8 Now the people of the Zoramites were angry with the people of Ammon who were in Jershon, and the chief ruler of the Zoramites, being a very wicked man, sent over unto the people of Ammon desiring them that they should cast out of their land all those who came over from them into their land.
9 And he breathed out many threatenings against them. And now the people of Ammon did not fear their words; therefore they did not cast them out, but they did receive all the poor of the Zoramites that came over unto them; and they did nourish them, and did clothe them, and did give unto them lands for their inheritance; and they did administer unto them according to their wants.
10 Now this did stir up the Zoramites to anger against the people of Ammon, and they began to mix with the Lamanites and to stir them up also to anger against them.
11 And thus the Zoramites and the Lamanites began to make preparations for war against the people of Ammon, and also against the Nephites.
12 And thus ended the seventeenth year [74 B.C.] of the reign of the judges over the people of Nephi.
Alma 35:8-12 (Emphasis mine)
Not only were the Zoramites angry that they had lost a source of income, they were upset that the Ammonites were welcoming the Zoramites cast out. This angered the leader of the Zoramites to the point where he threatened the Ammonites if they didn’t give in to his demand. Of course, they ignored him and continued to provide a place for the Zoramite poor and faithful.
The leader of the Zoramites then turned to the Lamanites and began to stir them up to anger against the Ammonites and Nephites. They began to make preparations for war.
Hugh Nibley reviews the current situation.
“You have the Nephites being willing to support these renegade Zoramites who had left and joined the Ammonites. The Ammonites were renegade enough; that shocked them. The Lamanites called those Ammonites traitors, we find out a little later on. On the other hand, the Nephites were giving them support, while the Lamanites were supporting the Zoramites, who were Nephite dissenters. They had gone over from the Nephites, and the Lamanites were supporting them. Then more Zoramites break off and go back to the Nephites, and the Nephites support them. You have two factions fighting each other; Nephites support one and [Lamanites] support the other. They tear everything apart, and this leads unto into fourteen years of gory war…” [1] (Emphasis mine)
13 And the people of Ammon departed out of the land of Jershon, and came over into the land of Melek, and gave place in the land of Jershon for the armies of the Nephites, that they might contend with the armies of the Lamanites and the armies of the Zoramites; and thus commenced a war betwixt the Lamanites and the Nephites, in the eighteenth year of the reign of the judges; and an account shall be given of their wars hereafter.
14 And Alma, and Ammon, and their brethren, and also the two sons of Alma returned to the land of Zarahemla, after having been instruments in the hands of God of bringing many of the Zoramites to repentance; and as many as were brought to repentance were driven out of their land; but they have lands for their inheritance in the land of Jershon, and they have taken up arms to defend themselves, and their wives, and children, and their lands.
Alma 35:13-14 (Emphasis mine)
With war imminent, the Ammonites left Jershon and moved to Melek. Jershon was to be a key location in the defense of the land of Zarahemla.
Alma and his brethren had returned to Zarahemla having been successful in their missionary efforts. The Zoramites driven out of their land affiliated with the Nephites. This affiliation was so strong that they were willing to take up arms to defend their wives, children, and lands.
Hugh Nibley observes:
“The Ammonites, being pacifists, moved out of the war-zone, but the recent Zoramite refugees stayed on there and armed themselves for the event (Alma 35:14). The Nephites felt as insecure as the Lamanites, and with good reason: this is not going to be a war of ‘the good guys against the bad guys.’ What was worrying Alma was the decline of Nephite morality; when Nephites and Lamanites lock horns there is little to choose between them in the matter of good and bad. What grieved Alma at this time was ‘the wars, and the bloodsheds, and the contentions which were among them’—the Nephites themselves (Alma 35:15). He had visited every city in the land and found the country in a deplorable state as ‘the hearts of the people began to wax hard’(Alma 35:15) and they refused to listen to his preaching.” [2] (Emphasis mine)
15 Now Alma, being grieved for the iniquity of his people, yea for the wars, and the bloodsheds, and the contentions which were among them; and having been to declare the word, or sent to declare the word, among all the people in every city; and seeing that the hearts of the people began to wax hard, and that they began to be offended because of the strictness of the word, his heart was exceedingly sorrowful.
16 Therefore, he caused that his sons should be gathered together, that he might give unto them every one his charge, separately, concerning the things pertaining unto righteousness. And we have an account of his commandments, which he gave unto them according to his own record.
Alma 35:15-16 (Emphasis mine)
Alma(2) sees that the people are turning away from the church. With the wars and contentions going on, the people became more wicked. They were also offended by the strictness of his teachings.
This is a problem we see today. People don’t want to follow a stricter standard of life. They want things to be less strict. The cliché from the 60’s – “If it feels good, do it!” – seems to be a popular part of our society. It becomes harder and harder to live a life following the teachings of Christ. Things today are, in many ways, similar to what Alma(2) faced with his society.
The wicked of finding the word of God strict is a common response of the wicked throughout the Book of Mormon. Leslie Taylor writes:
“Just as the word of God can be comforting to those who accept it, it can be discomforting—‘hard,’ ‘sharp,’ or ‘strict’—to those who reject it. This dichotomy is a prevalent theme in the Book of Mormon…
“Nephi's speech (1 Nephi 16:2) contains a reference to the Logos-tomeus metaphor in which the truth of the word of God acts as a ‘cutter’ (‘it cutteth them’) and causes pain to the guilty. Abinadi expresses the same idea when he challenges King Noah and his wicked priests: ‘I perceive that it [his message] cuts you to your hearts because I tell you the truth concerning your iniquities’ (Mosiah 13:7).
“The characterization of the word of God as ‘sharp’ also applies to the dichotomy of how the righteous and the unrighteous receive the word of God. An early example of this is recorded in Lehi's speech to Laman and Lemuel, wherein he rebukes them for their treatment of Nephi… (see 2 Nephi 1:26)
“The word of God also offends the wicked because of its strictness, as seen in Alma's reflections at the end of his mission to the Zoramites (See Alma 35:15).” [3] (Emphasis mine)
[1] Lecture 55: Alma 32-35, Hugh W. Nibley, Provo, Utah: Maxwell Institute, accessed December 11, 2011.
[2] A Rigorous Test: Military History, Hugh Nibley, Provo, Utah: Maxwell Institute, accessed December 11, 2011.
[3] The Word of God, Leslie A. Taylor, Provo, Utah: Maxwell Institute, accessed December 11, 2011.
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