Alma 17:18-39
Today is the day, the day that my kids have been waiting for for weeks, the day that we as a family finally catch up to where I am here. We listened to chapter 17 today in the car as our scripture study for the day, and here I am finishing up my commentary on chapter 17 as well. My kids have been very interested in where I am in my blog, and how closer they are to catching up and passing me. We’ve been close to each other for several weeks now, but today is the day that my blog is passed up by my kids reading. My son has even asked me several times to not read my scriptures at night because he wanted to “be in head of” me. So when I told them that we are on the same chapter today, they were quite pleased with themselves.
17:18-25 – The sons of Mosiah have spent time preparing in the wilderness, and “Ammon being the chief among them, or rather he did administer unto them, and he departed from them, after having blessed them according to their several stations, having imparted the word of God unto them, or administered unto them before his departure.” There are a few things that are interesting about this statement. The first thing is that Ammon is the “chief among them,” the only reason that this is interesting to me is because, we aren’t given a specific birth order anywhere for the sons of Mosiah, but when it was time for Mosiah to appoint a new king, the people asked for Aaron to be the new king. Usually, the kingly leadership role falls to the oldest boy, so I had always assumed that Aaron was the oldest for this reason, and because Mosiah states that the kingdom rightfully belongs to Aaron. But here we have Ammon being the leader of the group, which shows an interesting dynamic if he in fact is not the oldest. Just another example of why birth order to position is not as important content of heart, and also shows the humility of all involved to have a leader that is not the typical expectation, yet there are still no disputes among them about it. Another interesting point is the idea that when they split up, they went alone, which I guess is obvious, but let’s compare it to the missionaries that are sent out today. We don’t send missionaries to dangerous or hostile peoples, which the Lamanites surely are, we send them in companionships, for support, protection, and encouragement, and they are sent to a place that already has a leadership hierarchy in place, from the newest missionary linked all the way to the prophet in consistent lessons and instructions. It just occurred to me today that when the boys split up, they went alone, with no handbooks or guides, just the scriptures and the Holy Ghost, and they had to make it happen without purse or script. Even though all the boys have stories of their own, we start with Ammon who “went to the land of Ishmael.” And as soon as he got there, he’s taken and bound “as was their custom to bind all the Nephites who fell into their hands, and carry them before the king,” who could then do whatever they wanted with the prisoner. This had to be common knowledge to the boys as they came into the lands of the Lamanites; they had to have known that they were going to be treated with hostility and violence, not the warm reception that would have been nice. Ammon is brought before king Lamoni, who is a very interesting character. From his first question to Ammon, I get the feeling that he’s not blood thirsty, that he’s not a war monger, because he basically can do anything to Ammon, make him his slave, execute him in a most horrid and public manner, etc. but instead of going to route of violence, he instead asks “Ammon if it were his desire to dwell in the land among the Lamanites,” so basically, “do you want to live here with us?” Ammon answers “yea, I desire to swell among this people for a time; yea, and perhaps until the day I die.” And king Lamoni was like “cool, untie him and he can marry one of my daughters.” This “oh and marry one of my daughters” is a very interesting event to me. Of course, because I have my own daddy issues, I’m disgusted by the idea that Lamoni can care so little for his daughter’s happiness that he’s just willing to give her to any old Nephite that wanders into town. But also because I imagine that there is some reason why this specific daughter hasn’t had men tripping over themselves trying to marry her, I’m swept away by the idea that prince charming (Ammon, and really he’s about as good as they come,) comes into to save her from her daddy that doesn’t care, because I only see it from the daughter’s perspective. Then really what is wrong with the idea of marrying the king’s daughter and using that position of power to promote the gospel, kind of like when Moses leaves Egypt to wander in the wilderness. I always thought that Moses should have stayed in power in Egypt, then when he became Pharaoh he could just free the slaves himself, but that’s probably not accurate, because I don’t think that in real life Moses had a shot at becoming Pharaoh, only in the movies that I saw. But Ammon followed the Spirit of the Lord and answered king Lamoni “nay, but I will be thy servant.” Just as a side note, I always wondered how the daughter felt that not only was her father so eager to give her away, but then when the complete stranger rejects her, even when it means rank and prominence for himself. I think that I have had this thought because there’s an animated series called Living Scriptures or something like that, that has this story in a 30 minute animated video, and the facial expression of the daughter is excitement when her father offers her to Ammon, then complete rejection on her face when he says no, and I’ve always kept that in the back of my mind. Ammon’s eagerness to serve instead of obtain prominence in their society is an excellent example of the concept we talked about yesterday, about knowing people personally and being their friends as a most effective way to be member missionaries. He didn’t start preaching, he didn’t run for public office, he didn’t start building a church, he went and served the king, he was friends with the people, and this is part of what gave his message so much power, because they knew that they were important to him as people, not as numbers or subjects. We can do the same thing, listening to the Spirit to know what to say and do. We don’t have to go into full time servitude, but we can do as much as we can to love people the way that the Savior does.
