Helaman 13:38. And to lead into that verse, I like to tell my students a story. How many of you know what snipe hunting is? And if I were teaching a class, I’d allow somebody to explain it to everyone. Snipe hunting is the quintessential practical joke of the Old American West and has been kept alive in many a girl’s camp or scout camp over the years. What you need for this to work is somebody who has never heard of snipe hunting before and a group of knowing associates who are willing to help you perpetrate the scheme. A snipe, for the most part, is a mythological flightless bird without much common sense, which makes them very easy to catch. And apparently, they are incredibly delicious to eat. The joke, is to convince the target that they exist, take them “hunting” and then laugh at their gullibility. Now the best snipe hunter I’ve ever known was my great Uncle Verland who turned snipe hunting into somewhat of an art form. I get this description from my father who actually experienced this himself. Now this is what Uncle Verland would do. For weeks before he would tell you all about snipes and snipe hunting, how delicious they were to eat and how you could catch them. He would tell you how stupid they were, and all you had to do was find a snipe trail, sit there with an open gunny sack at night and call to them. If you did this right, they would run right into your sack, and you could scoop them up and enjoy snipe stew that night. Well my Dad fell for it hook, line, and sinker. Uncle Verland would say that you had to wait for the best night to do it. There needed to be a snipe moon. A snipe moon was just a little sliver of a moon that didn’t give much light. You’ll see later that darkness was key to the success of the prank. Also, you needed to practice the snipe hunting call which involved little clucking noises, and then in a high-pitched whine you’d say, “Here snipe, Here snipe”, and then cluck some more. So all week, you’d practice your snipe calling skills. Then, when the night finally arrived, all of the boys and ranch hands would get together to help you out on your first snipe hunt. So my Dad and Uncle Verland were designated as the snipe hunters while the ranch hands would hike up into the hills and scare the snipe down the trails and into their sacks. Before they left though, Uncle Verland would go down to the hen house, and pick out a nice big hen, and he’d wear a large overcoat. Then he’d take the hen and stick it down into his coat and under his arm, and since it was dark, you really couldn’t tell that anything was unusual about his appearance. Well, off they went into the hills. The ranch hands would hike up farther, but then eventually circle around and head back to the bunk house. Well, meanwhile Uncle Verland and my Dad sat there with their gunny sacks open and started calling. Here snipe, cluck, cluck, cluck, here snipe. After a little while, Uncle Verland would say “I can hear them coming, keep calling”. Oh, the excitement was building, and as they sat there, clucking in the darkness, Uncle Verland would slowly open his coat, then in one swift movement, he’d grab the hen by the legs, pull it out, swing it around his head a few times, drop it down into the bag and then hold it up triumphantly shouting, “I’ve got mine!”. And there in the darkness, all you could see was this bag, bouncing up and down, feathers flying, and a lot of squawking. Then he would say, “You can have all the rest”, and then he’d leave you there. Well, after that demonstration, how long do you think you would sit up there in the darkness calling for snipes? Hours. Finally, after you were hoarse and cold, you would walk back to the bunkhouse and be welcomed by the laughter and applause of all the other ranch hands.
Well, the moral of the story is this. You can’t catch a snipe. Why? Because they don’t exist. You can’t catch something that was never there to begin with.
Well, I believe that the Nephites at the time of Samuel the Lamanite were on a metaphorical snipe hunt as well as many people in our day. They’re hunting for something impossible to find. What is it? See if you can find it in Helaman 13:38
And there it says:
38 But behold, your days of probation are past; ye have procrastinated the day of your salvation until it is everlastingly too late, and your destruction is made sure; yea, for ye have sought all the days of your lives for that which ye could not obtain; and ye have sought for happiness in doing iniquity, which thing is contrary to the nature of that righteousness which is in our great and Eternal Head.
