A GOD OF MERCY

There lived some 120 years B.C. a group of people in ancient America ruled by a self-serving and self-indulgent king called King Noah. So wicked was this king and his priests who taught the people 'lying and vain words' (Mosiah 11:11) that God saw fit to send them a warning voice through a prophet called Abinadi. Abinadi was hated and persecuted by the King and had next to no success in his attempt to turn the people to repentance. In fact Abinadi had only one convert by the name of Alma. Before he was burnt at stake Abinadi prophesied that King Noah and his people would suffer the same pains that they inflicted upon him and that they would be driven and taken by the hand of their enemies (Mosiah 17:15-18). Well God makes no promises that He does not intend to keep.

Abinadi's only convert Alma preached to the people of Noah in secret and was rewarded with a small following for his repentance and his efforts to convert others. Severe persecution necessitated this group of faithful followers to flee to safer pastures. Following their departure, God's prophecies to King Noah and his unrepentant people began to be fulfilled. King Noah suffered death by fire and his people under the new leadership of King Noah's son, Limhi, were taken into bondage by their enemies, the Lamanites.  Alma and his followers, through intricate circumstances, fell into bondage also. The lesson lies in these two groups of people and their respective conversions. The people of Alma repented of their sins when the call to repentance came. As the result of their conversion they covenanted with God through baptism to keep His commandments. The other group who were led by Noah's son Limhi repented out of necessity. Just as Abinadi prophesied, they were 'afflicted, smitten, driven to and fro and burdened according to the desires of their enemies' (Mosiah 21:13). And so the humility came in realising that only God could deliver them from their afflictions (Mosiah 21:4, 14).

Both the people of Alma and the people of Limhi repented, appealed to God and received deliverance from bondage but in different ways. The deliverance for the people of Alma came swift and totally engineered by God himself who caused a deep sleep to come upon the Lamanites so this little band of His followers could escape during the night. The deliverance for Limhi and his people came slowly and had to be devised by the people themselves. Why would there be such disparity in methods of deliverance for these converts to righteousness? The answer is this: it is a universal law that choice be followed by consequence. Consequence is a great teacher, one that is meant to help us develop our ability to choose wisely. If we choose to live within negative energy and in opposition to God's laws, we will reap negative situations wherein we have to be taught in a painful way that it is better to choose the right. In other words, be careful what you choose today because you will have to live with it tomorrow. The law of choice and consequence is also intended to make us spiritually and emotionally mature enough to be willing to be accountable for our actions.

Hidden from the world, but so evident throughout the scriptures, is one saving grace for our underdeveloped skill to always choose the right. We need never suffer more than we need to during the necessary lessons of consequence. When Limhi's people could no longer bear the afflictions of their bondage, having humbled themselves 'in the depths of humility', they began to 'cry mightily to God'....'all day long' begging to be delivered (Mosiah 21:5,14), but God was 'slow to hear their cry'. Evidently they had to suffer the consequence of their unwillingness to repent when the call came and they had to learn that God fulfills all His promises (Mosiah 21:4). There is, however, a light in this teaching moment.  The Lord could not erase the consequences of their actions but what He did do was soften the hearts of the Lamanites so that 'they began to ease their burdens' (Mosiah 21:15). In other words, the Lord, because of His mercy 'softened the blow'. To me, this story of accountability showcases the greatest need for us to remember that 'God is merciful'. In recounting the story of Limhi and his people, King Mosiah says thus: "And were it not for the interposition of their all-wise Creator, and this because of their sincere repentance, they must unavoidably remain in bondage until now. But behold, he did deliver them because they did humble themselves before him; and because they cried mightily unto him he did deliver them out of bondage; and thus doth the Lord work with his power in all cases among the children of men, extending the arm of mercy towards them that put their trust in him" (Mosiah 29:19,20).

Some of us are in bondage because of unwise choices we might have made. The path to freedom, however, is laced with mercy. In all our imperfections, we need not suffer long. The penitent and the obstinate both receive, but they alone determine the severity of that need and the swiftness of relief.  Mistakes can be made, wrong choices embraced, debilitating weaknesses indulged. But God is not far away and God is merciful, always. Such is the power of His love and His boundless charity towards the children of men.