Mosiah 17-18 - The Conversion of Alma

When Abinadi finished speaking, Noah and his priests decided his fate. It’s here that Alma comes to Abinadi’s defense. It almost costs him his life. He ends up fleeing into the wilderness to avoid being killed by the kings servants. While hiding there, he writes down Abinadi’s words and begins his long painful repentance process.

Back in the palace, Noah and his priests condemn Abinadi to death by fire. The account says “faggot” an old-English expression for a bundle of sticks tied together to use as fuel in a fire. They have a lot of surface area so it burns very, very hot. Before he succumbs to the flames, he pronounces a prophetic warning upon Noah and his people. He prophecies Noah will die by fire and that many others will die by fire as a result of the example they set. As you read in the Book of Mormon, you’ll see this prophecy comes true in every horrifying detail.

With Abinadi dead, after he repents (my opinion) Alma begins teaching the people the lessons he learned from Abinadi. Whether he’s more careful than Abinadi was or had protection that Heavenly Father, in His wisdom, withheld from Abinadi, Alma succeeded where Abinadi didn’t. He soon has a following of two hundred people.

Think for a moment of the faith these people had. They believed in what Alma taught enough to join a movement they knew could get them killed. They joined anyway. In time the king did learn of it and sent an army to slaughter them. Warned by God, they flee into the wilderness.

Noah had driven righteous people out of his kingdom. As we’ll see in what happens next, when the righteous are driven from a society, things don’t end well for those who did the driving out.

Mosiah 12-16 - Abinadi: A Study in Courage

I want to start with a thought I introduced in my previous post about the warnings Abinadi gave the people of Noah. After two years, he returns to prophecy to the people. He says because they haven’t repented, the consequences are worse. Not only will they be brought into captivity, now if they don’t repent, they’ll be destroyed.

This doesn’t go over too well with the people. They capture and bring him to Noah. In Noah’s court, he is summarily condemned as a troublemaker and mad, worthy of death. Then the miracle begins. God protects him and allows him to give his message. He teaches of the preparatory role of the Mosaic Law and of the coming of Jesus Christ and the law He will bring.

In doing so, he quotes one of my most favorite passages of scripture, Isaiah 53. Who isn’t moved by the poetic power of such phrases as, “with His stripes, we are healed?” Or, “all we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the Lord hath laid on Him, the iniquity of us all?” This often brings me to tears to read it.

One of the tactics I use to make it more real for me is a simple word substitution. If you replace “the Lord” with “Heavenly Father,” “Jesus Christ” for “him” and your name for “us” or “we,” it will drive home the power of this passage and show you just how personal our salvation is. We are unique individuals to Them. I am convinced that during the Atonement, the Savior saw each of us, with all our weaknesses, sins, and sorrows and said, in effect, “I do this for you, because I love you.”

I marvel at that. Such is the power of the message Abinadi delivered to Noah and to one of his priests, Alma.

Mosiah 9-11 - Noah and Abinadi A Contrast of Opposites

Abinadi is one of my favorite prophets in the Book of Mormon. Though he likely never saw the good he did before he was killed by the wicked king, Noah. Next to Nephi, he is one of the most influential prophets in all the history of the Nephites.

I give that honor to him because it was through him that Heavenly Father reached Alma. Though he sealed his testimony to Noah with his life, that one conversion he made led to a dynasty of prophets.

Noah is one of just three wicked government leaders who are treated in more than just passing by Mormon. (The others are Amalikiah, and Zoram.) I’ll talk of the other two later once I get into the Book of Alma, but these three share a common trait, which is why I think Mormon mentioned them. Not only were they wicked, but they led their society into wickedness too.

Noah legitimized debauchery and alcohol for his people. He appointed wicked advisors who judged and ruled the people in accordance with his desires. In this environment, most of the people followed after him into wickedness until Abinadi was called of God to warn them. Noah, like the other two leaders, is an example of what one wicked man, when placed in power, can have over a nation.

Think of that when you vote this year.

The last thing I want to mention is Abinadi’s warning. The first time he comes, he warns the people if they don’t repent, they will be brought into bondage. The people ignore his warnings. Two years later he returns. And that’s my topic for my next entry.

Mosiah 5-8 - From Benjamin to Zeniff

Mosiah Chapters 5-8 is a transition piece that moves the narrative from King Benjamin’s eloquent address to the story of King Zeniff. I think, Mormon wrote about Zeniff because of the dynasty of religious leaders who arose from his people. I’m speaking of Alma and the five generations of prophet-leaders who are his descendants. But I’m getting ahead of myself.

For this entry, several things struck me. One is the Nephites considered life as slaves to Nephites a better  arrangement than what they had under the Lamanites. Under the Lamanites they had a 50% tax rate and they couldn’t leave. Tax day is coming. When you pay your taxes this year, keep in mind, the Nephites thought a 50 percent tax rate was worse than slavery.

