Yesterday, we talked about the Nephites in Shilom and the City of Nephi, living under the lascivious and lazy King Noah. Remember that the king had gotten rid of the righteous priests his father had appointed and replaced them with selfish and profligate men like himself? As a result, the people, for the most part, also slid down that slippery slide into sin and, thus, put themselves and their society in grave danger. You will recall what I said yesterday: when a wicked people refuses to repent, God withdraws His divine protection and allows the people to experience the natural consequences of their own poor choices. But before He does so, He always warns them. That warning came from one righteous man from among them, a man named Abinadi.
Abinadi likely remembered the Nephites as they were when Zeniff was king. God spoke to him and told him to raise a warning to his people. He went among them, reminding them of their heritage as Children of Israel and their relationship with the Lord. He called them to repentance, a turning back to their values, a forsaking of their sins. Remember who you are, he preached, and then live up to that. He warned them that if they did not repent, the Lord would withdraw His protection and the people would be brought into bondage to their enemies, the Lamanites.
News of Abinadi's preaching came to the ears of the king and he sent to have the prophet brought before him. Abinadi fled into the wilderness, where he hid for two years.
Then the voice of the Lord came to him, instructing him to return to the Land of Nephi and again preach before the people and before the king. He told him to tell the king that his life was of no more worth than a garment in a furnace, that both he and his false priests had sinned and that the people would be brought into a terrible bondage. When that happened, they would cry to God for deliverance, but that He would be slow to hear their cries, just as they were slow to hear Him.
Abinadi was brought before the king. It seems amazing to read it now, but these people had accepted sinful practices as normal - even righteous - and had convinced themselves that they had not sinned! [1] They said to King Noah: And now, O king, what great evil hast thou done, or what great sins have thy people committed, that we should be condemned of God or judged of this man? And now, O king, behold, we are guiltless, and thou, O king, hast not sinned; therefore, this man has lied concerning you, and he has prophesied in vain. And behold, we are strong, we shall not come into bondage, or be taken captive by our enemies; yea, and thou hast prospered in the land, and thou shalt also prosper. (Mosiah 12: 13-15)
Noah was furious and had Abinadi brought before him in chains
Abinadi fearlessly repeated what he'd taught the people. Then he went further. He confronted Noah with his own personal sins and accused him of leading the people away into becoming wicked like himself. He accused the false priesthood of altering the doctrine to fit their own selfish desires; of creating a "god" in their own image and forgetting the God in whose image they were created.
And now when the king had heard these words, he said unto his priests: Away with this fellow, and slay him; for what have we to do with him, for he is mad. And they stood forth and attempted to lay their hands on him; but he withstood them, and said unto them: Touch me not, for God shall smite you if ye lay your hands upon me, for I have not delivered the message which the Lord sent me to deliver; neither have I told you that which ye requested that I should tell; therefore, God will not suffer that I shall be destroyed at this time. (Mosiah 13: 1-3)
[1] Hmmmmm. That sounds awfully familiar, doesn't it? Could some of us ever act like the people of Noah?
Text copyright August 2013, Gebara Education
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