A Study of the Book of Mormon

Mosiah 29:39-47 Verse 39 states that the people "were exceedingly rejoiced because of the liberty which had been granted unto them." I've looked up the footnote on liberty, and it has brought me to review and consider a couple of passages from the New Testament teachings of Paul. 1 Corinthians 8:9 - This is Paul's teaching on "Christian Liberty," a reminder to be careful of the freedoms afforded us, lest they be misinterpreted by those around us and become a "stumbling block" for them. Galatians 5 - In this chapter, the purpose of God-granted freedom is afford us the ability to learn to walk after the Spirit. Verse 16 of this chapter reminds me to "Walk in the Spirit." Something that I had missed in previous days of studying these verses is that the deeper feelings of appreciation and love that the people felt towards king Mosiah was a result of putting into practice his recommendations to change the government over to a system of jud...

Mosiah 29:1-38 A unique milestone in the history of the Nephite nation is addressed in an epistle to the people from King Mosiah, for they were desirous to continue under the leadership of a king.  King Mosiah, though being the third king from King Mosiah (his grandfather, see Omni 1:12-13 ) to lead the people under righteousness, presents the people with an alternative form of government. An interesting side thought is the reason for this change. The rightful heir to the throne, Aaron -- the son of Mosiah, has rejected the throne because of his desires to serve as a missionary. The decision to reject the throne was a radical decision based on righteous motives. The blessing that resulted to the benefit of the people was of greater good than anything that he could have done for the kingdom as king. Missionary work blesses both those directly and indirectly involved in it. In verse 11 , after presenting an interesting yet not entirely improbable scenario of rebellion,  Mosiah p...

Mosiah 28:10-20 (Such are the mercies of the Lord upon me when I do not feel worthy to receive the instruction that He sends me, yet He does it anyways.) I'm not sure how to get from point A to point B in this explanation, however there are important truths found in the footnotes of this section. I should also preface this study with a reminder that I have recently been impressed with the importance of the heart in discerning spiritual matters, for the Spirit of God communicates through the mind and the heart working together. ( Doctrine and Covenants 8:2 ) As was mentioned back in Mosiah 21 in the conversation between Ammon the scout and king Limhi, "king Mosiah had a gift from God, whereby he could interpret... engravings."At this point in the record, we learn that king Mosiah had no one to confer the kingdom upon because all of his sons had gone off to preach to the Lamanites. This caused him to prepare the records that he had in his possession to be transferred. The ...

Mosiah 28:1-9 These verses cause me to consider in greater earnest "the virtue of the word of God." (see Alma 31:5 ) The sons of Mosiah set a precedence in the history of missionary work upon their successful completion of their ministry among the Nephites. It strikes me that as these missionaries had observed the power of the word of God amongst the Nephites, there was born within the sons of Mosiah a desire to extend its influence to the Lamanite people also. But perhaps there's a slightly different reason for their motivation. No one had ever taken the word of God this far before with the hope to convert an enemy nation to the ways of God.This zealous pioneering spirit was born of out of the desire "that salvation should be declared unto every create." ( verse 3 ) I find in the sons of Mosiah's desire the manifestation of the Spirit of Christ, or in other words, that pure love which motivates one to do good. Consequently, the sons of Mosiah sought their f...

Mosiah 27:32-37 This captures my attention immediately, that from the point of their conversion onward --or that from the moment that they had put into practice in their own lives the principles of the Gospel of Jesus Christ-- they began to teach it unto others. A line at the end of verse 32 says that they were "greatly persecuted by those who were unbelievers." I've often times feared the unbelievers because of their anger and hatred towards those that do believe. However, as I read it this morning, it strikes me that the conversion that Alma and the sons of Mosiah underwent caused them to face the unbelievers with love and faith, perhaps even with the hope that they too would convert to the Gospel of Christ. It is that it was so present in the minds of their minds (Alma and the Sons of Mosiah) their prior state of darkness that they understood all too well the hatred, confusion, and guilt that those that don't beleive are feeling.  Understanding the cause of their ...

Mosiah 27:18-31 An interesting exercise in these verses is take the phrase "power of God" and substitute it with the word "priesthood." Not so much to change the meaning of the passage, but to give further understanding to the nature of the priesthood. I keep doing it, almost compulsively. Presently, I am left to consider how "nothing save the power of God that could... cause it to tremble." ( verse 18 ) That thought that keeps impressing me is that the priesthood has the power to do this. Then there is the question of signs and how it is an "adulterous generation" ( Matt. 12:39 ) that seeks after signs. If we are not to seek after signs and miracles, then what part do these things play in the work of the Lord? That the priesthood has power over earthly elements has been illustrated time and time again in the scriptures, especially in the Old Testament. Their purpose is not to give signs to the wicked but rather to facilitate the work of the righ...

Mosiah 27:8-17 These verses contain the account of an angel that came to stop Alma the Younger and the sons of Mosiah on their course of destruction against the Church. The main question that I have as I read these verses is: what about this scenario merited the intervention of an angel? Angels are not the usual form of communication from heaven. There are several reasons that I feel angelic intervention was merited in this instance. Verses 8 through 10 explain how they were rebelling against the church in secret. Given the family dynamics, that both parents of Alma and the son of Mosiah were the heads of the church and the state, it gave them all the more power to destroy what their fathers were trying to build and protect.  Verse 14 offers another reason when the angel explains that Alma, the elder, had been praying for his son that he might "be brought to the knowledge of the truth." It wasn't just Alma that had been praying for this though, and just because Alma was ...