(Marci - blue; Kathy-green; Liz purple; Marci red 2020 ) orange 2021
Chapter 3
Giddianhi, the Gadianton leader, demands that Lachoneus and the Nephites surrender themselves and their lands—Lachoneus appoints Gidgiddoni as chief captain of the armies—The Nephites assemble in Zarahemla and Bountiful to defend themselves. About A.D. 16–18.
1 And now it came to pass that in the sixteenth year from the coming of Christ, aLachoneus, the governor of the land, received an epistle from the leader and the governor of this band of robbers; and these were the words which were written, saying:
2 Lachoneus, most noble and chief governor of the land, behold, I write this epistle unto you, and do give unto you exceedingly great praise because of your firmness, and also the firmness of your people, words of "Flattery" in maintaining that which ye suppose he's "acknowledging" the belief but definitely NOT agreeing to be your right and bliberty; yea, ye do stand well, as if ye were supported by the hand of a god, in the defence of your liberty, and your property, and your country, or that which ye do call so. He's quite a snake... almost patronizing. He can't explain why they are so strong except to say, "I can see why you might believe "a" god is helping you...I can't explain it either..." And notice he doesn't acknowledge the existence of the one true God, just that they believe in "a" god.
3 And it seemeth a pity unto me, most noble Lachoneus, that ye should be so foolish and vain as to suppose that ye can stand against so many brave men who are at my command, who do now at this time stand in their arms, and do await with great anxiety for the word—Go down upon the Nephites and destroy them. Acting like he feels compassion for them and their plight. "You're such a good noble man and it seems such a waste that you would try to stand against sure destruction..." 4 And I, knowing of their unconquerable spirit, having proved them in the field of battle, and knowing of their everlasting hatred towards you because of the many wrongs which ye have done unto them, therefore if they should come down against you they would visit you with utter destruction. He's listed the things he says Lachoneus "supposes" and counters that with what he says he "knows".
5 Therefore I have written this epistle, sealing it with mine own hand, feeling for your welfare, because of your firmness in that which ye believe to be right, and your noble spirit in the field of battle. Does he really feel all this compassion for him? Not too likely. Probably sees him for what he can get out of him.
6 Therefore I write unto you, desiring that ye would yield up unto this my people, your cities, your lands, and your possessions, what's left? Oh yes...your freedom and rights...rather than that they should visit you with the sword and that destruction should come upon you. better to live - in bondage- than die?
7 Or in other words, yield yourselves up unto us, and unite with us and become acquainted with our asecret works, and become our brethren that ye may be like unto us—not our slaves, but our brethren and partners of all our substance. substance. So...the "better" offer now is to not surrender, but to join. This is how I think Satan feels about the Saints of God. He sees committed, noble, strong souls that he wants to capture so that he can use their strength to capture others. As we minister, we may see others in Satan's grasp that possess these same strengths - committed, strong, firm in their beliefs - though they are on the wrong team. We can praise them for their "firmness" in defending that which they believe to be right and try to persuade them to use that strength in defending truth. 8 And behold, I aswear unto you, if ye will do this, with an oath, ye shall not be destroyed; but if ye will not do this, I swear unto you with an oath, that on the morrow month I will command that my armies shall come down against you, and they shall not stay their hand and shall spare not, but shall slay you, and shall let fall the sword upon you even until ye shall become extinct. Who are they going to rob and plunder so they don't have to work if they destroy all the Nephites? Sounds like what Capt Moroni said in an earlier war... 9 And behold, I am aGiddianhi; and I am the governor of this the bsecret society of Gadianton; which society and the works thereof I know to be cgood; and they are of dancient date and they have been handed down unto us. In Pres. Uchtdorf's "3 Sisters" talk he cited a study that showed - “each side felt their own group [was] motivated by love more than hate, but when asked why their rival group [was] involved in the conflict, [they] pointed to hate as [the other] group’s motivating factor.”3 In other words, each group thought of themselves as the “good guys”—fair, kind, and truthful. By contrast, they saw their rivals as the “bad guys”—uninformed, dishonest, even evil." We need to understand this when ministering to others who's beliefs oppose ours. Also, What beliefs do we have that we think are right and good because they've been handed down to us, that may be wrong? 10 And I write this epistle unto you, Lachoneus, and I hope that ye will deliver up your lands and your possessions, without the shedding of blood, that this my people may recover their rights and agovernment, who have dissented away from you because of your wickedness in retaining from them their rights of government, who's he talking about here? The kingmen? and except ye do this, I will avenge their wrongs. I am Giddianhi. Giddianhi's supposed concern and anxiety for the welfare of the Nephites is such a patronizing ploy of the adversary, as he 'ministers' for their welfare, by promising them peace and brotherhood if they enter into their secret society. This letter does become Giddianhi's downfall, as it alerts Lachoneus to the plans of the Gadiantons. Are our people, nowadays, at the luring siren song of safety and security, trading our freedoms and rights, by allowing our political representatives to enter into law changes, that strip away those very liberties that we hold so dear?
