Even Experts Need God's Help

One thing we learn from the scriptures is that it's all about help and strength from the Lord.

For example, you get people like Coriantumr. 

"And now Coriantumr, having studied, himself, in all the arts of war and all the cunning of the world, wherefore he gave battle unto them who sought to destroy him." (Ether 13:16)

He was very learned and skilled in war. He knew what he was doing when it came to fighting.

"But he repented not, neither his fair sons nor daughters; neither the fair sons and daughters of Cohor; neither the fair sons and daughters of Corihor; and in fine, there were none of the fair sons and daughters upon the face of the whole earth who repented of their sins." (Ether 13:17)

On one hand, Coriantumr was very skilled. On the other hand, he wasn't following the commandments.

Ether was told to go straight to Coriantumr and give him a message that if he would repent, the Lord would spare him. If he didn't though, he and all his household would be destroyed. To make matters even worse, he was told he would live to witness their destruction.

Coriantumr didn't repent, and we later see that Ether's prophesy was fulfilled. Coriantumr was left on his own, the last of the Jaredites, and had a chance to share his story with some of the Nephites later on.

I sometimes wonder how he must have felt, realizing that the prophecy had been fulfilled, watching all his people be destroyed. I think it's best to listen when the Lord's servant speaks to us.

There are many times in the scriptures where someone who is very good at something ends up not being successful because they weren't on the Lord's side. On the other hand, there are even more stories where someone doesn't have much knowledge or skill, but they are helped by the Lord and are successful. This is a great lesson that I don't have to be great at something that the Lord asks me to do. I just have to follow Him and do what He asks, and He will make up the difference.

Writing About Destruction

This makes me feel kind of bad for Moroni. I just think about Moroni's circumstances at this time. He was on his own. He was either the only (or one of the only) righteous people left anywhere around. He had fought with and witnessed the destruction of his own people, the Nephites, who had become very wicked. And now he is writing a record that is meant for some future generation, who will at some point see the messages that he is writing or including. To top it all off, part of what he is writing is about the destruction of another group of people who had become wicked.

"And now I, Moroni, proceed to finish my record concerning the destruction of the people of whom I have been writing." (Ether 13:1)

He goes on to explain that they rejected the words of Ether, who had taught about and prophesied many things that would happen. At the end of the day, this must have been pretty disheartening for Moroni.

Whenever I dwell on the contents of the Book of Mormon, I am reminded that everything in there was meant for us in our day. Mormon and Moroni knew who it would go to and made sure to include things that would help us. So what lesson can I learn from this passage or story?

In this case, there are a couple of clear lessons. First, the Lord warned the Jaredites that the land of promise can only be inhabited by the faithful, and the Lord would not stand for too much wickedness in His promised land.

The other lesson is to follow and listen to the prophet. He will help us realize if we have gotten off track at all. He will help us understand God's will for us, and how to accomplish it.

So, now I have something to work on in my own life. Living in this awesome country/land, do I follow God's guideline that if I am not righteous, I will be cut off from this land? Do I listen to and do my very best to follow the counsel of living prophets? Do I seek revelation the way President Nelson implored during the last general conference? Do I minister the way I should?

Moroni Was a Very Good Guy

I just wanted to point out a couple of things about Moroni. His life was spent growing up and living basically in constant war and bloodshed. I was just thinking about the evil and wars that was all across the land. Moroni's father Mormon was captain of the Nephite army since he was a teenager, which means he was doing that for Moroni's entire life. The Nephites were wicked, being prideful and wanting bloodshed. The Lamanites were no better.

Mormon, a good man, raised Moroni right, and faithfully. Moroni was a good and faithful man who loved the Lord. After his father died, he took over the responsibility of the records. Mormon had abridged and compiled so many records, and now it was left to Moroni's care. He wrote a couple of things, and decided to add the record of the Jaredites. He interjected a few things he felt to add to that abridgement, and he just wrote a couple of last things. He knew the record was there for the gentiles, for some future generation. He wrote this message:

"And now I, Moroni, bid farewell unto the Gentiles, yea, and also unto my brethren whom I love, until we shall meet before the judgment-seat of Christ, where all men shall know that my garments are not spotted with your blood." (Ether 12:38)

First, one thing that he points out is the audience. He knew that this record would go to the gentiles, and also to some future generations of Nephites/Lamanites. He had faith that this would be true.

