The Atonement of Jesus Christ: The Best Victory of all.

My daughter coaching her Lacrosse Team

I was asked to speak on the atonement and its relevance to the Book of Mormon. I chose to use a sports metaphor as I believed it would reach the younger crowd in our ward. 

Choose your Sport 

In 2001, we moved to Georgia. Our daughter, who is now 28 was then a Junior in High School. When she discovered that her new High School did not have her beloved sport of Lacrosse.. she was not happy.

While investigating the possibility of starting a Lacrosse team, she was instructed(by her ex pro physician Dr. Kosobucki) that in the south there were only three sports. 1. Football 2. Football and 3. Football.

I tell you this because sports play an important role in our lives. For young people maturing and growing in our society they teach the importance of rules and laws.

Sports help teach the concept that rules help us achieve goals. 

Sports also teach us how to feel the joy of winning.. and how to handle the agony of loss.

There are numerous analogies that be drawn between sports and the game we call life.

Heavenly Father's Plan 

Life however is not a game. Rules that are broken lead to players being sidelined or even being permanently removed, ie. death.  There are no rain delays and certainly no tiebreakers in the game we call mortality. Mortality offers us no eternal security. 

Like the coaches that establish rules, draw up game plans and put key players into the game, our Heavenly Father has given us eternal laws, designed a plan of happiness for us and even given us a key player that insures us joy.

Games and sports allow for only one winner and many losers. Heavenly Father’s plan of Eternal Happiness, however, was designed that all might know the joy of success.

A Key Play: The Atonement 

This eternal plan of happiness as the Book of Mormon prophet Alma called it (Alma 42:8), is otherwise known as the atonement. Jesus Christ is the star and key player. Prophets both living and ancient bear witness of his divinity, of his role in helping us all learn how to practice and find eternal joy.   

The Atonement in the Book of Mormon: Law 

The Book of Mormon prophet Lehi understood he could not travel into the wilderness of a new land without the laws that taught of Jesus Christ’s divine mission and role in God’s Plan of Happiness. Without the brass plates he would not be able to teach of his father’s eternal covenants with God, of past prophets testimonies, of the Ten Commandments, or of God’s love.  

In 1 Nephi 4:15 we read :

Yea, and I also thought that they could not keep the commandments of the Lord according to the law of Moses, save they should have the law.

Lehi was the first prophet of the Book of Mormon to testify to the divinity of Jesus Christ’s role in the Great Plan of Happiness. The Book of Mormon has multiple prophets that testify of the atonement of Jesus Christ.

GamePlan: Atonement

The prophet Jacob asked, 

“Why not speak of the atonement of Christ, and attain to a perfect knowledge of him?” (Jacob 4:12)

Kay Player: Jesus Christ

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The brother of Jared shared the savior’s words to him : In Ether 3:14 we read:

Behold, I am he who was prepared from the foundation of the world to redeem my people. Behold, I am Jesus Christ.

To the list of Book of Mormon prophets who testified of Jesus Christ and his divine atonement we can add Zenock, Neum, and Zenos ( 1 Nephi 19:10).  King Benjamin, Alma the Elder, Alma the Younger, Amulek, the sons of Mosiah, Captain Moroni, the brothers Nephi and Lehi, Samuel the Lamanite, Enos, Jarom, Amaron, and Amaleki also testified of the atonement.

The Book of Mormon – another testament of Jesus Christ – contains 6,607 verses. 3,925 refer to Jesus Christ.  It references the Savior’s atonement 39 times and speaks of the resurrection of Jesus Christ 81 times. When you consider that Jesus Christ is it’s principal character there can be little mistake that the Book of Mormon makes the solemn declaration that Jesus is the Christ, our Savior and Redeemer. (A Testimony of the Book of Mormon)

One of my favorite prophets is the courageous Abinadi. He gives us a good understanding of the relationship between living the rules (law of Moses) and in utilizing the atonement of Jesus Christ.  After prophesying the people’s destruction, he has been taken before the courts of King Noah to be questioned.. To Noah’s priest’s, Abinadi taught and testified:

And again he said unto them: If ye teach the law of Moses why do ye not keep it?  Mosiah 12:29-31

Noah and his priests soon are ready to be done with Abinadi, but Abinadi is filled with the spirit of God and cannot be touched. He then recites to them the Law of the Ten Commandments and tells them they are not living them, nor are they written on their hearts.

