Amulon and Alma
[Escape from Bondage Done by the Lord]
[Seven Distinct Tribes]
[Two Tests of Whether a Person is a Real Believer]
155 Mosiah 23:31 Now we come to one of the most satisfying parts of the Book of Mormon. This is what historiography should be. It’s full of drama, personality, and all sorts of things. We’ll start with Mosiah 23:31. Remember how it happened [background information]: Mosiah had gone out from the Nephite community and ended up in Zarahemla. He became king of Zarahemla, which was a Mulekite settlement. Then out of that came other settlements. Zeniff went out and got himself stuck in the midst of the Lamanites, but he flourished there completely surrounded by Lamanites. His son, Noah, was the corrupt one. Noah was hard pressed and decided that the whole nation should take off and flee, which they did. When the enemy started to overcome them, he said to his army, “We will go on—forget the women and children.” That was not a nice thing to do. But they did go on, and a lot of them started to regret it. A lot of them refused to go and stayed back; others started to drift back very soon. King Noah got very unpopular and got himself burned up. Then the priests continued on under the leadership of a man called Amulon. This man, Amulon, was a VIP, a very important and ambitious person, which becomes clear here.
155,156 Mosiah 23:31-33 “And behold, they had found those priests of king Noah, in a place which they called Amulon.” They named it after their leader—just like Brigham City. Amulon was their leader, and he must have been important back there. We learn a little later on that he had been a rival and “old friend” of Alma back in the priests’ quorum, and he hated his guts. This tension between them is really something. Verse 32: “Now the name of the leader of those priests was Amulon [look ahead to verse 9 of the next chapter].... For Amulon knew Alma, that he had been one of the king’s priests.” He was a priest too; they had both been in the quorum. Apparently, Amulon was an important guy who was aspiring to be chief priest. He was here. They named the settlement after him, and he became leader of the priests. He still aspired to leadership and achieved it; he got a real break. He got a sponsor and was able to rule, as people do who get sponsors. Notice what he [Amulon] did. The reason the priests were being chased now is that they had captured the Lamanite girls. They married them. Notice what “small potatoes” this is; there were only twenty-four of them. Amulon decided that they should go forth and plead with the Lamanites. After all, we’re fellow Lamanites (ha, ha, ha); let’s let bygones be bygones, etc. The Lamanites were always more compassionate than the Nephites, so this is what happened. Verse 33: “Amulon did plead with the Lamanites; and he also sent forth their wives, who were the daughters of the Lamanites, to plead with their brethren that they should not destroy their husbands.” That worked; the Lamanites had compassion.
156 Mosiah 23:35 “And Amulon and his brethren did join the Lamanites, and they were traveling in the wilderness in search of the land of Nephi when they discovered the land of Helam, which was possessed by Alma and his brethren.” After Amulon joined their company, a mass of them were moving on and discovered the land of Helam, the happy land which means prosper. Helam is like Phoenix, it means reborn, prosperous, flourishing, and that sort of thing. It was a name of good omen for a colony, and that’s where Alma was. They came to Helam, and what happened? Amulon took over everything and not only pushed Alma into the background, but started persecuting in grand style. “The Lamanites promised unto Alma and his brethren, that if they would show them the way which led to the land of Nephi that they would grant unto them their lives and their liberty.” Amulon was putting them on; you can be sure of that. Alma agreed and showed them the way, and then they said “April fool.” They wouldn’t keep their promise. I see the fine hand of Amulon there, don’t you? He refused to do it.
156 You notice we have no race problem here. You can’t talk about Nephites and Lamanites [as distinct and separate groups] because look how these things are mixed up now. Here is another mixing of Lamanites, and a group in which the women are Lamanites and the men are Nephites. That’s a common phenomenon, as you know. You mustn’t be too simplistic about the Book of Mormon; it’s complicated enough.
156,157 Mosiah 23:38 Then what happened? They wouldn’t keep their promise, but they went on. They were moving through. Verse 38: “And the remainder of them went to the land of Nephi; and a part of them returned to the land of Helam, and also brought with them the wives and the children of the guards who had been left in the land. And the king of the Lamanites had granted unto Amulon that he should be a king and a ruler over his people, who were in the land of Helam.” Amulon said he would stay there, and he persuaded the king of the Lamanites to make him the local chief and give him absolute power there. We see now that the king of the Lamanites had a lot of territory, as the Indians always do. The idea is that you have a great chief and chiefs under him. You have tribes and then you have clans within the tribes; every tribe has clans within it. This is what they had.
