Mosiah 18-24

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NOTE

Now, before we start digging into Abinadi’s message, I wanted to confess to you how difficult it was to decide what truths and ideas to emphasize and cover from these chapters. And that's typical of teaching the scriptures, there’s always more to teach than we have time as teachers to share. But these chapters seemed even more particularly challenging than usual.  Abinadi has a lot to say on a variety of different topics, but each is connected in an overarching, beautiful, and unified message. However, I’m afraid that the only way to really see that interconnected discourse, would be to study it verse by verse and chapter by chapter, and you’re not going to be able to do that in a lesson. But we can pull out and focus on certain portions of that message that we feel are most applicable and relevant for our students, and then, leave the rest for our students to discover in their own personal scripture study. So here is a quick list of some of the principles that I contemplated focusing on in this lesson but decided that we would have to leave behind. And if you’re teaching, perhaps you may decide to include some of these things that I left out. There’s a whole section in here on how the Law of Moses was a type or a shadow of Christ. There are some often misunderstood verses on how Christ is both the Father and the Son, and you could really dive deep into the meaning of that section to seek to clarify it. You could do a lesson on the first resurrection and who will be raised in that glorious event. You could do a lesson on how to become an enemy to God, and why that’s not a good idea. You could do a lesson on the methods and techniques that people use to try and discredit and dismiss the words of the prophets and how Abinadi stands as an example of how to resist those attacks and stand strong in the face of persecution. And from Mosiah 18, which is not part of Abinadi’s message, you could do a lesson the qualities that define the true Church. And I’m confident that all of these ideas and principles would yield much fruit.

Now, even though we are excluding all of that, you still probably won’t have time to cover everything that I have here. It depends on how many lessons you’re teaching from this section and how long those lessons are. But what I would do is write up a list of the different possible message you could study as a class. And then take a vote.  Which of the messages are they most interested in studying or discussing. Every class member gets to vote twice. And you go through the list and mark the different votes. Whichever sections get the most votes, are the ones you cover. And you just try to cover as many as you can with the time you’re granted.

So here are the options. We’ve got:

Flames or Freedom

Written in Your Hearts

Carrying Our Sorrows

Beautiful Feet

At the Waters of Mormon

FLAMES OR FREEDOM

ICEBREAKER

For an activity, display the following pictures and play a game of connections. Think of the stories these pictures represent and make a connection with one of the other pictures. Which stories go together or are connected in some way? When you’re done, you should have 3 pairs of pictures and be able to explain how they’re connected.

And what are the connections? We can connect the story of Abinadi being burned with the story of Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego being saved from the flames. Both stories involve fire. We can connect the story of Joseph Smith and Hyrum being martyred in prison, with the story of the brothers Lehi and Nephi being saved and delivered from prison. The connection is prison. And we can match the story of Daniel being saved from execution in the Lion’s den with the story of early Christians who were fed to lions in the Colosseum. Those pairs, I believe, can lead us to ask a very interesting question. Why is it that sometimes God rescues his prophets or his people, and sometimes he allows them to be harmed or killed? There are all kinds of stories like this throughout the scriptures. Why is Peter rescued from Herod’s clutches by an angel, but James is slain with the sword. Why is Samuel the Lamanite spared the rocks and arrows, but Paul is beheaded. Why do Joseph Smith and Hyrum die in Carthage, but John Taylor and Willard Richards are spared? Why are Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego spared the from the flames of the fiery furnace, but Abinadi burns? Good question, right? Teachers, let your students wrestle with that for a minute.

SEARCH

Then you can send them to Mosiah because Abinadi is an interesting case study for this particular question. See, Abinadi is actually an example of both within the same story. He is both spared and slain. As a class, read the following sets of verses together to see if they can offer some insight.

Mosiah 13:1-10

Mosiah 17:13-20

In the first set of verses we see that King Noah and his priests have every intention of killing him right then. But then, this is such a powerful scene, as he stands there as a prisoner, at the mercy of the most powerful people in his society, he gives an order with an authority far greater than the Kings, and commands:

3 Touch me not, (ooh, I love the power in that) for God shall smite you if ye lay your hands upon me, for I have not delivered the message which the Lord sent me to deliver; (and then this gem) neither have I told you that which ye requested that I should tell; (I really love that. Earlier, the wicked priests had asked him a question about some verses in Isaiah, and he’s like, uh, I haven’t answered your question yet, you asked me a question and you are going to get an answer, so back off). therefore, God will not suffer that I shall be destroyed at this time.

That’s a key phrase there. God will not suffer that I shall be destroyed  AT THIS TIME, for I have not delivered the message yet.

And then in verse 9. 9 But I finish my message; and then it matters not whither I go, if it so be that I am saved.

And we know what is going to happen, and whether he will be saved or not. In chapter 17 we have that tragic and terrible scene as we hear Abinadi’s last words. But he delivers his message right to the very end. While he’s burning, he’s prophesying. And, ooo, what a terrible way to die. Have you ever been burned in some way? For me, I accidentally touched a hot part of a pot on the stove and burned my finger. O, it was so painful, it blistered up almost immediately and pulsated for hours. I just can’t imagine feeling that kind of pain all over my body. But he’s true, and we have this beautiful concluding tribute to him in verse 20:

20 And now, when Abinadi had said these words, he fell, having suffered death by fire; yea, having been put to death because he would not deny the commandments of God, having sealed the truth of his words by his death.

