Mosiah 9
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So, here we are taking our first break from the chronological story of the people of Nephi, and taking a step backwards of about fifty years. It's like a flashback, or backstory, in a novel.
This story picks up where Omni 1:30 left off.
We learn in the first two verses what caused such a the battle between the first travel party mentioned in Omni 1:27-28. The leader of the first group wanted to kill the Lamanites, but Zeniff saw some good in them and fought to spare their lives.
I like Zeniff. He saw the good in people--so much so that he allowed himself to be deceived by the Lamanites. BUT, he was an eager optimist, full of vision and energy--some thought too much energy (he even admits that he was 'over zealous.')
He was willing to fight for what he believed and he was also willing to see himself through honest eyes. He admitted that he was over zealous, and that he was slow to remember the Lord. But, he turned things around, and battled the Lamanites in the strength of the Lord (17) and they cried mightily unto Him.
He was strong and humble, willing to repent. And he accepted responsibility for their situation. It must have filled him with such sorrow to have buried his people with his own hands.
Zeniff is one of those guys I'm excited to meet someday.
So, here we are taking our first break from the chronological story of the people of Nephi, and taking a step backwards of about fifty years. It's like a flashback, or backstory, in a novel.
This story picks up where Omni 1:30 left off.
We learn in the first two verses what caused such a the battle between the first travel party mentioned in Omni 1:27-28. The leader of the first group wanted to kill the Lamanites, but Zeniff saw some good in them and fought to spare their lives.
I like Zeniff. He saw the good in people--so much so that he allowed himself to be deceived by the Lamanites. BUT, he was an eager optimist, full of vision and energy--some thought too much energy (he even admits that he was 'over zealous.')
He was willing to fight for what he believed and he was also willing to see himself through honest eyes. He admitted that he was over zealous, and that he was slow to remember the Lord. But, he turned things around, and battled the Lamanites in the strength of the Lord (17) and they cried mightily unto Him.
He was strong and humble, willing to repent. And he accepted responsibility for their situation. It must have filled him with such sorrow to have buried his people with his own hands.
Zeniff is one of those guys I'm excited to meet someday.
I like Zeniff too! I think it's important to remember that they spent 12 years without any conflict in the land of Nephi - I guess King Laman was super patient to wait 12 years before starting any kind of contention - after giving away land to these Nephites, ya know?
ReplyDeleteI also wonder how often we follow those who are over zealous optimists with a plan. Or how often I am an over zealous optimist with a plan - haha! That's probably more common! Perhaps the lesson that I will take from this chapter is to remember to check myself and my zeal and watch for signs of warning.
Have a great day! Thanks for the blog!
Zeniff was cool because he wasn't a blood-thirsty man. He didn't want war. He wanted peace. Are we like that? WAR is part of our culture. WAR on drugs, WAR on terror, WAR on this, WAR on that. It's truly disgusting, and opposes everything Jesus Christ taught.
ReplyDelete