Come Follow Me - Alma 53-63 (Extended Version): Stripling Warriors

[Music] when the son of man cometh shall he find faith on the earth Lord I believe help thou mine unbelief May our testimonies be as deep and as strong as that of Jacob who when confounded by one who sought to destroy his faith declared I could not be shaken [Music] hello everybody I'm Jared Halverson this is unshaken and welcome back to the war I hope that last week's discussion proved the relevance of these War chapters we spent our time with the bad guys and the good guys Captain moroni's preparations and fortifications the opposition of people

like Zarah hna and malakiah mor Anon the kingmen in fact it really hit me last week as I was video editing that those three maor problems that we talked about whether it was the apostasy and open opposition of people like zerna or am malakiah the Abandonment of the cause in Mor anon's case or the apathy that we see in the kingmen that each of those three challenges requires a different approach from us when someone we know and love is struggling with apathy or whether we're struggling with it ourselves what do we do like Captain moronai

did with the title of Liberty we remind them of the importance of the cause if abandonment is the issue and someone is leaving the church what's our best approach like Captain andai did with the people of Mor Anon we do our very best to head them off before they get too far and fully join the enemy it's a lot like Ammon with the scattered sheep of King Loni go in haste find them before they've wandered too far and then gather them back to the place of Living Water and for those most strongly opposed to what

they once accepted those who seem to be inching towards zerna or a malakiah like opposition what do we do For them it may be too late at least at the moment to draw them back in or to remind them of the cause of Christ and so our best hope is to help them lay down their weapons of war at least and we do that largely by lowering our own if we can at least stop fighting one another then there's a chance for the spirit of the Lord to soften hearts and renew faith in hopes that

they like the prodal son will eventually come to themselves and return of their own Accord there were two other things that really hit me as I was reviewing last week one comes from a phrase in Alma 48:8 this is part of Captain moroni's work of fortifying the land but what we talked about last week was fortifying the cities that the Nephites already possessed the trenches and the heaps of Earth The Works of Timbers the pickets towers and everything else but this was a phrase that I hadn't really noticed last week in Alma 488 it speaks

of the Nephites erecting small forts or places of Resort and that phrase really stood out to me what are our places of Resort maybe this stood out to me now because currently we're not able to enter the temple which has always been for me a place of Resort but do we have other places like that Jesus talked about in prayer entering into our closet is that a place of resort to be out somewhere in nature is that a place of Resort where do we go to be alone with God to be Protected from the onslaught

lot of challenges that seem to present themselves even if it's simply a place of mindfulness and quiet some sini of solitude where we can remove our shoes and be on Holy Ground it's like home base when we played tag as kids a place where you didn't have to run for your life from the enemies all around you that you could rest and take a breath or as little kids when we used to erect small forts of our own a big shipping Box where you could cut out a door and little windows or a bunch of

chairs with sheets or blankets draped over them there was something about being in your little fort where you felt like you were safely separated from outside forces especially during turbulent times I would challenge each of us to find places of Resort where we can go to be with God one last thing that really hit me came from chapter 51 where we talked about the kingmen wanting to make those Changes to the government replace pin as the chief judge with some kind of King and as I stepped back and tried to get the big picture of

what was going on there it hit me that it's so similar to what certain groups are doing or have done recently to try to change things in the church I'm not going to get specific in terms of what issues have been pushed for change because that might actually limit the possibilities that come to your mind but think about Ways that certain groups or individuals have demanded changes within the church and see if this sounds familiar the kingmen wanted to change things right now pin couldn't automatically acquest to their wishes even his chief judge it was

against the law for him to Simply change the way that government was supposed to be run some people seem to act as if the prophets and apostles can simply make sweeping changes on their own not realizing that this is the Lord's church and not theirs well Pan actually presented the choice to the people he entertained the possibility of that change it wasn't just that I'm opposed to it rejecting it outright was no more his decision than simply making it happen the way they wanted so he pursued the possibility according to the way that it was

supposed to be done presenting it to the voice of the people well the people rejected that idea but the kingmen refused to accept the Outcome they acted like the request had never been entertained or like the question had never been asked that's the part that really struck a chord for me sometimes when certain groups are demanding a change in the church they're acting as if the Brethren have never entertained the possibility or as if the change has never crossed their minds at least like they've never asked God the question in reality the question has been

asked the answer simply has not Come the way those groups want it to so in reality it wasn't just asking the question that they wanted it was a particular answer that they were demanding and not only do they act as if the question were never asked they act as if the answer were never granted the aim the objective of the group has not changed and since that more democratic way of achieving the objective didn't work then we're going to just achieve it some other way we're going to make it Happen and that's simply not the

way things work in the church the Lord is in charge prophets and apostles hold keys and as they ask these questions of each other and of the Lord as they reach unanimity in their decision this is all section 107 of the Doctrine and Covenants then decisions can be made in righteousness and with unanimity to ascertain the Lord's will I've had some really important conversations with classes as well as with individuals and I've always told them if you disagree with a position of the church you are free to do so however don't assume just because an

answer was given that your particular question was never asked there are some things that the Brethren simply cannot do just because the cultural currents are pulling Society in a particular direction the Lord is the captain of the ship and Prophets and apostles simply steer in the direction that he is leading them now moving Forward into this week's material the second half of the war chapters we've got Alma 53 all the way through 63 today 11 chapters so a lot to cover we'll be doing a lot of water skiing and snorkeling today but to provide some

connective tissue at the beginning the same kinds of things we saw last week are continuing this week dissension apostasy is still the major problem we tend to blame the lamanites but it's typically dissenting Nephites that are The ones behind all of these problems chapter 53:8 the armies of the lamanites ended up gaining some ground over the Nephites and when did it happen while in the absence of Moroni now why on Earth would Moroni be missing at such an important time well right there in the middle it tells us on account of some Intrigue amongst the

Nephites which caused dissensions among them we've seen this over and over already because of having To deal with internal problems the kingmen were a major one last week the nephite armies could not combat the enemies without they were busy with the enemies within the Intrigue and dissensions mentioned in verse 8 are repeated then in verse 9 and thus because of iniquity ity amongst themselves that's the real problem yay because of dissensions and Intrigue among themselves they were placed in the most dangerous circumstances it's Interesting because the next column over in verse 15 when it speaks

about the outer enemy that they're facing it describes them waiting through their afflictions in their dangerous circumstances well outer enemies lamanites were dangerous circumstances but inner Intrigue back in vers 9 is the most dangerous circumstances so lay those side by side and which is the greater Peril no under the Lord works from the inside out like President Benson used to say no wonder we need to cleanse the inner vessel first as we'll learn today as Moroni discusses things with pahoran you catch another glimpse of this in chapter 55 where in verse 33 Moroni is making

preparations he always seems to be doing that right but this time not prep operations to defend cities that he possesses but this time rather to attack a city that they used to possess he was making preparations to attack the city Mor Anon name ring a Bell was the one who abandoned his post because he was overzealous to expand his territory pride and possessiveness right greed and ambition were the issues that we talked about last week and by now Mortin had become an exceeding stronghold in the hands of of the lamanites as they had fortified it

eite Army certainly could have used Mor antin's help his loyal support instead of his greedy desertion one of the best examples of it comes in chapter 60 again we're seeing a continuation of what we saw last time but in chapter 60:1 16 as Moroni is complaining of the government's neglect he says had it not been for the war which broke out among ourselves that phrase keeps appearing yay were it not for these kingmen who caused so much blood among ourselves yay at the time we were contending among ourselves if only we had United our strength

as we hitherto have done if those kingmen had United With us and gone forth against our enemies instead of taking up their swords against us which was the cause of so much Bloodshed among ourselves everything would have been different if you are not one you are not mine and will never truly be one until we truly become his no wonder one of the key missions of prophets and apostles according to Paul in the book of Ephesians is to help us achieve the unity of the faith we will remain in the Most dangerous circumstances as long

as we remain divided among ourselves through all of this we also see Moroni continuing to do what he's always done preparing preparing preparing in chapter 53:7 came to pass that he did no more attempt a battle with the lamanites in that year not because there weren't battles to fight believe me but what did he spend this year doing he did employ his men in preparing for war yay in making fortifications to guard against The lamanites just like he'd been doing in all the chapters we studied last week yay and also delivering their women and their

children from famine and affliction so often war is accompanied by famine so it's not just his soldiers that he's worried about he's worried about them too the verse ends with he's also providing food for their armies the logistics behind military Maneuvers are amazing the supply chains and Troop support so much of the military are not Frontline soldiers themselves but they're to support them so here Captain Moroni is not simply fighting battles he's actually holding off on next offensives so that he can prepare his people build up their fortifications deliver them not just from the enemy's

direct attack but from the effects of what they're going through that's an important part of leadership as well now like we saw last week you couldn't ask for a better Leader than Moroni if all men had been and were and ever would be right all the great praise that Mormon heaped upon him but I was a bit relieved in fact to see some chinks in his own armor in this second half of the war chapters remember when Mormon Compares Captain Moroni to Ammon and his brothers and Alma and his sons calling them all men of

God those people weren't perfect either we don't have to be perfect to be considered men and women of God I'm grateful for that And in fact what we'll see today from Captain Moroni is another good example of what we talked about in our lesson on Alma chapter 38 if you haven't seen that one I would highly recommend it it was our study of Alma's words to shiblon this forgotten middle son he only gets 15 verses in that chapter but in that lesson we talked about the danger of our strengths becoming our downfall that the very

things that made shiblon such an incredible person were things that his Father Alma noticed if this goes to the extreme this can lead to some problems and we'll see that today with Captain Moroni the very things that made him such a powerful military leader led to some mistakes on his part so I don't say this to take him down any notches but rather to remind us to be aware of our strengths the heads of that coin flipping over to the tales side we see this mostly in the letters that Moroni writes that we have recorded

in this Second half of the war chapters the first half contains much more action on moroni's part the second half has to do more with the Epistles that he's writing and this first one comes in chapter 54 as Moroni is writing a letter to amaron remember am malakiah had been slain in his tent by the Intrepid tanum the Rambo of the nephite army amaron then takes am Malachi's place and is now King of the lamanites and pursuing the same selfish goals that his brother had well now Moroni is writing amaron a letter to negotiate a

prisoner exchange to this point Nephites have only been capturing and imprisoning lonite combatants male soldiers whereas the lamanites have been imprisoning men women and children so Captain moronai was trying to work out some kind of exchange where we'll deliver back to you your male soldiers that we've captured if you'll deliver back to us not only are male soldiers but the women and children that you Never should have imprisoned to begin with worthy goal definitely but notice Moroni strength and Associated weakness that comes through in the letter that he writes to his enemy the letter itself

goes from verse 5 through verse1 14 but notice in verse 6 behold I will tell you somewhat concerning the justice of God sounds a lot like Elma starting to talk to Cory Anon you've been sinning and you need to understand God's justice I continues the sword of his Almighty Wrath which doth hang over you except ye repent and withdraw your armies into your lands or the land of your possessions which is the land of Nephi so far so good this is Captain Moroni in his non- bloodthirsty self we're not trying to extend our territory we're

not trying to take over the land of Nephi we're fine to consider that the land of your possessions just go back to them we'll be content with our territory if you're content with yours so be aware of God's justice and also be aware of his Mercy you must repent there's his Justice you can repent there's his Mercy he'll forgive you and so will we just step back withdraw your armies now I don't know if it would have changed the outcome if he would have left things with that or maintain that kind of level of rhetoric

but he doesn't notice verse 7 if six is exactly what moronai should have said compare it to verse 7 yay I would tell you these things if ye were Capable of hearkening unto them it's almost like well that's what I would have said if you had ears to hear but you don't so let me say it a little stronger yay I would tell you concerning that awful hell that awaits to receive such murderers as thou and thy brother have been except you repent and withdraw your murderous purposes and return with your armies to your own

lands a lot of similarity there right verse six you need to repent verse 7 you need to Repent verse six return to your own lands verse seven return to your own lands but it's not just the justice of God and the sword of his Almighty wrath it's this awful hell that awaits you awaits who you murderers now I'm not saying that this is inaccurate Moroni is correct in what he's saying but I'm not sure if this is the way to Win Friends and Influence People in verse eight he says as he have once rejected these

things and have Fought against the people of the Lord even so I may expect you will do it again again same old same old you've been a jerk you'll probably remain a jerk verse 9 and 10 he seems to pull the rhetoric back a little towards the good side we are prepared to receive you and except you withdraw your purposes behold you will pull down the wrath of that God whom you have rejected upon you even to your utter destruction but as the Lord liveth here he's invoking his testimony Our armies shall come upon you

except you withdraw and you shall soon be visited with death for we will retain our cities and our lands yay and we will maintain our religion and the cause there's that phrase the cause of our God I love what he says there there is a confident Commander engaged in such a cause as this as long as we do not offend God if he's on our side we cannot lose as he liveth he will assure our Victory but the boldness of 9 and 10 Grows into some overbearing in verse 11 remember that was what Elma warned

shiblon about be bold but not overbearing well 9 and 10 you're bold Moroni compare this to 11 but behold it supposeth me that I talk to you concerning these things in vain or it supposeth me that thou art a child of hell I just laugh when I read that what a letter it's like six and seven this is what I would say if I thought you were capable of listening to it at all and Supposeth me that I'm wasting my time talking to you about this why H because I suppose that you're a child of

hell so let me wrap up this probably ineffective message by telling you this I'm not going to exchange prisoners unless you do it my way you deliver up a man and his wife and his children for one prisoner if that's how you'll do it then I'll do it if not verse 12 I will come against you with my armies yay even I will arm my women and my children you Seem to be treating them like active combatants fine I will too and I'll arm them them you're making them prisoners of War then I will make

them Warriors I will come against you I will follow you even into your own land I'll shift from defensive to offensive rather than simply defending my land I'll take yours there seems to be this beautiful Poetic Justice in verse 12 I will treat you the way you are treating us it shall be Blood for Blood yay life for life I Will give you battle even until you are destroyed from off the face of the earth you seem to be pursuing a war of annihilation well Two Can Play That Game amaron verse 13 He now admits

something behold I am in my anger now I can't blame him I would be too ye have sought to murder us we have only sought to defend ourselves your cause is not just ours is and if that's not a cause for anger I don't know what it is and yet maybe anger isn't the right word if That's not a cause for righteous indignation then I don't know what is anger seems like the counterfeit of righteous indignation it's an important emotion it motivates us to protect ourselves it's one of the things that makes Moroni such an

important leader here but I do want us to Grapple with the difference between righteous indignation and anger I'm not trying to make Captain Moroni an offender for a word here but I do wonder if it's that Anger that makes boldness bubble up into overbearing if righteous indignation is more what he had back in chapter 43 and 44 when he's fighting zerah hna where the moment it looks like Zarah hna may be willing to stop fighting then Moroni stops his troops mid attack basically right all this adrenaline rushing through their veins it's one of the most

important things we learned about Moroni from Mormon's account of him that he gloried in the defense of his people Protecting their freedoms but he did not glory in Bloodshed it's a great way to distinguish between righteous indignation and anger when Jesus cleansed the temple and toppled the tables of the money changers he was in control of himself this was righteous indignation reproving be times with sharpness when moved upon by the Holy Ghost but when we're moved upon by anger we may not be as in control of ourselves as we need need to be I remember

once as A parent well lots of times but this particular time reproving be times one of my children and doing so with sharpness my wife kind of raised the voice of caution like ooh honey calm down and I remember in that particular instance feeling so moved upon by the Holy Ghost instead of just moved upon by my frustration at a child who was disobeying that's probably why my wife had to caution me she's seen me moved upon by other emotions but that time I Knew I was in control of my emotions I wasn't chastening a

child to get something out of my system it's such a an interesting memory of just truly feeling in control it was an experience that I needed to have as a parent to be able to clearly distinguish between being moved upon by anger and being moved upon by the Holy Ghost the conversation and the discipline that resulted from that for that particular child ended up being a blessing to them And a blessing to me it made it so much easier to do the rest of that verse in section 121 to show forth afterwards a greater outpouring

of Love lest he esteem thee to be thine enemy we'll see the word anger appear several times in the second half of the war chapters keep an eye out for it and see the results that follow in its wake they're usually not very good the one that seems most haunting to me appears in chapter 62 and it's where we meet tanum again he had Successfully slain am malakiah sneaking across Enemy Lines under cover of Darkness with his trusty Javelin he does the same thing here to amaron and amaron meets the same fate that his brother

amalaki did death at the hands of tanum but this time when tanum casts his Javelin he almost hit the bullseye it did Pierce him near the heart but behold the king did awaken his servants before he died in so much that they did pursue tanum and slew him I talked about this a Little in our lesson way back in mosiah chapter 25 that was the story of my mission companion Elder buckles who fell in love with tanam when he read the book of Mormon in the MTC and literally cried this big buff companion of mine

balling tears rolling down his cheeks when he found out that tanum had been slain remember what I said back then we don't mourn the death of someone who had never really come to life for us to begin with well tanum had come to life for Elder Buckles and he mourned his passing but what haunts me about this account is one word we still see the Courage the unwearying diligence of tanum in verse 35 the Nephites and lamanites were weary because of the greatness of the March same thing that happened against malakiah everyone's sleeping because of

the burdens and heat of the day so after that long march no one developed any strategy in the night time they were just too tired my strategy is called Sleep let's deal with the battle in the morning but not tanum the guy never seemed to sleep but notice this phrase for he was exceedingly angry with amaran justifiably so just like Captain Moroni he's right as it continues in verse 35 that Amron and amalaki his brother had been the cause of this great and Lasting war between them and the lamanites this had been the cause of

so much war and bloodshed so much famine there's that connection again the Injustice of Amran's cause was one of the things that motivated the Nephites to pursue so valiantly their own cause but it's not just righteous indignation this time it's not just the desire to defend themselves he is exceedingly angry and then in verse 36 the word reappears it came to pass that tanum in his anger did go forth into the camp of the lamanites now I don't know if righteous indignation as opposed to anger would have helped tanum hit the bullseye and If he

could have silently escaped back over the wall to return to the nephite Army just like he had done belly crawling across the beach outside Bountiful when he slew am malakiah but it does make me wonder if anger rattles our nerves just enough to make our aim slightly off in the righteous objectives that we are pursuing in life I'm trying to raise my children in righteousness but does anger shift our Focus just enough that we don't hit the heart of The issue or don't truly reach the heart of the person that we're trying to change we

get close we hit near but both we and they pay a price for it does anger Cloud our judgment perhaps this was a more dangerous circumstance than am Malachi's am malakiah was camped on the beach amaron is within a city behind a wall again I don't want to read too much into this and it is a tragedy that tanum dies we see that obviously in verse 37 when Lehi and Moroni find out About tanum death they are exceedingly sorrowful they would have reacted just like Elder buckles did for he had been a man who had

fought valiantly for his country yay a true friend to Liberty he' suffered very many exceeding sore afflictions he' given it all he had he kept his covenants by sacrifice but behold he was dead and no amount of Sorrow could change that an old friend of mine a call colleague a wise and respected Institute director that was About to retire he was then serving as State president at the same time he and his wife were part of a panel of couples teaching a large group of us about marriage and I was so struck by one of

the things that he said he said you know when I was a young father I was very even-tempered and I thought that sounds like him he was seemed like a very incontrol even-tempered grandpa but then he defined what he meant by even tempered with a twinkle in his eye he Said I was mad all the time you see his temper was even but it was evenly High evenly hot and we all laughed at that but are we sometimes guilty of that same kind of even tempered will that cause sorrow will it kill relationships even when

our cause is just and that was the case with tanum and Moroni we need to make sure that our approach to pursuing that cause is just as just as the cause itself so both for Our sake and the sake of those that we are trying to help or to lead may we Bridle our passions so that we can be filled with love tanum struggled with it in Alma 62 and Moroni struggled with it back in Alma 54 again this is an example of a strength becoming weakness if anger is the counterfeit of righteous indignation it

count counterfeits are so close to the real thing that's what makes them convincing counterfeits some people not only never get angry they Never get righteously indignant they are so non-confrontational that when it comes to speaking the truth in love as Paul said they'll only do things in love and they'll avoid speaking truth even when truth needs to be spoken it was the passion of morona and tanum that made them such powerful military leaders it's like when I see a break out in football for example I never want that to happen but it is a violent

