17:2-3, 9
Alma and the sons of Mosiah had really turned over a new leaf. They were changed. When they met up on the road to Zarahemla, they had all been preaching for FOURTEEN years. That’s a long mission. They had given up their lives to Jesus once converted.
“Now these sons of Mosiah were with Alma at the time the angel first appeared unto him; therefore Alma did rejoice exceedingly to see his brethren; and what added more to his joy, they were still his brethren in the Lord; yea, and they had waxed strong in the knowledge of the truth; for they were men of a sound understanding and they had searched the scriptures diligently, that they might know the word of God. But this is not all; they had given themselves to much prayer, and fasting; therefore they had the spirit of prophecy, and the spirit of revelation, and when they taught, they taught with power and authority of God.”
So, what had they done:
“They had searched the scriptures diligently, that they might know the word of God.
“They had given themselves to much prayer, and fasting”
That doesn’t sound like too much! Searching the scriptures diligently and fasting and praying. I can do that. I can do that more. I can be more sincere and thorough in my searching the scriptures. I can certainly pray with more intent and fast with a full purpose.
What were the results of these three efforts for the sons of Mosiah?
“They had waxed strong in the knowledge of the truth.”
“They were men of a sound understanding.”
“They had the spirit of prophecy, and the spirit of revelation.”
“When they taught, they taught with power and authority of God”
This return on investment is huge! The benefits of knowing and having a sound understanding of the truth, being able to prophecy and receive revelation and teaching with the power and authority of God are all really big blessings. This story should be a good example to all of us to study, pray and fast more intensely.
“And it came to pass that they journeyed many days in the wilderness, and they fasted much and prayed much that the Lord would grant unto them a portion of his Spirit to go with them, and abide with them, that they might be an instrument in the hands of God to bring, if it were possible, their brethren, the Lamanites, to the knowledge of the truth, to the knowledge of the baseness of the traditions of their fathers, which were not correct.” Again, my half-hearted fasting once a month likely doesn’t compare - neither do the blessings.
17:5
Living righteously, dedicating your life to the Lord, working hard, even risking your life for the gospel does not inoculate you from trials and tribulations. “Now these are the circumstances which attended them in their journeyings, for they had many afflictions; they did suffer much, both in body and in mind, such as hunger, thirst and fatigue, and also much labor in the spirit.”Living
17:11
This is a verse for me. “And the Lord said unto them also: Go forth among the Lamanites, thy brethren, and establish my word; yet ye shall be patient in long-suffering and afflictions, that ye may show forth good examples unto them in me, and I will make an instrument of thee in my hands unto the salvation of many souls.” Often, I am frustrated with people. I’m frustrated with bad drivers. I’m frustrated when I receive poor service. I am frustrated when people are oblivious to the world around them. I am frustrated when people are thoughtless. It’s easy to say, I’m easily frustrated.
It is good counsel to me that I should be “patient in long-suffering and afflictions.” As I do, there is the possibility that I could be a good example - even to the point of being an instrument in God’s hands. I am working on this and need to continue to do so.
17:15
The Lamanites were a “wile and a hardened and a ferocious people.” Why were they so bad, partly because of the traditions of their fathers. “Thus they were a very indolent people, many of whom did worship idols, and the curse of God had fallen upon them because of the traditions of their fathers; notwithstanding the promises of the Lord were extended unto them on the conditions of repentance.”
It sounds like their indolence was also a big part of it. The definition of “indolent” is “wanting to avoid activity or exertion; lazy.” What amount of wickedness has direct ties to laziness? I know most sins of omission can be tied to laziness. Our unwillingness to study daily, pray earnestly, serve consistently, follow promptings, etc - at least with me - can be tied to laziness. Something to improve.
17:16; 18:39
What can cause people to repent? For many, they key is to simply know the purpose of life and the plan of salvation. “Therefore, this was the cause for which the sons of Mosiah had undertaken the work, that perhaps they might bring them unto repentance; that perhaps they might bring them to know of the plan of redemption.” It is having the correct perspective on life that gives people the desire to repent. It is knowing the plan of redemption that gives people hope for the future regardless of their current misery.
