"the Lord did strengthen them"

In my previous post, I wrote that people in the Near East in the Bronze Age relied on their gods for literally everything of significance. For the Israelites, it was only one God and to the extent that they managed to keep the first two out of the 10 commandments (which was very often not the case) they similarly relied solely on Yahweh for everything. We see how this is played out in warfare for instance. The NRSV Cultural Backgrounds Study Bible explains:

It is not proper to call this “holy war,” because in the ancient Near East there was no other kind of war. The divine warrior motif depicts the deity fighting and defeating the deities of the enemy. The gods empowered the king and fought before/ beside him. Warfare was a divine undertaking, because it was generally understood as a response to unrest. Deities were responsible for bringing rest and maintaining it for their people, so unrest had to be addressed. In Assyria, the god Nergal is the King of Battle, and Ishtar is viewed also as a war goddess. The Canaanite Baal and the Babylonian Merodach are divine warriors. In situations of impending battle, prayers would be made and omens asked to assure the god’s presence. Standards or statues of the deity were usually carried to symbolize their presence. Assyrian kings of the ninth and eighth centuries BC regularly refer to the divine standard that goes before them. The ark of the covenant, as Yahweh’s standard, represents the Lord as clearing the way before the Israelites and leading the armies into Canaan. Nearly every army in the ancient Near East included priests and diviners (as seen in the Mari tablets), prophets (cf. 2 Kings 3), and portable sacred objects (Assyrian annals of Shalmaneser III [858– 824 BC]). In this way, the god(s) could be consulted on the battlefield or invoked to lead the soldiers to victory. In this worldview, human warfare is simply a representation of warfare among the gods. The stronger god would be victorious regardless of the strengths or weaknesses in the human combatants. Therefore, if Yahweh fought on their behalf, the Israelites would be convinced that they would be victorious.

The view of all significant events personally and nationally as manifestations of divine will permeates the Old Testament. As a somewhat random example, see how Ruth 4:13 refers to her conception

So Boaz took Ruth, and she was his wife: and when he went in unto her, the Lord gave her conception, and she bare a son. (Ruth 4:13)

Similarly, this is how Hannah's inability to conceive is explained

But unto Hannah he gave a worthy portion; for he loved Hannah: but the Lord had shut up her womb. (1 Samuel 1:5)

Today, we explain conception in scientific terms. Whether you can or cannot conceive, there is a physiological reason and no need to drag God into it for the non-believer. What about the believers? We also know the scientific explanation and yet we may in certain circumstances both pray for a pregnancy and consider it a blessing when it happens. Still, scientific discoveries and increased knowledge about the natural world has had huge implications on our worldview, also as Christians. In "Misreading Scripture with Western Eyes, authors O'Brien and Richards explain

Through advances in mathematics, physics, astronomy and medical science, Western intellectuals learned more about the fixed rules or laws by which the universe operates. For some Western Christians, such discoveries increased their awe of and dependence upon the Creator God...Many other Western Christians, however, became convinced that the universe is a closed system in which God no longer plays an active role. On the whole, the Western world did not abandon the idea of a Creator until the nineteenth century. What changed first was our understanding of God’s relationship to the cosmos. Sure, God created the heavens and the earth. Before Darwin’s theory of evolution sparked humans to look at other aspects of the universe through the lens of natural law, most folks assumed God made the material world. However, Westerners increasingly assumed that God no longer tampered with the world he had made. He was a master watchmaker who skillfully creates a quality timepiece, winds it up and then lets it run on its own. No longer was God assumed to be the sustainer and maintainer of the universe. He was now a distant deity whose relationship to creation ceased after the event of creation. He left the world to operate according to rules and laws, which he prescribed. The God of the deists, whom we’ve been describing, was a creative genius, but he was not an engaged father. Increasing knowledge of the natural world did not, in general, inspire greater awe of and dependence upon God, but less.

A modern Westerner and Christian like myself will not find it problematic to accept the fact that God can and does intervene in our daily lives, even though most phenomena can also be explained by natural laws. God simply is the greatest scientist and perhaps takes advantage of natural laws himself in his dealings with his children. But to what degree he micromanages everything or sits back to observe his wound up clock run on its own is hard to tell. There is no doubt that development in the last few centuries have caused us to change our language. Few people would use expressions like "the Lord gave her conception" or "the Lord had shut up her womb" today, even if they are faithful church members.