WHY?

So God does spare Abinadi for a time as he does his other prophets, but then, allows Abinadi to be killed. But why? Why not save him? Why not spare him from such pain as God had with others? Because he plays favorites? Because those other prophets were more important? Because they were more righteous? Is it just random?  I believe that God will intervene and will protect his people if there is some work or purpose in mortality that it is necessary for them to fulfill. He will intervene in the affairs of men so to accomplish his purposes. So if there is an answered prayer, or miracle, or divine intervention, we can rest assured that it was done to help his work to move forward. If there was no answer, or miracle, or divine intervention, we can know that that was not necessary to accomplish his work, or that not providing the miracle accomplished his work. He spares the lives of his messengers so that they can deliver their message—so he can accomplish his work.  But God really tends to honor agency more often than not, even if it means the pain and death of his servants. So sometimes he steps in and suspends agency for a time. But after his servants have completed their work, sadly, their lives are at the mercy of their enemies. So what does that suggest about Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, or Daniel, or John Taylor, or Peter? Apparently, they still had a work to accomplish, a message to deliver. And what does that tell us about Joseph Smith, and Paul, and Abinadi? They completed their work. They accomplished what God intended them to accomplish, and therefore, the agency of man was honored.   Abinadi is protected by God, but only until his message to King Noah and the wicked priests was done. Then, the power of God’s protection fades, and he is eventually burned. Joseph Smith is another example of this, there were many instances in his life where he could have been killed, that it was very likely that he would be killed, but he miraculously escaped time and time again. But when Carthage came, Joseph felt that his work was done. At one point just months before the martyrdom he was quoted saying:

“Some have supposed that Brother Joseph could not die; but this is a mistake.  Having now accomplished [my work], I have not at present any lease of my life. I am as liable to die as other men."

Joseph Smith Jr.

(Truman G. Madsen, Joseph Smith the Prophet [Salt Lake City: Bookcraft, 1989], 110.)

This truth applies to more than just prophets apparently. Joseph Fielding Smith said the following:

"May I say for the consolation of those who mourn, and for the comfort and guidance of all of us, that no righteous man is ever taken before his time"

Joseph Fielding Smith

(address at the funeral of Elder Richard L. Evans, 4 Nov. 1971, 1)

TRUTH

God will protect his servants until their work is done.

WRITTEN IN YOUR HEARTS

ACTIVITY

For this one, a challenge. Challenge your class to name all of the ten commandments? And then you just write them on the board as they go. And if there are any that they struggle with, help them to fill them in using Mosiah 12:35-36, Mosiah 13:12-24. And once you have them all listed, I would say something along the following lines:

The ten Commandments are going to make up an important part of Abinadi’s message. And I want you to understand the context in which they’re being taught.

BACKGROUND

As Abinadi is being questioned and baited by Noah and the wicked priests, at one point in his interaction with them, he pauses and incredulously asks them in Mosiah 12:25:

25 . . . Are you priests, and pretend to teach this people? 

Because it is painfully obvious to him that they certainly don’t seem to understand the scriptures or what the gospel is all about. He’s like, you mean to tell me that YOU are the religious leaders of this people? And then later in verse 27 he further prods them by asking:

27 . . . what teach ye this people?

Their answer? Mosiah 12:28

28 And they said: We teach the law of Moses.

And Abinadi is going to pick up on that and basically say, “Oh really??? The law of Moses, huh. That’s what you’re teaching these people? Then read verses 29-33 with your students to continue that conversation.

29 And again he said unto them: If ye teach the law of Moses why do ye not keep it? Why do ye set your hearts upon riches? Why do ye commit whoredoms and spend your strength with harlots, yea, and cause this people to commit sin, that the Lord has cause to send me to prophesy against this people, yea, even a great evil against this people?

30 Know ye not that I speak the truth? Yea, ye know that I speak the truth; and you ought to tremble before God.

31 And it shall come to pass that ye shall be smitten for your iniquities, for ye have said that ye teach the law of Moses. And what know ye concerning the law of Moses? Doth salvation come by the law of Moses? What say ye?

32 And they answered and said that salvation did come by the law of Moses.

33 But now Abinadi said unto them: I know if ye keep the commandments of God ye shall be saved; yea, if ye keep the commandments which the Lord delivered unto Moses in the mount of Sinai, saying:

See, I imagine that the wicked priests were probably keeping the ceremonial law of the Law of Moses. They were more than likely doing the priestly duties that we see priests in the Old Testament doing. The sacrifices, the burning of incense, the prayers. But, they’re not living the gospel. They’re conveniently passing over the portion of the law that dictates righteous living. They weren’t wild about THAT part of the law.

