Human nature was then as it is now, the slave of passion, the victim of corruption. In a few words that describes the Nephites of Samuel's time. They hated truth, and each walked in his own way. As a nation of much-favored people, they, however, were quick to forget, and slow to remember God's goodness. Heaven's greatest gift to mankind, the Savior of the world, was declared by them to be folly, and the idea of Christ was foolishness. Even when their eyes and ears, and even their hearts, told them of His reality, they sought ways to explain by a purely materialistic concept that they were deceived, and that Samuel and others of the prophets were peddlers of mischief.
They imagined vain things to excuse their iniquity; and as a pretext for choosing evil asserted that the wonders they had seen both in the heavens and on the earth were "wrought by men and by the power of the devil, to lead away and deceive the hearts of the people," forgetting all the while that Beelzebub does not scourge Beelzebub. Of such a course there could be only one result; they become servants of evil, and of their wickedness they were victims. Their choice between good and evil was prescribed by iniquity, which like a growth of rank grass smothered the fair and fragrant flowers of God's promise of a Redeemer, to beautify, and purify, and sanctify the hearts of His children. It is well to remember in reading this verse, the words of King David: "O ye that love the Lord, hate evil," and also, "Light is sown for the righteous, and gladness for the upright in heart." (Psalm 97:10-11)
It is true, it ever was and ever will be, that when a people choose darkness rather than light; when they prefer error instead of truth; when they persecute the righteous because of their righteousness and applaud the wicked in their sins, that people is ripe for destruction. So it was with the Nephites of that period.. We shall shortly learn how the more wicked part of them were destroyed. However, the Lord is long-suffering and slow to anger, but nevertheless the cup of their iniquity was rapidly filling, "Satan did go about, leading away the hearts of the people, tempting them and causing them that they should do great wickedness in the land."