Becoming an Instrument in the Hands of God

Book of Mormon Notes - Thursday, September 14, 2023, Alma 26

We’ve arrived at the end of this portion of Mormon’s abridgment of the large plates of Nephi, the end of the record of the sons of Mosiah and their missionary endeavors among the Lamanites. Did Mormon know when he compiled and edited and abridged and commented on everything that this would be the very center of the Book of Mormon? Or did Moroni know?

Whatever the case, Mormon punctuates these great testimonies and events with the directly quoted words of Ammon. And Ammon reminds us of everything that inspired these missionary efforts in the first place. We know that Mormon looked forward to recording and editing this portion of the record:

And they took their journey into the wilderness to go up to preach the word among the Lamanites; and I shall give an account of their proceedings hereafter. (Mosiah 28:9)

This was the beginning of their great expedition:

Now these were their journeyings: Having taken leave of their father, Mosiah, in the first year of the judges; having refused the kingdom which their father was desirous to confer upon them, and also this was the minds of the people;

Nevertheless they departed out of the land of Zarahemla, and took their swords, and their spears, and their bows, and their arrows, and their slings; and this they did that they might provide food for themselves while in the wilderness.

And thus they departed into the wilderness with their numbers which they had selected, to go up to the land of Nephi, to preach the word of God unto the Lamanites.

And it came to pass that they journeyed many days in the wilderness, and they fasted much and prayed much that the Lord would grant unto them a portion of his Spirit to go with them, and abide with them, that they might be an instrument in the hands of God to bring, if it were possible, their brethren, the Lamanites, to the knowledge of the truth, to the knowledge of the baseness of the traditions of their fathers, which were not correct.

And it came to pass that the Lord did visit them with his Spirit, and said unto them: Be comforted. And they were comforted.

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. (Alma 17:6-11)

Many among the Nephites thought that the sons of Mosiah and their friends were crazy to embark in such a cause. They thought that their goal was so quixotic that they even mocked them and laughed them to scorn. But Heavenly Father works differently than we mortals do. He uses the unlikely to accomplish the impossible.

For example, remember Jairus’ daughter? Remember that the Jews also mocked Jesus and laughed Him to scorn when He informed them that Jairus’ daughter was just sleeping:

While he yet spake, there cometh one from the ruler of the synagogue’s house, saying to him, Thy daughter is dead; trouble not the Master.

But when Jesus heard it, he answered him, saying, Fear not: believe only, and she shall be made whole.

And when he came into the house, he suffered no man to go in, save Peter, and James, and John, and the father and the mother of the ^amaiden.

And all wept, and bewailed her: but he said, Weep not; she is not dead, but sleepeth.

And they ^alaughed him to scorn, knowing that she was dead.

And he put them all out, and took her by the hand, and called, saying, Maid, arise.

And her spirit came again, and she arose straightway: and he commanded to give her meat.

And her parents were astonished: but he charged them that they should tell no man what was done. (Luke 8:49-56)

Many of the Nephites in Zarahemla probably supposed that it would be easier to raise the dead to life than to cure the hatred of the Lamanites. And certainly it was not an easy task. I’m trying to think of a modern parallel to such an endeavor. The Lamanites were the sworn eternal enemies of the Nephites who often attacked them and killed them. They were completely entrenched in the incorrect traditions of their fathers. At this point, the Lamanites had been taught to hate the Nephites, to fight against them, and to kill them for almost 600 years. Think of that. That’s longer than the Palestinians have hated the Israelis. That’s much longer than the racial strife in the United States of America. And that’s much, much longer than any one of our very short little lives and the anger, hatred, and petty animosities that perturb our own peace. My point in all this is that if the Lord can cure thousands of people whose hatred, envy, malice, and anger has roiled their hearts for almost six centuries, is it Quixotic to think that the Lord can mend a relationship that has been troubled for a few days, weeks, months, years, or even decades? If the Lord can, by His word, convert kings and throngs of inveterate enemies and bring them into His fold, surely He has the power to accomplish miracles on a much smaller scale for us and our families and friends… if we exercise faith in Him as did Ammon and his brothers.

