Back and forth: the Nephites and the Lamanites repeatedly trade possession of the border cities of Desolation and Teancum. Mormon refuses to give either side the moral advantage, saying, “It is by the wicked that the wicked are punished.” He says that “every heart was hardened, so that they delighted in the shedding of blood continually.”
Finally, in AD 375, the Lamanites attack with an innumerable force. “From this time forth did the Nephites gain no power over the Lamanites, but began to be swept off by them even as a dew before the sun.”
Chapter Outline
- The Nephites and the Lamanites trade posession of the cities of Desolation and Teancum (v. 1-16)
- The Lamanites attack with a larger army, and the Nephites begin to be “swept off” like “dew before the sun” (v. 17-22)
- Mormon retrieves the records of his people (v. 23)
My Takeaways
- When we go on offense instead of merely defending ourselves and our families, we may lose the power of God.
- God can use the actions of imperfect and even rebellious people to accomplish His purposes.
- We must be careful with sacred things.
Featured Blog Posts
❖ Many battles at Desolation and Teancum – Mormon 4:1-16
It Was Because the Armies of the Nephites Went Up – Mormon 4:4
4 And it was because the armies of the Nephites went up unto the Lamanites that they began to be smitten; for were it not for that, the Lamanites could have had no power over them. (Mormon 4:4) There’s a recurring theme in the Book of Mormon: God will bless people who are defending themselves…
It Is by the Wicked That the Wicked Are Punished – Mormon 4:5
5 But, behold, the judgments of God will overtake the wicked; and it is by the wicked that the wicked are punished; for it is the wicked that stir up the hearts of the children of men unto bloodshed. (Mormon 4:5) Mormon teaches us an important principle in this verse about the way our Heavenly…
❖ Mormon retrieves the records – Mormon 4:23
“Hid up unto the Lord” – Mormon 1:2, 4:23, 5:12
We don’t know much about Ammaron, the caretaker of the Nephite records who selected Mormon as his successor. We know that he was the brother of Amos, and therefore a descendant of Alma, who organized the church at the waters of Mormon about 450 years earlier. And we know that he was “constrained by the…
All Posts Referencing Mormon 4
- Wickedness (2/13/2025)
- “I Judge Better Things of You” (12/12/2024)
- What Do You Delight In? (11/3/2024)
- “Hid up unto the Lord” – Mormon 1:2, 4:23, 5:12 (10/31/2020)
- It Was Because the Armies of the Nephites Went Up – Mormon 4:4 (4/25/2018)
- It Is by the Wicked That the Wicked Are Punished – Mormon 4:5 (5/14/2017)
- It Was Because…the Nephites Went Up – Mormon 4:4 (11/19/2015)