Mosiah, Chapter 29

What makes one form of government better than another?

The United States experienced a horrible tragedy on September 11, 2001.  I don’t think anyone who was old enough to know what was going on, will forget where they were or how they felt on that day.  I got into my car to drive to work when I heard the news that a plane had flown into one of the twin towers.  I went to work still, but spent the entire day watching the news in my office.  I watched the aftermath of both towers being hit, one plane hit the pentagon, and another plane had been brought down that was also hijacked.  I remember that on my drive home, the radio station played a montage of sound clips that had been recorded that day; people screaming, sounds of buildings crumblings, bits of news coverage about heroes, and a song about time that made me cry.  I did not know anyone personally, who had been in any of those terrible experiences, but you did not have to to feel the attack that had occurred to our nation.  On that day, and several to follow, the United States was the most united that I have ever known it to be.  People were so proud to be American.  It was an awful thing, but great courage, hope, love and patriotism came out of it.

Article of Faith 12 says, “We believe in being subject to kings, presidents, rulers, and magistrates, in obeying, honoring, and sustaining the law.”  We, as citizens of the United States, are expected to follow the laws that are put forth and maintained by the President, congress, and the judiciary branch of the government.  We have a constitution, which explains what makes up these leaders and how they can use the powers given to them by the people.  We also have a bill of rights which is designed to protect the people from the tyranny that can come from those in power.  Our rights are what keep us the free country that God has promised to us.  We maintain these rights as long as we live by the laws that are in place, and as long as our rulers do not take them from us, either by the voice of the people or by their own choice.

After Mosiah had given Alma the records (discussed in my last post), he wanted to know what the people thought he should do about the kingdom.    ”And it came to pass that the voice of the people came, saying: We are desirous that Aaron thy son should be our king and our ruler (v. 2).”  However, none of his sons were willing to be the king, but chose to be missionaries instead.  Mosiah told the people, “Behold, O ye my people, or my brethren, for I esteem you as such, I desire that ye should consider the cause which ye are called to consider—for ye are desirous to have a king (v. 5).  Now I declare unto you that he to whom the kingdom doth rightly belong has declined, and will not take upon him the kingdom (v. 6).  And now if there should be another appointed in his stead, behold I fear there would rise contentions among you. And who knoweth but what my son, to whom the kingdom doth belong, should turn to be angry and draw away a part of this people after him, which would cause wars and contentions among you, which would be the cause of shedding much blood and perverting the way of the Lord, yea, and destroy the souls of many people (v. 7).  Now I say unto you let us be wise and consider these things, for we have no right to destroy my son, neither should we have any right to destroy another if he should be appointed in his stead (v. 8 ).  And if my son should turn again to his pride and vain things he would recall the things which he had said, and claim his right to the kingdom, which would cause him and also this people to commit much sin (v. 9).”  Mosiah had fear for the future of his people, if they would appoint another king who was not the rightful heir to the kingdom.

“Therefore I will be your king the remainder of my days; nevertheless, let us appoint judges, to judge this people according to our law; and we will newly arrange the affairs of this people, for we will appoint wise men to be judges, that will judge this people according to the commandments of God (v. 11).”  Mosiah proposed that the people be led by righteous judges instead of a king.  Mosiah tells the advantage there is to having judges who are men of God.  ”Now it is better that a man should be judged of God than of man, for the judgments of God are always just, but the judgments of man are not always just (v. 12).”  We are not perfect, and therefore our ways can be swayed by the temptations of Satan.  If we are swayed, our judgements are also swayed, but God will not ever change and so his judgements are always just.  ”Therefore, if it were possible that you could have just men to be your kings, who would establish the laws of God, and judge this people according to his commandments, yea, if ye could have men for your kings who would do even as my father Benjamin did for this people—I say unto you, if this could always be the case then it would be expedient that ye should always have kings to rule over you (v. 13).”  If a king is as righteous as King Benjamin, than it is good to have him as a king.

“And even I myself have labored with all the power and faculties which I have possessed, to teach you the commandments of God, and to establish peace throughout the land, that there should be no wars nor contentions, no stealing, nor plundering, nor murdering, nor any manner of iniquity (v. 14); And whosoever has committed iniquity, him have I punished according to the crime which he has committed, according to the law which has been given to us by our fathers (v. 15).”  It takes a lot of work and a strong will to lead the people righteously.

“Now I say unto you, that because all men are not just it is not expedient that ye should have a king or kings to rule over you (v. 16).  For behold, how much iniquity doth one wicked king cause to be committed, yea, and what great destruction (v. 17)!  Yea, remember king Noah, his wickedness and his abominations, and also the wickedness and abominations of his people. Behold what great destruction did come upon them; and also because of their iniquities they were brought into bondage (v. 18 ).”  If a king is not as righteous as King Benjamin, he can use his power to do evil things and lead his people to do the same.

Behold, O ye my people, or my brethren, for I esteem you as such, I desire that ye should consider the cause which ye are called to aconsider—for ye are desirous to have a king.

6 Now I declare unto you that he to whom the kingdom doth rightly belong has declined, and will not take upon him the kingdom.

7 And now if there should be another appointed in his stead, behold I fear there would rise acontentions among you. And who knoweth but what my son, to whom the kingdom doth belong, should turn to be angry and bdraw away a part of this people after him, which would cause wars and contentions among you, which would be the cause of shedding much blood and perverting the way of the Lord, yea, and destroy the souls of many people.

8 Now I say unto you let us be wise and consider these things, for we have no right to destroy my son, neither should we have any right to destroy another if he should be appointed in his stead.

9 And if my son should turn again to his pride and vain things he would recall the things which he had said, and claim his right to the kingdom, which would cause him and also this people to commit much sin.

There have been many great leaders throughout the world’s history.  Some who have had to help save the righteous children of God from rulers who were not righteous and who had caused them to be in bondage.  Moses led the children of Israel through the Red Sea on dry land.  Brigham Young led the pioneers from Nauvoo to the Salt Lake Valley.  ”And they did wax strong in love towards Mosiah; yea, they did esteem him more than any other man; for they did not look upon him as a tyrant who was seeking for gain, yea, for that lucre which doth corrupt the soul; for he had not exacted riches of them, neither had he delighted in the shedding of blood; but he had established peace in the land, and he had granted unto his people that they should be delivered from all manner of bondage; therefore they did esteem him, yea, exceedingly, beyond measure (v. 40).”  Moses, Brigham Young and Mosiah were great leaders because they were never selfishly trying to get gain for themselves.  They did not want any of their people to die in order to give them more riches or land, but rather they were peaceful people who wanted to protect their people and keep them free from others as well as from the bondage of Satan.  In D&C 121:41-46 we find traits that make a good leader (either in the Church, or the world in general), “power or influence … maintained by … persuasion, by long-suffering, by gentleness and meekness, and by love unfeigned (v. 41) … kindness, and pure knowledge … without hypocrisy, and without guile (v. 42) … Reproving betimes with sharpness, when moved upon by the Holy Ghost … showing forth afterwards an increase of love toward him whom thou hast reproved (v. 43) … faithfulness is stronger than the cords of death (v. 44) … bowels  … full of charity towards all men … household of faith … virtue garnish thy thoughts unceasingly … confidence wax strong in the presence of God … doctrine of the priesthood shall distil upon thy soul (v. 45) … Holy Ghost shall be thy constant companion, and thy … unchanging scepter of righteousness and truth … an everlasting dominion, and without compulsory means (v. 46) …”.  This a lot for the people of Mosiah to expect from just one man, and that is why he proposed that several men judge in righteousness instead.

Will we ever have a king again?

There are several different types of government; Monarchy (king or queen), Anarchy (none), Theocracy (by the church), Democracy (by the people), Republic (elected offices representing the people) and a Dictatorship (Dictator).  The United States is a republic.  Some would say it is a democracy, but the people do not have total control of the government, they trust those who are elected to do their will.  We have a democratic process here, but we are a republic.

According to Mosiah, a righteous king would be necessary to rule if possible (v. 13).  In Revelation 17:14 we read, “These shall make war with the Lamb, and the Lamb shall overcome them: for he is Lord of lords, and King of kings: and they that are with him are called, and chosen, and faithful.”  The greatest king for the people, would be Christ.  During the Millennium, Christ will reign personally upon the earth.  Article of Faith 10 reads, “We believe in the literal gathering of Israel and in the restoration of the Ten Tribes; that Zion (the New Jerusalem) will be built upon the American continent; that Christ will reign personally upon the earth; and, that the earth will be renewed and receive its paradisiacal glory.”

The manual quotes from The Doctrine and Covenants Commentary about what type of government will exist when Christ reigns.  ”In the Church of Christ where the government is that of the Kingdom of Heaven, neither autocracy nor democracy obtains, but government by Common Consent.  That is to say, the initiative in all that pertains to the government of the Church rests with the Head of the Church, even our Lord Jesus Christ, and He exercises this sovereign function through his authorized servants, upon whom He has bestowed the Holy Priesthood; but it is the privilege of the people to accept, or reject, His laws and ordinances, for God has given every individual free agency.  Obedience must be voluntary.  The government of the Church has been called a Theodemocracy.  It is the form of government that will be general during the Millennium.”

“By the voice of the people”

When we are deciding on an issue as a family, it is important for everyone to have a say for it to be a fair decision.  On issues that are opened up to the whole family, meaning those that are not strictly made between mother and father, everyone’s vote should be weighted the same.  (Their may be exceptions, such as on day’s of celebration for one person.)  If someone chooses not to voice their opinion, than they may by stuck doing something that does not make them happy.  If we can come to a decision together, it will hopefully make most, if not all happy, because we want our family to be content.

When we have a national election (or even a state/local election), the average is less than half that actually vote.  Sometimes people don’t vote, because they don’t know what the issues are.  Some don’t vote because of the weather.  Some don’t vote because they don’t know their is an election.  Some don’t vote because it is too much of a hassle to take time from their lives. No matter what the reason, they are giving up their right and responsibility to elect righteous leaders.  In order for those who are righteous and religious to run for office, they must first be taught the importance of having good righteous political leaders as a child.  It all starts in the home.  If our leaders to not live up to our expectations, than those who choose not to have a say may only blame themselves for allowing it to go without a true voice of the people.

“And if the time comes that the voice of the people doth choose iniquity, then is the time that the judgments of God will come upon you; yea, then is the time he will visit you with great destruction even as he has hitherto visited this land (v. 27).”  If most people choose evil (or allow evil to be chosen), then the judgment of God is upon all the people.

Their are four governmental principles that guided the reign of the judges (discussed in an Ensign article, “Six Nephite Judges: A Study in Integrity” from September 1977).  In this chapter of Mosiah we read, “Therefore, choose you by the voice of this people, judges, that ye may be judged according to the laws which have been given you by our fathers, which are correct, and which were given them by the hand of the Lord (v. 25).”  First, the law rules in society, not force, authority, or personality.  Second, the voice of the people determines the procedures of the law to support and preserve their freedom.  Third, the people recognize that the correct principles of law were given to man by God, through prophets.  ”Now it is not common that the voice of the people desireth anything contrary to that which is right; but it is common for the lesser part of the people to desire that which is not right; therefore this shall ye observe and make it your law—to do your business by the voice of the people (v. 26).”  And forth, (also see verse 27 above) the people must be committed to “the necessity for a spiritual foundation of that law in society.”

These ideas are fleeting in our nation currently.  A greater number of the people in America are choosing to deny that their is a God, or that God has a place in our government.  They don’t believe that our laws should be based upon good morals, but upon the concept of equality to all.  Our freedoms are not a right that we may always have.  They are earned by our morality.  The voice of the people in our nation, should keep our leaders responsible for what they do, just as it did for the judges in the Book of Mormon.  We have a system in place that is designed to keep our leaders from overstepping their bounds.  If the system is used as originally designed then it works.  The system is, a president who can veto laws if they do not seem right and can present laws to congress, congress who rights the laws based on the support of the people, and the judiciary branch who upholds those laws.  Their is a problem is beginning in our system today.  The judiciary has begun to create laws in addition to enforcing them, congress has begun to create laws which force people to do things their way rather than allowing the people to have a say, and the President is using his power of “personality” in both the judiciary and congress, to make things go his way.

