Helaman 7:4 Laying aside the commandments of God

‘Mormon records Nephi’s dismay at the Gadianton control over the government. Since Gadianton goals are antithetical to the gospel, and particularly to the Nephite egalitarian ideal, Mormon describes them as “laying aside the commandments of God.” This political takeover also means that the laws no longer provide “justice unto the children of men.” The Gadianton takeover has altered the basic fabric of Nephite society.

While Mormon and Nephi certainly saw this development as calamitous and quick-acting, like a coup, the actual process had occurred over time, eventually reflecting a shift in the people’s attitudes. Although the Gadianton ascension clearly altered the balance of power, that ascension happened because a fundamental shift had correspondingly occurred about how Nephite society ought to be. The voice of the people had become the voice of the Gadiantons.’ (Brant Gardner, Second Witness)

Helaman 7:5 Letting the guilty and the wicked go unpunished

“Even in our day, ‘the guilty and the wicked go unpunished because of their money’. Some things just don’t seem fair.

With strong underpinnings, however, we are better able to reach upward for help, even when faced with questions without easy answers…

Though we don’t know all things, we know that God lives and that He loves us. Standing on that firm foundation, we can reach up and find strength to endure the heavy burdens of life.” (Russell M Nelson, How Firm Our Foundation).

Helaman 7:6 His heart was swollen with sorrow

“Occasionally a missionary told me in an interview, ‘I’m not doing very well. I just seem to be depressed and discouraged.’ Unless there was an unusual reason for these feelings, my answer was, ‘Well, I’m glad to hear that. At least now we know that you’re normal. Enjoy the feeling-it probably won’t last. And the first sunny day will do wonders for it.’

“We know from the Book of Mormon that there must be opposition.

‘For it must needs be, that there is an opposition in all things. If not so, my first-born in the wilderness, righteousness could not be brought to pass, neither wickedness, neither holiness nor misery, neither good nor bad.’ (2 Nephi 2:11.)

“It helps a great deal if we realize that there is a certain healthy element in getting the blues occasionally. It is quite in order to schedule a good, discouraging, depressing day every now and again just for contrast.” (Boyd K Packer, Teach Ye Diligently, p. 101-2)

Helaman 8:6 We are powerful and our cities great

‘We would never hear Captain Moroni or Helaman use such language.   Captain Moroni always acknowledged God when they were successful in defending themselves, and always took responsibility when they had failures.  Sometimes wickedness brings a false sense of strength and security.’ (John Bytheway.com)

Helaman 8:7 They did stir up the people to anger against Nephi

“The great Nephi when he dared criticise the lawyers was in danger of his life at their hands and was only saved because there were a few common people who still preserved a lingering sense of justice and fair play.” (Hugh Nibley, Since Cumorah).

Helaman 8:23 he is God

“Christ-Messiah is God! Such is the plain and pure pronouncement of all prophets of all the ages. In our desire to avoid the false and absurd conclusions contained in the creeds of Christendom, we are won’t to shy away from this pure and unadorned verity…If we are to envision our Lord’s true status and glory, we must come back to the pronouncement of pronouncements, the doctrine of doctrines, the message of messages, which is that Christ is God. And if it were not so, he could not save us.” (Bruce R McConkie, Promised Messiah)

Helaman 9:4 They fell to the earth

“Now this falling to earth is a thing to notice in the Book of Mormon. Every time you’re afraid do you fall flat on your face? Does fear have that effect on you? I’ve remained standing when I’ve been scared stiff. How come these people all fall down when they’re afraid? Well, this is routine. They have to do this particular thing. This is a very interesting arrangement we have here–what the Egyptians call sh t3, your nose on the ground. Remember, [they lived] in a religious world, a sacral state. And it’s true that we’re surrounded with these powers, these marvelous things around us all the time. They’re real. So if something unexpected absolutely bowls you over, what happens? You’re in the presence of some great or divine influence. You don’t know whether it’s good or bad, but you know it’s powerful. It’s more powerful than you are, so what do you do? You play safe. You take the position of complete submission. You fall on your face, and it becomes quite automatic. Women, children–everybody does it, because in the presence of someone who can smite you or anything else, that’s a defensive position. You go flat on your face and you stay there until it’s safe for you to move, until everything is in order.” (Hugh Nibley, Teachings of the Book of Mormon)

