King Mosiah is worried that if he appoints someone other
than his oldest son to be the king it would cause contention among the people.
It is interesting that he wasn’t worried about such fighting if the people
voted for their leaders. What makes the losers in that case not fight? In other
countries there are often riots after elections, but that is usually if people
felt the election was unfair, not just because they lost. What makes us willing
to accept the will of the people if we have a voice, too? Is it just our
inherent valuation of agency?
It also seems important that King Mosiah wanted to appoint
judges, not rulers. People to make sure laws were followed, that affairs were
fair, but not to impose their own will on the people. King Mosiah must have
been an amazing man to not be corrupted by the power of being king, but to see
his role in this light instead. Am I a dictator as a mother? Sometimes I think
I definitely just impose my will, rather than just making sure rules are being
followed and things are fair. I feel like I need to think about the things I do
or am frustrated about, and try to make sure I am not just abusing my position
of authority. I think about that a lot, leading through persuasion and love and
long suffering. It’s hard to do—probably mostly out of selfishness. I don’t
want to suffer for long. I keep feeling prompted that I need to be more patient
and kind.
I wonder how much of an impact it had on King Mosiah to
learn about wicked King Noah and the problems that it caused. Did that change
his view and inform his decision about kings? I also feel his stress when he talks
about not having a king so the people have responsibility for their own actions.
It’s not fair to the people or the king that way. What does that mean for me as
a leader in my home? How can I make the kids responsible for their own actions more?
I love how the people loved Mosiah so much because he had protected
their freedom, and given them more freedom, delivering them from every type of bondage.
It is such a beautiful type of the Savior, and why we love Him so much. Because
he makes us free.
I appreciate the Alma stayed home and did the Lord’s work while
the sons of Mosiah were on their missions. It reminds me that we are called to serve
in different ways. Sometimes I feel guilty for not having a bigger family, or an
important job, or a million different things I see other people doing to build the
kingdom. But as I read this I am reminded that the Lord has different ways He needs
us to serve, and I am trying to follow what He has told me about how I should serve.
If I keep my eyes on Him, instead of looking at what others are doing, I will be
okay.
I never noticed before how much older Alma was than Mosiah. I
have always imagined him as a young man as a priest of king Noah, but he couldn’t
have been, as Mosiah was already king when all of that happened. I wonder if Alma
the younger then had lived under King Noah? Was that part of what was difficult
for him later?
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