Alma 48

(All of my own thoughts are in red type 7/20 green 5/21 8/22 Brown 10/23)

CHAPTER 48

Amalickiah incites the Lamanites against the Nephites—Moroni prepares his people to defend the cause of the Christians—He rejoices in liberty and freedom and is a mighty man of God. About 72 B.C.

  1 And now it came to pass that, as soon as ^aAmalickiah had obtained the kingdom he began to ^binspire the hearts of the Lamanites against the people of Nephi; yea, he did appoint men to speak unto the Lamanites from their ^ctowers, against the Nephites. 1. What would happen to the Lamanites if they weren’t actively being “inspired” to anger and violence? 2. Why do the Lamanites not see that they are being played and used? 3. Why are they so easily influenced by these people and unable or unwilling to think for themselves. 4. Why does this pattern work so well throughout history? (Happening today...) The word “inspired” makes it sound like they felt it was a good cause, like they were feeling morally right about their position. I usually reserve that feeling for the righteous thinking the wicked know they are choosing evil. But...I think some are just deceived and think they are just as right and good. The modern version of this is people speaking from the social media towers "inspiring" people to protest in anger and violence. Israel was attacked by Hamas and people in the US are protesting in support of the terrorists! Tomorrow is Friday the 13th and Hamas has declared it a day of Jihad. We have millions of illegals that have been let in and supported by the UN to inflict terror on their command. Maybe that will be tomorrow...Praying for this country!
  2 And thus he did inspire their hearts against the Nephites, insomuch that in the latter end of the ^anineteenth year of the reign of the judges, he having accomplished his designs thus far, yea, having been made king over the Lamanites, he ^bsought also to ^creign over all the land, yea, and all the people who were in the land, the Nephites as well as the Lamanites.  The thirst and lust for power has no bounds. 
  3 Therefore he had accomplished his design, for he had hardened the hearts of the Lamanites and blinded their minds, and stirred them up to anger, insomuch that he had gathered together a numerous host to go to battle against the Nephites.  Notice that “blinding their minds” is one of the fruits of this evil. They can’t “see” what is going on. 
  4 For he was determined, because of the greatness of the number of his people, to ^aoverpower the Nephites and to bring them into bondage.  He is forgetting (blinded by Satan and his lusts) that God doesn’t play the numbers game. God vs 1,000,000 = God still wins.
  5 And thus he did appoint ^achief captains of the ^bZoramites, they being the most acquainted with the strength of the Nephites, and their places of resort, and the weakest parts of their cities; therefore he appointed them to be chief captains over his armies.  Traitors
  6 And it came to pass that they took their camp, and moved forth toward the land of Zarahemla in the wilderness.
  7 Now it came to pass that while Amalickiah had thus been obtaining power by fraud and deceit, Moroni, on the other hand, had been ^apreparing the minds of the people to be faithful unto the Lord their God. Evil is hard at work trying to accomplish the designs of the adversary. God, on the other hand, is not inspiring His people to fight them or take them down. He's preparing our minds to be faithful to the Lord. During this last year, our leaders didn’t directly attack the enemy. I worry that they have been blinded by the “science” of vaccines for years, but their hearts are still right, so God still speaks to them in the ways they can hear. He’s been telling them to tell us to “prepare our minds to be faithful” and increase our ability to hear through our faithfulness. 
  8 Yea, he had been strengthening the armies of the Nephites, and erecting small ^aforts, or places of resort; throwing up banks of earth round about to enclose his armies, and also building ^bwalls of stone to encircle them about, round about their cities and the borders of their lands; yea, all round about the land. Second priority was working to protect the enemy from entering. Temporal preparation is as important as spiritual preparation.
  9 And in their weakest fortifications he did place the greater number of men; If we identify weakness, we need to give it extra support and thus he did fortify and strengthen the land which was possessed by the Nephites. What is our weakest place of entry? How can I give it extra support so it doesn’t fail me?
 10 And thus he was preparing to ^asupport their liberty, their lands, their wives, and their children, and their peace, and that they might live unto the Lord their God, and that they might maintain that which was called by their enemies the cause of ^bChristians. I love that the men were the ones that felt the duty to protect and fortify and defend. Today, I fear it is mostly the women who are feeling this at least in the church. Where oh where is our Captain Moroni? Will God raise one up for such a time as this? Will he be the Davidic Servant? 
 11 And Moroni was a ^astrong and a mighty man; he was a man of a perfect ^bunderstanding; yea, a man that did not delight in bloodshed; a man whose soul did joy in the liberty and the freedom of his country, and his brethren from bondage and slavery;  Where are our leaders who joy in our liberty and freedom? Except for the loss of religious freedom they don’t speak of the ultimate bondage that is trying to be perpetrated upon us...
