Nephi is Vindicated
Book of Mormon Notes - Tuesday, December 5, 2023, Helaman 9
I’m way behind schedule to finish the Book of Mormon and my Book of Mormon Notes by Christmas (in just a few weeks), but I’m just in time, in a way, because we will be studying the events that lead up to the birth of Jesus Christ, and the Lord’s ministry among the Nephites as Christmas 2023 approaches.
To those around him it seemed that the Prophet Nephi, son of Helaman, had begun to stir up trouble. Was Nephi “divisive”? Was he “uncivil”? Was Nephi “polarizing”? Did he need to learn how to “disagree better”? The answer to each one of these questions is, of course, no.
After Nephi’s rebuke of the wicked judges and murderers, and after his inspired announcement regarding the murder of the chief judge, five men ran to find out if what Nephi had said was true. They did not believe Nephi, but they ran to find out anyhow. When they arrived at the judgment seat and saw the chief judge lying in his blood, just as Nephi had foretold, they were astonished, and fell to the earth.
Instead of taking the route that the Lord and His prophets have always encouraged, namely to believe in order to see, or in other words, to exercise faith in things which are not seen which are true, these five Nephites wanted to see in order to believe. They ran, they saw, they believed, and fear came upon them. They knew that Nephi had been telling them the truth all along, and they feared lest all the judgments which Nephi had spoken ashould come upon the people.
Meanwhile, as news of the murder spread, the people began to gather around the murdered judge and the five fallen men. The people were astonished to see the five fallen men around the murdered chief judge, and because they supposed them to be the murderers, they bound them and cast them into prison. The next day at the funeral of the great chief judge, everyone gathered together. The judges who were with Nephi by his garden discovered that the five men who had been sent to find out about the murder had been cast into prison as murder suspects. The five men informed them of everything that they had witnessed, but it was still not enough to convince them that Nephi had spoken the truth.
In fact, these wicked judges even began to accuse Nephi of the murder. They accused Nephi of having conspired with someone to slay the chief judge in order to promote himself as a prophet of God. After liberating the five men who had been held captive, they bound Nephi and arraigned him before the people. The five men who were liberated rebuked the judges for accusing Nephi, but to no avail. Nephi was dragged before the public to be cross-examined by the wicked judges who desired to accuse him to death.
The wicked judges accused Nephi of conspiring with the murderer of the chief judge. Like Zeezrom who tempted Amulek with money, the wicked judges tempted Nephi with money if he would reveal his supposed conspiracy.
As I was studying this account, I began to juxtapose in my mind the trial and death of Socrates with this trial against Nephi. Of course there are many differences between Socrates and Nephi, and between the Athenians and the Nephites. Socrates was a just man who had been accused of impiety and corrupting the youth. Nephi was a just man, and a prophet, who had been accused of conspiracy to murder. Furthermore, it seems to me that the Nephites, and especially the Nephite judges, were much more corrupt than the corrupt Athenians. But both Socrates and Nephi were condemned to death. Both Socrates and Nephi had exposed corruption in their respective societies. Both Socrates and Nephi gave their defense before a crowd of their fellow citizens.
I think that Socrates could have benefitted from a bit of prophetic power during his trial, but we all know that it was his fate to drink the hemlock. Nephi, on the other hand, unleashed a fiery stream of biting ridicule, blasting reproach, withering sarcasm, and stern rebuke that would have impressed even Frederick Douglass:
O ye afools, ye uncircumcised of heart, ye blind, and ye bstiffnecked people, do ye know how long the Lord your God will suffer you that ye shall go on in this your way of sin?
O ye ought to begin to howl and amourn, because of the great destruction which at this time doth await you, except ye shall repent.
Behold ye say that I have agreed with a man that he should murder Seezoram, our chief judge. But behold, I say unto you, that this is because I have testified unto you that ye might know concerning this thing; yea, even for a witness unto you, that I did know of the wickedness and abominations which are among you.