“And now if ye have judges, and they do not judge you according to the law which has been given, ye can cause that they may be judged of a higher judge (v. 28).  If your higher judges do not judge righteous judgments, ye shall cause that a small number of your lower judges should be gathered together, and they shall judge your higher judges, according to the voice of the people (v. 29).”  This was the form of checks and balances that they used with the judges.  As long as the majority were righteous, their would not be a misuse of their power.  That is the most important piece of the entire system, righteousness.  When we loose it, we loose the balance and Satan gains a stronger hold over the people, through the leaders.

I agree wholly with what Mosiah tells his people in verse 32, “… I desire that this land be a land of liberty, and every man may enjoy his rights and privileges alike, so long as the Lord sees fit that we may live and inherit the land, yea, even as long as any of our posterity remains upon the face of the land.”  I want all the people in America to feel that this is a land of liberty.  I know that the only way for the people to feel this way, is if they come to Christ and are willing to live a moral lifestyle.  Otherwise, we are split, and some feel freedoms where others do not.  I pray that the side that feels that they have freedoms continues to be the side who are trying to live the gospel.

Mosiah’s words convinced the people.  ”Therefore they relinquished their desires for a king, and became exceedingly anxious that every man should have an equal chance throughout all the land; yea, and every man expressed a willingness to answer for his own sins (v. 38).  Therefore, it came to pass that they assembled themselves together in bodies throughout the land, to cast in their voices concerning who should be their judges, to judge them according to the law which had been given them; and they were exceedingly rejoiced because of the liberty which had been granted unto them (v. 39).”  We need to have the same desire to use the liberty that has been given to us, so that we can choose more righteous leaders.

Qualities of a great leader

Their have been some pretty wicked rulers in the history of the world.  Some that delight in shedding blood.  Some who are greedy and always want more.  Some who oppress those who want to live righteously.  Their have also been some pretty righteous leader like King Benjamin in the Book of Mormon.  Their are clear differences between the two.

“And they did wax strong in love towards Mosiah; yea, they did esteem him more than any other man; for they did not look upon him as a tyrant who was seeking for gain, yea, for that lucre which doth corrupt the soul; for he had not exacted riches of them, neither had he delighted in the shedding of blood; but he had established peace in the land, and he had granted unto his people that they should be delivered from all manner of bondage; therefore they did esteem him, yea, exceedingly, beyond measure (v. 40).  And it came to pass that they did appoint judges to rule over them, or to judge them according to the law; and this they did throughout all the land (v. 41).  And it came to pass that Alma was appointed to be the first chief judge, he being also the high priest, his father having conferred the office upon him, and having given him the charge concerning all the affairs of the church (v. 42).  And now it came to pass that Alma did walk in the ways of the Lord, and he did keep his commandments, and he did judge righteous judgments; and there was continual peace through the land (v. 43).”  Mosiah was one of those good leaders and the people loved him for it.  Alma became the first chief judge, because he was trusted by the people and because his father had trained him well.  He was righteous and kept the commandments, which helped to bring peace to the people.

Alma (the elder) and Mosiah (the elder) both died and the judges began to reign in Zarahemla over the Nephites.

Mosiah, Chapter 28

What are the attitudes of great missionaries?

Some people go on missions because they have planned to go since they were young.  Some go because it is suggested to them that they should go, by family or other church members.  Others have gone because of a “mighty change of heart” in their lives.  I had a friend who went because his girlfriend told him she would only marry a return missionary (it did not go well for him).  I plan on going on a couple mission with Jeff, later in life, because of an experience I had in the temple.  Our reasons for going affect the way we do it, because if it is not for the right reasons, we will not put our all into serving the Lord.

“Now it came to pass that after the sons of Mosiah had done all these things, they took a small number with them and returned to their father, the king, and desired of him that he would grant unto them that they might, with these whom they had selected, go up to the land of Nephi that they might preach the things which they had heard, and that they might impart the word of God to their brethren, the Lamanites (v. 1)—That perhaps they might bring them to the knowledge of the Lord their God, and convince them of the iniquity of their fathers; and that perhaps they might cure them of their hatred towards the Nephites, that they might also be brought to rejoice in the Lord their God, that they might become friendly to one another, and that there should be no more contentions in all the land which the Lord their God had given them (v. 2).  Now they were desirous that salvation should be declared to every creature, for they could not bear that any human soul should perish; yea, even the very thoughts that any soul should endure endless torment did cause them to quake and tremble (v. 3).  And thus did the Spirit of the Lord work upon them, for they were the very vilest of sinners. And the Lord saw fit in his infinite mercy to spare them; nevertheless they suffered much anguish of soul because of their iniquities, suffering much and fearing that they should be cast off forever (v. 4).  And it came to pass that they did plead with their father many days that they might go up to the land of Nephi (v. 5).  And king Mosiah went and inquired of the Lord if he should let his sons go up among the Lamanites to preach the word (v. 6).  And the Lord said unto Mosiah: Let them go up, for many shall believe on their words, and they shall have eternal life; and I will deliver thy sons out of the hands of the Lamanites (v. 7).  And it came to pass that Mosiah granted that they might go and do according to their request (v. 8 ).  And they took their journey into the wilderness to go up to preach the word among the Lamanites; and I shall give an account of their proceedings hereafter (v. 9).”

With these reasons for serving a mission, they were sure to teach with the spirit of God.  They would teach with a passion and belief in their own words that would show to those who heard what they had to say.  They planned on teaching the Lamanites and I am sure they were looking to teach those that behaved just as they had.  They would show God’s love for them, through how they taught.  I think that if I always had this desire to truly save every other soul, I would be a great member missionary.

Name those plates

Mosiah had several different records at this point.  He had no sons who were going to be there to take the kingdom and therefore the records, so he gave the records and the tools for translation to Alma the younger (v. 10, 20). ”Therefore he took the records which were engraven on the plates of brass, and also the plates of Nephi, and all the things which he had kept and preserved according to the commandments of God, after having translated and caused to be written the records which were on the plates of gold which had been found by the people of Limhi, which were delivered to him by the hand of Limhi (v. 11);”  There are the plates of brass, the plates of Nephi, and the plates of gold.  The plates of gold were those that had been found by Limhi’s people who had been searching for Zarahemla.

“And now he translated them by the means of those two stones which were fastened into the two rims of a bow (v. 13).”  Mosiah translated the plates of gold with the help of the Urim and Thummim that were later hid up and delivered to Joseph smith to translate the Book of Mormon.

“Now these things were prepared from the beginning, and were handed down from generation to generation, for the purpose of interpreting languages (v. 14); And they have been kept and preserved by the hand of the Lord, that he should discover to every creature who should possess the land the iniquities and abominations of his people (v. 15);”  The Lord preserves these records this way, because his people need to learn lessons from the past.  We need to see what has happened to others before us, so that we do not do the same things.

“And whosoever has these things is called seer, after the manner of old times (v. 16).”  Those who can translate are called seers.  Mosiah was a seer and he had been given the gift and the tools to translate scriptures for his people, just as Joseph Smith was given the gift and tools to translate the scriptures for us today.  In Joseph Smith – History 1:34-35 we read, “He said there was a book deposited, written upon gold plates, giving an account of the former inhabitants of this continent, and the source from whence they sprang. He also said that the fulness of the everlasting Gospel was contained in it, as delivered by the Savior to the ancient inhabitants (v. 34); Also, that there were two stones in silver bows—and these stones, fastened to a breastplate, constituted what is called the Urim and Thummim—deposited with the plates; and the possession and use of these stones were what constituted “seers” in ancient or former times; and that God had prepared them for the purpose of translating the book (v. 35).”  Seers are set apart by God, to do a marvelous work.  Because of Joseph Smith translating the Book of Mormon, I am able to read these beautiful truths each day.  The scriptures give me the strength to endure my small trials and give me the hope for wonderful things to come.  I am so grateful for the prophets and the power of the priesthood and keys which they hold.

Why is it necessary for me to know about the book of Ether?

I have enjoyed reading several books with my family (my husband in particular).  There have been some that have been so good that they made me both laugh and cry.  We are currently reading the series, “The Chronicles of Narnia” and I have been really enjoying all of the gospel centered ideas that it presents.  I have had my share of laughs at characters such as Reepacheep, and I have shed a few tears (being the emotional person that I am).  This was the kind of experience that the people of Mosiah had when they heard the stories from the plates of gold.

“Now after Mosiah had finished translating these records, behold, it gave an account of the people who were destroyed, from the time that they were destroyed back to the building of the great tower, at the time the Lord confounded the language of the people and they were scattered abroad upon the face of all the earth, yea, and even from that time back until the creation of Adam (v. 17).”  These scriptures discussed the tower of babel when the language of the people was confounded.

“Now this account did cause the people of Mosiah to mourn exceedingly, yea, they were filled with sorrow; nevertheless it gave them much knowledge, in the which they did rejoice (v. 18).”  They were both happy and sorrowful listening to the things that happened to the people that had been destroyed.

“And this account shall be written hereafter; for behold, it is expedient that all people should know the things which are written in this account (v. 19).”  It was expedient, or necessary, for all people to know these things.  This is why the record was included in our scriptures today.  The record is known now as the book of Ether.  Here is what the chapter headings say, and what we today should know according to this verse:

“Moroni abridges the writings of Ether—Ether’s genealogy set forth—The language of the Jaredites is not confounded at the Tower of Babel—The Lord promises to lead them to a choice land and make them a great nation (chapter 1).  The Jaredites prepare for their journey to a promised land—It is a choice land whereon men must serve Christ or be swept off—The Lord talks to the brother of Jared for three hours—They build barges—The Lord asks the brother of Jared to propose how the barges shall be lighted (chapter 2).  The brother of Jared sees the finger of the Lord as he touches the sixteen stones—Christ shows his spirit body to the brother of Jared—Those who have a perfect knowledge cannot be kept from within the veil—Interpreters are provided to bring the Jaredite record to light (chapter 3).”  The people of Mosiah probably rejoiced that they were witnessing this come to pass for them.  Mosiah was one of those interpreters bringing the Jaredite record to light.

“Moroni is commanded to seal up the writings of the brother of Jared—They shall not be revealed until men have faith even as the brother of Jared—Christ commands men to believe his words and those of his disciples—Men are commanded to repent and believe the gospel and be saved (chapter 4).  Three witnesses and the work itself shall stand as a testimony of the truthfulness of the Book of Mormon (chapter 5).  The Jaredite barges are driven by the winds to the promised land—The people praise the Lord for his goodness—Orihah is appointed king over them—Jared and his brother pass away in death (chapter 6).  Orihah reigns in righteousness—Amid usurpation and strife the rival kingdoms of Shule and Cohor are set up—Prophets condemn the wickedness and idolatry of the people, who then repent (chapter 7).”  The people of Mosiah can associated with these wicked people who are chastened and repent.  This may have caused some to mourn and then rejoice.

“There is strife and contention over the kingdom—Akish forms an oath-bound secret combination to slay the king—Secret combinations are of the devil and result in the destruction of nations—Modern Gentiles are warned against the secret combination which shall seek to overthrow the freedom of all lands, nations, and countries (chapter 8 ).  The kingdom passes from one to another by descent and intrigue and murder—Emer saw the Son of Righteousness—Many prophets cry repentance—A famine and poisonous serpents plague the people (chapter 9).”  So much wickedness would make me mourn to hear it, as I am sure the people of Mosiah did.

“One king succeeds another—Some of the kings are righteous; others are wicked—When righteousness prevails, the people are blessed and prospered by the Lord (chapter 10).”  Here is another point to rejoice, but it is short-lived.  ”Wars, dissensions, and wickedness dominate Jaredite life—Their prophets predict the utter destruction of the Jaredites unless they repent—The people reject the words of the prophets (chapter 11).  The prophet Ether exhorts the people to believe in God—Moroni recounts the wonders and marvels done by faith—Faith enabled the brother of Jared to see Christ—The Lord gives men weaknesses that they may be humble—The brother of Jared moved Mount Zerin by faith—Faith, hope, and charity are essential to salvation—Moroni saw Jesus face to face (chapter 12).”  This is an awesome thing to hear about and I am sure it gave the people Mosiah a stronger testimony of Christ.