11 And now it came to pass when Lachoneus received this epistle he was exceedingly astonished, because of the boldness of Giddianhi demanding the possession of the land of the Nephites, and also of threatening the people and avenging the wrongs of those that had received no wrong, save it were they had awronged themselves by dissenting away unto those wicked and abominable robbers. When you do evil, you do it unto yourself.
12 Now behold, this Lachoneus, the governor, was a just man, and could not be frightened by the demands and the threatenings of a arobber; therefore he did not hearken to the epistle of Giddianhi, the governor of the robbers, but he did cause that his people should cry unto the Lord for bstrength against the time that the robbers should come down against them. Encourage others to cry unto God in their afflictions and when they feel outnumbered or attacked instead of picking up the sword and attacking back.
13 Yea, he sent a proclamation among all the people, that they should gather together their women, and their children, their flocks and their herds, and all their substance, save it were their land, unto one place. Here is the principle of gathering - When the enemy combines against you, the Lord has you pick up and move to one place together. You bring all you need to sustain your lives. Until we are asked to do that again, we must "gather" in a spirit of "oneness" for strength against the Enemy. The Lord teaches us how to not be deceived by showing us patterns in the scriptures. Gathering the righteous out from the wicked and into one place is an oft repeated pattern that would should expect again before the destruction of the wicked before His Second Coming.
14 And he caused that afortifications should be built round about them, and the strength thereof should be exceedingly great. And he caused that armies, both of the Nephites and of the Lamanites, or of all them who were numbered among the Nephites, should be placed as guards round about to watch them, and to guard them from the robbers day and night. We must help each other to fortify our homes and our lives; help to watch and guard one another against those/that which seeks to harm us. Do this "day and night" - in other words, never let your guard down. The guards weren't just trying to protect themselves or their own families. They were looking out for the welfare of all.
15 Yea, he said unto them: As the Lord liveth, except ye repent of all your iniquities, and cry unto the Lord, ye will in nowise be adelivered out of the hands of those Gadianton robbers. "Preach nothing but repentance". What is repentance repentance? It is to change one's mind/beliefs, through faith in Christ, from false beliefs to truth. Anytime we are in unbelief, we are in the "hands of the enemy". If we want to be protected, we must repent of ALL our iniquities, and cry unto the Lord. What are ALL our iniquities? "and cry unto the Lord" is standing out to me today. Prayer is so important. We must ask, ask, ask! I just had a thought about "repenting daily" Maybe it's not so much about sinning and repenting daily, but taking time daily to recognize another "false belief" or "false tradition" from our past and repenting of that...
