Chapter 23
23:1-5: Proclamation Throughout the Land
Converting king Lamoni's fathers ("the king") had major implications for the spreading the word of God.
After the king had been converted, he issued a "proclamation" that protected the sons of Mosiah from being imprisoned, beaten, or persecuted. The proclamation also declared that the sons of Mosiah should have free access to the Lamanites house, temples, and sanctuaries.
In verse 2, Mormon use the conclusion "thus" and "therefore" to indicate the result of the proclamation:
3 An thus they might go forth and preach the word according to their desires...therefore he sent his proclamation throughout the land unto his people, that the word of God might have no obstruction, but that it might go forth throughout all the land, that his people might be convinced concerning the wicked traditions of their fathers, and that they might be convinced that they were all brethren, and that they ought not to murder, nor to plunder, nor to steal, nor to commit adultery, nor to commit any manner of wickedness.
First, the proclamation allowed the sons of Mosiah to preach according to their desires, allowing the word to be taught and preached unrestrained.
Second, the proclamation sent forth made is so the word of God could go forth unobstructed. And this is important, because the less obstruction, the more chance people have to hear the word of God and be convinced of the error their ways.
And thus because of the proclamation, we read:
2 that Aaron and his brethren went forth from city to city, and from one house of worship to another, establishing churches, and consecrating priests and teachers throughout the land among the Lamanites, to preach and to teach the word of God among them; and thus they began to have great success.5 And thousands were brought to the knowledge of the Lord, yea, thousands were brought to believe in the traditions of the Nephites; and they were taught the records and prophecies which were handed down even to the present time.
23:6 -- The Righteousness of the Lamanites
As many of the Lamanites as believed in their preaching, and were converted unto the Lord, never did fall away.
Questions
- What might explain why the Lamanites remained converted to the Lord?
- Is it possible that the one reason was their recognition of what they didn't have versus what they did in terms of gospel truth?
- What did the Lamanites have to accept before they could be converted? How does that entail humility? How is humility related to not falling away?
23:14 -- Amalekites Not Converted
As we've learned, those who reject light accept greater darkness. The more light you have and reject, the greater darkness you accept.
As we learned in Alma 9, the Nephites were blessed tremendously. The Amalekites rejected the light and some point. Either the Amalekites were an off-shoot of the Amlicites or they were a different group of Nephites that dissented.
In any case, the Amalekites were blessed with great knowledge and then they turned away. And having turned away, they accepted greater darkness that hardened their heart, making it hard for them to accept truth.
Consider the spectrum below
<--LIGHT--------------------------------------|-------------------------------DARKNESS-->
If a person is on the far right, then the amount of light he/she is able to discern is very minimal. The message of the Gospel has a fair amount of light, at least enough to put you on the increasing light side of the spectrum.
<--LIGHT--------------------------------GOSPEL-|------------------------DARKNESS-->
But if one is so far into darkness, he won't be able to comprehend the light and thus he'll likely reject it.
<-----------------------GOSPEL-|------------------------------person A--DARKNESS-->
_________GAP_______
And hence why only one Amalekites and no Amulonites accepted it. A note that many of the Amalekites and Amulonites are later generations. Even though the later generations did not reject it, they were taught by their parents who willfully taught their children to reject truth and to practice priestcraft.
This point, then, shows the damage that someone can have in fallen away from truth -- they pass their belief onto their kids who end up in the same state.
But what about the Lamanites? They were descendants of Laman and Lemuel who rebelled against light and truth.
A few observations:
First, it is possible that Laman and Lemuel did not rebel against as much light and truth as did the Amulonites and Amalekites.
Second, even if the rejection of light and truth was similar to that of Amulonites and Amalekites, we do learn that the Nephites had to wait some time before they could convert the Lamanites.
20 And I bear record that the people of Nephi did seek diligently to restore the Lamanites unto the true faith in God. But our labors were vain; their hatred was fixed, and they were led by their evil nature that they became wild, and ferocious, and a blood-thirsty people, full of idolatry and filthiness; feeding upon beasts of prey; dwelling in tents, and wandering about in the wilderness with a short skin girdle about their loins and their heads shaven; and their skill was in the bow, and in the cimeter, and the ax. And many of them did eat nothing save it was raw meat; and they were continually seeking to destroy us. (Enos 1)
The Nephites couldn't convert them initially because the Lamanites were still living in great darkness and thus rejected the light. But perhaps the rejection and darkness lessened overtime as the tradition because less about teaching rebellion, but more about practicing their tradition.
