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?
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