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LESSON #1 KING NOAH BLINDNESS
OBJECT
Bring in a blindfold or a bandanna and just hold on to that until later in the lesson.
ICEBREAKER
Then for an icebreaker, I always like to begin this lesson with a quick survey. And I ask: Which of your five senses would you least like to lose? Which would be the worst?
Hearing
Smell
Taste
Touch
Sight
Now I’ve performed this survey with many classes over the years and without fail, there is one answer that always gets the most votes. Which do you think it would be? The answer is sight. To the vast majority of people, going blind would be the worst thing they could imagine . And that is where I would place my vote as well. I can’t imagine losing my sight. Not being able to see the outdoors that I love so much or to see the faces of my wife and children. I love art and sculpture and watching great movies. Blindness would just prove an incredibly difficult trial to me, as I imagine it would for most.
At this point, if you wanted, you could call a student forward and blindfold them in front of the class. Then ask them how you think that person’s day would go from then on if they remained blindfolded. What might be the results? Well, not being used to it or receiving any kind of training or practice, they would probably get lost, need a lot of help, lose things, and more than likely, get hurt by bumping into things or walking into dangerous environments. That experiment could very well end in tragedy.
Well, can you imagine anybody intentionally blinding themselves? Taking their own eyesight? Maybe some of you are familiar with the Greek tragedy Oedipus Rex where at the conclusion of the story, he blinds himself, which is a pretty disturbing scene, in my opinion. And I say, I don’t care how bad things have gotten, why on earth you do such a thing to yourself. 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. We’re going to call it King Noah blindness and over the years I’ve met a number of individuals afflicted with it. In fact, I’ve found that young people are more particularly susceptible to this disease. Therefore, I feel that this is a very important and relevant lesson for youth. And the way they usually contract this disease is because they meet a Noah, which eventually leads them to go Noah blind. What do I mean by that? Let’s find out.
SEARCH
Who was King Noah first of all? King Noah is Zeniff’s son. The Zeniff we spoke about last week that decides to lead a group of people out of Zarahemla to settle in Lamanite controlled lands. And that seems to work for a time until the Lamanites attack and try to take their city over. The city of Lehi-Nephi. And under Zeniff’s righteous leadership, they are victorious. We see them praying to God for strength (Mosiah 9:17), they are described as hard workers (Mosiah 10:4-5), and they put their trust in the Lord in their battles against the Lamanites (Mosiah 10:19). So, the Lord is on their side and things are going well. But then, Noah is going to undo all of that. In fact, look how his father Zeniff concludes his record in Mosiah 10:22, and I’ll read it with my own emphasis.
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.
Umm, that’s the way I read it, especially if you know what’s coming next in the story. Perhaps Zeniff knew something about his son’s character and has some reservations about his people’s future. Who knows.
But let’s take a closer look at King Noah’s character. What kind of a man was he? Mark everything you learn about him in Mosiah 11:1-7, and 14-15 in a specific color.
You could mark many things in these verses, but here are some that stood out to me.
11:1 He does not walk after the ways of his father. He didn’t follow his Father’s righteous example.
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
11:3 he taxes the people heavily and takes 1/5th of all they own to support his lavish and lustful lifestyle.
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 pride of their hearts. So he finds people that will tell him what he wants to hear and uphold his questionable decisions. A group of “yes” men who are also thoughtlessly looking to their own self-interest.
11:6 he’s lazy, idolatrous, so not only is he idle, he also worships idols.
11:14 sets his heart on riches, riotous living, harlots.
11:15 Makes wine in abundance, and becomes a wine bibber (which is really kind of a fun word to say, isn’t it? Try it!) or that’s somebody who drinks a lot of wine. He’s a bit of an alcoholic.
An interesting study would be to compare King Noah’s style of leadership to King Benjamin’s. I mean, he’s a complete opposite or foil to the way King Benjamin did things. Where King Benjamin led 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. Where King Benjamin labored with his own hands, Noah causes the people to “labor exceedingly to support” his iniquity and laziness. And we find a telling phrase in 1:4 where we learn that “he had changed the affairs of the kingdom”. And not for the better, but far worse.
Therefore, looking at that list, how do you imagine the people feel about King Noah? 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. And what’s the standard or definition of heavy taxation. In vs. 5 we find that they are being taxed of 1/5 of all they own. That’s a heavy tax according to the Book of Mormon. I mean, can you imagine, a government that takes over 20% of all you own! Oh, wait a second, no comment on the US tax system, uh, we’ll avoid that topic.
