The Hopi Indians
Wisdom Literature
[Self-righteousness Leads To Downfall]
265 . In the Book of Mormon the implication is that [people] necessarily go bad when they start dealing in riches and being very successful. [Merchants] dressed in deceptively shabby clothes, traveling as agents and spies—industrial and technical spies, among other things. They stealthily (why stealthily?) brought great riches in their cargo ships and barges and arranged to arrive at night, keeping it all secret even from their own people.
265 Helaman 11 Well, this is the sort of thing we have in this marvelous book of Helaman, which is the dark book, the book of crime. Let’s take chapter 11 of Helaman. After Nephi got out of prison and was delivered, he went on preaching. But it didn’t do any good. Things got worse and worse. “And now it came to pass in the seventy and second year of the reign of the judges that the contentions did increase [things only got worse] insomuch that there were wars throughout all the land among all the people of Nephi. And it was this secret band of robbers who did carry on this work of destruction and wickedness.”
266 Helaman 11:4 Nephi saw the way it was going. This was very bad. He said, “O Lord, do not suffer that this people shall be destroyed by the sword [they had lost all control; when is a famine a blessing?]; but O Lord, rather let there be a famine in the land, to stir them up [to repentance]. ... And so it was done.” There was a great famine.
266 Helaman 11:5 “The work of destruction did cease by the sword but became sore by famine. . .. For the earth was smitten that it was dry, and did not yield forth grain in the season of grain; and the whole earth was smitten, even among the Lamanites as well as among the Nephites, so that they were smitten that they did perish by thousands”
267 They were everywhere around [the Americas], and all of a sudden they were no longer there. This disappearing in the New World is a strange thing. It’s peculiar to the Book of Mormon promises. You don’t find that in the Old World. People hang on; they suffer, but they hang on. They don’t hang on here; they just vanish.
267 Helaman 11:9,10 “When Nephi saw that the people had repented and did humble themselves in sackcloth [so the people were together in this ordinance], he cried again unto the Lord, saying: O Lord, behold this people repenteth; and they have swept away the band of Gadianton. ... They have become extinct, and they have concealed their secret plans in the earth [in other words they have gone underground]. Now, O Lord, because of this their humility wilt thou turn away thine anger. ... O Lord, wilt thou hearken unto me ... and send forth rain upon the face of the earth, that she may bring forth her fruit, and her grain in the season of grain.”
267,268 Helaman 11:15,16 “Yea, O Lord, and thou seest that they have repented, because of the famine and the pestilence [so that was necessary, the one thing that could force them]. ... The Lord did turn away his anger from the people, and caused that rain should fall upon the earth.” In nearly all the dances they [Indians] accompany themselves with the scratchy scratch that goes this way, and the drums that rattle. That’s the sound of rain, and this is the sound of thunder. They are always imitating rain sounds, thunder sounds, and wind sounds. No matter what the dance, rain is the main theme.
268 Helaman 11:18 “And the people did rejoice and glorify God, and the whole face of the land was filled with rejoicing. [Lehi, Nephi’s brother, was just as diligent as Nephi was in this]. . .. The people of Nephi began to prosper again [uh oh, here it comes] in the land, and began to build up their waste places.” This building is a constant activity with them.
269 Helaman 11:25 “And they did commit murder and plunder, and then they would retreat back into the mountains, and into the wilderness and secret places, hiding themselves.”
270 Helaman 11:28 “Therefore they sent an army of strong men into the wilderness and upon the mountains to search out this band of robbers.” They thought that would take care of them, but it didn’t work. They were driven back.
270 Helaman 11:32 : “And it came to pass that thus ended this year. And the robbers did still increase and wax strong, insomuch that they did defy the whole armies of the Nephites, and also of the Lamanites.”
270 Helaman 11:36,37 “They began again to forget the Lord their God. And ... they began to wax strong in iniquity. .. . They did not mend their ways.... They did wax stronger and stronger in their pride.”
271 Helaman 12:1,2 “And thus we can behold how false, and also the unsteadiness of the hearts of the children of men; [he lays down a law of human nature or human condition here]. ... We may see at the very time when he doth prosper his people ... then is the time that they do harden their hearts, and do forget the Lord their God, and do trample under their feet the Holy One—yea, and this because of their ease, and their exceedingly great prosperity.” Why must it do that to them, and why must they be clamoring for more ease and prosperity? Are we the exception?
271 Helaman 12:3,4 “Except the Lord doth chasten his people with many afflictions [they just had a major drought and a crime wave that practically wiped everybody out, then civil war; they are having an awful time—unless that sort of thing happens what do they do?] yea, except he doth visit them with death and with terror, and with famine and with all manner of pestilence, they will not remember him.” Now comes the reflection on human nature. This is a soliloquy, a simple statement of fact: “O how foolish, and how vain, and how evil, and devilish, and how quick to do iniquity, and how slow to do good, are the children of men [there’s a nice reflection on human nature]; yea, how quick to hearken unto the words of the evil one, and to set their hearts upon the vain things of the world!” Here we are again.
