Mormon's Missionary Messages
Book of Mormon Notes - Sunday, August 26, 2023, Alma 17
It looks like Mormon selected portions of the many plates that were in his custody and arranged them before hand before beginning his abridgment. It seems to me that he worked from some kind of an outline. This portion of his abridgment begins with another introduction, but whether it was written by Alma or by Mormon, I don’t know. My guess is that Mormon wrote this introduction:
An account of the sons of Mosiah, who rejected their rights to the kingdom for the word of God, and went up to the land of Nephi to preach to the Lamanites; their sufferings and deliverance—according to the record of Alma.
Besides being inspired, Mormon must have been very prayerful about the work in which he was engaged. I imagine that the Lord showed Mormon many things regarding the last days, and that the Lord inspired Mormon to include many things in his abridgment that would be the most necessary and useful for the building up of the Kingdom of God in the last days.
Missionary work was already on Mormon’s mind after he had abridged the record of Alma and Amulek and their missionary journeys. But imagine Mormon, in his cave full of records, inscribing by candle light an abridgment of Alma’s record for the purpose of bringing souls unto repentance in the last days. Imagine Mormon’s vision of the great latter-day missionary efforts for the gathering of Israel. What could he possibly include in his abridgment of Nephite history that would bless future missionaries and investigators alike and lead them to Christ? Of all the Nephite records and fascinating stories in Nephite history, none could be more important or inspirational for the latter-day work of the Lord than that of the sons of Mosiah.
What could Mormon offer for the many thousands of young men and women who would leave behind their girlfriends and boyfriends, their jobs and their careers, their education and their hobbies, to embark in the service of God? What better examples could he give us than the sons of Mosiah who rejected their rights to the kingdom for the word of God in order to preach the Gospel in a distant land among the Lamanites? And what better examples for future converts could there be than people like King Lamoni and his father, and the many other Lamanites who became converted to the Lord?
Of course there are many reasons why the Lord inspired Mormon to abridge this portion of the record of Alma that deals specifically with the missionary adventures of Ammon, Aaron, Omner, Himni, and their crew. But I imagine that Mormon knew that all of these things would prove inspirational and instructive to many generations of missionaries, including our own generation.
How was it possible that Alma could meet the sons of Mosiah again during their journeys? It was not a coincidence that they met, but I also think that the Nephites may have traveled by boat, down and up the river Sidon perhaps, thus facilitating their encounter. The timing was perfect, and their joy was immense because each of them was returning after many years (the first 14 years of the reign of the judges) of intense missionary efforts. 14 years of intense missionary work had transformed these once rebellious boys into powerful instruments in the hands of God.
Mormon’s narrative introduction to the missionary miracles wrought by the sons of Mosiah begins at the end of their journey and their miraculous encounter with Alma. Only someone who had already read the entire story could begin a story in this way. Mormon masterfully weaves together Alma’s story with that of his brothers who were with him when the angel first appeared to them. Then Mormon moves to the beginning of the missionary journeys of the sons of Mosiah, how they embarked upon their journey and in what way they began their great endeavor.
These great missionaries prayed and fasted and prepared much in order to lead, if it were possible, their Lamanites brothers and sisters back to Jesus Christ. Their desire was to become instruments in the hands of God, and God answered their prayers:
And it came to pass that the Lord did avisit them with his bSpirit, and said unto them: Be ccomforted. 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 apatient in long-suffering and afflictions, that ye may show forth good bexamples unto them in me, and I will make an instrument of thee in my hands unto the salvation of many souls. (Alma 17:10-11)
Do you desire to be an instrument in the hands of God unto the salvation of many souls? If so, the sons of Mosiah are great models to follow. The Lord comforted, counseled, and inspired them in such a way that is meaningful to all missionaries throughout time. In fact, when the Lord promised to make instruments in His hands out of the sons of Mosiah, for the salvation of many souls, He wasn’t just talking about the souls of the Lamanites that they went forth to rescue. Just think of how the sons of Mosiah have been instruments in the hands of God for the salvation of many souls throughout time, especially since the translation and dissemination of the Book of Mormon. Their long-suffering and patience in affliction, and their good examples didn’t just serve to convert many Lamanites to the Lord, but also the millions of people who have read, now read, or will yet read the Book of Mormon.
