Alma 62-63

Alma 62

Moroni marches with a portion of his army to help Pahoran take back the city of Zarahemla from the rebellion group. And they win, of course... It’s Moroni against a little rebellion group! They didn’t stand a chance.

Once Pahoran has regained control of the capital city and his judgment seat, food and men are finally sent to strengthen the armies of Helaman, Teancum and Lehi.

Moroni and Pahoran then take their strengthened army and begin to hit the surrounding cities the Lamanites have captured and take them all back, one by one. In the city of Nephihah they repel over the walls of the city in the night, and are all inside the city when the army wakes in the morning. The Lamanites try to run away but most of them are taken prisoner by the Nephites. All the prisoners join the people of Ammon and live in peace. This greatly reduces the army of the Lamanites, and relieves the Nephites of having to guard or feed prisoners.

They continue to conquer armies of the Lamanites until they meet up with Lehi and Teancum, and all the Lamanite armies are gathered together in one place, in the land of Moroni.

During the night, everyone sleeps except Teancum. “He was exceedingly angry with Ammoron, insomuch that he considered that Ammoron, and Amalickiah his brother, had been the cause of this great and lasting war between them and the Lamanites, which had been the cause of so much war and bloodshed, yea, and so much famine (vs. 35).” So Teancum sneaks over the walls of the city Moroni, where all the Lamanites have gathered, and silently searches until he finds Ammoron sleeping. He casts a Javelin in his heart, but Ammoron wakes his servants before he dies, and they pursue Teancum and kill him.

 37 Now it came to pass that when Lehi and Moroni knew that Teancum was dead they were exceedingly sorrowful; for behold, he had been a man who had fought valiantly for his country, yea, a true friend to liberty; and he had suffered very many exceedingly sore afflictions

 38 Now it came to pass that Moroni marched forth on the morrow, and came upon the Lamanites, insomuch that they did slay them with a great slaughter; and they did drive them out of the land; and they did flee, even that they did not return at that time against the Nephites.

 39 And thus ended the thirty and first year of the reign of the judges over the people of Nephi; and thus they had had wars, and bloodsheds, and famine, and affliction, for the space of many years.

The war is over - after all this time! Moroni retires and his son Moronihah becomes the leader of the Nephite armies. Pahoran returns to his judgment seat. Helaman returns to preaching the word of God. The Nephites are humbled and grateful and remember the blessings of the Lord, and they begin to prosper. Helaman dies of old age.

Alma 63

We learn in this chapter that many of the Nephites build ships and sail northward to settle a new land. Multiple waves of people leave, but after the last group leaves, the Nephites never hear from those people again. They assume they all drowned in the ocean. Mormons believe those people did not actually drown, but became the first settlers of Polynesia. A significant percentage of Polynesians are Mormon (in the neighborhood of 30% but don’t quote me on that). 

Helaman died in the last chapter, and so his brother has been keeping these records, but now he is about to die so he passes them on to Helaman’s son, whose name is also Helaman.  So now as we end the book of Alma, guess what the next book is called… Helaman! We made it! It took me over a year just to get through the Book of Alma. But Alma is the biggest book in the Book of Mormon, and I just know we are going to pick up momentum now and finish the rest of the Book of Mormon in 2015!

Alma 60-61

Alma 60

Moroni writes again to Pahoran, the governor of the land, who still has not sent any support to Moroni or Helaman and their armies. This time, his letter doesn’t pull any punches. Check out the fire and passion in a few of these excerpts from this man who has given his life to his people and their freedom:

 7 Can you think to sit upon your thrones in a state of thoughtless stupor, while your enemies are spreading the work of death around you? Yea, while they are murdering thousands of your brethren...
10 And now, my beloved brethren—for ye ought to be beloved; yea, and ye ought to have stirred yourselves more diligently for the welfare and the freedom of this people; but behold, ye have neglected them insomuch that the blood of thousands shall come upon your heads for vengeance... 23 Do ye suppose that God will look upon you as guiltless while ye sit still and behold these things? Behold I say unto you, Nay. Now I would that ye should remember that God has said that the inward vessel shall be cleansed first, and then shall the outer vessel be cleansed also. 24 And now, except ye do repent of that which ye have done, and begin to be up and doing, and send forth food and men unto us…behold it will be expedient that we contend no more with the Lamanites until we have first cleansed our inward vessel, yea, even the great head of our government... 27 And I will come unto you, and if there be any among you that has a desire for freedom, yea, if there be even a spark of freedom remaining, behold I will stir up insurrections among you, even until those who have desires to usurp power and authority shall become extinct. 28 Yea, behold I do not fear your power nor your authority, but it is my God whom I fear; and it is according to his commandments that I do take my sword to defend the cause of my country, and it is because of your iniquity that we have suffered so much loss... 30 Behold, I wait for assistance from you; and, except ye do administer unto our relief, behold, I come unto you, even in the land of Zarahemla, and smite you with the sword, insomuch that ye can have no more power to impede the progress of this people in the cause of our freedom... 36 Behold, I am Moroni, your chief captain. I seek not for power, but to pull it down. I seek not for honor of the world, but for the glory of my God, and the freedom and welfare of my country.

