20 Now it came to pass that not many days after the
battle which was fought in the land of Zarahemla, by the Lamanites and the
Amlicites, that there was another army of the Lamanites came in upon the people of
Nephi, in the same place where the first army met the Amlicites. 21
And it came to pass that there was an army sent to drive them out of their
land.
22 Now Alma himself being afflicted with a wound
did not go up to battle at this time against the Lamanites; 23
But he sent up a numerous army against them; and they went up and slew many of the
Lamanites, and drove the remainder of them out of the borders of their land.
Alma 3:20-23 (Emphasis mine)
The main Amlicite/Lamanite army was defeated. Amlici is dead. But then, “not many days after the which was
fought in the land of Zarahemla, another Lamanite army comes forward to battle
the Nephites.” They arrived at the same
place as the first army. The war was
again located “in the land of Minon, above the land of Zarahemla, in the course
of the land of Nephi” (Alma 2:24).
Alma(2) was not able to lead the army this time. Mormon tells us he was “afflicted with a
wound” in his battle with Amlici. While
we don’t know anything about the wound he received, it was serious enough to
keep him from leading the army. Another
was sent to lead the army in his place.
The battle was fought and many Lamanites died. The remainder were drive from the land of
Zarahemla.
24 And then they returned again and began to establish
peace in the land, being troubled no more for a time with their
enemies. 25 Now all
these things were done, yea, all these wars and contentions were commenced and
ended in the fifth year of the reign of the judges [about 87 B.C.].
26 And in one year were thousands and tens of
thousands of souls sent to the eternal world, that they might reap their rewards
according to their works, whether they were good or whether they were bad, to
reap eternal happiness or eternal misery, according to the spirit which
they listed to obey, whether it be a good spirit or a bad one. 27
For every
man receiveth wages of him whom he listeth to obey, and this according
to the words of the spirit of prophecy; therefore let it be according to the
truth. And thus endeth the fifth year of
the reign of the judges.
Alma 3:24-27 (Emphasis mine)
The wars have ended. There
was peace throughout the land.
Mormon then summarizes the loss of life. “In one year, there were thousands and tens
of thousands of souls sent to the eternal world.” This was a major loss of life. The warrior prophet then explains that they
would “reap their rewards according to their works.” If they were good, they reaped eternal
happiness. If evil, they reaped eternal
misery. “Every man receiveth wages of who
he listeth to obey.”
These words echo King Benjamin. He told the people to “beware lest there
shall arise contentions among you, and ye list to obey the evil spirit … For
behold, there is a wo pronounced upon him who listeth to obey that spirit; for
if he listeth to obey him, and remaineth and dieth in his sins, the same
drinketh damnation to his own soul; for he receiveth for his wages an everlasting
punishment, having transgressed the law of God contrary to his own knowledge”
(Mosiah 2:32-33).
Alma(2) would echo these words when he preached to the people
of Zarahemla. “[I]f a man bringeth forth
good works he hearkeneth unto the voice of the good shepherd, and he doth
follow him; but whosoever bringeth forth evil works, the same becometh a child
of the devil, for he hearkeneth unto his voice, and doth follow him. And whosoever doeth this must receive his wages
of him; therefore, for his wages he receiveth death, as to things pertaining
unto righteousness, being dead unto all good works” (Alma 51-42). Again, we hear and echo of the words of King
Benjamin.
When Samuel the Lamanite preached to the Nephites, he said, “that
whosoever will not believe, a righteous judgment might come upon them; and also
if they are condemned they bring upon themselves their own condemnation. And
now remember, remember, my brethren, that whosoever perisheth, perisheth unto himself;
and whosoever doeth iniquity, doeth it unto himself; for behold, ye are free;
ye are permitted to act for yourselves; for behold, God hath given unto you a knowledge
and he hath made you free. He hath given
unto you that ye might know good from evil, and he hath given unto you that ye
might choose life or death; and ye can do good and be restored unto that which
is good, or have that which is good restored unto you; or ye can do evil, and
have that which is evil restored unto you (Helaman 14:29-31).
Whatever judgment comes upon us, it will be “a righteous judgment.” The judgment is righteous because “God hath given
[us] a knowledge and he hath made [us] free.”
We are allowed to make our own choices.
The judgment we receive will be based on those choices. What can be fairer than that?
Barbara Cramer observes:
“Alma 3 contains a forceful indictment of the Amlicites, who had
willfully chosen to mark themselves ‘with red in their foreheads after the
manner of the Lamanites’ (v. 4). Benjamin's words from Mosiah 2 are
echoed in Alma 3:18: ‘Now the Amlicites . . . had come out in open
rebellion against God; therefore it was expedient that the curse [of
God] should fall upon them’ (emphasis in original). Later, in a reflective
commentary on the tens of thousands who had died in recent battles between the
Nephites and their Lamanite and Amlicite enemies, we read that the dead will ‘reap
eternal happiness or eternal misery, according to the spirit which they listed to
obey, whether it be a good spirit or a bad one. For every man receiveth wages
of him whom he listeth to obey’ (emphasis in original) (Alma
3:26—27). Benjamin had also spoken of wages in Mosiah 2:33: ‘for he
receiveth for his wages an everlasting punishment, having transgressed the law
of God contrary to his own knowledge.’ These two passages teach that one can list to do right or wrong only
with sufficient knowledge to make an informed choice.” [1]
(Unless noted, emphasis mine)
[1] Which
Path Do We List?, Barbara Cramer, Provo, Utah: Maxwell Institute,
accessed February 27, 2012.
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