THE LORD MAKETH NO SUCH THING KNOWN UNTO US

On more than one occasions, Laman and Lemuel failed to understand something their father had taught them by the Spirit.  They were frustrated because Nephi always seemed to "get it" and they didn't.  One occasion that I remember was when Lehi had taught them about the olive tree.  They said to Nephi:

Behold, we cannot understand the words which our father hath spoken concerning the natural branches of the olive tree, and also concerning the Gentiles. And I said unto them: Have ye inquired of the Lord? And they said unto me: We have not, for the Lord maketh no such thing known unto us. (1 Nephi 15: 7-9)

People who have chosen to harden their hearts to the promptings of the Spirit and have dulled their conscience through sinfulness are not in a position to receive revelation.  

One reason for this is because where much is given, much is expected.  If such people receive such an understanding, they are then under condemnation if they don't live it. When Zeezrom asked Alma and Amulek to know more about the kingdom of God, Alma explained this to him:

 It is given unto many to know the mysteries of God; nevertheless they are laid under a strict command that they shall not impart only according to the portion of the word which he doth grant unto the children of me, according to the heed and diligence which they give unto him. . . . therefore, he that will harden his heart, the same receiveth the lesser portion of the word; and he that will not harden his heart, to him is given the greater portion of the word, until it is given unto him to know the mysteries of God.  And they that will harden their hearts . . . are taken captive by the devil, and led by his will down to destruction. (Alma 12: 9-11)

Alma explained that this is why the Lamanites are under less condemnation than the Nephites, even though they were wicked, because their choices came because they didn't know any better.  They had been taught the false traditions and hatreds of their ancestors, Laman and Lemuel, and thus were less accountable than the Nephites who knew better. 

The wicked people of Ammonihah had confessed that they knew Alma and the Church and had conciously chosen to rebel.  Instead of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the fall, the atonement, and the resurrection, they chose the easy doctrine of Nehor who said that everyone would be saved no matter what they did.   They had so dulled their consciences that they did not recognize how far astray they had gone.

The people of Ammonihah didn't understand the plan of redemption.  They didn't understand the connectedness of the fall of Adam and the atonement of Christ.  They didn't understand why repentance is necessary. They didn't understand the resurrection.  They didn't understand the concepts of agency and accountability, nor recognize whose plan called for universal redemption with nothing due on our part.

To Zeezrom's credit, he began to remember what he had known.  He trembled in fear as the testimonies of Alma and Amulek cut him to the core.  He did know the difference between truth and error and recognized with clarity the exact nature of his sins.  When he visualized standing before the throne of God in his current state, it made him ill unto death.  He did repent and stood as a witness and testifier of Jesus Christ for the remainder of his days.  If someone like Zeezrom who began with all the attitudes of an anti-Christ could turn his life around, there are none of us who have sinned beyond the reclaiming grace of repentance and the Savior's atonement. When we think of Zeezrom, we usually think only of his wickedness and forget ther repentant man of God.  Like Ebeneezer Scrooge, let us think of Zeezrom on Christmas morning and not on Christmas Eve.

© June 2020 Dr. Kathleen Rawlings Buntin Danielson

ESTABLISHING CREDIBILITY UNDER THE HEBREW LAW OF WITNESSES

It interests me that the first thing Amulek did when he came forward to speak was to recite his own ancestry.  He said: 

• I am Amulek
• Son of Giddonah
• Son of Ishmael
• Descendant of Aminadi (who interpreter the writing which was upon the wall of the temple, written by the finger of God
• Descendant of Nephi
• Son of Lehi
• Descendent of Manasseh
• Son of Joseph sold into Egypt. (See Alma 10: 2-3)

Many ancient cultures introduced themselves by reciting their lineage.  Tribes in Africa, Arab tribes, ancient Chinese, Indian and others practice this means of cultural identity. For Amulek to have done so was in harmony with many ancient cultures around the world. Even today in some traditional Native American groups, heritage is a way of introduction.  For example, among the Navajos, if one is meeting another Navajo who is a stranger to you, one would cite his born-to clan (his mother's) and his born-for clan (his father's).

After the recitation of his genealogy, Amulek also brings out that he is well known in the area, that he has many kinfolk and friends, and that he has been financially successful. 

He may have chosen to do so just because it was an expectation in his Nephite culture, or he may have chosen to do so because of the way the group had responded to Alma when he first arrived.  The people were antagonistic from the beginning.  They said to Alma:

Who are thou? Suppose ye that we shall believe the testimony of one man. . . ? We will not believe they words. . . And . . . Who is God, that sendeth no more authority than one man among this people. . . ?  (See Alma 9: 2, 4, 6) 

The irony is that they knew perfectly well who he was, because on his first visit they said to him: Behold, we know that thou art Alma; and we know that thou art high priest over the church . . . we are not of thy church and we do not believe in such foolish traditions. . . . Thou hast no power over us . . . Thou hast delivered up the judgment seat to Nephihah; therefore thou art not the chief judge over us. (See Alma 8: 11 - 12)

  

Because they knew who he was, I think when they asked him "who art thou?" on his second visit, what they were really saying, in the modern vernacular, "Who do you think you are, coming here to pronounce judgment on us?  Our Law of Witnesses demands that, even in a court of law, there must be two or more witnesses brought forth to establish a case.  Where is that second witness?"