And then, 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 lifestyles? Uh, again, no comment on US politics. But, in that case, 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 could probably see yourself getting behind somebody like that right?
So obviously the people of Lehi-Nephi despise Noah and oppose him and try to get him out of power right? No, they don’t. These are some of the most interesting people you’ve ever met. They actually love this guy. They support him. They defend him. They think he’s great! Along with his wicked priests. They’re big fans, They think they’re awesome. These are very peculiar people.
Why do you think they support them though? I think the answer to that 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 their natural man wants to hear. The worst part of themselves. They are what the scriptures call soothsayers. That’s a great descriptive word. 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. Concubines and immorality? There’s nothing wrong with that. Give in to your lusts. It’s only natural. Materialism? Get as much as you can. Every man for himself. Do what feels good. Life’s a party, eat drink and be merry for tomorrow we die! Because you see, there’s an interesting dynamic between beliefs and behavior. When our behavior doesn’t match up with our beliefs, that makes us uneasy, uncomfortable. It’s hard to deal with the cognitive dissonance there. So there are two solution to that discord. One, I can seek to change my behavior to align more with what I believe, and also rely on the mercy and merits of Jesus Christ and his atonement to fill in that gap. That’s one way to do it. That was King Benjamin’s approach with his people. But there’s another strategy available to us, isn’t there. What is it? I can change my beliefs to match my behavior. I can lower my expectations for myself, and excuse and justify my behavior. That’s what Noah and his wicked priests are doing. That’s what I think the scriptures mean here by vain and flattering words. Let’s bring that bar down so that we can do what our natural man wants to do, while seeking to convince our spirits that there’s nothing wrong with it. I mean, the priests are saying these things and they’re the so-called “religious” leaders. They tell them flattering things. We also see a source of vanity in verse 19 after they are successful in warding off yet another Lamanite attack.
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.
Do you see the problem there? We’re better than everybody else. We’re better than the Lamanites. We’re strong enough on our own that we don’t even need God as a crutch to help us. And sadly I feel the people are victims here to bad leadership. They are being led into wickedness with thee vain, idolatrous, and flattering words of their king and priests. Verse 29, though, I believe really says it best. It sums up the heart of the problem. What is it? “The eyes of the people were blinded". They don’t see what’s really happening here. They don’t see the deception, or they choose not to see it, to ignore it.
LIKEN THE SCRIPTURES
Let’s pause for a moment to liken the scriptures. Who are some of the Noah’s and wicked priests of our lives? Have you ever met one before? A Noah is anyone who seeks to convince you to drop your standards. To lower your beliefs. To excuse and justify sin in the name of freedom, pride, and indulgence. So a good young man might start hanging out with a new group of friends. A Noah and his wicked priests begin to exert a negative 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. These flattering influences encourage them to change their beliefs to meet a new, more carnally pleasing standard. They become blinded to the truth.
THE SOLUTION-THE VISION OF SEERS
Well, despite their poor choices, God continues to love these people and refuses to stand by and just let them flounder. They’re his children, and He knows where that path of sin eventually leads. So he’s got to try something to rescue them before things get ugly. What does he do then? He sends them help, in the form of a person. Not to judge them, not to condemn them, but to warn and instruct and seek to inspire them to change, to turn back to God and repent. Who does he send in vs. 20? He sends Abinadi. And Abinadi is a prophet. But I would use a different title for a prophet in this particular case. Prophet is the most common term we use when it comes to these special representatives of God, but there are others. What do you need when you’re blind? I’d like to invite you jump back to Mosiah chapter 8 like I promised you last week we would. And we’re going to look for another term for a prophet that fits very well into this story. See if you can find that word in Mosiah 8:13-17. This title appears at least four times in those verses. What is it?
A SEER. When you’re blind, you need a seer, or a see-er. That’s the gist of that word. In English, when we want to take a verb and change it into a description of a person that does that action, we just add an -er suffix to the end of it. So somebody who swims is a swimmer. Somebody who runs is a runner. Somebody who speaks is a speaker. Therefore, somebody who sees is a see-er. But you can’t have three e’s in a word, it looks silly, looks wrong. So we drop one of the E’s and just say, seer. And what does a seer see?
