The First of Two Mosiahs and His Book

Omni

Omni 1:19 And it came to pass that the people of Zarahemla, and of Mosiah, did unite together.

Mosiah was just a guy who was living a normal, plain, imperfect, beautifully boring life when God sent him a message. “Mosiah,” God said. “It’s time for the Nephites to move…again.”

Do you remember Lehi and Sariah and their children, how they had left Jerusalem and wandered through the desert, and crossed an ocean, all so that they could live in a land that was safe for them and their family. It was a land God had given to them.

So it was no small surprise when God asked Mosiah to pack up his bag and leave. God was taking the land back and giving it to the Lamanites for a while. It would have been easy for Mosiah to say, “No. This is our land.” But instead, Mosiah said, “Okay.” Because he knew that it was not his land at all. It was God’s land. And even though Mosiah was moving away, even though he and the Nephites were leaving their homes and their temples and their land, they did not feel homeless. Because they had a book.

And this book was like a house in a lot of ways. It had an inside and an outside. It was filled with stories and memories. And if you put the spine in the air and opened the pages, it looked a lot like a roof. In this way, it was a very small, transportable house. And they could carry the house with them, wherever they went.

The book did not have any chairs or fireplaces or beds or tables or refrigerators or microwaves. A book is not cemented to the earth. It is not a place on any map, or divided by rivers, or between streets. It is just words on pages. But these pages were all about God and his children and their home in heaven. And when the Nephites read the book, they could feel something more, something in their hearts. Not a place to live in, but a place that lived in them.

And so the Nephites packed up their books and their things: shoes, socks, clothes, toys, food, and pets. They packed them all up in crates and boxes and left carrying their homes with them, in their hearts.

They wandered into the wilderness and wandered and wandered until they found the new land where God was sending them. But to their surprise, the land wasn’t empty. There were already people living there. They were called the Mulekites. And the Mulekites were people who had also run away from Jerusalem. They had run away just in time, just before Jerusalem was taken over by an army.

And so when the Nehpites arrived, the Mulekites were skeptical. They said, “Who are you? Are you another army coming to take all of our land and our homes and our happiness away?”

“Mulekites,” Mosiah said. “It is true that we are looking for a new place to live. But don’t worry, we do not want to replace you. We want to join you. We will build our houses next to yours, and we will call you our neighbors. And together, we will call this place home.”

And though the Mulekties could sympathize with the Nephites’ predicament, they didn’t know if they could help out. “This is not our home,” they said. Even though the Mulekites had a new land they called Zarahemla and new homes and water and wood and food, they still felt homeless, because they missed Jerusalem. They would only ever be refugees who had left home and didn’t know how to get back. Jerusalem would always be their home.

“Maybe we could help each other out,” Mosiah said. “Together, we can turn this land into a real home, for all of us.” He suggested the Mulekites would share their food and materials, and the Nephites would share their books. “Because,” he explained, “books are little homes. And if you plant them in your hearts and in your bookshelves, they can grow into bigger homes. Some books tell us about ourselves. Some teach us about our family. Some teach us about God. And some just entertain. And some do all four. And we have the kind of books that do all four!”

And so the Mulekites agreed to learn more about these books that were like little, portable homes. And so Mosiah opened his favorite book. You will probably recognize it. Remember how Laman and Lemuel and Sam and Nephi had a treasured book full of their favorite bedtime stories? Well, this was the very same book. And Mosiah read aloud. And the Mulekites gathered around. And they learned that they had come from a great civilization. But that civilization wasn’t Jerusalem. It was heaven. And so while they sometimes felt homeless, or like strangers or wanderers, they could know that there would always be a home for them in heaven. And a family. And a God who loved them and was looking out for them.

And this home, and this family, and this God, was something they could carry with them, like a book. And this home, and this family, and this God, were all better than Jerusalem had ever been.

And the Mulekites loved to hear these stories. And they began to feel like they belonged and the Nephites belonged and everyone belonged. And they could work together and live together and be together. And so the Mulekites agreed to let the Nephites in. But they had one stipulation. Mosiah had to keep reading the book aloud. 

And this was great because Mosiah loved to read. And soon everyone agreed that he should be their king. Because he was like their wise, old father, reading bedtime stories, and tucking them into bed. And the people loved to listen to their king-father and his remarkable stories. And as they listened, they learned who they were. They were not tourists or refugees. They were adventurers, all. And they would not be homeless ever again. Now, the whole world was home, and all the people family.

Joshua is an award-winning writer and director. His recent book, Ali the Iraqi, was published by BCC press. Sarah is a literature and theology doctoral student studying the Book of Job in the twentieth century.

Artwork by Maddie Baker.