Alma 62:30-52
62:30-37 - CM has just dealt with the Lamanite prisoners by sending them over to live with the people of Ammon and apparently it's been going well, considering that the next group of conquered Lamanites asked specifically to go live with there, so it seems successful, though a very unorthodox way of dealing with POWs. Now that they have taken the city of Nephihah, and sent the POWs away, the Nephite army has grown quite a bit, and the Lamanite army has been reduced quite a bit as well because of their losses and also the sheer number of prisoners that have been taken. The Lamanites that were left, "were again frightened and fled before the army of Moroni. And it came to pass that Moroni and his army did pursue them from city to city... even down upon the borders by the seashore, until they came to the land of Moroni. And the armies of the Lamanites were all gathered together, insomuch that they were all in one body in the land of Moroni." So the whole Lamanite army has been cornered here by the beach, and they made camp for the night because everyone was so exhausted, "therefore they did not resolve upon any stratagem in the night-time, save it were Teancum; for he was exceedingly angry with Ammoron." Let's just stop right there and consider where this is going for a minute. Teancum already has a history of doing some pretty stealthy and highly dangerous stuff, and it would seem like that is the same direction that we are heading this time too. And again, Teancum in his anger did go forth into the camp of the Lamanites, and did let himself down over the walls of the city. And he went forth with a cord, from place to place, insomuch that he did find the king; and he did cast a javelin at him, which did pierce him near the heart. But behold, the king did awaken his servants before he died, insomuch that they did pursue Teancum, and slew him." Terrible, terrible stuff right here. It's reasonable to ask, I think, why Teancum died this time vs. why he was successful last time. First I think that we have to recognize that what Teancum was doing was basically an assassination, which truly, apparently has it's place, but let's recognize right off that it is a highly dangerous task, even now with our highly sophisticated weapons, but back in the day of hand to hand combat, the chance of being able to successfully pull off the same "infiltrate and execute and escape unnoticed" plan is pretty frickin small, so it makes sense, statistically, that Teancum was caught this time. But statistics wasn't the only thing not in his favor on this mission. I'm going to be speculating big time here, and maybe some of these points are valid and maybe some aren't but just take everything I say with a grain of salt. Let's compare the two missions and see if we can find any differences. First, when Teancum assassinated Amalickiah back in chapter 51, he was the commander in charge of that portion of the army, he was the presiding authority so to speak, but here this time, he was under the command of CM, and I always wondered if Teancum had authorization from CM when he went on this mission, my guess is no, but that's just my guess. This reminds me of the time when Nephi broke his bow, he probably was justified in going to the Lord himself and asking where to find food, but he went to ask Lehi, his father and priesthood leader where to find it. If I'm correct and Teancum went on this mission unauthorized, then I can see how that might have been a hinderance to him from the start. The second difference is that in the first mission "Teancum stole privily into the tent of the king," indicating that he had some sort of foreknowledge of where Amalickiah's tent was, probably due to some decent recon, and he was very careful to be quite. This time Teancum went into the came "in his anger... and he went forth with a cord, from place to place, insomuch that he did find the king." It would seem that this time, Teancum went on this mission angry, not calm, cool, and collected like he did last time, and we all know that decisions that are made in anger are clouded. We can also see that he didn't know exactly where he was going, I don't know if the preparations were different or the lay out of the tents were different or if he was just so anxious to get in there that he didn't pay too much attention, but going around different parts of the camp looking for something is a big problem if you're trying to be stealth. The next part is that the first time, he took someone with him, indicating prior planning and preparation, this time he went alone, indicating that perhaps he sneaking off to do this. Another point is that in the actual execution Teancum "put a javelin to his heart," and this time he "did cast a javelin at him." Maybe I'm reading into this too much, but he just wasn't careful like he was the first time, he was more reckless and I don't know if that was because he didn't have a look out or if it was because he was angry or if it was because he had gotten overconfident, but the overarching message of this is that preparation is vital, acting reasonably instead of emotionally is very important, of now that's interesting. In fact today my son was mad so he threw a ball at my head and so I made him stand in the corner, but I told him, "remember that Teancum killed Ammoron while he was mad and he got killed? You can't do things out of anger, it's dangerous." How interesting. Anyway, that was just a few points that I got out of the story of Teancum, who I still really love.