What’s the snipe the world is hunting for? Happiness in iniquity, which Samuel informs us is impossible. It’s contrary to the nature and laws of the universe. You can’t catch it, because it doesn’t exist. Remember what Lehi said in 2 Nephi 2:13 “If there be no righteousness there be no happiness” and also what Alma the Younger said in Alma 41:10 “Wickedness never was happiness”.
And yet, many spend the bulk of their lives trying to do just that. They’re on a snipe hunt. It reminds me of this famous quote from C.S. Lewis:
"What Satan put into the heads of our remote ancestors was the idea that they could . . . invent some sort of happiness for themselves outside God, apart from God. And out of that hopeless attempt has come nearly all that we call human history—money, poverty, ambition, war, prostitution, classes, empires, slavery--the long terrible story of man trying to find something other than God which will make him happy."
C.S. Lewis, "Mere Christianity, 53-54”
LIKEN THE SCRIPTURES
What are some of the snipe hunts people go on today? Areas where people seek happiness apart from God?
Possible answers: Power, the accumulation of things, sex, popularity, laziness, secular success, crime, cruelty, their physical appearance, their next purchase, their next relationship, their next paycheck. None of these things are capable of creating real and enduring happiness. They’re snipes.
TRUTH
You cannot find happiness in iniquity. It’s contrary to nature. You cannot do wrong and feel right.
QUOTE
Just listen to what Elder Uchtdorf taught in this most recent General Conference. He said:
“Joy is the very purpose of God’s plan for His children. It’s what you were created for—“that [you] might have joy”! You were built for this!
Our Father in Heaven has not hidden the path to happiness. It is not a secret. It is available to all!
It is promised to those who walk the path of discipleship, follow the teachings and example of the Savior, keep His commandments, and honor covenants they make with God. What a remarkable promise!”
(“A Higher Joy”, General Conference, April 2024)
TAKING IT TO HEART
Are there any “snipe hunts” you’ve been on lately or ways that you’ve been searching for happiness in iniquity? How’s that working out for you?
What happiness have you experienced through living righteous principles?
THE TAKEAWAY
Therefore, we need to be wiser than the Nephites of Samuel’s day. Or else someday we may find someone behind us in the sage brush laughing because we bought into his lie. We thought that if we just sat out there clucking and holding open our bag of anticipation long enough, happiness would run right into it and give us everything we ever wanted. Unfortunately, the longer we sit out there and the harder we try, the more of a fool we make of ourselves.
In Enoch’s vision, do you remember what Satan was doing when he looked down at the misery of the wicked in Moses chapter 7? He was laughing. Laughing at their pain, their suffering, their foolishness. To him, the fact that so many of God’s children are looking for something that doesn’t exist is hilarious. It’s like a big practical joke to him. Well, what was the Lord doing in that same vision? Weeping. The lack of happiness and the fruitless searches his erring children engage in is no laughing matter to Him. So let’s not be fooled! Trust the prophets, trust the commandments, trust in the Sprit and they are sure to lead us to the happiness we truly desire. The sooner we are willing to recognize and accept this fundamental law of the universe, the quicker we arrive at the happiness we seek.
LESSON #3 SERVANTS AND SIGNS
Well God doesn’t want us to be fooled by the snipe hunts of the world. He desires our salvation. He desires our happiness. So he does some things to help us; to keep us from being deceived. There are two particular strategies God uses that I’d like to cover with you here.
ICEBREAKER
And for an icebreaker here. A quick game of pyramid. And I’ll refer you to a previous video for a more in-depth explanation of how the game works. The explanation is right at the beginning of this video. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zwnpv1Q4Eaw) , but here are the words that I would use:
Shepherd
Star
Watchman
Candle
Builder
Guide
Warn
Protect
Miracle
Believe
Repent
Second Coming
Then I would explain that each of these words has a connection to two of the methods God uses to help us not be fooled by Satan’s deceptions.
