3 Nephi 1-7: Come Follow Me - "Lift Up Your Head and Be of Good Cheer" - Unity

We see in 3 Nephi 1-7 that the war between good and evil continues, and in fact, is so great that it leads to a battle that is described as “there never was known so great a slaughter among all the people of Lehi since he left Jerusalem.” (3 Nephi 4:11) Think of all the great battles that have happened in the scriptures up to this point. Previous scriptures have talked about rivers turning dark with the blood of the dead. Thousands and thousands have died, yet this battle is the greatest slaughter to have happened in the 600 years since Lehi took his people to the Promised Land. In our day, this was their World War I.

How did this happen, when there were people that were trying to live righteously? Why does the "Come Follow Me" manual focus on the theme of "Lift Up Your Head and Be of Good Cheer?"

It says in 3 Nephi 2:11, “... for the Gadianton robbers had become so numerous, and did slay so many of the people, and did lay waste to so many cities, and did spread so much death and carnage throughout the land, that it became expedient that all the people, both the Nephites and the Lamanites, should take up arms against them.”

Through pride and greed, the Nephites had weakened their defenses enough that the Gadianton robbers could not only grow, but thrive secretly. Yet,t he Nephites did have reason to cheer. They re-learned unity. When the Nephites united and listened to the prophet Gidgiddoni, they were protected and they thrived as they grouped themselves together in a safe area, and protected each other from the robbers. Sure, they had to live away from their homes for ten years but the Gadianton robbers learned that they were dependent on stealing and robbing from the Nephites, and when the Nephites were united in their stronghold, the robbers were unable to take from them. The robbers eventually died by the thousands, unable to defeat them in battle, unable to find food to sustain themselves.

In 3 Nephi 4:33, it says of the Nephites, “And their hearts were swollen with joy, unto the gushing out of many tears, because of the great goodness of God in delivering them out of the hands of their enemies; and they knew it was because of their repentance and their humility that they had been delivered from an everlasting destruction.” 

In 3 Nephi 5:1, it says, “And now behold, there was not a living soul among all the people of the Nephites who did doubt in the least the words of all the holy prophets who had spoken; for they knew that it must needs be that they must be fulfilled.”

They therefore did “forsake all their sins, and their abominations, and their whoredoms, and they did serve God with all diligence day and night.” (3 Nephi 5:3).

We see the strength of unity in this experience. We also, unfortunately, see the downside of lack of unity when by 3 Nephi 7, the people have “divided one against another,” so that it became clan against clan, with uncomfortable treaties between each clan but no loyalty to the whole or to their God. 

In April 2018 General Conference, in “With One Accord,” Sister Reyna I. Aburto states:

Every one of our paths is different, yet we walk them together. Our path is not about what we have done or where we have been; it is about where we are going and what we are becoming, in unity. When we counsel together guided by the Holy Ghost, we can see where we are and where we need to be. The Holy Ghost gives us a vision that our natural eyes cannot see, because “revelation is scattered among us,”18 and when we put that revelation together, we can see more.

As we work in unity, our purpose should be to look for and do the Lord’s will; our incentive should be the love we feel for God and for our neighbor;19 and our greatest desire should be to “labor diligently,”20 so we can prepare the way for the glorious return of our Savior. The only way we will be able to do so is “with one accord.”

In 3 Nephi 7, we meet Jacob, who has made himself king over the secret combinations, and we also see that Nephi has so great of faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, “that angels did minister unto him daily.” Many were converted and unified, while many chose to divide. Our Heavenly Father shored up his prophets and sought in earnest to bring people to Him while the devil was doing the opposite.

When we are  unified together, under God, we can overcome our differences. I see the great love our Father in Heaven has for us, that he repeatedly and patiently sends prophets and leaders to remind us, over and over again, to focus on what matters most.

