The Law as a type of things to come (Christ)

Here is Abinadi talking to Noah’s wicked priests about the Law of Moses.

29 And now I say unto you that it was expedient that there should be a law given to the children of Israel, yea, even a very strict law; for they were a stiffnecked people, quick to do iniquity, and slow to remember the Lord their God;

30 Therefore there was a law given them, yea, a law of performances and of ordinances, a law which they were to observe strictly from day to day, to keep them in remembrance of God and their duty towards him.

31 But behold, I say unto you, that all these things were types of things to come. (Mosiah 13:29-31)

I think what Abinadi says here is that the gift of the Law of Moses itself was a type of Christ.

A law given to Israel	A Messiah given to Israel and all who would believe
A law of performances and ordinances	Christ’s example consists of all the things we must do. We have to become like Him.
Which they were to observe strictly from day to day	Israel observed Christ keeping the law from day to day during His life, and we are to observe Christ’s higher law just as strictly from day to day. We can also read the gospels and observe what He did.
To keep them in remembrance of their God and their duty toward him	Christ instituted the sacrament to remind us of His sacrifice and our duty, and we are to remember Him always.

Just because we don’t live the Law of Moses doesn’t mean the higher law Christ gave isn’t as much a type of Christ as the Law of Moses. The higher law can also be thought of as a type of Christ too. 1) It was given, 2) it is a law of ordinances, though not so many, 3) it is strict, especially if you see the Beattitudes as part of it, 4) it keeps us remembering Christ and God and our duty.

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Believe and Act

I like these words from King Benjamin’s speech:

9 Believe in God; believe that he is, and that he created all things, both in heaven and in earth; believe that he has all wisdom, and all power, both in heaven and in earth; believe that man doth not comprehend all the things which the Lord can comprehend.

10 And again, believe that ye must repent of your sins and forsake them, and humble yourselves before God; and ask in sincerity of heart that he would forgive you; and now, if you believe all these things see that ye do them. (Mosiah 4:9-10)

I love that last part—“if you believe all these things see that ye do them.” 

We may have the tendency to mentally assent to the teachings and principles of the gospel without actually applying them as often as we should, and I think King Benjamin was aware of that tendency.

So, if we believe we can repent, see that we do it. If we believe in keeping the Sabbath, see that we do it. If prayer is efficacious, do it. If temple worship and family history does serve the dead and protect us, do it.

The Urim & Thummim Principle for Internet use

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Now Ammon said unto him: I can assuredly tell thee, O king [Limhi], of a man that can translate the records; for he has wherewith that he can look, and translate all records that are of ancient date; and it is a gift from God. And the things are called interpreters, and no man can look in them except he be commanded, lest he should look for that he ought not and he should perish. And whosoever is commanded to look in them, the same is called seer. (Mosiah 8:13)

The context for this verse is Ammon telling King Limhi that there is a seer who can translate the gold plates that were found.  It is neat to think that we have prophets, seers, and revelators leading our church today, but I think there are principles here that can apply in our lives, particularly concerning our individual internet use and safety.

Note the danger that Ammon highlights—“lest he should look for that he ought not and he should perish”.  We don’t know how a seer might perish from wrong use of the Urim & Thummim, but the same danger certainly applies for internet use.  There is the danger of looking at things we ought not, as well as spending so much time looking at less consequential things that one fritters away their life.

The principle implied for wise use of the Urim & Thummim is to be purposeful about use, according to commandment. It doesn’t specify whether it is God’s commandment or man’s commandment, but you get the idea that since it is a gift from God, you would use it according to God’s commandment. I think the same is true for use of the internet.

The situations seem a bit different in the frequency of use. The Urim & Thummim seems like something that would be used rarely (except we don’t have record of all the times it was used), whereas the internet is so embedded in our society now. Still, the principle of purposeful use according to God’s commandment (or following God’s commandments) is useful for keeping us out of trouble when we use the internet today.

The Suffering Alleviated by the Scriptures

Here King Mosiah teaches his sons about the sacred record on the brass plates:

And he also taught them concerning the records which were engraven on the plates of brass, saying: My sons, I would that ye should remember that were it not for these plates, which contain these records and these commandments, we must have suffered in ignorance, even at this present time, not knowing the mysteries of God. (Mosiah 1:3)

That bit about how we must have suffered in ignorance struck me recently. It made me think about how I’ve made so many good choices in my life because of what I’ve learned from the scriptures. I’ve been able to resist many temptations and keep out of trouble because of what I’ve learned from the scriptures. If I hadn’t had the scriptures or the influence of the church in my life I really would have suffered so much because of all the mistakes I would have made in ignorance. There have been many pivot points when a scriptural principle I’ve learned has come back to me, and acting on instead of giving in to temptation or taking a lower way has brought blessings and safety to me.

