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This week’s chapters cover part 2 of what I call “The Tragedy of Ammonihah”. And one certainly has to stop and ask why Alma, or Mormon for that matter, decided to include so many chapters on this particular story in the Book of Mormon. 9 whole chapters dedicated to the Ammonihah story. I mean, Ammon doesn’t get that many chapters, the stripling warriors don’t get that many chapters. There must be something about what happened in Ammonihah that God really wanted us to understand in the latter days. And I don’t claim to know the definitive reason why, but it’s a good question for us to consider as we study Alma 8-16. Remember that this week is part 2 of the Ammonihah chapters. If you haven’t watched part 1 yet covering chapters 8-12, I recommend you do that first. This week we’ll zero on chapters 13-16. Well last week we identified two major themes in these chapters: the rescuers and the lost. We’ll do the same this week and begin with the rescuers. Chapter 13 is a rescuer chapter.
LESSON #1 GOSPEL GRAMMAR
OBJECT
For an object to this lesson I would bring in a lamp. But I wouldn’t have it plugged in just yet. I would just leave it there at the front of the room dark and unplugged.
ICEBREAKER
But for an icebreaker, I got a lot of good feedback on my WORDLE activity that I put together a couple of months ago and so I’ve decided to try that again here with a different word of course. If you can’t remember how this activity works, instead of going through all of the instructions again here, I’ll just direct you to my Mosiah 4-6 video that has the directions for how to do this activity. It comes right at the beginning of the video, so it should be easy to find. And if you do this activity, the word you’ll discover is POWER . . .POWER. And that is the theme of our first lesson today. Power. Power can be defined as the ability to do something or influence people or events. For example, a lamp. This lamp cannot really perform its function until it’s connected to a source of power. And at that point, I plug the lamp in, and the light comes on and say, “But when it is, that power flows through it and it can accomplish beneficial and helpful things, like helping us to see better. Well today, we’re going to talk about the greatest power known to mankind. God’s power. There is no being in the universe with more power than God. The scriptures tell us that he is ALL powerful (Mosiah 4:9). There is no ability or function or influence that he cannot bring to pass.
And then I like to ask my students the following question. What would you do if you had God’s power? What would you do with it? I mean he can part seas, move mountains, protect people from their enemies. He can call down fire from heaven, heal people, and perform numerous other miracles that we find in the scriptures. What would you do with it though? And usually you’re going to get some pretty fun answers to that question. Especially if you’re teaching the youth. They really let their imaginations run wild, so have fun with it.
But then you’re going to say: But wait, I’m willing to bet that there are people in this room that actually do have God’s power. In fact I know there are. Who might I be talking about? And I let them think about that for a bit. If they can’t figure it out, you might need to help them a little. What is another name for God’s power? Priesthood. Priesthood is the word we give to that special capacity. Anybody who has access to the priesthood or priesthood authority has God’s power. That’s what priesthood is. We can access it and we have the ability to hold a measure of it within ourselves.
So, the question is, if we have all these individuals in the church with that power, then why don’t we see more of those miraculous kinds of things happen that we were just talking about? Parting seas of rush hour traffic. President Nelson traveling from hospital to hospital healing all the sick? Moving mountains to aid with construction projects. Multiplying food for church activities. Why not more of that kind of thing? My answer to that: Because that’s not really its major purpose is it? We believe in miracles, but the purpose of the priesthood is not to bring convenience into our lives, or to remove all obstacles and problems, or to bring attention or glory to the one performing them. Alma chapter 13 is going to help us to understand real priesthood purpose—to understand why God gives people a portion of that incredible power and authority that he possesses.
WOMEN AND THE PRIESTHOOD
And before we dive into this phenomenal chapter, I want to express how grateful I am for the added understanding and insight we’ve been given in recent years concerning women and the priesthood. This chapter is not just a “man” chapter. This is a children of God chapter. We should keep that in mind when we talk about priesthood that there is a distinction between priesthood authority, and priesthood office or priesthood keys. President Oaks explained it best:
“We are not accustomed to speaking of women having the authority of the priesthood in their Church callings, but what other authority can it be? When a woman—young or old —is set apart to preach the gospel as a full-time missionary, she is given priesthood authority to perform a priesthood function. The same is true when a woman is set apart to function as an officer or teacher in a Church organization under the direction of one who holds the keys of the priesthood. Whoever functions in an office or calling received from one who holds priesthood keys exercises priesthood authority in performing her or his assigned duties.”
