Was the Lord wrong?!
I always cringe a bit when reading Moroni’s epistle to the chief judge Pahoran in Alma 60.
Moroni is getting angry and assuming a whole lot of things very incorrectly. Awkward.
But this time, verse 33 in Alma 60 made me do a double take.
Moroni tells Pahoran that the Lord told Moroni to go to battle against the Pahoran if he didn’t repent of his sins and iniquities.
What?!
Pahoran actually wasn’t committing sins and iniquities, and this was all a misunderstanding on Moroni’s part.
Moroni was receiving revelation to battle Pahoran even when he wasn’t actually doing anything wrong?
Why would the Lord prompt Moroni with incorrect information?
And then I got to Pahoran’s response in Alma 61.
“I was somewhat worried concerning what we should do [about these rebels taking over the government and pushing Pahoran out], whether it should be just in us to go against our brethren.
“But ye have said, except they repent the Lord hath commanded you that ye should go against them.” (Alma 61:19-20)
And then Pahoran calls for Moroni to join him and bring troops for a battle against the rebels in the capital.
Pahoran had been praying to know whether or not he should go to battle against his own people.
He had been kicked off the judgment seat, but he wasn’t sure what to do next.
And Moroni’s inspiration that Moroni totally thought was about going to battle against Pahoran, was actually God’s way of answering Pahoran’s prayers – by telling him that they should go to battle against the people who had kicked him out.
So this whole misunderstood letter from Moroni? The false accusations and warnings and calls to repentance?
They were all really just a messy vessel for God to answer Pahoran’s prayer.
And AMAZING and HUMBLE Pahoran was able to overlook the misunderstandings and offensive phrases in Moroni’s letter in order to find the truth within it.
Because at the end of the day, it’s not just a cliche: God really does only have imperfect people to work with.
And sometimes we have to just ignore and forgive the messy parts in order to find the gold we need in each other.
Happy Studying!
-Cali Black
2 Responses
Thank you so much for this post! I was having the same trouble understanding why God would inspire Moroni to go to battle against Pahoran instead of inspiring Moroni to know that Pahoran needed help!
God is not only working with/for imperfect people, He is letting us discover most of the answers the hard way because that is how we grow. He doesn’t give us the answers that would make life so much easier and He doesn’t make pathways smooth as a blessing. How embarrassing to Moroni to see this whole epistle in the Book of Mormon for all of us to read and ridicule, but what a wonderful lesson for us!
Thank you for sharing your thoughts! <3