Mosiah 9 through Mosiah 22 are like a mini book. These chapters are sharing the record of the people of king Limhi, beginning at the time that they left Zarahemla with Zeniff. I don’t imagine these stories are birthday parties and bubble gum, but I do imagine that there is a lot to learn! Let’s get started and since I have been so bad using substitution study skill in the last two chapters, I am going to be Zeniff.
This story begins in an awful state:
I was sent as a spy among the Lamanites so that my army of men could come against the Lamanites and destroy them. I saw all that the Lamanites had, and I wanted what they had, so I didn’t want them to be destroyed. I convinced my brethren in the wilderness to have our ruler try to make a treaty with them, but he was an awful, mean man. Our men turned against one another and we fought ourselves until most of us were dead. We then returned to Zarahemla and I was spared but had to go and tell the wives and children of the loss of many fathers and brothers. Still, though, I had not learned. I wanted nothing more than to inherit the land of our fathers, so I gathered as many people together in Zarahemla that wanted to go with me and we journeyed into the wilderness. I lead the people and we were smitten with famine and many afflictions because I did not lead them in the ways of the Lord. We finally pitched our tents in the same plate where we had slain one another and I took men with me down to the king of the Lamanites, hoping for peace. How surprised I was that king Laman had agreed to give us the lands that we requested. The people and I began to repair the city walls and till the earth and we prospered and multiplied.
After twelve years had passed, king Laman decided that he didn’t want us to become too strong so that we could overpower him, so he decided to stir things up and contend with the people that now lived in Lehi-Nephi and Shilom. King Laman sent his people to kill people, take flocks and food from the fields. Many of the people were able to flee and ask me for protection. I armed them with bows, arrows, swords, cimeters, clubs, slings and any other weapon I could come up with. And with the people, I went before the Lamanites in battle. We went up against them in the strength of the Lord, and I “did cry mightily to the Lord that he would deliver us out of the hands of our enemies, for we were awakened to a remembrance of the deliverance of our fathers. And God did hear our cries and did answer our prayers; and we did go forth in his might; yea, we did go forth against the Lamanites, and in one day and a night we did slay three thousand and forty-three; we did slay them even until we had driven them our of our land.”
We conquered, but we lost as well. 279 of our brethren left this mortal world today in battle.
And I will come out of character now. I, Samantha, leave this post with you in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.
pathwaytohiskingdom 