Helaman 1 - Parallels of Our Day

I have written in the margins of my pages that the Book of Helaman parallels our day and that we need to pay attention to the things being taught.  Remembering that this is spiritual as much if not more than temporal is a sobering thought.  So let’s ask some questions since I don’t really know where this post is going.

What is the first thing that happens after the records and have been handed down to Helaman, and Pahoran is the chief judge?  Oops!  First thing is Parhoran dies and goes the way of all the earth.  That adds to the difficult situation of the Nephites because now they must elect another chief judge.  Pahoran had three sons who were eligible for the kingdom, Pahoran, Paanchi and Pacumeni.  Pahoran was appointed by the voice of the people – a vote, but Paanchi was “wroth” and secretly gathered supporters to rise up in rebellion.  He commissions Kishkumen, who is swift on his feet and very crafty, to kill the newly elected chief judge, Pahoran.  And this is the beginning of mayhem again.  A comical side note I’ve put in my margin is:  How ironic that Kishkumen causes his supporters to “swear(ing) by their everlasting Maker, that they would tell no man that Kishkumen had murdered Pahoran.”  Somehow they really felt they were in the right and deserved God’s support.  This is not unlike the enemies of righteousness today.

Remember this is not contention between the Nephites and Lamanites but amongst themselves – the Nephites!  This causes serious weakness in the kingdom and while the people were contending amongst themselves the Lamanites took advantage of their weakened state and gathered their army together and went straight for the center of the kingdom.  The Nephites did not have sufficient guards in the land of Zarahemla, and the Lamanites had on trouble at all in taking it.

The interesting thing to me is what was going on in the border cities.  They were strong and less vulnerable to Coriantumr, who was the chief captain of the armies and a dissenter from the Nephites and working for the Lamanites now.  After Coriantumr had captured Zarahemla, the largest city, he became puffed up in his courage to take more of the land.  Well, they were ready for this.  What Coriantumr wasn’t ready for was the united efforts of these small border cities.  Even though it was a bloody battle, the Nephites were victorious in taking back their land and the Lamanites departed out of the land in peace – meaning, they agreed to fight no more.

So how does this parallel our day?  Think of our homes as being the small borders around the major city – the Church?  Or is it actually our land, America?  I’m not certain.  At any rate, we must keep our homes fortified and strengthened against the enemy, allowing nothing within its walls that could weaken our resolve to serve the Lord, keep his commandments and be at the ready to defend our families, our religion and our freedoms.  Although being politically active is a good thing so we can hopefully elect good leaders who understand the Constitution and the importance of adhering to it, there is a lot of corruption in the land that is weakening our great nation.  This leaves us vulnerable not only to our enemies outside the United States, but also weakens us as a nation because of a lack of unity in our commitment to God, each other, and even to ourselves -  (The American Covenant).  This leaves the door wide open for Satan to go to work and spreading his evil even wider.  Our homes, temples and maybe churches will eventually be our only “safe” place.

We have a responsibility to strengthen our homes and our families against evil of all kinds.