WATCH THE VIDEO PRESENTATION ON YOUTUBE AT: https://youtu.be/6AqfirC7tTU
NOTE:
The Come Follow Me manual has us covering Mosiah 11-17 this week, but I really struggled with that because some of the key themes I like to share in Mosiah cover a larger swath of the story than that. So I’m going to cheat a little bit here and we’re going to be covering ideas from Mosiah 11 all the way to Mosiah 24 as we focus on the people of King Noah and what eventually happens to them, and then next week, we’ll focus specifically on the teachings of Abinadi and Alma at the waters of Mormon. I just see that as an easier way of breaking these chapters up thematically.
ICEBREAKER
Survey: Which of your five senses would you least like to lose? Which would be the worst?
Hearing
Smell
Taste
Touch
Sight
Sight will more than likely be the #1 Answer. To go blind would be incredibly difficult for most of us.
TRANSITION
But can you imagine anybody intentionally blinding themselves? What on earth would cause somebody to do such a thing? It’s almost unthinkable. And yet, today, we’re going to study a group of people that do just that—that blind themselves on a spiritual level. And it’s a particular kind of blindness. I call it King Noah blindness and over the years I’ve met many people afflicted with it. In fact, I’ve found that it is a disease particularly more common among young people, so this lesson I feel is a very important and relevant lesson for youth. In our last lesson, I told you that I felt the Book of Mosiah was an excellent study of sin and these chapters are going to show us how people are drawn into it. And often, it’s because they meet a Noah, and go Noah blind. What’s Noah Blindness? Let’s find out.
SEARCH
Let's begin with the subject of this story. And in this lesson, we’re not going to focus so much on King Noah or Abinadi or the Wicked Priests or Alma. Instead, in this lesson, we’re going to focus on “the people”. The people of Noah. These are very interesting people.
If I were to ask how many of you liked taxes or being heavily taxed? I bet I wouldn’t get a single hand raised. Well, what if I took it a step further and asked how you would react if not only were you being heavily taxed, but the government you were supporting used that money to support their sinful, lazy, and wasteful lifestyle? You’d probably be angry about that, wouldn’t you? And if somebody came along who was willing to stand up to that government and its leaders and insist that they change, you would probably get behind somebody like that and support them right? Well, let’s see. In vs. 5 we find that they are being heavily taxed. 1/5 of all they own.
THE SINS OF KING NOAH
And what is he doing with all that money? We find a telling phrase in 1:4 where we learn that “he had changed the affairs of the kingdom”. How did he change them?
11:2 he does not keep the commandments but walks after the desires of his own heart.
11:2 he has many wives and concubines and commits whoredoms
11:5 he gets rid of the good priests of his father and puts his buddies in their place, priests that are lifted up in the pride of their hearts.
11:6 he’s lazy
11:7 idolatrous
11:14 sets his heart on riches, riotous living, harlots.
11:15 Makes wine in abundance and becomes a winebibber or somebody who drinks a lot of wine
King Noah is quite the contrast to King Benjamin, isn’t he? Where King Benjamin leads his people to covenants, and a mighty change of heart and a desire to do good continually, Noah actually causes his people to commit sin. And before King Noah came along, these were righteous and good people. We see them praying to God for strength in 9:17, they are described as hard workers in 10:4-5, and they put their trust in the Lord in their battles against the Lamanites in 10:19. And Noah goes and blows it all. In fact, look how his father Zeniff concludes his record in Mosiah 10:22
22 And now I, being old, did confer the kingdom upon one of my sons; therefore, I say no more. And may the Lord bless my people. Amen.
Perhaps even Zeniff knew something about his son’s character and has some reservations about his people’s future.
So obviously the people despise Noah and oppose him and try to get him out of power right? No, they don’t, actually, they love this guy. They support him. They defend him. They think he’s great! Along with his wicked priests led by a man named Amulon. They are going to become a major part of the story later. These are very peculiar people.
Why do you think they support them though? Perhaps part of the answer is found in vs. 7
7 Yea, and they also became idolatrous, because they were deceived by the vain and flattering words of the king and priests; for they did speak flattering things unto them.
