Alma 61
61:1-9 - We have met Pahoran previously, but now we really get to know him, and we can see why I love him so much. CM has just written Pahoran a scathing letter full of accusation and threats, but the way that Pahoran responds is what makes him such a great man and amazing example. Pahoran has remained righteous and faithful to the cause of freedom and to God, and to be accused of that treason but also that the blood of thousands of righteous soldier is on his hands, that would cause many people’s wrath to gather, I know that me personally, I’m not very good at letting things go, I like to do the whole “excuse me?” thing, make people restate their insults to my face, which most times they don’t. It’s pretty aggressive of me, and believe it or not, I’m a lot better than I was, but reading the example set by Pahoran is quite humbling. In fact, this weekend, we read this chapter as a family and had an interesting practical application. I had not only my 2 kids but I also had a friend’s 3 kids and it was not a big deal except that I was tired, we actually had a pretty good time, but at one point I was getting pretty irritated because no one was listening to me, and I said something to the effect of “no one is listening to me and it’s making me really mad,” which was true but then I added in, sarcastically of course, “because my anger is your fault!” I was being sarcastic, and apparently young kids aren’t up on sarcasm very much. But without missing a beat my daughter looks at me and says, “No Mom, you remember when Moroni wrote the letter to that guy and said crazy things but he didn’t get mad. You are in charge of your own feelings, if you’re mad it’s your own fault.” I was stunned, humbled of course and then so incredibly proud and fulfilled as a mother. Indeed, Pahoran responds to CM’s heated letter by telling him right away “I do not joy in your great afflictions, yea, it grieves my soul… And now, in your epistle you have censured me, but it mattereth not; I am not angry, but do rejoice in the greatness of your heart.” That is incredible, and amazing way to respond and such an example of even temper and humble nature. The IM quotes Elder David A. Bednar as teaching “When we believe or say that we have been offended, we usually mean we feel insulted, mistreated, snubbed, or disrespected. And certainly clumsy, embarrassing, unprincipled, and mean-spirited things to occur in our interactions with other people that would allow us to take offense. However, it ultimately is impossible for another person to offend you or to offend me. Indeed, believing that another person offended us is fundamentally false. To be offended is a choice we make; it is not a condition inflicted or imposed upon us by someone or something else… Through the strengthening power of the Atonement of Jesus Christ, you and I can be blessed to avoid and triumph over offense. ‘Great peace have they which love thy law: and nothing shall offend them…’ As described by Elder Neal A. Maxwell, the Church is not ‘a well-provisioned rest ho me for the already perfected. Rather, the Church is a learning laboratory and a workshop n which we gain experience as we practice on each other in the ongoing process of ‘perfecting the Saints.’ Elder Maxwell also insightfully explained that in this latter-day learning laboratory known as the restored Church, the members constitute the ‘clinical material’ that is essential for growth and development… You and I cannot control the intentions or behavior of other people. However, we do determine how we will act. Please remember that you and I are agents endowed with moral agency, and we can choose not to be offended.” I was a very bitter and hateful child, very angry and sullen, and I remember the first time I heard the concept that “being offended is a choice, if you are offended, then it’s because you are choosing to be.” I thought “no possible, why would anyone choose to be offended, being offended is a natural reaction to people treating your poorly.” I was probably 13 or so at the time. I thought about that lesson many times over the course of many years, maybe it was because I myself was so hostile and constantly causing offense, both intentionally and unintentionally, maybe it was because I didn’t want to be held captive by bitterness anymore, maybe it’s because I realized that the vast majority of the time people didn’t mean to cause offense and they felt badly about it, and when they did mean to purposefully offend, that they were more angry and bitter than I was, so me adding to it was really pointless. All of these things were thought provoking to me and I don’t