Alma 35:5-14
Through deceptive means, those who rejected the words of Christ taught by Alma and his brethren actively sought to punish those of their community who did believe. They were cast out of the land of the Zoramites and were then received in the land of Jershon among the Ammonites.
There they were openly received "and it came to pass that Alma and his brethren did minister unto them." (vs. 7) This is a simple verse but so profoundly significant to me, in light of recent changes to the Church's ministering efforts.
In verse 8 and 9, the chief ruler of the Zoramites appears to be the one who is most agitated by the conversion of many of the people of his community. It is he who goes so far as to demand that the Ammonites cease to minister to those who are being cast out of his land. But such demands fall on deaf ears especially when it's among a people who have first hand experience with being refugees themselves:
Through deceptive means, those who rejected the words of Christ taught by Alma and his brethren actively sought to punish those of their community who did believe. They were cast out of the land of the Zoramites and were then received in the land of Jershon among the Ammonites.
There they were openly received "and it came to pass that Alma and his brethren did minister unto them." (vs. 7) This is a simple verse but so profoundly significant to me, in light of recent changes to the Church's ministering efforts.
In verse 8 and 9, the chief ruler of the Zoramites appears to be the one who is most agitated by the conversion of many of the people of his community. It is he who goes so far as to demand that the Ammonites cease to minister to those who are being cast out of his land. But such demands fall on deaf ears especially when it's among a people who have first hand experience with being refugees themselves:
And now the people of Ammon did not fear their words; therefore they did not cast them out, but they did receive all the poor of the Zoramites that came over unto them; and they did nourish them, and did clothe them, and did give unto them lands for their inheritance; and they did administer unto them according to their wants. (vs. 9)The charity and kindness of the Ammonites is exceptional, but goes even further in subsequent verses. I was not aware that because of the relocation of the Zoramite converts and the subsequent war that followed (an almost exact replica of events from when the Ammonites themselves were first converted), that the Ammonites literally gave up the land that they had received and relocated to the land of Melek. (see vs. 13)
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