Another Sign Helaman 9:25-41

Helaman 9:25-41

I was driving my GuitarGuy to school the other morning

when I saw the back side of a stop sign. It appeared that the street I was crossing had a stop sign that an oncoming car was ignoring. Out of precaution I yielded to her as she never hesitated. After I crossed through the intersection I saw my mistake. The sign was not facing her direction of traffic but yet a third angle of traffic. It was good that I had yielded.

This made me think of signs and their purposes. Signs give directions by instructing us what to do. A stop sign is a good example. Signs also inform us of important information ,such as a railroad sign that lets us know the train crosses here. Signs give warning of

what is to come.

So the sign of a whistle blowing or a car honking is to warn us of impending danger. Signs also act as locators along our pathways. On the highway mile-marker signs line the interstate to let you know where you are in relation to the beginning or the end of the road. Lastly signs testify of truths. Mostly. There can be errant signs designed to deceive, but most signs give you the truth. If you see an exit sign while driving, you know that you will be able to leave the interstate.

It is important that we read and comprehend the signs we see correctly. Our lives could depend upon it. In my case, if I had not questioned who the stop sign was meant for, if I had assumed that the other car was responsible for stopping, then I could have been seriously injured or killed.

Signs are meant to protect us and to give direction to the destination of our choice.

Nephi wanted to help the people believe that all he said was true. He wanted them to believe on faith alone. But faith was not enough. They needed to connect their faith to something tangible. They needed a sign. So he says to them. "I will show you another sign". I will give you another truth.

When we receive the signs as we drive down the highway, it is up to us to use the signs (of truth) to help us get to our destination. Sometimes when I am driving long distances I might see a sign that says "Atlanta 126 miles". I drive a little longer and forget just how far I have to drive and I forget where I am in relation to Atlanta. So I search for another sign that will tell me again where I am on my journey to Atlanta. These signs give distances of truths. The highway department measures with accuracy and I can feel assured that the distances they post are true. I have to have faith that they know what they are doing. I have to believe them.

So it is with God and the signs he gives us. He gives us "road" signs in our lives that testify of his love for us. He helps us to know that he is watching over us and we are traveling on the correct road, a road that will lead us home to him. Like when we travel, we have to combine our faith and belief in the truth of the signs to help us make good decisions, to help us know who and what to believe.

This passage of scripture is not so much about Nephi showing these non-believers who knows more, as it is about giving the believers yet "another sign" to help strengthen their testimony. Many of these people embarked on their journey of belief when they saw Nephi praying in his garden outside of the city. Their curiosity peeked, they asked questions, they measured his words against their actions, and they mocked him. But when the signs came, when the truth came, they began to listen.

I too can pay attention to the "road" signs of my life. God has given me many different signs that help me understand who I am, where I am destined, how I should arrive there, and what I am to do. Signs of spiritual truths are not too much unlike the physical road signs. They too instruct, warn, locate, and inform. We simply have to learn how to read the signs that God's spirit sends our way.

Words and Phrases

vs 25 another sign - we have many different kinds of signs and many different signs to help us find our way through our life journey. If we miss a sign, or misread a sign, it may prove eternally costly. God gives us many signs to help build our confidence in our ability to choose correctly. Think of how many signs you need to read to help you feel secure that you are traveling in the correct direction.

vs 31 ye shall examine- It is important to examine the signs that are given. Just as I misread the back side of the stop sign, so can we misread or misinterpret the signs that we receive or notice. Closer examination will reveal the truth and assure a positive outcome.

vs 33 which has come upon your face - many signs of our lives are found in the faces of those we hold dear. Signs of joy.. signs of happiness, or sadness. signs of contentment and acceptance. guilt, etc.

vs 36 by the power of God - signs from heaven come to us by the power of God. He alone can orchestrate our lives and help us make good decisions. He can help us choose by giving us good signs of truth to guide us. By his power are we saved because we learn to listen to and hearken to the signs of warning, information, instruction, and location while we live our lives.

vs 36 an honest man - Honest men give honest signs. The DOT gives honest distances, and true signs. Honest men do not give signs that are deceptive or corrupt. Honest men are sent from God.

vs 38 brought to prove - I watched the Count of Monte Cristo the other night. In this great movie a man is wrongfully imprisoned for 16 years. While in prison he carves into the walls of his dungeon cell. "God will grant me justice." In the end all truth will be "brought to prove" and men shall have a righteous judgement of God.

vs 39 they had been converted - Why were these 5 converted. Maybe it's because they lived on both sides of the truth. The side where they were casting the blame and the side where they were being blamed. Their perspective changed and they saw how valuable the truth is. They saw the reasoning behind Nephi's words and felt the strength of truth and it's power to change lives.

vs 39 and there were some - a few believed that Nephi was a prophet. They based this on their experience with them.

vs 41 know of all things - When we use the truth of the signs that God gives us we eventually are able to build upon the truth of these signs and receive a larger perspective of life. When you travel and you rely on the road signs to tell you where you are going, and how to get there, eventually in your mind you are able to step outside of your car and see a larger overall picture of your journey. When I travel by plane I enjoy the window seat that gives me the perspective of large cities and the highways that feed into them from other cities. I have a perspective different from when I drive the car.