know when I made the switch or if it just happened over time, but now, in fact I just told someone this today, “don’t worry, I’m not easily offended.” I honestly think it takes a lot for me to have my feelings hurt, especially by random strangers or those who don’t know me well, and honestly, it’s been a blessing, a gift to be happy and not constantly question the motives of others and not to harbor ill feelings towards people. Now I’m not perfect, believe it or not, but I’m so much happier and freer than I was, and for that I’m so grateful. The IM also goes onto quote Elder Neal A. Maxwell as teaching “In a perfect church filled with imperfect people, there are bound to be some miscommunications at times. A noteworthy example occurred in ancient American Israel. Moroni wrote two times to Pahoran complaining of neglect because much-needed reinforcements did not arrive. Moroni used harsh language, accusing the governor of the land, Pahoran, of sitting on his throne in a state of ‘thoughtless stupor.’ Pahoran soon made a very patriotic rely, explaining why he could not do what Moroni wanted. Though censured, Pahoran was not angry; he even praised Moroni for ‘the greatness of your heart.’ Given the intense, mutual devotion of disciples, discussions as to how best to move the Lord’s work along are bound to produce tactical differences on occasion. Just as in this episode, sometimes scolding occurs that is later shown to be unjustified.” That’s the other problem with being easily offended; it gives your power of agency away. Consider the intentions of two well-meaning church members trying to plan a ward Christmas party, and this has happened to me personally many times. A group of people, all with very different ideas of what would be best, gather together to try to accomplish the goal of ward unity and fellowship, just because some have different ideas, or some disagree with what might be the best way to keep the spirit of Christmas, does that mean that anyone’s ideas are not valid? Anyone’s points are not correct? But some, if their ideas are not chosen, can become upset, and that’s not what the Lord wants at all, that’s not conducive to the Spirit nor does it promote their own personal spiritual growth. In an October 2006 general conference address entitled, “And Nothing Shall Offend Them,” Elder David A. Bednar taught “During a perilous period of war, an exchange of letters occurred between Moroni, the captain of the Nephite armies, and Pahoran, the chief judge and governor of the land. Moroni, whose army was suffering because of inadequate support from the government, wrote to Pahoran ‘by way of condemnation’ and harshly accused him of thoughtlessness, slothfulness, and neglect. Pahoran might easily have resented Moroni and his message, but he chose not to take offense. Pahoran responded compassionately and described a rebellion against the government about which Moroni was not aware… One of the greatest indicators of our own spiritual maturity is revealed in how we respond to the weaknesses, the inexperience, and the potentially offensive actions of others. A thing, an event, or an expression may be offensive, but you and I can choose not to be offended- and to say with Pahoran, ‘it mattereth not.’”
61:10-21 – We are kind of skipping around here, but also in Pahoran’s letter, he tells CM about the “exceedingly numerous” group of people who “have risen up in rebellion against me, and also those of my people who are freemen… They have withheld our provisions, and have daunted our freemen that they have not come unto you. And behold, they have driven me out before them, and I have fled to the land of Gideon, with as many men as it were possible that I could get.” So basically, there is a group of people, who seeing that the army was away to battle, has overthrown the Nephite democratic government and have taken over the capital city of Zarahemla. After fleeing to Gideon, Pahoran sent out “a proclamation throughout this part of the land; and behold, they are flocking to us daily, to their arms, in the defence of their country and their freedom, and to avenge our wrongs.” In Zarahemla, the kingmen (who were the ones that took over) kept the provisions and reinforcements from the Nephite army, but apparently, in the outer cities, they didn’t wield this control, so many of the men of fighting age came over the Gideon to fight with Pahoran against the kingmen. The freemen who support freedom and Pahoran have grown the numbers of Pahoran so much that the kingmen “do fear and durst not come out against us to battle,” and they have also appointed themselves a king. This king