But, yet, the Nephites had to wait almost 400 years before they could try and convert the Lamanites.
Third, we learn in Alma 17 that king Lamoni was a descendant of Ishmael, not Laman and Lemuel. Perhaps the majority of Lamanites who converted were those from Ishmael, not Laman and Lemuel. This means that those who descended from Laman and Lemuel were more hardened to the truth. This possibility, of course, is speculative and the text doesn't tell us either way. But it's worth considering.
23:16 -- Given a Name
Throughout the scriptures, we learn of people taken upon of given names. For example, Abraham (Abram ---> Abraham); Jacob (Jacob --> Israel). We also learn in the Book of Mormon the need to take upon Christ's name. And here in Alma 23:16, we learn that the converted Lamanites wanted to change their name to distinguish themselves. The name they chose was Anti-Nephi-Lehies
Questions
What might be the purpose of naming?
Why would a righteous people want to distinguish themselves?
Why might distinguishing be important?
What does that say about our attitude in living in the world today?
23:17 -- Anti-Nephi-Lehies
What is the meaning of the name Anti-Nephi-Lehies? On its face, the English wording sounds confusing, as it seems to read as if the converted Lamanites are against Nephi and Lehi. However, BYU has a website where it explores the word meaning of various names in the Book of Mormon.
Quoting from there about the meaning of Anti-Nephi-Lehies, the website reads:
When analyzing this composite name, the first question that should be asked is whether the first element, anti, is a translation or whether it is a transliteration of a NEPHITE word.If anti is a transliteration, it might come from the EGYPTIAN relative marker nty (Coptic ente) meaning "which is," which can be nominalized as "that which is". Since the gentilic of the term is used in the plural, if it were pluralized as EGYPTIAN it should be ntyw. This would mean something like "those who are Nephi-Lehi". In later stages of EGYPTIAN, the relative marker and the genitive marker were confused. If this term derived from such a situation, it would mean something like "those of Nephi-Lehi".If anti is a translation, the meaning could be “facing Nephi-Lehi,” from the HEBREW word that means approximately “anti,” (neged), i.e., “facing, opposite, etc.” (HWN). It is the HEBREW Vorlage in Genesis 2:18 of “help meet.” (The Greek Vorlage of English “anti” can mean “opposite, against, in exchange, instead, representing, rivaling, simulating.” See OED.) Perhaps from such considerations, it has been suggested that the significance of ANTI-NEPHI-LEHI is “those who imitate the teachings of the descendants of NEPHI and LEHI” (Ludlow, A Companion to Your Study of the Book of Mormon, 210).
https://onoma.lib.byu.edu/index.php/ANTI-NEPHI-LEHI
Chapter 24
24:1 -- Amalekites and Amulonites Stirred Up the Lamanites
As I've discussed in previous posts, the danger of wickedness that hasn't been tamed is that it spreads and affects others. Wicked behavior is into content to remain isolated, but spread to infect others. This principle of wickedness acting like a disease or virus is evident in verse 1 and 2, where the Amalekites and Amulonites are responsible for "stirring" the Lamanites into anger to war against the Nephites.
24:6 -- The Lamanites Covenant
In response to and recognition of their sinful state, the Anti-Nephi-Lehis ("ANL") entered into a covenant that they would never take "up arms" against their brethren (Lamanites and Nephites?).
The King's son ("the king") explains the rationale for the covenant:
13 ...since God hath taken away our stains, and our swords have become bright, then let us stain our swords no more with the blood of our brethren...14 let us retain our swords that they be not stained with the blood of our brethren; for perhaps, if we should stain our swords again they can no more be washed bright through the blood of the Son of our great God, which shall be shed for the atonement of our sins.