Amulek was that second witness.  He made a point of stating his lineage as one who had the right to speak and reminding him that he was a well-known and well-respected man in the community, giving his words credibility.

That the people still did not listen was a point against them on their road to destruction. Oh, that all people could study the Book of Mormon.  Problems that seem only political are also spiritual. And problems that seem primarily only spiritual are also often political.  The war between good and evil seems to envelope both.

© June 2020 Dr. Kathleen Rawlings Buntin Danielson

THEY DO PLOT TO DESTROY THY LIBERTY

Does anyone else sometimes struggle because they see in the Book of Mormon types and shadows for things that are happening today?  I do, and it can sometimes feel painful. We, in America today, are still held accountable under the original American Covenant, first with the Jaradites and then with the Nephites.  George Washington knew it; so did Abraham Lincoln. It takes great effort and often bloody war to achieve liberty and it is so easy for it to be destroyed.  The only thing a people have to do is to turn away from the God of this land, who is Jesus Christ.

In the scriptures, there have been examples of entire cities that were destroyed and left desolate because their sins threatened the lives and liberty of those around them.  Sodom and Gomorrah were two such cites when God used natural forces to wipe them off the face of the earth. In the Book of 1 Samuel, we read about God's orders to King Saul to utterly destroy the Amalakites because they were such a city. Even their cattle and sheep were to be destroyed.  Saul followed his own will and kept the flocks alive as well as the Amalakite King, Agag.  One of Agag's descendants was the Agagite, Hamman, in the Book of Esther.  Agatha Christie used to say, "Old sins have long shadows."

God's promise to destroy Ammonihah if they wouldn't repent was prompted by more than their obvious apostasy.  Alma tells us that the people had a hidden agenda and that God knew about it.  The angel he sent to tell Alma to return to the city said this: For behold, they do study at this time that they may destroy the liberty of they people, (for thus saith the Lord) which is contrary to the statutes, and judgments, and commandments which he has given unto his people. (Alma 8:17) There was a conspiracy in Ammonihah that, if left unchecked, would have spilled over to other Nephite settlements in the area.

Both Alma and Amulek knew the hearts of these evil men.  Amulek told them that he perceived their thoughts, and he said unto them: O ye wicked and perverse generation . . . ye are laying the foundations of the devil; for ye are laying traps and snares to catch the holy ones of God. 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. . . . Yea, and I say unto you 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. But it is by the prayers of the righteous that ye are spared; now, therefore, if ye will cast out the righteous from among you then will not the Lord from among you then will not the Lord stay his hand; but in his fierce anger he will come out against you; then ye shall be smitten . . . (Alma 10: 17-18, 22-23)
Political Implications in the Destruction of Ammonihah

~ ~ ~

I see so many parallels to our day.  Conspiracies abound.  Just as the Gadiantons were elected to hold seats as judges, so, too, are wicked men and woman sitting in high places as seeking the destruction our nation, people, liberty, and religious freedom.  Elder John A. Widsoe made this remark during my lifetime, post-WWII America.  He died when I was 8 years old.  His wise advice is still applicable today, perhaps even more so.  We need to study both the issues and the character of those who seek election.  We must pray (and I do believe it is only the prayers of the righteous that have kept this nation from utter destruction already!) and make wise choices when we vote. We must stand up for God in all times and in all places.

I pray for our nation. I pray for our President and those who serve with him.  I pray for our first responders and all those who stand up against tyranny and anarchy.  I pray for my family.  I pray for all of you, my friends.  God bless us.

© June 2020 Dr. Kathleen Rawlings Buntin Danielson

THE LOVE OF MONEY - THE ROOT OF EVIL

Many us have been taught that money is the root of all evil.  In reality, it is the love of money, and not the money itself, that leads us into sinning.  When people start using people and valuing things rather than using things and valuing people, they have entered into the Mahanic principal, a covenant with Satan.


Why did Mormon add this section on Nephite monetary system in the middle of his discussion of Alma and Amulek preaching to the people?  There could be several reasons, but one that comes to mind is that it places a comparative value on the bribe offered to Amulek to deny his testimony.