sees all the options, he knows that they are weak, militarily because they are fighting against not only the Lamanites but also their own people, so they know that they are going to be overthrown by some military force, they just aren’t sure which one. Their solution is quite brilliant though and the king “hath written unto the king of the Lamanites, in the which he hath joined an alliance with him; in the which alliance he hath agreed to maintain the city of Zarahemla, which maintenance he supposeth will enable the Lamanites to conquer the remainder of the land, and he shall be placed king over this people when they shall be conquered under the Lamanites.” Quite a smart move from a strategic standpoint, but unfortunately for this self-appointed king the Lord is going to protect the freedom of his righteous people. Giving CM this information, Pahoran again states his allegiance to “that liberty in the which God hath made us free,” and reaffirms his desire for peace for “we would not shed the blood of the Lamanites if they would stay in their own lands. We would not shed the blood of our brethren if they would not rise up in rebellion and take the sword against us.” Despite his willingness to shed blood in self-defense, Pahoran says something very interesting here, “we would subject ourselves to the yoke of bondage if it were requisite with the justice of God, or if he should command us so to do.” Wait, what? It’s so very interesting to me that Pahoran would agree to “the yoke of bondage,” if they were commanded to do so by the Lord, or if it was because of their wickedness, which is what I infer from his statement “if it were requisite with the justice of God.” My respect for Pahoran grows more and more, he’s not angry even though he’s falsely and viciously accused or treason, he says “ok I’ll be a slave if it’s what God tells me to do.” These are incredible displays of humility; I think it would be hard pressed to find very many people who would willingly submit to bondage without fighting it almost to the death. This is something that I am going to have to think about and truly aspire to embrace this philosophy. And again, his humility is on full display when he expresses the battle he’s been having within himself “for I was somewhat worried concerning what we should do, whether it should be just in us to go against our brethren.” The government has been overthrown, there is a war raging on two fronts, the one domestically and the one against the Lamanites, and he’s still is debating the legitimacy of using force against his own people, even though they were working as hard as humanly possible to destroy the freedom of every one else. He's grateful that CM has been given some guidance from God, so that he could make and support the right choice. And finally, his last stand of greatness here is when he asks CM to "come unto me speedily with a few of your men, and leave the remainder in the charge of Lehi and Teancum; give unto them power to conduct the war in that part of the land, according to the Spirit of God, which is also the spirit of freedom which is in them... Gather together whatsoever force ye can upon your march hither, and we will go speedily against those dissenters, in the strength of our God according to the faith which is in us." I don't know exactly how Pahoran meant this statement, but to me it says that he's recognizing the compromised state of the Nephite army, and even though by asking CM to come to Gideon so that they can retake the city of Zarahemla, he knows that it will weaken the army fighting the Lamanites even more. But the incredible part is, I seem to get the message, that he's telling CM to leave his army in the hands of the Lord, even in their compromised state, and that he will protect them. I get the impression that he's telling CM that all they need in God and His guidance and protection and it doesn't matter how many soldiers they have or if they have enough food to eat. I know that what he's saying is true, and we've read about it many times, but to hear the message put out there like that is amazing, especially in the light of asking someone to execute that plan. It's one thing to look back and say "yeah, the Lord delivered us," but it's a completely different experience saying "ok Lord, it's just you and me out here against all our enemies, let's do this." That's an incredible show of faith, and I'm inspired.
Overall, Pahoran is a remarkable man, he exudes humility and faith. I believe that he is one of the "unsung heros of the scriptures," and I'm going to be making a section in this blog called exactly that, and he's going in it!