 12 Yea, a man whose heart did swell with thanksgiving to his God, for the many privileges and blessings which he bestowed upon his people; a man who did labor exceedingly for the ^awelfare and safety of his people. There are many people right now who are “laboring exceedingly” to wake people up because they are concerned about the welfare and safety of all people. 
 13 Yea, and he was a man who was firm in the faith of Christ, and he had ^asworn with an oath to defend his people, his rights, and his country, and his religion, even to the loss of his blood. He felt called to this work and he swore he would do it. Even if it cost him his life. I read that the grievances that led to the American Revolution are nothing compared to what we are being forced to do. But we don’t have the collective will to revolt and lay down our lives like they did. 
 14 Now the Nephites were taught to defend themselves against their enemies, even to the shedding of blood if it were necessary; yea, and they were also taught ^anever to give an offense, yea, and never to raise the sword except it were against an enemy, except it were to preserve their lives.
 15 And this was their ^afaith, that by so doing God would ^bprosper them in the land, or in other words, if they were faithful in keeping the commandments of God that he would prosper them in the land; yea, warn them to flee, or to prepare for war, according to their danger; Notice sometimes you are told to flee; sometimes to fight
 16 And also, that God would make it known unto them ^awhither they should go to defend themselves against their enemies, and by so doing, the Lord would deliver them; and this was the faith of Moroni, and his heart did glory in it; ^bnot in the shedding of blood but in doing good, in preserving his people, yea, in keeping the commandments of God, yea, and resisting iniquity. The intent of the heart is so important. It is hard to keep your heart pure. I long for the baptism of fire, so that I have absolutely no desire to do evil ever again. 
 17 Yea, verily, verily I say unto you, if all men had been, and were, and ever would be, like unto ^aMoroni, behold, the very powers of hell would have been shaken forever; yea, the ^bdevil would never have power over the hearts of the children of men.  Just as satan has the ability to give men power to inspire hearts to evil, so God can give men power to inspire hearts to faith and righteousness. Again...where is our Moroni? We need someone like this so desperately. I think I will pray for this gift.  Who was Moroni, exactly? Where did he come from? 
 18 Behold, he was a man like unto ^aAmmon, the son of Mosiah, yea, and even the other sons of Mosiah, yea, and also Alma and his sons, for they were all men of God. What makes one a “man of God”? 
 19 Now behold, Helaman and his brethren were no less ^aserviceable unto the people than was Moroni; for they did preach the word of God, and they did baptize unto repentance all men whosoever would hearken unto their words.
 20 And thus they went forth, and the people did ^ahumble themselves because of their ^bwords, insomuch that they were highly ^cfavored of the Lord, and thus they were free from wars and contentions among themselves, yea, even for the space of four years. free from wars and contentions among themselves. FIRST and FOREMOST.  And they did this by preaching the word of God. Stay connected to the word of God. I need to remember the power of words, especially if accompanied by the convincing power of the Spirit. Don’t be afraid to speak. Who was “highly favored of the Lord”? Was it the people who humbled themselves or Helaman and his brethren? I think it was the people who humbled themselves. The blessing of the Lord was being free from war and contention “among themselves”. The only way to be free of contention among our relations is to be united in our beliefs. Even if you “live peaceably” with those who believe different, there is likely “contention” off and on in people’s hearts. 
 21 But, as I have said, in the ^alatter end of the nineteenth year, yea, notwithstanding their peace amongst themselves, they were compelled reluctantly to contend with their brethren, the Lamanites. 
 22 Yea, and in fine, their wars never did cease for the space of many years with the Lamanites, notwithstanding their much reluctance. 
 23 Now, they were ^asorry to take up arms against the Lamanites, because they did not delight in the shedding of blood; yea, and this was not all—they were 
 ^bsorry to be the means of sending so many of their brethren out of this world into an eternal world, ^cunprepared to meet their God.
 24 Nevertheless, they could not suffer to lay down their lives, that their ^awives and their children should be ^bmassacred by the barbarous ^ccruelty of those who were once their brethren, yea, and had ^ddissented from their church, and had left them and had gone to destroy them by joining the Lamanites. Here they make the case for protecting their own lives even if they have to kill those who are trying to take theirs. These people chose not to lay down their lives while the converted Lamanites chose to lay down their lives. I think the difference is that the Lamanites had been guilty of so much bloodshed before their conversion that they had made an oath to never take another life, even to defend themselves. These Nephites were not guilty of bloodshed that way.

 25 Yea, they could not bear that their brethren should rejoice over the blood of the Nephites, so long as there were any who should keep the commandments of God, for the promise of the Lord was, if they should keep his commandments they should ^aprosper in the land. This must be our faith. Keep the commandments, check yourself daily, repent as needed, and then trust that God will protect you, even if you have to defend yourself against attacks.