I am reminded by the talk “Deep In Our Heart,” from Elder Douglas D. Homes. He says, “The gospel of Jesus Christ is the greatest cause in the world. President Ezra Taft Benson said: ‘We are commanded by God to take this gospel to all the world. That is the cause that must unite us today. Only the gospel will save the world from the calamity of its own self-destruction. Only the gospel will unite men [and women] of all races and nationalities in peace. Only the gospel will bring joy, happiness, and salvation to the human family.’27”

While I am deeply saddened that after 10 years away from their homes, and after so much unity, the Nephites began to fall to “secret combinations,” the last scripture in the chapter also provides some reassurance. 3 Nephi 7:26: “And there were many in the commencement of this year that were baptized unto repentance; and thus the more part of the year did pass away.”

We truly can "lift up our head and be of good cheer" as we understand that the Lord sends prophets to guide and protect us, that we can unify together. We see the examples provide by Sister Aburto in "With One Accord," of people helping people through great and devastating trials. We can gather ourselves together and be strengthened in Christ, and we can strengthen each other.

Helaman 13-16 - Glad Tidings of Great Joy - God will Never Desert Us - Come Follow Me

 As we read the scriptures, one of the patterns that we can see is that people were happiest when they remembered their God and obeyed his commandments, even when times were tough. Another pattern that we see is that Heavenly Father never gave up on children, even when they had forgotten Him. He did then back then, and does this now, by sending prophets to warn and guide us.

In the April 2018 General Conference talk, “Am I a Child of God,” Brian K. Taylor said, “When you feel hurt, lost, scared, upset, sad, hungry, or hopelessly abandoned in life’s extremities -- open the Book of Mormon and you will come to know that [God] will never desert us. He never has, and he never will. He cannot do it. It is not his character [to do so].” 

Samuel the Lamanite

When I opened my scriptures to this week’s Come Follow Me study, Helaman 13-16, this pattern was reaffirmed for me yet again, in Samuel the Lamanite for three main reasons:

1. Samuel, a Lamanite, was a prophet of God 

The Lamanites are famous for being offspring of Laman and Lemuel, and raising generations that had been wrongly taught and sought revenge for false grievances that their fathers had taught to them. 

Yet, the Lord acknowledges that the Lamanites did not have the benefit of the light and knowledge that Nephi and his brother Jacob taught their descendants and their people because of Laman and Lemeul. Therefore, they were given opportunities, through prophets, to learn the truth and to repent.

It says in Helaman 15:4, “But behold my brethren, the Lamanites hath he hated because their deeds have been evil continually, and this because of the iniquity of the tradition of their fathers. But behold, salvation hath come unto them through the preaching of the Nephites; and for this intent hath the Lord prolonged their days.”

As the Lamanites were brought to the light and knowledge of their Father in Heaven, just like Alma was brought to the knowledge as he listened to Abinadi preach repentance to King Noah, the Lamanites slowly became converted. Samuel the Lamanite is a product of that missionary work and the Lord’s patience and willingness to give the Lamanaties time to learn the truth.

Alma 16:14 reminds us, as Alma and Amulek went forth to preach, “they did impart the word God, without any respect of persons, continually.” God loves ALL of his children equally.

2. The Lord asked Samuel to try again.

In Helaman 13:3, after Samuel’s preaching landed on deaf ears, and he decided to return to his own land, it says, “But behold, the voice of the Lord came unto him, that he should return again, and prophesy unto the people whatsoever things should come into his heart.”

Time, and time again, the Lord has shown a love and a determination to give people the opportunity to Hear Him. In the Book of Mormon, we see this with Laman and Lemuel, with Lehi, Nephi, and angels of God giving Laman and Lemuel so many opportunities to learn and repent. We see this as Alma is told to return to Ammonihah to preach, with the sons of Mosiah, and now, with Samuel in the great city of Zarahemla, which was once filled with some of the most humble, obedient followers of God.

