After
being delivered by the Lord from an angry throng of King Noah’s subjects whom
he had offended by calling them to repentance, the prophet Abinadi returns two
years later and picks up where he left off with the people (verse 1). There’s
probably an interesting story behind those two years (Where was Abinadi? What
was he doing? Who with?), but it seems as though neither the Lord nor our
narrator (Mormon) feels as though these details are necessary for our purposes.
What
is important for us to know is that upon his return, Abinadi is even bolder and
more unapologetic in his warnings to King Noah’s people than he was in his
earlier incarnation. He leaves little to the imagination. Not only does he warn
the people that bondage awaits them, but that they shall be driven by men,
slain, and their flesh devoured by vultures, dogs, and wild beats (verse 2).
This is not going to be pleasant.
Further,
Abinadi makes it very clear that King Noah is not exempt from earthly
consequences for his and his people’s sins. Abinadi says that Noah’s life shall
be valued as a garment in a hot furnace. This points very clearly toward the
fiery death Noah will ultimately suffer at the hands of some of his own people.
Apparently,
bondage and cruel suffering are not going to be enough to get the people to
repent. So Abinadi recites an entire litany of other plagues Noah’s people will
be forced to bear, including famine, pestilence, and various natural disasters
(verses 4-7)—reminiscent of what the Lord visited upon the Egyptians in Moses’
time. Why does this happen? In verse 8, we learn that part of the reason is to
leave a testimony that future generations (us, particularly) can learn from.
This
time, it is not Abinadi’s lot to escape capture. The angry mob bind him and
bring him before King Noah, reporting on all the heinous things that Abinadi
has said will afflict them, and King Noah specifically. We witness here how
communities and societies seal their doom by engaging in collective denial
about the accountability they face for unrepentantly breaking God’s law. The
larger the group of people involved in unrighteousness, the more powerfully the
echo chamber of rationalization deludes them into thinking that they are in
fact not doing anything wrong, nor will they suffer: “O king, behold, we are
guiltless, and thou, O king, hast not sinned; therefore, this man has lied
concerning you, and has prophesied in vain” (verse 14). “We shall not come into
bondage…and thou shalt also prosper” (verse 15).
The
big showdown that Mormon has been setting up between Abinadi and Noah, in his
framing of the story, is about to take place. Noah imprisons Abinadi and asks
his priests how they should proceed. The priests, likely feeling very confident
in their powers of intimidation and argument, essentially say, “Leave him to
us…mwah, hah, hah! We’ll get him to break” (verses 17-18).
And
so the inquisition begins, much like something out of medieval Spain or
England. The participants couldn’t be more different in their morality,
approach, or level of understanding.
In
the initial round of questioning, the overconfident priests find themselves
more than matched by Abinadi’s powers of reasoning and boldness. This
astonishes them somewhat (verse 19).
Plan
B. One of the priests resorts to the stratagem that the lawyers and scribes
would try to use with Jesus during his mortal life. Quote a scripture and ask
Abinadi the meaning, in such a way where if he doesn’t give the “right” answer,
it will be easy to say that he has blasphemed by going against the prophets.
The scripture the priest quotes is from Isaiah: “How beautiful upon the
mountains are the feet of him that bringeth good tidings” (verses 21-24).
It’s
pretty obvious that the point of this reference is to put Abinadi off balance.
The priest lifts the scripture out of context in an effort to create the
appearance that Isaiah’s prophecy is about telling people what they want to
hear instead of what they need to hear. In essence, the message to Abinadi is,
“Isaiah told us that no one likes a killjoy. If you come to us with anything
other than flattering words, you must be a false prophet.” And perhaps the
priest is also trying in vain to deceive himself, his colleagues, and King Noah
into the illusion that their wickedness is not a serious problem.
But
Abinadi is ready for the shallow tricks of men. First, he mockingly asks why
the priests would ask him to interpret the scripture if they are supposed to be
so capable and righteous themselves. Then he differentiates between their
cleverness and true wisdom. Wisdom involves applying your “hearts to
understanding” (verse 27).
And
rather than feeling cowed by the question, Abinadi turns it back on the
priests. What do you teach the people? When they say they teach the law of
Moses, Abinadi is ready with a zinger of his own: “why do ye not keep it?”
(verse 28) He unfolds the truth of the matter, that it is the priests’ leading
of the people astray that has caused the Lord to send Abinadi to warn the
people (verse 29).
Then
Abinadi goes on. We sense that the priests, convicted by their own consciences,
are stunned and unprepared for how Abinadi has turned the tables, for he
clearly has taken the initiative. He asks them if salvation comes by the law of
Moses, and when they say yes, he begins expounding the Ten Commandments,
indicating that those who keep the commandments will find salvation (making a
very subtle hint that salvation comes not from the law itself, but from the
Lord who gives the law). Very simply, he lays out the first two
commandments—(1) don’t worship anything above God and (2) don’t create idols
(verses 31-36). And then very matter-of-factly states that the priests have not
kept either of the commandments. The implication: if you can’t even keep the
first two, there’s a very good chance you’re in trouble on the other eight as
well.
But he’s also getting ready to explain to the priests that it isn’t the law itself that is the source of salvation, but rather the God who provided the law. The wickedness that Noah and his priests have brought upon their people is like a dark cloud that prevents them from comprehending the plain but essential truth of the gospel—that we need God every step of the way to save us from our sins and help us on the road to becoming like Him.
But he’s also getting ready to explain to the priests that it isn’t the law itself that is the source of salvation, but rather the God who provided the law. The wickedness that Noah and his priests have brought upon their people is like a dark cloud that prevents them from comprehending the plain but essential truth of the gospel—that we need God every step of the way to save us from our sins and help us on the road to becoming like Him.
