Abinadi as Moses

 This week we studied the words that Abinadi preached to King Noah and his court. As I read it this time, I was struck by how many similarities there are between Abinadi and Moses. Several of the podcasts I listen too mentioned it as well. Mormon, the editor of the story, seems to specifically bring attention to the similarities. Here are a few. 

Both Abinadi and Moses are sent to a people who are in captivity.  Where as the house of Israel are in physical bondage to the pharaohs, the people of King Noah are in spiritual bondage.  Noah "did cause his people to commit sin" (Mosiah 11:2)

Both Abinadi and Moses gave the people the ten commandments. (Mosiah 12-13)

Both Abinadi's and Moses' faces shone when they were filled with the Holy Ghost (Mosiah 13:6), Mormon even says that his face shone like Moses' on Mount Sinai (13:5)

Both Abinadi and Moses established a new religious dispensation. As Moses wrote down the new Mosaic Law,  Alma wrote down Abinadi's words and they became the basis for Nephite religion for the next 150 years until the coming of Christ.  Alma passed them on to his son Alma the Younger, who taught them to his descendants, Helaman, then Helaman, and then Nephi and Lehi. 

The timing is just about right as well.  If we think of Lehi as Abraham and Abinadi as Moses, in both cases there were about 400 years between them.  400 years is a long time, and a religious structure can slip a lot in that much time. How closely were they still following the Law of Moses?  Who knows.  It is clear that they knew about the Law of Moses (13:26-27), but they will have mixed with indigenous people and adopted some of their beliefs and practices.  If they hadn't had the brass plates, they would have strayed even more from the Law, but they did, and seem to be familiar with the later prophets, such as Isaiah, as well. 

As Moses did not restore the Abrahamic religious practice, but set up a new worship based on the tabernacle, the religion Abinadi sets up is not a renewal of the Law of Moses, but the gospel of Christ. He sees the Law as a forerunner of  the Gospel of Christ. He sees the necessity to continue practicing the Law of Moses, but only while they await the advent of Christ. 

The main way that Abinadi differs Moses is that he did not live to lead his people out of captivity. That was left to his one convert, Alma, whom we will study next week.

King Benjamin Ends his Speech

 This week we read Mosiah 4-6. In this section King Benjamin continues his instruction about how to show love to God by being obedient and serving others (Mosiah 4). He urges them to humble themselves, repent, and call upon God  (4:9-10). King Benjamin then proclaims that they have taken upon themselves the name of "Children of Christ" (5:8), and he urges them to retain in their memory the name of Christ (5:12). 

In the past when I have read these chapters, it didn't feel like a story of something that really happened.  Two things made it seem like a folk retelling, or an exaggeration of what must have actually happened: 1. That they all fell to the earth when they heard his words (4:1) and that they all quoted, in unison, a long speech about their acceptance of the words of King Benjamin (5:2-5). Do people really fall down to the ground when they hear a moving speech?  Do they all spontaneously say the same thing when moved by the spirit? Sure, maybe they did, but it seemed really unlikely. I figured that some significant confirmation of faith had happened at the temple in Zarahemla, but that over the years the story of it had been rewritten in a stylized way. \

This time as I was reading through it, I had a different perspective.  Up until three months ago I had been serving as an ordinance worker at the Provo temple.  In the temple ordinance patrons do stand up, sit down and quote things in unison. Because of that perspective, it began to seem likely to me that Mosiah 1-6 recounts a set ceremony, not a chance occurrence.  People have come to the temple to have a specific experience/ordinance that have prepared for.  They have memorized their parts and their lines ahead of time and come ready to participate in the believe-affirming ceremony with their families. Whether this was an annual ceremony or whether this was a special ceremony, ordained by King Benjamin, to reunify his people after a long period of warfare, I don't know, but it seems obvious to me that what happened at the temple that day was scripted. 

Some might think this point of view removes the sense of the miraculous from the event, and thus makes it less significant. I mean, it would seem pretty amazing if people just spontaneously started saying a long speech in unison because they were all moved upon by the Spirit at the same time. I think, however, it is more valuable for us in this day to see this as an equivalent to our modern Temple ceremonies.  The fact that ceremony was scripted instead of spontaneous does not mean that it was not meaningful and impactful on the people present. Their recommitment to believe, serve, and obey could be just as sincere even if it was preplanned and anticipated. On the contrary, if this was an annual event, the repetition of the ceremony would tend to make it more lasting and impactful than if it was a one-time spontaneous result of the outpouring of the spirit. 

The leaders of the church have been emphasizing the important of attending the temple lately. I would estimate that at least 3/4 of the talks last conference were about temple covenants. I think the story of King Benjamin's speech at the temple is a reminder and a encouragement for us to go to the temple prepared to recommit ourselves to keeping our temple covenants. If we are doing it right we should go to the temple prepared to receive a "mighty change" so that we have "no more disposition to do evil" (5:2). As I have recently experienced, the spiritual high we feel at the temple tends to fade with time.  Aren't we glad we can return and seek to feel that sense of the "infinite goodness of God" again and again. (5:3)