Book of Mormon Lesson Plan 17

Introduction

Once upon a time, Lehi and Sariah took their family and left Jerusalem.  They settled in the land of Lehi, named after Dad.  Shortly after Lehi died, Nephi took the righteous people who would follow him and went to a new land they named Nephi (Journey 1).  They lived there for about 400 years, until the people living in the land of Nephi became wicked.  Then the Lord commanded the king, named Mosiah, to flee with all the righteous.  (Sounds kind of like what Nephi did, right?)  They arrived at a land called Zarahemla inhabited by the people of Mulek (Journey 2).  Mosiah became king of this group of people, and they called themselves Nephites.  During the reign of King Benjamin, some of the people went back to the land of Lehi/Nephi to inherit the land (Journey 3).  They were led by Zeniff.  About 79 years after that, the Nephites in Zarahemla were curious to know what had happened to Zeniff, so they sent a party headed by a man named Ammon (not the same person who cuts off arms) to find out (Journey 4).

(Click here for the image of the journeys.)

 

 

Ammon finds and teaches Limhi

Ammon and his party arrive at the land of Nephi and find Limhi.  After Limhi learns who they are, he explains that he is really happy to see them because they are in bondage to the Lamanites, and they would rather be slaves to the Nephites.  Limhi also tells Ammon about 24 gold plates they found while searching for the land of Zarahemla to ask for help.  We later learn that these plates belonged to the Jaredites.

Read Mosiah 8:12.  What did Limhi want?  What value is there in the knowledge he sought?  Read verses 13-18 for Ammon’s response.  How do the First Presidency and Quorum of the Twelve fill the characteristics today that Ammon described?

How have you benefited as you have listened to and followed the counsel of these seers?  Read President Packer quote:

“The scriptures speak of prophets as ‘watch[men] upon the tower’ who see ‘the enemy while he [is] yet afar off’ and who have ‘beheld also things which were not visible to the natural eye … [for] a seer hath the Lord raised up unto his people.’

“[Many years ago] the Brethren warned us of the disintegration of the family and told us to prepare. … The weekly family home evening was introduced by the First Presidency. … Parents are provided with excellent materials for teaching their children, with a promise that the faithful will be blessed.

“While the doctrines and revealed organization remain unchanged, all agencies of the Church have been reshaped in their relationship to one another and to the home. … The entire curriculum of the Church was overhauled—based on scriptures. … And years were spent preparing new editions of the Bible, the Book of Mormon, the Doctrine and Covenants, and the Pearl of Great Price. …  

“We can only imagine where we would be if we were just now reacting to [the] terrible redefinition of the family. But that is not the case. We are not casting frantically about, trying to decide what to do. We know what to do and what to teach. …  

“The course we follow is not of our own making. The plan of salvation, the great plan of happiness, was revealed to us, and the prophets and Apostles continue to receive revelation as the Church and its members stand in need of more” (in Conference Report, Apr. 1994, 24–25; or Ensign, May 1994, 20).

Zeniff’s Record

Why did Laman and Lemuel hate Nephi?  (Because Nephi was righteous and they couldn’t stand his good example reminding them that they were not.) 

Why did their children hate the descendants of Nephi?  Review Mosiah 10:11-17.  (Because the children of Laman and Lemuel were taught to hate the Nephites.)  How does the world still show this pattern today?  Do we as individual members of the Church suffer from this same problem?

Read Mosiah 9:1.  Zeniff recognized good in his “enemies.”  How can we honestly do the same?

Read Mosiah 9:3. 

• What were the results of Zeniff’s over-zealousness? 
• What are some dangers of being overzealous, even in a good cause?
• How can we be zealous in the Lord’s work without being overzealous?

What we can learn from Noah

Read Mosiah 11:2, 5-7.  Whose fault was it that the people in general became wicked?  (Both the people and Noah shared this responsibility.)

Given that Zeniff was righteous, and that Noah’s son Limhi turns out to be righteous, I suspect that Noah was at least not too bad to begin.  But, as he became more comfortable with his new power, he became corrupted.  This is not doctrine, just my thought.

• How can we remain righteous in spite of the blessings we are given?

Read Mosiah 11:20-25.  Does Abinadi sound like a seer, as Ammon described him at the beginning of the lesson?

Read verses 26-29.  Why did the people respond this way?  Why were they angry with Abinadi instead of with Noah?  What makes you angry?  Does your anger sound like God’s anger described in verse 20, or Noah’s in verse 27?

Conclusion

Follow the prophet!