Mosiah 7:26 - 7:33

Mosiah 7:26 And a prophet of the Lord have they slain; yea, a chosen man of God, who told them of their wickedness and abominations, and prophesied of many things which are to come, yea, even the coming of Christ.

There was even a prophet that the Lord sent to them to testify of their wickedness who was killed for what he told the leadership of the Nephites. He tried to show them a way out by telling of the coming of Jesus Christ and how that knowledge could bring them peace and a release from Lamanite domination.

Mosiah 7:27 And because he said unto them that Christ was the God, the Father of all things, and said that he should take upon him the image of man, and it should be the image after which man was created in the beginning; or in other words, he said that man was created after the image of God, and that God should come down among the children of men, and take upon him flesh and blood, and go forth upon the face of the earth—

This prophet was put to death because he testified of the coming of Christ. He said that this Christ was God and the Father of the earth and all things on or in it. That this God would become a mortal and live among the people He created.

Mosiah 7:28 And now, because he said this, they did put him to death; and many more things did they do which brought down the wrath of God upon them. Therefore, who wondereth that they are in bondage, and that they are smitten with sore afflictions?

Because the prophet said these things about the God what would come to earth, he was put to death in a very horrifying manner. So is it any wonder that the Lord brought destruction and slavery to those people who did these acts of horror.

[The question is why would anyone get nervous about a man going about saying that the God of the world would become a mortal and live among them? Would they not consider him like the fellow standing on a street corner with a sign saying the end is near? Obviously those who felt threatened by this prophet felt they had something to lose by this prophet preaching these things. What would that be? Power and control over the people who the wicked leaders were taxing to be able to enjoy the decedent life style they had at the expense of the people. In other words if the people became converted to what this prophet was saying then the people would recognize how they were being controlled by very wicked men and throw them off as their leaders. The good thing they had going would be destroyed and they would have to work to support themselves like everyone else. The wicked leadership just could not let that happen. Power and control is one of the great motivation for the wicked so they can have what they desire: fame and money.]

Mosiah 7:29 For behold, the Lord hath said: I will not succor my people in the day of their transgression; but I will hedge up their ways that they prosper not; and their doings shall be as a stumbling block before them.

The Lord has made it plain many times that he will not allow wicked to stand for very long. They will be warned that their time to repent is now, but if they refuse, then the Lord will allow their enemies to come in and destroyed them.

Mosiah 7:30 And again, he saith: If my people shall sow filthiness they shall reap the chaff thereof in the whirlwind; and the effect thereof is poison.

Wickedness will always bring about death and destruction. It is as natural as the sun coming up everyday. It is a law that whatever life style one adopts, they will reap the rewards of that life style. This is compared to chaff in the whirlwind which is like poison to a hungry man.

[Chaff is the worthless husks leftover from trashing of wheat. The whirlwind is wind whipping around in a circle and whatever it picks up is thrown around its center until it hits something or is thrown from its cone.]

Mosiah 7:31 And again he saith: If my people shall sow filthiness they shall reap the east wind, which bringeth immediate destruction.

Again if the people commit sin continually, they will harvest nothing but the heat of the east wind which brings destruction to anyone in its path.

Mosiah 7:32 And now, behold, the promise of the Lord is fulfilled, and ye are smitten and afflicted.

King Limhi now reminds the people that they are being punished for their past wickedness by the death to their people and the tribute they have to pay to the Lamanites.

Mosiah 7:33 But if ye will turn to the Lord with full purpose of heart, and put your trust in him, and serve him with all diligence of mind, if ye do this, he will, according to his own will and pleasure, deliver you out of bondage.

So if the people want deliverance, they will have to repent of their sins, become true Christians and trust in the Lord to deliver them. If they will do so, then they will be delivered.

[The people will now have to become converted completely to the Lord and concentrate on that only. The escaping from the Lamanites they will have to forget about for the moment and let the Lord deal with that. Once they learn the lesson which their present circumstances are teaching them, then they can move on to the next lesson of seeing how the Lord will take care of all this loyal servants through all their trials. It appears to me that perhaps the King was the righteous one of his people and he was trying to get them to shape up when Ammon came along. Not all the people were wicked.]