Helaman 9:36 I am an honest man

“How difficult for so many to resist the temptation to lie a little, cheat a little, steal a little, bear false witness in speaking gossipy words about others. Rise above it…Be strong in the simple virtue of honesty.” (Gordon B Hinckley, Building Your Tabernacle)

Helaman 9:39 Believed because of the testimony of the five

“Now, don’t ever think your testimony isn’t strong, because it is. Every testimony that’s born is not born of man, but born of God by the power of the Holy Ghost. When you bear testimony, it’s not you. It’s not me. It’s the Spirit of God, and that’s powerful.” (Ed J. Pinegar, Especially for Missionaries, vol. 4, chapter 2)

Helaman 10:5-6 Behold I will bless thee forever

“The story goes that someone once asked Michelangelo how he could transform ordinary rock into his marvelous statues. Reportedly, the artist replied that he just chiseled until everything that wasn‘t the statue wasn’t there. To be spiritual means to have a sense of who we truly are and then to be that person.

“Eventually, spirituality becomes such an integral part of our being that we can follow our heart’s true desires without doing anything wrong. Nephi, the son of Helaman, reached that point where there was no conflict between what he wanted and what was right…This kind of spirituality requires that we consciously move away from all that is unkind, unholy, impure, or unchristian. It requires that we let go of anger and revenge. And it yields a peace of heart and soul. It makes us able to find good things to do without constantly being asked, pushed, or reminded.” (Mary Ellen Edmunds, Ensign, Oct. 1985, p.14)

Helaman 10:2 Pondering

“As you ponder and pray about doctrinal principles, the Holy Ghost will speak to your mind and your heart (see D&C 8:2). From events portrayed in the scriptures, new insights will come and principles will distill upon your heart.” (Russell M Nelson, General Conference, October 2000)

Helaman 10:7 Behold I give you power

“We discover in reading the scriptures that the Lord conferred authority on some of his chosen servants and gave them exceptional powers without the laying on of hands, but merely by his spoken edict…The Lord gave similar authority to Nephi, son of Helaman, who likewise had authority to close the heavens and perform other mighty works, simply by his faith and the commandment from the Lord (Helaman 10:7). This wonderful power has been bestowed on but a few of the servants of the Lord.” (Joseph Fielding Smith, Answers to Gospel Questions.)

Helaman 11:2 Secret band of robbers

‘Mormon assumes that his readers will understand that even the surge of converts resulting from Nephi’s preaching did not tip the numerical balance. The Gadiantons are still a majority in the land of Zarahemla, still retain the “voice of the people,” and still are working to transform Nephite society into something more closely resembling the larger culture. In other words, violence was not directed only against chief judges but against believing Nephites in general.

This civil war pits church-men and Gadiantons against each other. It has erupted out of long-standing differences. Now that those who favor Gadianton-style culture are in the majority, believers become victims.

It is important to Mormon that we see the Gadiantons as causing this war. Regardless of the movement’s origin or historical name, Mormon terms every manifestation of this philosophy “Gadianton.” Even though this particular reign of Gadiantons has no discernible connection to the small band of Gadiantons from Helaman2’s day a generation earlier, Mormon insists on it. For him, the enemy is no longer “Lamanite” but “Gadianton.” This source of greatest danger to the Nephites is no longer in some distant city but in the Nephite heartland.’ (Brant Gardner, Second Witness)

Helaman 11:4-5 Famine

“The Lord uses the weather sometimes to discipline his people for the violation of his laws” (Spencer W Kimball, in Conference Report, Apr. 1977)

Helaman 11:10 They have concealed their secret plans in the earth

‘Question: Nephi said that [the Gadianton band] had become extinct and they had concealed their secret plans in the earth. You [Hugh Nibley] said that meant they went underground?