But we see such language in the Book of Mormon as well reflecting this ancient worldview. The Lord is always taking a very active role in any event of significance. There are numerous examples of that and I will just give a few. For instance, the people of Alma-I had to flee the place Mormon after they had been discovered by the armies of king Noah.

And the Lord did strengthen them, that the people of king Noah could not overtake them to destroy them. (Mosiah 23:2)

For the modern reader it would be reasonable to ask how the Lord strengthened them. Did he descend in a cloud and touch their legs causing a miraculous instant muscle growth? Nothing in the text indicates such an event. Most likely, they simply managed to travel faster than the king's men or the king's men were unable to find and follow their tracks. For a non-believer at least, that has little to do with God. But for a Nephite in Alma's group or for Mormon abridging the plates, it had everything to do with God and the question about how the Lord strengthened them would probably seem strange and pointless. It happened so therefore God was behind it. How God performs his marvelous works is impossible for humans to understand anyway. 

Later in the story of Alma's people, they are brought into bondage. We see another example of the Lord's active role in the narrative expressed with the exact same wording.

And now it came to pass that the burdens which were laid upon Alma and his brethren were made light; yea, the Lord did strengthen them that they could bear up their burdens with ease, and they did submit cheerfully and with patience to all the will of the Lord. (Mosiah 24:15)

This sort of language is especially common in the war accounts.

Nevertheless the Lord did strengthen the hand of the Nephites, that they slew the Amlicites with great slaughter, that they began to flee before them. (Alma 2:18)

Compared to the explanation of ancient divine warfare in the first quote I shared, there is a slight deviation in the Book of Mormon, though. The Lamanites did not seem to have a god to fight the war for them. The Book of Mormon even seems to make a point of that.

Now, the Lamanites knew nothing concerning the Lord, nor the strength of the Lord, therefore they depended upon their own strength. Yet they were a strong people, as to the strength of men. (Mosiah 10:11)

Similarly, in periods of Nephite wickedness, they lose the divine favor that would otherwise keep them preserved and strengthened. They did not seem to substitute him for other gods either, and so they were left to their own strength. This detail seems unique in the Book of Mormon because in the Old Testament, people would only abandon God by replacing him by other gods. 

24 And they saw that they had become weak, like unto their brethren, the Lamanites, and that the Spirit of the Lord did no more preserve them; yea, it had withdrawn from them because the Spirit of the Lord doth not dwell in unholy temples—  

25 Therefore the Lord did cease to preserve them by his miraculous and matchless power, for they had fallen into a state of unbelief and awful wickedness; and they saw that the Lamanites were exceedingly more numerous than they, and except they should cleave unto the Lord their God they must unavoidably perish. 

26 For behold, they saw that the strength of the Lamanites was as great as their strength, even man for man. And thus had they fallen into this great transgression; yea, thus had they become weak, because of their transgression, in the space of not many years. (Helaman 4)

As mentioned in my previous post, it is easy to become arrogant about the apparent naivety of the ancients who knew little to nothing about natural laws and relied on God for all events of any importance. But perhaps we also have something to learn from this kind of faith. Our modern day challenge is to avoid letting science and our trust in the arm of flesh create a mist of darkness that prevent us from seeing "His hand in all things" (D&C 59:21).

"But the spirit of the Lord took possession of Gideon"

The heading is a phrase from Judges 6:34, NSRV translation. The Hebrew word that has been translated into "took possession" is labash and means to put on, wear, clothe or be clothed. In other words, the Spirit is wearing Gideon. The NRSV Cultural Backgrounds Study Bible comments on this verse:

According to the normal use of this form of this Hebrew verb (“to clothe”), the Hebrew reads “the Spirit of the LORD put on Gideon,” suggesting that the Spirit “wears” Gideon, i.e., the Spirit is inside him, rather than Gideon “wearing” the Spirit, as an external force. This raises the question whether the Spirit functions as an internal or external force. 