17:26-32 - Ammon became Lamoni’s servant and is “set among other servants to watch the flocks of Lamoni,” and after 3 days of service he goes with the other shepherd servants as they take the “flocks to the place of water, which was called the water of Sebus… that they may have water.” And this is when it all hits the fan, and Lamoni’s flocks were attacked by “a certain number of the Lamanites, who… stood and scattered the flocks of Ammon… and they scattered them insomuch that they fled many ways.” Ok, so these guys who scattered Lamoni’s flocks were fellow shepherds, I would imagine from a different “tribe” or whatever, who were also with their own flocks there at the waters of Sebus, and that begs the question, why would they do that? Just being jerks? And as you could imagine, this caused all types of panic among the servants of Lamoni and they “began to murmur, saying: Now the king will slay us, as he has our brethren because their flocks were scattered by the wickedness of these men. And they began to weep exceedingly, saying: Behold, our flocks are scattered already.” This is a very interesting reaction, first, we see that they have already given up hope that the situation could be remedied, I mean because honestly, I would have at least tried to salvage some of the flock, and hope the king didn’t notice, but they were so quick to give up hope. Second, we can see that the wicked men who scattered the flocks knew that the consequences for their fellow servants were death, and they scattered them anyway. Third, we see that Lamoni, who was not in any way interested in killing the random Nephite who wants to stay with his people, is the same man who executed all the servants who had gotten their flocks scattered previously. This is a very different side of Lamoni from what we saw initially, as the easy going, “sure, come on in,” guy that welcomed Ammon. Ammon’s reaction is not what is to be expected, those around him are crying “because of the fear of being slain,” and in fact, he himself with probably be slain as well, but instead of being scared or upset, “his heart was swollen within him with joy.” Wait, what? He’s happy about this, even though it means his probably impending death. But his reasoning is sound, “for, said he, I will show forth my power unto these my fellow-servants, or the power which is in me, in restoring these flocks unto the king, that I may win the hearts of these my fellow-servants, that I may lead them to believe in my words.” This is a great example of how faith in the Lord combats fear, Ammon’s not afraid because he knows that this is an opportunity to show the power of God. He knows that the Lord will provide, therefore he is not afraid, like the others. Very profound. Ammon told his brethren, because “he termed to be his brethren,” “my brethren, be of good cheer and let us go in search of the flocks, and we will gather them together and bring them back unto the place of water; and thus we will preserve the flocks unto the king and he will not slay us.” Ammon has a good idea, “hey, why don’t we just go get the sheep back,” makes sense, and he knew that the Lord would help them accomplish this task, thus demonstrating his mighty power, and I feel like the executions of the previous shepherds was what made this event so powerful that the people would understand the miraculous nature of finding the sheep. If there was no immediate threat to their lives, their senses wouldn’t have been heightened, and they wouldn’t feel such a sense of urgency. Because of Ammon and his miraculous abilities, their lives were spared, they were indebted to him which makes them that much more open to hearing and accepting the gospel. So the other servants listen to the counsel of Ammon and “they went in search of the flocks, and they did follow Ammon, and they rushed forth with much swiftness and did head the flocks of the king, and did gather them together again to the place of water.” So they were able to find and contain the sheep that had been scattered, and I imagine that once they saw that there was a possibility that they would be able to find all the flocks, and not die, this must have given them a sense of hope that they probably never have felt before. When the flocks were first scattered, they were so quick to start crying, knowing that they were going to die, that there was no hope, and usually hope is given up so quickly only by those who don’t know it’s power. Hope, that’s the miracle that God first performs for “Lamanitish servants.” Imagine their relief when they found the sheep and brought them back to the waters to drink, then imagine their horror when those same wicked men returned to scatter the flocks again.
