Category: Book of Mormon Project

Alma 26:1, LeGrand Baker, ‘Could We Have Supposed?’ — Covenant of Invulnerability

1 And now, these are the words of Ammon to his brethren, which say thus: My brothers and my brethren, behold I say unto you, how great reason have we to rejoice; for could we have supposed when we started from the land of Zarahemla that God would have granted unto us such great blessings? (Alma 26:1)

There may be no other scripture that so accurately express the sense of awe that the faithful feel as they watch the Lord fulfill the promises he has made to them. It is an echo of the much shorter, but equally profound question asked by Enos: “Lord, how is it done?”(Enos 1:7.)

The answer, while unfathomable from our perspective, is very simple to say in words: At the Council in Heaven we made covenants with God. On our part, we promised what we would do when we came here; on his part, he promised he would make it possible for us to do it—not easy—not even safe—but possible (Paul explains that in the first chapter of Ephesians). However, like the Prophet Joseph, Peter, and Abinadi, it might appear to others that we had been prevented from achieving our objective; but like with them, the end cannot come until the Father has fulfilled his covenants to help us succeed—unless, of course, we have chosen to not fulfill our part.

His promise is renewed here in this world as we are taught what we must do to return to him. His promise is virtually a guarantee of invulnerability—not against hurt or sorrow, but against failure if we do our part. The following are two excerpts from my forthcoming book on the Psalms, They discuss our of invulnerability. The first is from my discussion of Psalm 45 which portrays the king (and through him all the audience) receiving that promise during the proceedings of the Council in Heaven.

In his blessing to the king, the Father promised that when all these conditions are met, “thy right hand shall teach thee awesome things.” {1} Then Elohim concludes his blessings to the future king of kingship and priesthood with this final promise.

5. Thine arrows are sharp in the heart of the king’s enemies; whereby the people fall under thee (Psalm 45:5).

Many of the psalms that contain blessings, conclude with similar promises of military invulnerability {2} as we move through linear time. {3} In ancient Israel there were two kinds of enemies. One challenged the king’s earthly responsibility for providing personal and national peace and security. The other (a holdover from the previous world) challenged his powers of one’s righteousness and priesthood. That is the context of these seeming military blessings in this and other psalms. They appear to suggest military conquest, but in fact they are reiterations of the assurance of the Lord’s guarantee that no power on earth or in hell could prevent one from keeping one’s premortal covenants, and from enjoying the blessings derived therefrom. It was a promise to the king who was newly dressed in sacred clothing; that by truth, meekness and righteousness; even though he found himself surrounded by enemies, he would remain invincible until his covenants were fulfilled and his mission accomplished.

The promise of invulnerability is often found in psalms that speak of the king’s actually approaching God. It is a reminder of the promise received in the Council that God is the guarantor that one will have the power to fulfill one’s eternal covenants. That promise of invulnerability is important because, as is always so in the cosmic myth, the assignment is impossible and only the intercession of the heavens can make a path through the obstacles that would prevent its fulfillment. The obstacles and the impossibility of the task are ever-present but then so is the guarantee that the Father will fulfill his part of the covenant.

It is the same guarantee as the prayer that concludes the first chapter of Ephesians, after Paul reminded his readers of their pre-mortal relationship with their Father in Heaven, and of the covenants and instructions they received before they left home. {3}

With those definitions in mind, consider the impact of Elohim’s blessing to the king as a single, coherent promise:

3 Gird thy sword upon thy thigh, O most mighty, with thy glory and thy majesty. [names of sacred clothing: glory is priesthood, majesty is kingship]
4 And in thy majesty ride prosperously [successfully] because of truth and meekness and righteousness; and thy right hand shall teach thee terrible [awesome] things. [Then follows the promise of invulnerability]
5 Thine arrows are sharp in the heart of the king’s enemies; whereby the people fall under thee. (Psalm 45:3-4)

Elohim’s blessing to the king was a comprehensive covenant, embracing all of the powers and authorities of sacral kingship and priesthood—there was nothing left to be added except the promise about his posterity, and that was reserved for the conclusion of the psalm.

Two statements in the Doctrine and Covenants suggest that the powers of a king, as described in Psalm 45, closely parallel the powers of the Melchizedek priesthood. These passages are not the same as the statement in the psalm, but the messages seem to be the same. They emphasize the powers of the Melchizedek Priesthood in terms that sound very much like “truth, meekness, and righteousness.”

“Truth” is defined as knowledge of reality in sacred time: “truth is knowledge of things as they are, and as they were, and as they are to come” (D&C93:2.).

“Meekness” is keeping the covenants we made at the Council and remake here:

9 The meek will he guide in judgment: and the meek will he teach his way.
10 All the paths of the Lord are mercy and truth unto such as keep his covenant and his testimonies. …
14 The secret [sode, decisions of the Council in Heaven] of the Lord is with them that fear him; and he will shew them his covenant. (Psalms 25:9-10, 14)

“Righteousness” is zedek – correctness in temple and priesthood things.

The first of the D&C scripture reads:

19 And this greater priesthood administereth the gospel and holdeth the key of the mysteries [“Mysteries” would probably be the same as sode in the Old Testament] of the kingdom, even the key of the knowledge of God [knowing the truth].
20 Therefore, in the ordinances thereof [In Isaiah and the Psalms, the word “ordinances” would probably appear as the code words “way”or “path”], the power of godliness is manifest.
21 And without the ordinances thereof, and the authority of the priesthood, the power of godliness is not manifest unto men in the flesh;
22 For without this no man can see the face of God, even the Father, and live [a sode experience].
23 Now this Moses plainly taught to the children of Israel in the wilderness, and sought diligently to sanctify his people that they might behold the face of God (D&C 84:19-23).

The second reads:

18 The power and authority of the higher, or Melchizedek Priesthood, is to hold the keys of all the spiritual blessings of the church—
19 To have the privilege of receiving the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven [truth], to have the heavens opened unto them [sode experience], to commune with the general assembly and church of the Firstborn [Council in Heaven], and to enjoy the communion and presence of God the Father, and Jesus the mediator of the new covenant (D&C 107:18-19).

The Veil Ceremony in Psalm 21.

The 21st Psalm describes the king’s request to enter the Holy of Holies through the veil. (In Alma 5 in the Book of Mormon, when Alma was asking the people in the congregation if they could still the song of redeeming love, as they had once sung it, it seems likely that the hymn he was referring to was the 21st Psalm.) The psalm begins by someone describing the action on the stage. It might have been a chorus, as in a Greek play, or a narrator, or it might have been the entire congregation who sang this part:

1. The king shall joy in thy strength,
O Lord; and in thy salvation how greatly shall he rejoice!
2. Thou hast given him his heart’s desire,
and hast not withholden the request of his lips
(Psalm 21:1-2).

This is what we know about what has already happened on the stage: the king had asked the Lord for something, and the Lord had granted that request. In the next verse there is an unusual word, “preventest.” The footnote in the LDS Bible helps with that. It says that the words “thou preventest him” might be translated “thou wilt meet him.” When we use that phrase, this is the way the chorus described the Lord’s response to the king’s request:

3. For thou wilt meet him with the blessings of goodness:
thou settest a crown of pure gold on his head (Psalm 21:3).

In the next verse we learn what the blessing was that the king had requested:

4. He asked life of thee, and thou gavest it him,
even length of days for ever and ever. [i.e. through all eternity]
5. His glory is great in thy salvation:
honour and majesty hast thou laid upon him (Psalm 21:4-5).

“Honour and majesty” are the names of the clothing that represents his kingship and priesthood: {4}

6. For thou hast made him most blessed for ever:
thou hast made him exceeding glad with thy countenance (Psalm 21:6).

The king had received a blessing that reached “for ever,” and now the king is “exceeding glad” because he had seen the countenance of God:

7 For the king trusteth in the Lord,
and through the mercy of the most High he shall not
be moved (Psalm 21:7).{5}

That he will not be moved indicates that the king will keep the covenants he has made with the Lord.

The next five verses in the psalm are spoken by God to the king. It is easy for us to read them in the context of our own time—and that without much understanding, for they sound like a battle hymn whose emphasis is victory in war. But when one recalls that they were written in a time very unlike our own, then the words have a different ring altogether. In the days of ancient Israel, there were no police forces that kept one safe as he traveled. People built walls around cities, and the wealthy built fortifications on their own estates. The words in our psalm, and many like them in other psalms and in Isaiah, are promises of protection—of personal invulnerability—the same kind of invulnerability he promises all those who keep his commandments:

8 Thine hand shall find out all thine enemies:
thy right hand shall find out those that hate thee.
9. Thou shalt make them as a fiery oven in the time of thine anger:
the Lord shall swallow them up in his wrath,
and the fire shall devour them.
10. Their fruit shalt thou destroy from the earth,
and their seed from among the children of men.
11. For they intended evil against thee:
they imagined a mischievous device,
which they are not able to perform.
12. Therefore shalt thou make them turn their back,
when thou shalt make ready thine arrows upon thy
strings against the face of them (Psalm 21:8-12).

