When we left off from my previous post, Alma had become discouraged by the hard-heartedness of the people of Ammonihah, and had been about to depart for the city of Aaron to preach there instead, when the Lord through an angel told him to go back and try again, and where Amulek, having seen an angel, was prepared to feed Alma.
Protect Ourselves by Listening and Being Humble
So many times in ancient history, we've read about the Lord sending prophets to go back to a city that wouldn't listen, and to try again. Abinadi did this for King Noah's people, and Lehi did this for the wicked city of Jersusalem. Each time that the people did not listen, their cities were destroyed, and the people either died or were taken into bondage. The same thing happens with Ammonihah, that boasts in Alma 9:4-5 that they cannot be destroyed in a day. In Alma 16:3, 9, 10, we read "... 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." The Lord loves his children and it was reaffirmed to me again that he sent prophets back again and again because he truly wanted to give the people an opportunity to listen and repent, and in some cases, some heard and repented.
It is a great reminder not to be lifted up in the pride of our hearts, never to forget that our gifts come from the Lord, and that they should be used to lift others up, not for our own pride.
This scripture from earlier came to mind as I was reading this section of scriptures: Mosiah 4:30: "But this much I can tell you, that if ye do not watch yourselves, and your thoughts, and your words, and your deeds, and observe the commandments of God, and continue in the faith of what ye have heard concerning the coming of Our Lord, even unto the end of your lives, ye must perish. And now, O man, remember, and perish not."
Alma reminds us in Alma 13:28-29, "But that ye would humble yourselves before the Lord, and call on his holy name, and watch and pray continually, that ye may not be tempted above that which ye can bear, and thus be led by the Holy Spirit, becoming humble, meek, submissive, patient, full of love and all long-suffering; Having faith on the Lord; having a hope that ye shall receive eternal life; having the love of God always in your hearts, that ye may be lifted up at the last day and enter into his rest."
In Alma 13, alma reminds of us Melchizedek, whose people had forgotten to be humble and forgot their God. However, Melchizedek exercised much faith, and preached repentance to his people. They listened, and as a result, it says in Alma 13:18, "... Melchizedek did establish peace in the land in his days."
The Opportunity for Repentance
The sad thing about these cities being lost and destroyed is that it was entirely preventable if people would stop hardening their hearts. I thought it was interesting and maybe a little ironic that Alma had to content with the savvy lawyer Zeezrom because Zeezrom might not have realized that when Alma was younger, he was just like Zeezrom, preaching things that were opposite to the word of God (see Mosiah 27).
Remember, Zeezrom was one of the very successful lawyers at the time, and the reason he sought to destroy Alma and Amulek was because if people and were good, then they didn't need to be brought before the judges, which then took away the livelihood of the lawyers. They wanted people to make mistakes because it was very profitable for them. So, it is interesting that as Zeezrom sought to destroy Alma and Amulek with words, he suddenly realized that he was truly talking to men of God, and that he had made a terrible mistake preaching against them. In Alma 14, Zeezrom tried to right his wrongs but the people that had previously listened to him not cast him out too. Alma and Amulek were then taken to jail, and many of God's followers were burned in a fire.
Zeezrom wouldn't know that the Lord was with them and protected them, and killed the evil lawyers and judge by having the prison walls come down upon them, until the two arrived in Sidon and found the people that had fled. Sounds familiar? Alma was following some of the patterns of his father, taking people out of the city with him that were believers of God, and in Alma 15:12, it says, "Alma baptized Zeezrom unto the Lord; and he began from that time forth to preach unto the people." Just like Alma's father who used to be one of King Noah's evil high priests, just like Alma who used to preach against God, Zeezrom learned that he had been following the wrong path, repented, and devoted his life to preaching the word of God.
The Power of Sacrifice
Amulek, Alma, and Zeezrom all made great sacrifices to preach the word of God. Amulek was a wealthy man with much respect and friends. It says in Alma 15:16 that he lost the support and respect of his father, his friends, and he had to give up his worldly possessions as he left them behind in Ammonihah.
I thought it was beautiful though that Amulek met Alma when he first fed him after Alma had fasted many days, and after their harrowing experience in Ammoniah, that Alma took Amulek back to Zarahemla, and in Alma 15:18, it says that he "took him to his own house, and did administer unto him in his tribulations, and strengthened him in the Lord."
Amulek had to watch a lot of good men and women die for their their beliefs too, and that was hard for him to see, and though we are reminded that "the Lord receiveth them up unto himself in glory" (see Alma 14:11) I don't think that necessarily lifted the sorrow from their hearts. But the Lord was with them and they were blessed as they continued to choose God over their fears and the pride of the world.
We are Equals in the Lord's Eyes
My final thought this week was that we are truly equal in the Lord's eyes. There are unfortunately a lot of voices out there saying otherwise, or trying to demean the voices asking for equality by shrugging it off as not a "real" issue, or using callous labels to demean others or lay unfair blame on the door of an entire race, and pretending injustices aren't happening. The Lord sees all of us, and he sees how we choose to live each moment of our lives. In ancient times he uses angels more frequently, in modern times, he gives us promptings to be each other's angels, to lift each other up, as equals, brothers and sisters and children of a Heavenly Father.
In Alma 16:14 we are reminded, "And as many as would hear their words, unto them they did impart the word of God, without any respect of persons, continually." Alma and Amulek preached to anyone who would listen, as the gospel is for everyone.
In Alma 16:15 we learn that though the scriptures here talk about Alma and Amulek, "many more" were "chosen for the work."
And in Alma 16:16, it says, "And there was no inequality among them; the Lord did pour out his Spirit on all the face of the land to prepare the minds of the children of men, or to prepare their hearts to receive the word which should be taught among them at the time of his coming."
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