Battle of the 300 Champions

The Battle of the 300 Champions was a battle fought in roughly 546 BC between Argos and Sparta. Rather than commit full armies, both sides agreed to pitting 300 of their best men against each other. The day called for complete destruction of the enemy force for victory.

The two armies were evenly matched and neither could gain the upper hand. After a bloody battle only three men remained, two Argives and one Spartan. The Argives left the battlefield believing that they had killed all of the Spartans, but they made one mistake. Orthryades, an injured Spartan, was still alive when the Argives left the field and was technically the last man standing on the battlefield for either army. Orthryades survived long enough to tell his baggage handlers and victory was claimed for Sparta.

It is very important to fully understand the terms of an engagement and make certain they are met. This is a great example of the axiom "Don't count your chickens before they are hatched."

Source: Wikipedia

Faith vs God's Will

I have recently been studying the topic of faith in the scriptures and came across two passages which seem to contradict. The first passage is the Savior teaching His Apostles about the importance and power of faith.

 22 And Jesus answering saith unto them, Have faith in God.

 23 For verily I say unto you, That whosoever shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he saith shall come to pass; he shall have whatsoever he saith.

 24 Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them.
(Mark 11:22-24)

The second is in Paul's second letter to the Corinthians.

 7 And lest I should be exalted above measure through the abundance of the revelations, there was given to me a thorn in the flesh, the messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I should be exalted above measure.

 8 For this thing I besought the Lord thrice, that it might depart from me.
(2 Cor 12:7-8)

On the one hand we are encouraged to have faith. And if our faith is sufficient then we will have whatever things we pray for. Presumably there is a caveat in there that if our faith is so great we will not be praying for trivial things like briefcases full of money, etc.

 10 Remember that without faith you can do nothing; therefore ask in faith. Trifle not with these things; do not ask for that which you ought not.
(D&C 8:10)

But assuming we are only asking for "reasonable" things we are told quite plainly that we "shall have them."

On the other hand, we are told that the Apostle Paul had a "thorn in the flesh" that he prayed to have removed three times. I think we can safely assume that Paul had great faith. So why wasn't the thorn removed?

It is not clear what the "thorn" was. After doing a bit of searching it seems that most people believe it was either some kind of physical infirmity (sickness, poor eyesight, etc) or it referred to something like persecution or temptation. The bottom line is that we do not really know. In any case it is something that he would have liked to be spared from and he petitioned the Lord about it but his request was denied.

This is a topic that has always been of great interest to me because I was born with a physical disability and I have petitioned the Lord many times to be healed.

I think the answer to this dilemma is contained in verses 7 (above) and 9:

 9 And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.
(2 Cor 12:9)

The Lord acknowledged that he received Paul's request but told him that the answer was "No." And the explanation reason given was that the thorn was necessary for two reasons. First, "lest [Paul] should be exalted above measure" and second, "[Christ's] strength is made perfect in weakness." Apparently Paul would have become too prideful if he did not have his thorn. And I think it serves God's purposes better to have his message delivered by imperfect and "weak" vessels.

The importance of weakness in keeping us humble reminds me of this passage in Ether:

27 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 12:27)

Sometimes we are given trials or weaknesses because without them we may stray from the path. So although we view them as weaknesses, God uses them to create in us great strength.

And regarding using those who are imperfect to preach God's message, Paul wrote this in his other letter to the Corinthians:

 27 But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty;
(1 Cor 1:27)

If David had been a professionally trained soldier when he slew Goliath instead of a youth then it would not have seemed miraculous (1 Sam 17:33). But because David was young and inexperienced it allowed God to show forth His power when Goliath was defeated (1 Sam 17:45-50).

So when we petition the Lord for something we need to remember that we do not always get what we ask for. I think most of the time it is because we lack faith. But sometimes it is not because we lack faith, but because it is better for us in the eternal scheme of things if the request is denied.

