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.