Helaman 11

 (All of my own thoughts are in red type 7/20 green6/21 9/22  Brown 11/23.) 

CHAPTER 11

Nephi persuades the Lord to replace their war with a famine—Many people perish—They repent, and Nephi importunes the Lord for rain—Nephi and Lehi receive many revelations—The Gadianton robbers entrench themselves in the land. About 20–6 B.C.

  1 And now it came to pass in the seventy and second year of the reign of the judges that the contentions did increase, insomuch that there were wars throughout all the land among all the people of Nephi.
  2 And it was this ^asecret band of robbers who did carry on this work of destruction and wickedness. And this war did last all that year; and in the seventy and third year it did also last. They want the contention and stoke the fire to the point of war. But why? Surely some of them die when there is war...
  3 And it came to pass that in this year Nephi did cry unto the Lord, saying:
  4 O Lord, do not suffer that this people shall be destroyed by the sword; but O Lord, rather ^alet there be a ^bfamine in the land, to stir them up in remembrance of the Lord their God, and perhaps they will repent and turn unto thee. In our day...will the civil war be followed by famine?
  5 And so it was done, according to the words of Nephi. And there was a great famine upon the land, among all the people of Nephi. And thus in the seventy and fourth year the famine did continue, and the work of destruction did cease by the sword but became sore by famine. What "work of destruction" will cease when our famine gets bad? Will we be grateful for that part of it? 
  6 And this work of destruction did also continue in the seventy and fifth year. For the earth was smitten that it was ^adry, and did not yield forth grain in the season of grain; and the whole earth was smitten, even among the Lamanites as well as among the Nephites, so that they were smitten that they did perish by thousands in the more wicked parts of the land. Thousands have to die before people start to connect the famine to their wickedness and start to repent. So sad, but true...
  7 And it came to pass that the people saw that they were about to perish by famine, and they began to ^aremember the Lord their God; and they began to remember the words of Nephi.
  8 And the people ^abegan to plead with their chief judges and their leaders, that they would say unto Nephi: Behold, we know that thou art a man of God, and therefore cry unto the Lord our God that he turn away from us this famine, lest all the words which thou hast spoken concerning our ^bdestruction be fulfilled.
  9 And it came to pass that the judges did say unto Nephi, according to the words which had been desired. And it came to pass that when Nephi saw that the people had ^arepented and did humble themselves in sackcloth, he cried again unto the Lord, saying:
 10 O Lord, behold this people repenteth; and they have swept away the band of Gadianton from amongst them insomuch that they have become extinct, and they have concealed their secret plans in the earth. Where is the record of this part? When did they destroy the SC?
 11 Now, O Lord, because of this their humility wilt thou turn away thine anger, and let thine anger be appeased in the destruction of those wicked men whom thou hast already destroyed. How were the righteous spared during this famine? 
 12 O Lord, wilt thou turn away thine anger, yea, thy fierce anger, and cause that this famine may cease in this land.
 13 O Lord, wilt thou hearken unto me, and cause that it may be done according to my words, and send forth ^arain upon the face of the earth, that she may bring forth her fruit, and her grain in the season of grain.
 14 O Lord, thou didst hearken unto ^amy words when I said, Let there be a famine, that the pestilence of the sword might cease; and I know that thou wilt, even at this time, hearken unto my words, for thou saidst that: If this people repent I will spare them. This holds true in our day as well.
 15 Yea, O Lord, and thou seest that they have repented, because of the famine and the pestilence and destruction which has come unto them.
 16 And now, O Lord, wilt thou turn away thine anger, and try again if they will serve thee? And if so, O Lord, thou canst bless them according to thy words which thou hast said. This is a great example of making a case as you plead to the Lord
 17 And it came to pass that in the seventy and sixth year the Lord did turn away his anger from the people, and caused that ^arain should fall upon the earth, insomuch that it did bring forth her fruit in the season of her fruit. And it came to pass that it did bring forth her grain in the season of her grain.
 18 And behold, the people did rejoice and glorify God, and the whole face of the land was filled with rejoicing; and they did no more seek to destroy Nephi, but they did esteem him as a ^agreat prophet, and a man of God, having great power and authority given unto him from God.
 19 And behold, Lehi, his brother, was not a ^awhit behind him as to things pertaining to righteousness.
 20 And thus it did come to pass that the people of Nephi began to prosper again in the land, and began to build up their waste places, and began to multiply and spread, even until they did ^acover the whole face of the land, both on the northward and on the southward, from the sea west to the sea east.
 21 And it came to pass that the seventy and sixth year did end in peace. And the seventy and seventh year began in peace; and the ^achurch did spread throughout the face of all the land; and the more part of the people, both the Nephites and the Lamanites, did belong to the church; and they did have exceedingly great peace in the land; and thus ended the seventy and seventh year.
 22 And also they had peace in the seventy and eighth year, save it were a few contentions concerning the points of doctrine which had been laid down by the prophets. past or current?
 23 And in the seventy and ninth year there began to be much strife. But it came to pass that Nephi and Lehi, and many of their brethren who knew concerning the true points of doctrine, having many ^arevelations daily, therefore they did preach unto the people, insomuch that they did put an end to their strife in that same year. Contention put down by truth. I love this verse. We all experience "strife" and find things about which we disagree with others. When these disagreements move us to have negative feelings of contention, anger, judgment, withdrawing, etc, we need to change something. But what? How? At some level, the strife is based on not agreeing about what is "true". So the first thing that must be accepted is that "truth" exists. That it does not change and is not created by man. If you can agree on that, then you can know that truth by revelation. Accept that revelation and your strife will be over. One cannot receive revelation while feeling the negative effects of "strife", so we must first work on our own hearts and humble ourselves and then unite with the other person in a quest for "truth". Truth only has One source, so you must inevitably come to the same answer. It will come through revelation.