I can’t deny I’ve also had some suffering arise out of following good scriptural principles, but it has been sanctified suffering, and knowing from the scriptures that I was right helped me persevere.

One major way we would suffer in ignorance from not knowing the mysteries of God is suffering the load of accumulated guilt for sin. Because no matter how the world will try to deny it, guilt is there. It piles up and you can’t get out from it without Christ and without repenting. The scriptures tell us about how we can escape guilt and sin and lay hold on salvation through Christ.

What a mystery of God repentance and faith is! That a God would become man and suffer for everyone’s sins to give us a chance to repent! That our belief in this God and efforts to change and prayers for forgiveness are efficacious! To a tangibly focused, material-evidence-oriented mind that would seem beyond belief.  But it’s real!

Zeniff's powers of persuasion

I suspect that Zeniff was a very persuasive fellow.  Consider the instances when he used his persuasion:

1) As a member of the first group sent to re-colonize Nephi-Lehi, Zeniff contended with his people to try to convince them to make a treaty with the Lamanites instead of invading and destroying them.  He convinced enough people that the leader seems to have wanted to permanently shut him up by commanding that he be slain.  (Zeniff must have had a lot of good arguments, but in his record he merely says, “I saw that which was good among them.” Ostensibly, he suppresses his reasoning in his record because it won’t fit well with his final indictment of the Lamanite culture.  He is reluctant to seem inconsistent; few of us like to seem inconsistent so we should be able to understand this..)

2) Zeniff returns to Zarahemla with the 50 who were not slain in the contention, and he tells the tale of what happened to everyone else in a persuasive enough way that the families of those who were slain do not seek retribution. 

Zeniff’s account in Mosiah 9:2 says he contended with his brethren not to kill the Lamanites, but in another account in Omni 1:28 by Amaleki, the story is that the leader caused a contention among them.  Amaleki may have gotten the official story told to the families, whereas in Zeniff’s own account he feels free enough to give a different view, perhaps one closer to what actually happened. 

As I think about the version in Omni, it does seem very odd that a leader would cause a contention among a group.  Usually someone else besides the leader causes a contention.  The leader represents the official policy, and others with different alternatives cause contention.

3) Zeniff manages to convince ANOTHER party of Nephites to come on a second colonizing party even after the first one failed.  He seems to have been able to persuade them that a peaceful settlement among the Lamanites was a cinch and they had nothing to worry about.  He didn’t even know where they would settle, yet he was able to make it sound possible and reasonable.  Also take into account that he didn’t even know the disposition of the Lamanite king yet. 

4) Once Zeniff returned to Nephi-Lehi, he was able to persuade the Lamanite king to give up some of Lamanite lands, evacuate his people, and let the Nephites settle in their place.  Zeniffi later attributes his success to Lamanite cunning plans to destroy and bring Nephites into bondage, but I can’t help but wonder why the Lamanites would wait a full 12 years before attacking instead of attacking at the beginning?  Why would they not try to bring them into bondage at the beginning as well?  Wouldn’t they try to make some sort of tribute agreement?

Another detail I noticed that makes me wonder is the fact that Zeniff says in Mosiah 9:6 that the Lamanite king covenanted with Zeniff that the Nephites would possess the land of Lehi-Nephi and the land of Shilom.   “Covenant” usually means a two-way promise.  Yet Zeniff only records one side—what the Lamanites would do for the Nephites (give up land).  It seems extraordinarily generous of the Lamanites to just vacate their land immediately like that, especially if they were as bloodthirsty, hateful, fierce, and cunning as Zeniff later insists they are. 

I suspect that Zeniff actually had an obligation of his own to fulfill in this covenant, but that he chose not to record it.  I suspect that he promised to provide the Lamanites with a certain amount of tribute crops and animals.  Then, I suspect that after 12 years, that burden of tribute began to feel too obnoxious, so he decided to skip paying it. 

So now, consider that first Lamanite attack on the Nephites that comes out of the blue after 12 years of peace.  Its focus is rather unusual.  Instead of attacking the city, the Lamanite army attacks the Nephites in their fields.  Then they start taking off their flocks and the corn of their fields.  It is like the Lamanites are hungry. 