After the king spoke, the ANLs
17...were assembled together, they took their swords, and all the weapons which were used for the shedding of man’s blood, and they did bury them up deep in the earth.18 And this they did, it being in their view a testimony to God, and also to men, that they never would use weapons again for the shedding of man’s blood; and this they did, vouching and covenanting with God, that rather than shed the blood of their brethren they would give up their own lives; and rather than take away from a brother they would give unto him; and rather than spend their days in idleness they would labor abundantly with their hands.
24:19 -- The Devoutness of the ANL
In verse 19, Mormon provides his commentary about the ANL covenant to bury their weapons of war -- or as Mormon terms it, weapons of rebellion.
19 ...thus we see that, when these Lamanites were brought to believe and to know the truth, they were firm, and would suffer even unto death rather than commit sin...
By burying their sword the ANL had made themselves vulnerable to attacks and being killed. Thus the act of burying their swords was a show of complete submission to God. They would rather submit to God than save their lives. A person who can do this has consecrated themselves to God. This is the disposition that all of us need to have if we expect to enter into the celestial kingdom.
As taught in Doctrine and Covenants, the condition of entrance into the celestial kingdom is the sacrifice of all things. When you show to God that you'll hold nothing back from him -- that he can take whatever he wants from you whenever and however, then as a result God will give you all that he has. Those who receive all that God has are residents of the Celestial Kingdom. The gospel is the vehicle to help us reach the state where we can give all willingly. Interestingly, reaching this state takes time -- years. The ANL were able to do it only a couple.
For us, what weapons of rebellion that we're unwilling to bury so that we may avoid sin?
Remember sin means to miss the mark. The mark for Christians is to enter into a relationship with God. Anything that prevents that relationship from happening is a sin. Thus, what are our weapons of rebellion that keep that us away from God and that we are unwilling to bury?
24: 24 -- Conversion by Example
In Alma 17, before the sons of Mosiah departed in the Lamanite lands to administer the gospel, the Lord told them the following:
11 ...Go forth among the Lamanites, thy brethren, and establish my word; yet ye shall be patient in long-suffering and afflictions, that ye may show forth good examples unto them in me, and I will make an instrument of thee in my hands unto the salvation of many souls.
Do you notice that connection between being patient in suffering to that of showing good examples? Here, the Lord explains that the sons of Mosiah are to be patient in their suffering and affliction. And the reason why they are to be patient is so that they can set forth a good example.
How might being patient set forth a good example? For one, people may recognize the person's afflictions and feel for them (to have sympathy for them). This "feeling for them" may open up one's heart to receive new truth.
Another way is that a patient person who suffers can display his true love for others. To patiently suffer afflictions heaped upon by another person can only be done through true love. Overtime, this show of love will manifest itself to others, thereby bringing others feel love, which may prompt them to change.
The ANL converted the Lamanites through the second way -- they submitted to being killed, which submission pricked the hearts of the Lamanites causing the Lamanites to change.
23 Now when the Lamanites saw that their brethren would not flee from the sword, neither would they turn aside to the right hand or to the left, but that they would lie down and perish, and praised God even in the very act of perishing under the sword—24 Now when the Lamanites saw this they did forbear from slaying them; and there were many whose hearts had swollen in them for those of their brethren who had fallen under the sword, for they repented of the things which they had done.25 And it came to pass that they threw down their weapons of war, and they would not take them again, for they were stung for the murders which they had committed; and they came down even as their brethren, relying upon the mercies of those whose arms were lifted to slay them. (Alma 24)
Chapter 25
25: 1-2 -- Fell Upon the People Who Were In Ammonihah
Although many Lamanites were converted, others were not. The ones that were not, grew angry that they had killed their brethren. As a result of feeling this anger, they redirected their anger at the Nephites, leading them to destroy the people of Ammonihah. Alma 16 describes this event.
25:17 -- Verified His Word
At the end of chapter 25, Mormon explains that the Lord fulfilled his promise to the sons of Mosiah in every particular. This means that every aspect, even the most minute promise, was fulfilled. This verse then serves to remind us, the reader, that the Lord is reliable. And that if we trust in him and do what he says, then he'll fulfill his promises.
