There also are two witnesses of the governing principle of the land of promise. The brother of Jared warned that a kingship would lead into captivity (v. 23). King Mosiah warned of “how much iniquity doth one wicked king cause to be committed, yea, and what great destruction” (Mosiah 29:17). Jacob, the brother of Nephi, was told by God that when the Gentiles occupy this land (following Columbus) “there shall be no kings upon the land… . For he that raiseth up a king against me shall perish” (2 Nephi 10:11–14). Jared’s declaration to his brother to let them have a king (Ether 6:24) did not necessarily mean he was in favor of a king, but it was an allowance for them to exercise their agency. The fact that all of the sons of the brother of Jared, and all of Jared’s sons but one, refused to be king (v. 25–27) strongly implies that Jared and his brother were opposed to a kingship. Agency is still recognized by the brother of Jared when he refused to constrain his son to be king (v. 25). The Lord had taught them from on high, and agency is an eternal principle for the choice land of America and is still in effect. The Bible gives the same warning. When Samuel, the first judge in Israel, grew old:
4 Then all the elders of Israel gathered themselves together, and came to Samuel unto Ramah,
5 And said unto him, Behold, thou art old, and thy sons walk not in thy ways: now make us a king to judge us like all the nations.
6 But the thing displeased Samuel, when they said, Give us a king to judge us. And Samuel prayed unto the LORD.
7 And the Lord said unto Samuel, Hearken unto the voice of the people in all that they say unto thee: for they have not rejected thee, but they have rejected me, that I should not reign over them.
8 According to all the works which they have done since the day that I brought them up out of Egypt even unto this day, wherewith they have forsaken me, and served other gods, so do they also unto thee.
9 Now therefore hearken unto their voice: howbeit yet protest solemnly unto them, and shew them the manner of the king that shall reign over them. [1 Samuel 8:4–9]
The Lord then outlined the things that would happen to take away their freedom and bring them into captivity (see 1 Samuel 8:10–18). The people exercised their agency, rejected the Lord’s counsel, and eventually all that the Lord had warned them of happened.
Orihah was a good king. He brought prosperity, set a good example, and taught his people about the Lord (Ether 6:28–29). Therefore, he was not seeking for power, but was apparently desirous to let his people learn for themselves. That eternal principle is also still in effect today. Nephi, King Benjamin, and Mosiah, and others were good kings among the Nephites, and “if this could always be the case then it would be expedient that ye should always have a king to rule over you” (Mosiah 29:13). However, it is difficult to “dethrone an iniquitous king” (Mosiah 29:21).