Mosiah 17:5-13

5  And it came to pass that the king caused that his guards should surround Abinadi and take him; and they bound him and cast him into prison.

6  And after three days, having counseled with his priests, he caused that he should again be brought before him.

7  And he said unto him: Abinadi, we have found an accusation against thee, and thou art worthy of death.

8  For thou hast said that God himself should come down among the children of men; and now, for this cause thou shalt be put to death unless thou wilt recall all the words which thou hast spoken evil concerning me and my people.

Mosiah 17:5-8 (Emphasis mine)

Abinadi is cast into prison for three days.  Then, he's brought before the King again.  He's guilty and sentenced to death because he said that "... God himself should come down among the children of men ..."  He was then told to recant this as this was the reason he was sentenced to death.  Oh, and by the way, since we're talking about it, take back the words you said about me and my people.  

Why the three day delay? We could have been looking at  Here's a possible reason.

"Fifty days after Passover on the ancient Israelite calendar was the festival of Pentecost or Shavuot ('Weeks'), which the law of Moses required the children of Israel to observe (see Exodus 23:16). Recent research has probed the possibility that Abinadi delivered his prophetic message in the city of Nephi on this festive occasion ... the story of Abinadi in Mosiah 11-17 now comes vividly to life. Consider the following points:

 

"1. Timing would have been important to Abinadi. He had already been expelled once from the city, two years earlier (see Mosiah 11:28-12:1). His reentry on a festival day would have given him a ready audience.

"2. Both of Abinadi's speeches deal with the themes of Pentecost. He reversed the festival's blessings and rejoicing, and turned them into curses and predictions of gloom. At the time when a bounteous grain season would have been at hand, Abinadi cursed the crops: he prophesied that hail, dry winds, and insects shall ruin 'their grain' (Mosiah 12:6) ... Abinadi called upon Exodus terminology to proclaim that bondage and burdens would return to the wicked people in the city of Nephi: "They shall be brought into bondage; . . . and none shall deliver them" (Mosiah 11:21, 23), "and I will cause that they shall have burdens lashed upon their backs" (Mosiah 12:2, 5; compare Exodus 1:11).

"3. At precisely the time when Noah's priests would have been hypocritically pledging allegiance to the Ten Commandments (and indeed they professed to teach the law of Moses; see Mosiah 12:27), Abinadi rehearsed to them those very commandments (see Mosiah 12:33). On any other day this might have seemed a strange defense for a man on trial for his life, but not on Pentecost—the day on which the Ten Commandments were on center stage ...

"6. The ancient festival appears to have been a three-day event (see Exodus 19:11), which may explain why Abinadi's trial was postponed for 'three days.'  " (Mosiah 17:6).(Emphasis mine)

Abinadi and Pentecost, Robert F. Smith, Gordon C. Thomasson, and John W. Welch, Maxwell Institute, Accessed July 16, 2011.

9  Now Abinadi said unto him: I say unto you, I will not recall the words which I have spoken unto you concerning this people, for they are true; and that ye may know of their surety I have suffered myself that I have fallen into your hands.
10  Yea, and I will suffer even until death, and I will not recall my words, and they shall stand as a testimony against you.  And if ye slay me ye will shed innocent blood, and this shall also stand as a testimony against you at the last day.

Mosiah 17:9-10 (Emphasis mine)

Abinadi continues to stand up to the wicked King and priests.  He refuses to recall his words.  He tells them that he has allowed himself to be taken.  He is willing to die for the truth; if they kill him, his words will stand as a testimony against them.

Even facing his death, Abinadi keeps his integrity.  He stayed true to the Lord.

1  A FALSE balance is abomination to the LORD: but a just weight is his delight.
2  When pride cometh, then cometh shame: but with the lowly is wisdom.
3  The integrity of the upright shall guide them: but the perverseness of transgressors shall destroy them.

