Refusal To Lead

The Nephites had a break from their battles, but before that, they had been beaten and driven by the Lamanites for many years. During the break in the fighting, Mormon was crying repentance to the people, with no real result.

"And I did cry unto this people, but it was in vain; and they did not realize that it was the Lord that had spared them, and granted unto them a chance for repentance. And behold they did harden their hearts against the Lord their God." (Mormon 3:3)

They completely put aside God and thought it was their own merits that had saved them, but it had really been the Lord. Some time later, the Lamanites let them know that they were coming to battle against the Nephites.

The Nephites, due mostly to strategy and preparation, won a couple of big battles and gained some advantage over the Lamanites.

"And now, because of this great thing which my people, the Nephites, had done, they began to boast in their own strength" (Mormon 3:9)

They assumed it was their strength that had done the trick. Once they felt like they were stronger, I'm sure they also felt a bunch of anger against the Lamanites for all the prior battles and the lives lost.

"And they did swear by the heavens, and also by the throne of God, that they would go up to battle against their enemies, and would cut them off from the face of the land." (Mormon 3:10)

This is where Mormon felt they had gone too far. They were no longer looking to just defend their home countries and people, but to go seeking revenge. Not only that, but they swear by the throne of God, to take action that they really should not be doing, such as avenging the wrongs of the Lamanites over the years.

Mormon had been leading them for over 30 years, through a lot of struggles and hard times. But they had gone too far.

"11 And it came to pass that I, Mormon, did utterly refuse from this time forth to be a commander and a leader of this people, because of their wickedness and abomination.

16 And it came to pass that I utterly refused to go up against mine enemies; and I did even as the Lord had commanded me; and I did stand as an idle witness to manifest unto the world the things which I saw and heard, according to the manifestations of the Spirit which had testified of things to come." (Mormon 3:11,16)

I think Mormon played a very interesting role at this point. To stand as an idle witness, and record what he saw so it could go forth among the Gentiles. Just watching what happened so he could keep the record and share first hand what happened. This was not an assignment he gave himself.

"20 And these things doth the Spirit manifest unto me; therefore I write unto you all. And for this cause I write unto you, that ye may know that ye must all stand before the judgment-seat of Christ, yea, every soul who belongs to the whole human family of Adam; and ye must stand to be judged of your works, whether they be good or evil;

21 And also that ye may believe the gospel of Jesus Christ, which ye shall have among you; and also that the Jews, the covenant people of the Lord, shall have other witness besides him whom they saw and heard, that Jesus, whom they slew, was the very Christ and the very God.

22 And I would that I could persuade all ye ends of the earth to repent and prepare to stand before the judgment-seat of Christ." (Mormon 3:20-22)

At this point, I think it seemed clear that the Nephites were headed for destruction. They couldn't last the way they were going. It was therefore, important to share the message of the Gospel, and the lesson of not only their spiritual highlights, but also their downfall. There are learning opportunities all around, and one really good teacher can be seeing the life lessons in others' lives.

I'm grateful that we have the Book of Mormon. It's been a wonderful witness to me of really how all the pieces of the gospel fit together. What a great way to learn and draw closer to Christ. After all, it's the Book of Mormon: Another Testament of Jesus Christ.