Mosiah 11-14

In Mosiah 11, King Noah's rule begins.  He leads the people into idolatry and in general earns the title "wicked."  This is one of the "storytelling chapters" as I think of them.  I don't know if you've noticed, but there are chapters in the Book of Mormon that tell stories and there are chapters that are almost pure doctrine, and then there are, of course, the chapters that have both.

Mosiah 12 and 13 have both as Abinadi comes on the scene and preaches to the king and his priests about the Ten Commandments.  Then, Mosiah 14 is an Isaiah chapter.  Abinadi begins to teach about Christ in the end of chapter 13 and then, although it doesn't specifically say it, I'm thinking Abinadi quotes Isaiah to them.  Interestingly, the priests quoted Isaiah to Abinadi in Mosiah 12:21-24 showing that they know the scriptures even if they, as Abinadi puts it, "have not applied [their] hearts to understanding" (Mosiah 12:27) them.

By quoting Isaiah, Abinadi is trying to point out that the wicked priests should understand that "salvation doth not come by the law alone." (Mosiah 13:28)  He is reminding them about the greatness of the Atonement.  And I must say, Isaiah does get the job done.

Mosiah 14/Isaiah 53 is a beautiful chapter speaking about what the Savior has done for us.  I feel overwhelming gratitude when I read Mosiah 14:5:

"But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed."

I think 'chastisement of our peace' is referring to our guilt.  It's a great way to describe how guilt effects me anyway.  How odd and hard it must have been for the Savior, who had never sinned, to feel what that is like.

Reading that scripture makes me want to get down to the business of repenting.  It reminds me that Christ has already suffered so that I don't have to.  My anger, hurt, resentment, and guilt can all be taken away if I am humble and willing to take advantage of Christ's most marvelous gift of the Atonement.

The Record of Zeniff

Before Mosiah 9 begins there is a note that states chapters 9-22 are from the Record of Zeniff.  I somehow failed to comprehend this my first few times through the Book of Mormon which made for very confusing reading.  I wasn't too confused while reading one chapter a day, it wasn't until after I would finish this portion of the Book of Mormon that I would think back and wonder how everyone was connected and how on earth did the people go from being led by King Benjamin to being led by wicked King Noah so quickly? (Which is completely wrong thinking, by the way, King Benjamin's people are never ruled by King Noah...thought I'd clarify just in case.)

These are things I didn't comprehend until I started reading bigger chunks at a time, and my clarity was helped even more by that article I mention from the Ensign called The Mulekites.  Anyway, that being said, I do understand how this all fits together now.

Mosiah chapter 9 is taking us back to when, in the Book of Omni, Amaleki mentions "a certain number who went up into the wilderness to return to the land of Nephi."  Zeniff, who had been a spy among the Lamanites, decided he would rather join them than beat them.  He was the leader of the those who went up to try to live peaceably in the land of their fathers.  Mosiah 9 tells how the king of the Lamanites, King Laman, gave Zeniff and his people the land of Lehi-Nephi and the land of Shiblom.  The king commanded that his people leave and make room for Zeniff's people.  Now, I can't help but think this scenario might have been recognized as too good to be true, but then, hindsight is 20/20.

Zeniff writes that "it was the cunning and the craftiness of king Laman, to bring my people into bondage, that he yielded up the land that we might possess it."  The people of Zeniff were in the land for twelve years before the Lamanites messed with them, and when the first big war happened, Zeniff records that his people went to battle "in the strength of the Lord...and in one day and a night we did slay three thousand and forty-three; we did slay them even until we had driven them out of our land."  Zeniff only lost 279 of his brothren.

Mosiah 10 explains why the Lamanites hate all Nephites so much and tells of another war fought and won because Zeniff and his people trusted in the Lord.  Then, Zeniff confers the kingdom on one of his sons.  My question is:  If he had more than one son, why did he choose Noah?  I am burning with curiosity to know the answer.  I mean, Zeniff seems to be a pretty decent guy.  I like him.  I can't say I admire him, but he writes so plainly of his flaws and mistakes as well as aspirations and strengths that he seems so very human.  He conveys so much about his life in so short a time.  Two chapters--that's it.  Then he is conferring the kingdom on one of the worst king's in the Book of Mormon.  It doesn't say Noah was the eldest son, but maybe the answer is as simple as that.  Whatever the reason, the choice turned out to be a very poor one indeed.