157 Mosiah 24:1 So Amulon got himself made king over the Nephites of Alma’s community. They joined up with Alma’s people, and this put Amulon in the driver’s seat. Mosiah 24:1: “And it came to pass that Amulon did gain favor in the eyes of the king of the Lamanites.” You can be sure he would; the high king was only too glad to turn over to him the responsibility for judging those people.
158 D & C 121:39 ;Matthew 24 & 25 Remember Doctrine and Covenants 121:39: “We have learned by sad experience that it is the nature and disposition of almost all men, as soon as they get a little authority, as they suppose, they will immediately begin to exercise unrighteous dominion.” That’s what happened with Amulon, and he took it out on Alma. And the classic example is in Matthew 24 & 25, where the master of the house goes away and leaves the house in the charge of his servant. The apostles were asking, “How shall we behave until you come again?” He said this is the way: You don’t know when the Lord is coming again, but don’t act like this man. As soon as he was put in charge of the house, he started lording all over the other servants, oppressing them, giving high commands, and making everybody miserable. What will happen when the lord comes home and discovers him doing that sort of thing? That’s why he [Jesus Christ] is going to come by surprise and not announce his coming—we would all be dressed, spit polished, and ready for inspection, like when the general comes around. If we knew ahead of time, it wouldn’t be a good test that way. So the Lord comes like a thief in the night and catches everybody by surprise, including the servants. What are these servants doing? Don’t be found living riotous and expensive lives while you are oppressing other people. That’s what the Lord doesn’t want to find when he comes back, but that’s what he’s going to find.
158 Mosiah 24:1 He [Amulon] was appointed not only this [a ruler], but “the king of the Lamanites granted unto him and his brethren that they should be appointed teachers over his people.” That was natural because they were educated priests, in this case a mixture of Lamanites, Nephites, and Mulekites. Here was Amulon and his college of priests, Noah’s council, some of the most learned men in the land. They are the ones to appoint as teachers, so he naturally appointed them teachers. They took the job naturally as a part of the empire, “... teachers over his people, yea, even over the people who were in the land of Shemlon, and in the land of Shilom, and in the land of Amulon.” It went right back to the place where they had settled originally; they connected the two lands. They must have been close together. It was all connected and put under the rule of Amulon. The city called Amulon was a village. If you have a big village, that’s ten or fifteen thousand; that’s a good size. So they had the Amulon lands; and the Shemlon lands, which means the lands to the east on the left side; and the Shilom lands, which means the “higher lands, the high and dry lands.” Here’s an ambitious man. We overlook Amulon among the dangerous characters in the Book of Mormon. We just pass by him, but he was as clever as any of them.
158,159 Mosiah 24:2-4 “For the Lamanites had taken possession of all these lands; therefore, the king of the Lamanites had appointed kings over all these lands [that’s the idea, to appoint chiefs; he was the high king, and he appointed kings to take the load off his shoulders]. And now the name of the king of the Lamanites was Laman [that’s natural; just as you have a long string of Caesars, you’re going to have a long string of Lamans here]; ... therefore he was called king Laman. And he was king over a numerous people. And he appointed teachers of the brethren of Amulon [as I said, they were the educated, priestly class here] in every land which was possessed by his people [so he sent them around not just in Amulon territory, but throughout the whole Lamanite territory, which was an extensive and populous one; they were circulating and being the teachers] and thus the language of Nephi [notice this racial mixture again] began to be taught among all the people of the Lamanites.” They broke up very soon into dialects and languages.
160 Mosiah 24:4 They began to have the people learn the language of Nephi. It “began to be taught among all the people of the Lamanites.” They were going to have the lingua franca. They used it for business, and, of course, they became very prosperous.
161 This is all perfectly credible and perfectly in order that [the King of the Lamanites] had them learn the Nephite language and had them adopt writing as a means of expediting business. With these [business] exchanges they [Amulon and his brethren] were able to increase their riches. They began to trade with one another. How would Joseph Smith figure out this? It’s a marvelous thing the way this is constructed, with such tremendous economy. While he is telling this story of Amulon and Alma, he just throws this in without any extra charge.
