The Nephites and the Melchizedek Priesthood

I heard someone ask a question about whether the Nephites held the Melchizedek Priesthood in the time before the Savior came to earth. We know from Doctrine and Covenants 84:25-27 that after Moses, the Melchizedek Priesthood was taken from among the people of Israel generally, but the Aaronic Priesthood continued among them: “He took Moses out of their midst, and the Holy Priesthood also; And the lesser priesthood continued.” One Church manual, though, states this: “Even though the Melchizedek Priesthood was taken from Israel as a nation, it was not permanently taken from the earth. Between the time of Moses and the coming of Jesus Christ, several prophets held the Melchizedek Priesthood. Some of these prophets were Elijah, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Lehi, Daniel, and Ezekiel.” So this suggests that Lehi, as a prophet, held the Melchizedek Priesthood and naturally would have passed it on to Nephi and others. Was it generally held among the Nephite people?

                I believe that several things in the text suggest that indeed many people held the Melchizedek Priesthood among the Nephites. One indication is that Alma taught the people of Ammonihah about the Melchizedek Priesthood. He said this: “Now, as I said concerning the holy order, or this high priesthood, there were many who were ordained and became high priests of God; and it was on account of their exceeding faith and repentance, and their righteousness before God, they choosing to repent and work righteousness rather than to perish.” Though he didn’t say directly that he was referring to Nephites who had received this “holy order,” he did encourage them in these words: “And now, my brethren, I would that ye should humble yourselves before God, and bring forth fruit meet for repentance, that ye may also enter into that rest. Yea, humble yourselves even as the people in the days of Melchizedek, who was also a high priest after this same order which I have spoken, who also took upon him the high priesthood forever” (Alma 13:10, 13-14). His words seemed to be encouraging them to obtain or be worthy of this high priesthood like those in the days of Melchizedek. Through their repentance they could enter into the rest of the Lord like others who had obtained the blessings of the high priesthood.

                From modern revelation we know that the office of elder belongs to the Melchizedek Priesthood, and it seems that there were many elders among the Nephites. We read that Alma “had consecrated to be teachers, and priests, and elders over the church” and that he “selected a wise man who was among the elders of the church” when he was picking the next chief judge (Alma 4:7, 16). After Alma spoke to the people at Zarahemla, “He ordained priests and elders, by laying on his hands according to the order of God, to preside and watch over the church” (Alma 6:1). These references suggest that elders with the Melchizedek Priesthood were more numerous than simply the prophets. We also read of another time when Alma’s son Helaman and his brethren gave “exceedingly great care over the church, for they were high priests over the church…. And Helaman and the high priests did also maintain order in the church; yea, even for the space of four years did they have much peace and rejoicing in the church” (Alma 46:6, 38). Though there was a “high priest” among the Jews at this time who, if I understand correctly, did not hold the Melchizedek Priesthood, this seems to be different among the Nephites because there were many of them. Thus, consistent with Alma 13, there seems to have been many who obtained the Melchizedek Priesthood and fulfilled this office.

                Perhaps the strongest evidence that the Nephites had the blessings of the Melchizedek Priesthood among them generally is that they were focused on the Savior, not the lesser law. Mormon recorded, “But notwithstanding the law of Moses, they did look forward to the coming of Christ, considering that the law of Moses was a type of his coming, and believing that they must keep those outward performances until the time that he should be revealed unto them. Now they did not suppose that salvation came by the law of Moses; but the law of Moses did serve to strengthen their faith in Christ; and thus they did retain a hope through faith, unto eternal salvation” (Alma 25:15-16). The Melchizedek Priesthood is “the Holy Priesthood, after the Order of the Son of God,” and the righteous Nephites were faithful to their testimony of the Son of God and the salvation they could obtain through Him and His supernal power (Doctrine and Covenants 107:3). This, to me, strongly suggests that they were indeed beneficiaries to the blessings of the high priesthood through Him.