“They Were Steadfast and Immovable”

Some might see King Mosiah’s proposal to replace kings with elected judges as merely wise political reform. But to the Nephites, especially those who lived under wicked King Noah, this change had spiritual significance too. They had seen how an unrighteous king had caused “iniquity” and “great destruction” among his people (Mosiah 29:17), and they were “exceedingly anxious” to be free from such influence. This change would allow them to be responsible for their own righteousness and “answer for [their] own sins” (Mosiah 29:38; see also Doctrine and Covenants 101:78).