Alma Returns to Ammonihah

Book of Mormon Notes - Thursday, August 17, 2023, Alma 8

In this chapter we return to Mormon’s narrative voice.

One thing that strikes me about this chapter is the amazing eternal consistency of the Book of Mormon. The characters, the geography, the teachings - everything is woven together so masterfully that it defies all attempts to attribute the Book of Mormon to the reason or invention of a very young and inexperienced man who had received little formal education. For example, just think of what it would have required for Joseph Smith to not only write the entire Book of Mormon in such a brief period of time, but even to invent the following verse:

Now it was the custom of the people of Nephi to call their lands, and their cities, and their villages, yea, even all their small villages, after the ^aname of him who first possessed them; and thus it was with the land of Ammonihah. (Alma 8:7)

The Book of Mormon contains so many intricate details that could never have been invented, let alone imagined by a modern American, especially by a modern American farm-boy in his early twenties. But God uses the unlikely to accomplish the impossible. (see here, here, and here) Mormon gives us this interesting detail about how the land of Ammonihah, and all other Nephite lands received their names. Of course it is a custom that makes sense. But now whenever we read about a name of a land, a city, a village, or a small village, then we know something about the first person to discover or settle that land. We also begin to see interesting details about internal consistency within the Book of Mormon, even regarding the names of Nephite territories.

Mormon shows us that Alma did not have such great and immediate success in the city of Ammonihah as he had had in Gideon or Melek. The people in Ammonihah were even worse off than the people of Zarahemla before Alma had pulled down their pride with the word of God. Ammonihah was first possessed or settled by a man named Ammon, perhaps the Nephite explorer that was mentioned earlier in the Book of Mormon. The name Ammon seems like a strange name to modern ears, but according to Hugh Nibley, Ammon (or Amon) is

the commonest name in the Book of Mormon" and "the commonest name in the Egyptian Empire" (which embraced Palestine at Lehi's time, which fell within its Late Period).^[6]

Why did the people of Ammonihah reject Alma? The simple answer is that Satan had got great hold upon the hearts of the people of the City of Ammonihah. Wherever we see the rejection of prophets and prophetic teachings, we can guess that this simple answer applies. It is also interesting to note the attitude of people upon whose hearts Satan has got a great hold. People in this condition, like Laman and Lemuel before the Ammonihahites, don’t appreciate legitimate authority, and they dismiss revelation as foolish tradition, or one might even say “the precepts of men” or “culture”. Listen to how the Ammonihahites rejected Alma:

Nevertheless, they hardened their hearts, saying unto him: Behold, we know that thou art Alma; and we know that thou art high priest over the church which thou hast established in many parts of the land, according to your tradition; and we are not of thy church, and we do not believe in such foolish traditions.

And now we know that because we are not of thy church we know that thou hast no power over us; and thou hast delivered up the judgment-seat unto ^aNephihah; therefore thou art not the chief judge over us.

Now when the people had said this, and withstood all his words, and ^areviled him, and spit upon him, and caused that he should be ^bcast out of their city, he departed thence and took his journey towards the city which was called Aaron. (Alma 8:11-13)

The essence of the Ammonihahite rejection of Alma is this: “You’re not the boss of me!”

Of course, the phenomenon of unrighteous dominion is real, and of course it is the nature and disposition of most men to exercise unrighteous dominion. But even this does not erase the reality of legitimate authority to which we are all subject, beginning with God the Father and His Son Jesus Christ. The Lord had bestowed power and authority upon Alma, and Alma’s only desire was to bless the people to whom he was sent. But because of their pride and hardened hearts, they rejected Alma.

This was a depressing and a discouraging time for Alma. Mormon surely knew that many missionaries in the last days would study the Book of Mormon and that they would have many experiences like that of Alma, experiences with rejection. Mormon also must have foreseen the depression and discouragement of young men who get rejected by the young women whom they ask out on dates. But like such missionaries and young men, Alma was on the Lord’s errand, and the Lord did not forsake him. In fact, the same angel who had first appeared to Alma in response to his father’s prayer appeared to Alma again to encourage and bless him in his missionary efforts.

Alma had been weighed down with sorrow because of the wickedness of the people. His guardian angel appeared to him again to strengthen and encourage him. I see in this account a microcosm of the Sacrifice of our Savior Jesus Christ. Like our Savior, Alma was doing the will of God. Like our Savior, Alma experienced great sorrow and suffering because of the wickedness of his people. And like our Savior, Alma was strengthened and encouraged by his guardian angel. Mormon’s description of the angel’s appearance and message to Alma is a great reminder for each one of us to keep moving forward because trials don’t last forever and the Lord prepares a way for our deliverance and success:

Blessed art thou, Alma; therefore, lift up thy head and rejoice, for thou hast great cause to rejoice; for thou hast been faithful in keeping the commandments of God from the time which thou receivedst thy first message from him. Behold, I am he that ^adelivered it unto you.

And behold, I am sent to ^acommand thee that thou return to the city of Ammonihah, and preach again unto the people of the city; yea, preach unto them. Yea, say unto them, except they repent the Lord God will ^bdestroy them.

For behold, they do study at this time that they may destroy the liberty of thy people, (for thus saith the Lord) which is contrary to the ^astatutes, and judgments, and commandments which he has given unto his people. (Alma 8:15-17)

Because Alma was faithful, the Lord blessed him, encouraged him, and gave him a new commission. The Lord also revealed to Alma that the condition of the Ammonihahites was worse than Alma may have originally supposed. Not only did the Ammonihahites reject Alma, but they were planning to destroy the liberty of the Nephites! That’s a serious problem. In case we think that only a very wicked city in an ancient civilization could ever study to destroy the liberty of their people, we might take a lesson from the angel and wake up to the awful reality that human nature has not changed and that there are still people who seek to destroy liberty. And the message for such people, from the Lord, is “repent, or be destroyed.”

Ammonihah was a city that might be described as “ripe in iniquity”. It seems very much like the ancient cities of Sodom and Gomorrah, or other cities in ancient Israel, such as Jerusalem, that the Lord destroyed. But our Merciful Lord patiently sent his dear prophet Alma back to Ammonihah in order to rescue as many as could be rescued.

The Lord prepared a way for Alma to return safely to Ammonihah, but interestingly, Alma does not reveal to Amulek, upon first meeting him, that an angel had appeared to him and sent him. Alma simply declared that he had been commanded to return to Ammonihah to preach repentance. But Amulek had also received a visit from an angel, perhaps the same angel who had appeared to Alma on at least two occasions. Whoever this angel was, he was very active in the Lord’s work among the ancient Nephites. Then Alma and Amulek spent time together preparing for their joint mission to preach to the wicked Ammonihahites.

Interestingly, the Lord did not command Amulek directly, but gave commandment through his prophet Alma that Amulek should also go forth among the Ammonihahites to preach repentance. There are many lessons to learn from Alma and Amulek and their missionary efforts. The Lord called Alma and Amulek and they went forth with power as missionary companions into the City of Ammonihah, to preach repentance and to warn the people of impending destruction.

When I think of the many thousands of missionaries who have been sent forth to every corner of the earth since the beginning of the Restoration and the translation of the Book of Mormon, I can imagine that Mormon also saw these great missionaries and knew what they would experience in the wicked cities of the world. Of all the stories and of all the records that Mormon had compiled, why did he choose to focus upon the missionary efforts of Alma and Amulek? Why this story of Alma and Amulek and their powerful ministry in Ammonihah?

These are some things to ponder as we move forward in our study of the Book of Mormon.