Come Follow Me Personal Thoughts: Lesson 17--Mosiah 7

Book of Mormon Lesson # 17 Mosiah 7–11

A Seer-Becometh a Great Benefit to His Fellow Beings

Introduction

These chapters introduce what I would call excursions to the Book of Mormon. Up until now, we have followed one set of people, but now we learn what happened to the group of Nephites who left to reclaim their land from the Lamanites (Omni 1:12–19, 27) through the eyes of Ammon and his brethren who went after them some 79 years later. This is perhaps our first intimation of what we fondly call the Nephite cycle (and perhaps we call it that to distance it from what we might be experiencing ourselves!). Having just studied King Benjamin and his sermon, and have an example of what kingship should be, we are now treated to an example of what kingship should not be in Noah. But more important, this week and next, we have the words of Abinadi—a lone man defending the Gospel at the expense of his own life, to deaf ears except for one. I have attached a map of Nephite journeys to help us set the scene for the lessons on excursions.

Mosiah 7–8. Ammon and his brethren find Limhi and his people. Ammon teaches Limhi of the importance of a seer.

In 2 Nephi 5, we learned that the Lord commanded Nephi to separate from the Lamanites, this was just a few years after they landed. Then, in Omni, approximately 400 years later, we learn that a large group had gone back to the land of Lehi-Nephi, fought among each other “in the wilderness,” and, presumably, having not reached the land of Lehi-Nephi, only 50 returned to take another group including Amaleki’s brother. Inadvertently, perhaps, Zeniff who had been sent to spy on the Lamanites’ strength, instead found good in them and caused a civil war among the Nephite invaders, returning with the 50 remaining. As a journey within a journey, Zeniff’s grandson, Limhi, sent an expedition to try to find the remaining Nephites in Zarahemla, but instead they find the remains of the Jaredites and the all-important 24 plates, abridged as our book of Ether.

But first we are introduced to Ammon and his encounter with Noah’s son Limhi. Parenthetically, where we might have muddled the two Mosiahs (Benjamin’s father and son), we should know that we are faced with two Ammons, only 30 years apart. This Ammon who rescues Nephites was “a strong and mighty man, and a descendant of Zarahemla.” The Ammon in Alma who converts the Lamanites was a son of Mosiah and therefore a descendant of Lehi.

The New Testament Institute Manual has a good explanation of the interpreters mentioned in Mosiah 8:13:

“President Joseph Fielding Smith provided this historical overview of the “interpreters” referred to in the Book of Mormon: “King Mosiah possessed ‘… two stones which were fastened into the two rims of a bow’ [Mosiah 28:13] called by the Nephites ‘Interpreters,’ with which he translated the Jaredite record [Mosiah 28:11–14], and these were handed down from generation to generation for the purpose of interpreting languages. How Mosiah came into possession of these ‘two stones’ or Urim and Thummim, the record does not tell us, more than to say that it was a ‘gift from God’ [Mosiah 21:28]. Mosiah had this ‘gift’ or Urim and Thummim before the people of Limhi discovered the record of Ether. They may have been received when the ‘large stone’ was brought to Mosiah with engravings upon it, which he interpreted by the ‘gift and power of God’ [Omni 1:20–21]. They may have been given to him, or to some other prophet before his day, just as the brother of Jared received them—from the Lord. That the Urim and Thummim, or two stones, given to the brother of Jared were those in the possession of Mosiah appears evident from the following statements in the Book of Mormon: The brother of Jared was commanded to seal up his writings of the vision he had when Christ appeared to him, so that they could not be read by his people. This vision was in a language which was confounded, for it was not to go forth until after the resurrection of Christ. The Urim and Thummim were also sealed up so that they could not be used for the purpose of interpreting those sacred writings of this vision, until such time as the Lord should grant to man to interpret them. When they were to be revealed, they were to be interpreted by the aid of the same Urim and Thummim [Ether 3:21–28]. … Joseph Smith received with the ‘breastplate’ and the plates of the Book of Mormon, the Urim and Thummim, which were hid up by Moroni to come forth in the last days as a means by which the ancient record might be translated, which Urim and Thummim were given to the brother of Jared [D&C 17:1]” (Answers to Gospel Questions, comp. Joseph Fielding Smith Jr., 5 vols. [1957–66], 1:160–62).”[1]