The Lord never deserts his people. He hears the prayers of those that are obedient and he gives those that aren’t obedient the opportunity to repent. The words of the prophet are for everyone.                                                                                                                                                       

3. Samuel reminds the people that the Lord loves them

In Helaman 14:3, Samuel says, “... yea, the people of Nephi hath he loved, and also hath he chastened them; yea in the days of their iniquities hath he chastened them because he loveth them.”

At the time of Samuel’s visit, it is the 87th year of the reign of the judges, since King Mosiah passed away and became the last king. In the 50th year of the reign of the judges, 37 years prior, the people of Zarahemla were obedient and had peace, and it says in Helaman 3:31, they had “continual rejoicing.” By the 51st year, pride had begun to creep in, and it says in Helaman 3:34 that there was “a great evil.” 

Yet, despite their trials, for those who held fast to God, it says, “Nevertheless they did fast and pray oft, and did wax stronger and stronger in their humility and firmer and firmer in the faith of Christ, unto the filling their souls with joy and consolation, yea, even to the purifying and the sanctification of their hearts, which sanctification cometh because of their yielding their hearts unto God.” (Helaman 3:35).

Conclusion

Our Father in Heaven loves us dearly. He sends prophets to remind us how to seek happiness in our lives as we face our many trials. He loves all of us, no matter our ancestry or our choices. If we seek Him, if we turn to the scriptures and to our prophet for guidance, then we can be like the people of Zarahemla, who even when surrounded by evil, fasted and prayed often, and their souls were filled with joy.

(Video) Helaman 7-12 - Remember the Lord - Come Follow Me

 I put together a five-minute video about this week's Come Follow Me chapters, Helaman 7-12. 

You can view it below or go to this link to view full screen: https://spark.adobe.com/video/xiyXsh0QWoehs

Book of Helaman 1-6 - Come Follow Me - "The Rock of Our Redeemer"

A quick summary of key events in Helaman 1-6:

• These six chapters cover years 40-68 of the reign of the judges. 
• There are SEVEN chief judges during this period because five are murdered as a result of greed and pride
• Kishkuman and the Gadianton robbers slowly began to infiltrate the land with their secret combinations and murders. This led to Nephite dissension, which led to the successful Lamanite invasion.
• After Moronihah (the son of Mosiah) was only able to get back 50% of their land from the Lamanites, the Lamanites and Nephites began to freely travel between the lands and trading commerce with each other.
• Lehi and Nephi, the sons of Helaman (who was the son of Helaman, who was the son of Alma), preached for the rest of their days. As a result, many Lamanites were converted to the Lord.
• The Lamanites became increasingly good. The Nephites became increasingly bad. 
• The Lord protected Lehi and Nephi when they entered the land of Nephi to preach to the Lamanites and were thrown in prison. More Lamanites were converted. 
• The Lamanites eradicated the Gadianton robbers instead of listening to them and became increasingly meek and humble while the Nephites listened to the robbers and began to join with them in "their secret murders and combinations." (Helaman 6:38)
  
  

By the time we reach the writings of Helaman, the Nephites had lost and regained land to the Nephites three times over 15 years. Each time this happened, many people died. 

The Come Follow Me manual refers to how this happened as the "pride cycle," in which the Nephites were so blessed for obeying the commandments that they became very prosperous, forgot how they reached that level of success, began to fight with one another, and weakened themselves to the point where the Lamanites could come in and destroy them. Then, they remembered, repented, were blessed, and began to prosper yet again. 

(Click to enlargen): 

A recent example of the pride cycle (click to enlargen):

How Do You Overcome the Pride Cycle?
When I think about this, I look at the physical and spiritual gifts that the Lord has blessed me with and whether I have become lifted up in pride, or whether I am seeking to use my gifts to further the work the Lord, serve others, and bring beauty into the world. A little exercise to consider: Write done five blessings in your life. Write down how you have used them for good. Then write down how you can work on them this year, to use them for good. Moroni was a master strategist and blessed the Nephites with his skill and thinking. He never forgot the Lord and the inspiration the Lord gave him. It never occurred to him to use his skill to crown himself king, yet this thought occurred to many others (Paanchi, Kishkumen, Gaddianton, Amalickiah, all of the kingmen, to name just a few). In fact, in Alma 60:36, Moroni says, "I am Moroni, your chief captain. 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."