So I love this—the bravery and boldness of Abinadi. It’s like he’s saying, “You really think you’re teaching the law of Moses?  I’m pretty sure there’s a little part of that law called, the Ten Commandments, and as far as I can see, you’re breaking every single one. Don’t believe me? Let’s review them, shall we?  So he starts in on them in verse 34.  And he only gets through two before they command him to be killed.

And you can understand why right? This is pretty in your face isn’t it. These are the priests of the people. The religious leaders, and here Abinadi has the audacity to teach THEM the 10 commandments: the most basic, fundamental part of the law of Moses. And then, at the beginning of chapter 13 we have that intense,  incredible scene where Abinadi commands them not to touch him or they will die. And he begins to shine with power and the light of God and informs them that he IS going to finish his message. They are going to get the WHOLE speech. No bathroom breaks, no sneaking out the side to get out of the parking lot first. I want you to hear all 10 so that you will know that not only are you not living these laws, you’re not teaching them either, as the priests of this people, for heaven’s sake.

SEARCH

Well, what’s the message for us in all of this. I think it comes in what Abinadi suggests is their major problem with the commandments. Because I’m sure they knew them. I’m sure they would have done just fine in our initial activity. They could have easily written them up on the board. But what was their problem? Search Mosiah 12:27, and Mosiah 13:11 for an answer. Those verses, I think, hit the nail on the head.

27 Ye have not applied your hearts to understanding; therefore, ye have not been wise. Therefore, what teach ye this people?

11 And now I read unto you the remainder of the commandments of God, for I perceive that they are not written in your hearts; I perceive that ye have studied and taught iniquity the most part of your lives.

What’s the problem. The commandments were not written on their hearts. They didn’t have hearts that understood the commandments. They may have been written in their scriptures, or in their heads, but they weren’t recorded in the most important place you can have them. In the fleshy tables of the heart.

LIKEN THE SCRIPTURES

Where are the commandments written in your life? Are they only up on the board? Are they written only in our scriptures or in our heads? Or are they written in our hearts? Have we applied our hearts to understanding?

TAKING IT TO HEART ACTIVITY

If you wanted to take some time to sink the message of the 10 commandments a little more deeply in your student’s hearts. Try the following challenge. Try stating each of the 10 commandments as a positive, as “Thou shalt’s” rather than “Thou shalt not’s” and let’s name them “The Ten Freedoms!”.  How would you word them?

And here’s how I would word them:

1. Thou shalt make God and his gospel the #1 priority in your life.

2. Thou shalt worship God through prayer, obedience, and gratitude.

3. Thou shalt speak God’s name with respect and reverence.

4. Thou shalt observe the Sabbath Day as a holy and restful day, focused on the things of God.

5. Thou shalt respect and show love for your parents.

6. Thou shalt respect all forms of life as being sacred and of great worth in the sight of God.

7. Thou shalt cherish and show loyalty to your spouse.

8. Thou shalt respect the property of others.

9. Thou shalt be honest in all you do and say.

10. Thou shalt be grateful and content with what God has blessed you with.

Then, Pick one of your statements and describe how following that particular instruction has provided you with more freedom and blessings in your life. 

TRUTH

O

CARRYING OUR SORROWS

BACKGROUND

At one point during Abinadi’s trial, the wicked priests are going to ask him about the meaning of a particular set of verses from Isaiah. And you know, that used to puzzle me a little bit. Are they all of a sudden having a change of heart? Like, Wow Abinadi, it’s not every day that we run into someone with REAL priesthood power. We’ve never really understood this section of scripture. Can you help us out a little bit? I don’t think that’s what’s going on here. Their actions before and after that question don’t suggest sincerity or the beginnings of  a change of heart. Upon further reflection, I think their intent is much more confrontational. I would like to invite you to read those verses and ask yourself: Why are they quoting this particular prophecy, in this context of putting Abinadi on trial? In light of what Abinadi is prophesying about THEM, why do you think they quote this:

20 And it came to pass that one of them said unto him: What meaneth the words which are written, and which have been taught by our fathers, saying:

21 How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him that bringeth good tidings; that publisheth peace; that bringeth good tidings of good; that publisheth salvation; that saith unto Zion, Thy God reigneth;

22 Thy watchmen shall lift up the voice; with the voice together shall they sing; for they shall see eye to eye when the Lord shall bring again Zion;

23 Break forth into joy; sing together ye waste places of Jerusalem; for the Lord hath comforted his people, he hath redeemed Jerusalem;

24 The Lord hath made bare his holy arm in the eyes of all the nations, and all the ends of the earth shall see the salvation of our God?

So what do you think? Why quote this to Abinadi?  In my mind, this is an accusatory question, a confrontational question. These verses speak about how beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him that bringeth good tidings of good, that publisheth peace, and telling people to rejoice. It’s like they’re saying,  “Abinadi, your message of condemnation and punishment doesn’t seem to match up with what the scriptures are saying here. These aren’t good tidings of good. You’re supposed to be giving us good news, and peace, salvation, and joy—not all this reproof and repentance. Therefore, we can dismiss your words, can’t we.