Chapter 26
26: 9 -- If We Had Not Come Up
We learn the effect of the sons of Mosiah:
...if we had not come up out of the land of Zarahemla, these our dearly beloved brethren, who have so dearly beloved us, would still have been racked with hatred against us, yea, and they would also have been strangers to God.
If the sons of Mosiah had not made the sacrifices they did, the ANL would still have remained in darkness.
This fact teaches us a truth about the gospel and sharing truth in general. Although it may seem impolite and an imposition to teach what you know to someone, it's generally the only way that they'll learn truth. Our fear of sharing something because of how it might be perceived, could prevent the person that needs to hear the truth from hearing it.
It's interesting to note, as Ammon explains later in this chapter, that the missionary efforts of the sons of Mosiah were met with mocking and scorn.
23 Now do ye remember, my brethren, that we said unto our brethren in the land of Zarahemla, we go up to the land of Nephi, to preach unto our brethren, the Lamanites, and they laughed us to scorn?24 For they said unto us: Do ye suppose that ye can bring the Lamanites to the knowledge of the truth? Do ye suppose that ye can convince the Lamanites of the incorrectness of the traditions of their fathers, as stiffnecked a people as they are; whose hearts delight in the shedding of blood; whose days have been spent in the grossest iniquity; whose ways have been the ways of a transgressor from the beginning? Now my brethren, ye remember that this was their language.25 And moreover they did say: Let us take up arms against them, that we destroy them and their iniquity out of the land, lest they overrun us and destroy us.
Imagine if the sons of Mosiah caved into the mocking and ridicule hurled at them by the Nephites and decided not to preach to the Lamanites?
The immediate result would be that ANL would be kept in darkness. But bigger than that, the ANL would have been cut off from the joy of the gospel. Recall the king's (the son of king Lamoni's father) statements about being converted unto the Lord in Alma 24:
10 And I also thank my God, yea, my great God, that he hath granted unto us that we might repent of these things, and also that he hath forgiven us of those our many sins and murders which we have committed, and taken away the guilt from our hearts, through the merits of his Son.11 the great God has had mercy on us, and made these things known unto us that we might not perish; yea, and he has made these things known unto us beforehand, because he loveth our souls as well as he loveth our children; therefore, in his mercy he doth visit us by his angels, that the plan of salvation might be made known unto us as well as unto future generations.
...
15 Oh, how merciful is our God! And now behold, since it has been as much as we could do to get our stains taken away from us, and our swords are made bright, let us hide them away that they may be kept bright, as a testimony to our God at the last day, or at the day that we shall be brought to stand before him to be judged, that we have not stained our swords in the blood of our brethren since he imparted his word unto us and has made us clean thereby.16 And now, my brethren, if our brethren seek to destroy us, behold, we will hide away our swords, yea, even we will bury them deep in the earth, that they may be kept bright, as a testimony that we have never used them, at the last day; and if our brethren destroy us, behold, we shall go to our God and shall be saved.
And even consider what Ammon says about the love of the ANL:
15 Yea, they were encircled about with everlasting darkness and destruction; but behold, he has brought them into his everlasting light, yea, into everlasting salvation; and they are encircled about with the matchless bounty of his love; yea, and we have been instruments in his hands of doing this great and marvelous work.
...
32 For behold, they had rather sacrifice their lives than even to take the life of their enemy; and they have buried their weapons of war deep in the earth, because of their love towards their brethren.33 And now behold I say unto you, has there been so great love in all the land? Behold, I say unto you, Nay, there has not, even among the Nephites.34 For behold, they would take up arms against their brethren; they would not suffer themselves to be slain. But behold how many of these have laid down their lives; and we know that they have gone to their God, because of their love and of their hatred to sin. (Alma 26)
Can you sense the joy and gratitude the king had? Because of efforts of the sons of Mosiah, they were able to receive forgiveness for their sins and have the assurance that they'd be saved. And this is because the sons of Mosiah ignored the Nephites' ridicule of them.
The Duty of Christians
As Christians broadly, we have the duty to warn our neighbor. But as LDS members, we also have made a covenant to bear witnesses of Christ. Because Christ is light and truth, we bear witness of Christ when we bear witness of truth. This witness of truth could be gospel related or it could be a truth about how to perceive the world. But whatever it is, we are under an obligation to share it.