Sport and sometimes The same personality traits that make an athlete an incredible football player might also simultaneously lead them to some potential problems of being a little too aggressive in other ways both on and off the field the same thing happens with military personnel we've seen too many tragedies of late regarding police force along these same lines and I'm not trying to excuse anything here please don't misunderstand me but there's Something to be said for the strength weakness heads tails of a coin and sometimes it's the same bundle of attributes that gives someone the courage

to rush in where most people are rushing out that can lead to some problems even major catastrophes if those passions are not bridled as they should now back in chapter 54 we see amar's response to Moroni and we see certain Echoes of things we've seen before whenever we Catch a glimpse of what lonite culture was all about amran's response is from verse 16 through verse 24 he returns boldness with boldness or Bluster with Bluster verse 16 I'm amaron the king of the lamanites I'm the brother of am malakiah whom you've murdered behold I will avenge

his blood upon you and I will come upon you with my armies for I fear not your threatenings keep your rhetoric to yourself Moroni verse 17 behold your Fathers did wrong their Brethren he's distancing himself he was a zorite we'll see that in verse 23 again so I don't want to have anything to do with the Lehi Nephi side of things it's like the opposite extreme of the anti- Nephi Lehi right I don't want to have anything to do with them and your fathers Lehi and Nephi wronged their Brethren remember we saw that back in

mosiah in this review of how lamanites raised their children that we were wronged we were wronged we Were wronged we were wronged in leaving Jerusalem being dragged away from the land of our inheritance Layman was the eldest son right the birthright he lost twice as much as Nephi did in abandoning Jerusalem for no good reason as they believed they were wronged on the ship they were wronged when they got to the promised land and as a result they were wroth and wroth and wroth those are the words that kept coming up back then wronged and

wroth we see the same thing Here your fathers did wrong their Brethren they did Rob them of their right to the government when it rightly belonged unto them I think amaran could use a good review of first Nephi and second Nephi that Nephi himself did not want the right of government he wanted Layman to step up to the role that should have been his there was no robbery there on Nephi's part simply disqualification there on Layman's part so in 18 how do you make those ancient Wrongs right you lay down your arms and subject yourselves

to be governed by those to whom the government doth rightly belong otherwise in verse 20 we will wage a war which shall be Eternal now that's obviously hyperbole but it does suggest to us a parallel that I think we need to Grapple with because is there an eternal War yeah it's the one against good and evil like we said last week that talk that president hinley gave in the immediate Aftermath of 9/11 this is simply the war in heaven transferred theaters from portality to Earth life it's Lucifer that has been waging a war he intends

to be Eternal thankfully as the Book of Revelation tells us it won't be Jesus does possess the keys to the bottomless pit as John saw but think about the parallels here didn't Lucifer feel wronged that Jehovah was chosen instead of him Lucifer was an angel in Authority In the presence of God the doctrine covenants tells us might he have felt robbed of his right to government isn't that what Isaiah 14 tells us that he wanted to ascend above the Throne of the almighty or as the book of Moses clarifies he wants the father's Glory even

that not so subtle accusation that he levels against the father in trying to tempt Adam and Eve oh of course he forbids you from eating this fruit because it will make you like Him knowing good and evil and the last thing God wants is for you to become like him that's all I was asking for the father's Glory see how he's twisting things there the father's ultimate goal is to share with his children his glory give us all things but in the right way it was actually Lucifer who was trying to rob something that did

not belong to him but he twisted it and turned the accusation on others just as Captain Moroni is a powerful type of Christ in The war chapters am malakiah and amaron and others are powerful types of the adversary he adds in 21 as concerning that God whom ye say we have rejected behold we know not such a being neither do ye starting to sound a little like cor hor right no man can know of things to come God who's God a being who has never been known and never will be known sounds like the false

doctrine that the zoramites the amalekites the order of Neor sounds like the stuff they've been preaching all along he then softens somewhat and says but if it so be that there is such a being he goes from atheist to agnostic really quick we know not but that he hath made us as well as you interesting irony there too H even a assuming there is a God and I don't believe there is one we're his creation as much as you are this is an interesting counterfeit of the truth that God is no respector of persons he

Does love all of his children equally but he cannot bless them all equally All Flesh are one in his hand but it is the righteous that are favored of God as far as His blessings are concerned that's first Nephi chapter 17 beautiful verse that helps balance God unconditional love with his conditional blessings and conditional salvation you see amaron seems to be mistaking creation he's created us just like you with salvation so wouldn't he just save us just like You that's neor Doctrine but creation and election aren't the same thing love and favor aren't identical so

amran's missing something there he's also missing something in 22 and and if it so be that there is a devil and a hell behold will he not send you there to dwell with my brother whom ye have murdered whom you have hinted that he ha gone to such a place you call my brother a murderer and you say he's going to hell well you killed him so You're murderers too and so you're going to the same spot but here he is divorcing action from intention and there's a counterfeit there as well there was death occurring

on both sides but the intentions behind those actions couldn't be more different again the justness of the Nephites cause versus the Injustice behind the cause of the lamanites god takes into consideration not only our actions but our intentions behind those actions and Amon is Refusing to see that distinction and then he says at the end of 22 ah but behold these things matter not he doesn't even care about the doctrine he's denying I see that often in people who ATT the faith it's like they attack the fact that there are multiple accounts of the first

Vision but they don't believe in Visions at all so why are we arguing over different accounts when you don't think the possibility even exists that any account Could be true why are we arguing over conclusions your premise denies the whole thing ah it matterthe to discuss doctrinal differences can we at least agree at the beginning that they matter I think that's one thing that's worth establishing at the beginning do you even care about the doctrines you're denying or the beliefs that you're battling amaron didn't he then says in verse 23 I am amaron and a

descendant of Zoram whom your fathers pressed and brought out of Jerusalem talk about twisting the past again just like your fathers wronged Layman and lemel verse 17 well they pressed and brought out of Jerusalem my ancestors zoram amaran go back and reread first Nephi when Nephi covenants with zoram if you join us you will be a free man among our family in the wilderness to go from servitude in the household of Laban to equality in lehi's family that doesn't sound like Pressed and brought out to me but then he finishes behold now I am a

bold lonite I've gone from nephite to zorite to lonite we see this distan scene reaching its fulfillment behold this war hath been waged to avenge their wrongs he ends the way he started and to maintain and to obtain their rights to the government and I closed my epistle now just like moroni's letter ticked off amaron amon's epistle ticked Off Moroni if you go on to chapter 55 you see moroni's reaction and you see the word we pointed to earlier came to pass that when Moroni had received this epistle he was more Angry justifiably indignant true

but beware of anger he knew that amaron had a perfect knowledge of his fraud he knew that amaron knew it was not a just cause that had caused him to wage a war against the people of Nephi this is Alma calling out kahor for the lies that he Knew he was perpetuating same thing here so notice what Moroni does in verse two and this is interesting cuz he said said in his letter I want to exchange prisoners but I'll only do it on this condition release the lonite men in exchange for the nephite men and

women and children and Amron had agreed to that in his epistle fine I'll do it I'd rather be feeding my soldiers than feeding nephite prisoners any day so the irony here is that Captain Moroni gets The promise of what he wants but in verse two I he says I will not exchange prisoners with amaron save he will withdraw his purpose as I've stated in my epistle see how clearly Moroni sees the difference between action and intention I'm getting him to do the right action but the intention behind it is off and that will grant unto

him more power than what he hath got now I don't know exactly what he meant by that if it was I don't want him to have more power Namely his soldiers back just more strength to his army or if there was some kind of rhetorical power persuasive power that that would be granting amaron that he was in some way correct in divorcing action from intention or that it would allow him to perpetuate this fraud that his was some kind of legitimate Authority that he deserved to be negotiated with it's almost like right now morona is

realizing oh wait Amron is claiming a right of authority And he has none and by offering some kind of prisoner exchange it seems like I'm recognizing his Authority seems like we see it all the time in movies that we will not negotiate with terrorists something similar seems to be happening here with Moroni forget the whole thing forget I even asked and forget that you agreed I will not dignify your usurpation of authority by negotiating with you as if this were one legitimate government to another forget The whole thing so he comes up with a different

plan and from verse 4 through verse 15 we see that plan plan unfold it has to do with Moroni searching among his men for a descendant of layman not only do they find one but even his name is Layman how perfect is this verse 5 says he happened to be one of the Servants of the king who amalaki had murdered interesting that that action comes back to bite him remember when they fled providing to malakiah with the Circumstantial evidence that it was actually they who had slain the King instead of his own servants how lies

seem to get away from us don't they and like I said this one comes back to bite him he takes a bunch of nephite wine prepared in its strength pretends to be a loyal lonite who had escaped from Enemy Lines and brought back their wine and wants to celebrate with the lonite soldiers who are guarding the nephite prisoners of War well you can probably Guess what happens the lonite soldiers drink the wine become drunk fall asleep and now morona has a chance to deliver the prisoners but let me take just a second to list some

of the things that the lonite guards did wrong because so often it's things that we might struggle with whenever we succumb to sin for example in verse 9 they didn't confirm what they heard when Layman comes and tells this story they just accept it sometimes that's the case when people Attack the faith or plant seeds of doubt we just read something we see a quote taken out of context or we see an event removed from its historical setting some assertion without any verifying facts attached and we just accept it that's what they do in verse

9 also in nine they want the wine to fight their weariness do we sometimes rely on artificial sources of strength when Layman initially says oh no no we shouldn't do this we got to we got to Stay focused that only makes them want it even more which I'm sure Layman knew would be the case does forbidding something only make us seem to want it more verse 11 they say oh don't worry about it we're going to get more wine for our rations anyway do we find it okay to get more of something than is intended

or what we deserve that's what happens in verse 11 they then drink it all they do according to their desires in verse 12 they overindulge their Appetites in verse 13 where they also let their tastes overcome their better judgment by then in verse 14 they've incapacitated themselves and by 15 they're asleep at their post do similar things happen to us well now incapacitated and asleep these lonite guards would be easy prey for Moroni but in verse 19 he doesn't Delight in murder or Bloodshed he only cares about saving his people from destruction so he doesn't

kill them again is there any Other way without having to resort to violence this his passion bridled the way it ought to be so what's he do instead back in verse 16 Moroni prepared his men with weapons of war he's prepared to fight if he needs to but what he ends up doing as the Lites are sleep he casts in the weapons of war unto the prisoners in so much that they were all armed this is a beautiful principle here you see it spelled out in verse 20 he had armed those prisoners of The Nephites

who were within the wall of the city and had given them power to gain possession of those parts which were within the walls I love that he didn't just free them he didn't do for them what they could and end up doing for themselves if they were only equipped to do so I already mentioned that quote from president Benson here's another perfect illustration of it instead of working from the outside in here we are on the outside have all the Power and all the solutions will break you out we'll provide your freedom to you you

don't have to lift the finger no the Lord works from the inside out he equips prisoners he gives the Trap the addicted the imprisoned power to gain possession of themselves that's what the grace of God does it fills us within it grants us that power to free ourselves through Christ and that's exactly what they do verse 22 by the time the lonit wake up The next morning not only are they surrounded by Nephites without but their prisoners are armed within very wisely in verse 23 and understatedly they found that it was not expedient that they

should fight with the Nephites yeah good call there instead they pled for mercy and they received it they weren't slain if I'm not going to kill drunk guards I'm not going to kill surrendering soldiers instead he frees all the nephite Prisoners in verse 24 they rejoin the army of Moroni and are a great strength to them I love that we're not just freeing prisoners for their sake we're freeing them for ours they have something wonderful to contribute it's like Mor Anon and what he could have done to fortify the line between Lehi and mor Anon

instead of abandoning his post and his City and allowing it to fall into lonite hands imagine the strength that would come to The Army if every inactive were brought back to full fellowship if every addicted sinner were freed from their chains they have so much to offer all of us come home strengthen the Army we need you maybe that's one more reason that Captain moronai armed them from within you need to get used to using weapons again because it's not just you that you'll end up freeing we need your help freeing still others freeing us

we need the strength that you will add to the Army meanwhile having free the nephite PS what does he do with the lonite PS verse 25 he causes that they should commence a labor in strengthening the fortifications round about the city GID where they had just been 26 they fortify that City according to moroni's desires which would have been a lot of work we know how he fortifies cities right he then sends those prisoners to the city Bountiful which he guarded with an Exceedingly strong force we actually see that back in chapter 53 in verses

3-6 an earlier group of lonite PS are used to fortify the city of Bountiful that's why it's such a great stronghold by the time we see it in chapter 55 in that passage we get a few extra details 53:5 by forcing the lonite PS to fortify the city they were guarded within a wall which they had built with their own hands this is the opposite of what we just saw about prisoners being armed Within so that it could free themselves you see the balance there prisoners need to be empowered to free themselves because it's typically

prisoners who have imprisoned themselves behind walls of their own construction we are more often punished by our sins than for them right we trap ourselves we Forge our own chains build our own walls well thankfully the Lord empowers us to reverse that we also see at the end of verse 5 that Moroni was compelled to Cause the lamanites to labor because it was easy to guard them while at their labor important principle as well if the idle mind is the Devil's Playground no wonder it's easier to guard ourselves to keep our appetites in check when

we are hard at work building the kingdom of God so often it's the sins of omission that lead to the more damaging sins of commission it's hard to guard our thoughts when we're not working at something with all the work of Fortification that these lonite prisoners performed notice What Becomes of the city of Bountiful verse 5 the city became an exceeding stronghold ever after I had forgotten that it was Bountiful where the prisoners were kept because what do I typically associate with Bountiful that was the sight of the coming of Christ Among the Nephites in

third Nephi 11 there seems to be something fitting about that that Christ comes to set Prisoners free that he came not among the healthy but to the sick who needed a physician also that Christ comes to exceeding strongholds of faith and righteousness he comes among Saints who have fortified themselves spiritually also one of the great things we know about the way Nephites approached the prisoners of War we'll see this later on in these chapters that often when lamanites particularly were brought in After a battle they were very often sent to live among the anti- Nephi

Lehi who better to rehabilitate them rather than just guard them as they sted in their anger and vengefulness now teach them we saw that back in Alma 31 it's the word more than the sword that has a mighty effect on people and so I do wonder how much teaching how much crying repentance how much Rehabilitation was taking place in the city Bountiful in these decades that preceded the coming of Christ to that exact location jumping back to chapter 55 where these nephite PS were just liberated notice verse 31 in the aftermath the Nephites were not

slow to remember the Lord their God in this their time of Affliction the war still raging just because they regained the city and freed their Prisoners the war still goes on this is still a time of Affliction but they weren't slow to Remember the Lord their God and then one specific instance of that I love this in 32 anytime that lamanites tried to sneak over and administer wine to Nephites where they get this idea well it worked for them maybe it'll work for us well it didn't because in 32 they were cautious that no poison

should be administered unto them 31 says that they would give it to the lonite prisoners first if it's poisoned we're going to know about it before we partake of any ourselves Because funny detail in 32 if their wine would poison a lonite it would also poison a nephite glad they recognize that similarity but what a great principle to think about what's wrong for them is wrong for us I'm grateful for parents that didn't have a second set of standards for themselves they kept the same rules that they asked us to knowing that if something was

wrong for their children it was wrong for them as well I think it was Elder Robert D Hales who told the story of grandchildren that were thinking about watching a certain movie and he said oh I'm not old enough to see that movie great thought from an old man if it would poison the youth they would poison me there's no double standard here now so far we've been watching this letter exchange between morona and amiron there's another set of letters exchanged that we need to spend some time on too and this one is between Mor

on I and Pahoran who happens to be the chief judge at the time the Story begins in chapter 59 we just skipped over a bunch of stuff about the strippling Warriors which we'll cover in the second half of this lesson but still focusing on moroni's strength which leads to some potential weakness see it start to unfold in chapter 59 in verse one he's just heard from helan about how things are going for those Stripling Warriors he's thrilled that they've been so Successful but also very concerned at the smallness of their numbers they're going to need

more reinforcements they need more help we'll talk more about that next time too so what does he do in verse three it came to pass that he immediately sent an epistle to pahoran Desiring that he should cause men to be gathered together to strengthen helan or the armies of helan now this is part of moroni's strength one of the things that makes him such an effective military Commander is that he's a man of action he doesn't get this letter from Helm and said well we should probably I don't know organize some kind of an exploratory

committee and do some test testing maybe some surveys that we could send out maybe a focus group or something and may decide some different possibilities of things that we could do to make things a little easier for heilman and his men no he immediately sends an epistle to pahoran asking for Some help a man of action love that about him it can get him into problems as we're about to see but he's a man of action strength and some weakness I also love the way he says it though at the end of verse three his