16 And so great and marvelous were the words and prophecies of Lachoneus that they did cause fear to come upon all the people; and they did exert themselves in their might to do according to the words of Lachoneus. They only had a month to do all this! This is an interesting verse. Here the Lord inspired words that caused fear which motivated the people to obey "in their might". This is the good kind of fear; the "fear of the Lord" kind of fear, which I believe is a total respect for God's word and authority and power - to deliver both to and from destruction. I worry that some of the LDS are afraid of these kinds of words that cause Godly fear, because it would move them out of their comfort zone...perhaps that's why Lachoneus' words had to be "great and marvelous" so they couldn't be discounted. vs. 11-16: Lachoneus is astonished at the audacity of the letter, and whether or not he shares that letter with the Nephites, is never confirmed, but as he calls his people together, it has put enough fire into this righteous, prophetic chief judge, that he delivers a great and convincing call-out to his people, and they immediately obey. As our Prophet is issuing challenges and invitations, how quickly do we respond? When he issues a call-out for our safety, will we drag our feet?
17 And it came to pass that Lachoneus did appoint chief captains over all the armies of the Nephites, to command them at the time that the robbers should come down out of the wilderness against them. This is the principle of delegation in our ministering. Also, we must enlist others in our fight for right.
18 Now the chiefest among all the chief captains and the great commander of all the armies of the Nephites was appointed, and his name was aGidgiddoni. vs17-18: The ranks are marshaled, and there is much inference, that, as a battalion is formed and trained, there is constant 'ministering,' to one another, as they learn the ways of offense and defense, and the strategies of their foe, particularly because their very lives depend on it. We, with our youth, have just been invited to join the Lord's Battalion. It is now that we need to learn the ways of spiritual and temporal offense and defense, and learn how to win over our foe.
19 Now it was the custom among all the Nephites to appoint for their chief captains, (save it were in their times of wickedness) some one that had the spirit of revelation and also prophecy; therefore, this Gidgiddoni was a great prophet among them, as also was the chief judge. This is an important verse in our learning about what it means to be a prophet. I'm not talking about THE prophet, but a prophet. If you have the spirit of revelation and also prophecy, you are a prophet. Moses said, "would God that all the LORD'S people were prophets, and that the LORD would put his spirit upon them!" (Num 11:29) I am thinking that when we read verses about people stoning the prophets, it wasn't just prophets and apostles as we think of them, but everyday people, who have the "spirit of revelation and prophecy" who are sharing what the Lord has revealed to them and asked them to share, and they were stoned and cast out for it. We must be careful to not be guilty of the same. Gidgiddoni is appointed to be their leader because he has the gift of revelation and prophesy, as does Lachoneus. (Wouldn't it be wonderful if the military leaders of our country had the gift of revelation and prophesy?!) Is it possible that, as the Prophet has invited the youth to join the Lord's Battalion, and we are ending our relationship with the BSA, that our Prophet will appoint and work with, people with the 'gift of revelation and prophecy,' to design a new day of training, adventure, preparation, and experience, that will be so fine, that all the programs of the past will pale in comparison--a vision of knowing that all things temporal, are spiritual, and will armor our children and ourselves with the vital strength we need to be victorious over an enemy who has vowed our destruction? Unfortunately, in 2021, our "Lord's Battalion" is being inoculated with the enemy's poison. Our prophet seems to be working with "wolves in sheep's clothing" (if not just wolves). Where is our "watchman on the tower" who can see the enemy who is not even far off but entering our fortress? sigh. What is the Lord's plan in all this?
20 Now the people said unto Gidgiddoni: aPray unto the Lord, and let us go up upon the mountains and into the wilderness, that we may fall upon the robbers and destroy them in their own lands.
21 But Gidgiddoni saith unto them: The Lord aforbid; for if we should go up against them the Lord would bdeliver us into their hands; therefore we will prepare ourselves in the center of our lands, and we will gather all our armies together, and we will not go against them, but we will wait till they shall come against us; therefore as the Lord liveth, if we do this he will deliver them into our hands. Our efforts should be on preparing to defend ourselves, (repentance is a huge part of this preparation) not on attacking first. Then, the Lord will deliver us. Do not attack. Prepare to be attacked and wait for it. The Lord will deliver. vs 20-21:Some of the Nephites suggest a plan that is unwise, and cooler heads prevail, their prophet/leader explains the folly, and preparations continue. Sometimes, we have a knee-jerk reaction to situations, and it would behoove us to stand back and go to the Father in prayer, as to a wise solution or path to take. As we minister to one another, we can help each other have courage on the correct path. The Lord is ministering unto His people through their leader. If they continue to trust and believe he will protect them and deliver them from their enemies.
