In Plain Humility

One of the messages of Ether 12 is the need for humility to come unto the Savior. As Moroni worked on the abridgement of the Jaredite record, he felt acutely his own weakness in writing and fulfilling the mission that the Lord had given him. He humbly prayed to the Lord, “Lord, the Gentiles will mock at these things, because of our weakness in writing;… And thou hast made us that we could write but little, because of the awkwardness of our hands. Behold, thou hast not made us mighty in writing like unto the brother of Jared, for thou madest him that the things which he wrote were mighty even as thou art, unto the overpowering of man to read them…. when we write we behold our weakness, and stumble because of the placing of our words; and I fear lest the Gentiles shall mock at our words.” Compared to the power of the words of the brother of Jared, Moroni felt that his own abilities were insufficient to accomplish the task before him. The Lord’s response to Moroni highlights the need for all of us to likewise recognize our own weakness if we are to come unto Him: “Fools mock, but they shall mourn; and my grace is sufficient for the meek, that they shall take no advantage of your weakness; And if men come unto me I will show unto them their weakness. I give unto men weakness that they may be humble; and my grace is sufficient for all men that humble themselves before me; for if they humble themselves before me, and have faith in me, then will I make weak things become strong unto them” (Ether 12:23-27). We have access to His grace if we are humble; our weakness, instead of being a negative thing, helps to bring us to Him. In fact, as Moroni would quote later these words from his father: “None is acceptable before God, save the meek and lowly in heart” (Moroni 7:44). To come unto the Savior we don’t need to be strong; we need to be humble. We need not ask ourselves if we have weakness—that is a given. But if we want to overcome our weakness we must develop meekness. 

                Moroni finished this chapter with a powerful witness of how the Savior came to him. He said this, “And then shall ye know that I have seen Jesus, and that he hath talked with me face to face, and that he told me in plain humility, even as a man telleth another in mine own language, concerning these things” (Ether 12:39). It struck me today for the first time that there is a connection between this description and the earlier verses in the chapter about humility: Moroni wanted us to see that even Christ is humble too. He spoke to Moroni not with a loud voice or in a powerful manifestation or with an autoritative appearance, but rather in “plain humility.” Christ, even as a resurrected Being, was completely humble in His interaction with Moroni. The Savior who asks us to be humble is also Himself the perfect example of humility. He described Himself this way in mortality: “I am meek and lowly in heart” (Matthew 11:29). Later He quoted the words of an ancient prophet to describe Himself this way: “Tell ye the daughter of Sion, Behold, thy King cometh unto thee, meek, and sitting upon an ass, and a colt the foal of an ass” (Matthew 21:5). He came “meek” everywhere He visited in mortality, and He showed the ultimate humility when He prayed in the garden: “O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt” (Matthew 26:39). He was totally submissive to His Father just as He asks us to be submissive and meek before Him. Paul wrote of the “meekness and gentleness of Christ,” and humility is indeed part of who He is and who He asks us to be (2 Corinthians 10:1). We must strive to live in “plain humility” so that we can receive His grace and be made strong through His power.