Themes in the Book of Mormon ~ The Pride Cycle

Fifty-five years after Lehi left Jerusalem, Nephi grew old.  He ordained and appointed his brothers, Jacob and Joseph, to be ministers to his people and he gave Jacob the care of the Nephite records.  He also appointed a man to be the political leader of the people.  The people loved Nephi and out of respect for him, decided to call all of the political leaders of their nation Nephi as a title in lieu of king.  Not long afterward, Nephi died. (Jacob chapter 1)

This second Nephi was an unrighteous man and the people fell into wickedness.  Jacob labored and preached among his people to bring them back to the Lord.  He wrote that he did not want their blood (i.e., their sins) upon his hands because he failed to teach them.  But the Nephites seemed doomed to make the same mistakes over and over again, moving from prosperity to pride to sin to sorrow to repentance to prosperity - never learning from the mistakes of previous generations.

Thus began a recurring cycle seen from that time forward among the Nephites.  Scholars today call it The Pride Cycle because pride is always the first step toward a fall from grace.

The Pride Cycle - Obedience and Disobedience 

              

When the people remember God and obey, they are blessed.  As their blessings lead them to prosperity, they forget God.  They become prideful and claim that their blessings are due solely to their own efforts. They begin to mistreat their less fortunate neighbors and set up a social class system.  They grow in disobedience.

As they become more disobedient and wicked, God withdraws His blessings and protection.  They are left to experience the natural consequences of their own arrogant and wicked choices – consequences that are often very painful!  If their suffering humbles them, they begin to repent.  They call upon God and promise to obey.  If they are sincere and their actions show true repentance, God is then able to bless them again according to the covenant.

This cycle is seen throughout the Bible, particularly in the Old Testament, but nowhere is it more readily apparent than in the Book of Mormon.   In the end, the Nephites exited the cycle by sinking into the depths of wickedness so deeply that even the excruciatingly painful consequences failed to move them to repentance. God’s prophet at the time, a man named Mormon, wept for their fate. (See Mormon 6: 16-22).  I believe that God wept as well.

Tomorrow as we continue with the story of the Nephites in Zarahemla, we will see one of the most obvious examples of the pride cycle.  Watch for it's recurrence as we move farther into the Nephite history.  In many ways, the story of the Book of Mormon people is a cautionary tale for us.  If we are wise, we will learn its lessons lest we repeat their mistakes.

Text copyright August 2013, Gebara Education

Picture of Jacob and Joseph from www.bookofmormonbattles.com

Picture of Pride Cycle from multiple sources on the web