Under the rule of the judges, Nephites were brought before a judge for breaking a law, but they could also come before a judge in a civil suit. If the judge found in favor of the one who brought the suit, the other party would be forced to pay damages. Judges received their pay based on the number of cases they heard. This was the system set up by King Mosiah prior to his death.  In an honest society, this makes perfect sense, but unfortunately not all judges were honest.  This led to a practice of unethical judges purposely stirring up the people, one against another, encouraging law suits. Today we would call such attorneys ambulance chasers."  The law passed in 1977 that allowed attorneys to advertise to solicit clients has created havoc in our legal system, making our society one of the most of litigiousness  the history of the world.

Alma wrote of his day:


Now, it was for the sole purpose to get gain, because they received their wages according to their employ, therefore, they did stir up the people to riotings and all manner of disturbances and wickedness, that they might have more employ, that they might get money according to the suits which were brought before them; therefore they did stir up the people against Alma and Amulek. (Alma 11:20)



It sounds as current as this morning's headlines as anarchist take control of a large part of Seattle.  People wanting to understand what is happening need to follow the money and the power to the source. They will find secret combinations on all levels of operation. Frankly, it break my heart for the blindness of the people of this nation.  This is the race war Charles Manson sought to create by his murderous rampage in the 1969, what he called Helter Skelter.



A certain lawyer  named Zeezrom*, challenged Alma and Amulek.  The people of Ammonihah had already dismissed Alma as being someone they didn't need to pat heed, but Amulek was a respected and well know citizen of the city.  His testimony hurt Zeezrom's "case."  Zeezrom then tried to bribe Amulek to withdraw his testimony by offering him 6 ontes of silver, the equivalent of a day's wage for a judge or attorney.  Amulek dismissed him.  Zeezrom took Amulek's words out of context and tried to twist his testimony into something that it wasn't, but Amulek was wise.  He saw clearly what Zeezrom was trying to do and was able to twart him.  In fact, Zeezrom had an epiphany that left him shaken to the core and ill unto death. The good news is that Zeezrom was humbled by his illness.  He left Ammonihah.  When he heard that Alma and Amulek were nearby, he asked them for a blessing. After receiving the blessing, he praised God and become a faithful missionary himself


*Interesting note:  in Hebrew, the prefix ze means man of and the suffix, ezerom referred to a measure of silver.  So Zeezrom's name, literally, means man of silver or man of money. Amulek had it right when he told Zeezrom that he loved lucre more than God.

© June 2020 Dr. Kathleen Rawlings Buntin Danielson

SATAN HAD HOLD OF THEIR HEARTS

There was an iconic comedian in the 1960s and 1970s whose name was Flip Wilson He and his persona, Geraldine, became household names.  He popularized the sayings "What you see is what you get" and "The Devil Made Me Do It."  Audiences would roar with laughter, I think, in part, because we could all identify with those catch phrases, especially the one blaming the devil for the wrong things you do. "The devil made me buy that red dress; The devil made me eat that chocolate cake." On his serious side, he also said, "Violence is the tool of the ignorant." Timely.

We may want to excuse ourselves with a version of "the Devil made me do it," when we give in to temptation.  "I was sorely tempted," we might say.  Of course you were and so was I!  Temptation is all around us, but that does not excuse us from giving into it. C. S. Lewis said of temptation: A silly idea is current that good people do not know what temptation means.  This is an obvious lie.  Only those who try to resist temptation know how strong it is.  A man who give in to temptation after five minutes simply does not know what it would have been like an hour later.  That is why bad people in one sense, know very little about badness.  They have lived a sheltered life by always giving in."

The people of Ammonihah were among those bad people.  The prophet told us that . . . Satan had gotten great hold upon the hearts of the people. . . therefore, they would not hearken unto the words of Alma. (Alma 8:9) They attempted to excuse themselves by telling Alma that they didn't believe him or his God and that since he was no longer the chief judge, he had no authority over them.  They spit at him, reviled him, and threw him out of their city. 

Not believing in something doesn't make the something untrue.  It doesn't alter the consequences of ignoring the something from occurring.  I can say I don't believe in gravity, but if I jump off of a tall building, I will fall, no matter what I believe.  

They can't say, "the devil made me do it." When Alma acknowledged that Satan had hold on their hearts, he noted the consequential results: therefore they would not hearken unto the words of Alma. (Alma 8: 9) He didn't say could not; he said would not. Resisting or giving in to temptation are choices. The people of Ammonihah didn't know how bad they were because they had given in to temptation so consistently that it had become a way of life.

What lesson can I take away?  People so deeply in sin that they don't think they are sinning cannot tolerate the truth when they hear it.  They resort to anger, violence, and destruction to vent their anger against the truth-teller. They want nothing to do with their righteous accuser because he holds up a mirror up before them.  Like Dracula, they don't like mirrors.

I need to listen to those who love me and seek to help me see my personal blind spots.  I need to ignore those who don't really know me and lash out through their ignorance. Sometimes, the mirror is my best friend.

© June 2020 Dr. Kathleen Rawlings Buntin Danielson