However, this makes perfect sense if you assume that Zeniff agreed to a tribute of food and then didn’t pay it on the 12^th year.  He even inserts his reasoning that the Lamanites were lazy, idolatrous, and wanted to glut themselves on the labors of the Nephites hands.  This is the same kind of resentful grumbling you will hear from people determined to avoid paying their taxes.  “The government is stealing from us. The government is a parasite!” they will say.  If Zeniff withheld tribute, then the Lamanite army attack would be completely understandable.  They would be sent to collect what was agreed upon. 

Another point of Zeniff’s narrative that makes me wonder is his description of the reason for the second battle the Lamanites start with the Nephites.  He says that the new king of the Lamanites began to stir up his people in rebellion against Zeniff’s people (Mosiah 10:6).  Rebellion is such an interesting word here.  It implies that somehow Zeniff’s people had gained some sort of ascendancy, as if they were starting to subjugate the Lamanites.  I have to wonder if this actually describes the reality, or if Zeniff was just twisting the narrative a little.

But either way, calling the Lamanite attack a rebellion raises questions.  If the Lamanites were rebelling against Nephite domination, then Zeniff actually kept some very important contextual information out of his record.  On the other hand, if Zeniff called it a rebellion when it was nothing of the kind, then he bent the truth for his own purposes.  One way he withheld truth, another way he bent the truth.

(Things that make you go, “Hmmmmm..”)

Anyway, all these little details, little inconsistencies add up to a picture of a man who was very persuasive and who was skilled at bending the truth to whatever purpose he had in mind, even going so far as to rewrite his version of history.

Now, when a ruler is adept at bending the truth for his purposes according to circumstances, what are the ruler’s children going to learn to do?   They will do the same, and they may push things even further.  

Thus, this accounts for the wild mismatch of views between King Noah and his wicked priests on one hand and Abinadi on the other about what is happening in the land.  King Noah and his wicked priests are bending the truth and not only have they bent the Nephite historical narrative, they are now bending the Law of Moses to fit their purposes.  Abinadi’s view represents the clear truth to which the Lord desires to bring the people back.

Three Different Ways King Mosiah was Righteous

And it came to pass that king Mosiah did walk in the ways of the Lord, and did observe his judgments and his statutes, and did keep his commandments in all things whatsoever he commanded him. (Mosiah 6:6)

Somehow this verse caught my eye.  It seems to say three different times that Mosiah was a good man and a good king, but with different wording.  This made me wonder if it simply said it three times or if it was describing different aspects of his righteousness.    (Aha, analysis is called for!)

“king Mosiah did walk in the ways of the Lord” – This uses the metaphor of righteousness as a path.  King Mosiah had to know that path—what the Lord’s ways were—in order to walk in it.  He probably asked himself the question, “What would the Lord do?” when faced with something tricky.   Is walking in the Lord’s ways accidental?  No, it has to be deliberate. It has to be learned and practiced.

"[Mosiah] did observe his [the Lord’s] judgments and his statutes" – The word observe has a number of meanings that help us here. 4 of 9 possible definitions are the following:

--show respect towards

--behave as expected during holidays or rites

--stick to correctly or closely

--conform one’s action or practice to

Another interesting thing is that the words “judgments” and “statues” imply the existence of certain things.  Observing judgments in once sense implies noticing the judgments of God at work and pointing out how natural consequences fit with the Lord’s commandments. Or, it might imply sticking with the precedents formed by a body of case law. Observing statutes implies keeping to smaller facilitating laws.

“[Mosiah] did keep his [the Lord’s] commandments in all things whatsoever he commanded him” – This shows us Mosiah received personal revelation and followed it. We get the account of several instances of his doing this. 1) translating the 24 plates Limhi’s people brought with them, and 2) receiving revelation that he should let his four reconverted sons go preach to the Lamanites. Changing the Nephite government from monarchy to a judge-ruled government may have been part of this, but that is only speculation.

So, having examined these things more closely, we see that those three phrases about Mosiah’s righteousness describe different aspects.  It may strike you as it has struck me that they aren’t only for kings.  We also can walk in the ways of the Lord, observe His statutes and judgments in our stewardships, and keep the Lord’s commandments in all things He commands us.    What a heaven this world would be if we all did that.

Pre-conversion Alma the Younger

My husband and I were reading Mosiah 27 about the conversion story of Alma the Younger, and it seemed to me that it was impossible that he had not been taught the gospel by his father Alma while growing up.  It’s easy to wonder where Alma the Younger started to go wrong.

