Nephi returns home from preaching the gospel in the north and is horrified by the corruption which has engulfed the city of Zarahemla. He ascends a tower in his garden, which is beside a highway, and expresses his sorrow aloud. A crowd gathers, and he begins to preach to them.
His sermon is in two parts: (1) asking them to explain their behavior (“How could you have forgotten your God in the very day that he has delivered you?”), and (2) warning them of the consequences of their actions (“Wo shall come unto you except ye shall repent.”)
Chapter Outline
- Nephi returns from his mission and is horrified by the corruption in Zarahemla (v. 1-6)
- Nephi’s lamentation: O that I could have lived in the days of my ancestor, Nephi! (v. 7-12)
- Nephi’s question: Why are you behaving this way? (v. 13-21)
- Nephi’s warning: Wo be unto you, unless you repent (v. 22-29)
My Takeaways
- We might yearn for better things, but ultimately we can’t let those yearnings distract us from the work we need to do.
- When we sin, we turn away from God. Repentance consists in turning back toward Him.
- We need to regularly evaluate our decisions and ensure that they are aligned with our highest priorities.
- Don’t let your external circumstances, whether positive or negative, define you.
Featured Blog Posts
❖ Nephi returns to Zarahemla – Helaman 7:1-6
They Did Reject All His Words – Helaman 7:1-3
1 Behold, now it came to pass in the sixty and ninth year of the reign of the judges over the people of the Nephites, that Nephi, the son of Helaman, returned to the land of Zarahemla from the land northward. 2 For he had been forth among the people who were in the land…
What Does the Book of Mormon Teach About Corruption?
King Benjamin set the standard for political leadership when he reported to his people at the end of his reign that he had conscientiously labored to serve them and avoided taking advantage of his role for personal gain (Mosiah 2:12-15). His son Mosiah followed his example (Mosiah 6:6-7). But when the people of King Limhi…
❖ Nephi’s lament – Helaman 7:7-12
Home
Three lessons about our homes from the Book of Mormon: 1. We need a place of peace and security for ourselves and for our families. 2. We ought to invite other people into our homes. 3. Sometimes, we need to leave our homes and serve people where they are
Helaman 7:7-9 I Am Consigned That These are My Days
7 Oh, that I could have had my days in the days when my father Nephi first came out of the land of Jerusalem, that I could have joyed with him in the promised land; then were his people easy to be entreated, firm to keep the commandments of God, and slow to be led…
What Does It Mean to Be “Easy to Be Entreated?”
After calling the people of Zarahemla to repentance, the prophet Alma traveled to the city of Gideon. He was pleased to find that the people of Gideon had humbled themselves and that they were not in “the state of dilemma” that the people of Zarahemla had been in. “I perceive that ye are in the…
❖ Nephi’s question – Helaman 7:13-21
“Turn Ye, Turn Ye” – Helaman 7:17
Nephi caught the attention of a group of people by praying on a tower in his garden beside a busy highway. They not only stopped to hear his prayer. They ran and gathered other people. When Nephi completed his prayer, a large crowd had gathered (Helaman 7:10-12). So he spoke to them, sharing his sorrow…
Why Will Ye Die? – Helaman 7:17-18
17 O repent ye, repent ye! Why will ye die? Turn ye, turn ye unto the Lord your God. Why has he forsaken you? 18 It is because you have hardened your hearts; yea, ye will not hearken unto the voice of the good shepherd; yea, ye have provoked him to anger against you. (Helaman…
How Could You Have Forgotten? – Helaman 7:20-22
20 O, how could you have forgotten your God in the very day that he has delivered you? 21 But behold, it is to get gain, to be praised of men, yea, and that ye might get gold and silver. And ye have set your hearts upon the riches and the vain things of this…
❖ Nephi’s warning – Helaman 7:22-29
Because of Your Exceedingly Great Riches – Helaman 7:26
26 Yea, wo shall come unto you because of that pride which ye have suffered to enter your hearts, which has lifted you up beyond that which is good because of your exceedingly great riches! (Helaman 7:26) The circumstances of life can create illusions about our capabilities. We must be careful not to buy into…
Knowing “Of Myself”
Both Alma and Nephi testified that they had received knowledge directly from God which they could not have gained on their own. These testimonies encouraged their listeners to open their hearts and receive the knowledge that only God can give.
Old Testament Foundations
Why Will Ye Die?
The Lord assured the prophet Ezekiel that He wants what is best for His children. “As I live, saith the Lord God, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked; but that the wicked turn from his way and live.” As Elder D. Todd Christofferson has affirmed, “Far from being anxious to condemn, our Heavenly Father and our Savior…
“I Shall Be Turned”
Last week I wrote about Jeremiah’s striking appeal: “Heal me, O Lord, and I shall be healed” (Jeremiah 17:14). I noted that God is willing to heal us, but that we must be willing to receive the gift. I also wrote that we must open our eyes to recognize the many ways God is healing…
Justice
Anglican priest Tish Harrison Warren explained how compassion sparked within her a yearning for justice: I rarely resonate with the image of Jesus as a judge. I gravitate to my hippie version of Jesus, with a flower tucked behind his ear. I’m drawn to his grace, his kindness, his beauty. But when I encounter those…
“I Only Remain”
Elijah was lonely. After initiating a famine, he went into hiding, living in the wilderness with ravens bringing him food (1 Kings 17:1-7), and then traveling to the Phoenician city of Zarephath and staying with a poor widow and her son (1 Kings 17:8-9). After three years evading the servants of King Ahab, who had…
All Posts Referencing Helaman 7
- The Sealing Power (9/8/2024)
- Home (9/5/2024)
- Knowing “Of Myself” (9/4/2024)
- “An Exceedingly Curious Man” (8/25/2024)
- Why Will Ye Die? (10/27/2022)
- “I Shall Be Turned” (10/18/2022)
- Justice (10/5/2022)
- My Shepherd (8/10/2022)
- Gehazi and Gifts (7/7/2022)
- “I Only Remain” (7/2/2022)
- Hardened Hearts (3/30/2022)
- Glory (12/28/2021)
- Poured Out (10/3/2021)
- “The Voice of the Lord Came unto Him” – 3 Nephi 1:12 (9/11/2020)
- “Turn Ye, Turn Ye” – Helaman 7:17 (8/26/2020)
- What Does the Book of Mormon Teach About Corruption? (12/10/2019)
- What Is the Sealing Power? (11/16/2019)
- What Is Authority? (10/15/2019)
- What Is Pride? (9/2/2019)
- What Should I Do When I Feel Guilty? (6/24/2019)
- What Does It Mean to Be “Easy to Be Entreated?” (4/12/2019)
- Why Will Ye Die? – Helaman 7:17-18 (7/15/2018)
- They Did Reject All His Words – Helaman 7:1-3 (1/23/2018)
- How Could You Have Forgotten? – Helaman 7:20-22 (12/5/2017)
- In the Very Day – Helaman 7:20 (9/16/2015)
- Because of Your Exceedingly Great Riches – Helaman 7:26 (9/15/2015)
- Helaman 7:7-9 I Am Consigned That These are My Days (11/27/2014)