3 Nephi 2–5

“Prepared … in the Strength of the Lord”

Minerva Teichert (1888-1976), The Answer of Lachoneus, 1949-1951, oil on linen affixed to masonite, 36 x 48 inches. Brigham Young University Museum of Art.

Just as we face challenges leading to the Savior’s return, the Nephites faced challenges in the years before He came to them. The Gadianton robbers threatened to destroy the Nephites. However, the Nephites “were prepared to meet them … in the strength of the Lord” (3 Nephi 4:10). Like the Nephites, we can overcome challenges by being prepared. This lesson can help you receive the Lord’s strength by being prepared spiritually and temporally.

Be prepared

Think about a time in your life when you felt prepared or unprepared.

• What was the situation, and why did you feel prepared or unprepared?

• If you felt unprepared, what have you done to prepare better for the future?

• What have you done to spiritually prepare for challenges you are facing or may face in the future?

As you study 3 Nephi 2–5, seek the guidance of the Spirit to know what you can do to prepare yourself temporally and spiritually for the future.

Preparations of Lachoneus

The prophet Samuel prophesied that there would be a night without darkness as a sign of Jesus Christ’s birth. When this prophecy was fulfilled (see 3 Nephi 1:15–19), “the more part of the people did believe, and were converted unto the Lord” (3 Nephi 1:22). However, after a few years, some began to disbelieve.

Read 3 Nephi 1:27–30 and 3 Nephi 2:1–3, looking for reasons some people strayed from the Lord.

• What lessons can we learn from these verses that can help us stay true to the Lord in our day?

The Gadianton robbers increased in numbers and fought against the Nephites. In response, “the Lamanites who had become converted unto the Lord did unite with their brethren, the Nephites” (3 Nephi 2:12). Giddianhi, the leader of the Gadianton robbers, wrote a letter to Lachoneus, the chief judge of the Nephites. In it, he threatened to destroy the Nephites if they did not surrender (see 3 Nephi 3:1–10).

Read 3 Nephi 3:11–12, looking for how Lachoneus responded.

• What evidence do you see of Lachoneus’s faith in the Lord?

Read the following passages, and create a list titled “Nephite Preparations” in your study journal of how the people prepared temporally and spiritually for when the Gadianton robbers would attack. If possible, you could listen to the audio of these passages in the Gospel Library app.

• 3 Nephi 3:13–16

• 3 Nephi 3:17–21

• 3 Nephi 3:22–26

• 3 Nephi 4:3–4

• Which preparations do you think helped the most? Why?

• How do you think these preparations helped them rely on the Lord?

Read 3 Nephi 4:7–12, looking for how the Nephites were blessed because of their spiritual and temporal preparations.

• What principles can we learn from this account? (See 3 Nephi 4:10.)

One of the principles we learn from this account is as we prepare ourselves spiritually and temporally, the Lord will strengthen us to overcome or endure challenges.

Preparations in our day

To help you relate the scriptures to our day, create a list titled “Modern Parallels” next to the list of Nephite preparations. List similar preparations we can make, including preparations prophets have counseled us to make. Think about what you are preparing for and how these ideas can help you be prepared in the strength of the Lord.

To see an example of a family who was blessed because of their preparation, watch the video “Temporal Preparedness Resources” (3:09), available at ChurchofJesusChrist.org.

To Prepare Temporally, Rely on the Lord

1. Answer the following questions:

   • Pick one or more preparations from your list. How can it help us overcome specific challenges we face in our day?

   • In what ways do you think our preparation allows the Lord to strengthen us?

The Gadianton robbers set up a siege that failed because the Nephites had divine help in their preparation. Eventually the Gadianton robbers retreated. They were cut off by the Nephite army and yielded themselves up as prisoners or were slain (see 3 Nephi 4:16–27).

Read 3 Nephi 4:30–33; 5:1–4, looking for how the people responded to being strengthened by the Lord.

• How did their response show their faith in God?

Reflect on a time when you may have felt the strength of the Lord by preparing temporally and spiritually.

President Russell M. Nelson testified of the blessings of being prepared:

The adversary never stops attacking. So, we can never stop preparing! The more self-reliant we are—temporally, emotionally, and spiritually—the more prepared we are to thwart Satan’s relentless assaults. …

I am not saying that the days ahead will be easy, but I promise you that the future will be glorious for those who are prepared and who continue to prepare to be instruments in the Lord’s hands. (Russell M. Nelson, “Embrace the Future with Faith,” Ensign or Liahona, Nov. 2020, 75–76)

2. Complete the following:

   Think of a challenge, situation, or event you must prepare for. Reflect on how prepared you feel today. Seek the guidance of the Spirit as you answer these questions.

   • What specific actions could you take to prepare?

   • How can you include the Lord in your preparations?

Optional: Want to Learn More?

How can we prepare?

President Russell M. Nelson taught:

The Temple and Your Spiritual Foundation

We have been promised that “if [we] are prepared [we] shall not fear” [Doctrine and Covenants 38:30]. This assurance has profound implications today. The Lord has declared that despite today’s unprecedented challenges, those who build their foundations upon Jesus Christ, and have learned how to draw upon His power, need not succumb to the unique anxieties of this era. (Russell M. Nelson, “The Temple and Your Spiritual Foundation,” Liahona, Nov. 2021, 94)

President Dallin H. Oaks of the First Presidency declared:

We need to make both temporal and spiritual preparation for the events prophesied at the time of the Second Coming. And the preparation most likely to be neglected is the one less visible and more difficult—the spiritual. (Dallin H. Oaks, “Preparation for the Second Coming,” Ensign or Liahona, May 2004, 9)

Elder David A. Bednar of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles explained:

Our efforts to prepare for the proving experiences of mortality should follow the example of the Savior, who incrementally “increased in wisdom and stature, and in favour with God and man” [Luke 2:52]—a blended balance of intellectual, physical, spiritual, and social readiness. (David A. Bednar, “We Will Prove Them Herewith,” Ensign or Liahona, Nov. 2020, 9)

Elder Quentin L. Cook of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles taught:

Shipshape and Bristol Fashion: Be Temple Worthy—in Good Times and Bad Times

The storms and temptations of this life are often unpredictable. But this we know: they will come! In order to overcome the challenges and temptations that each of us inevitably faces, it will require righteous preparation and the use of divinely provided protections. We must determine to be temple worthy regardless of what befalls us. If we are prepared, we shall not fear. (Quentin L. Cook, “Shipshape and Bristol Fashion: Be Temple Worthy—in Good Times and Bad Times,” Ensign or Liahona, Nov. 2015, 39)

3 Nephi 2:15. What does it mean that “their curse was taken from them”?

In Nephi’s day, the curse of the Lamanites was that they were “cut off from [the Lord’s] presence … because of their iniquity” (2 Nephi 5:20–21). The curse lasted only as long as the people were wicked. When Lamanites later embraced the gospel of Jesus Christ, “the curse of God did no more follow them” (Alma 23:18). In 3 Nephi 2, the curse was taken away from the Lamanites who were converted to the Lord (see 3 Nephi 2:12, 15).