The final verse is an anthem of praise, sung by the people who sang the first verses of the psalm:

13. Be thou exalted, Lord, in thine own strength:
so will we sing and praise thy power (Psalm 21:13).

About these events, Margaret Barker observes:

“The rituals of the holy of holies were thus taking place outside time and matter, in the realm of the angels and the heavenly throne, and those who functioned in the holy of holies were more than human, being and seeing beyond time.” {6}

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ENDNOTES

{1} The Tanakh (official Jewish translation) uses “awesome” rather than “terrible.”

{2} Some important examples are Psalms 2, 21, 110.

{3} At the conclusion of Paul’s discussion of the covenants we made with God in the premortal world (Ephesians 1:1-14), Paul prays that his readers may know three things:

First, “what is the hope of his calling.” Calling is a verb, thus it is God’s calling—his premortal assignment—to the Saints.

Second, “and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints.” That is, what great blessings await those who keep their covenants.

Third, “And what is the exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward who believe, according to the working of his mighty power, Which he wrought in Christ, when he raised him from the dead.” (v. 18-20 and on to v. 23)

In other words, Paul’s prayer concludes with the hope that we will know that the Father has also promised us that he will enable us to fulfill our covenants if we are faithful to the instructions of the Holy Ghost.

{4} “Majesty” clearly represents his kingship, just as it does elsewhere in the scriptures. In Job 40:10 the fact that the Lord is talking about clothing is made even more clear: “Deck thyself now with majesty and excellency; and array thyself with glory and beauty.” In Moses 7:3-4, and in his sode experience, Enoch is dressed properly. One must be clean and properly clothed to come into the presence of God. In our psalm the phrase, “honour and majesty hast thou laid upon him” suggest that God himself has dressed the king in royal garments.

{5} The prophet Enoch describes an experience in a similar sequence:

3 And it came to pass that I turned and went up on the mount; and as I stood upon the mount, I beheld the heavens open, and I was clothed upon with glory;
4 And I saw the Lord; and he stood before my face, and he talked with me, even as a man talketh one with another, face to face (Moses 7:3-4).

{6} Barker, Great High Priest, 81

Alma 22:15-18, LeGrand Baker, ‘give away all my sins’

15 And it came to pass that after Aaron had expounded these things unto him, the king said: What shall I do that I may have this eternal life of which thou hast spoken? Yea, what shall I do that I may be born of God, having this wicked spirit rooted out of my breast, and receive his Spirit, that I may be filled with joy, that I may not be cast off at the last day? Behold, said he, I will give up all that I possess, yea, I will forsake my kingdom, that I may receive this great joy.
16 But Aaron said unto him: If thou desirest this thing, if thou wilt bow down before God, yea, if thou wilt repent of all thy sins, and will bow down before God, and call on his name in faith, believing that ye shall receive, then shalt thou receive the hope which thou desirest.
17 And it came to pass that when Aaron had said these words, the king did bow down before the Lord, upon his knees; yea, even he did prostrate himself upon the earth, and cried mightily, saying:
18 O God, Aaron hath told me that there is a God; and if there is a God, and if thou art God, wilt thou make thyself known unto me, and I will give away all my sins to know thee, and that I may be raised from the dead, and be saved at the last day. And now when the king had said these words, he was struck as if he were dead. (Alma 22:15-18. Italics added)

It is apparent to me that to “give up” and to “give away” are not the same things. To “give up” is a passive approach. It is to abandon, to surrender, to desist from, to discontinue.

It may require some effort. It can be difficult, but the difficulty is to achieve the passivity. For example if one gives up smoking one may have to exercise a good deal of willpower in order to discontinue, but the willpower is directed toward inactivity. Another example: To give up telling lies is not the same as to seek to tell the truth, because not telling a lie does not impose the burden of saying anything at all. (If one determines to tell the truth, that would be a major change for the better, but it is also something different from simply giving up the habit of telling lies.)

Repentance is “giving away” one’s sins. The sins are forever there and they carry consequences. But both the sin and the consequence can be “given away” to the Saviour who will accept their burden and pay their price.

To give away is never passive, but always active. If you and I are sitting by a desk and my dollar bill is on the desk, and you take it, that’s stealing. If I proffer it to you and you don’t accept it, but I give it anyway, that’s throwing it at you, not giving it to you. If you do not accept I cannot give away, because throwing it at you is not the same as giving.

To give away requires action on the part of both persons, and that action always presupposes a written, spoken, implied or symbolic contract or covenant. An example of an implied covenant is that if you invite me to lunch (give me food), I could not accept your invitation without also accepting the implied covenant that you would pay for it and I won’t have to. An example of a written covenant is that if I wish to give you my car, I must go to the court house and fill out the necessary paper work. If you accept, you also accept the burden of paying the future taxes on the car.

As I understand it, The ordinance of baptism functions like that paper work in the courthouse. It is the formality of giving our sins to the Saviour. For us the meaning of the contract is that our sins may go into remission. It evokes the blessings of the atonement to put the sins in remission. The word initially meant a diminution of force or effect, a slackening of energy— like putting cancer in remission— and therefore making the sins inoperative. -The Saviour accepts the burden of the sins so that it will not weight us down as we seek to turn our lives around. “Repent” literally means to turn around and go the other way. To use the example above: repentance not only means that we stop telling falsehoods, but also to begin telling the truth and testify of it.

Repentance is giving one’s sins to the Saviour. The ordinance of baptism is literally a transfer of ownership.

Repentance is a maturation process. It requires persistence, refining, and re-refining. It requires both the gift of the atonement, and a knowing response on our part to the tutoring of the Holy Ghost. The Spirit teaches us how to repent and it cleanses us from those sins, then teaches us more and cleanses, and teaches and cleanses, ad infinitum. Thus, by the Spirit, our spirits are refined. As Moroni explained,

And after they had been received unto baptism, and were wrought upon and cleansed by the power of the Holy Ghost… (Moroni 6:4)

That principle is taught to us weekly in the covenant of these words:

O God, the Eternal Father, we ask thee in the name of thy Son, Jesus Christ, to bless and sanctify this bread to the souls of all those who partake of it, that they may eat inremembrance of the body of thy Son, and witness unto thee, O God, the Eternal Father, that they are willing to take upon them the name of thy Son, and [willing to] always remember him and [willing to] keep his commandments which he has given them; that [to the end that:] they may always have his Spirit to be with them. Amen. (D&C 20:77 bold added)

Being thus committed by covenant, our cleansing is again renewed by water that represents the Saviour’s blood— the cleansing waters of life.

O God, the Eternal Father, we ask thee in the name of thy Son, Jesus Christ, to bless and sanctify this wine to the souls of all those who drink of it, that they may do it in remembrance of the blood of thy Son, which was shed for them; that they may witness unto thee, O God, the Eternal Father, that they do always remember him, that they may have his Spirit to be with them. Amen. (D&C 20:79 bold and italics added)

I suppose that to understand this whole principle most clearly, one must simply take the Saviour at his word when he summed up it up to the Nephites. There, the first Beatitude (the one that is left out of the New Testament) might be translated into today’s terms as simply, “Blessed are those who follow the Prophet and the Brethren.” It reads,

1 …. Blessed are ye if ye shall give heed unto the words of these twelve whom I have chosen from among you to minister unto you, and to be your servants; and unto them I have given power that they may baptize you with water; and after that ye are baptized with water, behold, I will baptize you with fire and with the Holy Ghost; therefore blessed are ye if ye shall believe in me and be baptized, after that ye have seen me and know that I am.
2 And again, more blessed are they who shall believe in your words because that ye shall testify that ye have seen me, and that ye know that I am. Yea, blessed are they who shall believe in your words, and come down into the depths of humility and be baptized, for they shall be visited with fire and with the Holy Ghost, and shall receive a remission of their sins. (3 Nephi 12:1-2)

Alma 19:2-29, LeGrand Baker, The Queen’s Conversion.

