Trying to Catch Up - Alma 19 - 21

I'm afraid I have indulged myself in the last few posts and dwelt on a chapter or two in Alma.   There are so many nuggets of truth to be talked about in this part off the Book of Mormon!  But I must move on, so I'm going to mention a few points of interest as I summarize the events of the next few chapters.  I expect you, dear reader, to dig out the nuggets that I have not uncovered and discussed.

While Lamoni, his wife, their servants and Ammon were all sunk to the floor in communion with the spirit of the Lord, a number of people came to marvel at what was happening.  Ammon was miraculously protected when one man in the crowd, whose brother was slain during the incident at the well,  lifted his sword against Ammon.   Lesson: the Lord is aware of his faithful servants and protects them to fulfill His promises.

Everyone who had sunk to the floor awakened and administered to the large group of people who had assembled.   Some accepted their testimony and were converted - those that would hear the things that Lamoni and the "sleepers" testified of.  However, some would not hear (just like in our day) ; they went away without being converted and may or may not have had another opportunity to accept the gospel afterward.   Lesson:  It is up to every individual to "hear" the words of God and to accept the gospel.   The Lord will not deny us our freedom to choose.  And some will discard their opportunity for conversion no matter what because they will not "hear" what the Holy ghost testifies to them.

Ammon learned from the Lord that he must go to Middoni to free his companions, and Lamoni accompanied him.   Along the way they met Lamoni's father, who is the king over all the land.  The great king confronted Lamoni about missing the feast he had planned for his sons and also about being in the company of a Nephite.  Angered by Lamoni's response, the old king drew his sword and contended with Ammon,  but Ammon subdued him and threatened to slay him unless he granted his brethren at Middoni their freedom and also allowed Lamoni to freely reign over his kingdom. The old king agreed to the terms, and Lamoni and Ammon proceeded to Middonni and secured the release of Ammon's brethren.  The king of all the land returned to his home.  In thinking about this confrontation, a few things came to mind.  Let me share:

1) Lamoni's father, the king over all the land, must not have brought any guards with him.  If he had, we would have read about Ammon contending with the guards instead of with the old king.  Doesn't it seem odd that the great king, the monarch of the Lamanite nation, is traveling about the land without bodyguards?  Speculation alert: I think that the Lord arranged it so that Ammon would be able to subdue the king and elicit the promises from him that he made. Those promises opened the way for many, many Lamanites to be converted to the Lord, so I think my speculation may be accurate.

2) Regarding the interaction that resulted with the promises that the old king made, it seems to me that the narrative is missing something...  The verbal interchange we read between the king and Ammon went sorta like this:
   Ammon: Don't kill Lamoni,  he's innocent
   Old king: You're right,  I should kill you instead
   (Sword fight,  Ammon injures the old king)
   Old king: Don't kill me,  I'll give you anything you want
   Ammon: Let my brethren out of prison and leave Lamoni alone or you're dead meat
   Old king: Ok,  it's a deal
I know,  it wasn't quite that succinct,  but read what the king (Lamoni's father) said about this encounter afterward:  "when [the old king] saw the great love [Ammon] had for his son Lamoni, he was astonished exceedingly" (Alma. 20:26).  And a couple of chapters later: "I have been somewhat troubled in mind because of the generosity and the greatness of the words of thy brother Ammon; and I desire to know the cause why he has not come up out of Middoni with thee" (Alma. 22:3).  It seems to me that Ammon must have done some major spiritual convincing to have moved the king so completely, but we don't read about what was said in detail.  On the other hand,  maybe it wasn't what Ammon said, but what the Holy ghost accentuated that touched the king so deeply.  At any rate, what we read is what Ammon related to Alma, who recorded it, which was then abridged by Mormon and later translated by Joseph Smith.  My point is, the Lord has provided us with enough to learn a lesson from and to build our testimonies on.

3) I wonder about how old Lamoni's father was at this point...  We know that he was old enough to have multiple sons who were ruling parts of the overall kingdom.  Lamoni, one of the old king's sons,  was old enough to have a daughter that he offered to Ammon as a wife, and his father, the old king was a generation older than that.  We read a few chapters later that the old king died and one of Lamoni's brothers took his place.  There really is no point to this observation, accept to relate something that occurred to me as an interesting detail.  We can be assured that the Lord allowed details like this to be included so that we can be convinced of the truthfulness of the Book  of Mormon.

My testimony of the Book of Mormon - that it came forth through the power of God, and was written to convince us that Jesus is the Christ - is always strengthened when I read it and think about it.  I have had the holy Spirit testify that the Book of Mormon is truly a record of God's interaction with and influence on His people in the ancient Americas.  I hope as you read and ponder each chapter of the Book of Mormon that you will allow the Spirit's influence to work upon you.  We are promised that we will know it is true if we read it an ask sincerely:  "Behold, I would exhort you that when ye shall read these things, if it be wisdom in God that ye should read them, that ye would remember how merciful the Lord hath been unto the children of men, from the creation of Adam even down until the time that ye shall receive these things, and ponder it in your hearts.  And when ye shall receive these things, I would exhort you that ye would ask God, the Eternal Father, in the name of Christ, if these things are not true; and if ye shall ask with a sincere heart, with real intent, having faith in Christ, he will manifest the truth of it unto you, by the power of the Holy Ghost" (Moroni 10:3-4).

Don

Hearing a Testimony - Alma 19 - 20

This is sort of the flip side of my last post,  which was about conversion stories.   This time I want to talk about receiving the testimonies of others.   Let's look at some examples.