Receiving Revelation: Power of the Holy Spirit) 

In the Bible Dictionary, under the heading "revelation" we find the following:

Divine revelation is one of the grandest concepts and principles of the gospel of Jesus Christ, for without it, man could not know of the things of God and could not be saved with any degree of salvation in the eternities. Continuous revelation from God to His Saints, through the Holy Ghost or by other means, such as visions, dreams, or visitations, makes possible daily guidance along true paths and leads the faithful soul to complete and eternal salvation in the celestial kingdom. The principle of gaining knowledge by revelation is the principle of salvation. It is the making known of divine truth by communication with the heavens and consists not only of revelation of the plan of salvation to the Lord’s prophets but also a confirmation in the hearts of the believers that the revelation to the prophets is true. It also consists of individual guidance for every person who seeks for it and follows the prescribed course of faith, repentance, and obedience to the gospel of Jesus Christ. “The Holy Ghost is a revelator,” said Joseph Smith, and “no man can receive the Holy Ghost without receiving revelations” (HC 6:58). Without revelation, all would be guesswork, darkness, and confusion. In the Lord’s Church the First Presidency and the Council of the Twelve are prophets, seers, and revelators to the Church and to the world. In addition, every person may receive personal revelation for his own benefit. It is contrary to the laws of God for any person to receive revelation for those higher in authority  

So how do you end strife? 
With Truth.
How do you know Truth?
Revelation.
How do you receive revelation?
Seek it. Have faith. Repent. Keep the commandments.
Repeat.
Daily.
Without revelation...
all
would be guesswork
darkness
confusion.

 24 And it came to pass that in the eightieth year of the reign of the judges over the people of Nephi, there were a certain number of the dissenters from the people of Nephi, who had some years before gone over unto the Lamanites, and taken upon themselves the name of Lamanites, and also a certain number who were real descendants of the Lamanites, being stirred up to anger by them, or by those dissenters, therefore they commenced a ^awar with their brethren.
 25 And they did commit murder and plunder; and then they would retreat back into the mountains, and into the wilderness and secret places, hiding themselves that they could not be discovered, receiving daily an addition to their numbers, inasmuch as there were dissenters that went forth unto them.
 26 And thus in time, yea, even in the space of ^anot many years, they became an exceedingly great band of robbers; and they did search out all the ^bsecret plans of Gadianton; and thus they became robbers of Gadianton.
 27 Now behold, these robbers did make great havoc, yea, even great destruction among the people of Nephi, and also among the people of the Lamanites.
 28 And it came to pass that it was expedient that there should be a stop put to this work of destruction; therefore they sent an army of strong men into the wilderness and upon the mountains to search out this band of robbers, and to destroy them.
 29 But behold, it came to pass that in that same year they were driven back even into their own lands. And thus ended the eightieth year of the reign of the judges over the people of Nephi.
 30 And it came to pass in the commencement of the eighty and first year they did go forth again against this band of robbers, and did destroy many; and they were also visited with much destruction.
 31 And they were again obliged to return out of the wilderness and out of the ^amountains unto their own lands, because of the exceeding greatness of the numbers of those robbers who infested the mountains and the wilderness.
 32 And it came to pass that thus ended this year. And the robbers did still increase and wax strong, insomuch that they did defy the whole armies of the Nephites, and also of the Lamanites; and they did cause great fear to come unto the people upon all the face of the land.
 33 Yea, for they did visit many parts of the land, and did do great destruction unto them; yea, did kill many, and did carry away others captive into the wilderness, yea, and more especially their women and their children. So traumatic!
 34 Now this great evil, which came unto the people because of their iniquity, did stir them up again in ^aremembrance of the Lord their God. What do you prefer...famine? war? slavery? fear? There is no protection in wickedness. Wake up!
 35 And thus ended the eighty and first year of the reign of the judges.
 36 And in the eighty and second year they began again to ^aforget the Lord their God. And in the eighty and third year they began to wax strong in iniquity. And in the eighty and fourth year they did not mend their ways.
 37 And it came to pass in the eighty and fifth year they did wax stronger and stronger in their pride, and in their wickedness; and thus they were ripening again for destruction.
 38 And thus ended the eighty and fifth year. They only had 2 solid years of peace, then contention began and within 5 more years they were ripening again for destruction. This also could play out...

