Alma 10:12-32
10:12-16 – Now we transition from the words that Amulek spoke to the narrative of Mormon. Sometimes I wonder if it would be helpful to color code the narrative parts and the actual speaking parts. After we first here from Amulek “the people began to be astonished, seeing there was more than one witness who testified of the things whereof they were accused.” When Alma first began speaking to the people in chapter 9, the people refused to believe because there was “no more authority than one man among this people, to declare unto them the truth of such great and marvelous things.” But here now that Amulek, one of them, who lived the same lifestyle as them until just recently, is a second witness, they were astonished. But despite their amazement, “there were some among them who thought to question them, that by their cunning devices they might catch them in their words, that they might find witness against them, that they might deliver them to their judges that they might be judged according to the law, and that they might be slain or cast into prison, according to the crime which they could make appear or witness against them. Now it was those men who sought to destroy them, who were lawyers.” Let’s take a minute to just stop and think about this, let’s pretend that Alma and Amulek (collectively, let’s call them A&A,) are not prophets, let’s pretend that they are vacuum salesmen, or even just generalized crazy people. These lawyers were probably irritated because of A&A’s condemnation of their lifestyle, but what was their real motivation? “Now these lawyers were learned in all the arts and cunning of the people; and this was to enable them that they might be skillful in their profession.” So it’s possible that these lawyers were offended because of the accusations, but I think that it’s more likely that they were trying to make problems for the people so that they would make money when the people used their services. If we take out the part about A&A being servants of God and just watch as these lawyers riled the people up until they wanted to kill them, this would make these lawyers warmongers yes? Desiring the pain and suffering and even death of anyone for the simple reason of making money for you is, I believe, a lower level of evil. If someone is living contrary to the commandments of God, and they are advised to repent, if they react with hostility, that means that there is a part deep within themselves that still recognizes that what they are doing is wrong, there’s still the guilt, the conscience, the little light of Christ still burning within them that cries out when it hears the truth, and that’s what causes the angry reaction. But when the truth is told, and the only thing that is seen is the opportunity to make money, then that last little bit of righteousness has already been extinguished, the spirit has been completely murdered. Anyone who is willing to trade humanity for money is desperately evil, even more so than those who just refuse to "know." In the December 2013 Ensign article entitled "Making a Living, Making a Life," Elder Lynn G. Robbins teaches that there are 5 grade levels describing the goodness of one's manner of business. He says "at the D level, the unwary are more victims than customers. Once again the motivation is the love of money but this time at the peril of the customer, who may be injured of killed by the product. Profits at this lever are known as filthy lucre. 'Filthy lucre,' President Spencer W. Kimball said, 'is that had through sin or sinful operations and that which comes from the handling of liquor, beer, narcotics and those other many things which are displeasing in the sight of the Lord." Are the lawyers in chapter 10 in the D level category? I'm not sure, it seems a little bit complex, but it would seem like, the way it is described in the article, that the people at D level want to make money, and if people are hurt in the process, that's ok. It's an evil, but passive sense of apathy for others, their welfare or their lives. However, "many at the F level may be identified at the D level but actually fit better here because of their negative impact on communities and nations." That would seem consistent with Amulek's accusation that these lawyers "are laying plans to pervert the ways of the righteous, and to bring down the wrath of God upon your hears, even to the utter destruction of this people." The article continues, "At this level, we find those who don't contribute but only take- through organized crime, internet scams, Ponzi schemes, and so forth." I'll cause a problem, then make you pay me to fix it, that's called extortion right? "At this level, you have murder and elimination of competition. Secret combinations, which Moroni said would be a real threat in our day, operate at this level." Surely the desire of the lawyers to "catch them in their words, that they might find witness against them, that they might deliver them to their judges that they might be judged according to the law, and that they might be slain or cast into prison." That's a pretty serious step from "here are some crazy people talking," to "let's just kill them and then make money as the lawyers." Continuing in the article, Elder Robbins teaches "All professions, businesses, and services can be found at all levels. For example there are A-level bankers and D-level bankers... One reason we hear jokes about attorneys is that people often consider law a profession that rarely transcends the D-level. The Book of Mormon says that those at this level are 'learned in all the arts and cunning of the people.' Many lawyers, however, are A level- such as Elder Dallin H. Oaks, Elder Quentin L. Cook, and Elder D. Todd Christofferson, who practiced law prior to their callings to the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles." It's interesting because here the men who are trying to make money off of the suffering of others are lawyers, but if they weren't lawyers, they would be businessmen, doctors, shoemakers, etc. Satan will show anyone who follows him how to make other people's, and their own, lives miserable, no matter what their profession, status, income, family, etc. None of that matters, the only thing that influences one's ability to follow Christ or follow Satan is the wolf that they feed within themselves.
