Mosiah 11–17

“Repent and Turn unto the Lord”

Abinadi preaching

We usually try to warn people we love about decisions that could bring pain and suffering. The Lord sent Abinadi with the message for King Noah and his people to repent and avoid the suffering that could come because of their sinful behaviors. This lesson can help increase your desire to accept the Lord’s prophets and act on the invitations they give from the Lord.

Prepare yourself by diligently studying the scriptures. Strive to consistently study the context and content of scripture passages. Look for doctrine and principles that will be meaningful and relevant and will help students love and follow Jesus Christ.

Student preparation: Invite students to make a brief list of invitations they have heard prophets give recently. Ask them to come prepared to share how these invitations are evidence of the Lord’s love and concern for them.

Possible Learning Activities

The Lord warns of danger

Consider creating a scenario that your students could relate with to help them explore many different ways they could warn others of danger.

Suppose you have just received information about something in which your friends and loved ones are in danger.

• What are some different ways you could communicate a warning message to them?

The Lord has many ways of warning us. Consider the following ways:

Consider displaying the following list on the board.

• Counsel from parents

• Directions from prophets and other Church leaders

• Teachings in the scriptures, at church, or seminary

• Thoughts or feelings from the Holy Ghost

• Other:

Give students a moment to ponder the following:

Think of how well you are doing at avoiding sin and danger because of how you choose to respond to the Lord’s warnings.

• Which ways feel most challenging to accept? Why?

• What does it say about the Lord that He reaches out to us in different ways?

You might want to write the following truth on the board and explain to students that you will be studying it more deeply in this lesson: The Lord speaks to us through His prophets to invite us to repent and turn to Him.

The Lord called Noah and his people to repentance

Recall that Zeniff led a group of people from Zarahemla to the land of Nephi. Before Zeniff died, he conferred the kingdom on his son Noah (see Mosiah 9–10). Noah and the priests he chose lived wicked lives. They convinced the people with lies and flattering words to sin (see Mosiah 11:7, 11).

Read Mosiah 11:2, 14–15, 19 looking for the sins Noah and his people committed. (Verse 19 describes their reaction after protecting themselves from an attack of the Lamanites.) You could also watch the video “Alma Recounts the Wickedness of King Noah | Mosiah 11–12, 17” (2:26), available at ChurchofJesusChrist.org.

Throughout this lesson, look for ways to help students liken the scriptures to our day. The following questions are one way to do this.

• In what ways do the choices Noah and his people make compare with people’s choices today?

• What are some possible consequences of living like they did?

The Lord called a prophet named Abinadi to deliver a message to Noah and his people to help them see the consequences of their actions.

Read Abinadi’s message in Mosiah 11:20–25, looking for the consequences the Lord warned of. The word “wo” in verse 20 conveys sadness or pain.

• What are some consequences you found that the Lord warned the people about?

Notice the repeated phrases “except they repent” and “except this people repent.” You may want to mark these words and think about what you can learn about the Lord from these phrases.

Read Mosiah 11:26–29, looking for how king Noah and the others reacted to Abinadi.

Seeing repentance as a gift of love from the Lord

Invite students to report on their preparation for class and make a list on the board of invitations the Lord has given in our day for us to repent and change. Be ready to share two or three recent invitations from general conference. This is another place where you can help students liken the scriptures to themselves.

• What are some similarities or differences between the reaction of the people in Abinadi’s day and the reaction of people in our day to prophets? Why might they react this way?

Provide students some time to silently ponder on their personal commitment to listen to God, specifically when He warns them through His prophets of sin and its consequences. Your students may have a variety of different thoughts and feelings about prophets as they ponder. The following statement can help students see prophets as evidence of God’s love.

Elder D. Todd Christofferson of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles explained how we might view the invitation to repent from prophets.

Elder D. Todd Christofferson

I have long been impressed by, and have also felt, the yearning love of the prophets of God in their warnings against sin. They are not motivated by a desire to condemn. Their true desire mirrors the love of God; in fact, it is the love of God. They love those to whom they are sent, whoever they may be and whatever they may be like. Just as the Lord, His servants do not want anyone to suffer the pains of sin and poor choices. (D. Todd Christofferson, “The Love of God,” Liahona, Nov. 2021, 17)

• How might understanding this about prophets influence your desire to act on their invitations?

Mercifully, the Lord gave the people time to turn to Him and repent of their sins. However, when Abinadi returned two years later, they again were angry and looked to accuse him (see Mosiah 12:1, 9, 19).

Abinadi boldly testified that the priests were not teaching the people to obey God’s commandments (see Mosiah 12:33–37; 13:12–25). He also testified that Jesus Christ would come to redeem all people and that salvation was only possible through the Redeemer (see Mosiah 15:1, 19). When Abinadi finished testifying of Jesus Christ, his life was once again in danger. But this time, so was the life of one of the priests, Alma.

Read Mosiah 17:1–4 to find Noah’s and Alma’s responses to Abinadi’s testimony of Christ.

• What might these extremely different responses help us understand?