He continues to explain the atonement to them.  From Mosiah 13: 27-28 we read:

And moreover, I say unto you, that salvation doth not come by the law alone; and were it not for the atonement, which God himself shall make for the sins and iniquities of his people, that they must unavoidably perish, notwithstanding the law of Moses.

In  Mosiah 15:1-7 Abinadi continues:

 I would that ye should understand that God himself shall come down among the children of men, and shall redeem his people.And after all this, after working many mighty miracles among the children of men, he shall be led, crucified, and slain, the flesh becoming subject even unto death, the will of the Son being swallowed up in the will of the Father.

 Mercy and Mistakes

In learning how to play a sport mistakes are inevitable. And mistakes ensure both a winner and a looser. Shots will be missed, fouls incurred, rules and boundaries broken, and we might even score a goal for the wrong team.

 In life we might commit what we perceive as an unforgivable sin, a no win situation, but as Elder Marcus B. Nash of the Seventy points out, “through the infinite Atonement, God has provided a means whereby we can both overcome our sins and become completely clean again. This is made possible by the eternal law of mercy. Mercy satisfies the claims of justice through our repentance and power of the Atonement. Without the power of the Atonement and our complete repentance, we are subject to the law of justice. (2006 April General Conference, The Great Plan of Happiness)

Additionally Alma taught that “mercy claimeth the penitent” (Alma 42:23) and that the plan of redemption could not be brought about, only on conditions of repentance.” (Alma 42:13). 

Russel M. Nelson said that, “The resurrected Lord taught, "This is the gospel which I have given unto you--that I came into the world to do the will of my Father, because my Father sent me." (3 Ne. 27:13. Then He amplified that one-sentence definition: "My Father sent me that I might be lifted up upon the cross; and after that I had been lifted up upon the cross, that I might draw all men unto me." (3 Ne. 27:14)  This unique mortal mission of the Lord--the gospel as He defined it--we know as the Atonement., (A Testimony of the Book of Mormon Russel M. Nelson.)

The personal ministry of the resurrected Lord to people of ancient America bears an unmistakable testimony of the Savior’s mission.  To them He made this revelatory announcement:  "Behold, I am Jesus Christ the Son of God. I created the heavens and the earth, and all things that in them are. I was with the Father from the beginning. . . .  ". . . The scriptures concerning my coming are fulfilled. . . .  "I am the light and the life of the world. . . .  ". . . Whoso cometh unto me with a broken heart and a contrite spirit, him will I baptize with fire and with the Holy Ghost. . . .  ". . . I have come unto the world to bring redemption unto the world, to save the world from sin.  "Therefore, whoso repenteth and cometh unto me as a little child, him will I receive, for of such is the kingdom of God. . . . I have laid down my life, and have taken it up again; therefore repent, and come unto me, . . . and be saved." (3 Ne. 9:15-16, 18, 20-22) 1999 October General Conference, (A Testimony of the Book of Mormon)

 

Temp View High State Lacrosse Champs. My son as their coach. 

I have watched my children participate in many sport events. Some they have even coached and refereed for. I have witnessed their joy when the scoreboard favored their team. I have wiped away tears when it did not. 

But Of all the victories that I hope my children will understand and strive to win, I hope they will seek the victory of eternal life that comes through the atonement of Jesus Christ. 

Jacob taught that without the atonement we might all be like the losers on the sport field. We might all be lost.He said:  

And this is not all—it has been made manifest unto me, for I have heard and seen; by the power of the Holy Ghost; wherefore, I know if there should be no atonement made all mankind must be lost. Jacob 7:12

The Book of Mormon testifies not only of the atonement, but of its infinite power to bring us joy, no matter what the score board might read. Through the Savior’s example of mercy and charity we all are given the power to lift not only ourselves up to a happier state, but to also offer that same score to our fellow saints and teammates. The atonement of Jesus Christ offers a win win situation.  

I bear witness that there is a power of goodness and healing that comes from reading the Book of Mormon. I believe this power stems from the pureness of God's atoning love and from the witness that is brings to us, the covenant people of Israel. 

In the name of Jesus Christ Amen.