22 And it came to pass in the seventeenth year, in the latter end of the year, the proclamation of Lachoneus had gone forth throughout all the face of the land, and they had taken their ahorses, and their chariots, and their cattle, and all their flocks, and their herds, and their grain, and all their substance, and did march forth by thousands and by tens of thousands, until they had all gone forth to the bplace which chad been appointed that they should gather themselves together, to defend themselves against their enemies. This is an important "gathering" quote. Here you have tens of thousands of people gathering to one place with EVERYTHING they own. How did they move all that? How did they move it without the Gadiantons coming against them while they moved? We aren't told, but we have record that they accomplished it. We can do the same if we are commanded to do so as well.
23 And the aland which was appointed was the land of Zarahemla, and the land which was between the land Zarahemla and the land bBountiful, yea, to the line which was between the cland Bountiful and the land Desolation.
24 And there were a great many thousand people who were called Nephites, who did gather themselves together in this land. Now Lachoneus did cause that they should gather themselves together in the land asouthward, because of the great curse which was upon the bland northward. Where the Jaradites had been destroyed and was "desolate"
25 And they did fortify themselves against their enemies; and they did dwell in one land, and in one body, and they did fear the words which had been spoken by Lachoneus, insomuch that they did repent of all their sins; and they did put up their aprayers unto the Lord their God, that he would deliver them in the time that their enemies should come down against them to battle. Here's our battle plan: fortify, gather together as one; repent of all our sins; pray for deliverance from the enemy, have faith in God's protection.
26 And they were exceedingly sorrowful because of their enemies. And Gidgiddoni did cause that they should make aweapons of war of every kind, and they should be strong with armor, and with shields, and with bucklers, after the manner of his instruction. Our response to the wrongs of others should be sorrow. Sorrow for their unbelief; sorrow for their wrong thinking about our intentions and beliefs; sorrow that they are so firm in their ways; sorrow for the consequences that they are/will experience; sorrow that we are powerless to persuade them to come unto Christ so now all we can do is prepare for their attacks. This preparation must be according to the Lord's design and be of more than one design. We must consider all the ways we may be attacked and prepare to defend against each kind. vs 22-26: It looks to be about 2 years in the preparation period before the descent of the Gadiantons upon the Nephites. These 4 verses continue to delineate the temporal and spiritual preparedness, as these people hearken to the call-out, and bring their provisions to the place of refuge--Zarahemla. Much ministering is inferred, as families help one another to gather their things, to settle in a new location, and set up their little family camps within the city. Do we have 2 years before our Gadiantons 'swarm' upon us in full fury?
Giddianhi, the Gadianton leader, demands that Lachoneus and the Nephites surrender themselves and their lands—Lachoneus appoints Gidgiddoni as chief captain of the armies—The Nephites assemble in Zarahemla and Bountiful to defend themselves. About A.D. 16–18.
1 And now it came to pass that in the sixteenth year from the coming of Christ, aLachoneus, the governor of the land, received an epistle from the leader and the governor of this band of robbers; and these were the words which were written, saying:
2 Lachoneus, most noble and chief governor of the land, behold, I write this epistle unto you, and do give unto you exceedingly great praise because of your firmness, and also the firmness of your people, words of "Flattery" in maintaining that which ye suppose he's "acknowledging" the belief but definitely NOT agreeing to be your right and bliberty; yea, ye do stand well, as if ye were supported by the hand of a god, in the defence of your liberty, and your property, and your country, or that which ye do call so. He's quite a snake... almost patronizing. He can't explain why they are so strong except to say, "I can see why you might believe "a" god is helping you...I can't explain it either..." And notice he doesn't acknowledge the existence of the one true God, just that they believe in "a" god.
