Helaman 10

Hel. 10:1

1 And it came to pass that there arose a division among the people, insomuch that they divided hither and thither and went their ways, leaving Nephi alone, as he was standing in the midst of them.

Textual: the modern split in the chapters moves this verse away from the discussion of the types of people who were in the crowd. That context of the division is, of course, the reference made in this verse. When Mormon emphasizes that the people left Nephi alone, he probably intends this as a contrast to the two likely alternatives had their been a unanimity of opinion. If people still disbelieved Nephi, they might yet have found a way to accuse him and execute him. This was prevented by the believers. On the other hand, had all believed him, he might have been immediately returned to the judgement seat, or somehow publicly acknowledged. The unbelievers prevented this. What happened, was nothing. They left him alone.

Hel. 10:2

2 And it came to pass that Nephi went his way towards his own house, pondering upon the things which the Lord had shown unto him.

Cultural: This text confirms our assumption that the tower in the garden was part of Nephi’s residence. He came from there, he returns “towards his own house.” We are justified in seeing the entire compound as his residence, or “house.”

Hel. 10:3

3 And it came to pass as he was thus pondering—being much cast down because of the wickedness of the people of the Nephites, their secret works of darkness, and their murderings, and their plunderings, and all manner of iniquities—and it came to pass as he was thus pondering in his heart, behold, a voice came unto him saying:

Mormon’s leitmotif since the introduction of the Gadianton robbers has been the effect of those Gadiantons and their philosophy. As Nephi ponders the wickedness of the Nephites, he does so in terms evocative of the Gadiantons. He notes their “secret works of darkness, and their murderings, and their plunderings.” All of these things are the catalogue of Gadianton ills. As has been noted, they are also characteristic of the growing trends in Mesoamerican culture during these years.

Hel. 10:4

4 Blessed art thou, Nephi, for those things which thou hast done; for I have beheld how thou hast with unwearyingness declared the word, which I have given unto thee, unto this people. And thou hast not feared them, and hast not sought thine own life, but hast sought my will, and to keep my commandments.

Nephi’s soul is belabored with sorrow. The Lord comes to comfort him. How much greater assurance could be had than to hear God say: “Blessed art thou, Nephi”? Nephi might have been concerned that he had not done enough. He had just demonstrated tremendous prophetic power, and yet not all believed. He had converted Lamanites, but could not convert his own people. He had done his best, and it appeared that his best had not worked. Into this mental conversation comes the word of God, telling Nephi that not only is he blessed, but that he is blessed “for those things which thou has done.” God accepted Nephi’s sacrifice.

Part of that sacrifice was the continuation to declare the word even when it was difficult, or when there seemed to be little progress. Even without the constant reinforcement of success, Nephi continued with “unwearyingness” to declare the word; to do what God had asked him to do.

“Such steadfastness! Such selflessness! Such attunement to Divine will!

There is a phase line in our spiritual progress that, if crossed by means of "unwearied diligence" and righteousness, yields both renewal and reward. We will not even ask amiss in our petitions, and, therefore, our prayers will be granted even as we ask. (D&C 50:29-30; 46:30.) Others speak with justification of the efficiency of freedom, but we can also speak of the enormous efficiency of righteousness.

Successive, small, and connected steps can, with "unwearied diligence," finally bring us where we wish to go, for God "regards men not as they are merely, but as they shall be; not as they shall be merely, but as they are now growing,... toward that image after which He made them... Therefore a thousand stages, each in itself all but valueless, are of inestimable worth as the necessary and connected gradations of an infinite progress."

How vital it is that we patiently pursue His purposes for us? How necessary it is to allow for the advancement through accretion that occurs "in process of time"!

Clearly just as the accumulation of small things is, in fact, the foundation of the Lord's great work, so also are the small steps that bring great blessings. The Lord has both tenderly and encouragingly reminded us of the following: "Wherefore, be not weary in well-doing, for ye are laying the foundation of a great work. And out of small things proceedeth that which is great." This invitation from the Lord to trust Him enough to give Him our heart and our mind obediently should stir us to acceptance. (D&C 65:33-34.) (Neal A. Maxwell, We Will Prove Them Herewith [Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Co., 1982], 101.)

Hel. 10:5

5 And now, because thou hast done this with such unwearyingness, behold, I will bless thee forever; and I will make thee mighty in word and in deed, in faith and in works; yea, even that all things shall be done unto thee according to thy word, for thou shalt not ask that which is contrary to my will.

As Nephi feels the weight of his divine responsibility and the pressures of the failure of his people to see what was plainly before them, in the midst of a righteous and prophetic despair, God blesses Nephi and gives him great power. What an unexpected timing! Right when Nephi is certain that he is failing, God not only confirms his efforts, but blesses him for it in ways that are hard to comprehend.

To this man who has already been sufficiently prophetic that he could “see” the hidden murderer, God gives him a blessing that will last “forever.” God “will make [him] mighty in word and in deed, in faith and in works.” Most importantly, God grants to him: “even that all things shall be done unto thee according to thy word, for thou shalt not ask that which is contrary to my will.”

