23 Do ye suppose that God will look upon you as
guiltless while ye sit still and behold these things? Behold I say unto you, Nay. Now I would that ye should remember that God
has said that the inward vessel shall be cleansed first, and then shall the
outer vessel be cleansed also. 24 And now, except ye do
repent of that which ye have done, and begin to be up and doing, and send forth
food and men unto us, and also unto Helaman, that he may support those parts of
our country which he has regained, and that we may also recover the remainder
of our possessions in these parts, behold it will be expedient that we contend
no more with the Lamanites until we have first cleansed our inward vessel, yea,
even the great head of our government. 25 And except
ye grant mine epistle, and come out and show unto me a true spirit of freedom,
and strive to strengthen and fortify our armies, and grant unto them food for
their support, behold I will leave a part of my freemen to
maintain this part of our land, and I will leave the strength and the blessings
of God upon them, that none other power can operate against them—26 And
this because of their exceeding faith, and their patience in their tribulations—
Alma 60:23-26 (Emphasis mine)
Moroni1 informs Pahoran that he will not be held
guiltless before God for his lack of attention.
He then lays it on the line. If
manpower and supplies are not sent soon, he will stop fighting the Lamanites “until
we have first cleansed our inward vessel, year even the great head of our
government.”
Hugh Nibley explains:
“But now comes the height of his indiscretion, for after
lecturing the governor like a ‘Dutch uncle,’ Moroni promises him a good
spanking, and ends up threatening open rebellion: ‘And except ye grant
mine epistle, and come out and show unto me a true spirit of freedom ... I will
come unto you... . I will stir up insurrections among you, even until
those who have desires to usurp power and authority shall become extinct’ (Alma
60:25—27). This is not as bad as it sounds, for he is not attacking those in authority
but those who have usurped it,
namely that power-seeking faction he knows so well.”[1]
(Emphasis mine)
27 And I will come unto you, and if there be any
among you that has a desire for freedom, yea, if there be even a spark of
freedom remaining, behold I will stir up insurrections among you, even
until those who have desires to usurp power and authority shall become extinct.
28
Yea, behold I do not fear your power nor your authority, but it is my God whom
I fear; and it is according to his commandments that I do take my sword
to defend the cause of my country, and it is because of your iniquity that we
have suffered so much loss. 29 Behold it is time,
yea, the
time is now at hand, that except ye do bestir yourselves in the defence of your
country and your little ones, the sword of justice doth hang over you; yea, and
it shall fall upon you and visit you even to your utter destruction.
Alma 60:27-29 (Emphasis mine)
I don’t fear you, Pahoran.
I fear God. I will come and, with
the freedom loving people, “I will stir up insurrections among you.” If you don’t get your act together, “the sword
of justice … shall fall upon you and visit you even to your utter destruction.”
“Still, the same Moroni who had begun his letter
with a profession of ignorance and a request for information can now bring the
flat accusation and fling a challenge at the governor: ‘I do not fear
your power nor your authority, but it is my God whom I fear, ... and it is
because of your iniquity that we have suffered so much loss’ (Alma 60:28).
Carried along in the spirit of his eloquence, he shifts from vague references
to troublemakers to placing the blame squarely on the shoulders of the people
to whom he is writing: ‘and, except ye do minister unto our relief,
behold, I come unto you, even in the land of Zarahemla, and smite you with the
sword’ (Alma 60:30).[2]
(Emphasis mine)
30 Behold, I wait for assistance from you; and, except
ye do administer unto our relief, behold, I come unto you, even in the land of
Zarahemla, and smite you with the sword, insomuch that ye can have no
more power to impede the progress of this people in the cause of our freedom. 31
For behold, the Lord will not suffer that ye shall live
and wax strong in your iniquities to destroy his righteous people. 32
Behold, can you suppose that the Lord will spare you and come out in judgment
against the Lamanites, when it is the tradition of their fathers that has
caused their hatred, yea, and it has been redoubled by those who have dissented
from us, while your iniquity is for the cause of your love of glory and the
vain things of the world? 33 Ye know that ye do transgress the
laws of God, and ye do know that ye do trample them under your feet. Behold, the Lord saith unto me: If those whom
ye have appointed your governors do not repent of their sins and iniquities, ye
shall go up to battle against them.
Alma 60:30-33 (Emphasis mine)
Moroni1 warns Pahoran that if relief doesn’t come, he will
return to Zarahemla “and smite you with the sword.” The Lord will not allow Pahoran’s iniquities “to
destroy his righteous people.”
“It seems strange that this man who had deplored more than anything else
the contentions and dissensions among the Nephites as the principal cause of
their misfortunes in war, should now propose to add to the turmoil by stirring
up insurrection. But Moroni was bursting with pent-up emotions and the
accumulated memories of reverses that could have been avoided and operations that
could have ended the war had the necessary support been forthcoming from home.
He knows, as Helaman suspects, that someone in high places is working against
him, and for his noble and idealistic nature the thought that anyone should
make capital of the miseries of others was simply maddening—yet he had seen
that sort of thing going on in the capital all his life.”[3]
(Emphasis mine)
34 And now behold, I, Moroni, am constrained,
according to the covenant which I have made to keep the commandments of my God;
therefore I would that ye should adhere to the word of God, and send speedily
unto me of your provisions and of your men, and also to Helaman. 35
And behold, if ye will not do this I come unto you speedily; for behold, God
will not suffer that we should perish with hunger; therefore he will give unto
us of your food, even if it must be by the sword. Now see that ye fulfil the word of God. 36
Behold, 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. And thus I close mine epistle.
Alma 60:34-36 (Emphasis mine)
As we read this epistle, we see Moroni1 repeating
statements. Once again, we read of his
demand that Pahoran “send speedily unto me of your provisions and your men, and
also t Helaman.”
He once again threatens Pahoran by telling him God “will
give unto us of your food, even if it must be by the sword.”
He does not seek power.
He seeks to pull it down. I don’t
seek the honor of the world, he writes, but he seeks “the glory of my God, and
the freedom and welfare of my country.”
It’s not surprising that a leader of men during time of war
(Mormon) would so admire Moroni1 and name his son after him. He is loyal to his men to a fault. His accusations, challenges, and threats are
done for his men. What he wants, he
wants for his men. He wants to be sure
that they are the best possible army so they would have the best possible
opportunity to both defeat the enemy and survive the battle.
In spite of some of his faults, it’s easy to see why he’s so
admired today as well as in the Book of Mormon.
“One final unique covenant passage in the book of Alma
describes Captain Moroni and his personal covenant to keep God's commandments; he
admonishes others to adhere likewise to God's word and to give aid for their
countrymen (see Alma 60:34). Thus we see in these Alma passages the
significance of keeping covenants, even in periods of extreme distress.”[4]
(Emphasis mine)
[1] A
Rigorous Test: Military History, Hugh Nibley, Provo, Utah: Maxwell
Institute, accessed May 24, 2012.
[4] Covenant
Teachings of the Book of Mormon, Victor L. Ludlow, Provo, Utah:
Maxwell Institute, accessed May 24, 2012.
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