Mosiah 10

(All of my own thoughts are in red type 6/20 3/21 orange 6/22 Brown 2023)

Chapter 10

King Laman dies—His people are wild and ferocious and believe in false traditions—Zeniff and his people prevail against them. About 187–160 B.C.

  1 And it came to pass that we again began to establish the kingdom and we again began to possess the land in peace. And I caused that there should be ^aweapons of war made of every kind, that thereby I might have weapons for my people against the time the Lamanites should come up again to war against my people.
  2 And I set guards round about the land, that the Lamanites might not come upon us again unawares and destroy us; and thus I did guard my people and my flocks, and keep them from falling into the hands of our enemies. Once the Lamanites evil intentions were revealed, the Nephites went into 'defense' mode and set up protections and guards and actively looked for where the threats were likely to come in. Do we do the same? Or do we trust too much in our own strength? You could say that they should have had guards right when they moved in, because they were in Lamanite territory. We are also in the enemy territory. Do we have our guards up? 
  3 And it came to pass that we did inherit the land of our fathers for many years, yea, for the space of twenty and two years. That's a good amount of time that their defensive actions protected them, and of course, their obedience.
  4 And I did cause that the men should till the ground, and raise all manner of ^agrain and all manner of fruit of every kind.
  5 And I did cause that the women should spin, and toil, and work, and work all manner of fine linen, yea, and ^acloth of every kind, that we might clothe our nakedness;  here’s some gender roles for you....and thus we did prosper in the land—thus we did have continual peace in the land for the space of twenty and two years.
  6 And it came to pass that king ^aLaman died, and his son began to reign in his stead. And he began to stir his people up in rebellion against my people; therefore they began to prepare for war, and to come up to battle against my people. King Laman must have been intimidated by their loss and changed his plans to make them slaves. Apparently couldn't convince his son to forget about it.
  7 But I had sent my spies out round about the land of ^aShemlon, that I might discover their preparations, that I might guard against them, that they might not come upon my people and destroy them. Again we are taught the importance of discovering the secret intentions of the enemy so that we may guard against them. Our enemies today are certainly spying on us. How do we spy on them?
  8 And it came to pass that they came up upon the north of the land of Shilom, with their numerous hosts, men ^aarmed with ^bbows, and with arrows, and with swords, and with cimeters, and with stones, and with slings; and they had their heads shaved that they were naked; and they were girded with a leathern girdle about their loins.
  9 And it came to pass that I caused that the women and children of my people should be hid in the wilderness; and I also caused that all my old men that could bear arms, and also all my young men that were able to bear arms, should gather themselves together to go to battle against the Lamanites; and I did place them in their ranks, every man according to his age. Here is where I would be so grateful I was a woman...
 10 And it came to pass that we did go up to battle against the Lamanites; and I, even I, in my old age, did go up to battle against the Lamanites. And it came to pass that we did go up in the ^astrength of the Lord to battle. One can go in the strength of the Lord when you are confident that you have been doing His will. I love how he protected the women and children and put the men in ranks by age. I imagine the strongest were in front and the weakest in back... I also love how he himself, went to battle. In our day, the president and even war generals just sits in his guarded mansion while others go put their lives on the line.
 11 Now, the Lamanites knew nothing concerning the Lord, nor the strength of the Lord, therefore they depended upon their own strength. Yet they were a strong people, as to the ^astrength of men. We must always remember that the strength of the Lord always outdoes the strength of men, no matter their size or number!
 12 They were a ^awild, and ferocious, and a blood-thirsty people, believing in the ^btradition of their fathers, which is this—Believing that they were driven out of the land of Jerusalem because of the iniquities of their fathers, and that they were ^cwronged in the wilderness by their brethren, and they were also wronged while crossing the sea; This is the same thing happening in our day with people who are black carrying forward and on the injustice of those of their skin color who were slaves. They hate all white people because of what happened 250 years ago...But they are blind to the truth of so many things. Black people sold black people in to slavery back then; Black people kill more black people than white people today; Those in government that they support just use them to get elected and then do nothing to help them.
 13 And again, that they were wronged while in the land of their ^afirst inheritance, after they had crossed the sea, and all this because that Nephi was more faithful in keeping the commandments of the Lord—therefore ^bhe was favored of the Lord, for the Lord heard his prayers and answered them, and he took the lead of their journey in the wilderness. Want to be favored of the Lord? Faithfully keep His commandments. Then the Lord will hear your prayers and answer them and lead you through your wilderness. Notice how consistently the story had been passed on from generation to generation. Powerful! The Lamanites didn't have/keep records so the story probably got embellished too, through the years.
 14 And his brethren were ^awroth with him because they ^bunderstood not the dealings of the Lord; they were also wroth with him upon the waters because they hardened their hearts against the Lord.
 15 And again, they were ^awroth with him when they had arrived in the promised land, because they said that he had taken the ^bruling of the people out of their hands; and they sought to kill him.
 16 And again, they were wroth with him because he departed into the wilderness as the Lord had commanded him, and took the ^arecords which were engraven on the plates of brass, for they said that he ^brobbed them.
 17 And thus they have taught their children that they should hate them, and that they should murder them, and that they should rob and plunder them, and do all they could to destroy them; therefore they have an eternal hatred towards the children of Nephi. Not really "eternal" as in "never-ending" because many Lamanites end their hatred in this record...must just mean it keeps going. But, how did this story that was passed so perfectly for over 400 years eventually get lost? You would think these descendants would keep the tradition going. Maybe it ended when all the Nephites were destroyed and the Lamanites finally "won"?
 18 For this very cause has king Laman, by his ^acunning, and lying craftiness, and his fair promises, beware of this in 'leaders' today. Pray always for the gift of discernment deceived me, that I have brought this my people up into this land, that they may destroy them; yea, and we have suffered these many years in the land.
 19 And now I, Zeniff, after having told all these things unto my people concerning the Lamanites, I did stimulate them to go to battle with their might, putting their trust in the Lord; therefore, we did contend with them, face to face. I fear we are going to have to do this. Face our persecutors face to face, putting our trust in the Lord.
 20 And it came to pass that we did drive them again out of our land; and we slew them with a great slaughter, even so many that we did not number them. It worked!
 21 And it came to pass that we returned again to our own land, It was good the battle took place outside the city, so it didn't get destroyed or damaged. Why didn't the women and children just stay there? and my people again began to ^atend their flocks, and to till their ground.
 22 And now I, being old, did confer the kingdom upon one of my sons; therefore, I say no more. And may the Lord ^abless my people. Amen.