If you care about a person, then you will share everything you know to help that person. To do otherwise is to not show love.
Nevertheless, although we are to share truth, we should recognize that how we present truth matters. Ammon's example of teaching and sharing truth is one for us to emulate. Ammon waited until the right time to teach. He did not force anything down king Lamoni's throat, he didn't pester king Lamoni, but he waited and then shared.
This is not to say that we'll have the same success with people as Ammon had with king Lamoni, but it does provide a blueprint for how to approach these things.
Last, some of our message won't be received in the way we wanted it to be. But that's what it means to bear one's cross. The beauty of the gospel is that those who have more truth share with others those that don't. Our job as Christians is to first live so that we receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. Second, to acquire truth. And third, to share it.
It's the second and third part that make Christianity unique. Almost all of the world religions are about acquiring truth. However, with Christianity, the idea is to not only acquire truth, but to share it -- hence missionary work (defined broadly). It is the idea of letting our light shine. Light represents truth. We shine our light by spreading truth to others.
Suffering in the world is inevitable. It's part of living in a world with cause and effect. However, we can relieve much of the suffering by sharing the truth we have.
As the Lord revealed to the church:
12 For there are many yet on the earth among all sects, parties, and denominations, who are blinded by the subtle craftiness of men, whereby they lie in wait to deceive, and who are only kept from the truth because they know not where to find it—13 Therefore, that we should waste and wear out our lives in bringing to light all the hidden things of darkness, wherein we know them; and they are truly manifest from heaven—14 These should then be attended to with great earnestness. (Doctrine and Covenants 123)
And as Mormon concludes in Alma 28,
14 And thus we see the great call of diligence of men to labor in the vineyards of the Lord; and thus we see the great reason of sorrow, and also of rejoicing—sorrow because of death and destruction among men, and joy because of the light of Christ unto life.
But still, we have to realize that in sharing what we know, not everyone will receive it warmly. How a person or people receive truth depends on a host of factors. One factor is how long the person has adopted the false belief. It's he has adopted it for a long time, he may respond more negatively because the new truth will require him to change a core part of his identity.
The sons of Mosiah did not have success until their first suffered their afflictions:
30 And we have suffered all manner of afflictions, and all this, that perhaps we might be the means of saving some soul; and we supposed that our joy would be full if perhaps we could be the means of saving some.
Chapter 27
27:27 -- The Character of the ANL (The People of Ammon)
27 And they were among the people of Nephi, and also numbered among the people who were of the church of God. And they were also distinguished for their zeal towards God, and also towards men; for they were perfectly honest and upright in all things; and they were firm in the faith of Christ, even unto the end.28 And they did look upon shedding the blood of their brethren with the greatest abhorrence; and they never could be prevailed upon to take up arms against their brethren; and they never did look upon death with any degree of terror, for their hope and views of Christ and the resurrection; therefore, death was swallowed up to them by the victory of Christ over it.29 Therefore, they would suffer death in the most aggravating and distressing manner which could be inflicted by their brethren, before they would take the sword or cimeter to smite them.30 And thus they were a zealous and beloved people, a highly favored people of the Lord.
Verse 28 tells us that the People of Ammon did not fear death because of their hope in Christ. As we learned previously, the meaning of hope in the gospel is to have a confident expectation in the fulfillment of something. This means that the People of Ammon had a confident expectation that they would overcome spiritual death.
Chapter 28
Chapter 28 describes the biggest battle between the Nephites and Lamanites, one which had "never been known among all the people in the land from the time Lehi left Jerusalem."
In describing the scale of the battle, Mormon uses the word tremendous. We learn "tens of thousands of the Lamanites were slain and scattered abroad." And there was also a "tremendous slaughter among the people of Nephi."
The result of the tremendous battle was "great mourning and lamentation" by the Nephites that was "heart throughout all the land." This cry was "heard among all of [the Nephites]" and they mourned "for their kindred who had been slain." Mormon ends the 15th year of the reign of the judges by concluding, that this period of mourning for the loss of the Nephites killed in battle was a time of "solemnity, and a time of much fasting and prayer."
