Ether 7
7:1-6 - I’ve had a really difficult last hour or so, I got some really terrible news and it’s difficult because I don’t know the Lord’s reasons, I don’t know exactly what the purpose that this tragedy serves, and I feel sick, but I am grateful for the plan of salvation, I’m grateful that families are forever. This is the first real tragedy that I’ve had to look at through the eyes of “I know that God is a loving father,” it’s new but honestly, comforting. Chapter 7 is interesting; the IM says “A great deal of the Jaredites’ history is covered in chapter 7 of the book of Ether. Moroni recorded only highlights of this history in his abridgement. He emphasized the parallels with his own people and the lessons that would be most valuable for our day.” Moroni continues to describe Orihah’s reign saying that he “did execute judgment upon the land in righteousness all his days, whose days were exceedingly many.” So again, just because he took on the mantle of kingship doesn’t mean that he was evil, quite the opposite in fact. Orihah had Kib “in his old age,” and Kib had Corihor and Corihor didn’t really like his dad too much, so when he was 32 “he rebelled against his father, and went over and dwelt in the land of Nehor… wherefore Corihor drew away many people after him. And when he had gathered together an army he came up unto the land of Moron where the king dwelt, and took him captive, which brought to pass the saying of the brother of Jared that they would be brought into captivity.” And here we have the back and forth of warfare and enslavement that happens when people become greedy, and it’s easier to happen with a monarchy I guess, but it can happen in any form of government. I think that it’s interesting that Corihor took his father prisoner instead of just killing him like Amalickiah did to the other contenders for the crown. Moroni gives us a little bit of insight into the Jaredite geography in verse 6 saying, “Now the land of Moron, where the king dwelt, was near the land which is called Desolation by the Nephites.” The IM comments on this saying, “Moroni gave very little information regarding the geographic relationship between the Jaredite and Nephite lands. ‘However, he does indicate that the ‘land of Moron’ of the Jaredites ‘was near the land which is called Desolation by the Nephites.’ Inasmuch as the land of Moron was the capital land of the Jaredites and the Nephite land of Desolation was north of the narrow neck of land, it is assumed that the major portion of the Jaredite civilization lived north of the narrow neck of land.” I also think that it’s interesting that in verse 4 that Moroni reference “the land of Nehor” and as far as I know, Nehor was a place named after a person by the Nephites, looking at it, the word "Nehor" is used as a noun in only Alma, when referring to the man Nehor or the people who were following his teachings after his "ignominious death." The other place that it's referenced in as a city in the Jaredite civilization, and I wonder if they actually had a city named "Nehor" or if it's just Moroni calling it that because that's how he's familiar with the terrain.
7:7-27 - As Kib lived in captivity he "begat Shule in his old age, while he was yet in captivity." This has always been an interesting concept for me because I imagined Jaredite captivity to be similar to the dungeons and prison kind that we have or that we've seen in the movies and all that, but apparently it wasn't that restrictive if the captives were able to have families and children born to them while they were in captivity, maybe it was more like exile, or house arrest. Shule is born to a captive father but still "Shule waxed strong, and became mighty as to the strength of a man; and he was also mighty in judgment," and with this wisdom, he became angry with the brother who had imprisoned their father. So Shule makes weapons and arms the people who are following him, retakes the city of Nehor and "restored it unto his father Kib." Interesting turn of events there, because most people who wage war for the crown, usually want to keep it for themselves, but for whatever reason, Shule didn't want that, he wanted his father to rule again. Shule, being the faithful son, was given to kingdom by his father and "he did execute judgment in righteousness; and he did spread his kingdom upon all the face of the land." Now we get the reasoning behind Shule's desire to reinstate his father, because he was a righteous and just man, and in a shocking turn of events "Corihor repented of the many evils which he had done; wherefore Shule gave him power in his kingdom." Now talk about a completely unused strategy, first off, once Corihor was over thrown, usually he would have been executed, but apparently he wasn't, if not executed then exiled for sure, just for the safety of the people because he'd always pose a threat to the peace there. But he wasn't executed and he was even given the chance to repent for what he had done, and because he repented, Shule apparently took him at his word and gave him power within his government. If he had repented and just been exiled, that would have been considered exceptionally generous (and stupid by some) of Shule to do for his brother, but no, he was forgiven and trusted again with power when he'd proven himself to be untrustworthy and cruel previously. Now it gets a little bit complicated, one of Corihor's sons named Noah rebelled and "gave battle unto Shule, the king," and gained a portion of the kingdom as his own, then went to battle a second time and "carried him away captive into Moron. And it came to pass as he was about to put him to death, the sons of