15 And it came to pass that after Aaron had expounded these things unto him, the king said: What shall I do that I may have this eternal life of which thou hast spoken? Yea, what shall I do that I may be born of God, having this wicked spirit rooted out of my breast, and receive his Spirit, that I may be filled with joy, that I may not be cast off at the last day? Behold, said he, I will give up all that I possess, yea, I will forsake my kingdom, that I may receive this great joy.
16 But Aaron said unto him: If thou desirest this thing, if thou wilt bow down before God, yea, if thou wilt repent of all thy sins, and will bow down before God, and call on his name in faith, believing that ye shall receive, then shalt thou receive the hope which thou desirest.
Alma 22:15-16 (Emphasis mine)
After hearing Aaron’s words about Christ, the king wants to be born of God. He wanted the “wicked spirit rooted out of my breast, and receive his Spirit…” He fully accepted Aaron’s words. He wanted to repent and “be filled with joy…” What was he willing to do? He was willing to give up everything for this.
Compare Lamoni’s father’s response to the response of the rich young man who came to Jesus.
16 ¶ And, behold, one came and said unto him, Good Master, what good thing shall I do, that I may have eternal life?
17 And he said unto him, Why callest thou me good? there is none good but one, that is, God: but if thou wilt enter into life, keep the commandments.
18 He saith unto him, Which? Jesus said, Thou shalt do no murder, Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not bear false witness,
19 Honour thy father and thy mother: and, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.
20 The young man saith unto him, All these things have I kept from my youth up: what lack I yet?
21 Jesus said unto him, If thou wilt be perfect, go and sell that thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come and follow me.
22 But when the young man heard that saying, he went away sorrowful: for he had great possessions.
Matthew 19:16-22 (Emphasis mine)
Here is a young man who wants eternal life. He kept the commandments, but realized he still lacked something.
Christ told him he had to sell his possessions, give the money to the poor, and follow Him. This was too much for the young man. He had “great possessions.” They were too important to him. He sorrowfully left Christ, unable to make the sacrifice.
Compare this to the king. He had power and wealth; he was willing to give up all willingly, without being asked. Here is a man who has been converted.
Aaron responded he had to repent, bow down before God, and ask in faith, believing he will receive these things. If he did this, he would receive what he would desire.
The king did as Aaron said, and the experience of Lamoni is repeated.
17 And it came to pass that when Aaron had said these words, the king did bow down before the Lord, upon his knees; yea, even he did prostrate himself upon the earth, and cried mightily, saying:
18 O God, Aaron hath told me that there is a God; and if there is a God, and if thou art God, wilt thou make thyself known unto me, and I will give away all my sins to know thee, and that I may be raised from the dead, and be saved at the last day. And now when the king had said these words, he was struck as if he were dead.
19 And it came to pass that his servants ran and told the queen all that had happened unto the king. And she came in unto the king; and when she saw him lay as if he were dead, and also Aaron and his brethren standing as though they had been the cause of his fall, she was angry with them, and commanded that her servants, or the servants of the king, should take them and slay them.
20 Now the servants had seen the cause of the king's fall, therefore they durst not lay their hands on Aaron and his brethren; and they pled with the queen saying: Why commandest thou that we should slay these men, when behold one of them is mightier than us all? Therefore we shall fall before them.
Alma 22:17-20 (Emphasis mine)
The king lay on the ground and began to pray. Even though he had faith, his prayer shows that he doesn’t have the knowledge he needed to have true belief.
This is a very powerful example of a person attempting to know God.
“Several Book of Mormon passages illustrate the desire of individuals as well as whole groups of people to initiate entering into covenant with God … Perhaps the most poignant example is the plea of the Lamanite king who desired to know the heavenly king: ‘O God, Aaron [a missionary] hath told me that there is a God; and if there is a God, and if thou art God, wilt thou make thyself known unto me, and I will give away all my sins to know thee’ (Alma 22:18). This example is particularly remarkable because one who had been an earthly [ruler] desired to become [subject] to God, the highest [ruler], hoping that his repentance would be an acceptable offering for that privilege.” [1] (Emphasis mine)
He pleaded with the Lord to forgive him of his sins and allow him to know Him. Then he was struck and appeared to be dead.
The servants ran and got his wife and showed her what had happened. Seeing her husband’s body on the ground, she assumed he was killed by Aaron and his group. She demanded her servants slay them.
The servants weren’t willing to do this. They said that one of them is mightier than they are. If they attempted to slay them, they would die.
21 Now when the queen saw the fear of the servants she also began to fear exceedingly, lest there should some evil come upon her. And she commanded her servants that they should go and call the people, that they might slay Aaron and his brethren.
22 Now when Aaron saw the determination of the queen, he, also knowing the hardness of the hearts of the people, feared lest that a multitude should assemble themselves together, and there should be a great contention and a disturbance among them; therefore he put forth his hand and raised the king from the earth, and said unto him: Stand. And he stood upon his feet, receiving his strength.
23 Now this was done in the presence of the queen and many of the servants. And when they saw it they greatly marveled, and began to fear. And the king stood forth, and began to minister unto them. And he did minister unto them, insomuch that his whole household were converted unto the Lord.
Alma 22:21-23 (Emphasis mine)
The queen began to fear Aaron and his brethren. If she, or the servants, couldn’t kill Aaron’s group, maybe the people could do it for her. She had the servants call the round up the people.
Aaron saw what was happening and knew nothing good could come from a mob. He put out his hand and told the king to stand. He regained his strength and stood.
He then began to preach to his household. His words were so powerful, his entire household was converted unto the Lord.
[1] Treaties and Covenants: Ancient Near Eastern Legal Terminology in the Book of Mormon, RoseAnn Benson, and Stephen D. Ricks, Maxwell Institute, accessed September 19, 2011.
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