“Ether speaks of a New Jerusalem to be built in America by the seed of Joseph—He prophesies, is cast out, writes the Jaredite history, and foretells the destruction of the Jaredites—War rages over all the land (chapter 13).  The iniquity of the people brings a curse upon the land—Coriantumr engages in warfare against Gilead, then Lib, and then Shiz—Blood and carnage cover the land (chapter 14).  Millions of the Jaredites are slain in battle—Shiz and Coriantumr assemble all the people to mortal combat—The Spirit of the Lord ceases to strive with them—The Jaredite nation is utterly destroyed—Only Coriantumr remains (chapter 15).”  This people went through it all.  They had wickedness of the worst kind and great righteousness and prosperity.  They had wars that killed many, ending in only one surviving Jaradite, because of their wickedness.  These are lessons that we today, must learn from, or we will repeat them.  The Book of Ether is not until the end of the Book of Mormon, but in the timeline, these things have already happened before king Mosiah is telling his people of them.  I am excited to eventually get to that part of the scriptures in my study.

Now it came to pass that after the asons of Mosiah had done all these things, *they took a small number with them and returned to their father, the king, and desired of him that he would grant unto them that they might, with these whom they had bselected, go up to the land of cNephi that they might preach the things which they had heard, and that they might impart the word of God to their brethren, the Lamanites—

2 aThat perhaps they might bring them to the knowledge of the Lord their God, and convince them of the iniquity of their fathers; and that perhaps they might cure them of their bhatred towards the Nephites, that they might also be brought to rejoice in the Lord their God, that they might become friendly to one another, and that there should be no more contentions in all the land which the Lord their God had given them.

3 Now they were desirous that salvation should be declared to every creature, for they could not abear that any human bsoul should cperish; yea, even the very thoughts that any soul should endure dendless torment did cause them to quake and etremble.

4 And thus did the Spirit of the Lord work upon them, for they were the very avilest of sinners. And the Lord saw fit in his infinite bmercy to spare them; nevertheless they suffered much anguish of soul because of their iniquities, suffering much and fearing that they should be cast off forever.

5 And it came to pass that they did plead with their father many days that they might go up to the land of Nephi.

6 And king Mosiah went and ainquired of the Lord if he should let his sons go up among the Lamanites to preach the word.

7 And the Lord said unto Mosiah: Let them go up, for many shall believe on their words, and they shall have eternal life; and I will adeliver thy sons out of the hands of the Lamanites.

8 And it came to pass that Mosiah granted that they might go and do according to their request.

9 And they atook their journey into the wilderness to go up to preach the word among the Lamanites; and I shall give an baccount of their proceedings hereafter.

10 Now king Mosiah had no one to confer the kingdom upon, for there was not any of his sons who awould accept of the kingdom.

11 Therefore he took the records which were engraven on the plates of abrass, and also the plates of bNephi, and all the things which he had kept and preserved according to the commandments of God, after having translated and caused to be written the records which were on the cplates of gold which had been found by the people of Limhi, which were delivered to him by the hand of Limhi;

12 And this he did because of the great anxiety of his people; for they were desirous beyond measure to know concerning those people awho had been destroyed.

13 And now he translated them by the means of those two astones which were fastened into the two rims of a bow.

14 Now these things were prepared from the beginning, and were handed down from generation to generation, for the purpose of interpreting languages;

15 And they have been kept and preserved by the hand of the Lord, that he should discover to every creature who should possess the land the iniquities and abominations of his people;

16 And whosoever has these things is called aseer, after the manner of old times.

17 Now after Mosiah had finished atranslating these brecords, behold, it gave an account of the people who were cdestroyed, from the time that they were destroyed back to the building of the dgreat tower, at the time the Lord econfounded the language of the people and they were scattered abroad upon the face of all the earth, yea, and even from that time back until the creation of Adam.

18 Now this account did cause the people of Mosiah to mourn exceedingly, yea, they were filled with sorrow; nevertheless it gave them much knowledge, in the which they did rejoice.

19 And this account shall be awritten hereafter; for behold, it is expedient that all people should know the things which are written in this account.

20 And now, as I said unto you, that after king Mosiah had done these things, he took the plates of abrass, and all the things which he had kept, and bconferred them upon Alma, who was the son of Alma; yea, all the records, and also the cinterpreters, and conferred them upon him, and commanded him that he should keep and dpreserve them, and also keep a record of the people, handing them down from one generation to another, even as they had been handed down from the time that Lehi left Jerusalem.”

Mosiah, Chapter 27

The relationship among unity, equality, and peace

If the Lord came to my home tomorrow, I would be honored more than anything.  I think I would clean the house from top to bottom, have our best clothes picked out for my family, have my daughter brush up on some primary songs, and so on.  I think on top of it all, I would take a personal inventory to see if I am truly doing what I should be, today.  Having just taken the sacrament yesterday, I don’t feel like I have anything major that would make me feel ashamed, but I know we are always in need of improvement.

“And the Lord did visit them and prosper them, and they became a large and wealthy people (v. 7).”  The Nephites had this opportunity.

How did they make this possible?  ”And now it came to pass that the persecutions which were inflicted on the church by the unbelievers became so great that the church began to murmur, and complain to their leaders concerning the matter; and they did complain to Alma. And Alma laid the case before their king, Mosiah. And Mosiah consulted with his priests (v. 1).  And it came to pass that king Mosiah sent a proclamation throughout the land round about that there should not any unbeliever persecute any of those who belonged to the church of God (v. 2).  And there was a strict command throughout all the churches that there should be no persecutions among them, that there should be an equality among all men (v. 3); That they should let no pride nor haughtiness disturb their peace; that every man should esteem his neighbor as himself, laboring with their own hands for their support (v. 4).  Yea, and all their priests and teachers should labor with their own hands for their support, in all cases save it were in sickness, or in much want; and doing these things, they did abound in the grace of God (v. 5).”  They established freedom of religion, they established peace, they did not allow for anyone to think they were better than another and everyone did their own work, rather than take from what others did for them.

In D&C 38:27 we read, “Behold, this I have given unto you as a parable, and it is even as I am. I say unto you, be one; and if ye are not one ye are not mine.”  Then in D&C 70:14 we read, “Nevertheless, in your temporal things you shall be equal, and this not grudgingly, otherwise the abundance of the manifestations of the Spirit shall be withheld.”  This pattern of living is God’s design for us.  If we treat each other equally and with a love for all mankind, we can live together as God’s children and have the spirit with us as a whole.  This is why, they could have the Savior visit; because they were at peace, loved and respected one another, and could feel the spirit more abundantly as a people.

“And there began to be much peace again in the land; and the people began to be very numerous, and began to scatter abroad upon the face of the earth, yea, on the north and on the south, on the east and on the west, building large cities and villages in all quarters of the land (v. 6).”  This way of life, brings peace and prosperity to all.  We may not be able to affect the entire land, but we can bring this feeling to our homes and prepare them for the Savior’s coming.  Within our home, we need to establish the same things; peace, equality, love for everyone, good work ethics and provident living habits. If we can teach our families these things, they will prosper abroad as well, just as those Nephites did as they grew.

What was the mission of Alma the Younger and the sons of Mosiah?

And now it came to pass that the persecutions which were inflicted on the church by the unbelievers became so great that the church began to murmur, and complain to their leaders concerning the matter; and they did complain to Alma. And Alma laid the case before their king, Mosiah. And Mosiah aconsulted with his priests.

2 And it came to pass that king Mosiah sent a proclamation throughout the land round about that there should not any unbeliever apersecute any of those who belonged to the church of God.

3 And there was a strict command throughout all the churches that there should be no apersecutions among them, that there should be an bequality among all men;

4 That they should let no pride nor haughtiness disturb their apeace; that every man should besteem his cneighbor as himself, dlaboring with their own hands for their support.

5 Yea, and all their priests and teachers ashould blabor with their own hands for their support, in all cases save it were in sickness, or in much want; and doing these things, they did abound in the cgrace of God.

I hope they call me on a mission / When I have grown a foot or two. / I hope by then I will be ready / To teach and preach and work as missionaries do.

I hope that I can share the gospel / With those who want to know the truth. / I want to be a missionary / And serve and help the Lord while I am in my youth.

My husband served a mission for the church to Oklahoma/Texas, one of my brothers served a mission in England, and my youngest brother is now serving a mission in Japan.  I have been greatly blessed by these and the many others that our families and friends have served.  A missionary is blessed as they gain stronger testimonies of the gospel and Jesus Christ, they learn to truly love people, they learn how to take care of themselves, they learn what service is, and they can feel the spirit stronger as the devote their lives to serving God.  This knowledge and these feelings can continue to bless their lives after they have served.  Missions help the church because they help it to grow.  Missions help bring people to Christ.  Missions help people to become one in purpose and to love and serve one another.

“Now the sons of Mosiah were numbered among the unbelievers; and also one of the sons of Alma was numbered among them, he being called Alma, after his father; nevertheless, he became a very wicked and an idolatrous man. And he was a man of many words, and did speak much flattery to the people; therefore he led many of the people to do after the manner of his iniquities (v. 8 ).  And he became a great hinderment to the prosperity of the church of God; stealing away the hearts of the people; causing much dissension among the people; giving a chance for the enemy of God to exercise his power over them (v. 9).  And now it came to pass that while he was going about to destroy the church of God, for he did go about secretly with the sons of Mosiah seeking to destroy the church, and to lead astray the people of the Lord, contrary to the commandments of God, or even the king (v.. 10)—”  Alma and his friends were on a mission to destroy the church of God and lead the people astray.

I think that most people who want, try and succeed in leading people astray, do it because they cannot justify what they want to do or have done unless they have others to do it with them.  Each of us is born with an idea of what is right and wrong, but when we choose wrong, we want others to make us feel better for it.  ”Misery loves company.”  When we stray from the path, it is hard to think that we can ever come back and feel comfortable with those who have stayed on it.  Those who lead others astray are being the most selfish people that was ever possible.  Because it is selfish to take away another’s happiness to make yourself feel better about what you do.

Do I need a conversion experience like Alma the Younger’s? “

Paul the Apostle: Paul, from the New Testament, persecuted the Church but was “converted to its truth after seeing a vision of Jesus Christ.”  He went by Saul, until the beginning of his mission to the Gentiles.  He became a great missionary  (see “Paul” in the Guide to the Scriptures).

Enos:  ”A Nephite prophet and record keeper in the Book of Mormon who prayed for and received a remission of his sins through his faith in Christ (Enos 1: 1-8). The Lord covenanted with Enos to bring forth the Book of Mormon to the Lamanites (Enos 1: 15-17).” (see also “Enos” in the Guide to the Scriptures.)

Alma the Younger:  Persecuted the Church while young but was converted by an angel.  He became the first chief judge and later a prophet.  He was a great teacher of the Nephites (see “Alma, Son of Alma” in the Guide to the Scriptures).

“And as I said unto you, as they were going about rebelling against God, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared unto them; and he descended as it were in a cloud; and he spake as it were with a voice of thunder, which caused the earth to shake upon which they stood (v. 11);  And so great was their astonishment, that they fell to the earth, and understood not the words which he spake unto them (v. 12).  Nevertheless he cried again, saying: Alma, arise and stand forth, for why persecutest thou the church of God? For the Lord hath said: This is my church, and I will establish it; and nothing shall overthrow it, save it is the transgression of my people (v. 13).  And again, the angel said: Behold, the Lord hath heard the prayers of his people, and also the prayers of his servant, Alma, who is thy father; for he has prayed with much faith concerning thee that thou mightest be brought to the knowledge of the truth; therefore, for this purpose have I come to convince thee of the power and authority of God, that the prayers of his servants might be answered according to their faith (v. 14).  And now behold, can ye dispute the power of God? For behold, doth not my voice shake the earth? And can ye not also behold me before you? And I am sent from God (v. 15).  Now I say unto thee: Go, and remember the captivity of thy fathers in the land of Helam, and in the land of Nephi; and remember how great things he has done for them; for they were in bondage, and he has delivered them. And now I say unto thee, Alma, go thy way, and seek to destroy the church no more, that their prayers may be answered, and this even if thou wilt of thyself be cast off (v. 16).”

