BOOK OF MORMON LESSON #24
“GIVE US STRENGTH ACCORDING TO OUR
FAITH . . . IN CHRIST”
ALMA 13-16
by Ted L. Gibbons
AUTHOR’S NOTE: You must understand that these lessons are not
designed to replace the experience you should have in your ward or
branch Gospel Doctrine class. I am hopeful that they will expand your
understanding of the scriptures and (if you are teaching) your ability to
help your students know and love and use the scriptures. But if would
be awful if anyone were to neglect that classroom experience in favor
of these lessons.
The manual (which I always have before me as I write these lessons) is
wonderful. It was prepared by inspired and dedicated members, under
the direction of members of the Seventy and the Twelve. It carries the
certificate of their approval. If you must choose one or the
other—these lessons or the real lessons—discard these and run–don’t
walk, run—to Sunday School.
QUOTE OF THE WEEK: Without reservation I promise you that if you will
prayerfully read the Book of Mormon, regardless of how many times you
have previously read it, there will come into your heart an added measure
of the Spirit of the Lord. There will come a strengthened resolution to
walk in obedience to his commandments, and there will come a stronger
testimony of the living reality of the Son of God. (Elder Gordon B.
Hinckley, Fai th, the Essence of True Rel igion, p. 64)
INTRODUCTION: These chapters are about many things: about
priesthood and pre-existence and patience and power, but mostly about
power. Moroni declared, “And Christ hath said: If ye will have faith in me
ye shall have power to do whatsoever thing is expedient in me.” (Moroni
7:33)
This power that grows out of faith would be crucial in the ministry of AlmaPage 2 of 13, BM LESSON 24
and Amulek, but only when the time was right.
And they had power given unto them, insomuch that they
could not be confined in dungeons; neither was it possible
that any man could slay them; nevertheless they did not
exercise their power until they were bound in bands and cast
into prison. Now, this was done that the Lord might show forth
his power in them. (Alma 8:31)
1. ALMA GIVES A POWERFUL DISCOURSE ON PRIESTHOOD AND
FOREORDINATION (Alma 13)
The Book of Mormon Is full of mysteries, meaning things I don’t
understand. Yet. One of those mysteries is why what seems to me to be
the deepest, most difficult chapter in the Book of Mormon, Alma 13, was
given as a sermon to the degenerate folks of Ammonihah. I think I have
spent as much time pondering this chapter as any chapter in the book,
and I still have about three zillion questions. How did the people of
Ammonihah handle it?
But that is not the concern of these present meditations. We ought to
look for a moment at the message of this chapter for us.
Alma 13 teaches that the blessings of the high priesthood, especially the
calling of h i g h p r i e s t, come by a holy cal l ing. That phrase appears seven
times in Alma 13.
But the concept of holiness receives further emphasis in Alma 13.
Now they were ordained after this manner—being called with
a holy cal l ing, and ordained with a h o l y o r d i n a n c e, and taking
upon them the high priesthood of the h o l y o r d e r, which calling,
and ordinance, and high priesthood, is without beginning or
end—(Alma 13:8).
The calling to the Melchizedek Priesthood is more than a holy calling: it is
a h o l y c a l l i n g b y a h o l y o r d i n a n c e t o a h o l y o r d e r . This suggests clearlyPage 3 of 13, BM LESSON 24
an inescapable obligation of those who receive this priesthood: they must
be holy!
The calling comes in part because of preparation in the pre-earth life.
Why were some spirits sent to earth among the Amalekites,
the Assyrians, and the Babylonians, while others at the same
moments found birth in the house of Israel? Why was Antipas
sent as the son of a debauched and evil Herod, while John
the Baptist came into the home of a priestly Zacharias and a
saintly Elisabeth?
All of these things operate by law; they are the outgrowth of
long years of personal preparation in preexistence on the part
of each individual; they come to pass according to the laws
that the Lord has ordained. This second estate is a
continuation of our first estate; we are born here with the
talents and capacities acquired there. Abraham was one of
the noble and great spirits in the premortal life. He was
chosen for his mortal ministry and position before he was
born, and as with the father of the faithful so with all of the
spirits destined to be born as his seed.
