The Book of Mormon Promise

The Book of Mormon contains a promise that is unique among the four books of scripture but which is repeated over and over again by the Nephite prophets.  The promise was first received by Nephi from the Lord as they were in the valley of Lemuel.  The Lord told him, “And inasmuch as ye shall keep my commandments, ye shall prosper, and shall be led to a land of promise” (1 Nephi 2:20).  Nephi remembered this promise as he stood in front of Laban and wondered if he was really to slay him: “I remembered the words of the Lord which he spake unto me in the wilderness, saying that: Inasmuch as thy seed shall keep my commandments, they shall prosper in the land of promise” (1 Nephi 4:14).  Lehi likewise told his rebellious sons, “Inasmuch as ye shall keep my commandments ye shall prosper in the land; but inasmuch as ye will not keep my commandments ye shall be cut off from my presence” (2 Nephi 1:20).  He then told the children of Laman and Lemuel, “For the Lord God hath said that: Inasmuch as ye shall keep my commandments ye shall prosper in the land; and inasmuch as ye will not keep my commandments ye shall be cut off from my presence” (2 Nephi 4:4).  It seems that this simple teaching of Lehi and Nephi then became a fundamental principle of Nephite society throughout their 1000 year history.

                Amaron wrote about how many of the Nephites were destroyed in his day and how the words of the Lord to his fathers—i.e. Lehi and Nephi—had been verified, “which he spake unto our fathers, saying that: Inasmuch as ye will not keep my commandments ye shall not prosper in the land” (Omni 1:6).  King Benjamin repeated the promise as well and told his people that the Lord “has promised you that if ye would keep his commandments ye should prosper in the land” (Mosiah 2:22).   Later when Alma taught the people of Ammonihah he told them, “Behold, do ye not remember the words which he spake unto Lehi, saying that: Inasmuch as ye shall keep my commandments, ye shall prosper in the land?” (Alma 9:13).  Alma later testified to his son Helaman as well, saying, “My son, give ear to my words; for I swear unto you, that inasmuch as ye shall keep the commandments of God ye shall prosper in the land” (Alma 36:1).  He again reiterated the same message to Helaman in verse 30 and again in Alma 37:13.  He then repeated this same message to his son Shiblon: “Inasmuch as ye shall keep the commandments of God ye shall prosper in the land” (Alma 38:1).  Alma clearly believed in this promise of the Lord. 

                The last instance of this promise recorded, as far as I can tell, was in Mormon’s description of the Nephites during the time of the major war with Amalickiah and Captain Moroni.  Mormon wrote that the Nephites’ faith was that “If they were faithful in keeping the commandments of God that he would prosper them in the land” (Alma 48:15).   That was the principle that carried the righteous Nephites through the war, and it surely has great meaning for us today.  Of course we want prosper to mean that we will gain worldly wealth, but never once does the principle teach that—we just know that if we will keep the commandments of the Lord we will prosper.  What exactly it means to prosper is not given in the scriptures, and surely it will mean different things to different people that seek to apply the promise to their lives.  But this we know—we will always be better off by keeping the commandments than by not keeping them.  That was the faith of the fathers of the Book of Mormon and must be ours today.