9 Wherefore, I, Lehi, have obtained a promise, that inasmuch as those whom the Lord God shall bring out of the land of Jerusalem shall keep his commandments, they shall prosper upon the face of this land; and they shall be kept from all other nations, that they may possess this land unto themselves. And if it so be that they shall keep his commandments they shall be blessed upon the face of this land, and there shall be none to molest them, nor to take away the land of their inheritance; and they shall dwell safely forever.
This concept of prosperity for keeping the Lord’s
commandments is not unique to the Book of Mormon people, but we can certainly
see it play out throughout the length of the record. In fact, it’s a critical
part of what has come to be known as the “pride cycle.” The people keep the
commandments, and they become wealthy. They take credit for the wealth to
themselves and become proud, forgetting the Lord (or sometimes outright
rejecting Him). Their pride leads to destruction and humility, then to
repentance and righteousness, and back to prosperity. And so the cycle starts
again. This cycle can play out in individual lives as well as the population as
a whole. The cycle can be fast or slow, but it always takes effort to avoid
falling into the spiral. When we talk about a whole nation going through the
cycle we are really talking about the popular trend. Our nation today (time of
writing is 9/9/2010) is going through this cycle in fulfillment of Lehi’s
prophecy. Where are we in the cycle? I would have to say that we, as a nation
have been prosperous for a long time. In 2001 the attack on the twin towers in
New York City really woke people up. Many people turned to prayer at that time.
Unfortunately, for a variety of reasons, that more humble, unified, and
prayerful attitude did not last long. Since then the attacks on the morality,
family, religion, and other social/moral issues has been fierce. Truly many of
the elect are being deceived as prophesied (see Matthew 24: 24). I’m afraid the
part of the pride cycle we are in is that we are ripening for destruction. That
being said, the Church keeps progressing and growing, which runs counter to the
rest of the country. I just think the final wrap-up and Second Coming of Jesus
Christ can’t be too far off.
It’s also interesting to note in passing that Lehi specifies
those who “the Lord God shall bring out of the land of Jerusalem” for these
promises. It’s as if he already was aware of Mulek. The Mulekites wouldn’t be
discovered for a few hundred years yet at the time of this record.
- Deuteronomy 29: 9
- Deuteronomy 30: 9
- 2 Nephi 4: 4
- Alma 9: 13
