Blog resurrection and humanizing the prophets
Man, this blog has been dead for a LONG time! That’s really no good. It’s time to change that.
I graduated about two months ago from college, and since then, I’ve found myself reading scriptures a lot more frequently than I used to when I was in school. I guess it’s one of the benefits of having more mental space and/or free time–instead of constantly rushing from project to project, I can structure my days however I want. That’s WAY nice.
I’ve been making good progress in the Arabic Book of Mormon. Right now, I’m in Mosiah chapter 13, where Abinadi is preaching to King Noah and his people. Maybe in a later post, I’ll have to break down Abinadi’s message, because it is absolutely AWESOME. The way he responds to King Noah’s priests’ attacks by teaching them about the Savior, and how Christ saves, not the law–it’s awesome. I love it. More on that later.
One interesting thing that struck me was the fact that Abinadi disappeared for two years between the start of his ministry and the epic finish, when he was martyred. Where did he go for those two years? Why did he stop preaching? What else was he doing?
Perhaps he needed those two years to gather his courage and commit himself to the Lord’s work. Perhaps he was scared of being killed and needed that time to overcome that fear. I don’t know–it’s just my own speculation–but I wouldn’t be surprised if that’s the case.
Too often, I think we treat the prophets as if they’re somehow these superhuman beings–beings who are immune to temptations, devoid of weaknesses and flaws, and always choose the right, without any kind of hesitation or fear. I don’t think that’s a healthy way to read the scriptures.
When we think of the prophets as these superhuman beings, it’s easy to think that they’re out of our league–that we’ll never be as obedient as Nephi, as bold as Abinadi, or as repentant as Alma. They slowly cease to become role models and start to become idols, lovely pictures of righteousness that we love to look at but generally keep on a shelf somewhere.
Instead, when I read the scriptures, I find it much more edifying to look at the ways in which the prophets are human–not to point out flaws, but to say “yes, that was something he struggled with and this is how he overcame it.” By humanizing them, I realize that I can be like them–that we’re all disciples of Christ together, and that through His grace, we can gain the strength to accomplish miracles in spite of our shortcomings.
I wonder what happened to Abinadi in those two years. If I ever write an LDS novel, that’s one story that I’d love to write. Maybe he met a girl…
Anyways, those are some of my thoughts on Mosiah right now. I’ll be sure to update this blog more often–my goal is to read from the scriptures every day, and I’m sure that will give me lots of stuff to write about. Expect this blog to become a lot more active in the near future.
One response so far
Glad to see this blog back up.
I like your insights into Abinadi’s humanity–I’ve never thought much about it. Maybe there’s a Jonah and the whale experience here that nobody ever recorded. Or maybe there was a woman.
Anyways, I also like your thoughts about the humanity of all prophets. I’ve been having lots of thoughts about this too–my wife and I are just in the last few chapters of Alma, and I have been struck by Moroni’s imperfection–yes, that same Moroni that “If all men were like him, the kingdom of the devil would be shaken forever.”
He not only jumped to extreme conclusions about what was happening back in Zarahemla, but attacked Pahoran’s moral character and motivations and threatened to kill him without mercy. I have a hard time feeling like that was the Christ-like way to respond given the clear lack of information.
But that goes right along with what you said–that makes Moroni a touchable role model. He was imperfect! He made huge mistakes! But despite that, Mormon still felt that if we were all like him, we’d shake the kingdom of the Satan forever. That inspires me.