It's been 3 years now since Mosiah was anointed king of the people of Nephi. Little is said of his tenure as king, either in these 3 years or, for that matter at all, except this: He walked in the ways of the Lord, observed the Lord's judgments and kept the Lord's commandments. We also read that he followed his father's ways; he did all he could for his own daily maintenance so he wouldn't be a burden to the people. Mosiah, like Benjamin, his father, was a great man, leading by example and inspiring those they served. We can also be inspired by their example.
Chapter 7 and 8 of Mosiah deal with concern for the people who had gone off to inhabit the land of Lehi-Nephi. This is the land where the Nephites settled after separating themselves from the Laman and Lemuel and their followers. A man named Zeniff desired to return to that area and actively enlisted others to go with him, as we read in Omni, v.27-30. The writer, Amaleki, tells us that a considerable number of people accompanied Zeniff as he returned to the land of Lehi-Nephi, including Amaleki's brother.
After Mosiah had been king for several years the people began to be anxious about the welfare of those who returned to Lehi-Nephi. Much concern expressed to the king - "...therefore, they wearied him with their teasings" (Mosiah 7:1) - and he agreed to send a party to search for the lost group. King Mosiah calls on a group of 16 men to send to the land of Lehi-Nephi to determine status of the lost people.
So the setting is placed for the next several chapters in the book of Mosiah. There are some great details to be learned from them.
Ammon, the leader of the search party and a descendant of Zarahemla, takes his men through the wilderness and wanders for 40 days. It isn't clear if the length of this trip is due to distance or if it is because they were unsure of which way to go. I believe it is probably mostly due to the distance to travel and the hard-going labor of trekking through the wilderness. They must have carefully kept a record of their journeys, since we don't really hear anything about the difficulty of the trip back to Zarahemla when they eventually return. Ammon and his party finally arrived at their destination and proceeded to determine the status of the people. Being a careful leader, he left the majority of his group nearby while he and two companions approached the people now living in the land of Lehi-Nephi.
I initially wondered why Ammon left most of his men behind, but in thinking about it, to me the reason was logical. Ammon didn't know how they would be greeted by the people they had just found and probably wanted some of his men to be able to return and relate the things that happened, should go wrong. Ammon took two others with him. Some say there is power in the number 3; in my thinking, I agree with this to the extent that no matter which of the 3 they questioned, there were two witnesses to corroborate his story. Ammon and his two companions were likely questioned carefully about their origin and their aims before the people of the land trusted him... (given the circumstances of this people, I don't really blame them for being so suspicious).
Ammon was a good representative of the people of Zarahemla. The king of the people at Nephi-Lehi, Limhi, recognized the truth of Ammon's story because of the spirit Ammon carried with him. Ammon "bowed himself before the king; and rising again he said: O king, I am very thankful before God this day that I am yet alive, and am permitted to speak; and I will endeavor to speak with boldness; For I am assured that if ye had known me ye would not have suffered that I should have worn these bands. For I am Ammon, and am a descendant of Zarahemla, and have come up out of the land of Zarahemla to inquire concerning our brethren, whom Zeniff brought up out of that land" (Mosiah 7:12-13). Ammon used boldness, yes, but it was boldness in righteous doing. King Limhi immediately knew Ammon was speaking the truth.
The appearance of Ammon and his companions brought a much sought-for commodity to the people of Limhi: Hope. They had a Lamanite problem and needed help from the Lord. It is interesting to me that at the time when Limhi was so desperate that he sent a party out, at risk of punishment by the Lamanites, to search for Zarahemla, that the people in Zarahemla were being touched by the spirit of concern for these people. The Lord knew Limhi's circumstances. Working in His miraculous way, the Lord inspired the people of Zarahemla with concern for the welfare of they who had left years earlier. The Lord inspired Mosiah to take action as his people wanted. The Lord had Mosiah choose the right person to lead the search party, one who was divinely inspired himself. When you think about it, the Lord works this way in all of our lives. Have you ever gotten a call from the one person who could relieve your burden just when you needed them? This happens time and time again. This happens because the Lord knows us, He knows our circumstances, and He wants to ease our burden and to help us to become more like him. It has always been this way.
Ammon was the right person to lead the search party and to meet with king Limhi. The king had all the people come so that Ammon could speak to them. After Limhi rehearsed to the people their present circumstances and the reasons they were in such a mess, he had Ammon talk. Ammon told them of the things that had happened in Zarahemla. He told the people about king Benjamin's last address. "And he also rehearsed unto them the last words which king Benjamin had taught them, and explained them to the people of king Limhi, so that they might understand all the words which he spake" (Mosiah 8:3). Side note: Notice that the verse says "so that they might understand all the words...". The key word there is "might". It is up to each of us, when we hear truth, to recognize and understand it. Ammon could not make the people recognize the value of the things Benjamin taught, but he presented the truth to the people for their edification; seeing and understanding the truth is up to the individual. We need to prepare ourselves to be able to recognize and act on truth as it is revealed to us.
King Limhi told Ammon about the plates that his people found when they were searching for Zarahemla and he asked if Ammon could interpret the plates. This brought a discussion about seers... Ammon indicated that his king, King Mosiah, was a seer and could translate the plates that were found. Two points to bring up about this discussion:
1) Ammon gives us further indication of the kind of man that King Mosiah was. He was living his life such that he was worthy to look into the interpreters when commanded. Mosiah, like his grandfather (see Omni v.20) and undoubtedly his father, was the prophet-leader of his people. Oh, that the priesthood leaders of each of our families would be like these men and lead their "kingdom" righteously.
2) Ammon refers to the interpreters... "And the things are called interpreters, and no man can look in them except he be commanded, lest he should look for that he ought not and he should perish" (Mosiah 8:13). These interpreters are, I believe, what we know as the Urim and Thummim. I believe these interpreters were with the plates that Joseph Smith was entrusted with and the very instruments that he used in the translation of the Book of Mormon. There appears to be more than one set of interpreters; This set was different than the set that is referred to in the Old Testament as being used by Moses (Exodus 28:30). It is possible that this set is the same that was used by the Jaredites, but that set could be different as well.
After Ammon and Limhi discuss the attributes of a Seer and Prophet, it is obvious that Limhi's mind is relieved of a great burden. In his excitement "...the king rejoiced exceedingly, and gave thanks to God, saying: Doubtless a great mystery is contained within these plates, and these interpreters were doubtless prepared for the purpose of unfolding all such mysteries to the children of men. O how marvelous are the works of the Lord, and how long doth he suffer with his people..."
May we each be excited about the Lord's workings in our lives. May we recognize the truth he offers to us and embrace His love which is offered freely.
Don
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