And oh, do you think Abinadi is going to let them get away with that? Not on your life. In the next part of the story we see him call them out on their breaking of the ten commandments. He’s going to shine with the power of God and command them not to touch him, and in the process, he’s going to explain the true message of that passage in Isaiah. In fact, he’s going to quote a little Isaiah of his own. He’ll respond to their Isaiah verses with Isaiah chapter 53 and he’s going to quote it in its entirety. It’s like he’s saying, “You want to try and use Isaiah against me? A true prophet? You want some Isaiah, do you? I’ll give you some Isaiah. And he gives them the very “good tidings of good” that they were asking about in their own quote.

HANDOUT

And personally, I love this chapter. It’s perhaps one of the most beautiful and poetic descriptions of Christ’s atonement we find anywhere in the Bible. And it was written hundreds of years before Jesus was ever born.

And I’d like to walk you through this chapter verse by verse if you don’t mind. And because Isaiah is sometimes a little hard to understand, I want to give you some practice in interpreting him. I’ve put together 12 different verse summaries and mixed up their order. I want you to study Mosiah 14 and match the verse with the statement that best summarizes its meaning. Then we’ll go through it together. You could have your students do this as a handout.

Verse 1

1 Yea, even doth not Isaiah say: Who hath believed our report, and to whom is the arm of the Lord revealed?

When you reveal your arm, what does that suggest? If you saw me roll up my sleeves, what am I communicating to you? I’m about to go to work. So God is going to go to work now. What’s God’s work?  To bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man. So the answer is F. The Lord will accomplish his work for all those who believe. How does he do that? He’s going to send somebody.

Verse 2

2 For he shall grow up before him as a tender plant, and as a root out of dry ground; he hath no form nor comeliness; and when we shall see him there is no beauty that we should desire him.

So how will God accomplish his work? By sending his son. And his son will grow up as a tender plant. Christ will not come as a conquering warrior. But like a seed pushing its leaves through the soil. Jesus was born in a manger to a poor Judean couple as a helpless child. He grew up rather normally, became a carpenter and spent most of his ministry teaching the poor and the downtrodden. And there is no beauty that we should desire him. That doesn’t mean he was ugly, but that people aren’t going to follow him because of his looks or his charisma. It won’t be about the outward appearance. He’ll be very average looking. If we were to live at that time, He probably wouldn’t stand out in a crowd. Like our prophets today, they’re very normal looking men. I can see an investigator to the church saying, “This older man in a suit and tie is a prophet?, I pictured a regal Charlton Heston type in a robe with a flowing white beard and clutching a staff”. But you know, this is how God usually works— through ordinary people who do extraordinary things. So the answer is C.

Verse 3

3 He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief; and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not.

The answer is I. Here we find that many will reject Jesus Christ. Not everybody is going to listen to him. He’ll not be esteemed. And then those phrases that he is a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief, I’ve struggled with that a little. Was Jesus a mournful, sad, solemn person. I don’t think so. If wickedness never was happiness,  but righteousness is, then Jesus, as the most righteous person to ever live must have also been the happiest. I imagine him laughing, smiling, playing with children, and being a very pleasant person to be around. So why does Isaiah describe him as a man of sorrows and grief?  I think the next verse holds the answer.

Verse 4

4 Surely he has borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows; yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted.  The answer is E. So it's our griefs that he's bearing and our sorrows that he carries, that's why he's a man of grief and sorrows. And here we get the beginning of our atonement phrases. There are many in this chapter.  Multiple ways that he expresses the idea that Jesus will take upon himself our sins and sorrows.

Verse 5

Is full of them.

5 But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.

So our answer is A.

Allow me to go ahead and give you the rest of them in this chapter.

:6 the lord hath laid on him the iniquities of us all

:8 for the transgressions of my people was he stricken

:11 he shall bear their iniquities

:12 he bore the sins of many

:12 made intercession for the transgressors

That is the miracle of the atonement. That he takes upon himself my sins and sufferings to satisfy the demands of justice. The opposites are humbling.  His grief grants our relief, his sorrow brings us joy, his wounds heal ours, his bruises bring us wholeness, his chastisement brings us peace, his stripes(or whippings) bring us freedom from punishment, his back bears the load of our iniquities so that we may walk uprightly, his being stricken makes us complete, his intercession makes saints out of transgressors.

Verse 6

Unfortunately, how do many react to that blessing though? Verse 6

6 All we, like sheep, have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the Lord hath laid on him the iniquities of us all.

So what do we do? We turn to our own way.  We say: "I want to do my own thing, I can do whatever I want, you’re not the boss of me, it’s a free country.  The compelling thing though, is that he compares that attitude with sheep. Do sheep do their own thing?  Maybe they think they are, but they all do their own thing, the same way.  What’s the creed of the world:  I want to be different, just like everybody else”. I think it’s fascinating that most people who want to rebel against societal norms, usually do it in the same way. The same look, the same fashions, the same lifestyle. The answer is H.

Verse 7

:7 He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth; he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb so he opened not his mouth.

