Saturday, March 31, 2018

Matthew 6:1-8


Chapter 6

Jesus continues the Sermon on the Mount-He teaches the disciples the Lord’s Prayer-They are commanded to seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness.

1. Take heed that ye do not your alms before men, to be seen of them: otherwise ye have no reward of your Father which is in heaven.[1]
2. Therefore when thou doest thine alms, do not sound a trumpet before thee, as the hypocrites [GR pretenders; the Greek word means “a play actor,” or “one who feigns, represents dramatically, or exaggerates a part.”] do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may have glory of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward.
3. But when thou doest alms, let not thy left hand know what thy right hand doeth:
4. That thine alms may be in secret: and thy Father which seeth in secret himself shall reward thee openly.
 Matthew 6:1-4

We are to give in private. We are blessed when we give in secret. If we give with a desire for all to see, our giving is nothing more than a false display of how wonderful we are. If we give in private, we are doing this because of our commitment to Christ. This is the opposite of doing things for the glory of man.

“Some there be now who cause a trumpet to be sounded, through the columns of the press perchance, or by other means of publicity, to call attention to their giving, that they may have glory of men-to win political favor, to increase their trade or influence, to get what in their estimation is worth more than that from which they part. With logical incisiveness the Master demonstrated that such givers have their reward. They have received what they bid for; what more can such men demand or consistently expect?”[2]

“In the eyes of God, there is no calling in the kingdom that is more important than another. Our service-whether great or small-refines our spirits, opens the windows of heaven, and releases God’s blessings not only upon those we serve but upon us as well. When we reach out to others, we can know with humble confidence that God acknowledges our service with approval and approbation. He smiles upon us as we offer these heartfelt acts of compassion, especially acts that are unseen and unnoticed by others.”[3]

5And when thou prayest, thou shalt not be as the hypocrites are: for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward.
6 But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly.
7 But when ye pray, use not vain repetitions [GR babble, speaking without thinking], as the heathen do: for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking.
8 Be not ye therefore like unto them: for your Father knoweth what things ye have need of, before ye ask him.
(Matthew 6:5-8)

Jesus instructs His apostles to pray in secret (“enter into thy closet:). When teaching the Zoramites when to pray, Amulek said, “But this is not all; ye must pour out your souls in your closets, and your secret places, and in your wilderness” (Alma 34:26).

By praying in secret, you get away from the distractions around you. You give your full attention to what you are saying as you speak to the Lord. ?He who would really pray – pray as nearly as possible as Christ prayed, pray in actual communion with God to whom the prayer is addressed – will seek privacy, seclusion, isolation; if opportunity permits he will retire to his chamber, and will shut the door, that none may intrude; there he may pray indeed, if the spirit of prayer be in his heart; and this course was commended by the Lord.”[4]

He is teaching us we should not “make a public show of doing that which is better done in private – almsgiving, welfare relief and personal prayer … Those who ‘sound a trumpet’ or give alms to be seen of men are ‘hypocrites,’ an epithet favored by Matthew to describe those Pharisees who sought prestige above all else.”[5]

Avoiding “vain repetitions” is also essential. Rote prayers are meaningless. Essentially, we are speaking words. We aren’t communicating with the Lord. The Lord won’t listen to these prayers.

[1] JST Matt. 6:1 And it came to pass that, as Jesus taught his disciples, he said unto them, Take heed …
[2] Jesus the Christ, Elder James E. Talmadge, Chapter 17.
[3] The Greatest among You, Elder Dieter F. Uchtdorf, April 2017 General Conference.
[4] Jesus the Christ, Elder James E. Talmadge, Chapter 17.
[5] The Life and Teachings of Christ, Vol. 1: From Bethlehem through the Sermon on the Mount, A Reading of the Sermon on the Mount: A Restoration Perspective, Andrew C. Skinner.