"he will be merciful unto you..forever" 2 Nephi 4: 1-12

Lehi speaking to Laman and Lemuel in the Valley and by the River

I cannot comprehend the love that Lehi must have felt for his son Laman, his first born. I can try but I am sure I will not come close. The love a parent feels for a child stands within its own realm. The love between father and son can be one of the greatest known to man.

While reading the first verses of 2 Nephi 4, I was struck at the imposition Laman's behavior puts Lehi in. I was struck even more by how he manages to maintain his integrity of faith and still express his love for his firstborn son. Lehi understood that the love he felt for God could only magnify the love he felt for his son. A love and life that began in Jerusalem.

Lehi's life before he left Jerusalem - what was it like? While we can really only give supposition to most of the facts, we  do know that he had great wealth. (1 Ne 3:22-24) That this wealth did not bring him joy can be deduced from his desire to forsake it and find security in the God of Abraham. Although we don't know much that occurred before his prophetic call, we do not that after his call (1 Ne 1:6) he finds great joy in the Lord. So great was this joy that he describes it as being "encircled about eternally in the arms of His love."(2 Ne 1:15) All he wants is for his "seed", like Joseph of Egypt's "seed"(2 Ne 4:2) to have the same joy and peace. He wants his son to know of God's love as he has known of God's love.

God's love is like that. It's joyful. It's life changing. When I read the scriptures and feel of their power, when I pray and feel of God's love in my life, all I want is for those I love to feel of it as I do. What I want most is to share the joy. Lehi's life changed and he only wanted to share the joy with Laman.

An Angel speaking to Laman and Lemuel

But how can Lehi convince Laman? Laman and Lemuel's behavior has caused great discontent, guilt, grievous sorrow, and even the promise of a curse. (1 Ne 2:23)

The promise of this curse came not through Lehi, but rather through Lehi's youngest son Nephi, who like Lehi had "great desires" and a "softened heart"(1 Ne 2:16). His belief caused him to speak to his brothers about their behavior and to then hear God's word. Nephi, not Lehi is promised that if his brothers rebel against him the Lord will "curse them even with a sore curse" (1 Ne 2:23).

Lehi must have taken Nephi's prophetic news with great disheartenment. He must have felt great sorrow with regards to the family discord. To suppose that the sibling rift was such that even his own impending death does little to convince them. Despite his disappointment he uses his faith to bestow blessings of promise upon his son. Despite his sorrow, he uses the power of prayer to sustain his faith and calls on the strength and promises of the prophets before him. (2 Ne 4:2)

After reading the prophecies of Joseph of Egypt concerning his own seed, (Nephi tells us that "there are not many greater," ) Lehi wants to do as Joseph did and leave a blessing upon the heads of all of his children.

Lehi understood the Lord makes covenants with those who love him and that the Lord's blessings and promises are sure. He calls his sons forth and bids them to listen.

As he contemplated the blessing he would give to Laman, Laman's contentious past must have given Lehi much pause. How many times had he and Laman and even a few of the sons of Ismael bound Nephi? or beat Nephi? or openly rebelled against Lehi? How often had he tried to teach them with his words? Only the fear of death and destruction keep them from returning to Jerusalem.

Yet Lehi loved Laban. He was his first born. He was his son. He was his seed. He loved him and wanted only to bless him with the goodness of the Lord's love.

This is where I realized that the love of Heavenly Father becomes our supreme example. Lehi realizes that he has taught them well. He quotes Proverbs 22:6 and tells them:

I cannot go down to my grave save I should leave a blessing upon you; for behold, I know that if ye are brought up in the way ye should go ye will not depart from it.

He draws on the hope of his and Sarah's parenting skills. He draws on the hope of his love and concern for his son. But what if Nephi is right? What if Laman's choices have caused him to be cursed and cut off?

This is when I realized that even the best intentioned parent cannot ensure their children's salvation. Life is a gift that we receive from our parents, but salvation is a choice we make for ourselves. Aware that he can't ensure Laman's salvation, Lehi seeks to buy him more time.

Israel blessing Ephraim. Joseph is standing

Lehi was aware of the many prophetic covenants within his family line. He was aware of the Lord's own promises to him. His love for his own son is such that he does not wish him to be "cut off from "the Lord's" presence." (2 Ne 4:4) His love is such that all of his days he has tried to bring him "up in the way" in such a way that he would "not depart from it." (vs 5) Yet what if Lehi had erred? What if the guilt lay upon the parent? What if while in Jerusalem he had not taught Laman all that was required?

