(THE TRAGEDY OF AMMONIHAH, PART 1)
TO WATCH THE VIDEO PRESENTATION ON YOUTUBE, GO TO: https://youtu.be/n4oHpWk3EI0
NOTE:
To begin this week, I want to have us take a few steps back from the verse by verse details of each chapter and take a bit of a broader look at the book of Alma. Throughout the entire first half of the Book of Alma, I see a common thread woven into almost every chapter and story. That theme to me: rescue, or to use more of a church word, ministering. The effort that God expends to save his sheep; both those that are in the fold and those who have strayed from it, and to bring them all home to him. There are many different types and degrees of people in the book of Alma. In Alma 5 the audience was a group of church members beginning to stray and to be lifted up in pride.Then in the city of Gideon in Alma 7, we had a relatively righteous group of church members that Alma wished to prevent from straying. But then we have Alma 8 all the way to chapter 16 where Alma preaches to the people of Ammonihah. That story is going to be our focus for the next two weeks. The people of Ammonihah are very wayward, rebellious, and (let’s face it) downright wicked people. They are people who had once professed to be members of the church but had since abandoned it. Then following that story, there’s a shift in chapters 17-28 to a different kind of people. Those who had never had any association with the church; the spiritually ignorant or those unfamiliar with the gospel. These chapters describe the missions of the sons of Mosiah to the Lamanites. So there we’re going to learn a lot about missionary work and conversion; working with those who don’t share and have never shared our faith. Then we’ll get back to Alma working with the Nephites once again and his efforts within his own family, his own sons. I see an overarching principle here. We should be seeking to direct our efforts in each of these areas and not focus so much on one aspect of rescue that we neglect the others. We all need to find balance in our efforts to rescue. Why? I would quote D&C 18:10 The worth of souls is great in the sight of God. And that would be active souls, less active souls, rebellious souls, non-rebellious souls, ignorant souls, the souls of our friends and family, and then indeed our own souls. All are precious to God. No one work is more important than the other. One caution here, there may be seasons in our lives where we focus more on one area than the other, and I think that’s ok. Alma focused solely on working with the members of the church for a time while the sons of Mosiah dedicated most of their time to the work of conversion. So let’s not guilt trip ourselves if we’re not working 100% in every area. That’s just impossible. But the Book of Alma seems to cover them all and each story is going to give us perspective and counsel on working with each kind of group.
The Ammonihah chapters are split into two lessons in the Come Follow Me manual. Chapters 8-12 and then 13-16. And to be honest, it’s kind of hard to split them into two lessons like that and maintain the themes. So we’re going to approach this more as a part1 and part 2 kind of lesson, rather than two separate ones and we’ll follow the same themes throughout both.
ICEBREAKER
Share a story of rescue. Maybe even a personal experience with rescue or ask if there is anyone in the class whose had an experience with rescue.
TRANSITION
As harrowing and dangerous as that experience was for the individuals involved, sometimes people get themselves into sticky spiritual situations as well. People we know and love can wander from the path, get lost, and hurt themselves. They may end up in a situation where they really can’t get themselves out of it alone.
Q: Do you know anybody like that? In need of spiritual rescue?
It could be a wayward child, a parent, a sibling, a friend, a neighbor. I’m sure we can all think of individuals who have gotten off the path for whatever reason. When that kind of thing happens, our Heavenly Father sends rescuers. He alerts the search and rescue teams to go out and bring his children home, safe. Interestingly, they may not even realize that they’re lost or in need of help but it’s evident that they’re in trouble. And so, we too expend great efforts and sacrifices to rescue our brothers, and sisters. Today we’ll take a look at a group of people who are lost and in need of spiritual rescue: the people of the city of Ammonihah. And we’re introduced to them like this:
9 Now Satan had gotten great hold upon the hearts of the people of the city of Ammonihah; therefore they would not hearken unto the words of Alma.
