(I didn’t make a post in English on this chapter, so I might mix it up here.)
What does it mean to be a leader? Moroni in the beginning of this chapter it taking lead from the chief judge and acting according to the desires of the chief judge, Pahoran.
So when leadership falls to us, the time for indecision has passed. Leaders make decisions and help others follow those decisions. Motives in this regard are extremely important, because if motives are selfish or self-serving, then to achieve those ends, to secure by in from other parties, one must lie about the true motives, or coerce.
If motives are pure, then one can teach the reality of things as they really are, persuade, invite, and act. Pure motives also do something more, the allow for love, or the power of God to compel our righteous endeavors forward.
I am just impressed by this thought, that a leader has to have a vision of where they want to go, and that vision must be compelled by righteous intentions. Prophets have that vision, and can see much further into the future than most of the rest of us.
Moroni tuvo la ventaja porque pudo juntar un suficiente número de hombres pare ir contra el enemigo. Entendió con claridad el propósito por cual estuvo luchando, y pudo expresarse con palabras simples a los hombres para animarlos a la acción. Fue un juego de números, en un sentido.
In this chapter, without any reservation, many dissenters are put to death because of their open rebellion against the government. At the outset this seems like a very harsh response, but I was drawn to the verses that illustrated why this was a justified and even appropriate response. The first point is that these kingman (“realistas” in Spanish) actually first rebelled against the established government, entirely ignoring the bigger picture (the Lamanites attacking the Nephites). This larger picture aptly justifies the micro-scale decisions.
I was about to wrap up for the morning and then I got to verse 40. And the statement about the prayers of the righteous woke me up. This is why we’re still fighting. This is why we will endure to the end. This is why there is hope. Because God lives, the righteous plead to him for deliverance, and we must work to do everything within our power to deliver the righteous from the hands of the wicked, and then stand still and behold the power of God.
Y por último, al fin del capítulo habla de como la oración fue lo que mantuvieron a ellos en su prosperidad. Aunque fueron ricos, el Señor los bendijo de acuerdo con sus palabras, y se hicieron fuertes y prosperos.