Alma 61

Moroni finally hears back from Pahoran, and he discovers things are not as he assumed. Pahoran has been run out of town by a large rebellion group who has taken over the capital city of Zarahemla, and the rebellion group is planning to hand the city over to the Lamanites. Pahoran has been building up support to fight back, but has been hesitating at the idea of attacking his own people.

Pahoran is my hero. Most people who receive misplaced criticism become very defensive and offended. And to call Moroni’s letter “misplaced criticism” is an understatement. It is a scathing rebuke, accusing him of lounging in gluttony while his entire nation perishes, and threatening him with hell fire and the mutiny of his own army, when in reality Pahoran has been a victim to perilous circumstances just like Moroni and his armies. But how does Pahoran react to Moroni’s letter?

9 And now, in your epistle you have censured me, but it mattereth not; I am not angry, but do rejoice in the greatness of your heart. I, Pahoran, do not seek for power, save only to retain my judgment-seat that I may preserve the rights and the liberty of my people. My soul standeth fast in that liberty in the which God hath made us free.

That is why Pahoran is my hero. It takes a strong man to lead armies and cities. But it takes an even stronger man to humbly forgive, and choose to see the good intentions of a friend who made a big and harsh mistake. 

Alma 58-59

Alma 58

Helaman and the armies in his quarter of the land aren’t receiving help from the government despite their desperate requests. They begin to fear they will be outnumbered and destroyed, but their faith in God keeps them afloat.

11 Yea, and it came to pass that the Lord our God did visit us with assurances that he would deliver us; yea, insomuch that he did speak peace to our souls, and did grant unto us great faith, and did cause us that we should hope for our deliverance in him.

Meanwhile, Helaman and the other leaders devise a clever strategy to re-capture the land of Manti. They camp in the wilderness just outside the city, and successfully entice the large Lamanite army inside to prepare to come out and attack them. The Lamanites think they can easily squash Helaman because his army isn’t very big. Secretly Helaman divides his army into three parts. Gid splits to the left and hides in the wilderness with his men. Teomner splits to the right and does the same. And Helaman stays where the Lamanite spies initially found them in the middle. When the large Lamanite army comes to attack, Helaman and his men turn and run deeper into the wilderness and the Lamanites chase them, passing unaware through the middle of Gid and Teomner and their men. After the Lamanites have passed Gid and Teomner, they unite and take over the city Manti which only has a few Lamanite guards left behind. Re-capture successful!

The Lamanites are still chasing Helaman and his men in the wilderness, but Helaman is getting closer and closer to the city Zarahelma, and the Lamanites begin to panic that they are walking into a trap, so they stop and turn back toward their city of Manti. But it is night time now, so they camp for the night. In the middle of the night, Helaman and his men sneak around the Lamanites and travel all the way back to the city of Manti to join with Gid and Teomner.

When the Lamanites make it back home, they discover it is no longer “home” and the Nephites have outsmarted them.

Alma 59

All the stories we have been reading about Helaman and his armies have been in a letter he wrote to Captain Moroni updating him on the affairs of that part of the land. After Moroni finishes reading Helaman’s letter, he shares the good news with the people in his part of the land and writes a letter to the governor in Zarahemla requesting that they send more provisions and support to Helaman. Moroni’s part of the land also needs more support, and an important city called Nephihah is captured by the Lamanites. Moroni is getting increasingly angry with the government for their neglect and indifference toward their armies.

Alma 56-57

Alma 56

It’s time for the story of the 2,000 Stripling Warriors! Remember, they were introduced back in Alma 53 and now they are entering the field of battle!

Helaman is the captain of the little band of 2,000 Stripling Warriors, and they are assigned to strengthen Antipus and his army in the city Judea. The Lamanites have captured many cities in that part of the land, and Antipus is trying to figure out how to get some back, but it is too difficult to attack the Lamanites inside the fortified cities, and the Lamanites refuse to come out. So Antipus and Helaman develop a strategy.

Helaman and the little band of Stripling Warriors march past the city Antiparah, which has the largest Lamanite army, pretending they are carrying supplies to a nearby city of Nephites. Because their group is so small, and the Lamanites are stressed about the Nephites receiving any more strength or supplies, the Lamanites in Antiparah decides to chase after the Stripling Warriors. Just what the Nephites wanted to happen! As soon as the Lamanite army is out, Antipus’s army (who has been hiding) chases after them from behind.

For two days there is a 3-player chase. Helaman and the Stripling Warriors (who were basically the bait) are in the front, marching their hearts out to not be caught by this huge Lamanite army. And next, the Lamanites are being chased by Antipus and his Nephite army.

