Among the timeless lessons to be learned from the Book of Mormon are the perils of the prosperity cycle. It is as though a people could not learn from the mistakes of the past. Whenever any group chose to keep the commandments of God, he blessed and prospered them.
At that point, instead of returning constant thanks to him who had rewarded them-instead of acknowledging in humility that all that they had was a direct blessing from the Almighty-most of the people in the Book of Mormon (Nephites and Jaredites alike) lost sight of the source of their blessings. They traded the confidence of heaven for the approbation of men.
Wealth became the end in life rather than a means to the accomplishment of good. Whenever the acquisition of “things” became more important than people, then it was only a matter of time before class distinctions, caste systems, and the persecution of the poor followed. “Wealth is a jealous master who will not be served half-heartedly and will suffer no rival-not even God.... The more important wealth is, the less important it is how one gets it.” (Hugh Nibley, Since Cumorah, p. 393.)