And whether this is meant to be encouraging or not, he also compares himself to a sheep in this verse. And how was Jesus Christ like a sheep? He's often referred to as the Lamb of God. He was gods sacrifice for the world.  But he also very humbly accepted that sacrifice, he didn't resist it. He completely submitted to his fathers will. It makes me think of that moment with Pontius Pilate, where the crowds are shouting for his crucifixion, with all the power in the world to save himself, to call down legions of angels to protect him, still, he stands meekly and takes it. He allows them to crucify him, even though at any moment he had the power to stop it. The answer is J.

Verse 8

Now in verse 8 a very significant question is asked.

8 He was taken from prison and from judgment; and who shall declare his generation? For he was cut off out of the land of the living; for the transgressions of my people was he stricken.

What's he asking here? He's asking who shall declare his generation. Who is going to be Christ's children? Who will carry on his name? Because he was cut off out of the land of the living so young. Before he could have children. In biblical times, this was a really big deal. Not to have a male heir to carry on your family name was considered tragic. Even today we can kind of understand this. When I was born, my grandpa was very relieved. He had two daughters and one son, my dad. And then my dad's first two children were girls. So he was somewhat worried that the family name might not be passed on to the next generation. But when I was born, he was grateful to have an heir to continue the Wilcox family name through his line. But this is even a bigger concern in biblical days. So, I ask you, is Christ going to have a  posterity, a heritage, his seed. That’s Isaiah’s question or concern.

We'll continue with that thought in a minute. But the answer to this verse is G.

Verse 9

9 And he made his grave with the wicked, and with the rich in his death; because he had done no evil, neither was any deceit in his mouth.

So, we know that Christ was crucified between two thieves, and was buried in a rich man's tomb. The answer then: D.

Then verse 10 is going to answer our question of whether Christ will have seed.

10 Yet it pleased the Lord to bruise him; he hath put him to grief; when thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin he shall see his seed, he shall prolong his days, and the pleasure of the Lord shall prosper in his hand.

So Jesus will have children, he will have posterity. And he will see them when his soul is made an offering for sin. After he has completed his atonement, then he will see his seed, his heirs. The answer is K.

And how will he feel about that sacrifice when it's over?

11 He shall see the travail of his soul, and shall be satisfied; by his knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many; for he shall bear their iniquities.

The answer is L. Fascinating. What's he comparing his atonement to? What’s the metaphor? Travail, or the labor of childbirth. Now I’ve never given birth before, but I’ve been present for the births of each of my four children. I can attest that there is a lot of pain and discomfort, and agony associated with giving birth. Jesus felt that was the closest thing he could compare the pains of his atonement to. You mothers out there have a unique and special understanding of this metaphor that men will never truly comprehend. And mothers, do you remember how you felt at the end of all that pain?  SATISFIED? When that precious little infant is placed in a mother’s arms, how do they most often react? All that pain and discomfort is forgotten. All that sacrifice and hardship was worth the blessing of holding that innocent precious soul. I mean, how many mothers can you imagine out there looking down at their newborn child and saying, “Well that wasn’t worth it”.  No, they coo and cuddle and gaze at their child with immeasurable love. Christ felt the same way at the end of his atonement.  And when he accomplished it,  he saw his children also. His children were placed into his arms, so to speak.

Who are these children? Abinadi will help us understand that in the next chapter.  But let’s finish Isaiah’s prophecy with verse 12

12 Therefore will I divide him a portion with the great, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong; because he hath poured out his soul unto death; and he was numbered with the transgressors; and he bore the sins of many, and made intercession for the transgressors.

So, he will be greatly glorified because of his sacrifice. He shall divide his spoils with the strong, What is his victory? His victory over death and sin.  What are the spoils of that victory? Forgiveness, and the resurrection.  What will he do with them?  Share them, divide them among the strong or the righteous. Our final answer then is B.

Wow, don’t you just love Isaiah? He had such a gift for writing beautifully about Christ. No wonder Jesus commanded us to search his words diligently.

TRUTH

Jesus Christ bore our griefs, sorrows, sins, and iniquities so that we could be forgiven and healed.

TAKING IT TO HEART

We just read every single verse of Isaiah’s prophesy there. What verse was your favorite and how did it deepen your understanding of Christ’s sacrifice for you?

I would like to offer my personal witness and gratitude to my Savior for being willing to take upon himself my sorrows and sins. And I have felt many times in my life, the burdens of those things being lifted and eased, and I know that that was only possible through the atonement of Jesus Christ. And after studying this masterpiece of a chapter, I feel that I understand and know him just a little better, and I love him all the more for it.

BEAUTIFUL FEET

BACKGROUND

But what about the prophesy that the wicked priests ask Abinadi about? Is he going to explain that to them? Yes. And if your students choose this particular section of the lesson before you’ve done the previous one, you may want to begin by giving them the same background covering the question that the wicked priests ask Abinadi about. He’s going to answer their question in Mosiah chapter 15. And Mosiah 15 is basically Abinadi’s commentary on the Isaiah prophesy we just studied back in chapter 14. He’s going to give his explanation of what those verses mean and in the process, answer their question about the good tidings of good and the beautiful feet that carry them.