The greatest and most important talent or capacity that any of
the spirit children of the Father could gain is the talent of
spirituality. Most of those who gained this talent were chosen,
before they were born, to come to earth as members of the
house of Israel. They were foreordained to receive the
blessings that the Lord promised to Abraham and to his seed
in all their generations. This foreordination is an election, Paul
tells us, and truly it is so, for those so chosen, selected, or
elected become, in this life, the favored people. Though all
mankind may be saved by obedience, some find it easier to
believe and obey than others. Hence the concept, taught by
Jesus, that his sheep know his voice and will not follow the
dissident voices of the world. (Bruce R. McConkie, A New
Wi tness for the Ar t icles of Fai th, p.512 - p.513)Page 4 of 13, BM LESSON 24
Why was it that “the Lord God ordained priests, after his holy order . . .”?
These two reasons appear in Alma 13.
1 . “That thereby the people might know in what manner to look
forward to [the] Son” (Alma 13:2)
2 . “To teach his commandments unto the children of men” (Alma 13:6)
And why were some chosen while others were not?
1 . “According to the foreknowledge of God” (Alma 13:3)
2 . “In the first place being left to choose good or evil; therefore they
having chosen good . . .” (Alma 13:3)
3 . “Exercising exceedingly great faith . . .” (Alma 13:3)
And thus they have been called to this holy calling on account
of their faith, while others would reject the Spirit of God on
account of the hardness of their hearts and blindness of their
minds, while, if it had not been for this they might have had as
great privilege as their brethren. Or in fine, in the first place
they were on the same standing with their brethren; thus this
holy calling being prepared from the foundation of the world
for such as would not harden their hearts, being in and
through the atonement of the Only Begotten Son, who was
prepared– And thus being called by this holy calling, and
ordained unto the high priesthood of the holy order of God, to
teach his commandments unto the children of men, that they
also might enter into his rest—(Alma 13:4-6).
The calling is an eternal one, “which calling, and ordinance, and high
priesthood. Is without beginning or end. Thus they become high priests
forever . . . (Alma 13:8,9) just like Melchizekdek “who also took upon him
the high priesthood forever.” (Alma 13:14)
Alma, having explained the nature of his calling and authority in
Ammonihah, appealed one last time to the people to repent.
And now, my brethren, I wish from the inmost part of my
heart, yea, with great anxiety even unto pain, that ye wouldPage 5 of 13, BM LESSON 24
hearken unto my words, and cast off your sins, and not
procrastinate the day of your repentance . . . (Alma 13:27)
2. ALMA, AMULEK, AND OTHER BELIEVERS ARE PERSECUTED FOR
THEIR RIGHTEOUSNESS (Alma 14)
As I mentioned in the Int roduct ion, our spiritual power is linked to our
faith in Christ. Joseph Smith, speaking of faith, said this:
Let us here observe, that three things are necessary in order
that any rational and intelligent being may exercise faith in
God unto life and salvation.
First , the idea that he actually exists.
Secondly , a cor rect idea of his character , per fect ions, and
attributes.
Thirdly , an actual knowledge that the course of life which he
is pursuing is according to his will. For without an
acquaintance with these three important facts, the faith of
every rational being must be imperfect and unproductive; but
with this understanding it can become perfect and fruitful,
abounding in righteousness, unto the praise and glory of God
the Father, and the Lord Jesus Christ. (Lectures on Faith,
Lecture Thi rd, para. 2-5, p. 33)
In order to simplify the application of these principles, I have reworded
these three things into four, as follows:
1 . Believe in God
2 . Understand his nature
3 . Find out what he wants you to do
4 . Do i t
Like all the rest of us, Alma and his companion believe in God and
understand his nature. Most of our struggles come with the third and
fourth steps. Alma 14-16 teaches great lessons about those two stepsPage 6 of 13, BM LESSON 24
and the power that comes when we apply them.