161 Mosiah 24:7 “And thus the Lamanites began to increase in riches, and began to trade one with another and wax great, and began to be a cunning and a wise people [if you start trading, you do], as to the wisdom of the world, yea, a very cunning people, delighting in all manner of wickedness [that means exchanges and tricks] and plunder, except it were among their own brethren.” (Mosiah 24:7). No white-collar crime—that’s very interesting that they wouldn’t rob their own people.
162 Mosiah 24:7 So they were doing that, but they didn’t cheat their own. “... delighting in all manner of wickedness and plunder, except it were among their own brethren [they had that honor among thieves]. And now it came to pass that Amulon began to exercise authority [you can believe that] over Alma and his brethren, and began to persecute him.” He had it in for Alma. Now, would he think that Alma was a traitor because he walked out on the priestly group? He fled with the priests, but he took the families with him and set out. He could have an argument that Alma was a traitor, but he was the worst traitor. He was with the ones who walked out on their wives and children. He not only deserted the king, but he deserted everybody. He went out and took over himself, and then he stole the Lamanite girls, etc. But who was guilty of doing the wrong thing? Alma kept the people together and took them out. We know the reasons, etc. But you can imagine what the rivalry would be between the two men—how he would hate Alma. Alma was the great man who was doing the right thing. This represents the famous maxim, “We can pardon those who injure us, but we can never pardon those whom we injure.” He had wronged Alma, so he could never pardon Alma. That’s true. We can easily forgive those who have wronged us, but never those we have wronged. That rankles. You have to have a reason for it, so you will never forgive that guy if you have wronged him. But he began to persecute him; Alma got on his nerves, etc. Notice this pecking order of the corporate ladder. He [Amulon] is middle management. The king put him in, and he could do what he darn pleased. Alma had been chosen as king of his people, and now Amulon just pushed him out. He was going to take over now.
162,163 Mosiah 24:9 “For Amulon knew Alma, that he had been one of the king’s priests, and that it was he that believed the words of Abinadi.” He knew about that, you see. You’ve started all this, he said. “For Amulon knew Alma, that he had been one of the king’s priests, and that it was he that believed the words of Abinadi and was driven out before the king, and therefore he was wroth with him [he was mad at him for that reason]; for he was subject to king Laman, yet he exercised authority over them, and put tasks upon them, and put taskmasters over them.”
163 Mosiah 24:11,12 He was really rubbing it in; he was the unjust steward. This again is a Nephite characteristic. It’s their meanness when they have the upper hand. It’s like the insolence of apartheid, etc. “And Amulon commanded them that they should stop their cries [if they complained]; and he put guards over them to watch them, that whosoever should be found calling upon God should be put to death.” Well, how low can you go? See, he was a priest himself, but anyone calling upon God he would put to death because these were the people he didn’t like—and all this because of his personal enmity with Alma. So they prayed in their hearts. How can you pray in your thoughts? The standard prayer is, “Lord, hear the words of my mouth.” We are required to pray vocally, although Joseph Smith didn’t until he went to the Grove. He was raised in a religious family, but nobody ever prayed out loud at that time. That was a new thing. “And Alma and his people did not raise their voices to the Lord their God, but did pour out their hearts to him; and he did know the thoughts of their hearts.”
163 Mosiah 24:13,15 Well, the most powerful force in the world is thought, and the most powerful form of thought is faith. They could count on this; suddenly they were feeling reassured. This is a perfect setup for revenge, but they have no thought of revenge at all here. Then they began to be comforted [in verse 13]: “for I know of the covenant which ye have made unto me [the Lord tells them through Alma]; and I will covenant with my people and deliver them out of bondage. And I will also ease the burdens which are put upon your shoulders, that even you cannot feel them upon your backs, even while you are in bondage.” We are going to be disappointed that we don’t find the revenge scenario here. After all this villainy of [Amulon] we are not going to have the mandatory, final super explosion at the end of the film, when everything has to be blown up. No, the vengeance never takes place. Verse 15: “And now it came to pass that the burdens which were laid upon Alma and his brethren were made light; yea, the Lord did strengthen them that they could bear up their burdens with ease, and they did submit cheerfully and with patience to all the will of the Lord.” Now that was the pioneers. A less aggressive people could not be imagined in every case when there was a showdown, when they had a great possibility of [taking revenge]. There were some hotheads, but it was remarkable how they avoided [violence].