Lehi 's love was such that he accepts the curse upon his own head. He says in verse 6

If ye are cursed, behold, I leave my blessing upon you, that the cursing may be taken from you and be answered upon the heads of your parents." 

The mercy he feels for is own son is akin to the mercy that had been extended to him by an all loving God. For what does our Father in Heaven do for us, but say that if we will but come unto him all that we have done wrong can be answered through the atonement of Jesus Christ?

Lehi is not sure if Laman will be "cut off." He can not be sure about Laman's future choices and if he will bring a cursing upon his own head. Likewise he cannot be sure as to who to put the blame of Laman's transgressions, but he can and does know that the Lord's promises to Lehi are sure. So he promises Laman and all of his children, that they will not perish, but rather "He will be merciful unto you and unto your seed forever."

The power of this blessing comes not from the fact that Laman's actions ensured his destruction, but rather that the love of Lehi for God ensured his existence. Lehi is aware of the difference.

He bestows the same blessing upon Lemuel's seed and then states "thou shalt not utterly be destroyed." To Nephi and Sam he promises that they will be "blessed in all thy days." The contrast between the two older sons blessings with their younger siblings seems small, but a lifetime of experience proves it to be much greater.

To the elder is given "mercy ...forever" and the promise of not being destroyed." To the younger  the promise of the land and a blessing of "all they days."

Why couldn't Lehi simply bless all of his sons with great promises from the Lord? Security? Eternal life? Joy? Peace? Because it was not his to give. As a patriarch he is bound by the promises of the Lord. These promises come to those who desire to dwell within the Lord's presence. They come to those whose actions prove their love.

That Lehi loved his sons is apparent. That he worried about the err of their way is also apparent. As a prophet of God and a father what a wonderful blessing he gives to all of his sons. What a wonderful blessing of mercy he gives to those who have not yet comprehended the love of God.

I am grateful to have understood this aspect of Lehi's love. I am glad to have mercy extended to me and feel certain that Laman and Lemuel shared a love for their father, if only for the promise of mercy that he extends to them. What a blessing it is to see this mercy fulfilled later within the pages of the Book of Mormon. Jacob points out a time when Laman's children were "more righteous" than the Nephites  (3 Ne 10:18). After Christ visited the continent there was even at time when the seed of Lehi shared no contention between them. (4 Ne 1:2).

2 Nephi1:1-7 brought by the hand of the Lord

Grandsons of Arthur and Margaret F. Conkey 

The year was 1842 and my Great Great Great Grandfather Arthur Conkey and his wife
Margaret Ferguson Conkey left Ireland for the new world. All of their children crossed the sea with them. All except their oldest daughter Mary and her husband John Greer, who for unknown reasons decided to stay behind.  We don't know the personal stories as to why the family chose to leave their homeland, but one letter from the Campbells (another family line settled in Ontario) shows that the prosperity of the new land came quickly to those that worked hard. (Canadian Conkey Family History A-7).
 As I read these first few verses in 2 Nephi I about Lehi's family leaving Jerusalem, I was reminded of my own Conkey family's history. I wondered how many of the circumstances might be compared?

The moving of a barn across the prairie.

Lehi begins by rehearsing (vs 1)  with his children the many wonderful blessings they received in leaving Jerusalem. We remember that many of his children rebelled and presented a not so faithful attitude at the idea of traversing so many years in the wilderness in search of the promised land. (1 Nephi). The Conkey family did not have to traverse for many years but they did have to span the waters, leave loved ones, face a land barren of civilization and modern comforts, etc.  I am certain that Arthur's vision and leadership was paramount in helping his family remember the many blessings God had bestowed upon them, especially as they faced their first winter in a new land.

I wonder how many of the children understood Arthur's vision? I wonder how many of them complained (vs 2)  and even exhibited a bit of that Irish stubbornness. We know that their eldest daughter's husband chose to keep his family in Ireland. Mary Conkey and John Greer did not travel in 1842 with Arthur to the "promised land" of Ontario. They chose to forego the uncertainties of the new world and take their chances in Ireland's rocky soil and political unrest.

In addition, Mary Ann Gourley married William Arthur Conkey (Arthur & Margaret's eldest son) while they were still in Ireland. She was one of the daughter in laws who like Lehi's daughter in laws might have complained. Her obituary tells of some of their hardships.