Not ice the resul ts of this missionary ef for t :
AND it came to pass after he had made an end of speaking
unto the people many of them did believe on his words, and
began to repent, and to search the scriptures. (Alma 14:1)
Even though many were moved in the direction of repentance, most were
not.
But the more part of them were desirous that they might
destroy Alma and Amulek . . . (Alma 14:2)
These missionaries were finally bound and delivered to the chief judge
(see Alma 14:4,5). Zeezrom, whose heart had been touched, tried to
intervene, but “they spit upon him, and cast him out from among them,
and also all those who believed in the words which had been spoken by
Alma and Amulek; and they cast them out, and sent men to cast stones
at them.” (Alma 14:7)
A careful reading of this passage and others makes it seem that only the
men were cast out. (See Alma 14:8; 15:1,2) The women and children
were retained for a more diabolic purpose.
And they brought their wives and children together, and
whosoever believed or had been taught to believe in the word
of God they caused that they should be cast into the fire; and
they also brought forth their records which contained the holy
scriptures, and cast them into the fire also, that they might be
burned and destroyed by fire. (Alma 14:8)
Remember what we read in Alma 8:9? Here we see a heart-rending
proof of that verse. What kind of people would throw women and their
children into a fire? And not satisfied with the expulsion and destruction
of those who had believed Alma and Amulek, they
took Alma and Amulek, and carried them forth to the place ofPage 7 of 13, BM LESSON 24
martyrdom, that they might witness the destruction of those
who were consumed by fire. (Alma 14:9)
These are truly awful people!
I cannot help but wonder about Amulek’s family. We read in Alma 9:11
about the women and children of Amulek. Unless Alma sounded an early
warning and they escaped, or they rejected the truths taught by Alma
before the burning, they might have been among those being consumed
before Alma and Amulek.
Amulek [had] forsaken all his gold, and silver, and his
precious things, which were in the land of Ammonihah, for the
word of God, he being rejected by those who were once his
friends and also by his father and his kindred . . .(Alma
1 5 : 1 6 ) .
We also learn here that Amulek came and lived with Alma and that Alma
“did administer unto him in his tribulations, and strengthened him in the
Lord” (Alma 15:18) .
Amulek is nearly overcome by the scene:
And when Amulek saw the pains of the women and children
who were consuming in the fire, he also was pained; and he
said unto Alma: How can we witness this awful scene?
Therefore let us stretch forth our hands, and exercise the
power of God which is in us, and save them from the flames.
(Alma 14:10)
Under almost any circumstance, righteous men who had the power would
act instantly to prevent further suffering. But there is this other
considerat ion for those of great fai th: f ind out what God wants you to do.
Sometimes the thing that God wants us to do is to do nothing.
But Alma said unto him: The Spirit constraineth me that I must
not stretch forth mine hand; for behold the Lord receiveth
them up unto himself, in glory; and he doth suffer that theyPage 8 of 13, BM LESSON 24
may do this thing, or that the people may do this thing unto
them, according to the hardness of their hearts, that the
judgments which he shall exercise upon them in his wrath
may be just; and the blood of the innocent shall stand as a
witness against them, yea, and cry mightily against them at
the last day. (Alma 14:11)
I think it would have been easier for both of them to leap into the fire and
die with their converts than to observe and do nothing, when God had
given them such great power. This is an important lesson. We must
always be ready to act (or not act) in accordance with the will of the
Father and the Son, no matter how much it might contradict our own will.
At least the two witnesses had this assurance: the martyrs would be
exalted, for “the Lord receiveth them up unto himself in glory . . .” And
what an inditement the record of this event would be against those
heartless murderers on the day of judgement.
When the innocent and the scriptures were consumed, the chief judge
approached the captives. “After what ye have seen, will ye preach again
unto this people, that they shall be cast into a lake of fire and brimstone?”
(Alma 14:15)
And then he began to talk about power: “Behold, ye see that ye had not
power to save those who had been cast into the fire . . .” (Alma 14:15)
Well, since power is invisible, how would he know? Like all men
destitute of the Spirit, he could not comprehend men with power who
were unwilling to use it.