I’ve had my most productive conversations with people about the gospel by beginning with “what do you think the purpose of life is?” It is this knowledge that keeps my life in balance. It is this knowledge that helps me deal with the regular stress and discouragement that can happen any day. It is this knowledge that helps me resist temptation. This knowledge helps me to rise above this fallen world and not give into the desires of the natural man inside of me.
Imagine what it’s like to not know about the plan of redemption! What is it like to not know about the true purpose of life? How must more distressing is this life without that knowledge? No one should live like this. I think that this is why Alma and the sons of Mosiah were so determined to teach people about the plan.
“But this is not all; for he expounded unto them the plan of redemption, which was prepared from the foundation of the world; and he also made known unto them concerning the coming of Christ, and all the works of the Lord did he make known unto them.”
17:23-25
Ammon knows how to build trust with a leader. First, he established that he had no ulterior motives. He simply wanted to live with them. “And Ammon said unto him: Yea, I desire to dwell among this people for a time; yea, and perhaps until the day I die.” He didn’t say he wanted to convert the population. He simply wanted to live with them - perhaps for his entire life.
This simple, pure purpose was impressive to the king. “And it came to pass that king Lamoni was much pleased with Ammon, and caused that his bands should be loosed; and he would that Ammon should take one of his daughters to wife.” Wow. King Lamoni was certainly impressed with Ammon’s sincerity.
What further built trust with Lamoni was Ammon’s simple desire to be his servant - rather than a new son in law. “But Ammon said unto him: Nay, but I will be thy servant. Therefore Ammon became a servant to king Lamoni. And it came to pass that he was set among other servants to watch the flocks of Lamoni, according to the custom of the Lamanites.”
When we are put in a situation where we want to have influence on others, our best strategy is to simply serve. We learned this on our mission. We didn’t need to worry about building trust with the local leaders as long as we were willing to simply serve. As we did, you could feel the trust from the leaders building. It was only after we had served consistently that the leaders trusted us.
17:28, 31; 18:10-11
When the flocks were scattered, the servants reacted one way - Ammon reacted a different way. Let’s consider both.
“Now the servants of the king began to murmur, saying: Now the king will slay us, as he has our brethren because their flocks were scattered by the wickedness of these men. And they began to weep exceedingly, saying: Behold, our flocks are scattered already.” When some are faced with a challenge, their natural reaction is to give up. When an obstacle is placed in their way, they quit. They see it as an excuse rather than a problem to solve. Many of my employees have been this way.
Other people see challenges and obstacles as something to move past. Ammon was this way. “And it came to pass that he flattered them by his words, saying: My brethren, be of good cheer and let us go in search of the flocks, and we will gather them together and bring them back unto the place of water; and thus we will preserve the flocks unto the king and he will not slay us.” Rather than wringing his hands and giving up, he solved the problem. He acted. He started moving on a solution. And it worked out. Those who can deal with the inevitable challenges and obstacles that exist in every path towards something worthwhile, are those who are worth a lot. They get things done without excuses. We should all be like Ammon.
“Now when king Lamoni heard that Ammon was preparing his horses and his chariots he was more astonished, because of the faithfulness of Ammon, saying: Surely there has not been any servant among all my servants that has been so faithful as this man; for even he doth remember all my commandments to execute them. Now I surely know that this is the Great Spirit.” Lamoni seriously thought that Ammon was the Great Spirit simply because he did what he was told. It sounds like the servants of that day are like the employees of today…
18:5
What was happening with the Lamanites is what is happening now. “Now this was the tradition of Lamoni, which he had received from his father, that there was a Great Spirit. Notwithstanding they believed in a Great Spirit, they supposed that whatsoever they did was right.” How accurate is this description of the world today?! People believe in God but think that he can do whatever they want. “God made me this way. God doesn’t make mistakes so these desires I have are God-given. I should just be myself.” This attitude is becoming more and more popular. People aren’t interested in finding out what is right and changing themselves. Rather, the goal is always do “discover yourself and be true to who you are.” It’s going to become more and more prevalent.
