Unwearyingness
Book of Mormon Notes - Wednesday, December 6, 2023, Helaman 10
I feel to make a correction in my Book of Mormon Notes.
While I certainly believe that we live in the last days, a time of great wickedness and corruption, I feel to acknowledge the goodness and even the greatness of those - whether members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints or not - who are in the path of their duty. In a way, this is not a correction, because I’ve acknowledged that Helaman (and Mormon) reveals the sharp contrast between the growing righteousness of the righteous and the growing wickedness of the wicked in the few decades that preceded the birth of our Savior Jesus Christ.
As I read of Nephi’s tribulations among his people, it is easy to see how things are just as bad, and maybe worse today than they were even in Nephi’s time. But after listening to Elder Bednar’s most recent general conference talk “In the Path of Their Duty,” I was reminded of the many good people who also suffer because of the rampant wickedness in the world. Elder Bednar even drew an example from the book of Helaman that applies to “they of the last wagon, all who are no less serviceable, and you who today are pressing forward in the path of your duty” who “are the strength of the Savior’s restored Church”:
You love and serve, listen and learn, care and console, and teach and testify by the power of the Holy Ghost. You fast and pray often, wax stronger and stronger in humility, and grow firmer and firmer in the faith of Christ, “unto the filling [your] souls with joy and consolation, yea, even to the purifying and the sanctification of [your] hearts, which sanctification cometh because of … yielding [your] hearts unto God.”24
As I study the teachings of the living prophets I often ask myself what questions, concerns, or events inspired the subject matter and details of the talks that are given in General Conference. I don’t have all of the answers to these questions, but I’ve noticed a recent fad that has been promoted by some misguided individuals that may have contributed to the need for a talk like Elder Bednar’s talk, in which he commends the many good latter-day Saints.
There are some groups of people who have begun to claim that Joseph Smith never taught or practiced polygamy, that polygamy was introduced by Brigham Young, that Brigham Young was a fallen prophet, and that those who followed Brigham Young are part of the fallen church of the “Brighamites”. There are many other twists and turns in this theory, but in practice what ends up happening is that the supposedly righteous followers of Joseph Smith who reject polygamy and Brigham Young become vehement and zealous missionaries who labor to reclaim the fallen “Brighamites”. It gets even more complicated when these misguided individuals throw in their misinterpretations of scripture and their misunderstanding of the work of Avraham Gileadi. (see also, here)
My point, therefore, is that when Elder Bednar and others praise the pioneers and the many good and faithful members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, it is by revelation, and it is in part to counteract the accusations against the supposed “Brighamites”. I think that we will see more such trends and conflicts as the Restoration continues to unfold.
Thus, while it is true that the Book of Mormon reveals a pattern among increasingly righteous Lamanites and increasingly wicked Nephites, and while it is true that members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints may sometimes fall into the errors of the ancient Israelites or the ancient Nephites, it is also true, and good to remember, that the vast majority of latter-day Saints, those who are in the path of their duty, are wonderful, faithful disciples of Jesus Christ, and not fallen “Brighamites” or wicked and corrupt modern Nephites.
The efforts of many good, salt of the earth Saints who are in the path of their duty, are commendable and praiseworthy. We love and serve, listen and learn, care and console, and teach and testify. We fast and pray, we wax stronger in humility, and grow firmer and firmer in the faith of Christ. We yield our hearts unto God. Nevertheless, Mormon’s account of Nephi, son of Helaman is still more relevant to us today than ever.
Like Nephi, I believe that many of the good and faithful salt of the earth Saints who are in the path of their duty also experience much suffering and tribulation because of growing wickedness in the world. After Nephi had identified by inspiration the murder of the chief judge Seezoram by his brother Seantum, more divisions arose among the people. Nephi was left alone to aponder upon the things which the Lord had shown unto him as he returned to his own house. I believe that Mormon’s description of Nephi’s feelings at this time captures the way that many of us often feel:
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— (Helaman 10:3)
Like Nephi, many of us may feel much cast down because of the wickedness of the people, secret works of darkness, murder, theft, and all manner of iniquities. Like Nephi, many of us just want to turn off the news and find refuge from the storm in our homes. Like Nephi, we ponder all of these things.
