Warnings Against Flattery

               As I wrote about yesterday, the Book of Mormon helps to expose the enemies of Christ and reveal their methods to lead away the Saints.  We see this especially in the words of the anti-Christs and enemies of the righteous.  In addition to the arguments that one cannot know the future and that it is possessions and money that matter most that I already mentioned, we also see how flattery is a tool used to fight against that which is good.  We read that the devil “flattereth away” people, and we see the wicked in the Book of Mormon trying to use flattery to evil purposes (2 Nephi 28:22).  The most obvious example of this is what Amalickiah did to gain power over the Nephites and Lamanites.  We read that “he was a man of cunning device and a man of many flattering words, that he led away the hearts of many people to do wickedly” (Alma 46:10).  We see this in his experience with Lehonti: when he couldn’t get Lehonti to budge, he used flattery telling Lehonti that Amalickiah “would deliver them up into Lehonti’s hands” (Alma 47:13).  Lehonti fell for it and gained great power—but only for a short time until Amalickiah turned around and killed him.  Lehonti’s story shows us that we are on a slippery slope if we let flattery cause us to compromise our standards. 

                We see many other wicked leaders who used flattery to try to further their purposes.  One of these was Gaddianhi.  In his letter to Lachoneus he said, “Lachoneus, most noble and chief governor of the land, behold, I write this epistle unto you, and do give unto you exceedingly great praise because of your firmness, and also the firmness of your people, in maintaining that which ye suppose to be your right and liberty; yea, ye do stand well” (3 Nephi 3:2).  He was clearly just trying to flatter Lachoneus in an attempt to control him and take his possessions.  King Noah also used flattery to lead away his people.  We read this of the Nephites in his kingdom: “Yea, and they also became idolatrous, because they were deceived by the vain and flattering words of the king and priests; for they did speak flattering things unto them” (Mosiah 11:7).  They fell into the trap and weren’t strong enough to stay true to the faith in the midst of his flattering and deceptions.  Sherem was another who tried to lead away the people with flattery.  We he came among the Nephites “he preached many things which were flattering unto the people; and this he did that he might overthrow the doctrine of Christ....  He could use much flattery, and much power of speech, according to the power of the devil” (Jacob 7:2, 4).  In another account the rising generation among the Lamanites around the time of the birth of Christ “were led away by some who were Zoramites, by their lyings and their flattering words, to join those Gadianton robbers” (3 Nephi 1:29).  Again it was flattery that led them to forsake their faith.  These Book of Mormon stories and others stand as a warning to us that we must not let the flattering of the world allow us to turn from the ways of the Lord.