Hope was that Helman might with ease maintain that part of the land which he had been so miraculously prospered in regaining now expand that Beyond land and are there things that you have miraculously Regained such as forgiveness of our sins the companionship of the Holy Ghost the love of someone that we have offended and how diligent are we at maintaining the thing that we have miraculously regained that's why King Benjamin was so adamant about talking about retaining a remission of our sins it took a miracle to gain it in the first place what are we

doing to hold on to it against the odds well unfortunately later in this chapter the city of Nephi is lost when It's attacked by a massive lonite Army and as we learn in verse 9 as Moroni had supposed that there should be men sent to the city of nefa to the assistance of the people to maintain that City the same thing he'd been asking for for the armies of helan no reinforcements and what frustrated Moroni so much was that he knew that it was easier to keep the city from falling into the hands of the

lamanites than to retake it from them he thought it could be easily maintained if They just had enough strength to do so no wonder in verse 10 he retains all the force that he has to maintain those places which he had recovered I've quoted this from president Benson so many times already in these lessons better to prepare and prevent than to repair and repent I'm so grateful for the gift of repentance I would never minimize that great gift it's what allows us to miraculously regain things at all but it's so much easier to Maintain our

position than to crawl our way back up the slippery slope that we have descended the same is true by the way not just of our own retention of spiritual strength or the companionship of the spirit but what we call retention in the missionary sense to help people stay strong and stay active the better we do at retention and the less we'll need to do of reactivation that's often hard work Indeed now in verse 11 when Moroni saw that the city of Nephi was lost he was exceedingly sorrowful but notice what accompanies that sorrow he began

to doubt he didn't doubt the justce of his cause he didn't doubt the power of God to strengthen the armies but he doubted because of the wickedness of the people whether they deserved the help of God at all whether they were relying on his strength as they ought his chief captains felt the same way they doubted And marveled also because of the wickedness of the people and this because of the success of the lamanites over them that's what shocked them that's what made them Marvel and doubt wait a minute we lost how could we possibly

lose when God is on our side oh maybe God wasn't on our side because we weren't on his you see it's not just faith in God and in his gospel that is required of us we need to have faith in each other and faith in ourselves but That's one place where doubt can very justifiably creep in we have far more evidence to make us doubt ourselves and each other than we ever would have of doubting the gospel or doubting God but what does Moroni do with that sorrow and doubt there's another emotion that creeps up

in verse 13 he came to pass that Moroni was angry with the government because of their indifference concerning the freedom of their country he was sorrowful about Wickedness but he was angry about indifference I understand how people can fall into iniquity and it Sorrows me but to become apathetic when we have such a cause as this can you sense moroni's frustration his righteous indignation and uh-oh his anger well that starts to explain the approach that he took in chapter 60 and 60 and 61 are a fascinating interchange between Captain Moroni the chief captain of the

nephite army and his Superior pahoran the chief Judge the commanderin-chief as we might say and what you see in chapter 60 is similar to what we saw earlier both the strength of Captain Moroni and the associated weakness that is inherent in that strength we see both the heads and the Tails of his coin he addresses pin in verse one and then cuts to the chase in verse two even before he talks about what he's going to say he says in verse two I have somewhat to say to them by the way of Condemnation now I

mentioned this at the beginning of today's lesson when I said that the kingmen provid some interesting illustrations of how some people try to attack or change the church now I in no way want to say that Captain Moroni is like the kingmen he's not trying to topple the government he's trying to preserve freedom but the way he approaches the issue has some interesting parallels to what the Kingman had done as far as what not to Do in our own circumstance we can apply this on The Big Picture level protest groups or others that are trying

to make systemic changes in the church or maybe on a personal level where I'm trying to make some changes in my ward or I'm trying to talk with the priesthood leadership in my ward or stake in hopes that they'll turn their keys and then drive the vehicle in certain directions there are good ways and not so good ways to suggest change or to offer advice I remember being struck by that back in 2012 during the Mitt Romney campaign and I'm not here to get political on whether you supported him or not that's politics I just

want to talk about religion here but as so many people were tying his religion to his politics I was struck by something that they said about his time leading the church in Boston as a state president being a very Progressive area politically educationally intellectually and therefore religiously there were People within his stake that were really wanting to make some changes and for what I remember from one of these news reports he neither automatically acquiesced in everybody's desires remember pin couldn't do that for the kingmen but neither did he automatically reject all of their demands again

like pahoran did with the Kingman he turned it to the voice of the people to decide well what Romney did in that situation he let them talk let them raise their Concerns and then separated things into three categories things we can change let's do that let's talk about these things let's make some changes Other Extreme things we absolutely cannot change doctrinal issues for example it's not our place to tell God what reality is and then this third middle category of things we might be able to change and might not be able to change but let's

explore those issues let's take those issues in group three and see if they Should end up in group one or group two can they be changed or not I just thought that was very wise of him again don't assume that questions aren't being asked by your leaders don't just come in with guns blazing making demands that absolutely have to be met I think again A Man of Action moronai that's good but perhaps he got a little ahead of himself in the letter he writes to pan and I think the first mistake he makes is in

verse two where he begins the letter With condemnation it would have been far better to say something like I have somewhat to say unto them by the way of fill in the blank investigation or comprehension or information I just want to let you know how things are going out on the front I just need to make sure that you know what I know so you can make decisions accordingly he was right that they didn't know everything he knew and so he could have provided information and even Recommendation but he didn't know what was going on

in their situation so it wasn't right for him to approach them with condemnation from the get-go so again if you hope to see changes made on a churchwide level or more likely if you're approaching your own Ward or stake Leaders with concerns and that's a legitimate thing to do beware of coming at them by way of condemnation from the very beginning come with investigation or information instead verse three he Continues we have suffered exceedingly great sufferings even hung thirst and fatigue all manner of afflictions of every kind now that's good that he's letting them know

what life is like out in the trenches he has every right and reason to do so I just want you to be aware of what we're going through they may not know but then again perhaps they do so again if you're willing to give information and not just condemnation don't assume that no one Knows what you're going through yes share your experience but you don't have to attach blame or demand specific forms of resolution they may be more aware of the situation than you think they may be asking the same questions you want them to

they just haven't receed the answer in verse four we see Maroni's strength pop through for a moment were this all we had suffered we would not murmur nor complain we're soldiers after all this is kind of what we signed up for but Here's what we are murmuring about this this is what we're condemning you for verse 5 great has been the slaughter among our people thousands have fallen By The Sword and it might have otherwise been it didn't have to be this way and what would have made the difference if he had rendered unto our

armies sufficient strength and sucker for them great has been your neglect towards us now this is where strength becomes weakness he says the way things are That's good but then he says this is the way things should have been we're on a little shakier ground here and then shakiest of all he says and it's your fault it's this way he doesn't know for sure that it would have been different he doesn't know for sure the Lord's will or exactly how it was supposed to be but he makes that assumption and then assigns blame for it

that's the worst part it's because of your neglect in verse six we see both good and bad now Behold we desire to know the cause that's good we just want to understand what's going on can you please help explain the decision that you've made that would reassure me that you actually are aware of my situation you may have every good reason to say no to my request I have felt that as I've made suggestions within my own sphere of influence and I've always felt I will be the most loyal follower ever because I do trust

that what you see from your Your position extends beyond what I can see from mine I just want to make sure that you also see what I see so I'm going to give the best advice I want you to know all that I'm aware of from my position on the ground and once I feel heard if your solution is different than the one I would have suggested I am totally totally okay with that because now I know that your perspective includes mine I just have to be humble enough to realize that my perspective Does not

include all of theirs they see a bigger picture than I do I just would hope that their picture includes mine so first there's this assumption that your picture does not include my picture then sometimes there's an assumption of and the result of your site of your picture better be the result that I'm demanding because of mine it wouldn't be fair for them to reject what I see but it wouldn't be fair on my part to reject all the additional things that they see See this balance that we're trying to strike so I think it's okay

I think it's good that he's asking we desire to know the cause but then good flips to not so good where he adds of this exceedingly great neglect Oh see now there's the blame again it's not just we want to know the cause of the circumstance we want to know the cause of your mistreatment see there's where the blame comes in he does it again in the next Phrase yay we desire to know the cause that's good of your thoughtless State that's not good you see how we got that dig in at the end that

accusation we can seek information without leveling accusation that makes it far more likely that both sides can be heard and feel heard he then says in seven can you think to sit upon your Thrones there's another subtle jab who sits on Thrones Kings do who's he writing to pahoran who is not a king who Does not sit on a throne he is the chief judge and sits on what the Book of Mormon specifically calls the Judgment seat it would have been more accurate and less accusatory for Moroni to say can you think to sit upon

your judgment seat instead he says you can sit on your throne and then goes from the subtle to the obvious in a state of thoughtless stuper see he goes from thoughtless state in six to thoughtless stuper in seven it's not just thoughtlessness it's Not just ignorance it's stupidity it's a stuper of thought while your enemies are spreading the work of Death Around you I'll admit it's a little crash but what do you expect from 19-year-old teenagers I remember in one area of the mission field going on an exchange and going to this other missionary's apartment

and needing to use the restroom and and I walked in and started laughing at the sign that they had placed above the toilet it was a handwritten version of That scripture do you think you can sit upon your Thrones in a state of thoughtless stuper while your enemies are spreading the work of Death Around You missionaries can find some pretty creative ways to motivate themselves to be up and doing and I got to kick out of that one but again back to our reality what's the problem in you're assigning motive and attaching blame you're doing

nothing you're Choosing to be inactive here it's your thoughtlessness it's this stuper now this is where circumstance doesn't just lead to skepticism it leads to cynicism I can handle skepticism disagreement or I just wish things were different because people are people leaders are human but when skepticism becomes cynicism where I don't just doubt your decision I doubt your motives and there's no hope it's like they can Do no right I can twist everything they do in a negative Direction I give this Sinister spin on every word Every Act the person I'm opposing from my elders

Corum or Release Society president all the way up to the president of the church Beware of the cynical turn in verse 8 he says they looked up to you for protection they plac you in a situation that you might have suckered them you might have sent armies you might have strengthened them you might Have saved them from falling by the sword that's all true we do look up to them for protection but do we also look up to them for guidance it's not just demanding this is what you should be doing for us but do

we give them the benefit of the doubt that they're doing the very best they can and that we sustain them even in their imperfection so look up to your priesthood leaders for what they can offer but also look up to them for The ways they've been called to guide verse 9 this is not all ye have withheld your Provisions from them because of your exceedingly great neglect towards them they've been doing everything they can fighting and bleeding out their lives because of their great desires for the welfare of their people do you not have that

same desire do you do nothing with when they do everything again do you sense the problem there assuming that they could and should have done More and that they're intentionally causing suffering instead I get a sense of that sometimes when I read what ex Latter-Day Saints are saying about the leaders of the church that there's Mal inent that's again skepticism turning into cynicism that they could have done this and they should have done this when that's not the case are you really so unfamiliar with the character of these people that you would assign ill intent

behind what They do get to know them read their words study their lives no they're not perfect no one is but I don't know of any group on Earth more consecrated and Christlike than the first present SE in the cor of the 12 I love them I am grateful for them I sustain them with all my heart I don't follow them unthinkingly but I sustain them I am amazed at the amount of homework they do wanting their perspective to include Every other smaller perspective that lies within it I had a student that once came into

my office and was complaining about a certain position that the church has held and he said yeah I was invited to be part of a focus group with one of the members of the Corum the 12 to talk about my issues and my political an es my social agenda and how the church can be more aware and more accommodating within the doctrine I thought I had no idea that there were such focused groups I thought man maybe I should protest more so I can hang out with Apostles now and then I was so amazed that

there is that openness that desire to see I want to know what's happening on the ground these men travel the world in order to add to their perspective and their experience and there is no ill intent there's no withholding no neglect and though on a lesser level I do believe that much the same can be said of the Ws and Stakes Throughout the church imperfect people but trying their very best to see what their members see and feel what their members feel and meet their needs as best they can they deserve our gratitude and our

patience more than our cynicism or our blame verse 10 goes from assigning blame to assigning guilt and then passing judgment on that guilty verdict he says and now my beloved Brethren and then takes back the adjective ye ought to be beloved you Ought to have stirred yourselves more diligently for the welfare and the freedom of this people but behold ye have neglected them there's the blame in so much that the blood of thousands shall come upon your heads there's the guilt for vengeance there's the sentence after the guilty verdict yay known unto God were all

their cries and all their sufferings again assuming that none of those things were known to them of those cries and sufferings of those casualties He says in verse 12 do you suppose that because so many of your brethren have been killed it's because of their wickedness because if you've supposed that you've supposed in vain don't assume that they death was a result of their own wickedness you see what he's doing here though he's accusing them of making making an assumption that was ungrounded and yet what has moronai been doing through most of this letter making

Assumptions that are largely ungrounded be careful about accusing others of making assumptions when we are often blind about our own by the end of this letter he's making demands in verse 25 he's demanding that they come out and show a true Spirit of freedom which is a righteous demand but behind it is that assumption that they have lost that Spirit of freedom and then the threat in 27 if you don't do that then I will come among you and find anyone that has a Desire for Freedom yay if there be even a spark of Freedom

remaining and what will I do I will stir up insurrections among you even until those who have desires to usurp power and authority shall become extinct this is no peaceful protest this is stirring up Insurrection he then says in 28 I do not fear your power nor your Authority it is my God whom I fear that's good it is God who is the ultimate Authority but be Careful about divorcing God from His prophets which is subtly what Moroni has done in 28 God's over here and I do honor him you're over here and I don't

honor you because I don't think you're honoring God which in Pan's case was not true again we should always put God's Authority first but be careful about drawing sharp distinctions as if prophets had no power nor Authority from God verse 30 he reiterates his position I wait for assistance from you except You do administer unto our relief there's the demand behold I come unto you even in the land of zarahemla and smite you with the sword there's the threat in so much that ye have no more power to impede the progress of this people in

the cause of our freedom there's the accusation so beware of making threats and false accusations of assuming that certain positions are impeding God's work when it may in fact be entirely God's will What is taking place that's not the case here in zarahemla by the way we're about to see that once pahoran has a chance to speak for himself but in terms of how your ward or stake or the church itself is run claiming that certain positions or policies or programs are impeding the Lord's work isn't that making you the prophet instead of them again

it's okay to be confident in your perspective But please understand that yours is not all-encompassing there are others that Would be equally adamant in the opposite direction based on their perspective and their experience and it's up to the leaders of the church to be open to all of those perspectives and most importantly to have an unbending allegiance to the will of God which they are unti IR inly trying to ascertain in verse 32 Moroni does an interesting thing he says behold can you suppose that the Lord would spare you and come out in judgment against

the Lamanites when it is the tradition of their fathers that has caused their hatred that hatred has been redoubled by those who have dissented from us he keep seeing that but then he adds this by way of jab your iniquity is for the cause of Your Love Of Glory and the vain things of the world it's so interesting that in the same verse that he gives the lamanites the benefit of the doubt he does not give his own leaders the benefit of the doubt at all he just Admitted the lamanites are doing the best they

can with the limited information that they have can he not offer his own leaders a similar gift 33 you know you transgress the laws of God you know you trample them under your feet how can he say that they know that when he doesn't know it himself I I love you you are such an incredible Commander I hope nobody feels that I'm throwing him under the bus in chapter 60 but that coin has flipped and all the Heads that make him the kind of person that hell itself shakes about oh the tales of that coin

is a dangerous thing he says at the end of 33 behold the Lord saith unto me if those whom you have appointed your Governors do not repent of their sins and iniquities you shall go out to battle against them now here we have a really important detail because he invokes the Lord here for the first time really the Lord has told me something here's personal revelation on My part and this is where it gets tricky because we do believe in personal revelation but there are times when individual Revelation and institutional Revelation may not coincide and

what do we do in those situations again this is where unanimity in the first presy in the km of the 12 helps offset fallibility again that's DNC 107 those decisions made in righteousness and made in Unanimity have power and efficacy that no lesser decision or even lesser Revelation I think we can call it that could claim you see that's the hard thing about filtering Revelation through mortal experience and perception one of the most frequent questions I'm ever asked is how do you know when it's the Holy Ghost versus your own thoughts it's a great question

even the goldilock Zone we talked about at the end of Alma 42 how do I know I'm not being too hot or Not being too cold based on my own experience my own mental circuitry my own personality or upbringing both nurture and nature can affect things again that's why unanimity helps offset fallibility that's why I'm so grateful for the experience both in the church and in business in education in the world I don't think there's a group on Earth with the kind of experiential reach of the first presy in the corm of the 12 And

so again when students come to me and disagree I always tell them you're welcome to disagree but number one have you done the same amount of homework on this issue that the first presidency in the Quorum of the 12 has and have you done that homework with the same caliber of conversation partners that they have I've yet to meet anyone that can say yes to that question and then the other half and do you live your life in as consecrated a manner as they do to open Themselves to the kind of Revelation that they and

the church needs to be able to navigate this mindfield of a modern world when making decisions we should never use personal revelation as a trump card to say this is how it has to be especially as we've learned so often from president M Russell Ballard as we counsel in our counsels that God believes in the principle of scattered Revelation hold on to your Revelation present it but don't Trump others with It allow for their experience and their perspective and yes even their revelation to be part of the pieces you add to the puzzle as collectively

we try to understand the picture that was on the box that God gave us I can think of instances when both president Irene and president Nelson have talked about the unanimity that comes in meetings of first prescy in the Corum of the 12 and the wrestling that goes into that effort To achieve unanimity as president Nelson has said we know we've reached the Lord's will when we finally reached unanimity because we don't just come in and Trump one another with a revelation card president Kimble didn't do that with a revelation on the priesthood in fact