Mosiah 26 describes a great purge of the church, when many members who were unrepentantly sinning were cut off. It is perfectly possible that Alma the Younger and the four sons of Mosiah were cut off from the church for their wickedness at that time.  Later, Alma the Younger himself later tells of how he and Mosiah’s four sons went forth with anger and mighty threatenings to destroy the church (Alma 26:18).  That sounds very much like the anger of someone who felt they had been excommunicated unjustly, someone who rebelled against the authority of the priesthood.

Alma the Younger may have convinced himself that what happened to him and his friends was unjust and that the church needed reform.

So, part of what the angel’s visit would have settled for Alma the Younger and Mosiah’s four sons was that his father was right and was on God’s side, that God did have power and that Alma the Younger was wrong.  And if he was wrong, then his efforts to fix the church were wrong and amounted to persecution  and destruction rather than reform.

The cool thing about Alma the Younger’s conversion story is that it shows us that even an angry ex-member of the Church is not a lost cause. It shows us Alma the Elder’s example of praying for those who separate themselves from us and for those who have been cut off for transgression.  They may yet be brought to the knowledge of the truth.

Hostilities increase as the church is regulated, but blessings come too

Before Alma the Elder receives the revelation about how to regulate the church with appropriate discipline measures, there is a period when the unbelievers gain a lot of influence.

For it came to pass that they [the unbelievers] 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. (Mosiah 26:6)

But once Alma the Elder receives his revelation about how to deal with those who sin and is able to reaffirm the principle that eternal salvation depends upon continued repentance and faith in Christ, those people who were willing to repent changed and became steadfast and immovable, willing to keep the commandments, unwilling to listen to those who previously had deceived them.

Of course, the unbelievers did not like to lose their influence, so they ratcheted up the pressure to the level of persecution, which is why v38 tells us Alma and his fellow laborers were “persecuted by all those who did not belong to the church of God.”  Unbelievers think church discipline is unfair and unmerited, but the church lives at a higher level. 

The members were also persecuted, since Mosiah 27:1 notes 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.”

Persecution over church discipline measures is an attempt to influence with social aggression and shaming and mockery.  It is also an attempt to reject and punish.  However, for those who are willing to accept church discipline, the blessings are becoming steadfast and immovable in Christ.

Alma on unity among church members

I really like what is recorded about how Alma the elder taught about unity among the church when they still lived among King Noah’s people.

And he commanded them that there should be no contention one with another, but that they should look forward with one eye, having one faith and one baptism, having their hearts knit together in unity and in love one towards another. (Mosiah 18:21)

Two bits of imagery stick out to me in these verses—the idea of hearts being knit together in love and looking forward with one eye—so I want to share some things I associate with both of those.

Hearts knit together in unity and love

I think of two different things here.  I think  of how a broken bone is knit together. It is put right, and it is held there and protected from outside collisions until it is strong.  Then it can stand up to forces put on it.  I think that gradual growth together is a beautiful analogue to how unity grows gradually.

I also think of yarn that is strung out and apart and it may get easily tangled until it is knit together. Perhaps sharp things would cut it when loose, but it has more strength and flexibility when knit into a fabric.  Even if there is a cut in one place in a knit, it doesn’t fall apart.  The yarn loop connects with other loops around it in different places and draws shape and strength from those touch-points.

Looking forward with one eye

I was very young when I discovered that there was a slight difference in how things looked depending on whether I looked with my right eye or with my left. I marveled that when I held a finger in front of me and looked at it with one eye closed and then with the other, the position of my finger seemed to shift slightly.  This fascinated me and when I got bored or distracted sometimes I would play with it.  It wasn’t until I took astronomy in high school that I learned a term for this phenomenon—parallax—and that it enabled telescopes to see deeply into space and establish distances. 

When I got older than that, I realized that there can also be spiritual parallax between individuals because of difference of perspective.  We may look at the same events and see things differently.

I think “looking forward with one eye” expresses the prophet’s hope that we can come to unity by adopting the Lord’s perspective.  Remembering the plan of salvation helps us see with a more eternal perspective, so that’s part of how the Lord sees things.  We learn to see with one eye when we teach and learn correct principles and pattern our lives after them.  I think we also learn to see with one eye when we learn how principles that seem to oppose actually mesh and interplay and balance each other—prophetic authority with personal revelation, foreordination with agency, justice with mercy, self-reliance with dependence on God and interdependence with others.

Do you have an additional thoughts or associations with these phrases that you can share?

Uses of towers in the scriptures

When the trouble starts for King Noah and Gideon fights with him, King Noah does something that has puzzled me for a long time – he runs and gets on the tower he’d built next to the temple.

It seems like a tower is an odd place to flee to, since it’s sort of a dead end. Once you get to the top, there is no where else to go.