17:33-39 - But Ammon was ready, commanding them “Encircle the flocks round about that they flee not; and I go and contend with these men who do scatter our flocks.” We can see that Ammon is using words that indicate that he is actually part of the people, he called them “brethren,” considering them as such, and he acknowledges that these are “our” sheep. The others “did as Ammon commanded them, and he went forth and stood to contend with those who stood by the waters of Sebus; and they were in number not a few. Therefore they did not fear Ammon, for they supposed that one of their men could slay him according to their pleasure, for they knew not that the Lord had promised Mosiah that he would deliver his sons out of their hands; neither did they know anything concerning the Lord.” Ammon stands seemingly alone against this group of men intent on stealing the king’s flocks and ensuring death to their fellow servants, I couldn’t imagine what was going through the minds of all involved when he walked up alone to contend with them. But he knew that he wasn’t alone, he knew that with God all things are possible and he knew, I assume through the Holy Ghost, what the Lord wanted him to do. The wicked men start to again, scatter the flocks of the king “but Ammon stood forth and began to cast stones at them with his sling; yea with mighty power he did sling stones amongst them; and thus he slew a certain number of them insomuch that they began to be astonish at his power; nevertheless they were angry because of the slain of their brethren, and they were determined that he should fall; therefore, seeing that they could not hit him with their stones, they came forth with clubs to slay him. But behold, every man that listed his club to smite Ammon, he smote off their arms with his sword.” Tactically, this is just a very bizarre event. One man against many, killing them with rocks and cutting off their arms with a sword, don’t seem logical. Arms, with their bones and muscles and tendons are thick and my guess is pretty difficult to just lop off. We can see the hand of the Lord throughout this whole scene, which is the only way that it is possible, but we can also learn a few military lessons from this story. First, Ammon followed the edict that violence is only authorized when you are not guilty or the first or second attack. The first attack, Ammon simply gathered up the sheep and returned to business as usual, but the second attack was also unprovoked and then violence was authorized. Another lesson is that, Ammon didn’t chase them, or run after them, he stood and held his ground and then responded in kind to them. Ammon stood there and didn’t respond until they ran to scatter the flocks. Now this begs the question, is scattering the flocks worthy of death? Well, if the servants were not successful in keeping the flocks safe, then they would be killed, so yeah, if they tried to scatter the flocks, someone was going to die, either the Lamanites being wicked, or the servants who lost the flocks. It might seem a little bit over the top, but this was a life or death situation, eventually, and there was only one aggressing party. So those who tried to scatter the flocks were trying to get the other servants killed, so they were killed in self-defense. Then those who came to club Ammon to death got their arms cut off, “behold, every man that lifted his club to smite Ammon, he smote off their arms with his sword… and he smote off as many of their arms as were lifted against him, and they were not a few.” He didn’t chase them down as they ran away, he didn’t torture them, and he defended himself, the flocks and the other servants in an effective, yet restrained, as little as necessary, way. This is how the Lord treats us, and even though we might not be in battle, we can use the same concepts in our daily life by not being hostile, not being aggressive, being even tempered, and then when a situation must be addressed; we do it in the kindest, yet most effective way possible. So he kills those trying to get them killed, then chops off the arms of all those trying to hit him with clubs, and then “he slew none save it were their leader with his sword,” because surely the leader, being a very wicked man, had pride and just knew that he was going to be able to do what all the rest of his men combined could not, and he probably charged Ammon, and got killed by the sword. Then, when all that was settled, Ammon “returned and they watered their flocks and returned them to the pasture of the king.” Kind of like saying “no big deal, nothing to see here,” but surely the other servants were amazed by what had just happened, because they apparently parted ways with Ammon, and while he went and continued working, the others “went in unto the king, bearing the arms which had been smitten off by the sword of Ammon, of those who sought to slay him; and they were carried in unto the king for a testimony of the things which they had done.” When the flocks were first scattered, I don’t think that any of the shepherds imagined that they would be running to tell the king what happened. This is a very content heavy chapter, but there are many lessons taught, both overtly and covertly, which, even though put in a combat setting, can be applied to our daily lives to our benefit.