The question about the Spirit functioning as an internal or external force is worth pondering. Especially considering the fact that there are other passages of scripture describing the Spirit of the Lord coming or rushing upon someone. There are multiple examples of that also in the book of Judges, like 3:10, 11:29, 14:6 and 15:14. In these examples, the spirit is portrayed as more of an external force. There are also other scriptures using the labash or the clothing metaphor to describe righteous people enwrapped in the divine, which is the opposite of what happens with Gideon. Clothed in glory or in the robe of righteousness, etc. is a topic that has been discussed frequently on this blog. See for instance this post with links to related posts. These examples would describe the spirit as more of an external force, so Judges 6:34 creates an interesting twist. Like Gideon, we can become worthy of becoming the clothing of the spirit, something that he feels comfortable wearing!

The phrase from Judges 6:34 is almost unique in the Old Testament. I found one other example.

And the Spirit of God came upon Zechariah the son of Jehoiada the priest, which stood above the people, and said unto them, Thus saith God, Why transgress ye the commandments of the Lord, that ye cannot prosper? because ye have forsaken the Lord, he hath also forsaken you. (2 Chronicles 24:20)

In the KJV it has been translated as "came upon", in the NSRV it is "took possession of" like in Judges, but the underlying Hebrew is labesh so a more accurate translation would be that the Spirit of God put on Zechariah. The idea of the Spirit inside of us instead of upon us is not unique in these two verses in 2 Chronicles and Judges, though. But it is usually portrayed as the Spirit dwelling in us rather than wearing us. 

And they saw that they had become weak, like unto their brethren, the Lamanites, and that the Spirit of the Lord did no more preserve them; yea, it had withdrawn from them because the Spirit of the Lord doth not dwell in unholy temples (Helaman 4:24)

The difference between our bodies/temples and clothes are not as big as we might think, not to the ancient Israelite mind. For instance, in Job 10:11, Job says that God has clothed (Hebr. labash) him in skin and flesh, i.e. given him a mortal body. There was a symbolic connection between your body, your clothes and your dwelling place. The Savior was sometimes described as dwelling in a tabernacle, meaning his mortal body. Also, Levite priests wore special garments when entering into the ancient tabernacle that were made of the same fabric as the tabernacle itself. They were also changed when the priest moved from the holy place into the holy of holies, emulating the different fabrics of the tabernacle. 

Back to the question about the Spirit as an internal or external force. The obvious answer is both. 

43 And it came to pass that when they cast their eyes about, and saw that the cloud of darkness was dispersed from overshadowing them, behold, they saw that they were encircled about, yea every soul, by a pillar of fire.

44 And Nephi and Lehi were in the midst of them; yea, they were encircled about; yea, they were as if in the midst of a flaming fire, yet it did harm them not, neither did it take hold upon the walls of the prison; and they were filled with that joy which is unspeakable and full of glory.

45 And behold, the Holy Spirit of God did come down from heaven, and did enter into their hearts, and they were filled as if with fire, and they could speak forth marvelous words. (Helaman 5)

In this example the fire was encircling them from the outside and filling them inside. A similar example from D&C including both "round about" and "in your hearts".

And whoso receiveth you, there I will be also, for I will go before your face. I will be on your right hand and on your left, and my Spirit shall be in your hearts, and mine angels round about you, to bear you up. (D&C 84:88)

 

Gold and the Two Ways -- part 4a

Gold and the Two Ways in the Book of Mormon

Parts 1, 2, and 3 are found here: Part 1. Part 2. Part 3. We're looking at references to gold and riches and the like in the scriptures in the context of the doctrine of the two ways. In this post, we'll look at some of the references found in the Book of Mormon. This is a big topic, so I will break this into two parts. In this first part, we'll review scriptures from the Book of Mormon just as we've done for the Bible in the first three sections of this series. In the next part we'll take a slight detour and discuss the specific Book of Mormon theme related to treasures becoming slippery during ties of covenant rebellion.

Gold and treasure in the Book of Mormon

The Book of Mormon gives us numerous references to gold (59), treasure (15), and riches (43).  I'm sure there are additional terms with a meaning close enough to add to that tally. Since this is not meant to be a comprehensive review of all references, but just a cursory overview of some of the references which also make reference to the doctrine of the Two Ways, I'll focus on those references which best fit the theme.

