Aaron's Mission
Book of Mormon Notes - Thursday, August 31, 2023, Alma 21
Did Mormon write the heading to this section of his abridgment of the Book of Alma? It makes sense that he did, although it could have also been Alma. I try to imagine Mormon in his cave of records, painstakingly inscribing this priceless record. I imagine the chaos of Nephite society outside of that cave. I imagine Moroni checking in with his father from time to time, and perhaps even helping him to organize the plates, and do other tasks inside the cave.
But Mormon and Moroni are also busy leading their people, both spiritually and politically, and even militarily. How on earth were Mormon and Moroni able to accomplish such a work in the midst of such commotion, confusion, chaos, and destruction? There was no peace in Nephite society, but when Mormon entered his cave-temple, like the ancient American prophet Ether, he set himself to work for the benefit of future generations. As Mormon’s capacious mind and charitable heart reviewed and abridged the Nephite records, he received inspiration and revelation for the latter-day Lamanites and all others who would repent, come unto Christ, and receive His word.
What a joy it must have been, in addition to the painstaking labor, for Mormon to meditate on the miracles that the Lord accomplished through His servants, missionaries among the Lamanites, more than 400 years earlier. In a time when both Lamanites and Nephites were so wicked and hardened that they were past feeling, what a joy it must have been for Mormon to remember how merciful the Lord had been to the sons of Mosiah and so many of their Lamanite converts. Mormon must have felt somewhat like the prophet Nephi in the Book of Helaman who wished that he could have lived in an earlier time:
Oh, that I could have had my days in the days when my father Nephi first came out of the land of Jerusalem, that I could have ajoyed with him in the promised land; then were his people easy to be entreated, bfirm to keep the commandments of God, and slow to be led to do iniquity; and they were quick to hearken unto the words of the Lord—
Yea, if my days could have been in those days, then would my soul have had joy in the righteousness of my brethren.
But behold, I am consigned that these are my days, and that my soul shall be filled with asorrow because of this the wickedness of my brethren. (Helaman 7:7-9)
Furthermore, Mormon must have had a view, or a vision, or an understanding by revelation of the great latter-day work of the Lord among the Lamanites, including their conversion and gathering, and their role in the building up of the New Jerusalem. Certainly Mormon’s abridgment of the account of the sons of Mosiah foreshadows the great latter-day conversion of the seed of Lehi.
But at first, the Nephite missions among the Lamanites were very difficult. And as challenging as Ammon’s mission was with King Lamoni and his people, Aaron, Muloki, and their brothers had an even more difficult mission. Again we discover just how destructive the evil influence of Nehor and Nehorism was. The false doctrines of Nehor had spread from the Amalekites and the Amulonites to the Lamanites, and these three groups of people, under the influence of Nehor, had constructed a city that they called Jerusalem. This new Jerusalem was a wicked city that was not far from the place of Mormon where Alma and his fellow converts first gathered.
Who was Aaron? Who was this great missionary son of Mosiah? What was his mission? This is the entry on Aaron in the LDS Guide to the Scriptures:
Aaron, Son of Mosiah
See also Mosiah, Son of Benjamin; Mosiah, Sons of
In the Book of Mormon, a son of King Mosiah. Aaron served as a missionary whose diligent efforts helped to convert many souls to Christ.
Was an unbeliever who sought to destroy the Church, Mosiah 27:8–10, 34.
An angel appeared to him and his companions, Mosiah 27:11.
Repented and began preaching the word of God, Mosiah 27:32–28:8.
Refused to be named king and went instead to the land of the Lamanites to preach the word of God, Alma 17:6–9.
Fasted and prayed for guidance, Alma 17:8–11.
Taught King Lamoni’s father, Alma 22:1–26.
Went to preach to the Zoramites, Alma 31:6–7.
Aaron was with Alma the Younger, Ammon, Omner, and Himni when the angel first appeared to Alma the Younger. His conversion to Christ was so deep and thorough that he relinquished the greatest political and social power in order to preach the word of God among the Lamanites. His missionary calling began among the most hard-hearted and wicked of the Lamanites, those who had been influenced by the Amalekites and the Amulonites, and by Nehor. In modern terms we might think of Aaron’s mission as a mission in a wicked European city or another wicked city where missionaries are hardly welcome. Aaron’s mission didn’t begin in a place like South or Central America or Africa where people are lining up to get baptized. The comparison is imperfect because there are good people everywhere, and the House of Israel has been scattered everywhere. But my point is that Aaron began his mission in the most difficult place:
Now the Lamanites of themselves were sufficiently hardened, but the Amalekites and the Amulonites were still harder; therefore they did cause the Lamanites that they should harden their hearts, that they should wax strong in wickedness and their abominations. (Alma 21:3)
Aaron began his mission among the most hardened people:
And it came to pass that Aaron came to the city of Jerusalem, and first began to preach to the Amalekites. And he began to preach to them in their asynagogues, for they had built synagogues after the border of the Nehors; for many of the Amalekites and the Amulonites were after the order of the Nehors. (Alma 21:4)
Mormon then records an interesting encounter between Aaron and an arrogant Amalekite who contended with him. What were this Amalekite’s excuses for contending with and rejecting Aaron’s preaching? In essence, this Amalekite believed the false doctrines of Nehor and he didn’t want any Nephite telling him what to do or believe. This Amalekite rebuffed Aaron’s preaching with the following self-justifications and ideologies:
What is that thou hast testified? Hast thou seen an bangel? Why do not angels appear unto us? Behold care not this people as good as thy people?