So these people are in trouble, and are heading towards certain spiritual death. However, they don’t even realize it. These are a rebellious people. God sends the people of Ammonihah a rescuer. Alma. So we're going to approach this lesson from two angles. From the perspective of the rescuer, and the perspective of the potential rescuees.
So first, the rescuers. What can these chapters teach us about rescuing rebellious souls.
SEARCH
Chapter 8 is full of ideas. Read the following verses and see what Rescuing Principles you can find? What does Alma teach us about rescuing rebellious souls? (This activity is available as a handout at https://www.etsy.com/shop/TeachingWithPower)
8:10
8:14
8:15
8:18
8:19/26
8:30
8:10 Pray for them. And for Alma, this is no mundane, routine kind of prayer either. Look how he describes it. Labored much in the spirit, wrestling with God, mighty prayer. These are all the same words that Enos used to describe his prayer. He prays that they will feel the spirit, that they will be baptized unto repentance. And we’ve already seen in the Book of Mormon, the prayers of the righteous can really make a difference in the lives of others. Remember the reason an angel came to warn Alma the younger in the first place. Not because Alma deserved it, but because so many righteous people where praying for such an intervention. We should never underestimate the power of our fervent righteous prayers.
8:14 Care deeply about them. Look at how Alma reacts to their rejection. "weighed down with sorrow, wading through much tribulation and anguish of soul” Alma doesn’t walk away feeling bitter and condemning. Even after they’ve reviled and spit on him he’s not shaking the dust off his feet or saying good riddance. He’s not even walking away saying “Well, I guess I tried, but if they won’t listen, they won’t listen” kind of attitude. Alma feels for these people. He finds no joy in the fact that they will suffer the consequences of their wickedness. Sometimes I knew missionaries that seemed to feel that way. When they had been rejected by people or neighborhoods, or treated poorly, they quickly wrote them off with a “your loss” kind of attitude and a negative feelings for them. It reminds me of Jonah in the Old Testament. After he teaches the people of Ninevah, they actually do repent. He walks out of the city, sits on a hill and relishes the thought of watching God destroy the city. When God tells him he won’t destroy them, he’s upset. Alma shows us a better attitude in dealing with the rebellious. If we truly care about people, we will mourn their wickedness and the misery it is sure to bring, not celebrate their destruction or gloat triumphantly over them with a “I told you so” when things get bad in their lives. In chapter 9:30 Alma calls them his beloved brethren. He sees them as his brethren, not enemies.
8:15 Don’t allow their decisions to destroy your joy. This may seem to run a little contrary to the principle I just taught you in the last verse. Yes, we should feel sorrow for the wayward, however, keep balance here. Don’t let their wickedness and misery bring you misery. In this instance, an angel visits Alma, the very angel that had visited him the first time. He tells Alma that he should lift up his head and that he has great cause to rejoice. We can still rejoice in our own righteousness even when others won’t join us in it. The true source of happiness is personal righteousness. Though we cannot control the actions of other people, we can control our own, and we shouldn’t lose our personal peace, our reward for worthy action, because of something we can’t control. Though, yes, I’m sure there will be times when we do feel sorrow for the wayward, we should not let it destroy our own enjoyment of life. This counts for parents too!
8:18 Be enthusiastic in your efforts to help them. The angel tells Alma to return and to try again. The principle here. Don’t give up too easily on others. I love that Alma returns “speedily” to Ammonihah. These are people who just treated him terribly, yet he’s anxious to return. Why? Because the angel tells them that there is still a chance! Perhaps that’s why he’s so eager. He is feeling a sense of anticipation that they may still have a chance to change, and that energizes him. We too can continue to hope for and work for the salvation of those who seem lost at the time. Sadly, most of the people of Ammonihah will not repent, but he does save some! Alma will walk away from Ammonihah with a handful of converts. And he’s about to meet one of them right now. That man is Amulek, whose been prepared by the Lord to receive him. Alma tarries many days with Amulek and blesses him and his entire household.
