Secret Combinations

As was reading this morning from the Book of Helaman. After the destruction of the Gadianton robbers six years back, the Nephites lived in pease and happiness for about five years. Then pride and class distinction entered into the society causing the church to be broken up. Men, inspired by God began to preach unto the people about the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Government officials, not having authority, took it into their own hands to have these men privately put to death. Good people brought this issue before the chief judge to exact justice on the murderious lower judges. Here's how it reads: Now it came to pass that they were taken and brought up before the judge, to be judged of the crime which they had done, according to the law which had been given by the people. 27 Now it came to pass that those judges had many friends and kindreds; and the remainder, yea, even almost all the lawyers and the high priests, did gather themselves together, and unite with the kindreds of those judges who were to be tried according to the law. 28 And they did enter into a covenant one with another, yea, even into that covenant which was given by them of old, which covenant was given and administered by the devil, to combine against all righteousness. 29 Therefore they did combine against the people of the Lord, and enter into a covenant to destroy them, and to deliver those who were guilty of murder from the grasp of justice, which was about to be administered according to the law. 30 And they did set at defiance the law and the rights of their country; and they did covenant one with another to destroy the governor, and to establish a king over the land, that the land should no more be at liberty but should be subject unto kings These verses help me understand how a secret combination begins to emerge in a society. It reads like a good old boy network. 'The same buddies that you have kinship, business relationships with, etc. are brought together to support each other in criminal activity. There must be a lot of pressure to be part of this new criminal buddy system. In order to be above the law they decide they need a king. A king is necessary because the king will have power to change laws at a whim. That way law and justice can be arbitrarily decided upon by the king and his cronies. Right and wrong are removed from the equation. This a bad habit to get into. Look at governments all over the world that run on arbitrary law. Their economies fall apart. The king take the tax money and loan money and puts it in Swiss bank accounts. They kill their opponents. They rape their women. They set up security forces to keep them safe from revolt. I wonder if secret business practices intending on taking over or destroying another man's business is a precursor to the real wicked secret combinations?

The Commandments of the Lord

Keeping the commandments has always been confusing to me. There are the Lord's commandments, the 10 commandments, church commandments, cultural commandments (protocols and traditions) and a myriad of other 'commandment' that I am told I must live. It just depends on who you talk to. There is definitely something do with higher and lower laws and where a person is at in his spiritual development. It also has to do with the Lord's plan for the church in the last days - we may be asked (or commanded or counceled) to obey certain things because there is a higher purpose in it (like church unity, church mainstreaming, how we project ourselves to the world, united front, etc.) There may also be specific things in our current society that we are too close to (forest from the trees) and seem to lack depth of understanding, thus leading to counsel from the church leaders regarding the matter.

But, with all that said there is a set of commandments clearly set forth in the Book of Mormon. My specific text will come from 3 Nephi at the time of the visitation of Jesus Christ to more tighteous part of the Nephites.

Outline:

1. The voice of the Lord prepares the people that are left. Coming unto the Lord and being healed are taught as well of the need to sacrifice a broken heart and contrite spirit.
2. Almost a year later Christ appears to a certain group of righteous Nephites - possibly those who worked on themselves over the year. Jesus tell of the doctrine of the Father including baptism, no contention, believing, repenting, becoming as a little child and building on the rock.
3. Jesus then teaches about certain attitudes that we will be blessed if we develop. The attitudes include poor in spirit, meekness, hungering and thirsting after righteousness and enduring persecution for Christ's sake. Jesus calls these the commandments of the Father - as if to follow the doctrine of Father, one must develop these character traits or attitudes.
4. Jesus then preaches a sermon. The sermon includes correcting old mosaic laws of killing, adultery and swearing; how to love others in faith; and never doing certain actions to aggrandize oneself. Jesus then tells the people that these are his commandments.
5. Later in another visit, Jesus tells the people to keep his commandments. He added the sacrament among other things.

I wonder if all the other commandments that we are asked to obey are but a school master to help us get to the level that we are able to obey the above commandments.

While I was thinking about Christ's commandments I thought about being sued by someone for my coat and that I should give my cloak also. I asked myself what would be required in my being to be able to give the cloak? I would definitely have to have developed a deep love for the other person or people in general. I couldn't be harboring ill feelings that I just got sued for something I really need. But, above all, or at least equally important, is a developed ability to rely on God and to trust in Him. If I truly believe (a developed line upon line faith) in an omnipotent God that has all power to restore that which I have lost (law of compensation - Elder Wirthlin), then what does it matter that I end up giving up my coat (or my home, land, possessions)? It requires faith in unseen principles to live the gospel law as taught by Jesus Christ. What are unseen principles? That God is really there. That he loves you. That what he is teaching is going to work. That he will take care of you if you do His will. That death is okay - or a willingness to die out of love for God and brethren (Anti Neph Lehies). This belief in the unseen is what is required. Breaking the veil of unbelief is so important. True faith cannot be exercised until one has developed this trust in his life. Can you see that fear and worry and anger and despair are the opposite of faith, hope and love? The negative emotions inside of us are indicators that we have not arrived, that we still have some work to do. By the way, all unseen principles are mocked by the world as stupid and foolish.

I will have to get to the analysis of the commandments of the Lord verse by verse another day.