Dallin H. Oaks
(Conference Report, April 2014)
So keep this in mind as we study this chapter, that both men and women exercise priesthood authority in their God given assignments.
GOSPEL GRAMMAR
Well, priesthood is one of those words that I think we use so often that it starts to lose some of its meaning. But if we really examine these frequently used words more closely or substitute them with synonyms, we can begin to grasp their innate potency. So we’re going to approach this with a lesson activity that I call Gospel Grammar. So I hope you remember your parts of speech from elementary because it’s back to school. I want you to read Alma 13:1-12 looking for individual words that teach you truths about the priesthood. See if you can find at least one that will fit into each of the following parts of speech and ponder what they teach us about priesthood. And be sure not to divorce the words from their context either. Try to keep in mind the general principles that are being taught as you read as well. You could give your students the following handout to work from. But . . .
Find a noun that refers to the priesthood or teaches you something about it
Find an adjective that describes the priesthood or priesthood bearers.
Find a verb that describes what priesthood bearers do
So how did you do? Hopefully you were able to find at least one for each. As a teacher, this activity should set you up to have a wonderful discussion about the priesthood as your students share the words they selected. To help you to be more prepared for that discussion, let me show you some of the words that stand out to me.
In the nouns category:
Order (1,2,6,7,8,9,10,11) Shows up a lot.
What does that word suggest about priesthood? I think you can read that two ways. Order as in, organization or structure. This power he bestows upon humanity has standards and qualifications. Not just anybody can wake up and decide that they are authorized to act in God’s name. God’s house is a house of order. Just like a person can’t wake up and decide they are going to start issuing speeding tickets, making arrests, performing surgeries, or teaching college classes. Even if they have the best intentions in the world to do so. No, you have to receive the authority from a recognized body to consider yourself a police officer, or a surgeon, or a professor. That creates order and trust in a society. If there was no governing body, some centralized system that assigns authority, our nations would descend into chaos and distrust. In terms of the gospel, we need a trusted, authorized system of authority to operate under.
But you could also define order as a unified group, a fellowship, or an alliance. Priesthood has that connotation as well. A power of God that brings people together, and links and binds them. You can see that suggested in the suffix -hood. Think of other words that end with it. Neighborhood, knighthood, brotherhood, sisterhood. They are unified bodies of individuals working towards a common goal. The priesthood is an order based on order.
Calling (3, 4, 5, 6, 8)
The priesthood is a calling. Calling suggests duty, responsibility, or being given an assignment. But it’s also defined as a strong inner impulse toward a particular course of action. I think it can mean both. We sometimes talk about fulfilling our calling in life. So yes, that calling comes from God, but it also burns within and inspires us. We learn in verse 3 that that calling came "from the foundation of the world according to the foreknowledge of God”. This is the doctrine of foreordination that teaches that individuals received callings and foreordinations even before they were born. These were individuals that had shown, with their premortal agency, exceeding faith, and a desire to choose good over evil. This doesn’t mean that people with certain callings or gifts or stations in life are considered more precious or important than anybody else. But they were individuals whom God could see before mortality that he could trust with a responsibility to bless and help as many of his other children as possible. And this certainly doesn’t apply to just prophets or apostles or just men, or just members of the church even. Patriarchal blessings are an indicator of the nature of some of these callings given according to the foreknowledge of God.
Privilege (4)
Exercising priesthood power is a privilege. A GREAT privilege. It’s not an entitlement. It’s not a burden. There’s nothing mundane or routine about it. It’s a privilege. Hopefully when we get the opportunity to use it, we feel that way. Do the young men feel it a privilege to administer the sacrament? Do young women’s youth presidencies feel it a privilege to lead their groups? Do we feel it a privilege to serve a mission? Do we feel it a privilege to be assigned as a minister to a less active family? I hope we do feel privileged to have these opportunities and responsibilities placed upon us.
Ordinance(8)
This word appears twice in verse 8 but reminds us that being ordained to priesthood office is an ordinance. Ordinances are symbolic formal acts that teach us gospel principles through physical actions. What’s the symbolism in having an individual confer power by placing their hands on your head? Keep that question in mind. We’ll come back to that idea in our next lesson. Additionally, Doctrine and Covenants 84:20 teaches us that, “In the ordinances thereof, the power (there’s our key word) of godliness is manifest.” Ordinances give people access to the power of God and help them to become more like Him.