Second, I like the idea of meeting some of these scriptural heroes at the judgement seat. To meet Nephi, Moroni, Peter, Paul, Moses, and many more. Not to mention the Savior. I don't know exactly how that will work, but I would love to meet these guys. However, the question is how much would I love to run into one of these men and then realize that I didn't treat their words with the reverence and respect that they deserved? It would be pretty awkward. This just means I need to be better about taking things lightly.

If we were not convinced up to this point that Moroni was a pretty awesome guy, there's always this: 

"And then shall ye know that I have seen Jesus, and that he hath talked with me face to face, and that he told me in plain humility, even as a man telleth another in mine own language, concerning these things;" (Ether 12:39)

So Moroni had a face to face talk with Jesus. I mean, Jesus is a real man (although perfect and resurrected at this point), so it makes sense that this is how He would meet with (at least some) people. However, Jesus doesn't just meet with everyone. I mean, I would think you'd have to be a pretty amazing and important man to have a meeting with Jesus.

I think what Moroni is saying is that he was having this face to face conversation when they had the whole "I'm weak in writing and I'm afraid people will mock my words"/"fools mock but they shall mourn"/"I give men weakness that they may be humble" conversation. That changes my perspective on that conversation a little. They were actually sitting together talking about that face to face. Awesome.

Fear of Mocking

How many times have we had the feeling of inadequacy when being asked to fill a calling? Or given an assignment. Well, we're not alone. Moroni, who was faithful and brave, felt the same way. God had given him a commandment to write some stuff down on the plates, which were meant to come forth to the gentiles in the latter days.

"And I said unto him: Lord, the Gentiles will mock at these things, because of our weakness in writing; for Lord thou hast made us mighty in word by faith, but thou hast not made us mighty in writing;" (Ether 12:23)

He goes on to share his fears about how there would be all sorts of issues with writing. He even says things about how God had made their words very powerful when speaking, but harder to capture in writing.  He (Moroni!) just decides he has some fears/frustrations/complaints.

After emphasizing that he is worried that the Gentiles will mock him, He received some comforting words from the Lord.

"Fools mock, but they shall mourn; and my grace is sufficient for the meek, that they shall take no advantage of your weakness;" (Ether 12:26)

I mean, if God says that to me, I would feel so much better! That phrase, "they shall take no advantage of your weakness", is amazing. "Shall" is the kind of language that you see in the commandments. This just underscores how serious He is when He says it that way.

Then, I love this explanation from the Lord:

"And if men come unto me I will show unto them their weakness. I give unto men weakness that they may be humble; and my grace is sufficient for all men that humble themselves before me; for if they humble themselves before me, and have faith in me, then will I make weak things become strong unto them." (Ether 12:27)

I love this because if you think about it, we talk all the time about God-given talents and abilities. What about God-given weaknesses? It's important to remember that even our weaknesses come from a loving, caring, all powerful and all knowing Father in Heaven, who wants to give us the best chance for making it back to heaven with him while still giving us our agency. He, in all His wisdom, has given us weaknesses so we can be humble and so we can have stuff to work on. This totally changes my perspective on weakness though. It's just just something to hide or be ashamed of. It's something that God gave me (and everyone) to be humble and then strengthened (over time).

He will help us find our weaknesses, and learn about them. If we do, and we remain humble and faithful, God has promised to turn our weaknesses into strengths. I know that I have a lot of weaknesses, and God has promised to make them known to me if I come unto Him. I think I probably need to be better about asking Him what weaknesses I have and what I can do to improve on them.

Faith Needed for Miracles

Sometimes, there is a feeling or argument that the age of miracles has ceased. This describes the reason.