Then on the third morning the Stripling Warriors wake up, and the Lamanites are nowhere to be seen. Did Antipus catch up to the Lamanites, and now they are fighting and need the Stripling Warrior’s help? Or did the Lamanites stop and hide, and they are waiting to ambush the Stripling Warriors if they turn around and go back? This is a dangerous and tense situation.

Helaman asks these 2,000 young men what they want to do. Can you see why these boys are my heroes?

46 For as I had ever called them my sons (for they were all of them very young) even so they said unto me: Father, behold our God is with us, and he will not suffer that we should fall; then let us go forth; we would not slay our brethren if they would let us alone; therefore let us go, lest they should overpower the army of Antipus. 47 Now they never had fought, yet they did not fear death; and they did think more upon the liberty of their fathers than they did upon their lives; yea, they had been taught by their mothers, that if they did not doubt, God would deliver them. 48 And they rehearsed unto me the words of their mothers, saying: We do not doubt our mothers knew it.

Not only are the warriors my heroes for their faith and courage, but their mothers are my heroes. I love this story that shows the power and influence a good mother can have on her children, which in turn influences an entire nation.

Helaman and the Stripling Warriors turn around and go back, and it turns out to be the right decision. Antipus had indeed caught up to the Lamanites, and they have been fighting with all their might and strength, and are getting exhausted and starting to lose. Antipus and many of the leaders have been killed.

The Stripling Warriors jump into the battle with all their courage and strengt. They are so strong that the entire Lamanite army turns around from fighting Antipus’s army and focuses on the Stripling Warriors. This gives Antipus’s remaining men enough time to re-group and get back in the fight. And with the Lamanites surrounded by the Stripling Warriors on one side, and the Nephites on the other side, they soon surrender. The Nephites have just conquered the largest Lamanite army!

Are you ready for the best part? Not one of the Stripling Warriors was killed in battle. Loads of Lamanites and Nephites were killed, but not a single Stripling Warrior. The power of faith! I love this story.

Alma 57

The Nephites succeed in re-capturing two of their cities that had been taken over by the Lamanites. One of them, the city Cumeni, they capture by camping outside the city and preventing the Lamanites from receiving any supplies or provisions. They capture a large delivery of supplies (and take the delivery-army as prisoners), and eventually Cumeni surrenders because they can't survive any longer without outside food and supplies.

By now the Nephites have a lot of prisoners of war, and they are getting difficult to handle, so they send a troop to escort the prisoners to Zarahemla where it will be easier to guard them. But the next day the Lamanites attack the city Cumeni to try to win it back, and the delivery troop miraculously returns to help the Nephites fight (they find out later that the prisoners had revolted and many escaped, but it was good the troop had returned to help fight). The Stripling Warriors—who are now 2,060 strong—fight along with the Nephites in a fierce and bloody battle, and manage to beat off the attacking Lamanites and keep the city Cumeni. Miraculously, for the second time, none of the Stripling Warriors are killed, even though over 1,000 Nephites are killed and even more Lamanites.

These verses help me to understand why the Stripling Warriors had such power.

20 And as the remainder of our army were about to give way before the Lamanites, behold, those two thousand and sixty were firm and undaunted.
21 Yea, and they did obey and observe to perform every word of command with exactness; yea, and even according to their faith it was done unto them; and I did remember the words which they said unto me that their mothers had taught them…
26 And now, their preservation was astonishing to our whole army, yea, that they should be spared while there was a thousand of our brethren who were slain. And we do justly ascribe it to the miraculous power of God, because of their exceeding faith in that which they had been taught to believe—that there was a just God, and whosoever did not doubt, that they should be preserved by his marvelous power.
27 Now this was the faith of these of whom I have spoken; they are young, and their minds are firm, and they do put their trust in God continually.

Alma 53-55

Alma 53

We are entering one of my favorite stories in the Book of Mormon. But to understand the story we need to rewind. Remember Ammon and his brothers who went on a mission to the Lamanites? They were the sons of King Mosiah who used to be trouble-makers until an angel appeared to them and told them to shape up, and then they totally turned their lives around and had incredible success in converting thousands of Lamanites to the Lord, including their king. Then those Lamanites—who called themselves the people of Ammon—made a covenant with God to never fight or kill again, so they buried all their weapons deep in the earth, and moved in with the Nephites for protection because the not-converted Lamanites now hated them (see Alma 17-25 for a refresher). 

Well, the people of Ammon are now second-guessing their covenant to never fight again, because the Nephites and Lamanites are engaged in this big war, and the people of Ammon want to help the Nephites. They consider breaking their vow, but Helaman and other church leaders convince them not to.

But there is an alternative solution! The people of Ammon now have sons who are old enough to fight, and the sons never made the vow with God not to fight. So these young sons sign up for the army—2000 of them in total—and become known as the 2000 Stripling Warriors. These boys are my heroes. You’ll read about their heroic acts later, but this chapter gives us a glimpse into their heroic hearts.