8:19/26 Pray and fast for them. In verse 19 we learn that Alma is hungry, but a detail that’s easy to miss here is the reason why Alma is hungry. He’s been fasting. He tells us that in verse 26. Alma understood the added power that fasting gives to prayer. This reminds me of the story from the life of Christ where the apostles are not able to heal a certain boy. The boy is brought to Christ who heals him immediately. Afterwards, the apostles come to ask the Savior why they weren’t able to do it. Christ’s answer: This kind cometh not out but by prayer and fasting. That seems to suggest to me that there are some problems that can only be solved with a combination of both. I think that when serious problems come into our lives or into the lives of these we love, we readily turn to prayer for help. But how often do we turn to that second means of petitioning divine help. Prayer AND fasting carries immense power.
8:30 Take the Holy Spirit as your guide. This verse tells us that both Alma and Amulek were filled with the Holy Ghost as they went forth teaching amongst the people. We too are going to need the influence of the Spirit in helping the wayward. Everybody’s situation is different. We’ll need the guidance of the Spirit when interacting with them to know how they can best be helped.
Q: Did you see any others?
Perhaps one additional idea from chapter 9 from the perspective of the rescuer.
Help them to remember both the mercy and the justice of God. The major thrust of chapter 9 is remembering. Alma is going to try and jog their memory a little bit, hoping that remembering will bring about a change of heart. That technique worked for him back in chapter 5 with the people of Zarahemla. He encouraged the people to remember the great things God had done for their fathers and what he had done personally for them. Count how many times he uses the word forgotten, and remember in this chapter. And two specific things Alma emphasizes that they remember. One: the justice of God. This isn’t always a very popular idea these days. There are even certain words that people don’t seem to like much anymore. We’re not very fond of the word sin, or disobedience, or even repent. We prefer to soften them a little bit and use words like mistakes, or waywardness, and change. Now there’s nothing wrong with using those words. I use them all the time. But, sometimes, we can and should call it like it is. Alma tells them to remember what happened to those that rejected the commandments. He tells them many times to repent or they will be destroyed. Maybe we don’t have to use those exact words, but sometimes we need to offer warnings. To remind people of the consequences of certain actions. Now that may not be the best method to help everybody but it can be effective. On the other hand, there is another emphasis in this chapter. The mercy and the grace of God. You’ll see that in verse 11, 16, 17, and 26. Alma is not all doom and gloom here. He reminds them of their chance for grace. God is seeking to save them. With those that you work with, be sure to remind them of the mercy, the grace, the patience, and the long suffering of God. He wants them back and will welcome them back. People can change. Alma knows that all too well. Maybe that’s why he cares so much about these people and works so hard to save them. Perhaps he recognizes a bit of himself in them. He was once just like them and I’m sure he's hoping to help them in the same way that he was helped. So which side do we emphasize between the justice and mercy of God. It depends. I guess that’s why it’s so important to remember the last principle we looked at. Have the spirit to know the best way to balance those two concepts.
THE THREE WITNESSES
Well, one more idea here from the perspective of the rescuer that is played out throughout these chapters. First, let's look at the initial argument that the people of Ammonihah use against Alma.
Q: What is their complaint in verses 2-6?
A: What kind of a God only sends one witness. And you might think they have a point there.
You’re probably all familiar with Paul’s statement in 2 Corinthians 13:1 "By the mouth of two or three witnesses every word shall be established.” They say in verse 6 "Who is God, that sendeth no more authority than one man among this people, to declare unto them the truth of such great and marvelous things? But if you know the rest of the story, the initial argument of the people of Ammonihah is almost ridiculous. They play right into the Lord’s strategy here. You can almost hear a muffled chuckle from the heavens as they make their triumphant assertion. Little do they know that God has at least two more witnesses waiting in the wings to appear, each one more compelling than the last.
Q: Let’s see if you can find those witnesses by filling in the following chart. Who are they?
Who are these three witnesses? You already know the first one.