"For if there be no faith among the children of men God can do no miracle among them;" (Ether 12:12)

Personally, I have actually seen miracles. I have seen times when against all odds, something happened just the way it needed to. Or someone has been led down a path, unbeknownst to them, because it was what they needed 15 years in the future. I have seen medical miracles, where someone's major medical issue just sort of "resolved itself". I have experienced the miracle of forgiveness, and a thoughtful person who randomly thought to do a random thing at a random time, but it was just what I needed. I have been that random person before too.

I don't say this to sound like "Well, I have faith, so I've seen miracles." It's more like I have been blessed to see so many miracles, that I can't deny them. I know miracles happen, and I know they are just what we need (even if they are not exactly the way we want things to happen).

The opposite of the verse above really is true too. If there is faith, God can perform miracles.

"And neither at any time hath any wrought miracles until after their faith; wherefore they first believed in the Son of God." (Ether 12:18)

God cares and watches out for all of us. He is there for us, and He is all powerful, and all knowing. He can make things happen in just the perfect way to seem like a coincidence, so things just work out with perfect timing. He wants us to be happy, faithful, and productive. 

I'm grateful for the miracles that I've seen, and I have faith that I will continue to experience miracles throughout my life. 

Dispute Not Because Ye See Not

Moroni teaches us about faith. I say he teaches us because he was pretty much on his own, knowing that he was the last one, and knowing that these words would come forth in future generations.

"And now, I, Moroni, would speak somewhat concerning these things; I would show unto the world that faith is things which are hoped for and not seen; wherefore, dispute not because ye see not, for ye receive no witness until after the trial of your faith." (Ether 12:6)

Faith is an interesting thing. On one hand, without it you wouldn't have much hope for this world, and where it's going. Faith is things that are hoped for and not seen. In other words, you strengthen and develop your hope at the same time you strengthen and develop your faith.

As humans, we have a tendency to believe things we can see. That's why optical illusions are so interesting, because our brains get tricked by what we see. The same thing can be true of ourselves in our ever-changing, crazy world. We get fooled because we see things like others who do not keep the commandments, but it still seems like they are receiving the blessings of keeping those same commandments. It can be frustrating sometimes.

When Moroni says "dispute not because ye see not", he could be talking about a lot of things. He is talking about being able to believe things that you don't really have physical evidence for. He is saying that just because you don't see something, doesn't mean you need to sit and argue about whether or not it exists.

I think Moroni makes another really good point about when you receive a witness, or testimony. Growing up, my mom taught me the concept of putting the cart before the horse. The image that conjures up is one that seems so inefficient, and so almost silly, to imagine a horse trying to push a cart somewhere. The better system is to put the horse in front, and hook the cart to it, and let the horse pull that cart forward. in other words, put the work first. Then you get the reward after. It's sometimes hard to imagine the process of gaining a testimony as "work", but it really is something you have to do. You have to have a trial of your faith to gain the witness. This doesn't mean you have to take a huge leap every time. Sometimes, it's as simple as actually saying a prayer, even if you're not sure there is a God that will listen. Sometimes it's agreeing to an assignment, even if you're not in love with it. Other times, it's a bigger thing. Looking at finances, trying to decide between paying tithing or saving some money for groceries. It takes a leap of faith to do something like that. Often times, when we do these kinds of things, big or small, if we try, we can look back and attribute our testimony, even if it's in some small part, to that moment.

Hope is an Anchor

We live in a world of chaos and uncertainty. Sometimes, if we give into the frustrations and noise of it all, we feel like we're just drifting along, not really staying steady.

Moroni, who may have been quoting or paraphrasing Ether, had an antidote for that:

"Wherefore, whoso believeth in God might with surety hope for a better world, yea, even a place at the right hand of God, which hope cometh of faith, maketh an anchor to the souls of men, which would make them sure and steadfast, always abounding in good works, being led to glorify God." (Ether 12:4)

If we believe in God, we can hope for a better world. I think just knowing, or having faith in, or believing that God is there, and especially that He is there for us, can make our own world better, even if the world around us is the same. Our outlook on the world will improve.