Perhaps the greatest message of Mosiah 7 is in the last verse, as Elder Hallstrom tells us: “His most exemplary act, the Atonement, required Jesus to descend “below all things” (D&C 88:6) and suffer “the pains of all men” (2 Nephi 9:21). Thus we understand the Atonement has broader purpose than providing a means to overcome sin. This greatest of all earthly accomplishments gives the Savior the power to fulfill this promise: “If ye will turn to the Lord with full purpose of heart, and put your trust in him, and serve him with all diligence …, if ye do this, he will … deliver you out of bondage” (Mosiah 7:33).”[2]

In chapter 8, Ammon teaches the people of Limhi what Benjamin had taught those at Zarahemla. And, in explaining how King Mosiah would be able to translate the Jaredite plates, Ammon gives us the definition of a seer. In 1961, Theodore Burton elaborated: “Thus one can trust a seer because a seer may see the heavens open. He may see the great vision of God working in all his majesty. He may see the fulness of truth as it is revealed to him by God who makes no mistakes. The evidence is clear, therefore, and the interpretation is clear. The seer can bear personal testimony, not based on books, not based on scholarship, not based on tradition, but based on the evidence of things that God himself can reveal to him in an actual experience with Deity. He may receive a revelation from God by actually seeing and hearing and being instructed in the real truth. A seer then is one who may see God, who may talk with God, who may receive personal instruction from God.”[3]

Elder Boyd K. Packer said:

“The scriptures speak of prophets as ‘watch[men] upon the tower’ who see ‘the enemy while he [is] yet afar off’ and who have ‘beheld also things which were not visible to the natural eye … [for] a seer hath the Lord raised up unto his people.’ [Many years ago] the Brethren warned us of the disintegration of the family and told us to prepare. … The weekly family home evening was introduced by the First Presidency. … Parents are provided with excellent materials for teaching their children, with a promise that the faithful will be blessed. While the doctrines and revealed organization remain unchanged, all agencies of the Church have been reshaped in their relationship to one another and to the home. … The entire curriculum of the Church was overhauled—based on scriptures. … And years were spent preparing new editions of the Bible, the Book of Mormon, the Doctrine and Covenants, and the Pearl of Great Price. … We can only imagine where we would be if we were just now reacting to [the] terrible redefinition of the family. But that is not the case. We are not casting frantically about, trying to decide what to do. We know what to do and what to teach. … The course we follow is not of our own making. The plan of salvation, the great plan of happiness, was revealed to us, and the prophets and Apostles continue to receive revelation as the Church and its members stand in need of more” (Ensign, May 1994, 20).

Mosiah 9–10. The record of Zeniff recounts a brief history of Zeniff’s people.

The New Testament Institute Manual tells us that “Mosiah 9–10 was written by Zeniff without abridgement or comment by Mormon. Note that the date for Mosiah 8 is 121 B.C. The date for Mosiah 9 is 200 B.C. The record reverted back in time 80 years to tell what happened in the land of Lehi-Nephi during the time period of Benjamin and Mosiah’s reign in Zarahemla.”

How damaging is harboring negative feelings toward someone? Initially the Lamanites appeared to accept Zeniff’s group, but only insofar as they could use them to do what they were unwilling to do, being, according to Zeniff, “a lazy and idolatrous people.” (Mosiah 9:12). But more than that, Mosiah 10:12–17 tells us that Laman and Lemuel had made sure their viewpoint had been transmitted through the ages. And this was what drove King Laman and his son to first put the Nephites in bondage and then try to destroy them. Elder Scott talks about this, “Your Heavenly Father assigned you to be born into a specific lineage from which you received your inheritance of race, culture, and traditions. That lineage can provide a rich heritage and great reasons to rejoice. Yet you have the responsibility to determine if there is any part of that heritage that must be discarded because it works against the Lord’s plan of happiness.

