Moroni 7-9 "May Christ Lift Thee Up" - Faith, Hope, and Charity in a Difficult Year

After the Lamanites destroyed the last of the Nephites, and Moroni, the only survivor, said those poignant and heart-breaking words, "... for I am alone, My father hath been slain in battle, and all my kinfolk, and I have not friends nor whither to go ..." (Mormon 8:5), what happened to him?

For one thing, he didn't die as soon as he expected. I think he found great comfort in reading the words of Ether, a man that was also hiding in the wilderness and recording the records of his people, just like Moroni. When we reach Moroni 7-9, and Moroni shares some of the things that his father Mormon had taught or written to him. Moroni had great faith in his Savior, Jesus Christ. He had his own faith, and he had the faith of great men like Ether and his father Mormon to further bolster him so that he was alone but not alone.

Moroni Hides the Plates in the Hill Cumorah

by Tom Lovell

This year, I have spent time interviewing my parents and learning their stories. Most recently, I learned that my great-grandfather died after being drafted into World War II. I learned that as a boy, my grandfather's family lived in an area so remote that they had to move to a village when they decided to put him in school as a child. I learned about these generations that came before me, before my father became the first in his family to move to America, where he raised my family.

I think about how fascinating it has been to learn about my parents and their parents, and then I read the Book of Mormon and think about how this is our heritage too, that these records were written for us, that we could learn from them. And that they are written about their neighbors, their fathers, their brothers, and, though rarely mentioned, their mothers, wives, and sisters. 

Knowing that Moroni was all alone, and that the was reflecting on the words of Ether and of his father Mormon, and that at this point, he was surprised to still be alive, makes what he focused on in Moroni 7 all the more meaningful, as he talks about faith, hope, and charity. 

Regarding charity, Moroni 7:8 says, "For behold, if a man being evil giveth a gift, he doeth it grudgingly; wherefore it is counted unto him the same as if he had retained the gift; wherefore he is counted evil before God."

Those words are harsh but think of it as the spirit of the law vs the letter of the law. If your neighbor offered to help you with a project, but you learned that the entire time they were helping you, they were railing against you in their head, judging you, and thinking poorly of you, would you still want that help? Isn't part of what feels good about that help believing that someone cares about you and is gladly helping you to lift a burden? And having their company with you? When you take away the heart and leave only the mechanics, it doesn't feel like a service or a kindness. In fact, if you see what they were thinking, you would feel worse after receiving help than better. Thankfully, that's a worst case scenario but it's one to think about as you are "anxiously engaged in a good cause."

Sharon Eubank, in the talk "By Union of Feeling We Obtain Power with God," from October 2020 General Conference, said: "Jacob 2:17 reads, 'Think of your [brothers and sisters] like unto yourselves, and be familiar with all and free with your substance, that they may be rich like unto you.' Let's replace the word substance with mercy - be free with your mercy that they may be rich like unto you. We often think of substance in terms of food or money, but perhaps what we all need more of in our ministering is our mercy.'"

Moroni 7:45 says, "And charity suffereth long, and is kind, and envieth not, and is not puffed up, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil, and rejoiceth not in inquity but rejoiceth in truth, beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things." 

I've see a lot of sickness around me this year. Not just from Covid-19 itself but from people more focused on being angry about how they are being personally inconvenienced by the pandemic. These struggles are real and I fully recognize that but everyone has been struggling in one way or another, we have all been impacted in one way or another, and how we choose to internalize these scriptures, how we choose to find empathy and charity in our life, will change our perspective on how we handle our trials.

In the talk, "Wounded," from October 2018, Neil L. Anderson said, "The wounded who nurse the wounds of others are God's angels on earth." 

Henry B. Eyring, in the talk, "Tested, Proved, and Polished," said, "... we must notice the tribulation of others and try to help. That will be especially hard when we are being sorely tested ourselves. But we will discover as we lift another's burden, even a little, that our backs are strengthened and we sense a light in the darkness."

Although I have seen a lot of sickness around me this year, I've thankfully also seen a lot of healing. 

Some examples:

• Near the beginning of the pandemic, a restaurant (Magleby's) that suddenly found business was slow was able to afford to keep paying their employees, and had them go serve other businesses in the hospitality business that had been impacted by Covid. So, they kept employees employed, and rather than benefiting themselves, they tried to help other struggling businesses. They could have been upset that they were suddenly leaking money everywhere but instead, they looked around, saw that they had enough, and went looking for who else they could help.
  