Mosiah 8:18

In Mosiah chapters 7 & 8, we are told the story of how Ammon (the Mulekite) finds King Limhi and the people of Lehi-Nephi.  We are told King Limhi is happy to see them and that he sent a search party to find the people of Zarahemla, but their searching had only produced a land where the people had been totally wiped out.  They had found plates there, but could not translate them.  Ammon tells them that Mosiah is a prophet and seer and will be able to traslate it for them.  In Mosiah 8:18 Ammon says:

"Thus God has provided a means that man, through faith, might work mighty miracles; therefore he becometh a great benefit to his fellow beings."

He is speaking of King Mosiah and prophets in general, but I really like the idea of becoming a great benefit to my fellow beings--even if my circle of influence is small when compared to that of a prophet.  I think that would be a good thing to strive for...to be a benefit to those around me.

Take Upon You the Name of Christ

Mosiah 5 talks about how the people experienced a might change of heart after hearing King Benjamin's words.  They said, in verse 5, "we are willing to enter into a covenant with our God to do his will, and to be obedient to his commandments in all things..."  King Benjamin responds by calling them "the children of Christ" (v.7) and saying, in verse 8, "...I would that that ye should take upon you the name of Christ, all you that have entered into the covenant with God that ye should be obedient unto the end of your lives."

It brings to mind the prayer we hear each Sunday during the sacrament:

"O God, the Eternal Father, we ask thee in the name of thy Son, Jesus Christ, to bless and sanctify this bread to the souls of all those who partake of it, that they may eat in remembrance of the body of thy Son, and witness unto thee, O God, the Eternal Father, that they are willing to take upon them the name of thy Son, and always remember him and keep his commandments which he has given them; that they may always have his Spirit to be with them.  Amen." (Doctrine and Covenants 20:77)

We take upon us the name of Christ when we choose to be baptized.  We are reminded of this each week as we take the sacrament, so I think King Benjamin's words in Mosiah 5:9 apply to us as well as his people.  He says:

"And it shall come to pass that whosoever doeth this (enter into the covenant) shall be found at the right hand of God, for he shall know the name by which he is called; for he shall be called by the name of Christ."

Now, of course, it is not just entering into the covenant that matters, but keeping the covenant.  The real thing that struck me today is in verses 12 and 13:

"...that ye hear and know the voice by which ye shall be called, and also, the name by which he shall call you.  For how knoweth a man the master whom he has not served..."

For some reason, I got an image in my mind of waiting in a crowd of people in heaven and actually being called out of the crowd with words like--"Those of you who are the children of Christ, please come this way."  Now, I want to make clear that I do not think that was a revelation of how things will be, but it got me thinking about the fact that in that scenario it would be up to me to decide if I qualified as someone who had taken Christ's name upon me.  I think that is important.  I have often felt that death and what comes after would be more like sending in an application for college.  You work hard and study all through school, you do extra-curricular activities, you list your qualifications with a hopeful heart, and then you send it in and wait anxiously to hear if you have been accepted.  You wonder if you are good enough.  I don't think that is how it is.  We should know whether we are 'good enough' to be found at the right hand of God.  We should be aware if we will know the voice by which we are called.

Many of the prophets in the Book of Mormon write with confidence that they will be with Heavenly Father and Christ soon.  They are sure they have earned their eternal reward.  I always assumed that was more of a "prophet thing," but wouldn't it be lovely if we could all have that?  I know that I have some work to do before I feel that way, but I know I'm closer than I used to be.  I suppose that is a step in the right direction.  The Atonement is the key.  Repentance and forgiveness are such blessings!  I also know I need to focus on that phrase "full purpose of heart." (Mosiah 7:33)

Mosiah 4

In Mosiah 4:30, King Benjamin advises "...watch yourselves, and your thoughts, and your words, and your deeds..."

I have truly discovered that it is much easier to watch our words and deeds if we are vigilant with our thoughts.  It is very hard to treat people the way we should if we are thinking bad things about them.  This may seem like a no brainer, but I remember in high school deciding that I wouldn't say bad things about others.  To make up for the lack of spoken word, it seemed as though my thoughts got meaner for a time.  I can remember they were down right poisonous toward one person.  I would hurled mean thoughts at her, thinking that as long as I didn't "say" it, that it was acceptable.  I found it very difficult to be around this person until I realized that my thoughts needed changing as well as my words.  What a relief it was to dicover how much easier it is to be kind in word and deed when I started controlling my thoughts instead of sweating bullets trying not to blurt out the mean things running through my mind.