271,272 Helaman 12:5 Incidentally, where this lamentation and wisdom literature reaches its peak in Hebrew is in the book of Ecclesiastes. The wisdom literature of the Hebrews is very close to the Egyptian. They quote from each other as a matter of fact. The Wisdom of Solomon and the Wisdom of Amenemhet overlap each other. The latter is a thousand years older. They say the same thing. The human race is just this way, and it’s always going to be this way. Since the beginning of the world it has never gotten any better. “Yea, how quick to be lifted up in pride; yea, how quick to boast, and do all manner of that which is iniquity; and how slow are they to remember the Lord their God, and to give ear unto his counsels, yea, how slow to walk in wisdom’s paths!” See this is wisdom literature. This should be capitalized, I suppose. I’ll see if it is in an earlier edition of the Book of Mormon. That’s the HOKHMAH literature of the Hebrews. They always capitalize Wisdom in the Hebrew writings, as if it were a person. And that’s so in the Doctrine and Covenants and Pearl of Great Price, too. It’s Wisdom and her children.
272 Helaman 12:6 “Behold, they do not desire that the Lord their God, who hath created them, should rule and reign over them.” He has given them the law of consecration, for example, and they don’t want it. They won’t have anything to do with it. The minute you mention it, they will immediately come up with arguments against it. If they liked it they wouldn’t do that. “Notwithstanding his great goodness and his mercy towards them, they do set at naught his counsels, and they will not that he should be their guide. [It climaxes in this; Hamlet says the same thing:] O how great is the nothingness of the children of men; yea, even they are less than the dust of the earth.”
272 Helaman 12:10-15 “And by the power of his voice they are broken up, and become smooth. ... By the power of his voice doth the whole earth shake, ... the foundations rock.” Notice, this is all prearranged. It is all timed, so it is by a powerful arrangement. It is on certain principles that have already been set forth, and it does happen. Then there’s a very interesting thing. In the wisdom literature a bit of cosmology always comes in, because man has to be fitted into the big picture. Here it comes; he is going to give us some astronomy here [in verse 15]: “And thus, according to his word the earth goeth back, and it appeareth unto man that the sun standeth still; yea, and behold, this is so; for surely it is the earth that moveth and not the sun.”
273 Helaman 12:18 He puts in these little notes with much behind them—ignored subjects like the elements in the rigid editing of the Book of Mormon. We are not going to go into cosmological discourses here, but you can be sure that the Nephites were very much concerned with those things. You won’t find astronomical discussions where you expect them in any of the wisdom literature, but then they will come out with something [saying] that man has to work with other things. [Saying that it’s] “the earth that moveth and not the sun” shows that he is up on things. He’s going to treat this [subject] in verse 18 a little later on. “And behold, if a man hide up a treasure in the earth, and the Lord shall say—Let it be accursed, because of [his] iniquity ... it shall be accursed.” This often happens.
273 Helaman 12:26 “Yea, who shall be consigned to a state of endless misery, fulfilling the words which say: [What words is he talking about? Well, he is quoting the Memphite code here, the oldest document in existence, the Shabako Stone, which says] They that have done good shall have everlasting life; and they that have done evil shall have everlasting damnation.” He tells us he is quoting from the old source here. They are not his words.
273 Helaman 13:1,2 There is a complete reversal between Nephites and Lamanites here [Helaman 13:1]. Then here’s another great episode with Samuel the Lamanite and his preaching. The Nephites remained wicked “while the Lamanites did observe strictly to keep the commandments of God, according to the law of Moses [remember, they are still keeping the law of Moses; that’s something].. .. There was one Samuel, a Lamanite, came into the land of Zarahemla, and began to preach unto the people [that’s turning the tables, isn’t it?]. ... Behold, the voice of the Lord came unto him, that he should .. . prophesy unto the people whatsoever things should come into his heart [well, he is persona non grata; they don’t want him].... They would not suffer that he should enter into the city; therefore he went and got upon the wall.”
273,274 Helaman 13:5-10 He spoke “whatsoever things the Lord put into his heart.” Inspiration is unforced; just let it flow freely. That’s exactly the way Solon begins his work of wisdom, which revolutionized the Athenian society. [Samuel said], “the sword of justice hangeth over this people.” The same expression is used in Mormon [8:39-41] when it talks about people of our day: “Yea, why do ye adorn yourselves with that which hath no life, and yet suffer the hungry, and the needy, and the naked, and the sick and the afflicted to pass by you, and notice them not? ... Behold the sword of vengeance hangeth over you.” It will soon fall to your utter destruction. Helaman: 13:6: “Yea, heavy destruction awaiteth this people [nothing but repentance can save them] And behold, an angel of the Lord hath declared it unto me [an angel again], and he did bring glad tidings to my soul. And behold, I was sent unto you to declare it unto you also,... but behold ye would not receive me. Therefore, thus saith the Lord ... I will take away my word from them. ... I will suffer them no longer.” But then in verse 10 he says “the fourth generation.” If we have to wait four generations, that doesn’t bother us now; we’ll cross that road when we get to it [the people thought]. As Scarlet O’Hara said, “I’ll think about that tomorrow.” Verse 10: “And there shall be those of the fourth generation who shall live, of your enemies, to behold your utter destruction. [This is just about the time of the birth of Christ, and he is talking about the destruction at Cumorah.] ... and this shall surely come except ye repent, saith the Lord; and those of the fourth generation shall visit your destruction.”