164 Mosiah 24:16 So what were they going to do about it? They were going to get out. Verse 16: “so great was their faith and their patience that the voice of the Lord came unto them again, saying: Be of good comfort, for on the morrow I will deliver you out of bondage.” Remember, we’ve had Rechabites before; this is the way they do. I think you could list at least twenty examples in which large factions or tribes or clans [have done this].
164 Mosiah 24:17; Mosiah 22:2 So the Lord said to Alma, “Thou shalt go before this people, and I will go with thee and deliver this people out of bondage. Now it came to pass that Alma and his people in the night-time gathered their flocks together, and also of their grain.” We notice that the same thing happened back here in Mosiah 22:2, where it is talking about Ammon and Limhi. “And it came to pass that they could find no way to deliver themselves out of bondage, except it were to take their women and children, and their flocks, and their herds, and their tents, and depart into the wilderness.” These two migrations are very close together, but this is the way things were being done. That’s what they were getting to in a time of tension like this.
164 Mosiah 24:18 Well, anyway the same thing happens here [as happened in Mosiah 22:2], all night long they were gathering their flocks together and getting ready
165 Mosiah 24:19-23 This is what happened here; in the night-time they built up. Remember, we mentioned before that these people had been watching. They used the wine trick the other time, but they didn’t this time. They didn’t need the wine because it was the Lord that “caused a deep sleep to come upon Lamanites, yea, and all their task-masters were in a profound sleep.” So they sneaked out, and they came to a valley which they called “the valley of Alma. They name [the place] after the people that settle them], because he led their way in the wilderness. Yea, and in the valley of Alma they poured out their thanks to God” with a sigh of relief and settled down. Don’t fool yourself; you’re still in danger. Get moving. You’re not safe yet just because I have performed one miracle. Go on [paraphrased]. Verse 23: “And now the Lord said unto Alma: Haste thee and get thou and this people out of this land, for the Lamanites have awakened and do pursue thee; therefore get thee out of this land, and I will stop the Lamanites in this valley that they come no further in pursuit of this people.” Don’t worry!
165 1 Nephi 14:1 We think of Nephi’s prayer when he said, Lord, block up the way of my enemies pursuing me. Don’t block up my way. Make the level way open for me. He was talking about fleeing through the desert and said, block up the way of my enemies; place stumbling blocks before them so they won’t pursue me. It’s the same thing here. The Lord does that. He stopped the Lamanites. See, the Lord blocks people in various ways. He did it here [for Alma’s people].
165,166 Mosiah 14:25 “And after they had been in the wilderness twelve days [that gives us a geographical tip since there was such a gang of them moving, and they stopped a while, in fact too long; the Lamanites nearly caught up with them, but they got away], they arrived in the land of Zarahemla [these places were fairly close together, but they were safe home now in Zarahemla]; and king Mosiah did also receive them with joy.” They celebrated that, of course.
166 Mosiah 25:1 “And now king Mosiah caused that all the people should be gathered together” (Mosiah 25:1). Well, this is ancient too. They did that same thing in the ancient world. They didn’t have the Book of Mormon at all in those days, but it’s all down here. Here they all come together, so this gives us a survey and a census. It doesn’t give us numbers, but it says there were the descendants of Nephi and the people of Zarahemla, the descendants of Mulek. And the Mulekites were far more numerous than the Nephites. But the Nephites and Mulekites together weren’t even half as numerous as the Lamanites, so they had increased much more rapidly. It breaks them down into tribes.