The Lord sent an angel to deal with Alma the Younger and the sons of Mosiah, because they persecuted the people.  Those same people prayed with so much faith that the Lord saw it fit to stop these wicked men.  Alma and his friends saw an angel and heard him speak to them.

“And now it came to pass that these were the last words which the angel spake unto Alma, and he departed (v. 17).  And now Alma and those that were with him fell again to the earth, for great was their astonishment; for with their own eyes they had beheld an angel of the Lord; and his voice was as thunder, which shook the earth; and they knew that there was nothing save the power of God that could shake the earth and cause it to tremble as though it would part asunder (v. 18 ).  And now the astonishment of Alma was so great that he became dumb, that he could not open his mouth; yea, and he became weak, even that he could not move his hands; therefore he was taken by those that were with him, and carried helpless, even until he was laid before his father (v. 19).”  Alma was so astonished that he was struck dumb and could not move.

“And they rehearsed unto his father all that had happened unto them; and his father rejoiced, for he knew that it was the power of God (v. 20).  And he caused that a multitude should be gathered together that they might witness what the Lord had done for his son, and also for those that were with him (v. 21).”  Because Alma was a man of God, he knew what had happened and was glad that God had given his son this awesome experience.  He felt so strong about what had happened that he wanted others to see and know of it.

“And he caused that the priests should assemble themselves together; and they began to fast, and to pray to the Lord their God that he would open the mouth of Alma, that he might speak, and also that his limbs might receive their strength—that the eyes of the people might be opened to see and know of the goodness and glory of God (v. 22).  And it came to pass after they had fasted and prayed for the space of two days and two nights, the limbs of Alma received their strength, and he stood up and began to speak unto them, bidding them to be of good comfort (v. 23):”  The priests fasted and prayed for 2 days and 2 nights before Alma received his strength and was able to speak again.

“For, said he, I have repented of my sins, and have been redeemed of the Lord; behold I am born of the Spirit (v. 24).”  Alma, the younger, had been converted by the spirit.

It doesn’t take this kind of experience for one to be converted.  In fact, most people do not have any big moment or happening that converts them all at once.  I think most of us are slowly converted over time and because of many small spiritual experiences.  This is the way life works.  Some people have stronger testimonies than others.  This is why we work on it our entire lives.  To some is given the gift to be able to believe on the words of others, where some need to be strongly persuaded by the spirit.  We are all different and in different places in our lives, so people do not always have the same testimony of the same things.  As we strive to live in unity, as discussed earlier, we can get closer to that place where we are all one with the purpose of God and therefore have a full and complete testimony of the gospel and Jesus Christ.

What is a “new creature”?

The manual gives an example of sin and repentance.  ”… driving [a] nail slightly into [a] board … is like committing sin. … pulling the nail out of the board is like repentance.  … the hole [that remains] reminds us of our sins so that we will never repeat it.”

“And the Lord said unto me: Marvel not that all mankind, yea, men and women, all nations, kindreds, tongues and people, must be born again; yea, born of God, changed from their carnal and fallen state, to a state of righteousness, being redeemed of God, becoming his sons and daughters (v. 25); And thus they become new creatures; and unless they do this, they can in nowise inherit the kingdom of God (v. 26).  I say unto you, unless this be the case, they must be cast off; and this I know, because I was like to be cast off (v. 27).”  When the nail is removed from the board, it is as close to it’s original state as it can be, just as repentance removes our sin and puts as back on track.  The mark that is left is the only thing that is different.  When we truly repent, we may remember what the sin did to us, so that we do not do it again, but our board is perfect again, it is new.  In this sense we are “new creatures”, not the same creatures changed.

Sorrowing sin vs. freeing forgiveness

Feelings that come with the recognition of sin: “… wading through much tribulation … everlasting burning (v. 28 )…”, “… gall of bitterness and bonds of iniquity … darkest abyss … soul was cracked with eternal torment (v. 29)”.

Feelings that come with forgiveness: “… born of God (v. 28)”, “soul hath been redeemed … behold the marvelous light of God … soul is pained no more (v. 29)”, “… they may foresee that [the Redeemer] will come, and that he remembereth every creature of his creating, he will make himself manifest unto all (v. 30).”.

What we will do when the Savior comes: “Yea, every knee shall bow, and every tongue confess before him. Yea, even at the last day, when all men shall stand to be judged of him, then shall they confess that he is God; then shall they confess, who live without God in the world, that the judgment of an everlasting punishment is just upon them; and they shall quake, and tremble, and shrink beneath the glance of his all-searching eye (v. 31).”

If we repent and are forgiven before Christ comes, we will not feel the guilt of our sins in his presence.  We will be among those who rejoice instead of those who are quaking, trembling, and shrinking in fear of the judgement.

How can you tell when someone has become a “new creature”?

“And now it came to pass that Alma began from this time forward to teach the people, and those who were with Alma at the time the angel appeared unto them, traveling round about through all the land, publishing to all the people the things which they had heard and seen, and preaching the word of God in much tribulation, being greatly persecuted by those who were unbelievers, being smitten by many of them (v. 32).  But notwithstanding all this, they did impart much consolation to the church, confirming their faith, and exhorting them with long-suffering and much travail to keep the commandments of God (v. 33).  And four of them were the sons of Mosiah; and their names were Ammon, and Aaron, and Omner, and Himni; these were the names of the sons of Mosiah (v. 34).  And they traveled throughout all the land of Zarahemla, and among all the people who were under the reign of king Mosiah, zealously striving to repair all the injuries which they had done to the church, confessing all their sins, and publishing all the things which they had seen, and explaining the prophecies and the scriptures to all who desired to hear them (v. 35).  And thus they were instruments in the hands of God in bringing many to the knowledge of the truth, yea, to the knowledge of their Redeemer (v. 36).  And how blessed are they! For they did publish peace; they did publish good tidings of good; and they did declare unto the people that the Lord reigneth (v. 37).”

When they were converted they wanted everyone to know what they had experienced and they wanted to share their new found testimonies.  The stood strong in the face of adversity.  They made restitution for the things they had done to the church and it’s people.  And they taught the people to obey the commandments of God and about the gospel.  They showed they were new creatures, by truly changing their ways and giving their lives to God for His purposes.  Because of their conversion, they were blessed with forgiveness from God, and they brought the gospel to many people, which led to the conversion of thousands of souls even after they were no longer alive.  They were great missionaries and we can all be like them, if we will strive to be greater coverts to the gospel of Christ.

Mosiah, Chapter 26

Hard hearts vs. soft hearts

“Now it came to pass that there were many of the rising generation that could not understand the words of king Benjamin, being little children at the time he spake unto his people; and they did not believe the tradition of their fathers (v. 1).  They did not believe what had been said concerning the resurrection of the dead, neither did they believe concerning the coming of Christ (v. 2).  And now because of their unbelief they could not understand the word of God; and their hearts were hardened (v. 3).  And they would not be baptized; neither would they join the church. And they were a separate people as to their faith, and remained so ever after, even in their carnal and sinful state; for they would not call upon the Lord their God (v. 4).  And now in the reign of Mosiah they were not half so numerous as the people of God; but because of the dissensions among the brethren they became more numerous (v. 5).  For it came to pass that they did deceive many with their flattering words, who were in the church, and did cause them to commit many sins; therefore it became expedient that those who committed sin, that were in the church, should be admonished by the church (v. 6).”

They could not understand the words of the prophet or scriptures (word of God).  They did not believe the things their parents taught, the resurrection, or coming of Christ.  They would not be baptized, join the church or pray.  The rising generation had a heart of a stone.  This a common thing among those not willing to turn to God.  Nephi had a soft heart, when his brothers, Laman and Lemuel had hard hearts.  This was because Nephi did not depend on his own understanding of things, but turned to the Lord and relied upon the spirit.  The children in this chapter would not pray, and so they had hard hearts.  Because of their hearts being hard, they would not be baptized, join the church, believe in the gospel, or want to understand the word of God from the scriptures or the prophet.  And because of this they were sinners and persuaded others to leave the church.

In 1 Nephi 2:16 we read, “… I did cry unto the Lord; and behold he did visit me, and did soften my heart that I did believe all the words which had been spoken by my father; wherefore, I did not rebel against him like unto my brothers.”  When we can feel ourselves being separated from God by a hard heart and a lack of faith, we need to pray.

What can prayer do for you?

“And it came to pass that they were brought before the priests, and delivered up unto the priests by the teachers; and the priests brought them before Alma, who was the high priest (v. 7).”  The people who were committing sins within the church, were brought to Alma.

“Now king Mosiah had given Alma the authority over the church (v. 8 ).  And it came to pass that Alma did not know concerning them; but there were many witnesses against them; yea, the people stood and testified of their iniquity in abundance (v. 9).  Now there had not any such thing happened before in the church; therefore Alma was troubled in his spirit, and he caused that they should be brought before the king (v. 10).  And he said unto the king: Behold, here are many whom we have brought before thee, who are accused of their brethren; yea, and they have been taken in divers iniquities. And they do not repent of their iniquities; therefore we have brought them before thee, that thou mayest judge them according to their crimes (v. 11).”  Alma did not know what to do, so he tried to delegate the problem to king Mosiah.

“But king Mosiah said unto Alma: Behold, I judge them not; therefore I deliver them into thy hands to be judged (v. 12).”  King Mosiah returned them to Alma, because Alma was to be the judge over them.

“And now the spirit of Alma was again troubled; and he went and inquired of the Lord what he should do concerning this matter, for he feared that he should do wrong in the sight of God (v. 13).  And it came to pass that after he had poured out his whole soul to God, the voice of the Lord came to him (v. 14) …”  Alma turned to God through prayer to find the solution to the problem.

When we have problems, we too should turn to the Lord in prayer.  Their are times in our lives when our judgement may be clouded by what is happening to us right at that moment, but the Lord can see the bigger picture of our lives.  He knows and wants what is best for us because he loves us.  When we turn to him, he will help us to find the right way.  Sometimes it may not seem this way, because answers come in many different ways, but He will always answer and help us to become better through it.  I have gone to the Lord for answers many times in my life.  I don’t think that the answers have ever just come to me, the way that it did for Alma, but as I look back on them, I realize that they came.  Usually, my answers have come in the form of help from someone else.  If I am willing to accept it, I am truly blessed and humbled by the experience.

There is an hour of peace and rest, / Unmarred by earthly care; / ’Tis when before the Lord I go / And kneel in secret prayer.

The straight and narrow way to heav’n, / Where angels bright and fair / Are singing to God’s praise, is found / Thru constant secret prayer.

When sailing on life’s stormy sea, / ’Mid billows of despair, / ’Tis solace to my soul to know / God hears my secret prayer.

When thorns are strewn along my path, / And foes my feet ensnare, / My Savior to my aid will come, / If sought in secret prayer.

[Chorus]  May my heart be turned to pray, / Pray in secret day by day, / That this boon to mortals giv’n / May unite my soul with heav’n.

What blessings came to Alma that can come to you?

“… the voice of the Lord came to him, saying (v. 14):  Blessed art thou, Alma, and blessed are they who were baptized in the waters of Mormon. Thou art blessed because of thy exceeding faith in the words alone of my servant Abinadi (v. 15).  And blessed are they because of their exceeding faith in the words alone which thou hast spoken unto them (v. 16).  And blessed art thou because thou hast established a church among this people; and they shall be established, and they shall be my people (v. 17).  Yea, blessed is this people who are willing to bear my name; for in my name shall they be called; and they are mine (v. 18 ).  And because thou hast inquired of me concerning the transgressor, thou art blessed (v. 19).”

Alma was blessed for baptizing the people, for having faith in the words of Abinadi, for establishing a church of Christ, and for asking what the Lord wanted him to do with those who sinned.