All right, time for a different part of speech.
ADJECTIVES
Holy
The word comes up 13 times in these verses. He talks about a holy order, a holy calling, a holy ordinance. Holy means consecrated or dedicated for a special purpose. What a great word to describe the priesthood itself and those that apply it. Hopefully we can be consecrated and dedicated to God’s special purposes.
Prepared
I count that word 5 times. We learn that the priesthood was prepared from the foundation of the world, from eternity to all eternity. This was always part of the plan. Priesthood is eternal and essential for God’s purposes to be fulfilled. It was no afterthought. It was prepared. But there’s something else in these verses that is described as being prepared. In verse 5. What else, or who else, was prepared before the foundation of the world. God’s only Begotten Son, the Savior, was also prepared.
Lastly, 5 adjectives I see that are very similar in nature so I’m going to group them altogether here:
Sanctified, washed, white, pure, spotless. What will the priesthood do for those who exercise it? It will sanctify and purify them. And conversely, individuals who wish to exercise this power will strive to be pure, spotless, and sanctified. They will be people who cannot look upon sin save it were with abhorrence. They have no more disposition to do evil, as King Benjamin’s people would say. Also, priesthood authority can help us to become clean and sanctified through ordinances such as baptism and the sacrament. Or priesthood leaders, individuals such as bishops can help us to repent and become clean.
Our last part of speech to look at.
VERBS
Choose-Verse 3 The priesthood bearer will choose good and not evil.
Exercising-What is it that is being exercised here in verse 3? Faith. The priesthood bearer exercises exceedingly great faith. The connection of priesthood with faith is a strong one. It’s said four times in these verses. Faith is one of the prerequisites to exercising this power.
Become-In verse 9. Bearing the priesthood isn’t just about doing something. It’s about becoming something.
And then I’ve saved this one for last, because I think it stands out to me as one of the preeminent purposes of priesthood power. It’s right there in verse 1, the very first thing Alma highlights as a purpose of the priesthood.
To Teach-these things unto the people. What are “these things” that he is referring to? Well, what he just taught in Chapter 12. The plan of Salvation and God’s commandments. So that (verse 2) the people might know in what manner to look forward to his Son for redemption. The purpose of the priesthood is to help people know what they need to do to gain redemption, or in other words, the immortality and eternal life of man. Again in verse 6, god called and ordained them “to teach” his commandments unto the children of the men. I think that’s the reason Alma is teaching the people of Ammonihah this whole section on priesthood power. That’s why I’m here! I’m here acting with God’s power and authority to TEACH you how to come unto Christ. Just like Alma himself had done. Remember it was reaching out to Christ for redemption that changed and saved him forever. He’s hoping that these people will do the same.
TRUTH
Now there are many truths about the priesthood that we’ve discussed here so it’s hard to narrow it down to just one thing. So instead, a more general doctrinal statement. The priesthood is God’s power and authority shared with mankind to help accomplish his divine purposes.
TAKING IT TO HEART
When have you seen priesthood power acting in your life? I might point to the lamp at this time and clarify “When have you seen light and power and help come into your world because of the priesthood?”
What “gospel grammar” word meant the most to you today and why?
THE TAKEAWAY
The priesthood is such an amazing thing to me. That God would trust us, mere mortals, with something as mighty and significant as HIS very power and authority. I’m grateful for the strength and guidance it provides. And I know that that power is real. I’ve felt it, I’ve been blessed by it, I’ve utilized it myself and I’ve seen its influence and miraculous ability. Its light shines throughout my life and gives me clarity, understanding, and direction. It truly is a PRIVILEGE to have access to it.
LESSON #2 WHO WAS MELCHIZEDEK?
Now you could just end your lesson on priesthood power right there if that’s all the time you have. But if possible, I would encourage you to add this next point or lesson as a continuation of the principles we just studied in the first half of Alma 13. There’s more to learn about priesthood here.
OBJECT
For an object, I would bring in a chair. And then, if you can, I would get a crown. You can purchase a very inexpensive plastic one on Amazon and I’ll provide a link to one if you’re interested.