First we go to king Lamoni and his wife, the queen.  "as [Lamoni] arose, he stretched forth his hand unto the woman, and said: Blessed be the name of God, and blessed art thou.  For as sure as thou livest, behold, I have seen my Redeemer; and he shall come forth, and be born of a woman, and he shall redeem all mankind who believe on his name. Now, when he had said these words, his heart was swollen within him, and he sunk again with joy; and the queen also sunk down, being overpowered by the Spirit" (Alma 19:12-13).

The queen had previously felt the spirit of the Lord and had the start of a testimony from Ammon's prophecy that her husband would arise.  When Lamoni arose from his bed, the Queen received his testimony, felt the spirit's profound presence and was overcome by the power of her husband's words.  Her strength left her and she fell to the floor beside king Lamoni.

The king's servants had a similar experience: "Now, when the servants of the king had seen that they had fallen, they also began to cry unto God, for the fear of the Lord had come upon them also, for it was they who had stood before the king and testified unto him concerning the great power of Ammon...  And it came to pass that they did call on the name of the Lord, in their might, even until they had all fallen to the earth" (Alma 19:15-16).

The servants, who had seen Ammon in action, both in defending the king's flocks and in teaching the king, felt the power of Lamoni's brief testimony.   They were motivated to pray and were all overcome by the powerful spiritual manifestation, sinking to the floor by their king and queen.

Ammon, like the king, the queen,  and the servants, was overcome by Lamoni's testimony and the spirit everyone in the room felt: "Ammon seeing the Spirit of the Lord poured out according to his prayers upon the Lamanites, his brethren, who had been the cause of so much mourning among the Nephites, or among all the people of God... he fell upon his knees, and began to pour out his soul in prayer and thanksgiving to God for what he had done for his brethren; and he was also overpowered with joy" (Alma 19:14).

I don't know about you,  but I can't say that I have ever been overcome by the spirit to the point that I've fallen to the floor.  I have been moved to tears,  however, by the spiritual strength of some of the testimonies I've witnessed.  But there have been other times (I'm embarrassed to admit) that I have not felt the spirit of the testimony that was being shared.

What about you?   Have you sometimes felt the Holy ghost's presence during a testimony,  and sometimes not?  What was the difference?

It could be argued that one factor is the testimony itself... that when certain people share their testimony that it just isn't spiritual.  Case in point - the travelogue testimony.  I get very impatient when someone goes on and on in great detail about something that I have little interest in,  and I tune them out.  But when I do,  I miss something... I miss out on understanding why the person who is testifying was inspired to stand up in the first place.  More importantly,  I miss out on the spirit that moved this person to stand and share.  Who loses in that case?  I do.

The are many reasons a person may miss the point of someone's testimony.  Environmental factors (I'm hot;  I'm cold; the seat is to hard) or personal circumstances (I'm mad at my spouse or child or neighbor;  I don't feel well) can effectively block the spirit's influence.   We may be distracted by insistent thoughts or persistent memories, or perhaps by a grumpy mood or by (my personal favorite) having  inappropriate music stuck in your head.

Yes, there are myriad ways to miss the spiritual part of someone's testimony.  However, there is great reward in pushing aside the distractions,  in making the effort to feel the spirit of the testimony and finding the value of the message that is given.  The Savior said "Draw near unto me and I will draw near unto you; seek me diligently and ye shall find me; ask, and ye shall receive; knock, and it shall be opened unto you" (D&C 88:23).

So,  what can be done to counteract the things that keep us from feeling the spirit?  First,  recognize that the effort is needed and will be rewarded (as indicated in section 88 shown above).

Second, preparation.  If we recognize the things that distract us from feeling the spirit's influence, we must make an effort to eliminate the distractions.  Repair and eliminate the distractions in advance.  "But I say unto you, that whosoever is angry with his brother shall be in danger of his judgment.  Therefore, if ye shall come unto me, or shall desire to come unto me, and rememberest that thy brother hath aught against thee— Go thy way unto thy brother, and first be reconciled to thy brother, and then come unto me with full purpose of heart, and I will receive you" (3 Nephi 12:22-24).  Do the things that would invite the presence of the Holy Ghost into your life:  Read and ponder the scriptures; pray often and sincerely; attend church meetings and attend to your calling.  Arrive at church meetings with time to sit and contemplate to the sound of the quiet prelude music.

Next,  we should realize that receiving a testimony is somewhat like adding a log to a campfire.  If we receive and really feel the spirit of the testimony, our spirit burns brighter,  and that spirit is likely to catch on to someone near by.  "That which is of God is light; and he that receiveth light, and continueth in God, receiveth more light; and that light groweth brighter and brighter until the perfect day" (D&C 50:24).  Of this passage,  President Dieter Uchdorf said: "The more we incline our hearts and minds toward God, the more heavenly light distills upon our souls. And each time we willingly and earnestly seek that light, we indicate to God our readiness to receive more light. Gradually, things that before seemed hazy, dark, and remote become clear, bright, and familiar to us" ("Receiving a Testimony of Light and Truth", The Ensign,  November 2014).  Thinking in this vein, we actually have an obligation to spiritually 'get' the testimony being given.

One last thought to keep in mind: the Lord has said "Whosoever therefore shall humble himself as [a] little child, the same is greatest in the kingdom of heaven.  And whoso shall receive one such little child [or a child's testimony] in my name receiveth me" (Matthew 18:4-6).  When we receive a person's testimony - especially if we receive it joyfully - the Lord rejoices.

It is my hope and prayer that we each will labor diligently to receive the testimonies of others with gladness, and thus be spiritually rewarded by our loving heavenly Father.

Don