Also, we have a European idea of what towers look like – straight vertical walls, parapets and crenellations, whereas it probably was built more like a ziggurat or a pyramid.

Probably the best thing getting on the tower would have done for King Noah was that it would require Gideon to fight up against gravity, while King Noah would have gravity helping him.

I wanted to see if there were other incidents in the scriptures of people using towers and fleeing to them.  And there were.

In Judges 9:51, the people of Thebez had their city taken, so they went to the strong tower in the city and got on the top of it and used it as a place of defense.

In 2 Samuel 22:3, there is a psalm of David in which he extols the Lord as his defense, and he says:

The God of my rock;

in him will I trust:

he is my shield,

and the horn of my salvation,

my high tower, and my refuge,

my saviour;

thou savest me from violence.

So it seems that towers were definitely considered a refuge. 

Also, as I was surveying across the scriptures, I found towers used for watching. They seem to have been placed where they could be used to see who was coming.

The scriptures also mention them as landmarks for readers to orient themselves (assuming the towers were still there and one knew where was what).

Isaiah prophesied in several places of high towers being thrown down, along with other imagery about pride being humbled. Clearly he wanted to make the point that military advantages and refuges were not sufficient to save without trusting in the Lord.

In the Book of Mormon, in Helaman 7, the prophet Nephi gets on a tower in his garden to pray. It’s a curious place to pray, but perhaps he may have sought spiritual refuge there.

In D&C 101:12 there is a curious promise – “And in that day all who are found upon the watch-tower, or in other words, all mine Israel, shall be saved.”  This combines the sense of watching and prophetic foresight with the sense of finding refuge and defense in the Lord. It is also possible that it captures a picture of a situation in which Israel and the righteous are under siege and attack.

Back to King Noah, though.  The tower gave King Noah the ability to observe the Lamanites invading, but by then he couldn’t do much besides warn them to flee.  I really like how later King Limhi used the tower to observe the Lamanites preparing for war.  This implies that he got up on that tower to observe much more often.  Discovering Lamanite preparations gave him and his people time to prepare themselves and fight, instead of just fleeing.

The spiritual counterpart of the tower as a place of refuge corresponds to the home and the temple.  The spiritual counterpart of the tower as a means of early warning corresponds to the counsel of the prophets.  Are we taking refuge as much as we can?  Are we listening to the warnings the prophets are giving in our day?

It seems to me that two big warnings we are being given today are about defending the family and standing up for religious freedom.  We need to figure out ways to do that as part of our everyday life of teaching and speaking.  I’m still working out for myself what I can do pertaining to those warnings.   Will you share what you are doing with regard to those two things?

Zeniff’s division of labor by gender

1 And it came to pass that we again began to establish the kingdom and we again began to possess the land in peace. And I caused that there should be weapons of war made of every kind, that thereby I might have weapons for my people against the time the Lamanites should come up again to war against my people.

2 And I set guards round about the land, that the Lamanites might not come upon us again unawares and destroy us; and thus I did guard my people and my flocks, and keep them from falling into the hands of our enemies.

3 And it came to pass that we did inherit the land of our fathers for many years, yea, for the space of twenty and two years.

4 And I did cause that the men should till the ground, and raise all manner of grain and all manner of fruit of every kind.

5 And I did cause that the women should spin, and toil, and work, and work all manner of fine linen, yea, and cloth of every kind, that we might clothe our nakedness; and thus we did prosper in the land—thus we did have continual peace in the land for the space of twenty and two years. (Mosiah 10:1-5)

In v4-5 I noticed recently that Zeniff tells how he divided the labor among his people along gender lines. The men tilled the land and the women did the spinning and weaving of cloth.

This seemed a little odd until it occurred to me that there might be a strategic element of defense to it.  In the previous chapter, the Nephites had just repelled an invasion from the Lamanites while they were out in their fields. So this section details the things the Nephites did to prepare to defend themselves in case of future problems of the same type. 

Spinning and weaving can be done at home where it is safe, so it would make sense for the women to do that there. If the men are out tilling the fields and feeding the flocks, they would be able to notice any invading armies approaching and then warn their families and form militias to repel the invaders. 

Zeniff also put guards around the land, so the guards were the first layer of defense, and the men in the fields were the second layer.

So, this makes me think that maybe the traditions of women staying in the homes is not necessarily a narrow-minded prejudice (though it has been used as such with arguments of women’s unfitness to be anywhere else), but an ancient defensive strategy meant for times when marauding armies approaching without warning were a real threat.  In that situation, it just makes sense to divide the labor in such a way as to protect the family the best.

