Book of Mormon Lesson 26 (Alma 17–22)
June 19–25
After the sons of Mosiah were converted, they felt a great desire to share the gospel with others. Once among the vilest of sinners, and having been brought back from the precipice of hell, it was unbearable for them to think of any soul tumbling over that edge into the abyss of darkness reserved for the damned. They asked themselves how they could help others avoid this fate. Their answer was to go and share the gospel with the Lamanites, their most feared and fierce enemies. It was a stunning request, and there is little wonder that King Mosiah was reluctant to allow it. But after receiving a promise that his sons’ lives would be protected, he allowed them to go.
The Spirit of Missionary Service
During the fourteen years between 91 and 77 B.C., Alma served and later resigned as chief judge in order to devote more time to the ministry (Mosiah 27:34–37). During that same period of time, the sons of Mosiah desired to go and teach the gospel to their enemies, the Lamanites (Mosiah 28:1–9).
Once among the vilest of sinners, and having been brought back from the precipice of hell, it was unbearable for them to think of any soul suffering forever the fate of the damned. Those in greatest danger of damnation at the time were the Lamanites, their most feared and fierce enemies. The equivalent today would be for a young man to request a mission to teach terrorists in the mountainous western borders of Pakistan, who are committed to our utter destruction.
It was a stunning request, and there is little wonder that King Mosiah was reluctant to allow it. Can we even imagine the concern of a parent who is sending his sons into the “belly of the beast”—their terrorizing and brutal enemies, the Lamanites? Mosiah was deeply troubled by it and sought reassurances from the Lord. And he received them.
Mosiah 28:6–7Mosiah was promised that they would be an instrument in His hands for great good, and that they would return safely.
For many years thereafter, this promise sustained and reassured his sons through life threatening situations.
And King Mosiah was sufficiently reassured that he never assumed that his sons were dead even when they didn’t return for many years.
The experiences of the sons of Mosiah provide some of the greatest examples of missionary service in the scriptures.
The record tells how they were able to become instruments in the hands of God in bringing the Lamanites to a knowledge of the truth.
A MISSION TO THE LAMANITES
Their Qualifications for Missionary Work
● Alma 17:1–4 As Alma traveled to Manti, he met the sons of King Mosiah, who were returning from their 14–year mission to the Lamanites. Alma rejoiced in his unexpected reunion with his friends, the sons of Mosiah, because “they had waxed strong in the knowledge of the truth.”
● The sons of Mosiah were powerful and effective teachers. They had excellent qualifications to serve as missionaries, including all of the following:
—A great desire to serve. Those who have a desire to serve are called (D&C 4:3).
—Love for others. They “could not bear that any human soul should perish” (Mosiah 28:3) because they had personally experienced the pain of alienation from God
—Strong testimonies of the gospel and of the truthfulness of the message they taught.
—Teaching with power and authority of God. The Holy Ghost attended their teaching and bore witness to their listeners of the truth of their message.
—Searching the scriptures diligently “that they might know the word of God” (Alma 17:2).
—A testimony of Jesus Christ (“the spirit of prophecy”) obtained through much fasting and prayer (Alma 17:3).
● Alma 17:5 Like most new missionaries, they departed with great enthusiasm.
● Alma 17:5–6 The sacrifices they made to perform their missionary work.
● J. Golden Kimball told a story about missionaries who experienced difficulty while serving:
“That is what I am telling our elders, these young boys going on missions. I am trying, when I set them apart, to impress them that the Lord is their shepherd and they shall not want. One good mother stated that her son wrote her and said: ‘I have only three dollars, and if you do not send me some money I will be licking the paste off the signboards.’ And the mother came to me somewhat disturbed and said: ‘Brother Kimball, what shall I do?’ I said, ‘Let him lick paste for a while. He will find the Lord. But he never will with his pockets full of money.’”1
● Known as somewhat of a maverick, and often the central character of irreverent Latter-day Saint urban legends, J. Golden Kimball was also a deeply spiritual man who understood adversity, who loved the Lord, and who knew that he was loved:
“I acknowledge that I am imperfect, and no one is more sorry than I am. I have made mistakes, but I have faith in God, and I know God will forgive a man who repents. I have no fancied notions; I have gotten rid of tradition and of a few false ideas that rested upon me. I do not expect to become a god right away. No, it will take a long time; I am too ignorant. I have been surprised that I was chosen [as a general authority], but there will come another time of choosing, and I don’t know whether I will be among the number then or not. You don’t know either. Now I am speaking of myself; I am not criticizing others; I am talking about principles. I stand before you a transgressor, but I am trying to be saved, and that is all God asks me to do. I am a man of weakness; I am a man full of faults; but God knows I have given him the best effort there was in me.”2
● Their motivation for serving their missions was charity—pure love of the kind that Christ manifested in suffering to save all of us. (Alma 17:9–12, 16; Mosiah 28:1–3).