Proverbs 11:1-3 (Emphasis mine)

7  The just man walketh in his integrity: his children are blessed after him.

Proverbs 20:7 (Emphasis mine)

11  And now king Noah was about to release him, for he feared his word; for he feared that the judgments of God would come upon him.
12  But the priests lifted up their voices against him, and began to accuse him, saying: He has reviled the king.  Therefore the king was stirred up in anger against him, and he delivered him up that he might be slain.
13  And it came to pass that they took him and bound him, and scourged his skin with faggots, yea, even unto death.

Mosiah 17:11-13 (Emphasis mine)

Then the priests find out.  That doesn't make them very happy.  They want Abinadi dead.  So, the kissed up to the king and reminded him of all the things he said about him.  Then the King became angry and demanded he die.  

Hugh Nibley writes:

"Then Noah changed his mind. He wanted to let him go now. He didn't like it, and he was afraid of him. He feared the judgment of God would come upon him. Now this is interesting. Noah feared God? This man? Yes, he did. Remember, he considered himself the leader of religious [people]. By [their] standards, he was a righteous man. Remember, in Mosiah 12:13–15, they say he hasn't done anything wrong. They say, '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? 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. 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 also shalt prosper.' That proves you shall also prosper, so you're righteous. Because we're prosperous, we're victorious and everything else. They really believed that. 

"So what's wrong with King Noah? He was a very popular king. He put on a great show, and the people loved him. This is a very interesting thing about Noah. He was worried, and he wanted to do the right thing here. He was afraid because he knew darn well that Abinadi was right, and he wanted to let him go. But, notice what happened. The priests wouldn't let him out ... the king wanted to give up. He recognized Abinadi, but the priests wouldn't let him do it. Verse 12: 'But the priests lifted up their voices against him . . . saying: He has reviled against the king.' They were putting it on the king to make him responsible. He's reviled against you. You can't deny your office. You can't deny that you're the king, and he has reviled against you [paraphrased]. They were forcing him to put Abinadi to death, to defend the kingly office and keep his royal dignity. 'He has reviled the king. Therefore the king was stirred up in anger against them, and he delivered him up that he might be slain [they put it all onto the king, but it was the priests again].' " (Emphasis mine) 

Lecture 36: Mosiah 16-18, Hugh W. Nibley, Maxwell Institute, Accessed July 16, 2011.

Lew Cramer observed:

"Noah was intimidated and desired to release Abinadi. The priests, however, accused Abinadi of a fourth crime, that of reviling against the king (Mosiah 17:12; Ex. 22:28). On this ground Noah condemned Abinadi, and his priestly accusers scourged and burned him. It was normal under Mosaic law for the accusers to inflict the punishment, but burning was an extraordinary form of execution. It mirrored Abinadi's alleged crime: he was burned just as he had said Noah's life would be valued as a garment in a furnace. As Abinadi died, he prophesied that the same fate would befall his accusers. This prophecy was soon fulfilled (Mosiah 17:15—18; 19:20; Alma 25:7—12)." (Emphasis mine)

Abinadi, Lew W. Cramer, Maxwell Institute, Accessed July 16, 2011.

Mosiah 17:1-4

Chapter 17

Alma believes and writes the words of Abinadi—Abinadi suffers death by fire—He prophesies disease and death by fire upon his murderers. About 148 B.C.

1  AND now it came to pass that when Abinadi had finished these sayings, that the king commanded that the priests should take him and cause that he should be put to death. 

Mosiah 17:1 (Emphasis mine)

After Abinadi finished his words, the King was not very happy.  In fact, he was very upset for many reasons.  He decided that Abinadi must die. He had called the King wicked and evil.  He said that he and his priests had led the people to live unrighteous lives.