So in our first round, all of those words are objects that the scriptures use as symbols for prophets. Prophets are one of God’s most important tools for helping us not to be deceived. And then our second method is signs. Each of those words is connected with the idea of heavenly signs that God sends to the faithful to help protect and reassure his disciples. So those are our two great helps in the latter-days. Servants and signs. Let’s take a closer look at these two great blessings.
SERVANTS
First, servants, or prophets. God sends these inspired men like Samuel the Lamanite, to prophesy, to teach, to warn, and to reveal the practical joke before it goes too far. Prophets are the guys that come in and say, hey, don’t fall for it! Snipes aren’t real. They’re just trying to fool you. You can’t find happiness in wickedness.
Unfortunately, Satan doesn’t take this threat to his plans lightly and he tempts people to reject that help. How do people often react to the words and warnings of the prophets? These chapters give us some examples of that. Do the following Rejecting the Revelators crossword puzzle to find the words that describe the wrong way to react to the prophets.
6 DOWN They ________ them out. (13:2)
7 ACROSS They put up _______ to keep them out (13:4)
5 ACROSS They won’t _________ them (13:7)
1 DOWN They ________ their hearts against them (13:12)
4 ACROSS They cast them out, ______ them, cast stones at them, and slay them (13:24)
3 ACROSS They get ________ with them and seek to destroy them. (14:10)
2 DOWN They get angry, cast stones at them, and shoot ______ at them. (16:2)
ANSWERS
6 DOWN Cast
This is the first thing that the people of Zarahemla do to Samuel the Lamanite. He walks into town, but they throw him out. They don’t even want to give him a chance to speak to them. Do people do the same to the prophets of today? Yeah. They won’t even give them a chance. I believe that the most common form of casting out prophets today is simply ignoring them.
7 ACROSS Walls
Now Samuel the Lamanite begins to head back home when the voice of the Lord comes to him and tells him to go back. Return and prophesy. So Samuel does. But the people of Zarahemla won’t let him in. They separate themselves from the presence of the prophet and place him outside the walls of the city. So what’s the answer here. They put up WALLS to keep them out. How do people do that today? What walls do we put up between ourselves and the prophets? The walls of pride (I don’t need to listen to them, I don’t need their counsel, I know what’s best for me) The walls of laziness (I don’t have time to listen to them speak for 8 hours on conference weekend) The walls of sin, The walls of apathy (I just don’t care, I have better things to do). The walls of disbelief (I think they’re getting it wrong; I don’t believe they’re actually speaking for God). Lots of different metaphorical walls we can place between ourselves and God’s servants.
5 ACROSS Receive
Do we receive the prophets? Do we open the way for their words to enter our hearts and minds? Or do we reject the gift of their wisdom, their counsel, and their love?
1 DOWN Harden
Hard hearts are prideful hearts. Hearts that refuse to allow God’s word to sink into them. It’s a similar metaphor to the wall. Walls are barriers. Hard barriers. Not only have the people put a physical wall between themselves and Samuel, but they’ve also put up a figurative wall around their hearts. We won’t listen to you! We don’t need your help!
4 ACROSS Mock
They make fun of them. In 14:10 Samuel gives one of the reasons that they are rejecting him. He says, “Because I am a Lamanite . . .ye are angry with me”. So there is a little bit of racism or prejudice there that they feel gives them leave to mock and reject him. Pssshh, no Lamanite is going to tell me what to do. Similar kinds of mocking and prejudices are used to reject modern day prophets. They are too old, too American, too behind the times, too white, too strict, too lenient, too left, too right, too soft, too hard. They mock their backgrounds, their speaking ability, their leadership style, their policies. There really is no end to the criticisms that are leveled at the living prophets.
3 ACROSS Angry
Are there people that are angry with the prophets today? I’ve seen that too. I’ve seen angry articles written, angry social media posts, angry protests, angry YouTube videos leveled at the Church, its leaders, and its policies.
