Mosiah 7-11

MARCH READING

March 12—No Class 
March 19—Mosiah 12-17
March 26—Mosiah 18-24
 
KINGS IN THE BOOK OF MORMON

“Nephite kings were expected to fulfill the same roles that kings played in other ancient civilizations— commander of the military forces, chief judicial official, and leader of the national religion.A king’s success depended not only on the extent to which he performed each role, but also on the motives behind his service. Selfless rule by Benjamin-type kings combed the respect and praise of the people, while King Noah’s quest for personal gain roused Old World disdain for the monarch.”

Todd R. Kerr, Ancient Aspects of Nephite Kingship in the Book of Mormon, FARMS, BrighamYoung University

“Kingship in the Book of Mormon is very much a religious affair, much as it had been among the Israelites of the Old World. I wish to suggest that kingship among the Nephites was a priesthood calling. A survey of the evidence from the book of Mosiah and elsewhere in the Book of Mormon should serve to make this suggestion plausible, if not to prove it. Indeed, at least several of the Nephi kings —Nephi, Mosiah I, Benjamin, and Mosiah II—were also major prophets. King Benjamin appointed priests at Zarahemla. In the secondary Nephite kingdom which endured briefly in the land of Nephi, Zeniff exercised his right as ruler and ordained priests.”

“It is also important to bear in mind that the Church and the priesthood are not inseparably linked. It is possible for the priesthood to exist without a church, although it is impossible for the true church to exist without priesthood.The Church today is simply the essential but temporary scaffolding which surrounds an eternal structure of family and priesthood. Until we are worthy, the priesthood is mediated through and associated with the Church.”

Daniel C. Peterson, Priesthood in Mosiah, https://rsc.byu.edu/archived/book- mormon-mosiah-salvation-only-through-christ/11-priesthood-mosiah
 
PRIESTHOOD

“I’ve come to recognize as never before the importance of understanding the priesthood and its associated blessings for women.We’re living in a day when equality, power, fairness, and tolerance are touted—often above other virtues.What’s more, identity, authority, spirituality, and even God are topics of great confusion for many.
Many women, not knowing what blessings they have access to, are not taking full advantage of the spiritual feast available to them. Many men are also confused on the topic.”


“How can we better understand the connection women have with priesthood power and help them “to step forward,” to “take [their] rightful and needful place in [their] home, in [their] community, and in the kingdom of God—more than [they] ever have before”?1 First, we can humbly seek to understand truths associated with the priesthood, especially the most recent teachings of Church leaders. Second, we can seek to understand why some women don’t fully realize their access to God’s priesthood power.Third, we can be aware of how we can help women more fully participate in the work God accomplishes through His priesthood power.”

Barbara Morgan Gardner,Associate Professor of Church History and Doctrine,BrighamYoung University, https://www.lds.org/study/ensign/2019/03/connecting-daughters-of-god-with-his- priesthood-power?lang=eng
https://rsc.byu.edu/archived/re-18-no-3-2017/helping-fem-ale-students-rise-their-spiritual- privileges

PROPHET, SEER, REVELATOR

“A prophet is a teacher.That is the essential meaning of the word. He teaches the body of truth, the gospel, revealed by the Lord to man; and under inspiration explains it to the understanding of the people. He is an expounder of truth. Moreover, he shows that the way to human happiness is through obedience to God's law. He calls to repentance those who wander away from the truth. He becomes a warrior for the consummation of the Lord’s purposes with respect to the human family.The purpose of his life is to uphold the Lord's plan of salvation.

A seer is one who sees with spiritual eyes. He perceives the meaning of that which seems obscure to others; therefore he is an interpreter and clarifier of eternal truth. He foresees the future from the past and the present.This he does by the power of the Lord operating through him directly, or indirectly with the aid of divine instruments such as the Urim and Thummim. In short, he is one who sees, who walks in the Lord's light with open eyes.

A revelator makes known, with the Lord's help, something before unknown. It may be new or forgotten truth, or a new or forgotten application of known truth to man’s need.Always, the revelator deals with truth, certain truth and always it comes with the divine stamp of approval.”

“In summary:A prophet is a teacher of known truth; a seer is a perceiver of hidden truth, a revelator is a bearer of new truth. In the widest sense, the one most commonly used, the title, prophet, includes the other titles and makes of the prophet, a teacher, perceiver, and bearer of truth.”\

John A.Widtsoe, (1960). Evidences and Reconciliations, Salt Lake City: Bookcraft, 256-58.

ZENIFF—“OVER-ZEALOUS”

ZEAL—great energy or enthusiasm in pursuit of a course or objective. 1700s ZEAL definition—passionate “ardour” for any person or cause
 
OVERZEALOUS—marked by excessive enthusiasm for and intense devotion to a cause or idea

If you're overzealous about something, you've gone too far, and you're probably starting to scare people. Parents who are overzealous about keeping their kids safe may not allow them out of the house — ever. If you are overzealous about conserving water, you might shower a little too infrequently, or scold people for washing their cars. Most people understand that you mean well, and that's why you are so intense.

 OUR STRENGTHS CAN BECOME OUR DOWNFALL

“Our weaknesses are not the only areas where we are vulnerable. Satan can also attack us where we
 think we are strong—in the very areas where we are proud of our strengths. He will approach us
 through the greatest talents and spiritual gifts we possess. If we are not wary, Satan can cause our
 spiritual downfall by corrupting us through our strengths as well as by exploiting our weaknesses.”

 "At this point, as I draw near to my conclusion, I need to caution myself and each of my listeners that the very nature of this message could tend to the same downfall that it warns against.This idea that our strengths can become our weaknesses could be understood to imply that we should have “moderation in all things.” But the Savior said that if we are lukewarm, he will spue us out of his
mouth (see Revelation 3:16). Moderation in all things is not a virtue because it would seem to justify moderation in commitment.That is not moderation but indifference.That kind of “moderation” runs counter to the divine commands to serve with all of our “heart, might, mind and strength” to “seek . . earnestly the riches of eternity,” and to be “valiant in the testimony of Jesus.” Moderation is not the answer.
How, then, do we prevent our strengths from becoming our downfall? The quality we must cultivate is humility. Humility is the great protector. Humility is the antidote against pride. Humility is the catalyst for all learning, especially spiritual things.

 Dallin H. Oaks, https://speeches.byu.edu/talks/dallin-h-oaks_strengths-can-become-downfall/