It appears as though even Ammon and his team were astonished at the miracles that the Lord had accomplished through them. This is one of my favorite chapters because Ammon’s joy and rejoicing positively overflow into one of the most beautiful and poetic hymns of praise to God in the Book of Mormon and in all of scripture. It follows nicely on the heels of King Anti-Nephi-Lehi’s rejoicing, praise, and thanks to God in his speech. Like the King’s speech, Ammon’s speech also reveals the character of God, and especially His great mercy.

Ammon’s rhetorical questions to his missionary friends are rhetorical questions that Elder Uchtdorf posed to each of us not too long ago in his talk “Have We Not Reason to Rejoice?” We can also imagine, after following Ammon and his missionary friends through their journeys and experiences, that Ammon speaks directly to us. In fact, I’m sure that Mormon, looking forward to his latter-day audience, intended for Ammon’s hymn of praise to God to speak from the dust directly to us today. There is a reason why Mormon chose to quote Ammon verbatim and at length. Why did he do it?

I remember quoting a verse from this chapter at a gathering of missionaries at the end of my mission in Southern Italy about 25 years ago. I felt a bit like Ammon did even after only two years of missionary service. But remember that the sons of Mosiah and their friends labored among the Lamanites for 14 years:

And they had been teaching the word of God for the space of fourteen years among the Lamanites, having had much ^asuccess in bringing many to the ^bknowledge of the truth; yea, by the power of their words many were brought before the altar of God, to call on his name and ^cconfess their sins before him. (Alma 17:4)

In 14 years of intense labor and missionary service, the Lord made powerful instruments out of the sons of Mosiah. 14 years to cure almost 600 years of hatred and violence, and the sons of Mosiah returned to their homeland rejoicing.

I like how Ammon begins his speech. He addresses both his brothers and his brethren. His brothers were Aaron, Omner, and Himni, his biological brothers. His brethren were his brothers from other mothers who had also been converted and joined the sons of Mosiah in their great missionary endeavors. Ammon was the servant-leader among them who blessed them at the beginning of their journey, and his was the servant-leader who taught and blessed them at the end of their journey. Recall for a moment Ammon’s blessing to his brothers and his brethren when they first embarked on their missions:

Now Ammon being the chief among them, or rather he did administer unto them, and he departed from them, after having ^ablessed them according to their several stations, having imparted the word of God unto them, or administered unto them before his departure; and thus they took their several journeys throughout the land. (Alma 17:18)

Ammon was chief among them, but he knew that being chief meant that he, like our Savior, was chief as servant. He administered unto them, blessed them, and imparted the word of God unto them. After about 14 years, Ammon gathered them together to administer unto them, bless them, teach them, and impart the word of God unto them again. And what had been their cause?

Therefore, this was the ^acause for which the sons of Mosiah had undertaken the work, that perhaps they might bring them unto repentance; that perhaps they might bring them to know of the plan of redemption. (Alma 17:16)

Listen to how Mormon first described their great cause:

Now it came to pass that after the sons of Mosiah had done all these things, they took a small number with them and returned to their father, the king, and desired of him that he would grant unto them that they might, with these whom they had selected, go up to the land of Nephi that they might preach the things which they had heard, and that they might impart the word of God to their brethren, the Lamanites—

That perhaps they might bring them to the knowledge of the Lord their God, and convince them of the iniquity of their fathers; and that perhaps they might cure them of their hatred towards the Nephites, that they might also be brought to rejoice in the Lord their God, that they might become friendly to one another, and that there should be no more contentions in all the land which the Lord their God had given them.

