13 And they did humble
themselves even to the dust, subjecting themselves to the yoke of bondage, submitting
themselves to be smitten, and to be driven to and fro, and burdened, according
to the desires of their enemies.
14 And they did humble
themselves even in the depths of humility; and they did cry mightily to God;
yea, even all the day long did they cry unto their God that he would deliver
them out of their afflictions.
15 And now the Lord
was slow to hear their cry because of their iniquities; nevertheless the Lord
did hear their cries, and began to soften the hearts of the Lamanites that they
began to ease their burdens; yet the Lord did not see fit to deliver them out
of bondage.
16 And it came to pass
that they began to prosper by degrees in the land, and began to raise grain
more abundantly, and flocks, and herds, that they did not suffer with hunger.
17 Now there was a
great number of women, more than there was of men; therefore king Limhi
commanded that every man should impart to the support of the widows and their
children, that they might not perish with hunger; and this they did because of
the greatness of their number that had been slain.
18 Now the people of
Limhi kept together in a body as much as it was possible, and secured their
grain and their flocks;
19 And the king
himself did not trust his person without the walls of the city, unless he took
his guards with him, fearing that he might by some means fall into the hands of
the Lamanites.
20 And he caused that
his people should watch the land round about, that by some means they might
take those priests that fled into the wilderness, who had stolen the daughters
of the Lamanites, and that had caused such a great destruction to come upon
them.
Mosiah 21:13-20
Limhi’s people have attacked the Lamanites three times and
were defeated three times. The people
become a defeated and humbled people.
Mormon tells us they humbled “themselves
to the dust.” They accepted the
treatment and orders of their captors.
In their humility, they turned to the Lord. They cried unto Him for deliverance; however,
the Lord was slow to hear their cries because of their sins. This was similar to the Lord’s message to
Israel when they demanded a king. Samuel
warned them, “And ye shall cry out in
that day because of your king which ye shall have chosen you; and the LORD will
not hear you in that day” (1 Samuel 8:18).
This was also a fulfillment of Abinadi’s prophecy, “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” (Mosiah 11:24).
Until the people repent, the Lord
is under no compulsion to deliver them. Because the Zeniffites had been
forewarned, “the Lord was slow to hear their cry because of their iniquities” (Mosiah
21:15). He does listen (just as 1 Samuel 8:18 says the Lord will not listen to
the people's cries when they are enslaved by their king), after the lesson is
learned.[1]
While not freeing them from their captivity, the Lord did
hear the cries. He softened the hearts
of the Lamanites overseers, and the treatment of the people of Limhi was eased.
As time went by, the people began to prosper. The flocks and herds increased and much grain
was raised. “Grain was perhaps the most
important food crop cultivated by the Book of Mormon people. The grain harvest
became a measure of prosperity and favor with the Lord…”[2]
The wars had taken their toll on the population. Many men died during the battles leaving
their wives and children to fend for themselves. Seeing this, Limhi commanded his people to
support the widows and their families.
Limhi, not knowing the words of King Benjamin, followed them.
16
And also, ye yourselves will succor those that stand in need of your succor; ye
will administer of your substance unto him that standeth in need; and ye will
not suffer that the beggar putteth up his petition to you in vain, and turn him
out to perish.
26
And now, for the sake of these things which I have spoken unto you—that is, for
the sake of retaining a remission of your sins from day to day, that ye may walk
guiltless before God—I would that ye should impart of your substance to the poor,
every man according to that which he hath, such as feeding the hungry, clothing
the naked, visiting the sick and administering to their relief, both
spiritually and temporally, according to their wants.
Mosiah 4:16, 26
As much as possible, they people secured their grain and
flocks. The king would not leave the
city alone. He always left with his
guards to protect him from possible Lamanite attack.
The people of Limhi also kept their eyes open looking for
the Limhi’s father’s priests, the men who had kidnapped the Lamanite daughters
and brought upon so much suffering upon them.
[1] Historical
Narrative, Literary Narrative—Expelling Poetics from the Republic of History,
Alan Goff, Maxwell Institute, accessed November 15, 2014.
[2] Agriculture
in Lehi's World: Some Textual, Historical, Archaeological, and Botanical
Insight, Terry B. Ball & Wilford M. Hess, Maxwell Institute, accessed
November 15, 2014.
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