They tell them what they want to hear. Or at least, what their natural man wants to hear. They are what the scriptures call soothsayers. Soothsayers say soothing sayings. They give you excuses to justify sinful behavior in their teachings and by the example of their lifestyle. It’s ok to be lazy, it’s ok to be immoral, we don’t need commandments. There’s no such thing as morality, no right or wrong. Do what feels good. Life’s a party, eat drink and be merry for tomorrow we die! They tell them flattering things. You’re better than everybody else. You’re better than the Lamanites. We’re strong enough on our own that we don’t need God as a crutch to help us.
You see this in 19.
19 And now, because of this great victory they were lifted up in the pride of their hearts; they did boast in their own strength, saying that their fifty could stand against thousands of the Lamanites; and thus they did boast, and did delight in blood, and the shedding of the blood of their brethren, and this because of the wickedness of their king and priests.
So the people are led into wickedness with their vain, idolatrous, and flattering words. And the scriptures tell us the people's problem in vs. 29. The overall theme is being signaled here: “The eyes of the people were blinded"
SEERS
Well God loves these people and wants the best for them. He knows where this path leads. So He's going to send them somebody.
Who does he send in vs. 20? He sends Abinadi.
And what is Abinadi? I think most would say, he’s a prophet. But I would use a different term in this case. Remember the title Ammon used to describe King Mosiah. He refers to him as a SEER. When you’re blind, you need a seer or a see-er. Abinadi has come to help the people to see things more clearly and hopefully see Noah and his priests for what they really are. We learn that a seer can "see of things that are past”, they can take the lessons of the past and apply them to the present. They also can know of things which are to come. Seers help us to see coming dangers, or possible outcomes in our current course of action and warn us. Therefore, as he says in Mosiah 8:18 “He becometh a great benefit to his fellow man. So Abinadi has come to be a great benefit to the people. To help them to course-correct before things get ugly.
REPENT!
And what’s Abinadi’s message? Read Mosiah 11:20-25 and see if you can summarize the basic gist of the message. The words "except they repent" show up at least four times. The message is, you need to change, or things are going to get bad for you. This road you’re traveling down does not end well. King Noah is not your friend, he’s leading you into bondage.
DEFENDING OUR NOAHS
And how do they treat him? Verse 26
11:26 Get angry
11:27/12:13 Tell him to stop judging them
11:29 Harden their hearts
12:13-14 We’re not doing anything wrong.
And we know that eventually, after giving his speech, which we’ll study next week, they burn him in chapter 17.
THE COMPARISON
Now lets pause and draw a comparison here. How are people today, especially young people, like King Noah’s people?
Oftentimes, people will meet modern-day Noah’s. People who draw or lead them into sin. So a good young man will start hanging out with a new group of friends and they aren’t really the best influence on him. He starts to dress differently, speak differently, act differently. Or maybe a young person develops a romantic interest in somebody and that person, that Noah, begins to persuade them into going further and further with them physically. Or maybe a young adult goes to college and they become entranced by a philosophy, the teachings of a certain professor, a movement. Possibly a celebrity or style of music, sports star or movie star entrances them, and these people and things become a type of King Noah in their lives leading them away from that which is good.
And so what does God do? He sends them Abinadis; somebody who can see the negative influence. A parent, a church leader, a close friend, the teachings of the living prophet, the whisperings of the Holy Spirit. They come along and they say, hey, this isn’t a good association for you. I can SEE the effect they’re having on you. You might want to reconsider this relationship. And they offer warnings and counsel, much like Abinadi.
But what frequently happens when they are confronted? They defend their Noah’s. They get angry at the parent or the church leader, or the friend. They use the same defense Noah’s people used. "Stop judging my friends or my music", you’re judging my girlfriend or boyfriend. I’m not doing anything wrong. They’re not so bad. Stop being so judgmental. And what’s really happening is that they just don’t realize that they are suffering from Noah Blindness.
And I ask you, who really has the people’s best interest at heart in the story? Abinadi. Abinadi is their greatest ally, their real friend. And who is the real enemy? Noah. In fact, we know how Noah feels about his people. Check out Mosiah 19:8.
"And now the king was not so much concerned about his people, as he was about his own life”.
That is often true of the Noah’s of our lives. They are self-interested, exploiting, and manipulative. They use people to get what THEY want. And they fall for it. They see them as their friends because they tell them what they want to hear. Your parents are trying to control you. You’re letting the church control your life. You don’t need all these rules. Do what you want.
