Mormon 2

(All of my own thoughts are in blue ? red type 7/20 orange 7/21 brown 2022 -23) 

CHAPTER 2

Mormon leads the Nephite armies—Blood and carnage sweep the land—The Nephites lament and mourn with the sorrowing of the damned—Their day of grace is passed—Mormon obtains the plates of Nephi—Wars continue. About A.D. 327–50.

  1 And it came to pass in that same year there began to be a war again between the Nephites and the Lamanites. And notwithstanding I being ^ayoung, 15 was large in stature; This is the same language the first "Nephi" used... therefore the people of Nephi appointed me that I should be their leader, or the leader of their armies. Why would they appoint a 15 year old to lead their armies...no matter how "large in stature" he was? A current definition of this expression is that it is someone who is important or powerful. That makes more sense. Certainly, if he was one of few righteous left, they had enough sense to know their own history and that even if they didn't want to live the kind of life that God requires, that they would still need His Divine help in war...
  2 Therefore it came to pass that in my sixteenth year I did go forth at the head of an army of the Nephites, against the Lamanites; therefore three hundred and twenty and six years had passed away.
  3 And it came to pass that in the three hundred and twenty and seventh year the Lamanites did come upon us with ^aexceedingly great power, insomuch that they did frighten my armies; therefore they would not fight, and they began to retreat towards the ^bnorth countries. Either Mormon was frightened too and didn't take issue with the fear of his men and thought it wise to retreat, or he didn't have the power (maybe being 16) to convince them to stand in spite of their fear...
  4 And it came to pass that we did come to the city of Angola, and we did take possession of the city, and make preparations to defend ourselves against the Lamanites. And it came to pass that we did ^afortify the city with our might; but notwithstanding all our fortifications the Lamanites did come upon us and did drive us out of the city. This is in the style of Moroni, surely one of the greatest historical examples Mormon had to follow...
  5 And they did also drive us forth out of the land of David. Does this mean they were running/fleeing and not fighting? Were the Lamanites not fighting/killing but just pushing them out? Or did they fight and then flee...
  6 And we marched forth and came to the land of Joshua, which was in the borders west by the seashore.
  7 And it came to pass that we did gather in our people as fast as it were possible that we might get them together in ^aone body. Again...something Moroni did that was successful before. Was Mormon trying to help them remember their fathers did these same things and were only successful because they were repentant and prayerful and called upon God? Now they were doing the same "things" and      failing.
  8 But behold, the land was ^afilled with ^brobbers and with Lamanites; and notwithstanding the great destruction which hung over my people, they did not repent of their evil doings; I am remembering that in the last chapter verse 16 and 17, Mormon was forbidden to preach to them, so my theory that he was trying to get them to remember the past, without preaching, is very possible. therefore there was blood and carnage spread throughout all the face of the land, both on the part of the Nephites and also on the part of the Lamanites; and it was one complete revolution throughout all the face of the land. It sounds like Mormon tried to follow the example of Moroni in his war strategies. But without the Lord, there is nothing when you are left to your own strength and sometimes it's always and only just not enough.
  9 And now, the Lamanites had a king, and his name was ^aAaron; and he came against us with an army of forty and four thousand. And behold, I withstood him with forty and two thousand. And it came to pass that I beat him with my army that he fled before me. And behold, all this was done, and three hundred and thirty years had passed away. The numbers were fairly even, so man for man, they had a good chance to beat them "on their own".
 10 And it came to pass that the Nephites began to repent of their iniquity, and began to cry even as had been prophesied by Samuel the prophet; for behold no man could ^akeep that which was his own, for the thieves, and the robbers, and the murderers, and the magic art, and the witchcraft which was in the land. This is the second time it has been recorded that Samuel had prophesied this would happen. Mormon 1:19 says that Abinadi prophesied this too, and it looks like it happened to the Jaradites too...must be a curse attached to this land, so we can know it applies to us today. Make sure you consecrate all your riches unto the Lord. If you worship your riches and try to hide them up for yourself, you will lose them. (think stocks, retirement funds, banks...) I wonder how their "magic art" and "witchcraft" played in to their not being able to keep "that which was their own"?  This is also another witness that all the words of the prophets will be fulfilled!
 11 Thus there began to be a ^amourning and a lamentation in all the land because of these things, and more especially among the people of Nephi.
 12 And it came to pass that when I, Mormon, saw their lamentation and their ^amourning and their sorrow before the Lord, my heart did begin to rejoice within me, knowing the mercies and the long-suffering of the Lord, therefore supposing that he would be merciful unto them that they would ^bagain become a righteous people. The Savior just wants you to repent. He's not anxious to exact justice. He would rather pardon with mercy since He's paid the demands of justice already. But it is conditioned on true repentance. 