 https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/friend/1994/11/captain-moroni-and-pahoran?lang=eng

In Helaman 3, we see that in the 48th and 49th year of the reign of the judges that there was so much peace throughout the land that "there was exceedingly great prosperity in the church." However, by the 51st year, after only a few years of prosperity, pride "began to enter into the church - not into the church of God, but into the hearts of the people who professed to belong to the church of God - And they were lifted up in pride, even to the persecution of many of their brethern" (Helaman 3:34-35). It's a bold reminder to watch ourselves and how quickly we can forget.

Trials and Hope
What about those that were humble and faithful throughout, the ones that never fell prey to the pride cycle, the people of Ammon who remained true to their covenant not to lift their weapons; Helaman, Moroni, Teancum, Lehi, Nephi, and so many more that were not named? They had to live through those wars and see their people slaughtered by the Nephites, too, even though they were obedient. 

It says in Helaman 3:34 that the pride of others caused "the more humble part of the people to suffer great persecutions, and to wade through much afflictions."

It says of the humble followers of God: 

"Nevertheless they did fast and pray oft, and did wax stronger and stronger in their humility, and firmer and firmer in the faith of Christ, unto the filling their souls with joy and consolation, yea even to the purifying and the sanctification of their hearts, which sanctification cometh because of their yielding their unto God." (Helaman 3:35).

We cannot live this life without trials and anguish but I find great comfort in knowing that the the Lord is always waiting and encourage us to remember him. We can remember the words that Helaman taught his sons:

"And now, my sons, remember, remember that it is upon the rock of our Redeemer, who is Christ, the Son of God, that ye must build your foundation; that when the devil shall send forth his mighty winds, yea, his shafts in the whirlwind, yea, when all his hail and his mighty storm shall beat upon you, it shall have no power over you to drag you down to the gulf of misery and endless wo, because of the rock upon which ye are built, which is a sure foundation, a foundation whereon if men build they cannot fall." (Helaman 5:12).

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. 

Moroni Taught Us to Turn to God and Prepare Always to Find Happiness

 Wow, the "Come Follow Me" recommended chapters for last week, Alma 43-52, covered so much turmoil and contention, so many lives lost, that I'm exhausted! These chapters cover the 19th year to the 26th year of the Reign of the Judges, when judges were called upon to keep peace in the land, to protect the land from a king that could become greedy.

During this timeframe: 

• Alma the Younger instructs his sons, including Helaman, one last time before he disappears, presumably taken up by the hand of the Lord ) (See Alma 45)
• Evil Amalickiah tries to become king in a land that has agreed the want judges not a single king. (See Alma 46). 
• Moroni writes the "title of liberty" on his rent coat and has it hoisted upon every tower in the land to remind people to maintain their rights, their religion, that the Lord God will bless them. (See Alma 46).
• When Amalickiah is unsuccessful in becoming King because the vast majority of the Nephites choose God and liberty, Amalickiah takes the Nephites that he was able to flatter away and seeks to get the Lamanities to come back and destroy the Nephites. (See Alma 46-47).
• Amalickiah gets himself into a place of trust with Lehonti, the King of the Lamanites, and then has Lehonti poisoned by slow degrees to make himself the new king. (See Alma 47).
• Moroni, at age 25, is a man of God who begins to prepare his people to "support their liberty, their lands, their wives, and their children, and their peace, and that they might live unto the Lord their God." (See Alma 48:10). In other words, he makes sure they are safe from a Lamanite attack.
• Toward the end of the 19th year of the reign of the judges, the Lamanites try to attack the Nephites but are unsuccessful because of Moroni's preparation, even though the Lamanites have bigger armies. (See Alma 49).
• The chief judge Nephihah dies and his son Pahoran becomes the new chief judge. Both are good men of God. However, the land is weakened by contention caused by the city of Morianton trying to steal into the land of Lehi. (See Alma 50).
• Once Pahoran becomes the new chief judge, "kingmen," men of high birth, try to change the laws to put a king in place. "Freemen" overule this but it weakens the land. The kingmen refuse to fight to protect the land when the Lamanites come again and as a result, Moroni has to waste time and resources on internal disputes, putting down the kingmen, which allows the Lamanites to overtake many of their cities. However, the good leader Teancum successfully defends Bountiful, who kills King Amalickiah in his sleep. (See Alma 51).
• Moroni works with Teancum to lure the Lamanites out of Mulek to get that stronghold back. They take more Lamanites prisoners than were slain on both sides.