Answer: I mean they literally went underground if they buried their secrets in the earth. They will dig them up later on–don’t worry. These things are hid and dug up. You find them. They put them in caves and their sacred places. If you go near those places, you are in real danger because those places are carefully guarded. They have all sorts of things in them. I had quite an adventure in one where you would never expect there was anything at all. They had the whole thing down underground. ‘ [Hugh W. Nibley, Teachings of the Book of Mormon, Semester 3, p. 267]

Helaman 11:19 Not a whit behind him

“Not all of us are going to be like Moroni, catching the acclaim of our colleagues all day every day. Most of us will be quiet, relatively unknown folks who come and go and do our work without fanfare…You, too, are part of God’s army…The great prophet Nephi, mentioned in the book of Helaman, had a brother named Lehi, who is seemingly mentioned only in passing but is noted as being ‘not a whit behind him [Nephi] as to things pertaining to righteousness’ (see Helaman 11:18-19).” (Howard W Hunter, No Less Serviceable).

Helaman 11:22-23 Points of doctrine

“True doctrine, understood, changes attitudes and behavior.

“The study of the doctrines of the gospel will improve behavior quicker than a study of behavior will improve behavior. … That is why we stress so forcefully the study of the doctrines of the gospel” (Boyd K Packer, in Conference Report, Oct. 1986).

Helaman 12:1 The unsteadiness of the hearts of the children of men

“You and I need to be patient, and for a reason. A quick reading of the Book of Mormon, a few prayers, a shallow attempt at repentance, a casual regard for the covenants we’ve made-of course, that is not enough. The scriptures use over and over again the word ‘steadiness’ to describe faithful disciples of the Lord Jesus Christ. When faith and repentance and diligent efforts to live the commandments have gone on long enough that virtue garnishes our thoughts unceasingly, then the doctrine of the priesthood, the truthful answers to the questions that really matter, will distill upon us as the dews from heaven.

“That’s been my experience with seeking the confirmation of truth by the Spirit of God. I have at times sought it by singular effort, in times of great need, and it has come. Investigators have that experience when they reach the point where they must know if the Book of Mormon is true.

“But far more often for me, I notice the Spirit’s presence in quiet confirmations at times when all I seem to have done is plod on in diligence, doing the simple things-searching the scriptures with a prayer in my heart and with more concern for others, and therefore less time for pursuits that let Satan, the father of lies, entice me. It’s in periods of that steadiness that I notice the Holy Ghost, almost in the way you’re surprised to discover that your shoes are wet from the dew formed on the grass overnight, and I look up and realize that my mind has been enlightened and my heart has been enlarged.” (Henry B Eyring, To Draw Closer to God, p. 120)

Helaman 12: 7-8 How great is the nothingness of the children of men

‘This is an interesting statement, for those of us who grew up in a generation where we were constantly told that we were “saved for the last day” and “a chosen generation” and even “Saturday’s Warriors,” only be told in the Book of Mormon that “man is nothing” and even “less than the dust of the earth.”  How is this possible if we are really the sons and daughters of God?  The answers lie in verse 8.  The dust obeys God.  Man rebels.  If God tells the dust what to do, the dust obeys, with no pushback.

Footnote 7a directs us to a story in the Pearl of Great Price wherein Moses has a fascinating encounter with God.  Three times, Moses is addressed as “Moses, my son.”  Yet, after the vision, Moses concludes, “Now I know that man is nothing, which thing I never had supposed.”  (Moses 1:10).  I love this story, because Moses illustrates how we can keep these two ideas, “man is nothing” and “I am a son of God” in perfect harmony.  Yes, we are nothing without God, but with God, we can be something.’ (JohnBytheway.com)