7 Wherefore, this land is consecrated unto him whom he shall bring. And if it so be that they shall serve him according to the commandments which he hath given, it shall be a land of liberty unto them; wherefore, they shall never be brought down into captivity; if so, it shall be because of iniquity; for if iniquity shall abound cursed shall be the land for their sakes, but unto the righteous it shall be blessed forever.
If the Lord brings people to this land they will be blessed
with liberty here, as long as they serve him. If they do this, here is a
powerful promise that they shall never be brought down into captivity. I love
how this verse concludes that if you find yourself in captivity in this land
it’s because of iniquity. This is certainly true if the people as a whole, or
even a majority of people in this land fall into iniquity, as King Mosiah
prophesied when he rearranged the government (see Mosiah 28: 26–27). He talks
about how if the majority of the people elect wicked men to govern them it will
lead to destruction.
Lehi says something here that seems to bring this verse right
down to a personal level. He says “if iniquity shall abound cursed shall be the
land for their sakes, but unto the righteous it shall be blessed forever.” This
makes it sound like in the midst of abounding or general iniquity the righteous
will prosper in spite of their environment. What a comfort that is as we watch
the general population slip more and more into iniquity to know that we don’t
have to slip along with it.
- 2 Nephi 10: 11
- Mosiah 29: 26–27
- Mosiah 29: 32
- Alma 45: 16 (10–14, 16)
- Alma 46: 10 (10–28, 34)
- Mormon 1: 17
- Ether 2: 11 (8–12)