62:38-52 - After Teancum was killed in the night time, the nest morning, CM went to battle against the remaining Lamanite army "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." After all that time, all those battles, all that war and bloodshed, once the Nephites were a righteous society again, the quickly won the war, but then an interesting thing happened, the Nephites began to react to what had happened and "many had become hardened, because of the exceedingly great length of the war; and many were softened because of their afflictions, insomuch that they did humble themselves before God, even in the depth of humility." How very interesting these two different reactions. It reminds me of two separate stories that I've heard about the difficulties faced by Mormon pioneers. The first one was about a man who set out with his family for Utah to be with the saints, and throughout the journey that lasted a couple of years, all his family died, leaving him alone, bitter, angry, hateful and alone. Then there's another about a man who was in the Martin Handcart company, who stopped a Sunday School lesson once when the other members were criticizing the church leadership for sending out the company that late in the season. We read in the Feb 2006 Ensign article entitled "Refined in Our Trials," by President James E. Faust "was I sorry that I chose to come by handcart? No. Neither then nor any minute of my life since. The price we paid to become acquainted with God was a privilege to pay, and I am thankful that I was privileged to come in the Martin Handcart Company." Two men, both suffered, there's really no way to say who suffered more because all pain is vivid and real to those who feel it, but one used his adversity to become closer to God and thus happier, more stable spiritually, and at peace, whereas the other man used his adversity to distance himself from God, thereby becoming more unhappy, more spiritually estranged from his Father, and more conflicted. I don't think that anyone can contest that the unhappy man is unsuccessful, no matter what else is going on, no matter what other factors there are, the happy person has found a treasure that the unhappy person throws away. President Faust continues "The Divine Shepherd has a message of hope, strength, and deliverance for all. If there were no night, we would not appreciate the day, nor could we see the stars and the vastness of the heavens. We must partake of the bitter with the sweet. There is a divine purpose in the adversities we encounter every day. They prepare, they purge, they purify, and this they bless. When we pluck the roses, we find we often cannot avoid the thorns which spring from the same stem. Out of the refiner's fire can come a glorious deliverance. It can be a noble and lasting rebirth. The price to become acquainted with God will have been paid. There can come a sacred peace. There will be a reawakening of the dormant, inner resources. A comfortable cloak of righteousness will be drawn around us to protect us and to keep us warm spiritually. Self-pity will vanish as our blessings are counted." The IM quotes Elder Dallin H. Oaks as teaching "Surely these great adversities are not without some eternal purpose or effect. They can turn our hearts to God... Even as adversities inflict mortal hardships, they can also be the means of leading men and women to eternal blessings. Such large-scale adversities as natural disasters and wars seem to be inherent in the mortal experience. We cannot entirely prevent them, but we can determine how we will react to them. For example, the adversities of war and military service, which had been the spiritual destruction of some, have been the spiritual awakening of others... I read of a similar contrast after the devastating hurricane that destroyed thousands of homes in Florida some years ago. A news account quoted two different persons who had suffered the same tragedy and received the same blessing: each of their homes had been totally destroyed, but each of their family members had been spared death or injury. One said that this tragedy had destroyed his faith; how, he asked, could God allow this to happen? The other said that the experience had strengthened his faith. God had been good to him, he said. Though the family's home and possessions were lost, their lives were spared and they could rebuild the home. For one, the glass was half empty. For the other, the glass was half full. The gift of moral agency empowers each of us to choose how we will act when we suffer adversity." Pain and suffering, trials and adversities are meant to help us grow stronger and closer to God, this in turn allows us to be happier and more at peace. I know that I personally struggle to use my struggles to grow closer to God, I try but it is difficult. But here we see that it can go two ways, one of happiness and peace, the other of anger and bitterness, the Nephites had it happen to them. And finally we have we see that the "people of Nephi began to prosper again in the land, and began to multiply and to wax exceedingly strong again in the land. And they began to grow exceedingly rich." Oh no, this is usually the start of something crazy, this is usually where the Nephites begin to become prideful and start to treat each other poorly and become wicked, but this time, that's not what happened, "but notwithstanding their riches, or their strength, or their prosperity, they were not lifted up in the pride of their eyes; neither were they slow to remember the Lord their God; but they did humble themselves exceedingly before him. Yea, they did remember how great things the Lord had done for them, that he had delivered them from death, and from bonds, and from prisons, and from all manner of afflictions, and he had delivered them out of the hands of their enemies. And they did pray unto the Lord their God continually, insomuch that the Lord did bless them, according to his word, so that they did wax strong and prosper in the land." We can see that it is possible to be rich and humble, to prosper exceedingly and still keep the commandments of God, to wax strong and still love others. It is all about choice, we can choose how we think and act in any and all situations, it's truly the only thing that we can control, how we react and how we remain. The Lord blessed them and will bless us as we keep his commandments, it's up to us to choose to remain faithful even in the face of tribulation and in times of prosperity, because we will surely have both, but we can always have the same attitude, belief, and happiness.