17:18-25 – The sons of Mosiah have spent time preparing in the wilderness, and “Ammon being the chief among them, or rather he did administer unto them, and he departed from them, after having blessed them according to their several stations, having imparted the word of God unto them, or administered unto them before his departure.” There are a few things that are interesting about this statement. The first thing is that Ammon is the “chief among them,” the only reason that this is interesting to me is because, we aren’t given a specific birth order anywhere for the sons of Mosiah, but when it was time for Mosiah to appoint a new king, the people asked for Aaron to be the new king. Usually, the kingly leadership role falls to the oldest boy, so I had always assumed that Aaron was the oldest for this reason, and because Mosiah states that the kingdom rightfully belongs to Aaron. But here we have Ammon being the leader of the group, which shows an interesting dynamic if he in fact is not the oldest. Just another example of why birth order to position is not as important content of heart, and also shows the humility of all involved to have a leader that is not the typical expectation, yet there are still no disputes among them about it. Another interesting point is the idea that when they split up, they went alone, which I guess is obvious, but let’s compare it to the missionaries that are sent out today. We don’t send missionaries to dangerous or hostile peoples, which the Lamanites surely are, we send them in companionships, for support, protection, and encouragement, and they are sent to a place that already has a leadership hierarchy in place, from the newest missionary linked all the way to the prophet in consistent lessons and instructions. It just occurred to me today that when the boys split up, they went alone, with no handbooks or guides, just the scriptures and the Holy Ghost, and they had to make it happen without purse or script. Even though all the boys have stories of their own, we start with Ammon who “went to the land of Ishmael.” And as soon as he got there, he’s taken and bound “as was their custom to bind all the Nephites who fell into their hands, and carry them before the king,” who could then do whatever they wanted with the prisoner. This had to be common knowledge to the boys as they came into the lands of the Lamanites; they had to have known that they were going to be treated with hostility and violence, not the warm reception that would have been nice. Ammon is brought before king Lamoni, who is a very interesting character. From his first question to Ammon, I get the feeling that he’s not blood thirsty, that he’s not a war monger, because he basically can do anything to Ammon, make him his slave, execute him in a most horrid and public manner, etc. but instead of going to route of violence, he instead asks “Ammon if it were his desire to dwell in the land among the Lamanites,” so basically, “do you want to live here with us?” Ammon answers “yea, I desire to swell among this people for a time; yea, and perhaps until the day I die.” And king Lamoni was like “cool, untie him and he can marry one of my daughters.” This “oh and marry one of my daughters” is a very interesting event to me. Of course, because I have my own daddy issues, I’m disgusted by the idea that Lamoni can care so little for his daughter’s happiness that he’s just willing to give her to any old Nephite that wanders into town. But also because I imagine that there is some reason why this specific daughter hasn’t had men tripping over themselves trying to marry her, I’m swept away by the idea that prince charming (Ammon, and really he’s about as good as they come,) comes into to save her from her daddy that doesn’t care, because I only see it from the daughter’s perspective. Then really what is wrong with the idea of marrying the king’s daughter and using that position of power to promote the gospel, kind of like when Moses leaves Egypt to wander in the wilderness. I always thought that Moses should have stayed in power in Egypt, then when he became Pharaoh he could just free the slaves himself, but that’s probably not accurate, because I don’t think that in real life Moses had a shot at becoming Pharaoh, only in the movies that I saw. But Ammon followed the Spirit of the Lord and answered king Lamoni “nay, but I will be thy servant.” Just as a side note, I always wondered how the daughter felt that not only was her father so eager to give her away, but then when the complete stranger rejects her, even when it means rank and prominence for himself. I think that I have had this thought because there’s an animated series called Living Scriptures or something like that, that has this story in a 30 minute animated video, and the facial expression of the daughter is excitement when her father offers her to Ammon, then complete rejection on her face when he says no, and I’ve always kept that in the back of my mind. Ammon’s eagerness to serve instead of obtain prominence in their society is an excellent example of the concept we talked about yesterday, about knowing people personally and being their friends as a most effective way to be member missionaries. He didn’t start preaching, he didn’t run for public office, he didn’t start building a church, he went and served the king, he was friends with the people, and this is part of what gave his message so much power, because they knew that they were important to him as people, not as numbers or subjects. We can do the same thing, listening to the Spirit to know what to say and do. We don’t have to go into full time servitude, but we can do as much as we can to love people the way that the Savior does.