 "in the times when only a blanket was hung up over the entrance of the humble dwelling ot protect the inmates from the fierce blasts which whistled through the trees, and from the dreaded wolves which howled close by, she, with undaunted courage took hold and mastered her share of the toil in making a home." (Canadian Conkey's Family History) 

Lehi and Arthur would have had to remind their families of the Lord's good mercy to them. No Conkey children died in transit to the new world. No children of Lehi died (that we know of ). The Lord's hand of mercy is extended to all who listen to his counsel.

Both families chose to leave their homelands at a crucial time. We know that Lehi had spiritual warning and direction. Did Arthur too heed a spirit that moved him across the waters? Consider that Lehi's exodus came a few years prior to the destruction of Jerusalem. Arthur Conkey's exodus came but six years prior to the great potato famine that took some 750,000 Irish lives.

I have to wonder about the heartache Margaret and Arthur must have felt at leaving their eldest daughter's family behind. Mary and John Greer and their four young children did not escape the sorrow of destruction as the children of Lehi did. John at age 38, a young daughter, and a son named James did not survive the famine. After burying her husband and two young children, Mary migrated to Ontario in 1850 with her two sons John and William to tell their tale. (vs 3, 4) What joy they must have felt to be reunited with their family. What perspective their story must have given to the new Canadian Conkey's faith. (vs 4)
I wondered what moved over Arthur and Margaret to leave Ireland? Is it improbable to believe that he too felt the power of the Lord directing his family to move where his family could find prosperity, protection, and freedom? Arthur did not need to see a vision to know of the devastation he had saved his family from. The loss of grandchildren and a son in law proved newsworthy enough. I believe he was aware of God's spirit guiding him. As Presbyterian's in a dominant Catholic country, I believe they must have suffered some form of persecution. One has only to look at the history of Northern Ireland to understand the strife that still surrounds this land.  It could have been that like Lehi circumstances piled against the family and worked to drive their desire to leave?

Nephi speaks in verse 5 of a covenant with God in the obtaining of the land. He speaks of how the land is "choice about all other lands." It is to be a land for his children, and to families like the Conkey's
"who should be led out of other countries by the hand of the Lord."

I know that my Conkey family was led by the hand of the Lord to this land. I believe the prophet Lehi when he testifies that "there shall be none come into this land save they shall be brought by the hand of the Lord." Though four generations have come since the coming of my father's people to this "promised land," I know that the Lord's hand is still actively guiding us. To my own father he gave the power of prayer that helped him leave his homeland and adapt to the jobs of the changing world.

When my Conkey family left Ireland in 1842 they used their faith in God and family to find direction. They were in the practice of serving God. The cemetery where the Conkey family rests lies within the churchyard of the Presbyterian church, a church that sits on land donated by the first Canadian Conkey's, Arthur and Margaret Conkey. Leaving Ireland meant exerting faith over the many fears they had to face, but somehow I believe they knew, like Lehi, that in this promised land of the Americas, "the righteous shall be blessed forever." (vs 7)

So as I read and consider how the Lord worked with Lehi to preserve his family, I am reminded of how he covenanted with Abraham so that he too would have a covenanted land. Clearly there is a connection between land and preservation of seed, between living a life filled with God's revelation and direction and finding a land where one can find prosperity through the blessings of hard work.

Genesis 19: 19-30 the city of Zoar.. a little one

Zoar: Means a little thing 

Have you ever been caught within the grasp of something that you knew was not good for you? Have you ever been given a second chance in life to succeed and to move forward and then all you could think of was exactly what you had just been freed from? 

Lot was given a second chance. He had been freed from his ties to the evil in Sodom. He says to the Lord, "thou hast magnified thy mercy... in saving my life." Clearly he understands his good fortune and what is about to happen. So why then does he not exercise his faith and move to the higher ground? 

What happens in verse 20 really caused me to think. Lot and his family are safe from destruction. He is free from the grasp of the sin that was consuming Sodom. It is here that he choose to push his luck and plead for what he is most comfortable for. Like an addict he can not own up to the truth that he would be alone with himself or his family, away from the city.   He must have Zoar, a little one. 