ICEBREAKER

As a kind of an icebreaker to this section, the very first thing I do is I take off my shoes and socks and show  my class my feet. I’ve done this many times with classes of youth and they always find it amusing and of course, a little odd. But it’s a great attention getter. And I’ll ask them if they know how to get beautiful feet.  Do they know the best way to make their feet more beautiful? And I’ll tell you, that it’s not by painting your toenails, or filing down calluses, or even keeping them washed and moisturized. No, there is a much better way to get beautiful feet, and Abinadi is going to teach us how. And then, seriously, I just teach the rest of the lesson barefoot. And eventually, they’ll understand the purpose behind it. Besides, I just remind them that when the angel Moroni visited Joseph Smith, the prophet described him as being barefoot. So there you have it, proof that we don’t wear shoes in heaven. So, by teaching with my shoes off, I’m just getting to experience a little piece of heaven that day.

THE GOOD TIDINGS OF GOOD

Abinadi’s major goal here is to explain the good tidings of good.  He’s going to answer three important questions. I would write these three questions on the board and leave some space under each to write some notes. And I’ll include with those questions the verses that I believe we find the answers in. Invite your students to read these verses on their own, looking for the answers to these questions. Then, when they’re done, encourage them to discuss and share what they found. The questions:

What are the good tidings? (Mosiah 15:1, 8-9)

Who is Christ’s seed (his children)? (Mosiah 15:10-13)

How do we get beautiful feet? (Mosiah 15:14-18)

WHAT ARE THE GOOD TIDINGS

First. What are the good tidings? Here’s Abinadi’s version of Isaiah’s prophecy:

1 And now Abinadi said unto them: I would that ye should understand that God himself shall come down among the children of men, and shall redeem his people.

8 And thus God breaketh the bands of death, having gained the victory over death; giving the Son power to make intercession for the children of men—

9 Having ascended into heaven, having the bowels of mercy; being filled with compassion towards the children of men; standing betwixt them and justice; having broken the bands of death, taken upon himself their iniquity and their transgressions, having redeemed them, and satisfied the demands of justice.

The good news is that Christ came down to overcome death and sin. But that’s not all. He CAME to do those things, but what did he LEAVE with? He ascended into heaven having the bowels of mercy, being filled with compassion towards the children of men. That’s good news. We often focus so much on what he came to do that sometimes we forget the importance of what he gained by doing it. Mercy and compassion—a deep understanding and empathy for the sufferings and sorrows of mankind. And thank heaven for that.

Abinadi continues. “Standing betwixt them and justice”. That’s a striking image. Where does Christ stand? Betwixt us and justice. There we are, helpless and vulnerable to justice, subject to both sin and death. They are making their way over to finish us off, when who appears? Christ. He steps forward and positions himself between us and them. He looks death and justice in the eye, and says, your fight is with me, not them. I will take their griefs, their sorrows, their stripes, their iniquities, their wounds, their death and free them from your powers. Remember Christ is the great monster slayer of 2 Nephi 9. The monster attacks and Christ suffers incredibly at the force of his claws. But in the end, Christ is victorious, and the monster falls dead at the feet of love, mercy, and everlasting life.

Those are the good tidings.

WHO ARE HIS SEED?

But who bears those good tidings?  Who has this message?  In a word, his children, his seed, his generation. But remember the question that Isaiah asked? Who shall declare his generation when he was cut off out of the land of the living so young? Who shall be his seed? Who is going to pass on the story of his victory to future generations, to preserve the heritage and name of the family of Christ? That’s the question of verse 10.

The answer is in 11-13.

11 Behold I say unto you, that whosoever has heard the words of the prophets, yea, all the holy prophets who have prophesied concerning the coming of the Lord—I say unto you, that all those who have hearkened unto their words, and believed that the Lord would redeem his people, and have looked forward to that day for a remission of their sins, I say unto you, that these are his seed, or they are heirs of the kingdom of God.

12 For these are they whose sins he has borne; these are they for whom he has died, to redeem them from their transgressions. And now, are they not his seed?

Who are Christ’s children? All those who hear, hearken, believe, and look forward. That’s how we become children of Christ.  And it makes sense doesn’t it? We always talk about baptism as being a rebirth right? We are being reborn, and we picture ourselves as newborn children, starting a new life. We talked about that idea when we studied King Benjamin’s address. But that time we focused on what it meant to be a “child of Christ”, but we didn’t spend much time talking about the other side of that metaphor. There is no rebirth without a parent. There is no child that comes into this world without travail, or labor and that labor is a painful, difficult, and agonizing experience.  Christ performed that labor in Gethsemane and on Calvary. But as we already discussed, when he completed that labor, his children were laid in his arms, and he was satisfied. We were worth it, you were worth the atonement, the greatest suffering that any being has ever experienced, an unfathomable suffering. And as he holds his children in his arms with great love, all that pain and anguish is forgotten and swallowed up in his love for us, making it possible for us to return to our father in heaven regardless of death and sin. We are his seed.

In vs 13 he includes the prophets as his seed and then, what I feel is the climax of his speech. It’s as if at this point Abinadi looks into the eyes of Noah and the wicked priests and says, “Now, I’m ready to answer your question, now that you have the proper background, let me explain those verses you asked me about 4 chapters back about beautiful feet.

