Moroni now quotes a letter his father wrote to him as civilization was crumbling around them. Their people, the Nephites, were suffering both military losses and moral decay. Mormon says, “I cannot recommend them unto God. … But…I recommend thee unto God.” The purpose of the letter is to encourage and cheer up his son in the midst of horrific circumstances. “May Christ lift thee up,” he writes. “And may the grace of God the Father…be, and abide with you forever.”
Chapter Outline
- News: A lost battle and people who are unwilling to listen (v. 1-6)
- The sufferings and depravity of their people (v. 7-19)
- Mormon’s hopes for his son (v. 20-26)
My Takeaways
- Different people respond to different approaches. As a teacher, keep adapting, and don’t give up.
- Don’t lose your ability to feel. Eliminate noise, find a quiet place, and focus on becoming more attuned to your emotions.
- Jesus Christ can lift us up, even when we are in terrible circumstances.
Featured Blog Posts
❖ Military losses and unwillingness to listen – Moroni 9:1-6
“When I Speak the Word of God with Sharpness” – Moroni 9:4
In a letter to his son, Mormon laments a dilemma he faces: how to calibrate the tone of his message so that his people will listen. Here’s how he describes the situation: When I speak the word of God with sharpness they tremble and anger against me; and when I use no sharpness they harden their hearts against it.…
What Is the Significance of the Phrase “a Tabernacle of Clay?”
Before casting Adam and Eve out of the Garden of Eden, God explained to them how their lives would change. Eve would bring forth children in sorrow. (As Lehi explained to his sons, Adam and Eve were not capable of bearing children before this time: 2 Nephi 2:22-23.) Adam and Eve would now have to labor…
A Labor to Perform – Moroni 9:6
6 And now, my beloved son, notwithstanding their hardness, let us labor diligently; for if we should cease to labor, we should be brought under condemnation; for we have a labor to perform whilst in this tabernacle of clay, that we may conquer the enemy of all righteousness, and rest our souls in the kingdom…
❖ Mormon recounts both the sufferings and the depravity of their people – Moroni 9:7-19
What Do You Delight In?
Mormon said his people “delighted in everything save that which is good.” When we delight in something, we immerse ourselves in it and savor it. So what delights you, and how can you adjust your actions and attitudes to be more delighted by good things?
❖ Mormon’s hopes for Moroni – Moroni 9:20-26
Moroni’s Excellent Hope
Moroni had every reason to despair. His people had been destroyed, and he was alone. Yet he wrote extensively about the hope that we receive through the Spirit of the Lord, which helps us endure challenges and which prepares us to return to God’s presence
What Does It Mean to Be “Past Feeling?”
Sensitivity is good. Callousness is not. The Book of Mormon is very clear on that point: After sharing a spiritual dream with his children, Lehi “did exhort them then with all the feeling of a tender parent” to keep the commandments of God (1 Nephi 8:37). At the end of his life, Lehi spoke to…
“May Christ Lift Thee Up” – Moroni 9:25-26
25 My son, be faithful in Christ; and may not the things which I have written grieve thee, to weigh thee down unto death; but may Christ lift thee up, and may his sufferings and death, and the showing his body unto our fathers, and his mercy and long-suffering, and the hope of his glory…
Old Testament Foundations
Pricked in Their Heart
The people who heard Peter preach on the day of Pentacost were “pricked in their heart.” They were motivated to do better. The Holy Ghost speaks to us many ways, but sometimes He teaches us how we can improve. We can respond with optimism and faith.
Your Past Does Not Define You
I was struck this morning by something Elder S. Gifford Nielsen observed about Joshua: He was raised as a slave in Egypt. How did he become the successor of Moses, leading the children of Israel into the promised land? Certainly not by dwelling on his own weaknesses or lack of qualifications. Here is Elder Nielsen’s…
New Testament Parallels
Grace Be to You
The greatest blessing we can wish for another person is God’s grace. Paul begins and ends his epistles with some variation of the phrase, “Grace be to you.” Mormon and Moroni also use this phrase. We can also pray for others to receive God’s grace.
Paul Rebukes Elymas
Disciples of Jesus Christ are builders, not destroyers. They are healers, not wounders. They are advocates, not antagonists. Satan is our adversary, and his mission is defined by what he opposes. In contrast, we should pursue uplifting goals.