The question is what does he lose when he chooses to disobey the direction of God's servants to "escape to the mountain?" What does he lose when he purposefully chooses to fear "some evil" that might "take me?" Was he truly grateful for his being saved? Or was he only thinking selfishly (as sin causes us to do) If you consider that God's mercy and grace had just supplied him with three angels who saved him from destruction by leading him out of the city and plain, and that his faith had preserved him, why then could he not continue in faith and strength to the higher ground? 

I am considering now the many times in my life when I have been given or had to give instruction concerning how to change a situation for the better. On one occasion my initial instruction was to argue. In fact I did argue and discuss the situation with the Lord. It did not turn out as I would have first hoped. 

I am thinking now of Joseph Smith who, like Lot had not learned this lesson. He wanted what he wanted and did not want to do as he was instructed concerning the 16 pages of manuscript that he loaned to Martin Harris. It too did not turn out as he would have hoped. 

Lot was given instruction to move to higher ground. In stead of exercising faith and trust in the Lord's judgement he argued his need for his soul. Is it not a little one? my soul shall live. How often have we focused on what we could not do and not understood what the Lord knows we can do? 

After much petitioning the Lord gave in to Joseph Smith and the consequence was that the pages were lost. After much petitioning and the urgency of time, Lot's desire is "accepted," and Zoar, is not overthrown. Lot and his family are given permission to "escape thither" where they were able to watch the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah with brimstone and fire. 

What if they had gone on to higher ground? What if they had been busy putting their feet one in front of the other and had a different perspective of the destruction? How do you suppose it must have been for them to be on the same level, (the plain) as the destruction? What profit did they gain by being close to the destruction? If they had gone to higher ground would they have heard the cries or smelled the sulphur and pitch as it burned and itched their nostrils? Even if Lot was able to not turn and watch he had led his family here. What had he done to prevent their destruction? 

Lot's wife, we are told is unable to restrain her desire to watch her homeland destroyed. She turns back to the scene and is turned (literally or metaphorically it does not matter) into a pillar of stone. Why? Because of what she desired. Because of what her focus was on. 

How do we turn to stone? Is it something that comes from within? Was it anger that consumed her? Was it the willingness to forgo her family and leave them for the world she had just been led from? 

What is it like to be turned to salt? Did it happen in an instance or is this story, like many in the Bible, condensed to represent a longer period of time? Did she stew over it. Did she and Lot argue? Did her anger and loss overtake her to where she could no longer move and the sulphur and tar encapsulate her? 

What was the one little thing, the Zoar, that caused Lot's wife to turn her heart away from all that was good and allow herself to be hardened to all that God's love would bring? 

What is that Zoar in your life that God has led you away from, has given you direction for, has granted you grace and mercy for, and you have not understood. 

"to do justice and judgment"- Genesis 18:17-33

Shall I hide from Abraham that thing which I do? 

Why would the Lord God ask such a question? As I read through this chapter I believe I felt that this one verse became the most significant verse of the entire chapter. 


Consider that when Abraham pitched his tent he built an alter to the Lord. When Lot  pitched his tent, its toward Sodom. Lot was not Abraham's equal. 


God knew this. But Abraham loved Lot. He had traveled with Lot from Chaldea, through Egypt, and finally to the land where, rather than quarrel they separated themselves from one another.  Abraham had sacrificed both for and with Lot. He had risked his life to return Lot from a life of slavery. (Gen 13) Was it hard for him to consider the Lord's "justice and judgement?" (vs 19) In my mind when he asks the Lord, "Wilt thou also destroy the righteous and the wicked," he is asking what the Lord will do with Lot and his family. 


As I read this chapter I did not consider that before the negotiation began, God knew how it would end. But when you think about it, as a God of mercy and love, God knew how he would answer Abraham. So for me, it is more about Abraham's tutelage in justice, judgment and mercy than it is about the destruction of Sodom. 


Consider these points as you read: 

• Abraham's covenant was sure: He had just been promised that Isaac would be born to Sarah. vs 16  
• God trusted Abraham:  the Lord acknowledges this in vs 19
• Devotion verses justice: Abraham was perplexed for his love and devotion to Lot. He knew that Lot and his family resided in Sodom. He did not want them to perish. And mostly he did not want to believe they were to be counted among the evil of Sodom. 
• Justice verses Mercy: The Lord had a responsibility to justice and mercy because "the cry was great and their sin very grievous." 
• Protection: The Lord is trying not only to give lesson to Abraham but to also protect Abraham from destruction. Evil that is not controlled will eventually destroy its host. Verse 18 and 19. Seeing that Abraham will surely become a great nation. AND THAT ALL THE NATIONS OF THE EARTH WILL BE BLESSED BY HIM. The evil that lurked in Sodom threatened the blessings that Lord had for Abraham's family. 