20 And they were all young men, and they were exceedingly valiant for courage, and also for strength and activity; but behold, this was not all—they were men who were true at all times in whatsoever thing they were entrusted.

21 Yea, they were men of truth and soberness, for they had been taught to keep the commandments of God and to walk uprightly before him

We will learn later that the young warriors' faith is so great because their mothers taught them

Alma 54

If you were to write a letter to a man who was causing a war against your people—an unjust war for the sake of power and greed—what would you say?? Captain Moroni writes to King Ammoron (brother of the late King Amalekiah who started this war) about exchanging prisoners of war. Neither of these men are softies, and they don’t sugar-coat.  Give it a read! What insights into the characters of these men do you gain from reading their letters?

Alma 55

Moroni decides not to exchange prisoners with Ammoron because he doesn’t want the Lamanite army to have any more power. Instead, he devises a plan to free the Nephite prisoners. First, he finds a small group of converted Lamanites within his army. These Lamanites pretend they have escaped from the Nephites, and approach the city Gid (where the Nephite prisoners are guarded) during the night, carrying “stolen” wine. The Lamanite guards are excited about their escaped comrades, and especially about the wine, and they drink up! The wine is strong, and quickly knocks the Lamanites out in a drunken stupor. 

Cue Moroni, who quietly enters the city with his army, and they pass weapons into the prison to all the Nephite prisoners, including the women and children. Then the army retreats and surrounds the city. When the Lamanites wake up in the morning, Moroni’s army has them surrounded on the outside, and all the prisoners on the inside are armed. Naturally, the Lamanites surrender and Moroni takes over the city Gid, and most importantly he frees all the Nephite prisoners.

An important insight to Moroni’s character and motivations is given in verses 18-20 when the Nephite army is secretly handing weapons to the prisoners while the Lamanites are drunk:

 18 But had they awakened the Lamanites, behold they were drunken and the Nephites could have slain them.

 19 But behold, this was not the desire of Moroni; he did not delight in murder or bloodshed, but he delighted in the saving of his people from destruction; and for this cause he might not bring upon him injustice, he would not fall upon the Lamanites and destroy them in their drunkenness.

Alma 51-52

Alma 51

Summary of Events:

The Nephites experience an internal fall-out as a portion of the people want the law to be changed to incorporate a king. These “kingmen,” however, are outnumbered by the majority of the people, who classify themselves as “freemen,” and vote to keep the judges system as it is. Even though freedom in the law prevails, this is a bad time for an internal conflict, because Amalekiah and the Lamanites wage war again. The kingmen see this as an opportunity to boycott in revenge, and they refuse to fight. Moroni’s armies are weakened enough that the Lamanites take over at least 7 cities, “all of which were strongly fortified after the manner of the fortifications of Moroni; all of which afforded strongholds for the Lamanites (v. 27).” Bad news—very bad news. Amalekiah would have succeeded in taking over even more cities, except he is stopped by Teancum and his army, who are basically super warriors, and they stop Amalekiah’s army in their tracks. In the middle of the night, when both armies are camped after an intense day of battle, Teancum covertly sneaks into the Lamanite’s camp and puts a javelin to the heart of Amalekiah, killing him on the spot. Teancum successfully sneaks back to his camp and wakes up his army so they will be ready in the morning when the Lamanites wake up and discover their king is dead. 

Spiritual Insights:

I think the story of the kingmen is a powerful illustration of the destructive consequences that can come from a lack of unity. Our modern society really values individualism and personal rights and the freedom to rebel against the majority, and in many cases that is a good thing, but it can also go too far and be damaging to everyone. I believe there is a line at which personal freedom should not trump the freedom of the whole.

Alma 52

Summary of Events:

Moroni creates a clever strategy to reclaim one of the cities taken by the Lamanites—Mulek. The city’s fortifications are too strong for the Nephites to attack it directly, so they need to somehow coax the Lamanites out onto the open plains to fight. 

There are 3 different players on the Nephite team: (1) Teancum’s army, which is stationed in the part of the land where Mulek is, (2) Moroni’s army, which secretly travels from a different part of the country to join Teancum, and (3) Lehi’s army, stationed in the land Bountiful. 

So the strategy plays out like this: first, Teancum’s little army marches past the land Mulek. The Lamanites just can’t resist coming out of their fortifications to squash this little army, and they start chasing Teancum’s men, who start running toward the land Bountiful. Meanwhile, once the Lamanites are out of site, Moroni and his army have been hiding in the wilderness, and they emerge and attack the few Lamanites who are left to guard the city Mulek and easily take it. Moroni leaves half his army in Mulek, and takes the other half to chase after the Lamanites who are pursuing Teancum.

Teancum’s men reach the city Bountiful, and the Lamanites realize that Lehi is there and his men are strong and fresh, whereas the Lamanites are exhausted from their chase, so the Lamanites turn on their heals and rush back toward Mulek. Lehi’s men chase them until the Lamanites collide with Moroni’s men who have been chasing from behind, and the Lamanites are surrounded on both sides by Nephites and are forced to surrender. So the Nephites reclaim their city Mulek and also take an army of Lamanite prisoners.