I really feel like the "Come Follow Me" covers key insights from these chapters particularly well. 

I want to highlight a few key things that really stood out for me as I was studying.

Captain Moroni Raises the Title of Liberty (Captain Moroni and the Title of Liberty), by Arnold Friberg (62051); GAK 312; GAB 79; Alma 46:10–37.

Moroni Prepared His People

Moroni prepared extensively. He prepared himself, he prepared his people spiritually, and he prepared his people physically. 

In Alma 46, he wrote the Title of Liberty on his rent coat to always remind his people:

"In memory of our God, our religion, and freedom, and our peace, our wives, and our children." (Alma 46:12).

It says in Alma 48:7 that while Amalickiah was using fraud and deceit to grow in power, Moroni was "preparing the minds of the people to be faithful unto the Lord their God." In addition to preparing them spiritually and mentally he was strengthening armies, erecting forts, building walls of stone around the cities, prepping how soldiers would protect those forts with stones and arrows for anyone that should try to breach their walls, having thick garments of skins, and shield and breastplates made for his soldiers, and preparing strategic plans for where he thought the Lamanites would go, and where he needed to have his soldiers places for maximum protection. He was only 25!

The Lamanites tried to learn from Moroni's preparation and when they attacked again, in Alma 49:6, it explains that they thought they were prepared this time because they also made shields and armor but they were met by fortifications and planning that showed exceeding preparation.

This level of preparation might seem familiar to us today but clearly this was new strategy back then, for it says "the Lamanites ... were exceedingly astonished at their manner of preparation for war." (Alma 49:9). 

I think it's important to remember too that Moroni was prepared because he was a man of God. It says in Alma 48:11-12, 

"And Moroni was a strong and mighty man; he was a man of a perfect understanding; yea, a man that did not delight in bloodshed; a man whose soul did joy in the liberty and the freedom of his county; and his brethern from bondage and slavery. (12) Yea a man whose heart did swell with the thanksgiving to his God ..."  

Initial Preparation Alone is Not Enough. Prepare Always.

Moroni never stopped preparing and planning. This reminds me of the analogy of our muscles. If you lift weights until you have strong muscles, then stop, the muscles begin to atrophy. You can't just build a fort and walk away.

"... Moroni did not stop making preparations for war, or to defend his people against the Lamanites." (Alma 50:1)

Once he finished one defense, he began working on other defenses. He continued to build up strongholds. In doing so, he also increased the confidence of his people, which resulted in even greater armies "because of the assurance of protection which his works did bring forth unto them." (See Alma 50:12).

What was the result of this preparation? By the 21st year of the reign of the judges:

"And those who were faithful in keeping the commandments of the Lord were delivered at all times ... But behold there never was a happier time among the people of Nephi, since the days of Nephi, than in the days of Moroni." (See Alma 50:22-23). 

Unfortunately, by the end of this section of scriptures, King Amalickiah and his Lamanites were able to successfully take over some of Moroni's cities that he had shored up and strengthened but the reason was because some of the Nephites had forgotten to focus on God and preparation. They were focused on their greed, on overtaking land that didn't belong to them (Morianton trying to take Lehi land) and greedy kingmen who thought themselves better than their fellow citizens had tried to put a king in place . from "their" people, and when that didn't happen, refused to defend their people against the Lamanites. Moroni had to stop his preparations to deal with the dissension in the land, and in doing so, the Lamanites were able to get a foothold on their land and their liberties, and many, many people died as a result. 