166,167 D & C 3:16 Let me show you something in the Doctrine and Covenants 3:16. On the 116 pages that were lost there was information that we don’t have today. This is a broad hint of the sort of things that was in them. Section 3 discusses the loss of the 116 pages, which were not going to be replaced at that time. It’s a very interesting thing here. “Nevertheless, my work shall go forth, for inasmuch as the knowledge of a Savior has come unto the world, through the testimony of the Jews, even so shall the knowledge of a Savior come unto my people—And [this message will go] to the Nephites [there are still Nephites around], and the Jacobites [it breaks them down into seven tribes], and the Josephites [they are still distinct], and the Zoramites, through the testimony of their fathers.” Now they are the four tribes that are classed as Nephite; as it tells us later, that is just purely a cultural, political classification to call them Nephites because they include these four tribes: Nephites, Jacobites, Josephites, and Zoramites. The other three are the Lamanites, Lemuelites, and Ishmaelites. That makes the seven tribes. You usually have to have seven tribes. Seven or twelve you have to have. But it’s more complicated than you think. And even though the Lamanites had only three tribes, they were far more numerous—an interesting development. Well, it’s because they had a healthier family life. It tells us that they loved their children, and they didn’t play around, like Amulon and people like that.
167 Mosiah 25:4 “And now all the people of Nephi were assembled together, and also all the people of Zarahemla [it was a great assembly and must have been an impressive gathering], and they were gathered together in two bodies.” That’s natural, of course. If I had a Bible, I would read Deuteronomy 31 and Exodus 24, where the same thing happened in Israel. They united in separate bodies and kept a certain identity, as it says there. These tribes were still aware of their identity because genealogy is important. What they did is have the law read to them; that was what they must do. If you go up north to Iceland, you will still find the THINGSTADR, the place where they used to hold the ancient ALLTHING.
167,168 Mosiah 25:5-8 The point is that he [Mosiah] read them the law. The same thing happened in Israel, in Rome, in Greece, etc. When the law was pronounced, it was sent down from the mountain and read to the people, as Moses read it to them. He brought it down and read it, and the people were camped at the foot of the mountain living in booths. It is called “the festival of the booths—the gathering.” These are customs you will find throughout the world. It’s a very surprising thing. This is not the sort of thing you would invent spontaneously; it went back to a single source. They [Mosiah’s people] met here in the two bodies, and it was very impressive. He read them the records of Zeniff and the account of Alma, and this gave them a new perspective entirely. The reading filled them in on both the history and the important events. We must be informed, and this was something new to them. Notice that it says in verse 8: “For they knew not what to think.” They never knew such things were going on.
168 Mosiah 25:8 Question: Why do you suppose they were so struck with amazement when they read these records? Answer: This is back in Zarahemla and is telling us what has been going on with these people who had been going out everywhere. He is talking about three or four different colonies of people—where they originated, their tribulations, etc. They didn’t know any of this had been going on with their relatives or anyone. Is this what has happened since we left Jerusalem? Well, they were struck with amazement. It says, “For they knew not what to think; for when they beheld those that had been delivered out of bondage they were filled with exceedingly great joy’* (Mosiah 25:8). They were glad to hear this. You have to have the book of the law read and by acclamation you have to approve it. The classic example here is King Benjamin. With the new coronation and the new year, the people came, brought their first fruits, and camped in booths. The king gave them a speech from the tower, exactly as happens in “Nathan the Babylonian,” who recorded that thing happening with the Jews in ancient times. There’s nothing in the Bible about that, but it’s in the Book of Mormon and in Jewish records. That’s the way they used to do when they gathered all together.
168 Notice that they were filled with both joy and sorrow. These people are easily moved; they sit around and weep their heads off at conferences, etc. It’s a very cheerful event when you go to a conference with the Indians, and they “even shed many tears of sorrow.” This is the warp and the woof—this in our life. There are many accounts of the old man at the gate in heaven. There are two gates, one where the righteous go through, and one where the wicked go through. An old man sits there. It’s Enoch with a book, and he records. He weeps and he smiles. He smiles and is happy every time a righteous person comes, and he weeps every time a wicked one does. We find the same thing in the Book of Mormon a little later on in Alma, when he talks about the Title of Liberty. That’s another story, and we’ll never get to it if we don’t get along here. But this is all relevant, you see—it’s all here. How did this ever get in the Book of Mormon?