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Mosiah 12:9-24


9 And it came to pass that they were angry with him; and they took him and carried him bound before the king, and said unto the king: Behold, we have brought a man before thee who has prophesied evil concerning thy people, and saith that God will destroy them.
10 And he also prophesieth evil concerning thy life, and saith that thy life shall be as a garment in a furnace of fire.
11 And again, he saith that thou shalt be as a stalk, even as a dry stalk of the field, which is run over by the beasts and trodden under foot.
12 And again, he saith thou shalt be as the blossoms of a thistle, which, when it is fully ripe, if the wind bloweth, it is driven forth upon the face of the land.  And he pretendeth the Lord hath spoken it.  And he saith all this shall come upon thee except thou repent, and this because of thine iniquities.
13 And now, O king, what great evil hast thou done, or what great sins have thy people committed, that we should be condemned of God or judged of this man?
14 And now, O king, behold, we are guiltless, and thou, O king, hast not sinned; therefore, this man has lied concerning you, and he has prophesied in vain.
15 And behold, we are strong, we shall not come into bondage, or be taken captive by our enemies; yea, and thou hast prospered in the land, and thou shalt also prosper.
16 Behold, here is the man, we deliver him into thy hands; thou mayest do with him as seemeth thee good.
17 And it came to pass that king Noah caused that Abinadi should be cast into prison; and he commanded that the priests should gather themselves together that he might hold a council with them what he should do with him.
18 And it came to pass that they said unto the king: Bring him hither that we may question him; and the king commanded that he should be brought before them.
19 And they began to question him, that they might cross him, that thereby they might have wherewith to accuse him; but he answered them boldly, and withstood all their questions, yea, to their astonishment; for he did withstand them in all their questions, and did confound them in all their words.
20 And it came to pass that one of them said unto him: What meaneth the words which are written, and which have been taught by our fathers, saying:
21 How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him that bringeth good tidings; that publisheth peace; that bringeth good tidings of good; that publisheth salvation; that saith unto Zion, Thy God reigneth;
22 Thy watchmen shall lift up the voice; with the voice together shall they sing; for they shall see eye to eye when the Lord shall bring again Zion;
23 Break forth into joy; sing together ye waste places of Jerusalem; for the Lord hath comforted his people, he hath redeemed Jerusalem;
24 The Lord hath made bare his holy arm in the eyes of all the nations, and all the ends of the earth shall see the salvation of our God?

Mosiah 12:9-24

It’s not surprising to find after Abinadi finished presenting his message to the Nephites, they were not very happy with him.  In fact, they were quite angry over the words he spoke.  He was bound and, “[r]eflecting … typical Israelite practice, groups of people in the Book of Mormon were frequently the initiators of legal actions. The people seized Abinadi and took him to King Noah (Mosiah 12:9).”[1] 

Not only had he said evil things about the people, he said the kings life would eventually “be as a garment in a furnace of fire.”  If that wasn’t bad enough, the people told the king Abinadi said, “thou shalt be as a stalk … which is run over by the beasts and trodden under foot.” 

“As explained in Mosiah 12, King Noah’s subjects charged Abinadi with two counts of false prophecy-one against the people, and the other against the king (Mosiah 12:9-10). Although King Noah coordinated most of the trial and pronounced the final verdict against Abinadi, Noah’s priests also exercised much power over the proceedings.”[2]

But, it doesn’t stop there.  He would be like the blossoms on a thistle.  He would be blown wherever the wind blew the thistle.

“Had Abinadi declared, ‘The life of King Noah shall become of little value,’ his message would have lacked force and vitality. With imagery, his message is effective and stirring: the life of King Noah shall be ‘as a garment in a furnace of fire … as a stalk, even as a dry stalk of the field, which is run over by the beasts and trodden under foot … as the blossoms of a thistle, which, when it is fully ripe, if the wind bloweth, it is driven forth upon the face of the land’ (Mosiah 12:10–12).”[3]

The people told the king that they knew he had done no evil.  He has not committed any sin nor have the people.  Who does he think he is to claim God is judging the people and the king?

The people proclaimed themselves “guiltless.”  They hadn’t sinned nor had the king.  Abinadi was a liar.  Not only that, “he has prophesied in vain.”  They rejected his claim they would end up in bondage.  They were strong and prosperous.  This was all because of the king.