Shule crept into the house of Noah by night and slew him, and broke down the door of the prison and brought out their father, and placed him upon his throne in his own kingdom." This is very reminiscent of what Shule had done for his own father Kib, and they talk about these people as if they were strangers, and we have to remember that Noah was going to execute Shule, who was his uncle, and Shule's sons killed Noah to rescue their father, and they were all cousins. So Shule is again in charge of his own kingdom, and "the son of Noah did build up his kingdom in his stead," but they didn't gain any more of the kingdom from Shule and "the people who were under the reign of Shule the king did prosper exceedingly and wax great," surely because of the blessings they received because of their righteousness. "And the country was divided; and there were two kingdoms, the kingdom of Shule, and the kingdom of Cohor, the son of Noah." This is very much a "Nephite vs. Lamanite" situation, the righteous maintaining and the wicked trying to destroy. And in true Lamanite fashion, Cohor went against his great uncle Shule to battle "in which Shule did beat them and did slay Cohor. And now Cohor had a son who was called Nimrod; and Nimrod gave up the kingdom of Cohor unto Shule, and he did gain favor in the eyes of Shule; wherefore Shule did bestow great favors upon him, and he did do in the kingdom of Shule according to his desires." Shule must have been really old, we started this chapter with Orihah, the son of Jared as ruling the people, then the kingdom spilt in two by battle, then reuniting because Nimrod acquiesced to his great great uncle and gave him back the kingdom, sounds like a lot of drama and violence and uncertainty. In that uncertainty the people began to be wicked and idolatrous, and the Lord "sent prophets among the people" to call them to repentance or else "they should be destroyed if they did not repent." The IM teaches "In His kindness and mercy, the Lord sent prophets to warn the people of Shule's kingdom. At first they reviled and mocked the prophets; however, the prophets were protected by the righteous king's proclamation. Shule's people then heeded the prophets' warnings and repented, thus avoiding the destruction that would have come as a result of their rejection of the prophet's message. President Henry B. Eyring of the First Presidency explained why the Lord warns His children of their wickedness: 'Because the Lord is kind, He calls servants to warn people of danger. That call to warn is made harder and more important by the face that the warnings of most worth are about dangers that people don't yet think are real.'" It's interesting because I'm listening to the April 2009 general conference right now, and I think back to what was going on at that time and what the messages were about, the economy had just begun to decline, and it was so subtle that people didn't honestly think that it was happening or that it was serious, but the messages of the prophets were to have faith in coming storms, to be financially responsible, they were coming out just as the wave was beginning to crest and many people, myself included, didn't believe them. Like usual, the people did not take the prophet's counsel very well, and "the people did revile against the prophets, and did mock them." The IM quotes Elder Robert D. Hales as teaching, "Prophets must oten warn of the consequences of violating God's laws. They do not preach that which is popular with the world... Why do prophets proclaim unpopular commandments and call society to repentance for rejecting, modifying, and even ignoring the commandments? The reason is very simple. Upon receiving revelation, prophets have no choice but to proclaim and reaffirm that which God has given them to tell the world." The prophets whom the Lord calls must be rock solid in their faith and testimonies. So many times throughout history, the prophets have been murdered and tortured for their proclamations, and just imagine how detrimental to the cause it would be for a not so solid prophet to renounce their claims when faced with injury or death. And here's another example of why a monarchy has so much power to change the attitude of their subjects, "Shule did execute judgment against all those who did revile against the prophets. And he did execute a law throughout all the land, which gave power unto the prophets that they should go withersoever they would, and by this cause the people were brought unto repentance." In this case, the power of the king persuaded the people to do good, but statistically, kings usually don't persuade the people to do good, usually they initiate the people's downfall into wickedness. But Shule is kind of a hero here, he enabled the prophets to teach repentance to the people and "because the people did repent of their iniquities and idolatries the Lord did spare them, and they began to prosper again in the land... And there were no more wars in the days of Shule; and he remembered the great things that the Lord had done for his fathers in bringing them across the great deep into the promised land; wherefore he did execute judgment in righteousness all his days." Shule is kind of the unsung hero of this chapter, I have only very briefly heard of him, but he really is quite incredible. He freed his father from captivity, ruled in righteousness, was almost executed by his nephew, fought against many of his family members to maintain a righteous kingdom, and facilitated his people's repentance and then brought peace again. It is really quite remarkable, and I think that we can learn much about leadership from the study of this man.
