Into My Heart

I believe that one of the important messages for us from Helaman 13 is that what is in our hearts really matters. The chapter opens with the Lord calling Samuel back to preach at Zarahemla, and he was to tell them “whatsoever things should come into his heart” (v3). Samuel stood upon the wall and “prophesied unto the people whatsoever things the Lord put into his heart” (v4). His opening words were these, “Behold, I, Samuel, a Lamanite, do speak the words of the Lord which he doth put into my heart; and behold he hath put it into my heart to say unto this people that the sword of justice hangeth over this people” (v5). Samuel showed that his heart was opened to the Lord. His heart was receptive to the voice of the Lord, and because of that he was able to hear the Lord and understand His message. The people, on the other hand, had hardened their hearts to Him. Samuel declared, “Therefore, thus saith the Lord: Because of the hardness of the hearts of the people of the Nephites, except they repent I will take away my word from them, and I will withdraw my Spirit from them, and I will suffer them no longer, and I will turn the hearts of their brethren against them” (v8). Because they had hardened their hearts against the Lord and would not receive His Spirit, it had withdrawn and the hearts of their enemies would be turned against them. Samuel warned them further with these words of the Lord, “Yea, wo unto this great city of Zarahemla; for behold, it is because of those who are righteous that it is saved; yea, wo unto this great city, for I perceive, saith the Lord, that there are many, yea, even the more part of this great city, that will harden their hearts against me, saith the Lord” (v12). The majority of the people had turned their hearts against God, and the judgments of God hung over them because of that.

                Instead of opening their hearts to the Lord and His word like Samuel, most of the Nephites had set their hearts upon riches. Samuel spoke these words of the Lord, “And the day shall come that they shall hide up their treasures, because they have set their hearts upon riches; and because they have set their hearts upon their riches, and will hide up their treasures when they shall flee before their enemies; because they will not hide them up unto me, cursed be they and also their treasures; and in that day shall they be smitten, saith the Lord” (v20). Because their hearts were focused on their riches, the Lord put a curse on them. Samuel continued, “He saith that ye are cursed because of your riches, and also are your riches cursed because ye have set your hearts upon them, and have not hearkened unto the words of him who gave them unto you. Ye do not remember the Lord your God in the things with which he hath blessed you, but ye do always remember your riches, not to thank the Lord your God for them; yea, your hearts are not drawn out unto the Lord, but they do swell with great pride, unto boasting, and unto great swelling, envyings, strifes, malice, persecutions, and murders, and all manner of iniquities” (v21-22). Their riches would become slippery because their hearts were so focused upon them. Instead of turning their hearts to the Lord, they had become filled with pride from their riches which turned them to iniquity. Samuel explained their reasoning, “But behold, if a man shall come among you and shall say: Do this, and there is no iniquity; do that and ye shall not suffer; yea, he will say: Walk after the pride of your own hearts; yea, walk after the pride of your eyes, and do whatsoever your heart desireth—and if a man shall come among you and say this, ye will receive him, and say that he is a prophet” (v27). Their hearts desired to be filled with pride and to do their own will instead of the Lord’s, and Samuel explained their lament in the day of judgment: “Ye have sought all the days of your lives for that which ye could not obtain; and ye have sought for happiness in doing iniquity, which thing is contrary to the nature of that righteousness which is in our great and Eternal Head” (v38).

                And so, the words of Samuel the Lamanite and the experience of this people invite us to consider the condition of our hearts and our own focus on riches and the things of the Lord. Do we draw our hearts out unto the Lord continually, or do we set them upon our wealth and possessions? Surely many in our day similarly have the problem of seeking for happiness in doing iniquity, looking for it in places where it cannot be permanently obtained because it is not in Him. The words of the Lord from 2000 years ago still invite us today to put Him first in our hearts: “Yea, thus saith the Lord, blessed are they who will repent and turn unto me” (v11).