Witness #1 Alma. The high priest of the church over the whole land. He’s the first voice to plead with them. Alas, he’s rejected rather quickly.
So enter witness #2. Who is it in Chapter 10? Amulek. Now Amulek is a bit of a different kind of witness, isn’t he. Perhaps even a little more powerful of a witness as far as the people of Ammonihah are concerned. Why?
Because he’s one of them! Isn’t he. He’s from Ammonihah. Not only that, but he’s a very respected and prosperous citizen of their own community. We learn that in 10:2-4. He has a noble heritage and he says that he’s a man “of no small reputation” among them. This doesn’t take anything away from Alma’s power as a witness, but God sending Amulek is upping the ante a little bit for them in particular. And at first, it takes them aback. In 10:12 the people began to be astonished, seeing there was more than one witness who testified of the things whereof they were accused. Unfortunately, eventually the people reject Amulek as well. In 10:24
24 And now it came to pass that the people were more angry with Amulek, and they cried out, saying: This man doth revile against our laws which are just, and our wise lawyers whom we have selected.
So God sends in witness #3. Ironically, in that verse we just read, they mention their lawyers whom they have selected. But who turns out to be the third witness against them? Hmmmm. Let’s take a closer look. We’re introduced to this witness in chapter 10:31.
31 And there was one among them whose name was Zeezrom. Now he was the foremost to accuse Amulek and Alma, he being one of the most expert among them, having much business to do among the people.
And at first, if you don’t know the story, you might think, uh, yeah, he’s a witness, but for their side. He’s coming out and attacking Alma and Amulek. In Alma 11, he offers Amulek a huge sum of money as a bribe to try and get him to deny God. Amulek withstands him and all his questions and then fires back at Zeezrom with an attack of his own. And it’s brilliant. Remember Zeezrom is a lawyer. So what kinds of words is Amulek point to use to get through to him. Just look at this:
:41 All shall rise from the dead and stand before God and be judged according to their works.
:43 stand before God, a bright recollection of all our guilt.
:44 and be arraigned before the bar of Christ the Son, and God the Father, and the Holy Spirit which is one Eternal God, to be judged according to their works.
It’s all lawyer language. Just exactly the type of message that is going to strike a chord with a lawyer. It’s little nuances like that that bolster my testimony of Joseph Smith as a translator of the Book of Mormon, and not its creator. Well, the message gets through to him.
Take a look at what happens:
11:46
46 Now, when Amulek had finished these words the people began again to be astonished, and also Zeezrom began to tremble. And thus ended the words of Amulek, or this is all that I have written.
12:1
1 Now Alma, seeing that the words of Amulek had silenced Zeezrom, for he beheld that Amulek had caught him in his lying and deceiving to destroy him, and seeing that he began to tremble under a consciousness of his guilt, he opened his mouth and began to speak unto him, and to establish the words of Amulek, and to explain things beyond, or to unfold the scriptures beyond that which Amulek had done.
12:7-8
7 Now when Alma had spoken these words, Zeezrom began to tremble more exceedingly, for he was convinced more and more of the power of God; and he was also convinced that Alma and Amulek had a knowledge of him, for he was convinced that they knew the thoughts and intents of his heart; for power was given unto them that they might know of these things according to the spirit of prophecy.
8 And Zeezrom began to inquire of them diligently, that he might know more concerning the kingdom of God. And he said unto Alma: What does this mean which Amulek hath spoken concerning the resurrection of the dead, that all shall rise from the dead, both the just and the unjust, and are brought to stand before God to be judged according to their works?
And then, to finish this point off, let’s dip into next weeks chapters just a little bit and go to
14:6-7
6 And it came to pass that Zeezrom was astonished at the words which had been spoken; and he also knew concerning the blindness of the minds, which he had caused among the people by his lying words; and his soul began to be harrowed up under a consciousness of his own guilt; yea, he began to be encircled about by the pains of hell.