  
• My sister took her two oldest children and playing music for a woman that had become a widow right before the pandemic began, and was now being isolated right at the time when she needed people around her the most. The widow watched from her open door while my sister and her kids stayed more than 6 feet away, with large instruments (including a cello) that they had lugged down the street to set up in front of her house. Not only did this widow appreciate the music but the widow's children, who worried about their mother, felt encompassed by an action that was based on mercy and love. I share this example because I personally read the notes that this widow's family posted on Instagram, but I know this isn't an isolated example of kindness. 

Moroni said it perfectly in Moroni 8:16: "for perfect love casteth out all fear."

Moroni promises in Moroni 7:16, "the Spirit of Christ is given to every man, that he may know good from evil" and in Moroni 7:12, "in Christ there should come every good thing."

Moroni 7:29 promises us, "have miracles ceased? Behold I say unto you, Nay; neither have angels ceased to minister unto the children of men." 

In the talk, "I Believe in Angels," by Carlos A. Godoy, he says, "The Lord is always looking for willing volunteers to be angels in other's lives."

There are angels in heaven, and angels on earth. As we work to have faith, hope, and charity, may we be an angel on earth for others, may we be "faithful in Christ" so that we can lift others up as Christ lifts us up. (Moroni 9:15).

I'm thankful for this Christmas season and for the gifts we have been given. I'm thankful that through my faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, I can have hope and that I can follow him and be both the giver and receiver of charity.

Ether 12-15: Faith to Overcome or "By Faith All Things are Fulfilled"

Before going into Ether 12-15, please note that I posted an extra topic last week and then posted my lesson thoughts later on in the afternoon so you may have missed "Prayer and Gratitude" from the three previously posted thoughts from the book of Ether:

• Context and Timelines from the Book of Ether
• Ether 6-11: Prayer and Gratitude
• Ether 1-5: The Brother of Jared Prayed

Faith through Trials: A Brief Recap
I love the theme of Faith we see in Ether 12-15. We see how important this is because Ether 12-15 covers 28 generations of men, starting with the son of Jared who became the first king of the land, and was a good king. Jared's descendants led to seven good kings in a row from the seven generations of sons, BUT unfortunately, during those seven generations, wicked sons and son-in-laws overthrew those good kings multiple times, and the land was frequently in turmoil. Throughout the next 21 generations, there was a mix of good sons and bad sons, and when the sons were bad, they were really bad. They threw their fathers into captivity, one threw his own son into prison and ensured he starved to death. Incredibly, by the end, there were only two wicked leaders left, and they killed each other, thus finishing off a people that had been sent to the Promised Land and had had so much ... promise. Yet, despite this disturbing end, we learn that throughout those pockets of greed and wickedness, there were faithful followers of God that were truly tested and were blessed for their faith. 

Ether Taught about Faith
In Ether 12, Ether cried unto the people "from the morning, even until the going down of the sun, exhorting the people to believe in God unto repentance lest they should be destroyed, saying unto them that by faith all things are fulfilled." (Ether 12:3).

How many times in the history of the world, including right now as we struggle through a pandemic and in the U.S., great political turmoil, have these words spoken to you? "Wherefore, whoso believeth in God might with surety hope for a better world?" (Ether 12:4).  

Ether teaches that faith:

1) Is "an anchor to the souls of men" (Ether 12: 4)

2) Is "things which are hoped for and not seen" (Ether 12:6)

3) Leads to the gift of hope, "if ye will but have faith" (Ether 12:9)

4) Is needed for the Lord to perform miracles. (Ether 12:12, 16, 18)

In Weakness We are Made Strong
I have always been moved by this scripture:

"And if men come unto me I will show unto them their weakness. I give unto men weakness that they may be humble; and my grace is sufficient for all men that humble themselves before me; for if they humble themselves before me, and have faith in me, then will I make weak things become strong unto them." (Ether 12:27)

I want to share three perspectives on this scripture:

1. Moroni's inadequacy. Moroni, the son of Mormon, who abridged Ether's records, shared his fear with the Lord that he was not "mighty in writing like unto the brother of Jared." Who else does this remind you of? How about Moses, who told the Lord that he feared his inability to speak well before the people? (Exodus 4:10–12; 14:31) How about modern day general authorities that have shared the inadequacy they felt to take on these roles and help lead and guide faithful followers of Christ? Although these are the examples that immediately came to my mind, the Come Follow Me guide for Sunday School also lists Enoch (Moses 6:31–34; 7:13), Gideon (Judges 6:12–16; 8:22–23), Peter (Luke 5:8–10; 22:55–62; Acts 4:13–21), and Joseph Smith (Joseph Smith—History 1:28; Doctrine and Covenants 35:17; 135:3). I'm thankful that these records were protected and shared with us in this modern day, that we could see and learn that even some of the greatest and most faithful people to have ever walked this earth had weaknesses and felt inadequate at times. I'm grateful for the reassurance that the Lord will "make weak things become strong unto them." 

2. The story of Tom Holdman. I've shared this story in the past, but I had the opportunity to hear Tom speak at a local meeting many years ago. He really made a big impression on me during a year where I was battered on all sides by a difficult work environment. Tom is a stained glass artist that has created many of the beautiful stained glass works in many of the temples throughout the world. Tom is not defined by his impairment, which appears to be a fairly severe case of Tourette syndrome that interrupts his own speech. He is defined by his faith in the Lord and what he has been able to accomplish because of his faith. You can see some of his incredible stained glass work for temples around the world here. When Tom spoke at this meeting, he started with Ether 12:27 that I quoted above. I did not know he had a speech impediment at the beginning of this talk but it soon became apparent. In a 2015 issue of Friend magazine, Tom said, "I was born with a speech impediment, which means I stutter. When I was a child, I was often treated unkindly. But it actually blessed me because I had to find other ways to express myself. Through my art, people can feel my love for the Savior."

I doubt that impediment felt like a blessing to Tom for a great many years but Tom was faithful, and the Lord made weak things become strong. He has a beautiful wife and family and has done much to bring beauty and light into the world mostly through his stained glass work but even in speech, where the place where he inspired me was speaking in front of a group when I needed to hear his words.

3. My own weaknesses. Personally, I've never liked being the center of the attention in a room full of people, raising my hand, or speaking before a group. Through high school and college, I always tried to sit behind someone bigger than me, or with large hair, so I could disappear into the room. I'm no longer shy as an adult but I prefer 1:1 interactions over group interactions, and I have to really push myself to raise my hand and speak up in groups. I "fake it" really well as I can be quite social in smaller groups, so this isn't a known thing. However, speaking up in large groups has been a weakness for me and impacted my schooling and careers, as both in school and work, in American culture, being loud and confident in front of others is often equated with intelligence and awarded accordingly.

Today, I'm an adult Sunday School teacher, and that means leading the discussion and teaching the lesson in front of a large group of adults. I always felt that one day I would be asked to do this in church, in fact, I quite strongly felt that this was coming. However, by the time it happened, the Lord had prepared me and made weak things become strong. I had faithfully tried to do my best with all of my previous church callings, including one of my first ones, where I stood up when the Relief Society met on Sundays, and gave a brief music appreciation highlight each Sunday. I learned what worked best for me to prepare to speak before a group. I learned to rely on the Lord. I learned to become more comfortable in myself as I taught with conviction and faith in the things the Spirit had inspired me to consider and teach. Every calling I took in church, as well as every task I had to do in my full-time job as a Product Manager in technology, forced me to learn skills that allow me to teach in front of adults. 

Trust in the Lord in All Things
I want to end with a quote from David A. Bednar, in the October General Conference talk, "We Will Prove them Herewith," said, "Faithfulness is not foolishness or fanaticism. Rather, it is trusting and placing our confidence in Jesus Christ as our Savior, on His name, and in His promises. As we 'press forward with a steadfastness in Christ, having a perfect brightness of hope, and a love of God and of all men,' we are blessed with an eternal perspective and vision that stretches far beyond our limited mortal capacity."

I'm so grateful for the Gospel of Christ and the sure knowledge I have that through Him, weak things can be made strong, that we can overcome the trials in this world. 