ICEBREAKER
Then for an icebreaker I would show a quick clip of the coronation of King Charles which took place in 2023 after Queen Elizabeth died. I’ll put a link in the video description below to a video that shows that. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HSu-cuKTRFc) And I would explain that before a King becomes a King, there is a special ceremony that takes place. You don’t just declare yourself king. That power is placed upon you, usually by a member of the clergy, with a special prayer or pronouncement, and a crown, symbolizing your power and authority is used to communicate to all that you have taken upon yourself that authority and responsibility.
Now there was a King in the Old Testament over a land called the land of Salem who had a very interesting and very long name. Can you find it in Alma 13? His name was Melchizedek. And Alma is going to use Melchizedek as an example of true priesthood power and authority. This, for me, is one of the most powerful ideas expressed in this chapter. If I say to myself. Ok, as a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, I have access to the power of God’s priesthood. What do I do with it? Is it about barking out orders? No. Is it about running meetings, or asking people to say the opening prayer? Or making sure that ordinances are done correctly? Maybe a little. God needs to run his kingdom in order. But I really think that that’s secondary. What is it really all about? Alma is going to give us the answer to that question by sharing an example. Somebody that he felt embodied what the priesthood was all about. Melchizedek, is that example
SEARCH
I would then invite my students to study Alma 13:14-19, marking everything they learn about Melchizedek. If you can, something that I like to do, if I have a projector and a whiteboard or chalkboard, is to project this page of the scriptures up on the board and then give my students a whiteboard marker or a piece of chalk to come up and mark those things at the front. Now, it’s not necessary to do that. You can always just have them read and share. But I do find that it’s a bit more engaging and visual to do it this way if you have the means.
And if they do that, here are some of the things they may pick out:
He was a high priest, Abraham paid tithing to him, He was a King over the land of Salem. And then we learn something about the people in his kingdom. They were wicked. Full of all manner of wickedness. But with mighty faith, he preached repentance to his people, and lo and behold, they repent. He establishes peace in the land under the office of the high priesthood. And as far as priesthood bearers go, verse 19 tells us that “none were greater” than him.
Now that name, Melchizedek, shouldn’t be new to us. We’ve all heard his name before. In the church, when a man becomes an Elder, he receives the Melchizedek priesthood. But why do we call it that? I’d take my students to Doctrine and Covenants 107:1-4 for some added insight. And there we learn that the full name of the higher priesthood is “The Holy Priesthood after the order of the Son of God. But out of respect or reverence to the name of the Supreme Being, to avoid the too frequent repetition of his name, they, the church, in ancient days, called that priesthood after Melchizedek . . .” And why Melchizedek? Verse 2 “Because he was such a great high priest.” Melchizedek was a perfect example of what a priesthood holder is and should do. What did he do that was so great? That’s where Alma 13 comes in. He was great because, through his faith, through his preaching, through his example he was able to turn a wicked people into righteous one. He was able to establish peace in people’s lives. That is exercising priesthood authority at its best. Teaching, acting, and leading in such a way that it lifts and blesses others and brings them peace. And Melchizedek, come to find out, is actually a title rather than a given name. More than likely, Melchizedek is Shem, one of Noah’s sons. But Melchizedek, the title, means King of Righteousness, and we learned also that they also called him the prince of peace. That’s the kind of authority God wants exercised in his name. The kind that encourages righteousness and peace, not dominion and conquest.
Now think back to our icebreaker. How does a king become a king? And at this point I would pull out a chair, and then invite a class member to come forward and sit in the chair. And then what happens? Take out your plastic crown and demonstrate how a coronation works. The future king sits on a chair or throne, while somebody with authority, usually a member of the clergy, places a crown upon their heads and utters words of blessing like we just saw with King Charles. Now, how is priesthood office or power or authority given? How do we do that? It’s the same movement, isn’t it?! We just don’t have a crown. So you set the crown down and place your hands on the student’s head, like you would do if you were giving a priesthood blessing. But the individual sits in a chair, while another person with authority places their hands on their heads, utters words of blessing and counsel and gives them that power. Except when you receive priesthood or priesthood office or a calling, you are becoming a different kind of prince or king or royalty. When a man becomes an Elder, or is called to serve in a quorum presidency, or to serve a mission, he becomes a prince of peace, and a king of righteousness. When a woman receives a calling to serve in a Relief Society presidency, or Young Women’s or primary, or to serve as a missionary, she becomes a princess of peace, a Queen of righteousness. As we exercise priesthood authority, hopefully we can earn those titles and follow the example of Melchizedek.