With these charges, Abinadi was delivered to king Noah.  They told him to “do with him as seemeth thee good.” 

The people had brought Abinadi to the king.  Noah cast him into prison.  The next action he took was to call his priests together so decisions could be made about what to do with Abinadi.

“Noah put Abinadi in prison pending trial (Mosiah 12:17). Prisons had limited use in the administration of justice in ancient Israel and in the ancient Near East … Their main function in Israel seems to have been the holding of accused persons pending trial or judgment, particularly when the laws or procedural rules were uncertain … While Abinadi was being held, Noah met with his priests to discuss what should be done (Mosiah 12:17-18). In light of the fact that Alma was soon able to attract a sizable group of converts to follow him and the teachings of Abinadi, Noah and his priests must have had reason to worry about the threat of Abinadi’s growing popularity.”[4]

It was decided to bring Abinadi before the priests.  They would question him.  Their ultimate goas was to confuse him and get him to give them evidence with which they could accuse him.  Ah, the best laid schemes of mice and men.

“King Noah cast Abinadi into prison and called his priests to a council to decide his fate. At a certain point in the proceeding, agents brought Abinadi before the priests, who began to question Abinadi, trying to ‘cross him’ so they could find evidence with which to accuse him. But he ‘answered them boldly and withstood all their questions’ and ‘did confound them in all their words’ (Mosiah 12:19).”[5]

Having brought Abinadi before them, a priest asks Abinadi what is meant by the words spoken in Isaiah.  He then quotes Isaiah 52:7-10 (see also vs. 21-24).

“How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him that bringeth good tidings, that publisheth peace; that bringeth good tidings of good, that publisheth salvation; that saith unto Zion, Thy God reigneth!
“Thy watchmen shall lift up the voice; with the voice together shall they sing: for they shall see eye to eye, when the Lord shall bring again Zion [HEB returns to Zion, or restores Zion].
“Break forth into joy, sing together, ye waste places [or ruins] of Jerusalem: for the Lord hath comforted his people, he hath redeemed Jerusalem.
“The Lord hath made bare his holy arm in the eyes of all the nations; and all the ends of the earth shall see the salvation of our God” (Isaiah 52:7-10).

“As we live righteous and unselfish lives, the Spirit of the Lord enters our souls and then radiates from us. We become beautiful, even as a holy temple is beautiful. And as missionaries we can help others to become beautiful. “How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him that bringeth good tidings.” (Isa. 52:7, Mosiah 12:21, 3 Ne. 20:40.)”[6]

Why might they have asked Abinadi about these particular scriptures from Isaiah?

“Now, why do they ask this question? Well, it’s obvious why they ask it … What he is asking is this: If you are a true prophet, why don’t you bring us this good news. Why don’t you teach us to rejoice; that’s what prophets teach. This is the kind of message you should deliver-good tidings that publisheth good and salvation, that bring joy and comfort to the people. Why aren’t you bringing comfort and joy if you are a real prophet? That was a logical thing to ask because they believed that we should enjoy ourselves and teach people what they want to hear. If you were a prophet like this, you would bring us good news.”[7]

[4] The Trial of Abinadi, Maxwell Institute.
[6] Look for the Beautiful, Elder Keith W. Wilcox, April 1985 General Conference.

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Wednesday, March 28, 2018

Matthew 5:38-48

The Sermon on the Mount continues.

The Mosaic law required “Breach for breach, eye for eye, tooth for tooth: as he hath caused a blemish in a man, so shall it be done to him again” (Leviticus 24:20). There are those who believe this calls for retribution or an excuse for mayhem. This distorts the Mosaic Law.

“In biblical days, the ‘eye for an eye’ passage was never understood as a license to take physical revenge on one’s adversary, even for an injury. The understanding that was developed in Old Testament times, and that was perpetuated by Jewish tradition down to the time of Jesus and beyond, was that ‘an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth’ was a statement of theoretical liability, a standard to be used in court proceedings when monetary damages could be awarded where physical loss or injury had been incurred … In the event an offender was found guilty of injuring or depriving another, the court was to determine monetary compensation, or some other form of compensatory service, to be awarded the aggrieved party.”[1]

Once again, Jesus sets a higher standard.