as I've studied earlier church history I think that's where some of our struggles have Lain where certain leaders some of whom had Captain moronai same kind of Coin men of action men of strong conviction powerful leaders that had to be that powerful that as I've said so many times with coins you can't just Chuck the coin because the heads of it is what saves us the church could not have survived certain time periods without the strong heads of certain leaders coins and yet I see people now attacking early church leaders by flipping the coin and

acting as if only the tals were part of it and it's as Wrong for some groups to ignore the heads as it is for other groups to completely ignore the tales as mortal fallible human beings we all have have coins and each coin has a heads and a tails and we need to be aware of both again that's where unanimity comes in I see a unanimity in the first present SC in the Corum of the 12 and I've seen it for Generations now that far surpasses what was sometimes seen in the 19th century again I'm

not trying to throw Any historical figures under the bus but I think we have grown into our understanding and appreciation and obedience to section 107 in beautiful ways Captain moronai then ends the epistle in 345 and 6 with some more demands I I am constrained according to the Covenant which I have made to keep the Commandments of my God so I'm only doing what I've promised to do it's a bit of a trump card there too potentially therefore I would that you Should adhere to the word of God as I perceive that word to be

send speedily unto me of your provisions and of your men also to Helman and if you don't do this I will come unto you speedily so you either act speedily or I will again he's a man of action for behold God will not suffer that we should perish with Hunger therefore he will give unto us of your food even if it must be by the sword now see that ye fulfill the word of God again that trump card 36 he ends I am morona your Chief Captain I seek not for power but to pull it

down even if that power is yours I seek not for honor of the world but for the glory of my God and the freedom and Welfare of my country country and thus I close mine epistle hasn't said another word about pin here it just closes all about his own position this is the way things have to be now in the middle of this epistle Moroni has he's trying to wrap his head around this why is this happening why is The government sitting on its throne in a state of thoughtless stuper why are they withholding provisions

and as he tries to make sense of this he comes up basically with three possible options to explain their neglect first one is in verse 18 where he's been explaining the situation this is right on that heels of that great verse we already saw in verse 16 about among ourselves among ourselves among ourselves we've got our own Problems in 16 we've got outside problems in 17 and then 18 he stops himself he interrupts his own message and says but why should I say much concerning this matter for we know not but what ye yourselves are

seeking for Authority we know not but what ye are also traitors to your country he already dealt with the King men problem in those earlier chapters so he has every reason to believe that this possibility is still out there in fact he's right about This though he missed the mark somewhat a lot like tanom he threw the javelin at the Target and just barely missed anger seems to alter the aim right but that's one possibility iniquity maybe you're power hungry too maybe you're traitors to the cause second possibility verse 19 or is it that ye

have neglected us because you're in the heart of our country you're surrounded by security you don't need food so you don't think we do so here for the second possibility It's complacency it's that complacency that leads to neglect it's the complacency in verse 20 that leads to our forgetting the Commandments of God forgetting the Captivity of our fathers because I'm not feeling captive forgetting that many times we've been delivered out of the hands of our enemies it seems to be that complacency he has in mind in verse 22 where he says will you sit in

idleness again neglect Withholding idleness while ye are surrounded with thousands of those y tens of thousands who also sit in idleness so this is complacency surrounded by other complacency no wonder you don't care about what's happening out in the field you're so far removed from it well there are thousands roundout in the borders of the land who are falling by the sword yay wounded and bleeding verse 23 do you suppose that God will Look upon you as Guiltless while ye sit still there's that idleness and behold these things now those seem to be the two

most obvious possibilities in Maroni's mind it's either iniquity or complacency so you tell me pooran explain yourself do you care too much about your own power or do you care too little about our freedom you're living there in zarahemla has it gone to your head that you want the power for yourself or have you taken your ease Because you seem so insulated from the threats that are all about us but there is a third possibility and this is a really interesting one you see it in verse 21 introduced with another or so we saw 18

maybe it's iniquity 19 or maybe it's complacency 21 or here's the third is it a naive Faith kind of a cheap Grace mentality that's behind your neglect see how he says it or do you suppose that the Lord will still deliver us while we sit upon Our Thrones and do not make use of the means which the Lord has provided for us is this a faith without works kind of mentality is this the cheap Grace sloppy agapy that we sometimes worry about in other faiths you see go back to verse 11 and see what he

says there could you suppose that you could sit upon your Thrones and because of the exceeding goodness of God he could do nothing and he would deliver you behold if you have supposed this you have supposed in vain Yes Bank on the goodness of God King Benjamin teaches that powerfully in his address yes it is by Grace we are saved and our works do not earn the Salvation at all but those Works do do retrain our reflexes they do reconcile our will yes God is asking us to participate in the relationship that salvation is all

about so do something don't just sit idly by thinking oh God's got it under control he'll take care of it this is where Faith becomes Unfaithful because we don't back up our faith with any work at all I was struck as I pondered these three possibilities iniquity complacency naive Faith or cheap Grace and realize that those are the same three strategies that are mentioned back in second Epi 28 when Nephi explains what the adversary is up to in second Nephi 28:20 Nephi says that for some the devil Shall rage in the hearts of the children

of men and stir them up to anger against that which is good there's the iniquity side of things you become traitors to the cause you're power hungry just like the king men were but in 21 others will he pacify and lull them away into carnal security that they will say all is well in Zion yay Zion Prosper all is well see that's the complacency side you're there in zarahemla Life's good there you can sit in idleness surrounded by other People in idleness while the rest of us out on the frontier are bleeding out our lives

and then the third verse 22 and behold others he flattereth away and tellthe there is no hell and no devil either you see the goodness of God there's no possible punishment he's so good that nothing bad could possibly happen to us he hinted at that earlier in the chapter back in verse 8 where he talks about those who say eat drink and be merry Nevertheless fear God this is all Faith with no work to back it up he'll justify in committing a little sin I mean maybe he'll beat us with a few Stripes but at

the end we'll be saved in the kingdom of God we might lose a battle here or there but the war is won basically because God is good as long as we fear God a little then we can eat drink and be merry a lot you see the challenge here as we go back to maron's epistle and now pin's response I Just think we need to be very careful you and I to guard against all three of those issues our own iniquity things that keep us from being fully engaged in the cause of Christ iniquity will

sap our desire to be engaged in that cause in the first place complacency makes us not think that any of it is necessary and that naive faith that cheap Grace is perhaps the most subtle of all again I'm not pushing us towards some kind of a over anxious Works righteousness but to be anxious iously engaged in a good cause because the power is in us and God expects us to use that power it came from him for that reason well how does pahoran respond beautifully if you go to chapter 61 I don't know of a

better example in scripture of someone who chooses not to be offended when he could have had every reason to be pah horn is as good as gold here and if you've ever been on the Receiving end of someone's boldness turned into overbearance the receiving end of someone's unbridled passion with not enough love then look to pahoran as an incredible example of responding in kindness instead of responding in kind Jesus of course is the ultimate example with statements like Father forgive them for they know not what they do but to see mere mortals pin's response with

grace to the anger of Moroni is a sight To behold verse one first detail now it came to pass that soon after Moroni had sent his epistle under the chief governor he received an epistle back from pahoran I'm impressed that pahoran didn't stew on it just immediately this is righteous Reflex on his part I don't want even Moroni to have to Stew on these things he needs to know the situation quickly he isn't a man of action after all I need to respond with action of my own Boran didn't need a lot Of time to

overcome his offended emotions that what didn't seem to be the way he was wired he reassures Moroni in verse two I say unto you Moroni I do not joy in your great afflictions yay it Grieves my soul he acknowledges what Moroni is going through he doesn't immediately put up the Dukes and defend himself he validates he acknowledges he agrees he empathizes I love that this is the initial reaction not personal Vindication but rather validation of the person who just attacked him validating the feelings the experiences the perceptions behind that attack obviously he's not going to

agree with everything that moronai said to him especially those false accusations the faulty information that he was acting on but the Fe feelings behind those things the experiences behind them those are all legitimate Moroni really is going through all of those things and though He misinterpreted the cause those feelings can and should be validated there's compassion here there's empathy here I love that from the very beginning instead of being in an adversarial relationship kind of mono Amano oh yeah you attacked me well let me defend myself and attack you back it's not even defend myself

not yet anyway the very first thing he doeses is move so it's not face to face looking across the table at each other adversarially but Rather morona let me come around to your side so that you see that I am seeing your perspective that your walls are continually before me that I know what you're going through and it Grieves me just like it Grieves you you see if I ever hope for you to start to gain some of my perspective I need to reassure you that my perspective does include your own validate the experiences and

feelings of the other person is huge that's true of Suffering that's true of complaint it's true of Faith crisis far better to validate others than vindicate yourself verse three he expands upon that validation because he says behold there are those who do joy in your afflictions so Moroni you're right to feel that way you're right that there are people like that I just don't happen to be one of them I found Great Value in that as well when people are struggling with something instead of just denying Their experience and defending everyone under the sun when

some people get angry and like oh the church members are so judgmental where they just pass judgment across the entire church which is a bit judgmental as well but to be able to say you know what I've met some judgmental latterday Saints as well and I'm so sorry for that or when I've met non-members that sometimes will say oh I grew up in a latterday saint area and they were so Exclusionary instead of immediately defending Church culture to validate to honor their experience and let them know I am so sorry that you went through that

experience I have had times where I have felt excluded from things as well and it's hard before we can say not every Latter-Day Saint is like that I think we owe it to people to admit that there are some Latter-Day Saints that are like that to defend Church positions on certain issues it may be necessary to Admit that we haven't always been right on other issues and to take ownership of that to say there are some who are exactly what you described But morona please understand that I'm on your side here I'm not that person

he now starts to let Moroni know what he's been going through your walls are before me can I please Place mine before you so we can understand in both directions where we're coming from some have risen up in Rebellion against me And also of my people who are free men they are exceedingly numerous verse four it is those who have sought to take away the Judgment seat for me I don't know if that is a gentle correction you called it a throne moronai I still consider it a judgment seat but they've taken it from me

that is what has been the cause of this great iniquity they've used great flattery that always seems to be the word associated with dissension and drawing people to their flawed cause They have led away the hearts of many people easy to do once you've been flattered into it which will be the cause of sore Affliction Among Us they have withheld our Provisions they have daunted our free men that they have not come unto you interesting that it's not just their keeping back their Provisions but to daunt those that would otherwise come unto your Aid I

see that often there's so much more that we could be doing to strengthen one another but We sometimes feel daunted by what others might think or how they might react I can't possibly raise my hand and share what I really feel in class because my professor or my classmates will destroy me I can't really speak up on social media in defense of the church when it's attacked or even just to share light when I have the opportunity because the way people might react we often feel daunted and that's one reason we don't do more in

verse five I had to flee to The land of Gideon with as many people as I could get in six I sent a proclamation throughout this part of the land and now people are flocking to us daily to their arms in defense of their country and their freedom and to avenge our wrongs it's like morona I'm so sorry I haven't been able to fight your battle but I have been fighting a battle of my own I'll admit I'm in a bishopi currently and there have been times I have wished I could do more for my

Fellow members but I have been fighting battles of my own and everyone has them trying to keep things okay at home unable to meet everyone else's needs because I'm barely able to meet my own that's true on every level of the church including at the highest prophets and apostles don't get reprieves from the challenges of Health both physical and mental the needs of loved ones and family members it's incredible the burdens that they bear Their own as well as everyone else's but I do love what pjorn is doing in spite of all that sending out

proclamations that people are heing I'm doing exactly what you're asking for Moroni I'm so sorry it's not as fast as you want it to be sometimes all people need is a leader and I'm trying to be that in spite of the fact that some people have rejected that leadership they are flocking to us daily that's good news now in my absence back In zarahemla verse 8 they've taken possession of the land they've appointed King we'll find out later that his name is pacus and worst of all he wants to form an alliance with the lamanites

this is a lot like the amalaki lehai poisoned by degrees kind of a thing where hey as long as I can be king in zerah hemla then we won't resist when the lamanites come and conquer all the land that's kind of the deal that he's set up in chapter 61:8 so by the end of verse 8 hopefully Moroni feels both understood and now understands that pooran does get the situation I'm in and that now I get the situation that pahoran is in so having clarified things what pin then does in verse 9 is absolutely beautiful

now in your epistle you have censured me he doesn't sugarcoat it he doesn't completely ignore the situation but then he says but it matterthe I am not angry even though I had Been in the old statement it takes two to fight I always tell my kids it usually takes two people not paying attention to have an accident and as long as one person is paying attention that's often enough to compensate for the other person not you can usually avoid it that way you can do the thinking and paying attention for both of you so be

that person in a similar vein it typically takes two two angry people to bring contention and usually Only one person not being angry to avoid it it doesn't require both people not being angry it doesn't require both people to pay attention usually and that's good news since I can't control the other person but I can control myself and here pin is doing that I'm not angry can we choose not to be offended but even better than that if it's not just a neutral I'm not angry it's a positive verse 9 continues I rejoice in the

greatness of your heart That is so generous to see the goodness even the greatness of Moroni it's acknowledging I see your coin now what I just saw was its tals you censured mey it doesn't matter because I just flipped the coin back over and I saw an attribute that I absolutely love your passion is what makes your men want to follow you into battle I wouldn't change that I wouldn't take it from you you could not be the military leader that you are if you did not have this Coin now I just bore the brunt

of its Tales side but I'll take the heads any day I rejoice in it I remember an experience years ago where a member of A Faculty I was on was a man of great Passion as well awesome teacher I walked into the work room once to make some copies and he there was an altercation a verbal altercation going on between him and another member of The Faculty he was just verbally lighting into him and I was like o just make the copies and then On my Merry way it it was contentious and ugly but only

on his part at least as far as I could tell the other who was such a Meek man just took it just accepted it later that day the hot head the fire brand who I love came into my office and he sat down and he said Jared I just want to apologize for what you saw I already apologize to this other colleague we're good now but I just want to make it right with you I I wish you hadn't had to see that I was in the Wrong I just get so worked up about some

things and I sometimes just explode and I've got to change that and I remember saying to him this is another example where the coin really became clear to me and I started to sense wait he's thinking about getting rid of the coin and I said whoa whoa whoa don't completely get rid of that side of you because it is your passion in teaching in the classroom that allows you to connect with some harder hearts that the Rest of us are just unable to reach you have such a gift especially with certain types of students and

I would hate for you to lose your ability to connect with them by completely getting rid of this coin yes try a little harder to keep the head side up and not not let it flip over but recognize it's the same coin pan does that beautifully I'm not mad at your tals I rejoice in your heads he then clarifies his own position at the end of verse 9 I pooran do not seek For power which is what you said about yourself as well morona you see I'm not just establishing my own position I'm letting you

know that you and I have the same one we're cut from similar cloth my brother I only want to retain my judgment seat that I may preserve the rights and the liberty of my people my soul standeth fast in that Liberty in the which God hath made us free can't you hear Moroni saying the same exact thing Moroni I'm like you to build on Common beliefs I said at the beginning I'm coming around to your side we do see things from such similar perspectives the next few verses seem to continue connecting these two great Souls

verse 10 and 11 I will fight to defend Freedom though I'm not a bloodthirsty Man sound like Moroni verse 12 I will submit myself to God sound like Moroni verse 13 we should place our trust in God he will Deliver Us sound like Moroni no wonder he can then say in verse 14 my beloved Brother Moroni remember when moronai said that my beloved brother well at least you ought to be beloved here pin gives him the adjective and lets him keep it you're my beloved brother Moroni and together you and I similar Spirits engaged in

The Identical cause let us resist evil and whatsoever evil we cannot resist with our words a such as rebellions and dissensions let us resist them with our swords but the order there Was key words first swords second but we must retain our freedom that we may rejoice in the great privilege of our church and in the cause of Our Redeemer and our God he invokes the cause just like Captain moronai had he reasserts his own authority as commanderin-chief you see he doesn't overcorrect he doesn't overswing the pendulum and now kind of come whimpering before oh

I'm so sorry I'm so sorry I'm so sorry it's no I understand where you're coming From you need to understand where I'm coming from and now let me exercise my position and give you some command you commanded me at the end of your epistle that was out of line I love you for it Moroni I love the passion behind it I love the heads of your coin but let me make some commands that need to be made verse 15 therefore come unto me speedily there's that same word you used I like your adverb come speedily

with a few of your men leave the Remainder in the charge of Lehi and tanum so again this is a commander-in-chief establishing where the troop movements should go give unto them power to conduct the war in that part of the land so delegate authority to them just like I have delegated it to you do it according to the spirit of God which is also the spirit of Freedom which is in them beautiful that he Associated the two in the meantime verse 16 I have sent a few Provisions unto them so they don't perish until you

can get back to them in other words I'm doing all that I possibly can I wish I could do more I would if I could I will when I am able verse 17 gather together whatsoever Force you can upon your March hither which is what I've been doing since I got driven out of zarahemla and then we and I love where this now instead of just commands me to you now it's Fellowship Relationship we're going to do this together we will go speedily against those denters in the strength of our God according to the faith

which is in us we're a team you and I Moroni let's do this together Verse 18 here's his optimism his confidence similar to the optimistic confidence of Moroni as shown in chapter 60 we will take possession of the city of zarahemla we will we're going to do it and why are we going to do it that we may obtain more food to Send forth unto Lehi and tanum it's not for us there's no iniquity there it's not because we don't know they need it there's no complacency there and we will send it instead of just

expecting God to reain Mana from Heaven because there's no naive Faith or cheap Grace here we're going to do this and as he says at the end of 18 we will go forth against them in the strength of the Lord and we will put an end to this great iniquity so I guess the we isn't just you and me Moroni the we is you me and God verse 19 then again congratulating and holding up the person that had just put him down Moroni I do joy in receiving your epistle again it's not just neutral it's

not just I'm going to pretend that never happened I recognized your negativity right you censured me in your epistle but I'll recognize the negativity bring it up to neutrality and then extend it into positivity I rejoice in the greatness of your heart Moroni or as he Says in verse 19 I Joy I'm so grateful that you wrote that I'm not exactly grateful for how you said certain things or what you said in certain instances but overall so grateful for what you said why because it helped me I know you intended to hurt me but it

ended up helping me and here's how I was somewhat worried concerning what we should do whether it should be just in us to go against our Brethren you see as chief judge over all The land I'm responsible for all of those people I'm responsible for the denters as much as the Loyalists and I really worried about if we're trying to achieve Unity wow going against our own people is that going to do more harm than good I know that was one of Lincoln's big concerns in pursuing the Civil War the harder we make it on

the south in order to win the war the harder it will be to win the peace afterwards we're trying to Reconcile here not just conquer an enemy Nation we're going to have to heal all these wounds so I wasn't sure about cutting deeply to begin with and so your words Moroni came as such a blessing to me they helped me make sense of what my role should be what I should do I'm amazed that pan turned moroni's attack into an offering it turned moroni's blame into a blessing it made Moroni feel better about his mistake