Hugh Nibley writes:

"He really pours it on here. After Abinadi gave his sermon, what was the reaction? 'The king commanded that the priests should take him and cause that he should be put to death.' And it's very obvious why. After the sermon in chapters 15 and 16, what else was there left for the king to do? The contrast between what I am doing and what I could be doing is simply intolerable—I can't face it. I must get rid of the one, or get rid of the other. You can't share them ... He [King Noah] heard the story, and he knew it was true, but it was intolerable. He couldn't face it. The only thing to do was get the man out of sight and out of mind. So take him away and put him to death" (Emphasis mine)

Lecture 36: Mosiah 16-18, Hugh W. Nibley, Maxwell Institute, Accessed July 12, 2011

One teaching of Abinadi also angered King and priests.  Hugh Nibley writes:

" 'And now Abinadi said unto them: I would that ye should understand [this is something you have to understand] that God himself shall come down among the children of men, and shall redeem his people." That is a hard one to take; that's why they would always start stoning the prophets, etc. That's why they said he was worthy of death. Remember, this is the only crime they could charge against him: he said that God himself would come down among them. This was very disturbing." (Emphasis mine)

Lecture 35: Mosiah 15-16, Hugh W. Nibley, Maxwell Institute, Accessed July 14, 2011. 

Abinadi may well have known that death was his fate.  John Tvedtnes wrote:

"When Abinadi testified before King Noah and his priests, they 'attempted to lay their hands on him' (Mosiah 13:2), but he warned them, 'Touch me not, for God shall smite you if ye lay your hands upon me, for I have not delivered the message which the Lord sent me to deliver' (Mosiah 13:3). Knowing that 'the Spirit of the Lord was upon him,' 'the people of king Noah durst not lay their hands on him' (Mosiah 13:5), and Abinadi went on to tell them about the coming of the Messiah. 'I finish my message,' he declared, 'and then it matters not whither I go, if it so be that I am saved' (Mosiah 13:9). Only after he had delivered the words of the Lord were they able to slay him (Mosiah 17:1)." (Emphasis mine)

His Stewardship Was Fulfilled, John A. Tvedtnes, Maxwell Institute, Accessed July 12, 2011.

2  But there was one among them whose name was Alma, he also being a descendant of Nephi.  And he was a young man, and he believed the words which Abinadi had spoken, for he knew concerning the iniquity which Abinadi had testified against them; therefore he began to plead with the king that he would not be angry with Abinadi, but suffer that he might depart in peace.
3  But the king was more wroth, and caused that Alma should be cast out from among them, and sent his servants after him that they might slay him.
4  But he fled from before them and hid himself that they found him not.  And he being concealed for many days did write all the words which Abinadi had spoken.

Mosiah 17:2-4 (Emphasis mine)

Abinadi was not a failure.  His preaching touched one priest, a young man named Alma(1).  Alma realized the truth of Abinadi's words and plead to the King that he would spare his life and let him go.  All Alma(1) managed to do was make the  King more angry, cast him out, and sent his servants to kill him.

Alma(1) escaped and hid from them.  During the time he was in hiding, he wrote down the words of Abinadi.  If it weren't for Alma(1), we would not have the words of Abinadi. 

Who was Alma(1)?  L. Gary Lambert tells us:

"Alma(1) (c. 174—92 B.C.) was the first of two Almas in the Book of Mormon. He was a descendant of Nephi(1), son of Lehi, and was the young priest in the court of king Noah who attempted a peaceful release of the prophet Abinadi. For that action, Alma incurred royal vengeance, banishment, and threats upon his life. He had been impressed by Abinadi's accusations of immorality and abuses within the government and society and by his testimony of the gospel of Jesus Christ (Mosiah 17:2). Subsequently forced underground, Alma wrote out Abinadi's teachings, then shared them with others, attracting sufficient adherents—450—to organize a society of believers, or a church." (Emphasis mine)

Alma(1), L. Gary Lambert, Maxwell Institute, Accessed July 12, 2011.