HOW DO I GET BEAUTIFUL FEET?

Now Abinadi lived in a time before cell phones and CNN and FedEx.  And in ancient times, when important news needed to be delivered and delivered fast, messengers or runners were tasked with conveying that news as quickly as they could. And it was considered a great honor to bear a critical or celebratory message, like a great victory in battle.

There’s the famous story from Greek history where the Greeks were terribly outnumbered in a battle with the Persians on the plains of Marathon. And they win! So a young runner by the name of Pheidippides is given the privilege of bearing the news of that great victory back to Athens roughly 26 miles away. And he runs with such fervor and speed and exertion that after he runs up the steps of the Acropolis to the King and shouts out his message “Rejoice, we conquer” he dies right there of exhaustion.

Both Isaiah and Abinadi are going to draw on that imagery of messengers here. Starting in vs. 14

14 And these are they who have published peace, who have brought good tidings of good, who have published salvation; and said unto Zion: Thy God reigneth!

15 And O how beautiful upon the mountains were their feet!

16 And again, how beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of those that are still publishing peace!

17 And again, how beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of those who shall hereafter publish peace, yea, from this time henceforth and forever!

So wicked priests, these are the good tidings of good that you were asking about. I have just declared them to you. Therefore, my words do match that prophesy, I have fulfilled them this day in your ears. Why are their feet beautiful? Because they carry the most important message that can be borne. “Rejoice, Christ conquers”.

So for you and I, if you want to beautify your feet, forget the toenail polish and the lotion, share the good news of Christ’s gospel to all you can far and wide. And O how beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of those who share it.

I would love to have seen Abinadi’s feet. They certainly must have been beautiful. As are the feet of all those who have shared, who do share, and will share that message have beautiful feet. From Adam to Peter to Joseph Smith to Russell M. Nelson.  Every prophet, every missionary, every convert, every faithful child, every disciple of Jesus Christ the world over have these beautiful feet.

But Abinadi has one more pair of beautiful feet to talk about. Verses 18-19

18 And behold, I say unto you, this is not all. For O how beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him that bringeth good tidings, that is the founder of peace, yea, even the Lord who has redeemed his people; yea, him who has granted salvation unto his people;

19 For were it not for the redemption which he hath made for his people, which was prepared from the foundation of the world, I say unto you, were it not for this, all mankind must have perished.

Ah, so here we have the most beautiful pair of feet ever to walk the earth. And those are the feet of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. The feet that walked the dusty roads of Palestine healing and teaching, the feet that stood atop the waves of the Sea of Galilee, and the feet that bear the scars of sacrifice and the lesions of love, as Elder Holland so eloquently puts it. One day I hope to kneel at those feet, and O it will be wonderful, wonderful to me.

VIDEO

To sink that message more deeply into the hearts of your students, you might consider showing the following church produced video of the hymn, “I Stand All Amazed”. I’ll include a link to it in the video description below. I feel it’s a good way to conclude this section of the lesson. As you watch. Listen carefully to the words. I feel this hymn really captures the rejoicing spirit of Jesus Christ’s victory with its chorus of "O it is wonderful, wonderful to me.”  The atonement and resurrection of Jesus Christ is wonderful to me. In a world with so much bad news and so much pessimism, and so much sadness, it’s nice to know that there is good news. That’s what the word gospel means! Good news. We need that good news.  The good tidings of good. The news of the atonement, of forgiveness, of grace, and a future millennial reign.

TRUTH

The greatest message we can share with the world is the message of Christ’s victory over sin and death.

AT THE WATERS OF MORMON

BACKGROUND

One final section. In Mosiah 17 we discover that not all of the wicked priests are unphased by Abinadi’s teachings. One of them, a man by the name of Alma is going to recognize the truthfulness of Abinadi’s prophecies and stand up for him. He believes his words and pleads that Abinadi be released. This angers King Noah, and he casts Alma out, and then upon further reflection decides to send his servants out to kill him. Which, I have to stop and think how that must have appeared to Abinadi. It is very likely that Abinadi died thinking that his testimony had no effect on those he preached to—that his teachings had been in vain. His one convert, in his mind, was probably already dead as he burns. Little did he know that that one person , Alma, would be so hugely instrumental in the future spiritual history and narrative of the Nephites and the Book of Mormon in general. And, little did he know that his words would be recorded, and remembered and read by millions in the future, including you and me right now. We’re still talking about his teachings, and being inspired and changed by them, hundreds of years later. Perhaps we should keep that in mind as we consider our own efforts to share the gospel. You never know the impact that your actions and testimony may have on others and future generations. Even if you feel you didn’t do much or feel you haven’t experienced much success, Abinadi stands as an example of the kind of impact one person can have who is willing to testify of the truth.  But Alma is not killed. His life is spared and after escaping King Noah’s court, he goes secretly among the people teaching Abinadi’s words. Then he leads a small group of believers out to a place called the waters of Mormon and there he teaches them and us how to become the seed of Christ. Alma must have been touched by Abinadi’s teachings on that subject and we find in verse 22 that “thus they became the children of God”.  And how did that happen? Let’s see.