10:17-32 - I would like to point out here that Amulek is a pretty smart guy, he's a good speaker, and he knew Ammonihah and the ways that the people there worked, he might have even known some of these lawyers personally, so it's reasonable to assume that he might have perceived their intentions because he's discerning and knowledgeable, but we read from verse 17 that in fact, "as they began to question him, he perceived their thoughts." This is a gift of the Spirit, so let's look at what he says and see if we can't find some of the ways he indicates this is more than his own logical thinking here. He accuses them of "laying traps and snares to catch the holy ones of God." As we just read, they were in fact specifically trying to catch A&A in words that could be twisted in a court. Verse 18 might not be as straight forward as I'm making it, or maybe I'm reading a little bit too much into it, but when Amulek says "ye are laying plans to pervert the ways of the righteous, and to bring down the wrath of God upon your heads, even to the utter destruction of this people," we can look back to what the angel told Alma "for behold, they do study at this time that they may destroy the liberty of thy people." The word "destroy" used by the angel and the word "destruction" used by Amulek are similar, and at first I thought that Amulek was telling them the consequences of their actions, that the people would be destroyed, but maybe he's actually telling them that he knows that they want to destroy the people and essentially make them slaves, as the angel said "that they may destroy the liberty of thy people." Just a thought. Another interesting tidbit I want to mention is Amulek's use of the phrase "well did..." or "well doth..." In verses 19-21 he uses that phrase several times similarly to how we would say, that "Mosiah was right when he said..." There's nothing wrong with this phrase, but it is a unique one that I haven't seen used yet in the Book of Mormon, as I recall. This is just another example of Amulek's quirky speech patterns. Amulek knows that they are working to destroy the free society that the people now enjoy and to make them slaves, and let's keep in mind that the people they plan to destroy and enslave are those who are repented, righteous and committed to keeping the commandments of God. Amulek is telling them that they are desiring that which is wrong, and that the consequences will be severe if they don't repent, and do it quickly "for the kingdom of heaven is at hand." Now Amulek tells them that they are in fact so wicked and so past feeling that "if it were not for the prayers of the righteous, who are now in the land, that ye would even now be visited with utter destruction." We know that when Alma left the first time, the "was about to set my back towards this land forever," but again, when he goes back he finds Amulek, who is now repentant and righteous. As the Lord has done time and time again, those of his righteous people who live in a wicked society, he gives them the opportunity to flee before the wicked are destroyed, the city of Ammonihah is no different, there are righteous people there trying their best, that the Lord must protect before the craziness starts. The righteous people are protecting the wicked from the wrath of God, for "it is by the prayers of the righteous that ye are spared;" but then comes the foreshadowing, "if ye will cast out the righteous from among you then will not the Lord stay his hand; but in his fierce anger he will come out against you." It is only the righteous praying that keeps a wicked world from being purged. In a very powerful article from the June 1971 Ensign entitled "Voices of the Past, of the Present, of the Future," President Spencer W. Kimball taught "many voices of seducing spirits advocate carnal pleasures and unrestrained physical satisfactions. Our world is now much the same as it was in the days of the Nephite prophet who said: 'if it were not for the prayers of the righteous... ye would even now be visited with utter destruction.' Of course, there are many many upright and faithful who live all the commandments and whose lives and prayers keep the world from destruction." When I read that I got chills. Even though I've learned so much and now love and treasure the Book of Mormon, when I read about the Lamanites or the city of Ammonihah, it is still a very distant and abstract concept for me. I can see the problems and solutions so clearly from the distance of time and space, but when I read that, I realized that I am living in Ammonihah, probably an even more wicked one. President Kimball continues "we are living in the last days, and they are precarious and frightening. The shadows are deepening, and the night creeps in to envelop us." How creepy, how disturbing. I live in Ammonihah, this is a wild concept for me, because I've lived a lot of different places and known many different people and cultures, but this world that I live in is all I've ever known, I don't have a previous, more righteous, world with which to compare it. Yeah, we live in a crazy, wicked world for sure, but I don't know it's just difficult to imagine compared to all of the other places that have ever existed. Well, as you can imagine, Amulek's speech didn't go over well, and the people, especially the lawyers are livid. Again the people are told that they "will not understand," instead of that they "do not understand," the latter being an inability to understand and the former being a refusal to understand. Another interesting comment made by Amulek is "ye say that I have spoken against your law; but I have not, but I have spoken in favor of your law, to your condemnation." He's saying that "yes your laws are just, and I support them, but you do not because you do not uphold them." And finally "the lawyers put it into their hearts that they should remember these things against him," maybe a little bit of foreshadowing as to what the future holds for Amulek and those that he loves.