And that brings me to what I feel is the major message and lesson from this story. We must learn to SEE the difference between the Noahs of our lives and the Abinadis of our lives. To recognize our true friends and our true enemies. And why is it so important that we get this distinction? Because Noah blindness almost always leads to Noah moments. Let’s take a look at how things turn out between the people and Noah.
NOAH MOMENTS
Sometimes one of the best things you can do when you study the scriptures to really help them come alive for you is to put yourself into them. To put yourself in their sandals and imagine what it would have been like if you were there. I want you to picture this. Let’s pick up the story in chapter 19. Some of the people have already begun to get their vision back and are beginning to oppose King Noah. At the forefront of this, you have a man named Gideon and he sets out to assassinate the king. He chases King Noah up the tower and he’s about to slay him when Noah looks out and sees a giant army of Lamanites approaching. That’s where he begs for his life and basically says, Gideon, don’t kill me, the people will listen to me, I need to lead them to safety”. Although he’s only concerned for his own safety. So imagine this. You’re in your home with your spouse and your children when you hear the warning trumpet sounds. You jump to your feet and rush out the door to see what’s happening. The word spreads fast, the Lamanites are coming, the Lamanites are coming. So I’ll use myself as an example. Since I’m a father, I picture myself taking my wife and children and running out of the house. We head to the central plaza of the city where our hero, our leader, our king shouts “An innumerable army of Lamanites will be here soon, we need to run into the hills as fast as we can!” So we turn to follow Noah out the city gates in the opposite direction of the Lamanite forces. And we're running and running. And I can hear the battle cries of the Lamanites getting closer and closer. Now for me, I can imagine that I can run for some time and I may be able to get away. But I have a 7-year-old son and a 9-year-old daughter. I don’t think they can outrun a Lamanite army. I’m not sure if my wife could outrun a Lamanite army of seasoned warriors. So I grab my wife by the hand and I’m pulling her along and I pick up my 7-year-old son in my arms. And that slows us down. We can’t keep up the pace. King Noah looks behind and sees this and decides to issue this “manly” order, “Leave the women and children, save yourselves”. Now in the heat of that terrifying moment, I'm so used to heeding King Noah, so accustomed to following his lead, that I actually do what he commands, I do the unimaginable. I drop my wife’s hand, put my son on the ground, and take off in a full sprint after my King. And lo and behold the sounds of battle start to fade into the distance, I’m going to make it! I’m going to get away. And after I feel I’ve outrun them and I’m safe, I stop to catch my breath, with all the other men of the city around me. And then, it hits me. What have I done? How could I have abandoned my family, knowing what usually happens to women and children at the hands of an opposing army? Now they don’t kill them, the women plead for their lives and the Lamanites have mercy on them, but you don’t know that. You think the worst. So you say, "my gosh, we have to go back, and as you turn towards the city, you hear a familiar voice cry out, “No, I command you to stay, you need to protect me”. And now everybody turns to “SEE” the man making that demand. And this time, we “see” him for what he really is. Because understand, Noah Blindness is a special kind of condition. It’s temporary. It rarely lasts forever. And now their vision has returned with crystal clarity. Now has Noah changed? Is he any different than he was before? No, he’s the same person. They’re having what I call a Noah Moment. Noah moments are very painful. They are the moment when our vision returns and we recognize the Noah’s for what they really are.
Some modern-day examples of Noah moments:
The moment when we realize we’re addicted to drugs, tobacco, pornography, or alcohol.
The moment when a young man or young woman realizes that they are going to be teen parents.
The moment when we’re caught in a lie and we’ve lost trust.
The moment when we've lost everything through gambling.
The look on our spouse’s or children’s faces when they find out we’ve been unfaithful.
The moment we're arrested for doing something illegal.
And then, the ultimate Noah moment, at the final judgment, when we see Satan for what he really is and that we’ve forfeited our exaltation.
Perhaps share some examples of individuals you know who have experienced Noah Moments.
And that’s why I plead with all to learn to recognize the Abinadis and the Noahs of their lives. To trust the Seers. I wish that the church could just invent a special pair of glasses that we could hand out to those suffering from Noah Blindness, to help them to see who really has their best interest at heart; before we suffer those painful Noah moments, to help us to recognize those that have the ability to see the long term sources of happiness, and those that, as the scriptures describe, are more concerned about themselves than our welfare.