For the following list, I'll forego quoting the verses to leave room for more total references in this post:

• 2 Nephi 9:42 -- God despises the prideful and rich unless "they shall cast these things away, and consider themselves fools before God, and come down in the depths of humility."
• Jacob 2:13, 18-19 -- Obtaining riches has led to pride, stiff necks, and high heads. Seek for the kingdom of God before seeking riches. Then seek riches for the intent to do good.
• Mosiah 2:12 -- "I ... have not sought gold nor silver nor and manner of riches of you."
• Mosiah 4:19 -- "Are we not all beggars?" We all depend on God for all the substance we have, including gold, silver, and riches.
• Alma 1:16, 29-30 -- Priestcrafts are associated with a love of the vain things of the world, riches, honor. Meanwhile the righteous cared for the poor and "did not set their hearts upon riches" but were "liberal to all." The "steadiness of the church" brought about exceeding riches.
• Alma 4:6, 8 -- The people wax proud because of their riches, gold, and silver. The church began to be lifted up in the pride of their eyes, and to "set their hearts upon riches" and "they began to be scornful, one towards another."
• Alma 7:6 -- (Alma to the righteous people of Gideon) "I trust that ye are not lifted up in the pride of your hearts; yea, I trust that ye have not set your hearts upon riches and the vain things of the world."
• Alma 15:16 -- Amulek forsook all his riches for the word of God and was rejected by his friends and kindred.
• Alma 39:14 -- "Seek not after riches nor the vain things of this world."
• Alma 45:24 -- Pride because of "exceedingly great riches" leads the people to not give heed to the word or walk uprightly before God.
• Helaman 4:12 -- Pride of the heart and riches lead to "oppression to the poor"
• Helaman 5:7-8 -- Do that which is good, not to boast, but to lay up for yourselves a treasure in heaven (the "precious gift of eternal").
• Helaman 6:17 -- Prosperity leads to setting their hearts upon riches, leading the people to commit secret murders to get gain, rob, and plunder. (Cain is directly mentioned in verse 27.)
• Helaman 7:21, 26: Wo comes to the wicked unless they repent. They seek to "get gain, to be praised of men, yea, and [to] get gold and silver." Pride enters the heart and "has lifted you up beyond that which is good because of your exceedingly great riches!"
• 3 Nephi 6: 10, 12, 15 -- Riches lead to pride and classes, differing chances for learning. Satan had great power, tempting the people "to seek for power, and authority, and riches, and the vain things of the world."
• 3 Nephi 13:19-21 -- Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven.
• 4 Nephi 1:43 -- Riches lead to pride and vanity.

A few thoughts about these verses:

There is a direct connection between riches and having a heart set upon the things of the world. Compare this to the command given to Joseph Smith by Moroni to obtain the plates (which were hidden in the ground) only to further God's work on earth, not for worldly gain. We'll talk about that in the next part in more depth.

Notice the contrasting symbolism between Jacob 2:13 and Alma 45:24 -- riches lead to "stiff necks" and high heads" and also causes the people to refuse to "walk uprightly before God."

Notice also how Amulek is described in Alma 15:16.  It's a perfect analog to the description Jacob gives in 2 Nephi 9:42.

It strikes me how clearly Jesus' words in 3 Nephi 13 fulfill the prophecy of slippery treasure from Helaman 13. This is a foreshadowing of the Nephites brought upon themselves by their covenant rebellion. Their record, also hidden in the ground, has come forth to us in order to gather God's people throughout the earth in the latter days.  Will we be wiser than they and lay up treasure in heaven rather than setting our hearts upon riches?

The strength of the Lord

Sometimes different verses of scripture can supplement each other wonderfully and there is really not much need to comment. I think this is the case with the three passages in the Book of Mormon that I will share here

And it came to pass that we did go up in the strength of the Lord to battle. Now, the Lamanites knew nothing concerning the Lord, nor the strength of the Lord, therefore they depended upon their own strength. (Mosiah 10:10-11)

But Ammon said unto him: I do not boast in my own strength, nor in my own wisdom; but behold, my joy is full, yea, my heart is brim with joy, and I will rejoice in my God. Yea, I know that I am nothing; as to my strength I am weak; therefore I will not boast of myself, but I will boast of my God, for in his strength I can do all things (Alma 26:11-12)

And because of [...] their boastings in their own strength, they were left in their own strength (Helaman 4:13)

I will just leave it at that and keep the post short and sweet. 

 

 

Fallen -- Part 1

We believe in 3 kingdoms or levels of glory, called the celestial, terrestrial and telestial. We don't know much about the details, but we have some points of reference within each category.

