A Study of the Book of Mormon

Mosiah 23:1-18 The broader quote used in the title states: "... ye should stand fast in this liberty wherewith ye have been made free..." ( vs. 13 ) and is used in context of a discussion on why they should not choose to have a King to rule over them. I find this very interesting however, and extremely applicable to the conditions of the United States. Though the question here is never about what type of government we should establish. That has already been given to us, and will hopefully never become an issue of debate, that is, what type of government we should have. However, that we are introduced to practices and philosophies and entertainments that would cause us to compromise our freedoms, has become a frequent occurrence in our society. Hence, the admonition to not give up our freedoms by standing fast in this liberty that God has given us seems particularly relevant today. This actually sends me back to the beginning of the month and some strong impressions I had abou...

Mosiah 22:10-16 I was just reviewing the tags I had placed on the last post. I find it extremely intriguing that we can talk about integrity of character, service, and strategy all in the same breath. There are many stories along these lines then that have not yet been explored. Again a couple of interesting points of observation in these simple passages. Once the people of Limhi set out on their course, the scriptures say "they pursued their journey." ( vs. 12 ) Though they were many days on this exodus from the land that they had labored diligently to establish, they pushed forward fixed on the course of their freedom.  Upon arrival in the land of Zarahemla, the people of Limhi became subjects to King Mosiah. ( vs. 13 ) This is particularly notable because Limhi's role and position as monarch of his people is dissolved. Truly, Limhi's great concern was for his people, not for his power.

Mosiah 22:1-9 In this passage, the people of Limhi are gathered to devise a plan for their escape from the Lamanites. They have at this point concluded that the only way to remedy their bondage from the Lamanites was to "depart into the wilderness". ( vs. 2 ) There are simple subtleties in these verses that stand out to me in this reading. First, Gideon, upon soliciting the king's attention, presents himself as servant to the king. Gideon at this point, had developed a plan for the deliverance of their people, how long he had had this option in mind we do not know, but what does seem certain is his confidence in the plan. In this reading I also paid closer attention to the actual directions that Gideon outlined to the king. It appears to have been a very indirect route, perhaps the least obvious of all possible, which would cause them to travel around the land of Shilom. ( vs. 8 ) The most intriguing part of this chapter however is Gideon's ability to be an effective ...

Mosiah 21 (See also Mosiah 12:1-8 , blog post ) This chapter now deals with the bitter realities of Abinadi's prophecies being fulfilled. After outlining some of the difficult events which the people of Limhi were now encountering, verse 4 explains, "Yea, all this was done that the word of the Lord might be fulfilled." (A quick review of what the prophecy of Abinadi entailed can be found back in chapter 12 as noted above.) There is an observation made in the blog post for chapter 12 that also describes what is happening in this chapter. ...To have a hardened heart is essentially to have withdrawn from the presence and the Spirit of the Lord.We cut off the lifeline of Life, our relationship to the Divine, and attempt to take salvation into our own hands, which is hopelessly impossible. As this current chapter (21) attests to, the way in which we so often attempt to take salvation into our own hands is by brute force or violence. It is human nature to think that we can ...