“But I say unto you, That ye resist not evil: but whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also.
“And if any man will sue thee at the law, and take away thy coat, let him have thy cloak also.
“And whosoever shall compel thee to go a mile, go with him twain.
“Give to him that asketh thee, and from him that would borrow of thee turn not thou away” (Matthew 5:39-44).

“When He said ‘resist not evil,’ He was not advising capitulation to wickedness; ‘evil’ in this context refers to the judgement of the court. ‘Do no resist the court’s negative sentence’ was the essential message. ‘Whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also’ was advice to accept any corporal punishment the court might order without resistance … Jesus emphasized the principles of personal responsibility, just compensation for misdeeds we might commit, and even the principle of ‘going the extra mile’ to make sure that we put right whatever we might to wrong.”[2]

Under the Mosaic law, they were told to love your neighbor and hate your enemy. A disciple of Jesus was expected to live a higher standard. We are to love our enemies. We are to do good towards those who hate you.

It’s easy to love those who love you. Even the publicans do this. We are being held to a higher standard.

Then we are commanded to be “perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect” (Matthew 5:48). “God’s perfect, righteous, exalted status is the ultimate goal to which the Beatitudes and the whole Sermon point us … These are not idealistic, isolated words, they hark back to the Beatitudes.”[3]

When teaching the Nephites, He changed this teaching. “Therefore I would that ye should be perfect even as I, or your Father who is in heaven is perfect” (3 Nephi 12:48).

“Beyond rendering the penitent person guiltless and spotless with the promise of being ‘lifted up at the last day,’ there is a second vital aspect of abiding in the love of God. Abiding in His love will enable us to realize our full potential, to become even as He is. As President Dieter F. Uchtdorf stated: ‘The grace of God does not merely restore us to our previous innocent state. … His aim is much higher: He wants His sons and daughters to become like Him.’”[4]

[1] Life and Teachings of Christ – From Bethlehem through the Sermon on the Mount, What Jesus Taught the Jews about the Law of Moses, Jeffrey R. Chadwick.
[2] Ibid.
[3] The Life and Teachings of Christ, Vol. 1: From Bethlehem through the Sermon on the Mount, A Reading of the Sermon on the Mount: A Restoration Perspective, Andrew C. Skinner.
[4] “Abide in My Love,” Elder D. Todd Christofferson, October 2016 General Conference.
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Tuesday, March 27, 2018

Mosiah 12:1-9


Chapter 12

Abinadi is imprisoned for prophesying the destruction of the people and the death of King Noah—The false priests quote the scriptures and pretend to keep the law of Moses—Abinadi begins to teach them the Ten Commandments. About 148 B.C.

1 AND it came to pass that *after the space of two years that Abinadi came among them in disguise, that they knew him not, and began to prophesy among them, saying: Thus has the Lord commanded me, saying—Abinadi, go and prophesy unto this my people, for they have hardened their hearts against my words; they have repented not of their evil doings; therefore, I will visit them in my anger, yea, in my fierce anger will I visit them in their iniquities and abominations.
2 Yea, wo be unto this generation!  And the Lord said unto me: Stretch forth thy hand and prophesy, saying: Thus saith the Lord, it shall come to pass that this generation, because of their iniquities, shall be brought into bondage, and shall be smitten on the cheek; yea, and shall be driven by men, and shall be slain; and the vultures of the air, and the dogs, yea, and the wild beasts, shall devour their flesh.
3 And it shall come to pass that the life of king Noah shall be valued even as a garment in a hot furnace; for he shall know that I am the Lord.
4 And it shall come to pass that I will smite this my people with sore afflictions, yea, with famine and with pestilence; and I will cause that they shall howl all the day long.
5 Yea, and I will cause that they shall have burdens lashed upon their backs; and they shall be driven before like a dumb ass.
6 And it shall come to pass that I will send forth hail among them, and it shall smite them; and they shall also be smitten with the east wind; and insects shall pester their land also, and devour their grain.
7 And they shall be smitten with a great pestilence—and all this will I do because of their iniquities and abominations.
8 And it shall come to pass that except they repent I will utterly destroy them from off the face of the earth; yet they shall leave a record behind them, and I will preserve them for other nations which shall possess the land; yea, even this will I do that I may discover the abominations of this people to other nations.  And many things did Abinadi prophesy against this people.
9 And it came to pass that they were angry with him; and they took him and carried him bound before the king, and said unto the king: Behold, we have brought a man before thee who has prophesied evil concerning thy people, and saith that God will destroy them.