But the Lord’s revelation to Nephi also contains the key for buoying us up in these troubled times, the key attribute and characteristic of the valiant Nephi that enabled him to not only survive, but to thrive in the midst of such chaos and wickedness:
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 avoice came unto him saying:
aBlessed art thou, Nephi, for those things which thou hast done; for I have beheld how thou hast with bunwearyingness declared the word, which I have given unto thee, unto this people. And thou hast not feared them, and hast not sought thine cown life, but hast sought my dwill, and to keep my commandments.
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 aall things shall be bdone unto thee according to thy cword, for thou shalt dnot ask that which is contrary to my will. (Helaman 10:3-4)
Although Nephi was weary because of the wickedness of his people, and although he was much cast down, he was not weary in well doing. The Lord blessed Nephi - and the Lord will bless us - for declaring His word with with bunwearyingness, for not fearing the people, for not seeking his own life, but for seeking God’s will and to keep His commandments.
This connects to the theme that I was beginning to trace previously in Mormon’s abridgment of the large plates of Nephi, namely the theme of constancy and consistency, or steadfastness, firmness, and reliability, even in the midst of many fluctuations in the surrounding society. Nephi had remembered to build upon the Rock of his Redeemer, and this Rock, like the rock that Moses smote in the wilderness, sent forth living waters, or continuing, fresh revelation. The Lord commended Nephi for his bunwearyingness, and Mormon continually honors and commends those in the Book of Mormon who develop and manifest this same godly attribute.
If we pause to question why Mormon, and the Lord, in the Book of Mormon, would commend someone for bunwearyingness, perhaps we can better see how the Book of Mormon was prepared and designed specifically for a latter-day audience. The Lord and Mormon knew that many of us in the last days would feel just like Nephi, much cast down because of the wickedness of the people. The Lord and Mormon knew that many of us would experience feelings of depression, anxiety, and sorrow because of the tumultuous and sometimes wicked world in which we live. Thus praise bunwearyingness gives us courage to work with similar unwearyingness, even when we might feel weary because of the wickedness of the world.
But how was Nephi enabled to preach the word of God with such unwearyingness when he had every reason to feel weary? From whence his dedication, dependability, steadfastness, and power to magnifying his calling? I believe that the answer to this question is directly connected to Elder Bednar’s commendation and praise of latter-day Saints who continue, quietly and inconspicuously, in the path of their duty. The Lord enables Latter-day Saints in the path of their duty to declare His word with bunwearyingness and joy like Nephi because they work to draw the power of Jesus Christ into their lives. The Lord also blesses us with spiritual momentum, power to overcome the world and find rest, and greater capacity to think celestial.
In essence, Nephi had chosen to put the Lord first in his life, as President Benson taught:
We must put God in the forefront of everything else in our lives. He must come first, just as He declares in the first of His Ten Commandments: “Thou shalt have no other gods before me” (Ex. 20:3).
When we put God first, all other things fall into their proper place or drop out of our lives. Our love of the Lord will govern the claims for our affection, the demands on our time, the interests we pursue, and the order of our priorities.
The Lord blessed Nephi for his bunwearyingness in being anxiously engaged in a good cause, even the best cause. The Lord blessed Nephi for the things that he had done because he:
declared the word with bunwearyingness
did not fear the people
strove to keep the commandments
For Nephi’s simple and consistent obedience and faithfulness, the Lord blessed him in marvelous and specific ways:
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 aall things shall be bdone unto thee according to thy cword, for thou shalt dnot ask that which is contrary to my will.
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 afamine, and with pestilence, and destruction, according to the wickedness of this people.
Behold, I give unto you apower, that whatsoever ye shall bseal 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.
And thus, if ye shall say unto this temple it shall be rent in twain, it shall be done.
And if ye shall say unto this amountain, Be thou cast down and become smooth, it shall be done.
And behold, if ye shall say that God shall smite this people, it shall come to pass.
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 adestruction. (Helaman 10:5-11)
With his will completely in line with the will of God, Nephi immediately returned to the multitude 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.
Perhaps unsurprisingly, no one listened. Nevertheless, Nephi warned them again: “Except ye repent, thus saith the Lord, ye shall be asmitten even unto destruction.”
This time, the people not only refused to listen, but they areviled against him, tried to cast him into prison. But the power of God was with Nephi, and he was aconveyed by 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.
Nephi delivered the Lord’s message, which the people continually rejected. More contentions and divisions arose among the people, and they even began to slay one another with the sword. Ripening in iniquity is already bad enough, but when people begin to openly reject, persecute, and seek to kill prophets, then the consequences can only be awful.