Consider how the lesson evolved: 

1. God considers weather to tell Abraham about Sodom. v 17
2. God weighs the perspective of his choice. Who exactly will be affected by Abraham's lesson on justice and judgment. v 18.
3. God considers what he knows Abraham understands: v 18 
4. God considers how he himself is constrained in bringing to Abraham what he is promised vs. 18   "that the Lord may bring upon Abraham that which he hath spoken of him."  Genesis 18:19
5. God considers that he must weigh out the cry of Sodom against what is actually happening. He says he must go down and see for himself and "he will know." In other words their actions will speak for themselves. 
1. If the commission of sin is great. And the omission of doing the right thing is great. What is it to both commit grievous sin and to omit righteous action from your life? 
6. The prophets depart and Abraham stands beside the Lord. God grants Abraham audience. 
7. The Lord does not speak. He allows Abraham to learn on his own ground. 
8. Abraham questions "wilt thou destroy the righteous with the wicked?" 
1. This would have been a good time for the Lord to describe what he defines as righteousness, but he does not speak.
2.  He allows Abraham to bargain for the lives of the righteous thus gaining a deep understanding of the Lord's mercy and love. v 23.
9. God teaches Abraham a valuable lesson on mercy. When Abraham asks if the Lord would save Sodom if he could find 50 righteous the Lord says Yeah.. I will and so on until Sodom is saved for the righteousness of ten. In this process God is teaching Abraham how to ask for mercy. Mercy is granted. If it had not been asked for .... would God have granted it? 
1. The key is that God allowed Abraham to act in a merciful way by asking. 
2. In asking for the lives of the righteous, Abraham learns to judge those who show their love for God by their actions.
10. God teaches us how to ascertain the correct justice for righteousness. Can you put a number on righteousness? What is the worth of one soul? Abraham asked for the lives of ten, but only 4 were found? And these four did not obey willingly, they had to be lead from Sodom by the hands of the angels. Once away Lot's wife turns back and his daughters bring the immorality of Sodom with them and cause Lot to unknowingly commit incest. Was Lot the only righteous man? 
11. God teaches Abraham about righteous judgment. Is it based on familial association? Is it based on obedience? Is it based on which way we pitch our tent? So great was the sin of Sodom that it threatened the hope of a righteousness nation (Abraham's). 

Love the Sinner. Condemn the sin. 

Sin has the capacity to destroy hope. When sin overtakes the balance of our life we are no longer able to obey the Lord's commandments. In order to be rescued we must be led by the hands of angels from evils influence. Think of a bad habit. One that has hold of you and you cannot let it go. You must let go and take the hand of the Lord as He leads you to higher ground. 

One more point. In discussing this with my husband, he found it interesting that Abraham chose to start high and go low. In most negotiations or bargaining you start low and go high. Think of buying a car or a house. Would the story have played out differently if Abraham had asked God, If we can find but one person will you still destroy Sodom? 

The answer is that in teaching Abraham about mercy he also emphasizes the Lord's love for each one of us. If the Lord will save 50, he will save 1. Mercy knows no number but 1. You cannot bargain for the worth of soul as you do for merchandise and as children of God we are not merchandise.

God's love is for all of us. God's mercy comes to us as we bestow and pray for mercy for those we love. Those that are entrapped in the walls of sin. Those that need help in walking to higher ground.
God's love knows no boundary. But justice does. When our sin becomes so powerful that it deafens our ears and numbs our ability to act for ourselves then we have lost God's ability to save us. He will not save us at the risk of overtaking our agency to act for ourselves.

Corruptness of law Helaman 8: 1-7

Helaman 8: 1-7

"I ask for, not at once no government, but at once a better government."