Mormon’s remarkable ability to tell nothing, yet tell all that needs to be told rises to surpurb heights in his recounting of the queen’s conversion. The story begins after king Lamoni’s apparent death. His body is taken to the queen and she summons Ammon to attend her.

3 And it came to pass that Ammon did as he was commanded, and went in unto the queen, and desired to know what she would that he should do.
4 And she said unto him: The servants of my husband have made it known unto me that thou art a prophet of a holy God, and that thou hast power to do many mighty works in his name;

The fact that Ammon can do “many mighty works” might simply have been known from the incident with the flocks, but that he is “a prophet of a holy God” could only have been known from some additional evidence. That source of that evidence is easy to recognize, for Mormon tells us that Ammon taught the king and also his servants (probably meaning those who were privy to his person). (18:37) When Ammon arrived, the queen did not ask for a miracle, she only asked for his assurance that her husband was not dead. They entered the king’s chamber:

8 And he said unto the queen: He is not dead, but he sleepeth in God, and on the morrow he shall rise again; therefore bury him not.
9 And Ammon said unto her: Believest thou this? And she said unto him: I have had no witness save thy word, and the word of our servants; nevertheless I believe that it shall be according as thou hast said.
10 And Ammon said unto her: Blessed art thou because of thy exceeding faith; I say unto thee, woman, there has not been such great faith among all the people of the Nephites.

Just as we are told only the barest of details about the conversations between Ammon and the king, so are we told almost nothing about the conversation between Ammon and the queen. Her simple answer, as it is recorded here, seems not so insightful as to rank her faithfulness above all the women of the Nephites, yet that is Ammon’s his response. So we may assume that there is a complex background, and a great deal happening within their conversation that is only barely suggested by Mormon’s report of it. There is an echo in the way Mormon tells the story that reflects John’s solemnity: “He who has ears, let him hear.”

11 And it came to pass that she watched over the bed of her husband, from that time even until that time on the morrow which Ammon had appointed that he should rise.
12 And it came to pass that he arose, according to the words of Ammon; and as he arose, he stretched forth his hand unto the woman, and said: Blessed be the name of God, and blessed art thou.
13 For as sure as thou livest, behold, I have seen my Redeemer; and he shall come forth, and be born of a woman, and he shall redeem all mankind who believe on his name. Now, when he had said these words, his heart was swollen within him, and he sunk again with joy; and the queen also sunk down, being overpowered by the Spirit.

The queen lay there until Abish,

29 …took the queen by the hand, that perhaps she might raise her from the ground; and as soon as she touched her hand she arose and stood upon her feet, and cried with a loud voice, saying: O blessed Jesus, who has saved me from an awful hell! O blessed God, have mercy on this people!
30 And when she had said this, she clasped her hands, being filled with joy, speaking many words which were not understood; and when she had done this, she took the king, Lamoni, by the hand, and behold he arose and stood upon his feet.

The queens affirmation that Jesus “has saved [past tense] me from an awful hell!” and her prayer, “O blessed God, have mercy on this people!” is intriguing. If “Jesus” is, as it must be, a reference to the premortal Jehovah, and if her appeal to “God” is a prayer to Heavenly Father (Elohim), then her words suggest she, like her husband, has had a sode experience.

Sode is the Hebrew word meaning the secret deliberations of a council, and many scholars use the phrase “sode experience” to identify visions where a prophet is returned to the Council in Heaven to re-experience and re-commit himself to the covenants he made there. (such as Isaiah 6 and 1 Nephi 18-15) Amos 3:7 assures us “Surely the Lord God will do nothing, but he revealeth his secret [sode] unto his servants the prophets,” and Jeremiah 23:18-22 defines a false prophet as one who presumes to speak for God without having “stood in the counsel [sode] of the Lord.”

If this story and the queen’s response are, in fact, evidence that she has had a sode experience, then this is one of the few places in scripture that records a woman’s returning to the Council.

The accounts Mormon gives of their being “as dead” during those experiences reflect a truth that is attested in many places. Experiences in sacred time also require the passage of linear time. Three other examples are Lehi’s going to lay down on his bed before he had his sode experience; Alma laying as though he were dead for three days; and Enoch’s great vision taking 60 days. (The Book of the Secrets of Enoch, 68:2, in R. H. Charles, The Apocrypha and Pseudepigrapha of the Old Testament [Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1913] 2:469)

Alma 19-26, LeGrand Baker, Mormon’s messages

For the most part, the Book of Mormon is the story of a single family, with only three possible breaks in the genealogical record. They are King Mosiah I who was apparently a younger brother of the king of the Nephites, and who took the sacred regalia and fled from the Land of Nephi before it was destroyed by the Lamanites. The second is Alma who is clearly identified as “a descendent of Nephi” even though we are given no definitive statement of how he is connected with the royal family. The third is Mormon himself, who also tells us that he is also “a descendent of Nephi” but whose precise family ties are not given. Thus the story of that family becomes the golden thread that goes from the beginning to the end of the book, giving it structure and continuity

The Book of Mormon is written to the Lamanites but it is about the Nephite royal family, because their family, church, and state records were the sources to which Mormon and Moroni had access. The reason I point that out here is because this story of the Lamanite conversion, and the later story of the miraculous preservation of their “stripling soldier” sons, are among Mormon’s most significant diversions from the mainstream of Nephite history, but even these stories of Lamanite faithfulness are dependent on Nephite records. The missionaries who converted the Lamanites were sons of the Nephite king. The prophet/general Moroni after whom Mormon named his own son was a high ranking member of the Nephite aristocracy. Heleman, Moroni’s military subordinate who commanded the faithful Lamanite youth, was a son of Alma and the father of Heleman who would become the Nephite Chief Judge.

Mormon never tells a story without a purpose, and he usually defines that purpose to us with a phrase like, “and thus we see.” Because this departure into Lamanite history is so unusual, I think it would be wise to focus our attention on the message Mormon wants us to gain from it, rather than on the details of the story.

The chapters that describe these events invite us to stop and consider the underlying principles that support them, but if we do that the Book of Mormon Project may get bogged down in the details. So rather than risk that, Let’s just do a quick overview, stopping only to call attention to the principles Mormon emphasizes.

Let’s pick up his story where Ammon is with King Lamoni.

22 Now, one of them, whose brother had been slain with the sword of Ammon, being exceedingly angry with Ammon, drew his sword and went forth that he might let it fall upon Ammon, to slay him; and as he lifted the sword to smite him, behold, he fell dead.
23 Now we see that Ammon could not be slain, for the Lord had said unto Mosiah, his father: I will spare him, and it shall be unto him according to thy faith—therefore, Mosiah trusted him unto the Lord. (Alma 19:22-23)

After the king and his servants testified of what they had seen and heard,

35 …there were many that did believe in their words; and as many as did believe were baptized; and they became a righteous people, and they did establish a church among them.
36 And thus the work of the Lord did commence among the Lamanites; thus the Lord did begin to pour out his Spirit upon them; and we see that his arm is extended to all people who will repent and believe on his name. (Alma 19:333-36)

From there Mormon takes us with Aaron to the palace of the Lamoni’s father, the king of all the Lamanites.

17 And it came to pass that when Aaron had said these words, the king did bow down before the Lord, upon his knees; yea, even he did prostrate himself upon the earth, and cried mightily, saying:
18 O God, Aaron hath told me that there is a God; and if there is a God, and if thou art God, wilt thou make thyself known unto me, and I will give away all my sins to know thee, and that I may be raised from the dead, and be saved at the last day. And now when the king had said these words, he was struck as if he were dead. (Alma 22:17-18)

The king and queen, and many of their servants were converted.

1 Behold, now it came to pass that the king of the Lamanites sent a proclamation among all his people, ….
4 ….that Aaron and his brethren went forth from city to city, and from one house of worship to another, establishing churches, and consecrating priests and teachers throughout the land among the Lamanites, to preach and to teach the word of God among them; and thus they began to have great success…..
6 And as sure as the Lord liveth, so sure as many as believed, or as many as were brought to the knowledge of the truth, through the preaching of Ammon and his brethren, according to the spirit of revelation and of prophecy, and the power of God working miracles in them—yea, I say unto you, as the Lord liveth, as many of the Lamanites as believed in their preaching, and were converted unto the Lord, never did fall away. (Alma 23:1-6)

A new covenant with God is always associated with a new covenant name. The name is the token of the validity of the covenant. The converter Lamanites chose a name that reminded them of their rich heritage. As we use it, the prefix “anti” usually means “against,” but it also means “like.” The name they chose— Anti-Nephi-Lehi— might be understood as meaning: “Like the ancient prophets Nephi and Lehi.” (Alma 23:16-17)

Righteousness on the part of some, often brings anger and an unexplainable need for retaliation on the part of those who do not repent, as it did here. The Lamanites who were not converted tried to use force to overthrow the king and his followers. However,

6 Now there was not one soul among all the people who had been converted unto the Lord that would take up arms against their brethren; nay, they would not even make any preparations for war; yea, and also their king commanded them that they should not.