I mean read Alma 61 as if you Were Moroni and I think there'd be times where it's like oh oh kind of face palm foot in mouth I can't believe I said that to him and to be so reassured with a verse like 19 I'm grateful for what you did I love you more now than I did before and I loved you a lot then I forgive all the tales and I rejoice in the heads of your coin my beloved brother Moroni ver 20 he quotes the good part of what moronai had written him ye

have said except they Repent the Lord hath commanded commanded you that you should go against them now this is a beautiful example of what a Leader's role is in assembling the pieces of the puzzle of that scattered Revelation the bishop in ward council or Mom and Dad in a family Council trusting that Revelation has been scattered all over the place you've had some I've had some how do we get them to match because chances are they won't be Identical at the beginning is there a perspective that I can look at your Revelation through and see

that it actually does coincide with what might seem like not rival Revelations but different perspectives on things it's like Jesus healing the blind man in stages sometimes Clarity comes successively line upon line and precept upon precept with one line coming to one person and another line coming to Another precepts being scattered across the group poorn is his textbook here I'm so grateful for what you said your Revelation really helped me it was slightly misapplied because you were directing it against me when it really should have been directed against pus this usurper King he is on

a throne so I'm even okay with you using the word he took away my judgment seat and turned it into a Throne and yes he is sitting on it in thoughtless stuper and you said that God told you to go against those usurpers you were wrong in thinking it was me but you were right in feeling Divine justification for writing those wrongs and I was still struggling with that so your Revelation really helps me thank you for sharing it with me so 21 one last command from the commander-in-chief see that ye strengthen Lehi and tanum

in The Lord they'll need his strength as well tell them to fear not for God will deliver them even as they're waiting for us to help deliver them too I don't believe in the cheap Grace but boy I do believe in grace yes I believe that faith without works is dead but boy do I believe in the importance of Faith it's what's going to carry you through until some additional Works can kick in give that same encouragement to all those who Stand Fast in that Liberty wherewith God Hath made them free and now I close

my op epistle to my beloved brother Moroni different Spirit from the way that Moroni ended his but again this reminder the last thing I want ringing in your ears Moroni is not my censure for you censuring me not even a reassertion of my authority as your commanderin-chief rather a reminder of my love for you my beloved brother Moroni now how does Moroni respond to por Horan's response beautifully as to be expected it's almost like pahoran authorized allowed enabled Moroni to respond beautifully because he responded so beautifully to begin with there didn't have to be Pride

from below here because there was no Pride from above here P Horan just smoothed everything out beautifully so in 62:1 when Moroni had received this epistle he didn't even put his foot in his mouth he did didn't have To his heart instead was what was moved and it took courage he was filled with exceedingly great joy because of the faithfulness of pahoran remember what we saw in his letter it was the iniquity of the people that caused him sorrow so flip it over and it's the faithfulness of his leader that brings him such great joy

you get that repeated in verse two he had mourned exceedingly because of the iniquity of those who had driven driven pahoran from the Judgment seat Again mourning over iniquity so what's he do he does exactly as ordered he knows that he can trust his leader and so I'll do exactly what he said his perspective did include my perspective mine didn't include his my bad but let me fully Implement my Leader's plan because I trust him verse three he does according to the desire of pin he gives Lehi and tanum command over the the rest of

the Army in four he raises the standard of Liberty wherever he goes in Whatsoever place he enters he gains whatsoever Force he can in all his March toward the land of Gideon by the way earlier it was called the title of Liberty that seems to be the more official name here same basic idea the standard of Liberty but since we often talk about standards in a different way I do love the thought of raising that standard everywhere I go I'm going to try to raise standards not just plant titles or Unfurl Flags but to raise

standards leave people better than I found them living at a higher level and it's that raised standard that actually attracts people we sometimes think if I'll lower the standard make it easier for people then they'll come but that's not the case Mike Wallace interviewed president hinley on 60 Minutes minutes and asked why is your church growing so much he even said it's because we have high standards we make demands of our members That's not just true of latterday saints across the board the religions that have higher standards of things grow faster than those that tend

to lower them verse 5 thousands flock to this standard they take up their swords in defense of their freedom they just needed a leader to follow a voice to heed and so in six Moroni gathers together anyone who can he unites his forces with those of pahoran so easy to unite with him when he did nothing to divide us from each Other even after I gave a pretty inflammatory epistle to him it's that gathered United group that becomes exceedingly strong in verse six stronger than their enemy and they're able to drive out the men of

pacus pagas is slain and by the end of eight pin is restored to the Judgment seat those enemies in verse 9 are tried according to the law so it's not Vengeance they receive but rather Justice and then as soon as they possibly can verse 11 Having restored peace what do they do in verse 12 they immediately cause that Provisions should be sent and also an army of 6,000 men should be sent unto heleman that's triple the size of his initial Army to assist him in preserving that part of the land they do exactly what Moroni

had asked for exactly what hel was begging for exactly what pin had wanted to do from the very beginning and in 13 He also caused that an army of 6,000 men with a sufficient quantity of Food should be sent to the armies of Lehi and tanum don't just send the Army make sure they're well equipped we don't just need more missionaries president Kimble said so long ago we need better prepared missionaries not enough to send an army send them with food to survive on go fortify the land and that's exactly what they do in 14

Moroni leaves a large body in zarahemla to protect what they already have right better to prepare and prevent than repair and Repent better to maintain than regain but it's not just maintaining because he also sends a large body of men towards the land of nefa being determined to overthrow the lamanites in that City in other words we want to regain them so maintain zarahemla regain nefa the work of retention and reactivation have to go on simultaneously they pursue these dual objectives they're successful in both Conquering lamanites all along the way verse 16 causing them to

enter into a covenant to no more take up weapons of war and just to help them keep that Covenant in verse 17 they send them to dwell with the people of Ammon no better people to help newly covenanted pacifists keep their their commitments I love that it's a work of Rehabilitation and not of Revenge now to finish out this chapter 18 to 26 is how Moroni decides how are we going to Regain the city of nefa and it's similar to the strategy we saw where they armed the prisoners within now this time there's no prisoners

within it's just lamanites within but similarly seeing that there is power working inside out instead of outside in in verse 20 at night when others seem to be sleeping to be up and doing instead Moroni Goes Forth in the darkness of the night to spy out where the lamanites happen to be camping within the City they're all asleep and they're all by the entrance remember we talked about that last week we choose entrances because that's a place that we can Channel conversations through to be able to defend ourselves but all in camped there and all

asleep Moroni then prepares his army rallies his own troops tells them to prepare in haste some things need to be done quickly strong cords and ladders and going to a part of the city where The lamanites are not camped the nephite Army climbs these ladders lets themselves down into the City and by the end of verse 23 when the morning came they were all within the walls of the city obviously that's not good news for the lonite Army when they wake up and realize oh no they're in here with us and so they surrender and

thus verse 26 Moroni and pahoran obtained the possession of the city of nefa without the loss of one soul and then in 27 they Do what they've done before they take the prisoners of war and any who are desirous willing to lay down those weapons go ahead and join the people of Ammon become a free people they'll take good care of you as many as desired that verse 28 it was granted according to their desires and they changed living among the ammonites these anti-i Lehi they began to labor exceedingly not to build the walls that

would Captivate them those were the Unrepentant PS these ones did labor exceedingly just to till the ground to raise grain and flocks and herds that way at the end of 29 the Nephites were relieved from a great burden in fact what would have been a burden ends up becoming a great blessing to them instead we'll see that same idea when we meet the stripping Warriors but what a relief it would have been at that time that we don't have to guard against these PS they're changing with the help Of those who have changed earlier and

that's going to be important because the war does rage on by the end of this chapter verse 39 there are still Wars and bloodsheds and famine and affliction without and in verse 40 there are still murders and contentions and dissensions and iniquity within those problems always seem to coexist without were fightings within were fears Paul once said dangers on the Outside dissensions on the in welcome to the war chapters Welcome to our reality next we will meet the stripping Warriors one of the incredible highlight of these difficult days but before beginning the next half with

them let may I finish this half with just a reminder that Captain Moroni was not alone in his efforts we need reinforcements he's pleading with pahoran but those that he did work with his fellow servants and fellow sufferers were such a blessing to Him and as we wage our own War the one within we can draw so much strength from our Band of Brothers our Squad of sisters what Paul called The Fellowship of suffering and so just to close with a few final verses back in chapter 53 verse 2 a man we don't talk enough

about Lehi another military commander behold this Lehi was a man who had been with Moroni in the more part of all his battles and he was a man like unto Moroni they rejoiced in each other's Safety they were beloved by each other and also beloved by all the people of Nephi again a man who we know so little about and yet if he's like Moroni then he's good enough for me this is a lot like David and Jonathan in the Old Testament people who rejoice in each other's safety do we do that it's like Elma

reuniting with the sons of mosiah after 14 years of service apart and rejoicing that they were still their brethren in the Lord imagine in military Context that is even more intensified imagine going through boot camp with your certain Squad and then you go through wartime deployment after deployment the real war with real casualties that Elder Maxwell described we saw that with tanom and the sorrow of seeing one of your brothers or sisters perish in the battlefield well here someone like Lehi someone just like Moroni beloved of each other rejoicing in one another's safety I hope

we see Each other and treat each other like that in Chapter 58 verse 41 as helan is writing letters to Moroni to explain what's going on among his group he closes this letter in these words now my beloved brother Moroni may the Lord Our God who has redeemed us and made us free keep you continually in his presence may you be with him and he with you may he keep his eye on you my beloved brother may he favor this people even that ye may have success in Obtaining the possession of all which the lamanites

have taken I'm praying for you as much if not more than I'm praying for myself when Moroni reads that 59:1 he was exceeding ly rejoiced because of the welfare yay the exceeding success which helan had had in obtaining those lands which were lost that's real friendship Brotherhood Sisterhood praying for each other rejoicing in each other's success finding joy in the way the Lord has blessed one another and he Doesn't stop with that in verse two Moroni makes helman's success known unto all his people in all the land that they might rejoice also it's almost like

testimony meeting this is how good God has been for my friends for my family for the people that I care about and I'm concerned for I'm so grateful for the Lord's goodness shown in other people's lives it gives me a reassurance that God will be good in mine Too the war rages on there are yet strippling Warriors to see but to trust the the strength of the Lord trust in the goodness of God and to be up and doing ourselves are some of the messages I hope that we've been gaining from these wonderful War chapters

all right my friends do you have one last deployment in you this is our last segment on the war chapters and in some ways we've saved the best for Last or at least the best known we now get to spend our time with the 2,000 strippling Warriors the armies of helan and the three main offensives that they were a part of the rescue of the army of Antipas the conquest of antipara and the defense of cumani and the conquest of the city of Manti but before we get into that I want to pick up where

we left off last time and that was with this focus on the city of Bountiful the main p camp that the Nephites ended up using to Guard and hopefully to rehabilitate the soldiers that they took prisoner throughout these nephite lonite wars like I said at the end of the last video what struck me about bountiful being this p camp is that Bountiful is best known as the place to which Jesus came when he appeared and ministered Among the Nephites and there seems something so fitting about that well I want to approach the stripping Warriors from

a similar perspective seeing what's going On in their present in the war chapters with an eye to what will come in their future because if the battles that the stripping Warriors participated in took place roughly in the mid-60s BC and if they were mid- teenagers as they probably were than they would have been in their late 70s to see the sign that had been prophesied concerning the birth of Christ that day that night and that day without any darkness prophesied by whom Samuel the lonite could Samuel have Been one of these stripping Warriors perhaps he

came from this people and to me it's fascinating to imagine a bunch of oldtimers being threatened by nephite unbelievers that if the sign doesn't come by some pre-arranged day the ultimate ultimatum here then you'll be slain and yet talk about the wrong group of people to threatened with death those old men would have stared death in the face in their early Youth and been unflinching so to stand firm in that Moment of great alarm that was something that they' been doing for decades I even wonder if a few of them in the extremes of old

age perhaps were still alive 33 years later when Jesus Christ came among them I mean they would have been around a 100 so I don't know how likely that would be but sometimes when we see pictures of the greatest Generation the few surviving World War II veterans that are still alive then maybe just maybe there might Have been a few survivors from this ammonite greatest Generation prepared to receive their King and if they weren't personally present to fall at his feet they were at least among those who helped raise the generations that were there to

welcome the Savior to me that seems so fitting so relevant to our situation a rising generation being tested to the core as they prepare for the coming of Christ whatever battles you and I face whatever battles the Rising generation has to confront I hope we see them in the context of this prophetic timeline in the Book of Mormon because whether we right now are stripping Warriors or the mothers who knew that are raising them or fathers sending Provisions or leaders Gathering forces and leading them into battle wherever we happen to be in the late Alma

of History third Nephi 11 isn't that far away so I hope as we study the stripping Warriors today we think a Little bit less about them and a little bit more about ourselves not in a selfish way of course but to see am I part of the Lord Army and am I preparing as faithfully and diligently as they did for that let's start in Alma chapter 53 and watch this Army of stripping Warriors first assembled this all appears in an epistle that helan sends to Moroni to apprise him of what's going on within his theater

of the war and in verse 10 and 11 and 12 he reviews some of that ammonite history being converted by Ammon and his Brethren and so on in fact I love the correction that Helman gives himself in that early introdu uction in verse 10 when he says these were the people of Ammon who in the beginning were lamanites again the surprise here the people that we are spending our days fighting have reduced some of our own finest soldiers but by Ammon and his Brethren and then here's the correction Or rather by the power and word

of God I mean yeah I guess Ammon and his brothers helped out a bit but it was really God's word and power that did the converting they were converted un the Lord brought down to the land of zarahemla and ever since have been protected by the Nephites they've been on the receiving end but now that's about to shift he describes the oath that they took in verse 11 and their own courage in the face of death that they would have Suffered themselves to fall into the hands of their Brethren the unconverted lamanites had it not

been for the pity and the exceeding love which Ammon and his Brethren had had for them that's what brought them to the land of zarahemla in the first place the pity and exceeding love of those that first shared the gospel with them thankfully the exceeding love that was shown them by their missionaries was matched by the lifelong members that Were back home ready to receive them if we could do that better as a church we would have no retention problems if members treated converts the way the missionaries did with exceeding love then of course they

would be protected within the Embrace of the church and protected not just to receive the blessings of the church but protected long enough to be able to contribute something lifechanging in return exactly as these ammonites did now in verse 13 The plot thickens when they saw the danger and the many afflictions and tribulations which the Nephites bore for them they were moved with compassion and were desirous to take up arms in the defense of their country compassion come means with passion means suffering and feeling they wanted to suffer with the Nephites because they were feeling

with them their afflictions and their tribulations even the way it's described there points us to something and someone Even higher to see the Affliction and tribulation which someone else bore for them sound like someone you know for surely he hath borne our sorrows carried our griefs suffered our iniquities battled our demons born our cross taken our spot in the Tomb does the suffering of Jesus his afflictions and tribulations born for us do they move us to compassion that word describes the motivation behind gethy to take upon him All that we would suffer in life so

that he might know according to the flesh how to sucker us according to our infirmities but if compassion describes his motivation does it does it also describe our reciprocation that we feel compassion in return if he felt all of what we feel can we feel a portion of what he felt if so it will make us want to join him in all his work and all his war in fact with the same power that it drew these ammonites into the thought of Breaking their Covenant it should draw us into a desire to keep ours for

them it says in verse 14 they were about to take their weapons of war but talk about a justifiable reason for breaking one's covenants putting them on pause perhaps is a better way to describe it there was nothing selfish about this this was compassion and condescension and yet as far as helan saw it it was still Covenant breaking and so it says in that verse that they were overpowered by The Persuasions of helan and his brethren for they were about to break the oath which they had made I wonder if our words can be meaningful

and motivating enough to overpower someone whenever they have a desire to break their covenants like Ammon and his brothers who were first part of the initial conversion giving themselves to much prayer and fasting searching the scriptures diligently that they might know the word of God and Become men of sound understanding filled with a spirit of Prophecy and of Revelation so that when they taught they taught with power p persuasive power enough to make them want to make covenants and now a later generation of missionaries with equal persuasive power to help them keep those covenants he

reminds me of that beautiful verse in section 11 of the doctorine covenants when hyram Smith is told by the Lord that if you seek to Obtain my word and then seek to declare it then your tongue will be loosed and if you desire interesting if you shall have my spirit and my word yay the power of God unto the convincing of men that's persuasive power God's spirit and his word that's the sword in the armor of God those ammonites refused to take up Swords having buried theirs long before but boy did they respond well to

the spiritual sword that Helman and his Brethren wielded in their behalf verse 15 why so persuasive because helan feared lest by so doing they should lose their souls even for a good cause but still not considering that breaking this particular Covenant was justifiable when there seemed to be other possible ways to assist the nephite Army as a result 15 continues all those who had entered into this Covenant were compelled to behold their Brethren they were watching this all around them to behold them weighed through their afflictions in Their dangerous circumstances at this time well that's

what made it so hard on these ammonites and honestly the solution that appeared perhaps didn't seem much easier because in 16 they had many sons who had not entered into a covenant that they would not take their weapons of war to defend themselves against their enemies interesting that their parents didn't force their own personal commitment onto their children that Older generation had been the ones guilty of the many murders against their Nephi Brethren they were the ones who buried their swords because they had used them and stained them with blood previously but that was a

personal commitment an example of what the doctr in covenants describes as being crowned with Commandments not a few a tailor made tenant not an across theboard command this applies to me this is something the Lord asked me to do not Something I'm going to preach from the pulpit and require everyone else to live up to that specific standard that's an interesting balance we sometimes have to strike as well taking the individualized instruction the tailor made Commandments taking them seriously knowing that they do come from God but also taking them specifically knowing they were intended for

us we've got to keep that in Balance take them seriously but take them specifically and Don't assume that what God told you is now something that you're supposed to tell everyone else leave that to the prophets interesting these parents had that level of restraint it ended up blessing them saving them even these Sons had not entered into that same Covenant they hadn't promised they wouldn't take their weapons of war to defend themselves therefore they assembled themselves together at this time as many as were able to take up Arms and they called themselves Nephites interesting progress

here we saw that with amaron right he was a nephite and he claims no I'm a zorite and then he says no I am a bold lonite well among this group they were lamanites their parents become anti- Nephi Lehi we are now facing the Nephi Lehi side of the family instead of the Layman lemel side of the family and now their sons not even anti- Nephi Lehi anymore full-fledged Nephites in their own mind And notice what they do in 17 they entered into a covenant evidently they learned from their parents all that they needed to

not that they needed to make the same Covenant as their parents but they needed to be Covenant making and Covenant keeping people in fact I'm amazed at the similarities between their covenants and their parents' covenants on the one hand they're totally opposite I'll never fight versus I am binding myself to fight but notice the Similarities verse 17 they entered into a covenant to fight for the liberty of the Nephites their parents covenanted to remain free of sin and here their sons are covenanting to fight for freedom from subjection yay to protect the lands unto the