3 And it seemeth a pity unto me, most noble Lachoneus, that ye should be so foolish and vain as to suppose that ye can stand against so many brave men who are at my command, who do now at this time stand in their arms, and do await with great anxiety for the word—Go down upon the Nephites and destroy them. Acting like he feels compassion for them and their plight. "You're such a good noble man and it seems such a waste that you would try to stand against sure destruction..."
2 Lachoneus, most noble and chief governor of the land, behold, I write this epistle unto you, and do give unto you exceedingly great praise because of your firmness, and also the firmness of your people, words of "Flattery" in maintaining that which ye suppose he's "acknowledging" the belief but definitely NOT agreeing to be your right and bliberty; yea, ye do stand well, as if ye were supported by the hand of a god, in the defence of your liberty, and your property, and your country, or that which ye do call so. He's quite a snake... almost patronizing. He can't explain why they are so strong except to say, "I can see why you might believe "a" god is helping you...I can't explain it either..." And notice he doesn't acknowledge the existence of the one true God, just that they believe in "a" god.
3 And it seemeth a pity unto me, most noble Lachoneus, that ye should be so foolish and vain as to suppose that ye can stand against so many brave men who are at my command, who do now at this time stand in their arms, and do await with great anxiety for the word—Go down upon the Nephites and destroy them. Acting like he feels compassion for them and their plight. "You're such a good noble man and it seems such a waste that you would try to stand against sure destruction..."
4 And I, knowing of their unconquerable spirit, having proved them in the field of battle, and knowing of their everlasting hatred towards you because of the many wrongs which ye have done unto them, therefore if they should come down against you they would visit you with utter destruction. He's listed the things he says Lachoneus "supposes" and counters that with what he says he "knows".
5 Therefore I have written this epistle, sealing it with mine own hand, feeling for your welfare, because of your firmness in that which ye believe to be right, and your noble spirit in the field of battle. Does he really feel all this compassion for him? Not too likely. Probably sees him for what he can get out of him.
6 Therefore I write unto you, desiring that ye would yield up unto this my people, your cities, your lands, and your possessions, what's left? Oh yes...your freedom and rights...rather than that they should visit you with the sword and that destruction should come upon you. better to live - in bondage- than die?
7 Or in other words, yield yourselves up unto us, and unite with us and become acquainted with our asecret works, and become our brethren that ye may be like unto us—not our slaves, but our brethren and partners of all our substance. substance. So...the "better" offer now is to not surrender, but to join. This is how I think Satan feels about the Saints of God. He sees committed, noble, strong souls that he wants to capture so that he can use their strength to capture others. As we minister, we may see others in Satan's grasp that possess these same strengths - committed, strong, firm in their beliefs - though they are on the wrong team. We can praise them for their "firmness" in defending that which they believe to be right and try to persuade them to use that strength in defending truth.
5 Therefore I have written this epistle, sealing it with mine own hand, feeling for your welfare, because of your firmness in that which ye believe to be right, and your noble spirit in the field of battle. Does he really feel all this compassion for him? Not too likely. Probably sees him for what he can get out of him.
6 Therefore I write unto you, desiring that ye would yield up unto this my people, your cities, your lands, and your possessions, what's left? Oh yes...your freedom and rights...rather than that they should visit you with the sword and that destruction should come upon you. better to live - in bondage- than die?
7 Or in other words, yield yourselves up unto us, and unite with us and become acquainted with our asecret works, and become our brethren that ye may be like unto us—not our slaves, but our brethren and partners of all our substance. substance. So...the "better" offer now is to not surrender, but to join. This is how I think Satan feels about the Saints of God. He sees committed, noble, strong souls that he wants to capture so that he can use their strength to capture others. As we minister, we may see others in Satan's grasp that possess these same strengths - committed, strong, firm in their beliefs - though they are on the wrong team. We can praise them for their "firmness" in defending that which they believe to be right and try to persuade them to use that strength in defending truth.