7 And it came to pass that he began to cry unto the people, saying: Behold, I am guilty, and these men are spotless before God. And he began to plead for them from that time forth; but they reviled him, saying: Art thou also possessed with the devil? And they spit upon him, and cast him out from among them, and also all those who believed in the words which had been spoken by Alma and Amulek; and they cast them out, and sent men to cast stones at them.
Zeezrom truly is a fascinating character. Such an incredible transformation. And how is Zeezrom an even stronger witness than Alma and Amulek? Zeezrom is not only from Ammonihah, but he’s their champion. Their big gun that they used to try and take Alma and Amulek out. But by the end of the story, he’s one of their biggest advocates.
LESSONS
Now as you look at this list of witnesses. Does this teach you anything about our Heavenly Father and the way that he works with the wayward?
One point that could be made, it shows that God gives people many chances to change, doesn’t he. He’s not going to give up on his children without a fight. He’s going to try a number of different tactics before he consigns them to condemnation. Go back to 8:24. Alma says that he was “about to set my back towards this land forever”. Well Alma may have been ready to turn his back on them. But God hadn’t. He was going to give them another chance. So he sends more rescuers. And it seems like he tries harder and harder each time as well. There’s an amplification of witnesses. He’s giving them every opportunity and excuse to change. Well Alma’s witness didn’t work, let’s try Amulek, that didn’t work, let’s try Zeezrom. He just keeps continuing his efforts to change their hearts; calling them many times.
Amulek testifies of this very thing in Alma 10:5-6.
5 Nevertheless, after all this, I never have known much of the ways of the Lord, and his mysteries and marvelous power. I said I never had known much of these things; but behold, I mistake, for I have seen much of his mysteries and his marvelous power; yea, even in the preservation of the lives of this people.
6 Nevertheless, I did harden my heart, for I was called many times and I would not hear; therefore I knew concerning these things, yet I would not know; therefore I went on rebelling against God, in the wickedness of my heart, even until the fourth day of this seventh month, which is in the tenth year of the reign of the judges.
He recognizes, in the moment almost, that God had given him many chances. That he had been called many times, and yet, he wouldn’t hear. But eventually, he did hear. God continued to give him another chance, even after he had rejected so many. He thinks he hasn’t had many manifestations of God’s power in his life, but as the words are coming out of his mouth, he realizes, no wait, I have seen God’s power in my life. He’s been there all along, helping me, calling me, pleading for me, I just didn’t realize it.
So, for you and I, don’t lose hope for those you love. Keep giving them chances like their Heavenly Father does. You never know when one particular witness is going to make the difference.
And then check this out. Each of those three witnesses, Alma, Amulek, and Zeezrom, all have something in common that would make them even more particularly effective witnesses to people like the Ammonihahites. Can you figure out what it is? Each of them was once a wayward soul themselves. Each of them had been one time rebels against God, but had changed. What better witnesses than those who could relate best to the people of Ammonihah themselves. And in Zeezrom’s case, somebody whose heart had changed right then, in the moment! And he was their hero! I am ever amazed at the diligence, the long-suffering, the patience of our father in Heaven when it comes to the salvation of his children. He tries so hard to save them. It reminds me of Jacob 5 where the good gardener just keeps working with his trees, over and over again to help them bring forth good fruit.
Also, I think it’s good to keep in mind that we may not always be the most effective witness for somebody. We can do all that we can, but in the end, maybe it’s a missionary, a different friend, a certain church leader that will have the most profound effect on that individual. God will often tailor the voice he sends to the needs of the hearer. Maybe the parent isn’t going to be the best person to help that child. Maybe it’s a bishop, or a friend, or a teacher that can do that. Maybe the bishop isn’t the best person to help that individual, maybe it’s young women’s leader, or the grandmother, or the sister. For some reason, one particular voice really hits them in a powerful way. Can we be humble enough to accept that truth and hand the reigns over to another individual? Or perhaps they change as a result of a combination of all these voices together.
