Chapter 10
Lehi descended from
Manasseh—Amulek recounts the angelic command that he care for Alma—The prayers
of the righteous cause the people to be spared—Unrighteous lawyers and judges
lay the foundation of the destruction of the people. About 82 B.C.
1 Now these are the
words which Amulek preached unto the people who were in the land of Ammonihah,
saying:
2 I am Amulek; I am
the son of Giddonah, who was the son of Ishmael, who was a descendant of
Aminadi; and it was that same Aminadi who interpreted the writing which was
upon the wall of the temple, which was written by the finger of God.
3 And Aminadi was a
descendant of Nephi, who was the son of Lehi, who came out of the land of
Jerusalem, who was a descendant of Manasseh, who was the son of Joseph who was
sold into Egypt by the hands of his brethren.
4 And behold, I am
also a man of no small reputation among all those who know me; yea, and behold,
I have many kindreds and friends, and I have also acquired much riches by the
hand of my industry.
5 Nevertheless, after
all this, I never have known much of the ways of the Lord, and his mysteries
and marvelous power. I said I never had known much of these things; but behold,
I mistake, for I have seen much of his mysteries and his marvelous power; yea,
even in the preservation of the lives of this people.
6 Nevertheless, I did
harden my heart, for I was called many times and I would not hear; therefore I
knew concerning these things, yet I would not know; therefore I went on
rebelling against God, in the wickedness of my heart, even until the fourth day
of this seventh month, which is in the tenth year of the reign of the judges.
7 As I was journeying
to see a very near kindred, behold an angel of the Lord appeared unto me and
said: Amulek, return to thine own house, for thou shalt feed a prophet of the
Lord; yea, a holy man, who is a chosen man of God; for he has fasted many days
because of the sins of this people, and he is an hungered, and thou shalt
receive him into thy house and feed him, and he shall bless thee and thy house;
and the blessing of the Lord shall rest upon thee and thy house.
8 And it came to pass
that I obeyed the voice of the angel, and returned towards my house. And as I
was going thither I found the man whom the angel said unto me: Thou shalt
receive into thy house—and behold it was this same man who has been speaking
unto you concerning the things of God.
9 And the angel said
unto me he is a holy man; wherefore I know he is a holy man because it was said
by an angel of God.
10 And again, I know
that the things whereof he hath testified are true; for behold I say unto you,
that as the Lord liveth, even so has he sent his angel to make these things
manifest unto me; and this he has done while this Alma hath dwelt at my house.
11 For behold, he hath
blessed mine house, he hath blessed me, and my women, and my children, and my
father and my kinsfolk; yea, even all my kindred hath he blessed, and the
blessing of the Lord hath rested upon us according to the words which he spake.
(Alma 10:1-11)
In Chapter 9, Mormon closes by telling us he is writing the
words of Amulek. He explains, “the words of Amulek are not all written” (Alma
9:34). So, we have an incomplete record. It would have been interesting to know
why he chose not to include his complete sermon.
Amulek introduces himself by telling them a bit of his
genealogy. He was the son of Ishmael. He is a descendant of Aminadi, “who
interpreted the writing which was upon the wall of the temple, which was
written by the finger of God” (Alma 10:2). For whatever reason, Mormon chose to
provide us with no information about this event.
Aminadi was a descendant of Nephi, the son of the Lehi. We
then learn Lehi was a descendant of Manasseh.
The people know him. He has family and friends among the
people of Ammonihah. He was also a wealthy man, having “acquired much riches by
the hand of my industry” (Alma 10:4).
He never understood the ways, mysteries, and power of the
Lord. But, this was a mistake. He had seen much of His mysteries and powers, in
the preservation of the Nephites, but did not recognize it.
“Amulek was an industrious and prosperous man with many
kindreds and friends. He described himself as a man who was called many times
but would not hear, a man who knew the things of God but would not know. A
basically good man, Amulek was distracted by worldly concerns…”
Even though he had previously hardened his heart, Amulek
obeyed the voice of an angel, received the prophet Alma in his home, and
provided nourishment to him. He was spiritually awakened during Alma’s visit
and was called to preach the gospel. Amulek then forsook ‘all his gold, and
silver, and his precious things … for the word of God, [and was] rejected by
those who were once his friends and also by his father and his kindred.’”[1]
“Even when free of major transgression, we can develop self-contentment instead of seeking self-improvement. This was once true of Amulek, who later acknowledged, “I was called many times and I would not hear; therefore I knew concerning these things, yet I would not know; therefore I went on rebelling against God.” (Alma 10:4–6.)[2]
“While casual members are not unrighteous, they often avoid
appearing to be too righteous by seeming less committed than they really are—an
ironic form of hypocrisy.
“Some of these otherwise honorable members mistakenly regard
the Church as an institution, but not as a kingdom. They know the doctrines of
the kingdom, but more as a matter of recitation than of real comprehension.
“Casual members are usually very busy with the cares and the
things of the world—much as honorable Amulek once was. Called many times, he
would not hear. He really knew concerning the truths of the gospel, but Amulek
would not acknowledge that he knew. (Alma 10:4–6.)”[3]
Amulek tells them he was traveling to visit a close
relative. While he was traveling, an angel of the Lord appeared to him. He was
told to return to his house. A “holy man” had been fasting for many days and
was very hungry. He was told to return and provide him with food and lodging.
For doing this, the Lord’s blessing will rest upon both him and his family.
He returned and found Alma. He knew Alma was “a holy man
because it was said by an angel of God” (Alma 10:8).
After caring for Alma, Amulek said he had blessed his house.
Alma had blessed him, his women and children, his father, and all his kinsfolk.
“When Amulek describes Alma’s blessing, he paints a picture
of how Amulek perceives his kin connections. These descriptions fit the general
picture of Mesoamerican households.[4]
[3] “Settle
This in Your Hearts”, Elder Neal A. Maxwell, October 1992 General
Conference.
[4] Behind
the Mask, Behind the Curtain: Uncovering the Illusion, Brant A. Gardner,
FARMS Review 17/2 (2005): 158.
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