Deuteronomy 14 - 19

As the priests of Noah began to question Abinadi, he asks -

"...Are you priests, and pretend to teach this people..." (Book of Mormon Mosiah 12:25)

"Ye have not applied your hearts to understanding; therefore, ye have not been wise. Therefore, what teach ye this people?" (Book of Mormon Mosiah 12:27)

And the priests answer -

"...We teach the law of Moses." (Book of Mormon Mosiah 12:28)

To which Abinadi challenges -

"...If ye teach the law of Moses why do ye not keep it?..." (Book of Mormon Mosiah 12:29)

I thought of King Noah this morning as I read the instructions of Moses that -

"When thou art come unto the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee, and shalt possess it, and shalt dwell therein, and shalt say, I will set a king over me, like as all the nations that are about me" (Old Testament Deuteronomy 17:14)

And if they desired a king -

"Thou shalt in any wise set him king over thee, whom the LORD thy God shall choose: one from among thy brethren shalt thou set king over thee..." (Old Testament Deuteronomy 17:15)

"That his heart be not lifted up above his brethren, and that he turn not aside from the commandment..." (Old Testament Deuteronomy 17:20)

And he -

"...shall not multiply horses to himself, nor cause the people to return to Egypt, to the end that he should multiply horses: forasmuch as the LORD hath said unto you, Ye shall henceforth return no more that way." (Old Testament Deuteronomy 17:16)

Multiple horses to me would mean power and maybe the desire to go to war against other nations. Return to "Egypt" would mean the lifestyles and worship that was once had there.

"Neither shall he multiply wives to himself, that his heart turn not away: neither shall he greatly multiply to himself silver and gold." (Old Testament Deuteronomy 17:17)

We know that King Noah -

"...did not keep the commandments of God, but he did walk after the desires of his own heart. And he had many wives and concubines..." (Book of Mormon Mosiah 11:2)

He -

"...laid a tax of one fifth part of all they possessed, a fifth part of their gold and of their silver, and a fifth part of their ziff, and of their copper, and of their brass and their iron; and a fifth part of their fatlings; and also a fifth part of all their grain.
4 And all this did he take to support himself, and his wives and his concubines; and also his priests, and their wives and their concubines..." (Book of Mormon Mosiah 11:3 - 4)

He also -

"...built many elegant and spacious buildings; and he ornamented them with fine work of wood, and of all manner of precious things, of gold, and of silver, and of iron, and of brass, and of ziff, and of copper;
9 And he also built him a spacious palace, and a throne in the midst thereof, all of which was of fine wood and was ornamented with gold and silver and with precious things...." (Book of Mormon Mosiah 11:8 - 9)

And King Noah -

"...king Noah sent his armies against [the Lamanites], and they were driven back, or they drove them back for a time; therefore, they returned rejoicing in their spoil.
19 And now, because of this great victory they were lifted up in the pride of their hearts; they did boast in their own strength, saying that their fifty could stand against thousands of the Lamanites; and thus they did boast, and did delight in blood, and the shedding of the blood of their brethren..." (Book of Mormon Mosiah 11:18 - 19)

As the wicked priests of King Noah questioned Abinadi, it becomes obvious that they possessed the scriptures and the law of Moses. Which also means they possessed these very directions on the manner in which a King of Israel should rule.

I couldn't help but think of King Noah as I read these verses this morning.