17:26-32 - Ammon became Lamoni’s servant and is “set among other servants to watch the flocks of Lamoni,” and after 3 days of service he goes with the other shepherd servants as they take the “flocks to the place of water, which was called the water of Sebus… that they may have water.” And this is when it all hits the fan, and Lamoni’s flocks were attacked by “a certain number of the Lamanites, who… stood and scattered the flocks of Ammon… and they scattered them insomuch that they fled many ways.” Ok, so these guys who scattered Lamoni’s flocks were fellow shepherds, I would imagine from a different “tribe” or whatever, who were also with their own flocks there at the waters of Sebus, and that begs the question, why would they do that? Just being jerks? And as you could imagine, this caused all types of panic among the servants of Lamoni and they “began to murmur, saying: Now the king will slay us, as he has our brethren because their flocks were scattered by the wickedness of these men. And they began to weep exceedingly, saying: Behold, our flocks are scattered already.” This is a very interesting reaction, first, we see that they have already given up hope that the situation could be remedied, I mean because honestly, I would have at least tried to salvage some of the flock, and hope the king didn’t notice, but they were so quick to give up hope. Second, we can see that the wicked men who scattered the flocks knew that the consequences for their fellow servants were death, and they scattered them anyway. Third, we see that Lamoni, who was not in any way interested in killing the random Nephite who wants to stay with his people, is the same man who executed all the servants who had gotten their flocks scattered previously. This is a very different side of Lamoni from what we saw initially, as the easy going, “sure, come on in,” guy that welcomed Ammon. Ammon’s reaction is not what is to be expected, those around him are crying “because of the fear of being slain,” and in fact, he himself with probably be slain as well, but instead of being scared or upset, “his heart was swollen within him with joy.” Wait, what? He’s happy about this, even though it means his probably impending death. But his reasoning is sound, “for, said he, I will show forth my power unto these my fellow-servants, or the power which is in me, in restoring these flocks unto the king, that I may win the hearts of these my fellow-servants, that I may lead them to believe in my words.” This is a great example of how faith in the Lord combats fear, Ammon’s not afraid because he knows that this is an opportunity to show the power of God. He knows that the Lord will provide, therefore he is not afraid, like the others. Very profound. Ammon told his brethren, because “he termed to be his brethren,” “my brethren, be of good cheer and let us go in search of the flocks, and we will gather them together and bring them back unto the place of water; and thus we will preserve the flocks unto the king and he will not slay us.” Ammon has a good idea, “hey, why don’t we just go get the sheep back,” makes sense, and he knew that the Lord would help them accomplish this task, thus demonstrating his mighty power, and I feel like the executions of the previous shepherds was what made this event so powerful that the people would understand the miraculous nature of finding the sheep. If there was no immediate threat to their lives, their senses wouldn’t have been heightened, and they wouldn’t feel such a sense of urgency. Because of Ammon and his miraculous abilities, their lives were spared, they were indebted to him which makes them that much more open to hearing and accepting the gospel. So the other servants listen to the counsel of Ammon and “they went in search of the flocks, and they did follow Ammon, and they rushed forth with much swiftness and did head the flocks of the king, and did gather them together again to the place of water.” So they were able to find and contain the sheep that had been scattered, and I imagine that once they saw that there was a possibility that they would be able to find all the flocks, and not die, this must have given them a sense of hope that they probably never have felt before. When the flocks were first scattered, they were so quick to start crying, knowing that they were going to die, that there was no hope, and usually hope is given up so quickly only by those who don’t know it’s power. Hope, that’s the miracle that God first performs for “Lamanitish servants.” Imagine their relief when they found the sheep and brought them back to the waters to drink, then imagine their horror when those same wicked men returned to scatter the flocks again.