Preserved by His Marvelous Power - Come Follow Me - Alma 53-63

This week's Come Follow Me study covered Alma 53-63. I had been looking forward to reaching these chapters as it contains one of the most beloved stories of the Book of Mormon, Helaman leading his army of 2,000 stripling warriors because their parents had made a covenant that they would never pick up their weapons of war and shed bled again. This is not the only incredible story in this section of scripture so a quick recap:

• Pahoran, who was a good and righteous chief judge, has just replaced his father. King-men used this opportunity to try to overthrow the judges and put a king in place. King-men were high born and were basically looking out for themselves. Freeman opposed them.
• Moroni had to waste precious resources defeating the King-men, who were happy to let the Lamanites ravish their lands since the couldn't put one of their own in place as king. In causing this strife, the king-men weakened the armies that had to direct their energies elsewhere, and the Lamanites were able to steal away many of their fortified cities
• 2000 stripling warriors took the place of their fathers to help in the war against the Lamanites, who want to steal their land. They did this to protect the people who had taken them in and protected them. They asked Helaman to lead their army.
• The Nephites had many successes with great leaders like Moroni, Helaman, Teancum, and Lehi at the head of their armies. They employed many clever methods that the Lamanites later tried to employ unsuccessfully. One of them was using the Stripling Warriors to lure the Lamanites out of their stronghold. Another was getting them drunk. 
• Pahoran and Moroni exchange epistles in which Moroni learns about the king-men uprising and sends armies to help Pahoran.

A Love for their Brethern
This time as I read these verses, what struck me in Alma 53 was that the Ammonites, or the people that had made the covenant to never shed bled again, (also known as former Lamanites, or the "Anti-Nephi-Lehies") were ready to break their oath because they were watching the very people that had saved them from the Lamanites and protected them, now being assaulted by those Lamanites. The Nephites were now in "the most dangerous circumstances" (Alma 53:9) and the Ammonites knew the would have "fallen into the hands of their brethern had it not been for the pity and the exceeding love which Ammon and his brethern had had for them" (Alma 53:11).

The Anti-Nephi-Lehies Burying their Swords
https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/media/image/anti-nephi-lehies-bury-weapons-0c59e57?lang=eng

They did not want to break their oath yet they were "moved with compassion" toward their brothers that had protected them. This is when Helaman convinced them not to risk losing their souls by breaking their oath. Helaman knew the dangers of the Lamanites but his love of God's children and his love of God was so great that he knew they should not break their oath, that there was another when. When the 2,000 sons that had had grown up and were not under the oath asking Helaman to lead them, they agreed. In each case, the Ammonites, the sons of the Ammonites, and Helaman were motived by a love for their brethern and a love of God.

While the parents of these stripling warriors had much faith, remember that the wars between the Nephites and Lamanites, and also a dissenting group within the Nephites, the king-men and the freeman, had resulted in many deaths and many losses. I imagine that the fathers and mothers of these stripling warriors were proud of their sons but also they must have been a little scared. After all, being righteous did not guarantee being protected from death. In Alma 60:13, Moroni, chief captain over the army writes to Paharon, chief governor of the land, and states, 

"For the Lord suffereth the righteous to be slain that his justice and judgement  may come upon the wicked; therefore ye need not suppose that the righteous are lost because they are slain; but behold, they do not enter into the rest of Lord their God."

Their Parents Taught them Faith
The stripling warriors had never fought before but there were two particularly large battles against the Lamanites that emerged with the Stripling Warriors, and each time, no lives were lost among these 2,000. 

I love the respect and love from Helaman to these warriors in which he called them his sons, when he wrote to Moroni about them. He later talks about their obedience and faith and how it led to success in battle: 

"Yea, and they did obey and observe to perform every word of command with exactness; yea, and even according to their faith it was done unto them; and I did remember the words which they said unto me that their mothers had taught them." (Alma 57:21).

What are these words?

Helaman explained, 

"... they did not fear death; and they did think more upon the liberty of their fathers than they did upon their lives; yea, they had been taught by their mothers, that if they did not doubt, God would deliver them. And they rehearsed unto me the words of their mothers, saying: We do not doubt our mothers knew it." (Alma 56:47-48).

Liberty, not Bloodshed
The scriptures were emphatic about the motives between the Lamanites and the Nephites. The Lamanites were focused on vengeance against perceived wrongs taught to them by Laman and Lemuel. They were led by a king (Amalickiah) who had earned that crown by deceit and by slowly poisoning the previous king. The Nephites had one goal, their title of Liberty. 

When Helaman writes to Moroni to recount how they had successfully defended their cities and taken back the land in their region, he restates the same things that Moroni wrote in the Title of Liberty, 

"... the Lord our God did visit us with assurances that he would deliver us; yea, insomuch that he did speak peace to our souls, and did grant unto us great faith, and did cause us that we should hope for our deliverance in him. And we did take courage with our small force which we had received, and were fixed with a determination to conquer our enemies, and to maintain our lands, and our possessions, and our wives, and our children, and the cause of our liberty" (Alma 58:11-12).