Applying the strategy to today’s threats, where do you think the lines of defense should be put?

Ending persecution in the church

In Mosiah 27, there was a situation in Zarahemla in which the members of the church felt they were being subjected to great persecution from the unbelievers and they complained to Alma and Alma took it to King Mosiah.

I think it is neat to see how both Mosiah and Alma handled it. After counseling with the priests, King Mosiah made a proclamation that no unbeliever should persecute members of the church, but Alma also sent strict commands throughout the church that there should be no persecutions among church members as well.  They recognized that the problem could be coming from both sides equally. (None may be so blind to the persecutions they inflict as the members of the church, convinced as they are of their rightness.)

I like the things they instructed the church in:

3 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;

4 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.

5 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. (Mosiah 27:3-5)

So I see at least four ways that the church leaders wanted members to adjust their own attitudes in order to help decrease the contention and persecution:

“there should be an equality among all men” (v3)  -- Church members may have a tendency to look down on non-members, considering them benighted individuals and even to treat them as second-class citizens. It may all be subconscious, but nonmembers can tell when they are at a disadvantage, and it hurts them, just as it would hurt us if we were ignored or dismissed because of being Mormon.  So, we have to remember we’re all God’s children, and we’re all brothers and sisters and treat each other accordingly.

“they should let no pride nor haughtiness disturb their peace” (v4) – This is about what we do when we are the butt of the pride and haughtiness of the other guy.  Yes, it is obnoxious when people are scornful and proud and treat us like we’re the crud stuck to the bottom of their shoe, but if we know we’re children of God, we can be temperate in our responses and refrain from creating an even bigger problem by reviling back.  If we are disturbed by someone else’s pride, then we have given that person power over us. This is about stopping the conflict before it begins and about choosing to not be offended. 

“every man should esteem his neighbor as himself” (v5) – It is one thing to believe in the equality of man, but to esteem others as oneself takes it further along the continuum of charity. Do I trust others like I trust myself? Do I believe in the goodness of others like I do of myself? Do I accept and have patience with the weaknesses of others like I do myself? When I have conflict, do I dialogue on the issues as I would want to be dialogued with?

“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” (v5) – Physical labor has a wonderful way of reminding one of their physical limits, which is humbling.  In the Law of Moses, priests would partake in the sacrificial meal when worshippers brought their sacrifices, and when the priests labored with their own hands, they would retain appropriate respect for the work that went into bringing those sacrifices.  When priests and teachers work too, they won’t lay burdens on the people that would be too heavy, knowing they themselves will have to bear them.  This keeps leaders from persecuting members.

I think this is a good thing to think about because I would like to be sure I have a way to stand up for righteousness without persecuting.  What do you think?

Mosiah reads the record of the Zeniffites and the people’s reaction

5 And it came to pass that Mosiah did read, and caused to be read, the records of Zeniff to his people; yea, he read the records of the people of Zeniff, from the time they left the land of Zarahemla until they returned again.

6 And he also read the account of Alma and his brethren, and all their afflictions, from the time they left the land of Zarahemla until the time they returned again. (Mosiah 25:5-6)

This is interesting because it seems that even though the Book of Mosiah only gives us the record of Alma from the time they left Nephi-Lehi to the time they got to Zarahemla, evidently their record also contained history from further back to Zeniff.  It would be really interesting to see if they redacted King Noah’s history to reflect how things really were.

7 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. (Mosiah 25:7)

Why might it be helpful to us to know that these records were read to all the people? I suppose it gives us a preliminary picture of what it will be like in the day when all the books are opened and everyone’s works are read upon the housetops.

Some of us have had an opportunity to read our parents’ journals. What about our grandparents or great grandparents’? What will we learn from their lives? What will strike us with wonder and amazement about their accounts? Might we begin to see patterns that we would not have seen if we only read our parents’ accounts? Might we begin to understand how each generation affected the following generation?

8 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.

9 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.

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 bondage, 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 polluted state, they were filled with pain and anguish for the welfare of their souls.

12 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. (Mosiah 25:8-12)

We see here that records have the potential to arouse all kinds of different emotions, from every end of the spectrum, from pleasant to unpleasant. Joy, sorrow, gratitude, and pain all seem stronger when you knew the people in the story, and it is cranked up a notch when it is people you’re related to. We wish the story could have nothing but good, but we may be disappointed.