And then I’d like to take you another verse in this chapter and add one more verb to our list from before. See if you can find it in verse 24
24 For behold, angels are declaring it unto many at this time in our land; and this is for the purpose of preparing the hearts of the children of men to receive his word at the time of his coming in his glory.
The key verb to me there? Preparing. That is the role of priesthood authority, and it includes all the things that we’ve already talked about. Teaching, living righteously, establishing peace. It’s all about using that God given power and responsibility to prepare others to receive Christ and his word. In short, priesthood is not about the bearer of it. It’s not about the one exercising the authority. It’s all about blessing and lifting and preparing others for Christ to come into their lives. That’s what Alma and Amulek are doing at this very point with the people of Ammonihah. That’s what Melchizedek did with his people, and it’s what we strive to do with our priesthood power.
I know we emphasize in the church the fact that we need to come unto Christ. That we need to go to Him. This whole course of study is called Come, Follow Me. And I think that’s wonderful. That is a true and vital principle. But if we visualize in our minds that Christ is static, just standing there, waiting for us to come unto Him, then I think we’re missing a key component. The scriptures also speak of Christ coming to us as well. He’s moving towards us as we move towards Him. We meet in the middle. One place you can see this is John 14:23 “Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him." So yes, Jesus calls out to us, “Come unto me”, but at the same, we call out to him, “Come unto me”. Alma understands this better than anybody. He reached towards his Savior from the depths of his suffering in repentance, but the Savior snatched him out of it. We reach, and He reaches. We come, and he comes and I use my priesthood authority to help prepare people for that coming, and to encourage them to move towards Him. John the Baptist was called a preparer for Christ. You see that key word right there in that verse from the New Testament. “Prepare ye the way of Lord.” That’s the priesthood call! He was called to make his paths straight. Every valley shall be filled and every mountain and hill shall be brought low; and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough ways shall be made smooth.” (Luke 3:4-6) That’s our job as priesthood bearers. There are barriers between others and Christ. So we become valley fillers, mountain levelers, road straighteners and highway smoothers”. We help to remove the obstacles that stand between others and the Savior. The things that make it harder and take more time for him to get to them.
And we do it (vs. 27) “from the inmost part of my heart, yea, with great anxiety even unto pain, that [they] will hearken unto [my] words.
Again, it’s not about us. It’s about them.
And now that we’ve been taught the purpose of priesthood authority, let’s see it in action. Watch what Alma and Amulek do in Chapter 16:13-21. What aspects of priesthood authority that we’ve just learned about do you see in these verses?
They go out and preach repentance, just like Melchizedek did. They did impart the word of God (teaching) without respect of persons. Then there’s another one of our key verbs. Through their efforts, the Spirit was able to prepare their minds and their hearts to receive Christ’s words at his coming. They preached against all forms of sin. Another teaching phrase in verse 19, holding forth things which must shortly come. And in verse 21, they teach the word of God in its purity in all the land.
And this is all leading to one overall goal that God has for his children. It’s a key phrase we haven’t identified yet, but if you’ve been reading close, you may have picked up on it. Look in the following verses for that key phrase:
12:34
12:35
12:36
13:6
13:12
13:13
13:16
13:29
16:17
What’s the phrase? Enter into his rest. Ultimately, we want all to enter into God’s rest. Priesthood is about bringing man and God together again. Another set of key verses on the purpose of the priesthood are found in Doctrine and Covenants 84:23-24. See if you can identify our main themes in these verses.
23 Now this Moses plainly taught (there we have a righteous priesthood bearer teaching people)to the children of Israel in the wilderness, and sought diligently to sanctify (there’s another one of our key themes, the priesthood cleanses and sanctifies and PREPARES) his people that they might behold the face of God;
24 But they hardened their hearts and could not endure his presence; therefore, the Lord in his wrath, for his anger was kindled against them, swore that they should not enter into his rest while in the wilderness, which rest is the fulness of his glory.
God’s rest is the fulness of his glory. We get to experience that, if we allow Christ to come unto us, and we unto him.