LIKEN THE SCRIPTURES
Q: So, have you ever seen somebody rescued spiritually? What happened? What did you learn from that experience?
I hope that we can be like Alma, and Amulek, and Zeezrom and do our best to show people that they can return and let’s give them as many chances as we can to do so.
THE LOST
Well, now let’s take a look at a few principles the rescuees can teach us here. The lost souls in need of help. Can we learn anything from the Ammonihah side of the coin? And in this case, instead of learning from a good example. We may gain some insight on what not to do. Perhaps we can learn from their bad example.
WHERE MUCH IS GIVEN, MUCH IS REQUIRED, GREATER LIGHT, GREATER CONDEMNATION
One point comes from chapter 9:23
23 And now behold I say unto you, that if this people, who have received so many blessings from the hand of the Lord, should transgress contrary to the light and knowledge which they do have, I say unto you that if this be the case, that if they should fall into transgression, it would be far more tolerable for the Lamanites than for them.
Now that's very reminiscent of the principle we find taught in D&C 82:3. For of him unto whom much is given, much is required, and he who sins against the greater light, shall receive the greater condemnation.”
The people of Ammonihah have been very blessed. Alma makes that clear in verses 19-23. He gives them a list of 21 different things that God had blessed them with. How unfortunate is it that it’s often the individuals who have been placed in the most ideal of temporal or spiritual circumstances are those who tend to first forget. I invite you to peruse that list and see if any of those descriptions apply to you. And if they do, remember that principle, It’s a yo-yo truth. It goes much, much, greater, greater. Much given, much required. Not expected, required. Greater light, greater condemnation. Hopefully, we can live up to our blessings and not downplay them.
THE MORE YOU HEED, THE GREATER THE LIGHT, THE MORE YOU HARDEN, THE GREATER THE IGNORANCE
There’s another yo-yo truth in 12:9-11.
9 And now Alma began to expound these things unto him, saying: It is given unto many to know the mysteries of God; nevertheless they are laid under a strict command that they shall not impart only according to the portion of his word which he doth grant unto the children of men, according to the heed and diligence which they give unto him.
10 And therefore, he that will harden his heart, the same receiveth the lesser portion of the word; and he that will not harden his heart, to him is given the greater portion of the word, until it is given unto him to know the mysteries of God until he know them in full.
11 And they that will harden their hearts, to them is given the lesser portion of the word until they know nothing concerning his
mysteries; and then they are taken captive by the devil, and led by his will down to destruction. Now this is what is meant by the chains of hell.
What is the yo-yo truth taught there? The more I heed, the more light and knowledge I receive. The less I heed, the less light and knowledge I have. In fact, it is taken away. I think what he’s saying is that we are never static in our level of knowledge. Either we’re gaining more, or we’re losing what we had. We’re either moving up or down, but there is no such thing as a plateau. The people of Ammonihah have lost their knowledge of God. There’s evidence of this all over this story. 9:5 They knew not that God could do such much marvelous works. In the next verse they ask “Who is God”. Amulek admits in 10:6 that God had called him many times, yet he would not know, therefore he went on rebelling against God. There’s a distinct connection between obedience and knowledge. It reminds me of Laman and Lemuels complaint back in 1 Nephi 15 where they admit that they cannot understand their father’s teaching. To which Nephi responds, "have ye inquired of the Lord?” And they say, we have not, for the Lord maketh no such thing known unto us”. See, their unwillingness to do had led to their inability to know. This leads Alma to come to the conclusion that the chains of hell are the chains of ignorance. So a good question to ask ourselves might be “Which direction am I moving? Am I gaining more light and knowledge, or do I seem to be losing it?"
