In our ward we have three Gospel Doctrine teachers and two classes, so every third week I get a week off. I was fortunate enough to be able to cover both of the Abinadi lessons (Mosiah 11-17). I gained a renewed appreciation for his example of being “steadfast and immovable”. Here are some of the things that impressed me.
1. I learned that in Hebrew, ‘Abi’ means ‘my father’ and ‘nadi’ means ‘present with you’. So together, the name Abinadi would mean something along the lines of ‘my father is present with you’. Way cool, because God was certainly with him.
2. In Mosiah 11, we are introduced to Abinadi, who enters the scene prophesying against the people’s wickedness and exhorts them to repent. King Noah put out an “arrest order” on Abinadi with the intent of killing him. Two years later, Abinadi returns to the city in disguise and says “Thus has the Lord commanded me, saying – Abinadi, go and prophesy unto this my people…” I wondered what’s the point of wearing a disguise if you’re just going to tell everyone who you are anyway. Then I realized Abinadi was only worried about getting into the city, not getting out. I think he went in knowing that he wasn’t coming out again. I can’t imagine getting a mission call that said “you’re going to be the first martyr recorded in the Book of Mormon”.
3. I didn't realize just how extensive the results of his mission really were. I had a vague idea that most of the Book of Mormon from that point on was a result of Abinadi's influence, but I had to see it on paper to really get it. Because I like playing with CorelDraw, and also because a good visual aid never hurts, I made a chart of Alma's family. Every Nephite record keeper up to Mormon was a direct descendent of Alma the Elder. Three of them were also Chief Judges. Two were among the 12 chosen by the resurrected Savior to be special witnesses. I wonder if Abinadi was given a glimpse of just how far his influence would reach. In a way, any of us who read the Book of Mormon are indebted to Abinadi.
4. As often as I read the account, I will always be impressed and awed at how he stood in defiance of King Noah's priests. I try to imagine this prophet of God standing before his accusers, much like Christ stood before the Sanhedrin, as they tried to find some grounds to charge him. Trying in vain to catch him with their clever questions, instead being "confound[ed]... in all their words" (Mosiah 12:19). Picture the priests and those in the court cowering before an unarmed prisoner as he boldly declares, "Touch me not, for God shall smite you if ye lay your hands upon me, for I have not delivered the message which the Lord sent me to deliver..." (Mosiah 13:3).
If you want an interesting exercise, compare Abinadi's teachings in Mosiah 15 & 16 with Alma the Younger's teachings. You'll find that Alma uses a lot of the same language and phrasing used only by Abinadi. I wonder how often he heard Abinadi's teachings from Alma Sr. during Family Home Evening. This is totally unwarranted speculation, but I wonder if the angel who visited Alma the Younger (both times) could have been Abinadi.
I used to think there may have been a connection between Abinadi and King Benjamin because there are several similarities in their teachings, but then I realized Abinadi was killed approximately 24 years before King Benjamin's final address.
Anyhow, as it always does, studying the material for the lesson somehow gets me into the scriptures in a way I don't normally reach in my own personal study. I hope I have half of Abinadi's faith and courage when my time of testing comes.
