GOSPEL
DOCTRINE LESSON
Supplements for
LDS Sunday School Courses for the Book of Mormon
(Including
Information for
Preparing Gospel Doctrine Lessons in Hebrew)
by Daniel Rona
Lesson Number 31
"Firm in the Faith of Christ" (Alma 43-52)
The politics and wars that follow in the chapters being studied show the use and abuse of both the justice and mercy examined in the last lesson. There are parallels to Israel's modern history as some sort of rights and obligations must be balanced with ideologies and political aspirations. Israel is not seeking for monarchy or power over one ethnic group or another.
"Nevertheless, the Nephites were inspired by a better cause, for they were not fighting for monarchy nor power but they were fighting for their homes and their liberties, their wives and their children, and their all, yea, for their rites of worship and their church." (Alma 43:45)
Zerahemna denied the reason for the Moroni's success which was rooted in faith and in God-given destiny. He claimed that the Nephite's weaponry and state-of-the-art military skills gave them an advantage over the Lamanites. A parallel to that can be seen in Israel's modern history. Those who choose to fight against Israel deny Israel's claim rooted in faith and in a God-given destiny. They also complain that the USA is giving state-of-the-art military aid to Israel, an unfair advantage over "Palestinians." It must be noted, however, that many and most of the Arabs under (and not under) "Palestinian Authority" do not wish to fight. Polls repeatedly show in the area of the Palestinian Authority, that the popular vote for the Palestinian leader seems to be considerably less than a majority.
The ultimate resolution to conflict is following the instruction and counsel of the Messiah in accepting his eventual arrival and rule. Then the rights and obligations and the ideologies and political aspirations will be righteously balanced. Powers usurped by monarchies or dictatorships will disappear as the Savior appears and leads with justice and mercy.