LAN down of their lives their parents had been willing to lay down their lives as well self-sacrifice among both Generations whether to perish or to fight yay even they covenanted that they never would give up their Liberty but They would fight in all cases to protect the Nephites and themselves from bondage you see their parents feared falling back into the bondage of sin their sons are similarly covenanting to keep themselves free from bondage as well I love the shift you see in verse 19 having made this Covenant behold as they never had hitherto been a

disadvantage to the Nephites they became now at this period of time also a great Support they'd never been negative but they were done being neutral it's time to be positive to contribute to offer something it's one thing to avoid sins of Comission that describes them up to this point but to secondly overcome sins of omission to go from avoiding the negative to contributing the positive this is moving from the terrestrial to the celestial level of discipleship no longer simply honorable young men to borrow the Language of section 76 now fully Valiant and not just Valiant

in the cause of Christ but Valiant for the cause of Christ a cause which they will now be fully engaged in as a result of that 19 ends they took their their weapons of war and they would that helan should be their leader interesting this is not helan rallying the troops and trying to gather the forces it's not a leader in search of followers these are followers in search of a leader and who Do they choose not Captain Moroni not Lehi not tanum all would have been incredible choices all Mighty Men of War but they

chose one who was primarily a mighty man of God it's it's almost like they were so ignorant of the challenges of War exactly what it would entail that they didn't even know they needed to find a military man to lead them into battle ah no this is never going to be in their minds a merely military operation this is a spiritual struggle And we need a spiritual leader to help lead us into the battle all of those other men were men of God as well but the Hat they typically wore was a helmet they were

Chief captain over armies Helman was a high priest but those are the exact qualifications the spiritual stripes on the Insignia that this particular group of soldiers looked to prioritized fully relied upon it's not their own military expertise that they're depending upon for they had none So no problem at all helan that you don't have military Academy credentials or a bunch of Prior deployments on your resume you're a prophet of God and that's who we want to follow into battle by the way that would take an incredible amount of Courage on helman's part too you see

a bunch of young and I mean young men that's how he describes them in verse 20 they were all young men I mean their fathers were still young enough to be tempted to go take up their Swords and fight themselves in chapter 56 when is describing the battle to Moroni he keeps bringing up their age 565 these young men or 5610 I did join my 2,000 Sons for they are worthy to be called sons and this is only about a decade after the conversation that Helman has with his father in Alma 36 and 37 suggests

he was pretty young back then so not much older now remember Captain morona himself is only 25 when he takes command so if the Chief Captains were typically fairly young themselves I don't know 20s or 30s and Helman looks at these young boys and calls them Sons not just little brothers not just nephews Sons there's an age Gap here in 5630 he calls them my little Sons so even more diminutive there and then in 5646 he says one last time as I had ever called them my sons for they were all of them very very

young I guess I grew up with that great Arnold fryberg painting Of the most ripped strippling Warriors you could imagine how he's pictured kind of missionary age or at least kind of the buffest priests in the Quorum but to be Sons Little Sons young men very young I'm starting to lean more towards the Deacon's Quorum than the priest Corum reminds me of David in his battle against Goliath why didn't he go off to war to face the Philistines initially cuz he wasn't old enough in fact according to 1 Samuel it's hard to tell Whether Jesse

had seven sons or eight either way David is counted as the youngest and it was only the oldest three who went off to battle so if son number four wasn't old enough to join his big brothers and son number five was even further away son number six was way too little which means David no wonder he hangs out with the Sheep all the time he's probably the same size as most of the flock we sometimes picture him you know talking smack to Goliath I will Feed you to the beasts of the field and the fowls

of the air well we got the words right but definitely not the pitch of the voice I'm going to get you Goliath having mean young young man same with these Stripling Warriors so for them to desire Helman to be their leader can you almost hear Helman gulp in the background you uh you you want me really I'm leading the deacons Corum into battle talk about going Where Angels Fear To Tread then again it does Describe this little army scaring the lonit to death if I saw 2,000 deacons running after me yeah I'd turn tail and

run as well but not just their youth their inexperience in terms of age talk about inexperience in terms of War how are these kids raised by pacifist parents most little kids kind of sword fighting with sticks in the backyard not these kids all those swords were buried deep in the Earth right I mean I could picture them you know hitting a little Brother or something and Mom and Dad saying hey look you know what we do with weapons right I'll take that arm and I'll bury that too you don't hit your brother these boys were

raised to take it and to never give it back I can picture them getting their weapons for the first time and not even knowing which side of the sword they're supposed to beh holding or like feeling it like wow this is a lot less sharp than I thought it would be and then hel and Said oh it pulls out of the sheath and then like oh oh wow okay okay I got it zero experience in this but that's not the kind of experience that they're going to need spiritual experience they have plenty of it and

so does their leader Helman in fact of the 200 2001 later to be the 2060 and one it's only that one Helman where we know a name we talked about this last week with moroni's servant who scalps zerna and then rallies the troops And convince most of the enemy to lay down their weapons and surrender we didn't know his name either well it's amazing to see that among the most famous nephite Army you cannot name a single soldier only their leader Helman truly the Lord prefers the lowly the meek the unlearned and despised people the

world world will typically not remember but who will always be remembered by him back in 53: 20 when at first mentioned that they were young if That's the bad news here's the good news they were exceedingly Valiant for courage Valiant means strong and vigorous and brave and heroic courage comes from the Latin word for heart their heart was in this they were also known for their strength and activity and again depending on their age perhaps what they lacked in strength they made up for in activity Boundless Energy among the youth right but behold this Was

not all it's a good start but that isn't everything they were men young men that is who were true at all times in whatsoever thing they were entrusted that's pretty all-inclusive isn't it all times whatsoever thing how did they become this 21 they were men of Truth and soberness that's the word that Elma kept using with each of his sons to be sober to take things seriously which is sometimes something hard for youth to do but they had been taught taught to keep The Commandments of God and to walk uprightly before him maybe this wouldn't

be so scary for helan after all now their first offensive comes in chapter 56 and they're supposed to just act as decoys so they wouldn't even have to fight at all like I said what you lack in strength you probably make up for in activity so can you run fight or flight you don't have much experience with fight how does flight sound to you you never played War as kids but did you Ever play tag can you run and they're ready to run lead out the lonite Army and then a real fighting force the men

of Antipas seasoned soldiers will then follow and now you have the lonite Army surrounded hopefully they'll just surrender that's happened in the past if not then Antipas can take care of things you're just the decoy the bait I know that can still sound scary but we're hopeful that the lamanites will never hook you and reel you in now this report Again comes from an epistle from Helman to Maronite a junior officer reporting how things are going in his part of the front to his senior Commander 56:2 he calls him my dearly beloved brother Moroni as

well in the Lord as in the tribulation of our Warfare talk about the fellowship of sufferings like Paul called it I love you Moroni you're my dearly beloved brother and not just because we're a Band of Brothers on the battlefield but because we are both Brethren in the Lord that sounds like Ammon and his brothers in Alma as well still brethren in the Lord I have somewhat to tell you concerning our Warfare in this part of the land so here's his report he reviews what we saw in chapter 53 how this little band assembled a

few added details though verse 7 when they saw our afflictions and our tribulations for them we're doing this for you they were about to break the Covenant which they had made And take up their weapons of war in our defense it's a beautiful balance there we're suffering for them so they wanted to fight for us this an example of that beautiful hot potato that some people play of let me do this for you oh no no no let me do this for you no no no for you no for you selfishness usually plays tug-of warar

unselfishness plays Hot Potato let me be the one to serve you then in verse eight but I would not suffer them that they should break this Covenant which they had made supposing that God would strengthen us so that was helman's initial thought it wasn't well let's just rally the troops let's get your sons involved that was probably the furthest thing from helman's mind instead it was well they're honoring God so God will honor them and us and strengthen us he'll more than make up for it which is true but their faith was also accompanied by

their son's works and both the faith and The Works came in Handy here he then ends verse eight with this that God would strengthen Us in so much that we should not suffer more because of the fulfilling the oath which they had taken that's an important principle that will never be worse off for keeping our covenants that we won't go hungry because we're paying tithing that we won't be eternally alone because we've kept the law of Chastity that we won't be behind in life Because we put life on hold to go serve a mission that

we don't stand to lose because of consecration we stand to gain we won't suffer more because we keep our covenants I think that's one of the things that keeps us from keeping covenants we think we stand to lose something Helman had faith that that was not the case the next few verses helim describes a bit more about what's going on in this part of the war and the action starts to heat up about verse 15 Helman finds Antipas and his men toiling with their might to fortify the city and because of all that toil verse

16 they were depressed in body as well as in spirit War can take its toll they had fought valiantly by day and toiled by night to maintain their cities and thus they had suffered great afflictions of every kind kind doesn't it sound like an older generation fighting the good fight all day long their entire lives and now in the Twilight of their life's Experience they are still toiling by night to maintain the spiritual strength that they've developed to maintain the faith and faithfulness of their families and all of that can take its toll it can

depress Us in body and spirit we can just be tired and what role do the youth play in that especially since so much of the prior generation's labor was expended on their behalf verse 17 those older soldiers were determined to conquer in this place Or die there's no retreat for them therefore you may well suppose that this little Force that's all we were little in numbers little in age and Tiny in experience but this little Force which I brought with me yay those sons of mine gave them Great Hopes And much joy compare that to

the depression they felt just one verse before it is amazing what the younger the rising generation can do to Bear up the older Generations I'll raise you if you'll Lift me in Divinity School I took a class on the history of revivalism and for my own personal research project throughout that semester I wanted to see the role of the Rising generation in the history of revivals so often revivals were needed because it seemed that the rising generation was weak in the faith and their parents and Grandparents were praying and hoping that something would spark an

interest in faith in them and when it did that fire spread from the Bottom up so often preachers in the 18th and 19th century in America described revivalism as growing on the backs of the Young And as they caught fire spiritually that fanned the Flames of faith in their fathers and mothers their grandfathers and grandmothers I'm so grateful I get to spend my life with the rising generation they do bring me great hope and much joy the future is in excellent hands even if those hands aren't quite as wrinkled as Ours happen to be now

if the influx of these stripping Warriors gave the nephite armies hopes and joy it gave fear to the lonite armies so in verse 18 when the lamanites see that their enemies have received a greater strength they decide to hold off on attacking this city which is a good thing because verse 19 says they were favored of the Lord for had they come upon us in this our weakness they might have perhaps destroyed our little army But thus were we preserved you see by the end of verse 20 some time had passed they had prepared their

City they had prepared themselves for defense I mean now is the time that they're finally getting a little sword play in learning which end of the weapon to hold on to and which to aim at their enemy I think it's important to notice that they use their downtime well remember what they said if the lonite Army would have come right then in this Our weakness he says in 19 they would have destroyed us God gave us time and we used that time to prepare for the time where we would need the strength that we were

developing it's an incredible blessing that the Lord gives each of us some unaccountable time early childhood to learn how to fight the good fight preseason games to learn the plays to figure out how to win this thing because once the season starts everything counts a real war with real Casualties now in spite of all this operation they didn't get cocky in 21 we were not desirous to make an attack upon them in their strongholds throughout the war chapters we see that defensive battles far outnumber any kind of offensive attacks and even those are just to

regain what had been taken by the lamanites so we're not here to attack them 22 we'll keep an eye on them we'll send out spies roundabout to watch their movements we don't want them to Pass Us by night or by day to make an attack because in 23 we know in those cities we're not sufficiently strong to meet them we need to buy them some more unaccountable time we need to extend their period of preparation in fact at the end of 23 they kept hoping that they would come and fight us we're ready for them

but behold we were disappointed in this our desire so we've got to do something to coax them out and that's when they come up with this plan to Decoy them out of their strongholds using the stripping Warriors as their bait now in 7 there was brought unto us many Provisions from the fathers of those my 2,000 Sons great detail I cannot come and fight your battles son but I can support you in fighting your own what kind of Provisions are we sending to the rising generation some battles will be uniquely theirs foes we no longer

have to fight but ones that they are still facing one-on-one we'll Talk more about Provisions later on but the sipling Wares are receiving some from their fathers we always talk about their mothers and they'll play a large role in a moment but I do love that fathers are involved behind the scenes as well maybe even it needed to be the fathers to deliver the provisions because it would have been too hard for mothers to see sons in battle armor out on the front lines almost like a young Joseph Smith with his leg operation mom Go

out in the woods as far as away as you can so you don't hear my screams Dad you can stay here with me that mother mother heart is too tender for this the father heart perhaps is a little tougher every child deserves to have both the tenderness and toughness that parents can provide well in verse 29 the lamanites are seeing that our forces increase daily that Provisions are arriving for our support and they begin to be more fearful than ever so they Start to Sally Forth if it were possible to put an end to our

receiving provisions and strength important detail there too does the adversary get afraid to see our preparation of course and so what does he do he tries to stop us from receiving additional provisions and strength knowing that spiritual strength is not static if I can just stop them from adding from increasing from progressing then by default they'll start falling back the strength that was Sufficient for yesterday is not for today and certainly won't be for tomorrow so keep the provisions coming their fearfulness in 29 is joined by their uneasiness in 30 and that's kind of exciting

to think that our own preparation the provisions that we provide for ourselves and others can actually make the adversary uneasy remember what Joseph Smith said as he describes the first Vision why all this persecution he faced from childhood on Because perhaps I was destined to become a disturber and an annoyer of his kingdom talk about great words to describe teenagers disturbing and annoying in all the best ways to disturb the adversary to annoy him to make him fearful and uneasy because of how well they are preparing and providing to win this war well in the

next few verses he then describes how this occurs in 34 the enemy is described as the strongest army yay the most numerous that the lamanites Had no wonder 36 says that we did flee before them and thus we leted away the most powerful Army of the lamanites yeah I'd be fleeing too now 37-40 describes some of the details of what's taking place got to Picture This in our minds we've got the stripping warries in front booking it behind them are the lonite Army biggest strongest most powerful chasing down the stripping Warriors as fast as they

can why in hopes of beating them before they get caught by those in Third position Antipas and his men this is like the tiny fish about to get gobbled by the mediumsized fish about to get gobbled by the large siiz fish the Lites recognize we're about to get surrounded so we're going to have to beat one Army before the other one can close in in verse 37 it talks about them pursuing their March in a straight course after us wed to kill them before they got killed themselves that same idea of a straight course is

repeated in Verse 40 they Durst not turn to the right nor to the left lest they should be surrounded as a result notice what Helman is forced to do neither would I turn to the right nor to the left lest they should overtake me and we could not stand against them but be slain remember the shortest distance between two points is a straight line so if we're being chased and we turn then they can try to head us off and we've actually shortened The distance between us instead of lengthened it I love what this does

to our mental image of the straight and narrow path do you understand why we can't afford to Veer off to the left or to the right because we're being chased I think if we pictured that a little more often we'd have more motivation to stay on the celestial center of the straight and narrow path instead of just kind of Meandering streams wandering our way along occasionally getting off and Coming back now this is a Sprint to the Finish I cannot afford to deviate there's also a of that speed in verse 39 before the dawn of

the morning behold the lamanites were pursuing us have you noticed that the adversary seems to be getting up earlier and earlier in our lives I'm starting to wonder if we need to start teaching seminary in elementary school instead of beginning in 9th grade what we want to consider our pre-season the adversary keeps creeping earlier and Earlier to try to begin Open Season so are we getting up earlier as well are we up before the dawn of the morning you don't have to take that literally no maybe we should but earlier and earlier in our lives

preparing for battle end of verse 40 thus we did flee all that day Into the Wilderness even until it was dark I mean this is life and death no wonder they're starting early and staying late 41 when the light of the morning comes the next day the lonit are Already up and running so we better flee as well but by 42 the chase is over they don't pursue them anymore now why we're not sure back in 38 it talked about antus beholding their danger speeding the march of his army his thought was we have to

catch the lamanites before they catch the stripping Warriors just like the lonit thought was we have to catch the stripping Warriors before Antipas Catches Us well all of a sudden nobody's catching the strippling Warriors are we Really that fast Helman or did something happen did Antipas catch up to the lamanites or did the lamanites think we may never catch the strippling Warriors but if we stop and they think we're fighting antus maybe they'll come back and we can still beat them before antibus catches up this is all unknown to them 43 says whether they were

overtaken by Antipas we knew not he says to his men we know not but they have halted for the purpose that we should Come against them that they might catch us in their snare so what do you want to do 4 before what say ye my sons will ye go against them to battle I think one of the underappreciated Gifts of these strippling Warriors is that they seem to have no fear of the unknown there is so much unknown to the youth they've got their whole lives ahead of them and ignorant of what that life

will entail but to go forward with faith in the face of the unknown that's Courage verse 45 my loved brother Moroni never had I seen so great courage nay not amongst all the Nephites why so much courage because they knew what they were up against we just saw that they were the strongest most numerous most powerful Army of the lamanites verse 39 helan admits we were not sufficiently strong to contend with them we're no match in either size or strength why do you think we're fleeing verse 40 we already saw this phrase we could not

