16 And it came to pass that Ammon, being filled with the Spirit of God, therefore he perceived the thoughts of the king. And he said unto him: Is it because thou hast heard that I defended thy servants and thy flocks, and slew seven of their brethren with the sling and with the sword, and smote off the arms of others, in order to defend thy flocks and thy servants; behold, is it this that causeth thy marvelings?
17 I say unto you, what is it, that thy marvelings are so great? Behold, I am a man, and am thy servant; therefore, whatsoever thou desirest which is right, that will I do.
18 Now when the king had heard these words, he marveled again, for he beheld that Ammon could discern his thoughts; but notwithstanding this, king Lamoni did open his mouth, and said unto him: Who art thou? Art thou that Great Spirit, who knows all things?
19 Ammon answered and said unto him: I am not.
Alma 18:16-19 (Emphasis mine)
After spending so much time in silence, the Spirit told Ammon why the King was so reluctant to speak to him. He reminds him that he is his servant. When asked if he is the Great Spirit, Ammon responded he is not.
Ammon was in a great place. He could have told the King almost anything and he would have believed it. Hugh Nibley wrote:
“Now here's Ammon's big chance … The king is going to believe anything he tells him now. How easily he could have done what we have done with the Indians and tricked him … There are a number of stories of men who have come among the savages. Because of their supernatural power, the savages are ready to worship them. They take advantage of that and are waited on hand and foot until their fatal flaw is discovered. It's the same [opportunity] here, but ‘Ammon answered and said unto him: I am not.’ Here was Ammon's chance to tell a big, fat lie and convert the king. But [he wouldn't do it].” [i] (Emphasis mine)
Ammon has been blessed with the gift of discernment. This is a powerful and essential gift of the Spirit in our lives. Through discernment, we get answers to our prayers, make correct decisions, and serve others.
6 ¶ And it came to pass, when they were come, that he looked on Eliab, and said, Surely the LORD's anointed is before him.
7 But the LORD said unto Samuel, Look not on his countenance, or on the height of his stature; because I have refused him: for the LORD seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the LORD looketh on the heart.
1 Samuel 16:6-7 (Emphasis mine)
18 ¶ He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.
19 And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.
20 For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved.
21 But he that doeth truth cometh to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest, that they are wrought in God.
John 3:18-21 (Emphasis mine)
14 But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.
1 Corinthians 2:14 (Emphasis mine)
7 But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man to profit withal.
8 For to one is given by the Spirit the word of wisdom; to another the word of knowledge by the same Spirit;
9 To another faith by the same Spirit; to another the gifts of healing by the same Spirit;
10 To another the working of miracles; to another prophecy; to another discerning of spirits; to another divers kinds of tongues; to another the interpretation of tongues:
1 Corinthians 12:7-10 (Emphasis mine)
6 We are of God: he that knoweth God heareth us; he that is not of God heareth not us. Hereby know we the spirit of truth, and the spirit of error.
1 John 4:6 (Emphasis mine)
In the October 2009 General Conference, Elder Russell Nelson discussed discernment.
“Personal revelation can be honed to become spiritual discernment. To discern means to sift, to separate, or to distinguish. The gift of spiritual discernment is a supernal gift. It allows members of the Church to see things not visible and to feel things not tangible.” [ii] (Emphasis mine)
Elder Marion G. Romney said: “Pray for the spirit of discernment that you may hear the promptings of the Spirit and understand them and then pray for courage to do them, to follow the guidance of the Spirit.” [iii] (Emphasis mine)
20 And the king said: How knowest thou the thoughts of my heart? Thou mayest speak boldly, and tell me concerning these things; and also tell me by what power ye slew and smote off the arms of my brethren that scattered my flocks—
21 And now, if thou wilt tell me concerning these things, whatsoever thou desirest I will give unto thee; and if it were needed, I would guard thee with my armies; but I know that thou art more powerful than all they; nevertheless, whatsoever thou desirest of me I will grant it unto thee.
Alma 18:20-21 (Emphasis mine)
Lamoni is surprised by Ammon’s response. He answered his question without it being asked. “How knowest thou the thoughts of my heart?” (verse 20) Lamoni responds. He wants to know by what power Ammon defended his flocks. He promises that whatever Ammon desires he will receive. He would guard him with his armies, but he realizes Ammon is more powerful than his armies are.
22 Now Ammon being wise, yet harmless, he said unto Lamoni: Wilt thou hearken unto my words, if I tell thee by what power I do these things? And this is the thing that I desire of thee.
23 And the king answered him, and said: Yea, I will believe all thy words. And thus he was caught with guile.
24 And Ammon began to speak unto him with boldness, and said unto him: Believest thou that there is a God?
25 And he answered, and said unto him: I do not know what that meaneth.
26 And then Ammon said: Believest thou that there is a Great Spirit?
27 And he said, Yea.
28 And Ammon said: This is God…
Alma 18:22-28 (Emphasis mine)
Hugh Nibley wrote:
“[Ammon]'s not going to lie, but now he plays a trick [by saying], will you believe everything I tell you? The king said, I will believe everything you tell me because he was ready to take it. ‘And thus he was caught with guile.’ Ammon said, now I can preach to him and he will believe me. So he began, ‘Believest thou that there is a God?’ God is an epithet, you see … He said, ‘I do not know what that meaneth.’ It was an unfamiliar word. ‘And then Ammon said: Believest thou that there is a Great Spirit?’ Now, that's the epithet they all used, the Great Spirit. ‘And he said, Yea. And Ammon said: This is God,’ … Do I believe in the Great Spirit? Yes. We are going to have this repeated a number of times in the rest of the book here, where the Great Spirit which they believed in is made absolutely identical with the God we believe in. So if an Indian asked me, ‘do you believe in the Great Spirit?’ I would say, ‘yes, I do believe in the Great Spirit.’ It's the same thing …." [iv] (Emphasis mine)
Because of Ammon’s faith, the Lord has set up the perfect situation. Lamoni’s ready to hear the message Ammon has come to the Lamanites to deliver.
We’ll continue Ammon’s questions in the next post.
[i] Lecture 51: Alma 17-19, Hugh W. Nibley, Maxwell Institute, accessed September 6, 2011.
[ii] Ask, Seek, Knock, Elder Russell M. Nelson, October 2009 General Conference.
[iii] Seek the Spirit, President Marion G. Romney, April 1980 General Conference.
[iv] Lecture 51: Alma 17-19, Hugh W. Nibley, Maxwell Institute, accessed September 6, 2011.
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