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“Converted
unto the Lord”
Alma 23–29
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Lesson
26
Summary |
Scripture
Summary: |
Religious freedom is proclaimed—The
Lamanites in seven lands and cities are converted—They call themselves
Anti-Nephi-Lehies and are freed from the curse—The Amalekites and the
Amulonites reject the truth.
The Lamanites come against the
people of God—The Anti-Nephi-Lehies rejoice in Christ and are
visited by angels—They choose to suffer death rather than to defend
themselves—More Lamanites are converted.
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Lamanite
aggressions spread—The seed of the priests of Noah perish as Abinadi
prophesied—Many Lamanites are converted and join the people of
Anti-Nephi-Lehi—They believe in Christ and keep the law of Moses.
Ammon glories in the Lord—The faithful are strengthened by the Lord and
are given knowledge—By faith men may bring thousands of souls unto
repentance—God has all power and comprehendeth all things.
The Lord commands Ammon to lead the people of Anti-Nephi-Lehi to safety—Upon
meeting Alma, Ammon’s joy exhausts his strength—The Nephites give them
the land of Jershon—They are called the people of Ammon. [Between 90 and
77 B.C.]
The Lamanites are defeated in a tremendous battle—Tens of thousands are
slain—The wicked are consigned to a state of endless woe; the righteous
attain a never-ending happiness. [About 76 B.C.]
Alma desires to cry repentance with angelic zeal—The Lord grants
teachers for all nations—Alma glories in the Lord’s work and in the
success of Ammon and his brethren. [About 76 B.C.] |
Supplemental
Holy Land
and Jewish
insights:
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Proclamations That Come from God: Book of
Mormon proclamations affect Israel like others did. ". . . the LORD stirred
up the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia, that he made a proclamation throughout
all his kingdom, and put it also in writing, saying . . . build (the Lord) an
house in Jerusalem, which is in Judah . . ." (2 Chronicles 36:22-23)
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The Apostle, Orson Hyde, went to
Europe with a proclamation for the Christians and the Jews to heed
the restoration and recognize that the keys of the gathering of
Israel had been restored to earth as they were given to the Prophet
Joseph Smith. (History
of the Church, Vol.4, Ch.6, p.112-113)
From Other Sources:
Joseph Fielding Smith reminds us of a more recent proclamation,
prompted by the spirit spreading after the keys of the gathering of
Israel were restored.
"The Balfour
proclamation thus endorsed by the United States government brought
great joy to thousands of downtrodden and persecuted Jews, and
under the protection of Great Britain they commenced to gather in
Palestine in great numbers, fulfilling partially the words of
Isaiah . . ." (Joseph
Fielding Smith, The Restoration of All Things, p.151)
Proclamations Can Have Blessings and Curses:
The Apostle, Orson Hyde wrote,
"Let that nation or that people who shall take an active part
in behalf of Abraham's children, and in the raising up of
Jerusalem, find favor in Thy sight . . . while that nation or
kingdom that will not serve Thee in this glorious work must
perish, according to Thy word---Yea, those nations shall be
utterly wasted." (History
of the Church, Vol.4, Ch.26, p.457)
Another blessing and curse were discovered in an
archaeological excavation along the Dead Sea. Usually curses are not
defined, but are mentioned often in Biblical and other Jewish
writings.
"Excavations in 1970
brought to light the remains of a Jewish community in the
Byzantine period. Their synagogue had a beautiful mosaic floor
depicting peacocks eating grapes, and the words ‘Peace on
Israel,’ as well as a unique inscription consisting of 18 lines,
part of which calls down a curse on ‘anyone causing a
controversy between a man and his fellows or who slanders his
friends before the gentiles or steals the property of his friends
. . .’" (Encyclopedia
Judaica Jr.)
Refusing Military Activity:
Some Israelis joke that Israel’s curse is its constant source of
controversies. One growing controversy is about military
involvement. As effective as Israel has been in the past in its
military stewardship in maintaining its identity, there is a small
but growing number of youth who object to serving in the military.
Some of that may be laziness or inconvenience. However, there are
some "conscientious objectors." There may be a growing
feeling to get to the turning of "swords to plowshares."
"And it shall come to pass
in the last days, that the mountain of the LORD'S house shall be
established in the top of the mountains, and shall be exalted
above the hills; and all nations shall flow unto it. And many
people shall go and say, Come ye, and let us go up to the mountain
of the LORD, to the house of the God of Jacob; and he will teach
us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths: for out of Zion
shall go forth the law, and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem.
And he shall judge among the nations, and shall rebuke many
people: and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and
their spears into pruning hooks: nation shall not lift up sword
against nation, neither shall they learn war anymore." (Isaiah
2:2-4)
Refusing to Stop Fighting:
Historically, in almost every part of the earth, for those who are
angry and have a constant history of fighting, winning or losing
made little difference. Once a battle or war would end, they would
simply continue to fight someone else. They thrived on the
"fighting" more than the "conquering" a
particular enemy.
Man More Powerful than an Angel?
Obviously, Alma saw the contrast between sorrow and peace. His wish
that he could be an angel to bring more people to peace is poetic.
Yet, in Jewish thought, man has more power than an angel!
". . . angels are assigned
to countries, and thus there are angels who must not leave Erez
Israel; angels walk upright and speak Hebrew; and they have no
needs or free will. Man, because he does have free will and must
conquer his evil inclination, is considered more important than
the angels." (Encyclopedia
Judaica Jr.)
Boasting out of Place:
Alma’s gratitude for the blessings of peace is almost like
boasting; except, he acknowledges the power of God and not his own.
He gives us a model to follow.
"For although a man may
have many revelations, and have power to do many mighty works, yet
if he boasts in his own strength, and sets at naught the counsels
of God, and follows after the dictates of his own will and carnal
desires, he must fall and incur the vengeance of a just God upon
him." (Doctrine
& Covenants 3:4)
Humility Opens the Soul:
The opposite is a humility that opens the soul to the mysteries of
God. A synonym for "mysteries" is the "subtle
understanding" of God’s word. This is available through the
"Gift of the Holy Ghost."
"For he that diligently
seeketh shall find; and the mysteries of God shall be unfolded
unto them, by the power of the Holy Ghost, as well in these times
as in times of old, and as well in times of old as in times to
come; wherefore, the course of the Lord is one eternal
round." (1 Nephi
10:19)
Historical Conflicts Overcome: As
the Book of Mormon experiences relate, people with a history of
conflict can and did become brothers and sisters. Unfortunately,
today Israel is thought of as a nation of conflicting people. Yet,
living in Israel, I can say that most Jews and Arabs get along with
each other. There are Arabs and Jews that truly love each other. My
own home teaching companion was Mohammed Al Shiabet from Bethlehem/BetSahour
– an Arab and a Jew working for the Lord, in seeking the well
being of his children! It is so similar to the Lamanite and Nephite
account in the chapters we are studying.
Enemies Can Convert and be Protected:
There is an interesting model for today in that a portion of land
was given by the Nephites to the "Anti-Nephi-Lehites,"
former Lamanites. Protection was also provided for them. The
difference in Israel right now is that some Arabs who call
themselves Palestinians have not converted nor have they committed
to bury their weapons. Many Arabs and Jews in Israel are anxiously
awaiting "proclamations" of peace, substantive
proclamations that include a departure from fighting and using
weapons to express their opinions. |
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