Alma 18: Caught with Guile

Chapter 18 begins the story of the conversion of king Lamoni, his wife,  his household and many of his people.   King Lamoni's conversion leads to the conversion of his father (the king of the Lamanite nation), and to the conversion of many of the Lamanites of that land. As you may recall, Ammon had been in the service of king Lamoni and had miraculously preserved the king's flock and the servants who were tending them.   We pick up the story as the king invites Ammon to tell him of the power that Ammon held.

Ammon got to teach the king by impressing him with his works of selfless service.  "And it came to pass that king Lamoni inquired of his servants, saying: Where is this man that has such great power?  when king Lamoni heard that Ammon was preparing his horses and his chariots he was more astonished" (Alma 18:8-10).

The servants were already won over,  and they told the king that they believed that Ammon was the great spirit.  When Ammon came into the king's presence,  the king marveled at what the servants had told him and didn't dare speak to him,  but Ammon percieved his thoughts.   The king was astounded that Ammon could know what he was thinking and said: "How knowest thou the thoughts of my heart? Thou mayest speak boldly, and also tell me by what power ye slew and smote off the arms of my brethren that scattered my flocks.  And now, if thou wilt tell me concerning these things, whatsoever thou desirest I will give unto thee..." Alma 18:20-21).

Ammon said to the king "Wilt thou hearken unto my words, if I tell thee by what power I do these things? And this is the thing that I desire of thee" (Alma 18:22).  The king's answer: "Yea, I will believe all thy words" (Alma 18:23).

There are two phrases from this story that stick in my head.

Verse 22 says that Ammon was "wise yet harmless" when the king offered to give Ammon whatever he asked for...  Ammon truly had God's glory in mind because he only wanted the king to believe what he would teach.    This reminds me of the Savior, when Satan offered the power and glory of the world,  "Again, the devil taketh [Jesus] up into an exceeding high mountain, and sheweth him all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them; And saith unto him, All these things will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down and worship me.  Then saith Jesus unto him, Get thee hence, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve" (Matthew 4:8-10).

Do we value or membership in the church?   Do we consider our testimony to be precious, worth more than anything?  What would I give up to do the Lord's will?  These could be hard questions,  at least to some.   I have a long way to go before I am in Ammon's league.   Fortunately,  God loves each one of us and is patiently helping us along.   I believe that any one of us can be an Ammon, given the right circumstances.  Our job is to continually widen the scope of those circumstances until we are like Ammon,  and then further still until we have become like Christ.

Verse 23 says that when king Lamoni agreed to Ammon's seemingly innocuous request "will you hearken to my words" that he was caught with guile.   What is guile?

I find it interesting that this word is used, since many dictionaries give the word a rather negative connotation.   Www.merriam-webster.com defines the word:   "deceitful: cunning: duplicity : the use of clever and usually dishonest methods to achieve something".  I don't see Ammon's actions in eliciting a promise from king Lamoni as any of these things.  Merriam-Webster also shows a definition that is deemed obsolete:  "stratagem, trick".  Another definition, one that I think better fits Ammon and king Lamoni's interchange, comes  from www.yourdictionary.com:  "slyness shown in a charming way; slyness and cunning in dealing with others".  Keep in mind that verse 23 of Alma 18, in which the word is used, was translated from another language in 1829.  In the intevening time it is possible that the word's connotation has changed,  just as many other words have.  Reading this passage, I see that Lamoni's offer to give Ammon anything he wanted showed a remarkable desire to know truth and an amazing amount of trust in Ammon, who he had so recently come to revere.  It shows Ammon to be a trustworthy man who only desired to share the Lord's gospel with someone who had been prepared to receive it.  We should each cultivate these qualities:  desire to search for truth and righteousness; willingness to abandon earthly things for heavenly precepts; trustworthiness; and willingness to share gospel truths. 

Ammon taught Lamoni about God, the creator of heaven and earth, and how He "...looketh down upon all the children of men; and he knows all the thoughts and intents of the heart; for by his hand were they all created" (Alma 18:32).  King Lamoni, indicating that he believed Ammon, asked him if he came from God.  Ammon replied "I am a man; and man in the beginning was created after the image of God, and I am called by his Holy Spirit to teach these things unto this people, that they may be brought to a knowledge of that which is just and true;  And a portion of that Spirit dwelleth in me, which giveth me knowledge, and also power according to my faith and desires which are in God" (Alma 18:34-35).  This is an important point, one I would like to emphasize.  We are earthly creatures, created in the image of God and a portion of His spirit dwells with us when we do what is right.  We are capable of great things, as God's children, especially when we rely on the spirit that dwells in us.  We choose what our lives will become and thereby choose the eternal reward that will be given to us.  Each Sunday we can learn different ways to be righteous.  Each weekday we can exercise our freedom to make good choices.  Like Ammon, we can use our faith in God to develop righteous desires.

Ammon taught Lamoni (and those in his chambers) about the creation and fall of man,  the coming of Christ and the redemption of mankind, and about their forefathers interactions with each other.  Afterward, the king indicated again that he believed what Ammon had taught.  Then Lamoni, evidently overwhelmed in spirit, "...began to cry unto the Lord, saying: O Lord, have mercy; according to thy abundant mercy which thou hast had upon the people of Nephi, have upon me, and my people" (Alma 18:41).  This should probably be the plea each of us makes as we kneel in prayer to our heavenly Father.  Our Father in heaven is merciful to his children, I have seen it in my lifetime.  I know He loves us.  May we each petition our Father for His mercy, and then trust in His watchful care.

Don