I think there is great comfort in knowing that. In particular if we are asking for a loved one to be healed. If we have sufficient faith but the answer is still "No," we can be certain that is God's will.

 48 And again, it shall come to pass that he that hath faith in me to be healed, and is not appointed unto death, shall be healed.
(D&C 42:48)

Spartan Liberty Brings Strength

When Xerxes, king of Persia, was preparing for the Battle of Thermopylae, he sent for Demaratus, an exiled Spartan King who had accompanied him in his march. He asked him whether the Greeks would really stand up and fight or if they would flee before his mighty army.

Demaratus explained that the Spartans would certainly fight rather than being reduced to slavery because the Greeks value their freedom above all else. "They are sure to join battle with you even if all the rest of the Greeks surrendered to you. As for Spartan numbers, do not ask how many or few they are, hoping for them to surrender. For if a thousand of them should take the field, they will meet you in battle, and so will any other number, whether it is less than this, or more."

Xerxes laughed at his. "What wild words, Demaratus! A thousand men join battle with such an army as mine! Come then, will you fight alone right now against ten men? I think not. Your bragging is weak. Use common sense: how could a thousand men, or ten thousand, or even fifty thousand -- particularly if they are all free, and not under one lord -- how could such a force stand against a united army like mine? Even if the Greeks have larger numbers than our highest estimate, we still would outnumber them 100 to 1."

"If they had a single master as our troops have, their obedience to him might make them courageous beyond their own desire, or they might be pushed onward by the whip against an enemy which far outnumbered them. But left to their own free choice, they will surely act differently. For my part, I believe that if the Greeks had to contend with the Persians only, and the numbers were equal on both sides, the Greeks would still find it hard to stand their ground. We too have men among us as tough as those you described.  For instance, some of my bodyguard would willingly engage singly with three Greeks. But this you did not know; and so you talked foolishly."

Demaratus answered, "Look, I am no match for ten men or even two, and given the choice, I would rather not fight at all. But if necessary, I would rather go against those who boast that they are a match for any three Greeks. The same goes for the Spartans. One-against-one, they are as good as anyone in the world. But when they fight in a body, they are the best of all. For though they are free men, they are not entirely free. They accept Law as their master. And they respect this master more than your subjects respect you. Whatever he commands, they do. And his command never changes: He forbids them to flee in battle, whatever the number of their foes. He requires them to stand firm -- to conquer or die."

True freedom comes from obedience to law. Working united as a team, individuals can accomplish great things.

When the Greeks went to war it was because the soldiers individually voted to go to war in the assembly not because they were forced to go to war by a master. They fought because they believed in their cause and were willing to die to defend it and their families. They were also a very disciplined fighting unit. The Persian troops and mercenaries were not particularly loyal to anything but their paycheck and fear of punishment by their masters.

See Title of Liberty
Source: Herodotus and Here

These are Sparta's Walls

When asked why Sparta lacked fortifications, King Agesilaus pointed to his men saying, "These are Sparta's walls".

It is the people that are important and make the difference. A team standing together can accomplish great things.

Source: Sayings of Plutarch

We Shall Fight in the Shade

Before the Battle of Thermopylae where 300 Spartans famously delayed the advance of the great Persian army of Xerxes, it was reported that the Persian army was so large that the arrows from their archers would "block out the sun". Dienekes, a Spartan soldier, retorted unconcerned, "So much the better...then we shall fight our battle in the shade".

Always focus on the positive.

Source: Herodotus

Spartans Stand for What is Right

An old man wandering around the Olympic Games looking for a seat was jeered at by the crowd until he reached the seats of the Spartans, whereupon every Spartan younger than him, and some that were older, stood up and offered him their seat. The crowd applauded and the old man turned to them with a sigh, saying "All Greeks know what is right, but only the Spartans do it."

We should always stand for what is right. Treat others with kindness and respect.

Source: Sayings of Plutarch