Responding to Nephi’s inspired pronouncement of the death of the chief judge, five men run to the judgment seat to find out if it’s true. When they find the chief judge lying dead on the ground, they fall to the ground in astonishment. They are briefly arrested, but are exonerated. Nephi instructs them to question the brother of the chief judge, and they find him to be guilty and Nephi to be innocent.
Chapter Outline
- Five men run to the judgement seat and find the chief judge dead; they are imprisioned (v. 1-9)
- Investigation: Five men exonerated; Nephi accused (v. 10-20)
- Nephi helps them find the true murderer (v. 21-38)
- The people dispute whether Nephi is a prophet or a god (v. 39-41)
My Takeaways
- Make decisions which will result in your long-term happiness and in the long-term happiness of the people around you.
- Remember the importance of consistent integrity as you teach others.
- Our testimony can rely on multiple types of evidence, including the words of prophets, convictions shared by good friends and family members, and miracles we have experienced firsthand.
Featured Blog Posts
❖ Five run to the judgment seat – Helaman 9:1-9
On Seeing and Believing
The old adage “Seeing is believing” isn’t always true. We are very good at rationalizing away inconvenient facts. We need to follow the example of the five Nephites who ran to the judgment seat to test Nephi’s prophecy, and “when they saw they believed.”
❖ Finding the true murderer – Helaman 9:21-38
Ye Ought to Begin to Howl – Helaman 9:21-22
21 But Nephi said unto them: O ye fools, ye uncircumcised of heart, ye blind, and ye stiffnecked people, do ye know how long the Lord your God will suffer you that ye shall go on in this your way of sin? 22 O ye ought to begin to howl and mourn, because of the…
I Am an Honest Man – Helaman 9:36
36 And then shall he say unto you, that I, Nephi, know nothing concerning the matter save it were given unto me by the power of God. And then shall ye know that I am an honest man, and that I am sent unto you from God. (Helaman 9:36) Nephi’s neighbors were highly resistant to…
❖ The people debate whether Nephi is a prophet or a god – Helaman 9:39-41
There Were Some of the Nephites Who Believed – Helaman 9:39-41
39 And there were some of the Nephites who believed on the words of Nephi; and there were some also, who believed because of the testimony of the five, for they had been converted while they were in prison.40 And now there were some among the people, who said that Nephi was a prophet.41 And…
Old Testament Foundations
Gehazi and Gifts
In the book Predictably Irrational, Dan Ariely discusses the problems that come from mixing social norms with market norms. As humans, he said, we make some decisions in purely financial terms—How much is this activity worth? Does the benefit justify the cost?—but we make other decisions in terms of relationships. Applying a market lens to…
Confounded
After prophesying of difficult days ahead, the prophet Isaiah foretold a time of prosperity and peace, when the children of Israel would be protected from both physical and verbal abuse: No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper; and every tongue that shall rise against thee in judgment thou shalt condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord, and their righteousness is of…
New Testament Parallels
A Great Division
Jesus wants us to have peace, but there were divisions among the people who saw and heard Him. Sometimes our words provoke division. Sometimes winning an argument is more important to us than the topic. We should heal divisions, not exacerbate them.
All Posts Referencing Helaman 9
- On Seeing and Believing (9/6/2024)
- A Great Division (4/25/2023)
- Gehazi and Gifts (7/7/2022)
- Confounded (6/29/2021)
- What Is the Sealing Power? (11/16/2019)
- What’s Wrong with Seeking Signs? (5/22/2019)
- I Am an Honest Man – Helaman 9:36 (7/17/2018)
- There Were Some of the Nephites Who Believed – Helaman 9:39-41 (4/14/2017)
- Ye Ought to Begin to Howl – Helaman 9:21-22 (9/17/2015)