A History of the People of Ammon

I have recently been studying out of the Book of Mormon about the "Anti-Nephi-Lehi" people. The account of this people inspires me to do and be better. There are many lessons to gather from their example. Here is some of what I have learned about this people...

The Sons of Mosiah left their Nephite land to go and teach the Lamanites the gospel of Jesus Christ that they might repent and come unto Christ. Now it is important to remember that at this time in the Book of Mormon the Lamanites were not a righteous people, they delighted in murdering and plundering the Nephites and were full of greed for precious metals. They despised the Nephites so much that if a Nephite was found in Lamanite territory they would be bound and taken captive. When the Sons of Mosiah arrive at the border of the Lamanite land they separated and began trying to spread the gospel. Now after many years one of the Sons of Mosiah named Ammon was able to teach one of the Lamanite kings who repented of his sins and came unto Christ. Further more this king sent out a decree that the Sons of Mosiah would be allowed to preach the gospel freely throughout the Lamanite land. The Sons of Mosiah went to work and seven cities of Lamanites came unto Christ (Alma 23:4-13). Those of the Lamanites who converted to the gospel were desirous to have a name to differentiate themselves from the Lamanites who did not accept the gospel of Christ and they began to call themselves the Anti-Nephi-Lehies (Alma 23:17).

In the Lamanite lands that were not converted unto Christ there were Amalekites and Amulonites. The Amalekites and Amulonites were once faithful Nephites who dissented from the church. The Amalekites and Amulonites had a stronger hatred towards the Nephites than the Lamanites did. When they learned that seven Lamanite cities had accepted Christ and repented of their sins they were angry and stirred up the Lamanites in their lands to anger. With this anger they lead the Lamanites to the Anti-Nephi-Lehies to fight and kill them.

The Anti-Nephi-Lehies knew that the Amalekite, Amulonite, and Lamanite armies were coming to war against them. Not one of the Anti-Nephi-Lehies would take up arms or make preparations of war for the impending battle. They knew that they were "...The most lost of all mankind." (Alma 24:11). Having done all that they could do to repent of their many murders and sins and being full of the grace of Heavenly Father they could not allow themselves to shed more blood. So they buried their weapons deep in the earth and covenanted that they "...Rather than shed the blood of their brethren they would give up their own lives; and rather than take away from a brother they would give unto him; and rather than spend their days in idleness they would labor abundantly with their hands."

In one of the greatest examples of courage, the Anti-Nephi-Lehies went out to meet the Lamanites (who were lead by the Amalekites and Amulonites) on the battle field. They did not run away or turn their backs on their brothers the Lamanites but met them face to face. Then staring at the Lamanite army they knelt on the ground and began offering up prayer. The Lamanites began to attack the Anti-Nephi-Lehies and met no resistance. One thousand and five Anti-Nephi-Lehies were killed while praying. The Lamanites hearts began to soften knowing that they had killed so many of their brothers and they began to drop their weapons and to offer up prayer as well. In fact, more Lamanites dropped their weapons and turned to Christ than the 1005 who were killed. However, the most violent ones among the Lamanites were the Amalekites and Amulonites and not one of them had their heart softened. 

Being enraged even more by the actions of the Anti-Nephi-Lehies the Lamanites swore vengeance on the Nephites (I suspect that they blamed the Nephites for converting their Lamanite brothers and this redirected their hatred towards the Nephites). So they stopped attacking the Anti-Nephi-Lehies and began to attack the Nephites. The Lamanites and the Nephites had many battles until the Lamanites were eventually driven back to their own lands. Over time the Amalekites again caused the Lamanites to go and attack the Anti-Nephi-Lehies and again they would not fight back but gave up their lives rather than break their covenant. The Sons of Mosiah could not watch their Anti-Nephi-Lehi brothers die and convinced them to seek refuge among the Nephites.

The Anti-Nephi-Lehies agreed to seek refuge among the Nephites but feared that the Nephites would not provide refuge because of the vast murders and other sins that the Anti-Nephi-Lehies had committed against the Nephites before their conversion. The Anti-Nephi-Lehies traveled to the Nephite lands and sent Ammon and the other Sons of Mosiah to plead their case with the Nephite people. The Nephite people agreed not only give them refuge but to give them land and protection against the Lamanites. The Nephites would fight the Lamanites if they came so that the Anti-Nephi-Lehies would not break their covenant and the Anti-Nephi-Lehies would provide supplies to the Nephite army to sustain them. The Nephites began to call the Anti-Nephi-Lehies the People of Ammon and they were known by that name from that point on. The People of Ammon were known for their zeal towards God and men, they were perfectly honest, and firm in the faith of Christ. In short they had a complete conversion and were loved of the Nephites.

The Lamanites did follow the People of Ammon to the Nephite lands and the battle that ensued was the worst battle that they had seen. As promised the Nephites protected the People of Ammon and they drove the Lamanites out of their land. The dead were not numbered because of how many died and their was a great deal of mourning.