As the king’s first prayer had been answered, so he taught its principles to his people.

7 Now, these are the words which he said unto the people concerning the matter: I thank my God, my beloved people, that our great God has in goodness sent these our brethren, the Nephites, unto us to preach unto us, and to convince us of the traditions of our wicked fathers.
8 And behold, I thank my great God that he has given us a portion of his Spirit to soften our hearts, that we have opened a correspondence with these brethren, the Nephites.
9 And behold, I also thank my God, that by opening this correspondence we have been convinced of our sins, and of the many murders which we have committed. ….
11 And now behold, my brethren, since it has been all that we could do, (as we were the most lost of all mankind) to repent of all our sins and the many murders which we have committed, and to get God to take them away from our hearts, for it was all we could do to repent sufficiently before God that he would take away our stain— ….
15 Oh, how merciful is our God! And now behold, since it has been as much as we could do to get our stains taken away from us, and our swords are made bright, let us hide them away that they may be kept bright, as a testimony to our God at the last day, or at the day that we shall be brought to stand before him to be judged, that we have not stained our swords in the blood of our brethren since he imparted his word unto us and has made us clean thereby…..(Alma 24:6-15)

To that sermon, Mormon adds:

19 And thus we see that, when these Lamanites were brought to believe and to know the truth, they were firm, and would suffer even unto death rather than commit sin; and thus we see that they buried their weapons of peace, or they buried the weapons of war, for peace.

The Lamanites attacked, but were met with no resistance.

23 Now when the Lamanites saw that their brethren would not flee from the sword, neither would they turn aside to the right hand or to the left, but that they would lie down and perish, and praised God even in the very act of perishing under the sword—
24 Now when the Lamanites saw this they did forbear from slaying them; and there were many whose hearts had swollen in them for those of their brethren who had fallen under the sword, for they repented of the things which they had done…..
26 And it came to pass that the people of God were joined that day by more than the number who had been slain; and those who had been slain were righteous people, therefore we have no reason to doubt but what they were saved.
27 And there was not a wicked man slain among them; but there were more than a thousand brought to the knowledge of the truth; thus we see that the Lord worketh in many ways to the salvation of his people.
28 Now the greatest number of those of the Lamanites who slew so many of their brethren were Amalekites and Amulonites, the greatest number of whom were after the order of the Nehors. ….

Again, Mormon stops to remind us what is happening:

30 And thus we can plainly discern, that after a people have been once enlightened by the Spirit of God, and have had great knowledge of things pertaining to righteousness, and then have fallen away into sin and transgression, they become more hardened, and thus their state becomes worse than though they had never known these things. (Alma 24:19-30.)

The frustrated Lamanites then attacked Nephite cites.

2 But they took their armies and went over into the borders of the land of Zarahemla, and fell upon the people who were in the land of Ammonihah and destroyed them.
3 And after that, they had many battles with the Nephites, in the which they were driven and slain.
4 And among the Lamanites who were slain were almost all the seed of Amulon and his brethren, who were the priests of Noah, and they were slain by the hands of the Nephites;
5 And the remainder, having fled into the east wilderness, and having usurped the power and authority over the Lamanites, caused that many of the Lamanites should perish by fire because of their belief—….
8 Now this martyrdom caused that many of their brethren should be stirred up to anger; and there began to be contention in the wilderness; and the Lamanites began to hunt the seed of Amulon and his brethren and began to slay them; and they fled into the east wilderness.
9 And behold they are hunted at this day by the Lamanites. Thus the words of Abinadi were brought to pass, which he said concerning the seed of the priests who caused that he should suffer death by fire.

The conversion story continues:

13 And it came to pass that when the Lamanites saw that they could not overpower the Nephites they returned again to their own land; and many of them came over to dwell in the land of Ishmael and the land of Nephi, and did join themselves to the people of God, who were the people of Anti-Nephi-Lehi.
14 And they did also bury their weapons of war, according as their brethren had, and they began to be a righteous people; and they did walk in the ways of the Lord, and did observe to keep his commandments and his statutes. …. (Alma 25:1-14)

Having told the story in his own way, and calling our attention to the most relevant parts, Mormon returns to the official account kept by the king’s sons, to tell us the missionary’s reaction to their own adventure:

17 And now behold, Ammon, and Aaron, and Omner, and Himni, and their brethren did rejoice exceedingly, for the success which they had had among the Lamanites, seeing that the Lord had granted unto them according to their prayers, and that he had also verified his word unto them in every particular.(Alma 25:17)

Next week, lets read Alma 26, which is Ammon’s joyful summarizing of their missionary success.

Alma 18:21-24, LeGrand Baker, “And thus he was caught with guile.”

Alma 18:21-24
21 And now, if thou wilt tell me concerning these things, whatsoever thou desirest I will give unto thee; and if it were needed, I would guard thee with my armies; but I know that thou art more powerful than all they; nevertheless, whatsoever thou desirest of me I will grant it unto thee.
22 Now Ammon being wise, yet harmless, he said unto Lamoni: Wilt thou hearken unto my words, if I tell thee by what power I do these things? And this is the thing that I desire of thee.
23 And the king answered him, and said: Yea, I will believe all thy words. And thus he was caught with guile.
24 And Ammon began to speak unto him with boldness, and said unto him: Believest thou that there is a God?

“Guile” is an interesting choice for the word that concludes verse 23. For the most part it has a very negative connotation, such as this admonition from Peter:

8 Finally, be ye all of one mind, having compassion one of another, love as brethren, be pitiful, be courteous:
9 Not rendering evil for evil, or railing for railing: but contrariwise blessing; knowing that ye are thereunto called, that ye should inherit a blessing.
10 For he that will love life, and see good days, let him refrain his tongue from evil, and his lips that they speak no guile. (1 Peter 3:8-10)

Shortly before that, in the same letter, Peter had explained what he meant by “speak no guile.” He was writing to people who would suffer—some would be killed–- for the sake of their testimonies. He drew a contrast between how one should respond when punished for a guilt, and when punished for no guilt at all. He wrote,

19 For this is thankworthy, if a man for conscience toward God endure grief, suffering wrongfully.
20 For what glory is it, if, when ye be buffeted for your faults, ye shall take it patiently? but if, when ye do well, and suffer for it, ye take it patiently, this is acceptable with God.
21 For even hereunto were ye called: because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that ye should follow his steps:
22 Who did no sin, neither was guile found in his mouth:
23 Who, when he was reviled, reviled not again; when he suffered, he threatened not; but committed himself to him that judgeth righteously:
24 Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed.

One of the greatest compliments ever paid to anyone is recorded in the gospel of John:

47 Jesus saw Nathanael coming to him, and saith of him, Behold an Israelite indeed, in whom is no guile!
48 Nathanael saith unto him, Whence knowest thou me? Jesus answered and said unto him, Before that Philip called thee, when thou wast under the fig tree, I saw thee.
49 Nathanael answered and saith unto him, Rabbi, thou art the Son of God; thou art the King of Israel.
50 Jesus answered and said unto him, Because I said unto thee, I saw thee under the fig tree, believest thou? thou shalt see greater things than these.
51 And he saith unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Hereafter ye shall see heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of man. (John 1:47-51)

As is so typical of the Saviour, his words were paraphrased from the psalms. By using the psalms Jesus expanded his words by giving his hearers a context in which to understand his teachings. Here he was referring to Psalm 32. Like so many of the psalms, this one was intended to be performed on the stage, and is spoken by multiple voices.

The first two verses appear to be spoken by a chorus (as in a Greek play), or a narrator.

1 Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered.
2 Blessed is the man unto whom the Lord imputeth not iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no guile.

The next verses are in first person, so are spoken by the one in whom there is no guile. He is in prayer, addressing his words to God.

3 When I kept silence, my bones waxed old through my roaring all the day long.
4 For day and night thy hand was heavy upon me: my moisture is turned into the drought of summer.
5 I acknowledged my sin unto thee, and mine iniquity have I not hid. I said, I will confess my transgressions unto the Lord; and thou forgavest the iniquity of my sin.
6 For this shall every one that is godly pray unto thee in a time when thou mayest be found: surely in the floods of great waters they shall not come nigh unto him.
7 Thou art my hiding place; thou shalt preserve me from trouble; thou shalt compass me about with songs of deliverance.