While the Lamanites were taking Nephite woman and children captive, and slaying Nephite men, the Nephites were taking men captive in hopes of future trades. In fact, in Alma 62:27, they let Lamanite prisoners to make a covenant to join the people of Ammon as free people. They were interested in capture and destruction. Moroni found several opportunities to take back strongholds without killing. In one case, he tricked the Lamanites into becoming drunk (by sending Laman, an old former servant of the former Lamanite king) who lied and said he had escaped with wine. Moroni used that opportunity to free his people, not to destroy:

"But behold, this was not the desire of Moroni; he did not delight in murder or bloodshed but he delighted in the saving of his people from destruction; and for this cause he might not bring upon him injustice, he would not fall upon the Lamanites and destroy them in their drunkness." (Alma 55:19).

Moroni explained himself simply to Pahoran. 

"I seek not for power, but to pull it down. I seek not for honor of the world, but for the glory of my God, and the freedom and welfare of my country." (Alma 60:36).

 

Captain Moroni Raises the Title of Liberty

https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/media/image/captain-moroni-title-liberty-82ae654?lang=eng

They Grew Weak when they Forgot, and Found Happiness when they Remembered
I talked in my previous post about the amazing amount of preparation that Moroni put into protecting his people. It's frustrating that he built up and fortified every city so well, only to have many of them stolen away by the Lamanites. Of course, we learn in these chapters that Moroni takes many of the cities back, and then Helaman does the same with all of the cities in his area. However, how could this happen?

It takes me back to what I discussed in the previous post, that we must prepare always and watch always. There were three contentions mentioned during this set of scriptures, one that was not described in detail, one with the king-men trying to repeatedly overthrow the chief judge and put one of their own in place as king, and one with the people of Morianton trying to claim a part of the land of Lehi, unrighteously. Moroni writes in frustration to Pahoran that "had it not been for the war which broke among us" (specifically referencing the king-men), "had they been true to the cause of our freedom, and united with us, and gone forth against our enemies ... if we had gone forth against them in the strength of the Lord, we should have dispersed our enemies."

By Alma 62 the king-men had been quelled, and the people of Nephi began to prosper again, in fact, it says they grew "exceedingly rich." The key here, though, was that when they put their title of liberty first, when they looked to God, they were happy.

"But notwithstanding their riches, or their strength, or their prosperity, they were not lifted up in the pride of their eyes; neither were they slow to remember the Lord their God; but they did humble themselves exceedingly before him. 

"Yea, they did remember how great things the Lord had done for them, that he had delivered them from death, and from bonds, and from prisons, and from all manner of afflictions, and he had delivered them out of the hands of their enemies. 

 "And they did pray unto the Lord their God continually, insomuch that the Lord did bless them, according to his word, so that they did wax strong and prosper in the land." (Alma 62:49-51)

I leave my thoughts by rewinding from the 39th year of the reign of the judges from which the book of Alma ends, back to Alma 50 when "there never was a happier time among the people of Nephi, since the days of Nehpi, than in the days of Moroni, yea, even at this time, in the twenty and first year of the reignt of the judges." (Alma 50:23).

May we look at these two times of happiness and prosperity and remember that during these times, the people were looking to God, they were not caught up in pride, and they were constantly preparing and fortifying themselves both physically and spiritually. 

Alma 32-35: Alma Taught the Zoramites Faith, Humility, and Prayer

Ten days ago, a six-year-old boy threw himself in front of his four-year-old sister when a German shepherd began charging them. They had just entered the backyard of the home that their family was visiting when the dog began to charge them. The six-year-old successfully protected his sister, while being bitten in the face, a wound that required 90 stitches to close.

I first read this story on KSL News, where it stated that in the account repeated by his father, the boy, Bridger Walker, said that “after the dog bit him, he yelled for his sister to run away; and when the dog released his grip, he ran to his sister, leading her to a safe part of the yard.” 