Alma 27

(All of my own thoughts are in red type 7/20 5/21 GREEN 7/22 Brown 8/23.)

Chapter 27

The Lord commands Ammon to lead the people of Anti-Nephi-Lehi to safety—Upon meeting Alma, Ammon’s joy exhausts his strength—The Nephites give the Anti-Nephi-Lehies the land of Jershon—They are called the people of Ammon. About 90–77 B.C.

  1 Now it came to pass that when those Lamanites who had gone to war against the Nephites had found, after their ^amany struggles to destroy them, that it was in vain to seek their destruction, If the Lord is fighting our battles, we don't need to fear our enemies they returned again to the land of Nephi.
  2 And it came to pass that the Amalekites, because of their loss, were exceedingly angry. And when they saw that they could not seek revenge from the Nephites, they began to ^astir up the people in anger Why is it so easy to make other people mad and get them to fight your battles? against their ^bbrethren, the people of ^cAnti-Nephi-Lehi; therefore they began again to destroy them.
  3 Now this people ^aagain refused to take their arms, and they suffered themselves to be slain I don't know if we remember this second attack and their continued willingness to be slain according to the desires of their enemies. We have to put this next to the belief that God will protect and save the righteous. There was no divine intervention for these people who were willing to be killed rather than to kill. Is this part of their repentance for the lives they had taken before they were converted? 
  4 Now when Ammon and his brethren saw this work of destruction among those whom they so dearly beloved, and among those who had so dearly beloved them—for they were treated as though they were angels sent from God to save them from everlasting destruction—This is a beautiful expression. These Lamanites were TRULY converted and grateful. They were given the gift of seeing their eternal standing therefore, when Ammon and his brethren saw this great work of destruction, they were moved with compassion, and they ^asaid unto the king: Ammon is still living with the Lamanites
  5 Let us gather together this people of the Lord, and let us go down to the land of Zarahemla to our brethren the Nephites, and flee out of the hands of our enemies, that we be not destroyed. fleeing always seems to be an option
  6 But the king said unto them: Behold, the Nephites will destroy us, because of the many murders and sins we have committed against them.
  7 And Ammon said: I will go and inquire of the Lord, and if he say unto us, go down unto our brethren, will ye go? I love this distinction. Ammon had his "opinion" but he believed the king would only yield to the Lord's will.
  8 And the king said unto him: Yea, if the Lord saith unto us go, we will go down unto our brethren, and we will be their slaves until we repair unto them the many murders and sins which we have committed against them. They are STILL repenting...
  9 But Ammon said unto him: It is against the law of our brethren, which was established by my father, that there should be any ^aslaves among them; THIS verse needs to be remembered when they come after the church for racism and/or supporting slavery. Not so! therefore let us go down and rely upon the mercies of our brethren.
 10 But the king said unto him: Inquire of the Lord, and if he saith unto us go, we will go; otherwise we will perish in the land. The king was thinking their two options were slavery or death (even though slavery wasn't allowed)
 11 And it came to pass that Ammon went and inquired of the Lord, and the Lord said unto him:
 12 Get this people ^aout of this land, that they perish not; for Satan has great hold on the hearts of the Amalekites, who do stir up the Lamanites to anger against their brethren to slay them; therefore get thee out of this land; and blessed are this people in this generation, for I will ^bpreserve them. The Lord removes the righteous to protect them from destruction and promises to preserve them. Could this be another example of the Lord being willing to preserve the people, but they had not asked if they should flee or give up their lives before this. As soon as they ask, the Lord says to go so they don't perish and He will preserve them. How very literal is the command to ask and then receive! Remember that Jesus taught that the Jews didn't know about Lehi's seed "because they asked not"...as if that is the only reason they didn't know. If they had asked, He would have told them. 
 13 And now it came to pass that Ammon went and told the king all the words which the Lord had said unto him.
 14 And they gathered together all their people, yea, all the people of the Lord, and did gather together all their flocks and herds, and departed out of the land, and came into the wilderness which divided the land of Nephi from the land of Zarahemla, and came over near the borders of the land.
 15 And it came to pass that Ammon said unto them: Behold, I and my brethren will go forth into the land of Zarahemla, and ye shall remain here until we return; and we will ^atry the hearts of our brethren, whether they will that ye shall come into their land. Even though the Lord told them to go, and they had the promise that they would be preserved, they didn't have details. They gave the Nephites agency to accept or reject them.
 16 And it came to pass that as Ammon was going forth into the land, that he and his brethren met Alma, over in the ^aplace of which has been spoken; and behold, this was a joyful meeting.
