A Study of the Book of Mormon

Alma 21:18-23 Now there is a curious thing that transpires in these verses. In returning to the affairs of his own kingdom, Lamoni subsequently establishes the rule of a free people through his land. It is an interesting sequence of events: The king Lamoni and his household is converted to the gospel of Christ. (chapters 18-19) Ammon and Lamoni are confronted by Lamoni's father, king over all the land, which results in Lamoni obtaining full freedom and autonomy to govern over his own kingdom as he pleased. (chapter 20) Lamoni subsequently (in these verses) returns to his own land, and declares freedom for all in his kingdom.  In considering this freedom, a footnote has brought me over to Doctrine and Covenants 134:1-4 , which reads in part: We believe that no government can exist in peace, except such laws are framed and held inviolate as will secure to each individual the free exercise of conscience , the right and control of property , and the protection of life ... We believe th...

Alma 21:15-17 What surprises me about this set of verses is that in a sense, nothing had changed. Their external circumstances had not changed. After Aaron and his brethren had been released from prison, they went back to the synogogues of the Amalekites and into any assembly of the Lamanites that would let them come in. The venues did not change. What did change was this: "And they went forth whithersoever they were led by the Spirit of the Lord," ( vs. 16 ). I went back and looked for any reference to the Spirit of the Lord guiding their previous efforts, and there was none. Imprisonment and the subsequent sufferings that resulted seems to have been the humility catalyst needed to prepare this particular set of missionaries for the work that lay ahead of them. Now verse 17 states 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...

Alma 21:1-14 At the beginning of the chapter, Aaron and his brethren first arrive at a land named Jerusalem, named by the Lamanites in remembrance of the land from which they came. The Lamanites built this city with the help of those who had dissented from among the Nephites, the Amalekites and the people of Amulon (making the city then probably less than 50 years old at the time that Aaron and his brethren visit it). Now an interesting phenomenon is observed here. For the Lamanites were already of a hard heart, but these other groups which had only recently dissented from the Nephites, were even more hardened in their hearts. I suppose this is because for the Amulonites and the Amalekites, they were this way of their own choice, whereas the Lamanites had inherited their hardheartedness as a tradition from their forefathers. The mixture of the two seems to have had a more damaging effect, causing the Lamanites to be more wicked. (see vs. 3 ) Aaron discovers that in the span of one gene...

Alma 20:28-30 ( I appreciate the forced focus that this segmented study of smaller groups of verses causes me to have. What otherwise might just appear as a concluding note to this particular chapter, these final three verses on their own convey some important truths.) "And, as it happened, it was their lot to have fallen into the hands of a more hardened and a more stiffnecked people;" ( vs. 30 ) The wording in this verse causes me to consider this situation, and many others like it, differently. I am confident as I read this that in different circumstances, the missionaries that fell into the hands of such depraved individuals could have experienced as much success as did their brother Ammon. This reminder is important: to not condemn the poor or unfortunate for their circumstances. To me it seems that the larger message is one of succor and relief. These two disciples of the caring Christ go to rescue their brethren who "had suffered hunger, thirst, and all kinds of a...

Alma 20:8-27 "For the wrath of man worketh not the righteousness of God." James 1:20 "Behold, this is not my doctrine, to stir up the hearts of men with anger, one against another; but this is my doctrine, that such things should be done away." 3 Nephi 11:30   These twenty verses contain the account of Ammon and Lamoni's encounter with Lamoni's father, the king over all the land. Without introduction or explanation, Lamoni's father immediately labels Ammon as "one of the children of a liar." ( vs. 10 ) Respecting his father, Lamoni gives the cause for his delay.  Then, "to his astonishment, his father was angry with him." ( vs. 13 , emphasis added) There are two directions that I want to address with this verse. First, it astonished Lamoni that his father responded to him with anger. I'm not sure if it was because his father had always been a peaceful man towards him as his son, or if it was rather because Lamoni had hoped to h...

Alma 20:1-7 King Lamoni invites Ammon to accompany him up to meet his father the king. I am impressed by how clearly Ammon is able to receive divine directives, or what we might more commonly call personal revelation.The record doesn't state the timing in which the revelation came to Ammon, whether it came immediately after Lamoni's invitation, or perhaps later on in moment of quiet reflection and prayer. It is also impressive how quickly Lamoni responds to this divine directive once he learns of its source.( see vs. 5-6 ) Then in verse 7 , there is also a change of attitude on Lamoni's part. Where at first, Lamoni thought to flatter the king of the land of Middoni, who was a friend of his, now Lamoni states that he will plead with the king for the deliverance of Ammon's brethren. Something about knowing that the directive was actually a divine mandate changed Lamoni's attitude and sense of urgency. Suddenly it wasn't just a social injustice that was needing to ...

Alma 19:31-36 The king has now awoken from his trance and verse 31 says this: And he, immediately, seeing the contention among his people, went forth and began to rebuke them, and to teach them the words which he had heard from the mouth of Ammon; (emphasis added) This is reminiscent of Nephi's attitude towards and faith in the power of the word of God.  ...I, Nephi, did speak much unto my brethren... for they had humbled themselves because of my words; for I did say many things unto them in the energy of my soul. ( 1 Nephi 16:22,24 ) Mormon makes a similar observation about Alma's confidence in the word of God: And now, as the preaching of the word had a great tendency to lead the people to do that which was just—yea, it had had more powerful effect upon the minds of the people than the sword, or anything else, which had happened unto them—therefore Alma thought it was expedient that they should try the virtue of the word of God. ( Alma 31:5 ) Back to the account of king...