Mosiah 3

In Mosiah 3, King Benjamin relates to his people, and us, a visit he had from an angel.  The angel brought "glad tiding of great joy." (v. 3)  King Benjamin was told by the angel a little of Christ's birth, life, death, and resurrection.  He was told much of what meaning Christ's Atonement has to us here on Earth.  In short, it means everything.  Christ is the way, the only way back to our Heavenly Father.

Through the Atonement, those ignorant of God's will and also little children are saved, as stated in verses 11 and 16.  This doctrine is different than many beliefs held by other christian faiths.  It is a doctrine that often gets me thinking of how the Lord works.  It is a piece of doctrine that I'm very glad to know.

Through the Atonement. we--who do know of God's commandments--can repent and receive mercy.  We can have faith in Jesus Christ and partake of his grace.  I have known for a long time that Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ love us, and I used to wonder, when I was young, why I was always hearing from society, Hollywood, and even quoted scripture how Heavenly Father was always damning people to hell in a lake of fire and brimstone.  It is scriptures like Mosiah 3:25 that have helped me to better understand.  It says:

"And if they be evil they are consigned to an awful view of their own guilt and abominations, which doth cause them to shrink from the presence of the Lord into a state of misery and endless torment, from whence they can no more return; therefore they have drunk damnation to their own souls."

I added the italics because it is not Heavenly Father damning, or stopping our eternal progression, it is us.  It is how things work.  It is how things are.  Here on this Earth, you can't aim your car at a tree and expect to continue traveling down the road safely.  No, you aim for the tree and you will crash into it and experience an abrupt halt to your journey's progress.  I believe it is the laws of physics that would be involved in the tree scenario, where it is God's laws and plan that are followed during our eternal journey.  He has a wonderful plan of happiness for us, but in no way can it be followed if we do not look to Christ for guidence and forgiveness.  We can not aim our attention elsewhere and expect to continue on the path our Father in heaven has laid out for us.

Mosiah 1 and 2

King Benjamin is a wonderful scripture hero.  I always thought of this king's rein as it is described in Mosiah 1:1 "...king Benjamin had continual peace all the remainder of his days."

It took me a while to noticed the last part of Works of Mormon where it describes all King Benjamin did to get there.  There was contentions at home and war with the Lamanites.  There were false Christs, false prophets, and false preachers in the land.  He dealt with each situation.  He fought valiantly with the sword of Laban, when need be, and worked with other righteous men to preach the gospel and establish peace in the land.

King Benjamin's address begins in Mosiah 2 and is a wonderful treasure trove of spiritual truths.  As I read this morning, the themes of Be Humble and Be Grateful stood out to me, and as always the message of service was loud and clear.  King Benjamin is definitely a great example of service.  He lets us in on the key to serving with gladness, even when it is hard to serve, in Mosiah 2:17 when he says:

"And behold, I tell you these things that ye may learn wisdom; that ye may learn that when ye are in the service of you fellow beings ye are only in the service of you God."

It is a well-known, often quoted scripture. It is a scripture that I memorized when I was a teen-age seminary student.  But memorizing is a different thing than truly taking a lesson into our hearts, and this lesson will only benefits us if we can put it into practice no matter what is asked of us.  In the church, and in life too, we are not always called upon to do things that we are good at.  It can be very difficult to labor in a challenging calling, but if we strive to serve as the Lord would have us to, if we pray and ask for help, he will help us serve faithfully and well.  Knowing that we are serving him well can help us find joy in the service, and then the service that was once so hard is no longer a drudgery.

I do want to add one disclaimer here.  I have spent most of my life seeking to serve (and I'm not referring to callings in the Church here, but everyday service) in ways that were hard and burdensome because I thought that only when I was really challenged and put out was I giving "real" service.  As a mother of young kids, this became very stressful for me.  To the point that I felt like giving up because I decided I just couldn't do it all anymore.  This is called trying to "run faster than you are able," and it is not advised.  We all have different talents and believe it or not your talents are needed.  You can give service in small ways that bring real pleasure every day.  It is not just the bringing of meals and the helping to move, pack, or clean for others that is service.  I found a smile and kind word of understanding to be a much needed thing among my daily rushings to and fro.  A listening ear is often all a person needs when they are struggling.  A card or email can work wonders for a friend.  These things are easy for me to give, and I so enjoy doing them that it makes my load for the day lighter, even when the listening ear may have taken a good chunk of my day, I feel better having given it.  (Which could possibly be why I am so abysmal at getting tasks on my 'to do' list accomplished.)  I would just like to say, be prayerful as you fill your day.  Heavenly Father will help you know that which is most important for you.