Like many others, I have had the experience of being restrained by the
Spirit in the exercise of priesthood power. On one occasion I c o u l d n o t
give a blessing and on another I was restrained from making promises I
had longed to make
as I gave a blessing. The key that transforms faith into power is this
willingness to be obedient, for there is a direct correlation between
obedience and faith.
Fai th is a gi f t of God bestowed as a reward for personalPage 9 of 13, BM LESSON 24
righteousness. It is always given when righteousness is
present, and the greater the measure of obedience to God's
laws the greater will be the endowment of faith. Hence the
Prophet says that to acquire faith men must gain the actual
knowledge "that the course of life which they pursue is
according to the will of God . . .” (Bruce R. McConkie, M o r m o n
Do c t r i n e, p.264)
During this and subsequent visits by the judicial leaders of Ammonihah,
Alma and Amulek were smitten repeatedly (see Alma
14:14,17,20,22,24,25). In addition, they endured gnashing of teeth,
spitting (14:21), mockery, hunger, thirst, nakedness, being bound with
strong cords, and confinement (see 14:22), all the while being challenged
about their power (see Alma 14:15, 20, 24).
How long did all this last? Alma 14:23 tells us that the final day of their
incarceration was the twelfth day of the tenth month of the tenth year of
the reign of the judges . Alma returned to Ammonihah on the fourth day
of the seventh month (see Alma 10:6). Thus, three months and eight
days have passed since Alma and Amulek met. We are not certain how
long Alma stayed with Amulek nor how long their preaching lasted, but
much of this time must have been spent in prison, because their
deliverance only occurred “after they had thus suffered for many days . .
. (Alma 14:23) “.
Overshadowing the time of this abuse and indignity was the question
asked by the chief judge and many others. “If ye have such great power,
why do ye not deliver yourselves?” (Alma 14:20; see also 14:24).
The only possible answer to this question, based on the final outcome of
their experience, is that they were tarrying so that they could find out what
God wanted them to do. They were waiting on the will of God.
It happened on the date mentioned above.
And the chief judge stood before them, and smote them
again, and said unto them: I f ye have the power of God
d e l i v e r y o u r s e l v e s from these bands, and then we will believePage 10 of 13, BM LESSON 24
that the Lord will destroy this people according to your words.
(Alma 14:24, emp h a s i s a d d e d)
Everybody in the chief judge’s party had a go at them. “They all went
forth and smote them, saying the same words . . .” (Alma 14:25)
and when the last had spoken unto them the power of . . .
God was upon Alma and Amulek, and they rose and stood
upon their feet. And Alma cried, saying: How long shall we
suf fer these great af f l ict ions, O Lord? O Lord, give us st rength
[power] according to our faith which is in Christ, even unto
deliverance. And they broke the cords with which they were
bound; and when the people saw this, they began to flee, for
the fear of destruction had come upon them. (Alma 14:25,26)
What would you pay for a video tape of the faces of those men when
Alma and Amulek stood up and snapped the s t r o n g c o r d s ( 1 4 : 2 2 ) with
which they were bound? Talk about a Kodak moment!
No one in the prison survived, of course, except our two heroes, who had
received strength –power–according to their faith, which was in Christ.