Hugh Nibley

"  'But there was one among them whose name was Alma,' and there's a very important thing about Alma. You'll notice his situation and what kind of fellow he was. What was Alma's situation? It goes out of the way to tell us why he was in this situation. He was a direct descendant of Nephi. That meant he had the priesthood, but he wasn't among those—the old guard—that had been kicked out by Noah at an earlier time. Remember, Noah cleaned out Zeniff's priests that he had appointed. And as we read back here in Mosiah 11:5, he got rid of them. 'For he put down all the priests that had been consecrated by his father [so Alma hadn't been consecrated by Zeniff], and he consecrated new ones in their stead.' And Alma was apparently one of those new ones. Why? Well, in the first place he was young. It says that he was a young man. He hadn't been in that old group at all. In the second place, he was in the highest aristocracy. Remember, the first Nephi had been the king, so he was the nearest thing you would get to royal blood. He couldn't avoid the job. He would naturally be appointed by the king and also have the king's ear because he was in high respect, of course. And he was also honest, and he knew [Abinadi] was telling the truth. He knew too much, as a matter of fact. That's why the king had to get rid of him now. ... Of course, he interceded for Abinadi. He had the ear of the king and he said, well, what about it? Let's let him go. The least we can do is let him go in peace. The king wouldn't have that, and so now he wanted to get rid of Alma himself. To agree to this [Alma's exhortation] would be an admission of his guilt. He couldn't afford to do that, so he had to get rid of Alma, too. He was a troublemaker [for the king], and he knew too much, as we learn in verse 2.

"Then what happened? He 'sent his servants after him that they might slay him' so that nobody would know about it. See, that's the way he did things, not in the open. This Noah was quite a character, and yet he turns out to be a rather sympathetic character, and that's surprising, isn't it? 'But he [Alma] fled from before them [Alma was up to that—he knew what was going to happen, so he got out of the way in time; he was no fool to stay around] and hid himself that they found him not. And he being concealed for many days did write all the words which Abinadi had spoken.' Remember, those were scripture. Abinadi was heavy with scripture. He taunted the priests of Noah for teaching the scripture and not knowing it, not understanding it, and not following it." (Emphasis mine)

Lecture 36: Mosiah 16-18, Hugh W. Nibley, Maxwell Institute, Accessed July 12, 2011

Mosiah 11:1-13

Chapter 11

King Noah rules in wickedness—He revels in riotous living with his wives and concubines—Abinadi prophesies that the people will be taken into bondage—His life is sought by King Noah. About 160–150 B.C.

1  AND now it came to pass that Zeniff conferred the kingdom upon Noah, one of his sons; therefore Noah began to reign in his stead; and he did not walk in the ways of his father.
2  For behold, he did not keep the commandments of God, but he did walk after the desires of his own heart.  And he had many wives and concubines [A woman who cohabits with a man without being legally married to him; A woman who cohabits with a man without being legally married to him - Free Dictionary, accessed June 7, 2011].  And he did because his people to commit sin, and do that which was abominable in the sight of the Lord.  Yea, and they did commit whoredoms and all manner of wickedness.
3  And he laid a tax of one fifth part of all they possessed, a fifth part of their gold and of their silver, and a fifth part of their ziff [HEB related words: adjective, "shining";  verb, "to overlay or plate with metal], and of their copper, and of their brass and their iron; and a fifth part of their fatlings; and also a fifth part of all their grain.
4  And all this did he take to support himself, and his wives and his concubines; and also his priests, and their wives and their concubines; thus he had changed the affairs of the kingdom.
5  For he put down all the priests that had been consecrated by his father, and consecrated new ones in their stead, such as were lifted up in the pride of their hearts.
6  Yea, and thus they were supported in their laziness, and in their idolatry, and in their whoredoms, by the taxes which king Noah had put upon his people; thus did the people labor exceedingly to support iniquity.

7  Yea, and they also became idolatrous, because they were deceived by the vain and flattering words of the king and priests; for they did speak flattering things unto them.

Mosiah 11:1-7 (Emphasis mine)

Things changed after Zeniff's death.  Noah took over and got rid of his father's priests and selected his own; he "walked after the desires of his heart."   He levied a 20% tax on his people to support his lavish lifestyle and well as the lifestyle of his "priests."  Noah and company were lazy, worthless people, living off the labor of his subjects.  Of course, like all tyrants, he didn't care.