And because I have done this, ye say that I have agreed with a man that he should do this thing; yea, because I showed unto you this sign ye are angry with me, and seek to destroy my life. (Helaman 9:21-24)
I’m sure that the foolish, uncircumcised of heart, blind, and stiffnecked Nephites in the crowd thought that Nephi was being “divisive,” “uncivil,” and “polarizing.” They may have wished to make Nephi “disagree better”. They may have even considered Nephi to be “bigotted” and “hateful”.
But the opposite was true. Nephi really loved his people more than anyone else. Nephi loved his people enough to speak hard truths to them. He loved his people enough to warn them of their impending destruction if they would not repent. Because of his great love and concern for his fellow Nephites, Nephi did not hold back or refrain from speaking with great plainness and clarity so that it was impossible to misunderstand him. Nephi feared God, and not the people. The wicked Nephite judges feared the people and not God.
Like an ancient American Coriolanus, the prophet Nephi boldly defied the mob. Then he showed them another sign:
Behold I say unto you: Go to the house of Seantum, who is the abrother of Seezoram, and say unto him—
Has Nephi, the pretended prophet, who doth prophesy so much evil concerning this people, agreed with thee, in the which ye have murdered Seezoram, who is your brother?
And behold, he shall say unto you, Nay.
And ye shall say unto him: Have ye murdered your brother?
And he shall stand with fear, and wist not what to say. And behold, he shall deny unto you; and he shall make as if he were astonished; nevertheless, he shall declare unto you that he is innocent.
But behold, ye shall examine him, and ye shall find blood upon the skirts of his cloak.
And when ye have seen this, ye shall say: From whence cometh this blood? Do we not know that it is the blood of your brother?
And then shall he tremble, and shall look pale, even as if death had come upon him.
And then shall ye say: Because of this fear and this paleness which has come upon your face, behold, we know that thou art guilty.
And then shall greater fear come upon him; and then shall he confess unto you, and deny no more that he has done this murder.
And then shall he say unto you, that I, Nephi, know nothing concerning the matter save it were given unto me by the power of God. And then shall ye know that I am an honest man, and that I am sent unto you from God. (Helaman 9:26-36)
The wicked judges went and did as Nephi had instructed. Seantum initially denied, and then confessed to the murder of his brother Seezoram. (Quick side note: “Seantum” and “Seezoram”… who could have come up with such names?) Nephi and the five were set at liberty, and some of the Nephites began to believe that Nephi was indeed a prophet of God. Other Nephites even considered that Nephi was a god, because of his prophesies and his powers of discernment.
Thus Nephi revealed that Seantum had murdered his brother Seezoram. Nephi identified the murderer and also the motive. Seantum had murdered his brother Seezoram who was the chief judge because he sought to sit in the judgment seat.
It is interesting to consider, however, that both Seantum and Seezoram belonged to the band of Gadianton robbers and murderers. There were probably many others among the wicked judges who also belonged to Gadianton’s secret band. The garb of secrecy under which Seantum slew Seezoram might never have been discovered had it not been for Nephi’s prophetic inspiration.
Why did Mormon include all of this in his record? What message does Mormon wish to convey to us, his latter-day audience?
One message is clear enough: when a prophet speaks, it is best to believe him. When a prophet’s testimony and prophesies have already been fulfilled once, it is best to believe him. When mobs accuse and test a prophet, and that prophet reveals a sign, it is best to believe him. When mobs continue to accuse and test a prophet, and he reveals another sign, it is best to believe him. To return to an aforementioned principle, we can choose the Lord’s way, that is, faith, by believing in order to see. Otherwise, those who demand to see before they believe might not like what they see. This is a lesson that the great apostle Thomas once learned the hard way:
¶ But Thomas, one of the twelve, called Didymus, was not with them when Jesus came.
The other disciples therefore said unto him, We have seen the Lord. But he said unto them, Except I shall see in his hands the print of the nails, and put my finger into the print of the nails, and thrust my hand into his side, I will not believe.
¶ And after eight days again his disciples were within, and Thomas with them: then came Jesus, the doors being shut, and stood in the midst, and said, Peace be unto you.
Then saith he to Thomas, Reach hither thy finger, and behold my hands; and reach hither thy hand, and thrust it into my side: and be not faithless, but believing. (John 20:24-27)
Be not faithless, but believing. That sums it up nicely.