Ammon helps us to understand that calling better. So an activity. A spider graph. I’m going to put the word SEER in the middle of the page, and then encourage you to study Mosiah 8:13-18 fill in as many things that these verses teach us about SEERS as you can. And don’t feel limited by the number of circles there are on the handout. Add more if you need to.
Here are some possibilities:
They can translate records as a gift from God. Now that can be literal, as in the case of Joseph Smith and the gold plates, or here with Mosiah and the twenty-four Jaredite plates. But more generally and symbolically speaking—what does it mean to translate something. It’s where you take something that people don’t or can’t understand and make it understandable. That’s what seers do. They take difficult concepts, societal problems, decisions and make them understandable to us, as a gift from God.
Now when Ammon tells Limhi that seers have this ability, this gift, he comes to a conclusion. “A seer is greater than a prophet”. And Ammon corrects him and say, “no, no, a seer is a revelator and a prophet”. All these terms go together. Seers are prophets, prophets are seers. And they are revelators. What does it mean to be a revelator? A revelator is one who reveals things. So that term goes hand in hand with the term seer, because what does a seer do with what he sees? He reveals what he sees to others. It wouldn’t do much good for a seer to just see things for himself. So he shares those things that he sees. And he is a prophet. A prophet is “one regarded as a proclaimer of the will of God”
They can know of things which are past. Sometimes we struggle to make sense of past events or things in scripture, or Church History. Seers can clarify those things. They can see their meaning, impact, and purpose. They can know of things which are to come. That’s why seers or prophets are sometimes, in scripture, compared to watchmen on a tower. They have an elevated perspective. They can see dangers where the average person can’t. So they warn us, and encourage us to be prepared for coming difficulties or evils.
There are many examples we can find in church history of a prophet’s ability to see ahead of their time. The Word of Wisdom was given in a day far preempting the “evils and designs which do and will exist in the hearts of conspiring men in the last days”. David O. McKay’s emphasis and dedication to family values came before the anti-family, counter-culture movement of the 60’s. Spencer W. Kimball’s charge to lengthen our stride in missionary work came before large parts of the world were even open to missionary labor. The Family Proclamation was issued in a day far before the mainstream of America began to challenge many of its core principles. And who can doubt but that the many changes to church policy and practice in recent years has come as a result of a foresight and foreknowledge that we can’t completely grasp right now. Time will surely tell. And then, on a more personal level. They warn us about the consequences of certain actions or sins that we may not be able to see with our limited vision. The For the Strength of Youth pamphlet is full of these kinds of prophecies. They encourage the youth and all of us to be very careful about the decisions we make and help us to consider the possible future outcomes of those decisions. Because they can see them, whereas others in the world may not see them as issues. They look across the horizon and say, “I don’t see any problem with that. I don’t see what’s wrong with going there, saying that, or living that way.” And the seer responds, “You’re right. You don’t see. So trust someone who does.” Seers have a God-given gift to tell of things which are to come. You may have noticed that prophets often don’t seem to be with the times. That’s because they aren’t. They’re ahead of their time, though, not behind it.
More qualities. By them shall all things be revealed. They can bring secret or hidden things to light. They can make things known which otherwise could not be known.
They can work mighty miracles. And then my favorite description or quality of a seer. They become a great benefit to their fellow beings. Can you see why SEERS are so important to God’s plan. And yet sadly, and coinciding with our theme of eyesight, in the middle of Mosiah 8:20 “yea, and how blind and impenetrable are the understandings of the children of men.” So sad that people choose blindness when a SEER is clearly available to them.
REJECTING THE SEERS
And what’s Abinadi’s message? I’ll just summarize Mosiah 11:20-25 and point out that the words “except they repent” show up at least four times. The message is a clear warning. You need to change. This road you’re traveling down leads nowhere good. King Noah is not your friend; he’s leading you into bondage.
And how do they treat him? How do the Noah blind often react to those who lovingly, yet forcefully confront them? Verses 26-29.
26 Now it came to pass that when Abinadi had spoken these words unto them they were wroth with him, and sought to take away his life; but the Lord delivered him out of their hands.
27 Now when king Noah had heard of the words which Abinadi had spoken unto the people, he was also wroth; and he said: Who is Abinadi, that I and my people should be judged of him, or who is the Lord, that shall bring upon my people such great affliction?
28 I command you to bring Abinadi hither, that I may slay him, for he has said these things that he might stir up my people to anger one with another, and to raise contentions among my people; therefore I will slay him.