274 Helaman 13:12,14 “Yea, wo unto this great city of Zarahemla; for behold, it is because of those who are righteous that it is saved.” That’s a basic principle of the Talmud. In Sodom and Gomorrah the Lord spares the wicked [for a while] only for the sake of a few righteous. Verse 14: “But behold, it is for the righteous sake that it is spared. ... When ye shall cast out the righteous from among you, then shall ye be ripe for destruction.”
274,275 Helaman 13: 19,20 “For I will, saith the Lord, that they shall hide up their treasures unto me; and cursed be they who hide not up their treasures unto me [notice how he emphasized this]; for none hideth up their treasures unto me save it be the righteous; and he that hideth not up his treasures unto me, cursed is he, and also the treasure, and none shall redeem it because of the curse of the land.” Verse 20: “And the day shall come that they shall hide up their treasures, because they have set their hearts upon riches [see, they want to go back and get their treasures again—watch out for that]; and because they have set their hearts upon their riches, and will hide up their treasures when they shall flee before their enemies.” That’s the whole thing; that’s why they were hiding these in the Jerusalem story. That’s the real history. We actually have the documents today. As they left Jerusalem they hid their treasures, hoping to come back and get them. But the specific statement in the Copper Scroll is: All these are reserved for use in the temple and in the ordinances, and you can’t use them for your private purpose. They have been dedicated from now on. “Because they will not hide them up unto me, cursed be they and also their treasures; and in that day shall they be smitten, saith the Lord.”
275 Helaman 13:21-23 Here is the old routine again in verse 21: “Ye are cursed because of your riches, and also are your riches because ye have set your hearts upon them [that’s what cursed them], and have not hearkened unto the words of him who gave them unto you [the economy is all, you see]. Ye do not remember the Lord your God,... but ye do always remember your riches.” You are always thinking of the economy.. They’ve got to perish; these things can’t last, you know. They [people in such a society] are in a very bad state. “Yea, your hearts are not drawn out unto the Lord, but they do swell with great pride, unto boasting, and unto great swelling, envyings, strifes, malice, persecutions, and murders [it leads to that—this is your prime-time mix again]. ... For this cause hath the Lord God caused that a curse should come upon the land, and also upon your riches, and this because of your iniquities.” This is a curse on the promised land, you see.
275,276 Helaman 13:25 Now we come to a very important thing. It looks just like routine platitudes about self-righteousness and the like, but this is a very, very important principle that we overlook. Especially today it should be emphasized, namely this: “And now when ye talk, ye say: If our days had been in the days of our fathers of old, we would not have slain the prophets; we would not have stoned them, and cast them out. Behold ye are worse than they.” Then he talks about this self-righteousness. This is the great obstacle to repentance here; it’s the beautiful self-image which we cultivate today. It’s the unbreachable wall—no criticism or questioning can penetrate it. You don’t have to bring specific charges or anything. You are just sweetness and light. The worst of those in the Book of Mormon are typical, such as the Zoramites. In Alma 31 we get them. There are many examples here, but this is the point. They are the worst who think they are the best. Alma 31:18: “And again we thank thee, O God, that we are a chosen and a holy people.” Then skip over to verse 28: “Behold, O my God, their costly apparel, and their ringlets, and their bracelets, and their ornaments of gold, and all their precious things which they are ornamented with; and behold, their hearts are set upon them, and yet they cry unto thee and say—We thank thee, O God, for we are a chosen people unto thee, while others shall perish. ... O Lord God, how long wilt thou suffer that such wickedness and iniquity shall be among this people? O Lord, wilt thou give me strength, that I may bear with mine infirmities.”
276 This is the worst thing you can find, and they were great people too. They were courageous. They were very neat; they had high dress standards. Remember, the people couldn’t get into the meetings without them. They were always talking about their righteousness. They were very clever dissenters and very prosperous. This is the kind of people they were. It goes on here, this holy, holy, holy, we believe thou art God. Every Sunday they would come and bear their testimony. “Thou hast separated us from our brethren. Thou has elected us to be thy holy children.” Well, what an image they have of themselves! “Behold thou art the same yesterday and today. We thank thee that thou hast elected us.” So this is the best possible defense you can have against repentance, and it’s the hardest wall to penetrate, once people get this idea. The Zoramites had it. As Joseph Smith said, “Let no man proclaim his own righteousness.” That’s one of the greatest dangers to Latter-day Saints because we have been blessed, and the Lord recognizes us. There’s a reason for thinking that we are pretty good, but look out for that because look what happens. Then there’s this other thing, the prosperity. That’s what is going to wreck it all.
276 Helaman 13:26 Now, here’s a very good one, a nice culture note here in the verse 26: “Behold ye are worse than they. ... If a prophet come among you and declareth unto you the word of the Lord, which testified! of your sins and iniquities, ye are angry with him.”