10:17-32 - I would like to point out here that Amulek is a pretty smart guy, he's a good speaker, and he knew Ammonihah and the ways that the people there worked, he might have even known some of these lawyers personally, so it's reasonable to assume that he might have perceived their intentions because he's discerning and knowledgeable, but we read from verse 17 that in fact, "as they began to question him, he perceived their thoughts." This is a gift of the Spirit, so let's look at what he says and see if we can't find some of the ways he indicates this is more than his own logical thinking here. He accuses them of "laying traps and snares to catch the holy ones of God." As we just read, they were in fact specifically trying to catch A&A in words that could be twisted in a court. Verse 18 might not be as straight forward as I'm making it, or maybe I'm reading a little bit too much into it, but when Amulek says "ye are laying plans to pervert the ways of the righteous, and to bring down the wrath of God upon your heads, even to the utter destruction of this people," we can look back to what the angel told Alma "for behold, they do study at this time that they may destroy the liberty of thy people." The word "destroy" used by the angel and the word "destruction" used by Amulek are similar, and at first I thought that Amulek was telling them the consequences of their actions, that the people would be destroyed, but maybe he's actually telling them that he knows that they want to destroy the people and essentially make them slaves, as the angel said "that they may destroy the liberty of thy people." Just a thought. Another interesting tidbit I want to mention is Amulek's use of the phrase "well did..." or "well doth..." In verses 19-21 he uses that phrase several times similarly to how we would say, that "Mosiah was right when he said..." There's nothing wrong with this phrase, but it is a unique one that I haven't seen used yet in the Book of Mormon, as I recall. This is just another example of Amulek's quirky speech patterns. Amulek knows that they are working to destroy the free society that the people now enjoy and to make them slaves, and let's keep in mind that the people they plan to destroy and enslave are those who are repented, righteous and committed to keeping the commandments of God. Amulek is telling them that they are desiring that which is wrong, and that the consequences will be severe if they don't repent, and do it quickly "for the kingdom of heaven is at hand." Now Amulek tells them that they are in fact so wicked and so past feeling that "if it were not for the prayers of the righteous, who are now in the land, that ye would even now be visited with utter destruction." We know that when Alma left the first time, the "was about to set my back towards this land forever," but again, when he goes back he finds Amulek, who is now repentant and righteous. As the Lord has done time and time again, those of his righteous people who live in a wicked society, he gives them the opportunity to flee before the wicked are destroyed, the city of Ammonihah is no different, there are righteous people there trying their best, that the Lord must protect before the craziness starts. The righteous people are protecting the wicked from the wrath of God, for "it is by the prayers of the righteous that ye are spared;" but then comes the foreshadowing, "if ye will cast out the righteous from among you then will not the Lord stay his hand; but in his fierce anger he will come out against you." It is only the righteous praying that keeps a wicked world from being purged. In a very powerful article from the June 1971 Ensign entitled "Voices of the Past, of the Present, of the Future," President Spencer W. Kimball taught "many voices of seducing spirits advocate carnal pleasures and unrestrained physical satisfactions. Our world is now much the same as it was in the days of the Nephite prophet who said: 'if it were not for the prayers of the righteous... ye would even now be visited with utter destruction.' Of course, there are many many upright and faithful who live all the commandments and whose lives and prayers keep the world from destruction." When I read that I got chills. Even though I've learned so much and now love and treasure the Book of Mormon, when I read about the Lamanites or the city of Ammonihah, it is still a very distant and abstract concept for me. I can see the problems and solutions so clearly from the distance of time and space, but when I read that, I realized that I am living in Ammonihah, probably an even more wicked one. President Kimball continues "we are living in the last days, and they are precarious and frightening. The shadows are deepening, and the night creeps in to envelop us." How creepy, how disturbing. I live in Ammonihah, this is a wild concept for me, because I've lived a lot of different places and known many different people and cultures, but this world that I live in is all I've ever known, I don't have a previous, more righteous, world with which to compare it. Yeah, we live in a crazy, wicked world for sure, but I don't know it's just difficult to imagine compared to all of the other places that have ever existed. Well, as you can imagine, Amulek's speech didn't go over well, and the people, especially the lawyers are livid. Again the people are told that they "will not understand," instead of that they "do not understand," the latter being an inability to understand and the former being a refusal to understand. Another interesting comment made by Amulek is "ye say that I have spoken against your law; but I have not, but I have spoken in favor of your law, to your condemnation." He's saying that "yes your laws are just, and I support them, but you do not because you do not uphold them." And finally "the lawyers put it into their hearts that they should remember these things against him," maybe a little bit of foreshadowing as to what the future holds for Amulek and those that he loves.
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