Promises, Promises

©Darrell Wyatt

This morning, I've been trying to imagine a world in which every person kept every oath and vow and covenant and promise they made.  I think it would be a much different place than the world in which I live right now.  Take marriage, for example.  According to the US Department of Health and Human Services, there have been over one million divorces per year every year since 1975 (more info here).  That's right around 3000 divorces per day!  And those statistics only include the United States.  I believe that it's reasonable to assume that one or both parties in each of those marriages broke their vows in some way.  There are also many jobs that require an oath to be taken prior to beginning work - doctors, congressmen and women, the President, and more.  Yet nearly every day, someone in one of those positions is highlighted in the news for some violation of that oath.

I was reading today the continuance of the battle that I wrote of in yesterday's post.  The Nephite armies had the Lamanite armies surrounded, and Moroni was speaking to the leader of the Lamanite army, whose name was Zerahemnah.  Moroni explained that it was not the desire of his armies to destroy the Lamanites.  They just wanted to protect their wives and children and their freedom of religion and their liberty.  So, he told Zerahemnah that if he and his men would all turn over their weapons of war and make an oath not to come to war against the Nephites again, they would let them all go.  But if they would not do this, he would command his men to commence fighting again.

And now it came to pass that when Zerahemnah had heard these sayings he came forth and delivered up his sword and his cimeter, and his bow into the hands of Moroni, and said unto him:  Behold, here are our weapons of war; we will deliver them up unto you, but we will not suffer ourselves to take an oath unto you, which we know that we shall break, and also our children; but take our weapons of war, and suffer that we may depart into the wilderness; otherwise we will  retain our swords, and we will perish or conquer.(Alma 44:8)

This did not sit well with Moroni, who immediately returned the weapons to Zerahemnah and told him that the only way they were going to let them leave would be if they swore an oath to not return.  Zerahemnah refused, and the battle began again.

Now Zerahemnah, when he saw that they were all about to be destroyed, cried mightily unto Moroni, promising that he would covenant and also his people with them, if they would spare the remainder of their lives, that they never would come to war against them again.

And it came to pass that Moroni caused that the work of death should cease again among the people.  And he took the weapons of war from the Lamanites; and after they had entered into a covenant with him of peace they were suffered to depart into the wilderness.(Alma 44:19-20)

There were a couple of interesting things that I noticed in this story.  First, as wicked and murderous as Zerahemnah was, he understood the importance of an oath.  He was prepared to die rather than swear an oath that he knew he or his descendants would someday break.  It was strangely honorable.  I also realized just how much faith was put into oaths and covenants during this period in time.  Moroni had no witness, except for the word of an enemy, that these people would not return at a later time and try again to kill them all.  Yet he immediately stopped the battle when Zerahemnah told him of his desire to enter into an oath, and as soon as they had entered into a covenant not to return, he let them leave.

What if we all put that much stock into promises?  I know that I use the words "I promise" a little too loosely sometimes.  I have good intentions of honoring the promises that I make, but for the most part, it isn't devastating if circumstances mean that I have to go back on that promise even a little bit.  Maybe it should be.  Maybe I should think much more carefully before using those words, as to keep my integrity intact.  I promise to work to improve in that area, starting right now.

Click here to read what I read today: Alma 44