The description of Noah not walking in “the ways of his father” and his not keeping the commandments of God are basically the same problem (vv. 1–2). Following after the desires of his own heart, he changed the affairs of the kingdom (vv. 2, 5). The first two changes will be considered under this heading, and the last four changes will be considered under Mosiah 11:5–15.
By Noah taking many wives and concubines, he caused others to commit sin, as they followed his example of immorality (v. 2). The Lord told Jacob, brother of Nephi, “there shall not any man among you have save it be one wife; and concubines he shall have none; … whoredoms are an abomination before me” (Jacob 2:27–28). The only exception was to “raise up seed unto [the Lord, and] I will command my people” (Jacob 2:30). Noah had not been commanded to take plural wives.
Immorality in any form leads to the breaking up of the family unit. The family is the basic unit of the Church. Satan rejoices in the destruction of the family. He has been so effective in these latter days that the First Presidency and the Twelve issued a proclamation to the Church and to the World as a means of preserving the family. They concluded the proclamation with this warning:
WE WARN that individuals who violate covenants of chastity, who abuse spouse or offspring, or who fail to fulfill family responsibilities will one day stand accountable before God. Further, we warn that the disintegration of the family will bring upon individuals, communities, and nations the calamities foretold by ancient and modern prophets.
WE CALL UPON responsible citizens and officers of government everywhere to promote those measures designed to maintain and strengthen the family as the fundamental unit of society.
The second change in the affairs of Noah’s kingdom was a heavy taxation upon the people, one fifth of all they possessed (v. 3). The amount of taxes seems a warning to us as a nation, and to any nation who possesses this land of promise (see Ether 2:12). The overall taxation in the United States today is almost double the one-fifth tax levied by Noah. While some may argue that Noah’s tax was upon all they possessed, not just income or increase, it was indeed a heavy burden that should be a warning to our day. Arguments for the use of the taxes by Noah and for our day will not be paralleled, although some comparison could be made.