In Samuel the Lamanite’s teachings in Helaman 13-15, he is quick to point out the pride that has overtaken the Nephite society. Samuel the Lamanite declares: ...for as the Lord liveth, if a prophet come among you and declareth unto you the word of the Lord, which testifieth of your sins and iniquities, ye are... Continue Reading →
Loftiness, Haughtiness (2 Nephi 12:11, 17, 2 Nephi 15:15-16)
lofty - proud, aloof, or self-important haughty - arrogantly superior and disdainful (Oxford English Dictionary) A recurrent theme in the writings of Isaiah is the impermanence of worldly power. Physical strength, wealth, and positions of authority are all transitory—any control or influence we derive from them will evaporate over time. Only God's power is permanent.... Continue Reading →
Nephi’s Vision
The prophet Nephi was so impressed with his father's dream and his father's prophecies that he prayed to see what his father had seen. As a result, he saw a sweeping vision in which an angel showed him many future events and used them to explain the symbols from his father's dream. Today, I summarized the... Continue Reading →
What Does the “Great and Spacious Building” Represent?
In Lehi's dream, after arriving at the tree of life and tasting its sweet fruit, after guiding family members to the same tree, and after seeing many other people arrive at that tree by following a rod of iron through a mist of darkness, Lehi saw something which perplexed him. Some of the people who... Continue Reading →
What Can We Learn from Teancum’s Assassinations of Two Lamanite Kings?
During an extended war between the Nephites and the Lamanites, one of the Nephite commanders, Teancum, bravely enters the camp of the enemy on two occasions to take out their leader. The first of these events occurs near the beginning of the war. The Lamanites have invaded Nephite lands and have taken possession of numerous... Continue Reading →
What Does It Mean to Be “Puffed Up?”
The Greek word phusioo (φυσιόω) means "to puff or blow up." It comes from the word phusa which means "bellows." Some form of the word appears five times in Paul's First Epistle to the Corinthians and once in his epistle to the Colossians. In the King James Version of the Bible, it is always translated as "puffed... Continue Reading →
What Is “Stoutness of Heart?”
After prophesying that the Savior will one day establish peace and justice on the earth, Isaiah contrasts God's steady leadership with the frantic efforts of people trying to do things on their own: And all the people shall know, even Ephraim and the inhabitants of Samaria, that say in the pride and stoutness of heart:... Continue Reading →
What Is Haughtiness?
I wrote yesterday that pride means thinking too highly of yourself, exaggerating your capabilities and minimizing your limitations. When pride leads you to treat other people with contempt, it is called haughtiness. The words "haughty" and "haughtiness" appear six times in the Book of Mormon. Five of those occurrences are quotations from Isaiah, and they... Continue Reading →
What Is Pride?
Today, I reviewed the 77 appearances of the words "pride" and "proud" in the Book of Mormon. Here is what I learned: Pride means thinking too highly of yourself, failing to acknowledge your limitations. Throughout the Book of Mormon, prophets use phrases like "lifted up" or "puffed up" to describe proud people. For example, Nephi... Continue Reading →
Lessons from Nephi’s Sermon on the Words of Isaiah
During the month of October, I studied 2 Nephi 11-33. This collection of chapters constitutes a sermon to Nephi's future readers on an extended text from Isaiah: In chapter 11, he explains his purpose: to convince his readers that we can be delivered by Christ. In chapters 12-24, he quotes Isaiah 2-14. In chapters 25-30,... Continue Reading →