But it is by the prayers of the righteous that ye are spared; now therefore, if ye will cast out the righteous from among you then will not the Lord stay his hand; but in his fierce anger he will come out against you; then ye shall be smitten by famine, and by pestilence, and by the sword; and the time is soon at hand except ye repent. (Alma 10:22-23)
The most famous relevant story comes from Genesis, when the prophet Abraham bargains with the Lord on how many righteous individuals it takes to offer protection to the wicked city of Sodom.
'And Abraham drew near, and said, Wilt thou also destroy the righteous with the wicked?
Peradventure there be fifty righteous within the city: wilt thou also destroy and not spare the place for the fifty righteous that are therein?
...Peradventure there shall lack five of the fifty righteous: wilt thou destroy all the city for lack of five? And he said, If I find there forty and five, I will not destroy it.
And he spake unto him yet again, and said, Peradventure there shall be forty found there. And he said, I will not do it for forty's sake.
And he said unto him, Oh let not the Lord be angry, and I will speak: Peradventure there shall thirty be found there. And he said, I will not do it, if I find thirty there.
And he said, Behold now, I have taken upon me to speak unto the Lord: Peradventure there shall be twenty found there. And he said, I will not destroy it for twenty's sake.
And he said, Oh let not the Lord be angry, and I will speak yet but this once: Peradventure ten shall be found there. And he said, I will not destroy it for ten's sake.' (Genesis 18:23-32)
Apparently, the Lord will preserve a city if there are but ten righteous individuals. In Ammonihah, there were a lot more than ten. However, these were soon killed (Alma 14:8) - leaving only the wicked. When that happens, as with Sodom, the people are visited with utter destruction.
The same principle applies to the preservation of every nation on earth, including the United States.
Spencer W. Kimball
"Our world is now much the same as it was in the days of the Nephites prophet who said: '...if it were not for the prayers of the righteous...ye would even now be visited with utter destruction' (Alma 10:22). There are many upright and faithful who live all the commandments and whose lives and prayers keep the world from destruction."
The most famous relevant story comes from Genesis, when the prophet Abraham bargains with the Lord on how many righteous individuals it takes to offer protection to the wicked city of Sodom.
'And Abraham drew near, and said, Wilt thou also destroy the righteous with the wicked?
Peradventure there be fifty righteous within the city: wilt thou also destroy and not spare the place for the fifty righteous that are therein?
...Peradventure there shall lack five of the fifty righteous: wilt thou destroy all the city for lack of five? And he said, If I find there forty and five, I will not destroy it.
And he spake unto him yet again, and said, Peradventure there shall be forty found there. And he said, I will not do it for forty's sake.
And he said unto him, Oh let not the Lord be angry, and I will speak: Peradventure there shall thirty be found there. And he said, I will not do it, if I find thirty there.
And he said, Behold now, I have taken upon me to speak unto the Lord: Peradventure there shall be twenty found there. And he said, I will not destroy it for twenty's sake.
And he said, Oh let not the Lord be angry, and I will speak yet but this once: Peradventure ten shall be found there. And he said, I will not destroy it for ten's sake.' (Genesis 18:23-32)
Apparently, the Lord will preserve a city if there are but ten righteous individuals. In Ammonihah, there were a lot more than ten. However, these were soon killed (Alma 14:8) - leaving only the wicked. When that happens, as with Sodom, the people are visited with utter destruction.
The same principle applies to the preservation of every nation on earth, including the United States.
Spencer W. Kimball
"Our world is now much the same as it was in the days of the Nephites prophet who said: '...if it were not for the prayers of the righteous...ye would even now be visited with utter destruction' (Alma 10:22). There are many upright and faithful who live all the commandments and whose lives and prayers keep the world from destruction."
(Ensign, June 1971, p. 16 as taken from Latter-day Commentary on the Book of Mormon compiled by K. Douglas Bassett, p. 262)
No comments:
Post a Comment