Mosiah 13
13:1-10 – This is where the story of Abinadi gets really interesting. After telling them that they did not in fact keep the commandments, like they said they did, basically calling them liars, Noah commanded his priests “away with this fellow, and slay him for what have we to do with him, for he is mad.” First, if he truly was “mad” i.e. crazy, then putting him to death simply for being mentally ill is akin to the acts of Hitler, and I’m guessing that there were some people in his city that were mentally ill, and caused some ruckus, and I’m confident that he didn’t have THEM killed, so my guess is that he’s using the “mad” excuse as a reason to say “I don’t know what he’s talking about so let’s just kill him to be safe.” But then the miracle, “and they stood forth and attempted to lay their hands on him; but he withstood them, and said unto them: touch me not, for God shall smite you if ye lay your hands upon me… God will not suffer that I shall be destroyed at this time… after Abinadi had spoken these words that they people of king Noah durst not lay their hands on him, for the Spirit of the Lord was upon him; and his face shone with exceeding luster, even as Moses’ did while in the mount of Sinai, while speaking with the Lord. And he spake with power and authority from God.” If the withstanding of their questions didn’t clue them into the truth that Abinadi was sent from God, then surely this would have. If the priests truly believed that he was crazy, they would not have been afraid to just grab him anyway, they knew within their hearts that he was in fact a prophet and at that point made an active decision to reject the message of God. In an April 1996 general conference address entitled “If Thou Wilt Enter into Life, Keep the Commandments,” Elder Robert D. Hales taught “the people of king Noah were afraid to touch Abinadi because the Spirit of the Lord was with him… Abinadi declared that he would finish the message that God had sent him to deliver – and then it wouldn’t matter what King Noah and the people did to him. When Abinadi concluded his message, King Noah demanded that he deny the words he had spoken- or he would be put to death. But Abinadi refused… what a powerful example Abinadi should be to all of us! He courageously obeyed the Lord’s commandments- even though it cost him his life!” I doubt that that majority of us will be asked to die because we believe in Christ, but all of us have been asked to give our lives for it. It’s like when a parent expresses love for his child, even though he mistreats him “I love my son, I would die for him,” but he’s not willing to LIVE for him, and that’s what we are asked to do, live for him. Let us valiantly keep the commandments in life, just as Abinadi valiantly keep the commandments to the death. He knew what was going to happen to him, because in the last chapter, he told the people that the life of king Noah would be valued as a garment in the furnace, and here in verse 10 he says “what you do with me, after this, shall be as a type and a shadow of things which are to come.” He already knew that that Noah would be burned to death, and he put two and two together and knew what he wasn’t going to walk away from this, but I believed that he hoped that he would continue to live in verse 9 he says “if it so be that I am saved.” Maybe he was hoping for a miraculous deliverance like had happened before, maybe he hoped that his message would work, we can see that Abinadi knew that he was probably going to be killed, but he truly wasn’t trying to be a martyr, he wanted to live, it doesn’t say his age or if he was married with a family, he wanted to live, and that’s what makes him giving up his life for the truth that much more profound and tragic.
13:11-24 – Abinadi continues to teach them the basic 10 commandments, because “I perceive that they are not written in your hearts.” In an April 1995 general conference address entitled “Children of the Covenant,” Elder Russell M. Nelson taught “when we know who we are and what God expects of us- when his ‘law (if) written in (our) hearts,” – we are spiritually protected. We become better people.” Here is a stark contrast between Abinadi and Noah, one who knew who he was, had the commandments of God written in his heart, he was put to death, yet he was not afraid, he did not recant his words at the last second when it became clear that he was going to in fact die a horribly painful death, he went and was “spiritually protected.” Now looking at Noah, who had not centered his heart on Christ, was forcibly killed by his own people, and even worse than the horrific manner in which he died physically, was what has been promised to those who disobey the commandments spiritually. Our life on earth can seem long, but when compared to eternity, the sorrow and despair and soul wrenching desperation that will come when he finally realizes the consequences of his actions, that is unbearable. I wonder what they are doing on the other side now; they died relatively close together in time, so I wonder how long it took Noah to realize the magnitude of his crimes against God. Abinadi goes on to teach the 10 commandments, I don’t know if we should discuss the 10 commandments here or not, hmmmm…. What to do? I think I’m going to pass on discussing the 10 commandments specifically here but just discuss the generalized Law of Moses as it pertains to the context here. As a general explanation as to the importance of the law of Moses in our day, the IM quotes Elder Jeffrey R. Holland as teaching “the modern reader should not see the Mosaic code – anciently or in modern times- as simply a tedious set of religious rituals slavishly ( and sometimes militantly) followed by a stiffnecked people who did not accept the Christ and his gospel. This historic covenant, given by the hand of God himself… was… a guide to spirituality, a gateway to Christ… It is crucial to understand that the law of Moses was overlaid upon, and thereby included, many basic parts of the gospel of Jesus Christ, which had existed before it. It was never intended to be something apart of separated from, and certainly not something antagonistic to, the gospel of Jesus Christ… Its purpose was never to have been different from the higher law. Both were to bring people to Christ.” The corruption of the law, as happened over time and through leaders who did not care to know the truth, this was an unfortunate symptom of an ever worsening society. We can see that happen today with the corrupting of God’s laws, even when the people actively doing the corrupting say it’s in God’s name. I listened to a very excellent article in the Ensign a few weeks ago about the Law of Moses, for the life of me I can’t find it but I will keep looking because it was amazing and very fitting here. I found it, it's called "Christ and Culture in the Old Testament," by Donald W. Parry. I love love love the Old Testament, for many reasons, but I truly found it meaningful when I listened to this article and found all the hidden treasures that truly testify of Christ and the atonement in the Old Testament. It seems that there is such a disconnect from ancient times to the gospel of Jesus Christ, and in fact that was not supposed to be the case, it was supposed to be one smooth, seamless transition, and this article provided a little bit of insight to help accomplish that.