In a span of 15 years --- the Nephites experienced three battles:
1. Amlicites vs. the Nephites2. The Lamanites attack on Ammonihah3. The Tremendous Battle
Commenting about the battles and wars that lead to the loss of many lives, Mormon writes
10 And from the first year to the fifteenth has brought to pass the destruction of many thousand lives; yea, it has brought to pass an awful scene of bloodshed.11 And the bodies of many thousands are laid low in the earth, while the bodies of many thousands are moldering in heaps upon the face of the earth; yea, and many thousands are mourning for the loss of their kindred, because they have reason to fear, according to the promises of the Lord, that they are consigned to a state of endless wo.12 While many thousands of others truly mourn for the loss of their kindred, yet they rejoice and exult in the hope, and even know, according to the promises of the Lord, that they are raised to dwell at the right hand of God, in a state of never-ending happiness.
Here, we learn that both the righteous and the wicked lose their kindred from battle. However, the reaction to the loss is different for the righteous and the wicked.
The reaction of the wicked is mourning and fear. And this is because of the Lord's promise that those who don't repent are damned.
Conversely, the reaction of the righteous is mourning, but also rejoicing and having hope. And this is because the righteous know that the righteous people who were killed have gone to a better place.
Mormon's statement reveals an important truth that is sometimes lost. Many join the gospel to avoid pain and suffering. And because they join, they are surprised when trials arise. The truth of the matter is that the following the gospel doesn't remove suffering. Instead it gives you the tools to handle suffering. Even though we are to carry Christ's yoke, it's still a yoke.
The wicked and righteous Nephites both mourned. The difference was the emotion they had while mourning. The wicked feared that wicked who were lost are damned. The righteous know that the righteous who are lost are in a better place.
Chapter 28 concludes with Mormon's commentary. Mormon's commentary are always worthwhile to pay particular attention to because he explains his purpose for including the information that he did. In verse 13, we read:
13 And thus we see how great the inequality of man is because of sin and transgression, and the power of the devil, which comes by the cunning plans which he hath devised to ensnare the hearts of men.
What is the great inequality of man? It is the difference between heaven and hell. Those who choose to heed the voice of the devil through sin and transgression (willful rebellion against what you know) will end up in a different, more awful place, than those who sacrificed all to follow God.
And because it's possible for humankind to be deceived and follow the devil, it's on us to reclaim them.
14 And thus we see the great call of diligence of men to labor in the vineyards of the Lord; and thus we see the great reason of sorrow, and also of rejoicing—sorrow because of death and destruction among men, and joy because of the light of Christ unto life.
Chapter 29 -- Psalm of Alma
29:1-3 -- That I Were An Angel
Alma's wish is for him to be an angel. And this is because by being an angel, Alma could cry repentance to every people so that there might be no more sorrow.
Here, we see a link between repentance and lack of sorrow. When people truly repent, which requires more than just saying sorry, but involves a change to the person, sorrow is removed? Why? For three reasons: 1) The effects of sin would be removed; 2) People would gain peace from God; 3) Faith would increase for miracles; 4) Love would abound and 5) the Lord would reside on the earth
1. Effects of Sin Would Be Removed
The one problem with sin is that the effects of sin affect others -- in some way or another. This is one reason why God can't tolerate sin. To do so, would be for him to allow for a person's actions to negatively affect another person.
Because sin affects others, it can hurt them in many different ways. This causes suffering. If everyone repented and aligned themself to God, then the effects of sin would decrease. This would limit how much suffering we experience.
2. Gaining Peace From God
King Benjamin taught that the element that convicts us is not the Lord, but our conscience. This means that the pain or emptiness we feel is not caused by the Lord, but is caused by our conscience's awareness that we are living out of alignment with God. This awareness causes discomfort, unease and guilt. Many who live in this state will turn to drugs or other things to relieve that discomfort. And given that we live in a word inundated by distraction, a person can live their lives never addressing their misalignment because they have many things to preoccupy themselves with.
But if we repent, which involves never doing what we know is wrong and always doing what we know is right, then we remove that guilt. And by removing the guilt allow the Spirit to abide with us which will give us peace -- and with peace, comes joy.