“Thou art my servant; and I covenant with thee that thou shalt have eternal life; and thou shalt serve me and go forth in my name, and shalt gather together my sheep (v. 20).”  Because of these things, Alma was promised to have eternal life, which is the greatest gift that God can give to us.  This doesn’t mean that Alma was perfect at this point.  It meant that if Alma continued to do these things for the people (or hold up his end of the covenant) that God would bless him after this life with eternal life.  We have the same promise as Alma.  If we are baptized, continue to have faith in the gospel and prophets, help the church go forward and pray continually to the Lord, we too can have eternal life.

Do we want to be sheep?

Since I was a little child, I have always loved giraffes because they stand so high above everything and look so graceful and dignified (most of the time anyway).  ”And he that will hear my voice shall be my sheep; and him shall ye receive into the church, and him will I also receive (v. 21).”  When I think of things through the gospel, I want to be part of His sheep.  I want to follow the Savior, who is the shepherd.  ”For behold, this is my church; whosoever is baptized shall be baptized unto repentance. And whomsoever ye receive shall believe in my name; and him will I freely forgive (v. 22).  For it is I that taketh upon me the sins of the world; for it is I that hath created them; and it is I that granteth unto him that believeth unto the end a place at my right hand (v. 23).  For behold, in my name are they called; and if they know me they shall come forth, and shall have a place eternally at my right hand (v. 24).”

If we are His sheep, we are forgiven, called His, and will have eternal life with Him.  In John 10:14-15 we read, “ I am the good shepherd, and know my sheep, and am known of mine (v. 14).  As the Father knoweth me, even so know I the Father: and I lay down my life for the sheep (v. 15).”  Then in verses 27-28 we read, “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me (v. 27):  And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand (v. 28 ).”  The Savior has given everything for us, even His life.  He promises us everything if we listen and follow him.

Today, we hear often that being sheep is not a good thing.  That when we are sheep, we are not choosing for ourselves and that we are not free.  Those who are against the church, often call believers in the gospel, sheep.  I think that I will see this a bit differently now.  I want to be one of the sheep in the Lord’s fold.  I’d much rather follow Him, than the alternative.

What if your whole family got amnesia except you?

The manual presents the following imaginary situation:  ”One day you walk home from school and find the house is locked when you get home.  You try your key and it doesn’t work.  You then ring the doorbell and your mom answers, but instead of welcoming you in she says, ‘Who are you?’  Your brothers and sisters are all there, but no one seems to know you.  You try to explain that you live there, but they just look at you as if you are crazy.  It seems as though your whole family has got amnesia.  They finally tell you to stop playing silly games and just go find your own house.”  What an interesting thing to think about.  How would I feel in this situation?  I think that I would be frustrated and at a complete loss for making them understand.  Probably the feeling of helplessness would come over me.

“And it shall come to pass that when the second trump shall sound then shall they that never knew me come forth and shall stand before me (v. 25).  And then shall they know that I am the Lord their God, that I am their Redeemer; but they would not be redeemed (v. 26).  And then I will confess unto them that I never knew them; and they shall depart into everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels (v. 27).  Therefore I say unto you, that he that will not hear my voice, the same shall ye not receive into my church, for him I will not receive at the last day (v. 28 ).”  Those who did not know the Lord in this life, will not be known by the Lord after it.  Then they will experience eternal helplessness, knowing that they were wrong to believe and live they way they did in this life.  They will live in torment with those who chose to follow Satan.

Who are we to forgive?

“Therefore I say unto you, Go; and whosoever transgresseth against me, him shall ye judge according to the sins which he has committed; and if he confess his sins before thee and me, and repenteth in the sincerity of his heart, him shall ye forgive, and I will forgive him also (v. 29).  Yea, and as often as my people repent will I forgive them their trespasses against me (v. 30).  And ye shall also forgive one another your trespasses; for verily I say unto you, he that forgiveth not his neighbor’s trespasses when he says that he repents, the same hath brought himself under condemnation (v. 31).”  When we repent, the Lord forgives our sins.  He will forgive us as often as we repent.  We need to forgive those who trespass against us and then repent.  If we choose not to forgive them, will be condemned for not forgiving.

We learn more about this in D&C 64:9-11, “Wherefore, I say unto you, that ye ought to forgive one another; for he that forgiveth not his brother his trespasses standeth condemned before the Lord; for there remaineth in him the greater sin (v. 9).  I, the Lord, will forgive whom I will forgive, but of you it is required to forgive all men (v. 10).  And ye ought to say in your hearts—let God judge between me and thee, and reward thee according to thy deeds (v. 11).”  Again, if we choose not to forgive, we are condemned with the greater sin.  We have been told to forgive everyone who trespasses against us, even those who are not sorry for what they have done. I think that sometimes it is even better to forgive those who are happy to have hurt us, because they are not hurting from what they did.  When we do not forgive, we carry around baggage of anger and resentment, while they are living happy and without another thought of what was done.  Our life becomes controlled by those feelings and we cannot progress.  When we forgive them, we leave those feelings at the feet of the Savior and we can move on with our lives.

Why were the names of some “blotted out”?

When someone is excommunicated from the Church, their names are removed from the records, as if they were never a member.  ”Now I say unto you, Go; and whosoever will not repent of his sins the same shall not be numbered among my people; and this shall be observed from this time forward (v. 32).  And it came to pass when Alma had heard these words he wrote them down that he might have them, and that he might judge the people of that church according to the commandments of God (v. 33).  And it came to pass that Alma went and judged those that had been taken in iniquity, according to the word of the Lord (v. 34).  And whosoever repented of their sins and did confess them, them he did number among the people of the church (v. 35); And those that would not confess their sins and repent of their iniquity, the same were not numbered among the people of the church, and their names were blotted out (v. 36).”

Those who would not repent, were no longer numbered in the church and were “blotted out” or excommunicated.  Those who repented, were allowed to continue in the church.  This has to be done, so that the church can progress along with the people in it.  ”And it came to pass that Alma did regulate all the affairs of the church; and they began again to have peace and to prosper exceedingly in the affairs of the church, walking circumspectly before God, receiving many, and baptizing many (v. 37).  And now all these things did Alma and his fellow laborers do who were over the church, walking in all diligence, teaching the word of God in all things, suffering all manner of afflictions, being persecuted by all those who did not belong to the church of God (v. 38 ).  And they did admonish their brethren; and they were also admonished, every one by the word of God, according to his sins, or to the sins which he had committed, being commanded of God to pray without ceasing, and to give thanks in all things (v. 39).”  The church was able to grow and be strong when those who did not want to repent were removed from it.  This same process must be done today and for the same reason.  The Lord’s work will go forward and those who try to prevent it, will be stopped.

Now it came to pass that there were many of the rising generation that could not understand the awords of king Benjamin, being little children at the time he spake unto his people; and they did bnot believe the tradition of their fathers.

2 They did not believe what had been said concerning the resurrection of the dead, neither did they believe concerning the coming of Christ.

3 And now because of their aunbelief they could not bunderstand the word of God; and their hearts were hardened.

4 And they would not be baptized; neither would they join the achurch. And they were a separate people as to their faith, and remained so ever after, even in their bcarnal and sinful state; for they would not call upon the Lord their God.

5 And now in the reign of Mosiah they were not half so numerous as the people of God; but because of the adissensions among the brethren they became more numerous.

6 For it came to pass that they did adeceive many with their bflattering words, who were in the church, and did cause them to commit many sins; therefore it became expedient that those who committed sin, that were in the church, should be cadmonished by the church.

Mosiah, Chapter 25

What did King Mosiah want his people to learn?

Most of the people of Zarahemla were descendants of Mulek (v. 2), and the others, the people Nephi, were converted Lamanites (v. 3).  King Mosiah gathered them together, the people of Zarahemla and the people of Nephi, to read the records of Zeniff and of Alma and his bretheren to them (v. 5-6).  I imagine this was a lot like families gathering together for a general conference.  It probably took a long time to get everyone there and ready to hear the message. We have the abridged records in our scriptures and they make up sixteen chapters of Mosiah (Mosiah 9-24).    I think there are a few lessons to be learned from these, one of which is that God is there for us.  He has rules for us to follow and if we live by them and rely on His guidance, we can be a happy and prosperous people.

“And now, when Mosiah had made an end of reading the records, his people who tarried in the land were struck with wonder and amazement (v. 7).  For they knew not what to think; for when they beheld those that had been delivered out of bondage they were filled with exceedingly great joy (v. 8 ).  And again, when they thought of their brethren who had been slain by the Lamanites they were filled with sorrow, and even shed many tears of sorrow (v. 9).  And again, when they thought of the immediate goodness of God, and his power in delivering Alma and his brethren out of the hands of the Lamanites and of bondage, they did raise their voices and give thanks to God (v. 10).  And again, when they thought upon the Lamanites, who were their brethren, of their sinful and polluted state, they were filled with pain and anguish for the welfare of their souls (v. 11).”

The people of Mosiah experienced the feelings of wonder, amazement, joy, sorrow, gratefulness, pain and anguish as they heard the records.  They had joy for those that had freedom from bondage, but sorrow for those that died in the process.  They were grateful for Alma and his brethren being saved by the hand of God, but felt pain and anguish for the sinful Lamanites.

The lessons we can learn from these chapters of Mosiah, are important.  I believe that our Father in Heaven wanted these specific messages left in the Book of Mormon when it was abridged, and that the messages are inspired.  These are lessons that were great for the people of Mosiah to hear then and they are just as important for us to hear today.  I am truly grateful that I can read them today and be encouraged to live a life more fully devoted to God.

What’s in a name?

I’ve known several people in my life who were adopted.  It would be great if everyone was able to grow up happy with their birth parents, but sometimes a child is better off living in a loving adoptive home.  Those who are adopted are often truly wanted and I think they are more loved at times than some who are not.  Adoptive parents have to go through so much emotionally and physically to adopt a child, and therefore they often are less selfish then those who have their own children.

“And it came to pass that those who were the children of Amulon and his brethren, who had taken to wife the daughters of the Lamanites, were displeased with the conduct of their fathers, and they would no longer be called by the names of their fathers, therefore they took upon themselves the name of Nephi, that they might be called the children of Nephi and be numbered among those who were called Nephites (v. 12).”  The children of Nephi were a righteous people who believed in the gospel and wanted to live by obedience to the commandments of God.  When we are baptized, we take upon us the name of Christ.  In D&C 20:77 we read, “…that they are willing to take upon them the name of thy Son, and always remember him and keep his commandments which he has given them; that they may always have his Spirit to be with them…”.  This means that when we are baptized we also believe in the gospel and want to live by obedience to the commandments of God, just as the children of Amulon.

Jesus Christ the Deliverer

“And now it came to pass that when Mosiah had made an end of speaking and reading to the people, he desired that Alma should also speak to the people (v. 14).  And Alma did speak unto them, when they were assembled together in large bodies, and he went from one body to another, preaching unto the people repentance and faith on the Lord (v. 15).  And he did exhort the people of Limhi and his brethren, all those that had been delivered out of bondage, that they should remember that it was the Lord that did deliver them (v. 16).  And it came to pass that after Alma had taught the people many things, and had made an end of speaking to them, that king Limhi was desirous that he might be baptized; and all his people were desirous that they might be baptized also (v. 17).  Therefore, Alma did go forth into the water and did baptize them; yea, he did baptize them after the manner he did his brethren in the waters of Mormon; yea, and as many as he did baptize did belong to the church of God; and this because of their belief on the words of Alma (v.18 ).”

Alma taught the people to repent and have faith in the Lord.  He also taught them to remember that the Lord had delivered them from bondage.  When we repent and are delivered from the bondage of sin, we need to remember that the Lord is the only one who can and who does free us from bondage.  We need to remember the atonement and the blessing that it is in our lives.  When Alma was done teaching them, the people wanted to be baptized.  They wanted to show their commitment to God.  We have the opportunity to take the sacrament each week.  This will help us to remember what the Lord has done for us.  Those who were baptized by Alma did not have this weekly reminder.  We should be grateful that we can renew our covenants each week and commit to try harder to resist sin and repent.