The Prophet Joseph Smith said, “Love is one of the chief characteristics of Deity, and ought to be manifested by those who aspire to be the sons of God. A man filled with the love of God, is not content with blessing his family alone, but ranges through the whole world, anxious to bless the whole human race.”3
— vv.10–12 Note the comfort and counsel the Lord gave them to help prepare them and how they felt after receiving this comfort and direction from the Lord.
Missionary Work among the Lamanites was Difficult
● The Spiritual Condition of the Lamanites: (Alma 17:13–14 )
— Nephi: They were “an idle people, full of mischief and subtlety” (2 Nephi 5:24).
— Enos: They were “wild . . . ferocious . . . bloodthirsty . . . full of idolatry and filthiness” (Enos 1:20).
— Jarom: They “loved murder and would drink the blood of beasts.” (Jarom 6).
● Thus, it was no exaggeration when Mormon said that the work “was great, for they had undertaken to preach the word of God to a wild and a hardened and a ferocious people.” (v. 14).
● Even though five hundred years had passed since Laman and Lemuel, the people were still carefully nurturing their ancient parent’s sense of anger and frustration.
● The parallels between the circumstances of the Lamanites in the days of the sons of Mosiah and present-day middle-eastern terrorists are very clear. Much of the hatred and violence exhibited toward the West today by Muslim terrorists goes back for centuries to the times of the Christian crusaders who invaded their homelands with the avowed purpose of wiping them out. For centuries, from one generation to another, their children and their children’s children have been taught to hate and seek to eradicate their enemies. Wars and weapons will never eradicate such traditions. Only a correct understand of the plan of salvation, the eternal brotherhood of man, and the infinite atonement of Jesus Christ can bring peace.
● President David O. McKay observed, “No peace, even though temporarily obtained, will be permanent unless it is built upon the solid foundation of eternal principles. The first of these [is]…when we sincerely accept God as our Father and make Him the center of our being…. Of equal importance is the acceptance of the Son of God as the Savior of mankind…. Men may yearn for peace, cry for peace, and work for peace, but there will be no peace until they follow the path pointed out by the living Christ.”4
● Thus, we can understand the immense value of the mission of the sons of Mosiah among the Lamanites. As we shall see, they did indeed eradicate hatred and establish peace for awhile.
● Our missionaries are the greatest ambassadors for world peace that live on this planet. No amount of diplomacy or warfare can turn swords into plowshares. Only faithful missionaries can do that—in our own time as well as in the Book of Mormon.
AMMON SERVES AND TEACHES KING LAMONI
First a Servant, Then a teacher
A young woman from Seoul, Korea, who participated in the Young Women worldwide balloon lift in October of 1986, attached this message to a helium balloon: “Live so that those who know you but don’t know Him, will want to know Him because they know you.”5 This is a beautiful way to characterize the missionary methods of Ammon.
● Alma 17:17–19 Once they arrived in the land of Nephi, the missionaries “separated themselves one from another.
● Alma 17:20–21 Ammon was captured immediately by the Lamanites.
● Alma 17:22–25 Ammon won his freedom through faith and willingness to serve others.
In missionary work, it is true that “people don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care.”
● Alma 17:26–39 Ammon won the hearts of his Lamanite guards by protecting the king’s flocks from marauding thieves.
—This was a serious situation and the king’s servants began to murmur and to weep, fearing the king would kill them for losing his flocks (vv. 28–29). He had done it before (Alma 18:6–7).
—In contrast, Ammon was filled with joy over the opportunity that the situation presented to him. He knew that if he could solve this problem for them, they would both love and trust him and would therefore believe his teachings (vv. 29–30).
—He reassured them that they could still preserve the flocks of the king and he would not slay them. They followed Ammon in immediately taking action to round up the scattered sheep (vv. 31–32).