 13 But behold this my joy was vain, for their ^asorrowing was not unto repentance because of the goodness of God; but it was rather the ^bsorrowing of the ^cdamned, because the Lord would not always suffer them to take ^dhappiness in sin. Check yourself in your sorrow. I remember one of the dreamers saying they saw the men of the church out on their lawns praying, but like the Nephites, it wasn't for forgiveness for sin, but praying that God would give them their riches back.
 14 And they did not come unto Jesus with broken ^ahearts and contrite spirits, but they did ^bcurse God, and wish to die. Nevertheless they would struggle with the sword for their lives.
 15 And it came to pass that my sorrow did return unto me again, and I saw that the ^aday of ^bgrace ^cwas passed with them, both temporally and spiritually; for I saw thousands of them hewn down in open ^drebellion against their God, and heaped up as ^edung upon the face of the land. WARNING!  There is really such a thing as the "day of grace" (for things both temporal and spiritual) and it can truly "pass" and it can become too late to repent. Not because there's no more time, but because we have given too much of our agency and heart to satan that we don't have enough will or desire to repent. And thus three hundred and forty and four years had passed away.
 16 And it came to pass that in the three hundred and forty and fifth year the Nephites did begin to flee before the Lamanites; and they were pursued until they came even to the land of Jashon, before it was possible to stop them in their retreat.
 17 And now, the city of Jashon was near the ^aland where Ammaron had ^bdeposited the records unto the Lord, that they might not be destroyed. And behold I had gone according to the word of Ammaron, and taken the ^cplates of Nephi, and did make a record according to the words of Ammaron. Impressive, considering the war time circumstances.
 18 And upon the plates of Nephi I did make a full account of all the wickedness and abominations; but upon ^athese plates I did forbear to make a full account of their wickedness and abominations, for behold, a continual scene of wickedness and abominations has been before mine eyes ever since I have been sufficient to behold the ways of man. Notice the context of what he was living in/with at the time he abridge the record. Having seen our day too and that what he was living right then would repeat itself, his passion for trying to warn us must have been great!
 19 And wo is me because of their wickedness; for my heart has been filled with sorrow because of their wickedness, all my days; nevertheless, I know that I shall be ^alifted up at the last day. We cannot control the choices of others...only our own. Secure your own salvation, no matter what others choose. For your sorrow for them and their choices does nothing to save you.
 20 And it came to pass that in this year the people of Nephi again were hunted and driven. And it came to pass that we were driven forth until we had come northward to the land which was called Shem. Notice that even though both Lamanites and Nephites were wicked, the Lamanites seemed to have the upper hand. It's possible that they were just stronger. Or...it could be that the tradition of knowledge and power that had been with the Nephites made them more accountable. Although ALL of these people, both Lamanite and Nephite were descendants of ALL those who had been converted after Christ's visit, so they ALL had a tradition of righteous that they had left. But maybe some generational iniquity is at play here...
 21 And it came to pass that we did ^afortify the city of Shem, and we did gather in our people as much as it were possible, that perhaps we might save them from destruction.
 22 And it came to pass in the three hundred and forty and sixth year they began to come upon us again.
 23 And it came to pass that I did speak unto my people, and did urge them with great energy, that they would stand boldly before the Lamanites and ^afight for their ^bwives, and their children, and their houses, and their homes. Again, something Moroni did. (no liberty?) Notice he's still not preaching to them. That must have been so hard to not pound the pulpit preaching REPENT! I am thinking that if he had preached to them, they would have cast him out. God may have needed him to stay among them so he could witness to us in our day of the consequences of their choices.
 24 And my words did arouse them somewhat to vigor, insomuch that they did not flee from before the Lamanites, but did stand with boldness against them.
 25 And it came to pass that we did contend with an army of thirty thousand against an army of fifty thousand. And it came to pass that we did stand before them with such firmness that they did flee from before us. Their motive was for a better cause so they did better.
 26 And it came to pass that when they had fled we did pursue them with our armies, and did meet them again, and did ^abeat them; nevertheless the strength of the Lord was not with us; yea, we were left to ourselves, that the Spirit of the Lord did not abide in us; therefore we had become weak like unto our brethren.
 27 And my heart did sorrow because of this the great calamity of my people, because of their wickedness and their abominations. But behold, we did go forth against the Lamanites and the robbers of Gadianton, until we had again taken possession of the lands of our inheritance.
 28 And the three hundred and forty and ninth year had passed away. And in the three hundred and fiftieth year we made a treaty with the Lamanites and the robbers of Gadianton, in which we did get the lands of our inheritance divided. Finally, when the Lamanites were not conquering, they found it wiser to make a treaty with the Nephites...
 29 And the Lamanites did give unto us the land ^anorthward, yea, even to the ^bnarrow passage which led into the land southward. And we did give unto the Lamanites all the land southward.