2 DOWN Arrows
Now thankfully, I think we are past the days where the physical lives of the prophets are in danger, but do people still try to knock them off their walls? Dismiss them, accuse them, try to make them look silly, doubt their motives, deconstruct their message. The arrows are still flying all around them from the bows of the media and the skeptic. Fortunately, our modern prophets, like Samuel, have the Spirit of the Lord with them, and continue to stand strong.
So. You can see. There are a lot of walls that are put up in front of the prophets. The interesting thing is, according to the story, what do prophets do when walls are put up in front of them? What did Samuel do in 13:4? They climb them. They keep trying. They do whatever they can to get their message out there. What kinds of things do the prophets do nowadays to “climb the walls"? They broadcast their words to the world. They send out church magazines each month. They produce Church videos. They give special firesides, participate in interfaith activities, provide humanitarian aid, travel the world speaking to various congregations, release proclamations and official statements. They do all kinds of things on social media. You can’t stop the prophets. They’re tenacious. They’re relentless. They are constantly climbing walls and shouting their message to the church and the world.
PAST OR PRESENT PROPHETS
There is another reaction to the prophets that I want to add here, and it comes from Helaman 13:25-26. Samuel says:
25 And now when ye talk, ye say: If our days had been in the days of our fathers of old, we would not have slain the prophets; we would not have stoned them, and cast them out.
26 Behold ye are worse than they; for as the Lord liveth, if a prophet come among you and declareth unto you the word of the Lord, which testifieth of your sins and iniquities, ye are angry with him, and cast him out and seek all manner of ways to destroy him; yea, you will say that he is a false prophet, and that he is a sinner, and of the devil, because he testifieth that your deeds are evil.
Sometimes the problem isn’t that people don’t believe in prophets. It’s that they claim to believe in the prophets of the past, but they reject the prophets of the present. Samuel teaches the principle that if you reject the prophet of the present, you would have rejected the prophets of the past. Jesus taught the same principle to the Pharisees. Do people still do the same thing today?
Spencer W. Kimball once said:
"Even in the church, many are prone to garnish the sepulchers of yesterday's prophets and mentally stone the living ones" (Instructor, 95:257).
President Spencer W. Kimball
So we can’t claim allegiance to the principles taught by Gordon B. Hinckley, David O. McKay, Heber J. Grant, or Joseph Smith, if we can’t accept the teachings and leadership of Russell M. Nelson.
Now there’s a sister principle to this truth as well. Have you ever wondered what you would have done, had you been alive during certain eras of scriptural history? Would you have had the faith to cross the plains with the pioneers? Would you have had the faith to build a boat with Nephi? Would you have accepted Jesus Christ’s miracles and teachings during his mortal ministry? Would you have followed Moses through the Red Sea and into the wilderness? Sometimes you may wonder. But this principle tells you exactly what you would have done. If a true principle is that if you reject the prophet of today, you would have rejected the prophets of the past, then something else is true as well. If you accept the prophet of today, and follow him, and believe in him, you would have done the same with the prophets of the past. So, if you strive to follow the counsels and teachings of President Nelson, you would have had the faith to cross the plains, and build the boat, and accept the Savior. Both principles stand true.
Thankfully, our prophets always get up on those walls, brave those arrows and stones and continue to stand strong.
SIGNS
Now there is another blessing God often sends to help us navigate a snipe hunting world. Signs. We’ve already established in a previous video that signs do a poor job of creating faith, but an incredible job of reinforcing faith that already exists in the person. These people have already witnessed the sign of Nephi predicting the murder of the chief judge and they didn’t seem all that impressed by it. It did not cause a mass conversion. Most of them just went home leaving Nephi standing there in the midst of them. So now God is going to give them SIGNS. Bigger SIGNS. And Samuel is going to do something new here. Prophets going all the way back to Lehi in the Book of Mormon had predicted the coming of the Savior, but not until Samuel do we have a specific sign mentioned of his birth. And it’s a doozy. What was going to be the sign of the Savior’s birth? 14:3-6
3 And behold, this will I give unto you for a sign at the time of his coming; for behold, there shall be great lights in heaven, insomuch that in the night before he cometh there shall be no darkness, insomuch that it shall appear unto man as if it was day.