—When the thieves returned, Ammon stepped forth, alone, to drive them off. He had been promised before departing for his mission that the Lord would protect his life and bring him home safely to his father. With absolute faith in this promise, he was fearless and knew that God would make him equal to the task before him.
Elder Neal A. Maxwell said: “God does not begin by asking us about our ability, but only about our availability, and if we then prove our dependability, he will increase our capability.”6
● Alma 18:1–5 The king and his servants believed Ammon was “the Great Spirit.”
● Alma 18:8–11 Ammon was humbly serving when the king asked about him.
—v. 9 Horses and Wheels: Daniel H. Ludlow said, “[Book of Mormon] critics have maintained: (1) no horses existed on the American continents before the time of Columbus, and (2) the people who lived on the American continents did not know the principle of the wheel before the coming of Columbus. However, since the publication of the Book of Mormon, considerable archaeological evidence has come forth to reinforce its claims that there were horses on the American continents before the time of Columbus and that these early peoples did know the principle of the wheel.”7
● Alma 18:12–17 The king and his servants fear Ammon, but he perceives their thoughts and sets them at ease.
—v. 13 The Lamanite word “Rabbanah” meant “powerful or great king.”
— Many Semitic words having essentially the same meaning.
— In the New Testament leaders were called “rabboni” (John 20:16).
— The Jewish word “rabbi” meant “one who teaches or leads.”
Hebrew in the new world: Daniel H. Ludlow said, “That the spoken language of both the Nephites and the Lamanites is derived from the Hebrew is made quite clear in several places in the Book of Mormon. In fact, even as late as the fourth century A.D. one Book of Mormon prophet said, ‘..if our plates had been sufficiently large we should have written in Hebrew.’ (Mormon 9:33)”8
● Alma 18:18–23 Sufficiently impressed and humbled, the king promised to listen to the message of Ammon.
—v. 23 The use of “guile”: Daniel H. Ludlow said, “Although the word guile is frequently used to mean ‘deceitful cunning’ or ‘treachery,’ it can also denote the use of strategy. It is evidently used in the latter sense in Alma 18:23; in other words, Ammon planned or used strategy in arranging the questions he asked King Lamoni.”9
— Ammon had a plan from the beginning to win the hearts of the Lamanites so that he could save their souls. He was not just “lucky” or even unexpectedly “blessed.” He had a plan, and the Lord helped him accomplish it.
— The Lord advised similar tactics for missionary disciples in Judea: “Behold, I send you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves: be ye therefore wise as serpents, and harmless as doves” (Matthew 10:16).
Teaching the First Principles with Simplicity
Our modern missionary discussions were originally developed using Ammon’s methods as a model. He used a careful sequence that led the king from point to point until he had a full understanding of the basic saving principles of the gospel.
● Alma 18:24–35 Our relationship to God
—vv. 24–28 There is a God.
—vv. 28–29 God is the creator of all things, including ourselves.
Elder Bruce R. McConkie said: “According to Lamanite traditions, God is the Great Spirit. It is obvious that by this designation the Lamanites had in mind a personal being, for King Lamoni mistakenly supposed that Ammon was the Great Spirit (Alma 18:2–28; 19:25–27). Both Ammon and Aaron, using the same principle [used] by Paul on Mars Hill (Acts 17:22–31), [used this belief to teach] that the Great Spirit was the God who created the heavens and the earth. (Alma 18:8–29; 22:8–11).”10
—vv. 30–33 God dwells in heaven with his angels
● Alma 18:34–36 The creation, the fall, and the history of God’s dealings with man.
● Alma 18:37–38 The history of the Lamanites from Laman and Lemuel until then.
—vv. 36, 38 He taught from the scriptures. As a people, the Lamanites had been largely ignorant of the teachings of the scriptures.
● Alma 18:39 The plan of redemption and the coming of Jesus Christ
Elder Bruce R. McConkie said: [The creation, the fall, and the atonement are] “the three pillars of eternity” and the “greatest events that have ever occurred in all eternity. If we can gain an understanding of them, then the whole eternal scheme of things will fall into place, and we will be in a position to work out our own salvation. . . . These three are the foundations upon which all things rest. Without any one of them all things would lose their purpose and meaning and the plans and designs of Deity would come to naught.”11
The logic of Ammon’s teaching method is impressive. But the real power of conversion came through the Spirit. Ammon was sensitive to the promptings of the Spirit and followed them with exactness. When he bore witness of these things, it penetrated beyond the king’s intellectual understanding to the center of his soul. Missionaries teach, but only the Spirit converts.