Spiritual Insight:

I'll admit the spiritual insight isn't as obvious to me on this one, although the episode is very clever and intriguing. I suppose there is a lesson here on the power of teamwork in the battle against evil. You could also say that it's easier to defend/maintain moral ground than it is to regain it after it has been lost... but it IS possible. Do you have any insights to add? 

Alma 49-50

Alma 49

Summary of Events:

The war begins! Amalekiah’s army of Lamanites marches to the Nephite city of Ammonihah. They are decked out with armor (they learned their lesson from the last battle), and they expect to easily conquer their target because they easily destroyed it in the past (see Alma 16). 

8 But behold, to their total astonishment, [the Nephites] were prepared for them, in a manner which never had been known among the children of Lehi. Now they were prepared for the Lamanites, to battle after the manner of the instructions of Moroni.

Under Moroni’s leadership, the Nephites have erected walls and dug ditches around their entire city (like the picture), making it nearly impossible to enter the city except by the narrow entrance gate. The Lamanites have never seen anything like it! They are scared to attack (as they should be), and decide to attack a different city first.

 13 For they knew not that Moroni had fortified, or had built forts of security, for every city in all the land round about; therefore, they marched forward to the land of Noah with a firm determination; yea, their chief captains came forward and took an oath that they would destroy the people of that city.

 14 But behold, to their astonishment, the city of Noah, which had hitherto been a weak place, had now, by the means of Moroni, become strong, yea, even to exceed the strength of the city Ammonihah.

 15 And now, behold, this was wisdom in Moroni; for he had supposed that they would be frightened at the city Ammonihah; and as the city of Noah had hitherto been the weakest part of the land, therefore they would march thither to battle; and thus it was according to his desires.

Clever Moroni! He also placed Lehi in command at the city of Noah, and the Lamanites are afraid of Lehi because he walloped them in the last battle. But because the Lamanite commanders had promised each other to attack at this next city, they give it a try. And they fail miserably! No one succeeds in getting over the walls of the city or through the narrow passage. Over 1000 Lamanites are killed, and not a single Nephite is killed.

Spiritual Insights:

The time to prepare to defend/protect yourself against spiritually destructive forces is BEFORE they attack. Identify your biggest weaknesses, and defend those the most, because you can count on them being attacked first.

Alma 50

Summary of Events:

Moroni’s armies continue to strengthen the fortifications of all their cities, and the Nephites build many new cities. These are happy and prosperous times for the Nephites, even though they know the Lamanites could come to war again any day.

The biggest conflict the Nephites deal with during this time is internal. The people in the city Morianton claim land that belongs to a new city named Lehi, and they are ready to fight for it. “But behold, the people who possessed the land of Lehi fled to the camp of Moroni, and appealed unto him for assistance; for behold they were not in the wrong (v. 27).” Morianton’s army is obviously scared of Moroni’s army because they are no competition for them, so they plan to take off and possess the land northward. But before the plan occurs, Morianton loses his temper with a maid and beats her, and she flees to Moroni and tells him all about Morianton’s plans. 

Moroni sends an army led by an awesome guy named Teancum (we will hear more about him in future battles) to intersect Morianton’s people in their flight, and of course Teancum’s army wins. Morianton is killed, and the rest of the people return to the city of Morianton in peace.

Spiritual Insights:

One of the reoccurring themes of the Book of Mormon is that you will prosper in life if you keep God’s commandments, and your life will eventually fall apart if you don’t. This point is illustrated in the lives of the Nephites and Lamanites throughout the Book of Mormon, and this is one time in which the Nephites exhibit prosperity due to their righteousness and the Lord’s blessings:

 17 And in these prosperous circumstances were the people of Nephi in the commencement of the twenty and first year of the reign of the judges over the people of Nephi.

 18 And they did prosper exceedingly, and they became exceedingly rich; yea, and they did multiply and wax strong in the land.

 19 And thus we see how merciful and just are all the dealings of the Lord, to the fulfilling of all his words unto the children of men; yea, we can behold that his words are verified, even at this time, which he spake unto Lehi, saying:

 20 Blessed art thou and thy children; and they shall be blessed, inasmuch as they shall keep my commandments they shall prosper in the land. But remember, inasmuch as they will not keep my commandments they shall be cut off from the presence of the Lord.

 21 And we see that these promises have been verified to the people of Nephi; for it has been their quarrelings and their contentions, yea, their murderings, and their plunderings, their idolatry, their whoredoms, and their abominations, which were among themselves, which brought upon them their wars and their destructions.

 22 And those who were faithful in keeping the commandments of the Lord were delivered at all times, whilst thousands of their wicked brethren have been consigned to bondage, or to perish by the sword, or to dwindle in unbelief, and mingle with the Lamanites.