4 Therefore, there shall be one day and a night and a day, as if it were one day and there were no night; and this shall be unto you for a sign; for ye shall know of the rising of the sun and also of its setting; therefore they shall know of a surety that there shall be two days and a night; nevertheless the night shall not be darkened; and it shall be the night before he is born.
5 And behold, there shall a new star arise, such an one as ye never have beheld; and this also shall be a sign unto you.
6 And behold this is not all, there shall be many signs and wonders in heaven.
Well, that is a sign. Basically, the sun is going to go down, and it’s not going to get dark. That is an unmistakable sign.
Then, he’ll prophesy the sign of Christ’s death in 14:20-27 and what do we find there? I’m not going to read through the entire text but basically two things, darkness and destruction. The first sign, the sign of his birth is glorious and riskless. There’s no danger associated with it. But the second sign is destructive and frightening. So it’s like Samuel is saying, “If I’m right about the first sign, then you’ll know that I’m going to be right about the second one, and you can be prepared for it.
THE MESSAGE OF THE SIGNS
Now just a bit of a side note here. I really find those two signs interesting. I believe there’s a message taught by the signs themselves, symbolically. Why is it days of light when Christ is born and days of darkness when he dies? What’s the principle? This teaches me that when Christ comes into your world, into your life, that’s what he brings, light and clarity and rejoicing, but when Christ leaves your world or your life, or when we push him out of it, there is only darkness. Christ, light, no Christ, darkness. Which of the two signs describes your current circumstances? Do you have more of a “sign of his birth” or “sign of his death” kind of life? And if you’re in the darkness, let him in, let Christ be born into your world with all his life-giving light and energy. And if he’s already there, don’t let his presence die for you, Keep his presence alive, always walk in the light.
THE PURPOSE OF THE SIGNS
Well back to the purpose of signs here. The key phrase to look for here is “to the intent”. And I see two basic ones. What is the two-fold intent of these signs.
Look in the following verses:
14:12
14:28
14:29
In verse 12, he gives signs to the intent that ye might believe
In 28, same thing, to the intent that they might believe
But he adds another reason here as well, to the intent that there be no cause for unbelief. Or in other words, they will leave you with no excuse for unbelief. My power will be miraculously and clearly demonstrated. There will be no reason or basis for your doubts.
Those two purposes are reiterated in 29. To the intent that those who believe might be saved, and those who will not believe, well, it will make for a righteous judgment to come upon them. God will be justified in his condemnation of them. He can say, I gave you every reason in the world to believe. I almost made it obvious to you that I was there, and that my gospel was real, and that my principles were true.
LIKEN THE SCRIPTURES
Now, those signs seem pretty spectacular, and some may wonder why God doesn’t seem to do things quite like that anymore. Well, as we near the second coming, I believe we may. But I personally do believe in latter-day signs. I believe that God still sends them and frequently. A discussion question then. What signs have you seen that God is at work among the children of men in the latter-days? I believe there are general ones that we’re seeing out there. The increasing spiritual depravity of the world for one. The building of temples. The gospel spreading throughout the world. The continuing restoration, amongst many others. But more importantly, I believe God sends signs to individuals. They may not be as dramatic as a day, a night, and a day of light but they’re there. I’ve heard students, friends, family members, and even strangers share these kinds of things. Unexplainable circumstances, answered prayers, medical miracles, dreams, visions, help from outstretched hands of service when they were at their lowest, comfort from the unseen world, not to mention the miracles of creation all around us, the power of the scriptures, and the guidance of living prophets. We have signs enough that God is there. I have heard many, many stories and experiences from people, inside and outside the church, too many to doubt that God is an active and present force in the lives of his children in today’s world. Oh, there are signs out there. God is still a God of signs and miracles and I’m sure that many of you, right now, could attest to that fact.
