Mosiah 1-3 Lesson Notes (Chapter 18)

 Chalkboard: Sometimes it’s just faster and easier to let them learn the hard way!

Use analogy of trying to teach a child math and they are sure they are right, but you know they are not.

You know they have two chances to take the test, so after arguing about how it’s done, you just let them

take the test and fail, so they will trust that you know what you are talking about. But, by this time you

are both a little frustrated and so you say, “We’ll come back to math, let’s do your English, social studies,

and world history homework first just to give ourselves a little space from what was a very difficult

disagreement.” THIS is where God and Joseph Smith are in history. It has been a minute since Joseph

and Martin lost the 116 pages of manuscript. The plates were taken away. Joseph has become

sufficiently humble, teachable, and repentant. He has the plates back in his hands and he’s ready to

begin translating again, but he is told that he’s going to start where he left off, NOT the beginning. God

knows that he has a plan and that the 116 pages of information will not be lost forever, but he lets

Joseph stew a little bit by beginning in Mosiah. After finishing what Joseph thinks is the end of the

transcription, that’s when he’s allowed to translate Nephi through Omni, which is a record very similar

to what had been lost of Lehi’s word and a few of Nephi’s. It’s as if God is saying, “Do you now trust that

I know what I’m doing? Listen up and let’s not go through anything like that again, son.”

You’ll also notice a shift from 1 st person voice to 3rd person voice now that we’re in Mosiah, because

Mormon is now abridging.

But, before we get into MOSIAH, it’s probably time we take a POP QUIZ! After the Christmas break,

Lanni taught the Introduction to the Book of Mormon class and in that, Pres. Benson said we should

know the Book of Mormon better than any other book. So, using these BofM flashcards, let’s see if we

remember what characters we’ve met so far in the book and a little bit about each one. I’d also like to

hear your ah-hah moments- things you didn’t know before about these characters.

(POP QUIZ)

LESSON: Mosiah 1-3 taken directly from the teacher’s manual and the student manual, with a little

commentary from The Maxwell Institute’s Intro to Mosiah and from Elder Tad Callister’s book, Infinite

Atonement

CHART: page 411, Student Manuel (pages and time periods)

MAIN POINTS FROM INTRODUCTIONS:

Willingness to serve others- accountable, and will require a reckoning

Gratitude for divine providence- eternally indebted to God

Dependence up the Savior- salvation comes only through Him

These 3 things focus in and are required for- strengthening our covenant relationship

MAXWELL INSTITUTE NOTES

4 Stories/Accounts are used to teach these points in the book of Mosiah and make this one of the most

beloved books for us as saints:

1- The sermons of King Benjamin

2- The story of wicked King Noah and Abinadi

3- The story of Alma’s conversion and preaching in the wilderness

4- The story of Alma’s apostate son, Alma, and his conversion

Only 2 books are cited more in general conference (Alma and 3 rd Nephi). Alma is the longest book and

more than twice as long as Mosiah. The doctrinal content of Alma, combined with its length, explains

the frequent references to it. Although is approximately the same length as Mosiah, 3 Nephi tells of the

Savior’s vit to the Americas, which we should expect to generate considerable citation. The comparative

frequency with which Mosiah is cited in general conference suggests that it stands out as a favorite

resource for LDS speakers.

But Mosiah has it’s challenges too, “most complex book” and obsessed with the subject of UNITY:

1- It does not have a beginning, middle and end (first chapters were part of the 116 lost) nor

are big chunks of it in chronological order

2- Its “middle” consists of a major flashback containing two additional flashbacks

3- Mosiah’s ending is ultimately weak as a narrative, almost footnotes

4- Scholars question whether it was ever a freestanding book or a collection of records

5- There may have been a prior editor to Mormon

6- Themes of Separation and Fragmentation: Mosiah is a remnant of a book telling the story of

a remnant of the people of Nephi, themselves a remnant of the people of Lehi, whose

people awer a remnant of Israel, resulting from a number of separations: Lehi separated

from those at Jerusalem to settle in a new land. Nephi separated from his older brothers to

settle in a new land. Mosiah (1 st ) left the land of Nephi and discovered Zarahemla and the

Mulekites. After Mosiah (1 st ) death, when Zeniff and his followers leave Zarahemla to

establish a new colony back in the land of Nephi and finally Zeniff’s colony divides under the

rule of King Noah. And finally, spoiler alert, everyone is united…only temporarily because

apostasy threatens to again fragment the newly united people!

General agreement that Mosiah is divided into 4 parts:

1- King Benjamin’s declining years- Zarahemla (ch. 1-8)

2- Discovery of Zeniff’s people- Lehi-Nephi (ch 9-20)

3- Zeniff’s history until they reunite with Mosiah’s people in Zarahemla (ch 21-24)

4- Mosiah’s reign after the reunification up to his death- the dissolution of the kingdom and

the establishment of the church (ch 25-29)

FOR TODAY’S LESSON SPECIFICALLY, but still Maxwell Institute: (pgs. 53,54)

Chapter One: Good society is founded on the people’s conversion rather than on the kind of

government they have.

Chapter Two: What a comparison of the good and bad kings that we see in Mosiah teaches us and a

plausible argument against mixing politics with religion.

Chapter Three: Meaning of “mysteries of God” (only known by the Spirit), “chaos” (choice to sin),

“nothingness”, “dust” (pre-royal status, our royal status is based on our willingness to be serving Kings

and Queens like Benjamin who took no money or status), “dress” (serve), “natural man”, without his

breath (spirit) so natural man would be choosing to live without the spirit. Difference between

forgiveness (guilt gone, lowered as Christ was) and remission (become a servant, raised like Christ was),

the atonement is free from the constraints of TIME/SPACE.

FOR TODAY’S LESSON SPECIFICALLY, from the Institute Student’s Manual:

 Language of the Egyptians

 Mosiah’s Appointment to Kingship

 The New Name

 General Authority Quotes on Service, pg. 137 Student Manual

 General Authority Quotes on Our Indebtedness, pg. 138 Student Manual

 “It’s MY body and I can do what I want with it!”

 Willful Rebellion vs. Weakness

 Omnipotent

 So Great Was His Anguish (Elder Tad Callister’s book, Infinite Atonement)

 Putting Off the Natural Man (Truman Madsen handout)

 Become as a Child (Adam and Eve found the balance)

FOR TODAY’S LESSON SPECIFICALLY, from the Institute Teacher’s Manual:

 T/F activity, pg. 64

 Service as Therapy

 Gratitude Activity, pg. 65 under Indebted heading

 What’s to love about our Savior?, pg 66 under Salvation Only through Jesus Christ heading

 What would YOU give for “continual peace all the remainder of his day” like King Benjamin?

CAL STEPHEN’S AND OTHER SCHOLAR’S NOTES FROM EVERYONE IF WE NEED TO FILL TIME

ADD A FEW MORE FLASHCARDS TO OUR LIST OF CHARACTERS WE’VE BEEN INTRODUCED TO