Another important point—if you are faithful in following the Lord and keeping His commandments, it is possible to be happy and to thrive in life even in non-ideal circumstances. The Nephites know that the Lamanites are preparing for war and could attack at any time, and yet they seem to be the happiest they have ever been.

 23 But behold there never was a happier time among the people of Nephi, since the days of Nephi, than in the days of Moroni, yea, even at this time, in the twenty and first year of the reign of the judges.

Alma 47-48

Alma 47

Summary of Events:

Amalekiah is a cunning, lying, treacherous snake—and he is good at it! Remember how he escaped from Moroni? Well, he runs to the Lamanites, as expected, and succeeds in “stirring up the Lamanites to anger against the people of Nephi” and the king declares war against the Nephites again. However, most of the Lamanites remember how the Nephites beat them in the last war (plus they made a covenant not to go to war against the Nephites again) and they are scared to death, so they band together and refuse to go to war against the Nephites. Of course this angers the king, and he puts Amalekiah in charge of the part of the army that IS willing to go to war and sends them off to force the rebels to fight.

Amalekiah has no intention of helping the King. In fact, his only desire is to become the king. So at night, when his army is camped at the base of the mountain where the refuse-to-fight Lamanite army is entrenched, Amalekiah sends a secret embassy to the leader of the refuse-to-fight army, whose name is Lehonti, requesting to speak with him. Amalekiah tells Lehonti to come down with his army and surround the king’s army, and Amalekiah will surrender his army IF… IF… Lehonti will make Amalekiah 2^nd in command over the army. Yeah...don’t put a treacherous, power-hungry monster as 2^nd in command because that is not where he will stay. Sure enough, when Lehonti becomes captain of the merged Lamanite army, “Amalekiah caused that one of his servants should administer poison by degrees to Lehonti, that he died (v. 18).” And now Amalekiah is #1 in control over the entire Lamanite army.

Amalekiah leads the army back to the capitol city to see the king, who thinks Amalekiah has fulfilled his orders. After the triumphal entry of the army, Amalekiah’s guards bow before the king, and as the king puts forward his hand to raise them up, they stab him to the heart. Dead. The king’s guards are freaked out, and flee, and Amalekiah and his guards raise a cry that the servants of the king have killed him. They convince everyone—including the queen—because the servants appear guilty because they fled. And before you know it, Amalekiah is king of all the Lamanites and even marries the queen.

Spiritual Application:

Biggest lesson of this chapter: beware of slow and subtle influences that convince you to do things or become someone you never intended. It may seem like Amalekiah accomplished his destructive designs with whirlwind speed, but that’s because this is a summary! Really he was slow, and subtle, and intentional. When he first asked Lehonti to come down from his mountain (spiritual translation: down from the high moral ground where they were “fixed in their minds with a determined resolution that they would not [do something they knew was bad] (v. 6))", Lehonti refused. Amalekiah sent a messenger 3 times, and Lehonti refused. So finally Amalekiah went up just below Lehonti’s camp and asked him to “just come down a little” (see the spiritual application there?) and he could even bring his guards with him. And when Lehonti agreed to “just come down a little” that was the beginning of his demise. And notice how Amalekiah later killed Lehonti: he had “one of his servants administer poison by degrees to Lehonti (v. 18).” Little by little, so subtly that Lehonti didn’t even recognize he was being poisoned until it was too late. We need to constantly be on our guard for any influences in our lives that are trying to convince us to slowly come down from our principles or values. In our current society, these influences are everywhere. Can you recognize any in your life?

Alma 48

Summary of Events:

In the previous chapter we heard all about Amalekiah’s cunning climb to power over the Lamanites, and now he is not satisfied with being king over just the Lamanites, and he wants to rule over all the Nephites, too, so he has been stirring up the Lamanites to go to war against the Nephites.

But in the meantime, over with the Nephites, Captain Moroni has also been at work. "Now it came to pass that while Amalickiah had thus been obtaining power by fraud and deceit, Moroni, on the other hand, had been preparing the minds of the people to be faithful unto the Lord their God (v 7)." Moroni has been busy preparing his armies. They are building forts and walls around the cities, “and in their weakest fortifications [Moroni] did place the greater number of men.” (v. 9) Moroni is a deeply-good guy—motivated by freedom, and love, and faith.

Spiritual Application:

Chapters 47 and 48 give a stark contrast between good and evil. Consider all the deception and murder Amalekiah committed to gain his own selfish designs. And now compare that to Moroni:

11 And Moroni was a strong and a mighty man; he was a man of a perfect understanding; yea, a man that did not delight in bloodshed; a man whose soul did joy in the liberty and the freedom of his country, and his brethren from bondage and slavery;

12 Yea, a man whose heart did swell with thanksgiving to his God, for the many privileges and blessings which he bestowed upon his people; a man who did labor exceedingly for the welfare and safety of his people.

