Chapter 54
Ammoron and Moroni
negotiate for the exchange of prisoners—Moroni demands that the Lamanites
withdraw and cease their murderous attacks—Ammoron demands that the Nephites
lay down their arms and become subject to the Lamanites. About 63 B.C.
Ammoron contacted Moroni expressing a desire to exchange
prisoners. Moroni had ordered his army
to collect Lamanite prisoners for future trades. “And Moroni also sent orders unto [Teancum]
that he should retain all the prisoners who fell into his hands; for as the
Lamanites had taken many prisoners, that he should retain all the prisoners of
the Lamanites as a ransom for those whom the Lamanites had taken” (Alma 52:8).
Moroni was pleased with the request. He wanted the provisions for his own army as
well as those guarding the prisoners to be available to strengthen his army.
The Nephites only took prisoners of the Lamanite
troops. On the other hand, Ammoron did
not hesitate to take civilian prisoners, including women and children. This was another reason why Moroni wanted a
prisoner transfer.
He sent an epistle in response to Ammoron’s request.
He next teaches Ammoron concerning the justice of God. The scriptures are full of references to God’s
justice. “Justice and judgment are the habitation of thy throne: mercy
and truth shall go before thy face” (Psalms 89:14).
“And I said unto them that our father also saw that the justice
of God did also divide the wicked from the righteous; and the brightness
thereof was like unto the brightness of a flaming fire, which ascendeth up unto
God forever and ever, and hath no end” (1 Nephi 15:30).
“O the greatness and the justice of our God! For he executeth all his words, and they have
gone forth out of his mouth, and his law must be fulfilled” (2 Nephi 9:17).
“Therefore if that man repenteth not, and remaineth and
dieth an enemy to God, the demands of divine justice do awaken his immortal
soul to a lively sense of his own guilt, which doth cause him to shrink from
the presence of the Lord, and doth fill his breast with guilt, and pain, and anguish,
which is like an unquenchable fire, whose flame ascendeth up forever and ever” (Mosiah
2:38).
“Now it is better that a man should be judged of God than of
man, for the judgments of God are always just, but the judgments of man are not
always just” (Mosiah 29:12).
The sword of God’s wrath hands over him and his army unless
they repent and return to their own land, the land of Nephi. He also warned him about the hell that awaits
murders like him and his brother. “The wicked shall be turned into hell, and all the nations that forget God” (Psalms
9:17).
“And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to
kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body
in hell” (Matthew 10:28).
“Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart
from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his
angels” (Matthew 25:41).
“But behold, I say unto you, the kingdom of God is not
filthy, and there cannot any unclean thing enter into the kingdom of God;
wherefore there must needs be a place of filthiness prepared for that which is
filthy. And there is a place prepared, yea, even that awful hell of which I
have spoken, and the devil is the preparator of it; wherefore the final state
of the souls of men is to dwell in the kingdom of God, or to be cast out
because of that justice of which I have spoken” (1 Nephi 15:34-35).
Except he repents and withdraws to his own land, this is the
hell he will face. However, since he was a Nephite dissenter, he had already
rejected the truth and Moroni expected him to do so again. He warned Ammoron
his army was prepared to meet him and bring down the wrath of God upon them.
If they fail to withdraw, they will be visited with death. The
Lord was with them. “And again, the Lord
has said that: Ye shall defend your families even unto bloodshed. Therefore for this cause were the Nephites
contending with the Lamanites, to defend themselves, and their families, and
their lands, their country, and their rights, and their religion” (Alma 43:47).
Moroni realizes his words are in vain as he is talking to a
child of hell.[3]
“Ye are of your father the devil, and
the lusts of your father ye will do. He
was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is
no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie,
he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it. And because I
tell you the truth, ye believe me not”
(John 8:44-45).
Moroni is prepared to come against him with his armies. He will even arm women and children. He will follow them into the land of Nephi
was is the land of their first inheritance.[4] In battle, he will destroy him off the face
of the Earth.
“Note that those people were living in desperate, violent
times. Even the great Nephite leader Moroni1 could fall into the
hatred rhetoric of the day. In a chilling forecast of the total Cumorah
slaughter still four centuries ahead, he threatened the Lamanite king, Nephite
dissenter Ammoron, that if he did not cease his campaign of attempted conquest he
would turn the tables on him…”[5]
Moroni made it clear he and his people were angry. The Lamanites had tried to murder them while
the Nephites were defending themselves.
If they continue to try to destroy the Nephites, he will destroy the
Lamanite army and retake the land of their first inheritance.
“It appears that the Nephites may have had similar feelings …
[Moroni’s] outburst reveals one layer of Nephite animosity, which contrasts
with the Lamanite tradition concerning what happened in the land of first
inheritance. Whereas the Lamanites believed they had been tricked and cheated
out of their proper place of authority, the Nephites believed they had been forced
out of the land of first inheritance. Incidentally, this provides further
support that Zeniff ’s return had a more serious purpose than simply seeking
for a place of greater prosperity.”[6]
[1] “And
now it came to pass that, as soon as Amalickiah had obtained the kingdom he
began to inspire the hearts of the Lamanites against the people of Nephi; yea,
he did appoint men to speak unto the Lamanites from their towers, against the
Nephites” (Alma 48:1).
[2] “And
it came to pass that the brother of Amalickiah was appointed king over the
people; and his name was Ammoron; thus king Ammoron, the brother of king
Amalickiah, was appointed to reign in his stead” (Alma 52:3).
[3] We
see while Moroni was a great leader, man of faith, and general, he was not a
diplomat.
[4] “And
it came to pass that the Lord did warn me, that I, Nephi, should depart from
them and flee into the wilderness, and all those who would go with me. Wherefore,
it came to pass that I, Nephi, did take my family, and also Zoram and his
family, and Sam, mine elder brother and his family, and Jacob and Joseph, my
younger brethren, and also my sisters, and all those who would go with me. And all those who would go with me were those
who believed in the warnings and the revelations of God; wherefore, they did
hearken unto my words. And we did take our tents and whatsoever things were
possible for us, and did journey in the wilderness for the space of many
days. And after we had journeyed for the
space of many days we did pitch our tents. And my people would that we should
call the name of the place Nephi; wherefore, we did call it Nephi” (2 Nephi 5:5-8).
[5] Last-Ditch
Warfare in Ancient Mesoamerica Recalls the Book of Mormon, John L. Sorenson,
Journal of Book of Mormon Studies 9/2 (2000): 47.
[6] “And
it came to pass . . .”: The Sociopolitical Events in the Book of Mormon Leading
to the Eighteenth Year of the Reign of the Judges, Dan Belnap, Journal of
Book of Mormon Studies 23 (2014): 131-132.
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