How were the Churches Alma established similar to our wards?

“And it came to pass that king Mosiah granted unto Alma that he might establish churches throughout all the land of Zarahemla; and gave him power to ordain priests and teachers over every church (v. 19).”  We have churches throughout all the world today and in each church (ward/branch) we have men of the priesthood ordained as priest and teachers.  ”Now this was done because there were so many people that they could not all be governed by one teacher; neither could they all hear the word of God in one assembly (v. 20);”  When the gospel was restored there was one church/ward, but it did not take long for the church to grow and it has been necessary for wards to be led by different men of the priesthood, so that we can all hear the gospel and worship where we are.

“Therefore they did assemble themselves together in different bodies, being called churches; every church having their priests and their teachers, and every priest preaching the word according as it was delivered to him by the mouth of Alma (v. 21).”  Each of our wards learns the gospel from the same scriptures.  One of the wonderful things about this church is that wherever you go, the gospel is still the same.  ”And thus, notwithstanding there being many churches they were all one church, yea, even the church of God; for there was nothing preached in all the churches except it were repentance and faith in God (v. 22).  And now there were seven churches in the land of Zarahemla. And it came to pass that whosoever were desirous to take upon them the name of Christ, or of God, they did join the churches of God (v. 23);”  We continue to have people join the church today.  By baptism, and taking upon themselves the name of Christ, they are welcomed into Christ’s church.  In Zarahemla they had seven churches of Christ.  This is about the number of wards that we can find in our stakes today.  I think if they had considered it a stake then, it would have been the Zarahemla stake or the Alma stake, since they liked to call things by the people who established them.

What does it take to be the “people of God”?

“And they were called the people of God. And the Lord did pour out his Spirit upon them, and they were blessed, and prospered in the land (v. 24).”  The people of God were blessed with his Spirit and prosperity.  In order to receive these blessings they had to repent, have faith, remember the Lord, and be baptized.  In D&C 41:1 we read, “Hearken and hear, O ye my people, saith the Lord and your God, ye whom I delight to bless with the greatest of all blessings, ye that hear me; and ye that hear me not will I curse, that have professed my name, with the heaviest of all cursings.”  The Lord considers us His people, the people of God, as well.  In order to receive the greatest of all blessings, we must hear him.  Others will be cursed for not hearing once they have taken upon themselves His name.  To “hear” him is to follow his commandments and to listen to the spirit that He has given us for guidance.

These things are the basic principles of the gospel; faith, repentance, baptism, and receiving the spirit.  If we can live by these principles, everything else will come naturally and with ease to us.  I am so grateful for the blessings that I receive from my Father in Heaven.  I know that His hand is influencing everything in my life.  I am so glad that living the gospel gives me freedom.  I am grateful that I was raised in the gospel and that I am teaching my children it’s principles as well.

And now, when Mosiah had made an end of reading the records, his people who tarried in the land were struck with wonder and amazement.

8 For they knew not what to think; for when they beheld those that had been delivered aout of bondage they were filled with exceedingly great joy.

9 And again, when they thought of their brethren who had been aslain by the Lamanites they were filled with sorrow, and even shed many tears of sorrow.

10 And again, when they thought of the immediate goodness of God, and his power in delivering Alma and his brethren out of the hands of the Lamanites and of abondage, they did raise their voices and give thanks to God.

11 And again, when they thought upon the Lamanites, who were their brethren, of their sinful and apolluted state, they were filled with bpain and anguish for the cwelfare of their souls.

Mosiah, Chapter 24

Compare the escapes

Comparing the escape of Limhi’s people and the escape of Alma’s people.  When did each group decide to turn to the Lord in prayer for help? We read in chapter 21 that Limhi’s people suffered by fighting the Lamanites three times and then submitting themselves to the Lamanites before humbling themselves enough to turn to the Lord.  Alma’s people  were scared at the first sign on the Lamanites, but Alma reminded them to turn to the Lord and so they did (Mosiah 23).  They were not led out of captivity right away, as I said the last post. In chapter 24 we learn that Amulon, who was now the leader over the people of Alma, did not teach the people righteously and began to persecute Alma and his people.  ”For Amulon knew Alma, that he had been one of the king’s priests, and that it was he that believed the words of Abinadi and was driven out before the king, and therefore he was wroth with him; for he was subject to king Laman, yet he exercised authority over them, and put tasks upon them, and put task-masters over them (v. 9).  And it came to pass that so great were their afflictions that they began to cry mightily to God (v. 10).  And Amulon commanded them that they should stop their cries; and he put guards over them to watch them, that whosoever should be found calling upon God should be put to death (v. 11).  And Alma and his people did not raise their voices to the Lord their God, but did pour out their hearts to him; and he did know the thoughts of their hearts (v. 12).”  Alma’s people remembered the Lord and did all they could to pray to Him.

How did the Lord respond to their pleadings?  Limhi’s people prayed, but the Lord was slow to hear their cries and after a while He softened the hearts of the Lamanites to ease their burdens, but they were not ready to be freed from bondage (21:15).  In chapter 24 we read, “And it came to pass that the voice of the Lord came to them in their afflictions, saying: Lift up your heads and be of good comfort, for I know of the covenant which ye have made unto me; and I will covenant with my people and deliver them out of bondage (v. 13).  And I will also ease the burdens which are put upon your shoulders, that even you cannot feel them upon your backs, even while you are in bondage; and this will I do that ye may stand as witnesses for me hereafter, and that ye may know of a surety that I, the Lord God, do visit my people in their afflictions (v. 14).  And now it came to pass that the burdens which were laid upon Alma and his brethren were made light; yea, the Lord did strengthen them that they could bear up their burdens with ease, and they did submit cheerfully and with patience to all the will of the Lord (v. 15).”  Alma’s people prayed and the Lord answered their prayers with a promise that they would be delivered because of the covenants, which they made.  He also gave them the strength to carry the burdens that were being put upon them, and they were cheerful and patient because they knew they would be saved.

How were they able to escape?  In chapter 22, we read that Ammon and his brethren came to the aid of the people of King Limhi.  They, along with Gideon’s ideas, were able to create an escape plan.  They gave the Lamanites wine and then went out the back part of the city in the night, when the Lamanites were drunk.  In chapter 24, we read, “And it came to pass that so great was their faith and their patience that the voice of the Lord came unto them again, saying: Be of good comfort, for on the morrow I will deliver you out of bondage (v. 16).  And he said unto Alma: Thou shalt go before this people, and I will go with thee and deliver this people out of bondage (v. 17).  Now it came to pass that Alma and his people in the night-time gathered their flocks together, and also of their grain; yea, even all the night-time were they gathering their flocks together (v. 18 ).  And in the morning the Lord caused a deep sleep to come upon the Lamanites, yea, and all their task-masters were in a profound sleep (v. 19).  And Alma and his people departed into the wilderness; and when they had traveled all day they pitched their tents in a valley, and they called the valley Alma, because he led their way in the wilderness (v. 20).”  Alma’s people were saved by the Lord.  He caused the Lamanites to sleep deeply and Alma’s people were able to escape and travel all day into the wilderness, away from the Lamanites.

We can learn from this, that if we remember the Lord quickly, in times of sorrow or happiness, we will be blessed quickly.  If we make and keep covenants with God, he must keep them also. In D&C 82:10 we read, “I, the Lord, am abound when ye do what I say; but when ye do not what I say, ye have no promise.”  We can have faith in getting through our trials when we have the strength of the Lord on our side.  It is important to have faith in the Lord and to pray always to Him.

Do you remember to give thanks?

Getting a thank you after doing something nice for someone is a reward that I look forward to, but do not expect.  I try to remember to thank others when they have done things for me and my family, because I know that it will make that person feel appreciated and want to do more good things for others.

“Yea, and in the valley of Alma they poured out their thanks to God because he had been merciful unto them, and eased their burdens, and had delivered them out of bondage; for they were in bondage, and none could deliver them except it were the Lord their God (v. 21).  And they gave thanks to God, yea, all their men and all their women and all their children that could speak lifted their voices in the praises of their God (v. 22).” Alma and his people gave thanks to God because he saved them.  The Lord will always bless us, when we keep our promises to Him.  We do not have to show our gratitude to Him to receive the blessings, but of everyone, He deserves our gratitude the most.  In D&C 59:21 we read, “And in nothing doth man offend God, or against none is his wrath kindled, save those who confess not his hand in all things, and obey not his commandments.”  We do not want to offend God.  I believe that those who have the faith to keep His commandments, are those who will remember to thank Him for all of their blessings.  We show our gratitude by thanking Him in our prayers, doing good to others, and continuing to keep His commandments.

The Lord continued to bless the people of Alma.  ”And now the Lord said unto Alma: Haste thee and get thou and this people out of this land, for the Lamanites have awakened and do pursue thee; therefore get thee out of this land, and I will stop the Lamanites in this valley that they come no further in pursuit of this people (v. 23).  And it came to pass that they departed out of the valley, and took their journey into the wilderness (v. 24).  And after they had been in the wilderness twelve days they arrived in the land of Zarahemla; and king Mosiah did also receive them with joy (v. 25).”  From the people of Alma we learn that we need to pray always for the things we stand in need of, pray to show our gratitude, and listen to the answers that come from those prayers and obey.  If we do these things we will be blessed, in more ways than we can imagine.

For Amulon knew Alma, that he had been aone of the king’s priests, and that it was he that believed the words of Abinadi and was driven out before the king, and therefore he was wroth with him; for he was subject to king Laman, yet he exercised authority over them, and put btasks upon them, and put ctask-masters over them.

10 And it came to pass that so great were their afflictions that they began to cry mightily to God.

11 And Amulon commanded them that they should stop their cries; and he aput guards over them to watch them, that whosoever should be found calling upon God should be put to death.

12 And Alma and his people did not raise their voices to the Lord their God, but did pour out their ahearts to him; and he did know the bthoughts of their hearts.

Mosiah, Chapter 23

(100th Post – Now on to 200)

Is it good to have a king?

Here is the point in Mosiah where we change from learning about Limhi and his people to Alma and his people.  Where we left off, Alma and his people were being hunted by King Noah, so they escaped into the wilderness.

Alma and his people found a place to settle, which was beautiful (v. 4), and became a very industrious people (v. 5).  ”And the people were desirous that Alma should be their king, for he was beloved by his people (v. 6).  But he said unto them: Behold, it is not expedient that we should have a king; for thus saith the Lord: Ye shall not esteem one flesh above another, or one man shall not think himself above another; therefore I say unto you it is not expedient that ye should have a king (v. 7).”  His people wanted him to be their king, but he told them that they should not have a king.

The positive reason that was given for having a king, was only if a king could be just, but Alma knew that it was unlikely (v. 8 ). The negative reasons that were given for having a king were that he might think himself greater than the rest (v. 7) and he may cause them oppression and bring people into spiritual bondage with their sins (v. 12).  With a king the people would loose their liberty (v. 13).  The only men who should lead and direct are righteous men.  ”And also trust no one to be your teacher nor your minister, except he be a man of God, walking in his ways and keeping his commandments (v. 14).”  King Benjamin was a good king because he was a righteous man, but King Noah was not a good king, because he was a wicked man.

When Christ comes again, He will be our King.  In Alma 5;50 we read, “… Behold the glory of the King of all the earth; and also the King of heaven shall very soon shine forth among all the children of men.”  Then in D&C 38:21-22 we read, “But, verily I say unto you that in time ye shall have no king nor ruler, for I will be your king and watch over you (v. 21).  Wherefore, hear my voice and follow me, and you shall be a free people, and ye shall have no laws but my laws when I come, for I am your lawgiver, and what can stay my hand (v. 22)?”  When He returns, we will all follow the laws that can be found in the gospel, because they will be the only laws.

Why did Alma’s people end up in bondage?

Alma’s people were then led righteously by priests and teachers.  ”And it came to pass that they did multiply and prosper exceedingly in the land of Helam; and they built a city, which they called the city of Helam (v. 20).”