The Results of Ammon’s Teaching
● Alma 18:40–42 King Lamoni is deeply touched, seeks forgiveness, and faints.
—Spiritual Trances: There are several examples in the Book of Mormon of people so overcome by the spirit that it overcame their natural bodies:
• Alma Became weak, and could not speak nor move for three days (Mosiah 27,
Alma 36).
• Zeezrom Became weak and was confined to bed with a burning fever. (Alma
11–12, 15)
• King Lamoni Was overcome by the Spirit and fell to the earth as if he were dead
(Alma 17–19).
• Lamoni’s father Was struck as if he were dead (Alma 22).
—Alma 19:6 Ammon understood from personal experience that the Spirit of the Lord may have a very dramatic effect on those who have been especially wicked.
—The Queen Shows her great faith. (Alma 19:1–5; 12–13; 8–11)
—The King Revives and bears witness of Christ.
—Ammon Expresses gratitude to God for all that is happening. (Alma 19:14)
—All three are so overcome that they fall again to the earth.
—Servants After seeing the others fall they are also overcome and fall to the earth
(Alma 19:15–16 .
— Abish, the Lamanite Woman (Alma 19:17)
● Alma 19:18–21 Others who were not present had a variety of reactions:
— Some murmured and accused Ammon (a Nephite) of murder
— Some said the king was evil and brought this upon himself
— Some of the thieves at Sebus sought revenge against Ammon
● Alma 19:22–23 Ammon, though helplessly comatose, was divinely protected from his enemies, just as the Lord had promised to his father Mosiah.
● Alma 19:24–27 Seeing the miraculous sparing of Ammon, the people remain divided:
— Some think he is God (the Great Spirit)
— Some think he was sent by God to them
— Some think he is an awful monster sent by the Nephites
— Some think he is sent from God to punish them for their sins
● Alma 19:28–29 Abish tries to resolve the contention by reviving the queen and king.
● Alma 19:30–33 The king revives again and teaches and testifies to his people.
—v. 33 They had no more desire to do evil. Compare this to the people who heard King Benjamin’s address, experienced a “mighty change” by “the Spirit of the Lord,” and had “no more disposition to do evil, but to do good continually” (Mosiah 5:2; also to Alma 13:12 and 1 John 3:9).
● Alma 19:34–36 Mormon’s summary of God’s love for all of his children.
Lamoni’s Father Is Converted
● Alma 20:1–5 Lamoni wants to share the gospel with his father, the king over all the Lamanites.
● Ammon is sent instead to rescue his brothers. King Lamoni goes with him to assist in their release from prison.
—vv. 2–3 How many missionaries? The Book of Mormon does not specifically state how many companions accompanied the four sons of Mosiah on their mission, but it clearly indicates there were additional missionaries (Mosiah 28:1; Alma 22:35), and at least two of them, Muloki and Ammah, are mentioned here by name.
● Alma 20:8–16 Lamoni’s Father is hostile toward his son and Ammon.
● Alma 20:20–25 Ammon protects and defends Lamoni, and spares his father’s life when he could have slain him.
● Alma 20:26–27 Ammon’s example again convinces a king. Lamoni’s father is astonished by Ammon’s love for Lamoni and by his testimony. He desires to hear his teachings.
● Alma 20:28–29 Ammon and the two kings proceed on to Middoni and free his brethren
THE MISSIONS OF AARON AND HIS BRETHREN
At this point in the record, Mormon inserts the experiences of Aaron and his missionary companions. These were occurring during the time that Ammon was having so much success on his mission to Lamoni and his people.
When the missionaries separated themselves at the beginning of their missions, Aaron and his companions headed toward the land and city which the Lamanites called Jerusalem, which bordered on the land called Mormon (Alma 21:1).
The land called Mormon is presumably the area where the waters of Mormon were located, in which Alma had baptized so many years before (Mosiah 18:5).
Persevering Despite Adversity
● Alma 17:5 Like most missionaries, the sons of Mosiah left on their mission with enthusiasm, some anxiety, but confidence that God would give them great success. They did not know of the pain, the challenges, and difficulties that awaited them.
● Alma 17:11 They followed the counsel from the Lord given to them when their missions began.
● Mosiah 28:6–7 They had been promised that they would return safely.
—In life threatening situations, their faith in this promise reassured them.
