We see in 3 Nephi 1-7 that the war between good and evil continues, and in fact, is so great that it leads to a battle that is described as “there never was known so great a slaughter among all the people of Lehi since he left Jerusalem.” (3 Nephi 4:11) Think of all the great battles that have happened in the scriptures up to this point. Previous scriptures have talked about rivers turning dark with the blood of the dead. Thousands and thousands have died, yet this battle is the greatest slaughter to have happened in the 600 years since Lehi took his people to the Promised Land. In our day, this was their World War I.
How did this happen, when there were people that were trying to live righteously? Why does the "Come Follow Me" manual focus on the theme of "Lift Up Your Head and Be of Good Cheer?"
It says in 3 Nephi 2:11, “... for the Gadianton robbers had become so numerous, and did slay so many of the people, and did lay waste to so many cities, and did spread so much death and carnage throughout the land, that it became expedient that all the people, both the Nephites and the Lamanites, should take up arms against them.”
Through pride and greed, the Nephites had weakened their defenses enough that the Gadianton robbers could not only grow, but thrive secretly. Yet,t he Nephites did have reason to cheer. They re-learned unity. When the Nephites united and listened to the prophet Gidgiddoni, they were protected and they thrived as they grouped themselves together in a safe area, and protected each other from the robbers. Sure, they had to live away from their homes for ten years but the Gadianton robbers learned that they were dependent on stealing and robbing from the Nephites, and when the Nephites were united in their stronghold, the robbers were unable to take from them. The robbers eventually died by the thousands, unable to defeat them in battle, unable to find food to sustain themselves.
In 3 Nephi 4:33, it says of the Nephites, “And their hearts were swollen with joy, unto the gushing out of many tears, because of the great goodness of God in delivering them out of the hands of their enemies; and they knew it was because of their repentance and their humility that they had been delivered from an everlasting destruction.”
In 3 Nephi 5:1, it says, “And now behold, there was not a living soul among all the people of the Nephites who did doubt in the least the words of all the holy prophets who had spoken; for they knew that it must needs be that they must be fulfilled.”
They therefore did “forsake all their sins, and their abominations, and their whoredoms, and they did serve God with all diligence day and night.” (3 Nephi 5:3).
We see the strength of unity in this experience. We also, unfortunately, see the downside of lack of unity when by 3 Nephi 7, the people have “divided one against another,” so that it became clan against clan, with uncomfortable treaties between each clan but no loyalty to the whole or to their God.
In April 2018 General Conference, in “With One Accord,” Sister Reyna I. Aburto states:
Every one of our paths is different, yet we walk them together. Our path is not about what we have done or where we have been; it is about where we are going and what we are becoming, in unity. When we counsel together guided by the Holy Ghost, we can see where we are and where we need to be. The Holy Ghost gives us a vision that our natural eyes cannot see, because “revelation is scattered among us,”18 and when we put that revelation together, we can see more.
As we work in unity, our purpose should be to look for and do the Lord’s will; our incentive should be the love we feel for God and for our neighbor;19 and our greatest desire should be to “labor diligently,”20 so we can prepare the way for the glorious return of our Savior. The only way we will be able to do so is “with one accord.”
In 3 Nephi 7, we meet Jacob, who has made himself king over the secret combinations, and we also see that Nephi has so great of faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, “that angels did minister unto him daily.” Many were converted and unified, while many chose to divide. Our Heavenly Father shored up his prophets and sought in earnest to bring people to Him while the devil was doing the opposite.
When we are unified together, under God, we can overcome our differences. I see the great love our Father in Heaven has for us, that he repeatedly and patiently sends prophets and leaders to remind us, over and over again, to focus on what matters most.
I am reminded by the talk “Deep In Our Heart,” from Elder Douglas D. Homes. He says, “The gospel of Jesus Christ is the greatest cause in the world. President Ezra Taft Benson said: ‘We are commanded by God to take this gospel to all the world. That is the cause that must unite us today. Only the gospel will save the world from the calamity of its own self-destruction. Only the gospel will unite men [and women] of all races and nationalities in peace. Only the gospel will bring joy, happiness, and salvation to the human family.’27”
While I am deeply saddened that after 10 years away from their homes, and after so much unity, the Nephites began to fall to “secret combinations,” the last scripture in the chapter also provides some reassurance. 3 Nephi 7:26: “And there were many in the commencement of this year that were baptized unto repentance; and thus the more part of the year did pass away.”
We truly can "lift up our head and be of good cheer" as we understand that the Lord sends prophets to guide and protect us, that we can unify together. We see the examples provide by Sister Aburto in "With One Accord," of people helping people through great and devastating trials. We can gather ourselves together and be strengthened in Christ, and we can strengthen each other.
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