Post by Mosiah –
My brother Heloram quoted our father in his most recent post and spoke of his (our father’s) great humility and meekness. I concur with all that has been said. I do however want to take an opportunity to elaborate on what I thought was a very unique thing my father said.
Without you understanding our people’s state of affairs when my father became our king, you might not appreciate the singular importance surrounding what he said as he began his discourse. This may also help you recognize the importance of his intended purpose of this great discourse.
So let’s go back and review. Our King Mosiah, (my grandfather, after whom I was named) was led by the Lord away from the land of our first inheritance, through the wilderness until he and his people reached this land we call Zarahemla. The people of Zarahemla, as was mentioned in earlier blogs, were – exceedingly numerous, among themselves they had had many wars and serious contentions, but most importantly, they had brought no records with them and their language had become corrupted and our people couldn’t understand them.
Based on what little human behavior I have witnessed in my time, this was bound to prove very challenging. We inevitably, as proud, jealous, weak human beings, seem to judge and compare and persecute just as naturally as we get up in the morning. Can you imagine how our people began to feel better than those native Zarahemlaites?
We, with our refined language, our organized society, our scriptures and records, found ourselves practically powerless to love and lift a people perceived to be lesser than ourselves. To unite a people who didn’t even share a common language took more than one king aided with countless holy men. By the time our father, King Benjamin succeeded our grandfather, King Mosiah, we still were suffering the effects of a proud segment of society seeking to elevate itself above another segment of our society.
Notice what my father said in his opening remarks when he talked about his efforts to teach the people to keep the commandments of the Lord. He added that he had not suffered that the people should make slaves one of another. This may sound like common decency for a people to abhor slavery, but not when you consider how far a proud people can go when they feel they are superior to another people.
When our people united with those already living here in Zarahemla when we arrived, it was not as easy as simply leaning a new language. The language of Christlike love has harder for our people to learn than was our language for the descendants of those who left Jerusalem in the days of Zedekiah to learn.
So when Heloram said there were contentions among our own people, they were serious contentions, contentions that took many years to eliminate. Our father never dwelt on those great victories as he so lightly discussed his success as our king.
In a future post I want to share a few other things on which to elaborate when it comes to our love for our father.
(Book of Mormon | Mosiah 2:13)
(Book of Mormon | Mosiah 1:11 – 12)
(Book of Mormon | Omni 1:17 – 19)