Directions

1 Nephi 16

Directions

I recently gave to my husband “a ball of curious workmanship” to help him find his way while he drives in our new city. We call the ball a Garmin. Supposedly it will tell me (speak) where I should go, and prevent me from getting lost. It works on “faith” in that I have to believe that it knows what it is doing. But as we found out, like all things that work on the faith of man’s intellect it has its limitations.

Following directions is not always easy. I am not programmed like a robot, or like a homing pigeon to follow directions explicitly or to return home regardless of the circumstances. God programmed me with the power of choice. The spiritual gift of choice helps me navigate with a greater gift of “faith” and learn to rely on this many other gifts. The key is learning to understand the power of the choice within me.

Traveling with a Garmin can make my trip less stressful. All I need to do is plug in where I want to go and it will direct me there. A few key things to recognize:

a. I have to know where I want to go b. It does not know all things. It will not steer me clear of danger or remind me of when I need gas etc.. C. It relies on me to make the decisions; it is only as useful as I am able to follow the directions.

The Lord gave Lehi a “ball of curious workmanship”, called the Liahona. Because it came as a gift from God (it was not engineered by man) it had a few different characteristics: a. You didn’t have to know explicitly where you needed to go you only had to want to go where the Lord led you b. It was programmed to respond to faith and obedience. C. It did know all things and would answer based on your faith steering you clear of danger or refusing to work during periods of no faith. D. Like the Garmin it relied on you to decide (as to weather to be obedient and faithful but unlike the Garmin it worked not on scientific coordination but rather on faith in a higher power. So that when you learn to ask the right questions, it will steer you in the right direction.

Life is a bit like this chapter in Nephi. I can’t always predict the difficulties that I will encounter. Nephi broke his bow. Everyone was hungry. Everyone was tired. Everyone was lonely for Jerusalem. This led to everyone being angry. Nephi surveyed his situation and decided to improvise with what he had and rely on God to direct him to the food. (I don’t think a Garmin would do that).

God knows that I will have difficulties. He knows that life will not always turn out the way I plan or hope for. The joy is not in receiving what I want, but in learning what I have within me to give. The journey through the wilderness helps me discover this. The journey that is led (not by a Garmin) but by faith in God’s power to lead me where I need to be is the journey that will bless me with growth and joy.

Words and Phrases

(Vs. 2) according to the truth – Directions tell the truth of how to fix things, how to play a game, how to install something, how to put something together. The creator writes them.

(Vs 3) hard things – Once when after our family had purchased a new wash machine, we tried to put it together. After (not following directions) it didn’t work, those of us who were putting it together were frustrated and said a few hard things. The truth was we had not read the directions. One of us found the directions and discovered we had not removed a critical packaging piece. Sometimes hard things are necessary to get us to listen and follow directions.

(Vs. 8) blessed of the Lord exceedingly – I think if we all consider our circumstances. If we all realize where we live, how we live and what we get to do on a daily basis we might begin to believe we are “blessed in many ways”.

(Vs. 11) Whatsoever things we should carry into the wilderness – What would I take? I think I would take the directions on how to live so that I could receive instruction. Nephi did this when they went back for the brass plates. I think I would also take something to eat, sleep, and find food with. As well as being able to grow food. Mostly I would not want to be alone (with my own intelligence) but would want to have God’s wisdom at my disposal.

(Vs. 16) we did follow the directions – a reminder of the need for all of us to look to the plan… to follow the directions. To take a daily, a weekly, a monthly reminder to check back and see if we are indeed following the directions with faith.

(Vs. 18) break my bow – a reminder that even when we do all that is right, sometimes life happens. We might break our bow, our hammer, our stove, our washing machine, but we learn to use our intelligence and our faith together. We learn what we are capable of doing and we learn that together with God we can stop complaining and perish not.

(Vs. 24) he did ⁱnquire of the Lord, - it takes humility to inquire of the Lord. It often takes words to humble us. We go to church to hear the words that we need to learn to ask God.

(Vs. 28) work according to the ^faith and diligence and heed - the Liahona worked not just by faith, but also by diligence and heed. To heed something is to pay attention to it. To listen to it. To focus on it. To be diligent is to follow through and continue forward no matter how many distractions might plague you.

The interesting thing about a Garmin is that if I am too diligent in listening to it, I might run out of gas. (This almost happened to me on a recent trip). If I heed it too much I might find myself on a closed street, a blocked road, or in a lake( in a land where there is changed landscape). No amount of faith in this “curious ball” will save me from destruction. It can also become annoying when you make a “right” choice and turn your car around. It will continually talk to you and tell you to turn left, turn right, etc. Eventually I turn its voice off.

I have a “curious ball” of faith within me. It is called the Holy Ghost. It works with faith and will direct me and lead me to where God will have me go. I need only learn to heed its voice. I need to learn how to follow directions and live by faith.