A Lamanite prophet named Samuel tries to preach in Zarahemla but is rejected and cast out. An angel sends him back, and so he stand on the wall to preach.
In this first portion of his sermon, he makes four main points: (1) Destruction is coming because of your wickedness. (2) Your riches will become “slippery.” (3) You prefer false prophets, who tell you what you want to hear, instead of prophets who tell you the truth. (4) You will one day wish that you had repented before the calamities arrive.
Chapter Outline
- Samuel is cast out of Zarahemla but is sent back by an angel (v. 1-4)
- Zarahemla and all of the Nephite cities will be destroyed (v. 5-16)
- Your riches are cursed, that you can’t keep them (v. 17-23)
- You support false prophets and persecute true ones (v. 24-29)
- You will wish that you had repented earlier (v. 30-39)
My Takeaways
- We should exercise faith when the Lord commands us to do something which seems unlikely to succeed.
- We need to pay attention to our feelings and strive to detect when God is telling us to do or say something.
- Envy leads to strife.
- One way to assess our level of pride is to observe how we respond to challenging words of prophets.
- We depend on one another more than we may realize, and our collective prosperity depends on mutual trust.
Featured Blog Posts
❖ Samuel sent back – Helaman 13:1-4
He Should Return Again – Helaman 13:2-3
2 And it came to pass that in this year there was one Samuel, a Lamanite, came into the land of Zarahemla, and began to preach unto the people. And it came to pass that he did preach, many days, repentance unto the people, and they did cast him out, and he was about to…
❖ Wo unto Zarahemla – Helaman 13:5-16
He Hath Put It into My Heart – Helaman 13:5-7
5 And he said unto them: Behold, I, Samuel, a Lamanite, do speak the words of the Lord which he doth put into my heart; and behold he hath put it into my heart to say unto this people that the sword of justice hangeth over this people; and four hundred years pass not away…
“If Ye Will Repent…”
Samuel the Lamanite came to Zarahemla with a stern warning, coupled with a hopeful promise. He repeatedly promised his listeners that God would rescue them from their bad decisions if they would choose to repent. God always forgives those who repent.
❖ Riches cursed – Helaman 13:17-23
Why Are “Envyings” Associated with “Strife?”
The word “envying” or “envyings” appears ten times in the Book of Mormon. Nine of those times, it is followed immediately by “strife” or “strifes.” These words are also closely associated in the New Testament. To envy another person is to resent them because of the perception that they have something that you lack. A…
❖ False prophets – Helaman 13:24-29
On Prophets and Pride
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…
What Should I Do When Prophetic Teachings Are Difficult to Understand or Accept?
Prophetic teachings are generally not intended to be soothing. A primary role of prophets is to call us to repentance, which means making course corrections or incremental improvements. Therefore, when we have the opportunity to hear messages from prophets, we should plan to be challenged. Samuel the Lamanite denounced the people of Zarahemla for supporting…
❖ Future lamentation – Helaman 13:30-39
Slippery – Helaman 13:31-36
Samuel the Lamanite warned the Nephites in Zarahemla that the time would come when they would have a hard time holding on to their possessions: The time cometh that [the Lord] curseth your riches, that they become slippery, that ye cannot hold them; and in the days of your poverty ye cannot retain them…. And then…
What Does the Book of Mormon Teach About Happiness?
Near the beginning of the Book of Mormon, the prophet Lehi tells his family about a spiritual dream he has experienced. The central symbol in this dream was “a tree, whose fruit was desirable to make one happy” (1 Nephi 8:10). Lehi’s focus for the rest of the dream was on inviting his family to…
Old Testament Foundations
Smooth Things
Isaiah reproved the children of Israel for being unwilling to hear hard things. He said they were the type of people who would “say to the seers, See not; and to the prophets, Prophesy not unto us right things.” In contrast, they would request the easy stuff: “Speak unto us smooth things, prophecy deceits” (Isaiah…
Letting Go
When I have met an immigrant tottering under a bundle which contained his all—looking like an enormous wen which had grown out of the nape of his neck—I have pitied him, not because that was his all, but because he had all that to carry. Henry David Thoreau, Walden, 163 It’s a good idea not…
Your Desolation Is Already Come Upon You – Helaman 13:32
32 And in the days of your poverty ye shall cry unto the Lord; and in vain shall ye cry, for your desolation is already come upon you, and your destruction is made sure; and then shall ye weep and howl in that day, saith the Lord of Hosts. (Helaman 13:32) Our mortal life is…
Church History Connections
How Can I Recognize the Voice of the Lord?
In his first talk as president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Russell M. Nelson pleaded with us to “increase [our] spiritual capacity to receive revelation” (“Revelation for the Church, Revelation for our Lives,” General Conference, April 2018). Two years later, he said, “I renew my plea for you to do whatever it takes…
All Posts Referencing Helaman 13
- The Former Sins (7/23/2025)
- “If Ye Will Repent…” (9/11/2024)
- Samuel the Lamanite on the Burden of Freedom (9/10/2024)
- Return Unto Me | Malachi 3:7 (12/18/2022)
- Smooth Things (9/16/2022)
- Letting Go (8/3/2022)
- Abram and Lot: No Strife (2/10/2022)
- Angels (11/9/2021)
- “I Have Not Spoken in Secret” (9/24/2021)
- How Can I Recognize the Voice of the Lord? (1/31/2021)
- “Hid up unto the Lord” – Mormon 1:2, 4:23, 5:12 (10/31/2020)
- Slippery – Helaman 13:31-36 (9/6/2020)
- Alma, Samuel the Lamanite, and the Law of Restoration (9/5/2020)
- On Prophets and Pride (9/1/2020)
- What Does the Book of Mormon Affirm? (12/28/2019)
- How Does the Gospel Bring Us Joy? (12/23/2019)
- What Should I Be Thankful For? (11/28/2019)
- What Does It Mean to Be “Ripe in Iniquity?” (11/23/2019)
- What Does It Mean to “Cast Out Devils?” (10/24/2019)
- What Should I Do When Prophetic Teachings Are Difficult to Understand or Accept? (10/6/2019)
- Why Is It Important Not to Procrastinate Repentance? (9/15/2019)
- What Is Pride? (9/2/2019)
- Why Did the Nephites Keep the Law of Moses? (8/11/2019)
- What Does the Book of Mormon Say About Complacency? (5/11/2019)
- What Does the Book of Mormon Teach About Anger? (5/9/2019)
- What Does the Book of Mormon Teach About Happiness? (5/6/2019)
- Why Are “Envyings” Associated with “Strife?” (4/19/2019)
- How Does God Communicate with Us? (4/16/2019)
- What’s Wrong with “Costly Apparel?” (4/3/2019)
- What Is a “Probationary State?” (2/8/2019)
- Your Desolation Is Already Come Upon You – Helaman 13:32 (7/18/2018)
- He Should Return Again – Helaman 13:2-3 (1/26/2018)
- He Hath Put It into My Heart – Helaman 13:5-7 (12/7/2017)
- That Which Ye Could Not Obtain – Helaman 13:38 (9/16/2016)
- That He Should Return Again – Helaman 13:2-4 (1/29/2016)
- If a Prophet Come Among You – Helaman 13:25-26 (1/28/2016)
- Ye Do Not Remember the Lord Your God – Helaman 13:22 (9/23/2015)
- Foolish and Blind Guides – Helaman 13:29 (9/22/2015)
- Helaman 13:38 The Days of Your Probation Are Past (11/28/2014)