THE SIX RATIONALIZATIONS
Now, there are two ways we can react to those signs. As verse 29 says there are some that will believe and some that will not believe. And at the end of the Book of Helaman, the majority of the Nephites fall into the latter category, despite an increase in great signs, wonders, and angelic visions. So how can people not believe when signs clearly indicate God’s power is present. Well, they rationalize. They rationalize away the signs. I find the last verses of chapter 16 fascinating. It’s basically a collection of all the major ways people dismiss God’s signs. And you know what, Satan hasn’t changed his tactics much over the years. I think you’ll see that the same rationalizations that the Nephites used back then, are the ones people continue to use today. Let’s see if you can find them. All the reasons people give NOT to believe. To dismiss servants and signs. I’m going to give you the verses and I want you to find as many different rationalizations as you can. And as we do this, we should be asking ourselves if we continue to see evidence of people using these rationalizations in our world today. You could do this as a handout or a teaching guide with your students and then encourage them to place it in their scriptures. The verses are Helaman 16:15-23. What do you see?
Here’s what I see.
v.16 Some things they may have guessed right, among so many, but behold we know that all these great and marvelous works cannot come to pass. This is what I call the rationalization of “coincidences”. If there seems to be some unexplainable miracle or happenstance, it must have just been a coincidence. It’s a coincidence that a resolution came after you offered that prayer. It’s a coincidence that this person was healed after receiving a priesthood blessing, they would have recovered anyway. It’s a coincidence that something a prophet said actually happened. Lucky guess. The fact that things in your patriarchal blessing have turned out to be true, just self-fulfilling prophecies and generalizations. It’s like their only explanation. All signs are mere coincidences. My response to that accusation? That’s a lot of coincidence. In my life alone, there have been way too many instances where coincidence just doesn’t cut it as an explanation. I think I’m intelligent enough to recognize a pattern when I see one.
v. 18 It is not reasonable that such a being as a Christ shall come. This is the rationalization of “unreasonableness”. Now I personally feel that the gospel is very reasonable, and it makes sense to me in a rational way. However, to those in the secular, unbelieving world, things like miracles, and golden plates, and angels, and a spiritual afterlife will never seem reasonable. My response to that? Aren’t we living in a world now where we can do things that to past generations would seem miraculous or impossible? I could see somebody saying that it is not reasonable to believe that a person could travel across the ocean in a matter of hours, and yet, now we can fly from New York to Paris in less than a day. They could say it’s not reasonable to think that you could carry a small device in your pocket that allows you to communicate with people around the world, listen to music, and access the bulk of man’s collective knowledge. They could say that it is not reasonable to believe that a man could walk on the moon. Some still struggle with that thought as conspiracy theories abound. There are a lot of things that would not seem reasonable then that are completely reasonable now. It’s just not a very good explanation. Just because something seems unexplainable to us now, doesn’t mean it will remain that way forever.
v. 20 We know that this is a wicked tradition which has been handed down unto us by our fathers. This is the rationalization of “tradition” . We can dismiss these things as old-fashioned, or obsolete. The only reason people believe these things is because it’s been passed down from generation to generation. Children brainwashed by their parents and their parents brainwashed by their grandparents. It’s a wicked tradition. People just need to wake up and live in the present. The modern age has all the answers. Don’t hold on to these outdated and silly beliefs. There is a certain sense of pride that accompanies the feeling that you’re ahead of everyone else, that you’re progressive, that you have discovered the real truth hidden for ages, that you’ve really figured things out. Mom and Dad are still stuck in the past, but me, I’ve been awoken. These are just traditions. My response to that. Is it fair to dismiss something just because it’s old? Or is it possible that things of the past have been believed for ages because they’re true? Because they’re fundamental. Now yes, there are some things of the past that we do need to move on from. Just because it’s old doesn’t necessarily mean it’s true either. It’s that neither the fact that it’s old or new is a legitimate basis to dismiss or accept it. We need to approach things on their own merits, not their age.
