Urban Poly Princess

33 And in the days of Com there began to be robbers in the land; and they adopted the old plans, and administered oaths after the manner of the ancients, and sought again to destroy the kingdom.
Adopted the old plans and administer oaths after the manner of the ancients. It strikes me that the adversary has his own rites and ceremonies for evil that stands in stark contrast to the beauty and magnificence of the temple in its majesty and glory. There must be opposition in all things so this shouldn't surprise me at all. Why it's mentioned in the scriptures seems odd to me. Why is it so important that we should be aware of this. Why not leave it out of consideration all together?

Free Forever, to Act for Themselves - D. Todd Christofferson
It has ever been so. Our very presence on earth as physical beings is the consequence of a choice each of us made to participate in our Father’s plan.⁹ Thus, salvation is certainly not the result of divine whim, but neither does it happen by divine will alone.
It is the requirement of and the opportunity for repentance that permits mercy to perform its labor without trampling justice.
A God who makes no demands is the functional equivalent of a God who does not exist. A world without God, the living God who establishes moral laws to govern and perfect His children, is also a world without ultimate truth or justice. It is a world where moral relativism reigns supreme.
Resenting the law of gravity won’t keep a person from falling if he steps off a cliff. The same is true for eternal law and justice. Freedom comes not from resisting it but from applying it. That is fundamental to God’s own power
It is God’s will that we be free men and women enabled to rise to our full potential both temporally and spiritually, that we be free from the humiliating limitations of poverty and the bondage of sin, that we enjoy self-respect and independence, that we be prepared in all things to join Him in His celestial kingdom.
And we do not need to achieve some minimum level of capacity or goodness before God will help—divine aid can be ours every hour of every day, no matter where we are in the path of obedience. But I know that beyond desiring His help, we must exert ourselves, repent, and choose God for Him to be able to act in our lives consistent with justice and moral agency. My plea is simply to take responsibility and go to work so that there is something for God to help us with.