Stand against them but be slain so when the stripping Warriors agree to turn around and go back into the lion's den maybe I was wrong to say they didn't know what they were facing maybe they did but courage told them to go forward anyway they said in 46 father to helan Behold our God is with us he will not suffer that we should fall then let us go forth we would not slay our Brethren if they would let us alone therefore let us go lest they should overpower the Army of Antipas you see who were

they thinking about the army of Antipas we'll put ourselves In Harm's Way for their sake and what had antipas's Army been doing back in 38 speeding their March because they beheld the danger that the sons of helan were in what a beautiful parallel that both groups are putting themselves In Harm's Way for another thinking of someone else more than they thought of themselves what else were they not thinking about they weren't Thinking about death in 47 they had never fought again you can hear hel and gulping in the background but they did not fear death

they did think more upon the liberty of their fathers than they did upon their lives yay they had been taught by their mothers that if they did not doubt God would deliver them and they were hurs unto me the words of their mothers saying we do not doubt our mothers knew it oh to be fortified by the faith of Someone else to be strengthened by someone else's testimony to believe in another's belief or to know that they know even as we're struggling or striving to come to know for ourselves that's trust a trust that was

no doubt welld deserved because mothers give everything to their children I wish though we knew a little bit more about what they rehearsed unto healing they rehearsed the words of their Mothers was there more what all had their mothers taught them because when their mothers said in some way or another if you do not doubt God will deliver you I wonder how that conversation went in some of those ammonite homes yes there were still some fathers there right they are the ones who had delivered the provisions but were those fathers or were they stepfathers or

were some of these boys raised by widows Because remember what happened to the first generation of anti Nephi Lehi a thousand slain a massacre when they Buri their weapons and refused to defend themselves going out to face the enemy and facing God in hopes that he would deliver them so I wonder were there any sons when their mother said if you do not doubt God will deliver you did any of those Sons Wonder or even ask wait Mom if I have faith God will deliver me like he delivered dad dad had Faith dad buried his

sword dad thought that God would come through and spare them deliver them but where's Dad now he's gone and I think it's then that Mom would say God delivered your father just like he'll deliver you he delivered him from the one death that is truly scar the spiritual one son I can't promise that you'll come home to me but I know you'll come home to God if you believe if you do not doubt God will Deliver you from the only enemy worth fearing the grave has no Victory The Sting of death is swallowed up in

Christ believe me I rely on that promise every time I think about your father of of course I would prefer a dual Deliverance but if I only get to pick one then I pray and I know that God will deliver you in the same way he delivered your father and maybe he'll deliver you in an additional way as well I pray for that I Pray for that second Deliverance but I have absolute faith in the first so go son and whether you come home to your mother or go home to your father all will be

well I know it and it was then that these boys could say then I know it too remember what they had said to helan they didn't fear death not because they knew it wouldn't happen we know that because we've read the rest of the story But they didn't know that going in but they didn't fear it not because it was impossible in their case but because it had been overcome by Christ that's what they knew and they knew it because their mothers did well in verse 49 by the time they catch back up to the

lonite Army Antipas had already caught up to them first a terrible battle had commenced verse 50 the army of Antipas was weary why because of their Long March in so short a space of time and what had Prompted that long march in so short a time we have to catch up to the Lites before they catch up to the Stripling Warriors like I said before they put themselves In Harm's Way to protect another just as these stripping warriors were now doing as they returned they were about to fall into the hands of the lonit they

wouldn't have made it had I not returned with my 2,000 by then 51 antip himself had fallen By The Sword other of his leaders as well because of Their weariness which was occasioned by the speed of their March without leaders followers don't often know what to do and so they're about to give way before the lamanites the lamanites now have taken courage they're pursuing them with great Vigor and all of a sudden the Deacon's Corum arrives 2,000 young inexperienced but highly motivated ated youth fall upon them and the whole Army of the lamanites halted and

turned upon Helan sometimes it feels that way that the enemy is combined as the doctrine of Covenant says and it's combined against the youth what this Rising generation is facing seems unprecedented the lamanites turn to face the stripping Warriors verse 53 with that that gives the men of Antipas just enough breathing room that they can come to themselves gather themselves together again and come upon the rear of the lamanites and thus surrounded the lamanites Begin to Fall Until they surrender delivering up their weapons of war and becoming prisoners of War now 55 and 56 as

any commander would fear Helman numbered those young men who had fought with him fearing lest there were many of them slain how could it be otherwise they have no experience and they're fighting the best army of the enemy again this is David and Goliath what did Saul say to him originally thou art a youth and he has been a man of war since his youth exactly what's happening Here but behold verse 56 to my great joy and we could add and to my utter astonishment there had not one soul of them Fallen to the Earth

and they had fought as if with the strength of God no as if there they didn't have enough strength on the arm of Flesh to fight with it had to be God's strength yay never were men known to have fought with such miraculous strength and with such Mighty power did they fall upon the lamanites that they did frighten them no Wonder the lamanites surrendered scared to death of the Deacon's Corum I would be too and thus ends their first campaign their second takes place in chapter 57 this is now taking the city of antipara and

then defending the city of now what happens here in verses 1-5 is amaron offers to them the city of anpara if they would just deliver up the prisoners of War remember our first part of the lesson amaron and Moroni had been working out some details on prisoner Exchange which eventually Moroni cut short well here amaron is trying something similar I'll give you this city if you give me back my men but I love helman's response verse two I sent an epistle unto the king that we were sure our forces were sufficient to take the city

of antipara by our force and by delivering up the prisoners for that City we should suppose ourselves unwise that we would only deliver up our prisoners on Exchange you see helman's Thought process here oh I think we can get it on our own so we would end up with both your city and your prisoners of War you see that's a win-win for us so no exchange necessary it would be unwise for us to give you any added strength and that proved to be the wise course because this was all a bluff on amon's part verse

three as soon as they start making preparations to go fight anpara then in verse four the people in that City leave it they flee to another City and thus the city of anpara fell into our hands strong enough to capture it they didn't have to fight for it it just came their way I think that's often the case when we'll stand up for something showing strength sometimes excuses us from having to actually exercise it that was the case here or if you flip it around and look at things from amar's side what was he doing

he was offering them something that he had no power to defend or stated differently He was offering them something that was about to become theirs anyway does that sound a little like Temptation number three at the Mount of Temptations when Satan says to Jesus worship me and I will give you all all the kingdoms of the world and I picture Jesus just kind of looking at him thinking those are going to be mine someday anyway I can wait for the Millennium when the kingdoms of this world shall become the kingdoms of our God and of

his Christ And he shall reign forever and ever if I'm patient they will come to me in the right way you're only banking on my impatience that I want to get them the wrong way I often think about that in terms of the rising generation specifically concerning intimacy was Satan constantly throwing things in their face saying you can have this right now and the wise and restrained youth saying No thank you I will wait and receive it in the right Way and in the right time whether those relationships come in this life or the next

they will come God has promised me those blessings why would you offer me something that has already been promised me from a higher source well in verse six some time has passed after they've captured antipara bloodlessly they receive a fresh supply of provisions and also an addition to our army from the land of zarahemla another 6,000 men and then this great Detail and 60 of the sons of the ammonites who had come to join their Brethren my little band of 2000 we usually talk about the 2,000 stripping Warriors I love that officially there's 2060 and

where were these 60 during the first deployment I have no idea I picture them singing in one last primary program they've just graduated from primary and their first youth activity is not Trek it's battle not youth conference it's youth conflict and we Thought Church basketball was bad but we've seen this several times success bre breeds more success courage encourages others and I think the example these 2,000 are setting so that this next group The weeow if we still ran the scouting program are ready to join the ranks I want to be like my big brothers

I want to join them in the battle someday now the next objective is to gain the city of cumi for this one they're not going to do a decoy run Instead verse 8 they're going to surround the City by night a little before they were to receive a supply of Provisions that way we can cut them off from receiving those added supplies verse n we did sleep Upon Our swords we kept guards the lonit kept trying many times it says to fall upon them by night and slay them but we were always able to push

them back you see basically what they're attempting is Siege Warfare if we can cut them off that's the phrase in Verse 11 being cut off from their support will just starve them out eventually they'll have to surrender verse 12 not many days had passed away before the lonit began to lose all hopes of Sucker so they yielded up the city into our hands their Siege strategy proved successful Now by that time they've got so many prisoners in verse 13 that it takes all hands on deck just to guard them all verse 14 they would break

out in great numbers they would Fight with stones and clubs anything they could get their hands on so essentially the fighting is still continuing even after the surrender of the city it's just now against prisoners instead of combatants now they've got to figure out what to do verse 16 describes these as critical circumstances what are we going to do with all these PS well amaron has a plan for them free them from the enemy and bring them back into his own armies so he sends a massive a Numerous Army after them and a huge battle

takes place that again involves the stripping Warriors verse 19 behold my little band of 260 fought most desperately interesting adverb there but it's not just desperation notice the next one yay they were firm before the lamanites verse 20 as the remainder of our army was about to give way before the lamanites so see the comparison here these grown men these battle hardened War weary soldiers were about to give Way and yet the 260 they were firm no giving way among them they were firm and undaunted can we be desperate and undaunted at the same time

they were we saw firmness in 19 we saw firmness in 20 we'll see firmness again in 27 and their firmness was a result of their faith verse 27 says now this was the faith of these of whom I had spoken they are young and their minds are firm they do put their trust in God continually the only other person I can remember talking About firmness of Mind was Jacob Nephi's little brother the one that talks about his own anxiety more than any other writer I think it's so fitting that he talking to the victims the

women and children that were victimized by unchaste fathers and husbands he tells them twice in Jacob chapter 3 to seek firmness of mind don't let your mind go down those paths you've got to control your thoughts especially whenever depression or desperation rears its head Their firmness was part of their faith it was part of their trust in God which they placed in him continually but this is another place where faith without works would leave them dead and so take their firmness and faithfulness and then go back to verse 21 yay they did obey and observe

to perform every word of command with exactness we talk about military precision and why is that such an Institutional priority in the military because lives are on the line In some ways this totally stands to reason why would the stripping Warriors be so exactly obedient because they're in war and they've never fought before I think one of the things that keeps us from exact obedience is thinking we know better ourselves well I know that's what God suggests but but this is going to work for me in those instances our own experience tends to work against

us we think we know well enough well the stripping Warriors had no experience in Battle again never played with swords as kids and so you picture them saying to helan we will do anything and everything you tell us to how does this work what am I supposed to do I I won't think outside the box because I don't know anything outside the I don't even know anything in the box and this is life or death so you tell me what to do I will do exactly as you say do we see our own spiritual survival

in similar terms life and death exact obedience and it was Done according to their faith so here's faith and works together in the same verse I did remember the words which they said unto me that their mothers had taught them and crediting those mothers for what the boys learned and did in verse 22 he then credits those boys for the victory it is these my sons along with the fellow troops that were sent to assist us to whom we owe this great Victory Now 23 they retained their city But it came at Incredible cost and

so in 24 he immediately gives orders unto his men to go search out the wounded and help them separate them from the dead dress their wounds 25 is such a famous and miraculous verse it came to pass that there were 200 out of my 260 it's almost 10% sent casualties here who had fainted because of the loss of blood nevertheless according to the goodness of God and to our great astonishment which means this was not What anyone expected also to the joy of our whole Army there was not one soul of them who did perish

that's the detail we usually remember but equally important is the Last Detail yay and neither was there one Soul among them who had not received many wounds you see technically a casualty is not just someone who dies in the battlefield it's someone who is injured wounded so it wasn't 10% casualties it was 100% casualties but all of that 100% was injury 0% was death now it could have been up to 10% death if they fainted because of the loss of blood and Helman hadn't sent men out there to find the wounded and separate them from

the dead and dress those wounds then the wounded probably would have ended up dead bleeding out on the battlefield and who was it that went out to save them fellow Wounded Warriors that's all they've got I remember hearing from a state president once talking about the youth that were coming In to have interviews for Missions and temples and so on and he said every single one of them has issues and things that they need to repent of and and then he said we're not winning this war and I remember that really striking me with these

verses ringing in my ears as I thought actually president the fact that they're coming to talk to you to confess their sins says to me that we are winning a war that really matters repentance is the Ultimate Weapon of Victory and they're wielding it in spite of the wounds that they've suffered that we've all suffered none of us will make it through this war unscathed but just because we're all wounded doesn't mean we have to die what will it take dressing wounds recognizing that the wounded are not dead that there is hope for us all

and fellow Wounded Warriors going out among the battlefield to help people home when the righteous when the Redeemed assemble in heaven in full dress uniform upon every single chest will hang the Purple Heart no one goes through life unwounded but neither are we unremembered by fellow sufferers who come to our rescue and bind up our wounds even he the lone soldier who suffered no self-inflicted wounds fittingly he alone Bears scars even after Resurrection to show that he took Upon himself our wounds and bears them all for us just as he bore us off the battlefield

verse 26 this preservation was astonishing to our whole Army again no one expected this after all a thousand of our Brethren were slain and please do not assumed that they were Unworthy of similar Miracles as we've seen several times for these War chapters the perspective the righteous had even on the slain was one of Hope and confidence of faith in God and the Resurrection even among those thousand there was less cause to mourn than others might think and we do justly ascribe it to the miraculous power of God not to the arms of these Stripling

Warriors it was because of their faith their exceeding faith in that which they had been taught to believe that there was a just God notice that not just a merciful god it's not just his Mercy that will save you but to be saved by his Justice that we have kept every word With exactness and exercised our faith that just God whosoever did not doubt that they should be preserved By His Marvelous power if only we all had that faith and that firmness you see you can compare that to the report that Helman received from one

of the leaders that was transporting all these PS that was initially attacked by the lamanites you see in verse 31 and 32 when the lonite armies came and some of the Nephites own Soldiers started to cry out they will fall upon them yay they will destroy our people that fear just like faith can be contagious fear can be as well and as fear seemed to spread throughout the nephite troop look at 32 came to pass that our prisoners did hear their cries which caused them to take courage and they did rise up in Rebellion against

us we have to be careful not to let our fear Inspire our enemies courage let our Faith Inspire the faith of others we see that kind of faith in Chapter 58 the third of the three offensives that the stripping warriors were part of this one is to try to conquer the city of Manti now in verse one we see this is their next object but they can't decoy them out the lamanites remember what happened the first time they remembered that which we had hitherto done therefore we could not decoy them away from their strongholds yesterday's

tactics won't Work for today's challenges no wonder we need to be open to continual Revelation what they end up doing instead is actually somewhat similar to Prior strategies little bit different though what ends up happening is the nephite Army splits into three groups stripping Wares are one of of them but the other two groups hide in the wilderness so it looks like all that the Nephites remain are this small band of inexperienced soldiers kind of easy Pickin so the Army that's there in the city of Manti comes out to chase down and engage with the

stripping Warriors who turn and flee that's their favorite military maneuver that only makes lemonade Army more excited but as they're going the stripping Warriors head towards zarahemla so the lonite arm is like oh no we can't pursue them into the capital city the Nephites so let him go we'll just go back and return to Manti unbeknownst to them as they'd run Between those two other armies as soon as they were out of sight those two come back to Manti the lamanites had made the catastrophic error of going all in on offense and doing very little

by way of Defense they overcommitted to one strategy and the other two parts of the Army march into Manti take it bloodlessly and are ready and waiting for the lonite Army to return now it's been a long march and so the lamanites camp for the night but the stripping Warriors do not it's amazing how many of these battles have been won by nighttime exertion tian's Commando raids Moroni arming the prisoners within or Moroni making his ladders in haste and letting the Army in over the wall inside the enemy City well here it's the stripping Warriors

pulling the allnighter in verse 25 it was night they pitched their tents for the chief captains of the lamanites had supposed that the Nephites were weary because of their March I'm sure They were but not so weary that they stopped fighting supposing that they had driven their whole Army therefore they took no thought concerning the city of Manti it's interesting they supposed they were supposing they took no thought those assumptions spelled disaster to the lonit verse 26 when it was night I caused that my men should not sleep again if you ever been a leader

at Scout camp or girls camp this doesn't seem very miraculous at all trying to get Them to sleep is the real Miracle well this time don't sleep let's keep marching forward we'll go another way towards the city of Manti and 27 because of this our March in the nighttime behold on the tomorrow we were beyond the lamanites in so much that we did arrive before them at the city of Manti so by then all three parts of the nephite army are there safe within the city walls having the city of man without the shedding of