Now they were desirous that salvation should be declared to every creature, for they could not bear that any human soul should perish; yea, even the very thoughts that any soul should endure endless torment did cause them to quake and tremble. (Mosiah 28:1-3)

The sons of Mosiah began with the first thing that is necessary for missionary work: desire:

Therefore, if ye have desires to serve God ye are ^acalled to the work; (D&C 4:3)

In fact, the Lord’s revelations to the Prophet Joseph Smith on missionary work use much of the same language as the Prophet’s translation of these passages in the Book of Mormon. These revelations on missionary work in the Book of Mormon blessed and inspired Joseph Smith and the early saints in their own missionary work, and they are also foundational for missionary work today, or for what President Nelson has called the greatest challenge, the greatest cause, and the greatest work on earth”.

And consider again how the Lord used the unlikely to accomplish the impossible. Even Ammon remembered that it was a miracle that transformed him and his brothers from rebels into missionaries:

Who could have supposed that our God would have been so merciful as to have snatched us from our awful, sinful, and ^apolluted state?

Behold, we went forth even in wrath, with mighty threatenings to ^adestroy his church.

Oh then, why did he not consign us to an awful destruction, yea, why did he not let the sword of his justice fall upon us, and doom us to eternal ^adespair?

Oh, my soul, almost as it were, fleeth at the thought. Behold, he did not exercise his justice upon us, but in his great mercy hath brought us over that everlasting ^agulf of death and misery, even to the salvation of our souls. (Alma 26:17-20)

Ammon’s rhetorical questions to his brothers and his brethren, and to us, are instructive and enlightening:

• My brothers and my brethren, behold I say unto you, how great reason have we to rejoice; for could we have supposed when we ^astarted from the land of Zarahemla that God would have granted unto us such great blessings?

• And now, I ask, what great blessings has he bestowed upon us? Can ye tell?

• Behold, how many thousands of our brethren has he loosed from the pains of ^ahell; and they are brought to ^bsing redeeming love, and this because of the power of his word which is in us, therefore have we not great reason to rejoice?

• Behold, who can glory too much in the Lord?

• Yea, who can say too much of his great power, and of his ^cmercy, and of his long-suffering towards the children of men?

• Who could have supposed that our God would have been so merciful as to have snatched us from our awful, sinful, and ^apolluted state?

• Oh then, why did he not consign us to an awful destruction, yea, why did he not let the sword of his justice fall upon us, and doom us to eternal ^adespair?

• And now behold, my brethren, what ^anatural man is there that knoweth these things?

• Now do ye remember, my brethren, that we said unto our brethren in the land of Zarahemla, we go up to the land of Nephi, to preach unto our brethren, the Lamanites, and they ^alaughed us to scorn?

• Now behold, we can look forth and see the ^afruits of our labors; and are they few?

• And now behold I say unto you, has there been so great love in all the land?

• Now have we not reason to rejoice?

These questions remind me somewhat of Alma’s teachings and questions in Alma chapter 5. (see here, here, and here) In fact, it seems clear to me that since the sons of Mosiah were with Alma the Younger when the angel appeared to them, and since Alma the Elder was the great prophet in Zarahemla at the time, Alma the Elder’s teachings now resonated with Ammon in a particular way. Notice, for example, that Ammon, like Alma the Elder, speaks of becoming an instrument in the hands of the Lord.

Alma the Elder:

Nevertheless, after much tribulation, the Lord did hear my cries, and did answer my prayers, and has made me an instrument in his hands in bringing so many of you to a knowledge of his truth. (Mosiah 23:10)

And it came to pass that Alma, being a man of God, being exercised with much faith, cried, saying: O Lord, have mercy and spare my life, that I may be an instrument in thy hands to save and preserve this people. (Alma 2:30)

Alma the Elder, in turn, certainly understood what it meant to be an instrument in the hands of God from the precedent set by Lehi and his son Nephi:

Rebel no more against your brother, whose views have been glorious, and who hath kept the commandments from the time that we left Jerusalem; and who hath been an instrument in the hands of God, in bringing us forth into the land of promise; for were it not for him, we must have perished with hunger in the wilderness; nevertheless, ye sought to take away his life; yea, and he hath suffered much sorrow because of you. (2 Nephi 1:24)