Moroni, again in a show of incredible leadership and preparation, planned how to take back some of the land with the head of one of his armies, the leader Teancum. They were successful but it was heartbreaking to see the Lamanites kill and take over some of their lands because some of the Nephites forgot their God and were focused on greed and pride.

How I Liken this to Today

This year has brought home the value of preparation more than ever. We saw it as the store shelves emptied during a great panic that continues at a low simmer, and we see it as the world is torn part by finger-pointing and angry words. 

If we can remember to prepare always and turn to God, not man, we can protect ourselves from the slow poison of beguiling, flattering words. We can be happy as we focus on how to prepare ourselves spiritually and physically.

We can remember that during Moroni's time, the world was filled with much war and death but 

"those who were faithful in keeping the commandments of the Lord were delivered at all times ...  there never was a happier time among the people of Nephi, since the days of Nephi, than in the days of Moroni." (See Alma 50:22-23). 

Teachings of a father to a son: the great blessings of the resurrection

This week's "Come Follow Me" study covered Alma 39-42. Last week, I wrote a little about Alma's guidance to his sons Helaman and Shiblon. This week, these four chapters are directed to his youngest son, Corianton. The interesting thing is that Alma spends so much more time talking to Corianton but it's because Corianton has made some bad choices and Alma is concerned for his welfare and for the example that Corianton is setting for others. In addition, he knew Corinaton had questions and needed some answers, and he was willing and able to answer, therefore we get to learn more about the mysteries of the resurrection.

Image source: https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/media/image/alma-the-younger-corianton-dd65baa?lang=eng

The sin Corianton committed was visiting with the harlot Isabel. (Alma 39:3-4). Alma says to Corianton in Alma 39:11, "... Behold, O my son, how great iniquity ye brought upon the Zoramites; for when they saw your conduct they would not believe in my words." 

How many times have you personally, or seen a parent scold an eldest child for doing something that you knew all the younger children would immediately follow and do? Corianton was the youngest son but the eyes of those around him were watching him. Alma knew these consequences personally because from the day of his repentance, he and the sons of Mosiah sought undo the damage they had done preaching against God in their younger years.

I take what I know about the resurrection for granted because I've been taught from and learning from these scriptures for my entire life. However, I tried to read this from the perspective from one who is learning from the first time. Through those eyes, Alma 41:5 really stood out to me, "For as he has desired to do evil all the day long even so shall ye have his reward of evil when the night cometh." In other words, when we are resurrected, we bring with us the spiritual baggage that we wrought. "... the meaning of the word restoration is to bring back again evil for evil, or carnal for carnal, or devilish for devilish - good for that which is good; righteous for that which is righteous; just for that which is just; merciful for that which is merciful." (Alma 41:13). Or, "what which ye do send out shall return unto you again, and be restored." (Alma 41:15). 

Image source: https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/media/image/alma-the-younger-corianton-3e725dd?lang=eng

There are many martyrs in the scriptures, those that have died while holding firmly to their belief in Heavenly Father and the commandments to repent shared by the prophets of those times. I am reassured that though their lives ended in a way that caused great mourning to those who loved them, they will be restored and rewarded for their faith. I am also reassured when I read Alma 42:23, "But God ceaseth not to be God, and mercy claimeth the penitent," that our Father in Heaven loves us SO MUCH, and that he sends prophets, and that these ancient records have been preserved so that we can remember and we can return to him. If our repentance is sincere, our God is merciful and full of love. Corianton went on to repent and to heed Alma's guidance, to "declare these tidings unto this people, to prepare their minds ... that they may prepare the minds of their children to hear the word at the time of his coming." (Alma 39:16).