Why these chapters?

Alma 43:3 “And now I return to an account of the wars between the Nephites and the Lamanites, in the eighteenth year of the reign of the judges.” We might wonder why Mormon would include the detailed history of the wars in the Book of Mormon, rather than more of the teachings of Alma and his sons as they continued their missions. If we look at other examples of scriptures like this, such as the wars in the Old Testament, we can see that there are lessons to be learned beyond how to protect a people from an invading enemy. We can see how the cycle of pride plays a part in the redemption or destruction of a people. As the ancient Israelites were always victorious in battle when the arc of the covenant when before them, in other words, when they were obedient to the covenants they had made with Jehovah, so were the Nephites victorious when then put first the will of the lord and were obedient to his commandments.

Despite facing overwhelming odds, when the Lord’s covenant people honor their covenant, they receive his blessing. See Joshua 10:14, 2 Chronicles 20:15, Isaiah 49:25 “I will ​​​contend​ with him that contendeth with thee” etc. The saints in modern times have also received this same promise as recorded in D&C 98:37 and 105:14 where the Lord says “I will fight your battles...”

What battles are we facing today that we would wish the Lord to fight for us? Perhaps they are not fought in the same way with weapons of war but with words, images and ideas. We are fighting the greatest battles of our lives even in our own homes as Satan seeks to destroy our families. As we read the ‘war chapters’ in the Book of Mormon, look for ways to apply the same tactics implemented by young captain Moroni (chief captain at age 25) and the righteous Nephites to protect ourselves and our families from the modern weapons of evil. Seek for ways to engage the Lord on your behalf so that victory is guaranteed. (Alma 44:4)

Fighting against their own truth

43:6 “more wicked and murderous disposition” Those who used to be considered Nephites, the Amalekites and Zoramites, became the most wicked and vile persecutors of the Nephites. This reminds me of the warnings given in D&C 76:31 and Hebrews 6:4-6 to those who have received the truth, who know the power of the Lord but then are overcome by the power of evil. In the same way Laman and Lemuel became the greatest tormentors of Nephi, because they knew the truth, actively resisted it and chose to do evil, some of those persecute the saints today are those who had at one time made the covenant and now fight against their own testimony. Perhaps it is because when you really know the truth, you must work and fight so much harder to hide it, to convince yourself and others otherwise.

Preparation

43:19 "Moroni, had prepared his people" Just as Moroni prepared his people for battle, how do our modern chief captains (the prophets and apostles) prepare us to fight?

What is our equivalent spiritual armor? (Alma 43:19)

What are our equivalent spiritual fortifications? (Alma 48:7-9, 49:18-20, 50:1-6)

If we listen with intent to the messages shared in conferences and other talks, we will hear the warnings given, the instructions and the steps we must take to be prepared for our own battles. We have so many sources of spiritual preparation that we could consume virtually every hour of every day of our lives listening to the vast catalog of talks and messages given at so many venues going back decades. I recently found a source I wasn’t aware of, when browsing the lists of podcasts available in Spotify I came across one titled “Classic BYU Speeches”. What a wonderful source of inspiration in addition to the many others.

Are you neglecting your preparation?

How much time are you wasting on distractions that provide no lasting value?

Dedicating just a part of one day week (Sunday) is not enough. If you are training for the greatest battle of our time, to protect our liberty and our religion (yes, our liberty and religion are under attack just as much as was Moroni’s) you don’t train just a couple hours a week, or once a day, you train every day. President Nelson said “It takes conscious and consistent effort to fill our daily lives with His words, His teachings, His truths.” (Hear Him, April 2020)

Fear

43:21 “they were exceedingly afraid” Do the armies of Satan fear us? Are we cause for them to shake and tremble (if they had bodies) in our presence? This is no reason for us to be boastful or prideful, but I do hope that I live in such a way as to cause the powers of Satan to fear my presence because of my preparation. May Satan and his angels always fear the influence we will have on the children of God.

We do know that eventually the influence of the righteous will cause the evil one to be bound completely away from the earth. (1 Nephi 22:26)

Humility of Moroni

43:23 “Moroni, also, knowing of the prophecies of Alma, sent certain men unto him, desiring him that he should inquire of the Lord” Being made chief captain at 25 years old might be enough to make any person filled with pride. But rather than exercise confidence in his own power Moroni is humble and wise enough to exercise faith in the messenger of the Lord, in sending his own messengers to Alma to seek his guidance. Do we turn to the prophet when we are in need of wisdom? Are we humble enough to seek the help of others rather than trust in our own strengths? (Jeremiah 17:5 “Cursed be the man that trusteth in man, and maketh flesh his arm, and whose heart departeth from the Lord.“)

All things which are good

44:9 “we are not of your faith” There are probably those today who do not recognize the hand of the Lord in our lives, those who see success or blessings and seek ways to attribute them to other means.

