How Captain Moroni Communicated With The Godhead

I find it very interesting that we don't have any record showing Captain Moroni talking with a member of the Godhead similar to how we see Nephi talk with the Holy Ghost or Enos talking with the Lord. And yet, Captain Moroni got answers from God. He understood them and took appropriate action.

In Alma 43:16 we have the first mention of Moroni being the captain of all the armies of the Nephites and in verse 17 it mentions that he was only 25 years old. The use of the word only too me implies that it was unusual for a 25 year old to be in charge of all the armies of the Nephites.

In Alma 43:19-20 we read that Moroni had prepared his soldiers with breastplates, arm-shields, shields to defend their heads, and wearing thick clothing and that the Lamanite army only wore loincloths. This in itself demonstrates Moroni's ability to think and implement new ways to protect and defend the Nephites. It is my opinion that Moroni received inspiration that he should prepare his soldiers this way. He did this after the last dissenters went to the Lamanites and before the current Lamanite army arrived. The Lamanites who had Nephite dissenters leading them had no idea the Nephite army would be wearing armor and because of this they retreated rather than fight.

Captain Moroni stayed in tune with spiritual matters as well as temporal matters both are demonstrated by the following two scriptures found in the Book of Mormon in Alma chapter 43.

"1 And now it came to pass that the sons of Alma did go forth among the people, to declare the word unto them. And Alma, also, himself, could not rest, and he also went forth."

"23 But it came to pass, as soon as they had departed into the wilderness Moroni sent spies into the wilderness to watch their camp; and Moroni, also, knowing of the prophecies of Alma, sent certain men unto him desiring him that he should inquire of the Lord whither the armies of the Nephites should go to defend themselves against the Lamanites."

Moroni had faith that if he sent someone to ask Alma where the Nephite army should go to defend the Nephites that Alma would give him the answer. Moroni had no doubt he would get an answer and so he did get it. Furthermore, Alma was on a mission to preach the gospel and yet there is no mention of Moroni's men having trouble finding him. Too me this means that Moroni knew where Alma was. He was smart enough to know he might need Alma's help and so made sure he knew where in all the cities of the Nephites Alma was or most likely would be. He didn't have time to make mistakes as the armies of the Lamanites were already on the move to where they would try and attack next.

It is quite likely that strategies he used came from hours of pondering and that because of this and his righteousness many ideas came to him through inspiration. And thus in this occasion he was ready to use a strategy to surround the Lamanites and defeat them.

After they left Moroni did not sit around idly waiting for the Lamanites to come again. Again I believe he was inspired on how to build defenses around the cities and through much pondering based on the above mentioned battle he had a pretty good idea that the Lamanites would retreat after seeing the new defenses and so the second place he figured they would go he prepared better than the first.

Here are segments of Alma chapter 48 that describe some of the new defenses and how the Lamanites reacted.

"4 ...the Nephites had dug up a ridge of earth round about them, which was so high that the Lamanites could not cast their stones and their arrows at them that they might take effect, neither could they come upon them save it was by their place of entrance."

In verse 6 we read that the Lamanites had a numerous army and had copied the Nephites and were now wearing armor just like the Nephites. And so the Lamanites had thought they would be able to do whatever they wanted.

"7 But behold, to their uttermost astonishment, they (the Nephites) were prepared for them, in a manner which never had been known among the children of Lehi. Now they were prepared for the Lamanites, to battle after the manner of the instructions of Moroni."

It is possible that Moroni had access to records that may have described fortifications and army and tactics but that assumes that such was brought by Lehi and his family when they left Jerusalem. I believe any such record, such as the brass plates and/or the plates of Nephi, simply talked about such things without giving detail about how they were made and the Lamanites were unlikely to know anything about that unless Laman or Lemuel had bothered to tell them which they probably did not.

And so the armies of the Lamanites retreated when they saw how Moroni had fortified the city of Ammonihah. It must not have occurred to the Lamanites that Moroni would expend the same amount if not more effort to prepare all the Nephite cities with the same fortifications and so the Lamanites went to the next city they thought would be easy to take, the city of Noah.

Moroni, in addition to making the fortifications at Noah better than at Ammonihah did something else to help this city. He stationed Lehi to command all the soldiers in the city of Noah. In verse 16 -17 we see the wisdom in this.

"16 And behold, Moroni had appointed Lehi to be chief captain over the men of that city; and it was that same Lehi who fought with the Lamanites in the valley on the east of the river Sidon."

"17 And now behold it came to pass, that when the Lamanites had found that Lehi commanded the city they were again disappointed for they feared Lehi exceedingly..."

This act demoralized the Lamanites and at the same time bolstered the courage of the troops in the city of Noah. Obviously the Lamanites that Moroni allowed to leave with an oath of peace after the battle in the valley near the river Sidon had not only spoken about Moroni but also Lehi. And the Nephites in the city of Noah would surely know that they were commanded by a leader, Lehi, who had fought and defeated a huge Lamanite army. They knew he would do the same again.

All of the above examples to me show and go beyond the words in the scriptures that describe Moroni. These things show that Captain Moroni trusted in the Lord, he knew how to get answers when he needed them, and he never hesitated to use the information once he got it. On numerous occasions Captain Moroni received inspiration and he even sought Alma, the prophet, for help in getting knowledge to help him defend the Nephites. I would be perfectly happy with such means of communication which I do get from time to time, if I could always understand such divine messages.

Pondering The Scriptures

I find it very interesting that some of the greatest revelations come while a person is pondering something that is of interest to them.

One example is Nephi after he listened to his father Lehi tell about his vision of the tree of live. In 1 Nephi 10:17 this is how Nephi described his reaction:

"17 And it came to pass after I, Nephi, having heard all the words of my father, concerning the things which he saw in a vision, and also the things which he spake by the power of the Holy Ghost, which power he received by faith on the Son of God - and the Son of God was the Messiah who should come - I Nephi, was desirous also that I might see, and hear, and know of these things, by the power of the Holy Ghost, which is the gift of God unto all those who diligently seek him, as well in times of old as in the time that he should manifest himself unto the children of men."

Here Nephi makes it clear that it is through the power of the Holy Ghost that he can learn these things. Too me, this also means that you, I, and all here on the earth can learn these things through the power of the Holy Ghost.

Nephi has already had some wonderful spiritual experiences up to this point. I wonder if he had any idea what was going to happen next. He doesn't seem surprised at the next events or if he was surprised he simply didn't write that he was. In 1 Nephi 11:1-3 we read:

"1 For it came to pass after I had desired to know the things that my father had seen, and believing that the Lord was able to make them known unto me, as I sat pondering in mine heart I was caught away in the Spirit of the Lord, yea, into an exceedingly high mountain, which I never had before seen, and upon which I never had before set my foot.
2 And the Spirit said unto me: Behold, what desirest thou?
3 And I said: I desire to behold the things which my father saw."

Did Nephi have any idea that he would see and talk with the Holy Ghost? I suspect he did not. In any case he actually saw and learned more than his father Lehi since there is no record of the Holy Ghost appearing to Lehi nor as far as I know to anyone else.

From this and other scriptural accounts I have learned that one of the keys to receiving revelations from God, or to put it in other words, one way to receive marvelous messages is to ponder upon something that is important to you.

I wonder how long and how intense were the desires of Nephi. I have pondered many things related to the gospel and to Jesus and yet have not had so wondrous an experience. I know that such things can happen to me but don't expect them to. In fact I would be quite satisfied to simply understand answers to my prayers more often even if those answers were simple impressions. But, since such simple ways of answering my prayers don't come this drives me forward to learn more about how to get clearer communications coming from the Godhead to me.