“Nevertheless the Lord seeth fit to chasten his people; yea, he trieth their patience and their faith (v. 21).  Nevertheless—whosoever putteth his trust in him the same shall be lifted up at the last day. Yea, and thus it was with this people (v. 22).  For behold, I will show unto you that they were brought into bondage, and none could deliver them but the Lord their God, yea, even the God of Abraham and Isaac and of Jacob (v. 23).  And it came to pass that he did deliver them, and he did show forth his mighty power unto them, and great were their rejoicings (v. 24).”  If we are not tested in this life, we learn nothing.  We will be tested.  The people of Alma would be brought into bondage and delivered by the power of God.

In Mosiah 11:23 we read, “And it shall come to pass that except this people repent and turn unto the Lord their God, they shall be brought into bondage; and none shall deliver them, except it be the Lord the Almighty God.”  This was the prophecy of Abinadi to the people of King Noah, and they were put into bondage by the lamanites.  Also in Mosiah 12:1-2 we read, “… Thus has the Lord commanded me, saying—Abinadi, go and prophesy unto this my people, for they have hardened their hearts against my words; they have repented not of their evil doings; therefore, I will visit them in my anger, yea, in my fierce anger will I visit them in their iniquities and abominations (v. 1).  Yea, wo be unto this generation! And the Lord said unto me: Stretch forth thy hand and prophesy, saying: Thus saith the Lord, it shall come to pass that this generation, because of their iniquities, shall be brought into bondage, and shall be smitten on the cheek; yea, and shall be driven by men, and shall be slain; and the vultures of the air, and the dogs, yea, and the wild beasts, shall devour their flesh (v. 2).”  Abinadi was prophesying to the people who would later become the people of Alma.  The prophecy remained true, that when they fall into iniquity the Lord allows them to be brought into bondage because they would not repent when Abinadi was among them.  This teaches us that the Lord’s promises will remain true no matter how long it takes for them to happen.

The people of Alma were in the land of Helam, when the Lamanites surrounded the land (v. 25).  Alma told his people that if they remembered the Lord, they would be fine and have no reason to fear the Lamanites (v. 27).  They prayed to the Lord (v. 28 ), and the Lamanites hearts were softened (v. 29).  The Lamanites did not kill the people of Alma, but their city was taken and they gave themselves up to them (v. 30).  Meanwhile, the Lamanite army had found the wicked priests of King Noah and had taken over their land also (v. 31).  Amulon was their leader (v. 32) and he begged the Lamanites not to kill them and had the wives of his men, who happen to be the Lamanite daughters that were taken, plead for their lives (v. 33).  Because of the wives, the Lamanites did not kill them (v. 34).  The people of Amulon were with the Lamanites when they took the land of Helam (v. 35).  The Lamanites promised the people of Alma liberty, if they showed them where the land of Nephi was (v. 36).  Even after they were honest and showed them the way, the Lamanites did not give them their liberty.  Instead they put guards around their city to keep them in bondage (v. 37).  Then, Amulon was left as the ruler of the people of Helam, who were the people of Alma, and they were all in bondage to the Lamanites (v. 39).

The people of Alma were trying to live righteously, but the Lord tries us even in righteousness, so that we learn to truly depend on Him and follow His ways.  I think this is why the righteous in our land today, America, are being made to loose our freedoms as well.  We are being tested and we can either give in to iniquity to deal or we can stand up for what is right.  The Lord will eventually free us from bondage (v. 22) and bless us for our righteous choices, but we must all pass through trials of our faith, so that we can learn.

And the people were desirous that Alma should be their aking, for he was beloved by his people.

7 But he said unto them: Behold, it is not expedient that we should have a king; for thus saith the Lord: Ye shall anot esteem one flesh above another, or one man shall not think himself above another; therefore I say unto you it is not expedient that ye should have a king.

Mosiah, Chapter 22

What is the advantage of counseling together?

“And now it came to pass that Ammon and king Limhi began to consult with the people how they should deliver themselves out of bondage; and even they did cause that all the people should gather themselves together; and this they did that they might have the voice of the people concerning the matter (v. 1).  And it came to pass that they could find no way to deliver themselves out of bondage, except it were to take their women and children, and their flocks, and their herds, and their tents, and depart into the wilderness; for the Lamanites being so numerous, it was impossible for the people of Limhi to contend with them, thinking to deliver themselves out of bondage by the sword (v. 2).  Now it came to pass that Gideon went forth and stood before the king, and said unto him: Now O king, thou hast hitherto hearkened unto my words many times when we have been contending with our brethren, the Lamanites (v. 3).  And now O king, if thou hast not found me to be an unprofitable servant, or if thou hast hitherto listened to my words in any degree, and they have been of service to thee, even so I desire that thou wouldst listen to my words at this time, and I will be thy servant and deliver this people out of bondage (v. 4).  And the king granted unto him that he might speak. And Gideon said unto him (v. 5):  Behold the back pass, through the back wall, on the back side of the city. The Lamanites, or the guards of the Lamanites, by night are drunken; therefore let us send a proclamation among all this people that they gather together their flocks and herds, that they may drive them into the wilderness by night (v. 6).”

Gideon came up with the plan for their escape.  Counseling together with the people, allowed for Gideon to share his idea with Ammon and king Limhi.

“And I will go according to thy command and pay the last tribute of wine to the Lamanites, and they will be drunken; and we will pass through the secret pass on the left of their camp when they are drunken and asleep (v. 7).  Thus we will depart with our women and our children, our flocks, and our herds into the wilderness; and we will travel around the land of Shilom (v. 8 ).  And it came to pass that the king hearkened unto the words of Gideon (v. 9).  And king Limhi caused that his people should gather their flocks together; and he sent the tribute of wine to the Lamanites; and he also sent more wine, as a present unto them; and they did drink freely of the wine which king Limhi did send unto them (v. 10).  And it came to pass that the people of king Limhi did depart by night into the wilderness with their flocks and their herds, and they went round about the land of Shilom in the wilderness, and bent their course towards the land of Zarahemla, being led by Ammon and his brethren (v. 11).  And they had taken all their gold, and silver, and their precious things, which they could carry, and also their provisions with them, into the wilderness; and they pursued their journey (v. 12).”

They escaped by getting the Lamanite guards drunk with wine and passing by them.  They went into the wilderness and to the Land of Zarahemla.  Gideon had proved himself as one who could be trusted, before they counseled together.  This made it easier for Limhi to trust that Gideon’s plan would work.  If he hadn’t trusted him, he would not have agreed to it and they would have remained in bondage to the Lamanites.  In our lives we have people that we trust, and we should counsel with them when necessary.  I often counsel with my parents (and my in-laws), my Relief Society president and my bishop at times.  These are all people who I trust and I know that they want what is best for me and my family.  They wouldn’t say anything to intentionally lead me astray and it helps to have their wisdom as a guide.

In Alma 37:35-37 we read, “O, remember, my son, and learn wisdom in thy youth; yea, learn in thy youth to keep the commandments of God (v. 35).  Yea, and cry unto God for all thy support; yea, let all thy doings be unto the Lord, and whithersoever thou goest let it be in the Lord; yea, let all thy thoughts be directed unto the Lord; yea, let the affections of thy heart be placed upon the Lord forever (v. 36).  Counsel with the Lord in all thy doings, and he will direct thee for good; yea, when thou liest down at night lie down unto the Lord, that he may watch over you in your sleep; and when thou risest in the morning let thy heart be full of thanks unto God; and if ye do these things, ye shall be lifted up at the last day (v. 37).”  Most importantly, we should counsel with God in daily prayer.  There are times when He would be the only one to know which path should be taken in our lives.  We may have a choice between very good things, and the Lord can guide us to the right one for us.  Sometimes, we would even think of the plan that God has in store for us.  Praying for His guidance, can help us to receive the inspiration to do things we wouldn’t think of ourselves. I am very grateful for the inspiration that my Father in Heaven has given me as I have counseled with Him.

Ammon leads Limhi’s people out of bondage

“And after being many days in the wilderness they arrived in the land of Zarahemla, and joined Mosiah’s people, and became his subjects (v. 13).  And it came to pass that Mosiah received them with joy; and he also received their records, and also the records which had been found by the people of Limhi (v. 14).  And now it came to pass when the Lamanites had found that the people of Limhi had departed out of the land by night, that they sent an army into the wilderness to pursue them (v. 15);  And after they had pursued them two days, they could no longer follow their tracks; therefore they were lost in the wilderness (v. 16).”  The people of Limhi were probably so relieved to become subjects to a righteous leader, rather than in bondage to the unrighteous lamanites.

In D&C 101:8-9 we read, “In the day of their peace they esteemed lightly my counsel; but, in the day of their trouble, of necessity they feel after me (v. 8 ).  Verily I say unto you, notwithstanding their sins, my bowels are filled with compassion towards them. I will not utterly cast them off; and in the day of wrath I will remember mercy (v. 9).”  Because we sin, the Lord is sometimes slow to come to our rescue.  There are times that we must learn true repentance first.  However, the Lord always loves us and when we have learned what is necessary, he blesses us more than we can measure.  When the people of Limhi had devoted themselves to God and had gained the desire to come into His fold by baptism, they were able to be led by Ammon and his brothers out of bondage and to safety with the people of Mosiah.  Mosiah greeted them with joy, the way that we will be greeted with joy when we return home to our Father in Heaven.  We can only do this by relying on the Lord.  When we are righteous and repent of our sins, He will lead us out of bondage the same way that Ammon did for the people of Limhi.  ”Wherefore, I would speak unto you that are of the church, that are the peaceable followers of Christ, and that have obtained a sufficient hope by which ye can enter into the rest of the Lord, from this time henceforth until ye shall rest with him in heaven (Moroni 7:3).”  When we counsel with the Lord and rely on Him, we will have rest in our lives and in the eternities.

O, remember, my son, and alearn bwisdom in thy cyouth; yea, learn in thy youth to keep the commandments of God.

36 Yea, and acry unto God for all thy support; yea, let all thy bdoings be unto the Lord, and whithersoever thou goest let it be in the Lord; yea, let all thy cthoughts be directed unto the Lord; yea, let the affections of thy heart be placed upon the Lord forever.

37 aCounsel with the Lord in all thy doings, and he will direct thee for bgood; yea, when thou liest down at night lie down unto the Lord, that he may watch over you in your sleep; and when thou risest in the cmorning let thy heart be full of thanks unto God; and if ye do these things, ye shall be lifted up at the last day.

Mosiah, Chapter 21

Promises, oaths, and covenants

I think the value of a promise has gone down to about nothing these days.  I’ve been “promised” things many times that have been left unfulfilled.  And it always leaves me feeling let down.  I do not make promises unless I intend on keeping them because of that feeling.  This chapter is about the power of a promise.

“And it came to pass that Limhi and his people returned to the city of Nephi, and began to dwell in the land again in peace (v. 1).  And it came to pass that after many days the Lamanites began again to be stirred up in anger against the Nephites, and they began to come into the borders of the land round about (v. 2).  Now they durst not slay them, because of the oath which their king had made unto Limhi; but they would smite them on their cheeks, and exercise authority over them; and began to put heavy burdens upon their backs, and drive them as they would a dumb ass (v. 3)—Yea, all this was done that the word of the Lord might be fulfilled (v. 4).”  The Lamanites did not kill the people of Limhi, because they had made a promise that they wouldn’t.  Even though they were cruel to them, the Lamanites still felt that a promise was always to be kept.

The promises we make to God are covenants.  Some covenants that we make with Heavenly Father are the covenants of baptism and temple covenants.  Mosiah 18:10 reads, “Now I say unto you, if this be the desire of your hearts, what have you against being baptized in the name of the Lord, as a witness before him that ye have entered into a covenant with him, that ye will serve him and keep his commandments, that he may pour out his Spirit more abundantly upon you ?”  I know that there have been times that I have been less than careful about keeping the covenants I’ve made with my Father in Heaven.  Every time, I have felt regret and sorrow until I have repented.  It is an eye-opener to think that the Lamanites were more careful to keep a promise to those they hated, then I have been to keep my promises to God, whom I love.  If only I could have this thought as a reminder before I make those quick decisions that cause me to sin.  It is a process that we must work on every day because we have the “natural man” in each of us.