29 Now the eyes of the people were blinded; therefore they hardened their hearts against the words of Abinadi, and they sought from that time forward to take him. And king Noah hardened his heart against the word of the Lord, and he did not repent of his evil doings.
You see it again in Mosiah 12 when Abinadi returns a second time after they cast him out. This time in disguise. Which I always kind of chuckle when I read 12:1 and the first words out of Abinadi’s mouth are “Thus the Lord commanded me saying—Abinadi, go and prophesy”. So, he immediately blows his cover. Although, somebody once suggested to me that perhaps the disguise was just to get back into the city, and now he doesn’t care if he gets arrested or not. In fact, he wants to be brought before King Noah and the wicked priests because he has message for them. But look what the people say this time in 12:13-14
13 And now, O king, what great evil hast thou done, or what great sins have thy people committed, that we should be condemned of God or judged of this man?
14 And now, O king, behold, we are guiltless, and thou, O king, hast not sinned; therefore, this man has lied concerning you, and he has prophesied in vain.
Again, he’s judging us and you King Noah. Thou mayest do with him as seemeth thee good. And we know that eventually, after giving his speech, which we’ll study next week, they burn him in chapter 17.
LIKEN THE SCRIPTURES
Now let’s pause and draw a comparison here. Liken the scriptures. How are people today, especially young people, like King Noah’s people here? Just like them, God will often send an Abinadi, somebody who can see the negative influence, somebody with clearer perspective and vision, to warn and confront them. 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, I really feel 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. I’m not sure these “friends” are really your friends.” I don’t think this action you’re taking is a positive one. And they offer warnings and counsels, much like Abinadi.
But what frequently happens when the Noah blind are confronted? They defend their Noah’s. They get angry at the parent or the church leader, or the friend. They use the same defenses Noah’s people used. "Stop judging my friends, 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 they get wroth, and seek to silence that voice. You know, run to your room, and slam the door. Leave home. Stop going to church. Ignore the prophet’s counsels. And they just don’t realize that they are suffering from Noah Blindness.
And I ask you, in the story, who really has the people’s best interest at heart? Who really cares about them? Abinadi. Abinadi is their greatest ally, their real friend. And who is the real enemy? Noah and the wicked priests. They’re just in it for themselves. Remember, they’re living high oh the hog on the taxes of the people. 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”. And that’s typically true of the Noah’s of our lives. They are self-interested, exploiting, and manipulative. They are more concerned about getting what they want out of the relationship than you.
TRUTH
And that brings me to what I feel is the major message and truth from this story. We must learn to SEE the difference between the Noah’s and the Abinadi’s of our lives. To recognize our true friends and our true enemies. And why? Why is that so critical . . . because Noah blindness almost always leads to Noah moments. What does that mean? Well 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. So 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 trumpets sound. 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. And I imagine that my 20-year-old son and my 17-year-old son could make it. But I have an 11-year-old son and a 13-year-old daughter. And I’m not so sure they can outrun a Lamanite army. I don’t think my wife could outrun a Lamanite army of seasoned warriors. But I grab my wife by the hand and my daughters hand in the other and I encourage my youngest son to stay ahead of us and run as fast as he can. And that all 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, I drop my daughters hand, I push past my youngest son, and I 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 really do “see” him for what he is. Because, understand, Noah Blindness is a special kind of condition. It’s temporary. It rarely lasts forever. And now, in that moment, their vision has returned with crystal clarity. Now has Noah changed at all? Is he any different than he was before? No, he’s the same person. It’s their perspective that has changed. 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.
I remember a former student who started hanging out with some what I would call undesirable friends, some Noah’s. And this was a very good boy. And his parents, his church leaders and others tried to warn him about their character, but he defended them. Well, one of their greatest amusements just happened to be shoplifting. They loved the rush it gave them to try and get away with it without getting caught. Well, these friends finally convinced this student of mine to try it, to steal a jacket from a nearby clothing store and he got caught. A string of shoplifting incidents had put the employees on high alert, and they saw him. And his Noah moment came as the police surrounded him and he got hauled away in a patrol car. The moment came when he had to face his parents. It came when he realized that this incident would probably prohibit him from serving a mission, which was a plan and a desire that he’d had since he was young. Now fortunately, since it was a first offense, and he had no record prior to this, the sentence was eased and he was able to serve a mission, but I remember talking to him later and him saying something like “I can’t believe I was so stupid, I just got caught up in the moment and the pressure. He was Noah blind, but now he could see those friends for what they really were. His vision cleared. The vision his parents, and church leaders and others could see all along.