Hope comes from faith. Without faith, we don't have a lot of hope for things. If you don't have faith in God or the eternities, you don't have a lot of hope for what happens after you, or someone you love, for that matter, dies. You just live your life, and then it's over. 

Hope makes an anchor to the souls of men. I love this image. When I think about this, I think of a boat, floating on top of the water. If the water is rough, the boat will move around. If there is an anchor, the boat will still move around on the water a little, but the boat will pretty much stay in the same place. We are the same way. In this world, where there are storms and waves that toss us about, if we have an anchor that ties us in place, even though we are being pushed around a little bit among the tumult, we will be able to stay in that spot. We will become sure and steadfast.

Prophets Words Bring Blessings

Com was one of the many kings through the generations who was at least somewhat righteous. He fought against the secret combinations that began to spring up. The people were wicked (again) at this point, so he did not prevail against these secret combinations.

As He always does, the Lord sent prophets to tell the people that there would be destruction if they didn't repent.

"And there came also in the days of Com many prophets, and prophesied of the destruction of that great people except they should repent, and turn unto the Lord, and forsake their murders and wickedness." (Ether 11:1)

As also happens frequently, the wicked people rejected the prophets. These prophets came to Com for protection.

"And they prophesied unto Com many things; and he was blessed in all the remainder of his days." (Ether 11:3)

Com got to spend time with the prophets that had come. They taught him, and he protected them. The happy result is that he was blessed for the rest of his life.

This is exactly what happens to each of us as we listen to and heed the words of the prophets. The Lord will always bless His people. As long as we remain faithful, we too can be blessed for the rest of our lives.

The Lord really does know us and care about our happiness. He wants to give us blessings, but so many of His blessings are bound to faith and obedience on our part.

I'm grateful for guidance and direction from God, and I know I have been blessed when I listen to and follow the prophets.

Fast Forward Pride/Wickedness Cycle

Many generations pass by in the Jaredite record. The only thing really of note in this part of the record is that the people went back and forth between wickedness and righteousness quite drastically. Perhaps it stands out more because this chapter discusses so little of what happened, it just talks about each successive king of the Jaredites and how they ruled.

They went from being super wicked, like Riplakish:

"5 And it came to pass that Riplakish did not do that which was right in the sight of the Lord, for he did have many wives and concubines, and did lay that upon men’s shoulders which was grievous to be borne; yea, he did taxthem with heavy taxes; and with the taxes he did build many spacious buildings.
6 And he did erect him an exceedingly beautiful throne; and he did build many prisons, and whoso would not be subject unto taxes he did cast into prison; and whoso was not able to pay taxes he did cast into prison; and he did cause that they should labor continually for their support; and whoso refused to labor he did cause to be put to death." (Ether 10:5-6)

His actions and behaviors really affected the people. 

"And it came to pass that he did afflict the people with his whoredoms and abominations." (Ether 10:7)

That's pretty bad. So many of the people were basically in captivity.

A few generations later, Lib became king, and he was a righteous king, and the people were more free and they were industrious. They worked hard, and were righteous, which led to them prospering in the land. In fact, they were so prosperous, Moroni said this about them:

"And never could be a people more blessed than were they, and more prospered by the hand of the Lord. And they were in a land that was choice above all lands, for the Lord had spoken it." (Ether 10:28)

I mean, this was quite the disparity. Not more than a couple of generations later, there began to be the secret combinations again, and they were so prevalent that no matter how hard people fought, they didn't prevail against them.

I think this is kind of a neat way to review history. It is very quick, and it gives you insight that you wouldn't have. Almost like how you can't see a tree grow in real time, but you take a time lapse of that same tree and you can observe the drastic nature of the growth. 

This also happens to us in periods of our lives. If we are not being careful, we will slowly fall into that same trap of wickedness. We must take stock of our lives and actions, and make sure that every moment is spent trying to give us the best chance at success to be righteous and serve God. This is the way to make it back to Him after all.