8 And behold, I aswear unto you, if ye will do this, with an oath, ye shall not be destroyed; but if ye will not do this, I swear unto you with an oath, that on the morrow month I will command that my armies shall come down against you, and they shall not stay their hand and shall spare not, but shall slay you, and shall let fall the sword upon you even until ye shall become extinct. Who are they going to rob and plunder so they don't have to work if they destroy all the Nephites? Sounds like what Capt Moroni said in an earlier war...
9 And behold, I am aGiddianhi; and I am the governor of this the bsecret society of Gadianton; which society and the works thereof I know to be cgood; and they are of dancient date and they have been handed down unto us. In Pres. Uchtdorf's "3 Sisters" talk he cited a study that showed - “each side felt their own group [was] motivated by love more than hate, but when asked why their rival group [was] involved in the conflict, [they] pointed to hate as [the other] group’s motivating factor.”3 In other words, each group thought of themselves as the “good guys”—fair, kind, and truthful. By contrast, they saw their rivals as the “bad guys”—uninformed, dishonest, even evil." We need to understand this when ministering to others who's beliefs oppose ours. Also, What beliefs do we have that we think are right and good because they've been handed down to us, that may be wrong?
10 And I write this epistle unto you, Lachoneus, and I hope that ye will deliver up your lands and your possessions, without the shedding of blood, that this my people may recover their rights and agovernment, who have dissented away from you because of your wickedness in retaining from them their rights of government, who's he talking about here? The kingmen? and except ye do this, I will avenge their wrongs. I am Giddianhi. Giddianhi's supposed concern and anxiety for the welfare of the Nephites is such a patronizing ploy of the adversary, as he 'ministers' for their welfare, by promising them peace and brotherhood if they enter into their secret society. This letter does become Giddianhi's downfall, as it alerts Lachoneus to the plans of the Gadiantons. Are our people, nowadays, at the luring siren song of safety and security, trading our freedoms and rights, by allowing our political representatives to enter into law changes, that strip away those very liberties that we hold so dear?11 And now it came to pass when Lachoneus received this epistle he was exceedingly astonished, because of the boldness of Giddianhi demanding the possession of the land of the Nephites, and also of threatening the people and avenging the wrongs of those that had received no wrong, save it were they had awronged themselves by dissenting away unto those wicked and abominable robbers. When you do evil, you do it unto yourself.
12 Now behold, this Lachoneus, the governor, was a just man, and could not be frightened by the demands and the threatenings of a arobber; therefore he did not hearken to the epistle of Giddianhi, the governor of the robbers, but he did cause that his people should cry unto the Lord for bstrength against the time that the robbers should come down against them. Encourage others to cry unto God in their afflictions and when they feel outnumbered or attacked instead of picking up the sword and attacking back.
13 Yea, he sent a proclamation among all the people, that they should gather together their women, and their children, their flocks and their herds, and all their substance, save it were their land, unto one place. Here is the principle of gathering - When the enemy combines against you, the Lord has you pick up and move to one place together. You bring all you need to sustain your lives. Until we are asked to do that again, we must "gather" in a spirit of "oneness" for strength against the Enemy. The Lord teaches us how to not be deceived by showing us patterns in the scriptures. Gathering the righteous out from the wicked and into one place is an oft repeated pattern that would should expect again before the destruction of the wicked before His Second Coming.
14 And he caused that afortifications should be built round about them, and the strength thereof should be exceedingly great. And he caused that armies, both of the Nephites and of the Lamanites, or of all them who were numbered among the Nephites, should be placed as guards round about to watch them, and to guard them from the robbers day and night. We must help each other to fortify our homes and our lives; help to watch and guard one another against those/that which seeks to harm us. Do this "day and night" - in other words, never let your guard down. The guards weren't just trying to protect themselves or their own families. They were looking out for the welfare of all.