I remember a young woman who had begun a romantic relationship with a young man that everybody else could recognize was not good for her. And her parents, and bishop, and friends, and her seminary teacher all reached out with love to warn and counsel. And they became the enemy. I was told I was being judgmental. That same young woman, a year later was pregnant, at age 16. And the boy, shortly thereafter ended things. Wanted nothing to do with her. She ended up hating him. Which is often very common in these kinds of situations. The blinded frequently end up despising those complicit in their blindness. She came back and said, “Life was so much easier before all of this.”
Which is exactly what happens in our story. The people end up burning King Noah. Which is really ironic that that’s who does it. The people burn him. Abinadi prophesied that Noah’s life would be “valued” as a garment in a hot furnace back in Mosiah 12:3. Valued is a deeply ironic word. Because at the time Abinadi says it, they do value him and think he’s the best. But eventually they will value him as much as somebody cares about an old piece of dirty clothing thrown into the fire.
TRUTH
Let’s finish our truth then. We must learn to recognize the difference between the Noah’s and the Abinadi’s of our lives, because Noah blindness leads to Noah moments.
And that’s why I plead with all my children, my students, my friends to learn to recognize the Abinadi’s and the Noah’s. 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 they 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.
TAKING IT TO HEART
Some questions to ponder then:
Is it possible that I am being blinded by any Noah’s at this time? 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?
THE TAKEAWAY
I pray that the distinction between the Noah’s and the seers will ever be clear in our eyes and that we will all trust the seers, the prophets, the church leaders, the righteous loving parents, and the Holy Spirit, so that we will be protected from the influence of the King Noah’s and the pain and tragedy of Noah moments. May those moments be few and far between in our lives.
LESSON #2 THE AMULONS OF OUR LIVES
Well now we’re going to make a little shift in our lesson. We’re going to take our focus off of King Noah and turn it towards his buddies, those wicked priests of his. And without Noah as their leader, a different man steps up to take command. Amulon. Amulon and the wicked priests. And I love what my dad says about them. He thinks that would make a great name for a heavy metal rock band, Amulon and the wicked priests. I could see that. Let’s see if Amulon and the wicked priests can teach us an additional lesson about sin. When the wicked priests see King Noah being burned they decide that they probably ought to skip town before things turn ugly for them.
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. 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
I like to begin this portion of the lesson with the following Icebreaker question. Why do you think it’s 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.
King Noah’s people and Amulon and the wicked priests will teach us a very important reason for 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 for heaven’s sake, don’t 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
So, I want you to see the effect that Amulon and the wicked priest’s actions have on both Limhi’s people and Alma’s people. And on the study guide, you’ll see that there are some summaries available to remind your students what has happened to both groups. So for Limhi’s people, remember that they are in bondage to the Lamanites at this point and are being forced to pay a tribute of half of all they own. Well the wicked priests decide that they need wives, and they kidnap 24 daughters of the Lamanites and carry them off into the wilderness. Now what happens to Limhi’s people because of that. And then, remember that Alma and those that had believed in his teachings had escaped from King Noah and his patrols before the Lamanites attack the land of Lehi-Nephi and King Noah gets burned. And they’ve established themselves off in the land of Helam and are living in peace and prosperity while things have taken a turn for the worst back in the city. Sadly, however, as one of the Lamanite patrols is out scouring the wilderness to try and find the wicked priests, not only do they find THEM, but they also stumble upon Alma and his people. And they put them into bondage with Amulon and the wicked priests as their taskmasters. So take a look at the following verses and list the problems that Amulon and the wicked priests are going to cause both groups of people.
Mosiah 20:6-7
Mosiah 21:20-21
Mosiah 24:8-11
In 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.
Also, we learn in Mosiah 21:20-21 that Amulon and his priests would come into their land at night and steal from them and carry away their grain and precious things. They are certainly the cause for a lot of suffering among Limhi’s people.
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 like wolves and then pounce and 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 even been baptized. And yet, Amulon shows up, and causes them much pain and hardship.
TRUTH
The consequences of our sins can be stubborn and persistent and may come back to haunt us even after we’ve repented.