This lifestyle was in contrast to that of the noble King Benjamin.  As the beginning of his great sermon, he said:

12  I say unto you that as I have been suffered to spend my days in your service, even up to this time, and have not sought gold nor silver nor any manner of riches of you;
13  Neither have I suffered that ye should be confined in dungeons, nor that ye should make slaves one of another, nor that ye should murder, or plunder, or steal, or commit adultery; nor even have I suffered that ye should commit any manner of wickedness, and have taught you that ye should keep the commandments of the Lord, in all things which he hath commanded you—
14  And even I, myself, have labored with mine own hands that I might serve you, and that ye should not be laden with taxes, and that there should nothing come upon you which was grievous to be borne—and of all these things which I have spoken, ye yourselves are witnesses this day.
15  Yet, my brethren, I have not done these things that I might boast, neither do I tell these things that thereby I might accuse you; but I tell you these things that ye may know that I can answer a clear conscience before God this day.
16  Behold, I say unto you that because I said unto you that I had spent my days in your service, I do not desire to boast, for I have only been in the service of God.
17  And behold, I tell you these things that ye may learn wisdom; that ye may learn that when ye are in the service of your fellow beings ye are only in the service of your God.

Mosiah 2:12-17 (Emphasis mine)

It would be wonderful to have more leaders today with the commitment and spirit of King Benjamin today.

His son, Mosiah(2), who became King served in the same spirit as did his father.

6  And it came to pass that king Mosiah did walk in the ways of the Lord, and did observe his judgments and his statutes, and did keep his commandments in all things whatsoever he commanded him.
7  And king Mosiah did cause his people that they should till the earth.  And he also, himself, did till the earth, that thereby he might not become burdensome to his people, that he might do according to that which his father had done in all things.  And there was no contention among all his people for the space of three years.

Mosiah 6:6-7 (Emphasis mine)

Noah's actions, causing the people to live in sin (see v7), was a problem throughout Jewish history.

16 And he shall give Israel up because of the sins of Jeroboam, who did sin, and who made Israel to sin.

1 Kings 14:16 (Emphasis mine)

25  ¶ And Nadab the son of Jeroboam began to reign over Israel in the second year of Asa king of Judah, and reigned over Israel two years.
26  And , and walked in the way of his father, and in his sin wherewith he made Israel to sin.

1 Kings 15:25 - 26 (Emphasis mine)

20  And Ahab said to Elijah, Hast thou found me, O mine enemy?  And he answered, I have found thee: because thou hast sold thyself to work evil in the sight of the LORD.
21  Behold, I will bring evil upon thee, and will take away thy posterity, and will cut off from Ahab him that pisseth against the wall, and him that is shut up and left in Israel,
22  And will make thine house like the house of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, and like the house of Baasha the son of Ahijah, for the provocation wherewith thou hast provoked me to anger, and made Israel to sin.

1 Kings 21:20-22 (Emphasis mine)

Replacing his father's priests is similar to Jeroboam's actions.

31  And he made an house of high places, and made priests of the lowest of the people, which were not of the sons of Levi.

1 Kings 12:31 (Emphasis mine)

13  ¶ And the priests and the Levites that were in all Israel resorted to him out of all their coasts.
14  For the Levites left their suburbs and their possession, and came to Judah and Jerusalem: for Jeroboam and his sons had cast them off from executing the priest's office unto the LORD:
15  And he ordained him priests for the high places, and for the devils, and for the calves which he had made.

2 Chronicles 11:13-15 (Emphasis mine)

To become so depraved a society in such a short period of time, Noah must have been. secretly, a wicked man.  I am convinced that Zeniff would not have put a wicked son on the throne.  

So, in a very short period (we're probably looking at a period of no more than ten years from the time Noah became king), the Nephites went from a righteous people to a wicked society, not following the commandments of the Lord.

