Lessons Learned

This part of the Book of Mormon has some very sad, but very valuable lessons. The great leaders had passed away and it was left to the next generation, as things are, and they had some contention. Pahoran had 3 sons who were up to be selected to sit in the judgement seat, Pahoran, Paanchi, and Pacumeni. The people voted for Pahoran. Pacumeni went along with it, but Paanchi decided to organize a rebellion, for which he was tried and put to death.

However, there were still people who were out there, secret combinations, which haven't played too prevalent a role in the Book of Mormon up to this point, but they were angry, and didn't want Pahoran to be their leader, so they sent Kishkumen to kill Pahoran, which he did, and he got away. They all agreed (this is the secret combination part) to keep it a secret that Kishkumen was the one who had killed Pahoran.

"Therefore, Kishkumen was not known among the people of Nephi, for he was in disguise at the time that he murdered Pahoran. And Kishkumen and his band, who had covenanted with him, did mingle themselves among the people, in a manner that they all could not be found; but as many as were found were condemned unto death." (Helaman 1:12)

This is kind of the beginning of the end, as it were, for the righteous Nephites, at least for a while. There are many who are dissenting, and they have secret combinations starting to creep in among their people.

In addition to this, the Lamanites (who always seem to get stirred up against the Nephites the most when they have Nephite dissenters with them) came to attack them again. Corantumr led the Lamanites. He was so bold and confident in the strength of his army that he charged them straight into the center, the capital city of Zarahemla. They took that city easily, and then they assumed it was all downhill from there for the Nephites. They thought that the strongest city would be their capital city. However, they were mistaken, and though they took the city easily, they were now trapped in the center of all the Nephites.

"And thus had Coriantumr plunged the Lamanites into the midst of the Nephites, insomuch that they were in the power of the Nephites, and he himself was slain, and the Lamanites did yield themselves into the hands of the Nephites." (Helaman 1:32)

I think the biggest lesson to learn here is one we learn from Coriantumr. He was prideful and overly confident, and marched himself right into a bad situation. I think we can be that way sometimes. Without doing our research, or without a real solid plan, we just charge forward with something, but then we end up getting stuck in the middle of it, not sure what to do. In Coriantumr's case, it ended up costing him his life. While the stakes might not seem so high, we often find ourselves in the same situation, marching into the middle of something without much of a plan. It can be at least uncomfortable, if not worse. To avoid this, have a plan. Make it with as much information as possible, and then execute your plan with boldness, but not arrogance.

On the flip side, the Nephites were only MOSTLY prepared. Their outer cities were fortified against attack, but their center, their capital, was probably their weakest point, because they assumed the Lamanites would only hit the outside. They had not prepared for the possibility that they would be attacked at their center. At least they reacted well and headed off the Lamanites before too long, and they were able to drive them out of their land.