This appears to be parallel to a promise made Joseph Smith:

Doctrine and Covenants 88:64-65

64 Whatsoever ye ask the Father in my name it shall be given unto you, that is expedient for you;

65 And if ye ask anything that is not expedient for you, it shall turn unto your condemnation. (see also DC 11:14;

There are two parts to the promise. One is that the prophet is given power to effectively ask. That is, the asking will create the result asked for. However, this is not without agency and responsibility. When the Lord gives this gift to Nephi he emphasizes that it comes as a result of God’s trust. Surely that trust was also part of the promise to Joseph, but that later promise also shows that the use of such power from God also carries a responsibility. To use it unwisely is an inextricable aspect of agency. However, should that happen, consequences would attend, and as one might imagine, they would be dire indeed.

Hel. 10:6

6 Behold, thou art Nephi, and I am God. Behold, I declare it unto thee in the presence of mine angels, that ye shall have power over this people, and shall smite the earth with famine, and with pestilence, and destruction, according to the wickedness of this people.

God gives to Nephi the power of control over the productivity of the earth. This power will be exercised in Helaman 11:4.

Hel. 10:7

7 Behold, I give unto you power, that whatsoever ye shall seal on earth shall be sealed in heaven; and whatsoever ye shall loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven; and thus shall ye have power among this people.

God gives to Nephi the same power he gave to his apostles during his earthly ministry:

Matthew 18:18-20

18 Verily I say unto you, Whatsoever ye shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever ye shall loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.

19 Again I say unto you, That if two of you shall agree on earth as touching any thing that they shall ask, it shall be done for them of my Father which is in heaven.

20 For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.

The sealing power is the same, but the requirement for at least two apostles is not present in the New World because as yet there is no such quorum in the New World. The Lord puts this power in a single person in the New World. To receive such places Nephi in not only a place of respect and responsibility, but places him among a small set of men so empowered:

“Few men in the history of this world have so proved their dependability that the Lord could entrust them with power to seal upon earth and it would be sealed in heaven. Nephi was one so entrusted. God gave him mighty power in word and deed. He foretold to an angry multitude the murder of their chief judge by the latter's own brother. He was commissioned to smite the earth with famine and pestilence, that the people might be brought to repentance and not perish in warfare. Thousands did die of the famine, but at last the people were humbled and repented, and swept the band of wicked Gadiantons from among them till the robbers became extinct. In this righteous state they esteemed Nephi a great prophet and man of God; and Lehi, his brother, was not behind him a whit in righteousness. (Archibald F. Bennett. “Nine Generations of Spiritual Leaders.” A Book of Mormon Treasury: Selections from the Pages of the Improvement Era [Salt Lake City: Bookcraft, 1959], 108.)

In spite of this small number of men to whom such absolute power has been given, aspects of this ability to seal something on earth that will be effective in heaven is at the heart of the restored priesthood. All ordinances performed by that priesthood here on earth also have a heavenly validity. In addition to this aspect of priesthood, there is a modern usage of the concept of sealing that has a specific meaning:

“Signets and seals have been used from early antiquity to certify authority. The word "seal" appears many times in the scriptures. Jesus Christ was "sealed" by God the Father (John 6:27), and Paul reminded ancient Saints that God had anointed and sealed them (2 Cor. 1:21-22) and told others they "were sealed with that Holy Spirit of promise, which is the earnest [assurance] of our inheritance until the redemption" (Eph. 1:13-14). John spoke of the servants of God being sealed in their foreheads (Rev. 7:3). In the apocryphal Acts of Thomas (verse 131), Thomas prayed that he and his wife and daughter "May receive the seal" and "become servants of the true God." Even today licenses, diplomas, legal documents, and the like bear seals that officially attest to their authenticity.

For Latter-day Saints, the ultimate sealing power is the priesthood power given to authorized servants of the Lord to perform certain acts on earth and have them recognized (sealed) or validated in heaven. They believe it is this authority the Lord Jesus Christ described when he said to Peter, "I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven" (Matt. 16:19).

The President of the Church holds and exercises the keys of sealing on earth. When a man is ordained an apostle and set apart as a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, sealing is one of the powers bestowed upon him. Other General Authorities of the Church, the presidencies of temples, and a limited number of officiators in each temple receive this sealing power during their tenure. After one is approved by the First Presidency to receive the sealing power, the President of the Church, one of his counselors, or a member of the Twelve Apostles specifically designated by the President confers the sealing power upon him by the laying on of hands. This is the specific authority to perform the temple sealing ordinances.

This is the authority by which "all covenants, contracts, bonds, obligations, oaths, vows, performances, connections, associations, or expectations" can be "made and entered into and sealed by the Holy Spirit of promise" and receive "efficacy, virtue, or force in and after the resurrection of the dead" (D&C 132:7).