Can you see then why it’s so 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 to harass us at the most inopportune of 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.
For example. My grandpa spent much of his life smoking and drinking alcohol and living a very unhealthy lifestyle. But in his later years, he changed, he repented, and I believe there is a place in the Celestial kingdom for Grandpa Wilcox. But did that change of heart bring his health back? It didn’t, it couldn’t, and he had many, many health problems in his old age as a direct result of those former decisions.
I’ve known of a number of young people who have made moral mistakes, and that decision has forever affected their future relationships and families.
Individuals who end up in prison may truly have a change of heart. I know of inmates whose repentance is genuinely sincere and I believe that God forgives them. But they still have to serve out their sentence.
And then, if our poor decisions hurt other people, we can’t turn back the hands of time and remove the pain and hurt. We can try and it can help, but we can't take it back.
THE TAKEAWAY
So do you understand what I mean by Amulons? And why it’s so important for us not to justify or minimize sin. And I’m not saying that God is up there angrily meting out punishments for sin. Rather, I’m a believer of the old saying that we are more often punished by our sins than for them. Hopefully, a realization of this principle can help to serve as motivation and strength when temptation crosses our paths. Realizing the fact that even repentance can’t always remedy the consequences should help us to be wiser and more cautious.
Now that’s the message of warning. And I know, if there are individuals out there that have already made serious mistakes, and are already suffering the consequences, they may not find that principle very helpful.
Like , “Gee, thanks, Brother Wilcox, so nothing I can do is going to change the consequences of my sins? I feel so uplifted.” No, no, there’s an incredible message of hope in this story as well. It’s not all doom and gloom. And what’s the hope? Both Limhi’s people and Alma’s people eventually do 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. The point is this though. Even though we may have to face the Amulons of our lives for a time, ultimately, through the atonement and resurrection of Jesus Christ, even they will eventually be eliminated. And though, we may even have to wait until the next life to be fully freed from our Amulons, that blessing can come too. Heavenly Father runs quite the recovery ward. And though, I don’t think I can explain exactly how the Atonement of Christ can fix all of the consequences of our poor choices into the next life, I have a profound faith that it can. That it can heal broken relationships, lost trusts, lost blessings, and solve the most complicated of challenges. When we decide to turn our hearts back to God, he can assure us that we will get back to Zarahemla, no matter how thick the jungle, no matter how long the path. We’ll get there. And we will live in happiness and peace with the people of God.
LESSON #3 CHEERFULLY AND WITH PATIENCE
One final brief lesson that I’d like to cover with you this week about that return to Zarahemla. There’s a great lesson about repentance to be learned by comparing Limhi’s people to Alma’s people in the midst of their bondage. They both teach us something critical about the attitude of true repentance.
OBJECT/ICEBREAKER
And for an object lesson and icebreaker, I like to bring out a whole bunch of different object lessons for sin. I tell them that I have four different object lessons and that I want them to decide which one is the best illustration of repentance and why and if there are any that they don’t feel are a good illustration of repentance. So I take a board and a nail and say: Sin. And I pound the nail into the board. Then I say “repentance” and I use the back of the hammer to pull the nail out. Then I take a clear cup full of water and say “Sin” and I drop some red food coloring into the water. Then I say “Repentance” and take some bleach and pour it into the cup, which will make the food coloring turn clear again. Then I ask if anyone has ever gotten sick or injured before. And of course they all say they have. Then I say, “Sickness is like sin”. Then I pull out a prescription bottle, or a bottle of medicine, or first aid kit, and say “Repentance”. And finally, I have in my backpacking supplies a water filter or purifier. So I’ll take a glass of obviously dirty water and say “Sin”. And then I’ll pump some water through the filter into another glass which comes out clear and drink it in front of everyone and say “Ahhhh, repentance”. Now which of those do you feel is the best representation of the principle of repentance? Then just let your students share. There are no right or wrong answers here. You just allow them to share their thoughts and insights.
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Whichever illustration you liked or didn’t like, now that I have you thinking about repentance, I’d like you to read the following sets of verses and compare the attitudes of two different groups of people who both found themselves in bondage as a result of their poor choices. How did they react to those conditions? What was their attitude towards their bondage? Towards the consequences of their sins? And up on the board, I’m going to make a little chart. I’ll just draw a line down the middle, and on one side we’re going to write down descriptions from these sections that illustrate the attitude of true repentance, and on the other we’ll write down descriptions of what we feel is not true repentance. Then we’re going to draw a line through the center of the board and in the bottom section we’re going to write down the results we see of these two attitudes.