18:16, 18, 20
The Spirit allows you to perceive the thoughts of another. “And it came to pass that Ammon, being filled with the Spirit of God, therefore he perceived the thoughts of the king...Now when the king had heard these words, he marveled again, for he beheld that Ammon could discern his thoughts…And the king said: How knowest thou the thoughts of my heart?” I think that this is a wonderful advantage in communication if we can listen with the Spirit and truly know what people are thinking. This can be seen as an opportunity to know how to share the gospel. Certainly, it helped Ammon.
18:22-23
I’ve often thought about how Eve was “beguiled” by Satan. What does that mean? Was she talked into it? Was she tricked? Was she reasoned with? In this case, Lamoni is willing to give whatever he needs to if Ammon will tell him by what power he protected the flocks. “Now Ammon being wise, yet harmless, he said unto Lamoni: Wilt thou hearken unto my words, if I tell thee by what power I do these things? And this is the thing that I desire of thee. And the king answered him, and said: Yea, I will believe all thy words. And thus he was caught with guile.” So, Lamoni was “caught with guile” in heartening to Ammon’s words.
Lamoni was caught in an arrangement. Ammon wanted him to listen. Ammon used the situation to get him to listen. In this way, did Satan use the situation in the Garden of Eden to get Eve to eat? Was the conversation at the right time when Eve was ready to listen and was open to the argument that Satan made? Lamoni makes the right choice - so did Eve.
I’m not sure what I’m trying to say with this one but it seems like there is some parallels in the use of guile to influence another.
18:24-32
Ammon is delivering a master class on “building on common beliefs.” He discovers what Lamoni currently believes and then builds on it. “And Ammon began to speak unto him with boldness, and said unto him:”
“Believest thou that there is a God? And he answered, and said unto him: I do not know what that meaneth.”
“And then Ammon said: Believest thou that there is a Great Spirit? And he said, Yea. And Ammon said: This is God.”
This was an effective way of Ammon discovering what Lamoni already believed in and then cuddling on it. He’s connecting dots on Lamoni’s terms. Ammon continues to do this:
“And Ammon said unto him again: Believest thou that this Great Spirit, who is God, created all things which are in heaven and in the earth? And he said: Yea, I believe that he created all things which are in the earth; but I do not know the heavens. And Ammon said unto him: The heavens is a place where God dwells and all his holy angels. And king Lamoni said: Is it above the earth? And Ammon said: Yea, and he looketh down upon all the children of men; and he knows all the thoughts and intents of the heart; for by his hand were they all created from the beginning.” The key to Ammon’s technique is asking questions. Often, when we are determined to teach someone something, we focus on what we are saying. Often, we aren’t good listeners when we are teaching. We can all learn from Ammon in how to ask questions to build on common beliefs.
19:9-10
Lamoni’s wife had faith. Some people just naturally have it. When Ammon asked her if she believed that her husband would rise again, she believed. It was in her nature. She said, “I have had no witness save thy word, and the word of our servants; nevertheless I believe that it shall be according as thou hast said. And Ammon said unto her: Blessed art thou because of thy exceeding faith; I say unto thee, woman, there has not been such great faith among all the people of the Nephites.” We will come across people in our lives who are ready to exercise faith. They are ready to believe the gospel. They just need someone to tell them something about it. We should cast a wide net on those who we care about - we never know who will readily accept the gospel.
19:32
On the other hand, some people aren’t able to exercise faith. They can experience signs and wonders and will still not believe. Those who saw King Lamoni raised up after being “dead” didn’t listen to what he had to say. “But there were many among them who would not hear his words; therefore they went their way.” The challenge with most people who cannot hear is that they want to go their own way. If what we hear doesn’t match up with what we want, we don’t listen.
19:36
God does not hold grudges. He will pour out his Spirit to anyone who repents and believes. “And thus the work of the Lord did commence among the Lamanites; thus the Lord did begin to pour out his Spirit upon them; and we see that his arm is extended to all people who will repent and believe on his name.”