 13 Yea, and he was a man who was firm in the faith of Christ, and he had sworn with an oath to defend his people, his rights, and his country, and his religion, even to the loss of his blood.

 17 Yea, verily, verily I say unto you, if all men had been, and were, and ever would be, like unto Moroni, behold, the very powers of hell would have been shaken forever; yea, the devil would never have power over the hearts of the children of men.

Can you think of any higher praise a person could receive? Moroni is an incredible hero—physically, intellectually, and spiritually. But at the same time, the important take-away from these accolades given to Moroni is that he is not a one-of-a-kind hero whose goodness can never be replicated. Right after these verses above, we read that, “he was a man like unto Ammon, the son of Mosiah, yea, and even the other sons of Mosiah, yea, and also Alma and his sons, for they were all men of God (v.8).” Any of us can choose to be men or women of God that shake the powers of hell. 

So I think the greatest value from Alma 47 and 48 comes when we ponder—do I have any tendencies or desires similar to Amalekiah? How about Moroni? How can I become more like Moroni and be on the team that helps to shake the powers of hell?

Alma 45-46

Alma 45-46

Summary of Events:

Alma is old now, and he passes the sacred records to his son Helaman to keep, blesses all his sons, and then disappears from the land. The people speculate that he was taken up by God, like Moses was. So now we won’t hear from Alma anymore (even though we are still in the book of Alma) and will hear from his son, Helaman, instead.

Helaman and the other leaders of the church need to clean things up, because order and adherence seem to have gone by the wayside during the war. Their regulation efforts are not received happily by all, and “there arose a dissension among them, and they would not give heed to the words of Helaman and his brethren.” (45:23) And it gets bad… real bad. So bad that the dissenters gather together and want to wage war against the Nephites in order to get their leader—a big, bad dude named Amalekiah—crowned as king. Remember there are no kings of the Nephites anymore. They have a system of judges (more like a democracy) put in place by King Mosiah before he died. Having a king—especially a bad and greedy king like Amalekiah—would be really bad news. He has convinced all the “lower judges” of the land to support him because he has promised them positions of power if he becomes King. 

Amalekiah’s destructive influence infuriates Captain Moroni. God had just helped the Nephites win a dangerous war, and so quickly they are rebelling, and this group of dissenters is threatening the liberty of the Nephites. So Moroni takes action:

12 And it came to pass that he rent his coat; and he took a piece thereof, and wrote upon it—In memory of our God, our religion, and freedom, and our peace, our wives, and our children—and he fastened it upon the end of a pole.

13 And he fastened on his head-plate, and his breastplate, and his shields, and girded on his armor about his loins; and he took the pole, which had on the end thereof his rent coat, (and he called it the title of liberty) and he bowed himself to the earth, and he prayed mightily unto his God for the blessings of liberty to rest upon his brethren…

19 And when Moroni had said these words, he went forth among the people, waving the rent part of his garment in the air, that all might see the writing which he had written upon the rent part, and crying with a loud voice, saying:

20 Behold, whosoever will maintain this title upon the land, let them come forth in the strength of the Lord, and enter into a covenant that they will maintain their rights, and their religion, that the Lord God may bless them.

21 And it came to pass that when Moroni had proclaimed these words, behold, the people came running together with their armor girded about their loins, rending their garments in token, or as a covenant, that they would not forsake the Lord their God; or, in other words, if they should transgress the commandments of God, or fall into transgression, and be ashamed to take upon them the name of Christ, the Lord should rend them even as they had rent their garments.

I’ve always thought this would make a really great scene in a movie. Go Moroni!—rallying the people to remember what is important and what is right. He succeeds in gathering together a large army to defend against Amalekiah’s Army, and Amalekiah gets scared and his army turns on their heels and runs toward the land of the Lamanites to join forces.

Moroni won’t have any of that! The Lamanite army is much bigger than the Nephites’, and he knows Amalekiah will succeed in riling them up to come to war against the Nephites again.  So Moroni chases Amalekiah and his men, and succeeds in stopping them… except Amalekiah and a few of his men escape (and you can bet this isn’t the last time we hear from Amalekiah). But for now, Moroni's men and Amalekiah’s men who are willing to truce and rejoin the cause of liberty, return home and maintain peace in the land for 4 more years.

Spiritual Application

• “Thus we see how quick the children of men do forget the Lord their God, yea, how quick to do iniquity, and to be led away by the evil one (46:8).” Anytime the Book of Mormon says “thus we see…” it is essentially highlighting a spiritual application. This one is kind-of a downer, but it’s reality and we will see it over and over again in the Book of Mormon. People have a tendency to forget miracles, answered prayers, and other spiritual experiences, and then they backslide into old ways. It is preventable, but it takes consistent work and nurturing, like regularly praying, reading scriptures, and yes even going to church.
• “Yea, and we also see the great wickedness one very wicked man can cause to take place among the children of men (46:9).” Who are the individuals you allowing to influence your life?—and are they a good influence or a destructive influence? Beware, because one person can powerfully affect your life in ways you might not recognize.
• Moroni takes a hard edge with these dissenters. We could accuse him of being mean or unloving, but we know Moroni isn’t either of those things. Moroni saw the bigger picture—how the dissenters would destroy the liberty and happiness of all the other people if they were left unchecked. So he took a stand, even though I’m sure it made him wildly unpopular with the dissenters or the sympathizers of the dissenters. I believe it is possible to be a loving person while standing strong against popular movements in society that you believe are harmful.

