Three Kings, the Book of Mormon

If you had to write a single volume on the course of American history, what would you have to leave out? And what if the time you had to cover, instead of starting with the western discovery of the continents and ending at the year 2000, instead had to cover a full one thousand years?
What I'm implying is that single volumes of scripture, like the Bible and the Book of Mormon, must emphasize the teachings of prophets at the expense of the details of history. There just isn't room for everything. This entry, however, describes a tiny sliver of Nephite history featuring three leaders who were known as "kings".
A Nephite named Zeniff, wished to live on land that had since been occupied by the volume's other major group, the Lamanites. He assembled a group of like-minded people who left their homes in order to live in this new/old land. The scripture does not say specifically why, though their motives seem to have been benign.
But there's a problem. The Lamanites far outnumber these newcomers, and instead of simply accommodating the immigrants, they discover that Zeniff is a little too willing to make concessions than he should be, and that they can exploit the immigrants with these two sources of leverage.  Too late, Zeniff realizes the weakness that leads to his mistake, but he is forced to live out his days in semi-captivity. Luckily, he does prove to be a better military leader than a king, and so the Nephites retain some freedom, though they must constantly stand guard against invasion.
Time passes, as does. Zeniff. His successor is his son, Noah, who is a poor leader in the classic mold, taking from his own people and living extravagantly just because he can. God sends a prophet to warn the people of coming destruction, but he is burned at the stake on trumped up charges. Noah's short reign ends soon after with invasion by the Lamanites. Noah does not retain the loyalty of his troops, and does not survive.
There is great destruction, but the Nephites are allowed to have a leader, Noah's son Limhi. Against all odds, Limhi proves to be an excellent leader, perhaps because he could clearly see his own father's failings. The circumstances are terrible, and both counterattack against the Lamanites and escape seem impossible. Limhi, though he has no easy answers, is still able to keep his people together and holds out hope even as their situation declines into near slavery. Notably, there are no revolts against Limhi, and the people, though oppressed, follow him loyally.    
The group is finally rescued with the help of some soldiers of the main body of Nephites, from whom they had been disconnected for many years. It is felt by many Book of Mormon scholars that the main reason to include this record was that Noah had at least one good man among his group of corrupt priests, named Alma, who becomes the ancestor to a long line of prophets whose service extends for hundreds of years.

The Disciples, New Testament

I have read in other places that Jesus would have been better off without the twelve Galileans who formed the group we call the disciples. They were mainly younger men, no doubt familiar with the history of the House of Israel. They weren't theologians, but they could tell right from wrong, and some had been followers of John the Baptist, a fiery opponent of what the Judaism of his day had come to embody. Jesus himself recognized John as one holding the authority to perform baptisms, and requested one for himself. Though not recorded, it is safe to assume that the disciples followed Jesus' example in this important ordinance.
These were not ignorant men. They were literate in Hebrew and Greek along with Aramaic. I've seen them described as "small businessmen", but this is a description that would have fit most male adults of the time, including Jesus, a carpenter. A neutral observer might have been impressed with them as a group, but it would not have been from their status or accomplishments.
Choosing twelve disciples was one of the first tasks Jesus took on at the start of his mortal ministry. He had to see these men, not just for who they were, but for what they could become when given the inspiration to take the new Gospel out into the world just a few years later.
All of them were Jews, but they couldn't be anti-Roman revolutionaries, because the kingdom they sought was not earthly in nature.We know little about the lives of several of them, a bit more about others. Peter and Andrew were partners in fishing. Matthew was a tax collector. James and John were also brothers, with the latter also identified as a fisherman.
Besides the disciples named, others might have been offered the opportunity. Joining the group would have been entirely voluntary, but no one would be asked twice. It must have been understood by all that the level of commitment was open-ended, although none probably realized to what extent.
Then there was the matter of Judas. Some might argue that the group had to include a disloyal member in order to fulfill prophecy, but, with that assumption Judas' agency of choosing good or evil would be sacrificed. I am more comfortable in feeling that Judas joined for the same reasons as the others, but later chose treachery for reasons that are just not clear today.
They saw and heard wonderful things every day, with their tasks no doubt growing in importance in line with the growth of their faith. There were other followers of Jesus, including women, but from this original tiny group, specifically ordained for this purpose, Christianity eventually spread to all parts of the world.     