Well that’s what I want to do. That’s what I want to use my priesthood authority for. I want to be a teacher; I want to be a preparer. I want to be a valley filler and a mountain leveler. I don’t need to be in charge, I don’t need to have people look at me, or think highly of me, or obey me. It’s not about me. The priesthood is never about us. I want to be a preparer to all that I meet. I want to prepare my students to receive the words of Christ, I want to prepare my children for Christ’s coming into their lives, and I do it from the inmost part of my heart, with great anxiety even unto pain. Because I want them to enter into God’s rest. I want them to have joy and gladness. I want them to experience the fulness of God’s glory.
TRUTH
The purpose of the priesthood is to prepare the way for Christ to enter into people’s lives so that they can enter into God’s rest.
TAKING IT TO HEART
Who have been some preparers in your life? How have they influenced you?
What can you do to fulfill the purpose of your priesthood authority more fully in your life?
VIDEO
There’s an excellent video you could show during this lesson that does a great job of highlighting the principles that we’ve discussed here. It’s entitled “How the Priesthood Works”. In it, Elder Renlund compares priesthood power and its blessings to a rocket. It’s very good. And while they watch, ask them to look for examples of how the priesthood brings people closer to Christ and his rest. I’ll provide a link to this video in the video description below.
THE TAKEAWAY
So, the priesthood is about being a Melchizedek. A preacher, an exemplar, and a preparer. To be the kind of person that motivates and inspires others to turn to Christ and God. To be a leader, a king or prince that prepares the hearts and minds of others for the coming of Christ. I’m so grateful for the preachers and prepares of my life. My father was a preparer, my mother was a preparer, my bishops, my youth leaders, my teachers, my grandparents, my siblings, the living prophets and apostles. These are people who have righteously used their priesthood authority to prepare my mind and heart to receive Christ and his word. And I am forever grateful to them. And this is my desire as a husband, as a father, as a teacher, as a minister, as a disciple of Christ. To prepare hearts and minds, to receive Christ, and his word. May we all seek to fulfill these roles in our sphere of influence, and save many, including ourselves, so that we all can rejoice and enter into His rest.
LESSON #3 THE TRAGEDY OF AMMONIHAH
That was the inspiring message of this week’s chapters. Now we’ve got to turn to the more discouraging message. We’re going to leave the rescuers behind and focus on the lost now. The people of Ammonihah have a sobering lesson to teach us.
ICEBREAKER
We’ll start with the following icebreaker. Can you recognize the pattern here? Which puzzle piece should come next? Choose from the pieces in the second row. The correct one would be this piece. Why? You can see that the sides of the puzzle pieces either go out or in. So take each edge of the pieces one at a time. Along the top edge of the piece, it goes, in, in, in, in. So our correct shape will have an in on the top. Then in the middle of the piece, it goes in on the left side, in on the right side, out on the left side, out on the right side, so the next piece would be in on the left side. Then the bottom edge of the piece goes in, out, in, out, so next would-be in. This piece is the correct answer.
SEARCH-HANDOUT
Well that activity has hopefully given you some practice on recognizing patterns. Because I have another one for you. I call it the Ammonihah pattern. Last week we began to look at this pattern of witnesses and reactions. Let’s go a little deeper into what happened. See if you can fill out the following pattern chart to discover how God often works with societies that are nearing what we would a fullness of iniquity. I’ll make this available as a handout. We discovered last week that God will never destroy a people without first sending them witnesses, or rescuers to try and turn them around. Remember God loves all his children, even his rebellious ones, and wants to give them ample opportunities to change before he allows their destruction. So here we go.
These first three boxes should be fairly easy to fill in since we discussed them last week, however, we didn’t really focus much on the people’s reactions or the results. We’ll do that now.
Our first witness. Alma. What was the people’s first reaction in 8:13? They withstood his words, reviled him, spit upon him, and cast him out. What was the result of this reaction? In 8:28, the people did wax more gross in their iniquities. They got worse.
Ok, our second witness. Amulek. What was the peoples initial reaction to him? 10:13. They sought to catch him and Alma in their words, so that they could deliver them to their judges to be cast into prison. And the outcome of this rejection and desire? 10:24. They were more angry with Amulek. All right, we’re going downhill fast.
Our third witness. Zeezrom. What was the people’s reaction to his witness when he turns and begins to defend Alma and Amulek?
14:7. They reviled him, spit on him, and cast him out from among them, and then they went and sent people to throw rocks at him and the other believers. The result of this rejection? Well, by this point, they have completely lost not only the spirit, but all semblance of humanity and ethics as they burn women and children in a giant fire and make Alma and Amulek watch. Certainly, this is a people that has reached a fullness of iniquity. It makes me wonder what kind of hatred or evil could cause a human being to throw a child into a fire. Satan has obviously gained full power over these people and their actions.