Two years go by since Abinadi was fled for his safety.  One day, a man shows up, wearing a disguise.  He promptly announces that he was commanded of the Lord to return.  “Abinadi, go and prophesy unto this, my people…”  Abinadi was disguised to prevent people recognizing him.  But, then he promptly announces his name.  Why?  It may be that, after two years, the people had forgotten him.  It appears Abinadi didn’t spend a great amount of time among Noah’s subjects.  But, why the disguise?

“[Richard] Coggins notes that the number and the distinctive character of the biblical disguise scenes suggest that they work typologically to make a fundamental theological point: ‘Nothing is hidden from God’s sight; he is presented as controlling the situation, often ... in unexpected ways.’ Because the Book of Mormon has roots in the Old World, Abinadi’s disguise may have conveyed a similar message. If so, the disguise may have been a prop to allude to the blindness of the people. While Abinadi was disguised, the people ‘knew him not’ (Mosiah 12:1). King Noah did not know the Lord (Mosiah 11:27), and the people were blinded to God’s prophetic message (Mosiah 11:29). Noah and his supporters may have sought to hide or disguise their sins, but the Lord had seen their abominations (Mosiah 11:20) and would soon reveal them to other nations (Mosiah 12:8).”[1]

The people had not repented of their sins and still had hardened hearts against the Lord.  The Lord told Abinadi, “I will visit them in my anger.” 

The Lord told Abinadi to tell the people, because of this generation’s sin, they will be brought into bondage and “smitten on the cheek…”  “The slap on the cheek certainly had great significance to the descendants of Lehi. Abinadi cursed the people of Noah that they would be ‘smitten on the cheek ... and slain’” (Mosiah 12:2); among these people this was a symbol of humiliation, subjugation, and exercising of authority (21:3).”[2]

Solomon, speaking for the Lord, told his people, “If they sin against thee, (for there is no man that sinneth not,) and thou be angry with them, and deliver them to the enemy, so that they carry them away captives unto the land of the enemy, far or near” (1 Kings 8:46).

“In this light, it isn’t hard to guess what will happen to the wicked and unrepentant King Noah. Abinadi predicts that Noah’s people will be brought into bondage and that the armies ‘shall be slain; and the vultures of the air, and the dogs, yea, and the wild beasts, shall devour their flesh’ (Mosiah 12:2; 21:7–12). He also correctly predicts King Noah’s violent death by fire (Mosiah 12:3).”[3] 

Abinadi then commits what could be considered a serious crime against the king.  “[T]he life of king Noah shall be valued even as a garment in a hot furnace.” 

“If Abinadi indeed spoke at the temple, his simile curse that Noah's life ‘shall be valued even as a garment in a hot furnace’ (Mosiah 12:3) can meaningfully be understood as sacral imagery: in other words, he is essentially saying that Noah and his priestly garments will be consumed before the face of the Lord should he attempt to enter into the holy presence of the Lord in that temple, just as God's consuming presence on Mount Sinai ‘ascended as the smoke of a furnace’ (Exodus 19:18) and threatened to consume any unworthy person who set foot on that mount (see v. 12).”[4]

The Lord will also smite the people with famine and disease.  They will suffer from this scourge torment.

They will “have burdens lashed upon their backs; and they shall be driven before like a dumb ass.”  The weather will work against them.  Winds and hail will hit their crops and they will face swarms of insects. 