The next words are spoken by God. They are a blessing with a charge to follow instructions, but not mindlessly.

8 I will instruct thee and teach thee in the way which thou shalt go: I will guide thee with mine eye.
9 Be ye not as the horse, or as the mule, which have no understanding: whose mouth must be held in with bit and bridle, lest they come near unto thee.

The final words are a commentary on what has occurred, spoken by the chorus who introduced the scene.

10 Many sorrows shall be to the wicked: but he that trusteth in the Lord, mercy shall compass him about.
11 Be glad in the Lord, and rejoice, ye righteous: and shout for joy, all ye that are upright in heart. (Psalm 32:1-11)

Jesus’s apostles, knowing the context of Jesus’s words, could understand that Nathanael’s being without guile also meant that he need not be prodded like a mule before he would get something done. That tells us the underlying meaning of the Saviour’s promise, “Verily, verily, I say unto you, Hereafter ye shall see heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of man.”

Notwithstanding the negative aspects of “guile,” the more closely we look at the positive aspects of the concept the more reasonable Mormon’s choice of the word becomes. There is a passage in the New Testament that will help us understand. It may require more than one reading, for Paul often does, but it helps explain the passage in the Book of Mormon. Paul writes to the Corinthians,

14 Behold, the third time I am ready to come to you; and I will not be burdensome to you: for I seek not yours, but you: for the children ought not to lay up for the parents, but the parents for the children. [He is referring to himself as a parent for it was he who taught them the gospel.]
15 And I will very gladly spend and be spent for you; though the more abundantly I love you, the less I be loved.
16 But be it so, I did not burden you: nevertheless, being crafty, I caught you with guile. (2 Corinthians 12:14-16)

The key to understanding Paul’s words is “I seek not yours, but you.” The guile was the way Paul always approached his missionary task. Whenever he, the perfect Jew, entered a city, he went first to the synagogue to teach from their own scriptures the promises of the Messiah, and then he taught the fulfillment of those promises. After he established a base of operation among the Jews he had converted, then he expanded his reach to the Gentiles. His method looks simple and it proved very effective.

Ammon used a similar approach. He established his credibility before he tried to teach.

Mormon also helps us understand his meaning when he introduces the idea with these words, “Now Ammon being wise, yet harmless….”

Mormon’s lesson is about how to introduce people to the gospel, and about keeping one’s balance between enthusiasm and propriety. The Saviour taught that same lesson to his apostles. He said,

16 Behold, I send you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves: be ye therefore wise as serpents, and harmless as doves.
17 But beware of men: for they will deliver you up to the councils, and they will scourge you in their synagogues;
18 And ye shall be brought before governors and kings for my sake, for a testimony against them and the Gentiles.
19 But when they deliver you up, take no thought how or what ye shall speak: for it shall be given you in that same hour what ye shall speak.
20 For it is not ye that speak, but the Spirit of your Father which speaketh in you. (Matthew 10:16-20)

A serpent (think of a lovely garden snake rather than of a viper) is wise because he is cautious and he doesn’t want some big guy stepping on his head. The Lord used that same simile when he cautioned the Prophet Joseph, “Therefore, be ye as wise as serpents and yet without sin; and I will order all things for your good, as fast as ye are able to receive them (D&C 111:11).”

In another revelation, this one addressed to the Twelve, he instructed them to go into all the world to teach the gospel, he taught them that signs will follow those who believe, then forewarned them,

73 But a commandment I give unto them, that they shall not boast themselves of these things, neither speak them before the world; for these things are given unto you for your profit and for salvation.(D&C 84:73, see v.62-74),

The Prophet Joseph amplified those instructions when he spoke to the Saints during April Conference of 1844— the very last conference he attended before his death. He said,

“I want you to be wise as serpents and harmless as doves. Preach principles that will stand the test of ages; teach them good precepts and save souls, go forth as men of God, and you will find friends wherever you go. Drink deep of the Spirit of Truth and a great and mighty work shall be wrought in the world; hundreds and tens of thousands shall flock to the standard and go up to Zion.” (History of The Church, 6: 321)

We are frequently admonished to do the same as we seek to bring someone to the gospel: to first become an honest friend. After that friendship is established on a foundation of mutual trust, then introduce our friends to the missionaries and the gospel. They will gravitate to the truth we embrace because they have already felt the sincerity of our love.

Alma 18:4-11, LeGrand Baker, the power of personal integrity

Alma 18:10-11
10 Now when king Lamoni heard that Ammon was preparing his horses and his chariots he was more astonished, because of the faithfulness of Ammon, saying: Surely there has not been any servant among all my servants that has been so faithful as this man; for even he doth remember all my commandments to execute them.
11 Now I surely know that this is the Great Spirit, and I would desire him that he come in unto me, but I durst not.

Mormon is a superb and very candid historian. He has an agenda and he not only doesn’t try to hide it, he insists we know what it is. He frequently concludes his stories with the words “and thus we see” then he explains the principles we should have learned. But he does not always do that. Sometimes he just tells the story and leaves it to us to discover the principles. That is an easy task because the principles can usually be reduced to four basic ideas: To be happy (1) one must exercise faith in God, (2) one must be true to the eternal law on one’s own being, (3), one must obey instructions and teachings of the prophets, and (4) one must comport his life in the same way the prophets conduct theirs. This story focus on the second and fourth of those principles: have the integrity to be true to one’s eternal self, and achieve that by doing what Ammon did.

Integrity is one of the most fundamental principles that leads to salvation. In my work at BYU, I once interviewed Arnold Friberg, who did the artwork for Cecil B. DeMille’s The Ten Commandments. Friberg had great admiration for DeMille whom he described as having unbending integrity. Then Friberg defined the word: “Integrity is having no gap between what one says and what one does.” In gospel terms that simply translates to this: Integrity is having no gap between the covenants one makes and the life one lives.

Elder Maxwell spoke of integrity in eternal terms, He used the word “unvaryingness ” to describe the integrity of God. He said,

“We can serve others also by developing real integrity, which is more than being honest and true only until it becomes too expensive. In the crowds of chameleons in the world today, daring to be the same good self is being different. When our goodness is constant we are on the road, albeit only a short distance along, to the unvaryingness of Godlike love.” (Neal A. Maxwell, All These Things Shall Give Thee Experience [Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Co., 1979], 62.)

It is not surprising that President Monson equated faith in God with personal integrity. He said,

“Today, in a quiet grove at Valley Forge, there is a heroicsized monument to Washington. He is depicted not astride a charging horse nor overlooking a battlefield of glory, but kneeling in humble prayer, calling upon the God of Heaven for divine help. To gaze upon the statue prompts the mind to remember the oft-heard expression, “A man stands tallest when upon his knees.
“Men and women of integrity, character, and purpose have ever recognized a power higher than themselves and have sought through prayer to be guided by such power. Such has it ever been. So shall it ever be.” (Thomas S. Monson, Be Your Best Self [Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Co., 1979], 24-25.)

The book of Job, which is not only some of the most beautiful but also probably the oldest poetry in our Old Testament, is all about integrity. It begins in the Council in Heaven where Satan wishes to lay claim to the earth, but he can’t because Job is there.

3 And the LORD said unto Satan, Hast thou considered my servant Job, that there is none like him in the earth, a perfect and an upright man, one that feareth God, and escheweth evil? and still he holdeth fast his integrity, although thou movedst me against him, to destroy him without cause. (Job 2:3)

From that time, Job’s life begins to fall apart, until his wife can’t take it any more.

9 Then said his wife unto him, Dost thou still retain thine integrity? curse God, and die.
10 But he said unto her, Thou speakest as one of the foolish women speaketh. What? shall we receive good at the hand of God, and shall we not receive evil? In all this did not Job sin with his lips. (Job 2:9-10)

Job’s steadfastness was an evidence of his sure knowledge. He laments,

23 Oh that my words were now written! oh that they were printed in a book!
24 That they were graven with an iron pen and lead in the rock for ever!
25 For I know that my redeemer liveth, and that he shall stand at the latter day upon the earth:
26 And though after my skin worms destroy this body, yet in my flesh shall I see God. (Job 19:23-26)

As seems often to be so, Job’s most intense trial comes from those who should have been his friends but were his accusers instead. They attack him with all the philosophical and academic weapons they can muster. To which Job responds,

2 As God liveth, who hath taken away my judgment; and the Almighty, who hath vexed my soul;
3 All the while my breath is in me, and the spirit of God is in my nostrils;
4 My lips shall not speak wickedness, nor my tongue utter deceit.
5 God forbid that I should justify you: till I die I will not remove mine integrity from me.
6 My righteousness I hold fast, and will not let it go: my heart shall not reproach me so long as I live. (Job 27:2-9)

Later, he challenges his tormenters,

6 Let me be weighed in an even balance, that God may know mine integrity. (Job 31:6)

In the end, God gives Job all that he requests, including the fulfillment of the ultimate promise. Job spoke in wonderment and said,

5 I have heard of thee by the hearing of the ear: but now mine eye seeth thee. (Job 42:5)

When the Prophet Joseph organized the Relief Society, he taught the sisters that each of our lives would be something like Job’s.

