Mosiah 10:1-7
I'm even shorter on time tonight than I was before, so I'm really hoping to be able to do this justice because I've been thinking about it all day. This is a mostly historical account without much input from outside sources, but I really like it.
10:1-7 - After Zeniff and his little group had miraculously fended off the Lamanite invasion they settled back into daily living, and lived peaceably for another 9 years. Zeniff reinforces the idea that he had extensive military training because afterward he "caused that there should be weapons of war made of every kind... and I set guards round about the land... I had sent my spies out round about the land of Shemlon, that I might discover their preparations, that I might guard against them, that they might not come upon my people and destroy them." So if anyone was going to be the leader and ensure their safety, it sounds like Zeniff was an excellent choice. But I think that we've seen many many times that being military advantageous doesn't mean anything is the people are not a righteous people. Interestingly, in verse 1 Zeniff makes it sound like he's having his people create these weapons for the first time, and in chapter 9 verse 16, he says that he armed his people with "all manner of weapons which we could invent," indicating to me that the Lamanite attack came as a surprise and one that he was not at al prepared for. So basically, and I'm speculating, this means that a small group of farmers armed with their pitch forks won the battle against a much more numerous army that was armed with high quality weapons and had probably been well trained. So we've seen great armies be defeated when they fought without the Lord and we've also seen great armies win when strengthened by God. But even more than that, we've seen small groups that should have been annihilated, win against all odds when the Lord was on their side. So I guess it's not really so much of a concern about military forces and weaponry and training, but obedience to the commandments and righteousness. Hmmm... very interesting. The other facet of these verses are that Zeniff caused his people to labor with their hands, the men working in the fields and the women working in the home. These verses are referenced with teaching manuals and lessons that emphasize the importance of work. I had heard once and work is an eternal principle, and I was sad because I work so much and am so tired, but it makes sense in the eternal perspective. The lessons talked about the need to be self sufficient and industrious.
I'm bummed that I'm not going to get to write more, but I got my butt handed to me at work tonight, it was SO busy and we had computer problems. I was a little bit grumpier that I should have been, so I'm going to work on that, but I'm exhausted. But the Lord is so kind to me and has reminded me several times over the last couple of days that he loves me, and that I'm special, that he's proud of me and that I am good enough. I am grateful for that and for his constant care and companionship.
10:1-7 - After Zeniff and his little group had miraculously fended off the Lamanite invasion they settled back into daily living, and lived peaceably for another 9 years. Zeniff reinforces the idea that he had extensive military training because afterward he "caused that there should be weapons of war made of every kind... and I set guards round about the land... I had sent my spies out round about the land of Shemlon, that I might discover their preparations, that I might guard against them, that they might not come upon my people and destroy them." So if anyone was going to be the leader and ensure their safety, it sounds like Zeniff was an excellent choice. But I think that we've seen many many times that being military advantageous doesn't mean anything is the people are not a righteous people. Interestingly, in verse 1 Zeniff makes it sound like he's having his people create these weapons for the first time, and in chapter 9 verse 16, he says that he armed his people with "all manner of weapons which we could invent," indicating to me that the Lamanite attack came as a surprise and one that he was not at al prepared for. So basically, and I'm speculating, this means that a small group of farmers armed with their pitch forks won the battle against a much more numerous army that was armed with high quality weapons and had probably been well trained. So we've seen great armies be defeated when they fought without the Lord and we've also seen great armies win when strengthened by God. But even more than that, we've seen small groups that should have been annihilated, win against all odds when the Lord was on their side. So I guess it's not really so much of a concern about military forces and weaponry and training, but obedience to the commandments and righteousness. Hmmm... very interesting. The other facet of these verses are that Zeniff caused his people to labor with their hands, the men working in the fields and the women working in the home. These verses are referenced with teaching manuals and lessons that emphasize the importance of work. I had heard once and work is an eternal principle, and I was sad because I work so much and am so tired, but it makes sense in the eternal perspective. The lessons talked about the need to be self sufficient and industrious.
I'm bummed that I'm not going to get to write more, but I got my butt handed to me at work tonight, it was SO busy and we had computer problems. I was a little bit grumpier that I should have been, so I'm going to work on that, but I'm exhausted. But the Lord is so kind to me and has reminded me several times over the last couple of days that he loves me, and that I'm special, that he's proud of me and that I am good enough. I am grateful for that and for his constant care and companionship.
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