Helaman 9

The Five

After Nephi tells the people that the Chief Judge has been murdered, five men go to find out if it is true. Once they arrive on the scene, they see that the Chief Judge is dead and they are astonished and pass out.

After the funeral, the five men rebuked and confounded the judges as the judges tried to make it look like the five had worked with Nephi. The judges were not satisfied and wanted to make Nephi look the fool. They had Nephi arrested and they began to question him.

The Wickedness of the Judges

The audacity of the judges is really quite amazing. Obviously they want to silence Nephi because he testifies of their wickedness. If Nephi is right, then the judges are evil and will lose power. They offer Nephi money and his life if he will but agree that he sent a man to kill the judge (Helaman 9:20). They aren’t even interested in executing the law.

Another Sign

Nephi proves to them again that he is a prophet sent from God. He tells them who killed the chief judge and even how to question him by making it look like Nephi is not a true prophet. They went to Seantum’s place and did as Nephi instructed and found that Seantum confessed just as Nephi predicted. Nephi was liberated and more importantly, was proven to be a true prophet from God.

Some Believe

The hardness of the Nephites was incredible. Despite Nephi’s two prophecies regarding the murder of the Chief Judge and the capture of the murderer, only some people believed.

The main point of this chapter, in my opinion, is not that Nephi is a true prophet. Rather by Nephi giving the people signs in order that they might believe him it shows that the people’s destruction is imminent. For as the Savior has taught, a wicked and adulterous generation seek after signs (Matthew 16:4).