Abide
Jesus taught us that abiding is a two-way street. We abide in Him, and He abides in us. To abide is to remain. We sing, “Abide with Me!” We might consider adding these words of commitment: “I will abide in Thee!”
Church History Connections
A House of Order
I’ve been listening to Supreme Court arguments the past couple of weeks. In each case, the attorneys are seeking a favorable outcome for their client. But because Supreme Court decisions influence outcomes in lower courts, the justices are focused on the broader implications of their decisions. What principles are they applying in this case, and…
In Light and Truth
In May 1833, God taught Joseph Smith about several interrelated concepts: light, truth, spirit, and intelligence (Doctrine and Covenants 93:1-40). After explaining that everyone on earth has received the light of Christ (v. 2), that truth is knowledge of the way things really are (v. 24), that obedience to God’s commandments invites truth and light…
The Oath and Covenant of the Priesthood
In a revelation about priesthood which Joseph Smith received in 1832, there is a passage that is commonly known as the oath and covenant of the priesthood. Here is the first part of that passage: Whoso is faithful unto the obtaining these two priesthoods of which I have spoken, and the magnifying their calling, are sanctified by the Spirit unto the renewing of their bodies.…
All Posts Referencing Moroni 9
- “Take Especial Care of Your Family” (11/6/2025)
- Fire, Snow, Sun, and Great Waters (10/3/2025)
- Creatures, Living Things, and Beasts (7/16/2025)
- Biblical References in Doctrine and Covenants 76 (7/8/2025)
- Thy Calling, Thy Duty (3/18/2025)
- Wickedness (2/13/2025)
- A Job Description for Servants of God (1/31/2025)
- Without Principle (12/15/2024)
- “I Judge Better Things of You” (12/12/2024)
- “O God…” (12/6/2024)
- Moroni’s Excellent Hope (11/6/2024)
- What Do You Delight In? (11/3/2024)
- Mercy (3/26/2024)
- Grace Be to You (9/23/2023)
- Paul Rebukes Elymas (7/20/2023)
- Pricked in Their Heart (7/5/2023)
- Abide (6/9/2023)
- The Book of Psalms and the Book of Mormon (8/27/2022)
- Finding Grace (6/12/2022)
- Your Past Does Not Define You (5/24/2022)
- Glory (12/28/2021)
- A House of Order (11/12/2021)
- “Especial Care” (11/2/2021)
- In Light and Truth (8/24/2021)
- The Oath and Covenant of the Priesthood (8/1/2021)
- “No, Not One” – Moroni 10:25 (12/20/2020)
- “When I Speak the Word of God with Sharpness” – Moroni 9:4 (12/12/2020)
- Cumorah (11/1/2020)
- Why Are Reunions Important? (12/14/2019)
- What Does the Book of Mormon Teach About Diligence? (9/22/2019)
- What Does It Mean for a Soul to Rest? (7/29/2019)
- How Can I Be a Better Father? (6/17/2019)
- What Does the Book of Mormon Teach About Being an Effective Parent? (5/15/2019)
- What Does It Mean to Be “Past Feeling?” (5/10/2019)
- What Does the Book of Mormon Teach About Anger? (5/9/2019)
- What Does the Book of Mormon Teach About Repentance? (4/25/2019)
- What Does It Mean to Be “Long-Suffering?” (3/1/2019)
- What Is the Significance of the Phrase “a Tabernacle of Clay?” (2/5/2019)
- What Does the Book of Mormon Teach About Grace? (1/28/2019)
- “We Have a Labor to Perform” – Moroni 9:4-6 (1/30/2018)
- “May Christ Lift Thee Up” – Moroni 9:25-26 (5/26/2017)
- Notwithstanding Their Hardness, Let Us Labor Diligently – Moroni 9:4-6 (11/11/2016)
- “A Labor to Perform” – Moroni 9:6 (9/20/2016)
- We Have a Labor to Perform – Moroni 9:6 (7/17/2016)
- May Christ Lift Thee Up – Moroni 9:25-26 (5/14/2016)
- A Labor to Perform – Moroni 9:6 (4/14/2016)
- He Changeth Not – Mormon 9:19 (1/1/2016)
- May Christ Lift Thee – Moroni 9:25-26 (12/29/2015)
- Moroni 9:6 That We May Conquer the Enemy of All Unrighteousness (12/30/2014)