For some seven or eight years the people served the Lord, but it was not long until they were once again engrossed in doing evil. At this point [Helaman 12] Mormon paused in the historical narrative to insert one of his most powerful prophetic insights into the nature of man and history.
It is important for students of the Book of Mormon to remember that Mormon's work is an abridgment from numerous records he had at his disposal. Mormon was exceedingly selective in what he gave us, as is evidenced by the statement that he did not record "a hundredth part" of all he had access to (see Helaman 3:14). It appears that Mormon selected certain materials because of the particular lessons they conveyed. Lest we miss the impact of the lesson conveyed in the preceding chapters, Mormon drew our attention to it with great care in Helaman 12 by means of phrases such as "thus we can behold" (Helaman 12:1), "yea, and we may see" (v. 2), and "thus we see" (v. 3). Clearly Mormon intended that we should not miss his message. Helaman 12 contains one of the greatest summaries of a basic human tendency found anywhere in the scriptures. Some examples follow:
Yet ye have forsaken me, and served other gods; wherefore I will deliver you no more. Go and cry unto the gods which ye have chosen; let them deliver you in the time of your tribulation. (Judges 10:13-14)
And when ye spread forth your hands, I will hide mine eyes from you: yea, when ye make many prayers, I will not hear: your hands are full of blood. (Isaiah 1:15)
Yea, and it shall come to pass that when they shall cry unto me I will be slow to hear their cries; yea, and I will suffer them that they be smitten by their enemies. (Mosiah 11:24)
[Church Educational System, Book of Mormon Student Manual, Religion 121-122, p. 109]
Helaman 12:2 All manner of precious things of every kind and art ([Illustration]): Early beautiful artifacts called eccentric flints were chipped, ever so carefully, from common obsidian by the hands, brains, and eyes of master craftsmen. Such oddities exemplify how Mesoamericans imposed their unique ideas on materials that would have been handled only in utilitarian ways in other places in the world. No one knows for sure what eccentric flints signified, but surely they carried a heavy freight of sacred meaning. [John L. Sorenson, Images of Ancient America, p. 31]