Mosiah 11:16-25

16  And it came to pass that the Lamanites began to come in upon his people, upon small numbers, and to slay them in their fields, and while they were tending their flocks.
17  And king Noah sent guards round about the land to keep them off; but he did not send a sufficient number, and the Lamanites came upon them and killed them, and drove many of their flocks out of the land; thus the Lamanites began to destroy them, and to exercise their hatred upon them.
18  And it came to pass that king Noah sent his armies against them, and they were driven back, or they drove them back for a time; therefore, they returned rejoicing in their spoil.
19  And now, because of this great victory they were lifted up in the pride of their hearts; they did boast in their own strength, saying that their fifty could stand against thousands of the Lamanites; and thus they did boast, and did delight in blood, and the shedding of the blood of their brethren, and this because of the wickedness of their king and priests.

Mosiah 11:16-19 (Emphasis mine)

The Lamanites, having lost in battle in the past, still wanted the land.  They sent an army, fought and won a temporary victory because Noah, no doubt in his arrogance, felt his armies could not be beat.  

When they were, he sent more troops and was able to win a victory.  Compare Zeniff's response to Noah's.  Zeniff acknowledged the hand of the Lord in his victory.  He was humble in his victory.  There were no celebrations.

Noah, on the other hand, boasted in his strength.  They couldn't be beat.  It didn't matter how large an army was sent against his, his army would prevail.  

Arrogance is a dangerous sin.  As we turn from the Lord, and start boasting about our success, we lose the Spirit.  We lose our guidance; we stand a serious chance of losing eternity.  We need to remember that the Spirit is our anchor and compass.  It helps us receive inspiration and guidance in our lives.  When we have great challenges, the Lord will guide us and help  us through.  This doesn't mean we will always succeed; it doesn't mean we will have things easy.  It just means we will ultimately benefit from the challenges in life.  We will become stronger and more faithful servants of the Lord by turning from arrogance.

The scriptures warn us about arrogance and boasting in our arrogance.

2  The wicked in his pride doth persecute the poor: let them be taken in the devices that they have imagined.
3  For the wicked boasteth of his heart's desire, and blesseth the covetous, whom the LORD abhorreth.
4  The wicked, through the pride of his countenance, will not seek after God: God is not in all his thoughts.

Psalms 10:2-4 (Emphasis mine)

16  ¶ These six things doth the LORD hate: yea, seven are an abomination unto him:
17  A proud look, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood,
18  An heart that deviseth wicked imaginations, feet that be swift in running to mischief,
19  A false witness that speaketh lies, and he that soweth discord among brethren.

Proverbs 6:16-19 (Emphasis mine)

18  Pride goeth before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall.
19  Better it is to be of an humble spirit with the lowly, than to divide the spoil with the proud.

Proverbs 16:18-19 (Emphasis mine)

14  Whoso boasteth himself of a false gift is like clouds and wind without rain.

Proverbs 25:14 (Emphasis mine)

12  And whosoever shall exalt himself shall be abased; and he that shall humble himself shall be exalted.

Matthew 23:12 (Emphasis mine)

16  But now ye rejoice in your boastings: all such rejoicing is evil.
17  Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin.

James 4:16-17 (Emphasis mine)

In the October 2006 General Conference, Bishop Richard C. Edgely said:

"Sadly, some of the greatest missing values in today’s world are honesty and integrity. In the past few years an increasing number of business leaders have been exposed for dishonesty and other forms of bad behavior. As a result, tens of thousands of loyal, long-term employees have lost their livelihoods and pensions. For some this has resulted in loss of homes, change of education and other life plans. We read and hear of widespread cheating in our schools, with more concern about receiving a grade or degree than learning and preparation. We hear of students who have cheated their way through medical school and are now performing complicated procedures on their patients. The elderly and others are victims of scam artists, often resulting in the loss of homes or life savings. Always this dishonesty and lack of integrity are based on greed, arrogance, and disrespect."  (Emphasis mine)

In the April 2005 General Conference, Elder Neil  L. Andersen related the following story.

He was smiling at me.  His eyes and disarming smile gave me the impression that he was harmless, so I quickly left him and started to move toward the table. The suspect was now behind me. At that instant, I had the distinct, powerful impression come into my mind: "Beware of the evil behind the smiling eyes." I immediately turned back toward the suspect. His hand was in his large front pocket. Instinctively I grabbed his hand and pulled it from his pocket. Only then did I see, clutched in his hand, the semiautomatic pistol ready to fire. A flurry of activity followed, and I disarmed the man. Later, in another case, the drug dealer was convicted of murder and boasted that he would have also killed my friend had he not turned around at that very moment.' I have often thought of the communication that came into his mind: 'Beware of the evil behind the smiling eyes.' ”  (Emphasis mine) 

20  And it came to pass that there was a man among them whose name was Abinadi; [about 150 B.C.] and he went forth among them, and began to prophesy, saying: Behold, thus saith the Lord, and thus hath he commanded me, saying, Go forth, and say unto this people, thus saith the Lord—Wo be unto this people, for I have seen their abominations, and their wickedness, and their whoredoms; and except they repent I will visit them in mine anger.
21  And except they repent and turn to the Lord their God, behold, I will deliver them into the hands of their enemies; yea, and they shall be brought into bondage; and they shall be afflicted by the hand of their enemies.
22  And it shall come to pass that they shall know that I am the Lord their God, and am a jealous God, visiting the iniquities of my people.
23  And it shall come to pass that except this people repent and turn unto the Lord their God, they shall be brought into bondage; and none shall deliver them, except it be the Lord the Almighty God.
24  Yea, and it shall come to pass that when they shall cry unto me I will be slow to hear their cries; yea, and I will suffer them that they be smitten by their enemies.
25  And except they repent in sackcloth and ashes, and cry mightily to the Lord their God, I will not hear their prayers, neither will I deliver them out of their afflictions; and thus saith the Lord, and thus hath he commanded me.

Mosiah 11:20-25 (Emphasis mine)

The people are wicked; they have turned from the Lord.  Another principle Mormon wants us to know and understand is that the Lord will punish us for our sins; however, he will warn us of the consequences of not repenting and returning to him.  Mormon now introduces Abinadi.  He has been called of the Lord to preach to the people and call them to repentance.  Abinadi preaches to the people telling them:

• They are wicked and have turned from the Lord.
• They must repent.
• If they don't repent, the Lamanites will defeat them in war and take them into bondage.
• If they are taken into bondage, and then return to Him, He will be slow to hear them.
• He tells them that these are the words he was commanded to tell them.

As we will see, this is a pattern most Nephite prophets will follow in the future.  

The Lord is a loving Father.  He cares for His children.  A loving and caring Father, at times, has to discipline His children.  The severity of the discipline depends on what the child did.  The Nephites have become undisciplined, disobedient children.  They are warned that, if they don't get their act together, there will be more serious consequence.  We will learn that, because of their arrogance and boasting, they will suffer more severe punishments.