Helaman 9 tells of Nephi’s prophecy that the
chief judge has been murdered. He does
this after a multitude of people had heard him tell them of their iniquity and
what awaits them if they do not repent.
As the five left the gathering to verify the murder of which Nephi told
them, they say, “. . . if this thing which he has said concerning the chief
judge be true, that he be dead, THEN WILL WE BELIEVE that the other words which
he has spoken are true.” (v2) Can we be
convinced solely with logic? Maybe, but
is it the “locked-in” testimony we need to see us through all things? I don’t believe it is.
In v5 it says, “. . . when they saw they
believed. . .” Can seeing give us a “locked-in”
testimony? Still, I don’t believe even
that is enough.
Nephi tells the people of another “sign” to
believe the things that he told the multitude.
It was that the chief judge’s brother was the murderer and there would
be blood found on his cloak to verify this information. After this played out as Nephi prophesied,
there were some who believed and still some who didn’t.
The interesting thing to me is when it is told
us that the five believed. They were in
prison. What happened in prison that
they then believed? It’s not talked
about, but perhaps the experiences they had had up to this point, culminated
with the inconvenience of being imprisoned was the combination they needed to be
humble enough to have the Holy Ghost bear witness to them that indeed the
things Nephi told them were true.
When life is too easy, we have a tendency to
look at truth as just a nice story. It
is in the heat of affliction and being humbled that we are more likely to feel the
Holy Ghost bear witness to us of truth.
At least that has been my experience.
As we draw nearer to Christ through our repentance and righteous living,
then the things we have experienced can help us see the logic as truth.
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