“You may ask how can one determine when a tradition is in conflict with the teachings of the Lord and should be abandoned? That is not easily done. I have found how difficult it is as I work to overcome some of my own incorrect traditions. … Customs and traditions become an inherent part of us. They are not easy to evaluate objectively. Carefully study the scriptures and counsel of the prophets to understand how the Lord wants you to live. Then evaluate each part of your life and make any adjustments needed. Seek help from another you respect who has been able to set aside some deeply held convictions or traditions that are not in harmony with the Lord’s plan. … Is yours a culture where the husband exerts a domineering, authoritarian role, making all of the important decisions for the family? That pattern needs to be tempered so that both husband and wife act as equal partners, making decisions in unity for themselves and their family. … These are other traditions that should be set aside—any aspect of heritage: That would violate the Word of Wisdom. That is based on forcing others to comply by the power of station often determined by heredity. That encourages the establishment of caste systems. That breeds conflict with other cultures” (Ensign, May 1998, 86).

How often do we rely on someone else’s viewpoint in judging someone else, instead of finding out for ourselves?

One thing that comes out in several places is that when the Nephites fight, they do it “in the strength of the Lord.” Isn’t that synonymous with the power of the priesthood. Pres. Monson illustrated that beautifully in the Priesthood session of April’s General Conference: when his friend was lost at sea in a lifeboat, a rescue ship passed them by twice, “Then the Holy Spirit spoke to my friend: ‘You have the priesthood. Command the rescuers to pick you up.’ He did as prompted: ‘In the name of Jesus Christ and by the power of the priesthood, turn about and pick us up.’ Within a few minutes the vessel was beside them, helping them on deck. A faithful and worthy bearer of the priesthood, in his extremity, had exercised that priesthood, blessing his life and the lives of others.”[4] Do we understand how the power of the priesthood, the “strength of the Lord” can help us in extreme circumstances?

Mosiah 11. Zeniff’s son Noah rules in wickedness. Despite the warnings of the prophet Abinadi, the people are blind to the wickedness of Noah and his priests.

This week we look at Abinadi’s first encounter with the wicked Noah and his priests. From Zeniff’s righteous rule, we do a complete 180 with Noah who got rid of Zeniff’s priests and consecrated his own. He did everything King Benjamin would later detail to the people in Zarahemla as being wrong in a king. So there is a necessity for the Lord to send a prophet to this branch of the Nephites. And this prophet is Abinadi. Hugh Nibley draws an interesting parallel between Abinadi and the Teacher of Righteousness in the Dead Sea Scrolls who suffered the same experiences.[5] Perhaps more poignant is a statement by Joseph Smith that Nibley highlights, “I was destined to prove a disturber and annoyer of Satan’s kingdom” (JS–H 1:20).

Here, Abinadi speaks the words of the Lord, directly as given him. And for that he incurs the death penalty, but is able to disappear for two years. Do we have the courage to risk all in defense of the Kingdom of God. Pres. Monson, “Our scriptures are filled with examples of the type of courage needed by each of us today. The prophet Daniel exhibited supreme courage by standing up for that which he knew to be right and by demonstrating the courage to pray, though threatened with death were he to do so. . . . Courage characterized the life of Abinadi, as shown by his willingness to offer his life rather than to deny the truth. . . . We will all face fear, experience ridicule, and meet opposition. Let us—all of us—have the courage to defy the consensus, the courage to stand for principle. Courage, not compromise, brings the smile of God’s approval. Courage becomes a living and an attractive virtue when it is regarded not only as a willingness to die manfully but also as the determination to live decently. As we move forward, striving to live as we should, we will surely receive help from the Lord and can find comfort in His words. I love His promise recorded in the book of Joshua: ‘I will not fail thee, nor forsake thee. … Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the Lord thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest.’”