13:25-35 – Abinadi goes now onto explain how the Law of Moses and the Atonement work together. Again we see an example of one person’s effort to learn the truth, I assume through extensive study of the scriptures and prayer and fasting, can result in the personal tutoring of that person by the Holy Ghost to know and understand doctrine and teachings that otherwise remain hidden. Assumedly, Abinadi grew up in the same society as Noah, with the same teachings, and had the same access to the scriptures, but here we see how wickedness and selfishness stunted the spiritual growth of Noah and his priests and ultimately the people as a whole. Whereas, Abinadi knew the truth, he was able to learn through his presumed extensive study of the scriptures that the laws of Moses “were types of things to come.” He understood the symbolism and he had a personal testimony of Christ, who should come. He asks “and now, did they understand the law? I say unto you, Nay, they did not all understand the law; and this because of the hardness of their hearts.” This is interesting to me, it makes me wonder, if not all understood, and then did some, those who devoted themselves to the scriptures, did they understand and others did not. We’ve already seen many times that this is the pattern for teaching, those who want to learn, get taught, and those who do not desire to learn have it taken away. Given the same resources, those who are actively trying to learn will come to a much different knowledge and wisdom than those who do not wish to learn from God. But the desire to learn comes from humility, that must be in place first. Abinadi continues teaching the true purpose of the law of Moses, “it was expedient that there should be a law given to the children of Israel, yea, even a very strict law; for they were stiffnecked people, quick to do iniquity, and slow to remember the Lord their God; Therefore there was a law given them, yea, a law of performances and ordinances, a law which they were to observe strictly from day to day, to keep them in remembrance of God and their duty towards him.” The law was set forth not only to prepare Israel for when Christ should actually come; it was also given to keep the people in line, behaviorally. If Abinadi teaches “did not Moses prophesy unto them concerning the coming of the Messiah, and that God should redeem his people? Yea, and even all the prophets who have prophesied ever since the world began- have they not spoken more or less concerning these things?” So if the law of Moses is important to keep now, until Christ comes, but the law of Moses does not grant salvation, then how does salvation come? The IM quotes Elder Dallin H. Oaks as teaching “men and women unquestionably have impressive powers and can bring to pass great things. But after all our obedience and good works, we cannot be saved from death or the effects of our individual sins without the grace extended by the atonement of Jesus Christ. The Book of Mormon makes this clear. It teaches that ‘salvation doth not come by the law alone. In other words, salvation does not come simply by keeping the commandments. ‘By the law now flesh is justified.’ Even those who try to obey and serve God with all their heart, might, mind, and strength are ‘unprofitable servants. Man cannot earn his own salvation.” I think I’m going to try to learn more about the Law of Moses and what exactly it was, how it pertained to the society, and how exactly it fit into the coming of Christ, surely someone, somewhere has written a book about that. The concept of keeping the commandments, but being saved by different means, the Atonement, is kind of advanced, it’s amazing to know, but in the end the most important thing is to be righteous. It’s like I tell my kids “hey guys, what’s the most important thing in this life? That’s right, to keep the commandments.”
