Mormon 1-2

Mormon 1

And now I, Mormon, make a record of the things which I have both seen and heard, and call it the Book of Mormon. (vs 1) 

Mormon takes the stage! You already know Mormon because he is basically the narrator, or abridger, of the entire Book of Mormon up to this point. But don’t confuse the entire Book of Mormon with this little sub-book he calls the Book of Mormon. This is his own little book, written about his own time and people, now that he has finished compiling and summarizing the records of his people that were written before his lifetime (starting with Nephi).

Mormon tells us how he got this job. Ammaron was the previous keeper of the records and hid all the records in a cave because he could see that the state of the Nephites and Lamanites was getting really, really bad. But he also noticed the young boy Mormon, who was only 10 years old, was good and responsible. So he tells young Mormon where the records are, but tells him not to get them until he is 24 years old (14 years later)! (see verses 2-4)

So now that Mormon has the plates and is writing in them, he is looking back and writing about the past 14 years before he got the plates. 

Mormons recalls a war between the Nephites and the Lamanites, and a few years of peace that followed. Everyone in the land besides Mormon, as far as we know, is very wicked and faithless. But because of Mormon’s faith he “was visited of the Lord, and tasted and knew of the goodness of Jesus” at the age of 15 (see vs. 15).

Mormon wants to preach to the people to encourage them to repent, but he is forbidden by God because the people “had willfully rebelled against their God” and “because of the hardness of their hearts.” (vs. 16-17) Witchcrafts, and sorceries, and the Gadianton Robbers are taking over the land.

Mormon 2

When Mormon was 16 years old a war broke out again, and Mormon was appointed as the head of the Nephite armies - at age 16! I’ve always been shocked by this. He says he was “large in stature” and the people must have recognized that he had a good head on his shoulders even though they didn’t believe anything he believed. I wish I knew more of the story behind this!

Mormon describes that his Nephite army is driven back by the Lamanites. These armies are huge – it says 44,000 Lamanites and 42,000 Nephites in ONE battle. “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 part of the Lamanites.” (vs. 8)

The Nephites begin to mourn over their awful situation, and Mormon momentarily gets excited, hoping this is the first step to the people repenting and turning to God. 

“But behold this my joy was vain, for their sorrowing was not unto repentance, because of the goodness of God; but it was rather the sorrowing of the damned, because the Lord would not always suffer them to take happiness in sin. And they did not come unto Jesus with broken hearts and contrite spirits, but they did curse God, and wish to die. Nevertheless they would struggle with the sword for their lives.” (vs. 13-14)

The Nephites continue to be driven back for a time, but then Mormon is successful in leading his army to regain their lands and even to sign a truce for a time with the Lamanites and Gadianton Robbers. Enjoy it while it lasts…(hint: not long).