In his sixteenth year, Mormon takes command of the Nephite army. He loses several battles, but eventually gathers the people and wins a decisive victory. When he sees his people sorrowing, he takes heart, but he soon discovers that their sorrowing is not leading them to repent. The Lamanites drive them back until they arrive at the land of Shem, where Mormon inspires them to defend themselves. They beat the Lamanites again and enter a treaty with them.
Chapter Outline
- Mormon takes command at a young age, loses three battles, then gathers the people and wins one (v. 1-9)
- The people sorrow but refuse to repent (v. 10-15)
- The people are driven by the Lamanites but mount a successful defense at Shem and enter into a treaty (v. 16-29)
My Takeaways
- We can be spiritually anchored, even during a time of instability.
- Our progress and development depends on our willingness to change.
- We need to repent proactively instead of reactively.
- We should measure our success by asking, “Is the strength of the Lord with me?”
Featured Blog Posts
❖ Mormon takes command – Mormon 1:1-9
It Was One Complete Revolution – Mormon 2:8
8 But behold, the land was filled with robbers and with Lamanites; and notwithstanding the great destruction which hung over my people, they did not repent of their evil doings; therefore there was blood and carnage spread throughout all the face of the land, both on the part of the Nephites and also on the…
❖ Sorrow but not unto repentance – Mormon 1:10-15
The Sorrowing of the Damned / They Began to Boast in Their Own Strength – Mormon 2:12-13, 3:9-11
12 And it came to pass that when I, Mormon, saw their lamentation and their mourning and their sorrow before the Lord, my heart did begin to rejoice within me, knowing the mercies and the long-suffering of the Lord, therefore supposing that he would be merciful unto them that they would again become a righteous…
Sorrowing…Unto Repentance – Mormon 2:12-13
12 And it came to pass that when I, Mormon, saw their lamentation and their mourning and their sorrow before the Lord, my heart did begin to rejoice within me, knowing the mercies and the long-suffering of the Lord, therefore supposing that he would be merciful unto them that they would again become a righteous…
❖ Defense and treaty – Mormon 1:16-29
“The Strength of the Lord” – Mormon 2:26
Thus saith the LORD; Cursed be the man that trusteth in man, and maketh flesh his arm, and whose heart departeth from the LORD. Jeremiah 17:5 I will not put my trust in the arm of flesh; for I know that cursed is he that putteth his trust in the arm of flesh. Yea, cursed is he that putteth his…
New Testament Parallels
Investing for the Future in Troubled Times
Jeremiah bought land. If you’re wondering about the significance of that transaction, consider the following: After all of that, and about nine years after Lehi and his family fled from Jerusalem to build a new home on the American continent, Jeremiah bought land for himself and for his descendants: And Jeremiah said, The word of…
Church History Connections
Practicable
Do you ever feel like there isn’t enough time to do everything that you need to do? How do you deal with that situation? In January of 1832, Joseph Smith and Sidney Rigdon had multiple competing demands on their time. They had taken a break from translating the Bible to preach the gospel (Doctrine and…
All Posts Referencing Mormon 2
- Wickedness (2/13/2025)
- “I Judge Better Things of You” (12/12/2024)
- “I…Did Repent of the Oath” (10/29/2024)
- Godly Sorrow (9/17/2023)
- Investing for the Future in Troubled Times (10/23/2022)
- The Book of Psalms and the Book of Mormon (8/27/2022)
- Practicable (7/3/2021)
- Book of Mormon References in Moroni 6 (12/5/2020)
- Cumorah (11/1/2020)
- “Hid up unto the Lord” – Mormon 1:2, 4:23, 5:12 (10/31/2020)
- “The Strength of the Lord” – Mormon 2:26 (10/27/2020)
- How Can I Teach My Children to Be Resilient? (9/19/2019)
- What Does the Book of Mormon Teach About Sadness? (5/7/2019)
- What Does the Book of Mormon Teach About Grace? (1/28/2019)
- The Sorrowing of the Damned / They Began to Boast in Their Own Strength – Mormon 2:12-13, 3:9-11 (4/24/2018)
- It Was One Complete Revolution – Mormon 2:8 (4/23/2018)
- The Sorrowing of the Damned – Mormon 2:12-14 (5/13/2017)
- My Heart Did Sorrow Because of This – Mormon 2:25-27 (11/16/2015)
- Sorrowing…Unto Repentance – Mormon 2:12-13 (11/16/2015)