After this great battle there were three to four years of peace between the Nephites and the Lamanites. Then came many years of wars between the two nations. On top of the war between the Lamanites the Nephites had a civil war brewing among themselves. Needless to say this was a very dark and trying time for the Nephites. These wars continued for nearly a decade and the entire time the Nephites stayed true to their word to protect the People of Ammon.

Having seen so much pain and destruction placed on their Nephite brothers the People of Ammon began to feel like a burden upon the Nephites. They began to consider taking up arms and going to battle against the Lamanites along side the Nephites. However, they were reminded of their covenant which they had made to not shed blood again. By this time many of the People of Ammon had many young strong sons. These sons had not made the covenant that their fathers had made and were willing to defend their families and the families of the Nephites. They later became known as the stripling warriors. They were a mighty band of faithful young men who were valiant in the gospel but also provided great strength upon the battle field.

The People of Ammon are my favorite group of people within the Book of Mormon. They are strong examples of what it means to truly repent and become converted. They exhibited great courage. They remained steadfast even when faced with death on every side. They never turned back to their old ways. They had the wisdom to bury their temptations deep within the earth. When faced with struggles beyond their own strength they were humble enough to seek help from those whom they had previously wronged. They taught their children the gospel and raised a righteous generation. Imagine how the world would be if there were more People of Ammon among us.

Wilderness

There are many accounts in the scriptures where the Lord requires his people to travel through the "Wilderness." In the Old Testament the Lord freed the Children of Israel from the bondage of the Egyptians. Once freed from their captors the Lord had them wander through the wilderness for 40 years. Shortly after being freed from Egypt the Children of Israel began to murmur saying, "Would to God we had died by the hand of the Lord in the land of Egypt, when we sat by the flesh pots, and when we did eat bread to the full; for ye have brought us forth into this wilderness, to kill this whole assembly with hunger." (Exodus 16:2-3). The Lord heard their murmurings and provided the Children of Israel food in the form of Manna. However, the Lord gave conditions for the Children of Israel on how and when to collect the manna. As long as they followed the counsel of the Lord given through the mouth of Moses they were fed. If they did not obey the commandments given by the Lord the manna "...Bred worms, and stank." (Exodus 16:20). At one point the Lord chastened the Children of Israel by sending "Fierry Serpents" down to infect them, once the Children of Israel were sick and dying all they had to do was look at a staff to be healed but because of the simpleness of the task many would not look and died. The Children of Israel by no means had it easy traveling through the wilderness but the Lord did provide them with food, water, and directions while they wandered. In fact, it is while they were in the wilderness that they received the ten commandments.

We also learn of a family in the Book of Mormon who the Lord commanded to journey through the wilderness. This was the family of Lehi. The Lord prepared them prior to leaving by telling them what seeds and provisions to take with them before they left Jerusalem. The family begins to travel through the wilderness and, over time, many of this family also murmur.  They had endured many afflictions while in the wilderness including child birth. Over the eight years it took for them to travel to the Land of Bountiful by the sea they suffered enough that some thought it would have been better to die than to wade through this affliction. Although there were great afflictions, Lehi's family was also blessed during their travels. The Lord provided them with the Liahona to guide them like a compass while they journeyed (1 Nephi 16:10). As long as they obeyed the Lord the Liahona would guide them. They were also visited by angels during their trek.They were also blessed with food and water while they continued on.

Even the Lord, Jesus Christ, journeyed through the wilderness. Immediately following his baptism from John the Baptist Jesus spent 40 days in the wilderness. While in the wilderness he was tempted by Satan. He was also ministered to by angles. It was after his experiences in the wilderness that he began to teach the gospel. 

These are but a few examples of people and groups that the Lord has required to travel through the wilderness. There are many more that could be told. So how does this apply to your life and my life?

The wilderness is a representation of a difficult path in life. Sometimes we are asked by the Lord to leave our "city" or in other words our comfort zone. The Lord does not give us all the details just that we need to act and that he will help us along the way. He prompts us on how to prepare and then expects us to begin our decent into the wilderness. As we wander, there will be trials some of which may make us think that we went the wrong way that we should have stayed in our "city." We may feel like we are being left to starve in a barren and unforgiving land but the Lord has promised that He WILL lead us and show us the way if we are faithful to his commandments. He will provide us the things that we need. He has promised that if we are faithful He will guide us to the promised land.

So when you are in a trial and feel like you are going to break perhaps ask yourself am I keeping the Lord's commandments? Am I relying on the Lord through regular prayer and scripture study? Am I murmuring against the Lord or am I trusting in him? Let the Lord guide you and eventually you will look back and you will clearly see how and why the Lord made you pass through the trials of the wilderness. 

About Principles To Ponder

This blog was set up to help me have more purpose when studying my scriptures/gospel topics. I am a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. The comments that I share are not meant to be regarded as church doctrine (although I try to stick with the doctrine) but rather they are my own opinions. Therefore, if I say anything that is contradictory to that doctrine I advise you to follow the official stance of the church. I hope you find the points and principles that I bring up to be uplifting and faith promoting. Enjoy!