LIKENING THE SCRIPTURES
Am I being blinded by any Noah’s? If so, what will I do about it?
Are there any possible Noah moments in my future? Is there anything I can do now to prevent them or lessen their impact?
How can I listen more closely to the SEERS?
I pray that that distinction will ever be clear in your eyes and that we can all listen to the prophets, the leaders, the righteous loving parents, and the Holy Spirit so that we will be protected from the influence of the King Noahs and the tragedy of Noah moments.
THE AMULONS OF OUR LIVES
Well, now there is a shift in the story. There’s no more Noah, but we still have Amulon and those wicked priests and don’t forget Alma and his people out there in the land of Helam who got out of the city before the whole Lamanite attack. When the wicked priests see King Noah being burned they decide that they probably ought to skip town before things get bad for them. I feel that Amulon and the wicked priests have another important lesson to teach us about sin. And there is a fairly balanced message for us here. There is the message of warning and the message of hope. We need both. We need that balance lest we become too discouraged or too complacent. Let’s begin with the message of warning.
For this section, if you’re a teacher, you could approach this as a study guide sheet and allow your students the chance to discover some principles on their own. Handout Available at https://www.etsy.com/shop/TeachingWithPower
Remember, with handouts like this, we’re less concerned about getting the “correct” answer, as we are about encouraging students to think about the scriptures. With the scriptures, there is rarely only one right answer. But allow me to lead you through some truths that I’ve discovered.
ICEBREAKER
Discussion: Why do you think it is foolish to justify sin by saying “You can always repent?”
That’s a good discussion starter with many different possible answers and a good lead into this story.
TRANSITION
King Noah’s people and Amulon and the wicked priests will teach us a very important reason why we should never justify sin by saying “Hey, go ahead, You can always repent”. Now the statement is basically true, isn’t it? We can always repent as long as we have not faced our final judgment. The power of Christ’s atonement is ever there to rescue us and restore our worthiness when we turn to him with real intent. We don’t want to downplay that truth, but we definitely don’t want to use Christ’s grace as an excuse to sin. Still, as powerful as repentance is, there is something that it’s not capable of doing.
SEARCH
Take a look at the following verses and list the problems that they cause the people.
Mosiah 20:6-7
Mosiah 21:20-21
Mosiah 24:8-11
Mosiah 20:6-7
In the first verses, we see that Limhi’s people are falsely accused and attacked by the Lamanites because of the actions of Amulon and his priests.
Mosiah 21:20-21
Amulon and his priests would come into their land at night and steal from them and carry away their grain and precious things.
Mosiah 24:8-11
And then for Alma, once Amulon is put in charge over them, how do they treat them?
He exercises authority over him, and persecutes him and lays heavy tasks or burdens upon them.
The people suffer great affliction and begin to pray, but Amulon makes a decree that anybody who is found calling upon God should be put to death. So they’re not even able to pray out loud. Amulon makes the lives of Alma and his people absolutely miserable.
And what lesson do you suppose this teaches us about sin?
Remember that these men use to be their heroes. They used to idolize them. Now how do they feel about them? They want nothing to do with them. They want them out of their lives, but the consequences of their decisions are coming back to haunt them later. That’s the problem with sin. Out in the wilderness, the Amulons of our lives circle and sometimes return at times when we would very much like to be rid of them. With Alma’s people, when Amulon shows up on the scene, they’ve already repented, they’ve been forgiven, they’ve been baptized. And yet, Amulon shows up and causes them many problems.
Can you see why it’s foolish to justify sin with the “You can always repent” line? Because the Amulons of our lives don’t like to let us go. The consequences of our previous choices can show up at the most inopportune times, even after we have repented. Repentance can do so much for us and will make us spiritually spotless. But in many cases, it can’t change the natural consequences of our decisions, at least in this life.
(Share some examples you’ve seen of returning Amulons)
Do you understand what I mean by Amulons? And why it’s so important for us not to justify sin. And I don’t believe that God is really behind it, meting out punishments with anger. I believe in the old saying that we are punished by our sins rather than for them.
THE HOPE
Now that’s the message of warning. How about the message of hope. I told you we needed both.