“He spoke of delivering the keys of the Priesthood to the Church, and said that the faithful members of the Relief Society should receive them with their husbands, that the Saints whose integrity has been tried and proved faithful, might know how to ask the Lord and receive an answer; for according to his prayers, God had appointed him elsewhere.” ( Joseph Smith, Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, selected and arranged by Joseph Fielding Smith [Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Co., 1976], 226.)

The Psalms repeatedly say that we will be judged according to our personal integrity (Psalms 7, 25, 26, 41, 78). Brigham Young confirmed that. He said,

“We have the principle within us, and so has every being on this earth, to increase and to continue to increase, to enlarge and receive and treasure up truth, until we become perfect. It is wisdom for us to be the friends of God; and unless we are filled with integrity and preserve ourselves in our integrity before our God, we actually lay the foundation for our destruction.” (Journal of Discourses, 5:54)

The ultimate importance of personal integrity is found in the Saviour’s praise of Hyrum Smith. In a revelation given through the Prophet Joseph, the Saviour said,

15 And again, verily I say unto you, blessed is my servant Hyrum Smith; for I, the Lord, love him because of the integrity of his heart, and because he loveth that which is right before me, saith the Lord. (D&C 124:15)

As we approach judgement day, we will discover that one’s integrity is the final definition of one’s eternal Self. If that Self is the guileless personification of one’s love for God and for “that which is right,” then one is on the sure path that leads to eternal life.

Alma 18:1-3, LeGrand Baker, the blessings of pre-mortal covenants.

The story begins with this comment about the ruffians who scattered Lamoni’s flocks.

35 Therefore they did not fear Ammon, for they supposed that one of their men could slay him according to their pleasure, for they knew not that the Lord had promised Mosiah that he would deliver his sons out of their hands; neither did they know anything concerning the Lord; therefore they delighted in the destruction of their brethren; and for this cause they stood to scatter the flocks of the king. (Alma 17:35)

After Ammon’s success, this is what happened.

1 And it came to pass that king Lamoni caused that his servants should stand forth and testify to all the things which they had seen concerning the matter.
2 And when they had all testified to the things which they had seen, and he had learned of the faithfulness of Ammon in preserving his flocks, and also of his great power in contending against those who sought to slay him, he was astonished exceedingly, and said: Surely, this is more than a man. Behold, is not this the Great Spirit who doth send such great punishments upon this people, because of their murders? Probably a reference to the arms
3 And they answered the king, and said: Whether he be the Great Spirit or a man, we know not; but this much we do know, that he cannot be slain by the enemies of the king; neither can they scatter the king’s flocks when he is with us, because of his expertness and great strength; therefore, we know that he is a friend to the king. And now, O king, we do not believe that a man has such great power, for we know he cannot be slain. (Alma 18:1-3)

Even though it is shown more dramatically here than in many other places in the scriptures and in church history, the essence of this story is probably repeated many times in each of our lives. The principle is simply this: before we came into this world we made covenants with our Heavenly Father that we would accomplish specific things while here. Some of those things had to do with our personal progression, but the great majority had to do with helping other people.

These assignments were made and accepted by covenant— and that is very different from the military concept of receiving an assignment then going out at our own peril to try to do it. A covenant is a two-way promise. We covenanted that we would fulfill our assignment and God covenanted that he would make it possible for us to do so. In the following I would like to review some of the scriptures that deal with the conditions of that premortal covenant.

During the ancient Israelite performance of the Feast of Tabernacles temple drama, Psalm 82 was enacted as a depiction of our making covenants with our Heavenly Father. Watching the play not only gave the ancient Israelites the opportunity to review the covenants they had made in the premortal world; but as they participated in the drama that became a new covenant-making reality. As they spoke the words in unison, each individual covenanted to fulfill his own assignment in order that the Father’s purposes might be accomplished. If those assumptions are correct, then, as in the story of King Benjamin, even though the words were spoken in unison, making of the covenant was the personal act of each individual in the congregation.

Because the congregation’s participation in the drama was, for each of them, a present and personal act, the words of the psalm and the enactment of the story were, as Mowinckel and Nibley suggested ( Mowinckel, The Old Testament as Word of God, 99-100. Nibley, Abraham in Egypt, 224.), not just a remembering of the myth and a re-enactment of the ritual, but a new actualization of the event and a new covenant. For each member of the congregation who participated in the ancient drama, their making the covenant anew was a reaffirmation of an everlasting covenant, but it was also a new covenant, affirming one’s present relationship with God— a new and everlasting covenant.

The original scene depicted by Psalm 82 can more readily be understood by inserting it into the account recorded in Abraham 3, where it fits so perfectly that it does not even break the cadence of the story. Please note, by putting the two scriptures together in this way, I am not trying to imply that they were ever written as a single unit. Rather, they are combined here to illustrate an interesting—perhaps insightful—picture of how things might have been in the Council in Heaven, and how they might have been portrayed on the stage. In the King James Version, the last verse of Psalm 82 reads, “Arise, O God, judge the earth: for thou shalt inherit all nations.” The word translated “God” is elohim which is plural for “gods in the ordinary sense” and also the name of the Father of the gods. Elohim is translated both ways in the first verse of the psalm. In the last verse, “gods” makes more sense, showing that line to be the concluding words of the Father and the covenant made by his children. The members of the Israelite audience probably understand themselves to represent the members of the Council in Heaven. If that were so, then it was they who stood and spoke the words of the covenant.

Now the Lord had shown unto me, Abraham, the intelligences that were organized before the world was; and among all these there were many of the noble and great ones; And God saw these souls that they were good, and he stood in the midst of them. God standeth in the congregation of the mighty; he judgeth among the gods. [He asked,] How long will ye judge unjustly, and accept the persons of the wicked? Defend the poor and fatherless: do justice to the afflicted and needy. Deliver the poor and needy: rid them out of the hand of the wicked. They know not, neither will they understand; they walk on in darkness: all the foundations of the earth are out of course. I have said, Ye are gods; and all of you are children of the most High. ye shall die like men, and fall like one of the princes. Arise, O gods, judge the earth: for thou shalt inherit all nations. [After the covenant, God said,] These I will make my rulers; for he stood among those that were spirits, and he saw that they were good; and he said unto me: Abraham, thou art one of them; thou wast chosen before thou wast born (Abraham 3:22-23 & Psalm 82).

The covenant we made in the Council in Heaven is new because it is given to us anew in this mortal world. It is the fulness of the gospel, as the Lord explained.

46 And the Spirit giveth light to every man that cometh into the world; and the Spirit enlighteneth every man through the world, that hearkeneth to the voice of the Spirit.
47 And every one that hearkeneth to the voice of the Spirit cometh unto God, even the Father.
48 And the Father teacheth him of the covenant which he has renewed and confirmed upon you, which is confirmed upon you for your sakes, and not for your sakes only, but for the sake of the whole world (D&C 84:46-48).

It is everlasting because its principles are eternal.

2 Verily I say unto you, blessed are you for receiving mine everlasting covenant, even the fulness of my gospel, sent forth unto the children of men, that they might have life and be made partakers of the glories which are to be revealed in the last days, as it was written by the prophets and apostles in days of old. (D&C 66:2)

Subsets of that covenant include the promises represented by Psalm 82, which are like the law of consecration. Baptism is another part of it.

1 Behold, I say unto you that all old covenants have I caused to be done away in this thing; and this is a new and an everlasting covenant, even that which was from the beginning.
2 Wherefore, although a man should be baptized an hundred times it availeth him nothing, for you cannot enter in at the strait gate by the law of Moses, neither by your dead works. (D&C 22:1-2)

Celestial marriage is another important part of it.

