Noah, Babylon, and the Slipperiness of Political Power

When Noah became king, he fired all of his father’s priests and surrounded himself with people who told him what he wanted to hear. (See Mosiah 11:5, Mosiah 12:13-14.) His father, Zeniff, had made significant miscalculations, placing his people in great danger. But he had prioritized the welfare of his people and taught them to trust God. As a result, they had been able to defend themselves, fighting “in the strength of the Lord,” even though they were outnumbered by their enemies, who surrounded them. (See Mosiah 9:3, Mosiah 9:17, Mosiah 10:10-11.)

But Noah was a different sort of leader: cocky, selfish, and defiant. “He did not keep the commandments of God, but he did walk after the desires of his own heart” (Mosiah 11:2). He used tax revenues for his own personal benefit and for the benefit of people who were loyal to him. (See Mosiah 11:3-4.) This corruption in the government had a corrosive effect on the people, who “became idolatrous, because they were deceived by the vain and flattering words of the king and priests; for they did speak flattering things unto them” (Mosiah 11:7).

It seems obvious that this is not a recipe for sustainable leadership. Why did so many of the priests and the people go along with it? Because crossing the leader carried serious personal consequences. Abinadi was executed. Alma was banished and had to flee for his life. Somehow, Noah thought that he could reshape reality. His nearly unlimited political power obscured the real-life constraints and dangers he faced.

Eventually, that power failed, suddenly and dramatically. The weakened morality of his people left them unprepared for the challenges of a difficult world. They discovered too late that they were unable to defend themselves, and when their enemies attacked, Noah’s true cowardice became evident. He commanded the men to abandon their wives and children and follow him. (See Mosiah 19:11-12.)

Some refused to obey. Others followed the order but quickly regretted it. Noah’s influence crumbled pretty much instantly. What seemed to him like rock-solid authority turned out to be brittle. It quickly crumbled under pressure.

Isaiah prophesied a similar outcome for the Babylonian Empire. When the Babylonians conquered Judah, they seemed unstoppable. But just a few short years later, they were conquered suddenly by the Persians. Writing more than 100 years earlier, Isaiah prophesied that people would look at the fallen king of Babylon with astonishment:

They that see thee shall narrowly look upon thee, and shall consider thee, and shall say: Is this the man that made the earth to tremble, that did shake kingdoms?

And made the world as a wilderness, and destroyed the cities thereof, and opened not the house of his prisoners?

2 Nephi 24:16-17

One of my favorite poems is “Ozymandias” by Percy Bysshe Shelley. It tells the story of a man who discovered a ruin in the middle of the desert: pieces of a statue of a forgotten king. On the pedestal where the statue once stood, he read these words: “My name is Ozymandias, King of Kings; Look on my Works, ye Mighty, and despair!” Then, the traveller relates, “Nothing beside remains. Round the decay / Of that colossal Wreck, boundless and bare / The lone and level sands stretch far away.”

Today, I will remember that worldly power and influence are temporary. I will choose not to be intimidated by those who appear to be powerful, and I will avoid overreaching where I hold a position of responsibility.