3. Faith Would Increase
Faith in the Lord is predicated upon righteousness. Moreover, faith also determines the miracles we experience. If everyone were to repent, then the miracles and blessings from God would increase in abundance. Those who are sick are more likely to be healed. And the Lord's hand would be more evident.
4. Love Would Abound
Just as faith is connected to righteousness, so is love. We can't develop perfect love (charity) unless we have faith. And we can't have faith unless we repent. This means that if we repent, we open ourselves up to gaining charity. And a people who have charity would not tolerate that poverty exists. A charitable people would do all that they could to help their fellow human. They would not rob, steal, cheat, or lie. But their actions would be for the benefit of all.
As we think about charity abounding, imagine what Zion might look like. The model for Zion will be unlike anything we've experienced so far. Instead of starting a business out of self-interest in earning money, a person in Zion will start a business out of love. We can imagine the scene of a person in Zion walking by a bakery, seeing that loaves need to be made, baking the bread and then leaving after the job was finished, not expecting any pay or remuneration for his services.
5. Lord Would Reside on Earth
One theme of scriptures is that of God seeking to claim a people as His and then working with those people to build His kingdom. The people become his through righteousness, not by birth. If the whole world was righteous, then God will dwell and live amongst us. He would teach us and we would learn new truths.
In Moses 7, we get a glimpse of what this might look like:
16 And from that time forth there were wars and bloodshed among them; but the Lord came and dwelt with his people, and they dwelt in righteousness.17 The fear of the Lord was upon all nations, so great was the glory of the Lord, which was upon his people. And the Lord blessed the land, and they were blessed upon the mountains, and upon the high places, and did flourish.18 And the Lord called his people Zion, because they were of one heart and one mind, and dwelt in righteousness; and there was no poor among them.19 And Enoch continued his preaching in righteousness unto the people of God. And it came to pass in his days, that he built a city that was called the City of Holiness, even Zion.20 And it came to pass that Enoch talked with the Lord; and he said unto the Lord: Surely Zion shall dwell in safety forever. But the Lord said unto Enoch: Zion have I blessed, but the residue of the people have I cursed.
29: 4 -- According To Our Desires
We, as humans, our captains of our own ship of destiny. The Lord will grant us according to our desires. If we desire life and salvation, then the Lord will issue decrees to bring about our salvation. He will do this by arranging events in our lives that are tailored to change who we are so we can receive salvation. Conversely, if we desire evil, he will grant us our desires of evil.
Thus when we reach the end of our lives and have crafted the person who we've become, it will be based on what we desired. And this is because each outcome of who we are is linked to a cause that produced that outcome. Our desires determine what the causes that produce the outcome/effect/result. And these causes and effects are based on natural law -- immutable eternal laws that don't change.
Thus when it comes being saved, we must follow God so he can lead us to the causes that produce the outcome we are seeking. This is why trust in God is so important. Because oftentimes the path that leads to the outcome of salvation is much more different than we think. And this is also why humility is important. Because we have to be put outside our preconceived notions of what will get us salvation and trust in God.
But this also means that if a person wants to be wealthy and that is their sole objective, the can achieve that without the help of God if they discover the causes that produce the outcome of wealthiness.
We decide who we want to be. It starts with the inner life. It always has, and always will. We think, we feel, and then we act. Everything starts from the person's thoughts and moves outward. Our thinking creates our reality. Hence, why the Lord taught that the kingdom of heaven is within. If we align our inner lives to seek after heaven, then we'll bring it about. But it all starts within us.
Moreover, this is why social engineering programs, despite their allure, will always fail. It is because they seek to change society without first changing the individual. This is because the individual is the agent of action. The individual brings into existence what he or she wills. Thus, the only way to change society is to first start with the individual. To do this requires that the individual take responsibility and accountability for his/her actions. And this means that the individual recognizes that his/her actions produce effects.
29: 10 -- Filled With Joy
True joy comes from serving others by teaching them more truth.
10 And behold, when I see many of my brethren truly penitent, and coming to the Lord their God, then is my soul filled with joy; then do I remember what the Lord has done for me, yea, even that he hath heard my prayer; yea, then do I remember his merciful arm which he extended towards me.
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