15 Yea, he said unto them: As the Lord liveth, except ye repent of all your iniquities, and cry unto the Lord, ye will in nowise be adelivered out of the hands of those Gadianton robbers. "Preach nothing but repentance". What is repentance repentance? It is to change one's mind/beliefs, through faith in Christ, from false beliefs to truth. Anytime we are in unbelief, we are in the "hands of the enemy". If we want to be protected, we must repent of ALL our iniquities, and cry unto the Lord. What are ALL our iniquities? "and cry unto the Lord" is standing out to me today. Prayer is so important. We must ask, ask, ask! I just had a thought about "repenting daily" Maybe it's not so much about sinning and repenting daily, but taking time daily to recognize another "false belief" or "false tradition" from our past and repenting of that...
16 And so great and marvelous were the words and prophecies of Lachoneus that they did cause fear to come upon all the people; and they did exert themselves in their might to do according to the words of Lachoneus. They only had a month to do all this! This is an interesting verse. Here the Lord inspired words that caused fear which motivated the people to obey "in their might". This is the good kind of fear; the "fear of the Lord" kind of fear, which I believe is a total respect for God's word and authority and power - to deliver both to and from destruction. I worry that some of the LDS are afraid of these kinds of words that cause Godly fear, because it would move them out of their comfort zone...perhaps that's why Lachoneus' words had to be "great and marvelous" so they couldn't be discounted. vs. 11-16: Lachoneus is astonished at the audacity of the letter, and whether or not he shares that letter with the Nephites, is never confirmed, but as he calls his people together, it has put enough fire into this righteous, prophetic chief judge, that he delivers a great and convincing call-out to his people, and they immediately obey. As our Prophet is issuing challenges and invitations, how quickly do we respond? When he issues a call-out for our safety, will we drag our feet?
17 And it came to pass that Lachoneus did appoint chief captains over all the armies of the Nephites, to command them at the time that the robbers should come down out of the wilderness against them. This is the principle of delegation in our ministering. Also, we must enlist others in our fight for right.
18 Now the chiefest among all the chief captains and the great commander of all the armies of the Nephites was appointed, and his name was aGidgiddoni. vs17-18: The ranks are marshaled, and there is much inference, that, as a battalion is formed and trained, there is constant 'ministering,' to one another, as they learn the ways of offense and defense, and the strategies of their foe, particularly because their very lives depend on it. We, with our youth, have just been invited to join the Lord's Battalion. It is now that we need to learn the ways of spiritual and temporal offense and defense, and learn how to win over our foe.
19 Now it was the custom among all the Nephites to appoint for their chief captains, (save it were in their times of wickedness) some one that had the spirit of revelation and also prophecy; therefore, this Gidgiddoni was a great prophet among them, as also was the chief judge. This is an important verse in our learning about what it means to be a prophet. I'm not talking about THE prophet, but a prophet. If you have the spirit of revelation and also prophecy, you are a prophet. Moses said, "would God that all the LORD'S people were prophets, and that the LORD would put his spirit upon them!" (Num 11:29) I am thinking that when we read verses about people stoning the prophets, it wasn't just prophets and apostles as we think of them, but everyday people, who have the "spirit of revelation and prophecy" who are sharing what the Lord has revealed to them and asked them to share, and they were stoned and cast out for it. We must be careful to not be guilty of the same. Gidgiddoni is appointed to be their leader because he has the gift of revelation and prophesy, as does Lachoneus. (Wouldn't it be wonderful if the military leaders of our country had the gift of revelation and prophesy?!) Is it possible that, as the Prophet has invited the youth to join the Lord's Battalion, and we are ending our relationship with the BSA, that our Prophet will appoint and work with, people with the 'gift of revelation and prophecy,' to design a new day of training, adventure, preparation, and experience, that will be so fine, that all the programs of the past will pale in comparison--a vision of knowing that all things temporal, are spiritual, and will armor our children and ourselves with the vital strength we need to be victorious over an enemy who has vowed our destruction? Unfortunately, in 2021, our "Lord's Battalion" is being inoculated with the enemy's poison. Our prophet seems to be working with "wolves in sheep's clothing" (if not just wolves). Where is our "watchman on the tower" who can see the enemy who is not even far off but entering our fortress? sigh. What is the Lord's plan in all this?