“The Nephite economy had a very simple agricultural base. Modern people easily forget how exposed and vulnerable ancient farmers were … Thus, when Abinadi issued the following curses in the name of the Lord, he raised serious threats of constant concern: ‘I will send forth hail . . . [and] the east wind; and insects shall pester their land’ (Mosiah 12:6) … In small, simple agricultural villages, putting seed into the ground each year was an act of faith, for the harvest was always an uncertainty.”[5]

They will experience great plagues; they will experience all these things because of their sins and turning away from God.  In short, all they experience will be their fault, because they choose whom to follow (the Lord or Satan) and chose poorly.

If they repent, they will be fine; if they don’t repent, they will be destroyed and only a record of their actions will be left behind.  These will be preserved for those who enjoy the blessings of the Promised Land.  Abinadi could very well have been referring to the words of Isaiah, “I have long time Holden my peace; I have been still, and refrained myself: now will I cry like a travailing woman; I will destroy and devour at once.  I will make waste mountains and hills, and dry up all their herbs; and I will make the rivers islands, and I will dry up the pools” (Isaiah 42:14-15).

“To Mormon, who witnessed the decadence and destruction of the Nephites 500 years later, Abinadi was remembered for prophesying that because of wickedness evil would come upon the land and that the wicked would be utterly destroyed (Morm. 1:19; cf. Mosiah 12:7-8).”[6]

[2] The Trial of Alma and Amulek, Maxwell Institute.
[5] Rollercoaster Economics, Maxwell Institute.
[6] Abinadi, Lew W. Cramer, Maxwell Institute, accessed  September 20, 2014.

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Sunday, March 25, 2018

Mosiah 11:16-29


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.
20 And it came to pass that there was a man among them whose name was Abinadi; 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.
26 Now it came to pass that when Abinadi had spoken these words unto them they were wroth with him, and sought to take away his life; but the Lord delivered him out of their hands.
27 Now when king Noah had heard of the words which Abinadi had spoken unto the people, he was also wroth; and he said: Who is Abinadi, that I and my people should be judged of him, or who is the Lord, that shall bring upon my people such great affliction?
28 I command you to bring Abinadi hither, that I may slay him, for he has said these things that he might astir up my people to anger one with another, and to raise contentions among my people; therefore I will slay him.
29 Now the eyes of the people were blinded; therefore they hardened their hearts against the words of Abinadi, and they sought from that time forward to take him.  And king Noah hardened his heart against the word of the Lord, and he did not repent of his evil doings.
Mosiah 11:17-29

Things in Noah’s kingdom seemed to be going well.  Guards had been placed around the land to protect the people. That wasn’t enough.

The Lamanites came upon people in parts of the land and killed them.  They stole their flocks as well.  Noah sent armies to fight the Lamanite and achieved a victory.  The returning army celebrated their victory.

“About 148 BC King Noah’s military forces drove back the Lamanites who had been attacking small groups of Nephites as they tended their flocks. The Lamanite marauders had killed a few men, stolen their animals, and driven many of their flocks out of the land. King Noah finally sent enough of his army to force the Lamanites into retreat for a time. The victorious Nephite forces returned from the battle “rejoicing in their spoil” and swelling with pride. They boasted that their ‘fifty could stand against thousands of the Lamanites’; but worse, they had come to ‘delight in blood, and the shedding of the blood of their [Lamanite] brethren, and this because of the wickedness of their king and priests’ (Mosiah 11:18, 19).”[1]

“Because of the cultic obligation to give thanks to God for his deliverance after a victorious battle, the boastings of King Noah and his people were offensive to the Lord. We are told in Mosiah 11:19 that following a great military victory against the Lamanites, the people of Noah ‘were lifted up in the pride of their hearts; they did boast in their own strength.’ After this deliberate act of rebellion against Jehovah, a prophet was sent among them to warn that if they did not repent they would be delivered into the hands of their enemies.”[2] 

Into this time of celebration comes a man named Abinadi.  We know nothing about him.  Who was he?  From where did he come?  Did he have family?  What was his position in the church?  It’s somewhat frustrating knowing so little about this great man.   His influence on the Nephite church will be great, through a man named Alma1. 