20:13
We all have our biases and they are very strong. We all see the world in a certain way that has been shaped by many lessons, experiences, stories told, advice given. The king of the Lamanites had heard all of the “classics” about the Nephites. “And now when Lamoni had rehearsed unto him all these things, behold, to his astonishment, his father was angry with him, and said: Lamoni, thou art going to deliver these Nephites, who are sons of a liar. Behold, he robbed our fathers; and now his children are also come amongst us that they may, by their cunning and their lyings, deceive us, that they again may rob us of our property.” All of his belief weren’t based on firsthand knowledge. They were based on what he had been told by his parents. The old trope that Nephi was attempting to be a king over Laman and Lemuel and steal their birthright had been passed down from generation to generation.
The warning for us is that we are under the same spell as the king was. We all have experiences that are tainted by our past and what we’ve been told. We see things through a lens that is very unique to us and matches, perfectly, our own lived experiences. We all have biases and, if we know that, we can fight against them better.
20:17
When the king threatened to kill Lamoni, Ammon defended him. “But Ammon stood forth and said unto him: Behold, thou shalt not slay thy son; nevertheless, it were better that he should fall than thee, for behold, he has repented of his sins; but if thou shouldst fall at this time, in thine anger, thy soul could not be saved.” Why is it exactly that his soul could not be saved if he died in his anger? I don’t think we know the answer to that exactly.
Obviously, being angry isn’t an unpardonable sin. Repentance would apply and the king could be forgiven. So, what is Ammon saying? I think progression in the next life is complicated. It is easier here because we are faced with so much affliction and trials and tribulations and temptations. We act on faith. We don’t have a sure knowledge. All of this is makes mortality a perfect place to progress.
If we expect to progress wildly and easily in the next life, we may be disappointed about how arduous and difficult progression is there. I believe that the next life isn’t set up as much to progress spiritually as this place we are currently in. If we enter that realm in anger or even rebellion, it’s easier to lose your soul.
20:24-27
When the king was vulnerable to Ammon’s strength and knew that he could perish, he offered “even to half of the kingdom.” Ammon wasn’t interested in that but wanted Lamoni to retain his kingdom, and that the king wouldn’t be “displeased” with him, and that his brothers would be released. These seem very reasonable and almost selfless when compared with half of the kingdom. Seeing that Ammon authentically cared about his son softened the heart of the king.
“Now when Ammon had said these words, the king began to rejoice because of his life. And when he saw that Ammon had no desire to destroy him, and when he also saw the great love he had for his son Lamoni, he was astonished exceedingly, and said: Because this is all that thou hast desired, that I would release thy brethren, and suffer that my son Lamoni should retain his kingdom, behold, I will grant unto you that my son may retain his kingdom from this time and forever; and I will govern him no more— And I will also grant unto thee that thy brethren may be cast out of prison, and thou and thy brethren may come unto me, in my kingdom; for I shall greatly desire to see thee. For the king was greatly astonished at the words which he had spoken, and also at the words which had been spoken by his son Lamoni, therefore he was desirous to learn them.”
When our motives are pure, people can see it. We build trust when we don’t have any hidden intentions or we’re not wanting to take advantage. If you find that you’re attempting to manipulate someone rather than act authentically, understand that you’re likely not being perceived as positively as you think.
This is true even when sharing the gospel. If our intentions are to simply love the person and demonstrate authentic caring, that comes across. Our intentions must be pure that we want their lives to be better and give them answers that will bless the rest of their lives. If we are simply attempting to get them to be baptized and join the church, our motives are obvious and trust is not built.
20:30
Good things happen to bad people and bad things happen to good people. That is the way this natural world works. God has foreordained certain things and, of course, knows all that is going to happen in our lives. But, God does not control the events that happen. He allows chance to occur. He allows consequences to happen - good and bad - that might not even be connected to you but the decisions of another. It’s just the way it is.
For the other sons of Mosiah learned this. “And, as it happened, it was their lot to have fallen into the hands of a more hardened and a more stiffnecked people; therefore they would not hearken unto their words, and they had cast them out, and had smitten them, and had driven them from house to house, and from place to place.” It wasn’t as if these sons were less righteous than Ammon. Life just happens.
21:5-6
As Aaron is teaching the Amalekites, he is approached by one who asks him some questions.
“What is that thou hast testified? Hast thou seen an angel?” The man starts witch questioning what Aaron is teaching and where he got his information? In his question, he’s raising doubts in others’ minds about the truthfulness of what Aaron is saying.