Also in v. 20 at the end, they complain that Jesus is going to be born in the Old World instead of in the New. “Therefore, they can keep us in ignorance, for we cannot witness with our own eyes that they are true. The rationalization? “Seeing is Believing”. I can only accept it if I can witness it with my own eyes. If I can’t see it myself, it cannot accept it as truth. I can’t accept a belief in God because he’s never been shown to me. Nobody has ever photographed him. I can’t believe in Joseph Smith as a prophet, because I wasn’t present for the First Vision. I can’t believe in the Book of Mormon because I can’t handle the Golden Plates myself and they haven’t archeologically uncovered a sign that says “Welcome to Zarahemla” yet. The physical, tangible world is all that matters to them.
But yet, then you have the rationalization of v. 21 and this one is really devious. Look at what they say here.
21 And they will, by the cunning and the mysterious arts of the evil one, work some great mystery which we cannot understand,
Oooh. Can you see how good that is? They have successfully protected themselves from any possible sign that might come in the future. Even great and obvious ones. So in the last verse it’s “Seeing is Believing” and in this verse it’s “Well, you can’t always believe what you see”. You just can’t win with these guys. They have blocked themselves off from any manifestation of God’s power. They have hardened their hearts. Nothing can penetrate it. Not even something like “a day, a night, and a day of light will work”.
And then one final one at the end of that verse.
They will 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.
I call this rationalization the “anti-authority” rationalization. People out there are just trying to control and manipulate you. Don’t trust or believe anyone. Don’t trust parents, don’t trust prophets, don’t trust church leaders. It’s all a power struggle and others and the Church just wants to run your life. To that I say, I have never been coerced to do anything as a member of the church. It’s all voluntary. Nobody has ever commanded me to do something or act in a certain way. It’s always been by invitation and encouragement.
And there we have it. The 6 great rationalizations. Hopefully, you’ve never found yourself using these.
THE ALTERNATIVE
What’s the alternative then? I’ve added a few additional questions at the bottom of the handout for us to consider. What would God have us do instead of rejecting his servants and rationalizing away his signs? 15:5-6
5 And I would that ye should behold that the more part of them are in the path of their duty, and they do walk circumspectly before God, and they do observe to keep his commandments and his statutes and his judgments according to the law of Moses.
6 Yea, I say unto you, that the more part of them are doing this, and they are striving with unwearied diligence that they may bring the remainder of their brethren to the knowledge of the truth; therefore there are many who do add to their numbers daily.
That’s what I need to do. Stay in the path of my duty. Walk circumspectly (which means carefully) before God, observe his commandments, and strive to share the gospel with others with unwearied diligence. Simple
And if I do? What’s the promised reward? 15:10
10 And now, because of their steadfastness when they do believe in that thing which they do believe, for because of their firmness when they are once enlightened, behold, the Lord shall bless them and prolong their days, notwithstanding their [previous] iniquity—
The Lord promises blessings and an extension of our days regardless of mistakes that we may have made in the past.
TRUTH
God sends Servants and Signs to help me not be deceived by the adversary. If I observe them instead of rejecting and rationalizing, then I will be blessed and my days prolonged.
TAKING IT TO HEART
How have you been blessed by God’s servants?
What “signs” of God’s power have you experienced in your life?
THE TAKEAWAY
That is what I hope we can do as members of Christ’s church in the Latter-days. Let’s stay in the path of our duty, walking circumspectly, keeping the commandments and sharing the gospel with unwearying diligence. I’m confident that if we follow this simple formula we won’t ever be taken in by the practical jokes of the adversary. Remember, you can’t catch a snipe. It’s impossible. You can’t find happiness in iniquity. So, heed God’s servants and watch for his signs. If we do, happiness in this life and the next will be ours.
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