And why do they decide to kill them in that particular way? The disturbing answer comes in verse 14. Here they gloat over Alma and Amulek saying “After what ye have seen, will ye preach again unto this people that they shall be cast into a lake of fire and brimstone?” See what they’re doing there. Oh, we’re going to burn eh? WE'RE going to be cast into a lake of fire and brimstone? We’ll show you fire and brimstone. Who’s burning now? Turning Alma’s figurative words into a literal nightmare.
It’s amazing to me that even after this horrific display of agency, God is still willing to give them, or at least some of them, one final witness. See if you can find it. It’s a different kind of voice this time. Alma and Amulek are thrown into prison, bound, deprived food and water, stripped of their clothes, gnashed on, spit upon, and mocked for the space of many days. Finally, the Lord says, enough is enough. And he gives them the fourth witness. A fourth voice. But it’s a different kind of voice. How would you describe this witness?
26 And Alma cried, saying: How long shall we suffer these great afflictions, O Lord? O Lord, give us strength according to our faith which is in Christ, even unto deliverance. And they broke the cords with which they were bound; and when the people saw this, they began to flee, for the fear of destruction had come upon them.
27 And it came to pass that so great was their fear that they fell to the earth, and did not obtain the outer door of the prison; and the earth shook mightily, and the walls of the prison were rent in twain, so that they fell to the earth; and the chief judge, and the lawyers, and priests, and teachers, who smote upon Alma and Amulek, were slain by the fall thereof.
28 And Alma and Amulek came forth out of the prison, and they were not hurt; for the Lord had granted unto them power, according to their faith which was in Christ. And they straightway came forth out of the prison; and they were loosed from their bands; and the prison had fallen to the earth, and every soul within the walls thereof, save it were Alma and Amulek, was slain; and they straightway came forth into the city.
29 Now the people having heard a great noise came running together by multitudes to know the cause of it; and when they saw Alma and Amulek coming forth out of the prison, and the walls thereof had fallen to the earth, they were struck with great fear, and fled from the presence of Alma and Amulek even as a goat fleeth with her young from two lions; and thus they did flee from the presence of Alma and Amulek.
So who, or better yet, what is the fourth witness or voice? I would call it, the voice of nature. Remember the amplification principle we discussed. God using more and more powerful witnesses. Louder voices if you will. They’ve long since ignored the still small voice, then they’ve rejected the louder voice of God’s prophets and witnesses, so now he’s going to speak even louder. And just like when you were younger, the louder your Mom or Dad’s voice got, the more trouble you were in. One of the best places to see this principle is in Doctrine and Covenants 43:24-26
24 O, ye nations of the earth, how often would I have gathered you together as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, but ye would not!
25 How oft have I called upon you by the mouth of my servants, and by the ministering of angels, and by mine own voice, and by the voice of thunderings, and by the voice of lightnings, and by the voice of tempests, and by the voice of earthquakes, and great hailstorms, and by the voice of famines and pestilences of every kind, and by the great sound of a trump, and by the voice of judgment, and by the voice of mercy all the day long, and by the voice of glory and honor and the riches of eternal life, and would have saved you with an everlasting salvation, but ye would not!
26 Behold, the day has come, when the cup of the wrath of mine indignation is full.
Do you see the message there? God has called often and with many different voices. You can almost sense the tone of exasperation in that list. I’ve tried everything with you guys, but you won’t listen! I’ve tried the soft voice, I’ve tried the loud and scary voice, I’ve tried the voice of judgment and the voice of mercy (remember Alma 9) I’ve tried it all. Nothing works. And so now, the cup of mine indignation is full. You’ve reached the fullness of iniquity. The day of mercy has passed.
Still, we have yet to see the people's reaction to this louder voice. Will they change after seeing this? Their leaders and judges and lawyers have been killed in the collapse. But the rest of the people. Are they going to repent? Are they going to repent after such an awesome and obvious display of God’s power? Alma 15:1. Alma and Amulek are commanded to depart out of the city. It doesn’t work. They tell them to leave. No change. No desire to repent. So, as we’ve seen in the pattern already established, every time they reject a witness, what happens to their level of iniquity? 15:15 They yet remained a hard hearted and a stiff-necked people, and they repented not of their sins.