62:38-52 - After Teancum was killed in the night time, the nest morning, CM went to battle against the remaining Lamanite army "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." After all that time, all those battles, all that war and bloodshed, once the Nephites were a righteous society again, the quickly won the war, but then an interesting thing happened, the Nephites began to react to what had happened and "many had become hardened, because of the exceedingly great length of the war; and many were softened because of their afflictions, insomuch that they did humble themselves before God, even in the depth of humility." How very interesting these two different reactions. It reminds me of two separate stories that I've heard about the difficulties faced by Mormon pioneers. The first one was about a man who set out with his family for Utah to be with the saints, and throughout the journey that lasted a couple of years, all his family died, leaving him alone, bitter, angry, hateful and alone. Then there's another about a man who was in the Martin Handcart company, who stopped a Sunday School lesson once when the other members were criticizing the church leadership for sending out the company that late in the season. We read in the Feb 2006 Ensign article entitled "Refined in Our Trials," by President James E. Faust "was I sorry that I chose to come by handcart? No. Neither then nor any minute of my life since. The price we paid to become acquainted with God was a privilege to pay, and I am thankful that I was privileged to come in the Martin Handcart Company." Two men, both suffered, there's really no way to say who suffered more because all pain is vivid and real to those who feel it, but one used his adversity to become closer to God and thus happier, more stable spiritually, and at peace, whereas the other man used his adversity to distance himself from God, thereby becoming more unhappy, more spiritually estranged from his Father, and more conflicted. I don't think that anyone can contest that the unhappy man is unsuccessful, no matter what else is going on, no matter what other factors there are, the happy person has found a treasure that the unhappy person throws away. President Faust continues "The Divine Shepherd has a message of hope, strength, and deliverance for all. If there were no night, we would not appreciate the day, nor could we see the stars and the vastness of the heavens. We must partake of the bitter with the sweet. There is a divine purpose in the adversities we encounter every day. They prepare, they purge, they purify, and this they bless. When we pluck the roses, we find we often cannot avoid the thorns which spring from the same stem. Out of the refiner's fire can come a glorious deliverance. It can be a noble and lasting rebirth. The price to become acquainted with God will have been paid. There can come a sacred peace. There will be a reawakening of the dormant, inner resources. A comfortable cloak of righteousness will be drawn around us to protect us and to keep us warm spiritually. Self-pity will vanish as our blessings are counted." The IM quotes Elder Dallin H. Oaks as teaching "Surely these great adversities are not without some eternal purpose or effect. They can turn our hearts to God... Even as adversities inflict mortal hardships, they can also be the means of leading men and women to eternal blessings. Such large-scale adversities as natural disasters and wars seem to be inherent in the mortal experience. We cannot entirely prevent them, but we can determine how we will react to them. For example, the adversities of war and military service, which had been the spiritual destruction of some, have been the spiritual awakening of others... I read of a similar contrast after the devastating hurricane that destroyed thousands of homes in Florida some years ago. A news account quoted two different persons who had suffered the same tragedy and received the same blessing: each of their homes had been totally destroyed, but each of their family members had been spared death or injury. One said that this tragedy had destroyed his faith; how, he asked, could God allow this to happen? The other said that the experience had strengthened his faith. God had been good to him, he said. Though the family's home and possessions were lost, their lives were spared and they could rebuild the home. For one, the glass was half empty. For the other, the glass was half full. The gift of moral agency empowers each of us to choose how we will act when we suffer adversity." Pain and suffering, trials and adversities are meant to help us grow stronger and closer to God, this in turn allows us to be happier and more at peace. I know that I personally struggle to use my struggles to grow closer to God, I try but it is difficult. But here we see that it can go two ways, one of happiness and peace, the other of anger and bitterness, the Nephites had it happen to them. And finally we have we see that the "people of Nephi began to prosper again in the land, and began to multiply and to wax exceedingly strong again in the land. And they began to grow exceedingly rich." Oh no, this is usually the start of something crazy, this is usually where the Nephites begin to become prideful and start to treat each other poorly and become wicked, but this time, that's not what happened, "but notwithstanding their riches, or their strength, or their prosperity, they were not lifted up in the pride of their eyes; neither were they slow to remember the Lord their God; but they did humble themselves exceedingly before him. Yea, they did remember how great things the Lord had done for them, that he had delivered them from death, and from bonds, and from prisons, and from all manner of afflictions, and he had delivered them out of the hands of their enemies. And they did pray unto the Lord their God continually, insomuch that the Lord did bless them, according to his word, so that they did wax strong and prosper in the land." We can see that it is possible to be rich and humble, to prosper exceedingly and still keep the commandments of God, to wax strong and still love others. It is all about choice, we can choose how we think and act in any and all situations, it's truly the only thing that we can control, how we react and how we remain. The Lord blessed them and will bless us as we keep his commandments, it's up to us to choose to remain faithful even in the face of tribulation and in times of prosperity, because we will surely have both, but we can always have the same attitude, belief, and happiness.
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