Samuel the Lamanite Delivers His Message
Book of Mormon Notes - Monday, December 11, 2023, Helaman 14-15
The prophets of the Book of Mormon sometimes gave very specific, and specifically timed prophesies. Samuel the Lamanite prophesied that in just afive more years the Son of God would be born. He also gave signs of the Lord’s birth: great lights in heaven, a aday and a night and a day as if it were one day and there were no night, the rising of a new astar, many other asigns and wonders in heaven, and that the people would afall to the earth in amazement and wonder.
An angel sent Samuel the Lamanite to prophesy these things in order to help the people to believe in Jesus Christ and repent. Apparently, the Nephites didn’t just reject Samuel the Lamanite because they didn’t like the way that he rebuked and reproved their wickedness, but also because they harbored a kind of prejudice against the Lamanites. But Samuel the Lamanite continued to deliver the message that the Lord had sent him to deliver, from the top of the walls of Zarahemla. The whole purpose of Samuel the Lamanite’s message was to inspire faith in Christ unto repentance and a remission of sins, and to prepare the people for the Lord’s coming among them.
Samuel the Lamanite also gave signs of the Lord’s death. It makes sense that the signs of the Lord’s birth included much more light - great lights in heaven, a day and a night and a day as one day, a new start, and signs and wonders in heaven - whereas the signs of Christ’s crucifixion and death included much more darkness and destruction - the sun, moon, and stars darkened, no light for three days, bthunderings and lightnings for the space of many hours, earthquakes, crocks dbroken up and scattered, great atempests, mountains laid low, bvalleys made into mountains, amany highways broken up, many cities made desolate. But the Lord’s resurrection would also open many agraves to yield up many of the dead so that many saints should appear unto many. Can you imagine that? It’s one thing to watch all nature convulse, with upheavals of the elements, but it’s quite another thing to see saints arising from their graves.
There would also be even greater signs, all of which would be given so that there would be no reason for anyone to disbelieve anything about Christ and His coming. All of these prophesies and signs were given in order to inspire faith and belief in Christ, which faith and belief in Christ lead to salvation and eternal life. That’s what it’s all about:
For behold, this is my awork and my bglory—to bring to pass the cimmortality and deternal elife of man. (Moses 1:39)
But Samuel the Lamanite also reminded the Nephites that they were always free to choose:
And now remember, remember, my brethren, that whosoever perisheth, perisheth unto ahimself; and whosoever doeth iniquity, doeth it unto himself; for behold, ye are bfree; ye are permitted to act for yourselves; for behold, God hath given unto you a cknowledge and he hath made you free.
He hath given unto you that ye might aknow good from evil, and he hath given unto you that ye might bchoose life or death; and ye can do good and be crestored unto that which is good, or have that which is good restored unto you; or ye can do evil, and have that which is evil restored unto you. (Helaman 14:30-31)
Samuel the Lamanite concluded his teachings - which Mormon recorded word for word - by declaring that except the Nephites would repent, their houses would be left unto them adesolate, their women with child would mourn and flee without finding arefuge, and then be trodden down and shall be left to perish. Dire consequences awaited the Nephites if they would not repent.
Like Mormon after him, Samuel the Lamanite contrasted the Lord’s dealings with the Nephites and His dealings with the Lamanites. The Lord loved and cchastened the Nephites, and He chastened them because He loved them. On the other hand, the Lord hated the aLamanites because their deeds were evil continually, because of the iniquity of the btradition of their fathers. Nevertheless, the Lord cprolonged the days of the Lamanites in order that salvation could come unto them by the preaching of the Nephites. Remember Enos’ prayer?
And now behold, this was the desire which I desired of him—that if it should so be, that my people, the Nephites, should fall into transgression, and by any means be adestroyed, and the Lamanites should not be bdestroyed, that the Lord God would cpreserve a record of my people, the Nephites; even if it so be by the power of his holy arm, that it might be dbrought forth at some future day unto the Lamanites, that, perhaps, they might be ebrought unto salvation (Enos 1:13)
Samuel the Lamanite further contrasted the wickedness of the Nephites to the righteousness of the Lamanites by explaining that most of the Lamanites were in the path of their duty, striving with aunwearied diligence that they may bring the remainder of their brethren to the knowledge of the truth. It is interesting to note that Elder Bednar’s talk “In the Path of Their Duty” was inspired in part by these passage of scripture in the Book of Mormon that pertain to the Lord’s commendation of the Lamanites. The time will come and now is, and Samuel the Lamanite prophesied of this time, when the latter-day Lamanites will come to the knowledge of the Lord and embrace His covenant promises.
Samuel the Lamanite praises the firmness and steadfastness of the converted Lamanites, and especially the faithfulness of the converted Ammonites. He reiterates the promises of the Lord to the Lamanites and their promised restoration to the truth:
Yea, even if they should dwindle in unbelief the Lord shall aprolong their days, until the time shall come which hath been spoken of by our fathers, and also by the prophet bZenos, and many other prophets, concerning the crestoration of our brethren, the Lamanites, again to the knowledge of the truth—
Yea, I say unto you, that in the latter times the apromises of the Lord have been extended to our brethren, the Lamanites; and notwithstanding the many afflictions which they shall have, and notwithstanding they shall be bdriven to and fro upon the face of the earth, and be hunted, and shall be smitten and scattered abroad, having no place for crefuge, the Lord shall be dmerciful unto them.
And this is according to the prophecy, that they shall again be abrought to the true knowledge, which is the knowledge of their Redeemer, and their great and true bshepherd, and be numbered among his csheep. (Helaman 15:11-13)
The Restoration of the Lamanites in the last days is what the Book of Mormon is all about.
Samuel the Lamanite taught the wicked Nephites these things in order to show them that it would be abetter for the Lamanites than for the Nephites unless they would repent. If the Lamanites had witnessed the same mighty works that the Nephites had witnessed, they would not have dwindled in unbelief. Thus the Lord promised to be merciful unto them:
Therefore, saith the Lord: I will not utterly destroy them, but I will cause that in the day of my wisdom they shall areturn again unto me, saith the Lord. (Helaman 15:16)
The Lord and Samuel the Lamanite held the Nephites, the chosen people, to a higher standard, because of the light and knowledge with which they had been blessed:
And now behold, saith the Lord, concerning the people of the Nephites: If they will not repent, and observe to do my will, I will utterly adestroy them, saith the Lord, because of their unbelief notwithstanding the many mighty works which I have done among them; and as surely as the Lord liveth shall these things be, saith the Lord. (Helaman 15:16)
In many ways, Mormon’s commentaries in his abridgment of the large plates of Nephi reflect the teachings of Samuel the Lamanite. Mormon could not write all of the words of Samuel the Lamanite, but like Samuel the Lamanite, Mormon constantly contrasts the righteousness and consistency of the Lamanites with the wickedness and instability of the Nephites. Why does he do this? One reason, I suppose, is that Mormon looked forward to his future audience, especially to the latter-day Lamanites who would receive his work and be blessed by it. The Book of Mormon was written especially for the latter-day Lamanites:
Wherefore, it is an abridgment of the record of the people of Nephi, and also of the Lamanites—Written to the Lamanites, who are a remnant of the house of Israel; and also to Jew and Gentile—
And
Which is to show unto the remnant of the house of Israel what great things the Lord hath done for their fathers; and that they may know the covenants of the Lord, that they are not cast off forever—
We will read many more prophesies in the Book of Mormon about this latter-day remnant of the house of Israel.