Celestial - God's state of glory, his presence

Terrestrial - The paradisaical state of Eden, the millennial state of the earth

Telestial - This earth in its fallen state

This will do for the purpose of this blog post, even though I know that a telestial glory in the telestial kingdom is not the same as living mortal life on a telestial earth. 

The plan of salvation can therefore be summed up in a journey down through the ranks and up again. We are in the presence of heavenly parents in the pre-mortal existence. The earth is created in a terrestrial state and "man" (Adam in Hebrew) is created to dwell there. The history of man on earth starts with the fall resulting in the transition to a telestial state. It ends with the millennial reign where the earth returns to a paradisaical/terrestrial state. Finally, through the redeeming power of Christ, we can reach exaltation, a return to the celestial state, but this time with a celestial body and necessary experiences that makes this state very different from the pre-mortal existence. The fall and subsequent arising and exaltation are all part of the plan.

It is primarily the transition from the terrestrial to the telestial when Adam partook of the fruit, that we refer to as "the fall". But reading Helaman 4:26 the other day, I noticed the word "fallen" and started reflecting on how often this is used in the scriptures both with reference to the fall of man in the Garden of Eden and the fall of specific people throughout history.

For behold, they saw that the strength of the Lamanites was as great as their strength, even man for man. And thus had they fallen into this great transgression; yea, thus had they become weak, because of their transgression, in the space of not many years.

How can you fall when you are already in a telestial state? The simple answer could of course be that this is not referring to the different states or degrees as given above but is just an idiom. But I want to challenge that notion and make a case for "fallen" in the scriptures applying to both Adam in the garden and Adam/mankind in the telestial world in the same way.

Our purpose on earth is to eventually get back to the celestial state. In this fallen state we need to prepare for that by arising and ascending. This ascension starts here on earth in this life. We are asked to "arise from the dust". We are asked to live in the world but not to be of the world. We are asked to make covenants that bind us to a being on a higher state than ourselves with the power to lift us up. We commit to live a higher law than the telestial. The scriptures are full of symbols and language typifying this ascension. Here is a great description of Lehi's dream in this context. There is also beautiful symmetry in the partaking of fruit as part of the fall and then partaking of fruit again as part of the ascension, both as integral elements of the plan.

The temple endowment is also an ascension story as is the ancient temple. We notice that mountains were used when temples were not available. The two most notable visions on mountains in the Book of Mormon (Nephi in 1 Nephi 11-14 and the Brother of Jared in Ether 3-4) happened in circumstances where no temple was available. Nephi was "caught away in the Spirit of the Lord, into an exceedingly high mountain" (1 Nephi 11:1). Here are the words of a Jewish rabbi commenting on this verse

High mountain: In ancient Mesopotamia a high mountain was the place where the gods were worshipped because it was believed to be the closest places to heaven from an earthly perspective. This theme is found all throughout the Jewish Bible. When Nephi says that he was taken to an exceedingly high mountain upon which he had never set foot before it means two things:

#1# The mountain being exceedingly high shows that there is no other G-d besides the G-d that Nephi worshipped.

#2# The fact that he had never set foot on it would be understood as Nephi having received such a profound level of closeness to G-d that he had never experienced before.

I believe that this event was an important part of the background for Nephi introducing himself in the Book of Mormon as "highly favored". But this description has also been used for the Nephites in general. Even though not everyone literally climbed that mountain, they did have temples. As we leave this telestial state (while still in our mortal lives on earth) through covenants, we have the potential to fall, just like Adam. The verse I quoted in Helaman 4 is a description of precisely that, a covenant people who had fallen into transgression. Another example in Alma 9.

19 For he will not suffer you that ye shall live in your iniquities, to destroy his people. I say unto you, Nay; he would rather suffer that the Lamanites might destroy all his people who are called the people of Nephi, if it were possible that they could fall into sins and transgressions, after having had so much light and so much knowledge given unto them of the Lord their God;

20 Yea, after having been such a highly favored people of the Lord; yea, after having been favored above every other nation, kindred, tongue, or people; after having had all things made known unto them, according to their desires, and their faith, and prayers, of that which has been, and which is, and which is to come;

...

30 And now, my beloved brethren, for ye are my brethren, and ye ought to be beloved, and ye ought to bring forth works which are meet for repentance, seeing that your hearts have been grossly hardened against the word of God, and seeing that ye are a lost and a fallen people.

