By Gideon, Witness of Justice and Servant of God
I had him.
Sword in hand, I had King Noah cornered at the tower. His guard had fled. His pride had melted into pitiful pleading. And my soul burned with righteous anger—for the cries of the widows, the oppression of the people, the death of the prophet Abinadi—all cried out for justice.
Noah begged for his life.
But it was not his pleading that stayed my hand.
In that moment, the Spirit spoke to my mind with greater force than any shout or strike of steel:
“This is not your work,” the Spirit said.
I felt that, as clearly King Noah would suffer death, it was not for me to hasten that end by my own hand.
So I lowered my sword.
It was not weakness. It was obedience.
Noah’s destruction would come. Of that I was certain. But it would come in the Lord’s time, in the Lord’s way, and for the Lord’s purposes—to vindicate His prophet, to show His power, and to testify that no evil deed goes unseen or unpunished.
I later learned the Lord had declared the manner of Noah’s death, and it would be fulfilled precisely, by His will, not mine. He was to suffer death by fire just as he had caused Abinadi to die by fire.
I bear record this day: the Lord is at the helm. His judgments are sure. His words will not fail. And even when vengeance seems near at hand, it is better to be restrained by the Spirit than to run ahead of the Almighty.
I, Gideon, have seen His work with my own eyes.
And I trust Him with all my heart.
About 145 – 91 BC – Mosiah 19:4
