🪶 When Zion Walked Away
🪶 When Zion Walked Away
Lessons from Tsihohnayah Ahkehkthihm Chapter 5
One of the things I appreciate most about the Nemenhah records is that they do not always teach through miracles.
Sometimes they teach through consequences.
Chapter 5 of the Book of Tsihohnayah Ahkehkthihm is one of those chapters.
At first glance it appears to be a story about a disagreement between Tsihohnayah and a powerful High Priest named Tuhcahntohr. But as I read it, I see something much bigger.
I see a story about Zion and Babylon.
And I see a warning for every generation.
A House Divided
The chapter takes place after the people of Mayntinah have imprisoned and oppressed many of their own brethren because of religious differences. Families are separated. Liberty is taken away. People are treated as enemies because they do not conform to the teachings of the ruling priesthood.
The surrounding Nemenhah are outraged.
A Great Council is called.
Tsihohnayah writes one final letter asking that the people be allowed to leave peacefully and join their families elsewhere.
What struck me is that he does not ask everyone to agree.
He does not ask everyone to change their beliefs.
He simply asks for freedom.
That alone says a lot.
The Great Question: Who Speaks for God?
Tuhcahntohr's response may be the most important part of the chapter.
He accuses Tsihohnayah of teaching that ordinary people can seek the Creator directly.
He condemns councils.
He condemns common consent.
He condemns women participating in leadership.
He insists that authority flows through a single prophet and that the people must submit.
To me, this is where the real battle begins.
Not over doctrine.
Not over ordinances.
Over agency.
Can God's children hear His voice?
Or must they depend entirely upon another person to tell them what God thinks?
That question appears again and again throughout scripture.
The Clothing That Made Me Think
One scene in this chapter touched me deeply.
When the prisoners are finally released, they are beaten, starving, stripped of their clothing, and publicly humiliated.
The people of Mayntinah cast stones at them as they leave.
Then something beautiful happens.
The Nemenhah waiting outside the gates immediately cover them with blankets, feed them, and comfort them.
That reminded me of Adam and Eve.
After the Fall they discovered their nakedness and tried to cover themselves. Later, the Lord clothed them.
Throughout scripture there seems to be a pattern:
The adversary exposes.
God covers.
The adversary shames.
God restores.
The wicked stripped these people of their dignity.
The righteous gave it back.
That may be one of the most Christlike moments in the entire chapter.
The Council Cuts Off Mayntinah
What happens next surprised me.
The Council does not attack Mayntinah.
They do not burn it.
They do not overthrow its leaders.
They simply withdraw their support.
Trade ends.
Fellowship ends.
The city is no longer recommended to travelers.
Families begin leaving.
The people gather their records, their children, their animals, and their stewardships.
Then they leave.
That is the part that reminded me of Babylon.
The scriptures never tell God's people to conquer Babylon.
They tell them:
"Come out of her, my people."
The people of this chapter do exactly that.
They come out.
Moroni's Son?
According to the Nemenhah record, Tsihohnayah is presented as the son of Moroni, the last prophet-historian of the Book of Mormon record. Whether one accepts that claim or not, the teachings in this chapter certainly sound familiar.
Moroni spent his life watching a civilization collapse because people chose power over righteousness.
Here we see another society beginning to fracture for the same reason.
The lesson has not changed.
What I Learned
The biggest lesson I see is this:
Zion cannot be built through control.
It cannot be forced.
It cannot be imposed.
It cannot be sustained by fear.
Zion is built through agency.
Through common consent.
Through caring for the wounded.
Through hearing God's voice.
Through gathering good people and building something better.
The tragedy of Mayntinah was not that it lacked religion.
It was that it chose control over charity.
And when it did, Zion quietly walked away.
🌎 A Modern-Day Comparison
As I thought about this chapter, I could not help but wonder what a modern-day Mayntinah looks like.
To my way of thinking, Babylon today is usually not a city with walls around it.
It is a system of thinking.
It is any system that teaches us to surrender our agency, stop seeking God for ourselves, and trust entirely in institutions, leaders, experts, wealth, politics, popularity, or fear.
That does not mean all institutions are bad. We need churches, governments, schools, businesses, and communities. The question is where our trust ultimately rests.
The people of Mayntinah slowly traded stewardship for dependence and agency for control. They expected others to provide for them while a small group concentrated authority. In the beginning it probably felt safe and efficient. By the end, it left them weak, divided, and unable to sustain themselves.
I sometimes wonder if we face similar temptations today.
Are we raising families that know how to hear the voice of God?
Do we know our neighbors?
Can we provide service when times become difficult?
Do we build local communities based on trust and cooperation?
Or have we become dependent upon systems so large that we no longer know how to care for one another directly?
What impressed me most is that the Nemenhah did not spend their energy trying to take over Mayntinah. They gathered their records, strengthened their families, cared for the wounded, and built something better.
Perhaps that is the modern lesson.
If Babylon is falling, our assignment is not to obsess over Babylon.
Our assignment is to build Zion.
One family.
One stewardship.
One act of charity.
One act of common consent.
One listening heart at a time.
The people who left Mayntinah carried more than records with them. They carried a way of life.
And maybe that is what the Lord is asking His people to preserve today.
🪶 The question is not merely, "How do we escape Babylon?"
🪶 The question is, "Are we building Zion wherever we are?"
🔎 Related Reading: Blueprint of Zion
🌿 BLUEPRINT OF ZION
How do we actually build Zion in our families, communities, and stewardships? The answer may be simpler than we think: one act of agency, charity, and common consent at a time.
🪶 The True Remnant Blog
"Follow the Voice, not the white robe."
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