What do you do with a wicked king?
In proverbs 29:2 we read, “When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice: but when the wicked beareth rule, the people mourn.” When those who lead are living rigteously, they are kind, strong, unselfish and christ-like. They do not bring their own people into any form of bondage. They bring the people up and help them to live better lives. When the wicked are in authority they do quite the opposite. They have selfish motives which put the people in one form of bondage or another. They persuade/force people to sin and they go against those who try to do what is right. In Mosiah 11, we learn that King Noah is a wicked king. King Noah was selfish and caused the people to commit sins (11:2), he taxed them heavily (11:3), he used their taxes to support is own habits (11:4), he punished the righteous (11:5), he sought after riches (11:14), he became a heavy drinker (11:15), and he delighted in the death of the lamanites (11:19).
We learn more of the wickedness of King Noah in this chapter. ”And it came to pass that the army of the king returned, having searched in vain for the people of the Lord (v. 1). And now behold, the forces of the king were small, having been reduced, and there began to be a division among the remainder of the people (v. 2). And the lesser part began to breathe out threatenings against the king, and there began to be a great contention among them (v. 3). And now there was a man among them whose name was Gideon, and he being a strong man and an enemy to the king, therefore he drew his sword, and swore in his wrath that he would slay the king (v. 4). And it came to pass that he fought with the king; and when the king saw that he was about to overpower him, he fled and ran and got upon the tower which was near the temple (v. 5). And Gideon pursued after him and was about to get upon the tower to slay the king, and the king cast his eyes round about towards the land of Shemlon, and behold, the army of the Lamanites were within the borders of the land (v. 6). And now the king cried out in the anguish of his soul, saying: Gideon, spare me, for the Lamanites are upon us, and they will destroy us; yea, they will destroy my people (v. 7). And now the king was not so much concerned about his people as he was about his own life; nevertheless, Gideon did spare his life (v. 8 ).” King Noah was a coward, a liar, and cared more for himself than the safety of his people.
I think that as a division began among his people, that King Noah was probably the reason for it. I’m sure that plenty of the people could see that it was King Noah who had caused the division by his wicked reign. Gideon was probably one of those people who saw that their lives would be better with King Noah as their leader. Gideon only spared his life because their land was under attack from the lamanites. Because of the wickedness of King Noah, the people mourned.
This is why it is so important to choose good people to lead us. We have the opportunity to choose our leaders in our country, where others do not. We have the opportunity to learn what these people stand for, before they are put into office. And we need to take advantage of that opportunity so that we are not caused to mourn. I am one of those people who are waiting for my Alma to show me the way to escape to the wilderness right now, because I do not believe that we are being led righteously in this country. I don’t usually get political in this blog, but this chapter calls for it. King Noah was the kind of man to tax his people to cover the expenses of his lifestyle. King Noah was the kind of man who would go on expensive trips for fun while his people were suffering due to financial burdens in their lives. This is not a righteous practice and it is one of the things our leader has done today. Our country is having great financial difficulty. And our leader decided to take his wife on a date night that has been estimated to have costed over a quarter of a million dollars. Not his dollars, but the dollars brought in by the taxes that are on his people. It is a selfish act and we brought it upon ourselves as a country by choosing him to lead. His decisions and those of the government who support him are causing many in this country to mourn.
Why is it best to think less of self and more of others?
If I had to leave my home for the last time tomorrow, I would take my family and the necessities to take care of us, because my family is the most important thing to me. I would want to take my pictures and journals and such, but would only take them if we could. I’m sure that if I asked my daughter what she would take, she would say one of her toys or her movies, because it is easy for her to forget those she loves since they are not in her care. She is not responsible for us and expects us to always be with her.
“And the king commanded the people that they should flee before the Lamanites, and he himself did go before them, and they did flee into the wilderness, with their women and their children (v. 9). And it came to pass that the Lamanites did pursue them, and did overtake them, and began to slay them (v. 10). Now it came to pass that the king commanded them that all the men should leave their wives and their children, and flee before the Lamanites (v. 11). Now there were many that would not leave them, but had rather stay and perish with them. And the rest left their wives and their children and fled (v. 12). And it came to pass that those who tarried with their wives and their children caused that their fair daughters should stand forth and plead with the Lamanites that they would not slay them (v. 13).”