The Lord’s encouragement, counsel, reassurance, and blessing inspired the sons of Mosiah and their friends to go forward in His work:
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 17:12)
Mormon confirms that this was a great expedition with a great purpose. The Lamanites were not the most virtuous or the friendliest of people, and therefore the mission of the sons of Mosiah and their friends was not an easy one. Specifically, their mission was to bring, if it were possible, souls unto repentance and to know of the plan of redemption. How could they possibly lead the Lamanites to such blessings? The Lamanites were indolent, wild, hardened, ferocious, murderers, robbers, greedy, idolatrous, and cursed. But all of these problems were handed down to the Lamanites because of the incorrect traditions of their fathers. Thus the blessings and promises of the Lord were extended to them on conditions of repentance.
Ammon was the leader of the group, and he blessed them all and imparted the word of God unto them before they all split up to go in different directions for their missions. Ammon was that mighty district leader, or zone leader, who loved his fellow missionaries and blessed them. Mormon traces Ammon’s journey first of all, and it was a miraculous journey, full of adventure. Ammon’s mission call, so to speak, was in the land of Ishmael, and particularly, it was a mission to serve the great king Lamoni, a descendent of Ishmael.
Ammon’s desire to serve was so great that he was willing to live among the Lamanites for a time, and perhaps even until his death. His desire to serve was so great that he even locked his heart and rejected an offer of marriage to the king’s daughter. Ammon’s service to the king is now legendary. The Lord had promised King Mosiah that He would protect and deliver his sons, and the Lord fulfilled His promise in a miraculous way.
The story of Ammon’s exploits at the waters of Sebus is legendary but also symbolic. It is the perfect metaphor for missionary work, but it is also a real story of a real man whom the Lord used as an instrument to accomplish the impossible. King Lamoni sent Ammon among his others servants to help watch over and care for his flocks. It didn’t take long - only three days in fact - until Ammon and his fellow servants encountered a lot of trouble. The story is one of the most famous in the Book of Mormon. In a nutshell, Ammon disarmed the enemies of the king, rescued the flocks and the servants, and brought the flocks back to the place of water. With super-human strength and miraculous power, Ammon single-handedly defeated a mob of Lamanite marauders and preserved the flocks of the king.
This story is literal, but it can also be read as a great allegory of missionary work, the gathering of scattered Israel. I don’t think that it is an accidental allegory either. In fact, as Mormon certainly knew, the story of Ammon’s exploits was an echo of Moses’ exploits in Midian, that same Moses who conferred the keys of the gathering of Israel upon the Prophet Joseph Smith:
Now when Pharaoh heard this thing, he sought to slay Moses. But Moses fled from the face of Pharaoh, and dwelt in the land of Midian: and he sat down by a well.
Now the priest of Midian had seven daughters: and they came and drew water, and filled the troughs to water their father’s flock.
And the shepherds came and drove them away: but Moses stood up and helped them, and watered their flock.
And when they came to Reuel their father, he said, How is it that ye are come so soon to day?
And they said, An Egyptian delivered us out of the hand of the shepherds, and also drew water enough for us, and watered the flock.
And he said unto his daughters, And where is he? why is it that ye have left the man? call him, that he may eat bread. (Exodus 2:15-20)
When I read about Moses and Ammon watering the flock, I cannot help but think that the core of missionary work is to lead souls unto Jesus Christ, the Living Waters. I cannot help but think of the Lord’s invitation to Peter to feed His sheep, and to feed His lambs. Sheep, lambs, flocks, shepherds, water… these are all well-known and frequently used symbols throughout all of scripture. We can ponder how Ammon and Moses are types of Christ in these real life parables. Water and wells are also frequently mentioned in the scriptures (see here, here, and here), and the most famous episode of all, of course, is that of the woman of Samaria at the well.