Thou also sayest, except we repent we shall perish. How knowest thou the thought and intent of our hearts? How knowest thou that we have cause to repent? How knowest thou that we are not a arighteous people? Behold, we have built bsanctuaries, and we do assemble ourselves together to worship cGod. We do believe that God will save all men. (Alma 21:5-6)
Do you think that modern missionaries of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints have ever been rejected in a similar way? Why did Mormon include these particular passages about Aaron’s challenges among the people of the Lamanite city of Jerusalem? What does Mormon have to teach us about how missionaries in such difficult circumstances can best preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ? Like Ammon, Aaron was a mighty man of God and a marvelous missionary whose example continues to bless generations of missionaries even in the latter days. Aaron’s response to this recalcitrant and conceited Amalekite provides a model for all those who are called to preach the Gospel among those who are less than receptive to the Gospel message. He asked a poignant question:
Now Aaron said unto him: Believest thou that the Son of God shall come to redeem mankind from their sins? (Alma 21:7)
That’s really getting to the heart of the matter quickly. What does it matter if we think that we are righteous, if we assemble in sanctuaries to worship God, and if we believe the Nehorish doctrine that God will save all men if we don’t believe that Jesus Christ came to redeem mankind from their sins? Aaron begins with what Elder McConkie has called the most basic and fundamental - and least understood - doctrine of the Gospel: the Atonement of Jesus Christ.
When the arrogant Amalekite rejected Aaron’s testimony, he did so in a way that may remind us of the way that many people today reject the testimonies of missionaries. In essence, he didn’t believe that God could provide such knowledge to a person, or that there was any such thing as a testimony. There are many today who seem eager to prove that the real spiritual knowledge - that Jesus is the Christ, that Joseph Smith was a true prophet, that the Book of Mormon is true, and that there is a living prophet on earth today - that millions of people have received through the gift and power of the Holy Ghost is nothing but a subjective emotional response to a fabricated story. And those of us, like Aaron, who have had such real experiences with God and the Holy Ghost, or even with angels, need to hold on to such experiences, as Elder Anderson recently taught:
When Paul recalled his powerful conversion while traveling to Damascus, he said, “Suddenly there shone from heaven a great light” (Acts 22:6)—so bright that he was blinded—and he heard the Lord’s voice.
Interestingly, those with Paul also saw the light but did not hear the voice (see Acts 22:9). Why not? Did they believe Paul, or did they attempt to convince him that he had imagined the experience?
After special spiritual experiences, some may question, “Did I really feel that?” or “Might I just be imagining it?” But those who are wise, like Paul, do not forget or set aside spiritual experiences. They hold on to them and keep them close to their memory.
In the years following the First Vision, the Prophet Joseph Smith faced frequent opposition and persecution, yet he continued to boldly testify that the Father and the Son had appeared to him. “I knew it,” Joseph said, “and I knew that God knew it, and I could not deny it” (Joseph Smith—History 1:25).
Joseph never forgot or denied his spiritual experiences. He held on to them all his life. In difficult times, his memory would reach back to those moments to reassure him of God’s love and strengthen him in the work the Lord had given him to do.
We may never see a heavenly vision or physically hear the Lord’s voice, but spiritual experiences do come. We must hold on to them. They strengthen us in our quest to come unto Christ, and our conversion continues.
When the arrogant Amalekite rejected Aaron’s testimony, calling it all “foolish traditions”, Aaron began to open the ascriptures unto them concerning the coming of Christ, and also concerning the resurrection of the dead. Aaron testified of the very basics. Aaron refuted the false Nehorish notion that Jesus Christ and repentance are unnecessary because God will save all men. He taught that there could be bno redemption for mankind csave it were through the ddeath and sufferings of Christ, and the atonement of his blood.
Aaron withdrew from Jerusalem and joined his brothers Muloki, Ammah, and others in the village of Ani-Anti, and after being rejected there, they made their way to Middoni where they were thrown into prison, and finally delivered by Ammon and King Lamoni. These missionaries were resilient. Almost as soon as they had been released from prison, and clothed and fed, they began to preach the word of God again. Gradually they began to have more and more success in leading souls to Jesus Christ. Ammon and Lamoni returned to the land of Ishmael, and Lamoni decreed liberty and especially religious liberty for his people. Thus Ammon was enabled to preach the word of God even more among the Lamanites in that region, and the work of the Lord among the Lamanites began to blossom as never before.