11 And Moroni was a strong and a mighty man; he was a man of a perfect understanding; yea, a man that did not delight in bloodshed; a man whose soul did joy in the liberty and the freedom of his country, and his brethren from bondage and slavery;
12 Yea, a man whose heart did swell with thanksgiving to his God, for the many privileges and blessings which he bestowed upon his people; a man who did labor exceedingly for the welfare and safety of his people.
13 Yea, and he was a man who was firm in the faith of Christ, and he had sworn with an oath to defend his people, his rights, and his country, and his religion, even to the loss of his blood….
17 Yea, verily, verily I say unto you, if all men had been, and were, and ever would be, like unto Moroni, behold, the very powers of hell would have been shaken forever; yea, the devil would never have power over the hearts of the children of men.
Mormon makes no secret of his admiration for Captain Moroni. As a military leader himself, he was able to appreciate the challenges Moroni faced and the magnitude of his victories. In these verses, Mormon lists a number of characteristics of Moroni which were worthy of emulation:
- Moroni was strong and mighty. He had trained for battle and had mastered the skills associated with success on the battlefield.
- He was a man of understanding. He had studied and learned much, so he could make wise decisions as a leader.
- He had charitable motives. He didn’t want hurt other people, but he was willing to fight for the freedom of his fellow citizens.
- He was grateful. He didn’t take for granted the blessings he and his people had received.
- He was a hard worker.
- He had strong faith in Jesus Christ.
- He was a man of integrity. He had promised to defend his people, and he was determined to keep that promise.
Today, I will strive to develop the attributes Mormon saw in Captain Moroni. I will continue to develop my skills and knowledge, strive to be charitable, grateful, and diligent, exercise faith in the Savior, and live with integrity. I will remember Mormon’s affirmation that a person with these attributes can overcome the power of the devil and shake the powers of hell.
You actually make it appear really easy with your presentation however I find this matter to be actually one thing that I feel I would by no means understand. It seems too complicated and extremely wide for me. I’m having a look ahead to your subsequent submit, I’ll try to get the dangle of it!
Thanks for your comment! I find the Book of Mormon to be rich with meaning. The more I study and ponder it, the more I learn. Happy reading!
Thank you for the beautiful writing ✍️
Thank you for the kind feedback!
Moroni was not just a man of understanding, he was a man of a “perfect” understanding. I would like to know more about that.
That is a great question. I’ll work on it. Thanks!
Mormon so admired Moroni, he named his son after him. I find this a very humanising but frequently overlooked point in the Book of Mormon. Mormon named his son after his hero and Moroni was someone Mormon looked up to partly because of Mormon’s young ascension to leadership in the military. He was looking for guidance and found it in the form of Moroni.
Thank you for pointing out the personal influence Moroni had on Mormon. I agree that Mormon felt a particular kinship with Moroni probably because of his example as a disciple of Christ who was also a military leader. Even though he doesn’t tell us that he named his son after Capital Moroni, it seems pretty clear that he did.
A couple of other name connections of note: Mormon makes it a point to highlight the scene where Alma establishes the church. It is clearly a significant moment in Nephite history, and might have been particularly important to him because he was named after the place where it occured. (See 3 Nephi 5:12.)
Here’s another one: King Mosiah sent a group of capable men to search for the people of Zeniff, who had moved back to their homeland two generations earlier. The leader of that group was named Ammon (Mosiah 7:3). Is it a coincidence when we later learn that Mosiah’s firstborn son was named Ammon? (Mosiah 27:34)