In this dispensation of the fulness of times, the sealing power was restored by Elijah, the last prophet of the Old Testament period to hold it (TPJS, pp. 339-40). He bestowed that authority on Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery in the Kirtland Temple on April 3, 1836 (D&C 110). As each man who has been President of the Church was ordained an apostle and became a member of the Quorum of the Twelve, he had the sealing power bestowed upon him, and thus it has been transmitted to the present (D&C 110:13-16; 128:11).” (Encyclopedia of Mormonism, 1-4 vols., edited by Daniel H. Ludlow (New York: Macmillan, 1992), 1288.)

Hel. 10:8

8 And thus, if ye shall say unto this temple it shall be rent in twain, it shall be done.

Hel. 10:9

9 And if ye shall say unto this mountain, Be thou cast down and become smooth, it shall be done.

Hel. 10:10

10 And behold, if ye shall say that God shall smite this people, it shall come to pass.

Nephi was given power to perform extraordinary tasks. Among those were feats that would be contrary to known physics. What is important in this impressive ability to manipulate the real world is that he was still powerless to manipulate men’s hearts. Nephi might command a mountain to move, and it would, but he could not command a man to repent and have him do it. Nephi might be able to call a famine to the land, but he could not so much as change the heart of a single person. Agency is so powerful a requirement of our existence that it stands above even the manipulation of the elements.

Hel. 10:11

11 And now behold, I command you, that ye shall go and declare unto this people, that thus saith the Lord God, who is the Almighty: Except ye repent ye shall be smitten, even unto destruction.

Hel. 10:12

12 And behold, now it came to pass that when the Lord had spoken these words unto Nephi, he did stop and did not go unto his own house, but did return unto the multitudes who were scattered about upon the face of the land, and began to declare unto them the word of the Lord which had been spoken unto him, concerning their destruction if they did not repent.

Even the slight conceptual break between verses 11 and 12 that comes from their visual separation belies the nature of what happens here. Nephi is walking to his home, and receives revelation from God. Part of that revelation and gift is also a command that Nephi preach repentance to the people. Nephi turns around in his tracks and begins the task. He does not go home to “freshen up,” even though he has been bound and undergone a trial. He does not return home to put on something perhaps more appropriate. He does not go home to feed the figurative dog. He turns around. Immediately. Without question he is about the task he has been given, even though preaching that very message has just resulted in his arrest and a threat on his life.

Hel. 10:13

13 Now behold, notwithstanding that great miracle which Nephi had done in telling them concerning the death of the chief judge, they did harden their hearts and did not hearken unto the words of the Lord.

Hel. 10:14

14 Therefore Nephi did declare unto them the word of the Lord, saying: Except ye repent, thus saith the Lord, ye shall be smitten even unto destruction.

Here is the irony. Nephi has performed a miracle, and they people ignore it. Here is the importance of agency, for Nephi can call a famine, but he cannot produce faith in the human heart. Those who were inclined to disbelief found a way to continue in disbelief. Upon them Nephi again pronounces the consequence. If they do not repent, destruction will come.

Hel. 10:15

15 And it came to pass that when Nephi had declared unto them the word, behold, they did still harden their hearts and would not hearken unto his words; therefore they did revile against him, and did seek to lay their hands upon him that they might cast him into prison.

It should be no surprise that they would attempt to seize him. A part of the people attending his judgment clearly continued to want his execution. Nephi would have gone to these to preach repentance, for there was no reason to preach to those who had already come to believe. Thus he returns to the very people who had wanted him killed, and said to them the very thing for which they wanted to kill him. No wonder they continued to desire to kill him, and therefore were ready to imprison him.

Hel. 10:16

16 But behold, the power of God was with him, and they could not take him to cast him into prison, for he was taken by the Spirit and conveyed away out of the midst of them.

Mormon does not tell us how the spirit removed Nephi from this dangerous situation. Clearly the method was not such that the unbelievers believed. Nevertheless, God’s purposes no longer included Nephi’s incarceration, so God preserves Nephi to continue his attempt to save his people from the coming destruction.

Hel. 10:17

17 And it came to pass that thus he did go forth in the Spirit, from multitude to multitude, declaring the word of God, even until he had declared it unto them all, or sent it forth among all the people.

Hel. 10:18

18 And it came to pass that they would not hearken unto his words; and there began to be contentions, insomuch that they were divided against themselves and began to slay one another with the sword.

The preaching of the gospel has no effect. Nevertheless there are divisions among the people. There were some who did believe, and it appears that it would be along these lines that the social contentions arose. These have been the lines of division in all of Nephite history to this point, and there is no reason to suppose that the pressures for change were any different. In this case, however, there has been a shift in the percentage of believers and non-believers, with the non-believers in the majority and therefore able to enforce their views. The contentions between these factions heats up to the point where their in some form of civil war.

Hel. 10:19

19 And thus ended the seventy and first year of the reign of the judges over the people of Nephi.

The seventy-first year of the reign of the judges correlates to approximately 24BC.

Textual: This is the end of a chapter in the 1830 edition.