61:10-21 – We are kind of skipping around here, but also in Pahoran’s letter, he tells CM about the “exceedingly numerous” group of people who “have risen up in rebellion against me, and also those of my people who are freemen… They have withheld our provisions, and have daunted our freemen that they have not come unto you. And behold, they have driven me out before them, and I have fled to the land of Gideon, with as many men as it were possible that I could get.” So basically, there is a group of people, who seeing that the army was away to battle, has overthrown the Nephite democratic government and have taken over the capital city of Zarahemla. After fleeing to Gideon, Pahoran sent out “a proclamation throughout this part of the land; and behold, they are flocking to us daily, to their arms, in the defence of their country and their freedom, and to avenge our wrongs.” In Zarahemla, the kingmen (who were the ones that took over) kept the provisions and reinforcements from the Nephite army, but apparently, in the outer cities, they didn’t wield this control, so many of the men of fighting age came over the Gideon to fight with Pahoran against the kingmen. The freemen who support freedom and Pahoran have grown the numbers of Pahoran so much that the kingmen “do fear and durst not come out against us to battle,” and they have also appointed themselves a king. This king sees all the options, he knows that they are weak, militarily because they are fighting against not only the Lamanites but also their own people, so they know that they are going to be overthrown by some military force, they just aren’t sure which one. Their solution is quite brilliant though and the king “hath written unto the king of the Lamanites, in the which he hath joined an alliance with him; in the which alliance he hath agreed to maintain the city of Zarahemla, which maintenance he supposeth will enable the Lamanites to conquer the remainder of the land, and he shall be placed king over this people when they shall be conquered under the Lamanites.” Quite a smart move from a strategic standpoint, but unfortunately for this self-appointed king the Lord is going to protect the freedom of his righteous people. Giving CM this information, Pahoran again states his allegiance to “that liberty in the which God hath made us free,” and reaffirms his desire for peace for “we would not shed the blood of the Lamanites if they would stay in their own lands. We would not shed the blood of our brethren if they would not rise up in rebellion and take the sword against us.” Despite his willingness to shed blood in self-defense, Pahoran says something very interesting here, “we would subject ourselves to the yoke of bondage if it were requisite with the justice of God, or if he should command us so to do.” Wait, what? It’s so very interesting to me that Pahoran would agree to “the yoke of bondage,” if they were commanded to do so by the Lord, or if it was because of their wickedness, which is what I infer from his statement “if it were requisite with the justice of God.” My respect for Pahoran grows more and more, he’s not angry even though he’s falsely and viciously accused or treason, he says “ok I’ll be a slave if it’s what God tells me to do.” These are incredible displays of humility; I think it would be hard pressed to find very many people who would willingly submit to bondage without fighting it almost to the death. This is something that I am going to have to think about and truly aspire to embrace this philosophy. And again, his humility is on full display when he expresses the battle he’s been having within himself “for I was somewhat worried concerning what we should do, whether it should be just in us to go against our brethren.” The government has been overthrown, there is a war raging on two fronts, the one domestically and the one against the Lamanites, and he’s still is debating the legitimacy of using force against his own people, even though they were working as hard as humanly possible to destroy the freedom of every one else. He's grateful that CM has been given some guidance from God, so that he could make and support the right choice. And finally, his last stand of greatness here is when he asks CM to "come unto me speedily with a few of your men, and leave the remainder in the charge of Lehi and Teancum; give unto them power to conduct the war in that part of the land, according to the Spirit of God, which is also the spirit of freedom which is in them... Gather together whatsoever force ye can upon your march hither, and we will go speedily against those dissenters, in the strength of our God according to the faith which is in us." I don't know exactly how Pahoran meant this statement, but to me it says that he's recognizing the compromised state of the Nephite army, and even though by asking CM to come to Gideon so that they can retake the city of Zarahemla, he knows that it will weaken the army fighting the Lamanites even more. But the incredible part is, I seem to get the message, that he's telling CM to leave his army in the hands of the Lord, even in their compromised state, and that he will protect them. I get the impression that he's telling CM that all they need in God and His guidance and protection and it doesn't matter how many soldiers they have or if they have enough food to eat. I know that what he's saying is true, and we've read about it many times, but to hear the message put out there like that is amazing, especially in the light of asking someone to execute that plan. It's one thing to look back and say "yeah, the Lord delivered us," but it's a completely different experience saying "ok Lord, it's just you and me out here against all our enemies, let's do this." That's an incredible show of faith, and I'm inspired.
Overall, Pahoran is a remarkable man, he exudes humility and faith. I believe that he is one of the "unsung heros of the scriptures," and I'm going to be making a section in this blog called exactly that, and he's going in it!
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