Finally the people acknowledge Nephi as a prophet. They saw a prophetic miracle in the naming of the murderer of the chief judge, but many were able to dismiss that by assuming Nephi’s complicity. In this case, however, Nephi has shown the great power of God to not only stop the rains, but to start them again. The people feared to believe Nephi when the famine was sore, when it was relieved, they “did rejoice” to see him as a prophet.
The result of this economic disaster and subsequent recovery was to force the Gadiantons out of Nephite rule. As we will see, however, it did not force unanimity of opinion among the Nephites. The changes brought on by desperation may have changed the people’s perception of pragmatic belief, but their fundamental tendencies to division would return.