Something I’d always apparently glossed over as I read Samuel the Lamanite’s story suddenly jumped out at me this time. Before he began to speak on the wall, Samuel “stretched forth his hand.”
Aside from believing that God just protected Samuel from the Nephite’s stones and arrows, I hadn’t really examined reasons the Nephites missed their mark. However, this phrase totally added to my perspective when viewing Samuel’s action as a manifestation of God’s protective priesthood power, which is the authority to act in the name of God.
Samuel the Lamanite at Zarahemla
The Lord commanded Samuel the Lamanite to cry repentance to the Nephites. Samuel traveled to Zarahemla and cried repentance. The Nephites rejected his message and cast Samuel out of the city. The voice of the Lord commanded Samuel to return “and prophesy unto the people whatsoever things should come into his . ” Isn’t that amazing? This commandment teaches me so much about how the Lord operates, especially that He gives His prophets the words to say.
And it came to pass that they would not suffer that [Samuel] should enter into the city; therefore he went and got upon the thereof, and stretched forth his hand and cried with a loud voice, and unto the people whatsoever things the Lord put into his heart.
Samuel prophesied amazing and terrible things!
But as many as there were who did not believe in the words of Samuel were with him; and they cast stones at him upon the wall, and also many shot arrows at him as he stood upon the wall; but the Spirit of the Lord was with him, insomuch that they could not hit him with their stones neither with their arrows.
That the Spirit of the Lord was with him had always satisfied my curious wondering of “how was Samuel protected?” Sometimes we just don’t get all the details in the scripture stories. But I realized I’d missed that incredible detail that Samuel stretched forth his hand.
Below are some examples of how prophets, including the Savior, manifested the power of God as they stretched forth their hands. There are many other scriptural examples; these are just the stories that came to mind as I stopped to ponder that Samuel had stretched forth his hand.
Moses and the Plague of Darkness:
And the Lord said unto Moses, Stretch out thine hand toward heaven, that there may be over the land of Egypt, even darkness which may be .
And Moses stretched forth his hand toward heaven; and there was a thick in all the land of Egypt three days:
They saw not one another, neither rose any from his place for three days: but all the children of Israel had light in their dwellings. (Exodus 10:21-23)
Moses and the Red Sea:
The Lord shall for you, and ye shall hold your .
And the Lord said unto Moses, Wherefore criest thou unto me? speak unto the children of Israel, that they go forward:
But lift thou up thy , and stretch out thine hand over the sea, and it: and the children of Israel shall go on ground through the midst of the sea. …
And the of God, which went before the camp of Israel, removed and went behind them; and the of the cloud went from before their face, and stood behind them:
And it came between the camp of the Egyptians and the camp of Israel; it was a cloud and to them, but it gave light by night to these: so that the one came not near the other all the night.
And Moses stretched out his hand over the ; and the Lord the to by a strong east wind all that night, and made the sea land, and the were .
And the children of Israel went into the midst of the sea upon the dry ground: and the waters were a wall unto them on their right hand, and on their left.
And the Egyptians pursued, and went in after them to the midst of the sea, even all Pharaoh’s horses, his chariots, and his horsemen.
And it came to pass, that in the morning watch the Lord looked unto the host of the Egyptians through the pillar of fire and of the cloud, and troubled the host of the Egyptians,
And off their chariot wheels, that they drave them heavily: so that the Egyptians said, Let us flee from the face of Israel; for the Lord fighteth for them against the Egyptians.
And the Lord said unto Moses, Stretch out thine over the sea, that the waters may come again upon the Egyptians, upon their chariots, and upon their horsemen.
And Moses stretched forth his hand over the sea, and the sea returned to when the morning appeared; and the Egyptians fled ; and the Lord overthrew the in the midst of the sea.
And the returned, and the chariots, and the horsemen, and all the host of Pharaoh that came into the after them; there remained not so much as of them.
But the children of Israel walked upon land in the midst of the sea; and the waters were a wall unto them on their right hand, and on their left. (Exodus 14:14-29)
The Destroying Angel and Jerusalem:
And God sent an angel unto Jerusalem to destroy it.And the angel stretched forth his hand unto Jerusalem to destroy it; and God said to the angel, Stay now thine hand, it is enough; for as he was destroying, the Lord beheld Israel, that he repented him of the evil; therefore the Lord stayed the angel that destroyed, as he stood by the threshing floor of Ornan, the Jebusite. (JST 1 Chronicles 21:15)
Jesus and Matthew on the Water:
And Peter answered him and said, Lord, if it be thou, bid me come unto thee on the water.
And he said, Come. And when Peter was come down out of the ship, he walked on the water, to go to Jesus.
But when he saw the wind boisterous, he was ; and beginning to sink, he cried, saying, Lord, save me.
And immediately Jesus stretched forth his hand, and caught him, and said unto him, O thou of little , wherefore didst thou ?
And when they were come into the ship, the wind ceased. (Matthew 14:28-32)
Nephi and His Brothers at Bountiful:
And now it came to pass that when I had spoken these words they were angry with me, and were desirous to throw me into the depths of the sea; and as they came forth to lay their hands upon me I spake unto them, saying: In the name of the Almighty God, I command you that ye me not, for I am filled with the of God, even unto the consuming of my flesh; and whoso shall lay his hands upon me shall even as a dried reed; and he shall be as naught before the power of God, for God shall smite him.
And it came to pass that I, Nephi, said unto them that they should murmur no more against their father; neither should they withhold their labor from me, for God had commanded me that I should a ship.
And I said unto them: God had commanded me to do all things I could do them. If he should command me that I should say unto this water, be thou earth, it should be earth; and if I should say it, it would be done.
And now, if the Lord has such great power, and has wrought so many miracles among the children of men, how is it that he cannot me, that I should build a ship?
And it came to pass that I, Nephi, said many things unto my brethren, insomuch that they were and could not contend against me; neither durst they lay their hands upon me nor touch me with their fingers, even for the space of many days. Now they durst not do this lest they should wither before me, so powerful was the of God; and thus it had wrought upon them.
And it came to pass that the Lord said unto me: Stretch forth thine hand again unto thy brethren, and they shall not wither before thee, but I will them, saith the Lord, and this will I do, that they may know that I am the Lord their God.
And it came to pass that I stretched forth my hand unto my brethren, and they did not wither before me; but the Lord did shake them, even according to the word which he had spoken.
And now, they said: We know of a surety that the Lord is , for we know that it is the power of the Lord that has shaken us. And they fell down before me, and were about to me, but I would not suffer them, saying: I am thy brother, yea, even thy younger brother; wherefore, worship the Lord thy God, and honor thy father and thy mother, that thy may be long in the land which the Lord thy God shall give thee. (1 Nephi 17:48-55)
God’s servants can act in His name according to His will!
These manifestations of divine power remind me of a favorite passage in Mormon 5.
[H]ow can ye stand before the power of God, except ye shall repent and turn from your evil ways?
Know ye not that ye are in the of God? Know ye not that he hath all power, and at his great command the shall be together as a scroll? (Mormon 5:22-23)
Truly, the Lord our God authorizes His servants to stretch forth their hands, just like He does—for He promises that His arm is stretched out still.
I am the Lord your God, even the of your fathers, the God of Abraham and of Isaac and of Jacob.
I am he who the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt; and my arm is stretched out in the last days, to my people Israel.
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