FRUSTRATING THE PLAN
One last thought. Much of chapter 12 is deeply doctrinal. It’s almost a full explanation of the Plan of Salvation. It’s got almost all the parts. Judgment, the Fall, Mortality, Resurrection, Prophets and Revelation, Agency, the Atonement. It’s all in there and I encourage you to study and know it well. We won’t go into great depth on those verses, but there is one question that I want to cover with you here that I think ties in nicely with the problems of the people of Ammonihah. Something about the Fall that isn’t really taught anywhere else in the scriptures as clearly as it is here. Sometimes I’ve been asked asked what Satan was hoping to accomplish by giving the fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and evil to Adam and Eve. How did that advance his plan? Didn’t that just play into what Heavenly Father wanted to do anyway? To have Adam and Eve partake of the fruit and bring about mortality? Well, to those questions I usually respond with a question of my own. I ask “Was there any possible way for Satan to have frustrated or ruined the plan of Salvation that God had established? Were there any loopholes in its framework? And the surprising answer, is YES. There was one way that Satan could have ruined the plan. And what was that way? Alma 12:23 and 26
23 And now behold, I say unto you that if it had been possible for Adam to have partaken of the fruit of the tree of life at that time, there would have been no death, and the word would have been void, making God a liar, for he said: If thou eat thou shalt surely die.
And then 26
26 And now behold, if it were possible that our first parents could have gone forth and partaken of the tree of life they would have been forever miserable, having no preparatory state; and thus the plan of redemption would have been frustrated, and the word of God would have been void, taking none effect
Those phrases sure sound like things that Satan would have desired right? He would have loved for God’s word to be made void, to make him a liar, to make us forever miserable and to frustrate the plan of redemption. What was the way for him to do that? All he needed to do was have Adam and Eve first partake of the forbidden fruit, and then to immediately partake of the fruit of the tree of life. They then would have lived forever in their sins. Well, obviously God wasn’t going to allow that to happen, and it seems from the accounts we have of the Adam and Eve story, that the Father shows up fairly quickly after they’ve partaken of the forbidden fruit. That’s also why God places an angel with a flaming sword at the tree of life at this point, to protect the plan of redemption from being frustrated at this point.
But isn’t that just how Satan works with us too? That's so Satan. And whether or not that was he was attempting there, he does use that tactic with us. He tempts us to partake of forbidden fruit, and then to go and get others to partake, and then to swiftly move us on to the next temptation, and the next, and the next, steadily downward, moving us further and further away from the light of the gospel. Satan tried to frustrate God’s plan. He was unsuccessful. However, Satan can frustrate God’s plan for you, if you allow him to. He wasn’t able to make all God’s children forever miserable, but he can make you forever miserable. He couldn’t make God a liar, but he can try to make you a liar. He couldn’t make God’s word void, but he can make a void in your life where God belongs. Don’t let that happen to you. If we turn to God and trust in Him, then perhaps he can send angels our way as well to protect us from these terrible consequences. This is what's happened to the people of Ammonihah. At that point, Satan had successfully brought frustration and misery into their lives, probably in a similar fashion to what he tried with Adam and Eve. I pray that we will avoid their fate.
LIKENING THE SCRIPTURES
A few questions to ponder here:
What rescue strategies from these chapters do you feel might help those you love and wish to help?
What witnesses or rescuers of God have had the most profound impact on your life?
Think of all the great blessings God has given you. What can you do to remain faithful to those blessings?
What has helped you to receive more light and knowledge from God?
CONCLUSION
Well the people of Ammonihah have a lot more to teach us, as well as Alma, Amulek, and Zeezrom. This has just been part 1 of the Ammonihah saga. Next week we’ll revisit these same themes again. We’ll learn more about rescuing. Alma 13 is one of the greatest chapters on this topic. And then, we’ll watch just how low these Ammonihahites can go. In fact, they are responsible for one of the most horrific scenes in the entire Book of Mormon. And God has one final witness to send to them. We’ll take a look at that next time. Until then, maybe we should ponder which side of this divide we wish to be found on. Are we going to be part of God’s search and rescue team? Or are we more likely to be one of the victims, needing their help. We probably will all find ourselves in some way on both sides of that equation at different points in our lives. Either way, I hope these chapters have enlightened and edified you.