I thought of this boy’s bravery and sacrifice as I read Alma 32-35 in the Book of Mormon. If I were to summarize each of the four chapters of Alma 32-35 in one word per chapter, the words I would choose are: humility, prayer, prepare, and faith. In summary, these chapters are about Alma preaching to the poor among the Zoramites who had not been allowed into the synagogues to worship. Alma taught that if we humble ourselves before God, if we understand that we can pray to him anytime, anywhere, and if we listen and prepare for the day when we will one day meet God and be held accountable for how we have lived this life, our faith will make us whole. In these chapters, many people turned away from the incorrect beliefs they had been following in order to turn to God. They were persecuted for their beliefs and had to leave their homes to find somewhere to worship safely.

Faith

I compare these themes and stories to this boy’s faith and how he had been taught. His family had studied the scriptures and in a Sunday discussion shortly before the attack, talked about personal sacrifice and service. Bridger knew what was important to him, his family. His sister was smaller than him, and he made his decisions without hesitation.

Remember, Bridger was only six, and while suffering from a wound that required 90 stitches, his top-most thought wasn’t calling for help, or how much he hurt, or if he was scared, it was making sure that his sister was safe. The heroism is even more significant when you realize that the boy thought he might die. In the hospital, the boy explained to his father, “If someone had to die, I thought it should be me.” 

The faith that leads to sacrifice and service comes in all shapes and sizes. It doesn’t always have to be a big, grand gestures, and it is often thankless and unnoticed, like Alma and the sons of Mosiah that earnestly taught about God in lands where they weren’t always welcome and like the followers of God that had to give up their homes to worship safely.

Alma 32:21-22 says, “21. And now as I said concerning faith - faith is not to have a perfect knowledge of things therefore if ye have faith ye hope for things which are not seen, which are true. 22. And now, behold, I say unto you, and I would that ye should remember, that God is merciful unto all who believe on his name; therefore he desireth, in the first place, that ye should believe, yea, even on his word.”

The worshippers of God showed faith that by choosing the right way they would be doing the right thing, and that was what what mattered the most. Little Bridger showed faith in the stories of sacrifice and service that his father had taught, and did what he felt was the right thing, and that was what mattered the most.

Humility

One of the big themes of this set of scriptures is humility, and how we are blessed for our humility, even more so when we are humble by choice instead of by circumstance. Alma 32:16 says, “Blessed are they who humble themselves without being compelled to be humble.” The poor had become humbled in these scriptures because they were deprived of the right to worship, and while that humility led them to the truth, Alma taught that it would be even better if they were humble out of choice.

The story about Bridger’s heroism was first shared by family members on social media but as the story has gained momentum, people have reached out to contribute to bills. I admire the humility of the family in stating that they weren’t seeking gain, and instead prayerfully identifying three charities that they asked people to consider donating to instead (Mission 22, Operation Undergroud Railroad, and The Wounded Warrior Project).

Prayer

At no point did Bridger’s family blame the family friends whose yard Bridger and his sister entered before the dog attacked Bridger. Instead, they asked those reading about their story to include the owners of the dog in their thoughts and prayers, expressing their love for that family.

Alma 33 focuses on prayer and how it is welcome to all. It quotes the prayer of the prophet Zenos, as he recounted to the Lord in prayer that he was able to prayer to him in the wilderness, in his field, in his house, in his closet, and no matter where, the Lord heard his prayers. 

The scriptures are of great hope. They share that even if we have just a little bit of hope, a little bit of faith, if we nurture it like a good seed, it will grow. In Alma 33:23, Alma concludes the chapter, “And now, my brethren, I desire that ye shall plant this word in your hearts, and as it beginneth to swell even so nourish it by your faith. And behold, it will become a tree, springing up in you unto everlasting life. And then may God grant unto you that your burdens may be light, through the joy of his Son. And even all this can ye do if ye will. Amen.”

The Book of Mosiah: Gathered in Zarahemla (Come Follow Me study)

This post covers Mosiah 25-29. The Come Follow Me reading for this week is Mosiah 25-28.

Mosiah may genuinely be one of my favorite books in the Book of Mormon. Every time I read it, I am overwhelmed with the awareness of the goodness of God and his hand in our lives. I say this knowing that so many people suffer so many terrible things in this world, and it doesn't seem right, but I truly believe that He suffers when we suffer. In the grand view of the eternities, our life on earth is but a small drop of time. If we can hang on through the tough times, it will get better, and we will return to our Father in Heaven, where all will be well.