“Why do not angels appear unto us? Behold are not this people as good as thy people?” This man, through his question, is placing words in Aaron’s mouth. He’s attempting to drive a wedge between Aaron and the people by suggesting that Aaron thinks his people are superior. If he can get the people worked up about Aaron’s pride and his supposed views about the superiority of his people, then they are distracted from the point.
“Thou also sayest, except we repent we shall perish. How knowest thou the thought and intent of our hearts? How knowest thou that we have cause to repent?” He’s not debating whether they need to repent but questioning how Aaron would know if they need to repent. He’s taking the attention off of their sins and onto the fact that Aaron can’t read minds.
“How knowest thou that we are not a righteous people? Behold, we have built sanctuaries, and we do assemble ourselves together to worship God. We do believe that God will save all men.“ Again, he’s taking the focus off their wickedness and focusing on Aaron’s “judgment” of them. He suggests that their outward worship demonstrates pure hearts and motives.
These types of tactics are also used today by those who are attempting to poke holes in the doctrine of the church. Aaron was teaching sound doctrine but this man was twisting what he was saying to create doubts or cause contention. I see it online.
21:7-10
I love how Aaron responds, not with defensiveness or a counter argument or attempting to unpack what the man said, instead with a question of his own. “Now Aaron said unto him: Believest thou that the Son of God shall come to redeem mankind from their sins?” This one question will help Aaron know what he’s dealing with. If they answer yes, he can build on that. If they answer no, then it’s going to be another set of concerns.
“And the man said unto him: We do not believe that thou knowest any such thing. We do not believe in these foolish traditions. We do not believe that thou knowest of things to come, neither do we believe that thy fathers and also that our fathers did know concerning the things which they spake, of that which is to come.” By asking this question, Aaron now knows that they don’t believe that HE knows, that these beliefs are foolish traditions, and prophets didn’t truly prophecy. They don’t have faith.
To people who don’t have faith, the scriptures are simply made up. “Now Aaron began to open the scriptures unto them concerning the coming of Christ, and also concerning the resurrection of the dead, and that there could be no redemption for mankind save it were through the death and sufferings of Christ, and the atonement of his blood.” This should be good news for the people! There is a Redeemer who will save them!
Instead, it makes them angry. “And it came to pass as he began to expound these things unto them they were angry with him, and began to mock him; and they would not hear the words which he spake.” Why is it this way? Why do the wicked take the truth to be hard? Simply put, people like to do what they want to do and don’t want someone to chill their vibe.
21:17
A wicked person who knows they are wicked is a work in progress and there is hope. But, if a wicked person believes that he or she is righteous, this is almost impossible to change. In this case, Aaron and his brethren were able to see some success in the land of Middoni. “And it came to pass that the Lord began to bless them, insomuch that they brought many to the knowledge of the truth; yea, they did convince many of their sins, and of the traditions of their fathers, which were not correct.” Convincing someone that they are wrong and that they have been taught incorrectly by their fathers is almost impossible. Imagine going over to the Middle East and convincing Hamas that they are wrong about killing Jews. Good luck with that.
21:23
If you have successfully taught someone the gospel, how much follow up do they need? Answer: a lot! Ammon continued to preach. “And Ammon did preach unto the people of king Lamoni; and it came to pass that he did teach them all things concerning things pertaining to righteousness. And he did exhort them daily, with all diligence; and they gave heed unto his word, and they were zealous for keeping the commandments of God.” We cannot simply teach someone one time and then we’re done. That’s not how humans work. Knowledge and faith and spiritual strength are like impressions in the sand. It’s just a matter of time before those impressions fade. Without constant work, everything fades. It’s part of being a mortal in a fallen world. In the next chapter, it says that Ammon was “teaching the people of Lamoni continually.”
Marci and I are so happy that we teach the 15-18 year olds every other week. We started at just once every four weeks. We are grateful for the increased frequency.