Abinadi called the people to repentance.  He reminded them of their sins (“I [the Lord] have seen [your] abominations and … wickedness, and … whoredoms; and except they repent, I will visit them in my anger.”  As we will see, Abinadi never minced words.  No one could claim they didn’t understand what he said and taught.

The Nephites must repent “and turn to the Lord their God.”  Failure to do this will led them into bondage.  They will suffer at the hands of their enemies. 

Abinadi tells them that the Lord is “a jealous God, visiting the inequities of my people.”  We often read in scriptures that God is a jealous God.  What does this mean?  If you look at footnote “b” to Exodus 20:5, you find the word “jealous” is translated from Hebrew – qannah, “possessing sensitive and deep feelings.”  This is what the Lord had Abinadi tell the Nephites. 

Once again, Abinadi reminds the Nephites about the consequences of not repenting and returning to the Lord.  They will enter bondage and no one, other than the Lord, will release them. 

“Now let’s go to Mosiah 11:23; Abinadi will introduce the theme that he is going to reiterate here: ‘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.’ Abinadi brings this up repeatedly. This is the theme. Actually, I think he is continuing the theme from Nephi. Basically, he says, ‘If this people won’t repent, they will be brought into bondage. And then comes the lesson: Nobody can deliver them except the Lord their God.’”[3]

When the day comes that the people begin to cry to the Lord for their freedom, the Lord will be slow to hear the prayers.  They will be beaten by their enemies well before they are released from bondage.

“A repentant heart and good works are the very conditions required to have grace restored to us. When someone pleads fervently in prayer for an answer, the answer may be more conditioned on repentance of personal sins than on any other factor.”[4]

“As the Nephites were celebrating the shedding of Lamanite blood, the prophet Abinadi arrived on the scene. His message immediately dampened their celebratory mood. His message was simple: God has seen your wickedness and whoredoms, and unless you repent, you will be delivered into the hands of your enemies and brought into bondage. You have been slow to heed God’s words; therefore God will be slow to hear you (see Mosiah 11:20–24).”[5]

Except the people repent, wearing sackcloth and ashes, and crying unto the Lord, He will not hear their prayers and they will not be delivered.

What is mean by the term, “sackcloth and ashes?” 

“Sackcloth and ashes were used in Old Testament times as a symbol of debasement, mourning, and/or repentance. Someone wanting to show his repentant heart would often wear sackcloth, sit in ashes, and put ashes on top of his head. Sackcloth was a coarse material usually made of black goat’s hair, making it quite uncomfortable to wear. The ashes signified desolation and ruin.”[6]

Noah and his people did not take kindly to the words of Abinadi.  They were angry and wanted to kill him because of his words; however, he was protected by the Lord and delivered out of their hands.

Oh, the “righteous” indignation of the wicked!  Who is this Abinadi guy; he thinks he can judge me, the king!?  How dare he judge the people as well?  And, who is this Lord, that He thinks he can afflict my people?

“Do any of those words sound familiar? ‘Who is Abinadi?’ ‘Who is the Lord?’ Have you heard those words before? Who else said that, before the people of Israel got out of bondage? Remember the movie with Charleton Heston and Yul Brenner? ‘Let my people go!’ What was Pharaoh’s reply? It is in Exodus 5:2. Pharaoh says: ‘Who is the Lord, that I should obey his voice to let Israel go? I know not the Lord, neither will I let Israel go.’ You can go back even farther in time to Moses 5:16 and see where Cain said the same thing: ‘Who is the Lord that I should know him?’ King Noah’s reply here is the same as some of the devil’s most distinguished servants of the past.”[7]

Noah commanded Abinadi be brought to him.  Noah wanted him dead.  Abinadi was nothing but a rabble rouser, attempting to cause division in his society.

Because of the wickedness of the king and his people, they hearts were hardened against Abinadi.  From that time forward, Abinadi was a marked man.  They did not repent of their sins.  “King Noah did not know the Lord (Mosiah 11:27), and the people were blinded to God’s prophetic message (Mosiah 11:29). Noah and his supporters may have sought to hide or disguise their sins, but the Lord had seen their abominations (Mosiah 11:20) and would soon reveal them to other nations (Mosiah 12:8).”[8]


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