1 In the celestial glory there are three heavens or degrees;
2 And in order to obtain the highest, a man must enter into this order of the priesthood [meaning the new and everlasting covenant of marriage];
3 And if he does not, he cannot obtain it (D&C 131:1-3).

The importance of that new and everlasting covenant is taught in D&C 132:1-14. At the conclusion of that explanation of the covenant, the Lord makes it clear that while the principles of the covenant are eternal and apply to everyone, certain aspects of the covenant are very specific to each individual.

8 Behold, mine house is a house of order, saith the Lord God, and not a house of confusion.
9 Will I accept of an offering, saith the Lord, that is not made in my name?
10 Or will I receive at your hands that which I have not appointed?
11 And will I appoint unto you, saith the Lord, except it be by law, even as I and my Father ordained unto you, before the world was? (D&C 132:8-11).

Paul taught the early Saints about the covenant in his letter to the Ephesians. At the beginning of the letter he reminds them,

3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ:
4 According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love (Ephesians 1:3-4).

He then gives remarkable details about our covenants with our Heavenly Father, concluding with the assurance that “ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise, Which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession [ourselves], unto the praise of his [Heavenly Father’s] glory” (Ephesians 1:13-14). Paul then brings us from the premortal world into the present world where he prays that— by the spirit of revelation— “ye may know what is the hope of his calling [‘calling’ is a verb: Paul wants us to know what the intent of our assignment is], and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints [what blessings await those who fulfill their assignments], And what is the exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward who believe, according to the working of his mighty power.” (Ephesians 1:15-19) In the rest of the chapter Paul explains that Heavenly Father will exercise the same power in our behalf that he exercised in the Saviour’s behalf, to empower us to fulfill our covenants.

In other words, God has given each of us an assignment that we must fulfill in this life (and that assignment probably extends to include the spirit world after this life). He has also given us the necessary tools to fulfill that assignment, and he has promised us that he will exercise his power in our behalf to keep any obstacle in earth or in hell from preventing us from keeping our covenants. He will not fulfill the assignment for us, and we may choose not to, but in the end we will never be able to say that the assignment was greater than our ability. The Lord expects us to succeed and has arranged for our success. That is one of the most comforting principles of the everlasting gospel, and the evidence of its truthfulness is not only found in the scriptures but also many times in our own personal lives.

Alma 18, 19 – LeGrand Baker – The Conversion of the Kings

Over the years, it has been my great privilege to have spent many rewarding hours with many of you as we have read the scriptures together. And that’s the point I wish to make here. It takes time, usually a great deal of time to read, examine, and digest the intent of many passages of scriptures. For example, if we could get through more than the first four verses of Ephesians in less than two or three hours, then we had been moving right along. With that in mind, I read the account of the Nephite missionaries teaching the Lamanite kings, and conclude that we are getting a very abbreviated description of some powerfully profound and in-depth conversations. And that those conversations probably lasted for many days, perhaps many weeks.

Not long ago, Rudd Hopkins, who is working this summer in New York, called me to say, “Wow! I’ve got to tell you what I just read in Alma 22.” At his suggestion, I re-read the story told there. He was right: it is “wow!” I would like to share it with you, but of course, I can’t, so we will just have to go round-about it in the way the scriptures do.

First, lets read the story of king Lamoni’s conversation, and the story of his father’s, and compare them. The comparison should focus on what they were taught and in what order the ideas were presented. Then we will each— each individually, for that is the only way it can be done— compare their remarkable experiences and consider the prerequisites for such experiences.

For ease of reading, I have put one in bold and the other in italics.

Alma 18

36 Now when Ammon had said these words, he began at the creation of the world, and also the creation of Adam,

Alma 22

12 And it came to pass that when Aaron saw that the king would believe his words, he began from the creation of Adam

and told him all the things concerning the fall of man,

reading the scriptures unto the king—how God created man after his own image, and that God gave him commandments, and that because of transgression, man had fallen.

and rehearsed and laid before him the records and the holy scriptures of the people,

13 And Aaron did expound unto him the scriptures from the creation of Adam, laying the fall of man before him,

which had been spoken by the prophets, even down to the time that their father, Lehi, left Jerusalem.

37 And he also rehearsed unto them (for it was unto the king and to his servants) all the journeyings of their fathers in the wilderness, and all their sufferings with hunger and thirst, and their travail, and so forth.

38 And he also rehearsed unto them concerning the rebellions of Laman and Lemuel, and the sons of Ishmael, yea, all their rebellions did he relate unto them; and he expounded unto them all the records and scriptures from the time that Lehi left Jerusalem down to the present time.

and their carnal state

39 But this is not all; for he expounded unto them the plan of redemption, which was prepared from the foundation of the world;

and also the plan of redemption, which was prepared from the foundation of the world, through Christ, for all whosoever would believe on his name.

14 And since man had fallen he could not merit anything of himself;

and he also made known unto them concerning the coming of Christ,

but the sufferings and death of Christ atone for their sins, through faith and repentance, and so forth; and that he breaketh the bands of death, that the grave shall have no victory, and that the sting of death should be swallowed up in the hopes of glory;

and all the works of the Lord did he make known unto them.

and Aaron did expound all these things unto the king.

I suppose in both of those last statements “all” means all. If that is the case, then the subtext of both stories presuppose a number of interesting things. One is implied in this explanation from the D&C:

19 And this greater priesthood administereth the gospel and holdeth the key of the mysteries of the kingdom, even the key of the knowledge of God.

20 Therefore, in the ordinances thereof, the power of godliness is manifest.

21 And without the ordinances thereof, and the authority of the priesthood, the power of godliness is not manifest unto men in the flesh;

22 For without this no man can see the face of God, even the Father, and live (84:10-22)

Given what happened to each of the two kings after their conversion, it is reasonable to suppose that they must have had the priesthood. That, in turn, suggests that they got it from the Nephite missionaries. That probably implies that the sons of Mosiah had all the requisite authority to administer all the blessings, covenants, and ordinances that would have been necessary to bring the Lamanites fully into the Kingdom of God.

This is the conclusion of king Lamoni’s conversion story.

Alma 18

40 And it came to pass that after he had said all these things, and expounded them to the king, that the king believed all his words.

41 And he began to cry unto the Lord, saying: O Lord, have mercy; according to thy abundant mercy which thou hast had upon the people of Nephi, have upon me, and my people.

42 And now, when he had said this, he fell unto the earth, as if he were dead.

Alma 19

12 And it came to pass that he arose, according to the words of Ammon; and as he arose, he stretched forth his hand unto the woman, and said: Blessed be the name of God, and blessed art thou.

13 For as sure as thou livest, behold, I have seen my Redeemer; and he shall come forth, and be born of a woman, and he shall redeem all mankind who believe on his name. Now, when he had said these words, his heart was swollen within him, and he sunk again with joy; and the queen also sunk down, being overpowered by the Spirit.

This is what happened with king Lamoni’s father:

Alma 22

17 And it came to pass that when Aaron had said these words, the king did bow down before the Lord, upon his knees; yea, even he did prostrate himself upon the earth, and cried mightily, saying:

18 O God, Aaron hath told me that there is a God; and if there is a God, and if thou art God, wilt thou make thyself known unto me, and I will give away all my sins to know thee, and that I may be raised from the dead, and be saved at the last day. And now when the king had said these words, he was struck as if he were dead.

……………

22 Now when Aaron saw the determination of the queen, he, also knowing the hardness of the hearts of the people, feared lest that a multitude should assemble themselves together, and there should be a great contention and a disturbance among them; therefore he put forth his hand and raised the king from the earth, and said unto him: Stand. And he stood upon his feet, receiving his strength.

23 Now this was done in the presence of the queen and many of the servants. And when they saw it they greatly marveled, and began to fear. And the king stood forth, and began to minister unto them. And he did minister unto them, insomuch that his whole household were converted unto the Lord.

The sequence of their teachings is unmistakable. Each story appears to contain a very abbreviated review of the ancient Israelite Feast of Tabernacles drama. King Lamoni’s account even ends the same way king Benjamin’s celebration of that drama ended, with a cry for mercy: “O Lord, have mercy; according to thy abundant mercy which thou hast had upon the people of Nephi, have upon me, and my people.” A review of that might be appropriate

Mosiah 4:1-3

1 And now, it came to pass that when king Benjamin had made an end of speaking the words which had been delivered unto him by the angel of the Lord, that he cast his eyes round about on the multitude, and behold they had fallen to the earth, for the fear of the Lord had come upon them.

