Book of Mormon 23 - “More Than One Witness”

Lesson 23 focussed on the teachings of Alma and Amulek to the people of Ammonihah. When Alma first preached to the people of Ammonihah, he was rejected, persecuted, spat on, and cast out of the city. However, the Lord sent an angel to Alma, while he was journeying towards the land of Aaron, and instructed him to return to Ammonihah. The Lord had prepared a local man, Amulek, to host Alma, listen to him, and be his aid in teaching the word of God. There are several scriptures in Alma 9-12 that made me reflect on my own life. The fact that Alma needed a second person to support him in his missionary work, made me realise the importance of preaching two-by-two. In D&C 42:6 the Lord’s direction was to “go forth in the power of my Spirit, preaching my gospel, two by two, in my name…declaring my word like unto angels of God.” In his talk ‘Valued Companions’, Elder Joseph B. Wirthlin (1997) stated that companionships constitute the basic organisation in the missions of the church and that just as the disciples of old, our missionaries go two-by-two into all the world to proclaim the gospel and save souls. We go out two-by-two as Visiting Teaching companions. I had my mother as my visiting teaching companion for many years and the experiences we shared remain very close to my heart. I am sure Alma was able to persevere in his missionary efforts in Ammonihah because of the strength of having Amulek as his companion.

Sister companions

A scripture that had an impact on me was Alma 9:23, which states: “And now I say unto you, that if this people, who have received so many blessings from the hand of the Lord, should transgress contrary to the light and knowledge which they do have, I say unto you that if this be the case, that if they should fall into transgression, it would be far more tolerable for the Lamanites than for them.” Brigham Young, in Volume 16 of the Journal of Discourses (1877, p. 110-111), stated, “Those who do not profess to know anything of the Lord are far better off than we are, unless we live our religion, for we know our Master’s will”. This may see unjust, on the surface, but the Lord can only judge our performance by our willingness to obey. We cannot obey laws we do not know. I am fortunate to know the gospel. I must make sure my standards of behaviour are in line with the principles I know to be true. It is important to live with a spirit of gratitude and remember the myriad blessings the Lord gives to the righteous.

I was impressed by the character of Amulek. He listened to the direction of an angel to accept a prophet of God into his home, his heart, and his life. He listened to Alma and believed. He had the strength of character to testify to those who knew him well, that Alma’s words were true. At the same time, he showed such humility. In Alma 10:6 he says, “I did harden my heart, for I was called many times and I would not hear.” This made me think of myself. Have I ever heard the promptings of the Holy Ghost and chosen to ignore them? Unfortunately, I had to admit that I have done just that. I married too early, in the London temple, and later went through a very miserable four years, followed by a temple divorce. I remember fasting about whether to marry this man, but starting with a decision already made in my mind. I remember standing by the wall of the London temple, hearing an almost audible voice saying to me, “You are doing the wrong thing”. I did it anyway! There have been other times when I was selective in what I chose to hear and understand. The Lord has always tried to help me, but I need to stop and listen! How can I make sure I always hear? I must strive to live the gospel basics as fully as possible: obedience, prayer, scripture study, and temple attendance.

Amulek by James Fullmer

Alma 10:27 brought very vivid images to my mind. This scripture says, “And now behold, I say unto you, that the foundation of the destruction of this people is beginning to be laid by the unrighteousness of your lawyers and your judges.” This same message was captured by Joseph Fielding McConkie and Robert L. Millet (1991) in the Doctrinal Commentary on the Book of Mormon, Vol. 3, when they stated that one of the signs of the decay of morality in society is an emphasis on the technicalities of law. I have watched so many episodes of the TV drama, Law and Order, and the most common thought I have had is how many loopholes there are in American law. I do believe we are more fortunate in New Zealand. However, there are still injustices that arise when personal preference or belief is more important than justice. An example of this is a recent Bill passed by the NZ Parliament which allows a NZ court to re-imprison people after they have completed their sentence, for crimes they might commit in the future! Even the NZ Law Society has labelled this as injustice. In New Zealand, there are laws in place that restrict medication given to children at school. Schools must have signed parental permission to give children Panadol. At the same time, children under 16 can go to the school nurse and organise an abortion, without parental knowledge or consent. “New Zealand law makes it so the teen girl would have to give consent for the parents to be notified of the potential abortion” (New Zealand schools arranging secret teen abortions). These laws indicate something is wrong in society!

TPP Protest - Auckland City

Zeezrom was an interesting character. He confronted Alma and Amulek with craftily constructed questions and tried to use his expertise as a lawyer to trap Alma and Amulek. However, his efforts were in vain. In Alma 11:46 it says: “Now, when Amulek had finished these words the people began again to be astonished, and also Zeezrom began to tremble.” Zeezrom realised he was the one who was trapped and the truth was more powerful than Zeezrom’s craftiness. He eventually repented of his evil ways. This story is a wonderful testimony to the power of truth. When I was young I was a witness to the power of truth. While attending high school, I was a very enthusiastic missionary. Unlike Zeezrom, the man I needed to speak to was a very good man, my History teacher, and a man very knowledgeable in the fields of history, culture, politics, philosophy, and religion. He knew the Bible intimately. I had given him a copy of the Book of Mormon, and he wanted to ask me questions about the Book of Mormon which he wanted me to answer through Biblical scriptures. I was 13 years old and not very knowledgeable about anything! In fact, I had never even read the Bible from cover to cover. I was terrified! I knew that the only way I could deal with his questions was with help from the Spirit. I fasted and prayed that I would have the help I needed. I remember entering the room and seeing the beautiful, very large, family Bible sitting open in front of my teacher. I cannot remember a single question I was asked or a single answer I gave. I just know that as a question was asked, I was able to turn to an answer in the Bible. I did not have to hesitate. I know, as I live and breathe, that the truth was spoken that day, by the Spirit, through me. The answers were not mine. I was guided in every word, with every scripture. At the end of the session, my teacher said I had amazed him by my answers and he was prepared to read the Book of Mormon and seek the truth for himself.

Zeezrom by James Fullmer

The last scripture that left a deep impression on me was Alma 12:3-6. These are Alma’s words to Zeezrom. Alma testified to Zeezrom that his thoughts were made known through the Spirit. Alma and Amulek were able to avoid the traps Zeezrom wove with his words and lies because the Spirit revealed the truth to them. Alma declares that Zeezrom was the tool of the adversary. Zeezrom believed he was in control, but the truth was that the adversary was the one in control. In verse 6, Alma states, “…this was a snare of the adversary, which he has laid to catch his people, that he might bring you into subjection unto him, that he might encircle you about with his chains, that he might chain you down to everlasting destruction, according to the power of his captivity.” What a dreadful thought! The more we stray from the path of righteousness, the stronger the chains of Satan that bind our freedom. Obedience leads to real freedom. I want the sort of freedom that relies on action and responsibility, as this is the only freedom that leaves us truly happy.