We also see that the people who had been part of the story became a sort of witness of the truth of the record. The people who escaped from the Lamanites were a witness that they had escaped, while it is sad to think of those who were not there because they had been killed by the Lamanites.  Also, Alma and his people just being there were a second witness of the power of God to deliver His people, and also they could attest to the polluted state of the Lamanites, who they had to escape from.

I suppose we may think that we have to choose an all-encompassing observation and emotion through which to see stories, but it may be hard to do that. Stories can be complex, and so can people, mixes of good and evil.

When I apply this story to myself, it makes me wonder what other records besides my journal will end up saying about me. I hope it is good things. I hope I can repent of my sins fast enough that my sins as recorded in others’ records will not be mentioned to me at the last day. 

The conversion of King Benjamin’s people: a progress checklist

I’m quoting 16 verses below, but I hope you will take a little time to read through them before going to what I have to say.

1 And now, it came to pass that when king Benjamin had made an end of speaking the words which had been delivered unto him by the angel of the Lord, that he cast his eyes round about on the multitude, and behold they had fallen to the earth, for the fear of the Lord had come upon them.

2 And they had viewed themselves in their own carnal state, even less than the dust of the earth. And they all cried aloud with one voice, saying: O have mercy, and apply the atoning blood of Christ that we may receive forgiveness of our sins, and our hearts may be purified; for we believe in Jesus Christ, the Son of God, who created heaven and earth, and all things; who shall come down among the children of men.

3 And it came to pass that after they had spoken these words the Spirit of the Lord came upon them, and they were filled with joy, having received a remission of their sins, and having peace of conscience, because of the exceeding faith which they had in Jesus Christ who should come, according to the words which king Benjamin had spoken unto them.

4 And king Benjamin again opened his mouth and began to speak unto them, saying: My friends and my brethren, my kindred and my people, I would again call your attention, that ye may hear and understand the remainder of my words which I shall speak unto you.

5 For behold, if the knowledge of the goodness of God at this time has awakened you to a sense of your nothingness, and your worthless and fallen state—

6 I say unto you, if ye have come to a knowledge of the goodness of God, and his matchless power, and his wisdom, and his patience, and his long-suffering towards the children of men; and also, the atonement which has been prepared from the foundation of the world, that thereby salvation might come to him that should put his trust in the Lord, and should be diligent in keeping his commandments, and continue in the faith even unto the end of his life, I mean the life of the mortal body—

7 I say, that this is the man who receiveth salvation, through the atonement which was prepared from the foundation of the world for all mankind, which ever were since the fall of Adam, or who are, or who ever shall be, even unto the end of the world.

8 And this is the means whereby salvation cometh. And there is none other salvation save this which hath been spoken of; neither are there any conditions whereby man can be saved except the conditions which I have told you.

9 Believe in God; believe that he is, and that he created all things, both in heaven and in earth; believe that he has all wisdom, and all power, both in heaven and in earth; believe that man doth not comprehend all the things which the Lord can comprehend.

10 And again, believe that ye must repent of your sins and forsake them, and humble yourselves before God; and ask in sincerity of heart that he would forgive you; and now, if you believe all these things see that ye do them.

11 And again I say unto you as I have said before, that as ye have come to the knowledge of the glory of God, or if ye have known of his goodness and have tasted of his love, and have received a remission of your sins, which causeth such exceedingly great joy in your souls, even so I would that ye should remember, and always retain in remembrance, the greatness of God, and your own nothingness, and his goodness and long-suffering towards you, unworthy creatures, and humble yourselves even in the depths of humility, calling on the name of the Lord daily, and standing steadfastly in the faith of that which is to come, which was spoken by the mouth of the angel.

12 And behold, I say unto you that if ye do this ye shall always rejoice, and be filled with the love of God, and always retain a remission of your sins; and ye shall grow in the knowledge of the glory of him that created you, or in the knowledge of that which is just and true.

13 And ye will not have a mind to injure one another, but to live peaceably, and to render to every man according to that which is his due.

14 And ye will not suffer your children that they go hungry, or naked; neither will ye suffer that they transgress the laws of God, and fight and quarrel one with another, and serve the devil, who is the master of sin, or who is the evil spirit which hath been spoken of by our fathers, he being an enemy to all righteousness.

15 But ye will teach them to walk in the ways of truth and soberness; ye will teach them to love one another, and to serve one another.