Notice the description of their status as highly favored with knowledge given to them, echoing Nephi's description in 1 Nephi 1:1. They were a covenant people and had been on Nephi's mountain in the form of the temple. But because of their hardened hearts they had become a "fallen people". Falling into "sins and transgressions" is a symbolic fall down from that mountain back to the telestial state.

I will create a second part, because I think there is some beautiful symbolism related to this topic found in the story of the Brother of Jared.

What does it mean to be stiffnecked?

Stiffnecked is a term used quite frequently in the Book of Mormon. Where does it come from and what does it mean? According to the Lexham Bible dictionary.

An idiom based on a farm animal stiffening its neck to refuse the yoke (Exod 32:9, 33:3, 33:5, 34:9; 2 Chr 30:8, 36:13; Neh 9:16–29; Prov 29:1; Jer 7:26, 17:23, 19:15). For the people of Israel, bearing the yoke was living in obedience to the covenant; stiffening the neck against the yoke was disobedience. The idiom seems to be used first after the incident with the golden calf (Exod 32:9). Stephen compares the Jewish leaders who resisted the Holy Spirit in his day with the “stiff-necked” of Israel (Acts 7:51).

 As the quote states, Exodus 32:9 is the first time we encounter the term in the scriptures.

9 And the Lord said unto Moses, I have seen this people, and, behold, it is a stiffnecked people

The setting here is Moses on Mount Sinai speaking with the Lord. He is about to give the Israelites his law, but in the meantime they make a golden calf to worship instead. From then on, this expression is used several times in Exodus and Deuteronomy, where the Mosaic covenant is established and reiterated.

Jehovah wants to be their God and lead them (as symbolized by the cloud by day and the pillar of fire by night). Their stiffneckedness is used to describe how they are set in their own wicked ways and are not willing to hearken or be led, like a stubborn ox. Even when this expression is used on a few occasions later in the Bible, it is often with reference to the stubborn Israelites. In Jeremiah 7, for instance:

22 Neither carry forth a burden out of your houses on the sabbath day, neither do ye any work, but hallow ye the sabbath day, as I commanded your fathers.

23 But they obeyed not, neither inclined their ear, but made their neck stiff, that they might not hear, nor receive instruction.

As the Lexham Bible Dictionary states, Stephen in Acts 7 also talks about the Israelites of old and refers to them when calling the Jewish leaders of his day stiffnecked. 

Ye stiffnecked and uncircumcised in heart and ears, ye do always resist the Holy Ghost: as your fathers did, so do ye. (Acts 7:51)

As usual, I have been interested in seeing how this understanding and context of the term fits its use in the Book of Mormon. I first started reflecting on this reading Jarom 1:4

And there are many among us who have many revelations, for they are not all stiffnecked. And as many as are not stiffnecked and have faith, have communion with the Holy Spirit, which maketh manifest unto the children of men, according to their faith.

Notice how it compares with the other quoted verse from Acts in relation to the Holy Ghost.

Frequently, the word "stiffnecked" in the Book of Mormon is used together with a hardened heart. I will not quote all the examples but references include Jacob 6:4, Alma 9:5, 2 Nephi 25:12 among others. Interestingly, the idea of a hard heart also originates from Exodus and is used there far more than any other book in the Bible. First it is Pharaoh who repeatedly hardens his heart, but eventually the Israelites do not "enter into His rest" because of their hardened hearts. After studying this, I believe that stiffnecked and hardhearted are allusions to a covenant people of old who failed to keep their part of the covenant. Sometimes it is stated directly, like in Jacob 4:14

But behold, the Jews were a stiffnecked people; and they despised the words of plainness, and killed the prophets, and sought for things that they could not understand.

as well as Jacob 6:4, Mosiah 3:14 and Mosiah 13:29.