We’ve got Limhi’s people in Mosiah 21:1-12 and Alma’s people in Mosiah 24:10-16. Go ahead and read those two sections and see what you can find.
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. We’re going to put those words on this side of the chart. They go to battle against the Lamanites 3 times and each time they’re defeated. Result: They are not able to free themselves from bondage. And they were beaten, driven back, slain, great mourning and lamentation, great fear, suffering much loss. That attitude just doesn’t work.
But look at Alma’s people. What was their attitude towards 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, results: God eases their burdens, and makes them light, and visits them in their afflictions, and strengthens them. This is the attitude and the results of true repentance.
LIKEN THE SCRIPTURES
Is there a lesson in these descriptions for us? How do people nowadays sometimes react like Limhi’s people to the consequences of their poor decisions? Or how do people nowadays sometimes react like Alma’s people to the consequences of their poor decisions? What might those look like today?
Well, for the Limhi’s people reaction. I think sometimes we may be tempted to have an attitude of complaint and fighting when it comes to the consequences, or our efforts to change. 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 or to change. We can do it on our own. Or if we do go to the priesthood, maybe 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 I sometimes had to explain the natural consequences of certain choices, the things they might face, and counsels and corrections I felt they needed to perform in order to help their hearts to change. And even at times, some church disciplinary measures to implement. Now fortunately, as a bishop, I only ever encountered humble and willing acceptance of those things. But I know that when my Dad served as a bishop, that he mentioned, not by name of course, individuals who got angry with him as a bishop when he felt they should wait before they returned to the temple or partake of the sacrament for a time. This is perhaps a good indicator that a heart has not yet truly changed, and more time and effort are required. Like Limhi’s people, do we try to fight against our consequences or God’s instructions on how to overcome them. I’m afraid that when we do that, we don’t get very far. In fact, we may even make things worse.
But when we submit to God’s will, like Alma’s people, cheerfully and with patience, he does help ease our burdens. This is when people have a “whatever it takes Bishop, I just want to make things right” kind of attitude. Or that go to the Lord and humble themselves before him and say, “Lord, what would thou have me to do?” And then do it. One of the greatest examples of that attitude I’ve ever seen was, as bishop, a young man came to me who had made some fairly serious mistakes in his life. But he wanted to change, and he wanted to serve a mission. And I tell you, he was just willing to do anything and everything he needed to do to change, and make up for the past. At church early every Sunday. Inviting non-member friends to come with him and to church activities. Studying his scriptures, attending institute, praying sincerely. This was an Alma’s people attitude at its best. And I’m happy to tell you, that he did get to the mission field. When we approach our repentance with that state of heart, when the Amulons start to show up, God comforts us in those things, even the things that we can’t change or the consequences that are more permanent in nature—he can give us strength to bear up under them. And since Alma’s people get to that point so quickly, how long is it before they’re freed? Not very long. They are delivered fairly quickly. As a bishop, when I saw individuals submitting cheerfully and with patience to all the will of the Lord, I knew that their repentance process would be quicker and less difficult. Because their hearts had already truly changed. They had broken hearts and contrite spirits.
But what about Limhi’s people? Do they ever get to that point? I want to show you this part. Because 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’ll give us some additional great phrases to add to the true repentance side.
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 may be tempted to get impatient. We want the consequences to be removed now because 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 begin to be freed from our Amulons. But if we are patient, eventually we will find ourselves rejoicing once again with the walls of Zarahemla.
TRUTH
When I find myself in the bondage of sin, if I submit cheerfully and with patience to all the will of the Lord, then he will ease my burdens, and deliver me in his time.
TAKING IT TO HEART
So maybe some personal questions for you to consider:
Is there anything I need to do to turn my heart back to God?
How can I foster the true attitude of repentance?
CONCLUSION
Well as I said in my last video. 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 get 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 Abinadi’s, your real friends. Avoid the Noah moments. Beware of the Amulons and if you ever find yourself in bondage, remember to nurture the attitude of true repentance, submitting cheerfully and with patience to all the will of the Lord. And then watch, as he eases your burdens and helps you to escape back to Zarahemla. Such a great story here in Mosiah. I pray that you’ve found as much personal meaning in these chapters as I have.