ICEBREAKER

For an icebreaker, ask your students what they remember about their baptism. Depending on your class, that may vary. In my teaching, I’m typically speaking to an audience where the vast majority of them, if not all, were baptized when they were 8. But I ask them if they have any memories of that day. I might even include the following prompts to help jog their memories.

Do you have any special family traditions surrounding your baptism?

Did you have any kind of spiritual experience or feeling at your baptism?

Did any of them need to be baptized more than once because a foot or a hand came out?

Were any of them baptized in a location other than a font?

Did anything funny or embarrassing happen at their baptism?

For example, when my second son was baptized our youngest son had brought his little Thomas the Train toy with him, and decided to throw it into the font during the baptism. So in our family, we always joke that Thomas the Train is now a member of the Church as well. But just have some of them share their thoughts and experiences with the class.

Well, for many of us, since our baptism was quite some time in the past, do we understand and know the kind of commitment we were making. What did that special ceremony and blessing mean?  And I would remind them, that when they were baptized, they were making a promise. A covenant to their Heavenly Father. And what’s a covenant? Elder Cristofferson explains:

A covenant is an agreement between God and man, an accord whose terms are set by God. In these divine agreements, God binds Himself to sustain, sanctify, and exalt us in return for our commitment to serve Him and keep His commandments. (D. Todd Christofferson, “The Power of Covenants,” Ensign or Liahona, May 2009, 20)

SEARCH ACTIVITY-HANDOUT

And what was the covenant we made? What did we promise God by being baptized. Alma is going to teach us that.  One way to review our part of the covenant would be to invite your students to do the following crossword puzzle. Each phrase in the puzzle highlights one of those promises and all the answers are found somewhere in Mosiah 18:8-13. When they are done, they will have a deeper understanding of the promises we have committed to living by being baptized. Here are the answers:

ACROSS3. "Willing to ________ with those that _________ (same word for both blanks) MOURN4. "what have ye against being ______________ in the name of the Lord" BAPTIZED7. "____________" as a witness of God at all times and in all things and in all places that ye may be in, even until death. STAND8. "Willing to _______ one another's burdens, that they may be light" BEARDOWN1. "______________" those that stand in need of __________ (same word for both blanks) COMFORT2. "that ye have entered into a covenant to ___________ him until you are dead as to the mortal body" SERVE5. "And now, as ye are _______________ to come into the fold of God and to be called his people." DESIROUS6. "ye have entered into a covenant to serve him and ___________ his commandments" KEEP

TAKING IT TO HEART

To help my students take the message of this covenant more to heart. I might ask: Think of a time when you feel you fulfilled one of your baptismal covenants or someone you know fulfilled theirs  to you? For example:

When do you feel you helped someone to bear their burdens, or when did someone help you to bear yours? Have you ever mourned with someone that mourned, or did someone mourn with you?  Have you ever comforted or been comforted. When have you seen someone stand as a witness of God, or when did you stand as a witness? When have you served, or been served? And what is a commandment that you are grateful for, and what blessings have come into your life by keeping it?

Something that I really love about that list of covenants, is that it’s mainly full of things that we do for each other. Standing as witnesses of Christ is mostly about being a certain kind of person, not just believing in certain things. How will people know that we are disciples of Christ? By the way we treat each other. We comfort one another, we mourn with each other, we bear one another’s burdens, we serve each other. That is perhaps the greatest testimony we will ever bear to the world. Our character, our community, the way we act towards one another, that’s something that will strongly attract people to the gospel. Remember what Jesus said at the last supper "By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.”  John 13:35. Our love is what defines as disciples of Christ. We can be the type of people that cause others to say “Wow, look at those Christians! Look at those members of the Church of Jesus Christ”, I may not understand all their doctrines or beliefs, but they are such good, loving people. Look at how they treat each other! Look at how they serve and help one another, look at how they live their religion, surely God must be here”.   And maybe, they will become so curious or desirous of those same blessings, that one day they too will wish to hear the message as well.

But what about the other side of the covenant? What does God promise us, if we keep our side of the agreement? Look in the same verses for God’s part?

:9 We may be redeemed of God, numbered with those of the first resurrection, the resurrection of the just at the beginning of the Second Coming, and eternal life.

:10 That he may pour out his Spirit more abundantly upon you.

:13 repeats those same promises.

TRUTH

When we are baptized, we enter into a covenant with God.

CONCLUSION

Aren’t the promises of God amazing? And he guarantees that he will keep his part, there’s no question about that. We just have to be sure to keep ours. And though the day that we made those promises may seem like a distant memory, they continue to be applicable and relevant now. In fact, EVERY Sunday we recommit ourselves to those promises through the ordinance of the sacrament. With that in mind, I pray that we will feel the Spirit of God poured out more abundantly upon us as we strive to live the covenants we’ve made. This is how we become the Children of Christ, through that miraculous rebirth that took place when we came forth out of the water to begin our lives as his sons and daughters.