16 And also, ye yourselves will succor those that stand in need of your succor; ye will administer of your substance unto him that standeth in need; and ye will not suffer that the beggar putteth up his petition to you in vain, and turn him out to perish. (Mosiah 4:1-16

These verses are very powerful and very useful, since they describe for us in great detail the things that are done, said, prayed, felt, remembered, and believed to obtain and retain a forgiveness and remission of sins.  Actions and words are described, but also the very thoughts and feelings of the heart.  We learn not only what the people did and prayed, but also how they saw themselves, what they thought and felt about God, their belief, their feelings of relief from sin and guilt, their joy, and so on.

We can tell that King Benjamin is intimately acquainted with all they experience and he speaks to validate all they’ve felt and I suspect he uses his own experience as he tells them how they can retain those feelings.

I think this section is very useful for us today because it can show us how far we’ve progressed in spiritual experience, whether we’re in need of repentance, whether we’re in the middle of the process, or whether we’re trying to retain it from day to day.  It is wonderful to read and remember how we’ve felt and check where we are.  And if we haven’t felt those things, the account is an implicit encouragement to experiment on the word so that we can experience those things, to repent and change so we can feel it.  If we’ve lost the glow, it encourages us to go through those steps so we can feel it again.

I particularly like v1-4 because it describes not just a prayer of repentance, but the thoughts and feelings that instigated it, and the relief afterward.  I know in church we teach lessons about the repentance process from time to time, with meticulous steps that we write up on the board, but for some reason those four verses make it emotionally and spiritually real for me.  (I've felt what is described there, I've prayed as they have prayed, and felt that same consolation. If someone ever asked me about repentance, those four verses are what I would point them to.

Better to be a slave to the Nephites

This is what King Limhi says to Ammon when he finds out that Ammon is from Zarahemla.

For behold, we are in bondage to the Lamanites, and are taxed with a tax which is grievous to be borne. And now, behold, our brethren will deliver us out of our bondage, or out of the hands of the Lamanites, and we will be their slaves; for it is better that we be slaves to the Nephites than to pay tribute to the king of the Lamanites. (Mosiah 7:15)

That last bit about how slavery to the Nephites would be better than paying tribute to the Lamanites struck me recently.  It speaks to how the lowest status among good people who are in harmony with one’s beliefs is better than being an ally or tributary to wicked people who are hostile.

Of course, Limhi seems to have not known that the Nephites didn’t have slaves. (A later Ammon explains the absence of slavery to the Lamanite King Lamoni.) Maybe the Limhi’s people had slaves and assumed the Nephites elsewhere had slaves too.  But the facts were that there were no slaves among the Zarahemla Nephites at that time, so living with the Zarahemla Nephites was definitely to be preferred.

I think this also has a spiritual dimension too.  To be a slave in Zion is far better than to be an ally or tributary of Babylon. 

Do we believe that?  Or do we hold back doing what is required by God, thinking we are being enslaved?  The truth is, if we are not servants of God, then we are slaves of the devil.

Today let’s rejoice in being part of Zion and our privilege of serving there, which brings us so many great blessings.

The desires of King Noah’s heart

1 And now it came to pass that Zeniff conferred the kingdom upon Noah, one of his sons; therefore Noah began to reign in his stead; and he did not walk in the ways of his father.

2 For behold, he did not keep the commandments of God, but he did walk after the desires of his own heart. And he had many wives and concubines. And he did cause his people to commit sin, and do that which was abominable in the sight of the Lord. Yea, and they did commit whoredoms and all manner of wickedness. (Mosiah 11:1-2)

King Noah started lots of bad stuff, but I want to highlight one part of v2 that shows the relatively simple beginning of it, a beginning that looks so benign.

..he did not keep the commandments of God, but he did walk after the desires of his own heart..

King Noah’s wickedness started with following the desires of his own heart.  That’s kind of startling, especially since our culture makes “doing what you want” into a big virtue and a goal and a privilege. It should cause us to realize that it isn’t good for us to go after everything we want all the time.  And it makes us consider whether what we want is good or not. 

As Noah went after what he wanted, he undoubtedly came into conflict with the commandments of God, and he chose to break those commandments rather than sacrifice what he wanted. And we learn from reading the rest of his story that doing that ultimately led to his destruction.

So what we can learn is that the commandments of God are meant to be an obstacle to doing whatever we want.  (That’s the whole point of the “thou shalt nots”)  God put them there for that purpose to help us learn to regulate our desires, appetites, and passions so they wouldn’t destroy us.  When the commandments get in the way of our doing what we want, it is because they are protecting us from ourselves when doing what we want would be self-destructive.  They are even more helpful when effects of breaking them seem invisible or when the consequences are a very long time in coming and affect whole societies.

I’m grateful that the Atonement of Christ and being born again makes it possible to have my desires educated and changed and sanctified over time.