Alma 43

(April 19, 2014)
It is interesting to see the leader Zerahemnah (with a perfectly appropriate Mulekite name).  Only a short while ago, I didn’t recognize the persistent differences between the Mulekites and the Nephites, and how those differences changed the course of history of the region.  Now I cannot help but to see the very same things.  What I have seen, I cannot unsee.  I cannot imagine that to have been an accident, and if it were legitimate I cannot imagine that it would have been done in such a low-key manner.

The other thought I had was on Moroni’s approach to following the prophet.  He went to the prophet because of his faith, and he asked the prophet where to go.  But, interestingly enough, he left a portion of his troops behind (in case the prophet was wrong?).  I don’t know what lesson I am to learn from Moroni’s behavior, here, but I think there is something to take from it.

The other thought that I had as I read this was the importance of defending what we do for righteous reasons.  Even when we attempt to do the Lord’s bidding, we may find ourselves doing this for the wrong reason.  We defend the faith in an attempt to appear more righteous than we really are, or to win out over our adversaries.  This cannot be our motivations.  Instead, our motives must be one thing and one thing only – the glory of God.