Cast out -- Part 1

In my previous post I mentioned that I have noticed the Book of Mormon occasionally using certain recurring key phrases to teach the reader a lesson. In the final chapters of Helaman about Samuel the Lamanite, I see this happening.

And it came to pass that in this year there was one Samuel, a Lamanite, came into the land of Zarahemla, and began to preach unto the people. And it came to pass that he did preach, many days, repentance unto the people, and they did cast him out, and he was about to return to his own land. (Helaman 13:2)

I believe "cast out" to be a key phrase here. Even though Samuel was cast out, the Lord asked him to return because He had an important message for the inhabitants of Zarahemla.

But behold, the time cometh, saith the Lord, that when ye shall cast out the righteous from among you, then shall ye be ripe for destruction (Helaman 13:14)

Yea, wo unto this people, because of this time which has arrived, that ye do cast out the prophets (Helaman 13:24)

Behold ye are worse than they; for as the Lord liveth, if a prophet come among you and declareth unto you the word of the Lord, which testifieth of your sins and iniquities, ye are angry with him, and cast him out and seek all manner of ways to destroy him (Helaman 13:26)

And in the days of your poverty ye shall cry unto the Lord; and in vain shall ye cry, for your desolation is already come upon you, and your destruction is made sure; and then shall ye weep and howl in that day, saith the Lord of Hosts. And then shall ye lament, and say: O that I had repented, and had not killed the prophets, and stoned them, and cast them out. (Helaman 13:32-33)

The fact that they cast him out to begin with should count as a great warning to them. It is a sign of a people ripe for destruction. This was a message that all the inhabitants needed to hear and the reason why Samuel was commanded to go back and climb on the city wall. Obviously, it was also to teach them about the coming of Christ.

10 And now, because I am a Lamanite, and have spoken unto you the words which the Lord hath commanded me, and because it was hard against you, ye are angry with me and do seek to destroy me, and have cast me out from among you.
11 And ye shall hear my words, for, for this intent have I come up upon the walls of this city, that ye might hear and know of the judgments of God which do await you because of your iniquities, and also that ye might know the conditions of repentance (Helaman 14)

I will get back to the purple part. Notice the similarity to Helaman 13:14: "Cast...out...from among you". The people are in a state where they cast out the righteous and the prophets, as evidenced by the casting out of Samuel initially. This is a dangerous state to be in and the reason why Samuel has been assigned by God to warn them.

Studying this phrase in the Book of Mormon in general, it becomes clear that this was not just a unique case for the people of Zarahemla in the end of Helaman. As far as I have been able to find, every time people cast out the prophets, righteous or any messenger with the word of God, they are destroyed. The inhabitants of Zarahemla were warned by Samuel, but they didn't listen and were burned (see 3 Nephi 8:8,24). 

We see the same trend over and over. Alma-II was "cast out" of Ammonihah (Alma 8:13). Like Samuel, he was asked to return, and his missionary companion, Amulek, gave the people a similar warning.

But it is by the prayers of the righteous that ye are spared; now therefore, if ye will cast out the righteous from among you then will not the Lord stay his hand; but in his fierce anger he will come out against you; then ye shall be smitten by famine, and by pestilence, and by the sword; and the time is soon at hand except ye repent. (Alma 10:23)

The people in Ammonihah didn't heed the warning. They cast out the righteous in Alma 14 and the whole city was destroyed in Alma 16.

Here is what happened to Alma-II's father, Alma-I

3 But the king was more wroth, and caused that Alma should be cast out from among them, and sent his servants after him that they might slay him.
4 But he fled from before them and hid himself that they found him not. And he being concealed for many days did write all the words which Abinadi had spoken. (Mosiah 17)

This is on a smaller scale, but we notice the same pattern. Abinadi preached to the wicked King Noah and his priests. They executed Abinadi but the also cast out Alma, the only one among them who believed and repented. When there were no more righteous among them, King Noah was killed and the other priests were hunted and later slain by the Lamanites (Alma 25:8).

Another example is found in the Book of Ether.

13 And I was about to write more, but I am forbidden; but great and marvelous were the prophecies of Ether; but they esteemed him as naught, and cast him out; and he hid himself in the cavity of a rock by day, and by night he went forth viewing the things which should come upon the people.
14 And as he dwelt in the cavity of a rock he made the remainder of this record, viewing the destructions which came upon the people, by night. (Ether 13)

Like Alma, Ether was cast out, and wrote the word of God while in hiding. What happened to the Jaredites who cast him out? They were all destroyed.

As a final example, these are the words of Zenos, quoted by Alma in Alma 33:10

Yea, and thou hast also heard me when I have been cast out and have been despised by mine enemies; yea, thou didst hear my cries, and wast angry with mine enemies, and thou didst visit them in thine anger with speedy destruction.

There is a pattern where a group of wicked people are given the word of God by a messenger. The wicked group of people cast out the messenger and reject the word. By so doing, they risk having none righteous among them and suffer destruction. The word, however, is preserved.

"Cast out" is a very common expression in the Book of Mormon, used in different contexts. I will spend two more posts diving in. In the next parts, we will look at an interesting exception to the pattern demonstrated in this post: When "The Word" himself, Jesus Christ, is the outcast, he is also the one dying. But his death and resurrection brings life to the righteous and a second death to the wicked, who are ultimately cast out from his presence. In the third part, we will see how "cast out" applies on a personal level.