How can we know if the good that comes to us was made so by our own means or by the grace and blessing of God? The first rule we should follow in answering this question is found in Alma 5:40 and Moroni 7:12 “all things which are ​​​good​ cometh of God”. Through humility we grant all the glory of the good we experience to God who created us. Through faith we recognize his plan of redemption that gives us hope that the good we do will be restored to us after this life. Through obedience to his commandments we earn the right to good blessings that are promised us by covenant (D&C 130:21). As Ammon proclaimed in Alma 26:12 “I know that I am nothing; as to my strength I am weak; therefore I will not boast of myself, but I will boast of my God, for in his strength I can do all things” and Moses recognized in Moses 1:10 “Now, for this cause I know that ​​​man​ is ​​​nothing​, which thing I never had supposed.” Indeed, all things which are good come from God.

Parallels

46:12 “In memory of our God, our religion, and freedom, and our peace, our wives, and our children”

As I noted previously, there are stories in the Old Testament that chronicle the pride cycle of the Israelites that are similar to what is happening to the Nephites. Just as Nehemiah encouraged his own people to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem when they were under threat of attack, “Be not ye afraid of them: remember the Lord, which is great and terrible, and fight for your brethren, your sons, and your daughters, your wives, and your houses.” (Nehemiah 4:10-14) And Moroni declaring, “In memory of our God, our religion, and freedom, and our peace, our wives, and our children.” The Lord grants us spiritual gifts that, if exercised, will serve to bless many. In these two cases there were those who were granted the ability to provide critical leadership for the cause of Christians, that became a blessing to many. In fact, because of the actions of Moroni, the Nephites were spared from falling deeper into the cycle of pride on several occasions and would have surely been destroyed, or at least a significant part of them would have been at that time. We also see how the leadership of Moroni’s captains such as Teancum and Lehi blessed and protected many while the actions of Amalickiah lead to so much evil and destruction. One person can exercise great influence for good or evil, we should never count ourselves out or think there is nothing significant we can do. We might not always see the result but we also have the potential to have a great positive influence in the lives of many.

What opportunities do you see to stand up for our religion, freedom and our families?

In what ways do you become a standard, and raise your own title of liberty?

What would it be like if the homes of the saints of the church everywhere each raised a title of liberty just as Moroni raised a title of liberty on every tower in their land?

  A band of Christians

46:13 “he prayed mightily unto his God for the blessings of liberty to rest upon his brethren, so long as there should a band of Christians remain to possess the land” I feel as though our comparatively small “band of Christians” may be all that will keep the blessings of liberty to rest upon this nation. In fact, I feel that at some point our nation’s society in general must recognize that without the unchanging moral standards maintained by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints it would utterly and irreversibly collapse.

Live Long and Prosper

48:15 “if they were faithful in keeping the commandments of God that he would prosper them in the land” Reading this scripture reminds me of the recent council by president Nelson, also echoes by many other apostles - that it is essential that we are prepared to “hear him”, to have constantly the influence of the Holy Spirit to guide us in our actions that we may be kept from harm and prosper.

“I renew my plea for you to do whatever it takes to increase your spiritual capacity to receive personal revelation. Doing so will help you know how to move ahead with your life, what to do during times of crisis, and how to discern and avoid the temptations and the deceptions of the adversary.” - President Nelson, Hear Him, April 2020

“in coming days, it will not be possible to survive spiritually without the guiding, directing, comforting, and constant influence of the Holy Ghost.” - President Nelson, Revelation for the Church, Revelation for our Lives, April 2018

The phrase “keep the commandments and ye shall prosper” is repeated often in similar form in these chapters, especially in 49:30 “there was continual peace among them, and exceedingly great prosperity in the church because of their heed and diligence which they gave unto the word of God” in which we also read the Alma’s son Corianton is included among the high priests preaching the gospel having repented and been redeemed by the grace of the Lord.

51:2 “they did not long maintain an entire peace in the land” Those who thirst for power will never be satisfied. And we see in this chapter that a result of the pride of the smaller group of “king men” still had drastic consequences for the entire population of Nephites. This helps us understand why Moroni has been so quick to cut off the dissenters early before the seeds of rebellion grow beyond their ability to manage.

Is it any wonder why Mormon chose to name his son after Moroni? 48:17 “Yea, verily, verily I say unto you, if all men had been, and were, and ever would be, like unto Moroni, behold, the very powers of hell would have been shaken forever; yea, the devil would never have power over the hearts of the children of men.”

Prepared in a Manner That Never Had Been Known By Linda K. Burton