The fear felt by those in the prison was experienced by the people of the
city as well. Imagine the circumstances: The people of the ci ty are just
si t t ing down for a quiet meal when the ear th begins to shake. The al l
race to the doors of thei r homes and see a great cloud of dust bi l lowing
into the ai r over the locat ion of the pr ison. From al l di rect ions they run
together to see what has happened. When they are close enough, they
see the pr ison dest royed, the wal ls fal len to the ear th. And then, f rom the
rubble of the pr ison, wear ing thei r bi r thday sui ts, walk two men. Like
those in the prison, these citizens were struck with great fear. They “f led
from the presence of Alma and Amulek even as a goat fleeth with her
young from two lions; and thus they did flee from the presence of Alma
and Amulek.” (Alma 14:29)
Why did it happen? What made possible the destruction of the prison
and their escape? “The Lord had granted unto them power, according to
their faith which was in Christ.” (Alma 14:28)Page 11 of 13, BM LESSON 24
Our ability to deliver ourselves from the prisons of sin and selfgratification, or to overcome the Goliath-like giants of impure thoughts
and family contention, or to defeat the armies of carnality and immorality
can come only in the same way it came to Alma and Amulek. We must
obey in the little things–our prayers, our scripture study, our callings and
appointments. Then when the great challenges come, we will have
sufficient faith in Christ to find the power we need to overcome. Other
examples of this principle at work can be found in Moses 7:13; 1 Samuel
14:6-16; 1 Samuel 17; 3 Nephi 7:18, and others. As your review these
examples, watch for the four steps by which faith becomes power.
1 . Believe in God
2 . Understand his nature
3 . Find out what he wants you to do
4 . Do i t
3. ZEEZROM IS HEALED AND BAPTIZED (Alma 15)
Notice in Alma 15:1 why Alma and Amulek left Ammonihah. They were
c omma n d e d t o d o s o . I am left with the feeling that if they had not been
commanded, they might have remained a bit longer in hope of bringing a
few more souls to repentance, but they must have seen that “the day of
grace was passed with them, both temporally and spiritually . . .”
(Mormon 2:15) for, in spite of what had happened to the prison and their
leaders,
. . . ,the people that were in the land of Ammonihah . . .
remained a hard-hearted and a stiffnecked people; and they
repented not of their sins, ascribing all the power of Alma and
Amulek to the devil; for they were of the profession of Nehor,
and did not believe in the repentance of their sins. (Alma
15:15)
And so they departed to the land of Sidom where they found the outcasts
from Ammonihah and “related unto them all that had happened unto their
wives and children.” (Alma 15:2)
They found Zeezrom suffering greatly because of his wickedness. AfterPage 12 of 13, BM LESSON 24
an interview about faith,
Alma cried unto the Lord, saying: O Lord our God, have mercy
on this man, and heal him according to his faith which is in
Christ. And when Alma had said these words, Zeezrom
leaped upon his feet, and began to walk . . . (Alma 15:10,11)
Zeezrom was baptized, “and he began from that time forth to preach unto
the people.” (Alma 15:12)
This reorganizat ion of pr ior i t ies is typical of al l t rue conver ts. Not ice in
Alma 15:16 what Amulek was willing to do because of his conversion.
What are you willing to place on the altar? What will you give to know
him and serve him? What an awful day of judgement awaits those who
cling to their sins like the people of Ammonihah.
4. THE WORDS OF ALMA ARE FULFILLED AS THE LAMANITES
DESTROY AMMONIHAH (Alma 16)
Early in the eleventh year, the Lamanites came “into the borders of the
land, even into the city of Ammonihah, and began to slay the people and
destroy the city.” (Alma 16:2)
and the people of Ammonihah were destroyed; yea, every . . .
living soul of the Ammonihahites was destroyed, and also
their great city, which they said God could not destroy,
because of its greatness. But behold, in one day it was left
desolate; and the carcases were mangled by dogs and wild
beasts of the wilderness. (Alma 16:9,10)
CONCLUSION:
They said it couldn’t be done. They refused to believe the words of Alma
(Alma 9:4). What person or God had the power to do what Alma had
said would be done. The people of Ammonihah had forgotten the nature
of God, and that he and his worthy servants had power.
Reading this, I was reminded of the worlds of Nebuchadnezzar to thePage 13 of 13, BM LESSON 24
three Hebrews who would not worship his golden image. After warning
them of the consequences of refusing to worship his new god, he
declared, “and who is that God that shall deliver you out of my hands?”
(Daniel 3:15) Nebuchadnezzar was acquainted with metal gods who just
stood there. Like the Ammonihahites, he did not realize that God and his
worthy servants had power.
The story of Ammonihah, and the words of Joseph Smith, teach us how
to partake of that power.
