"And behold, it is the hand of the Lord which hath done it."

What can we learn from Moroni's covenant allusions in the second half of Mormon 8:8?

Having spent the last several weeks unpacking this verse, I've learned some important lessons in the process. 

...and the whole face of this land is one continual round of murder and bloodshed; and no one knoweth the end of the war. (Mormon 8:8)

Previous posts of mine have addressed "one continual round of murder and bloodshed" (see here), "no one knoweth the end" (see here, here and here), and "the whole face of the land" (see here). There is much to learn by searching for these phrases and close variants in the scriptures.

Keep in mind:

1. Each of these phrases is rarely used in the scriptures. 
2. It is quite easy for each phrase to be connected to covenant themes.

After searching and studying and learning so much, I guess it's natural to desire to find an overarching lesson to tie together everything I've learned. I keep asking myself: What was Moroni's purpose in creating this tight cluster of covenant allusions?  I think I've found the answer in 2 Nephi 1, and it has everything to do with the first sentence in Mormon 8:8, which is found in the title of this post.

Lehi's warning

Lehi begins his final exhortations to his posterity with a monumental sermon about the purposes of the promised land, in which he teaches the following principles:

• Had they remained in Jerusalem they would have perished. (Verse 4)
• They were warned to leave by the Lord's mercy. (Verse 3)
• They obtained a choice land of promise by covenant. (Verse 5)
• "...none [shall come] into this land save they shall be brought by the hand of the Lord." (Verse 6)
• They will remain free in this land unless they abound in iniquity. (Verse 7)
• If they abound in iniquity, the land will be cursed for their sakes. (Verse 7)

At the end of this part of his opening words to his sons, he says this:

10 But behold, when the time cometh that they shall dwindle in unbelief, after they have received so great blessings from the hand of the Lord... behold, I say, if the day shall come that they will reject the Holy One of Israel, the true Messiah, their Redeemer and their God, behold, the judgments of him that is just shall rest upon them.

11 Yea, he will bring other nations unto them, and he will give unto them power, and he will take away from them the lands of their possessions, and he will cause them to be scattered and smitten.

12 Yea, as one generation passeth to another there shall be bloodsheds, and great visitations among them; wherefore, my sons, I would that ye would remember; yea, I would that ye would hearken unto my words. (2 Nephi 1)

Moroni is closing the book on the fate of the Nephites by demonstrating that his forefather's prophetic words were fulfilled. 

Conclusion

God's desire is to unite us to Him (and to each other) by the grace of Jesus Christ.  He wants us to live in peace and abundance, to care for each other, to have no divisions among us, and to keep His commandments.  He knows this is how we become truly free and truly happy, but only if we actively choose to live this way.  We need options, and we need clarity.

To that end, He covenants with those who are willing.  In exchange for a greater portion of His light and truth, we agree by covenant to keep a great portion of His laws.  This act of covenant-making lifts us up to a higher elevation on Mount Zion, so to speak, and gives us a better perspective on the purposes of the creation.  Another consequence of this, of course, is that we set ourselves up for a bigger fall if we rebel against that greater light and truth. 

Covenants remove the middle ground.

This helps explain the stark warnings accompanying descriptions of covenant blessings, sometimes within the same verse (see 2 Nephi 1:7), and sometimes in adjacent verses (compare verse 9 with verses 10-12).

The Nephites didn't just get outmatched by a bigger army.  They brought upon themselves their own downfall through covenant rebellion.

This experience with Mormon 8:8 reinforces three really important lessons about the Book of Mormon:

1. It is carefully written.
2. Its authors worked from notes and were intimately familiar with ancient themes and languages and used them very cleverly and subtly.
3. It is designed to help us understand why and how to live by covenant.