Wednesday, September 18, 2013

Alma 16



They marked very carefully the day the war began, it is mentioned specifically twice. I wonder if it is somewhat like 9/11 for us—a  important changing of the course of history. Before this, since Nephi had fled, there had been wars with the Lamenites but not just the Lamenites coming into their land and trying to take over, which ends up being how the two sides spend the remainder of the Book of Mormon.

I wonder how the course of modern history would have changed if war leaders had been consulting prophets. What an amazing thing to get such direct and specific instruction from the Lord on how to conquer your enemies. If we apply the idea of these physical wars to our current war with evil, it shows again how blessed we are to have prophets guiding us in our effort, and how wise we would be to hearken to their specific counsel. In fact, sometimes we are offended when the counsel is really specific, but in reality, it is a huge blessing.

The time frame of Ammonihah being destroyed was important, too, because it showed how it all came together from the time Alma and Amulek were preaching there. At the beginning of the 10th year he went to Melek and then to Ammonihah after baptizing and preaching successfully in Melek. Now we are on the 5th day of the 2nd month of the next year, so it couldn’t have been long after Alma left, and Ammonihah has been destroyed.

Whenever the Book of Mormon talks about no inequality it is such a beautiful, and also, such a scary thought. I want to help people, but without giving anything up for my own family. I am never quite sure what that balance is supposed to look like.

No comments:

Post a Comment