Samuel, The Old testament

It is in the Books of Samuel that we see some prominent leaders in a more complete way, with both their virtues and their weaknesses. It all starts with a woman, Hannah, who is sad because she has not had a child. She takes her problem to Eli, priest of the Tabernacle, who first takes her for a drunken woman. When he understands Hannah's plight, he promises that her wish will be fulfilled. She, in turn, promises to dedicate the child to the service of the Lord.
Samuel is the child promised by Eli. True to her word, Hannah brings the little boy to the tabernacle as an offering to God as soon as he is weaned. He serves under Eli, a wise and kind man with a large problem. His sons assist him at the tabernacle, but misuse their office in the worst ways imaginable. Eli is not ignorant of their sins, but lacks the courage to act decisively. Finally, God chooses little Samuel to deliver His message to Eli: both Eli and his sons are doomed to destruction as a consequence of the sons' misuse of religious authority.
The grim sentence is carried out, and it becomes understood that it is Samuel who will take over the role of priest in the Tabernacle and as the Judge of Israel. Samuel grows into these two roles and fills them admirably.  
But another problem arises. The people are dissatisfied, not with Samuel, but with the loose system of leadership given to Israel by the Judges. They now want to be like other nations - with a king. God answers Samuel's inquiry on the matter by saying that having a king is a bad idea, but He also counsels Samuel to let the people have their way, because they just might learn from the consequences. A tall young man from the tribe of Benjamin, Saul, is chosen for the job.   
Saul serves as king for a long time, but Samuel is always near. His role now seems to be more like second guesser in chief. Saul develops, over the years, a condition that we might now describe as bipolar or paranoia. His final break with Samuel comes when the Israelite army fails, though they have the ability, to carry out the divinely commanded slaughter of the Amorites and their livestock. Their king's life is spared in hopes of generating a ransom. Samuel sees that God's command has not been fulfilled, and he becomes furious enough to hack the Amorite king to pieces with an ax. He then leaves to find Israel a new king.
The king to be is David, the son of Jesse, of the tribe of Judah. It is some time before David actually takes office. In the meantime, his relationship to Saul is very complicated, but Samuel, now aged, never reverses his anointing David as the next Israelite king. Samuel finally passes on, and a new prophet, Nathan, assumes the calling of David's connection to God.

Enos, The Book of Mormon

Enos was the son of Jacob, mentioned in an earlier entry on this blog. This would have made him the nephew of Nephi, although Enos evidently lived quite a few years later, and might not have known Nephi personally. The Book of Enos is only twenty seven verses long, with most of that concerned with a single incident in Enos" life.
This short account does not give us any firm clues about Enos" age or his status at the time, although it is easy to see him as a younger person coming to grips with life's big questions, perhaps for the first time. He describes himself as alone on a hunting trip, when the message of his father's teachings  came into his mind. As with many both before and after, Enos decided that he wanted his own spiritual witness of his father's teachings.
He decided to pray. According to the record, his prayer continued all day into the evening. Several terms in the scripture indicate that this process was a struggle requiring all of Enos' strength. Finally, a voice answered which confirmed his father's words and granted forgiveness for his previous sins, whatever those might have been.
This message brought joy to Enos, but then he did something a little surprising. He extended his circle of concern to his family and his people, already known collectively as "Nephites". The voice promises that these people will never be completely destroyed. Then Enos pushed the envelope a bit further, asking for Divine compassion for his people's enemies, the Lamanites. He is assured that they will also be remembered, and will have an opportunity to be taught the Gospel.
At our best, we are not so much concerned with our own needs, but have a desire to see to the needs of others. When filled with love for others, even strangers, our own problems seem to shrink to peanut size.