King Noah clearly felt that the men, being stronger and I’m sure believing they were wiser, should leave the weak women and children to be killed and save themselves. I’m sure he wanted the men to be saved so that they could protect him from harm. He was truly a selfish man. His attitude led to many of the men leaving their families to die and saving themselves. As a leader, King Noah was teaching his men by example and by his commands that it is better to be selfish. In the end, selfishness leaves us alone when we need others the most. I think the best way to avoid being selfish is to serve one another. When we serve our families, we love them more and want to be with them more. When we serve the members of the church, our relationships become stronger and we gain the desire to do more.
Why do we react to the world around us the way we do?
I have seen people join the church and live righteously even when their parents are not living that way, but it is really hard for them. This can happen because we are individuals and even though the world we live in can influence us, some are able to hear the spirit and be influenced by it more. ”And now there was one of the sons of the king among those that were taken captive, whose name was Limhi (v. 16). And now Limhi was desirous that his father should not be destroyed; nevertheless, Limhi was not ignorant of the iniquities of his father, he himself being a just man (v. 17).” Limhi was one of the men who chose to stay and protect his family instead of saving himself. He was a “just” man and even though his father was wicked, he did not want him to die. King Noah, on the other hand, being a wicked man, did not care if his son died or not as long as he, himself, lived. I hope that my children will not let the world around them persuade them to live unrighteously. The kind of lives that would honor their father and I would be those that follow Christ. I pray that they will want to make sacred covenants with their Father in Heaven, and keep them. I want them to find good, worthy men to take them to the temple to be sealed for time and all eternity. Lives where their children, my grandchildren, want to honor them and live righteously because they do, would truly bring us honor.
The importance of following the prophet
In the next few verses, Gideon’s men were sent into the wilderness to look for the king and his followers. They found others instead (v. 18 ), whom they told what had happened to their families and they could return and pay tribute to the Lamanites (v. 22). The people in the wilderness had wanted to return and deal with whatever had happened to their families (v. 19), but King Noah had told them not to return and so they put him to death by fire (v. 20). They were one their way to return when they met Gideon’s men (v. 22). The people to the men what had happened to the priests (v. 21) and returned to their families, rejoicing, and told Gideon what they did (v. 24). Meanwhile, the priests of King Noah were also going to be put to death by the people, but they ran away into the wilderness (v. 21, 23).
In these verses, we see that the prophecy of King Noah’s death was fulfilled just as Abinadi had said, “And it shall come to pass that the life of king Noah shall be valued even as a garment in a hot furnace; for he shall know that I am the Lord (Mosiah 12:3).” This is just another example of the prophecies of the prophets being fulfilled with exactness. The prophet we have today, Thomas S. Monson, will guide us on the correct path to our salvation, if we will just listen to his words, as King Noah should have listened to Abinadi’s.
What is the price of wickedness?
We are taxed to pay for things in the community that cost money, but do not make revenue. That includes things that are benefits to everyone in the community, such as new roads, as well as things that are to help those in need. Taxes get higher, when the government adds more programs, more government employees, and so on.
Limhi’s people were taxed by the Lamanites because they were living on land now claimed by the Lamanites. ”And it came to pass that the king of the Lamanites made an oath unto them, that his people should not slay them (v. 25). And also Limhi, being the son of the king, having the kingdom conferred upon him by the people, made oath unto the king of the Lamanites that his people should pay tribute unto him, even one half of all they possessed (v. 26).” They paid 50% of their income in taxes, which were a tribute to the king of the Lamanites. ”And it came to pass that Limhi began to establish the kingdom and to establish peace among his people (v. 27). And the king of the Lamanites set guards round about the land, that he might keep the people of Limhi in the land, that they might not depart into the wilderness; and he did support his guards out of the tribute which he did receive from the Nephites (v. 28 ).” The taxes helped to pay for guards to keep the people of Limhi in the city. ”And now king Limhi did have continual peace in his kingdom for the space of two years, that the Lamanites did not molest them nor seek to destroy them (v. 29).”
Why did the Lord let Limhi’s people end up in bondage? 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).” They were in bondage because of their wickedness, and yet God still blessed them with “continual peace”. Being wicked never gives us the true happiness that comes from the blessings that we can receive from God for being righteous.
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