Why would we want to be humble?

Three times, the people of Limhi went up against the Lamanites to battle, that they might stop them from afflicting them, but they lost each time.  ”Yea, they went again even the third time, and suffered in the like manner; and those that were not slain returned again to the city of Nephi (v. 12).”  The people of Limhi had brought this upon themselves, by refusing to listen when Abinadi had told them to repent.   In chapter 11:23-25 we read, “And it shall come to pass that except this people repent and turn unto the Lord their God, they shall be brought into bondage; and none shall deliver them, except it be the Lord the Almighty God (v. 23).  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 (v. 24).  And except they repent in sackcloth and ashes, and cry mightily to the Lord their God, I will not hear their prayers, neither will I deliver them out of their afflictions; and thus saith the Lord, and thus hath he commanded me (v. 25).”  The only one who could deliver them from bondage, was God.  Before he would deliver them they must repent sincerely for their wrong-doing.

After the third time they failed to win in battle against the Lamanites, the people of Limhi realized they needed God’s help.  ”And they did humble themselves even to the dust, subjecting themselves to the yoke of bondage, submitting themselves to be smitten, and to be driven to and fro, and burdened, according to the desires of their enemies (v. 13).  And they did humble themselves even in the depths of humility; and they did cry mightily to God; yea, even all the day long did they cry unto their God that he would deliver them out of their afflictions (v. 14).  And now the Lord was slow to hear their cry because of their iniquities; nevertheless the Lord did hear their cries, and began to soften the hearts of the Lamanites that they began to ease their burdens; yet the Lord did not see fit to deliver them out of bondage (v. 15).  And it came to pass that they began to prosper by degrees in the land, and began to raise grain more abundantly, and flocks, and herds, that they did not suffer with hunger (v. 16).”  Humbling themselves caused more change than going to war, because they finally turned to God.  They were unable to change the way the Lamanites felt about them, but God was able to soften the Lamanites hearts.

If we humbly turn to God when we have gone astray, he will be able to help us ease our bondage just like he did with the people of Limhi.  If it is his will, he can help us out of our bondage completely.  President Ezra Taft Benson said, “God will have a humble people.  Either we can choose to be humble or we can be compelled to be humble…”  I would much rather choose to be humble than experience the wrath of God and be compelled.

The Lord sends Ammon to help rescue Limhi’s people

In Mosiah 8:7 we read, “And the king said unto him: Being grieved for the afflictions of my people, I caused that forty and three of my people should take a journey into the wilderness, that thereby they might find the land of Zarahemla, that we might appeal unto our brethren to deliver us out of bondage.” Comparing this with verse 14 in this chapter (see above), we see that the people in the first verse turned to the people of Zarahemla to save them, where in this chapter, the people turned to God.  Limhi’s people wanted to be free from bondage.

The people of Limhi lived in fear.  We know this because they “… kept together in a body as much as it was possible, and secured their grain and their flocks (v. 18 )…”, and the king did not go outside of the city “… unless he took his guards with him, fearing that he might by some means fall into the hands of the Lamanites (v. 19).”  They wanted to find the priests of King Noah because they “… had caused such a great destruction to come upon them (v. 20)…” by stealing the lamanite daughters, and because “… they were desirous to take them that they might punish them; for they had come into the land of Nephi by night, and carried off their grain and many of their precious things (v. 21)…”.  Then Ammon and his brethren came into the land (v. 22).    The king mistook them to be “… priests of Noah therefore he caused that they should be taken, and bound, and cast into prison (v. 23)…”.  ”But when he found that they were not, but that they were his brethren, and had come from the land of Zarahemla, he was filled with exceedingly great joy (v. 24).”  Limhi realized that these men could save them from bondage as an answer to their prayers.

What was discovered by Limhi’s search party?

“Now king Limhi had sent, previous to the coming of Ammon, a small number of men to search for the land of Zarahemla; but they could not find it, and they were lost in the wilderness (v. 25).  Nevertheless, they did find a land which had been peopled; yea, a land which was covered with dry bones; yea, a land which had been peopled and which had been destroyed; and they, having supposed it to be the land of Zarahemla, returned to the land of Nephi, having arrived in the borders of the land not many days before the coming of Ammon (v. 26).  And they brought a record with them, even a record of the people whose bones they had found; and it was engraven on plates of ore (v. 27).”  The search party had found the land of desolation and plates that belonged to the people that had lived there, but Limhi had believed it to be the land of Zarahemla.  ”And now Limhi was again filled with joy on learning from the mouth of Ammon that king Mosiah had a gift from God, whereby he could interpret such engravings; yea, and Ammon also did rejoice (v. 28 ).”  Limhi knew now that Zarahemla could save them.

The search party that King Limhi had sent out was 43 of his people (Mosiah 8:7).  When they found the land they thought to be Zarahemla, they found a record made up of 24 pure-gold plates (Mosiah 8:9).  They also found bones and ruins (Mosiah 8:8), brass and copper breastplates (Mosiah 8:10), and rusted swords (Mosiah 8:11).

Why is it important to always be worthy?

“And now since the coming of Ammon, king Limhi had also entered into a covenant with God, and also many of his people, to serve him and keep his commandments (v. 32).  And it came to pass that king Limhi and many of his people were desirous to be baptized; but there was none in the land that had authority from God. And Ammon declined doing this thing, considering himself an unworthy servant (v. 33).  Therefore they did not at that time form themselves into a church, waiting upon the Spirit of the Lord. Now they were desirous to become even as Alma and his brethren, who had fled into the wilderness (v. 34).  They were desirous to be baptized as a witness and a testimony that they were willing to serve God with all their hearts; nevertheless they did prolong the time; and an account of their baptism shall be given hereafter (v. 35).”  Ammon declined an opportunity to baptize Limhi and some of his people because he felt unworthy.  I cannot imagine what he felt like refusing, but I am sure it caused him to reflect on his life and why he felt that way.  I’m sure there must have been some sorrow or guilt that went along with the decline.  The good thing is that Ammon was being truthful with himself and Limhi’s people.  It would be worse for Ammon to go ahead while being unworthy.  I don’t have the priesthood, so my opportunities are not as often, but I do hope that I can always feel worthy when asked to do things like go to the temple, where I have to be worthy.

And it came to pass that Limhi and his people returned to the city of Nephi, and began to dwell in the land again in peace.

2 And it came to pass that after many days the Lamanites began again to be stirred up in anger against the Nephites, and they began to come into the borders of the land round about.

3 Now they durst not slay them, because of the aoath which their king had made unto Limhi; but they would smite them on their bcheeks, and exercise authority over them; and began to put heavy cburdens upon their backs, and drive them as they would a dumb ass—

4 Yea, all this was done that the aword of the Lord might be bfulfilled.

Mosiah, Chapter 20

Game Time

1.  Why did the daughters of the Lamanites gather together?  ”Now there was a place in Shemlon where the daughters of the Lamanites did gather themselves together to sing, and to dance, and to make themselves merry (v. 1).  And it came to pass that there was one day a small number of them gathered together to sing and to dance (v. 2).”  They gathered together to sing and dance.

2.  Why did the priests of King Noah stay in the wilderness?  ”And now the priests of king Noah, being ashamed to return to the city of Nephi, yea, and also fearing that the people would slay them, therefore they durst not return to their wives and their children (v. 3).”  The priests were afraid that Limhi’s people would try to kill them.

3.  How many Lamanite daughters did the priests of Noah kidnap?  ”And when there were but few of them gathered together to dance, they came forth out of their secret places and took them and carried them into the wilderness; yea, twenty and four of the daughters of the Lamanites they carried into the wilderness (v. 5).”  They took 24 of the Lamanite daughters.

4.  Who got blamed for the missing daughters?  ”And it came to pass that when the Lamanites found that their daughters had been missing, they were angry with the people of Limhi, for they thought it was the people of Limhi (v. 6).  Therefore they sent their armies forth; yea, even the king himself went before his people; and they went up to the land of Nephi to destroy the people of Limhi (v. 7).”  Limhi’s people were blamed for the missing daughters.

5.  How did King Limhi know the Lamanites were going to attack them?  ”And now Limhi had discovered them from the tower, even all their preparations for war did he discover; therefore he gathered his people together, and laid wait for them in the fields and in the forests (v. 8 ).”  Limhi used one of the towers that King Noah had built, and he discovered that the Lamintes were going to attack his people.

6.  What beasts did it seem the people of Limhi fought like?  ”And it came to pass that the battle became exceedingly sore, for they fought like lions for their prey (v. 10).  And it came to pass that the people of Limhi began to drive the Lamanites before them; yet they were not half so numerous as the Lamanites. But they fought for their lives, and for their wives, and for their children; therefore they exerted themselves and like dragons did they fight (v. 11).”  The people of Limhi fought like Lions and dragons.

7.  Why did they fight so hard?  (see verse 11 above)  The people of Limhi fought so hard to protect themselves and their families.

8.  What did the people of Limhi do with the captured king of the Lamanites?  ”And they took him and bound up his wounds, and brought him before Limhi, and said: Behold, here is the king of the Lamanites; he having received a wound has fallen among their dead, and they have left him; and behold, we have brought him before you; and now let us slay him (v. 13).”  They brought fixed up his wounds and brought him to Limhi.

9.  Who told King Limhi that the wicked priests probably took the daughters?  ”Now when Gideon had heard these things, he being the king’s captain, he went forth and said unto the king: I pray thee forbear, and do not search this people, and lay not this thing to their charge (v. 17).  For do ye not remember the priests of thy father, whom this people sought to destroy? And are they not in the wilderness? And are not they the ones who have stolen the daughters of the Lamanites (v. 18 )?”  After being told by the king of the Lamanites why they came up against them, Limhi went searching for the ones responsible for taking the daughters.  Gideon told Limhi that it was probably the wicked priests who took the daughters.

10.  Who pleaded with the Lamanite army not to destroy Limhi’s people?  ”And it came to pass that the king was pacified towards his people; and he said unto them: Let us go forth to meet my people, without arms; and I swear unto you with an oath that my people shall not slay thy people (v. 24).  And it came to pass that they followed the king, and went forth without arms to meet the Lamanites. And it came to pass that they did meet the Lamanites; and the king of the Lamanites did bow himself down before them, and did plead in behalf of the people of Limhi (v. 25).”  After hearing what had happened to the priests of Noah and the possibility that they were the ones to have taken the daughters, the king of the Lamanites went and pleaded with the Lamanite army to not destroy Limhi’s people.

11.  What didn’t the Nephites have when they met the Lamanites?  (see verse 25 above)  They went without arms to meet the Lamanites.

12.  What happened the second time the Lamanites went to attack them?  ”And when the Lamanites saw the people of Limhi, that they were without arms, they had compassion on them and were pacified towards them, and returned with their king in peace to their own land (v. 26).”  At this point they all went home in peace.

The people of Limhi fought the Lamanites for the righteous cause of the freedom of their families, where the Lamanites fought out of revenge and anger.  When we fight with a righteous cause, we will have the support of God.  So that even if our army is outnumbered, such as Limhi’s army, we can be victorious.

The consequences of not listening to the prophet

King Limhi said, “For are not the words of Abinadi fulfilled, which he prophesied against us—and all this because we would not hearken unto the words of the Lord, and turn from our iniquities (v. 21)?”  In chapter 12 Abinadi had prophesied that they had not listened to the word of the Lord and so they would be visited in his anger (v. 1).  We have a modern revelation in “The Family: A Proclamation to the World” that says that those who violated the covenants of chastity, abuse family, or do not fulfill family responsibilities will be held accountable by God.  It also says that as world disintegrates the family unit their will be calamities brought upon us just as the prophets of old have said.  Those of us with the gospel in our lives, need to protect the family and teach others the gospel, so that we can be safe from the wrath of God.

Now there was a place in aShemlon where the daughters of the Lamanites did gather themselves together to sing, and to bdance, and to make themselves merry.

2 And it came to pass that there was one day a small number of them gathered together to sing and to dance.