8  And it came to pass that king Noah built many elegant and spacious buildings; and he ornamented them with fine work of wood, and of all manner of precious things, of gold, and of silver, and of iron, and of brass, and of ziff, and of copper;
9  And he also built him a spacious palace, and a throne in the midst thereof, all of which was of fine wood and was ornamented with gold and silver and with precious things.
10  And he also caused that his workmen should work all manner of fine work within the walls of the temple, of fine wood, and of copper, and of brass.
11  And the seats which were set apart for the high priests, which were above all the other seats, he did ornament with pure gold; and he caused a breastwork to be built before them, that they might rest their bodies and their arms upon while they should speak lying and vain words to his people.
12  And it came to pass that he built a tower near the temple; yea, a very high tower, even so high that he could stand upon the top thereof and overlook the land of Shilom, and also the land of Shemlon, which was possessed by the Lamanites; and he could even look over all the land round about.
13  And it came to pass that he caused many buildings to be built in the land Shilom; and he caused a great tower to be built on the hill north of the land Shilom, which had been a resort for the children of Nephi at the time they fled out of the land; and thus he did do with the riches which he obtained by the taxation of his people.

Mosiah 11:8-13 (Emphasis mine)

(Interesting Book of Mormon note.   When Noah built in tower in Shilom, he built it at a place "which had been a resort for the children of Nephi at the time they fled out of the land." (v13)  This is the first time I've caught this mention of a resort.There are two other references to resort in Alma (45:5,8 & 52:6).  Any other mention is as a verb instead of the noun.  I have always thought of a resort (noun) as a vacation destination, somewhere you go to have a good time.  I never thought of the Nephites as having a recreation destination for their people, so I looked it up in the dictionary.  I learned an additional definition - "a place ... frequented by many people."  So in the context of of v13, and the references in Alma, would be a meeting place for the people.)

King Noah obviously wanted as showy a kingdom as he could possibly have.  Much of the taxes collected went to build the luxurious buildings.  But, he didn't stop at buildings.  He made himself a grand throne and seats for his priests that would be the height of luxury today. 

In the April 1999 General Conference, Elder Joe J. Christensen said:

"When it comes to overcoming being greedy, selfish, and overly indulgent, we all need a lot more help. In his candid manner, President Brigham Young said: 'The worst fear … I have about this people is that they will get rich in this country, forget God and His people, wax fat, and kick themselves out of the Church. … My greater fear … is that they cannot stand wealth.' Our prosperity brings some real challenges because many are getting rich, more of us are waxing fat, and as a result of greed, selfishness, and overindulgence, we could lose the Spirit and literally kick ourselves out of the Church.  Money and material things are on the minds of almost everyone. As Morris Chalfant wrote: 'The great [question] of the twentieth century is, "How can I acquire wealth?" No question occupies a larger place in the minds and … hearts of … people today than this. … This is true of men in every station and in every walk of life.' Money in and of itself is not an evil, but as Paul taught Timothy, it is the love of money that is the root of all evil.  There are some of the wealthy who deal with their prosperity very well using their resources to bless others and build the kingdom. For many, however, wealth presents major difficulties." (Emphasis mine)

In the April 2004 General Conference, Elder Joseph B. Wirthlin said:

"We have earthly debts and heavenly debts. Let us be wise in dealing with each of them and ever keep in mind the words of the Savior. The scriptures tell us, 'Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal: But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven.' The riches of this world are as dust compared to the riches that await the faithful in the mansions of our Heavenly Father. How foolish is he who spends his days in the pursuit of things that rust and fade away. How wise is he who spends his days in the pursuit of eternal life." (Emphasis mine)

In the April 2002 General Conference, Elder John M. Madsen said:

"Almost 2,000 years ago, a rich young man asked an extremely important question of the Savior: 'Good Master, what good thing shall I do, that I may have eternal life?' (Matt. 19:16).

Having 'heard' the Savior’s instructions and His gentle invitation to 'come and follow me' (Matt. 19:21), the rich young man 'went away sorrowful: for he had great possessions' (Matt. 19:22). Tragically, millions in the world today still prize and choose 'the riches of the earth' over the 'riches of eternity' (D&C 38:39), not knowing or fully understanding that 'he that hath eternal life is rich' (D&C 6:7; emphasis added), and that eternal life is God’s greatest gift to man (see D&C 14:7). "  (Additional emphasis mine)

King Noah ignored the Lord and sought after the riches of this world.  In the end, as we will see, he will have to account for his wickedness.