17:33-39 - But Ammon was ready, commanding them “Encircle the flocks round about that they flee not; and I go and contend with these men who do scatter our flocks.” We can see that Ammon is using words that indicate that he is actually part of the people, he called them “brethren,” considering them as such, and he acknowledges that these are “our” sheep. The others “did as Ammon commanded them, and he went forth and stood to contend with those who stood by the waters of Sebus; and they were in number not a few. Therefore they did not fear Ammon, for they supposed that one of their men could slay him according to their pleasure, for they knew not that the Lord had promised Mosiah that he would deliver his sons out of their hands; neither did they know anything concerning the Lord.” Ammon stands seemingly alone against this group of men intent on stealing the king’s flocks and ensuring death to their fellow servants, I couldn’t imagine what was going through the minds of all involved when he walked up alone to contend with them. But he knew that he wasn’t alone, he knew that with God all things are possible and he knew, I assume through the Holy Ghost, what the Lord wanted him to do. The wicked men start to again, scatter the flocks of the king “but Ammon stood forth and began to cast stones at them with his sling; yea with mighty power he did sling stones amongst them; and thus he slew a certain number of them insomuch that they began to be astonish at his power; nevertheless they were angry because of the slain of their brethren, and they were determined that he should fall; therefore, seeing that they could not hit him with their stones, they came forth with clubs to slay him. But behold, every man that listed his club to smite Ammon, he smote off their arms with his sword.” Tactically, this is just a very bizarre event. One man against many, killing them with rocks and cutting off their arms with a sword, don’t seem logical. Arms, with their bones and muscles and tendons are thick and my guess is pretty difficult to just lop off. We can see the hand of the Lord throughout this whole scene, which is the only way that it is possible, but we can also learn a few military lessons from this story. First, Ammon followed the edict that violence is only authorized when you are not guilty or the first or second attack. The first attack, Ammon simply gathered up the sheep and returned to business as usual, but the second attack was also unprovoked and then violence was authorized. Another lesson is that, Ammon didn’t chase them, or run after them, he stood and held his ground and then responded in kind to them. Ammon stood there and didn’t respond until they ran to scatter the flocks. Now this begs the question, is scattering the flocks worthy of death? Well, if the servants were not successful in keeping the flocks safe, then they would be killed, so yeah, if they tried to scatter the flocks, someone was going to die, either the Lamanites being wicked, or the servants who lost the flocks. It might seem a little bit over the top, but this was a life or death situation, eventually, and there was only one aggressing party. So those who tried to scatter the flocks were trying to get the other servants killed, so they were killed in self-defense. Then those who came to club Ammon to death got their arms cut off, “behold, every man that lifted his club to smite Ammon, he smote off their arms with his sword… and he smote off as many of their arms as were lifted against him, and they were not a few.” He didn’t chase them down as they ran away, he didn’t torture them, and he defended himself, the flocks and the other servants in an effective, yet restrained, as little as necessary, way. This is how the Lord treats us, and even though we might not be in battle, we can use the same concepts in our daily life by not being hostile, not being aggressive, being even tempered, and then when a situation must be addressed; we do it in the kindest, yet most effective way possible. So he kills those trying to get them killed, then chops off the arms of all those trying to hit him with clubs, and then “he slew none save it were their leader with his sword,” because surely the leader, being a very wicked man, had pride and just knew that he was going to be able to do what all the rest of his men combined could not, and he probably charged Ammon, and got killed by the sword. Then, when all that was settled, Ammon “returned and they watered their flocks and returned them to the pasture of the king.” Kind of like saying “no big deal, nothing to see here,” but surely the other servants were amazed by what had just happened, because they apparently parted ways with Ammon, and while he went and continued working, the others “went in unto the king, bearing the arms which had been smitten off by the sword of Ammon, of those who sought to slay him; and they were carried in unto the king for a testimony of the things which they had done.” When the flocks were first scattered, I don’t think that any of the shepherds imagined that they would be running to tell the king what happened. This is a very content heavy chapter, but there are many lessons taught, both overtly and covertly, which, even though put in a combat setting, can be applied to our daily lives to our benefit.
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