168,169 Mosiah 25:11 “And again, when they thought upon the Lamanites, who were their brethren, of their sinful and polluted state, they were filled with pain and anguish for the welfare of their souls.” Can we suffer that they go in ignorance? The thought of the pagans in ignorance breaks the hearts of Christians, supposedly, so they send missionaries out. Then this is a very interesting note. Amulon and the priests had children with these Lamanite girls. The Lamanite girls were still Lamanites, and they raised their children. The children always stay with their mothers until they have regular initiations into puberty. These kids were all raised by Lamanite mothers, so they “were displeased with the conduct of their fathers.” Their mothers were much more moral than their fathers were, and probably their fathers didn’t treat their mothers very well. So they wanted to be Nephites, and “they took upon themselves the name of Nephi [no desire to dominate here at all], that they might be called the children of Nephi and be numbered among those who were called Nephites.” Here’s more racial complication; this is not a simple ethnic story at all. These kids wanted to be called Nephites and join the Nephites. This is a thing that happens.
169 Mosiah 25:13 “And now all the people of Zarahemla were numbered with the Nephites [so we don’t call them Mulekites anymore; they’re Nephites too; they are numbered with them and that’s the name], and this because the kingdom had been conferred upon none but those who were descendants of Nephi.” See, it’s a political designation beginning with Mosiah, because only Nephites could rule. Then [Mosiah] desired that Alma should take charge of the church. Now we come to the most interesting parts of what happens—how to manage the church is very important. (This information comes very soon now.) They are back in Zarahemla now, not out with that other crowd, and the king said, I’ll put you in charge of the whole thing; you can go around and establish the church [paraphrased]. Alma went from one body to another, preaching unto the people repentance and faith on the Lord. And he did exhort the people of Limhi and his brethren, all those that had been delivered out of bondage, that they should remember that it was the Lord that did deliver them. And it came to pass that after Alma had taught the people many things, and had made an end of speaking to them [this is still at the meeting], that king Limhi was desirous that he might be baptized [Alma is the one who brought the authority; Ammon refused to do it until Alma showed up]; and all his people were desirous that they might be baptized also.”
169,170 Mosiah 25:18-24 It’s the same thing that happened in the case of Benjamin, when they all accepted the covenant and cried out in a single voice that they accepted it when the king asked them. [Limhi and his people] accepted the covenant also and were baptized to show that they accepted the covenant. Verse 18: “Therefore, Alma did go forth into the water and did baptize them; yea, he did baptize them after the manner he did his brethren in the waters of Mormon [using the same method]; yea, and as many as he did baptize did belong to the church of God; and this because of their belief on the words of Alma [it’s very much like the Dead Sea Scrolls here].. .. King Mosiah granted unto Alma that he might establish churches throughout all the land of Zarahemla [remember, this is a large expanse here with many cities]; and gave him power to ordain priests and teachers [wherever he wanted to] over every church [it was going to become a sacral state, in other words; the priesthood is approved by the king]. Now this was done because there were so many people that they could not all be governed by one teacher; neither could they all hear the word of God in one assembly [so they had different assemblies in different churches everywhere; they couldn’t all have to come together in one group because they had to come too far]. Therefore, they did assemble themselves together in different bodies, being called churches,” and they were ruled by Alma. And they were to preach nothing in the churches “except it were repentance and faith in God.” Verse 23: “And now there were seven churches in the land of Zarahemla.” We just said there were the seven tribes there. When John wrote in Revelation, he wrote to the seven churches in Asia. That’s probably a coincidence. But seven churches would certainly suggest seven tribes or seven groups. “And they were called the people of God [they were given a name; remember, Benjamin said, I’m going to give you a name today when he talked to the people in the general assembly]. And the Lord did pour out his Spirit upon them, and they were blessed, and prospered in the land.”
170 Mosiah 26:1 The next chapter is devoted to the church. This is another very important thing. What about the church? What authority does the church have over people? What authority does the church have over individuals if they don’t want to belong to it, if they want to leave in a group, or if they want to join a group? What do we do in that case? These are the rules that are to be laid down here. Both the king and Alma are completely stumped. They don’t know what to do, so they call upon the Lord and get instructions. This is the reason this becomes troublesome. Can the church force people to stay in it? “Now it came to pass that there were many of the rising generation that could not understand the words of king Benjamin [and it tells us why they didn’t understand them], being little children at the time he spake unto his people; and they did not believe the tradition of their fathers.” So they weren’t there for Benjamin at all, and Benjamin is basic. Well, do we understand Benjamin’s teaching? Do we follow it? It is addressed to us actually. They didn’t foll