Henry David Thoreau

Growing up, my brothers and the kids on our street would get together to play Monopoly ( Milton Bradley.) We could set the game up and play it all week long until someone finally won. The joys of playing meant learning about choices, one another, and life. The downside of playing came when someone became power-hungry and would try to change the rules mid-game, or cheat by throwing the dice while someone was distracted and unaware of the consequences. Inevitably we would pull the game box lid out and read through the rules one more time. At that point, we would either decide we had had enough for the day and leave it for tomorrow or we might forge forward with the "power hungry" player put back into their place. Why do we do this? Why are human's so drawn to power plays?

Our Western beliefs and culture bases its beliefs of justice upon Judea-Christina morality. Nephi is about to delve into the beliefs that God has always protected us when we live his laws, and now the people have allowed the system of laws to become corrupt. The laws of his land no longer lead them to a greater understanding of God's love, but have veered to a journey of the selfish pursuit of gain.

Christianity teaches that each of us is responsible for our own agency. In our constitution we are reminded of our individual rights so that we can have justice. Justice cannot come without mercy and mercy cannot work without justice. If we have all mercy and no justice we have chaos. If we have all justice and no mercy we have no rights.

Rights must come with limitations. The limitations come in the form of privileges for obeying the law and punishment for disobeying the law provided we get caught. Law's act as a kind of contract (either with God or with man). When we break the laws of God we receive the consequences. Likewise when we break a law of the land or step over a boundary that society has set, society will punish you for your choice.

So how do laws become corrupt? When someone gets into power who wants mercy without justice, he changes the law, or he changes the circumstances so that society will no longer want to punish him. The laws do not become corrupt. Laws are philosophical morals that lead the people who set them. They are the rules of the game that we play with one another that guarantee we will all find justice. It's when the players decide to change the rules so that they have the advantage that the corruptness begins to set in. Once one player decides to "cheat" , another sees him and must either tell or join him.

I remember the feeling of watching one player throw the dice while another was distracted and unaware of that a certain player was on his "property". I wanted to tell, but remained quiet. I now knew that when my turn came I could do the same because I had an ally. It would save me from having to pay "rent" and help me "get gain" so that I might win. If I chose to tell, then I would have made an enemy. If I kept quiet then I would have become an accomplis. What to do? Pressure? Peer Pressure. No one wants another to think badly of us?

Sometimes we think that corruptness of the law is a difficult and complicated thing. But it is not really. It really is as simple as a game of Monopoly. We can choose to remain quiet and become a part of the corruptness, or we can choose to stand up for what we know as justice and rightness. At the end of the game, if we all played fairly, then all who played can feel good about their efforts to play fairly, to help another, and to learn valuable life lessons.

Words and Phrases

vs. 1 men who were judges ... secret band - Are there secret bands in our government today? Yes there are? Where-ever the place for pride, greed, and power exist unchecked there will be secret bands who seek to get gain. And just like the players of my youth who became angry when we called them down on the "rightness" of their rule changes, or remembrance of the rules, they become angry at being called out. Most importantly.. they have turned the tables on a righteous man. So empowered they are with their social position they believe that all whom they serve have lost their sense of justice (as they have).

vs2 against our law - here they have called the laws "our law", but if it were truly "our law" there would not be the corruptness that steals the justice from some to give advantage to another.

vs 3 corruptness of the law - laws do not become corrupt without a "judge" or other leader helping to make them so. Judges make rulings on the law setting precedences of the law. Judges need to be checked in the power they have over the laws. Without the checking of their power they have power to dictate the law according to their own moral position.

vs 3 contrary to the commandments - What Nephi said was the truth. Those who do not live or know the truth have a hard time accepting it when it is before them.

vs 4 they feared the people - here we have a good idea of how far the corruptness had gone. not so far as they did not fear the people. The people still had some say in their rights, their justice, and their understanding of the laws.

vs 6 our enemies have no power over us - the thing about corruptness by power, is that you are unaware of just who your enemies are? and even if you have a good understanding of them, you are so empowered by your own sense of greed, and strength among the people that you become blinded to your own strength or weaknesses.

vs 9 if he had not been a prophet - there were some who still believed in the power of Nephi's words. Here we have the reason why we need prophets. We become so blinded by the trees that we cannot see the forest. Without the prophet to help us gain perspective, we lose sight of the eternal goals that we strive for (not only personally but as a society). We need one another, but most importantly we need our prophets (who stay close to God) to be our Heavenly barometer. If we chose to ignore the readings of the barometer we set ourselves up for destruction.