Blood by the end Of Chapter 58 which is where Helman ends his epistle to Moroni we find the strippling Warriors safe and sound within the walls of Manti and as helan reports in 39 the Lord has supported them yay and kept them from falling by The Sword in so much that even one Soul has not been slain verse 40 yes they've received many wounds nevertheless they stand fast in that Liberty wherewith God has made them free they don't doubt his Deliverance just because of some wounds Along the way they are strict to remember the Lord

their God from day to day whether in the open Battlefield or safe Behind the Walls they remember him yay they do observe to keep three things his statutes his judgments his Commandments continually their faith is strong in the prophecies concerning that which is to come notice the things that he listed there his statutes his judgments and his Commandments and then we could add his prophecies as well Statutes and Commandments seemed synonimous to me so I looked up statutes in the 1828 dictionary to see what it would have meant in Joseph's Day and although some definitions

seem to suggest the same kind of thing as Commandments rules that are established this definition caught my eye a special Act of the supreme power of a private nature or intended to operate only on a individual or company seems like Commandments are meant for everyone and They're fixed and unchanging judgments seem to be more in the moment God makes a judgment call it's the difference between tactics and strategy right the the strategy is this overall it's like here's the here's the Commandments the tactics are in the field adjustments that need to take place it's like

oh here's this judgment this is what we're going to need to do and the Stripling warriors were open to that as well and then these statutes if we take that Definition I just read this one's more private intended to operate just on you it's one thing to be obedient to general principles another thing to be confident enough in one's relationship with the Lord the companionship of the Holy Ghost that individualized inspiration personal revelation you'll follow that as well it's like the Commandments are the iron Rod the statutes are the Leona spindles moving words changing IND

individually tailored and this Rising Generation has mastered both forms of direction we all need to do likewise couple that with faith in the prophecies it's like we started Jesus is coming and I want to be prepared and prepare the world for that arrival now before we close today I do want to say one last thing about Provisions that came up several times among the sering Warriors you know the fathers sending Provisions the stripping Wares themselves trying to cut off the lamanites from their Provisions an Army's got to eat right and every spiritual Soldier needs to

find access to the bread of life and the Living Water to survive the war we saw this last time when Moroni was going off inadvisably against pahoran saying where are the provisions where's the additional troops where are the reinforcements how can you sit on your throne in a state state of thoughtless stuper well Helman is struggling with that as well I just want to bring that Up before we close today because there seems to be this tension between the center of strength zarahemla and the battles that are taking place along the periphery it's like Church

Headquarters versus the mission field as they often call it and sometimes there's this tension between the two and do the people in Utah know what we're facing out in the mission field I was raised in California and for eight years raised my kids in Tennessee and one approach to What we're going to see in the next few minutes is are the centers of strength the center Stakes of Zion for example are they sending are we sending Provisions throughout the church but there's another way to take this more personally rather than just geographically and this applies

no matter where you happen to live if you individually are a center of strength in your War or in your stake or in your branch whoever you might be are you Extending Provisions to those that are less strong than you are people need you you probably know that because you probably have like seven callings right now but stay strong the provisions you are providing are lifes saving to people that are on the fringes of Faith now there's a third level to this that can make it even more personal so not just the geographical center Stakes

of Zion need to make sure that the entire body of Christ is strong more than just Within your congregation if you are a strong member then strengthen others isn't that what Jesus told Peter right and when thou art converted strengthen your brethren give out the provisions but on a purely individual level I think there are certain core testimonies zarahemla principles that we absolutely know are true and do we allow those core testimonies to strengthen to provide Provisions to the peripheral aspects of our faith that might be comparatively Speaking a little weaker Elder Holland has taught

this beautifully that the things that we do know will always Trump the things that we don't know well that's Center strength versus questions along the frontier so many times when I'm meeting with people that are struggling in their faith it's the peripheral issues I'm not sure about this aspect of church history or this Doctrine I'm a little iffy on fine I get it but are there elements of Your testimony that are Bedrock solid then let that truth provide Provisions to other things it's so sad for me to see otherwise faithful members almost seeming to turn

over the keys of the city of zarahemla to someone like am malakiah or amaron because of peripheral issues no you're strong here you know God lives or you know Jesus is the Christ or you know the book of Mormon's true let that element of your testimony send Provisions out to these other areas that you're not so sure about it's almost like concentric circles of belief absolute knowledge in the middle and then Faith Beyond and belief and hope and desire interesting to take Elma 32 and almost make it ripples across the surface and let your central

strength spread send Provisions so just a few scriptural phrases that I hope will stay in our heads and hearts as we ponder that chapter 58:3 helan is employing his men to the maintaining those parts of the land which we had regained of our possessions so maintain and regain retention and reactivation but it became expedient that we should wait that we might receive more strength from the land of zarahemla and also a new supply of Provisions he repeats that in verse four at the end that they are waiting to receive provisions and strength from the land

of Zarahemla strength from Church Headquarters strength from strong members strength from core elements of one's testimony it's what we need unfortunately verse five the lamanites are also receiving great strength from day to day they're also receiving Provisions this is like the rocky Drago thing I was talking about in our first lesson this week the arms race the escalation if the adversary is getting stronger we have to get stronger at an Even faster Pace can you sense the provisions that are coming into the enemy camp no wonder we need to provide better on the Lord's Side

verse six the lamanites are sallying forth against us from time to time no huge engagement out in the open field just sallying forth and we couldn't fight them because of their Retreats and their strongholds can I sense the enemy strategy there rather than a sustained attack let's just nickel and dime him to Death a doubt here a Temptation here some contention a little dissension occasional laziness little bout of complacency just picking away at things so much of anti Mormonism is what I call death by a million pin Pricks some of the most famous and recent

anti-mormon attacks I won't dignify them by calling them by name but they provide quantity in hopes of overcoming lack of quality each individual complaint can be countered but taken as a whole it's like This attitude is like we can't destroy their faith but let's just pick at it until hopefully we bleed them to death now verse 7 helman's Army is still waiting in these difficult circumstances many months have passed this way until they are about to perish for want of food all the initial faith in the world will be insufficient if it is not continually

Fed so are we feeding ourselves spiritually are we feeding others spiritually where are the Provisions when we need them in verse 8 they finally received some food guarded by an army of 2,000 men but that's it this is all the the assistance which we did receive to defend ourselves and our country from falling into the hands of our enemies yay to contend with an enemy which was innumerable I can't count the enemy sadly I can count our friends and reinforcements later on in this chapter in verse 34 it's still Helman talking It's going to sound

a lot like Moroni when he writes to pin in chapter 60 but he says in 34 now we do not know the cause that the government does not grant us more strength neither do we those men who came up unto us know why we have not received greater strength we don't know the reinforcements don't even know now in 35 he gives them the benefit of the doubt which is more than Moroni did says maybe you're not succeeding in your area and you need more of the forces in that Way if so we do not desire

to murmur we're not trying to complain here but he does make an interesting admission in verse 36 at the end we know that they are more numerous than that which they have sent where is everybody we get so excited to talk about the growing numbers of missionaries that are out in the field there a drop in the bucket compared to what there could be if every strippling decided to become A stripping Warrior we know that they are more numerous than that which they have sent I felt that way visiting some of these scattered branches in

rural areas when I lived in the South or tiny struggling branches that I served in in the mission field where is everyone and then you open the area book and you see the lists of less actives and go oh that's the strength that could be strengthening This group of saints I know there's more than what's coming again on the purely individual level I know there's more I could be doing more strength I could be providing myself greater access to the power of Heaven I know there's more than what I've got he even wonders in verse

36 at the beginning maybe there's some faction in the government maybe that's causing the problem it's exactly what the problem was borin will later let us know That right but I'm amazed at what helan calls this in the middle of it all go back to verse 9 Elma 58 ver9 he's just been describing how small the reinforcements are to contend with an innumerable enemy and he calls it an interesting word in verse 9 and now the cause of these our embarrassments or the cause why they did not send more strength unto us we knew not

but it grieved us it filled us with fear lest by any means the judgments of God should come upon our land to our overthrow and utter destruction remember Moroni was grappling with the same feelings Sorrowing doubting even because of the iniquity of the people well hel is feeling the same way but what did he call it our embarrassments come on we're trying to win a war here this is an army for crying out loud and we can only number it in the thousands are you serious I'm embarrassed flat out embarrassed that We're not more strong

than we are when there are so many sources of strength all around us will come to our Rescue come to our Aid I don't want to hurt any feelings or come across more strongly than I should I don't want my heads to flip to tails on this one but frankly I sometimes wonder if we should be a little more embarrassed by our lack of spiritual strength when opportunities to strengthen it lie all around us I'm only Pointing fingers at myself here but I hope we'll each take a lord is it ey moment and wonder if

I ought to be embarrassed that I'm not doing more don't get overzealous on me no toxic perfectionism here but if you can honestly soberly seriously even confidently weigh your strengths and weaknesses weigh how many Provisions you're bringing into your own life should there be any embarrassment in the way we feel about ourselves you see I Get that sense from chapter 60 this is now Moroni going off on pahoran but chapter 60: 21 it's part of that naive faith that was possibility number three that when moronai was trying to brainstorm why isn't the government giving us

more Provisions but notice the end I didn't emphasize this phrase I was saving it for now 21 do you suppose that the Lord will still deliver us while we sit upon our Thrones and here's the phrase and do not make use of the means Which the Lord has provided for us that's the phrase those means are more than what we have got more than we use anyway those means are all around us I seriously have people coming out of the Woodworks emailing texting instant messaging me asking me for help in certain spiritual dilemmas and I

will help with every spare minute I can muster but please brothers and sisters we must make use of the means which God has provided are we giving God equal Time we have questions about church history have we read any of the resources we're struggling with sin well are we fortifying our faith we are surrounded by sources of strength they're a click and a scroll away we just have to make use of the means it breaks my heart when a young person comes struggling with the questions of the Soul as I think we just talked about

this in Institute why don't you come or someone Will email me a question and the answer was just given in a recent conference talk do we read them again I I don't believe in guilt trips I'm not the travel agent for those but could we just sit for a moment with those two phrases to make use of the means God has given us to strengthen ourselves spiritually and the fact that it is an embarrassment when we don't I hope that you're hearing this in the spirit I'm trying to convey it I'm Not trying to shame

anyone or guilt anyone I'm trying to encourage us all to do something to make use of the means that are all about us why do you think we onai keeps talking about slothfulness and neglect that's why he says in verse 24 of his diet tribe against borin that we have to be up and doing that's such a great phrase add that to the list that we're developing how do we overcome those embarrassments of spiritual weakness we get up and we Get going we make use of the means in verse 29 he uses another great phrase

we could add to the list behold it is time yay the time is now at hand that except ye do bester yourselves in the defense of your country and your little ones it's a great phrase to beer yourself well the enemy is stirring us up to anger against one another are we bestring ourselves from inaction to action remember it was strength and activity that described the stripping Warriors they were up and doing even during in the night time they made use of the means there was nothing about that army that was embarrassing at all in

the meantime while moroni's Army and helman's army were waiting for those Provisions to arrive go back and notice this detail in Chapter 58 in verse 14 the lamanites had sent spies to discover the number and the strength of our army that's interesting those are the Two details they wanted what are their numbers and what is their strength well you can count one you can enumerate the number but the strength that's a tough one to gauge verse 15 Helman seems to distinguish between the two it came to pass that when they saw that we were not

strong according to our numbers it's a great distinction oh yeah if you're just talking about numbers we're not strong at all if you're talking about strength Well yeah we have some different criteria to measure by no Abacus needed for this one our strength doesn't lie in our numbers which is good since we don't have many you guys in fact are the exact opposite your numbers are innumerable he says just a few verses earlier but your strength H not so much your numbers scare me to death your lack of spiritual strength is what reassures me that

we can probably beat you anyway meanwhile our numbers probably don't intimidate You at all but those numbers are deceiving they do not reflect our strength and where is that strength coming from same chapter go forward to 32 and 33 Behold our armies are small to maintain so great a number of cities and so great possessions that's the bad news but here's the good news but behold We Trust In Our God who has given us victory over those lands that's the source of Strength those are the ultimate means that we need to make use of later

in verse 37 right after worrying and wondering where is everybody we know they're more numerous than what they've sent verse 37 great faith here but behold it matterthe trust God will Deliver Us notwithstanding the weakness of our armies yay and Deliver us out of the hands of our enemies that's where the victory is going to come from go back a Page and in chapter 58:1 we did pour out our souls in prayer to God that beats boot camp any day that he would strengthen us and Deliver us out of the hands of our enemies yeah

and also give us strength that we might retain our cities and our lands and our possessions for the support of our people remember that's what pahoran had encouraged moronai to do in the meantime while we're Gathering troops and regaining the government in the meantime Leave Lehi and tanum with your blessing encourage them to rely on the strength of the Lord that will be sufficient means in the meantime verse 11 and 12 is then one of my favorite passages in all the war chapters because as they pour out their souls in prayer to God as they're

seeking the kinds of heavenly Provisions that only he can send verse 11 it came to pass that the Lord our god did visit Us with assurances I love that phrase and I love that the Assurance constitutes a visit from God he is here with us because he is here assuring us the spirit is that comforter and that encourager I know all will be well God has visited us he's visited us with assurances and once those assurances have come those promises those reassurances that all will be well it's Like Hebrews 12 see we are encompassed about

by so great a cloud of witnesses we've got our own cheering section we're right in the middle of it how can we not win the race that we're set out to run how can we not lay aside every sin which do easily beset us forward onto the victory God is with us he's just paid us a visit and what do those assurances do yay he did speak peace to our souls and did Grant unto us great faith and did cause Us that we should hope for our deliverance in him and we did take courage with

our small Force which we had received and were fixed with a determination to conquer our enemies and to maintain our lands that's what comes with the Lord's assurances when the spirit comes to let us know that we can rest assured that God's promises are sure you see the same root in all of those words sure Assured Assurance reassurance that's what comes of the Lord's Assurance peace and Faith and Hope and courage and determination if you feel that you are failing or faltering please seek the Lord's Assurance may he visit you with those assurances so that

peace can replace anxiety so that Faith Can crowd out doubt and hope can replace despair so That courage will drive away fear and determination will remain in its place this is the cause of Christ and when you are assured of that then you have strength Beyond any numbers well here the war chapters come to an end though the wars themselves don't those will continue in helan and third Nephi they'll color the conclusion of fourth Nephi they'll be a key ingredient of the book of ether and Describe the final days of Mormon and Moroni the wars

rage on we're living through them it's what makes one of these final verses so applicable in our situation it's chapter 62 verse 41 this is the two-edged Sword of War behold because of the exceedingly great length of the war between the Nephites and the lamanites the even longer war between good and evil that were all continually engaged in many had become hardened because of the exceedingly Great length of the war that is one result of these conflicts but it's not the only result here's the other possibility and many were softened because of their afflictions in

so much that they did humble themselves before God even in the depth of humility which of those two outcomes will describe us the wars that are being waged all around us and within us are they hardened us or softening us preparing us for defeat or a glorious Victory I guess the real Question is Which side will we end up on we know which side wins the choice is ours in the short term in chapter 62 peace is once again established in the land Captain Moroni retires passing the command down to his son morona pahoran returns

to the Judgment seat Helman returns to preaching the gospel and regulating the church Prosperity returns and this time thankfully Miraculously without Pride to accompany it though that won't last very long preview of The Book of helan how do they hold PRI at Bay in the meantime 62: 50 they did remember how great things the Lord had done for them and that's one thing those Wars provided god with in abundance opportunities for him to do great things by the time chapter 63 begins Helman passes away first passing the plates on to his brother shiblon his Strengths

far outweighed his weaknesses after all he kept his coins head up Moroni passes away later in this chapter shiblon dies corantin has gone northward with another group of colonizers the plates are then passed back to helman's immediate line going down to his son helan meaning that that generation of Brothers has now passed on helan shiblon Cory Anon verse 12 and 13 the word of God is preserved and proclaimed and 14 and 15 dissenters once Again arise stir up the lamanites and more Wars begin oh these treasured but short periods of peace so don't let your

weapons get rusty we'll need them again in Helman next week but one thing that does take place in chapter 63 that I find fascinating especially in terms of its placement in the narrative is a man named hagoth we know so little about him builds some ships and starts to launch out into the West sea initially those ships come back and more people board them and head off into new directions eventually they're never heard of again it'd be fascinating to know their stories more in fact it was funny I remember when we first moved to Tennessee

my oldest daughter who was something of a child prodigy in my opinion I know every parent feels that way but she was incredibly well- read and really smart from a very early age She still amazes me but we were moving to Tennessee she would have been 5 years old we're driving across country going from state to state to state and seen the signs at each border welcome to whatever state we happen to be driving into and my 5-year-old daughter piped up from the backseat of the minivan saying Dad how do they make maps and I

said that's a great question Eden a lot of times it was initially explorers and things that would just travel around and Try to draw coastlines and just map out things and I hear this cute little 5-year-old voice from the back seat going explorers you mean like hagoth and I sat there in utter disbelief I don't think we did any Family Home Evening lessons or flannel board stories on hagoth this obscure character mentioned in one chapter in The Book of Mormon I just tried to keep a straight face and go well of course Eden yes just

like hago well wherever he went and whatever he discovered I find it fascinating that it came at the end of these War chapters once peace has been achieved once we have gained the victory self Mastery New Horizons will open up to us to go to places spiritually speaking that we've never been to before there's not even a need to map it he go just follow the savior's lead the Prince of Peace will pave the way Beyond those New Horizons can I close today and close these War chapters with a statement from president Gordon B hinley

it actually would have been Elder Hinkley back then this was during the Vietnam war on assignment from the church he flew into Vietnam this is 1967 to try to encourage to visit with assurances the LDS troops that were there he said that shortly after his aircraft landed an admiral landed in a similar kind of plane but his was Accompanied with five helicopters flying shotgun around him with Marines fingering machine guns talking about about the difference between numbers and strength right president hinley only had one but when he came home after having spent time with strippling

warriors on the front lines of a war they didn't ask for this is what he said I thought as I talked with them that they ought to be in school acquiring creative and challenging Skills rather than walking fearsome Patrols in the dark of the ancient jungle where death comes so quickly and quietly and definitely these to the kids who ran and laughed and played ball back home who drove the highways in Old jalopies who danced with lovely girls at the golden green balls who administered the sacrament on Sunday these are boys who come from good

homes where the linen is clean and showers are hot who now sweat night and day in this troubled Land who are shot at and who shoot back who have seen gaping wounds in a buddy's chest and who have killed those who would have killed them and then president Hinkley said this and I thought of the terrible inequality of sacrifice involved in the cause of human Liberty the moment we shift from physical battles to spiritual struggles we see all the more clearly the terrible inequality of sacrifice involved in the cause of Eternal Liberty in these War

chapters Moroni gave so much Helman gave so much the stripping Warriors and their mothers and fathers gave so much tanum offered the full measure of self-sacrifice but spiritually speaking the greatest inequality of sacrifice in eternity is that of the Savior Jesus Christ who gave an offering both infinite and eternal to assure our Liberty I testify of him he is the chief Captain It is his cause in which we are engaged as it says on the Korean War Memorial in Washington DC freedom is not free just ask Jesus about the price may we count that cost

and consecrate ourselves accordingly forward and not back backward and on on to the victory [Music]