2 And they had viewed themselves in their own carnal state, even less than the dust of the earth. And they all cried aloud with one voice, saying: O have mercy, and apply the atoning blood of Christ that we may receive forgiveness of our sins, and our hearts may be purified; for we believe in Jesus Christ, the Son of God, who created heaven and earth, and all things; who shall come down among the children of men.

3 And it came to pass that after they had spoken these words the Spirit of the Lord came upon them, and they were filled with joy, having received a remission of their sins, and having peace of conscience, because of the exceeding faith which they had in Jesus Christ who should come, according to the words which king Benjamin had spoken unto them.

Alma 17:35-39, LeGrand Baker, the story of Ammon

As we have observed, the story of Ammon is written in the most classic of ancient literary traditions. Ammon is not just any prince; he is heir apparent to the Nephite throne. Without being told we assume that when he went to the Lamanites he was dressed like a prince, well spoken, well educated, and had a personal presence that commanded respect. The Lamanites would not have had to guess twice to know who he was.

As a prince, Ammon’s education set him apart from every commoner. He was taught military tactics, diplomatic language and protocol, He would have been tutored in the use of personal weapons by the very best of the Nephite instructors. He would also have been given a superb academic education For example, king Benjamin’s sons were taught in all the languages so they could read and understand the scriptures. (Mosiah 1:2)That would include Hebrew, Egyptian, the spoken language of the Mulekites, and the vernacular tongue of the Nephite people. Similarly, even though Zeniff does not tell us his relationship to the king, we know he is a prince because he has a uniquely princely education – knows all the languages. (Mosiah 9:1)

Ammon, the hero prince, leaves home to accomplish an impossible task. He is captured by the Lamanites and immediately confronted with a temptation that would have prevented his fulfillment of that task. What may have been the equivalent of Odysseus’s Sirens stood squarely in the path of his success.

After Ammon was interrogated by King Lamoni, the Lamanite king offers the Nephite prince one of his own daughters as a wife. Whether this was a response to love -at-first-sight on the daughter’s part, or simply a political arrangement devised by the father, we are not told. But Lamoni’s having the next in line to the Nephite throne for a son-in-law (especially if he were one who had defected from his own country) would be a major political coup.

Ammon turns the offer down and opts to help tend the flocks instead, but that may not mean he accepted a demeaning office. The story of Ammon is remarkably like the one Josephus tells about Moses who had just fled from Egypt.

Moses, thinking it would be a terrible reproach upon him if he overlooked the young women under unjust oppression, and should suffer the violence of the men to prevail over the right of the maidens, he drove away the men, who had a mind to more than their share, and afforded a proper assistance to the women; who, when they had received such a benefit from him, came to their father, and told him how they had been affronted by the shepherds, and assisted by a stranger, and entreated that he would not let this generous action be done in vain, nor go without a reward. Now the father took it well from his daughters that they were so desirous to reward their benefactor; and bid them bring Moses into his presence, that he might be rewarded as he deserved. And when Moses came, he told him what testimony his daughters bare to him, that he had assisted them; and that, as he admired him for his virtue, he said that Moses had bestowed such his assistance on persons not insensible of benefits, but where they were both able and willing to return the kindness, and even to exceed the measure of his generosity. So he made him his son, and gave him one of his daughters in marriage; and appointed him to be the guardian and superintendent over his cattle; for of old, all the wealth of the barbarians was in those cattle. (Josephus, Flavius, Antiquities of the Jews, “From the Death of Isaac to the Exodus,” chapter 11: “How Moses Fled out of Egypt into Midian, ).

The obvious difference is that while Moses’s marrying a princess fit well into his assignment, a similar act on Ammon’s part would have precluded his accomplishing his purposes. It appears that Lamoni’s most urgent need was to find someone who could protect his flocks. It was probably true that Lamoni’s wealth was measured by his flocks, and Ammon was apparently put in charge of their safety. If not actually put in charge by the king, his royal education and ability to command quickly became apparent. It was he, the newcomer, who led the others to recover their flocks and then he gave them instructions about what they should do to protect the animals.

35  Therefore they did not fear Ammon, for they supposed that one of their men could slay him according to their pleasure, for they knew not that the Lord had promised Mosiah that he would deliver his sons out of their hands; neither did they know anything concerning the Lord; therefore they delighted in the destruction of their brethren; and for this cause they stood to scatter the flocks of the king.

Two important parts of every prince’s education are military strategy and personal expertise with weapons. Here again we see Ammon as the prince and hero. Hercules like, he confronts the enemy alone. Ammon is an expert with a sling, but cannot be hit by his enemy’s stones (God’s promise of invulnerability had a great deal to do with that).

36  But Ammon stood forth and began to cast stones at them with his sling; yea, with mighty power he did sling stones amongst them; and thus he slew a certain number of them insomuch that they began to be astonished at his power; nevertheless they were angry because of the slain of their brethren, and they were determined that he should fall; therefore, seeing that they could not hit him with their stones, they came forth with clubs to slay him.

When his enemies came at him with clubs (an evidence that they tough guys, but probably not trained soldiers) Ammon did not slaughter them with his sword. (The sword is probably another evidence of his wealth and status). Rather he cut off their arms.

37  But behold, every man that lifted his club to smite Ammon, he smote off their arms with his sword; for he did withstand their blows by smiting their arms with the edge of his sword, insomuch that they began to be astonished, and began to flee before him; yea, and they were not few in number; and he caused them to flee by the strength of his arm.

That required a great deal of skill. I wonder if his skill enabled him to sever their arms at the joint of the elbow or if the force of his blows was so great that he cut through their bones. In either case, it is evidence that he had been trained to defend himself rather than just strike at the heart and kill his opponents. We see him exercising that same skill again later when he is engaged in a short dual with Lamoni’s father. That time he only wounded the king’s arm. He was not so sparing toward the leader of the ruffians.

38   Now six of them had fallen by the sling, but he slew none save it were their leader with his sword; and he smote off as many of their arms as were lifted against him, and they were not a few.
39  And when he had driven them afar off, he returned and they watered their flocks and returned them to the pasture of the king, and then went in unto the king, bearing the arms which had been smitten off by the sword of Ammon, of those who sought to slay him; and they were carried in unto the king for a testimony of the things which they had done.

That doesn’t say, but the implication is that after the battle there were quite a few arms laying about for the others to gather up.

This is a remarkable story because it fits into the ancient milieu of the hero man-god so accurately that it a perfect example of the ancient formula of the Cosmic Myth. As with Greek heroes, Ammon is confronted with not just one overwhelming challenge, but with two reasons to fail. The first is temptation, the second is that he is outnumbered by his enemies. Yet Mormon tells the story so casually that it does not have the “romance” of many of the other ancient hero story. Mormon’s purpose is not to create a hero, but to show that the Lord keeps his covenants and to set the stage for the conclusion of the saga which is Ammon’s successful missionary work.

Alma 17:10-12, 26:26-27, LeGrand Baker, Mosiah’s Sons Comforted by the Lord.

There are two accounts of this event. Both quote the Saviour as though he personally spoke to them.

10  And it came to pass that the Lord did visit them with his Spirit, and said unto them: Be comforted. And they were comforted.
11  And the Lord said unto them also: Go forth among the Lamanites, thy brethren, and establish my word; yet ye shall be patient in long-suffering and afflictions, that ye may show forth good examples unto them in me, and I will make an instrument of thee in my hands unto the salvation of many souls.
12  And it came to pass that the hearts of the sons of Mosiah, and also those who were with them, took courage to go forth unto the Lamanites to declare unto them the word of God.(Alma 17:10-12)

26  But behold, my beloved brethren, we came into the wilderness not with the intent to destroy our brethren, but with the intent that perhaps we might save some few of their souls.
27  Now when our hearts were depressed, and we were about to turn back, behold, the Lord comforted us, and said: Go amongst thy brethren, the Lamanites, and bear with patience thine afflictions, and I will give unto you success (Alma 26:26-27).

This account sounds remarkably like Moroni’s observation about the Saviour’s appearance to the Brother of Jared:

17 And now, as I, Moroni, said I could not make a full account of these things which are written, therefore it sufficeth me to say that Jesus showed himself unto this man in the spirit, even after the manner and in the likeness of the same body even as he showed himself unto the Nephites. (Ether 3:17)

That observation is reinforced by the fact that the Saviour not only spoke to them, but he also “comforted” them, implying that he administered an empowering ordinance. Empowering ordinances are associated with the word “comfort” in Isaiah 61, Psalm 23, and Isaiah 40:1-2,

I discussed “comfort” a short time ago under Alma 14:10-13, LeGrand Baker, Comfort: The power to transcend sorrow.