And what’s the hope? Both Limhi’s people and Alma’s people eventually get back to Zarahemla. They both escape the influence of Amulon and rejoin the people of God, who it says, receive them with joy. Like the prodigal son returning to his father, God and his church are ever ready to welcome you back as sons and daughters of God, not slaves or servants, with your sins that might have even been as scarlet, turned as white as snow. You can read about how those escapes took place in Mosiah 22 and Mosiah 24. And even though we may have to face the Amulons of our lives for a time, ultimately, through the atonement and resurrection, even they will eventually be eliminated.
CHEERFULLY AND WITH PATIENCE
I want you to draw a comparison between Limhi’s people and Alma’s people in the midst of their bondage. I believe they teach us something critical about the true attitude of repentance.
Read the following sets of verses and compare their attitudes and which course of action do you think God prefers?
Limhi’s people in Mosiah 21:1-12 and Alma’s people in Mosiah 24:10-16
And what you’ll find is that Limhi’s people try very hard to free themselves from their consequences. They murmur and complain and they fight against them. They go to battle against the Lamanites 3 times and each time they are defeated.
Is there a lesson in that?
Sometimes our attitude towards repentance is one of complaint and fighting. We try to free ourselves. Maybe we feel we don’t need the help of others, or the priesthood or God to solve our problems, we can do it on our own. Or if we do go to the priesthood, do we murmur or reject or fight against the counsels of priesthood leaders or complain about restrictions that may be placed on our membership. As a bishop, you sometimes have to explain the natural consequences of people's choices, the things they might face, certain counsels and corrections they will need to perform, and effort that will need to be expended, and even at times, some church disciplinary measures to implement. If people fight against these things, it is perhaps a good indicator that a heart has not yet truly changed, and more time and effort will be required.
But look at Alma’s people. What was their attitude to their burdens?
In vs. 12 they pour out their hearts to God. And this excellent phrase in vs. 15, they did submit cheerfully and with patience to all the will of the Lord. It says they had great faith and patience. And because they are willing to do that, God eases their burdens, and makes them light, and visits them in their afflictions, and strengthens them. This is the true attitude of repentance. I’m certain that when we submit to god’s will with patience, he does help ease our burdens. Those consequences and Amulons that show up, he comforts us in those things, even the things the can’t change and gives us the strength to bear up under them. And since Alma’s people get to that point so quickly, how long is it before they are freed? Not very long. And they are delivered.
But what about Limhi’s people? Do they ever get to that point?
They do. After the fighting, look at how their attitude changes in 21:13-16, and 31-35. Can you see the attitude of true repentance in them now?
They too humble themselves, and subject and submit themselves, and cry mightily to God. And they too have their burdens eased and begin to prosper by degrees. As we repent, by degrees, or little by little we too will begin to see the healing process take effect and blessings return.
In vs. 31 they say that they would have gladly joined themselves with the members of the church and they make a covenant with God to keep His commandments. One of the attitudes of a truly repentant person is a desire to join yourself to God’s church and his people. To engage fully with that community. And to make covenants, they miss the sacrament, they miss the temple, they want those blessings restored to them again.
But, another great phrase, they did wait upon the Spirit of the Lord, and in 35, prolonged the time.
Sometimes repentance takes time as does escaping our Amulons. Changing our hearts completely is a process and we need to be patient and diligent until our complete deliverance comes. Sometimes we get impatient. We want the consequences to be removed now. We live in a quick-fix world. We think in terms of seconds instead of months or years. Sometimes we need to “prolong the time” and wait upon the Spirit of the Lord" before we take the sacrament again, or go to the temple or serve a mission, or be freed from our Amulons. But if we are patient, eventually we will find ourselves rejoicing once again with the walls of Zarahemla.
LIKENING THE SCRIPTURES
Do I need to repent and turn my heart back to God?
How can I foster the true attitude of repentance?
Am I willing to submit cheerfully and with patience to all the will of the Lord?
Am I willing to wait upon the Spirit for the Lord to deliver me?
CONCLUSION
If you’ve left Zarahemla, please come back and I know that you will be welcomed with joy. There may be some work ahead, some burdens to bear, and you may have to wait upon the Spirit of the Lord, but you will make it back. I plead with all of you, especially the youth to learn from these people’s mistakes. Don’t go down the same road. Trust the vision of the seers, the Abinadis, your real friends. May the Noah moments be few and far between in your life. May you escape your Amulons, and always harbor the true attitude of repentance, submitting cheerfully and with patience to all the will of the Lord in your journeys back to Zarahemla.