Well, this is all leading up to our final outcome. After they have rejected all those witnesses, what eventually becomes of the people of Ammonihah? Chapter 16 holds the answer. And before we take a look at verses 9 and 10, check out these fascinating historical bookends. In verse 1 we discover that there have been no wars or contentions for a certain number of years between the Nephites and the Lamanites. So, a period of peace for some time. But then all of a sudden, in that same year that Alma and Amulek are cast out of Ammonihah, the Lamanites decide to make a surprise attack on Nephite lands. And, by chance, what is the first city they happen upon. It’s Ammonihah. And it’s not until after Ammonihah is destroyed that the Nephites are able to raise a sufficiently sized army to combat them, and eventually the Lamanites are defeated and driven out of the land. Then take a look at verse 12.
12 And the Lamanites did not come again to war against the Nephites until the fourteenth year of the reign of the judges over the people of Nephi. And thus for three years did the people of Nephi have continual peace in all the land.
So years of peace before and years of peace afterwards. We just have this one little problem out of nowhere in that year of 81 BC. Coincidence? I’ll let you decide.
So the final outcome for the people of Ammonihah:
9 And thus ended the eleventh year of the judges, the Lamanites having been driven out of the land, and the people of Ammonihah were destroyed; yea, every living soul of the Ammonihahites was destroyed, and also their great city, which they said God could not destroy, because of its greatness.
10 But behold, in one day it was left desolate; and the carcasses were mangled by dogs and wild beasts of the wilderness.
11 Nevertheless, after many days their dead bodies were heaped up upon the face of the earth, and they were covered with a shallow covering. And now so great was the scent thereof that the people did not go in to possess the land of Ammonihah for many years. And it was called Desolation of Nehors; for they were of the profession of Nehor, who were slain; and their lands remained desolate.
This particular lesson may be why so many chapters are dedicated to the Ammonihah story. Yet, it's not the only one of its kind in the Book of Mormon. We encounter a number of stories where a group of people, a nation, or a city suffers destruction or annihilation. In fact the Book of Mormon both begins and ends with one. In the very first chapter of the Book of Mormon we see Lehi warning the inhabitants of Jerusalem that they will be destroyed because of wickedness. As the reader we know that this does eventually take place. Then the Book of Mormon also ends with such a story as we witness the annihilation of the entire Nephite society. And in between those two stories we have a few more examples such as the story of the Jaredites, the people at the time of Christ’s coming, and the people of Ammonihah.
In the history of our earth, sometimes a group of people becomes so wicked that they lose the right to continue living on the planet. There is a point that is reached where it seems that God feels it makes no more sense to allow their society to continue making themselves and other people more miserable through their wickedness. I’m sure he laments having to send the spirits of his children to societies that have reached this point, knowing that those spirits don’t really even stand a chance for righteousness and happiness in such terrible conditions. Perhaps he feels that the people of those societies stand a better chance of changing in the Spirit world. They’ve reached the fullness of iniquity, and when that happens, they are swept off the face of the earth. And interestingly enough, who does God usually allow to be their destroyers? The wicked. He almost never sends the righteous to destroy. It’s the wicked that destroy the wicked.
LIKEN THE SCRIPTURES
So what is the message for you and me? Let’s heed the warning of the tragedy of Ammonihah. And yes, this acts as a general warning to our society as a whole, but we, as individuals, can’t really control the whole of society. We can only control ourselves. So the personal message? What do you think it would be?
My thought. Listen to the witnesses! When we begin to rebel in any form against God’s commandments, lovingly, he will send voices and witnesses to correct us. Rescuers and preparers. Hopefully we’ll change when we hear the soft whisperings of the Spirit telling us we need to shape up, or change, or resist temptation. But if that fails, hopefully we’ll change when we hear the voice of family members, teachers, local church leaders, and prophets. And if that fails, hopefully we will change when the voice of nature speaks in the form of challenges, consequences and calamities. The Lord loves us enough to chastise us, admonish us, counsel us, and allow us to suffer the consequences of our poor decisions. He will give us many chances. But be careful about your rejections, because the more we reject the harder it is to change.
TRUTH
That’s the truth that I would highlight here. The more we reject God’s witnesses, the more wicked we become.
TAKING IT TO HEART
What do you feel is the most important thing the Ammonihah chapters have taught you personally and why?
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