Mosiah 29:13-24

13 Therefore, if it were possible that you could have just men to be your kings, who would establish the laws of God, and judge this people according to his commandments, yea, if ye could have men for your kings who would do even as my father Benjamin did for this people—I say unto you, if this could always be the case then it would be expedient that ye should always have kings to rule over you.

14 And even I myself have labored with all the power and faculties which I have possessed, to teach you the commandments of God, and to establish peace throughout the land, that there should be no wars nor contentions, no stealing, nor plundering, nor murdering, nor any manner of iniquity;

15 And whosoever has committed iniquity, him have I punished according to the crime which he has committed, according to the law which has been given to us by our fathers.

16 Now I say unto you, that because all men are not just it is not expedient that ye should have a king or kings to rule over you.

17 For behold, how much iniquity doth one wicked king cause to be committed, yea, and what great destruction!

18 Yea, remember king Noah, his wickedness and his abominations, and also the wickedness and abominations of his people.  Behold what great destruction did come upon them; and also because of their iniquities they were brought into bondage.

19 And were it not for the interposition of their all–wise Creator, and this because of their sincere repentance, they must unavoidably remain in bondage until now.

20 But behold, he did deliver them because they did humble themselves before him; and because they cried mightily unto him he did deliver them out of bondage; and thus doth the Lord work with his power in all cases among the children of men, extending the arm of mercy towards them that put their trust in him.

21 And behold, now I say unto you, ye cannot dethrone an iniquitous king save it be through much contention, and the shedding of much blood.

22 For behold, he has his friends in iniquity, and he keepeth his guards about him; and he teareth up the laws of those who have reigned in righteousness before him; and he trampleth under his feet the commandments of God;

23 And he enacteth laws, and sendeth them forth among his people, yea, laws after the manner of his own wickedness; and whosoever doth not obey his laws he causeth to be destroyed; and whosoever doth rebel against him he will send his armies against them to war, and if he can he will destroy them; and thus an unrighteous king doth pervert the ways of all righteousness.

24 And now behold I say unto you, it is not expedient that such abominations should come upon you.

Mosiah 29:13-24

Mosiah has just announced he would be the last Nephite king.  After his death, they would be ruled by elected judges.  This being a major change in Nephite society, Mosiah wanted the people to understand the reasoning behind his decision.

It appears that, over the first 400 years, the kings were, if not righteous, just in performing their duties.  If there were unrighteous kings, it would seem they did not encourage their people to sin. 

But, Mosiah is concerned about what could happen in the future.  Mosiah is very much aware of the actions of king Noah and how his people became a wicked people.  Mosiah was aware of what kings could do based on his translation of the Jaredite plates.  This factors influenced Mosiah’s decision.

If the king were always a righteous man, such as his father, Benjamin, it would be good to have a king to rule over the people.  Being a humble man, Mosiah did not include himself as a righteous king, even though it would have been appropriate.

The Nephites would now turn to a democracy.

Mosiah is well aware of the possible sacrifices his shift to democracy carries. It is because righteous kings cannot be guaranteed indefinitely, and also perhaps because of the position in which he finds himself, that Mosiah opts for democracy (see Mosiah 29:13). He harbors no illusions about democracy being a panacea, nor should the Book of Mormon history be read to inspire any.[1]

Mosiah reminds the people he has done all he could do to teach the word of God.  His purpose was to establish peace.  “In Mosiah 29:14, we read that Mosiah taught the commandments of God and established peace, so that there would be no wars or contentions in the land. Here, too, there is a direct tie between teaching the gospel and establishing peace.”^[2]

When King Mosiah changes the form of Nephite government, he acts with certain purposes in mind. Among these is the establishment of peace … How can altering the institutions of governance alone make a society more peaceful? Although Mosiah himself may not have known exactly how the institutional changes he implemented would affect the prospects for peace, modern study of political regimes illuminates how his decision was inspired.[3]

Whomever violated the law was punished according to the law that had been given “us by our fathers.”

Because of Noah and the people’s wickedness, they were brought into bondage by the Lamanites.  Had they not repented, they would still be in bondage.  Because they humbled themselves before the Lord, and cried to him, they Lord showed mercy towards them and released them from their bondage.

Basically, the people are stuck if they have a wicked king.  The only way they could get rid of the king is through rebellion, but that would mean bloodshed and death.

Remember, a wicked king has friends.  He’s done what he can to guarantee their loyalty.  He will tear up the laws and trample on the commandments of God.

Verse 22 gives us insight into the Nephite legal system.

The Nephites relied heavily on the written law. Their ancestors treasured the Plates of Brass, also relying heavily upon those written records for specifications regarding the law of Moses and how they should keep it. Being cut off from most sources of oral or customary law, the Nephites saw the law primarily as a written body (see 1 Nephi 4:15—16) and viewed any change in the written law with deep suspicion (see Mosiah 29:22—23).[4] 

Nephite kings, like kings in ancient Israel, never acted as legislators or drafters of the law. Rather, Nephite kings publicized and enforced the laws that God already had revealed.[104] The Nephite king, therefore, was bound to the law like anyone else, and was authorized to make only the minor procedural changes required by a growing community. A wicked Nephite king, in fact, was branded as one who "teareth up the laws of those who have reigned in righteousness.[5]

So, we read the king begins to ignore the laws and create his own laws, which is contrary to Nephite tradition.  Should the people not obey his laws, the will put them to death.  The king will have the armies and support of the unrighteous to do this. 

A wicked king destroys the purposes of God and the righteousness of the people in specific ways. First, because he has "friends in iniquity, and he keepeth his guards about him" (Mosiah 29:22), one "cannot dethrone an iniquitous king save it be through much contention, and the shedding of much blood" (Mosiah 29:21). Second, "he teareth up the laws of those who have reigned in righteousness before him" (Mosiah 29:22). Third, "he trampleth under his feet the commandments of God" (Mosiah 29:22). Fourth, "he enacteth laws, and sendeth them forth among his people ... after the manner of his own wickedness" (Mosiah 29:23). Fifth, if he can, he will destroy those who will not "obey his laws" or those who "rebel" against them (Mosiah 29:23). Mosiah told his subjects that "it is not expedient that such abominations should come upon you" (Mosiah 29:24).[6]

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[1] For the Peace of the People: War and Democracy in the Book of Mormon, Ryan W. Davis, Maxwell Institute, accessed January 1, 2015.

[2] The Sons of Mosiah: Emissaries of Peace, John A. Tvedtnes, Maxwell Institute, accessed January 1, 2015.

[3] For the Peace of the People: War and Democracy in the Book of Mormon, Ryan W. Davis, Maxwell Institute, accessed January 1, 2015.

[4] The Sermon at the Temple and the Sermon on the Mount – The Sermon at the Temple and the Sermon on the Mount: The Differences, Maxwell Institute, accessed January 1, 2015.

[5] Ancient Aspects of Nephite Kingship in the Book of Mormon, Todd R. Kerr, Maxwell Institute, accessed January 1, 2015.

[6] The Impact of Shifting Cultural Assumptions on the Military Policies Directing Armed Conflict Reported in the Book of Alma, Matthew M. F. Hilton & Neil J. Flinders, Maxwell Institute, accessed January 1, 2015.