Deflagration in the Dungeon with Nephi son of Helaman

Nephi and Lehi, sons of Helaman son of Helaman, were on a missionary tour de force in the year 30 BC, visiting all of the Nephite cities in the land southward, then the Lamanite cities as well. They were incarcerated by a Lamanite army and starved for many days.  Not only was their faith in Christ enough to let God free them, their army of tormentors was also converted in the process. The combined missionary force of Nephi and Lehi and about 300 Lamanite converts then convinced the majority of the Lamanites of the truth of Christianity.

Thinking about the captors, the prison scene, and the after story in detail taught me a lot about being a disciple of Christ and brought this story to life for me.

What's going on?

Nephi gave up the judgment seat in 30 BC (similar to but not the same as the President of the US), recalling that his father's admonitions to build on the rock of Christ our Redeemer. He and Lehi first taught all the Nephites in the land southward, then they decided to keep going and teach among the Lamanites.  They baptized 8,000 Lamanites in Zarahemla and the land round about, which is comparable to the thousands converted by Ammon and his brethren.  This was in a very short period of time (the entire mission happened within a year).  After they left Zarahemla they were traveling deeper into Lamanite territory to the land of Nephi.

20 And it came to pass that Nephi and Lehi did proceed from thence to go to the land of Nephi.

 21 And it came to pass that they were taken by an army of the Lamanites and cast into prison; yea, even in that same prison in which Ammon and his brethren were cast by the servants of Limhi.

Remember that there was this one crazy Nephite king who built enormous towers and made epic buildings? I think it is likely this prison was built by him. King Noah re-did every other building in the city, and his son Limhi was more concerned with escaping his Lamanite captors than redoing his prisons. I can't imagine the army cooperating with local law enforcement to coordinate which cells they could use; I think this jail was mostly abandoned.

The gang of highway robbers threw Nephi and Lehi in this jail and starved them, toying with them for some form of sadistic joy. Then they went in to kill them. I would love to know more about their motivation and where they came from, but the text is very scarce on those details. Also, we find out that 300 soldiers were there to watch and perhaps participate in the execution of Nephi and Lehi. Now I can start to visualize a vast hall in an abandoned penitentiary full of soldiers turned lynch mobbers.

When suddenly ...

Their sadist captors were no longer so gung-ho about killing Nephi and Lehi.  They stood as if struck dumb with amazement. Our heroes didn't even realize at first that they were standing in pillars of fire.
Helaman 5

 24 And when they saw that they were encircled about with a pillar of fire, and that it burned them not, their hearts did take courage.
25 For they saw that the Lamanites durst not lay their hands upon them; neither durst they come near unto them, but stood as if they were struck dumb with amazement.

If this was an action movie, this would be the part where the hero lays waste to the entire city in turbo mode. But no, Nephi and Lehi didn't even realize they were in pillars of fire. It wasn't about them. This display of God's power was not for them except to keep them safe. This was God trying to reach out to his wayward children. This was totally obvious to Nephi and Lehi, as evidenced by how they reacted

Helaman 5
 26 And it came to pass that Nephi and Lehi did stand forth and began to speak unto them, saying: Fear not, for behold, it is God that has shown unto you this marvelous thing, in the which is shown unto you that ye cannot lay your hands on us to slay us.

There was no "Ha-ha!" or "I told you so" moment between these two parties. Nephi and Lehi were still focused on teaching the gospel and bringing good news to the downtrodden, even though many might think these two were the downtrodden.

Now the physical state of the two groups portrayed their spiritual state. Nephi and Lehi were protected by God, enjoyed communion with His Spirit, and saw things clearly. The army/mob members were surrounded by mists of darkness and paralyzed by fear. Eventually, thanks to Aminadab, they realize they need to pray and repent to get out of their awful situation. I find it very equalizing and merciful that each of them were blessed to experience being encircled by a pillar of fire. The Lord desires to give everyone on earth his richest blessings as we learn from Jesus' parable of the workers. Again, no hint of jealousy from Nephi and Lehi, no resentment that they were blessed like Jonah resented the people of Nineveh.

The first times the crowd heard the voice, it is described as mild but piercing and causing the earth to tremble. After praying, the mob hears a pleasant voice. This is an important distinction showing that they have truly changed and now find themselves on the right hand of God. Jacob tells us that the bar of God can be pleasant, but strikes the wicked with fear.

The Fundamentals

This whole experience was possible because of the faith of Nephi and Lehi. Heavenly Father works among the children of men by faith. He allows faith in Christ to precede the miracle ("The just shall live by faith", "wherefore they first believed," President Monson said it like this).

This chapter is also a primer in how we can develop faith. The Lamanites were murderous outlaws just a few verses earlier. The end of the chapter shows that these same people went out to their brethren on the faith of this experience. I assume the experience in the prison was only a few hours, though we don't really know. They were told to "go forth and marvel not, neither should they doubt."And indeed they stuck with it and convinced their brethren that their traditions were wrong.

The primary message and point of the Book of Mormon is spiritual. So much of the book of Alma revolves around the Nephites trying to defend "their land." The first time I read through the Book of Mormon on my own, I read Helaman 5 and was astounded! I just spent 63 chapters reading about how the Lamanites were always trying to take the land of the first inheritance and enslave the Nephites, now in three very short verses the Lamanites give back the lands of their own free will?  The story ends so triumphantly but with little detail, but it makes a lot of sense when the book isn't really about who is living where. This story is to teach us about our relationship with God and how we can improve it.

Here are a few other major messages I found in this story but didn't have time to develop:

Faith can effect great changes in people around them.

The faithful perceive and experience the same events very differently.

The faithful will be protected by the Lord "even by fire."

The faithful are rewarded for staying true even in extremity.