After spending three days in prison, Abinadi was again brought before King Noah. Noah said he would put Abinadi to death unless he was willing to deny the truths he had taught (see Mosiah 17:5–8).

Read Mosiah 17:9–10, 13, looking for Abinadi’s response to the king’s request to deny his testimony. Or you could watch the video “Abinadi Suffers Death for His Faith | Mosiah 16–17” (4:28), available at ChurchofJesusChrist.org.

• What is something you learn from Abinadi’s example?

• How might that influence the way you respond to the Lord and His prophets?

Consider sharing a testimony of the prophets’ role to testify of Jesus Christ and invite us to repent.

Commentary and Background Information

Mosiah 11:20, 25. What can we learn about the Lord from the feelings mentioned in Abinadi’s message?

Wo, or sadness: The Lord warns of sadness or pain that results from a sinful life. God wants us to be happy (see 2 Nephi 2:25). When we sin, He wants us to humbly repent and regret our actions (see 3 Nephi 9:20).

In ancient times, repenting in “sackcloth and ashes” was a way to show the great sadness and humility someone felt for their sins. For more details, you could watch the short video “Sackcloth” (0:32), available at ChurchofJesusChrist.org.

Anger: We know that God “is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil” (1 Corinthians 13:5; Moroni 7:45), and is “slow to anger, and of great mercy” (Psalm 145:8). People who willfully rebel against God and choose wickedness, abominations, and whoredoms do anger the Lord. God’s anger does not cause Him to lose control. He instead warns of the consequences of their actions and continues to invite everyone to repent.

Jealousy: The word jealous can be translated as having “sensitive and deep feelings” (Guide to the Scriptures, “Jealous, Jealousy”). In other words, God cares deeply about us and invites us to also be fully committed to Him.

What is the role of a prophet?

A prophet is “a person who has been called by and speaks for God” (Guide to the Scriptures, “Prophet”). See what else it says in Guide to the Scriptures about prophets. You might also watch the following video of a panel of children speaking with President Russell M. Nelson and Sister Joy D. Jones at the Smith family log home in Palmyra, New York.

Supplemental Learning Activities

Mosiah 11:21, 25; 12:8. “Except they repent”

Students may benefit from talking about the blessings that can come when we repent. Consider comparing the invitations Abinadi extended to the invitations modern prophets make in our day. You could use parts of President Russell M. Nelson’s talk “We Can Do Better and Be Better” (Ensign or Liahona, May 2019, 67–69) to illustrate what it means to repent and what blessings we are promised.

Abinadi as a type of Christ

Often the details of prophets’ lives can serve as a type or shadow of the Savior (see Mosiah 13:10, 31, “Jesus Christ, Types of, in Anticipation” or “Jesus Christ, Types of, in Memory,” Topical Guide). At the end of each lesson this week, students could report on how Abinadi was a type or shadow of Jesus Christ. You could use the following chart in the discussion.

Abinadi as a Type of Christ

Abinadi	Type/Shadow	Christ
Abinadi Mosiah 11:20	Type/Shadow Called to preach repentance to those sinning	Christ Matthew 9:13
Abinadi Mosiah 11:21–23; 12:1–8	Type/Shadow To deny message was to be afflicted by the hand of enemies and brought into bondage	Christ Matthew 23:37–38; 24:3–51
Abinadi Mosiah 11:20–25	Type/Shadow Denounced unbelievers in public discourse	Christ Matthew 23:9
Abinadi Mosiah 12:9	Type/Shadow Stood alone against accusers	Christ Matthew 26:56
Abinadi Mosiah 12:17–18	Type/Shadow Bound and taken before religious priests and political ruler	Christ John 18:12–40
Abinadi Mosiah 12:19	Type/Shadow Cross-examined	Christ Matthew 26:59–60
Abinadi Mosiah 13:1	Type/Shadow Dismissed as mad	Christ John 10:20
Abinadi Mosiah 13:6	Type/Shadow Spoke with power and authority	Christ Matthew 7:28–29
Abinadi Mosiah 13:7	Type/Shadow Could not be slain until message/ mission was completed	Christ John 10:17–18
Abinadi Mosiah 17:6	Type/Shadow Three-day imprisonment (entombment)	Christ Luke 24:4–8, 46
Abinadi Mosiah 17:8	Type/Shadow Condemned for blasphemy	Christ Matthew 26:63–66
Abinadi Mosiah 17:9	Type/Shadow Would not recall words	Christ Matthew 27:12–14
Abinadi Mosiah 17:10	Type/Shadow Innocent blood	Christ Matthew 27:24
Abinadi Mosiah 17:11–12	Type/Shadow Leader tempted to release him but yielded to detractors and delivered him to be slain	Christ John 18:4–25
Abinadi Jeffrey R. Holland, Christ and the New Covenant: The Messianic Message of the Book of Mormon [1997], 171–172.			Type/Shadow Jeffrey R. Holland, Christ and the New Covenant: The Messianic Message of the Book of Mormon [1997], 171–172.			Christ Jeffrey R. Holland, Christ and the New Covenant: The Messianic Message of the Book of Mormon [1997], 171–172.