Chapter 9
The kingdom passes
from one to another by descent, intrigue, and murder—Emer saw the Son of
Righteousness—Many prophets cry repentance—A famine and poisonous serpents
plague the people.
Having finished warning us how secret combinations are
destructive to society, he returns to the Jaredite record.
Akish successfully took over Omer’s kingdom. But, they
failed to assassinate king Omer.
The Lord warned him about the coup. He took his family and
fled.
They arrived at the hill Shim. This is the area where the
Nephites were wiped out in the final battle. They decided to continue and came
to a place called Ablom, was on the seashore. They settled there.
Meanwhile, Jared was made king and Akish married his
daughter.
In an ironic twist, having helped depose Omer, placing Jared
on throne, Akish wanted to be king. He had kept his gang together. He went to
them and had them make an oath they would assassinate the king. Jared was
assassinated on his throne, placing Akish on the throne.
Akish became “jealous of his son” (Ether 9:7). “A sound
heart is the life of the flesh: but envy the rottenness of the bones” (Proverbs
14:30).
“For ye are yet carnal: for whereas there is among you
envying, and strife, and divisions, are ye not carnal, and walk as men” (1
Corinthians 3:3).
“Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like:
of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they
which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God” (Galatians 5:21).
“For where envying and strife is, there is confusion and
every evil work” (James 3:16).
We are not given any reason why he was jealous, yet his
concern was so great, he placed his son in prison and starved him to death.
Another son, Nimrah, was angry with his father. He gathered
a small group of men and fled to the land where Omer was exiled.
Akish had other sons. These sons “won the hearts of the
people.” They ignored the oath they had made “to do all manner of iniquity
according to that which he desired” (Ether 9:10).
The people of Akish were committed to the accumulation of
wealth. Akish only cared about power. Knowing this, his sons used the people’s
desire for wealth to “buy” their support.
A war began between Akish and his sons. It lasted years,
eventually leaving only thirty people alive. The survivors fled to join Omer
and his people. Omer returned and reestablished his kingdom.
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