14 And it came to pass
that while he was journeying thither, being weighed down with sorrow, wading
through much tribulation and anguish of soul, because of the wickedness of the
people who were in the city of Ammonihah, it came to pass while Alma was thus weighed
down with sorrow, behold an angel of the Lord appeared unto him, saying:
15 Blessed art thou,
Alma; therefore, lift up thy head and rejoice, for thou hast great cause to
rejoice; for thou hast been faithful in keeping the commandments of God from the
time which thou receivedst thy first message from him. Behold, I am he that
delivered it unto you.
16 And behold, I am
sent to command thee that thou return to the city of Ammonihah, and preach
again unto the people of the city; yea, preach unto them. Yea, say unto them,
except they repent the Lord God will destroy them.
17 For behold, they do
study at this time that they may destroy the liberty of thy people, (for thus
saith the Lord) which is contrary to the statutes, and judgments, and
commandments which he has given unto his people.
18 Now it came to pass
that after Alma had received his message from the angel of the Lord he returned
speedily to the land of Ammonihah. And he entered the city by another way, yea,
by the way which is on the south of the city of Ammonihah.
19 And as he entered
the city he was an hungered, and he said to a man: Will ye give to an humble
servant of God something to eat?
20 And the man said
unto him: I am a Nephite, and I know that thou art a holy prophet of God, for
thou art the man whom an angel said in a vision: Thou shalt receive. Therefore,
go with me into my house and I will impart unto thee of my food; and I know
that thou wilt be a blessing unto me and my house.
21 And it came to pass
that the man received him into his house; and the man was called Amulek; and he
brought forth bread and meat and set before Alma.
22 And it came to pass
that Alma ate bread and was filled; and he blessed Amulek and his house, and he
gave thanks unto God. (Alma 8:14-22).
Having failed and being cast out of Ammonihah, Alma was traveling
to the city of Aaron. He was weighed down with tribulation and anguish in his
soul.
“These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might
have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I
have overcome the world” (John 16:33).
“[W]e glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation
worketh patience” (Romans 5:3).
In his sorrow, an angel of the Lord appeared to him. He told
him he was blessed, that he should rejoice. He had been faithful since his
conversion experience. Then, he told him he was the angel who delivered the
message to him which led to his conversion.
“We may not know what contribution our small thread makes to
the great tapestry. We may not understand the pattern that our lives make as
they intersect, connect, separate, and intersect again, but God does. Of
course, it was no accident that the angel who rebuked the erring Alma the
Younger in a “voice of thunder” was the same angel who returned to Alma, now
twenty years a missionary, to say, “Blessed art thou, Alma; … for thou hast
been faithful.” (Mosiah 27:11; Alma 8:15.) Their lives made a shining pattern.”[1]
He was sent to tell Alma to return to Ammonihah. His message
was to be that, unless they repent, the Lord will destroy them. The people of
Ammonihah were planning to do all they could to destroy the liberty the Nephites
enjoyed.
After receiving this message, he quickly returned to
Ammonihah. This time, he entered traveling from the south, which was a
different direction than when he first entered.
Despite the prayers and labors of Alma, the people of
Ammonihah hardened their hearts and would not believe anything he taught them.
They even reviled him, spit upon him, and cast him out of their city.
He decided to take his journey to the city of Aaron, being
weighed down heavily with disappointment, sorrow, and anguish because of the
wickedness of the people of Ammonihah.
“I wonder what [Alma’s] feelings were at that moment,
knowing and feeling so strongly the experience he had just endured with [the
people of Ammonihah]. He had been reviled and physically thrown out of the
city, and I’m sure his life had been threatened. And now he was being told to
return once again to these people.
“Alma’s reaction to this command is most interesting. The
scriptures say this: ‘Now it came to pass that after Alma had received his
message from the angel of the Lord he returned speedily to the land of
Ammonihah.’ (Alma 8:18.)’
“Isn’t that interesting, brothers and sisters? It says, ‘He
returned speedily.’ Maybe his earlier experience with the angel caused him not
to tarry or question, but to react immediately. But I believe he was motivated
by love for the Lord and his desire to be obedient. Alma’s reaction and
attitude to this request has been of great strength to me as I strive to serve
the Lord.”[2]
Alma had been fasting for many days. After entering the
city, he approached a man and asked him if he would “give to an humble servant
of God something to eat” (Alma 7:19).
Amulek told him he knew he was a prophet of God, He had seen
an angel he would meet him, and take care of his needs.
“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.
“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.
“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” (Alma 10:7-9).
After meeting Alma, Amulek informs him, “I am a Nephite”
(Alma 8:20). This is an interesting response, why would he introduce himself as
a Nephite?
“Why would he say that? Wasn't it obvious? Clearly Amulek
had recognized Alma as a Nephite, either by his speech, his appearance, or
perhaps the way he had referred to God when he opened the conversation. But to
what other social or ethnic category might Amulek have belonged? His abrupt
statement makes sense only if most of the people of the place were not Nephites
and also if Amulek's characteristics did not make it already apparent to Alma
that he was a Nephite.”[3]
After Amulek had taken care of Alma’s hunger, Alma blessed
his house. “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 10:11).
[1] Cat’s
Cradle of Kindness, Sister Chieko N. Okazaki, April 1993.
[2] “He
Returned Speedily,” Elder Robert B. Harbertson, October 1984 General Conference.
[3] When
Lehi's Party Arrived in the Land, Did They Find Others There, John L.
Sorenson, Maxwell Institute website.
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