7:7-27 - As Kib lived in captivity he "begat Shule in his old age, while he was yet in captivity." This has always been an interesting concept for me because I imagined Jaredite captivity to be similar to the dungeons and prison kind that we have or that we've seen in the movies and all that, but apparently it wasn't that restrictive if the captives were able to have families and children born to them while they were in captivity, maybe it was more like exile, or house arrest. Shule is born to a captive father but still "Shule waxed strong, and became mighty as to the strength of a man; and he was also mighty in judgment," and with this wisdom, he became angry with the brother who had imprisoned their father. So Shule makes weapons and arms the people who are following him, retakes the city of Nehor and "restored it unto his father Kib." Interesting turn of events there, because most people who wage war for the crown, usually want to keep it for themselves, but for whatever reason, Shule didn't want that, he wanted his father to rule again. Shule, being the faithful son, was given to kingdom by his father and "he did execute judgment in righteousness; and he did spread his kingdom upon all the face of the land." Now we get the reasoning behind Shule's desire to reinstate his father, because he was a righteous and just man, and in a shocking turn of events "Corihor repented of the many evils which he had done; wherefore Shule gave him power in his kingdom." Now talk about a completely unused strategy, first off, once Corihor was over thrown, usually he would have been executed, but apparently he wasn't, if not executed then exiled for sure, just for the safety of the people because he'd always pose a threat to the peace there. But he wasn't executed and he was even given the chance to repent for what he had done, and because he repented, Shule apparently took him at his word and gave him power within his government. If he had repented and just been exiled, that would have been considered exceptionally generous (and stupid by some) of Shule to do for his brother, but no, he was forgiven and trusted again with power when he'd proven himself to be untrustworthy and cruel previously. Now it gets a little bit complicated, one of Corihor's sons named Noah rebelled and "gave battle unto Shule, the king," and gained a portion of the kingdom as his own, then went to battle a second time and "carried him away captive into Moron. And it came to pass as he was about to put him to death, the sons of Shule crept into the house of Noah by night and slew him, and broke down the door of the prison and brought out their father, and placed him upon his throne in his own kingdom." This is very reminiscent of what Shule had done for his own father Kib, and they talk about these people as if they were strangers, and we have to remember that Noah was going to execute Shule, who was his uncle, and Shule's sons killed Noah to rescue their father, and they were all cousins. So Shule is again in charge of his own kingdom, and "the son of Noah did build up his kingdom in his stead," but they didn't gain any more of the kingdom from Shule and "the people who were under the reign of Shule the king did prosper exceedingly and wax great," surely because of the blessings they received because of their righteousness. "And the country was divided; and there were two kingdoms, the kingdom of Shule, and the kingdom of Cohor, the son of Noah." This is very much a "Nephite vs. Lamanite" situation, the righteous maintaining and the wicked trying to destroy. And in true Lamanite fashion, Cohor went against his great uncle Shule to battle "in which Shule did beat them and did slay Cohor. And now Cohor had a son who was called Nimrod; and Nimrod gave up the kingdom of Cohor unto Shule, and he did gain favor in the eyes of Shule; wherefore Shule did bestow great favors upon him, and he did do in the kingdom of Shule according to his desires." Shule must have been really old, we started this chapter with Orihah, the son of Jared as ruling the people, then the kingdom spilt in two by battle, then reuniting because Nimrod acquiesced to his great great uncle and gave him back the kingdom, sounds like a lot of drama and violence and uncertainty. In that uncertainty the people began to be wicked and idolatrous, and the Lord "sent prophets among the people" to call them to repentance or else "they should be destroyed if they did not repent." The IM teaches "In His kindness and mercy, the Lord sent prophets to warn the people of Shule's kingdom. At first they reviled and mocked the prophets; however, the prophets were protected by the righteous king's proclamation. Shule's people then heeded the prophets' warnings and repented, thus avoiding the destruction that would have come as a result of their rejection of the prophet's message. President Henry B. Eyring of the First Presidency explained why the Lord warns His children of their wickedness: 'Because the Lord is kind, He calls servants to warn people of danger. That call to warn is made harder and more important by the face that the warnings of most worth are about dangers that people don't yet think are real.'" It's interesting because I'm listening to the April 2009 general conference right now, and I think back to what was going on at that time and what the messages were about, the economy had just begun to decline, and it was so subtle that people didn't honestly think that it was happening or that it was serious, but the messages of the prophets were to have faith in coming storms, to be financially responsible, they were coming out just as the wave was beginning to crest and many people, myself included, didn't believe them. Like usual, the people did not take the prophet's counsel very well, and "the people did revile against the prophets, and did mock them." The IM quotes Elder Robert D. Hales as teaching, "Prophets must oten warn of the consequences of violating God's laws. They do not preach that which is popular with the world... Why do prophets proclaim unpopular commandments and call society to repentance for rejecting, modifying, and even ignoring the commandments? The reason is very simple. Upon receiving revelation, prophets have no choice but to proclaim and reaffirm that which God has given them to tell the world." The prophets whom the Lord calls must be rock solid in their faith and testimonies. So many times throughout history, the prophets have been murdered and tortured for their proclamations, and just imagine how detrimental to the cause it would be for a not so solid prophet to renounce their claims when faced with injury or death. And here's another example of why a monarchy has so much power to change the attitude of their subjects, "Shule did execute judgment against all those who did revile against the prophets. And he did execute a law throughout all the land, which gave power unto the prophets that they should go withersoever they would, and by this cause the people were brought unto repentance." In this case, the power of the king persuaded the people to do good, but statistically, kings usually don't persuade the people to do good, usually they initiate the people's downfall into wickedness. But Shule is kind of a hero here, he enabled the prophets to teach repentance to the people and "because the people did repent of their iniquities and idolatries the Lord did spare them, and they began to prosper again in the land... And there were no more wars in the days of Shule; and he remembered the great things that the Lord had done for his fathers in bringing them across the great deep into the promised land; wherefore he did execute judgment in righteousness all his days." Shule is kind of the unsung hero of this chapter, I have only very briefly heard of him, but he really is quite incredible. He freed his father from captivity, ruled in righteousness, was almost executed by his nephew, fought against many of his family members to maintain a righteous kingdom, and facilitated his people's repentance and then brought peace again. It is really quite remarkable, and I think that we can learn much about leadership from the study of this man.
Comments
Post a Comment