—King Mosiah was assured that his sons weren’t dead even when they didn’t return for many years.
Rejected At Jerusalem and Middoni
● Alma 21:1–3 The Amalekites are mentioned for the first time in verse 2. The exact source of their name is never made clear in the Book of Mormon.
● The Amulonites are the descendants and the followers of Amulon, the wicked priest of King Noah. (Mosiah 23:31–35; Mosiah 24:3–4).
● Alma 21:4–8 The Order of Nehors: Both of these groups of people believed in the teachings of the anti-Christ named Nehor (Alma 1:1–16).
● They were so hardened in wickedness that only one Amalekite and no Amulonites were converted by the four sons of Mosiah and their companions (Alma 23:14).
—v. 6 They thought that simply meeting together constituted worship.
—v. 6 They believed that God would save all men.
—vv. 7–8 They denied Christ, saying that no man could know of things to come.
● Alma 21:12–14 Aaron and his brethren are imprisoned at Middoni.
The Requirements of Redemption
● Alma 21:15–17 As soon as they were released from prison, Aaron and his brethren began again to teach the people as led by the Spirit.
● Alma 22:1–4 Aaron was led by the Spirit to the house of King Lamoni’s father.
● Alma 22:5–6 The king remembers and is troubled by Ammon’s call to repentance
● Alma 22:7–14; Alma 18:24–39 Aaron’s teaching of Lamoni’s father was similar to Ammon’s teaching of Lamoni—starting with his understanding of the “Great Spirit.”
● Alma 22:15–16 Still troubled by the prospect of being “cast off” forever, the king asks what he must do to obtain redemption. Aaron’s answer was:
—“Bow down before God.”
—”Repent of all thy sins.”
—”Call on [God’s] name in faith.”
● Alma 22:17–18 The king’s humble prayer: “I will give away all my sins to know thee.” Are there any sins are we not willing to “give up” in order to know God and obtain redemption?
President Ezra Taft Benson said: “Each of us must surrender our sins if we are to really know Christ. For we do not know Him until we become like Him. There are some, like this king, who must pray until they, too, have `a wicked spirit rooted’ from them so they can find the same joy.”12
● Mosiah 5:13 Three reasons a person may not know the Lord:
(1) “he has not served” the Lord
(2) “[he] is a stranger unto him,”
(3) “[he] is far from the thought and intents of his heart.”
What are our motivations for keeping the commandments? There are different levels of obedience.
LEVELS OF MOTIVATION FOR KEEPING THE COMMANDMENTS:
Obedience Because of Charity
Sabbath: Because I love God & wish to serve others
Tithing: Because I wish to help build the Kingdom
Temple: Because I wish to help exalt the living & dead
Obedience for the sake of Being Obedient
Sabbath: Because the Lord commands it
Tithing: Because the Lord commands it
Temple: Because the Lord commands it
Obedience to Obtain a Reward
Sabbath: Rest, increased spirituality, other blessings
Tithing: I will be more blessed financially (10 – 1 = 11)
Temple: Enjoying the peace & spirit of the temple
Obedience for the Sake of Appearances
Sabbath: So others will see me at Church on Sunday
Tithing: So others will see that I pay my tithing
Temple: So others will see me there on temple night
Obedience Out of Fear
Sabbath: Avoid the curses upon the land
Tithing: Avoid being burned at the last day
Temple: Avoid being denied eternal exaltation
● Alma 22:18–21 Like his son Lamoni, the king was physically overcome by the Spirit.
● Alma 22:22–27 After the king had risen, he declared his testimony, and many were converted through this experience.
Notes:
- In Thomas E. Cheney, The Golden Legacy, [1973], 75.
2. The Golden Legacy, 49.
3. Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, sel. Elder Joseph Fielding Smith [1976], 174.
4. The Improvement Era, October 1960, 703
5. Annique Juqant, The New Era (March 1987), 22.
6. The Elder Neal A. Maxwell Quote Book, ed. Cory H. Maxwell, 1.
7. A Companion to Your Study of the Book of Mormon [1976], 206–209.
8. A Companion to Your Study of the Book of Mormon, 207.
9. A Companion to Your Study of the Book of Mormon, 207.
10. Mormon Doctrine, 2nd ed. [1966], 340.
11. “The Three Pillars of Eternity,” BYU Devotional, Feb. 17, 1981.
12. In Conference Report, Oct. 1983, 63; or Ensign, Nov. 1983, 43.
