With Their Flocks and Their Herds

When the people of Limhi were trying to figure out a way to escape from the Lamanites, “they could find no way to deliver themselves out of bondage, except it were to take their women and children, and their flocks, and their herds, and their tents, and depart into the wilderness.” Gideon proposed this: “Let us send a proclamation among all this people that they gather together their flocks and herds, that they may drive them into the wilderness by night. And I will go according to thy command and pay the last tribute of wine to the Lamanites, and they will be drunken; and we will pass through the secret pass on the left of their camp when they are drunken and asleep. We will depart with our women and our children, our flocks, and our herds into the wilderness; and we will travel around the land of Shilom.” King Limhi liked his idea, and so he “caused that his people should gather their flocks together; and he sent the tribute of wine to the Lamanites.” The people then “did depart by night into the wilderness with their flocks and their herds, and they went round about the land of Shilom in the wilderness, and bent their course towards the land of Zarahemla” (Mosiah 22:2, 6-11). One of the things that I have found curious in this account is the focus on their flocks and herds. The word flocks was mentioned five times and herds was used four in this chapter, all in the context of making sure they would be kept and brought with them.  Women and children, on the other hand, were only mentioned twice! What was so important about their flocks and herds in particular that they had to be brought with them? Wouldn’t it have been easier to leave them behind and get new ones in the land of Zarahemla in order to not slow down their escape?

               In the subsequent story of the escape of the people of Alma from the land of Helam they also made sure to bring along their flocks. Mormon recorded, “Now it came to pass that Alma and his people in the night-time gathered their flocks together, and also of their grain; yea, even all the night-time were they gathering their flocks together.” They spent the whole night gathering their flocks, and then in the morning they took those with them while the Lord caused the Lamanites to be under a profound sleep. Again, it seems to me that it would have been less risky to just leave the animals, most likely sheep who did not move quickly, in order to make a hastier escape. Why was it so important that they spend the night before a dangerous departure gathering their flocks? I understand that the flocks were important for clothing and perhaps food as well, but when you are running for your lives why would you take a whole herd of sheep with you?

               A possible answer struck me a few days ago as I was thinking about the law of Moses and the sacrifices made under it. It may be that to these faithful Nephites the flocks and herds were not just important for food and clothing, but they were their primary means of worshipping the Lord through the law of Moses. In other words, they needed at least some of their flocks and herds as sacrifices to the Lord under the law. Perhaps their insistence on making sure these animals came with them was not just a weird behavior but rather a sign of their devotion to the Lord. It seems that they wanted to make sure they had the means to make acceptable offerings to Jehovah, and if they left their flocks and herds behind they would not be able to do this. Perhaps Mormon included the account of this people bringing with them their animals as they ran for their lives in order to show us the devotion they had to the law and to the Lord. It is interesting that Mormon never mentioned the Nephites or Lamanites having flocks and herds after the Savior came and the sacrifice of animals was done away. They are mentioned in many places in the Book of Mormon before the Savior fulfilled the law, but Mormon did not refer to the people having them afterwards as far as I can tell. They were, it seems, not just a means of livelihood for the people but a symbol of their faith and willingness to make sacrifices to the Lord.