But it is also used as a description of a contemporary people, and I believe by using the term they are being compared with the Israelites of old. As mentioned, it is used as a description of a people who stubbornly pursue their own wicked ways instead of being guided by God when He offers his covenant. The Book of Helaman provides several examples:

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? (Helaman 9:21)

Yea, and this was not all; they were a stiffnecked people, insomuch that they could not be governed by the law nor justice, save it were to their destruction. (Helaman 5:3) 

O ye wicked and ye perverse generation; ye hardened and ye stiffnecked people, how long will ye suppose that the Lord will suffer you? Yea, how long will ye suffer yourselves to be led by foolish and blind guides? Yea, how long will ye choose darkness rather than light? (Helaman 13:29)

Yea, they began to remember the prophecies of Alma, and also the words of Mosiah; and they saw that they had been a stiffnecked people, and that they had set at naught the commandments of God (Helaman 4:21)

 

Nephite splinter groups and Book of Mormon wars

A few years ago I started making an overview of all the wars in the Book of Mormon: When they occurred, who was involved, how it was initiated, etc. It was a bit difficult since there are so few details sometimes, like Enos just saying that "I saw wars between the Nephites and Lamanites in the course of my days." (Enos 1:24). I don't know exactly what I expected to get out of it, I just thought it could be interesting. Although I didn't really finish it, I made at least one observation that I thought was interesting: Every single war during the reign of the judges until the coming of Christ (Alma, Helaman, 3 Nephi up to chapter 11) is initiated by Nephite dissenters and never the Lamanites. And these are a lot of wars too. Here is an overview:

87 B.C. - Amlici wants to be king, the Nephites vote against him, he gets mad and mixes goes to the Lamanites along with his followers. They go to war against the Nephites. See Alma 2.

81 B.C. - The Sons of Mosiah had been preaching among the Lamanites and had much success. Many Lamanites converted but none of the Nephite dissenters among them (Amalicites and Amulonites) except for one. Instead they stirred up the others that had not converted to anger against the converts and later the Nephites and went to war against them. See Alma 16 and 28.

74 B.C. - In the aftermath of the Zoramite mission, those who believe are cast out and those who don't believe are mad at the Nephites for giving them refuge and land. They mix with the Lamanites and go to war. See Alma 43-44.

73-57 B.C. - Amalickiah is another one who seeks to become king. When it doesn't work he goes to the Lamanites and eventually even becomes their king. But he is not happy with that and goes to war against the Nephites. There is at least one period of peace in-between, but all the wars going on in this period are initiated by Amalickiah and perpetuated by his brother, Ammaron, when he dies. This is a long one and is covered in Alma 46-62.

52 B.C. - We get little information about this one but enough to know that it is caused by Nephite dissenters stirring up the Lamanites to anger. See Alma 63:14-15

50 B.C. - We don't know much about the background for this war, just that the Lamanites came. But we learn that their armies were led by someone called Coriantumr who was a Nephite dissenter and that the king stirred them up. The Lamanite king at the time was Ammaron's son and Amalickiah's nephew, i.e. a Nephite by birth. See Helaman 1:14-34

38-30 B.C. - History repeats itself. Nephite dissenters go to the Lamanites, and manage after some persuation to stir them up to anger against the Nephites and go to war. They capture a lot of Nephite land, but give it back after a lot of them convert through miraculous events. See Helaman 4-5.

15-16 A.D. - This is the longest period without wars between Nephites and Lamanites in the reign of judges. But there has been much unrest at times and the Gadianton robbers have been established and have taken over much of the government and caused murders and plundering. It is hard to pinpoint a war in this period until 15-16 A.D. where more of a battle is described between the Nephites and the Gadianton robbers. Not surprisingly, the Gadianton robbers originate from Nephites. See 3 Nephi 2:17-18.

19-22 A.D. - Another battle with the Gadianton robbers. At this point, the terms "Nephite" and "Lamanite" seem to have little to do with who their forefathers were. "And it came to pass that those Lamanites who had united with the Nephites were numbered among the Nephites" (3 Nephi 2:14). Considering all the Nephite dissenters who have joined the Lamanites before this, a genetic test would probably fail to determine who is who. See 3 Nephi 4. 

Depending on how we count, we have about 9 distinct wars in this period of judges. Every single one is initiated by people who were Nephites by birth. In fact, at least in two of these accounts, there were Lamanites who refused to go to war and had to be persuaded by Nephite dissenters. See Alma 47:2 and Helaman 4:3.

I guess Mormon was right:

And thus we can plainly discern, that after a people have been once enlightened by the Spirit of God, and have had great knowledge of things pertaining to righteousness, and then have fallen away into sin and transgression, they become more hardened, and thus their state becomes worse than though they had never known these things. (Alma 24:30)