13:11-24 – Abinadi continues to teach them the basic 10 commandments, because “I perceive that they are not written in your hearts.” In an April 1995 general conference address entitled “Children of the Covenant,” Elder Russell M. Nelson taught “when we know who we are and what God expects of us- when his ‘law (if) written in (our) hearts,” – we are spiritually protected. We become better people.” Here is a stark contrast between Abinadi and Noah, one who knew who he was, had the commandments of God written in his heart, he was put to death, yet he was not afraid, he did not recant his words at the last second when it became clear that he was going to in fact die a horribly painful death, he went and was “spiritually protected.” Now looking at Noah, who had not centered his heart on Christ, was forcibly killed by his own people, and even worse than the horrific manner in which he died physically, was what has been promised to those who disobey the commandments spiritually. Our life on earth can seem long, but when compared to eternity, the sorrow and despair and soul wrenching desperation that will come when he finally realizes the consequences of his actions, that is unbearable. I wonder what they are doing on the other side now; they died relatively close together in time, so I wonder how long it took Noah to realize the magnitude of his crimes against God. Abinadi goes on to teach the 10 commandments, I don’t know if we should discuss the 10 commandments here or not, hmmmm…. What to do? I think I’m going to pass on discussing the 10 commandments specifically here but just discuss the generalized Law of Moses as it pertains to the context here. As a general explanation as to the importance of the law of Moses in our day, the IM quotes Elder Jeffrey R. Holland as teaching “the modern reader should not see the Mosaic code – anciently or in modern times- as simply a tedious set of religious rituals slavishly ( and sometimes militantly) followed by a stiffnecked people who did not accept the Christ and his gospel. This historic covenant, given by the hand of God himself… was… a guide to spirituality, a gateway to Christ… It is crucial to understand that the law of Moses was overlaid upon, and thereby included, many basic parts of the gospel of Jesus Christ, which had existed before it. It was never intended to be something apart of separated from, and certainly not something antagonistic to, the gospel of Jesus Christ… Its purpose was never to have been different from the higher law. Both were to bring people to Christ.” The corruption of the law, as happened over time and through leaders who did not care to know the truth, this was an unfortunate symptom of an ever worsening society. We can see that happen today with the corrupting of God’s laws, even when the people actively doing the corrupting say it’s in God’s name. I listened to a very excellent article in the Ensign a few weeks ago about the Law of Moses, for the life of me I can’t find it but I will keep looking because it was amazing and very fitting here. I found it, it's called "Christ and Culture in the Old Testament," by Donald W. Parry. I love love love the Old Testament, for many reasons, but I truly found it meaningful when I listened to this article and found all the hidden treasures that truly testify of Christ and the atonement in the Old Testament. It seems that there is such a disconnect from ancient times to the gospel of Jesus Christ, and in fact that was not supposed to be the case, it was supposed to be one smooth, seamless transition, and this article provided a little bit of insight to help accomplish that.
13:25-35 – Abinadi goes now onto explain how the Law of Moses and the Atonement work together. Again we see an example of one person’s effort to learn the truth, I assume through extensive study of the scriptures and prayer and fasting, can result in the personal tutoring of that person by the Holy Ghost to know and understand doctrine and teachings that otherwise remain hidden. Assumedly, Abinadi grew up in the same society as Noah, with the same teachings, and had the same access to the scriptures, but here we see how wickedness and selfishness stunted the spiritual growth of Noah and his priests and ultimately the people as a whole. Whereas, Abinadi knew the truth, he was able to learn through his presumed extensive study of the scriptures that the laws of Moses “were types of things to come.” He understood the symbolism and he had a personal testimony of Christ, who should come. He asks “and now, did they understand the law? I say unto you, Nay, they did not all understand the law; and this because of the hardness of their hearts.” This is interesting to me, it makes me wonder, if not all understood, and then did some, those who devoted themselves to the scriptures, did they understand and others did not. We’ve already seen many times that this is the pattern for teaching, those who want to learn, get taught, and those who do not desire to learn have it taken away. Given the same resources, those who are actively trying to learn will come to a much different knowledge and wisdom than those who do not wish to learn from God. But the desire to learn comes from humility, that must be in place first. Abinadi continues teaching the true purpose of the law of Moses, “it was expedient that there should be a law given to the children of Israel, yea, even a very strict law; for they were stiffnecked people, quick to do iniquity, and slow to remember the Lord their God; Therefore there was a law given them, yea, a law of performances and ordinances, a law which they were to observe strictly from day to day, to keep them in remembrance of God and their duty towards him.” The law was set forth not only to prepare Israel for when Christ should actually come; it was also given to keep the people in line, behaviorally. If Abinadi teaches “did not Moses prophesy unto them concerning the coming of the Messiah, and that God should redeem his people? Yea, and even all the prophets who have prophesied ever since the world began- have they not spoken more or less concerning these things?” So if the law of Moses is important to keep now, until Christ comes, but the law of Moses does not grant salvation, then how does salvation come? The IM quotes Elder Dallin H. Oaks as teaching “men and women unquestionably have impressive powers and can bring to pass great things. But after all our obedience and good works, we cannot be saved from death or the effects of our individual sins without the grace extended by the atonement of Jesus Christ. The Book of Mormon makes this clear. It teaches that ‘salvation doth not come by the law alone. In other words, salvation does not come simply by keeping the commandments. ‘By the law now flesh is justified.’ Even those who try to obey and serve God with all their heart, might, mind, and strength are ‘unprofitable servants. Man cannot earn his own salvation.” I think I’m going to try to learn more about the Law of Moses and what exactly it was, how it pertained to the society, and how exactly it fit into the coming of Christ, surely someone, somewhere has written a book about that. The concept of keeping the commandments, but being saved by different means, the Atonement, is kind of advanced, it’s amazing to know, but in the end the most important thing is to be righteous. It’s like I tell my kids “hey guys, what’s the most important thing in this life? That’s right, to keep the commandments.”
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