Another is Ammon, the leader of the expedition to the land of Lehi-Nephi. He was not a descendant of Lehi but a Mulekite. I’m curious why he would be so interested about the Nephites? It begs the question and dovetails into my last observation on this section.

The people don’t weary Mosiah about the Nephites who left so many years ago until after Benjamin dies. I doubt their interest just flipped on at that time. So, why didn’t they do anything before he died? I don’t know, but there’s a lot going on here which we don’t know about.

Temple Observations

A few thoughts I had while listening to the endowment creation presentation:

One of the signs of a well designed system is when it's self-correcting. An example of that is the steering assembly of modern automobiles. The mechanical linkages are designed in a way that the car's weight helps center the steering wheel to help the car track straight down the road. While a simple, yet elegant design, it is one which some unknown mechanical engineer spent many hours of work to get it right. Today, we don't even think about it -- we just expect cars to behave that way.

Consider now something far more complex: the oxygen level in the earth's atmosphere. How is it that the chemical binding energy of oxygen is such that enough of it can exist in the atmosphere to empower animals, including us, to move about while being low enough that it doesn't cause plants and dried carbon-based things to spontaneously combust? If the atmosphere contained a higher percentage of oxygen, fires would be much more prevalent and advanced cultures would be much harder to develop because of the volatility of the building materials.

We take take the world we live on for granted because it just works. Yet, because we see it working day after day, it rarely comes to mind just how amazingly well designed it is. Like Alma the Younger, I think one of the great witnesses of God's existence is this amazing planet we live on. The more astrophysicists learn about exoplanets, the greater is their awareness of how rare the Earth is. To paraphrase one scientist, its existence makes you "think twice" about the odds that were beat if random chance was the only determinant in its creation.

To wit: we live on a planet that's an engineering marvel. According to our understanding of cosmology and physics, mathematically, the Earth is an improbable place. Yet here it is! We have Heavenly Father to thank for it.

Mosiah 4 - The Great Sermons

While the Book of Mormon is filled with many truths, there are within it, sermons which rise above the rest. Benjamin's sermon on charity is one. I’m also pretty certain, Mosiah 4 is on your list too. What makes it great? For me, it’s Benjamin explaining God’s definition of charitable giving. “What is it?” you ask.

This: Give according to the need. Don’t judge the recipient. Especially don’t withhold your help because you think they deserve the problems they have. Give according to your means. This is how God helps us. To be like Him, do it the same way with the same intent.

For what t’s worth, here’s my list: (Listed in the order in which they appear)

The Coming of Jesus Christ - Nephi’s vision in 1 Nephi 11

The Role of Agency and Opposition - Lehi’s benedictory admonitions to his sons  in 2 Nephi 2-3

The Evils of Pride and the Proper Role of Fathers - Jacob’s exhortation to the Nephites in Jacob 2-4

The Future History of the World, a recitation of Zeno’s prophecy by Jacob - Jacob 5.

The Power of Prayer - Enos

The Meaning of Charity, King Benjamin’s benedictory address - Mosiah 4

The Coming of Christ by Abinadi to King Noah’s court - Mosiah 13

The Proper Role of Government: an essay by King Mosiah II - Mosiah 29

The Saint’s Checklist for a Christ-like Life, a sermon by Alma the Younger - Alma 5

An Exposition on Faith, a sermon by Alma the Younger to the humble Zoramites - Alma 32

Who Is God, a dissertation by Ammon to King Lamoni - Alma 18

Repentance and Forgiveness and the Plan of Salvation, Alma the Younger’s letter to his son Corianton - Alma 39-42

Man’s role in defending Liberty. A letter to Pahoran by Captain Moroni - Alma 60

Faith, Hope and Charity. A sermon to the righteous Nephites of Mormon’s day - Moroni 7.

Mosiah 3 - Speaking, again, of Christ

Such a goldmine! I read Mosiah 3 this morning. From a spiritual point of view it’s like trying to drink from a fire hydrant because of the great density of doctrine it contains.

In here is a scriptural definition of the torment the wicked will endure. There are comments about what the Savior will/did go through for us. There is more about our relationship with Him. Again and again, the message is said, that only through Christ can we enjoy all the Father has for us. Only through Him can we find lasting and true joy in this life and in the life to come.

There are stern warnings to those who know better who turn away from Christ and seek their own path through life. Open rebellion is a weighty phrase. Yet that’s what Benjamin uses to describe the actions of those, who having been taught the truth turn away from it to seek their own way through life. The consequences are dire.

This is one of those passages where I hear Elder Maxwell’s voice saying Jesus is not only the God of Love, but also the God of the straight and narrow path.