20 Now the people said unto Gidgiddoni: aPray unto the Lord, and let us go up upon the mountains and into the wilderness, that we may fall upon the robbers and destroy them in their own lands.
21 But Gidgiddoni saith unto them: The Lord aforbid; for if we should go up against them the Lord would bdeliver us into their hands; therefore we will prepare ourselves in the center of our lands, and we will gather all our armies together, and we will not go against them, but we will wait till they shall come against us; therefore as the Lord liveth, if we do this he will deliver them into our hands. Our efforts should be on preparing to defend ourselves, (repentance is a huge part of this preparation) not on attacking first. Then, the Lord will deliver us. Do not attack. Prepare to be attacked and wait for it. The Lord will deliver. vs 20-21:Some of the Nephites suggest a plan that is unwise, and cooler heads prevail, their prophet/leader explains the folly, and preparations continue. Sometimes, we have a knee-jerk reaction to situations, and it would behoove us to stand back and go to the Father in prayer, as to a wise solution or path to take. As we minister to one another, we can help each other have courage on the correct path. The Lord is ministering unto His people through their leader. If they continue to trust and believe he will protect them and deliver them from their enemies.
22 And it came to pass in the seventeenth year, in the latter end of the year, the proclamation of Lachoneus had gone forth throughout all the face of the land, and they had taken their ahorses, and their chariots, and their cattle, and all their flocks, and their herds, and their grain, and all their substance, and did march forth by thousands and by tens of thousands, until they had all gone forth to the bplace which chad been appointed that they should gather themselves together, to defend themselves against their enemies. This is an important "gathering" quote. Here you have tens of thousands of people gathering to one place with EVERYTHING they own. How did they move all that? How did they move it without the Gadiantons coming against them while they moved? We aren't told, but we have record that they accomplished it. We can do the same if we are commanded to do so as well.
23 And the aland which was appointed was the land of Zarahemla, and the land which was between the land Zarahemla and the land bBountiful, yea, to the line which was between the cland Bountiful and the land Desolation.
24 And there were a great many thousand people who were called Nephites, who did gather themselves together in this land. Now Lachoneus did cause that they should gather themselves together in the land asouthward, because of the great curse which was upon the bland northward. Where the Jaradites had been destroyed and was "desolate"
25 And they did fortify themselves against their enemies; and they did dwell in one land, and in one body, and they did fear the words which had been spoken by Lachoneus, insomuch that they did repent of all their sins; and they did put up their aprayers unto the Lord their God, that he would deliver them in the time that their enemies should come down against them to battle. Here's our battle plan: fortify, gather together as one; repent of all our sins; pray for deliverance from the enemy, have faith in God's protection.
26 And they were exceedingly sorrowful because of their enemies. And Gidgiddoni did cause that they should make aweapons of war of every kind, and they should be strong with armor, and with shields, and with bucklers, after the manner of his instruction. Our response to the wrongs of others should be sorrow. Sorrow for their unbelief; sorrow for their wrong thinking about our intentions and beliefs; sorrow that they are so firm in their ways; sorrow for the consequences that they are/will experience; sorrow that we are powerless to persuade them to come unto Christ so now all we can do is prepare for their attacks. This preparation must be according to the Lord's design and be of more than one design. We must consider all the ways we may be attacked and prepare to defend against each kind. vs 22-26: It looks to be about 2 years in the preparation period before the descent of the Gadiantons upon the Nephites. These 4 verses continue to delineate the temporal and spiritual preparedness, as these people hearken to the call-out, and bring their provisions to the place of refuge--Zarahemla. Much ministering is inferred, as families help one another to gather their things, to settle in a new location, and set up their little family camps within the city. Do we have 2 years before our Gadiantons 'swarm' upon us in full fury?
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