Verses 20 and 21 at first appear to be contradictory. In the first Moroni asks if Pahoran has forgotten times in the past that God has delivered the Nephites. Then in the next verse he chastises Pahoran for perhaps believing that God will deliver the Nephites. It appears that on the one hand Moroni is encouraging faith in a deliverance by God, and then declaring that it is evil to await a deliverance by God.
The clue to Moroni’s intent lies in the specifics of his questions in verse 20. it is not simply a request to remember deliverance, it is a call to remember their heritage. He begins by asking them to remember the commandments, then the captivity, then the deliverance. What Moroni is asking Pahoran to do is remember the entire history of the Nephite people, and what their values are. Since Moroni has accused Pahoran of adopting the hierarchical and “Lamanite” worldview, this is a call to return to the Nephite understanding. When Moroni asks if Pahoran is awaiting God’s deliverance while they sit on the thrones, he is asking if Pahoran’s shift in worldview is allowing him to distort the relationship of God to his people. Moroni is asking if he has developed a false belief that God would save them without effort.
Both of these verses are to be understood in the cultural context of Moroni’s accusation of treason. This is not a generic treason, but as very specific one. This is an accusation that Pahoran has given up that which is Nephite in spite of the God-founded history and preservation of this people, and adopted that which is Lamanite.