Mormon interrupts the narrative to express his sadness for the human tendency to be unsteady and proud. He laments the fact that, in spite of predictable negative consequences, human beings can’t seem to stop themselves from turning their hearts away from God.
Chapter Outline
- The pride cycle: Blessings ofnenmake people turn away from God; afflictions make them remember Him (v. 1-3)
- People are “quick to be lifted up in pride” (v. 4-6)
- People are “less than the dust of the earth” (v. 7-23)
- I wish everyone could be saved, but we know this will not be the case (v. 24-26)
My Takeaways
- God will not only deliver us from our afflictions but will also support us in our afflictions.
- Punishments are not the opposite of persuasion. They are a form of persuasion.
- We need to be careful not to take for granted the blessings we receive.
Featured Blog Posts
Mormon Laments the Foolishness of Man – Helaman 12
Setting After relating some of the experiences of the prophet Nephi, including great miracles which failed to convert the people and a natural disaster which only temporarily convinced them to humble themselves and repent, Mormon inserted this editorial commentary. Purpose Mormon’s purpose in writing this editorial note was to highlight the foolishness of pride and…
❖ The pride cycle – Helaman 12:1-3
“Those Who Put Their Trust in Him” – Helaman 12:1
As he begins his lament about the unsteadiness and inconstancy of human beings, Mormon reiterates a core gospel principle: God is steady. God is constant. We can always rely on Him. Here is how Mormon put it: The Lord in his great infinite goodness doth bless and prosper those who put their trust in him. Helaman 12:1 Some form…
For Our Welfare and Happiness
Elder Jeffrey R. Holland taught that the first great truth of the gospel is that God loves us. Mormon testified that God does “all things for the welfare and happiness of his people.” It’s reassuring to know that God is actively working for our happiness.
What Are the Roles of Persuasion and Punishment in Motivating Good Behavior?
This is the third of three posts in response to a question I received last week. The first post discussed God’s love for us. The second discussed why God would “inflict” things on us. Today’s post discusses the roles of persuasion and of punishment from God’s perspective. The questioner wants to understand why a loving…
This Because of Their Ease – Helaman 12:1-3
1 And thus we can behold how false, and also the unsteadiness of the hearts of the children of men; yea, we can see that the Lord in his great infinite goodness doth bless and prosper those who put their trust in him. 2 Yea, and we may see at the very time when he…
Old Testament Foundations
The Book of Judges and the Book of Mormon
Did the authors of the Book of Mormon have access to the book of Judges? They did have the brass plates, which contained “the five books of Moses…and also a record of the Jews…and also the prophecies of the holy prophets” (1 Nephi 5:10-13). It seems reasonable to assume that some version of the book…
Joshua and the Book of Mormon
This week, I reviewed the book of Joshua, summarizing the content of each chapter and identifying related Book of Mormon passages. The book can be divided into four parts: The children of Israel prepare to enter the promised land (chapters 1-5) With divine intervention, they conquer various cities in the land of Canaan (chapters 6-12)…
Jeshurun Waxed Fat
Just before the children of Israel entered the promised land, Moses shared with them a song. In the song, he expressed sorrow for the fate of future generations: But Jeshurun waxed fat, and kicked: thou art waxen fat, thou art grown thick, thou art covered with fatness; then he forsook God which made him, and…
Being Created
First, three premises: In light of those premises, God creating us in His image can be interpreted as helping us become more like Him by giving us instructions (commandments) and then watching to see if we will obey. (See Abraham 3:24-25.) That explanation accords with Mormon’s unflattering comparison of people with inanimate objects. “The dust…
“Whom I Love I Also Chasten”
In June 1833, the Lord provided corrective feedback to church members in Kirtland, Ohio. He opened the revelation with the following explanation: Verily, thus saith the Lord unto you whom I love, and whom I love I also chasten that their sins may be forgiven, for with the chastisement I prepare a way for their deliverance in all things out of temptation, and…
Wisdom’s Paths – Helaman 12:5
I have taught thee in the way of wisdom; I have led thee in the right paths. Proverbs 4:11 King Limhi lamented the fact that people are often unwilling to put forth the effort to gain wisdom. He further sorrowed that people often failed to follow the wisdom they had already received. “They will not…
New Testament Parallels
Grace for Grace
Near the beginning of the Gospel of John, there is an unusual statement which describes how we receive the power of God: And of his fulness have all we received, and grace for grace. John 1:16 The Greek word rendered “for” in that passage—anti (ἀντί)—actually means “in place of” or “in exchange for.” What does…
Church History Connections
In the Day of Their Peace…
Why are we so prone to be complacent? Speaking for the Lord, the prophet Jeremiah expressed frustration with people who had failed to listen when everything was going well: I spake unto thee in thy prosperity; but thou saidst, I will not hear. This hath been thy manner from thy youth. Jeremiah 22:21 The prophet Mormon lamented our tendency…
The Voice of Thunderings
Adversity is an invitation from God. Calamities and trials may be His call to repent and turn our hearts to Him. Rather than ask, “Why me?” we might ask, “What can I learn from this experience?” If we listen with humility, we may hear His voice even in the “thunderings” of our lives.
The Pride Paradox
The Grossman-Stiglitz Paradox asserts that markets are efficient only to the extent that people believe they are not. Managing pride is similar. Elder Bednar taught, “If you or I do not believe we could be afflicted with and by pride, then we are vulnerable.” No wonder the Lord warned, “Beware of pride.”
All Posts Referencing Helaman 12
- Seeing the Face of God (8/27/2025)
- Filling the Measure of My Creation (8/15/2025)
- The Voice of Thunderings (5/3/2025)
- The Pride Paradox (4/25/2025)
- The Counsels of God (1/28/2025)
- For Our Welfare and Happiness (9/3/2024)
- The Book of Judges and the Book of Mormon (6/5/2022)
- What I Learned from Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy, and Joshua, May 2022 (5/31/2022)
- Joshua and the Book of Mormon (5/26/2022)
- Jeshurun Waxed Fat (5/19/2022)
- Being Created (1/5/2022)
- In the Day of Their Peace… (9/12/2021)
- “Whom I Love I Also Chasten” (9/1/2021)
- Grace for Grace (8/25/2021)
- Wisdom’s Paths – Helaman 12:5 (8/30/2020)
- “Those Who Put Their Trust in Him” – Helaman 12:1 (8/29/2020)
- What Is Wisdom? (12/13/2019)
- What Are the Roles of Persuasion and Punishment in Motivating Good Behavior? (12/4/2019)
- What Is Pride? (9/2/2019)
- What Does the Book of Mormon Teach About Self-Reliance? (7/18/2019)
- What Does the Book of Mormon Teach About Grace? (1/28/2019)
- Mormon Laments the Foolishness of Man – Helaman 12 (9/11/2018)
- Restored unto Grace for Grace – Helaman 12:24 (4/19/2017)
- The Unsteadiness of the Hearts of the Children of Men – Helaman 12:1-3 (4/19/2017)
- This Because of Their Ease – Helaman 12:1-3 (9/21/2015)