The Lamanite Posterity

Shortly before his death, Lehi spoke to the children of Laman and Lemuel.  He said to them, “My sons and my daughters, 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. Wherefore, 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. Wherefore, because of my blessing the Lord God will not suffer that ye shall perish; wherefore, he will be merciful unto you and unto your seed forever” (2 Nephi 4:5-7).  To me this would suggest that these children of Laman and Lemuel were righteous, or at least that they would choose righteousness if they were properly taught and given a good example from their parents.  Ultimately they likely did become wicked after the family separated and they had no righteous influences left to guide them, but Lehi suggested that the responsibility for this would fall upon the heads of Laman and Lemuel.  In fact, it is astounding to think about the fact that the Lamanites were a wicked people without the blessings of the gospel for 500 years, in large part due to the rebelliousness of that first generation.  What an impact that the choices of Laman and Lemuel and the sons of Ishmael had on so many!  While I don’t believe they can be held responsible for everything their posterity did for centuries, their actions did certainly influence the rebellious and wicked culture of their posterity for hundreds of years.  Perhaps one of the warnings of the story of Laman and Lemuel is that our choices may have an impact on our posterity that lasts far longer than our own lives. How different the story of the Book of Mormon may have been if Laman and Lemuel had chosen righteousness. 

               There is another story about a group of Lamanites that had an opposite but similarly powerful effect on their posterity.  Samuel the Lamanite told the Nephites this about recent converts among the Lamanites: “They will suffer themselves that they be trodden down and slain by their enemies, and will not lift their swords against them, and this because of their faith in Christ. And now, because of their steadfastness when they do believe in that thing which they do believe, for because of their firmness when they are once enlightened, behold, the Lord shall bless them and prolong their days, notwithstanding their iniquity—Yea, even if they should dwindle in unbelief the Lord shall prolong their days…. Yea, I say unto you, that in the latter times the promises of the Lord have been extended to our brethren, the Lamanites....  And this is according to the prophecy, that they shall again be brought to the true knowledge, which is the knowledge of their Redeemer, and their great and true shepherd, and be numbered among his sheep” (Helaman 15:9-13).  Samuel may have been referring to those original Anti-Nephi-Lehies who had been converted more than 70 years previously, or, more likely, he might have been referring to the group of Lamanites converted by Nephi and Lehi about 25 years earlier: “And as many as were convinced did lay down their weapons of war, and also their hatred and the tradition of their fathers. And it came to pass that they did yield up unto the Nephites the lands of their possession” (Helaman 5:51-52).  Either way, the interesting point is the powerful effect that their righteousness and steadfastness had upon their posterity; the Lord, according to Samuel, was promising great blessings of the gospel to their descendants thousands of years in the future.  Even though their descendants would dwindle in unbelief, they would one day be brought back at least in part because these particular ancestors had been so firm and steadfast in the gospel.  So here we see the opposite influence on their posterity: just as the wicked choices of Laman and Lemuel perpetuated negative consequences for many generations, so too the steadfast righteousness of the Lamanite converts who would give up their lives for the faith blessed their seed for many generations and into the latter days.  Perhaps the message for us is to know that our lives can have a great impact on those who come after, and our steadfastness in the gospel will be answered upon our heads with blessings for our children many generations into the future.