 17 Now the ^ajoy of Ammon was so great even that he was full; yea, he was swallowed up in the joy of his God, even to the ^bexhausting of his strength; and he fell ^cagain to the earth. What is this Godly joy that is so overpowering to the body? Ammon seems to be particularly given to feeling this kind of emotion.
 18 Now was not this ^aexceeding joy? Behold, this is joy which none receiveth save it be the truly penitent and humble seeker of ^bhappiness. I guess I have a lot to learn about being TRULY penitent and humble. and seeking happiness...
 19 Now the joy of Alma in meeting his ^abrethren was truly great, and also the joy of Aaron, of Omner, and Himni; but behold their joy was not that to exceed their strength. Interesting comparison. Truly fascinating on what is needed to experience this joy...
 20 And now it came to pass that Alma conducted his brethren back to the land of Zarahemla; even to his ^aown house. Alma had a house and a wife and children. well...don’t’ really know about the wife and children...And they went and told the ^bchief judge all the things that had happened unto them in the land of Nephi, among their brethren, the Lamanites.
 21 And it came to pass that the chief judge sent a proclamation throughout all the land, desiring the voice of the people Love this democracy. The chief judge wanted to govern according to the will of the people concerning the admitting their brethren, who were the people of ^aAnti-Nephi-Lehi.
 22 And it came to pass that the voice of the people came, saying: Behold, we will give up the ^aland of ^bJershon, which is on the east by the sea, which joins the land Bountiful, which is on the south of the land Bountiful; and this land Jershon is the land which we will give unto our brethren for an inheritance.
 23 And behold, we will set our armies between the land Jershon and the land Nephi, that we may ^aprotect our brethren in the land Jershon; and this we do for our brethren, on account of their fear to take up arms against their brethren lest they should commit sin; and this their great fear came because of their sore repentance which they had, on account of their many murders and their awful wickedness.
 24 And now behold, this will we do unto our brethren, that they may inherit the land Jershon; and we will guard them from their enemies with our armies, on condition that they will give us a ^aportion of their substance to assist us that we may maintain our armies. Very generous of the Nephites. They had not forgotten the many murders and awful wickedness, but they also believed the Lamanites had repented and were willing to relocate some of their people and give them their land and protect them (if they would sustain them for their time and sacrifice) Where did the citizens of Jershon go? How were they so easily willing to give them their land? Did they just live in tents that they moved elsewhere? Was there no one living in Jershon? Did they have homes they just abandoned? Did the people of Zarahemla take them in? This may be included in the records Mormon didn't include. Remember he only wrote a hundredth part...
 25 Now, it came to pass that when Ammon had heard this, he returned to the people of Anti-Nephi-Lehi, and also Alma with him, into the wilderness, where they had pitched their tents, and made known unto them all these things. And Alma also related unto them his ^aconversion, with Ammon and Aaron, and his brethren. Had Ammon not shared this story with them yet? I wonder if he told this story of himself and Ammon to connect himself with Ammon in their minds to increase their trust in him?
 26 And it came to pass that it did cause great joy among them. And they went down into the land of Jershon, and took possession of the land of Jershon; and they were called by the Nephites the ^apeople of Ammon; therefore they were distinguished by that name ever after. So the Anti-Nephi-Lehi's became the "people of Ammon" - much easier name!
 27 And they were among the people of Nephi, and also numbered among the people who were of the church of God. And they were also distinguished for their ^azeal towards God, and also towards men; for they were perfectly ^bhonest and upright in all things; and they were ^cfirm in the faith of Christ, even unto the end. Now there is a “label” we should seek to be known by...
 28 And they did look upon shedding the blood of their brethren with the greatest abhorrence; and they never could be prevailed upon to take up arms against their brethren; and they never did look upon death with any degree of terror, for their hope and views of Christ and the resurrection; therefore, death was swallowed up to them by the victory of Christ over it. With all the death we are about to face, we need to have this unshaken faith and lack of fear over death!
 29 Therefore, they would suffer ^adeath in the most aggravating and distressing manner which could be inflicted by their brethren, before they would take the sword or cimeter to smite them.
 30 And thus they were a zealous and beloved people, a highly favored people of the Lord. I love this description.

zeal towards God
zeal towards man
perfectly honest in all things
perfectly upright in all things
never took up arms to fight
did not look upon death with any degree of terror
great hope and views of Christ and the resurrection
death swallowed up by the victory of Christ over it
BELOVED PEOPLE
HIGHLY FAVORED OF THE THE LORD