Ammon and the sons of Mosiah surely remembered the great Zenephite hero Gideon as well:

Now the name of the man was Gideon; and it was he who was an instrument in the hands of God in delivering the people of Limhi out of bondage. (Alma 1:8)

Mormon records how Ammon and the sons of Mosiah were also instruments in the hands of God:

And thus they were instruments in the hands of God in bringing many to the knowledge of the truth, yea, to the knowledge of their Redeemer. (Mosiah 27:36)

And it came to pass that they journeyed many days in the wilderness, and they fasted much and prayed much that the Lord would grant unto them a portion of his Spirit to go with them, and abide with them, that they might be an instrument in the hands of God to bring, if it were possible, their brethren, the Lamanites, to the knowledge of the truth, to the knowledge of the baseness of the traditions of their fathers, which were not correct. (Alma 17:9)

And the Lord Himself promised to make instruments out of Ammon and the sons of Mosiah:

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.

This is the blessing that Ammon recognized and for which he praised the Lord:

Behold, I answer for you; for our brethren, the Lamanites, were in darkness, yea, even in the darkest abyss, but behold, how many of them are brought to behold the marvelous light of God! And this is the blessing which hath been bestowed upon us, that we have been made instruments in the hands of God to bring about this great work. (Alma 26:3)

And,

15 Yea, they were encircled about with everlasting darkness and destruction; but behold, he has brought them into his everlasting light, yea, into everlasting salvation; and they are encircled about with the matchless bounty of his love; yea, and we have been instruments in his hands of doing this great and marvelous work. (Alma 26:15)

This was also Alma the Younger’s hope and desire:

I know that which the Lord hath commanded me, and I glory in it. I do not glory of myself, but I glory in that which the Lord hath commanded me; yea, and this is my glory, that perhaps I may be an instrument in the hands of God to bring some soul to repentance; and this is my joy. (Alma 29:9)

After their separate missions to the Lamanites and the Nephites, these great missionaries continued to be instruments in the hands of the Lord:

And Alma, and Ammon, and their brethren, and also the two sons of Alma returned to the land of Zarahemla, after having been instruments in the hands of God of bringing many of the Zoramites to repentance; and as many as were brought to repentance were driven out of their land; but they have lands for their inheritance in the land of Jershon, and they have taken up arms to defend themselves, and their wives, and children, and their lands. (Alma 35:14)

And it is the Lord that creates such instruments in His hands:

Behold, I have created the smith that bloweth the coals in the fire, and that bringeth forth an instrument for his work; and I have created the waster to destroy. (3 Nephi 22:16)

All of this may remind us of Lehi’s teachings to his son Joseph based on the great prophecy of Joseph in Egypt regarding the great latter-day seer, the Prophet Joseph Smith:

And there shall rise up one mighty among them, who shall do much good, both in word and in deed, being an instrument in the hands of God, with exceeding faith, to work mighty wonders, and do that thing which is great in the sight of God, unto the bringing to pass much restoration unto the house of Israel, and unto the seed of thy brethren. (2 Nephi 3:24)

And Joseph Smith himself spoke of himself in similar terms:

I am like a huge, rough stone rolling down from a high mountain; and the only polishing I get is when some corner gets rubbed off by coming in contact with something else, striking with accelerated force against religious bigotry, priestcraft, lawyer-craft, doctor-craft, lying editors, suborned judges and jurors, and the authority of perjured executives, backed by mobs, blasphemers, licentious and corrupt men and women--all hell knocking off a corner here and a corner there. Thus I will become a smooth and polished shaft in the quiver of the Almighty, who will give me dominion over all and every one of them, when their refuge of lies shall fail, and their hiding place shall be destroyed, while these smooth-polished stones with which I come in contact become marred.

There is so much more in this chapter. It certainly merits more and closer study tomorrow…