22:3
When the brothers of Ammon went in to teach the king of the Lamanites, they were well received because of the words of Ammon. The brothers said, “And now, O king, if thou wilt spare our lives, we will be thy servants. And the king said unto them: Arise, for I will grant unto you your lives, and I will not suffer that ye shall be my servants; but I will insist that ye shall administer unto me; for I have been somewhat troubled in mind because of the generosity and the greatness of the words of thy brother Ammon; and I desire to know the cause why he has not come up out of Middoni with thee.”
What troubled the heart of the king? Was it truly the words or was it the Spirit. I think that his heart was softened and reminded and “troubled” through the Spirit. Ammon said some mighty fine things but it is always the Spirit that changes or troubles hearts.
22:13-14
For someone to appreciate a solution, they first need to understand the problem. Aaron understood this so he began at the creation and the fall. “And Aaron did expound unto him the scriptures from the creation of Adam, laying the fall of man before him, and their carnal state and also the plan of redemption, which was prepared from the foundation of the world, through Christ, for all whosoever would believe on his name.” To appreciate our redemption, we must understand that we were fallen. The gospel centers around our redemption. It doesn’t center around commandments or church attendance or callings or the word of wisdom - it centers on the atonement. Period.
“And since man had fallen he could not merit anything of himself; but the sufferings and death of Christ atone for their sins, through faith and repentance, and so forth; and that he breaketh the bands of death, that the grave shall have no victory, and that the sting of death should be swallowed up in the hopes of glory; and Aaron did expound all these things unto the king.” The king needed to understand that his redemption didn’t rely on anything that he could do but rather on the sufferings of Christ. Our role in the plan of redemption is to have faith in and rely on Jesus Christ and continually repent.
Aaron isn’t leading talking about commandments. This is because the plan of redemption isn’t centered on commandments. The commandments protect us and elevate us and help us build our faith and help us have a contrite spirit. The commandments are one factor in helping us develop faith and the desire to repent. So are the scriptures. So is the Spirit. So is the church organization. So are ordinances. So is the temple. So is fasting and prayer.
Humans have, again and again, attempted to make the gospel of redemption about commandments and rules. This focus on individual mastery is actually counterproductive in relying on the merits of Christ. Proud folks have figured out that relying on Christ doesn’t elevate them socially in a society. But, if I can check off all of the commandments at a higher rate than you, then I’m better. Then I get the higher position and get the respect. I can feel proud and that feels good. Humans love feeling proud.
22:15-16, 18
The king of the Lamanites was all in. He was willing to do whatever he needed to do to be redeemed. “And it came to pass that after Aaron had expounded these things unto him, the king said: What shall I do that I may have this eternal life of which thou hast spoken? Yea, what shall I do that I may be born of God, having this wicked spirit rooted out of my breast, and receive his Spirit, that I may be filled with joy, that I may not be cast off at the last day? Behold, said he, I will give up all that I possess, yea, I will forsake my kingdom, that I may receive this great joy.” This is so amazing what he is willing to give up but I think the king is missing the point a little. He’s thinking this is about his sacrifice. He’s viewing this as a transaction. He’s new.
I must say that I appreciate the level of his conversion. He is demonstrating faith. He is willing to change. He’s willing to give up all that he has. Aaron guides him a little. “But Aaron said unto him: If thou desirest this thing, if thou wilt bow down before God, yea, if thou wilt repent of all thy sins, and will bow down before God, and call on his name in faith, believing that ye shall receive, then shalt thou receive the hope which thou desirest.” The key wasn’t what he was willing to give up. The key was faith and repentance. That’s what God requires from him and all of us. The focus isn’t on what material blessings you’ll give up - but are we willing to give up our sins.
“O God, Aaron hath told me that there is a God; and if there is a God, and if thou art God, wilt thou make thyself known unto me, and I will give away all my sins to know thee, and that I may be raised from the dead, and be saved at the last day.” The king was willing to give up his kingdom. I suggest that the harder part is to give up our sins.
None of us reading this have a kingdom. But, every one of us reading this have sins that we could give up. Are we willing, like this new convert, to give up our sins to know Jesus? I love this beautiful scene and am so impressed with the king’s ability to change. It’s very uncommon that the most powerful man in his country is so open to new ideas and willing to change. He must have been a remarkable spirit.
He is a beautiful example of a disciple of Christ.
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