Alma 43-44

THE WAR CHAPTERS

Alma 43 marks the beginning of what is known as the “War Chapters” of the Book of Mormon. Through the rest of Alma we will read about a long and destructive war between the Nephites and the Lamanites. 

These chapters tell history more than they teach doctrine, and sometimes people have a hard time seeing their spiritual value. However, I think every chapter contains symbolic lessons we can apply toward our personal “wars” in life. As the New Testament says, “we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.” (Ephesians 6:12) 

So for the war chapters, I will summarize the events in the chapter, and then will highlight some of the spiritual applications that I can see.

Ok, here goes!

Alma 43

Summary of Events:

The Lamanites launch an attack on the Nephites! Led by a man named Zarahemnah, their motive is hatred toward the Nephites and a desire for power. The Nephite armies, on the other hand, are led by one of the greatest heroes in the Book of Mormon—Captain Moroni. He is only 25 years old, but he is a big guy, a smart guy, and a good guy. So good, actually, that in Alma 48 it says, “If all men had been, and were, and ever would be, like unto Moroni, behold, the very powers of hell would have been shaken forever; yea, the devil would never have power over the hearts of the children of men.”

The Lamanite army outnumbers the Nephite army by more than 2 to 1, but Moroni has prepared his men with armor, whereas the Lamanites are basically in leather loin clothes. Strengthened by their armor, their God, and their righteous desires for liberty, the Nephites are able to surround and overwhelm the Lamanites, and Moroni orders his men to hold their fighting… (the suspense! Keep reading chapter 44...)

Spiritual Insights:

• The first place the Lamanites attacked was “upon the weaker part of the people (v 24).” But Moroni had sent messengers to the prophet asking for tips, so he was warned ahead of time and was prepared with his armies when the Lamanites came. Satan works in the same way—he will strike our weaknesses first. If we can be aware of our weaknesses—and especially turn to the prophets, scriptures, and people we trust for advice and warning—we can be prepared against spiritual attacks and temptations when they come.
• Protect yourself with spiritual armor! You may be outnumbered by bad influences, but if you have on the armor of God, you can handle it.

Ephesians 6: 11-17

11 Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. 12 For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. 13 Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day... 14 Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness; 15 And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace;16 Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. 17 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God:

Alma 44

Summary of Events:

The Nephites have surrounded the Lamanites, and Moroni tells Zarahemnah they will let the Lamanites leave in peace if they will give up their weapons and covenant to never attack the Nephites again. Zarahemnah willingly gives up his sword but refuses to make a promise he knows he won’t keep. Moroni is angry and returns Zarahemnah’s sword saying, “We will end the conflict (vs 10).” 

Zarahemnah is ticked, and rushes forward with his sword to try to kill Moroni, which is pretty stupid
if you ask me because Moroni is surrounded by his men, all of whom are decked-out in armor. One of Moroni’s soldiers strikes Zarahemnah’s sword to the ground and swipes off the top of his scalp. Eeweew! Zarahemnah retreats back to his army, and the soldier lifts up the scalp piece on top of his sword and displays it for the Lamanite army, threatening they will all fall to the ground like the piece of scalp unless they surrender and covenant never to attack again. 

Many of the Lamanites come forward to surrender and covenant, and they are allowed to leave in peace, but many Lamanites remain stubbornly with Zarahemnah. And so the battle resumes, and the Nephites dominate as predicted. Eventually Zarahemnah and the rest of the men surrender and make the promise to leave the Nephites alone. So everyone goes home…. For now.

Spiritual Insights:

• Always give credit to God for your victories, like Moroni did. God will always be on your side as long as you are on His.
• But now, ye behold that the Lord is with us; and ye behold that he has delivered you into our hands. And now I would that ye should understand that this is done unto us because of our religion and our faith in Christ. And now ye see that ye cannot destroy this our faith. 4 Now ye see that this is the true faith of God; yea, ye see that God will support, and keep, and preserve us, so long as we are faithful unto him, and unto our faith, and our religion; and never will the Lord suffer that we shall be destroyed except we should fall into transgression and deny our faith.(vs. 3-4)

• Even though Zarahemnah is greedy, stubborn, and hateful, the man at least has honor. I’m impressed that he refused to make a promise he knew he wouldn’t keep, even though it would have saved his life. Ok, so he gives in when it gets really bad later on, but still I think there is a lesson of honor and integrity here.
• Never attack a really good guy who has God on his side, plus a whole lot of armored soldiers.