Four Sons of Mosiah Kneeling in Prayer

Photo Source: Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints website

I want to focus today's thoughts on three themes that stuck out to me the most in Mosiah 25-29, the last chapters of Mosiah. These are themes I've talked about before from other verses of the Book of Mormon and the Bible, which just reaffirms for me their great importance:

1. The importance of record keeping. 

At this point in the book, all the people that we know of that are trying to follow God have reunited in Zarahemla:

1. The descendants of Zeniff (Limhi and his people) that left for the land of Nephi and then ended up in bondage to the Lamanites have escaped back to Zarahemla.

2. Ammon and King Mosiah's other men who went searching for the descendants of Zeniff have returned to Zarahemla with Limhi and his people.

3. Alma, the prophet who listened to the prophet Abinadi and led 450 faithful people into the wilderness, and were eventually put in bondage by the Lamanites have also escaped and returned to Zarahemla.

4. The wicked priests of Noah that kidnapped Lamanites and ended up with Alma's people have already gone to Zarahemla and changed their names to Nephites because they don't want to be associated with that evil (Mosiah 25:12)

It is because of these records, and the records that were brought together that Mosiah read to the reunited people, that they, and now us, know of their stories. I love picturing the people gathered together as they gasped and reacted to the history as it was shared to the people. (Mosiah 8-11). I related to to Mosiah 25:8 when it says, "For they know not what to think" as it goes through their emotions of great joy and grew sorrow for what happened to their brethern.

Throughout the Book of Mormon, we get updates on who is keeping the records, and how they are being handed off. Near the end of Mosiah, King Mosiah uses seer stones to translate some of the new records that came into his care from all the people gathering in Zarahemla, and then he entrusts them to Alma the Younger, to both care for and to continue the history of his people. (See Mosiah 28:20)

What experiences are you living through now, and what have you learned from them, that can bless others? What legacy do you want to live behind? I was intrigued as a read someone's hand-written history recently how they divided their history: 88% about their personal work history, 5% listing their trips, 4% listing their church positions and one story of faith, and 3% about family that skimmed over spouse, children, and grand-children. What balance do you want in your history? Or do you have one at all? Even writing an annual Christmas newsletter and binding those together could be a decent history. Think of the book of Enos, where Amaron summarized 320 years of the history of his people in just five verses! (Omni, 1:4-8).

2. The blessings of great faith.

Throughout the Book of Mormon and the Bible, there are great stories of mighty faith, and how the Lord blessed them. When Alma has to deal with people that are taken "in divers iniquities" (Mosiah 26:11) he goes to the Lord in prayer about what to do, rather than taking advantage of his power.

The Lord answers him, "Blessed art thou, Alma, and blessed are they who were baptized in the waters of Mormon. Thou art blessed because of they exceeding faith in the words along of my servant Abinadi. And blessed are they because of their exceeding faith in the words alone which thou has spoken unto them."

Remember, those that were baptized in the waters of Mormon had to leave behind their belongs and flee into the wilderness to practice what they believed.

Another area where I saw great faith was after a son of Alma and the sons of Mosiah repented, the sons of Mosiah wanted to return to the land of Nephi to preach repentance. I'm sure Mosiah would have liked to keep his children near and safe, after all, his sons had to plead "for many days," (Mosiah 28:5). Mosiah trusted in the Lord though, who told him, "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." (Mosiah 28:7).

3. The importance of loving everyone and what that means.

Mosiah was a good and faithful man. In fact, it says in Mosiah 29:40 that, "... 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 sou; 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."

His love was selfless.

In addition, he fought for fairness between all groups. It says in Mosiah 27:3-4, "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. That they should let no pride nor haughtiness disturb that peace; that every man should esteem his neighbor as himself, laboring with their own hands for their support.

When men were brought before Mosiah that were doing bad things, he asked Alma to figure out what to do, and Alma turned to the Lord (Mosiah 26). They both sought to be fair.

Conclusion
When the book of Mosiah draws to a close, two great men, King Mosiah, and Alma have passed away.

King Mosiah's legacy is one that was esteemed greatly and loved greatly by his people "exceedingly, beyond measure" (Mosiah 29:40).

Alma's legacy was founding the church in the land of Zarahemla, which you can see best through the son that he raised, who "did walk in the ways of the Lord, and he did keep his commandments, and he did judge righteous judgements; and there was continual peace through the land" (Mosiah 29:43).

Alma (the elder) then died at 82, and Mosiah then died at 63, 509 years after Lehi left Jerusalem (Mosiah 29:46).

What an incredible legacy and a story of great faith among so many.